Classique

by Zancrowe

{Soma / Erina} As rival schools attempt to crush Tootsuki in the biggest Tournament Arc; Azami finally attempts to retake control of his daughter; while Asahi decides it's time to usurp the Nakiri Throne from that very heiress. Only problem? Erina's boyfriend. [ft. Ryou/Alice; Isshi/Nene; Taku/Hisa; Akira/Megu; Asahi/OC; OC/Nao; Shino/Hina] ((33: Family Matters))

33. Family Matters

Notes:

Hey Everyone! Zancrowe Here!

To say I was floored by all the feedback to this last chapter would be the understatement of the year. A chapter almost fully focused on Dove (my OC), Asahi (the most hated character), and Azami (second most hated?) got such amazing reviews that I was genuinely touched. I wanted to deeply thank you all for allowing me the opportunity to tell this story, and for sticking it out with me this far. We're close, so damn close, so please, stick with me, and share your thoughts!

Also, for those asking for it, I did post a special one-shot titled "Citrus" for those who wanted the full scene of what went down between Soma and Erina that night. Do be warned, it is rated a very hard M, and those of you who do not wish to read it, you have no need, as it isn't needed for plot purposes. The rest of you, enjoy!

Disclaimer: Don't own Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma, nor the works of Fleur Conkling Heyliger, or a bunch of other stuff!

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Despite the many setbacks that had heavily affected both their economic standing as well as their iron-grip on the culinary world, the Eizan family still had enough resources and connections to secure a proper location outside of Tootsuki grounds heavily stocked with any and every ingredient under the sun and several high-profile judges in such a short timeframe. Not WGO judges, granted, as even attempting to gain those would more that raise a few red flags that they most certainly wish to avoid, but still members of the culinary world well versed in the more elaborated details of gastronomy. Which is why, at the behest of Fukuhara Eizan, Toshio Sadatsuka had agreed to bring them all to this makeshift arena, all while calling in a few favors of his own he noted "owed" him quite a lot.

Despite all of this, this was still business as usual as far as Julius was concerned. He was led into this moderately sized arena, a far cry from where the Intercontinental Shokugeki was being held (whose expansion to accommodate even more guests were almost complete at this point), but still big enough to go all-out without the need to hold back, which he assumed was the intent. The Godfather scanned the area, noticing not only the judges hired by his employer (all from the same… network of the man, he inwardly noted), but also a group of three others on the side, dressed in chef attire, which made Julius understand a bit more why Fukuhara had been so insistent on this being done as soon as possible.

Granted, where Toshio Sadatsuka was, Ashitaro was too, for better or worse, Julius noted, but the Warlock Supreme seemed utterly pissed off, and with reason, again, for better or worse. The little girl he believed feared him so had turned her fangs back at him, and despite losing the match, she (and her new boyfriend, just to drive the knife in deeper) proved skillful enough to rattle the mad man. Unlike Julius, Ashitaro was glaring at everyone there, making it clear, were it not for his father, he wouldn't even had set foot inside this building.

And Julius would have much preferred that, since while he knew the nastier side of his occupation, Ashitaro always found a way to push things way too far, and he did not like it one bit. But… honor before reason, and whatnot.

"Julius, Ashitaro," Fukuhara spoke up, signaling to both young men. Julius looked, Ashitaro glared. "Based on your past performances, Mr. Sadatsuka and I found it… necessary to offer you boys an additional training avenue, for… insurance purposes. As Mr. Nakamura himself likes to boast, redundancy is key in any business venture."

"Training, is it?" Julius voiced, and Fukuhara nodded.

"…I know them," Ashitaro added, the venom dripping from his voice, his glare now aimed towards the other three chefs in the arena. He was clearly displeased about all of this.

"Indeed," Toshio affirmed, as the elder man walked right up to the other three, and outfitted himself with his own chef's coat. The logo still wore the name of old, "Sadatsuka" in dark, gothic lettering. "It would seem allowing you two to just sit around and wait until the final round of this Intercontinental Shokugeki has soften you boys up a bit too much. We cannot have a repeat of that Règiment de Cuisine performance. It won't matter if the Neo-Noirs win if the one that gets perfect victories all-around is just Azami's protégé, or his bastard son for that matter…"

While Ashitaro was flinching in sheer rage at the reminder, Julius held back a scoff. Seems Azami's current predicament was getting far too critical that even these two men, who had been so eager to allow him to handle all the work beforehand, were now getting cold feet. Such was the reality when you gamble your entire life's savings into something so risky, but who was Julius to judge?

"Therefor," Toshio continued, "You both shall now be training alongside myself, and my former teammates. While I am aware you have met them before Ashitaro, allow me to introduce them to you Julius," he added, before he signaled to the other three, "These are America's finest chefs. Erika Redfield, CEO of the Redfield Shipwreck Delicacies, the finest chain of seafood restaurants. Next to her is John Whiteaker, entrepreneur and businessman behind the Dim Sum Dynasty. And, my long-time friend and former senior, Roger Bluemont, of –"

"Spare us the sentimentalities father," Ashitaro cut him off, glaring at the team before him. "We know who they are."

"Quite," Julius offered, as he did sense a little tension the moment the son had interrupted the father and he wished for this to run as smoothly as possible. "The original Sadatsuka's Premier Culinary Institute's challenger team from the first Intercontinental Shokugeki," Julius noted, recognizing the names, even if he did snicker and add a little, "Color me impressed."

Ashitaro, on the other hand, had no such filter, "Not me…What do you expect us to even learn, father? Don't these three share the same career highlight? That is, of being utterly wiped out by the Golden Era Tootsuki alumni?"

"Watch your tongue," Toshio quickly warned, eyes narrowed, as his son seemed to shift between wary and pissed off with each passing second. "You may boast as you wish as long as you have the result to back it up. Your last match was pitiful, and you have not been taking this as seriously as it merits. I did not allow you to join Azami's little group just to have you play second fiddle to his little girl."

Whatever argument Ashitaro had, he seemed to just suck it up, even if his mad eyes demonstrated nothing but hate at everyone and everything. Julius, for his part, just looked on, half wondering if by "little girl" Toshio had meant Erina or Dove. Granted, circumstances being, he could easily be referring to them both.

"…While it may not be my place to say," Julius voiced, turning to Fukuhara, whispering, "I do feel I should mention that my… teammate here has been rather unhinged as of late."

"It's a family affair, nothing we can do," the elder man simply said. "Just focus on yourself, on my family. If we win this. If you take home the most victories in front of the eyes of the WGO, our future is assured, and we can then motion to overtake Tootsuki itself," he added, whispering so no loose ears would hear him. "We can decide what becomes of our current… allies then."

"How very noble," Julius said with a little laugh, because this was honestly very off-putting. But he had a dept to pay, and he much rather the Eizan family kept the power than the alternative. But, as Toshio explained how the two of them would duel the four former Sadatsuka alumni, again and again until they bled, if need be, Julius got a notification on his phone, and considering he had silenced everything except the most important notifications, he proceeded to pull it out and take a look. And it was certainly… newsworthy. He couldn't even keep a straight face. The Godfather laughed, and as everyone turned to him, confused at his sudden outburst, Julius just added, "This guy's crazy. So that was part of his plan all along, huh? My… This is going to cause quite the stir…"

-0-

"And that was it," Shoji concluded his little tale, as he walked down the Polar Star hallways on this would-be fine morning, with a curious Daigo, a nonchalant Shun, and a still half-asleep Marui walking alongside him. "No thanks to you, of course! Like, who ditches his best friend with a girl who had every right to outright murder me on the spot?! Couldn't you at least confirm my alibi for me, like bro, come on?!"

"Hey, I didn't walk in some stranger's bathroom without knocking," Daigo replied, and Shoji wanted to strangle him. "Besides, it was Aki's idea to leave you two to your own devices. And, hey, it worked. You guys talked it out on the end!"

"Only because I am such a gentleman that I was able to defuse the situation!" Shoji shot back.

"Is that what that's called these days," Shun noted, his expression unchanged, but it still pissed Shoji off.

"Don't start offering input now!" he barked. "I'll have you know I can be very suave when the situation calls for it! And it helped we shared some common ground on unrequited love, so I think we hit it off pretty well!"

"Unrequited love?" Marui couldn't help but ask, baffled.

"He's talking about Sonoka," Daigo explained.

"…You had zero chance with that woman," Shun noted, rather firmly.

"Oh shove those words up your collective asses!" Shoji cried out. "The important thing is we talked things out, she's not pressing charges, and maybe I can call her or something… If I ever see her again because I didn't ask for her number!"

"Fail," the other three boys muttered in unison, and Shoji wanted to now strangle all three of them. He had been nervous, okay?!

"I can still make it work!" he defended, "The chemistry was there, I know it! All I need to do is convince Soma to let me tag along next time he visits his restaurant back on the Sumire District, and if I'm lucky, then I – Oh, speak of the devil!"

As Shoji's tone took a sharp turn, the other three of the Polar Stars gave a short pause, turning to the side, and noticing that, yes, Soma Yukihira was indeed coming in from the opposite side, having just entered the dormitories from the look of things, and…

"Soma, hey?" a confused Daigo greeted.

"What the heck happened to you last night?!" Marui quickly asked, "Are you okay?!"

"…Why are you dressed like a waiter?" Shun noted, his eyes on the attire the boy now sported. Soma, for his part, gave a little pause when he saw the four of them, it being very evident he had not expected to be caught this red-handed by this many of his friends. The boy did however position himself so that he covered a little plastic bag he was carrying with him away from them, less they connect the dots. After all, why else would he be carrying Erina's damp dress?

"Oh hey!" Soma greeted with a little wave, "You guys are certainly up early. Heard you saying you wanted to go to Yukihira's with me, eh Shoji, sure, just tell me when…" he added, laughing a bit as if nothing else out of the ordinary was happening right now. His four friends all just stared, eyes narrowed, while the former busser just rubbed the back of his head… slowly. "…So how was your guys' night?"

"Don't change the subject!" all of them except Shun cried out, as the smoke master just eyed the bag Soma was currently trying and failing to completely hide. Luckily for Soma, Shun would later note, they did receive a little interruption before the others could dig into the topic further, even if it turned out it wasn't exactly for the most positive of reasons.

"Hey!" they all heard Yuuki call out, and as the five turned, the usual little bundle of sunshine looked utterly out of breath, as she pointed towards the main living room of the dorms. "This is bad! We're in the news! You guys have got to see this!"

Yuuki was quick to lead them there, and Soma couldn't help but feel his spine freeze up at this all, as it had to be something major for Yuuki of all people not to notice or care about how he was dressed or the bag he was carrying. Soma and the others quickly joined the rest of the Polar Stars, all scattered around the television set, as the news bulletin was on. And no, not the Tootsuki News Network that Mitsuru worked in, but the actual, real-life news.

Soma stood to the side, setting his little bag on the floor, turning a bit, as he noticed Megumi's eyes on him. Unlike everyone else there, who he could at least try to fool, Megumi only gave him a quick scan, before her eyes widened like plates and a light blush covered her entire face. Soma, offering a little nervous smile, quickly placed his index finger over his lips, letting her know not to say a thing. She let out a nervous giggle, before she turned towards the television, but, to her credit, the moment Ryoko turned to tell her something she somehow stone-faced it and nobody was able to tell she had just figured out quite the surprising detail.

But, granted, the news did take precedence.

"– currently involved in what they refer to as the Intercontinental Shokugeki, Tootsuki Culinary Academy is considered the greatest culinary institute in the world, a fact that is currently being contested by these other academies from around the globe," the reporter on the screen explained, with a little video behind her showcasing several clips of all the matches that had happened throughout the event. "Which is why we have reached out to Tootsuki for comment on these recordings that have made their way all across the internet. Said videos contain cooking duels, or Shokugeki matches as they call it, featuring several Tootsuki students engaging against other individuals outside Tootsuki grounds. These other individuals are locally known as "Noirs", known criminals who engage in several illegal activities such as fraud, money laundering, theft, and, we assume, cooking without a legit permit."

The clips then changed, showing the matches between the Tootsuki alumni and all of Asahi's Noirs.

"T-That's us!" Yuuki cried out, her expression utterly paled.

"Did we do something wrong?" Ryoko asked, turning toward the others, "I didn't even know we were being recorded."

"…That bastard," Shun noted, eyes narrowed. "This has Asahi's fingerprints all over it."

"But what the heck is he even attempting?!" Yuuki shrieked. "Throwing his own people under the bus gives him what?!"

"I would assume guilty by association," Madoka offered, her eyes glued to the screen. "While we did organize ourselves at the behest of Erina Nakiri, officially, we never did any paperwork nor got any authorization to engage in any Shokugeki against anyone, much less against a known criminal group. From this point of view, we broke so many school rules we all should be expelled on the spot, if not outright criminally charged."

"That's not helping Madoka!" Yuuki cried.

"Sorry, nervous."

"B-But she's not wrong," Marui noted, fixing his glasses, as the clips reflected themselves of his glare. "There is no protocol for this! We're going to put all of Tootsuki at risk because of this!"

"Wait, seriously?!" Daigo cried.

"B-But can't we just explain what happened?!" Shoji asked, "We were tricked damn it!"

"We should contact Milady Erina and Milady Alice," Berta noted, sitting on one of the couches, next to her sister and Mitsuru, as she turned to the others, or rather, Soma, since if anyone had the former on speed-dial, it would be him. He did nod, since yeah, it should be the first move to make.

"Did Tootsuki get any word of this before it blew all over the news Mitsu?" Cilla asked, turning to the boy beside her, who frowned as he looked at the screen. He was so nervous about this mess he didn't even register when it was that Cilla had started to shorten his name like that.

"No, my phone is currently getting bombarded by texts from all of my peers," Mitsuru explained, "Everyone outside of Tootsuki knew of this before we did."

"Where's Isshiki?" Megumi asked, as the group all gave a short pause, before Ryoko tilted her head a bit, as if the answer were a bit too obvious.

"He… kinda never came back to the dorms either," she noted, and Soma inwardly flinched, since he knew what she meant by that, "He did leave the event with Nene, so, my guess…"

"Damn it that's some delicious gossip but now's not the time!" Yuuki yelled out, tears in her eyes, because life could be so unfair. "We need him, like, here, now!"

As the reporter continued to explain what they all knew, in a way they never expected to hear it, Soma pushed himself of the wall, leaving the bag on the floor for later, and walked towards the far side of the living room. Nao sat on the furthest couch, her eyes on the screen, before she felt him pat her on the head, which made her look up to him. Soma quickly said, "Scoot."

She gave him a playful pout, before she bounced herself on the couch and gave him some room to sit down. He sat, eyes on the changing screen, where all his friends were being depicted as outright delinquents. It caused a burning in him that was very hard to fake. Nao, for her part, shifted her eyes towards the guy, and after a bit, softly voiced, "You smell of just her, you know?"

"…eh…" he simply noted, refusing to look her in the eyes. The girl was now glaring.

"…You lucky bastard," she simply noted, before she turned back to the screen. "Don't be surprised if she cuts off all communication with you. She is a goddess after all, not your fault if you don't measure up."

"Speaking of romantic interests," Soma said as he gave the girl a playful bump with his frame. "Not only is Isshiki not here, but I don't see Loren here either. Did you finally repel him I wonder?"

"I'll have you know we got up super early to help him cook his assignment for today," she shot back, and playfully returned the shove, "He left about half an hour ago or so, not sure where but if I had to guess…"

"I see…" Soma noted, and everyone in the room had to suppress the urge to not just stare at the two just bump into each other playfully, since it was a surprising adorable sight. Still, the moment the screen changed again; Soma's eyes widened. "That's…!"

"…They have all of us listed by name," Shun noted, and Marui felt his glasses crack at the sight of his name in a list of would-be delinquents and lawbreakers. His momma would so not approve!

"I'm not on the list," Nao noted, tilting her head to the side, not seeing herself there, or… "And neither are you, for that matter," she added, turning to Soma.

"So my match against Shun didn't make the final cut, huh?" Soma noted, frowning. He wasn't sure if he was relieved or further peeved at the omission.

"But wait a minute…" Yuuki voiced, squinting her eyes as she took a good look at the list. "…I think there's someone else that's not there. Weren't there fourteen matches in total? So why…?"

-0-

"Uncle!" Erina called out, rushing through the halls, having just changed her clothes in record time the moment she got the news from Hisako, who was still on the line with her, as the heiress juggled putting her shoes on as she walked and holding her phone near her face with her shoulders. Damn it, where did she put her headphones? "I have Hisako on the phone!"

"Ouch…" Hisako could be heard whimpering at getting shouted at accidentally.

"Sorry," Erina quickly added, before she turned towards the hallway, where she could hear her uncle scamper around. "Do I tell her to meet you in the main office?"

"Yes, please!" Soe told her from his own office, as he walked out with a handful of documents in a rush. "I'm going to call Eishi on my way there and see if he can walk me through the process the Elite Ten made up last year, the one we used to modify the clause that allowed us to readmit Soma, and maybe we can work something out from then on. Tell Hisako I'll meet her there! And for now, nobody gives a statement! Get the rest of the Elite Ten ready just in case!"

"Yes!" Erina said with a nod, before she turned back towards the phone. "Sorry for shouting in your ear again, but please meet up with uncle in the office. We have to find a way to spin this in our favor… Damn it, this is my brother, what the hell is he thinking now?"

"I'll be over there shortly, but Erina, relax sweetie, breath, we'll work something out," Hisako assured, but Erina knew they were in uncharted waters at this point. Tootsuki prided itself in the absolute professionalism of its staff and alumni, so the fact that it was public that several high-profile students had gone out and done some eyebrow-raising stuff without permissions was a very bad look. And it put them all in a very bad spot. Was that his aim? Was her brother trying to force Tootsuki to kick out all her friends? Even Hisako? No! She'd never allow it! "Still, Erina, did you receive all the names. Aren't we, or rather, they missing someone?"

"Hmm?" Erina paused, taking a look at her screen for a moment, before she noticed what Hisako meant. There had been fourteen Shokugeki duels that day, and only thirteen were being called out. Which meant… "…You have got to be joking…"

-0-

"He certainly got the big reaction he wanted. Wonder how that stuck-up Academy will respond to this?" Sarge voiced, walking into the backroom of Con Calma, where Yuunosuke laid on the sofa, his eyes on the television's screen, watching his handiwork unfold. Sarge gave the guy a half-glance, before she turned towards the television. Asahi had been right when he had said this would cause quite a stir. But, speaking about their King… "Where is he anyways?"

"Oh, our fearless leader is out there doing some "training", or so he calls it," Yuunosuke replied. "He sounded a bit too pissed off even for me to inquire much into it, but given how damaging this seems to have turned out, I think we're on the right track."

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Sarge added, tilting her head. Something didn't seem right. "Weren't there fourteen matches that day?"

"Eh… about that…"

-0-

"Wait…?"

"…Where are our names?!"

The Polar Stars all stared, first at the screen, then at Daigo and Shoji, as it became clear that, alongside Soma and Nao, they weren't being listed or shown in the report.

"Wait, that's right!" Yuuki cried out, turning back to the screen, "I mean, that's a good thing, right?!"

"I mean, it makes some sense Soma isn't on that list, since he went in guns blazing to Con Calma's out of the blue, likely before Asahi had even set up any equipment to record the matches," Marui concluded, his eyes turning to Soma, who seemed to ponder it for a moment before he nodded. It made sense. Never did he imagine being too rash could end up saving him from consequences before.

"And I guess I'm not there because nobody expected me to challenge my brother either, not even the King of Noirs," Nao added, saying Asahi's moniker with a shift in tone, clearly mocking it.

"But how does that explain…?" Ryoko voiced, signaling to Daigo and Shoji, who were just as confused as the rest of them. It took them a few seconds, until, slowly, it hit them. It actually hit them. And Megumi was the first to voice it.

"You don't actually think…?"

-0-

"…That. Damn. Fanboy."

Erina felt her eyes twitch. There simply was no other conceivable reason.

"He spared them because they won the card game," Hisako noted, and she could feel Erina's anger mix with outright frustration at her brother's idiotic style and choices. I mean, game recognizes game, or something dumb like that she supposed. "Still, I better get going. Don't want to keep your uncle waiting."

"Yes, please, and thank you," Erina told her, as she hung up and proceeded to walk further down the hall, before she gave the bathroom's door a very hard set of knocks. "Alice! Get out of the bath! This is an emergency! We need to act now!"

"I know! I'm almost ready!" Alice could be heard from the inside, washing herself off.

As Erina walked past the bathroom, she passed by Kurokiba, currently getting his own stuff (and Alice's) ready for whatever came next, to which Erina quickly said, "Please make sure she actually hurries up."

"Yeah," Kurokiba noted as he walked past her, before he passed by the bathroom and gave it a knock. "Hurry up, it's urgent."

"I SAID I'M ALMOST READY!"

Erina couldn't help but laugh at that, but she pressed on, passing her rushing uncle who made a beeline towards the manor's exit, all the while she turned into one of the many rooms, searching for her things, only to give a sudden and complete pause…

Erina's eyes scanned the area, and she bit her lower lip, her eyes now on her mother's.

Mana looked up, having just been placing some documents of her own onto a suitcase of sorts, and by the look she gave Erina, she had been just as ill-prepared as her own daughter was for the two to meet up once more.

A good few, solid seconds of nothing but silence followed…

"…mother," Erina offered as a greeting.

"…Erina, hey," her mother answered in kind. They weren't sure who had the dryer tone. "If you'll… excuse me," Mana added, zipping the suitcase up, and standing up straight, as Erina examined her for a second. Then it hit her.

"…You're leaving?"

Mana opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out, as she then closed her mouth, took a deep breath, and tried again. "I no longer serve a purpose here," she explained, and Erina looked on, her breathing threatening to get heavier with each word she heard. "Don't… Don't give me that look Erina," her mother said, and Erina had absolutely no idea what "look" she even meant. "This is what you wanted, right? All that talk about fixing things, all to just explode like that? Well… what did you expect? Congratulations, you won. The WGO kicked me out…"

"And that's somehow my fault?"

"You made it vividly clear you didn't want me here at all last night."

"I didn't say that!" Erina replied, her tone rather raised. "I said I didn't need your help now, because every time I did, you never once gave it. You cannot fault me for that. Because, look at you! Things turn a little bit bad and your first instinct is to run away!"

"A little bit bad?!" Mana shot back, an incredulous look on her face. "Erina, this was my life's work. And it's all gone! All of it! You wanted to get back at me, right?! Well, good on you!"

"Back at you?!" Erina shot back with equal force. She couldn't believe this. "You abandoned me?! You walked out of my life without a damn care in the world and now you want to play the victim?!"

"You damn well know why I had to leave!"

"Don't excuse your shitty parenting with the God's Tongue, because I've been having it act up for quite a bit now and, would you look at that, I am somehow still here!"

"Don't speak to me in that tone!"

"You do not get to correct me!" Erina blasted back. "Just like I told father, I have no obligation to respect him, and I don't have such for you either! You want to be treated like my mother, then you should have acted like it!"

"What did you want me to do?!" Mana cried out, exasperated.

"Care for me damn it! Is it that hard?!" Erina exclaimed, "…Do what mothers actually do and put in the damn effort!"

"…What do you even know of parenting? This isn't like –"

"What do I know?" Erina repeated, and her tone sounded bewildered. "I for one know parents are there. I for one know parents don't abuse their kids. I for one most certainly know parents do everything to make sure their kids are safe, healthy and actually feel loved. You want to know why I know this, because I have seen how uncle and aunty are with Alice, heck, I've seen how they are with me…" she explained, and she knew she was crying now. Because of course, if someone could ruin her mood after such a wonderful night like the one she had had, it would have been her mother. But before Mana could form a counterargument, Erina continued, "Do you know who it was the one who gave me "the talk", hmm?"

"…Your aunt…"

"Yes, aunty. She flew herself and Alice all the way from Denmark to explain it to us both," Erina said, "All so we'd know what changes were coming. All so I wouldn't be humiliated in class when I just stood up with a stained skirt and had absolutely no idea what was happening. Aunty came from one country to another for it, to explain it in person, yet my own mother couldn't even drive from one city to another for it."

"That's –"

"And my first brassiere, do you know who I got that with?"

"Your aunt I imagine."

"No, she was at a conference, and even so, she was going to cancel, but grandpa decided against it," Erina corrected. "So he took me. He and several maids went with me to Victoria's Secret, the maids so I would have someone to assist me in measurements, and he went just so I wouldn't get nervous by not having a family member with me there. You know the amount of dirty looks he got for just standing near the dressing rooms all awkwardly? But, did he care? Nope, because that's what family does. It's not just the good, but the awkward, the weird, and the bad."

"Erina, listen, this isn't…"

"No, I'm done," Erina cut her off, "Leave. Get out of my mansion, and don't ever come back."

Mana said nothing, and she knew this argument was going to set off her nerves like crazy. She needed her medication and she needed to get out of here. It hurt. It hurt to see Erina like this, but she had no way to fix things. She couldn't go back in time and try and be… there. So, she took hold of her things, and tried her best to ignore how her daughter was actively holding back her tears. But she did hear Erina speak up…

"If I'm ever lucky enough to become a mother myself, I'll show you how it's done…" Erina said, without even turning to face Mana. Mana didn't turn either, but her words made her stop in her tracks. "I will be there, even if my tongue outright tries to kill me on the daily. If I'm depressed, or anxious, or sick… I will still be there. I won't be perfect. I will make mistakes. But, damn it, I will tell my kid, or kids, how much I love them, how much they mean to me, how much I am grateful that I had them so they don't ever feel like they have to bend over backwards just to earn my love…"

Those last words made Mana feel an intense pressure over her chest, and she bit down on her lips since she did not know how to even respond, or worse, refute any of that.

Mana instead just walked of; her vision outright hazy at this point. This was too much. She didn't know how everything could be ruined so much. As she walked away, Erina stayed, standing in the middle of the room, what she had gone in there to look for now outright forgotten. She didn't know how long she stood there motionlessly, until she saw the silhouette of someone walk in, and for a second, even despite everything, she wondered if it was her mother. And, in a way, it was…

"Sweety?" Leonora asked, having just gotten off a call regarding all the chaos that had erupted, and having expected to find her little girl running around trying to help, not just… there. She was going to ask, but when Erina looked at her, all the aunt saw was how she couldn't stop crying. "Erina?!"

And, for everything she had said, and had done, Erina, deep down, couldn't really fake it anymore. So she simply asked Leonora the one thing she had been asking herself ever since she was six…

"…When will I ever be enough for her?"

Leonora's eyes widen. She quickly caught the meaning of her words. She gave pause, before she quickly waved her hands frantically before Erina, "Wait! Hold up! Time out!" she told her, which honestly surprised the girl. Not the expected reaction in the slightest. It had been so out of leftfield that it did cause her tears to stop. "This is going to sound a bit cruel, but just… freeze right there for a moment and I will be right back," she instructed, as she bolted away from the room, leaving a very, very confused Erina behind. "Alice, sweetie, I need you!"

"I'm almost done!" Alice could be heard calling out from behind the bathroom's door. She didn't expect to be rushed so much today, only; this time was different.

"Alice Nakiri! Here, now!"

The younger Nakiri princess outright teleported right next to her mother the moment she heard the tone of her voice and her full name being used, a wet towel hazily wrapped around her frame and standing so straight she looked like a soldier offering up a salute. "W-What'd I do?!" Alice almost cried out, shaking in place.

"No, just go be with Erina for a second, okay?" Leonora instructed, and while still confused, Alice did as she was told, as Leonora made her way downstairs, just in time to catch sight of her husband and her sister-in-law having quite the argument, as it would seem Mana and Soe had both attempted to run out of the mansion at the same exact time (for polar opposite reasons granted).

"You're leaving again?!" Soe called out.

"I am not a child," Mana just told him, clearly bothered by him blocking her exit. "And I don't need any permission from –"

And she never got to finish. One moment she had been staring her older brother down, then next she was flipped right around by Leonora, before the other woman smacked her fist right across her face. And yes, fist. Not a slap. By the time she registered the punch she was already sitting in the floor, her eyes wide, her hand on her bruised cheek. She looked up, utterly caught off-guard, just in time to see Leonora actually take aim at her, again, but with her leg, high heels and all.

Luckily for Mana, Soe quickly stepped in and held Leonora back from kicking the shit out of Mana, literally.

"H-Honey!" Soe could be heard yelling out in shock, holding back his wife and hoping she didn't smack him in turn. He had never seen her like this before.

"Leonora?! What the –?!"

"Get out," Leonora voiced with so much venom it made Mana flinch. "I don't care how your career is ruined. I don't care how delicate your tongue is. I don't care if you feel like the entire world is collapsing around you. Nobody makes my little girl feel like she's not enough."

"…What?" was all Soe could voice, as Mana just looked on, frozen in place.

"When will I ever be enough for her?" Leonora repeated. "Those are her words. And, no, she's wrong. She's been more than enough since before she was even born. It's you. You aren't enough. You don't deserve that precious girl. A true mother would allow herself to fall to ruin if that's what our child needs. It's not them who need to measure up to us, it's us who have to make sure we deserve that love from them. So get the hell out of here, because I swear if you make her cry again I will tear you to pieces you cold hearted bitch!"

Mana remained, on the floor, expression frozen in time. She slowly turned, towards her brother, who just narrowed his eyes in pity and pain.

"…Just go," was all he said, "We'll take care of things here."

And Mana stood up, brushing her clothes, ignoring the swelling, her eyes avoiding Leonora's because one wrong look and she was going to get smacked again. But, despite it all, she still cried, and still voiced out, "…I just don't know what to do…" she admitted. "…I don't think I know how to be a good mother…"

And, then, she was gone. Closed the manor's main doors and walked away, towards the ride that would drive her away. Soe sighed, having absolutely no idea how he'd ever explain any of this to their father, but he did feel when Leonora tugged and pulled herself away from him. He truly had never seen his wife this mad before. Not without reason, he'd note. "Leonora…"

"Save it," she simply said, clearly in no mood. Had she gone overboard? Perhaps, but she didn't care. "I need to tend to our girl."

And Soe just nodded, deciding to leave this to his wife while he got a move on and dealt with the other, other problem at play. Leonora made her way back to where the girls were, finding the nearly naked Alice hugging Erina tenderly, likely having wrapped herself up on her to comfort her. Erina seemed like she wanted to complain, but she couldn't really muster it because for as annoying as Alice was, she could be incredibly sweet too. And she really needed the embrace.

"Go get dressed sweetie," Leonora told Alice, who gave her mother a look, turned back to Erina, proceeded to squeeze her tightly once more, and then got up and heading out towards her room, hoping nobody else would rush her. Leonora took a few more steps and sat herself next to Erina, on the very bed on this random room that neither the woman nor the girl even knew what it was even used for. "…I may just have punched your mother on the face."

"Aunty!" Erina outright chocked. She had not been expecting to hear that!

"Just in case she files a lawsuit against me, it's good for you to know it was for a good cause," Leonora joked, or at least Erina hoped it was a joke. "I won't lie, it took me longer than I thought it would to finally hit her."

"You didn't have to do that."

"I know. But she hurt you… And she doesn't get to do that."

"It's not like it surprises me anymore…" Erina admitted, allowing herself to put her head on her aunt's shoulders, before she just dropped herself and landed on her lap. Here Leonora began to caress her hair. "Mother's just… like that."

"But you do know you'll always have me, right?"

"Yes," Erina said with a little laugh, and for as much as she had grown, all Leonora could see was that little girl she knew. The laugh was still very similar. "I've always said I have the best aunty."

"And I have the best niece," Leonora admitted, "Or much more than that, I think. Best baby girl, best daughter even, if she'd ever want to say it that way."

"O-Oh, I don't want to overstep in any-ack!" Erina had quickly tried to get up, flustered, only to have her aunt push her back down with her index finger.

"You are, and always will be, my little girl," Leonora explained firmly. "While I may have been blessed with Alice, you came first. So, the first little girl I ever held was you. And nobody can take that from me. I even mastered this language just for the sake of being able to talk to you when you got old enough, after all," she recalled, brushing Erina's hair, softly, gently, "And, good thing too, as there's this poem I adore, written by Fleur Conkling Heyliger, that while it does originate in regards to adoption, is one I still whole-heartedly dedicate to you."

"What poem?" Erina asked. This was the first time she had heard of it.

And so her aunt recited it for her, and Erina felt, like for the first time, the answer to her plight had been there all along…

Not flesh of my flesh, nor bone of my bone…

It was never about fixing her broken family…

But still miraculously my own…

It was about appreciating the family that had been there since the start…

Never forget for a single minute…

And about the family she had gained ever since…

You didn't grow under my heart…

Because a found family is just as valid, if not more so…

But in it.

-0-

She had been waiting in her room at the resort, as per instructed, trying and failing to keep her mind from wondering too far into things she could no longer change. What was done was done, and she just wanted this entire story over and done with. So, while she waited for Azami and whatever new plan he had, Dove sat on her bed, fully dressed in her chef's attire, glancing at her phone, going through her gallery of photos she had of Baby Ruth.

Her mother would send her photos almost on a weekly basis, as per her request, and it still hurt. She knew she had been the one to ask. The one to practically beg her mother if she could raise Ruth as her own, and not let the little girl know from the failure she had actually come from. Granted, she had not used those words, and her mother had supported her fully.

"It's only ever going to be your choice."

That's what her mother had said back then, and that's what she'd repeat ever so often. And Dove understood, but really, it was for the best. Her mother knew how to, well, be a better mother than she ever would. Better to simply be the "big sister" anyways. Still, every so often she found herself going over her gallery, and seeing how much her little girl had grown. So cute, so adorable, so much like her… and that scared her.

Then she heard a knock on the door, and she quickly hid her phone. Why? Even she didn't know.

"I-It's open!" she called out, and slowly the door was opened, except instead of Azami, she got a visit from someone she had not expected here of all places. "…Loren?!"

"Hey sis," Loren voiced, one of his hands on his Tootsuki uniform's pocket, the other holding a little bag. Said uniform insultingly matched the boy well, Dove would note. She shook her head, that wasn't important. Loren hesitated for a moment, his eyes on the girl, before sighing. "…You don't look too good."

Dove let out a little laugh. She instinctively went on to lie, before she caught herself. Why lie to Loren at this point? "…Good news on your end, it's over between Asahi and myself."

The Loren of old would have jumped up and down at that news, Dove inwardly noted, and despite how annoying that would have been, she did not much like the pensive stare this Loren seemed to give her.

"I don't think that's what you would have wanted, right?"

"It does not matter anymore," Dove replied, "We both knew our goals were utterly impossible to achieve in unison, so the split was inevitable," she explained, and Loren took a few steps forwards, standing before the sitting girl. It was here she noticed he had a little bag of goodies on his hands. She smirked, and quickly joinked one out of his grasps. She heard him complain, but too late, she had already stuffed it into her mouth. Then she flinched. "Gah!" she cried out, "Gross, is that what they're serving you as treats in this academy? Eww, I'm sorry kiddo. Once Azami takes over we'll make sure you have access to only the best of treats, promise."

"…Right," Loren simply replied, and Dove didn't quite understand why he seemed so put off by her remark. Was her breaking things off with Asahi really that big of a deal? But, for the boy, having his elder sister outright gag at eating one of his handmade treats was, admittedly, quite the low blow from a karmic point of view. Never did he expect to cook, much less care what someone important to him thought about it. Clearly he sucked, he knew it, but still… "Are you sure you need to achieve your goal?"

"Where did that come from?"

"You said it was utterly impossible to achieve your goals in unison," Loren repeated, "…So, can't you both, I dunno, fail in unison then?"

"It doesn't work like that kiddo," Dove replied with a little laugh. He was still at least a bit innocent when it came to these things. But, before Dove could reassure him that she had it all figured out, he quickly voiced…

"What about Nao?"

"Nao?"

"…If you win," Loren said, "If Azami gets this school, that also means her father and that monster of her brother also get a part… What happens to her then?"

"…I," Dove tried, then she pressed her lips together. "…We'll talk to Azami. I mean, I'll talk to him. I promise I won't let anything happen to your little girlfriend," she teased, but instead of getting flustered or complaining, Loren just stared, one hand still on his pocket, the other holding the little bag. Dove frowned. "Hey, it's going to be alright. I won't fail. And Azami will help us out, he always does in the end."

"What help do you require?"

Both Dove and Loren flinched, with them both turning to the door as Azami seemed to have appeared there all the sudden. Dove looked on, but Loren had to struggle not to tremble at the sight. He was going completely against his own advice of avoiding the man, but he was worried. Worried about Nao. Worried about Dove.

"Our ride's ready Dove, let's go," Azami instructed, and Dove quickly got up to grab her things. "And, Loren, my boy, this is almost over, try and keep what's left of your act intact until it's done, alright."

"Loren was just checking in on me," Dove quickly jumped in, before she pulled the boy closer, hugging him tightly and placing several purposely sloppy kisses on his cheek, which finally made him crack a smile and squirm to get off her grasp. Last resort, never fails, she noted. "And he always behaves. Right?"

"Hmm…" I pouting Loren replied, kinda.

"Let's move," Azami simply instructed. "Thanks to my daughter, we now have to meet up out of this Academy for what we need, and work on what the final part of this stage of the plan will be… hoping Decora remembers our meeting, because I can't seem to get in contact with her since last night," Azami seemed to almost grumble to himself, clearly annoyed. Dove just stared.

'Maybe don't make out with your ex-wife if you want your mistress not to get mad…?' she thought, but knew the argument was so-not worth it.

"Best not leave anything," Azami carried on, his tone still clearly peeved, "I can't count on Shawn anymore to fetch anything if you leave it behind."

"That loser's still in the hospital?" Dove pondered, as Azami seemed to sigh.

"Shawn is… no longer employed with us," Azami explained, clearly exasperated by it, "He insisted he had to get some compensation for his injury at the hands of Soma Yukihira, which while I wholeheartedly agree, Erina was involved, and I cannot allow him to so much as inconvenience her in any way. So he… tended in his resignation."

"Shawn quit?!" Dove exclaimed, shocked. "Wait, that failure of a Muppet can actually function without your hand up his ass?"

The moment Azami turned to her with something very close to a glare Dove quickly flinched, she waved her hands defensively.

"It's meant as an insult to him, not you," she explained, looking away. 'Very smooth Dove…'

"…Just keep quiet Dove," Azami instructed, turning around. "We'll talk later, if needed, but while we're here, the less you talk, the better. Now move, we –"

Dove, despite how much it irked her to be in this position, just nodded and had every intention of following through, but she couldn't even begin to describe the massive sense of dread she felt when she heard her little brother, out of the blue, just speak up.

"Don't tell her to shut up."

Azami came to a full stop, right by the door, only turning his head slightly towards Loren. "…Excuse me?"

Loren seemed to have to outright swallow his fear, since it took him a few seconds to respond, but somehow, he managed. "…Dove's been busting her ass for you for years, least you can do is treat her nicely."

Azami gave a small laugh, and one Loren recognized as not at all a happy one. He pressed his fists against the door's frames, pushed back and turned towards the boy, who tensed up even more. "Listen, and listen well," Azami spoke up in a very strict tone. "If you actually think you –"

"Not Loren."

Azami paused again, as Dove, standing by the door, spoke up. She wasn't even looking at them. She didn't need to.

"Gratitude can get you wonders from me," Dove said, "Even get me to break up with the one guy I think I genuinely fell in love with… But if you so much as yell at Loren, I'm out. Your call."

Azami looked on, his expression shifting slowly, until, to Loren's surprise, all he did was place his hand on his head. "While it may surprise you both, this is not a one-way relationship. I am just as grateful to you both as you are to me," he explained, with a smile, and like always, Loren had no idea if this man was being genuine or not. "Loren's done nothing wrong, in fact, he's right in this instance. That was rude of me, my apologies Dove," he added, and Dove just shrugged, "And my apologies Loren, you are correct, your sister deserves more respect from me. It will not happen again. So… are we good?"

Loren stared, realizing, slowly, that there was absolutely nothing he could do here, and wondering why this had seemed like such a positive thing before, when now, it all seemed so, so wrong. But he knew he couldn't change Azami's mind. And he knew he couldn't change Dove's. So, without any options, he just spoke, and for Loren, he didn't say anything new. Just a common reply, nothing more. He was sure even Dove didn't notice it.

But Azami's expression shifted. For just this once, he couldn't fake his eyes widening slightly. Because, for less than a second, he saw a flashback to a scene he had not revisited in ages, and he had no idea of why it seemed to utterly muddy his entire mind.

Loren didn't notice. Neither did Dove.

And why would they?

All Loren had said, after all, was, "Yes, sir."

-0-

"I was surprised to get a call from you so early in the morning," Gin Doujima told his current guest, as they walked through the biggest library Tootsuki had to offer, which was to say, it was the size of a shopping mall, give or take. "But, given our circumstances, it makes sense. I do take it you have something particular in mind, don't you, Satoshi Isshiki?"

Isshiki offered him a smile.

"I have the beginnings of an idea, yes," he replied, "Considering this library hosts not just all the encyclopedic knowledge of generations upon generations of Tootsuki itself, but also video recordings and the like, I imagined it was the best, and perhaps, only spot I could realistically learn what I need to learn."

"It is an unusual request," Gin noted, "And even for an Elite Ten member, requesting access to our archives of the first Intercontinental Shokugeki is normally not a request we grant so freely, but… Well, we are with the water up to our necks, so to speak, so a little leeway is warranted."

"And for that I am very grateful."

"Fumio would chew me out if I denied it anyways," Gin added, scratching his head. "And speaking off, she did request of me, that if you did reach out to tell you to stop sleeping away from the dorms. This is honestly none of my business, so let's pretend I gave you an entire moving speech about why it's wrong to keep sneaking into a girl's dorm and why waiting for marriage is all kinds of proper and whatnot."

"Understood, I shall say it was a speech that left me in tears."

"Not going to actually follow the rule, though, huh?"

"I do not see what all the fuzz is about after all," Isshiki noted playfully, "It's just the First and Second Seats doing some late-night paperwork, nothing more. It's not like we have a history or have shared bedrooms since we were children or anything like that!"

"…right," Gin noted, feeling a sweat drop. Kids really were bold these days. Jouichirou should be grateful his boy wasn't as naughty as this one at least, Gin noted. Because of course Soma Yukihira had not done anything that… bold. "But, that aside, I have to admit, I didn't think I would receive the same specific request twice, mere minutes apart at that."

"Oh, that does sound…" Wait… "…Huh? Twice? Has someone else actually requested access to these files and recordings?"

Gin just gave a pause, reaching the main door of the top-secret vault, turning towards Isshiki, and signaling to the side. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

Isshiki turned, following Gin's line of sight, and coming face-to-face with the least expected person imaginable.

"…Etsuya?"

"…Spare me the sentimentality Satoshi," Eizan quickly barked, having been waiting for the other two by the vault, arms crossed and back rested on the wall. "And do not misinterpret my intentions. I am merely curious to study up on some information a little different than yours, but from the same source. All I am doing is humoring the possibility of if, if I do decide to engage against… a Neo-Noir."

"Such assistance would be greatly appreciated!" Isshiki exclaimed anyways, much to Eizan's annoyance. "For not just our sake, but for Erina, Alice and little Nao. And, I assume, certain others as well."

"Shut up," Eizan warned, "Keep talking and I'll just walk away."

"Understood. Understood," Isshiki offered, his hand raised defensively.

"Best decide on that now, gentlemen," Gin interrupted, as he pushed the massive vault door open like if it was weightless. This man really was a monster. "Since, remember, this is Tootsuki. Favors here come in pairs. I do something for you, you must return it in kind. And, if you boys want access to this information, you have to earn it…" he explained, and both Isshiki and Eizan turned to him, their expressions shifting at the declaration, "You go inside this place, and you won't be allowed to leave until you both are strong enough to best me fully… Do you understand?"

And at this, Isshiki and Eizan said nothing for just the briefest of moments…

-0-

News of Asahi's would-be master plan spread like wildfire, and soon enough all of Tootsuki was put on high alert. The Elite Ten, well, most of them, all moved to put out the flames as best they could, and keep all the alumni in-check. Soe and Hisako, with some very guided assistance from the former third year Elite Ten members, managed to come up with an inkling of a strategy to not exactly counter the King of Noirs ploy, but at least to slow down the effects until they had a better counterargument that would fly. It wasn't much, as one Soma Yukihira loved to say, but it was all they had.

Soma had received a call from his father, edging him to simply allow the adults to handle those matters and focus on the upcoming final round, all the while offering the boy a little suggestion to assist. Soma had been confused, since his father was very hands-off with this type of thing, but it seemed things really were so desperate that even his old man was feeling the stress, so he relented and agreed to whatever it was his father had in mind. His last communication with his fellow Elite Ten had given him the "go ahead" to get ready as he pleased, as at Nene's request, the four Elite Ten members still in the game (Erina, Isshiki, Eizan and himself) were not to be bothered until after the Intercontinental Shokugeki concluded, while also emphasizing that the rest of them (Kuga, Akira, Megumi, Alice, Kurokiba, Takumi and herself) would have to make up for the rest of them, no matter what.

He totally did not envy his friends now, since Tootsuki was in a state of utter chaos, and the amount of paperwork alone sounded dreadful, so just seven doing the work of ten (with only two out of those seven even having prior experience on handling Elite Ten work to boot!) was quite the tall order. Granted, not that the other four had it any easier. The tension was palatable. From what little he heard, Mr. Nakiri and Hisako had, at best, put a band-aid on the situation, and if the Neo-Noirs were victorious, there was no telling the sheer amount of damage that that would cause to everyone.

Still… No use agonizing of something that wasn't here yet. He'd cross that bridge when he got there. He supposed that's why he took his dad up on his poorly explained offer, and was now stepping off one of the Nakiri limousine's and staring down his home.

Yukihira's.

Beautiful as ever, and from the look of things, not open for business yet, but the front doors was ajar. His dad was home no doubt. He thanked the driver, since despite the confusion, instead of Erina, it had been Alice to hook him up with the ride, he still decided to just go with the flow and take the help. He would have just driven his bike here, but, well…

"Is this it?" Nao voiced, her visible red eye scanning the famous little specialty of the day diner.

"It is indeed," Soma affirmed, glancing over to the girl, who had furiously refused to hitch a ride with him on his bike, hence the need for the limo, "I'm sure you'll find it very cozy, although, considering you grew up in another fancy school on the other side of the world, maybe this isn't quite what you're used to."

"Oh…" Nao noted, shrugging, "I'll gladly take cozy and warm over that other place's cold and empty any day."

"Happy to hear that!" Soma boasted with a grin, before he signaled for them to walk right in. As the two walked into the little shop (Soma had offered Shoji a chance to come alongside them too, given his earlier remarks, but the guy had muttered like thirty different things and, at most, what Soma understood was "next time, baby!" or something to that extent) when they were suddenly greeted by a very warm smile.

One Nao was surprised to see, but it made sense now why she had been asked to come with him.

And one that made Soma freeze for the briefest of moments, as memories from the distant past he'd never thought he'd ever relive flashed before his widened eyes.

"Welcome home!" Riko greeted from behind the counter with the brightest of smiles, before she paused and tried to correct herself. "I-I mean, welcome back to your home Soma. Don't mean to intrude. Nao, baby, welcome to Yukihira's!"

"Wait?! When you texted me to help Soma with some stuff you didn't tell me you'd be here," Nao voiced, utterly surprised.

"…And you don't have to worry about a thing," Soma said, eyes now to the side. "It's nice to be welcomed back home. You and dad hitting it off?"

"Eh? Wait, what?!" Nao quickly blurted out, her head turned to the side, eyes on Soma, before she turned back to her mother, "Momma! What does that mean?!"

"Heh, heh, heh… I have been meaning to tell you…" Riko voiced with a sheepish laugh, and while Soma just smirked, Nao was pouting. "Don't give me that," Riko added, as she walked away from the counter and towards the two kids, grabbing Nao by the cheeks and playfully tugging at them, much to the little vvitch's annoyance. "Jou and I were, well, kinda a thing before, and this whole event has gotten us closer again, I mean, not close-close, just, well…"

"You're dating his father?!" Nao almost screamed out. Soma was still smirking.

"I… I have no idea honestly," Riko just said, and the two just stared at her, dumbfounded. What kind of response even was that? "Hey! Jou! Are we dating again?! Our kids are inquiring about it!"

"Tell Soma it's none of his business," Jouichirou could be heard from the back, and Soma felt a vein pop.

"I'm not the one asking!" Soma barked, "And if you are I have the right to know! I pitched this, remember?!"

"Did you now?" Jouichirou replied, walking out of the storage room, and towards the rest of them. He stepped up to his boy, who was clearly really not that much of a boy anymore, given just how tall the kid had gotten ever since he had left this place. Still, the older man placed his closed fist onto the boy's chest, and with a smirk, added, "Still, glad you could take some time off your busy schedule to visit your old man."

"Hey, don't want to be accused of elder abuse," Soma joked, and Jouichirou just laughed, "Still, it's nice to come here every so often. Even I get homesick, I guess, besides, things at Tootsuki are getting dicey and I really, really don't want to do any paperwork."

"Wow, I wonder where he got that mindset from?" Riko asked with all the sarcasm imaginable, her eyes on Jouichirou briefly, before she then turned to her still pouting girl. "That said, allow me to officially introduce you to my daughter, Nao Sadatsuka! Nao, this is my former classmate, former Elite Ten peer, former something or the other, Jouichirou Yukihira."

"It's a pleasure little miss," Jouichirou offered. "Riko talks a lot about you. Like, most of what she talks about relates to you, basically."

"…I imagine," Nao just forced herself to say, before she slowly turned to Soma, "And you knew about… this?"

"Like I said," Soma replied, still smirking, "I vouched for it! They're cute together, ain't they?"

"But if they get together, wouldn't that make us…?" Nao asked, but then gave a little pause, "Wait, when where you born?"

"November six, why?"

Nao's pout, for some reason, grew even more. Soma was a bit confused.

"Damn it, you're older!" Nao whined, and then he sort-of understood. "Why can't I ever be the big sister?! I'd make a decent one, I imagine. Darn… well, all things considered, you're an improvement over what I currently have by all metrics imaginable."

"I'll take that as an approval!" Soma noted with glee.

"I shall take it as such as well," Jouichirou noted, before he reached out and placed his hand on Nao's little head, causing the little vvitch to turn her sharp red eyes to him. "And, when I say your mom only talks of you, I mean it. And I know how rough it must have been for you, all of it. So you have my utmost respect for fighting for so long. But you can relax now, no matter what happens, your mom and I will make sure you're never hurt again, come what may."

"…I," Nao tried, but all she managed was to scoff and turn away, "…sure, whatever."

"So!" Riko quickly voiced in, clapping her hands together in excitement, "All that we're missing is our final guest of honor. Or, given how things are playing out, more or less, the other member of this would-be family."

"Huh?" Soma and Nao both muttered, unsure of what she meant by that, but as if on cue, most likely because it was, given how Riko had been eyeing her phone just moments prior, another limousine parked itself in front of Yukihira's, and as Soma turned, while he couldn't see, he still heard a set of familiar voices.

One's was Gaston, the Nakiri's ever resourceful and loyal Head of Security. The other, of course, belonged to his girlfriend. One Erina Nakiri. And it made him tense up, since they had not spoken to each other at all after they woke up the morning after… that. He had driven her, on his bike, to her manor, and had proceeded to drive back to his dorms just in time to catch the fallout. And they had been managing things on their respective ends ever since. The whole day had passed, basically, and while not that long a time, it felt like ages since he had last seen the girl he had done so much with just the night before. So it was strange, even for him, to feel actually nervous to see her again.

He took a deep breath, tried to play it cool, and told himself that nothing had changed between them. She was still the same Erina, he was still the same Soma, they were just… closer now. More intimate. But it was hard to even register that properly. Could he just, in private, touch her in certain spots he didn't before? Like he'd ask, obviously, but… Soma shook his head violently. 'Focus, man, focus…'

But, to be fair, he did have a legitimate reason to be surprised today, as no sooner had Erina walked in through the front door, and Soma had charismatically welcomed her in as he always did, he felt the words get caught up in his throat. He managed a "Hey! Wel –" and nothing more. His eyes, however, said it all.

Jouichirou looked on, eyebrow raised.

Riko placed her hand over her mouth to hide a surprised smile.

Nao's pupils had outright become hearts.

And Soma… Soma had forgotten how to breath.

"Well…" the now short-haired Erina spoke up, "Aren't you going to welcome me home properly?"

-0-

"As far as I'm concerned, this is still yours. Whether you wish to keep it or not is up to you."

Mana stared at the text her brother had sent her, her eyes narrowed at the attached video file, all the while she sat at the back of the limousine, noting how it was starting to get dark out, and they had just parked themselves at the airport. She knew she no longer had a future in Japan, best she could try was using her resources to start up elsewhere. Preferably somewhere untainted by the WGO, if such a place even existed. At her side, sat her former aide, Lanterby, currently with her arms crossed against her chest, eyes closed.

"We've arrived Milady," she notified.

"…You don't work for me anymore," was all Mana said.

"I am aware," Lanterby noted, before she turned towards her former boss. "And unfortunately, I couldn't risk my career by backing you up. Both Rantabi and I need our jobs, but I still wanted to show you I will always be grateful for all the help you offered us both at the WGO…"

"You don't have to –"

"I'm not finished," her former aide, for the first time that Mana could recall, cut her off. Her expression was also new to the former Bookmaster. "While my brother and my wellbeing are of course my main focus, I followed you everywhere because I truly believed in all you stood for. You were the best among us, and I wanted to be just like you," she explained, and Mana had no idea why her tone sounded so… off. "…But, right now, after everything that's happened, and after hearing everything your own daughter said, this is your reaction? This is your response?"

"The matter is out of my hands!" Mana quickly defended, bewildered that Lanterby of all people would accuse her of wrongdoing as well. "I've lost everything I had."

"Including your own daughter it would seem."

"Lanterby!"

"I have always looked up to you," Lanterby repeated, before the next set of words were said in such a cold tone it outright made Mana flinch, "But this is low, even for you."

Mana didn't even have a response. She just stared, blankly, before slowly, Lanterby exited the limousine, gave the elder woman a soft bow, and walked away. She was just left there, in a daze. Mana slowly just shifted her eyes, downwards, towards her phone, her finger hovering over the "delete" button, just to finally leave it all behind… But… She had an idea what the video in question was. And despite herself, she pressed "play"…

"…Is it recording?" Senzaemon asked as he appeared on screen on the homemade video. The elder man examined the camera in question, raising a curious eyebrow. "It seems the little light is currently blinking."

"Yes father, we are recording," Soe's voice could be heard, as he had been the one holding the camera up. "Which means you are our introduction to this particular home movie. Care to give an opening statement?"

"Hmm?" the older man seemed to ponder, hand over his chin. "Well, if it is for my first, and hopefully not last, dearest grandson or granddaughter, or maybe both if we get twins, I want to make everything vividly clear from the start. You may hear rumors about a certain incident that occurred to me in the fateful Summer of '59, but I want to explain it in detail, that what happened was –"

"Dad! We are not starting a video for my kid that way!"

…And Mana felt herself freeze up. That had been her. She remembered. But, that voice, that tone, it sounded so foreign and so alien to her now…

"But I want them to hear from me!" the future grandfather said with a childish pout. Mana seemed to wave him off offscreen, before the camera was shifted towards her. There wasn't much, but you could already see the beginnings of a baby bump on her, and the woman looked positively glowing.

"And how is baby sister feeling today?" Soe asked.

"Hungry, if I'm honest," Mana replied with a laugh, "But I told you, why are we recording now? We should wait until I'm a little further, so that we know if it's a boy or a girl."

"If you want me stop recording, that's fine, but I bought this for you, so I wanted to make sure it worked before we did the actual recording," Soe replied. "Your call baby sis."

Mana seemed to smirk at the camera, before just shrugged, "Fine, we'll think of something. It'll be nice to have a little recording for this bun in the oven before he or she –"

"Or them!" Senzaemon could be heard correcting from the background.

"– O-Or them," Mana added, "But I'm good with it just being one. Okay? But," she altered her tone, turning to face the camera, "I am so, so excited to finally meet you and be able to hold you my precious, little baby."

"See… now that's the sweetness I'm here for," Soe noted.

"You'll get plenty more where that came from," another voice spoke up, from off-camera, before he walked into the frame. Azami looked like an outright different man. "And what would the lady like to have to eat for today?"

"…Hmm," Mana mused, "I think I'll have… You have any squid? You know, maybe one you can dip in peanut butter or something?"

"Pardon, what?"

"And here we have the face of a future father currently flabbergasted by his wife's sudden cravings," Soe joked around, setting the camera onto Azami, who shook his head and laughed.

"Even as a chef of my caliber, that is quite the tall order," he joked around, smirking to the camera, as he turned back to Mana. "But… I shall try my best, with those… particular ingredients."

"I know it sounds weird…"

"It is honey, very, but I can make do," Azami assured. Soe then shifted the camera back to Mana.

"And, how many nephews and nieces can I expect in total?"

"I wouldn't mind four, honestly," Azami could be heard replying for Mana as he walked away, "Maybe two pairs; two boys, two girls?"

"Oh, then you have the rest of them yourself!" Mana quickly shot down, "I'm perfectly fine with just this one. Time will tell if that changes, but this one will be more than enough. And I'm glad you're recording this so they know it. Mommy loves you plenty," she said with a smile, and gave a kiss to the camera.

"Right this way," Senzaemon could be heard saying, further back, as Soe motioned the camera towards where his father was, just in time to catch as Leonora arrived at the scene.

"Leonora! Hey, you made it!" Soe could be heard exclaiming.

"Sorry for… tardiness," she spoke in her broken language, still trying to learn. This was a new place for her after all. "Hope not late."

"You're on time sweetie," Mana told her, and Leonora gave her sister-in-law a warm, nervous smile. "Dinner isn't ready yet. But how was the trip?"

"Elongated," Leonora replied, before she shook her head. "No, wrong word, is it? It was… long."

"See?" Soe boasted, "That's what she said."

"Do not start with that in a video meant for my kids!" Mana quickly argued, pouting at her brother, or more exactly, at the camera.

"What… does that mean?" Leonora asked, confused.

"He's just messing around sweetie," Mana replied. "But you can talk in your native tongue if you need to. Soe can translate if needed. Don't force yourself on our account."

"Oh, no, no," Leonora quickly shook her head. "I will learn, because when baby comes, I need to greet properly. He or she need to know can depend on ant."

"Aunt, darling, aunt," Soe corrected playfully.

"Aunt?"

"Or aunty, if you prefer," Mana added. "Sounds cuter."

"I like aunty," Leonora replied with a little smile.

"I like it too," Azami voiced as he returned, entering the frame with a makeshift bowl on the finest minced squid, mixed with a variety of things, amongst them, they assumed, peanut butter. Despite the clash of ingredients, it looked divine, but what else could they expect from a former First Seat? He bent down next to a sitting Mana, after he offered Leonora a little wink at her chosen familiar label. "Try some of this my dear."

"You really are spoiling me too much," Mana noted, smiling a bit and blushing at having all eyes on her. She still took a piece, and gave it a bite, and swooned. "Oh! Not sure if it's the cravings or my honest opinion, but this is divine!"

"The man really is a miracle worker," Soe voiced.

"He is amongst my finest of graduates," Senzaemon boasted. "I would expect nothing less."

"Is that… local delicacy?" Leonora inquired, and while Mana motioned to offer her some Azami, behind Mana so she wouldn't see him, motioned to Leonora not to grab one. He mouthed a silent "save yourself" to her, which caused the other woman to laugh, while Mana turned to him with a pout.

"You behave," she instructed, and he raised his hands defensively, as if he hadn't uttered a word. Mana, now surrounded by her entire family, turned back to the camera. "But when we record this for real, I will have an actual message for my baby boy or baby girl… or both," she added, eyes towards her father, "…But for now, like I said, I cannot wait to meet you, and I want you to know… just how lucky I am to have you here," she said, gently hugging her own frame, her belly, her baby, "A little piece of me. How I'm eager to watch you grow, and I have loved you ever since I learned I was going to be a mother, and I promise you, I still love you, no matter at what age you are watching or rewatching this. Now and always…"

The Mana Nakiri of yesteryear was all smiles…

The Mana Nakiri of today was crying, her hands over her face, as her driver silently waited for her to say the word so he could help her get on her flight. But she couldn't move. She couldn't think. How could one person fail so much in something so important…?

-0-

"…Well, say something," Erina demanded, now seated at the stools that made up the bar area of Yukihira's, alongside Soma, who sat beside her. She was playing around with the tips of her shortened hair, wondering if perhaps she had had it cut off too much, and maybe… he didn't like the look?

"What can I say?" he replied, and she frowned. Before she could complain, he added, "You look beautiful no matter what. Like, you could shave your head and you'd still be the best girl in the world," he said so earnestly that all she could do was blush, "It's just, damn, like that particular hairstyle, it looks, like… wow."

"Hmph!" the blushing princess said with a huff. "Your lack of adequate vocabulary is a bit disappointing, but I suppose I can make do with the "wow" if nothing else."

"Best I can do at the sight of… just you in general I suppose," Soma added, and all it did was make Erina's blush deepen. She had had an entire conversation with herself on her head about how she would outright pretend that nothing had happened between them and they had totally not been enwrapped with each other just the night prior, otherwise she knew her brain would short-circuit at the reminder of his touch, taste, sound, sight and fragrance. Amazing how making love used every single sense and then some, but she then noted how she was now thinking about what she told herself not to think about, and she was currently heating up. She could outright feel the steam come out of her head. Thankfully, Soma spoke up before she fainted. "But, really, it does look pretty. It suits you."

"Hmm," she mused, biting her lower lip, looking down, "I just wanted to finally stop looking so much like… her, I suppose."

"Your mom?"

"…yeah."

"Need to get anything of your chest?"

"I already did," she reassured him with a little smile, "So don't worry. I'll be fine. I just asked aunty to give my look a little change," she added, deciding against mentioning to the boy that she had also asked her aunt for a certain pill taken the morning after because she, in the literal heat of the moment, had totally forgotten that, yeah, that makes babies, and she was super certain they had used absolutely zero protection. She had felt it very raw, mind you. It still ached a bit when she walked, she'd note but never admit. But, that aside, while she had boasted to her mother she would eclipse her when it was her turn, she knew they weren't ready… yet. But, even saying stuff like that made her face utterly heat up, so instead… "Besides, Hisako and Alice both look great with shorter hairs, so I thought it would be nice to, you know, resemble my actual family."

"I think you rock it better than even they do."

"Okay, you're just saying that because I am your girlfriend," she said with a hint of tease, "I am aware they look amazing with their respective styles… Don't ever tell Alice I said so, though."

"I mean it," Soma assured, "One-hundred percent, you clear both. And this isn't me downplaying either."

"Oh please, like my style now is better than any short-haired girl's?"

"Yes, totally."

"Totally not."

"Totally is."

"Soma, this was a last-minute thing," Erina countered, "I am not suddenly the best-looking person with short hair."

"I never said you were."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Erina suddenly flared, pouting. And Soma laughed. Of course, she wanted him to say one thing and the opposite thing in the same sentence. Only Erina could find some sense in that. "So there is someone out there with a hairstyle like mine you think looks better?"

"Yep."

Erina outright left her mouth open, laughing and scoffing in equal parts, utterly surprised to hear that be told to her face. "Who?!"

"…Takumi."

Immediately Erina's incredulous expression shifted, as even if she had been playing up how "offended" she had sounded, she had not honestly expected that answer, which made her laugh so hard she actually snorted, then shoved him because he had made her snort.

"Is it a lie?" Soma asked, laughing alongside her, and damn it all, how she had just needed to be back next to him to feel okay once more. Still, smiling, she shook her head.

"Okay, fair, fair. Takumi fabulousness does edge me out… slightly," Erina admitted, and Soma nodded. The two then looked at each other, both smiling fondly, before without a single word, they moved in and gave each other a kiss. It was short, just a lock of the lips, tenderness at maximum, and with an audible smooch the moment they parted.

"Welcome home," Soma told her, and she felt her chest get heavier. Did he have to make it sound like a husband welcoming his wife after a long, busy day? Before she could try to form an answer, as her mind was currently blank, a distraction thankfully walked in.

"Okay kids, let's get down to business then," Jouichirou announced, walking in alongside Riko and Nao, as the couple turned to them, Erina having to mentally remind herself to un-pucker her lips less she give away what they had been doing. Soma, on the other hand, didn't even bother to hide the fact that he was licking his own lips for her lingering taste. "The final round is just around the corner, and as exciting as that should be, unfortunately, there's just too much at stake here. So, before we are forced to resort to illegal acts," Jouichirou explained, while Riko placed her hand over her head as if it were a gun and motioned shooting herself with it, "Yes, like that. Before we are forced to do that to someone, we'll try and do this the correct way. Soma, Erina, we have less than a week to get you two ready. So, from today until the day before the matches, you two are stationed here."

"Here?" Soma asked.

"By stationed, you mean…?" Erina inquired.

"Yukihira's will reopen for a limited time!" Riko announced, her index finger and middle finger raised to refer to the two of them. "And the only two who will run the entire thing will be you two. Jou and I will be giving you additional tasks, and every time there is a drop in customers, then one of you two will engage in a duel against either Jou or I, that way you two get all kinds of training in the shortest time possible!"

"Indeed," Jouichirou affirmed, "And this means you two have the entire shop to yourselves, from open to close. You decide who gets what breaks and when, but we'll be challenging you kids at random, and with our very guests as judges. And," he added, signaling to the side, to the little vvitch, "Little Nao here shall be assisting us throughout."

"That sounds awesome!" Soma said, already fired up, as Erina rolled her eyes, "When do we start?"

"We already did," Jouichirou noted, and both Soma and Erina turned to him, eyes widening a bit.

"I may have shared on social media that Yukihira's has opened for a very limited time," Riko added, sheepishly, showcasing her phone, "Aaand, I may have also mentioned that the ever-popular Erina Nakiri will be cooking here for the time being. And since Jou and I are Tootsuki graduates, we get a free pass to feature you two, since we can just say this is a Stagiaire-like event or something like that."

"Alright!" Soma exclaimed, smashing his closed fist on his open palm in a show of excitement, "You ready Erina?"

"…Fine, normally tasting a dish made by me would require notifying my team months in advanced," she boasted playfully. "But I can make the exception just this one time. Consider yourselves fortunate."

"Prideful as ever," Jouichirou noted with a little laugh, all the while Nao seemed to almost faint at just cool and spicy her goddess was.

"Love to see it," Riko added, before she signaled, to the two of them, "So, since we're not sure how many people will stop by tonight, let's start with a duel between us. So… Who's stepping up first?"

Soma and Erina both looked at each other for a moment, before they nodded in unison, and like that, Soma stepped forwards. Riko gave him a very cocky smile, as Jouichirou and Nao stepped to the side, the latter utterly excited to see these matches unfold. Granted, she would have given anything to see and, even more so, eat a dish from the goddess herself, but… more than even the Erina Nakiri, she was finally going to get to eat food made from her momma again, and that was simply priceless.

Soma took his bandanna from his wrist and tied it around his forehead, the knife with the name "Nakiri" etched onto it firmly on his hand. Riko narrowed her eyes.

"Oh? You're approaching me?" she said, jokingly, knowingly, "Instead of running away you're coming right to me?"

Soma just laughed, shaking his head, catching the reference. Well… "I can't beat the cooking out of you without getting closer," he quoted, to an extent, what she was referencing, and Riko just laughed and bounced her way towards him and pulled him into a tight hug.

"Oh! I love this kid!" she said, tugging him all around, before she voiced, "Come on, for real now, don't you dare hold back!"

And Soma said nothing else. He nodded, and moved to the kitchen. And a part of him, despite how stressful this entire situation had been for the last month or so, couldn't help but wonder… was it really okay for him too, to move on, and to feel the hug of a mother once more…?

…

The match ended just as the restaurant was getting full. Word spread fast, and during the dinner rush, the place was packed. Erina had to rush into the kitchen, and manage it all by herself, at least until Soma finished his match with Riko. Said match ended with, what else…?

"Victory!" Riko boasted proudly, all votes to her.

"Damn…" Soma noted, with a laugh, taking a seat. "I knew she'd be strong, but that was insane. One more time!"

"None of that!" Erina could be heard calling out from inside the kitchen. "You! In here! Now!"

"Yes ma'am," he said with a mock salute, because some things never change. Then, just like months ago, Yukihira's kitchen was occupied by just Soma and Erina. They had done this before; this was a dance they knew. They motioned, each moving in unison with the other. They moved, they cooked, they danced. The same lingering touches, the same playfulness, the same teases, just… a little more intimate this time around. Jouichirou and Riko, observing, said nothing, less they break their concentration, but when they took the kitchen, Soma and Erina were lost to that world. All that was left was the kitchen itself, and each other. And their intimacy with one another was evident. What had started as nervous brushes of skin followed by an immediate pull back from the guilty party was now purposeful caresses and stolen kisses whenever they (mostly Soma) felt it appropriate (basically every thirty minutes or so). And, of course, the ice queen herself never once complained.

And if Riko's posts about Erina cooking at Yukihira's had caused interest, the delightful aroma from the two in the kitchen caused a huge uproar over the entire Sumire District. Soon enough, even people not from the area found themselves there.

"Please enjoy my ever-so improved Ravioli Di Aragosta," Erina boasted proudly as she placed the plate before a young couple that had asked for the chef's special. One of Jouichirou's new rules was, that whenever a customer would ask for the chef's special, the pair had a few guidelines to follow.

One, it had to be a different one each time.

Two, they had less and less time to make it, and he was clocking them.

And three, they had to hand it to the customer in person and get feedback directly. It would help them grow, he affirmed, and while Erina had her doubts, Soma always jumped at the chance to chat with his clientele. Granted, this latest one was Erina's dish.

Still, one bite, and the young couple that had ordered it seemed to be in outright heaven, as the surprisingly beautiful girl, hair as gold as Erina's own, just as long as she used to style it, had the widest grin on her face after that initial, first bite.

"~Oh, this is heavenly," she said with glee, "Say, Gojo, we have to make this a routine stop from now on!"

"I think this place opens up very sporadically from what I've heard," Wakana Gojo noted, before he turned towards Erina, "Still, thank you for the amazing meal. You really are very talented. Aren't they Marin?"

"Quite!" the ever-excitable dress-up darling, one Marin Kitagawa, agreed. "Like, I don't want to sound weird, but I've been totally following your movement online, and your last interview, like girl, you were slaying! …Can I cosplay as you… please?!"

"M-Marin, you can't cosplay as real people," Gojo quickly cut in, less his girlfriend make the celebrity chefs feel uncomfortable. "I mean, I think?"

"I don't know much about the art of cosplaying," Erina admitted, as Soma just looked on. He did notice how this guy, Gojo was it, had the hands of a man who worked with sharp objects. Not a chef, he noted, but clearly he had a passion much like theirs. "But my best friend Hisako is a fan, and she has occasionally indulged in it, so if you wish to cosplay as me, it would be an honor, just make sure you capture my good side."

"As if you have a bad side," Marin quickly noted, "Like, you're a total babe."

"Marin…"

"Oh! I'm saying it in the fan-way, not the hitting-on-you-way!" Marin corrected, then titled her head as she thought about it, "Well, mostly."

"You are going to get us banned from here," Gojo noted, eyes narrowed, while Soma only laughed.

"Hey man, I get it," Soma noted, giving Marin a playful wink. "Still, she's taken."

Marin just offered him the heartiest smile, and as Soma and Erina excused themselves, letting them know to enjoy themselves at Yukihira's, Marin turned to Gojo and whispered a "they are so cute" to him, to which he could only nod in response. That they were.

…

"Bring it on then," Jouichirou declared, as the action had dulled enough to allow Soma to run the kitchen by himself, which meant…

"…It is the greatest honor to face off against you," a very stiff and nervous Erina said, and she still heard Soma complain about it in the background. Still, this was necessary. She needed to get out of her funk, and getting most of everything off her chest against her father, and then against her mother, she felt better, but she knew she wasn't still at one-hundred percent. No, not even that.

Erina Nakiri at one-hundred percent still lost to Dove Dillinger.

She needed to go even beyond that. So they squared off, and despite her best effort, when it came time for the clients to offer up their judgment, the resounding victory went to…

"It wasn't much!" Jouichirou boasted proudly, as Erina felt like strangling herself, as she pouted at the floor.

"One more time," she asked, no, demanded, but before Jouichirou could comply, Soma peeked his head from the kitchen.

"None of that! We have another rush, customers come first, get in here!" he told her, and pout and all, Erina just moved and went back to the kitchen. Jouichirou looked on, and never had he imagined he'd grow this damn attached to this girl. Soma really had scored gold here, and the man had grown to care a whole lot for the little princess of Tootsuki. The old man was right. She was worth it sending Soma over to Tootsuki.

…

"One Quail Stuffed with Risotto and Eggs ~ Brazen Youngster Style ready to enjoy!" Soma announced as he placed the dish on the next table to order a chef's special. Another couple, it would seem, and both the young man and woman seemed utterly enamored by the scent alone, which made Soma feel elated.

"…I am hoping Master Shinomiya doesn't sue us for the use of this particular dish," Erina muttered off on the side, half-jokingly.

"Oh, this is very, very good," the young man noted with a nervous smile, praising the dish, even if he couldn't quite find the correct words to express just how good it truly was. Then he turned towards his date, and asked, just not with words, but with sign language, "Is it to your liking Shoko?"

Shoko Nishimiya nodded excitingly, smiling at Soma, before she made a few signs herself, slowly, since she was aware the young chef likely didn't know sign language himself.

"Shoko says it is divine," her boyfriend, Shoya Ishida, translated for her, "And I pretty much think the same thing. If this place ever opens up full-time, you'll have us here so much you'll get sick of us."

"That would honestly be the best we could wish for!" Soma said with a proud sheepish laugh.

"And we are ever so honored for your say so," Erina added, before she turned her eyes towards the silent voice in the restaurant, and for what little she knew, she understood what the young woman said to her. And she replied in kind. Her flat, open right hand, starting from her chin, she took her hand out in an arc downwards and away from her face. All to say, "Thank you. And… you're welcome."

…

"So, that's what? Four-hundred and ninety-six victories for me?" Jouichirou said as he wrote in his little notepad the number of times he had won against his son, as his very frustrated son did the same, all the while Erina, Riko and Nao just stared, wondering what were they even seeing at this point.

"Four-hundred and ninety-five!" Soma corrected in sheer anger, "Don't try and sneak an extra win as if I wouldn't see it!"

'…Does it even matter at this point…?' the three women thought in unison, but decided to leave them be. Men.

…

"And for the party of seven, here's our special one-two punch of my Time Fuse: Brazen Youngster-Style Primeval Meat!" Soma announced as he set his caveman-like appetizer on the large table, followed by…

"And the main course, as requested, offered jointly with the… appetizer, I assume," Erina noted, eyeing Soma's choice of appetizer rather curiously, "…erm, I mean, here's my Le Plat Vèritable ~ Delinquent Daughter Style ~ please enjoy!"

"Delinquent Daughter Style?" Soma asked, whispering to Erina.

"I think the label fits, regardless of which parent you ask," Erina noted with a little smirk. She then turned back to the table. "Glad to see a semi-familiar face. I never did quite thank you for assisting Soma before."

"Oh, for you guys, anything!" Honda Ito declared proudly, "I would have never found my calling if it wasn't for Soma here, who showed up during that Showcase and helped me get back on my feet by showing me just how badass he could be. And I followed suit, not at Tootsuki of course, but I think my true talent lies in technology."

"Fumizuki Academy is it?" Erina asked, eyes on their uniform.

"A lot of my friends transferred over there once it had that big mid-school year open house," Soma noted, "Kengo and Junichi, and even Second Takumi is there, right?"

"Yep, although they're all in different classes than the one I'm at!" Honda replied, and as Erina pondered who the heck "Second Takumi" even was, Honda proceeded to properly introduce his little group to the two chefs. "But where are my manners? Here we have our Class Representative, Yuuji Sakamoto."

"You shouldn't boast that much Honda, not when you're in Class F of all things," Yuuji was quick to voice, the would-be delinquent shifting his eyes towards the couple. "Still, this food is to die for. No wonder you two were on television all those months ago."

"It is!" the girl with the pink hair said with the biggest of smiles. "I'm Mizuki Himeji, and any friend of Honda's is a friend of ours, oh! I mean, if you guys are okay with it, since it feels like were talking with celebrities here."

"We kinda are," the boy easily confused for a girl added, "Everybody knows of Chef Erina Nakiri. I'm a big fan, by the way. Oh, my name's Hideyoshi Kinoshita. It's an honor to meet you."

Then a camera's scope became erect right out of nowhere, but before it could even be aimed at Erina, a very hard fist was struck against it, shattering the glass and the young man behind it. As the guy laid on the floor, probably bleeding out, the girl with the red ponytail just sighed.

"Ignore our resident Muttsulini," she excused herself on his behalf, "What he should have said is: "Hi, I'm Kouta Tsuchiya, and I will try my best not to be a pervert today" but it is what it is. Oh, and I'm Minami Shimada, the normal one here," she added, before she turned towards the last member and her current boyfriend, "And… eh, you okay there Aki?"

"This. Food. Is. Glorious!" the resident idiot shouted with utter glee. He quickly got up, and to the surprise of everyone present, outright bowed before Soma and Erina. "Akihisa Yoshii, consider me your new subordinate my masters!"

"That's…" Soma said, eye twitching.

"…unneeded…" Erina concluded, sharing the twitch.

"Aki, behave!" Minami reprimanded, as the others just laughed.

"Ignore the idiot," Yuuji voiced, turning towards the two, "But for real, you guys are something else. Honda here has been keeping us up-to-date with this Intercontinental event of yours. So consider us in your corner."

"That's right!" Akihisa quickly cheered. "Heck, if you guys need an extra chef, if I may boast, I may not be the best, but my never-ending ramen trick could certainly impress the WWE."

"WGO," Minami corrected, "They're not wrestling!"

"Never-ending ramen, huh? That's a new one," Soma noted, smiling at this quirky dude. Honda really had made some strange friends. The best kind, he had come to learn. "As tempting as that is, we're good. One day, if you think you can challenge us for a real delicious dish that can match the one we just served you guys, then I'm more than happy to take you on!"

"Don't you mean more delicious than the one I offered?" Erina was quick to cut in, as Soma just pouted. "I mean, clearly there is a reason why my dish is the main entrée. You can compete for the most disgusting dish though."

"Hey, even in that domain I am king!" Soma boasted, for some reason. Erina just rolled her eyes. This guy really was something else. Still, Akihisa just stared, before he narrowed his eyes.

"Did you say we can challenge you with a disgusting dish?" he asked.

"Yeah, but careful there buddy, just as delicious, despite a certain someone's refusal to admit so, I can make a dish, I can just as easily make it downright revolting," Soma warned.

"You wanna make a bet of that?" Akihisa shot back.

For what was utterly baffling to Erina, now Soma and Akihisa stared each other down, the declaration made, for the stupidest of reasons. Erina and Minami just shared a glance with each other, and soon enough the understood. Dumb things boys did just cause it was.

"You wanna fight?" Soma asked.

"Yeah, I'm game if you are!" Akihisa shot back.

And, of course, as baffled as everyone was, Soma was already in the kitchen, squid and peanut butter on hand. And much to Erina's horror, not just that. From a glance, she could see him holding coffee beans, habanero sauce, sweet and sour sauce, mint sauce and even some pork. Was he trying to murder someone?!

But, Akihisa, utterly unfazed, held onto not an ingredient, but rather…

"Hey, Himeji, can you just go in there and cook something right up?"

"Huh?" the pinkette asked, turning to him, confused. "But this is a restaurant, they don't allow that. Plus, they are professional chefs, I could never insult them by –"

"Don't worry, they gave us the green light," Akihisa said with the widest, darkest grin, "Just cook something nice, they did ask it, we can't be rude and not do it after such hospitality."

"I mean, that is true," she noted.

"Hey?" Soma asked, confused, "Are you cooking or…?"

Akihisa just turned to him, and with his index finger over his lips and a wink, told him to say nothing. Soma frowned, but it didn't really matter. He wanted disgusting and revolting, then he was so getting it. So, Soma made the absolute biggest failure imaginable, creating something so revolting that it utterly –

– Soma was on the floor, utterly devastated by the black goop that had been offered to him as food by the innocent-looking girl with the pink hair, feeling as though he had been outright poisoned.

Erina was standing as far away from that "dish" as humanly possible, her eyes wide in utter dread. 'I think I saw something swim inside that black, goopy, sludge of a dish…'

"Was it not good?" Himeji asked, utterly unaware, eyeing her own dish for a moment. "I did try to make it as healthy as possible. You know, with crushed vitamins, some toothpaste and a bit of that secret liquid that helps clean a person's bowels."

'Does she mean bleach?' everyone else present wondered, eyeing Soma's motionless form just in case they needed to call the ambulance. Luckily Soma was able to regain consciousness, just as Akihisa helped him get back to his feet.

"What the hell is she?" was the first thing Soma muttered.

"A very precious friend who means well, but, you know," Akihisa noted, before he smirked at Soma, "But, that was hilarious."

"For you," Soma shot back, "And here I thought my only goal was to make something more delicious than Erina, now I see that I have to out-gross your friend Himeji. Although…" he paused, "It does kinda make you appreciate how much you can grow, no matter the direction."

"Oh yeah, that was totally my aim from the start, life lesson and all that," Akihisa utterly lied, his eyes to the side.

"Hey, we better get eating," Yuuji told his friend, "Got a text from Shouko. She and the others are pulling an all-nighter, so we should probably help out, less I get tazed."

"But are we going to get a verdict on my dish?" the still oblivious Himeji asked.

"It was amazing Mizuki," Hideyoshi quickly jumped to her defense, offering the girl a smile, which she returned tenfold. Honda felt himself boil.

"Hey! Kinoshita! Stop flirting with Himeji!" he cried out, pointing at the student-actor. "You don't get to break my heart and then steal the girl I'm after!"

"When did I break your heart?!" Hideyoshi asked, baffled, before he picked up on the other accusation, and blushing, added, "And I'm not flirting with her!"

Himeji just looked on, eyeing Honda for a moment, before she turned back to Hideyoshi. A nice girl shouldn't really say anything, but if, if she were a bad girl, she could grow to enjoy this.

"Hey Aki," Minami voiced up, turning towards her boyfriend and Soma. "Come on, let's eat, we should leave these chefs to their competition and restaurant."

"Yeah, you're right," Akihisa noted, nodding before he turned to Soma, "Good luck out there. I'm sure you've got this."

"…Yeah," Soma said with a soft smile, "I actually think I do."

And as they all went back to their respective stories, Erina just looked on, wondering if this was a sign of some sort. For, as horrible a morning as she had had, being here, surrounded by so many random faces, and cooking alongside Soma, why, it was something she could outright grow very used to…

…

"Hmm, close but not quite," Riko voiced, having just been declared the winner of her match against Erina, with a very eager Nao munching away at her momma's latest dish. Erina, on the other hand…

'Close she says,' the heiress noted, utterly out of breath, 'Riko Ebisawa was the Fourth Seat during the Golden Era, same seat I now have, and yet, she's insanely good. Even with my God's Tongue somewhat functioning, I couldn't quite decipher everything she used. She's… too good. And father has trained Dove to this level. And the others… Julius, Ashitaro… brother, I know they're up there too. Damn it, I need to improve, but how…?'

As Erina seemed utterly about to collapse due to being utterly overwhelmed, Jouichirou and Soma looked on, now closing shop for the night. Just the first day of this last-minute training, but the results were still not optimal, Soma noted, but before he could jump in and challenge Riko, Jouichirou placed his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Relax," he told him, "I can feel your tension from here. You'll manage. I know, when it'll matter most, you won't fail that girl."

"…I can't help it," Soma admitted, turning to his father. "I won't let her get hurt by this anymore. I mean, I even challenged Azami for it, and yet, I can't seem to measure up. Cooking for someone, that's your advice, and I fully believe in it. And I am, cooking for her, fully. Yet I couldn't measure up to Azami. Couldn't measure up to Asahi…"

"Not all fights can be won," Jouichirou said, "But, we won't know until we fight them. Just do the best you can with what you have, and I'm sure, you'll make it work in the end. Besides, you're not alone in this. You have your friends, and… you have her," he added, signaling to Erina, who after her defeat, had walked up to Riko and had begun to ask her what had she done wrong and how could she remedy it. A far cry from the Erina Soma had met over a year ago. "And she's every bit as feisty as you are. Heck, she's as feisty as Tamako was, and you know I don't make those comparisons lightly."

"Yeah, she is," Soma noted, before he felt his father take hold of his palm, and before the boy could ask, he felt something be placed on it. Soma looked on, before his eyes widened. "This…!"

"As far as I'm concerned it's yours to do with it as you please," Jouichirou explained, as he simply walked away, moving on to the other closing duties, but not before adding, "Just a little piece to help you see straight for what it is your fighting for."

And as such, Soma was left momentarily alone, with nothing…

…Except his late mother's wedding ring on his hand.

He smiled, then placed it safely away. It was much too soon for that… right?

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a knock on the front doors, which caused him to turn, and voice, "Sorry, we're closed!" at it, but the knock just got louder, and Soma could swear the person on the other side had switched from knocking to kicking on the thing. "Hey! Quit it!"

And, a very peeved Soma quickly opened the door, ready to smack someone if need be, but the person on the other side was not someone he had been expecting.

"Loren?"

"…Did you really mean it?" the younger boy, clearly out of breath, asked, and Soma just stared, utterly confused. Erina, Riko, Jouichirou and especially Nao took notice of the new "guest", and to say it was surprising would be an understatement. But more than that, the boy looked utterly distressed.

"Wait, what's wrong?" Soma quickly shifted gears, now worried for the boy, "Did something –?"

"Just answer me damn it!" Loren cut him off, out of breath, shaking, and clearly desperate. "What you promised me, did you really mean it?!"

"I don't know what Azami has on you, or on Dove, but… you are a Polar Star now, and believe me or not, I've got your back. I will protect you every bit as fiercely as you have protected Nao."

"W-When we had our match, what you said when I didn't drop the plates, did you really mean it…?" Loren asked, and, biting down on all the false ego he had built throughout these last three years living and training under that man, he forced himself to say, "…Because, damn it, I don't know who to turn to… Soma, I… I really need your help…"

And Soma Yukihira felt his fist clench, because if Loren was this shaken, just how bad had things really gotten? But, unbeknownst to even them, as Erina walked up to where Soma and Loren stood, the couple having been training to somehow match those monsters, all around the city, everyone was getting ready for the endgame…

…

"It's late," Gin noted, turning to the two Third Years with him. "You boys had enough?"

The two were down… but not quite out.

"Not quite just yet," a very exhausted Isshiki noted.

"So stop asking you damn bastard!" an equally exhausted Eizan added.

…

"H-Hey, I thought you said they needed to improve, but what the hell even was that?!" Erika voiced up, as she, alongside John, Roger and even Toshio stared in shock at the two triumphant Neo-Noirs before them. Fukuhara, for his part, couldn't even contain his sheer mad grin.

"I told you," Ashitaro said, the venom dripping even more, "You are beneath us."

"I do apologize for the concern, we were indeed careless," Julius offered, "But rest assured, such a mistake will not occur again."

…

She couldn't even speak. She couldn't even breathe. She just stared, her eyes shifting upwards, from the dish that had just been served to her, towards Azami, currently shirtless and sweating heavily, the wind knocked utterly out of him. Decora had absolutely no idea how this was even possible.

"That was… excellent, my little Dove," Azami said with a frightening amount of pride.

Dove said nothing. She just held onto her knife, and stared at him. Excellent? No, not quite. Not just yet. The goal wasn't beating Erina, it was crushing her. This was just the tip of the iceberg.

And through it all, seeing this sight that felt like it outright eclipsed anything she had ever seen even in BLUE, all Decora could think was…

'Azami… What hell did you put this girl through…?'

…

Hinako got notified of a disturbance by her staff, as Diogo walked into the kitchen and told her about a problematic customer requesting her presence. Hinako was long used to these types; the "customer is always right" crowd. It was annoying, but it came with the territory. So, setting her tools aside, the very-pregnant, outright about to burst woman walked right out, but not before taking hold of her phone. It was here she noticed that her friend Fuyumi had been calling her relentlessly. Seven missed calls? Was she alright?

So, as she walked out of the kitchen, Hinako gave the older woman a call, which was answered in a split second.

"Hinako?!"

"Y-Yes, hello?" Hinako replied, "Everything okay, usually I'm the one that nobody wants to talk to, not –"

"Listen to me!" Fuyumi cried out, cutting her off. "He has to be aiming for you next, given how were stationed! Whatever you do, don't accept the challenge! He already took Donato, Taki and me out, using our own damn guests as judges, and… and…"

"What are you talking about?" Hinako asked, confused, before she walked out and saw the young man Diogo had been referring to. It was here she understood what Fuyumi meant.

He had her friends' trademark tools holstered on his belt like trophies, and while he masked his face with a heavy scarf, only showcasing his dark, sharp eyes, Hinako had a very good idea who it was.

"You are pregnant!" she heard Fuyumi warn her, "That is far more important than your reputation! Hinako, damn it, answer me! Don't engage against him!"

Because who else would it be? Hinako just frowned. She didn't like this. But still…

"That wasn't a chef that took us out –!"

…She was now facing off against Asahi Saiba.

"– That was like an outright force of nature!"

---

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