Second part I wrote the other day! Hope you guys enjoy

She sat alone in the corner of the large kitchen reserved only for the elites of the elite. You guessed right, this kitchen is reserved only for those who had a seating in the elite 10. It is literally the best kitchen you would probably find in the whole of Tokyo…if not, Japan. Yet, behind the blinding glory of having the rights of being in this kitchen, one girl sat in the corner, her head down, her eyes glistening.

Her blonde hair flowed smoothly down her back, her chef hat sat neatly on her lap. With her head down it was hard to make out the smoother lines of her face. Yet it was undeniable, that there was something extremely attractive about her. Whether it be the soft splashing of her tears hitting the marble table as they slowly glide down her porcelain like face, or the way her body moved as she tried to swallow every one of her sobs.

"Nakiri?" Soma said as he walked in, his hand holding a black pot, "I knew I'd find you here."

His footsteps were loud as he approached her, his thick mind did not register the state the girl was in.

"what do you want," she snapped back, desperately hoping he would not notice her puffy red eyes, nor her shaky voice.

It was the way her voice trembled that finally made Soma realised something wasn't right.

"…" he hummed as he approached her and sat the pot down, "is everything alright?"

"yes," she replied, barely holding back a hiccup, "you may leave now, this is restricted area remember."

Soma chuckled internally, this girl, even when she is sad and down, she never fails to keep that authoritative appearance.

"It sure is," replied Soma, "But you always forget I'm also in the elite 10 now."

"Oh," sighed Erina, it was true, she had completely Soma is indeed in the elite 10 now, "I'm sorry…I forgot…you can use the kitchen, I'm leaving now."

"It's ok," Soma replied, his hands reaching to stroke her back lightly, "I can leave if you want."

For the first time in this conversation, Erina looked up, her beautiful jewel like violet eyes meeting his. She could feel her eyes tearing up again…her body desperately trying to hold back the surge of emotions she felt.

Soma took one look at her and knew he could no longer leave this room…not unless she was with him. He took a step back and took out a bowl. Using the large spatula, he scoped what was in the large black pot and handed the bowl to Erina.

"Here have a taste," soma chuckled, "I made it this morning." Just for you

"What is this," replied Erina, her nose sniffing the…unique aroma that emitted from the water like substance.

Inside the bowl, was something water like. Glistening and transparent, something that looked oddly calming. The smell, was sweet, yet laced with a little bit of spiciness.

Erina brought the spoon to her mouth and indulged herself in Soma's dish.

The soup itself wasn't piping hot, it was slightly chilled. Yet it before Erina could savour the flavours of the soup, she had already swallowed it. The liquid caressed her throat as it slid down, the sensation and the sweet after taste left in her mouth made her want more of the soup.

Soma watched her set her spoon aside, his brows furrowed at her action. Perhaps he had placed too much pandan leaves into the soup.

Erina picked up the bowl and placed her mouth of the edge of the well-made bowl. She tilted her head slightly and drank the remaining of the soup.

"You've improved," Erina suggested when she turned to look at a shocked Soma, "I…uh…haven't eaten anything all day and yeah that was my first meal, so I finished it all, I hope you don't mind."

Although Erina had indeed not eaten the whole day, she did not finish the soup merely because she was hungry. As the own of the god's tongue, she'd rather starve then gobble something down that did not settle with her taste buds.

The truth is, the sweet taste of the soup laced with the slight spiciness of the aged ginger that had been caramelised with brown sugar, soothed her sadness and fear.

This was no doubt a simple dish, but to achieve the colourlessness of the soup and the balance between the elements involved in the soup, the chef had to no doubt have a high level of skills.

"It's fine," chuckled Soma, "There is plenty more." He finished pointing towards the black pot.

Although, tempted, Erina resisted her urge for seconds and continued, "Thanks…Yukihira…I needed that."

"Glad to help," Soma replied, his symbolic smile plastered across his face, "…well I hope you feel better soon…cause…" His voice trailed off whilst his hand scratching his messy red hair nervously.

"Cause?" Erina questioned, her head cocked to the side curiously.

"Well," Soma continued, "Dad said there is this show next week, uh with fireworks and food stands and he got these tickets from a client so he can't make it. He said he'll give me the tickets if I can get a girl to go with me." He finished before flashing a cheeky grin.

"I never knew you were interested in this type of stuff," replied Erina, her hands crossed across her chest almost defensively.

"He said there are a lot of great food and I thought I could learn from them," Soma replied truthfully, "and I thought you would be the best person to bring…but if you didn't want to come, I can always ask Megumi."

Erina pouted at that remark. She looked to her right and pondered for a few seconds.

"I'll go," Erina replied swiftly, although she did not understand her rising temper at the mention of Megumi's name, "but of course, it's only because I also want to learn."

She looked up at Soma, her eyes challenging.

"Alright!" cheered Soma, "I'll tell dad right away…oh and before I leave…if you ever need a cheer up Nakiri…remember to tell me ok?"

At that time, both he and she were confused.

He was confused about why he had said that. It was almost impulsive and instinctual that he blurted it out before he even registered what he had said.

For her, she was confused as to why her heart was pumping that fast. At that time, she told herself, it must've been the soup that made her act that way.

Little did she know, just how wrong she was.