Ok I know I said it would take like a month for me to update but I really enjoyed writing this chapter whilst I procrastinated studying for my uni finals. So here it is! Hope you guys enjoy and review and follow for more 3 thanks again for the continual support and I love all the reviews since they really motivate me to write more.
She couldn't believe it. It has been two weeks. Two weeks since she made the stupid rule and two weeks since the end of the Christmas carnival. At this point, the princess of Nakiri was certain the red head was doing this on purpose.
Going back a few weeks, it was expected that Erina and Soma came first. Their sales tallied far ahead of the second group, with her spin on toffee apples, and various Christmas goodies, customers surged one after another.
What she had miscalculated was that Soma being the thickhead he was, continued to abide her rules, it was as if he had forgotten her existence as his girlfriend. It was driving Nakiri Erina nuts – though she would never admit it.
Erina made her way to her usual Wednesday French cuisine lessons. With her blonde hair tied back, the frustrated look on her face was exemplified. Unbeknownst to a certain someone of her frustrations and infuriation with him, when she arrived at the classroom she was immediately greeted with a grin.
"Yo Nakiri," yelled the red-headed boy, his eyes shining with excitement, "Over here."
Erina rolled her eyes at his enthusiasm and his obliviousness but nevertheless walked towards him.
"Don't act chummy with me in public," whispered Erina frustrated by his lack of action, "Given the current state of our relationship, I think it would be an easy feat for the two of us to act as mere acquaintances."
Soma looked over at the blonde confused by her attitude; It has been a while since the 'ice queen' Erina appeared. "Erina, hate to break it to you but, even in this supposedstate, people still expect us to tal-" Before Soma could finish his sentence, a voice cut him off.
"Now now students," started the teacher, "today all students will need to pair up and complete a dish to wow me, with a time limit of 1.5 hours, your cooperation with your partner is extremely important given the long process of French dishes. The main ingredient today will be asparagus."
"Can we be partners?" asked Soma tentatively looking at his obviously angry girlfriend.
"Is that even a question," replied Erina rolling her eyes, she preceded to walk towards the glamourous pantry stocking the freshest ingredients, "I was thinking fried crepe with asparagus?"
Soma wiggled his nose but his confused and tentative gaze was immediately brightened with excitement, "Sounds like a fun dish to make."
It didn't take long for Erina to return with a basket full of everything they needed. Normally it was easy to work with Soma. By easy she meant when he complied to her reciepes, and although she would never admit, he was one of those rare people she could count on to challenge her dishes and make them better and on most occasions a wonderful sous chef when it was her turn to take lead. However, what frustrated her during today's cooking process were the fleeting touches they seemed to make constantly – and it was driving her nuts. Every time the red head swung to her side to 'check on the asparagus', his hands would brush ever so lightly against hers, his breath would tickle the back of her neck, setting her face on fire. What made it worse was the fact that Soma seemed to be enjoying it all. Erina could have sworn she saw a trademark smirk on his face when he stepped aside and went back to focusing on developing the perfect mixture for a crepe which could withstand the heat needed for deep-frying. It was as if the room was suddenly unbearable, not with this man's constant presence.
It wasn't until the third-time Soma came around to bring her the freshly made crepe that she snapped. As he handed her the plate with the newly made crepes, his hands lightly grazed against hers again– the smile on his face as he explained the crepe mixture was almost like a declare for war in Erina's eyes. She stared at him silently for a few moments before she worked swiftly by cutting up the soaked asparagus and placed a combination of crispy bacon and other ingredients into the crepe. Holding in her frustration and embarrassment, she accepted his silent challenge. If he wanted to play the game of teasing, she would let him know that she – Erina Nakiri – will not be defeated in this 'game' of his, after all, she is the crown princess of the academy.
With a careful stride and a purposeful swing of her hips, Erina walked beside Soma taking him by surprise. Her left hand trailed slightly down his bare neck as she leant towards him and whispered, "I'm sure I can trust you with the frying?" Soma looked at her bewildered, he could feel a hardness growing in his groin and he knew it was from the two weeks of torture that he had become so sensitive – of course the fact that Erina was basically seducing him with her sweet scent and closeness did not help. Soma wondered if one day he would finally understand this girl, one moment she was giving him the cold shoulder telling him to back off, and now she seemed to purposely give him some closure.
"Of course…" Soma gulped as he took the plate from her hands, paying close attention in avoiding contact with the silky skin of her pale hands.
"Good," replied Erina satisfied. She walked back towards her station, with a smirk on her face – if he wanted to play this silly game, she would play along and she was and must be the one on top.
Turning back to her station she began working on the sauces which will complement the fried crepe. Since the texture of the crepe was already plentiful, she just needed a simple sauce to elevate the whole dish. Being the prodigy she was and of course, the possessor of the god's tongue, it took only a few minutes for Erina to finish the sauce preparation. Smiling at her creation, a new idea brewed in her mind.
In a blink of an eye, she appeared beside Soma, with her long and flawless index finger coated in a white coloured sauce. She placed her finger in front of Soma, "Here, try this," she said in all seriousness, her actions, a complete orthodox to the façade of seriousness she had put up. Before Soma could even reply, Erina stuck her finger in his mouth and pulled out before he even registered what had happened.
"Perfect as always…?" replied an even more bewildered Soma, his eyes darted nervously towards others in the class. He was worried not only about the fact that Erina did not want people to know about their relationship but also the painfully obvious bulge that had begun to show. However, at this point, Soma had begun to realise what she was trying to do. But it was her who wanted the no touching policy!
"I'm glad it's alright," nodded Erina, "I was worried perhaps I added a little too much zest." Of course, that was a lie. Erina knew her sauce had been perfected, with her tastebuds and talent for French cuisine, it was almost impossible for her to mess up a sauce – a simple one as such.
Soma grinned softly, it takes two to play a game. He unloaded the crepes from the fryer and cut up one piece and picked it up, using her tactic he fed her a piece of the crepe – his hand making a 'pop' sound as he pulled it out of her mouth. "How is the crispiness?" asked Soma, his eyes gleaming with anticipation as if he was actually interested in her professional opinion.
"Not at top-tier level," replied a flushed Erina, "but it should be enough for an A in today's class."
Soma merely chuckled in response as he began dishing the crepes. It wasn't long until the teacher announced the end of the allocated time.
"A," shouted the teacher as he tasted the crepe made by the dynamic pair, his eyes glistened with tears and he finished the dish in an instant.
Being the last pair to be tasted, after their tasting the class was dismissed, leaving a shocked teacher in the aftermath of a foodgasm.
Soma and Erina walked out of the classroom together. It was their last class of the day and both of them knew each other's' schedule by heart so naturally when the class ended, the pair made their way towards the exit of the school.
As they made their way down the hallway, Erina could feel the tension between them. From the corner of her eyes she could see Soma's hands clutched in a fist inches away from her and she was also painfully aware of the yearning she felt for him. Shaking those thoughts from her head, she continued to walk, her feet dragging ever so slightly against the pristine floor.
However, before she could even react, she felt her body fly involuntarily through the air, her left hand grabbed by a calloused hand. It took her a few seconds to register what had happened. Amid her trail of thoughts, Soma had decided to grab her hands and drag her into an empty class room. Well, by classroom, she meant the elite ten meeting room that can only be accessed by members of the elite ten.
"What do you think you are doing?" asked a flushed Erina regaining her breath from the shock. Her hands were still in his and she was painfully aware of the heat that radiated from his body to hers. "Did you forget the rules," reminded a stubborn Erina, her violet eyes unable to meet his.
"You must be joking," chuckled Soma boldly, after her tantrum and seduction during the entirety of the class, he knew for a fact she was just as desperate as he was.
"Which part," said Erina pointing to the serious face she had just put on, "of this indicates I'm joking?"
"Oh," smirked Soma evilly, his hands trailed to the fringes of her skirt as he leant forwards, "I don't know you tell me…You've always called me an idiot."
Erina held her breath expectantly, her eyes again, darted to the sides unable to meet his. She was waiting for him to advance; god she even tilted her neck since she knew Soma had a feitish for the crook of her neck. What surprised her was when he pulled away abruptly, the warmth of his body and breath disappearing from her body. Erina looked down disappointedly, however, took care in hiding such emotions as she flattened her skirt and regained her posture.
"I shouldn't push you," replied Soma teasingly, "I don't want extra punishment on top of what I already have to endure."
Erina looked at him almost offended. He was toying with her – oh he was most definitely testing her resolve and her limit.
"Do what you please then." Replied a stubborn Erina as she flicked her gold locks away from her face and strutted towards the door, "be sure to lock up before you leave, we wouldn't want non-elite tens to break in."
Another week had passed and it was a quiet Saturday. Erina laid on her bed cursing a certain red-head and his surprisingly strong resolve. It was one of those days where Hisako has some family issues to tend to and her schedule had been cleared with no appointments for the day. Whilst normally Erina would appreciate such a weekend as it meant binge reading her favourite shoujo mangas and perhaps even a date with a certain red-head. However, with their not-so-friendly war going on, and being already up to date with all the shoujo mangas she followed, Erina is now left bored, on her bed, with nothing better to do and no friends to call.
That was – until the large wooden door leading to her bedroom creaked open.
"Hey," emerged a certain red head, his eyes playfully scanning his princess splayed across her king-sized bed, her blonde hair spreading beneath her, almost as if they were golden wings.
"What happened to knocking," squealed a surprised Erina as she sat up quickly and began hiding her stash of already read mangas under her duvet.
"It was suppose to be a surprise," said Soma scratching his head as he made his way into the room.
"Then I suppose every time you visit I should expect a surprise," said Erina rolling her eyes, "since you neverknock….Sometimes I wonder how you even get into the mansion."
"Well you were the one to update me on the security system, so all I had to do was to look at the camera in the front gate before all the gates just opened for me," replied Soma chuckling, "that and the fact that I am tight with your guards."
"Ok that is besides the point," replied a flushed Erina before her violet eyes locked onto the boy before her, she looked at him closely then added sarcastically, "what owes me the honour of your presence."
"I wanted to say I'm sorry…" chuckled Soma nervously before placing the bouquet he had been hiding behind his back on her lap, "Peonies, your favourite."
"Peonies," smiled Erina decently surprised by the modestly sized bouquet, obviously, hand-picked, "How? They aren't in season."
"Let's just say I have my ways," grinned Soma, pleased by her reaction, "Let me remain mysterious for once." She didn't need to know how far he travelled just to pluck some peonies to earn her forgiveness.
Although she was happy with his gift, she knew she couldn't lose this battle on the note of mere flowers – god she had come too far to be defeated here. Her fingers twisted restlessly in her lap, "Anything else?"
Soma looked at her darkly knowing what she was implying, but he wasn't about to give in. No, this time it had to be her.
"No," replied Soma quickly before turning away, "I guess that is my cue to leave." He walked slowly towards the large door, sighing inaudibly as he got closer. To be honest, Soma didn't know how much longer he could hold on – but Soma, being as determined as ever didn't want to cave in again.
"Wait," whispered Erina softly just before his hands turned the handle, "You could stay if you wanted…I mean I have nothing better to do today and I could tolerate your company."
"If you say so," replied Soma too quickly for his own good as he flung himself onto the bed.
"Since you were the one who asked me to stay," asked Soma goofily, his hands brushing a lock of her blonde her back, "does that mean I won?"
"Win what?" replied Erina seemingly innocent and unaware of their little war, "I'm merely revoking my previous ban since I think sufficient time has passed and we did come first despite your inability to keep your hands to yourself."
"But – " said Soma before he was cut off with a soft kiss from Erina. The kiss in itself was harmless but it initiated all the fire that had built up over the course of the 3 weeks.
"Let's not dwell on the details," whispered Erina, her lips contacting his ear lobes as she flung herself on top of him; well she did say she would end up on top, "or would you rather us talk it through?"
Without hesitation, Soma reached upwards to meet her plump lips with his. He didn't know why she always seemed to have the sweet taste of French delicacies, nor did he understand the scent of vanilla and strawberry that always seem to caress his senses when they were intimate – but hey, the guy wasn't gonna complain.
With that, Erina wrote in her little diary that day that she had her first 'draw' with Soma in a battle. Of course, it wasn't a conventional shokugeki but in her standards it was a draw nevertheless. In her reality, she did cave in first but she still ended up on top.