A/N: This is going well, I think. I guess Alice and Sōma will be meeting in like every chapter now. I may have to add extra stuff inbetween classes maybe. Like being in class together, or eating lunch together, or a sleepover thing. It'll be fun, and cute. :)
Also, attention, I now have a tumblr blog where I post stuff (ideas and questions and thoughts and more) about this account. So… Follow me? The name is "stygianhazardff"
Disclaimer: I do not own Shokugeki no Sōma. And every time I read this manga, I get hungry.
"The nerve of that man…" Alice murmured to herself angrily as she marched her way to the Records Office. All around her, students kept their distance as per usual. Some even more so once they took notice of the annoyed look that she had on her face. "How could I have forgotten about the orders?"
Shortly after the classes for the day had ended, Ryō had recalled that he had to pick up some items that Alice had ordered for the Cutting-Edge Cooking Research Society. It was regrettable, but in the end Alice had decided to send him to go and get those items instead of picking up the information she required from the Records Office. There was no way that she would lift all of those boxes and carry them into the research society's room all by herself. So now she had to go and check on Sōma's records herself.
'It's probably for the best though,' Alice thought as she took another turn. 'Ryō-kun would probably skip some details or just ask Yukihira-kun questions himself. I can't have that happening.'
Alice hummed cheerfully to herself as she neared the Records Office. In just a few short moments, she would have all of the information she needed and then she could make her plan of attack to get Yukihira Sōma on her side. Or something like that. Her thoughts quickly derailed though as the door to the Records Office opened and she saw who she was just thinking about.
Yukihira Sōma.
"Oh!" Sōma exclaimed at the sight of her. "Er, you're Alice-san, right? I don't think I got your family name before."
Alice blinked, surprised at his reaction. After a moment, she answered. "You can just call me Alice-san, Yukihira-kun. I don't mind."
"Hmm?" Sōma hummed at her response. But he shrugged it off after a moment. If that was how she wanted it, he wouldn't argue. His time spent working at Restaurant Yukihira taught him long ago that people had their own reasons for things and it was never a good thing to question them. That, and also that women were scary. He shuddered at the reminder.
Alice was relieved. For some reason, she really didn't want to give him her family name so soon. Even if it was only for a little while, she wanted Sōma to see her as just another person. If only to see just how different he would be once he found out who she really was, who she was related to. But hopefully that wouldn't be for a very long time.
"So what brings you here?" Sōma asked after a moment when it seemed like Alice wasn't going to say any more. He took the time to look over her again. She seemed the same as the first time they had met. Although now that he had more time to look her over, she seemed to be a bit happier than the first time they had met. He wondered why.
"Me?" Alice paused briefly to think of an excuse. "I was just walking around. I have nothing else to do now that classes are over for the day. What brings you here, Yukihira-kun?"
"I was looking for a place to stay," Sōma replied. "Apparently other students rented nearby apartments and commute from there."
"Mhm." Alice hummed thoughtfully. That was a bit of an issue. She herself didn't have that problem since her family owned Tōtsuki Culinary Academy. Still, she couldn't think of any places where Sōma could stay at if he wasn't going to be living in the apartments.
"So I'm going to the Polar Star Dormitory," Sōma said while holding up a piece of paper. "It seems to be the best option."
"The Polar Star Dormitory?" Alice questioned. That name certainly sounded familiar. But for some reason she couldn't recall how or why. Maybe she saw something in the school paper or in passing.
"So you haven't heard of that place either, huh?" Sōma asked as he opened the door for Alice. "I wonder why it seems to be so unknown."
"I'm not sure," Alice said as she walked through the door with a smirk at his thoughtfulness. "I'm free right now. I can accompany you there. You know, since you're new here and all."
"Oh?" Sōma smiled at her. "That would be really helpful. Thanks."
"No problem," Alice smiled back. This was going better than she had thought. "So where is the Polar Star Dormitory?"
"Uh," Sōma checked the map for a moment before pointing in a direction. "I think it's in this direction. Probably…"
"Give me that," Alice grabbed the map from Sōma's hands and took a look. "It is in this direction, actually."
"Oh?" Sōma took the map back and looked back over it. "Thank you. Should we get going then?"
"Of course." Alice smiled and walked in step next to him.
After 20 minutes of walking, Alice was bored. And tired, so tired. She couldn't recall ever walking this much since that time she had to walk to the pub where Ryō used to work. She had half a mind to call a chauffeur to pick her and Sōma up to drive them to the Polar Star Dormitory. But then if she did that, Sōma would know that she was a Nakiri. And she didn't want that to happen just yet. She stole a glance at him; he seemed to be just as tired as she was. And a bit annoyed too.
'That makes two of us,' Alice thought as she looked around. The campus actually seems bigger, when one had no choice but to walk from one end to another. Still though, she sould complain too much. At least she had interesting company. "So what's with that thing?"
"Huh?" Sōma looked to what she was staring at. "My shichirin? Ah, it's my favorite type of tool. It's pretty versatile, you know?"
"It seems pretty cheap." Alice commented.
"That's a part of its charm," Sōma countered. "After all, it's light, easy to move, and compact. I can take it anywhere and make some pretty interesting things with it you know."
"Oh?" Alice raised an eyebrow questioningly as she gazed at the shichirin. "What kinds of things?"
"Maybe I can make them for you something for you later?" Sōma said.
"I'll gladly take you up on that offer, Yukihira-kun." Alice said cheerfully. She couldn't wait to try it, if only to see what kind of cooking he would make. It was certainly an interesting type of cooking. It was common cooking with a twist. A bit strange, but she enjoyed it.
"Still, this place is seriously huge," Sōma said as he looked at all of the buildings. There seemed to be mansions, domed buildings, and even a windmill. "What's with all of these places? Does a school really need all of these places?"
"Well they're all important," Alice said, going into lecture mode. "Tōtsuki Tea Ceremony and Cooking Academy is one of the best, if not the best, culinary schools in the entire world. It's a completely self-sustaining institute that has reach in almost every part of the world's greatest cooking spots. Every student who graduates from here is set for life, guaranteed."
"Huh…?" Sōma looked at her blankly. "This sure is a really amazing place."
"Did you not know about this place before?" Alice asked with a hint of skepticism in her voice.
"Ahaha, yeah…" Sōma said sheepishly while scratching the back of his head.
'Just how clueless are you?' Alice thought disbelievingly. She didn't voice that thought though.
Soma stopped suddenly, causing Alice to look at him questioningly. He seemed really shocked. Alice followed his gaze inquisitively only to widen her eyes at what stood before them. It looked to be a refined, western-style house. Or at least, it used to be. There were vines growing all over the place, and there were crows flying all over the place. It actually looked like it could legitimately be haunted.
"Is that the dorm?" Alice asked Sōma hesitantly.
Sōma pointed to the sign. Alice stared at it. She had completely missed it while being distracted with the appearance of the place.
"Well, let's go in." Sōma said with a semi-forced smile on his face.
"You first." Alice moved back and let Sōma walk ahead of her, just in case.
They made their way towards the door and Sōma pushed the doors open. Once inside, they both paused and looked around. The inside certainly matched the outside. It was a bit dark too, though with the sun setting, it was to be expected. Suddenly they both noticed a lot of smoke coming from upstairs.
'Is there a fire?!' Sōma and Alice both thought in shock as the smoke billowed through the hallway and into the main hall.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING ROOM 208?!" An angry elderly woman's voice yelled out from an intercom.
Both Alice and Sōma both stared at it in surprise.
"DID YOU GO AHEAD AND MODIFY THE LOUNGE INTO A SMOKING ROOM AGAIN?!" The voice yelled out. "DO YOU WANT ME TO MAKE YOU INTO SMOKED CHIPS?!"
Alice and Sōma both stared at each other in uneasily.
"Usako, Kamosuke, Shikanoshin! Don't leave your cages!" A new voice yelled out.
Sōma and Alice looked to the left and saw a multitude of different animals heading their way. They both jumped back to avoid being trampled as the ducks, chickens, rabbits, deer, and other exotic animals ran passed them while being chased by a young girl with teal colored eyes and amber colored hair tied neatly into two buns.
"AND ROOM 116!" The voice continued. ""DON'T KEEP ANIMALS IN YOUR ROOM! IF YOU DO IT AGAIN, I'LL SKIN YOU ALIVE!"
"I'm sorryyyyy!" The girl wailed as she continued to chase her animals until they were all out of sight.
"Well, well…" A voice drawled from the stairs. "Do we have two students looking to join the Polar Star Dormitory at the same time? That's a first. I'm this place's dorm mother… Daimidō Fumio."
'I'm at another weird place…' Sōma thought before taking a reluctant step forward. "Actually, it's just me taking the exam."
"Hm," Fumio looked over him. He didn't look like much. But for some reason, she couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling that she knew him from somewhere. She shrugged it off. It was probably just déjà vu. "So where are your ingredients?"
"Huh?" Sōma rose an eyebrow. "What would I need ingredients for?"
"That's obvious!" Fumio exclaimed with a flourish. "For the Polar Star Dormitory's specialty, the skill test!"
'Ah,' Alice recalled the paper Sōma had shown her earlier. 'The entrance test for this dorm.'
"What are you talking about?" Sōma cried out.
Alice shook her head at his obliviousness.
Fumio took notice, but deigned not to comment. She was curious of who this girl was, if not a student looking for a place to stay. Still, she had time to figure it out later if she needed to. "Then I suppose you lost by default. No one can enter the Polar Star Dormitory without having their skills checked."
"Wait," Sōma finally seemed to figure out where this conversation was going. "So that means that tonight I'll have to…"
"You'll have to camp out." Alice finished for him helpfully.
"HELL NO!" Sōma yelled at Fumio. "DON'T UNDERESTIMATE JUST HOW CHILLY AN APRIL NIGHT CAN BECOME!"
Alice bit her lip thoughtfully. This was a good chance. Maybe she should invite Sōma over to sleepover at her place. God knew they definitely had the room. She was sure he could stay there and no one would realize a thing for ages.
"Give up," Fumio stated. "There are only leftover ingredients in the kitchen anyways."
Sōma perked up at hearing this.
"You had some bad luck to-" Fumio said.
"Wait!" Sōma cut her off. "So I can use those ingredients?"
Both Fumio and Alice looked at him with curiosity. Alice looked at him with a bit more curiosity than Fumio.
"I'll take the test with those leftovers." Sōma proclaimed. "Where's your kitchen?"
Fumio turned around, giving them both a wordless signal to follow. They both followed her down the hall until they reached the kitchen. Alice looked around in interest. Despite the strange exterior, the interior honestly wasn't that bad. It was pretty homey, actually.
"Woah…" Sōma said, breaking Alice out of her thoughts.
Alice looked to see what Sōma was staring at and gaped in shock. The kitchen was a lot better than she had anticipated. It didn't match the rest of the dormitory at all. It was too nice, but for some reason it still seemed to fit in place in an odd sort of way.
"This is a pretty great kitchen," Sōma said as he looked over it. "I was expecting it to look as dreary as the outside."
"Listen," Fumio tried to get Sōma's attention. "I hate kids who bluff the most. Do you realize how many dishes I've tasted from students over the years? Do you really think I'll give an improvised dish a passing mark?"
Sōma didn't pay her any mind though. He had started walking around to kitchen to take stock of things. 'Let's see… There are some vegetables… seasonings… and…'
"Yukihira-kun?" Alice asked from her place by the door.
"Yeah!" Sōma grinned. "This much is more than enough."
'What?!' Fumio thought in shock.
Alice leaned closer to see what idea he had come up with. Unfortunately, she couldn't see just what he had seen among the assembled ingredients that gave him such confidence. Alice bit her lip in frustration. 'What is he planning to do with those leftovers?'
"Polar Star Dromitory Mother, Daimidō Fumio-dono," Sōma said as he wrapped his white headband around his forehead. "Prepare yourself!"
Sōma quickly got to work. He got the onions, eggs, breadcrumbs, ponzu, salt, pepper, and mackerel together and started to combine them. Then, while working on that, he started to work on what appeared to be egg soup. Fumio looked on in shock as Alice started to smile once she figured out what he was planning. It took her a while, but after 30 seconds, she had figured it out. She had to give him credit for the squid. Even if it was luck that he had had it on hand.
In no time at all, Sōma finished. He placed the dish in front of Fumio proudly before looking at Alice apologetically. "Sorry, Alice-san. I would have made a sample for you too, but there wasn't enough ingredients for that."
"Huh?" Alice looked at him in shock before she felt her cheeks start to warm. She looked away to try to hide her embarrassment at his words. "It's fine…"
"Next time, eh?" Sōma grinned at her.
Alice felt her cheeks burn hotter as she merely nodded in response.
"There shouldn't have been even a speck of beef or pork left…" Fumio said quietly, interrupting them unintentionally. "How on earth did you make such a fluffy hamburger?!"
"I used canned mackerel," Sōma said as he held up the can for her to see. "This is a mackerel burger!"
"Canned mackerel?!" Fumio questioned incredulously as she prepared to take a bite out of it. "No way… That can't be… A hamburger made with canned mackerel would have a raw smell so strong that you wouldn't be able to eat it."
Alice sniffed slightly in disdain. She wasn't really a fan of mackerel. Ryō was though, but then again, he liked every kind of fish. No exception.
Fumio's eyes widened as she swallowed the piece of mackerel burger. 'Delicious… It has a fleshy feeling that doesn't taste like fish at all. If he had told me it was meat, I would have believed him.'
Alice looked on in wonder at the dish. It wasn't that good at all. But when one looked at what he had to work with, it was amazing. She doubted anyone else in their year would have been able to make something at this class with those low class ingredients except for a few. Like herself, of course.
Fumio moved on to the soup and took a sip. Just like the mackerel burger, it left her gaping at in in surprise. "Wha… What is with this egg soup? The dashi is of high quality. How did you do this?! There was no kelp or anything that you could have used to make dashi with!"
"The dashi?" Sōma asked with a slight grin as he flicked the piece of squid in his mouth. "About that… I had some on hand luckily enough."
"You made dashi out of dried squid?" Fumio asked disbelievingly.
"That's right," Sōma stated proudly. "I call this meal… Yukihira style Improvised Mackerel Burger Meal!"
Alice couldn't help but sigh at that.
'What a kid,' Fumio thought as she took another bite of the mackerel burger before taking another sip from the egg soup. This taste reminded her of an old memory. 'To think he could make something of this quality with leftovers. What a serene flavor… It's as if my body and soul are being slowly warmed by it…'
"I think it's safe to say you passed." Alice said frankly after seeing Fumio's expression.
"Seems like it." Sōma said.
Suddenly, Fumio jumped up and embraced a scared looking Sōma as if she were about to kiss him.
"LET GO OF ME YOU OLD HAG!" Sōma screamed out in fear.
Alice was a second away from jumping in to help him out before Fumio seemed to remember herself and stepped back as though nothing had happened.
"Alright," Fumio started with a delicate cough. "Your room shall be room 303! I accept you into the Polar Star Dormitory!"
"It wasn't much!" Sōma said cheerfully as he unwrapped his headband with one fluid motion.
Alice clapped animatedly at his admission. "Congratulations Yukihira-kun~!"
"Thanks Alice-san!" Sōma smiled at her.
Alice looked away quickly. There he went again, making her nervous. That wouldn't do at all if she wanted to stand on top of him some day. "Well, I'll be going now. I'll see you in class."
Alice hastily made a quick retreat. Unknown to both Sōma and her, Fumio stared at her retreating back thoughtfully. She opened her mouth as if to ask Sōma something before he interrupted her.
"Alright! A bath, first it's time for a bath!" Sōma exclaimed before running out of the kitchen.
Fumio sighed in mock exasperation before going back to her meal. After a minute, she stopped suddenly when she remembered something. 'Oh wait… Isn't it the girls' turn to take a bath right now?'
Upstairs, an unfortunate Tadokoro Megumi got reacquainted with Yukihira Sōma. She really was the most pitiable girl in Tōtsuki Culinary Academy.
Outside, at the same time, an oblivious Nakiri Alice looked back towards the dorm when a shrill shriek pierced the night. "Huh? Is that place actually haunted?"
OMAKE
"Man…" Sōma groaned as he sat down on a bench. "I can't believe the Records Office didn't know anything about the Polar Star Dorms… Now where do I live?"
"Need a place to stay?" A cheerful voice asked from behind him.
"Woah!" Sōma jumped up and looked behind him.
Alice stood there smiling like the Cheshire Cat.
"Oh, it's you Alice-san," Sōma said after he caught his breath. "Yeah, I need to find a place to stay, but the apartments are really expensive."
"Mhm," Alice hummed thoughtfully as she pretended to think of a solution before saying one that she had come up with as soon as she had heard that he needed a place to stay. "I have a place here. You could stay with me."
"Huh?" Sōma looked at her with hope. "Really? You mean it?"
"Of course!" Alice tried not smile too much. This was going perfect.
"Then I'll gladly move in with you." Sōma said while bowing in thanks to her.
"Yes!" Alice silently exclaimed.
"Huh?" Sōma looked back at questioningly.
Apparently she hadn't been silent enough. "Yes, that's good. Come on, we should go now. Oh, we'll have to share a bathroom with someone though."
"Is it that black-haired guy from before?" Sōma questioned.
"Nope," Alice replied. "Someone a bit more… Picky. You'll see. Oh, I can't wait to see the look on her face."
"Her?" Sōma asked.
"You'll see~" Alice sung out. "Now hurry up! Oh, and leave your honey-covered squid in the fridge. Don't worry, I won't eat it."
A/N: So now Sōma is a proud member of the Polar Star Dormitory. Should Alice worm her way into the dorm later? Maybe. I'm thinking about it. What do you all think?
Again, reminder, please feel free to follow "stygianhazardff" on tumblr for updates/thoughts about my fan-fiction stuff.