A:N/ So this is the ending to Shokugeki No Sōma: After Years! We're finally here bois. I know that I said before that I wanted things to go through so much more jazz, but let's keep it simple. I wanted to end this story after a while because I felt that I was riding on it's fame too much. To the loyal reader's that has been with this story ever since day 1 (during it's beta version) I thank you all so much.
To my friends who've come a long way of supporting me after many many months of me revising and re-doing parts of this story, I couldn't be more thankful enough to have such loyal readers. This story is official over, I gave it my all and I hope it reaches to you readers.
It started with a small story concept that I had on the back of my head, but after many months of staying with it... I've grown so much as a writer. Thank you all again and I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I did when making it.
My Dearest
Sōma's POV:
I wonder since when it had started. I get this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach whenever me and Atra were coincidentally left alone or are put in compromising situations. It's weird. Plenty of people at her shop often confuse us in being in a relationship. They say that we'd make a great couple, but that's just silly. Before anything else, I'm a father to Etsuko.
Right…?
"Yukihira-kun… It's starting…" seated beside me at the auditorium of Etsuko's school was Iwatani-san. Thankfully she was here, without her, I wonder if Etsuko's costume would be as cute as she is right now.
On the stage at the beginning of the play, there stood Etsuko in her cute little blue dress. There was a swell of pride that was felt when I saw my little smiling at me from the stage. She can do this easily she's my daughter after all.
Later into the play, I felt Atra's head leaning towards me as she yawned in exhaustion. I could see the grey bags under her eyes. Did she stay up all those nights just so she could finish Etsuko's dress? Why would she go that far for her?
"What's your favorite thing on earth?" I was caught by surprise by this line. I saw Haru in his beast costume approaching Etsuko. His little ram horns and pointy tail looked great for a costume. Rindō-senpai really put some effort into his costume.
"Books of course!" Etsuko chirped at the beast as Haru pranced around looking hostile for the part. If I recall correctly, this was the part where the beast saves Belle from the wolves in the forest.
"Mhmmm Yukihira-kun…" I shifted my gaze towards Iwatani-san when I heard her mumble my name. Why would she? I don't want to wake her up since it would be rude of me to do so after all that she's done. I brush it off, feeling slightly jittered by the sudden mumbling.
Focusing on the play, they were now at the part where Belle starts warming up to the beast. Etsuko was slightly blushing when Haru took her dancing. They looked cute, but there was a sinking feeling of annoyance within me. I don't want my baby girl to grow up too fast now do I?
"Ahhh, but do you not see, mon cheri? Our master is warming up to you…" winked a kid dressed in a candle-holder costume. Most likely he was the Lumière in this play.
"Could it be that the master's heart is being thawed by this girl?" whispered a girl wearing a tea-pot costume, this time it should be Mrs. Potts.
"But of course! The young master has become more and more selfless because of her!" a pudgy kid wearing a clock's costume chided. What was his name again? I think this was supposed to be Cogsworth guy.
"I have to go!" a panicked Etsuko came into their conversation. The other kids looked at her in shock, possibly because this was the part where Belle sees her father in danger. In a brisk conversation, Etsuko exited the stage as they set around another scene of the play.
"Young master… Why did you let her go?" asked the kid- Lumière. Haru was really selling it, looking distraught with the same look of hurt that the beast had when Belle left.
"She was never mine to begin with…" the crowd sighed and we were taken by surprise with the script that the kids are following.
"She was never mine to begin with… Huh…" I repeated the line over and over. It somehow struck to me that this line kind of described my situation with Iwatani-san. When was it when I started looking at her in a different light? Did I ever notice her in a different way?
I leaned back into my chair and kept thinking about it. I'm getting ahead of myself here. I'm being irrational.
"Why don't you fight for her, young master?" again, lines from the play made me rethink what the hell I was doing all this time. For a children's play, their dialogue is really good. I wonder how long these kids practiced…
"Would she still take me as I am? Mrs. Potts… I'm a monster." From the sleeves of my shirt, I couldn't help but unconsciously touch the scars that I've done to myself. What right do I have to even think about looking at Iwatani-san in a different way?
I wonder why Haru was crying all of a sudden. Was it part of the play? It probably was, but the crying seemed so genuine when he exited the stage for the next scene. When the lights came back on, there he was on the last scene of the play.
"Did you ever think that Belle would love a hideous beast like you?!" I chortled a little at the accuracy of the line from the kid playing Gaston. He drew out his toy dagger and pretended to stab Haru.
"No!" Etsuko's shrill of fear suddenly woke up Iwatani-san who was still leaning her head onto my shoulder.
"What the…" when Iwatani-san raised her head, we were inches apart from each other. I could feel her breath. I could see her intense verdant green eyes that looked at me in embarrassment. She froze on the spot. She looked so conflicted and ashamed for no reason.
"I-I-I-I'M SO SORRY!" she blurted out a little too loud, enough for the play to momentarily stop and for the crowds of parents to look at us. I dismissed it by reassuring her, but it did little next to nothing in terms of Iwatani-san's remaining dignity.
Why did she freeze like that? It wasn't a big deal anyway. But why did it feel like I'm lying to myself right now? What the hell are these thoughts that I'm thinking of?!
"Please… Don't go…" Back at the play, Etsuko was holding Haru's head on her lap. The other servant kids were watching in awe at the adorable pair. Etsuko was great at acting. For the finale, she kissed Haru on the forehead, causing the boy to immediately yelp up in surprise.
"W-W-W-WHAT WAS THAT?!" the curtain closed at the sight of Haru's beet-red face. I couldn't help but laugh at the kid's sudden outburst.
We met up with Etsuko soon after they got their pictures taken by the parents. I got my camera out and snapped a few pictures of her. A smile crept its way up to my lips when I saw Iwatani-san hugging and congratulating her. Since when did the two started to look like mother-daughter? This was getting bad. I needed to clear my head out of these silly thoughts before I damage anything between us.
"Iwatani-san, could you watch over Etsuko for a little bit? I'm going out for some air…" she nodded, looking worried along with Etsuko.
"Where's Papa going?" I faintly heard her ask from Iwatani-san before I left. I'm being an irresponsible parent by leaving my daughter with her, but was it really that bad if it was Iwatani-san?
But then again…
I can't possibly think of her that way…
Right…?
"What's gotten you so down in the dumps, Yukihira-kun?" I peered over to my shoulder and saw Rindō-senpai walking behind me. Could she possibly know? There are plenty of things in my mind right now that I'm not even thinking of things clearly. I slapped my cheeks a little bit hard to snap me out of it.
"Nothing's wrong, senpai!" I defended. Rindō-senpai sat beside me on the bench and crossed her arms.
"Bullshit, Yukihira-kun. You're making that stupid face again when you're thinking about something. Tell me, is it about that lady-friend of yours?" her eyes glinted with malice and mischief. She caught on to me. Even if I tried to deny things to her, she already has me cornered.
"I suck at being a parent…" was the first thing that popped into my mind. Rindō-senpai gave me a pat on the shoulder as she chuckles.
"You are, but at the same time, you're also rocking it pretty well for a single dad." She winked. From the beginning that Etsuko was born, was I enough for her? Had Erina been her with us, could Etsuko have been raised differently?
"Rindō-senpai… Is it wrong to have feelings for someone when I'm already a widower?" I never got around to talking too much about this with Pops, mainly because he never really dated anyone else when Mom died.
"You're sure that you're feeling something for that friend of yours? This isn't something like a one-night stand, right?" I could think of a list of things in my head that happened between me and Iwatani-san. Talking with her, laughing with her, getting to know her ever since we met by chance in Saint Gallen… I couldn't exactly tell what I was feeling up to this point.
"W-Well… I care a lot about her. She's a great person that has been with me and Etsuko ever since she moved here…" Rindō-senpai crossed her arms and stood up, heading back towards the auditorium.
"Wait here…" I heard her say before she left.
"What the- What the hell is this..." I came across a mysterious video file on my camera. It confused my how this got here, I didn't recall a time that I shot a video of something with this thing. What could it be?
Rindō's POV:
I hate it when that moron can't take the hint. He was obviously feeling something towards his lady-friend, but I wonder why he can't even move? Sure Etsuko was a factor, but ain't that chick already attached to Etsuko by now?
Looking around at the numerous parents swarming their kids and their friends, I saw a patch of pink hair and saw Etsuko with that woman. She looked cute, really cute. But what was it that Yukihira-kun find intimidating to her?
"Oi! C'mere for a sec!" I called to her. Etsuko knows me by know, so it's good that she trusted me enough to encourage the woman with her to talk with me. Who was she in the first place?
"Uhmm… Why did you call for me?" she asks. Now that I look at her closely, she looks a bit like Hisako, only she has longer hair and looked thinner compared to Hisako.
"Woman to woman talk." I asked her straight up. She tensed up and I couldn't help but feel like a bitch for suddenly pulling her into this awkward conversation with me.
"E-Excuse me?" I wanted to clear things up for her and Yukihira-kun. The idiot won't move, but seeing him in that sorry-ass state puts a sour taste in my mouth for some reason. He's like a little brother to me, you know?
"What's your relationship with Yukihira-kun?" A blunt approach this time could shake her up. Was it too strong though? I saw her fiddling with her hands and looking down, the same sorry-ass look that Yukihira-kun was having earlier.
"W-We're only friends. They're regulars at my store and that's basically how we met…" Bullshit. Like hell are you two 'only friends'.
"I'm Kobayashi Rindō, I'm an old friend of Yukihira-kun." I put up my best smile to try and break down her walls a little bit. She was too tense after all. She took my hand and shook it.
"Iwatani Atra…" There's something between them. I can smell it from the little things that they say about each other.
"Iwatani-kun… Do you ever feel something more for Yukihira-kun?" we talked a bit more since Etsuko was still busy with their friends and teachers. So it gave parents a bit of downtime before they start going home after the play.
We sat down together near some chairs with a nearby vending machine. After be both got our drinks, we exchanged a few stories between her and I that concerned Yukihira-kun.
"Ahh… I get it, so you two first met when he went on a trip to Saint Gallen?" I couldn't believe the odds that these two met again. Like how the hell can you meet again after such a long time? There's something brewing here, and I'm here to snuff it out for the best interest of Yukihira-kun and Etsuko-chan.
"Y-Yes… He and I went on a few adventures here and there back in Saint Gallen." Bingo. So something DID happen, even if it didn't involve sex.
"Let me ask you one more time, Iwatani-kun… Do you ever feel something more for Yukihira-kun and his daughter?" this time, I caught her at her most vulnerable state. The look on her face contorted into guilt. So that's what she was feeling…
"I'm in no position to feel anything for the two of them…" this girl was getting on my nerves…
"Well hey now; think of it this way… Don't you think that its fate that led you into meeting up with Yukihira-kun again… After all these years?" a flash of hope, and hope did I give to this woman. She smiled gently and nodded.
"I believe it was fate, but I can never bring myself to fully admit that I feel some inkling feelings towards them." Well that turned out in a different way that I was expecting…
"Why do you think so?" I asked. A tight smile formed on her lips and I could see the mask chipping away slightly.
"Because I can never take his late-wife's place nor become the mother that Etsuko-chan needs." Damn. That was probably the most mature and heaviest thing that I heard anyone say.
"I'm in no place to give you advice… But couldn't you at least have faith in the two of them?" I was slightly hurt for Yukihira-kun when Iwatani-kun thought that she was only being Erina's replacement. It was so wrong that the misunderstanding between them could've been easily resolved if they'd just talked it out.
"What if things don't work out…" I hear her mumble. So that's what kept her mind off of it… I gently took her hands and gave her the most motherly advice that a woman can give to another woman.
"Sweetie, that man and little girl that you've befriended thinks the world of you." She trembled a little and tried to look away.
"But what if-"
"But what if things do work out between the three of you? Haven't you already given yourself so much time to think about this? After all those stories that you told me, there isn't a way that you don't feel something special towards them, right?" she looked down on the table and nodded. I finally got to her!
"What should I do…" I nearly threw my head back in frustration from this woman. She's like another version of Yukihira-kun.
"You go woman-up and tell that man and his daughter that you're interested in taking the next step with them." I patted her on the shoulders and went outside. It's time that she decides for herself on what she wants to do.
Sōma's POV:
(Play the song: My Dearest by Supercell)
I leaned back on the bench, constantly replaying the video that was left on my camera.
When did Erina made this…?
"Hey Honey… If you're watching this… I probably would've left this world by now. I decided to make this because after you left, I got a call from the doctors saying that there was only a slim chance for me to survive… I don't want you to blame yourself for going through with that competition overseas since I would've died anyway. I love you Honey don't you dare forget! Now you go out there and find another love! Don't let me tie you down… I'm going to miss you both so much…"
The video cut to that part. All I felt was remorse. But why did Erina didn't talk to me about this… How the hell could she just let me leave back then without saying that she'll die soon after giving birth… What the fuck is all this?
"Papa?" I fought through the tears and saw Etsuko looking sad towards me. I immediately embraced her and kissed the top of her head. After letting go of Erina… I didn't think that she would've known already that her days on earth are already numbered.
"Etsuko-chan? Have you seen your Papa yet?" Her gentle voice rung to my ears and all ran through my mind was what Erina said on the video on the camera.
"Y-Yukihira-kun… There you are…" I felt a strong surge in my chest. Was it really okay for me to accept this feeling? After Erina's message… Can I finally share my world with someone again?
"I'm here, Atra… Thank you for always being there…" I blurted out through the tears and saw her smile gently on me. She held out her hand and I accepted it.
"I didn't think that things would play out like this…" she whispered. Etsuko smiled from afar and we invited her in for a hug.
I never thought that I could ever love another person again. It took me four years to even develop this inkling feeling towards anyone. Atra… Her name has a nice ring to it, don't you think? I was trembling under her grasp. All of my doubts were washed away when I saw how blinded I was after all this time. It took me so long to realize that I was already harboring feelings; my heart was beating, and it took me the longest time to realize that the person I was hugging changed my life and Etsuko's.
It was such a bright day. The sun was setting and from afar, I could see a person smiling towards us. Her silhouette and, hair and amethyst eyes were no illusion. From ahead of us, I saw Erina smiling as she waved off and walked into the openness of the world, disappearing immediately from plain sight.
"Atra… Can we really make this work?" I asked. Everything became clear between us. I wonder what Rindō-senpai said to her. Were things moving too fast? Did she even know what I was referring to? I could only imagine the shame I would feel if she misunderstood what I said.
"T-Then… Would you give 'Us' a chance, Sōma-kun, Etsuko-chan?" Atra meekly looked down while blushing. We weren't ready for anything too intimate, but the hug was more than enough. I squeezed her hand and gave it a soft kiss.
"Are we a family now?!" Etsuko kept asking us whilst jumping up and down. It was so new that it almost freaked me out. Was this how it would've felt if our 'family' was complete? I looked at Atra with a strained smile and saw her shook her head while giggling.
"I guess we are?" she smiled, looking towards me for reconfirmation.
"I'll have you know that ever since we danced together at Saint Gallen, I felt some weird spark. Especially when I saved you from falling from the thin ice…" That was probably the cheesiest thing to say out of the blue.
It was that night that started it all. That slow moment between us as the jukebox played out the song 'Take On Me'. That's where it all started. I guess that's also the first time that I felt my heart surge again after so long.
"We'll be in your care then, Atra…" I smiled while hugging the two most precious people in my life. The two that made me realize how beautiful and warm this world can be. Now that I think about it…
It's so surreal to feel these emotions bursting outside me. It all started from a small kindle of misunderstanding, but I didn't realize that Atra also felt the same way. Are things really this beautiful?
"What's your favorite thing on earth?" I suddenly remembered the line again from the play and asked Atra while we were walking hand-in-hand with Etsuko.
"Right now?" she asked, I nodded and saw Etsuko looking towards us with curiosity sparkling in her eyes.
"This small 'family' that I recently become a part of, is that okay?" I was grinning from ear to ear. Blushing and feeling like I was floating from happiness. Etsuko felt the same and buried her head towards me and Atra.
"I love you… Momma… Papa…" she mumbles. It was so ironic. Four years ago I didn't think that I could love again. Here I am, four years later, having a complete family once again.
~ End
A:N/ So for some questions left:
I decided to not include a villain in this story. I felt that a villain wasn't really needed in this type of story since all this was is an elaborate telling of how hard it is moving on in life. Romance isn't always grand or heart-racing, it's about the warmth that you feel towards the people that love you and the people that you love. This chapter is about Sōma finally overcoming his doubts. Last chapter I hinted the possibility of him liking Atra, why is that you say?
It's because I molded Atra's character into being the support that Sōma and Etsuko needed. Sure, she might be a little bit on the Mary-Sue side of things, but I enjoyed thoroughly in the process of developing her character. It was so much fun writing her and coming up with her character design from the get-go.
I will probably do 1 more chapter after this, and that'll be the epilogue of things as I explain things. I know that I left a few plot holes here and there, But I think that I did a pretty good job in ending this story. Did it felt a bit too rushed?
This story was only suppose to end when Sōma and Atra tried the relationship thing. It was vague, I kept it as vague as possible since they're both adults at this point. No heart-racing plane chase or villain confrontation. They're biggest hurdle was overcoming their own circumstances and doubts. I guess that's what really struck to me while making to this story.
Thank you all again so much! See you all in the epilogue of the story!