Ever since the first year, Yukihira Soma, Kurokiba Ryo, and Akira Hayama always met up once every month. It had become a tradition Soma established with the purpose to have a "friendly" three-way Shokugeki or Shokugeki-Royale with the two and to trade cooking knowledge between the three as well. As of lately, Soma and Ryo have both noticed that the passion and hunger a chef should possess to impress somebody with one's cooking is no longer there in Hayama anymore. Could've it have been due to Shiomi-senpai leaving him to travel the world solo?
They agreed to meet at Shiomi Seminar, which Hayama was left in charge of now. Ryo and Soma both arrived at the same time, and were surprised by what they saw once they entered.
The whole place was a mess, the plants, the roots, and herbs needed immediate attention or they would die before the Elite Ten Elections, and Hayama was passed out on the couch looking like he hadn't bathe in days.
"Hayama?" Soma asked cautiously not wanting to wake him up so suddenly. It would be like poking a hibernating bear who could wake up and defend itself at any moment. Unfortunately Ryo had different plans, Soma noticed he had put on his headband and before he could stop him.
"HAYAMA WAKE UP YOU BAKA! AND CLEAN THIS PLACE UP. YOU ALLOWED US TO MEET HERE IN THIS DUMP-" Ryo began shouting but before he could say another word.
"Mhmmm I agree you are a baka...Ryo-kun..." Hayama announced half awake.
"What did you say?" Ryo looked furious.
"Nothing" Hayama, who was now awake, said in his emotionless voice.
"Yo Hayama what happened. This place is a mess, do you need help cleaning?" Soma asked. Maybe that's what we'll be doing today instead of cooking, Soma thought to himself.
"Don't worry about it. But if you must know, Shiomi abandoned me here while she ran off exploring the vast world by herself and who knows who she will meet on her journey. Like I give a damn" Hayama revealed. Soma could practically see the aura of depression and jealously surrounding Hayama.
"Get over it. So she left you, big deal. That doesn't mean you can slack off and not take care of the Seminar" Ryo said pointing at all the books and spices spread across the floor.
"Shut up. Both of you wouldn't understand. It's not that simple. But for today I ask of a favor: help me clean before we start our usual routine" Hayama requested
"Are you kidding me? Good luck with that by yourself!" Ryo said beginning to walk out the front door.
"No problem! I'm sure there's plenty of secrets about spices I could learn just by reading the books scattered across the floor and you won't have a problem with that right?" Soma smirked knowing he could convince Ryo this way while benefiting through learning more about spices. He also had been eager to cook against Ryo and Hayama. It had felt like ages ago since they dueled.
"Fine" Hayama admitted in defeat, he knew that the place was a mess and this could take days by himself.
"On second thought, perhaps I'll lend a hand." Ryo said and slowly began putting up books while skimming through them.
"Oh and Hayama" Soma called out
"Yes?"
"Go take a shower while you're at it" Soma informed him, while pinching the bridge of his noise to block the odor Hayama was giving off.
About an hour had passed and they had managed to clean one of the rooms. Soma was curious about what Hayama meant when he said "you wouldn't understand" earlier. He found Hayama reorganizing the spices and decided to ask him.
"Hey Hayama what did you mean when earlier about us not understanding and that it's not that simple?" Soma intrigued by what he meant asked.
"Just finish scrubbing Soma-kun. Who knows maybe I'll tell you after the Seminar's clean and I beat you in our shokugeki" Hayama said in a tone of arrogance that Soma hadn't heard in awhile although he knew Hayama wasn't back to full form just yet.
After the Seminar was neat and tidy, the trio began gathering their ingredients for the long awaited three-way shokugeki. The two losers would have to clean up the aftermath and honor one wish from the winner. And this shokugeki would prove to be anything but friendly.
"Hey Hayama, Ryo what are you guys planning on making?" Soma eagerly wanting know, asked with a smile.
"Like I would tell you!" Ryo barked. He hadn't even put his headband on yet.
"Mind your own business" Hayama waved him off.
"Cool cool I wouldn't have expected any different reactions, though I'm afraid both of your dishes will be fighting for second place today, cause mine's gonna be first." Soma boldly declared. As he pulled out the iconic Yukihira white headband and wrapped it around his forehead.
"Huh!" Both competitors responded. All three now having a stare-down. It wasn't until the judge arrived, did they break eye contact from each other. Fumio-san who had always volunteered for these events told them to go to their own stations and only then could they begin cooking. Each chef went to his respective area and awaited the countdown, the atmosphere could not be any more serious than now, each chef was going a hundred and ten percent in this all but friendly cook-off.
"3, 2, 1...Shokugeki!" Fumio-san counted down and each chef was in his own world immediately.
After much stripping, foodgasms, and what other exaggerations food can cause. A winner had been decided between the three. His seafood style dish overtaking the other two dishes.
"Hahahaha. Better luck next time Hayama and Soma, looks like I'm the winner this time" Ryo taunted the other two competitors after being deemed winner of the shokugeki-royale.
"Yeah he'll need all the victories he can get. What is the record now, 9 Me, 8 You, and now 6 Him?" Soma whispered to Hayama causing both of them to snicker.
"What was that!" Ryo who say them demanded.
"Nothing nothing" Soma raised his hands up in surrender, mentally laughing.
"Whatever, thanks for the practice you two. And good luck with cleaning the mess!" Ryo shouted as he ran out the Seminar probably looking for Alice. Soma and Hayama began cleaning up the stations and washing the dishes from the mess the three created earlier. Soma decided this would be the right time to bring up what Hayama said earlier and what he meant by it.
"Hey Hayama, now could you explain to me what you meant earlier about us not understanding?"
"Mhmm, well you see Yukihira I'll let you in on a secret...I guess you could call it the hidden formula to how I won the Autumn Election back then." Hayama announced catching Soma's attention.
"The reason why I beat you and Ryo back then was because I had something you guys didn't, a-" before Hayama could finish what he
"Tragic backstory and a dish that showed your own individuality far greater than ours?" Soma cut him off.
"No, well yes. But that's not what I meant. I had...a drive, a women who I was willing to cook to death for, if only to seek her recognition and approval" Hayama revealed.
"Ohhhh...oh...wait who?" Soma looked lost.
"Really your kidding?" Hayama looked at Soma for any sign of him joking around only to find none.
"Who else?! But Shiomi-senpai!" Hayama blurted out.
"Wow I never would've guessed" Soma awkwardly admitted. Hayama face-palmed, he couldn't believe anybody could me more clueless about this than his Shiomi-senpai herself.
"Back then I wasn't cooking for myself. I was cooking for Shiomi-senpai, everything I did was to thank her for something that I can only repay through cooking my very best. That's why I won the Autumn Elections during our first year. She was my drive, my purpose to going all out. She motivated me to do my best while in the kitchen and in front of everyone, because only then would I be able to repay her for what she did for me" Hayama said with a stern face. Soma couldn't help and laugh about how serious Hayama looked as he gave this speech.
"Could you stop laughing? This is not something to be taken lightly" Hayama exasperated by Soma's lack of seriousness towards this important subject grabbed him by the shoulders.
"Listen Soma, if you want to win these upcoming Elite Ten Elections. Then you will take everything I just told you to heart. Find yourself a women who you are willing to cook for till you are on your death bed" Hayama gaze bore into Soma as he was talking. Soma who was scratching the back of his head the entire time Hayama was lecturing him was starting to make sense of what he was trying to say.
"That sounds familiar to something my dad said" Soma mumbled to himself.
"Your dad must be a smart man, and a great chef then." Hayama, who overheard what Soma, commented.
"Yeah I guess so. By the way Hayama I've noticed that you are starting to look like your usual self again. Like before Shiomi-senpai left you and you got all depressed, sloppy, dirty, just a hot mess in general, and-" Soma began ranting.
"OK I get the point, please continue" Hayama asked shuddering at the memory of him at his lowest.
"I was wondering...have you found somebody? A replacement for what Shiomi-senpai used to invoke inside you?" Soma curiously wanted to know. Hayama took a pause before answering.
"Maybe, I have. But nobody can replace what Shiomi-senpai meant to me and what she did for me is something I will forever be grateful for. And before you ask, no, I will not reveal who this new possible person is."
"Awwwwww" Soma pouted. Hayama shook his head and looked out the window and back at Soma.
"The real question is, have you Soma?" Hayama quickly turned the tables.
"Uhhhhhh...Maybe?...Anyways, I gotta go apologize to somebody, I'll cya later" Soma said as he walked out the Seminar doors. Hayama shook his head wondering if the red-head would ever find the "one" for him and his cooking.
"And thanks for the lesson professor Hayama! I'll make sure to keep that in mind during the competition" Soma poked his head back in the Seminar and jokingly said.
As Hayama watched Soma walk off. He noticed the direction which the red-hair chef was heading towards, Nakiri Mansion. He saw Arato who was walking along side with Erina-san and noticed how her short pink bangs blew against her face. How the glasses he hadn't seen her wear before, made her look even more stunning than usual. He didn't know when and where it happened but after Shiomi-senpai left, the secretary for the Nakiri's caught his eye. But his curiosity with the pink-hair girl had been there since they faced each other in the Autumn Elections. He wouldn't make the same mistake with Shiomi-senpai and not tell her about his feelings, this time he would tell Arato when he was a hundred percent ready. He saw Soma talking to Erina-san."Hmph" He thought to himself, maybe there was hope for the red-hair chef after all. Hayama always noticed the unique interaction between the two and how oblivious both were too each other's feelings, but believed it was just sexual tension and nothing more. Perhaps he was wrong and there may be deeper feelings between the two.
He looked back outside the balcony of the Seminar to find where Soma went only to discover an angry Nakiri Erina chasing after a laughing Soma.
Or not...
