Snow Day

By: Bunny

Rated: T

Genre: Romance

Summary: Soma gets lost in the snow. Only a snow bunny with a god tongue can save him.

Disclaimer: Shokugeki no Soma is a fantastic manga series written by Yūto Tsukuda, and illustrated by Shun Saeki in collaboration with Yuki Morisaki. There is also an anime adaptation, which this fanfic is based off of, and a light novel series. I do not own these characters or universe in any shape or form and have much respect for the creators of this story and universe. All credit goes to them for the characters and universe. I'm just using them for fun.

Chapter Three

Nakiri Erina sat at her desk staring through her computer screen as she was lost in her thoughts. She was supposed to be working on some administrative work as part of her duties as being one of the Elite Ten. Unfortunately, her mind just wasn't into her work today. No, it was rather preoccupied with thoughts of one Yukihira Soma.

He'd kissed her.

It was a couple weeks ago now that she'd found him stomping through a snowstorm outside of one of her more remote workshops out in the woods and saved him. He'd repaid her with a brief cooking competition, a "taste test," and then finally a real and proper kiss.

Her first kiss.

Or should she say her first kisses...she wasn't really sure. Soma-kun sure had confused her a bit on that point, despite her insistence that the first little lick of his tongue into her mouth had been a kiss, the kiss he'd given her and claimed as a kiss and not a taste test had certainly been...well...a lot...more...

She hadn't been able to think about much else ever since. Figures that Yukihira Soma would find some way to disrupt and irritate her life on a constant and daily basis. She wanted to either cook something or break something every time she caught herself lost in her thoughts about him.

She just didn't know what to think or do anymore.

See, after the kiss, after her first kiss...there hadn't been anything more to it. Well, granted she had good and rightly so told him off, after all he'd kissed her without her permission. Again.

However, what really bothered her more than anything was that after all that there hadn't been anything else from Soma-kun.

No confession. No asking her to be his girlfriend. No other kisses. Nothing. He'd laid there laughing on the floor of her kitchen while she'd yelled at him good and before anything else was said or done, a knock on her workshop door had come followed by a couple of her guards she had dismissed for the day that had come to fetch her out of the storm and bring her back to her safer mansion. They had quickly left her workshop dropping Soma-kun off at his dormitory along the way home.

That was the last she'd seen or heard from him in two weeks.

TWO WEEKS! Really! What kind of no-good ill-bred boy would kiss a girl, her admittedly first kiss and then not so much as contact her in any way or any form whatsoever for two weeks!

Ugh...he was really the worst.

Added to that was the overall general irritation of why in the world did she even care? She didn't like Soma-kun like that...did she? Ugh...liking a boy like that...like him...it would be...it would just be...well…

It would be most inconvenient, that's what.

Still...just who does he think he is? Kissing her like that and then...nothing!? Like him or not, it was not okay! She deserved...something.

Yukihira Soma stood side by side with his usual cooking class partner Tadokoro Megumi doing mindless prep work of cutting up vegetables.

Today was not a good day. He could feel it in his bones. It was kind-of like a sixth sense type of feeling. He was feeling very disturbed and it was most unlike him to be unsettled by pretty much anything.

It was just...that death glare Nakiri had been sending his way from the moment he'd entered the room and seen she was in his class for the day. Now...Nakiri sending him death glares or general looks of disdain was nothing new. From the day he'd first met her it had been par for the course for the beautiful blonde to stab him with daggers through her eyes or to sneer down at him as if she was on a throne and he was not even good enough to be one of her subjects.

No...the problem was that...well...recently something had happened with Nakiri. Something that...well...it mattered.

You see, there had been some...kissing…

After which Nakiri had yelled at him quite a bit claiming he was disgusting as she usually did about his cooking despite always eating or drinking more of it.

It was confusing.

"Hey Tadokoro, have you…"

What is he thinking he can't ask Tadokoro about something so personal.

"Have I what?" Megumi asked as she cut some mushrooms up into perfect little squares.

"Nothing, forget it," Soma sighed and blushed. Why was he even worrying about it. Nakiri said he was disgusting it was best to just leave it. She gave him death glares with or without any kissing anyway, right?

It was just that…

She did taste delicious. That is to say...he wouldn't mind some more taste testing with the feisty blonde in the future. He fleetingly hoped that he wasn't blushing as he recalled the feeling of the tip of her tongue brushing up against his and the soaring sensations that had consumed his body when he'd gripped her against his body and properly kissed her. Yes...more of that would be very, very good. There was just one big problem in the way of that. The girl herself that loved to yell at him about how disgusting he was. It had never bothered him before, but now…

Now he felt differently...and it was...complicated.

How could he even approach Nakiri when all she did was send those death glares at him? Was this normal for girls to do after kissing? Did he do something wrong? Was there some secret ingredient to get her to kiss him again?

Megumi paused for a moment in setting up their mise en place and looked up at Soma-kun wondering what could be troubling her friend and cooking partner that she admired so much.

"Soma-kun...what is it?"

"Ehh...it's nothing," Soma replied.

"I can tell something is bothering you, why don't you just tell me? Or do you want to get an E grade on this dish?"

Soma laughed and flashed a grin Megumi's way, "Who said it was that bad?"

Megumi covered her mouth with her hand as she giggled.

"Well...okay actually I was wondering...have you ever been kissed?"

Megumi blushed furiously red before she quietly replied, "Well...twice."

"Whaat?" Soma asked. Feeling completely shocked for some reason. He shuffled a bit closer to Tadokoro, "Tell me...what are you supposed to do after you kiss someone?"

Megumi's blush deepened, "Soma-kun! Did you kiss someone?"

Soma blushed and took a step back, "I...no! Well…" He looked to the side feeling sheepish, "Maybe…" Unable to help himself he stole a glance over Nakiri's way to see her looking even more furious with him than she had when he'd first entered the classroom. What was she so mad at him about? Really?

Megumi smiled with a bit of melancholy, "I didn't know you liked anybody."

"I…" Soma paused, unsure how to reply exactly. He didn't really know how to categorize his relationship with Nakiri Erina. Like seemed much too simple.

"I see...well, I can't really tell you much Soma-kun. My own experiences were...confusing."

Soma shuffled closer to Megumi again, furiously chopping away at some herbs for their dish in an effort to contain his excitement about getting some insight into what a female thought after kissing, "What happened?"

Megumi smiled softly as she remembered, "Well, the first time I was really little. This boy in my class came up to me after school and he kissed me and then ran away as fast as he'd done it. I didn't get to say anything at all. After that, he ran away from me any time I was near by. After a while, I just dismissed it."

Soma took a knife to the chicken they were set to prepare and put a deep cut into the top quickly and precisely cutting away the bone from the meat, "Hmmm." That didn't really help...

"What about the second time?" He asked, anxious to get something more. Something that would help him. Help him to figure out what to do about Nakiri.

"Well, the second time," Megumi paused and giggled uncontrollably for a second. Quite a few students, as well as their instructor glared in their general directions.

"The second time," Megumi started again a bit more calmly, "Well you see, it was the same boy. It was the day I was leaving to come here to Totsuki. This time he kissed me and he said, he said…."

"He said what?" Soma asked, unable to contain himself.

"He said that he loved me," She quickly whispered.

Soma's mouth dropped open with surprise. So bold!

Wow, whoever this guy was he sure did like Tadokoro a lot.

"Then what happened?" Soma asked.

"I...I...well...I fainted," Megumi confessed, tears of remorse making little tracks down her cheeks.

Soma's jaw dropped again before he began to bombard her with questions, "So what? What happened? You didn't say anything? Have you talked with him? What did he say? Is he going to be your boyfriend or something?"

Megumi was furiously shaking her head, "Nothing. It's been nothing since I got here...I…" She paused and let out a big sigh, "I don't know what I'm doing. I just want to be good enough."

Soma put his hand on top of Megumi's head, "I'm sure it will all work out. Good luck Tadokoro."

Megumi looked side-ways at Soma-kun, a slight pout forming on her lips. She wasn't quite sure what to think of this conversation.

"Does...does this help you Soma-kun?" She asked.

Soma shrugged, unsure what to say. Did it help with Nakiri? He turned to look at Nakiri's workstation again.

She raised her knife up before cutting quickly into her own chicken. Soma would have felt sorry for the bird if it wasn't already dead.

"No idea," He said.

Nakiri Erina fumed as she quickly prepared the course for her class of the day. That...that...that...that…

THAT YUKIHIRA SOMA! She was gonna kill him!

First, he kisses her without her permission. Then he denies it was a kiss. Then he kisses her AGAIN. After which he does nothing...NOTHING for two weeks and NOW...ohhhh….now he was flirting with his cooking partner in front of her!

She chopped off the head of the chicken she was preparing with a satisfying thwack.

He wasn't allowed to flirt with other girls. Didn't he know anything?

She made quick work of preparing the cuts of her chicken as she imagined she was cutting up pieces of that low down good for nothing Soma-kun. When this class was over...she was gonna give him a piece of her mind!

Not talking to her for two weeks and then ignoring her to flirt with that Tadokoro Megumi from his dorm. Unbelievable.

Quickly finishing up her dish, she presented it to their instructor for a taste test. Of course, she passed with flying colors, being "the best" he had tasted in years.

Well...duh. She was the best.

She was the best! Didn't Soma-kun know that? How could he even look at another girl after having a taste of her god-tongue in his mouth? That ungrateful ingrate.

She had bestowed upon him such an honor. He would have been so lucky to even lick her toe let alone lick her mouth.

Indeed, Nakiri Erina could not remember the last time she had felt so insulted.

Making her way into the hallway, Erina briskly walked towards the car she had waiting outside to return her to her mansion. She was already making plans in her head of having a luxurious bubble bath and indulging in some Belgian chocolates. She had to do something to make up for having such a poor distasteful morning. It was all Soma-kun's fault!

Unfortunately for Erina, her bath would have to wait for a little bit because while passing the other entrance into the classroom she ran right into the bane of her existance himself, and was promptly knocked off her feet. Sprawling on the hallway floor Erina looked up in surprise at her attacker.

"SOMA-KUN!" Erina spewed angrily, her eyes firing flames of vengeance at him.

Soma's eyes widened before he bent down to lift the cooking goddess back to her feet. She wasn't usually this angry when he knocked her over his mind noted quickly as he tried to make some sense of her reaction. After all, it wasn't only the first time he'd seen her in two weeks since the kissing incident. It was now the first time he'd spoken with her as well, and so far things weren't looking so good for him.

Although...it was Soma-kun not Yukihira-kun...so what did that mean?

"Don't touch me!" Erina fired at him, her voice dripping poison as she pushed him away from her after she was standing back up.

Soma laughed and pushed his hands into his pockets. "H-Hi Nakiri," Soma forced himself to greet her, trying desperately not to sound as nervous as he felt.

Erina flipped her hair over her shoulder and took a deep calming breath as she patted her clothes, "Hello yourself you buffoon."

Soma blinked. This was definitely a more hostile version of the Nakiri he knew.

"What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be finishing your dish? With your little girlfriend?" She asked disdainfully at the blank look the common boy gave her at her returned greeting.

Soma looked towards the classroom for a moment, "Oh that? No it's done."

Erina's eyes narrowed for a moment as she felt her ire with the boy that loved to steal kisses from her increase again, "You're finished?"

"Yep."

"You've been graded?"

"Yep."

She frowned. He was much too cheerful and nonchalant. It was so annoying she felt a strong desire to find something to break over his head. It was a shame she was currently empty-handed. Really.

"Tadokoro isn't my girlfriend," He added.

Erina flushed beet red, "Well, I...of course!" Why did she suddenly feel flustered? Why did he always make her feel so unsettled and awkward? She scowled, "Does she know that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you...do you...well…" she paused for a second and licked her lip with her tongue as she blushed, "Do-do you do taste tests with her too?"

Soma blushed as he took a step back, his voice suddenly changing from casual to soft, "Nakiri…"

She closed the distance as he attempted further retreat, "Well? Do you?"

"Not…" He paused as his blush deepened to a furious shade of red and confessed lowly, "Not like with you."

Erina smirked and crossed her arms over her chest, "Oh so you do understand that I'm special."

"Uhmm…" Soma looked incredibly nervous for a second. He took a deep gulp before he said timidly, "Tadokoro is special too."

Erina's look instantly returned to a raging fury. Soma could swear he saw flames of dragon breath coming directly from her eyes at him. She began furiously stomping her foot as she tended to do when she was beyond angry while she yelled, "Are you comparing me with that country bumpkin girl!" It was not a question, it was pure outrage.

"I-I-" Soma struggled for the right words to say. He felt like he never said the right things to this girl; she was always yelling at him at an increased level.

"Well I guess I shouldn't expect any better from a diner boy after all! What was I thinking? You wouldn't recognize greatness if it slapped you in the face you stupid Yukihira Soma!" She continued her tirade while Soma stood frozen in place.

What...was he supposed to do?

Then just like that, Erina spun on her heel and began walking away from him. She paused after a few steps before shooting poison tipped daggers at him with her eyes and saying way more calmly than he was expecting after the rant she just gave him, "Well come along then I have some things for you to taste." She began walking towards the building exit once again.

Soma, unsure exactly what to do followed after her.

Erina berated herself as she got into her car with Soma-kun. What was she thinking? She was mad at him. Why was she inviting him for more kissing? Did she really like Soma-kun after all? Ugh...disgusting! There was just no way a simple diner boy managed to garner her affection! It was impossible! It was insane and it was...disgusting! She would cut her tongue out of her mouth before she liked that stupid ingrate Yukihira Soma seriously. Whatever this is...or whatever is going on with him is some sort of momentary lapse of sanity and the only way to beat it was to just see it through to the end and get it over with.

The very existence of this boy was such an inconvenience. She felt like pouting, but she wasn't prone to pouting. She really had been looking forward to a bath and chocolates too. What possessed her to invite this stupid boy to come spend time with her instead? She was losing it. She was really, truly, seriously losing her mind. It was all Soma-kun's fault! She shot him a fresh death glare. He wasn't even looking at her, instead looking out of the car window in the opposite direction of her. Erina's look darkened. That stupid, stupid, disgusting jerk!

Still...for some reason...she felt the need to spend some time with him. This needed to be sorted out already so she could focus. Ever since that snow day with Soma-kun something had changed for her. Something was going on with him. She needed to figure it out.

Also...Soma-kun needed to make a move or she just might skin him alive for being so unappreciative of her. Honestly! He was such a pain. How would she ever put up with him?