Kyandi: Hey guys. So sorry it's been a while.

Ariadne: She's still recovering after losing her mother.

Kyandi: It hasn't been easy, but I'm slowly getting back into everything.

Ariadne: It's just a matter of wrestling with motivation.

Kyandi: I'm still struggling with that. After years of taking care of my mom, it's a little difficult, every morning, to realize all over again that she's no longer there.

Ariadne: But writing is helping.

Kyandi: That it is. So, I'm trying to get back to writing consistently.

Ariadne: With that said, should we get on with it?

Kyandi: Yep. Everyone, please enjoy and review.

Ariadne: Kyandi-sama does not own Shokugeki no Souma.

Chapter 28 Making Deals

Come the next morning, Ariadne fund that many of her friends hadn't slept well, too anxious for their next test. Out of all of her friends, Ariadne looked the most well rested. She greeted her friends as they reached their stop.

"How do you look so well rested?" Takumi demanded.

"I don't sweat the small things, Takumi," she replied.

"Small things?!" Takumi stared at her, jaw hanging.

Ariadne, amused, tapped his jaw to get him to close his mouth. "Yes, small things. I'm not worried."

Takumi continued to stare at her like she was crazy, even as they joined the other students. It was as they were moving to their next testing site that they heard Rindou call out to them.

"Oi – Yukimura and friends! Come over here!" Rindou was sitting at an outdoor table, eating. She gestured for them to join her. "Oooh! You guys didn't have breakfast yet, right? Come and join me."

"B-but…" Megumi glanced over her shoulder. "They just announced that they will explain the third exam rules…"

"Oh that – ignore it since that's for normal students. A rebel like Tadokoro-chan will get a completely different menu, you know." Rindou said cheerfully.

"So, you're really ditching the kiddie gloves, then." Ariadne stated.

"Don't worry about that!" Rindou held up a plate to her. "Here, eat up! The food here is delicious, you know? As expected of Tootsuki!"

"Rather than that," Erina stepped up beside Ariadne. "Can we get more information on the exam please?" Rindou looked up at her in surprise. "The exams for rebels…will it even be a fair match? Just so you know, until yesterday, the exams they had were filled with unfair treatments. Such as not giving proper ingredients or providing inappropriate ingredients. I hope there will be nothing fishy that will stain the names of the Elite Ten."

Rindou met her gaze before continuing to eat her food. "You don't have to worry. We won't be doing filthy stuff like that. Those are what the first and second examiners have done, right? We weren't even notified about it at the time."

"Somehow, I doubt you of the Elite Ten are that left out of the loop." Ariadne remarked with a pleasant enough smile on her face. "You don't seem like the clueless type, Rindou-senpai."

Rindou gave her a smile in return. "The match will be fair and square. If you really can't believe it then I don't mind Nakiri-chan even joining to watch, you know. But still…don't look so tense there." Rindou glanced up at Erina. "The route has been split. All Nakiri-chan can do now, is to just watch them."

If anything, Erina tensed up more. Ariadne laid a hand on her shoulder, making her look over at her. Ariadne gave her a comforting smile and squeezed her shoulder lightly. "Fear not, Erina. All will be well. You'll see."

It was then that a man in a suit bent to say something lowly to Rindou. She leaned back in her chair to look at Souma. "Yukihira! The opponent you've been dying to know! It seems he just arrived here. He says he'll be here to show his face."

"Is that so…" Souma grinned, ready for action.

The one who showed up then, to challenge Souma for his continued enrollment at Tootsuki…was Akira.

"Well…I didn't see that one coming." Ariadne said lowly.

"Yo, Hayama," Souma greeted. "You've got some weird badge stuck on your chest. Did you get your shirt mixed up with somebody?"

"There's no mix up, Yukihira." Rindou assured him. "That guy there is a new member of the Elite Ten…Hayama Akira of Central. He's in the temporary ninth seat at the moment."

"That's how it is, Yukihira." Akira confirmed. "I'm no longer in the same league as you. I am the one examining you."

Ariadne shared a look with Erina as Souma frowned. "I was getting happy to see an old face but how annoying…Oi! I have tons of questions to ask, you should know that. What happened to the Shiomi Seminar in the first place?"

Akira's reply was matter of fact. "Oh, that didn't work out at all. No other private group other than the Central is needed…that is Leader Azami's principles. What more can I say?"

"That's…!" Megumi burst into tears. "Wasn't Shiomi Seminar…Shiomi-sensei…weren't they important to you? Hayama-kun!"

Akira ignored her, his gaze returning to Souma. "Actually, Yukihira…I have a question for you. What have you achieved until now so far? Rebelling because you want to protect the dormitory…didn't your ambition take a huge fall? Where's the ambition you had when you were up against me during the selections, saying you'll be at the top? While you were slugging around, I got to the top by myself. And…after stomping you, I'll reach even higher up. Come at me, Yukihira. It's time to sit for an exam with your expulsion on the line."

"You –" Ariadne was cut off as a couple of men showed up to take Erina away. Rindou then took the chance to cart, Megumi and Takumi away. The three tried to complain, but she merely shoved them ahead of her, leaving Souma alone with a smirking Akira.

Ariadne found herself in a match up against Rindou herself. Unsure how things were going for Souma, she was left sitting in a waiting room while Megumi paced.

"I think Souma and the others' exams will be starting soon." Megumi fretted.

"Yeah…you're probably right." Takumi agreed.

"Try not to worry so much. All will be well." Ariadne assured them.

The door opened then, Rindou entering the room. "Oi, oi, oi! Tadokoro-chan, Ari-chan, and Aldini! You guys shouldn't be worrying about anyone else! After all, you three are going to be going up against me. Your favorite Rindou-senpai!"

"Rindou-senpai," Rindou looked down at Ariadne. "That's not really a contest. You're our only Rindou-senpai."

Rindou blinked for a moment before she laughed. "Good point! Now then," Rindou's lips spread in a wide smirk. "Let's get down to the cooking, shall we?"

Ariadne geared herself up for a true challenge, ready to throw down. She was excited to finally have a challenge worth taking…and about fell on her face when all Rindou tasked them with was making a dish that would make her say it was yummy. It was so anticlimactic that Ariadne pouted all through her cooking. Once it was all said and done and Rindou left, Souma and Erina showing up after, Ariadne still had a displeased look on her face.

"Erina, out of breath, looked between the three as they shared with her the results of their exams. "Huh? A-all of you, what…"

"We all three passed." Ariadne said grumpily. "All she wanted was for us to make her yummy dishes. She's ridiculously easy to please. And there I was geared up for a decent fight."

"I see," Erina looked relieved, but still sad. "At least the three of you managed to make it through."

"Wait…" Ariadne felt a chill work its way down her spine. "You don't mean…"

Erina explained to them how, out of all of them and their friend, only the five of them had passed. Taliyah clung to Ariadne's leg as her sister processed that news.

"I see, so…every other rebel member, on every route besides the ones we went on, has been expelled." Takumi repeated.

"Even Alice and Ryou…" Ariadne couldn't even begin to describe the foul taste the news left in her mouth.

"And they expect me to just take this lying down?" Takumi demanded, slamming a fist on the counter. "Somewhere out of our sight, somewhere we can't do anything about it, they just eliminated our friends, and we can't do anything but sit idly by?"

"You're right…guess this does sorta suck." Souma said matter-of-factly from where he had claimed a seat on a stool.

Takumi rounded on Souma. "Yukihira! How could you!? This is a serious situation here! How are you so nonchalant?"

"But, I mean…those guys just straight up lost their cooking matches, didn't they?" Souma replied. "I mean, I get that it's sad, but they didn't lose to any unfair tactics or anything, right? I dunno about you, but I can't bad mouth the "bad guys" just 'cause I feel like it."

"He has a point, Takumi. As much as I hate to say it." Ariadne agreed.

"W-well, yes, you're right, but…" Takumi squared his shoulders. "But even so! What are you trying to say? Whose side are you on?"

Souma didn't answer that, just jumping to his next thought like nothing had been said. "Oh, right! The Elite Ten of Tootsuki can do just about anything they want inside the school, right?"

"Why does that matter in the slightest?" Takumi asked.

"Hold up. Let's see here…" Souma rose from his seat. "One, two, three, four, five…we've got five here."

"Six!" Taliyah insisted, pout on her face.

"You're not a student here, petit oiseau. He's counting students." Ariadne told her sister, petting her head.

"Oh."

Souma wasn't paying attention, trying to count things off on his fingers. "And Hayama's gonna be gone now, so that's one down…oh, that's right….Nakiri was already part of it. So that leaves how many?"

"Um…" Megumi tilted her head questioningly. "Souma-kun…what are you…"

"Yukihira!" Takumi butted in, cutting Megumi off. "Knock it off, already! What in the world are you getting at?"

"Look! If we can just get those seats, we can overturn everything. Expulsions and all." Souma told them.

Ariadne could see the gears in his head working. As she caught on to what he was thinking, a grin curled her lips. Erina had caught on, too, her eyes widening in shock. "Wait, so you mean…"

"Yep," Souma smirked as he proudly presented his idea. "To take away a majority of the Elite Ten seat!"

"You know," Souma turned to look at Ariadne as she spoke in amusement. "Sometimes, I can't tell if you're a genius or just plain crazy."

"You've got to be kidding!" Takumi exclaimed.

"Nope," Souma was dead serious. "With Hayama getting expelled, the total dropped by one. So, there's only nine seats now. And since Nakiri's been one from the beginning, there's just four to go! We'll just need to take away four seats, right? Those of us still here can do it!"

Of course, nervous Megumi broke into anxious tears. "You're telling me…to defeat a member of the Elite Ten?" Her skin leeched of color. "Nnnnnnnnno…no…no…no way! There's no way, Souma-kun! N…not even in my wildest dreams!"

"What're you talkin' about? You'd be fine!" Souma assured her.

"Hold it, Yukihira! To take away their seats…" Takumi shook his head. "You mean we have to challenge them to a Food War?"

"Hm. Probably." Souma gave a shrug of his shoulders.

"Don't be so brazen!" Takumi glared at the other boy. "Have you forgotten? A Food War can't take place unless there's a mutual agreement! It doesn't matter how much faith we have that we'll win. If we can't even challenge them, there's no point. There's no reason for Central to even consider accepting such a challenge."

"I don't know," All eyes turned to Ariadne who had her arms crossed over her chest, a displeased look on her face. "I might have something that'll appeal to the headmaster, but it's a trump card I'd rather not play if I don't have to."

"What do you mean?" Takumi asked.

Ariadne frowned. "Never you mind, if we have to cross that bridge, then I'll tell you."

Takumi didn't want to leave it at that, but he knew better than to press Ariadne for information that she didn't want to give. She would turn it on him quickly. Not something he really wanted to deal with at the moment.

Souma merely accepted it at that. "Well, then for the time being, let's consult." He turned and left the room. They followed as he went back to Rindou who was having a cup of tea. "Umm, 'scuse me. Could you give us your Elite ten seat?"

Even Ariadne could agree that that was far too straightforward. Rindou agreed, blurting out in laughter. "Ahahaha! You're as crazy as usual! To think that question would ever pop up with things as they are! But man, don'cha think that's a little absurd? Though it's pretty funny!"

"Ehh, so it's a no-go? Can't ya pull any strings or something?" Souma asked.

Ariadne couldn't believe the conversation she was listening to. Rindou, though, turned to Erina. "Nakiri-chan, come on, cheer up! Why don'cha just give up on these friends of yours? Come on, hm?"

"Well, certainly…Yukihira-kun's plan is unrealistic – "

"But you can't know that for sure!" Souma interrupted.

Erina carried on as if he hadn't spoken. "But even so…I don't care about honor or respect anymore. If I…if I personally request my father to take back Hisako and everyone's expulsions, he may accede to it…!" Erina turned to leave the room. "Wait for me, everyone…I'm going straight to my father!" She came to a stop when something dawned on her. "…I wonder where he could be though."

"Isn't he back in Tokyo?" Takumi suggested.

"If you mean Headmaster Azami, he's probably here right now." Rindou informed them.

Erina whipped around, a look of panic on her face. "At…this venue…?"

"He's in the midst of traveling from venue to venue during the promotion exams to check out the status. If you want to speak with him, you should hurry…because very soon he'll probably be taking off on his private helicopter to the next venue." Rindou explained.

Ariadne found herself quickly running after Erina as she bolted from the room. Taliyah followed, Souma, Megumi and Takumi bringing up the rear with Rindou. They found Azami on the roof, about to board his helicopter.

"Father!" Erina called out to him, stopping him. "Ummm…Father…"

"What is it, Erina? Don't tell me you're still hanging around those people?" Azami threw a glance in Souma's direction. "In only a few days, all of them will be expelled. Just give up on them already. Well," Azami turned his eyes to Rindou. "As long as we don't have any mishaps with people who like to give exams that allow a little too much freedom. Kobayashi, you are not allowed to attend the next exam location, understood?"

"Gimme a break!" Rindou merely jammed her hands into her pockets. "I figured that even if I didn't do it, someone would beat them down eventually."

Rindou's confidence in them was staggering.

"Fa-Father! Um, about the students who failed the third exam…could you possibly…somehow…please give them more leniency…Please Father, I beg of you…! Everyone…Alice…Hisako…please give them back!"

Watching Erina beg with a bowed head only for her father to turn his back on her, made Ariadne dislike the man all the more. He simply ignored her request and headed for the helicopter. "My schedule is pressing. We must hurry."

Ariadne really wanted to throw something at his turned back. Maybe one of her heeled boots.

Souma laid a hand on Erina's shoulder then. "I knew it'd come to this, Nakiri. We just have to settle it with what's on the plate! Umm, excuse me, Nakamura-senpai! Now, you sure talk a lot about how everything you do is correct, but the fact that I'm still here right now just goes to show that your absolute correctness isn't worth a damn! You understand that right?"

Ariadne's eyes darted between Souma and Azami as the latter came to a stop. Souma obviously had the man's full attention now, even if it was only because Souma had annoyed him with what he had said.

"So, I've got a proposition for you. If you want us gone so badly…taking a test at each venue is way too slow. Let's speed this up and make this a simple pass-fail. Between this team," Souma jabbed a thumb towards his friends. "And your team. How about we have a full-on match betting the seats of the Elite Ten?"

His bold statement surprised many of the, but Azami just scoffed. "What a ridiculous notion, Yukihira Souma-kun. Did you really think I'd go along with such a deal? A full-on match? There simply isn't any merit in me accepting such a match. Now could you please stop delaying me and let me be on my way? Don't you get it? Those kinds of negotiations require that you prepare something to bet as well for them to take place."

Azami was in for a deal he couldn't pass up on.

Souma felt a hand fall on top of his head before a familiar voice spoke. "Oh, man. Ever so cold, aren't you, Nakamura? Don'tcha think you should speak nicer to my precious one and only son?"

They all turned to find Souma's dad and Senzaemon standing there. Ariadne blinked, a low "Huh, that was fast" leaving her.

Jouichirou ruffled his son's hair. "Heeey, Souma! I heard you got your revenge on Shiomi's pupil! Good for you!"

"Never mind that! Why is it you always show up outta the blue!" Souma complained.

Erina, on the other hand, was happy to see them. "Saiba-sama…Grandfather…why are you two here?"

"I called them." All eyes turned to Ariadne, who had her cellphone in hand. She was currently scrolling through something.

Jouichirou grinned at her before turning to Erina. "Hey, Erina-chan…you've grown so much. Sorry to barge in. Y'see, I've got something to speak to your dad about, too." He turned to face Azami. "Nakamura. Souma's proposition…I don't think you should throw it out quite yet, you know? So, let's make them do it the usual way."

"Huh…?" Azami voiced.

"A team battle. The Regiment de Cuisine!" Jouichirou held out a hand. "If you are worried about what's being bet, I'm preparing that. Go on and accept it…take on the Regimental Food War, Nakamura."

Azami was quiet for a moment before he spoke. "Saiba-senpai, it would seem you don't fully understand the situation at hand. Allow me to explain. The moment I took the headmaster's seat from Senzaemon-dono, I had already achieved ninety percent completion of my plans. Currently, everything else is merely cleanup. There is absolutely nothing you could possibly offer me that would merit accepting such a challenge."

"Are you sure about that?" Jouichirou asked. He glanced over at Ariadne, who was tapping away at her screen. "How about if this side loses…I'll pledge allegiance to you as one of your soldiers. If we lose, I'll close down "Yukihira". I'll cast away the ideology and skills I've refined in my diner…and become the embodiment of the cooking you so wish for. I'll help you deliver your salvation and become a dog to your "true gourmet"."

Azami was silent for too long, so Ariadne stepped up beside Jouichirou. "To sweeten the pot." Azami looked up as she presented him with her phone screen. None of her friends could see what was on the screen, but it had Azami's eyes widening in pure shock. "All yours should we lose."

Azami looked between the two. "Is that for real?" The expression that took over his face was one of manic elation. "Then let it be."

"Very well then." Senzaemon said with a nod. "I shall propose a date and time for this decisive battle. And as for the rules and particulars, I propose that we discuss them at a later time. What say you?"

"That is fine." Azami agreed. "Saiba-senpai…I'm ecstatic! When you reduced yourself to serving the likes of these commoners in that diner, I was in despair. But now…today is a good day, truly a good day. Especially when you add in little Ariadne-chan's offer, too."

Ariadne frowned, Taliyah handing off her leg for dear life. Jouichirou laid a hand on Ariadne's shoulder while Takumi spoke. "I'd prefer you not speak as if you've already won. We'll bring back our friends and stop you from destroying Yukihira's Diner. We will win! That much is certain!"

Seeing Takumi's courage, Megumi gathered her own. "M…me too…though I'm scared…I want to save everyone!"

"You already know I won't back down with what's at stake." Ariadne's expression was dead serious, her usual laid back air completely gone. "The kiddie gloves are coming off."

Takumi smiled at the two, turning to Azami. "How about that, Nakiri Azami! We're gonna fight as one! Isn't that right, Yukihira?"

"Ah…Yeah! That's right!" Souma agreed, though he seemed a bit distant.

"With that said, I look forward to the day of the battle. I'll see you all on Rebun Island." Azami told them, glancing back to meet his daughter's eyes. Then, with that, he was gone.

Takumi turned to Ariadne then. "What did you show him on your phone?"

Ariadne didn't seem too pleased as she turned. She pulled up a picture on her phone and then turned to show them. When she showed it to them, it took them a moment to figure out what it was. Only Ariadne speaking made it sink in what the documents in the picture were.

"It's custody papers…for me and Taliyah." Horror sank in as Ariadne pulled her sister closer. "Whoever has custody of me and my sister, gets everything. My family's restaurant, all affiliated businesses, everything."

Souma could only wonder why Azami wanted all of that to begin with. He would get his answer soon enough.

END

Kyandi: To be honest…I don't know why he would want custody of you.

Ariadne: Am I really that bad?

Kyandi: Sometimes. Only when you really want to be.

Ariadne: Well, to be fair, I do like to tease.

Kyandi: Yeah, but sometimes you take it a little too far.

Ariadne: Valid.

Kyandi: Anyway, everyone, please enjoy and review.

Ariadne: We'll try to return as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye.