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. Asahi/OC; OC/Nao; Ryou/Alice; Isshi/Nene; Taku/Hisa; Akira/Megu] ((38: Finals! Unlimited Cross Knives))

19. The Cunning of Shouko Kaburagi

Rating: T+

Pairing: Soma/Erina

Genre: Romance; Drama; Hurt/Comfort; Shonen; Slight Mature Themes

Notes:

Hey Everyone! Zancrowe Here!

Part 2 of what was originally Chapter 18 is here! A big thanks to you guys for understanding my need to divide it into two parts, and of course, for all the feedback. One very important thing to note, however, is that I have to give two (2) big "Shout Outs" to two (2) of my lovely Readers / Reviewers for correctly hitting the nail on the head on two little story beats I had set up. While I've read, mostly on the fanfiction reddit page, that some writers don't like it when readers guess upcoming twists or plot details, I for one, feel elated when you guys do so. It means, in my eyes at least, that my foreshadowing is accurate and it serves as proof that I'm not just pulling stuff out of my you know where. So…

Shout Out to TheMaster4444 for being 90 percent sure of what will be revealed in this Chapter's very first flashback scene, just down below!

& Shout Out to mairsarmy321 for not just picking up (in our PMs) what will be shown near the end of this Chapter, but for outright namedropping part of next Chapter's (number 20's) very title!

Lastly, as per KV Channel's request, I've updated the OC Bios on my Profile Page to include the character's current (as of "Classique") ages and a few more entries while I was at it!

Disclaimer: Don't own Shokugeki no Soma.

---

Let set the clock back a few weeks…

To the event that would be soon be known as the "Tootsuki Undertaking", where a massive purge against the Third Year students occurred. All of them, angered at the defeat of their First Seat, had each declared an open challenge to the six schools left for the Elite Ten to face-off against. One challenge per day per Challenger, so the rules had allowed, so they went at it, fully knowing there would be losses. These Challengers were there for a reason, and they themselves weren't in the Elite Ten, despite their best attempts, so they knew it would be an uphill battle.

But this was still their school. Their home. So they took the risk.

That day, all twenty-nine remaining Challengers dueled against the very best that Tootsuki's unseated Third Years had to offer.

That day, twenty-seven of them lost completely, and were expelled.

That day, only two matches were sent in for review, as the Challengers in those two cases noted that the Tootsuki student had possibly cheated in their attempts to get the victory.

One of those two turned out to be true, and that student became the twenty-eighth student expelled in the massive purge.

The other one, however…

"Haven't I seen you somewhere before?" the quietest of the siblings, Dakarai Akintola, voiced, wondering why his opponent seemed somewhat familiar. He shook his head, it wasn't important. "No matter. Still a poor choice. Then again, this school gets shut down in two days, so might as well go out with a bang, huh?"

Etsuya Eizan just offered the Nigerian a calculated smile.

"…Is that right?" was all Eizan replied with, as he got into his station, hand on his knife, his eyes dead-set on the ingredient that would hopefully turn this battle around. Artichoke. 'I had fully planned on using this little fellah in my rematch against Yukihira before I graduated, but, can't have that if those idiots get this place shut down beforehand… Heh, me, helping save this stupid place, what an absolutely moronic turn of events…'

So they engaged, and to Dakarai's utter shock, he was declared the loser by the supervising WGO staff. He was aghast, as his dish had been actually considered to be too sweet, outright destroying the delicate flavor he had set out to achieve. What?! How?!

"He must have cheated!" Dakarai exclaimed, signaling to his opponent, who gave him the most playfully offended look he could muster.

"Why I'd never…" Eizan merely defended, his arms raised as if to calm the other young man down.

The petition was issued, and the match was subjected to review. It was recorded after all. So if the Tootsuki student had cheated, he'd be caught. The other one was, but… Eizan didn't cheat. The WGO determined that they would just judge what was served before them, and as long as he followed the rules, theme, and didn't interfere with his opponent's cooking or acted in any way unprofessionally, then anything else was valid.

Such ruling wasn't known to them until just moments before the second round of the Intercontinental Shokugeki.

"Seems like we will allow this match to move forwards after all," Anne had announced, as a massive, collective gasp was heard throughout the arena. They had just been declared to have been eliminated, just because Shouko Kaburagi had not shown up. But it seemed like there was still hope. But then, Anne added a final clause, as she and the rest of the judges turned their attention to one of the seven participants present, "With one minor change, though. You, my friend, are hereby eliminated from this International Shokugeki."

A single pointed finger from Anne caused the entire stadium to grow silent, as a chill went up the spine of every Tootsuki alumni present. The Polar Star kids and their friends all stared, eyes wide and mouths agape, as Anne singled out the last person they'd ever expect to get kicked off…

Again…

"…Me?" Soma had barely managed to ask, pointing at himself, as Anne singled him out.

"…" Anne paused, still mid-smile and with the pointed finger, before she quickly turned back to the folder. "…Wait, that makes no sense. How would eliminating another one from Tootsuki fix things…?" the judge pondered out loud, as the crowd felt a collective sweat drop. "…Oh, oopsie, that was the wrong Shokugeki file, my bad~" she almost sang, as Soma felt his head spinning.

Of course, if she got the wrong file, she'd get Soma as the opponent. After all, Eizan's last official Shokugeki had been against Soma Yukihira all the way back at that Showcase.

"What I really meant," she continued, shifting her finger to the other side, "Is that you are the one who got eliminated…"

The crowd once again went silent, as Anne pointed her finger towards the Akintola group.

"Dakarai Akintola," Anne announced, as the middle sibling's eyes went wide as plates, "The results of your Shokugeki request just came in. And sorry to say, but your opponent did not cheat, so your loss is official. As such, you are officially eliminated from the International Shokugeki."

"What?!" Keelan roared, first at Anne, before he turned to his twin brother and grabbed him by the collar. "You lost?!"

"I could have sworn I got tricked!" Dakarai defended, as Keelan shook him in place, clearly angry. "I was sure of it! I-I never thought the judges would rule in…"

"Keelan, leave Dakarai in peace," Hakeem ordered, as he turned his eyes back to his opponents. Or more exactly, at the Fifth Seat. "I don't know how it happened, but it seems you have a guardian angel, as this makes it a three-on-three match now."

"Oh, I'm not so sure about that," Akira replied, a knowing smirk on his face. "That was awfully too close for comfort. We had our hunch, ever since our First Seat saw who your brother's opponent had been, but we couldn't be sure. We honestly didn't plan to get here with just three members though."

And, as Tootsuki's unsung hero looked from the comfort of his television screen, all he could do was smile.

This was the biggest risk in Etsuya Eizan's entire career, and that was saying a lot…

And now, weeks later and with just two opposing Teams left, and a meager five Elite Ten students (plus one Shouko) still standing to face them, it was time to put their last part of the plan into action. The riskiest part. Now, sitting on his bed, his head rested on his closed fist, and his glasses dangling on his other hand, Eizan just stared down. It was exhausting to live like this.

"You look like shit," Shouko told him as soon as she walked into the room. He just gave off a light chuckle, moving his eyes to meet hers. Without his glasses, his vision of her was blurry, but he knew her frame well enough by now. "…That sister of yours really, really hates me, you know?"

"You still pissed about that?" Eizan noted with a laugh, one he was sure Shouko did not find all that funny.

"That… monster got stuck in my hair!" Shouko cried out, shivering at the memory. She placed her hands at her hips, and tilted her head at Eizan. "For a second I thought I was going to have to shave my head! That's not funny! It is traumatizing!"

"Don't take it personally," Eizan replied, still playing with his glasses with his fingers, twirling them around. "Yukichiko hates everybody. That's just how father raised us."

"She loves you though," Shouko noted, and Eizan almost frowned, but he couldn't really muster it. Instead he just looked back up to the blurry Shouko. She was wearing one of his shirts he noted. When had she gotten hold of that one, he wondered?

"Do you…?"

"Huh?" Shouko asked, her head tilted further, brow raised.

"Do you think this is going to work?" Eizan asked, and for a moment, Shouko wasn't sure about their conversation.

"That's not like you," she noted, before she motioned forwards, and before he knew it, plumped herself right into his lap. He had to hold onto her, out of surprise, and almost dropped his glasses in response. "When have you ever gotten stage fright?"

"Hmm… a public, shameful defeat tends to humble a man," Eizan noted, his eyes on her, noting just how utterly close she was to him now. Her shampoo still lingered, and he hated how much he enjoyed the scent. "And for as much as I am eager to put him, and all of them really, in their place, I cannot stress enough how risky this whole thing is."

"Oh, come now," Shouko voiced, and he noted how he really had a hard time distinguishing her tones at times. What could sound playful could just as easily sound sarcastic. "We've done the math. We've taken our time. You were the one who wanted revenge against Soma Yukihira immediately, I was the one who advised we play the long game. And, look at us now, we have them right where we want them."

"Yeah…" Eizan replied, eyes narrowed, her face being the only thing he could see clearly at the moment. "Nene already suspects something, sharp as she is," Eizan noted. "So we best move then. They won't be able to face off against Lestrade without you in their ranks anyways, since Nakamura was smart, putting the biggest group last, well, second-to-last."

"Which is where we come in," Shouko noted. "Get in touch with First, confirm her suspicions, and offer our ultimatum. She'll have no choice but to accept, as she's screwed either way, just…" Shouko paused, taking her time to slowly lick her lips in anticipation, "One scenario ends with just her out of the picture, the other, well… it ends with everyone screwed."

"That it does," Eizan said. "Say…" he tried, but couldn't really find the words.

"Hmm?" she ever-so perkily voiced.

"…It's… it's nothing," he said.

"Hmm… I don't think so," Shouko voiced, tilting her head to obscure his vision with her hair, which only caused him to frown. "You're acting weird. What's up? Don't tell me you are having second thoughts now?"

"It's not that," he denied. "Just… with this so close. Everything we've planned for just around the corner. You…" he added, and against every fiber of his being, he continued, "…You actually want to do it this way… Right? There's nothing else you want to add? As in, I-I mean, if there was something, anything else you wanted to tell me, you'd do so… right?"

"…Etsuya," she said, and he couldn't help but flinch. Only this girl could make him drop all his defenses with naught but a word. "You remember how we met, right?"

"Of course," he replied as if it was so utterly obvious. "We applied for the Middle School Division together, we were at that little dumb meeting together."

"Exactly!" Shouko excitedly noted. "And I've been enamored of you ever since. No other student would have had the balls to tell the recruiters of such an illustrious place such as this one that it wasn't the prestige that interested you, but the profit. Both for yours, and surprisingly enough, for their sake," she recalled, and he nodded. He remembered that well. He remembered that cute girl from back them, wearing that baseball cap even then, eyeing him with almost stars in her eyes as everyone else just looked utterly baffled by his declaration. Only she had been impressed by him. Only she had seen the merit behind his claims. Only she had supported him during that very first year. "And we promised we'd be the best, riches business partners in the whole wide world."

"…Right, to the ends of the world then," Eizan noted, as he nodded. "I'll contact Nene, get the ball rolling. Time to settle this once and for all."

"Yay!" Shouko cheered, just as she motioned downwards and gave the young man the deepest kiss. He froze in place, because despite their past, this was still new to him. New to her too, but she seemed far more natural than he could ever hope to fake it. It did take his breath away every single time, though. "…This school is going to be on their knees begging for us to save them come the next round!"

And all he could do was smile and nod, because this was the path he had chosen, come what may…

-0-

It had been years since Dove Dillinger felt insecure about any aspect of her physical appearance.

Three years to be exact.

After Azami took her in, she had learned how the one-percent truly lived. Gone were the days of old clothes, broken shoes, messy hair, and worrying about keeping the lights on. Money had never once more been an issue, not for her, not for her mom, and not for Baby Ruth. As long as she played her role, as long as she polished her skills to the almost inhuman levels Azami wanted them at, she'd have anything and everything she wanted and more. So, now, she was completely certain of her worth, of just how stunning she was and how lucky anyone would be if she as so much gave them a second of her time.

So why…?

Why was she so nervous now?

Dove stood out of the resort, where she had agreed to get picked up by him at. It was dumb, she knew, and risky as all hell. Just mere hours ago she had promised Azami she'd behave, and here she was, agreeing to go out on a date of all things with the man's son. The man's troublemaker, quite likely criminal, Noir Chef of a son.

If anything, she'd like to blame her nervousness on that. On the fact that she was sort-of disobeying Azami's orders, but she knew, deep down, that it wasn't that. So the girl with the long black hair, wearing the form-fitting black dress, and with the diamond necklace she felt really didn't belong to her anymore waited, and just as she was trying to convince herself that this was a very bad idea and she should just turn her ass right back and lock herself in her room before she made the worst mistake of her life, she saw the limousine drive right over towards her.

The door at the back was opened, and out came Asahi.

Dove frowned. He had not been lying, it seemed. The young man was wearing quite the nice suit, and this was the first time she had ever seen him sporting such an attire. In fact, outside of his Neo-Noir uniform, she had never seen him in anything outright expensive, ever. Given his expression, it seemed neither did he for that matter.

"Hey, D-amn," he greeted, sort-of, as it took him about a second to soak in the sight and realize just how utterly amazing she looked. "…You look, I mean… wow," he said, and she really tried not to blush and just stammer in place as he did, but his whistling at the sight did not help at all. "Okay, alright, let's see how this goes, we can… I mean, dang it you look amazing."

"Can you stop?!" Dove cried out, her face as red as red could be, pouting at him before she powerwalked her way towards him, and much to his confusion, almost threw herself into the limousine. "Come on! Drive us away! I don't want Azami to catch me sneaking out!"

"Wait? He doesn't know?" Asahi asked, surprised to be helping this girl runaway once more, so to speak, but he still got in right after her, and with a signal to their designated (courtesy of one Erina Nakiri) driver, got them on their way towards their destination. Once they were both seated, opposite each other, with Asahi struggling not to glance at every inch of her and Dove struggling not to blush any harder than she already was, the boy added, "I am so going to regret saying this, because, damn it, it goes against what I need right now, but are you sure you should be coming along with me? If this gets you in trouble, Dove, I-"

"Shut up," Dove quickly interrupted, frowning at him, and despite her best attempts, all he saw was outright beauty. "I said yes to this dumb date of ours, right? I can make my own decisions, just… he doesn't need to know. Besides," she noted, averting her eyes for a moment. "It seems Loren's fine, for now at least. And I really need to get some fresh air… is all."

"I see…" Asahi replied, taking a deep breath but nodding regardless. "But, wait, before I forget, I got you something!"

Asahi quickly motioned to the side of his seat, where he had a bag of… something placed on the seat. Dove turned, eyeing the bag, her eyes almost widening at the sight. 'No way,' she thought, feeling her chest tighten at the very thought, 'Did he seriously bring me something like fl-"

"Here," he told her. "This will help us out a lot."

He handed her a few index cards.

"Oh you shouldn't ha-eh?!" she had started, blushing madly, until she caught sight of the actual "gift" being presented to her. Her hand, already extended expecting something more romantic, was instead given what seemed like a student's handwritten oral presentation notes. She froze for a solid second, eyeing the dumb little card, before she shifted her head towards Asahi with an almost audible screech. "What the hell is this?!"

"What?" he asked, utterly confused as to why she sounded mad all the sudden. "Like I told you over the phone, I needed your help to pretend we've been hanging out since earlier, so those are a few notes I wrote up of what we've been up to. You know, so we both have our story straight and all that."

"…Ah," she noted, even if her tone sounded anything but content with that answer. "Here I thought you said you wanted us to go out, p-pretend or otherwise, on a date of sorts… Silly me."

"Oh, no, that too," Asahi corrected, and Dove was wondering how sharp those index cards were and if she could slice his throat open with them. "This is a date, dinner date at that, kinda like the one we went with Pops and Mama Nakiri."

"…What?" Dove asked, flatly. "You want to relive that train wreck?"

"I mean, those two won't be involved," Asahi explained.

"They better not be!" Dove cried out. "I swear if I step out of this limo and Azami is anywhere near there I am going to kill you before I die!"

"Geez, relax, will you?" Asahi told her, arms crossed against his chest, and she frowned. He had no business looking that fine wearing that suit while spouting out the dumbest shit she had ever heard. "No Azamis, no Manas. This is just going to be us-"

"I guess that's not the worst…"

"-with Erina and her uncle, aunt and cousin," he concluded, and it was almost funny how Dove's expression shifted continuously at each family member he mentioned.

"E-Excuse you?!" she cried out, and to his surprise, actually stood up, and given the size of the limousine, she could almost stand up straight without smacking herself on the roof. She only needed to keep herself bent forwards a bit, which in itself proved problematic for his eyesight and where exactly should he keep his focus on. "What do you mean by Erina and her other side of the family?! Where are we going?!"

"…Nakiri Manor."

"Nope!" Dove cried out, and without giving him time to respond, reached out to the door. "I am not going back inside that carnival house of nightmares!"

"Dove wait! Don't be so childish! Dove! Don't open the door to a moving vehicle!" Asahi cried out in turn, reaching out to stop her from what he assumed was a genuine attempt at throwing herself out of the limousine. He wasn't sure she'd actually do it (who in their right mind would ever do something so stupid like that?), but he wasn't risking it. He took hold of the girl by the waist, careful of where he was grabbing but pulling her gently back towards the seats. "I'll explain! I need you for this! It's not as bad as it-"

The limousine stopped, probably at a sign or something, but the sudden lack of momentum caused Dove to fall back inside, so to speak, and land on Asahi, with the young man falling back onto his seat. There they both froze in place.

Wide grey eyes staring down the prettiest bright blue eyes they had ever seen.

Both Noirs mere inches from each other, with Dove's entire body pressed against his, both utterly unsure of what to do or say.

"…Dove…?"

"…I fell," she stated, frowning a bit, as if to hide her blush.

"I-I saw that," he noted, and it felt so alien to him to hear his own voice quiver like that. "You okay?"

"No!" she said, frowning still. "You are kidnapping me and taking me to go eat with your stupid sister against my will!"

"Kidnapping by definition implies something against a person's will-" he joked, but her glare made him change the subject quickly. "What I mean is, it's not going to be anything bad. I told Erina I was on a date, and she insisted I bring her along," he explained, "I… It's just for a bit, go in, say hi, and get out. Simple really. And I promise, I'll owe you big time."

"…You don't owe me anything," she murmured, so softly he barely hard half of it.

"Huh?" he asked, "What was that?" he continued as he motioned, without even thinking about it, and his hand found itself on her face, caressing her face gently. She felt lightheaded at this, since it one, made her realize she was still basically on top of him in a very, very compromising position; and two, his touch was not entirely… unwelcomed. But then he added, "I won't force you. If you want us to turn back, I'll-"

And in an instant her expression darkened considerably.

"I'm not your sister."

"I, eh, what?!" he almost couldn't get the words out. "What does that mean?! I don't, wouldn't go out on a date with Erina!"

"I meant," she explained, pushing herself back, away from him and whatever cologne he was wearing that was making it harder for her to keep her thoughts clean. "That you don't need to fake those little, good natured guy words you are so quick to spit out to get me to play along to your whims."

"What?" Asahi voiced, sounding outright surprised, "I didn't-"

"Take me back, really?" she asked, taking her seat once more, and fixing her little dress while she was at it. "You need me to attend this thing. You just say that so I feel bad and say "Oh, of course I'll go", give me a break," she said, before she crossed her arms across her chest and scoffed to the side, her eyes now once more focused on the road and the scenery.

Asahi sat back up, slowly, and he frowned, but not at her.

She was right.

He had spoken without thinking, and really with every intention of manipulating her as he would do anyone else. And here, as he stared at her, going along with his plans despite this, he felt one of the rarest sensations he was known to feel, a very deep sense of guilt at all of this. And far more than getting called out on it, this feeling was something he outright despised. And as the two got driven in silence to the Nakiri mansion, all he could hear was Boogie's words ring out in the darkest corners of his mind…

"You've grown attached."

…And he had no idea how to rebuke that anymore.

-0-

"Feels weird to come in here through the actual front door for once," Soma noted as he walked down the entrance alongside Erina, who was quick to look at him with her eyes wide.

"Don't say that too loudly," she warned, with a light blush on her face. "And you should stop doing that! If you get caught, you'll get us both in trouble."

"Come on," Soma shot back, playfully. "Trouble's where the fun's at," he noted, and despite her attempts, it made her laugh. She just sighed, as the both of them made their way through the manor, one that Erina knew like the back of her hand and one Soma was half-certain the walls themselves shifted around since this maze never looked the same each time he visited. "Hey, how you holding up?"

She paused, her eyes now on his. "…I'm good, sort-of," she confessed. She extended her hands, and out of instinct, he took hold of them, hand in hand, fingers interlocked. "Still feeling like my tongue is trying to murder me, but I think I'm much calmer now. And since its aunty's cooking, I don't think I'll have any problems tonight."

He held onto her hands tighter, and she felt her heart skip a beat.

"That's good to hear," Soma voiced, and his smile was the one she loved so. "You look very nice too. Pretty as always. I was surprised when you told me to put on the suit you bought for me," he said, and she still couldn't fathom how he could compliment her so effortlessly and leave her without oxygen and just carry on as if nothing had happened. "I haven't worn it since we went to the former Fourth Seat's event."

"Riko Ebisawa," Erina corrected, almost laughing. "Try and remember the important people."

"Yeah, her, dad's old girlfriend," Soma noted, and Erina nodded, then… she paused, mid-nod.

"…What?" she asked, her head still facing the floor.

"Oh! Ms. Ebisawa was dad's old girlfriend when they were here at the school," Soma explained, and Erina took a bit to soak it in. At this Soma frowned. "That doesn't, I dunno, make you jealous or something, right?"

"Eh?" Erina squeaked, finally looking up at him, almost surprised at the accusation. She wasn't really sure how to reply, but the moment she saw something in Soma's eyes she quickly forced herself to speak. "No, no, never," she explained, this time pressing down on their interconnected hands, holding him tightly. "I have the greatest admiration for your father, insanely so, but don't you ever think that I'm… that I ever compare you to him in any regard. Soma…" she voiced softly, "I… I love you, okay. And I felt this way before I even knew he was your father. So, don't give me that look, there's no one else, and there won't ever be."

"I know," he replied, a bit surprised at hearing him confess her love for him so openly, as the girl tended to be very shy when it came to matters of the heart and he wasn't exactly Romeo either, so it was strange, and for once, he felt flustered by it. "It's just… I guess saying it like that, even for me, it sounds wrong. That she was his girlfriend during his time here, like what we are now, and-"

She softly pressed her index finger on his lips, shutting him up.

"Don't you even think about it like that," she told him. "No offense meant to your father, but I am certain that he didn't do even a tenth of the things you've done for me, and as such, she didn't feel for him nowhere near what I… feel for you."

He stared at her, as her cheeks flushed with each word, before wordlessly he gently pushed her hand away and claimed her lips as his own. She moaned in response, too sudden, too much, but she wanted that and more. They kissed passionately, with him pressing her frame against his with his arm against her waist. For all the moments they hadn't been able to be together, for all the kisses they've missed out on, and for the fear they both felt at their relationship breaking apart, they kissed like they had never done so before.

Soon, his tongue found hers, and despite her sensitivity, she allowed them to caress against one another, and it made her legs weak. It always did. But it seemed, if it was hormonal, or love, or both, the one thing the God's Tongue did not mind was this boy's taste.

"Dinner's rea-ah!" Leonora exclaimed as soon as she walked right into the very, very private scene happening in a very, very public space. Erina almost pushed herself away from Soma at light-speed, causing the boy to almost tumble down to the carpeted floor if he didn't hold himself up with the nearby wall. He was blushing, she was redder than a tomato. Her aunt just gave the kids a smile that reminded Soma so much of Alice. Or, he guessed, the other way around. "…I see you kids already started eating, so-"

"Aunty!" Erina almost barked, close to fainting.

"Oh relax sweetie," Leonora just shrugged her off. "We're all well aware of the relationship you two share. A televised kiss does that, you know?" she explained, before she turned to the boy in question. "So glad you could come Soma. I've been meaning to have a chance to speak to you without all this… erm, excessive drama."

"Yeah, thanks for having me Mrs. Nakiri," Soma greeted back, offering the elder woman a wave with one hand as he placed the other hand over his mouth, in an attempt to hide the fact that he was still savoring Erina. "And yeah, I'd like that."

"Good!" Leonora noted with the brightest of smiles. "So, once you two are done here, just head up into the dining room, okay?!"

"We're already done, aunty!" Erina was quick to correct.

"We are?" an almost disappointed-sounding Soma asked, which caused Erina to feel her vision blur for a bit.

"Soma!" she called out, to which he just shrugged, and her aunt just winked at the two before she left them alone, and Soma could almost picture the steam still coming out of Erina's entire head. She turned, face of course still flushed, pouting, but upon remembering what she had wanted to say to him before he had arrived, decided to push on through. "…Soma, listen, I have something to ask of you."

"After that kiss, anything," he replied, and she punched his shoulder in response. He just laughed.

"I'm serious," she playfully warned. "Listen… There's going to be someone else joining us tonight, outside of, well my Aunty, Uncle, Alice and Ryou."

"Oh?" Soma voiced, now understanding why she was trying to be serious. Then it hit him. 'Crap, its Azami isn't it?' Soma thought, already feeling a cold chill run up his spine. 'Damn it, I know he's still her dad and all that, but…'

"I invited Asahi," she explained.

"Erina, are you sure-wait, Asahi?" Soma asked, changing lanes mid-sentence. "You've invited him… here?"

"…Yes," Erina replied, still a bit short of breath. Shaking her thoughts aside, she continued, "I am aware that you got into a… match of sorts with him. I do want to have a word with him over that."

"Ah, you really don't-" Soma tried, brushing the concerns off, but Erina was quick to interrupt him.

"Oh shush," she said. "He needs to learn not to get himself involved in my relationships, and I am not fond of the thought of him taking something so personal of yours," she noted, clearly thinking of the knife. Soma said nothing, since he knew that look in Erina's eyes and how impossible it would be for him to talk her out of it. Besides, maybe she could get to the truth of the matter of the enigma that is Asahi Saiba, the guy even his father seemed overly wary of. So Soma just nodded, as Erina smiled. "Worry not, I fully intent tonight to be free of any drama, so I'll keep things… Oh?"

Erina paused, as her phone began to vibrate. It was him. He had arrived.

"Asahi's here," Erina said, and Soma couldn't help but smile since the girl outright lit up, even if she herself wasn't aware of it. There was clearly a little sister in there, and this as well worried Soma a bit. If Asahi hurt her, betrayed her in anyway, despite how tough she was, it would devastate her. So, Soma knew, even if Erina were not to approve of such measures, that he needed to figure things out and keep her safe.

From both Asahi… and Azami.

"I'll go greet him, and his date," Erina noted, and Soma titled his head a bit, surprised at that little extra fact. Erina quickly sensed this. "Yeah, I sort-of forced him to put his date on hold to come on over, played up the little sister act a bit," she explained, and Soma had to swallow the scoff at the notion that anything she had said to the guy had been any sort of act. He probably got it one-hundred percent pure. "Still, kinda curious what kind of girl my brother fancies. She better have good intentions, and genuine care for him, cause he does not have to settle."

"Little sister act, right?" Soma playfully mocked, which caused Erina to frown. She caught his meaning quickly. "Yeah, sure."

"None of that," Erina warned with a smirk. "Now, go on, get yourself to our dining room," she ordered, to which he offered a salute in return, basically mouthing a "yes boss" from their times of yesteryear. She just laughed. "I'll go fetch my brother then."

With that said, Soma moved towards where he assumed the dining room was, at least, the very nice smell was coming from that direction, while Erina had to keep herself from skipping all the way towards the front door. Not one to ever answer her own door save for some very, very limited circumstances (one of which actually helped start her relationship with her boyfriend way back during the Autumn Elections), but for her brother, she'd make an exception. So, she stood by the door, fixed her hair and her dress, because Soma had done a number on both (get rid of the blush, Erina), and she opened the door with the brightest of smiles. "Hey!"

"Hey!" Dove replied with the same tone, smiling widely, while flashing Erina a peace sign.

Erina felt herself turn to stone.

She then felt herself break.

Followed by being blown away by the cold, night winds…

"…Hey," Asahi, standing next to Dove, greeted. He had told, outright begged Dove to tone herself down, but it seemed the God Slayer was not someone who followed instructions all that well. 'She is here behind Azami's back,' Asahi noted, inwardly frowning, 'so it's a given she's not that into playing by the rules, so…'

Erina took a moment to recompose herself.

Dove just stared, tilting her head to the side, her wide smile shortening itself to her trademark "I'm better than you and we both know it" smirk, which was utterly insulting to someone like Erina who was not used to being on the receiving end of such a gesture. "So what's cooking Eri?" Dove asked, and Asahi felt himself sink into the floor with each word. Dove was clearly not going to cooperate with him at all. "You had the galls to interrupt my oh-so romantic getaway with my Asahi, so I assume it's not a problem that I tagged along, right? I mean, wait, you were the one who told him to bring me, so it clearly not a problem, huh, princess?"

"…" Erina was still just staring, her eyes wide, almost bloodshot, but not even blinking anymore. Before Asahi could try and salvage the situation, the heiress managed to squeak out a few words. "…S-Sure, of course, why the hell not?" she said so cheerfully that even Dove was surprised. That had been the cheeriest curse anyone had ever flung her way. It was actually impressive. "Yeah, you're my brother's date, because why-"

"Girlfriend, actually," Dove "corrected", and she would be lying if she didn't absolutely love the dozens of different expressions that shifted all over Erina's features. While not to the same regard, unbeknownst to the girls, Asahi himself sported quite the expression at those words, as that had not been part of the plan at all.

"Girl… friend," Erina corrected, taking a deep breath, before she tilted her head towards her brother, without even bothering to shift her stance. She almost looked like the girl from The Exorcist, as if she turned her head any more, she'd probably turn it right round. "Brother, Asahi, I… A word, please."

"Oh, yeah, sure," Asahi said, hands on his pockets, getting a bit closer to his sister, as she took a step back, less to gain some distance from him, and more to allow Dove a path inside.

"Please…" Erina forced herself to say, "Dove, make yourself at home. Your seat at the dining hall is already prepared."

"Oh? Sweet!" Dove replied, cheerfully as ever. She took a few steps inside, faking being impressed by the sight (which was more inwardly criticizing the décor) before she gave pause. "…Wait, where is the dining hall?"

"Forwards, left, second right, forwards, third left, up the stairs, forwards, second right, left, left, elevator down, forwards, and another right," Erina replied systematically, before she stepped outside, where Asahi stood, and closed the door, leaving the siblings alone outside, with the only things to be heard being the cool night breeze and Dove's muffled "what the fuck?!" at the instructions given to her. Erina, of course, ignored her. She had her glare on her brother, who was starting to realize he might have messed up in his reasoning here by, like, a mile. "Brother?"

"I know what you're going to say," he quickly defended, his hands already out defensively. "She's… unique, I know, but-"

"Dove?"

"Yeah, I know you two have a history and-"

"Dove?!"

"She's not as bad once you actually get to-"

"Dove!" she was now screaming, her face utterly red, in anger for once, and Asahi had to take a step back since he was half convinced his little sister was about to give him the smack of a lifetime.

"What?!" Dove could be heard crying out, still utterly lost as to where the hell she was supposed to go, but just hearing Erina scream her name. At this Erina felt a vein pop. She turned around, opened the door once more, and poked her head inside.

"Go to the dining area," Erina instructed, firmly.

"I would if I had any idea of half of what you said!" Dove shot back, utterly lost.

"If you're such a great chef," Erina fired back, the venom evident in her tone, "You can find a kitchen," she added and then she slammed the door shut once more, before she turned back to Asahi. A very conflicted about his wellbeing Asahi. "…Dove."

"Yes Erina," he finally tried. "I was with Dove," he lied, sort-of. They had gone out, just not today. And they weren't a couple, not really, but there was something there, despite his best attempts otherwise. "I… listen, I tried my best not to get close to her, to any of them really, but Dove is just… well…"

"Listen," Erina voiced, and Asahi outright flinched at the sharpness of her tone. "I understand, despite my… apprehensions with that girl, that she is a good looking individual. I get it, okay. But brother, seriously? You bring her here! If you wanted to get out of coming over, just telling me it was her who you were with would have granted you a free pass!"

"Oh, yeah, I guess," Asahi noted, sort-of realizing that now. 'Granted, I decided to invite her after I said yes to you, so it wasn't viable, but I could have lied. It would have been an easier lie at that…'

"That girl humiliated me in front of my parents," Erina voiced, and at this Asahi just looked on, taking a deep breath. He knew that, and, to be honest, he didn't much enjoy seeing that happen. "If you find her attractive, or whatever, fine, I can't, won't forbid that. That's not something I would do even if I had the right to it, which I don't, but…"

"It's not just cause she's hot, you know?" Asahi corrected, and it was here he no longer knew what part of his words were lies and what parts weren't. "…I actually like her. Her personality, her talent, all of it. She's annoying, believe me, I know, but… there's so much more to her than that. I know you feel she's responsible for what happened back then, but Erina, she's what our father molded her into. It was him who made you two into enemies. Don't… don't blame her for all of that. She's been through a lot. So, please, give her a chance. I really, really like this girl," he said, and his eyes widened at his own words. Why the hell did they sound so damn genuine?

Unbeknownst to the siblings, Dove stood with her back to the main doors, her eyes downcast. She heard all of it, and she had no idea how to respond to any of it.

Erina, for her part, just stared, her big frown softening a bit, and despite her annoyance, she forced herself to just sigh.

"…Fine," Erina said, "So don't say I don't do things for you, brother," she added, and he nodded quickly. "Having said that," she continued, her eyes now on his rather intently. "More importantly, you took something from Soma, and using a method that neither of you are allowed to use."

"Ah, that," Asahi voiced, having forgotten about that little detail. "Yeah, I kinda got into a little spat with Soma. I know, my bad, really. He wanted to talk to you, and you were bathing, so I guess my instincts kicked in and I wanted him out, since you sounded so done with it and just wanted to be left alone."

"That wasn't for you to decide," she told him. "And that knife is his late mother's. I would much appreciate you return it to him."

Asahi stared for the briefest of moments. While not a part of his original plan, he quite liked having Tamako Yukihira's knife in his possession, as it made his collection almost complete. He just needed Jouichirou Yukihira's knife and he'd have the best pair. The true unbeatable combination.

How had he joked about it to Soma? Cross Knives was it?

"…Yeah, fine," he said, surprising himself. Because, he realized, in the end, his goal could be accomplished without such things, and if it made Erina happy, well, what the hell? He was going to break this girl's heart in about a week or so, so why not be a genuine good brother just this once. "I'll give it back. He's here, right?"

"Yes."

"Works fine for me," Asahi noted. "And, hey," he added, using his hand to cup her chin as if she were a little kid. It made her pout and frown in equal measure. He found it adorable. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have meddled."

"…hmm," she muttered, then threw herself into his arms. He hugged her just as tightly as she did him. And he noticed, that this was going to hurt like hell.

He had long decided what he was to do. He was going to claim the throne of the culinary world.

Over Jouichirou Saiba.

Over Azami Nakamura.

Over Dove Dillinger.

And even over the precious Erina Nakiri.

…But it didn't mean that, right now, how he wished he could just take it all back and just blindly believe that he could get accepted into this family and become a Nakiri. Such a fantasy was just that, fake, but how he wished. How he wished…

-0-

Dove managed to find her way into the kitchen after much effort and many questions to the staff. She left shortly after Asahi's description of their fake relationship, her thoughts mixed, and that feeling of uneasiness just grew when she reached the other members of this family and realized that her "date" was still outside, so if Erina didn't know she was coming, most likely no one else did either. Perfect.

"Why is Dove Dillinger in our kitchen?" Alice flatly asked, turning to face the black-haired girl as she entered the scene. "Smoking hot dress though. Looking good!"

"…Thank you," she forced herself to say. "Alice Nakiri, a… erm, pleasure to meet you, formally at least."

"Yeah, Uncle Azami kinda sucks at introducing people," Alice noted, as she bounced her way towards the conflicted Dove. For a much as she disliked Erina, Alice she had not really given much thought to. She was the "lesser" Nakiri, or at least as much was what she had been taught about. Her goal was Erina, Alice was secondary. Azami had made it clear she was not to be hurt in any way, however, during those tiny glimpses of an actual family man who cared for his family that flashed ever so briefly. Regardless, she understood the assignment, and she did as she was told. "I don't suppose you lost your way and ended up in here," Alice noted, still all smiles. "So I'm going to guess that you're Asahi's mystery girl, eh?"

"Pretty much," Dove admitted.

"Dude aims high," Alice noted, "As a true Nakiri should!" she added, proudly, "So let me introduce you to everyone!" she said, as she turned around, and grabbing Dove by the arm, pulled her into the kitchen. "This is my father, Erina's uncle, and I suppose Asahi's uncle too," she presented, as Soe Nakiri gave Dove a soft bow.

"It is a pleasure to have you over Dove Dillinger," he warmly greeted. "Your reputation precedes you."

"I'm flattered, really," she replied. "Didn't expect such warm greeting from this academy's acting Headmaster."

"Dad's awesome," Alice noted with pride, before she turned around, "And that's my mom!"

"My, aren't you just the cutest thing," Leonora noted, surprising Dove by cupping her face so gently it reminded her of her own mother. It took everything in her not to tear up. "You really are like a porcelain doll brought to life. Why, I could sit you at the kitchen counter and you could pass of as a decoration."

"I-I… thanks," a genuinely bashful Dove replied, eyes to the side. This was not what she had expected.

"Hey!" Alice quickly cut in, pouting so hard her cheeks were puffed. "You've never described me like that!"

"Come now Alice," Leonora replied, her hand to her sides. Not even Dove could ever hope to deny just how absolutely stunning and beautiful the elder woman was. "Compliments are to be given to our guests. You know you and Erina are our ever-so adorable little princesses."

"Precisely!" Soe cut in, rather dramatically. "You both are precious as precious can be. But one must also appreciate just how cute the girl who wants to shut us down is, isn't that right Dove?"

"Ah… eh?"

"He's just messing with you," Alice noted, not even surprised. Soe just laughed.

"Of course!" he confirmed. "It's us adults that are having quite the… unproductive clash of egos over all of this. You kids just have fun. And no matter what happens, Tootsuki is proud to have housed such an amazing talent such as yours even if just ever-so briefly."

At this Dove felt her face begin to redden again. Too many praises, way too quickly. "Y-Yeah."

Then, to her surprise, two more guests walked right in, in as much as you could qualify them as guests. Soma Yukihira reacted first, for a moment surprised at seeing Dove there, but quickly putting two and two together. Ryou Kurokiba was confused, but he didn't much care. He still gave the Noir a nod, which she copied out of nothing if not common courtesy.

"And that's Ryou, my boyfriend," Alice introduced, sounding a little possessive Dove noted. "Our Academy's Ninth Seat, total badass at that, oh! And I'm the Eight Seat, remember that!"

"I know who you guys are," Dove just said, before she turned to the trio of her would-be opponents. "Alice Nakiri, Ryou Kurokiba, and of course, Soma Yukihira," she noted to the Seventh Seat. "You I've had the pleasure before. Granted, you practically started an entire movement against my Master that very same night, but ignoring that, it was nice chatting with you."

"Right back at ya," Soma replied, and Dove just stared. Was this guy supposed to resemble Asahi so much? Who was whose brother really? "And there's a lot I'd like to talk to you about, you know? Hey, why don't we have a match here and now?!"

"Soma!" Alice quickly interrupted, pulling him back.

"Yukihira," Kurokiba did as well, also pulling him back.

Soma just frowned. It wasn't fair. Asahi was a powerhouse, that much he knew, so he needed to face strong opponents to surpass the guy. And Dove Dillinger was as tough as they come. Heck, now that he thought about it, was Asahi the better chef of the two, or was it the other way around. Asahi had been the one his father had warned him about, but Dove was the Neo-Noir's official Team Leader, was she not?

To hell with it, he'd try and face off against all four of the Neo-Noirs, that way he'd have his bases covered.

Dove just stared, deciding to ignore him for the moment. He wasn't her target, Erina was. Although, given her latest performance, that probably no longer applied.

"Take your seat kids, food is on the way," Soe announced, and with this, the four all moved towards the dining table. It was smaller than what Dove had been expecting. Enough space to fit eight people, no more. She took a seat at where Alice signaled her to, with an empty chair next to her she hoped was meant for Asahi and not Erina, all the while the rest took their seats. Soma seemed a bit lost himself, as Kurokiba had to practically shove him towards where his seat was at.

Looking at those two, Dove failed to realize that Alice had been staring holes into her, which cause the girl, once she did notice, to turn to the younger Nakiri princess.

"…Yes?"

"You are very pretty."

"…Thank you…?"

"So…" Alice asked, a small grin in her face. "Have you and my cousin made out yet?"

Dove almost spat out a drink she didn't even have.

"What?!" she cried out, eyes wide open. "Listen, I get experimenting and I get different orientations perfectly fine, but, one, I'm straight, and two, even if I wanted to experiment, the last person I'd ever make out with would be with…" then Dove pause, her face reddening, as Alice's expression had shifted into the most confused one she had ever seen the younger Nakiri sport. Then it hit her. "…Oh, right, you mean Asahi."

"…Yes," Alice forced herself to say. But then Dove really did not appreciate the wide grin Alice gave off, just moments before she burst out into laughter. "I mean, I get it, but like you and Erina are the least likely couple, in like, ever. Like, Erina absolutely hates you with every fiber of her being, and wants nothing more than to have you thrown out of Tootsuki and to never… Huh…" Alice paused, before she slowly shifted her eyes towards an unaware Soma Yukihira.

"What?" the boy asked.

"…Actually," Alice noted, turning back to Dove. "It may not be that unlikely."

"No thanks," Dove replied, deciding to ignore that mental image as best she could.

"So… allow me to ask it properly this time," Alice tried again, still laughing a bit. "Have you and my cousin Asahi kissed yet, or…?"

"None of your business," the usually risqué God Slayer avoided answering with a light blush on her face. "You can ask him all of your questions, how about that?"

"You're no fun," Alice noted, although she was still softly laughing. "Then again, that earlier outburst was hilarious, so I'll let it slide… too bad Erina didn't hear it."

"Don't you dare tell her!" Dove threatened, red in the face, but all this did was cause Alice to smile at her like a villain about to murder the hero's mentor.

"Why are you with that prick Azami anyways?" Kurokiba asked, almost surprising Dove since he had been pretty quiet up till that point. Dove turned to him, and just sighed.

"That's… quite the complicated answer," she replied.

Soma stared, his eyes on the girl, but his mind on the boy back at the Polar Star Dorms. He had been very clear about his desire to protect his older sister, and had thrown that all out just to protect the resident little witch, but not without massive turmoil on his end. Just what did Azami have on this girl?

"It's okay, I know my uncle," Alice noted. "We don't want to make you uncomfortable. I know we're enemies and all that, and that you probably hate us all, but for tonight at least, let's try and be friend, okay?"

"You're wrong," Dove softly voiced, causing Alice, Kurokiba and Soma to eye her curiously. Dove sighed, and turned her eyes towards Alice. "I thought nothing of you at first. Just another pampered little princess, no cause for concern," she said, and Alice frowned at this. Was that all her uncle thought of her too? "But… I saw your match against Gautier. Quite the showing you had. And your words afterwards. I know it may sound like empty words coming from the person who will close this academy down, but you have my utmost respect Alice Nakiri."

"…Oh?" Alice said, barely able to reply properly.

"Quite sure that you'll close us down, eh?" Kurokiba noted, glaring at the God Slayer.

"It's a given," she replied. "But hold your heads up high. You forced Azami's hand, extremely. You didn't go down easily. Take some pride in that."

"We're not out just quite yet," Soma cheerfully added before Kurokiba could curse her out or something. "But, for what it's worth, we have the greatest admiration towards you too."

"Is that so?" Dove replied. She glared at the boy, since she knew he had said something, done something to force Loren into compliance. But the boy's text seemed to indicate he was fine, so what gives…?

Before she could try and pry anything from Soma, Erina and Asahi walked into the area, which quickly caused Alice to jump out of her seat and approach the siblings. "And here he is!" she exclaimed, as, much to his surprise, she jumped right into his arms. Asahi held onto her tightly, utterly surprised at all the sudden affection being aimed his way. "I haven't gotten much chance to get to know my older-older cousin, so I have a lot of catching up to do."

"Yeah," Asahi noted with a smile. "Glad to be able to join you guys," he said, as he gave the others a salute. Kurokiba replied against his wishes, because why not, while Soma just waved. "And you are looking very pretty tonight Alice, so lovely."

"Thank you," Alice said with the same amount a little girl would whenever she was praised. "And you are a total stud, I should say. What a lucky, lucky bar of soap this girl here is."

"Bar of soap?!" Dove cried out, glaring at the younger Nakiri. "My name's not based on that!"

"Well, well," Erina noted, stepping pass them all and onto her seat next to Soma. "Seems Alice's ability to get into anyone's nerves remains uncontested."

Dove just scoffed at the notion. Soon enough, the rest of them joined Erina at the table, and for what seemed like forever, this little table of eight was filled. It was a square table, unorthodox to a fault, but one that seated two people per side. So each couple wound up on one side of the table. Soma and Erina on one side, Kurokiba and Alice on another, Asahi and Dove on the next one, and Soe and Leonora on the last side. It was strange, but oddly nice.

Leonora served them all her specialty, and as Erina took a bite, she realized that she was able to eat it with minimal difficulty. That was her aunt for you. But, her possessiveness and protectiveness of her aunt kicked in immediately, as she outright glared in Dove's direction, fully prepared for any ill-comments from the elder girl and ready to shoot them down at once. She wasn't going to let anyone badmouth her aunt's cooking.

But Dove said nothing.

She took a bite, and after chewing a bit, swallowed and took another. She ate just as everyone else did, and Erina, despite her worries, decided that perhaps Dove could at least behave when absolutely forced to.

What she didn't know, however, was that despite the fact that Dove found over a dozen different faults to the dish served to her, she couldn't even voice them without almost tearing up.

It was the warmest meal she had had in three years, and it reminded her so much of her own mom's cooking that never in a hundred years would she dare insult such love placed on a plate, True Gourmet be damned…

-0-

As the family of eight ate to their hearts content, the conversation shifted all over the place, until of course, both Leonora and Alice redirected it to, what else, but Asahi and Dove. It was expected really, Erina noted inwardly, give how much the two loved to gossip about such stuff. But, for once, Erina was curious too. Even if the mystery girl in question had turned out to be Erina's absolute worst nightmare, what can a curious little sister do?

"So… do tell," Alice beamed. "How did this start?"

"Ah…" both Asahi and Dove voiced in unison, both turning to each other, both still a bit unprepared on who was to say what.

"So cute," Leonora noted with a smile. "They are even talking in unison, that's a clear sign of love right there."

"Indeed," Soe added, his arms against his chest, sitting firm and proud. "Who would have thought that two of the greatest midnight chefs would end up falling for each other? This is the stuff of romance novels!"

"More like the stuff of overhyped fanfictions," Dove muttered, as Asahi poked her on the sides, which caused her to jump a bit and bark a "What?!" in response.

"What Dove means is that it was a surprise to us as well," Asahi corrected, his eyes on the elder Nakiris. "It started as bickering between the two of us, a rivalry if nothing else. As Noirs, we had both heard of the other, so when I… invited myself into her team, it became a little game to prove which of us was indeed better. And the more time I spent with her, well, the more I enjoyed her company… and stuff," he derailed for a moment, catching his thoughts, as everything he was saying was honestly just the truth and he was sure his initial intention had been to lie his ass off, not confess his would-be false feeling for the God Slayer.

"That's so cool!" Alice said excitedly, tugging at Kurokiba who just nodded, because, sure, why not?

"So you two are officially dating?" Erina asked, taking a sip of her drink, her eyes on Dove, trying her best not to glare at the girl.

"Yeah, pretty much," Dove replied, smirking, and sensing that Erina's displeasure was evident still. "It's like Asahi said, we started butting heads, then well, we switched it around to doing other, more pleasurable stuff. As most couples do."

"~Oh," both Leonora and Alice voiced, as Asahi had to restrain himself for a moment.

"Is that so…?" Erina asked, her eyes now on her brother.

"Not like that," he explained, his hand raised yet again. "Just simple, teenage, couple stuff. Nothing bad I assure you. We are both professionals after all."

"But why do we have to pretend otherwise?" Dove asked, and Asahi wanted to both laugh and cry. She was doing it on purpose. Her tone said it all. Dove licked her lips, her eyes on the very frustrated Erina. "I mean, you've had a boyfriend for longer than I have. You must know of what I mean when I say all the fun stuff we've done."

"That's not-" Erina quickly complained, or tried to at least.

"You've guys have done that much?" Soma cut in, in the most casual tone imaginable, and it caused the other seven in that table to utterly freeze in place. Erina was on the verge of fainting, and even Dove was looking at him with the widest of eyes. Asahi had to bite back the glare he wanted to aim at Yukihira, who just smiled at the new couple.

"Your one of those who looks so innocent but deep down you're quite the troublemaker, huh?" Dove noted, almost sounding impressed, and to her surprise, Soma just shrugged.

"I mean, I got kicked out of this school for drug use, had Erina stay over at my place, crashed a tournament that wasn't mine to begin with, and forced Tootsuki to rewrite its rulebook to get me readmitted," Soma stated, and he sounded very proud of all of it, as Erina stammered in place since he did not elaborate on the portion of her staying over at Yukihira's and she feels he really should. Asahi's eyes were wide as plates, almost fuming, and despite his attitude, Soma knew. "Always been called a rebel," Soma added, "So I guess your description fits."

"How bold," Dove noted, eyes narrowed.

"Can we change the subject?!" both Erina and Asahi cried out in unison, both red in the face but for different reasons, as Alice just laughed.

"Come now, it's getting to the good part," she defended, "Besides, it's not that bad. Soma here has gone out of his way to make sure Erina is as happy as happy can be, and believe me, Erina is… hard to please."

"I am not-Soma don't laugh!" Erina tried, first at Alice, then at Soma, who couldn't hold in the little laughter at just how big an understatement that had been. "But… Dove," Erina voiced, her eyes once more on the girl that scared her so, but she needed to be a good sister, so she persevered, "Do you like, like-like by brother?"

"Like-like? What are we, five?" Dove mocked, before Asahi poked her on the sides again, causing her to flinch and squirm. Damn it, she was ticklish. "S-Stop that!" she cried out, her flustered expression aimed at her "boyfriend", before she turned back to Erina. She had every intention of hammering the point even further, but as Erina stared back at her, Dove saw that the younger girl wasn't trying to pick a fight with her. Rather, there was some genuine concern in there, and for all that she wanted nothing more than seeing Erina eating dirt, she couldn't say she didn't understand what it is to worry about the well-being of a sibling. "…I didn't at first, okay?"

"Huh?" both Erina and Asahi voiced, once more in unison, this time both equally surprised by her change in tone.

Soma just looked on, wondering how he hadn't noticed it before. That little act of mockery, all to hide a soft side buried deep within, and it just screamed Loren to him. Kid was clearly Dove's little brother. Two peas in a pod.

Kurokiba stared, not really interested in the topic much, but if this was important to Lady Erina, then he'd pay attention. These were the biggest obstacle to their school as it was, and alongside Julius and Ashitaro, these two were outright believed to be the biggest talents in the culinary world of their entire generation. Possibly even greater than the likes of Eishi or Rindou themselves. So he paid attention, because he could see the potential clashes that were sure to go down.

Alice, on the other hand, was almost frothing at the mouth at the details to be given. Dove's tone had sounded so different now, and she was here for it.

Leonora and Soe just let the kids talk, despite the latter's concerns that the topic was too mature for such little "children", but Leonora forced him to let them be at peace. They had enough on their plate as was. Let teens be teens, she wordlessly told him, as they both got up and proceeded to pick up the dirty dishes and left the young chefs to their conversation.

Dove was utterly against saying any of this. She had been trained to keep her feelings close to her chest, never to expose them under any circumstance. Such poor decisions had led to the downfall of many great chefs, such as Azami's former idol Jouichirou Saiba. But…

"Then Asahi saved me from a very bad situation I found myself in," Dove admitted, and Asahi didn't know how to react. She was speaking about that? Erina just stared, eyes wide. What had even…? "He stepped in when I was sure no one would. Took me out, on what I guess would qualify as our first date, and, well, it just clicked. For just that night, I felt free from all the pressure I've had on my shoulders for the last three years. It's hard for a girl not to fall for the boy that steps up when no one else even dares to."

Silence followed, and slowly Dove caught on that she had probably shared a whole lot more than she should have. Granted, she purposely didn't mention that it involved Azami, but still…

"…I can sort-of relate," Erina just replied, eyes to the side, almost on Soma. Almost.

-0-

The so-called "go in, say hi, and get out" plan ended up in total failure, as they stayed for the entire duration of the dinner and the dessert that followed. It was very late in the night when Asahi called for the limousine to take Dove and himself back to the resort.

"You are free to stay over if you want," Erina offered, her eyes on her brother, before quickly adding, "Not her though."

"Oh grow up," Dove shot back, sticking her tongue out at the heiress.

"Now Erina, don't be mean," Asahi quickly said, petting his little sister on the top of her head. It made her giggle. "I'll crash sometime, promise, but I have to make sure this little lady gets to her room safely."

"Lady?" Erina asked, her mocking tone evident.

Dove glared at her, but decided to stop being childish herself and ignore the schoolyard insults for the moment. She did however turn to the other person present there, the equally "I really should get myself home" Soma Yukihira. She had been holding it in all night long, so when Erina and Asahi began to say their good nights and hug it out like the stupid sibling duo they were, she took her shot. "…Say, Soma?"

"Yeah?" the boy in question asked, turning to her. She frowned. Why did this guy seem so damn relax all of the time.

"…I, listen…" she tried, but damn it, she didn't know how to confirm her suspicions without possibly confirming his. She needed to be as discreet as possible. Or so she thought…

"Relax, okay, Loren's fine."

At this Dove just froze. Her expression was one of utter surprise, and for a moment she didn't know how to even respond. 'He knows?' she asked herself, utterly flabbergasted, 'Wait, he knows!? How long has he known?!'

"I can tell you're worried about the kid," Soma seemed to read her mind, somewhat, and just carried on; his hands on his pockets, his eyes to the side, more or less to the direction where the Polar Star Dorm was at. "But he's strong. Quite the fighter. Quite the class act at that. And I don't know what Azami has on him, or on you for that matter, but if I can help, I will," he told her, and it was the last thing she ever expected to hear from the boy that Azami described as utter trash when he was at his nicest. "In fact, Loren might just surprise you. Kid's got talent, more than just for wrecking stuff, although, trust me, he's got that covered pretty damn well too."

Dove tried. Tried to make her jumbled thoughts into coherent words. But each attempt failed, and as such, she was left with naught but a, "…Why?"

"Why not?" Soma simply responded. "He's a good kid. I'll let him fill you in on the details, but just know that he's safe. And he can stay at the dorm for as long as he wants, and you are free to visit him any time you want. I'm sure Loren misses his older sis."

"…You are aware of what it is I am going to do, right?"

"I am aware of what you'll try to do."

"There's a thin line between kindness and stupidity, you know?"

"Trust me, I'm an expert on both."

"…You will-" she warned, but he cut her off.

"-regret this?" he concluded her warning for her, with the smile still plastered all over his face, and she didn't much like it at all. "Yeah, I've been told. And, maybe you're right, but maybe you're not. We'll see."

As Dove looked on, unsure of what to follow with, since it made her blood boil how easily he seemed to read her mind all the sudden, yet at the same time, it irked her further that he seemed to be genuine in his attentions. If this guy had actually been looking out for Loren's wellbeing all this time, despite knowing of Loren's actual intentions, then damn it, how was she supposed to hate the guy?!

"Hey, Soma," Asahi voiced, stepping towards the two alongside Erina. Soma turned to the other Noir, and his eyes widened when he saw his familiar knife being handed back to him, handle first of course. "Sorry about all this," Asahi told him, and he sounded sincere. "I know how important this is to you."

"Yeah, you have no idea," Soma noted, smiling at the sight of it.

Asahi smiled back.

Dove just looked on, wondering what this even was.

Erina was content. This would fix things. Make it so… Wait, why was her gut-feeling kicking in all the sudden?

"Don't want it though."

Asahi blinked, twice. Dove was even more confused. Erina was screaming internally. Of course that would be his reaction?! Why had she overlooked that?! This was Takumi and the Mezzaluna all over again!

"Soma!" she cried out, waving her hands around and stepping up to him. "Just take the knife! That wasn't an official match! And this is your mom's, you don't have to be so prideful!"

"Oh, I know," Soma noted, but his tone made it clear to her where this was going. "But, he still won it fair and square," Soma added, as he turned back to Asahi. "So just do as I said, take care of her, and once I beat you, I'll just win it back."

Asahi couldn't help but let out a laugh, before he caught himself and tried to dial it back into a cough to keep up his appearance in front of Erina. "…Soma, really, you're something else," he noted. "But, seriously. No shame in this. We were both in the wrong. Our match is unofficial, and so are the results, just-"

"You won," Soma cut him off, his eyes firmly on the Noir. "But I will beat you, Asahi," Soma warned, which only caused the Noir to smile at the notion. Did this guy not at all comprehend the sheer gap in ability between them? But, to everyone's surprise, Soma took out another knife. Erina was quick to recognize it was the one she had given him. To her, just one of many she had, but to him… "This knife was the one I used during our last match. When I went against Luka, or rather, I should say," he added with a little laugh, turning to Dove for a moment, "Against Loren, if we're being honest."

Dove, once more, didn't know how to respond. Against Loren? Loren wasn't a chef. That had not been a match between the two of them.

Asahi, for his part, was finding it harder to keep his act up, as his eyes had sharpened. This wasn't making him look good in his sister's eyes, and he did not much appreciate that. "Soma…" he warned.

"Asahi," Soma shot back. "Erina gave me this knife. And I rather like it. So, I'll use this one, and beat you to get that one back," he told the Noir, and like the declaration of war that it was, Asahi couldn't help but glare at him.

"You can't beat me Soma," Asahi said.

"Then you have nothing to worry about," Soma noted.

"You should take this seriously," Dove countered.

"Believe me, we are," Erina defended.

And with those words exchanged, the four chefs that would decide the very future of the culinary world, Erina Nakiri, Soma Yukihira, Asahi Saiba, and Dove Dillinger, parted ways, with a war declared and everything on the line.

-0-

The drive back was uneventful, Asahi knew he had probably let his true self slip out a bit too much at the very end of that little dinner, since for some reason, Soma was very quick to get a rise out of him. He supposed it had a lot to do with how much he reminded the Noir of his father, one Jouichirou Saiba, and the fact that Asahi knew that was one loose end he needed to correct before the big day came. Still, it could have been worse. He offered to give the knife back, Soma refused, so he still had it. The perfect tool to take Jouichirou out was still in his possession, and in Erina's eyes, he had taken the high road. That would have to be good enough for now.

That being said, as he walked Dove to her room, the girl was far quieter than ever. He knew she had not been all that thrilled at going there at all, and despite himself, the guilt he had felt, it still lingered.

"You don't have to walk me up to my room, you know?" Dove broke the silence, stopping by the elevator's door. "No one's watching us anymore. Our act is done," she told him, and then seemed to force herself to add, "And now we're even."

Asahi nodded. He knew it was best the end whatever this was there. Just tell Erina that it simply didn't work out. They were too competitive or whatever. He was sure Erina would not complain much if he told her he had broken things off with Dove. If anything, it would probably win him points with his sister. Heck, he could even fake it further and say Dove had badmouthed Erina too much, and that he, as the overprotective big brother he was, couldn't be with a girl like that.

Erina would buy it, and Dove wouldn't care.

"Yeah…" he simply stated.

The elevator's doors opened, and Dove took a few steps inside. She turned around, her eyes on him for what felt like the last time. It had been fun while it lasted she supposed.

He stared at her, eyes on this girl that had done nothing but annoy the daylights out of him ever since he first met her, but upon peeling each protective layer she had on herself, found out more and more that he deeply admired the girl that he found beneath it all. That beautiful girl whose talent had taken the very WGO by storm, and that he, for what felt the first time in his life, was not envious of, but rather, impressed at. It was surreal, but… it had to end. There was no future to be had between two opponents with opposing goals. His happiness meant her failure, and vice versa. He knew it, and she did too.

"It's been fun, Asahi," she said, in her real voice, the one he was sure he was one of the few people to ever hear it at all. And one, he was sure, once this elevator closed up, he'd never hear again. "Thank you, for what you did for me. Truly. And… may the best Noir win."

"Of course," he replied, his voice as sincere as can be, so much that he honestly did not recognize himself at all. "…May the best Noir win."

He smiled.

She smiled back.

The doors closed.

…only to be held open at the last second by his arm, which caused them to open right back, shocking Dove at the suddenness of it all. "Asahi?!"

He didn't even think.

He got into that elevator with her, and pressed her body down against the very walls itself, before he stole a kiss right against her lush lips. Dove's eyes went wide as wide could be, as she, on instinct took hold of his suit to try and push him away, until her brain caught on to the kiss, and instead, proceeded to hold onto him tightly and pull him towards her. He pushed her firmly, her back against the wall, her body against his, their lips crashing against each other as if they were each other's oasis in an endless desert. They kissed and kissed, lips locking and tongues teasing each other until they were both utterly out of breath, then they kissed some more.

Once they got some room to try and speak, to try and think, Dove, out of breath and her head still spinning managed to say, "A-Asahi, what are you even…?"

"I don't know anymore," he admitted, his hold on her still firm, but gentle too. How? How she wondered, did this boy know how she liked to be held? He just locked eyes with her, and spoke the only truth he knew, "Trying not to fall for you, all it does is make me fall harder… I can't Dove. I can't fake it… Not with you."

"Asahi," she said, almost begged. "This… This is dangerous."

"And you're worth it," he shot back, and kissed her again, and whatever argument she had was lost to the moment.

-0-

They had all gotten the call early. Too early.

Erina felt she had just managed to fall asleep after all the… unique scenarios that had presented themselves last night when she got woken up by a call from Nene. A call to action, if it were, so, she had to drag herself out of bed and get ready. She had to basically force Alice too, since she was even harder to wake up that Erina was. At least Kurokiba was there, and he basically carried the girl to the bathroom and Erina was not sure if he bathed her while he was at it. She was certain they weren't that close yet… almost certain.

Regardless, the three found themselves in the Elite's Meeting Room, alongside the other six students that currently made up the ill-named Elite Ten.

The nine students that had been fighting tooth and nail to defend this school all stared in disbelief at the sight before them, since just as Nene had warned them all, they were not alone.

Shouko Kaburagi and Etsuya Eizan sat before them, with Eizan taking Nene's seat for himself, while Shouko sat at the very table itself. Eizan's expression was unreadable. Shouko had the biggest grin on her face.

"What's the meaning of this?" Nene began, the ire in her voice quite clear. "After all the stunts you've pulled, you have the audacity to call up a meeting between us all? You are unfit to be an Elite Ten student, you are aware, Shouko?"

"~My, how utterly frightening of you First," Shouko playfully replied, her eyes on Nene, "And here I thought you'd be happy I came back at the exact moment you losers needed me to. I mean, next match is against Lestrade, and they have six Challengers. Rules state, you have to answer in kind. Maybe if you had less members still in the event, for ratings sake, they'd allow you guys to compete, but what are the odds, you have exactly six Elite Ten students still in this game, if you include me that is."

"We really don't," Kuga noted, his hands on his pockets. "In fact, Nene here wouldn't have lost if not for you."

"That's quite the accusation Third," Shouko noted, her eyes on him. "You have any proof of that? Or rather," she added, her eyes narrowing, "What's your excuse then? Was I responsible for your loss too?"

"You little bi-!" Nene quickly jumped in to defend Kuga, but was stopped when Isshiki placed his hand on her shoulder. At this, she caught herself. She knew how manipulative Shouko could be, or well, had an idea at least, so it would be better if they all kept calm. Kuga did not seem at all shaken by her words, at that, since he just let out a little laugh. "…Enough with this little back and forth, what do you want? Do note we didn't act out on this sooner because you pretty much disappeared…" she added, her eyes on Eizan ever so briefly, "But it seems my suspicions were correct. We found you. Now, relinquish that seat."

"You didn't find anything," Shouko corrected, bouncing up, and taking a stand. "I let you find me. Just like I'm letting you have a fighting chance. I'm still the Sixth Seat, and I will remain the Sixth unless you comply, First."

"Comply?" Nene asked, as the rest of the Elite… Nine looked on. Their expressions differed, with Isshiki and Akira staring solemnly at the scene, Erina and Kurokiba glaring daggers at the girl, Takumi and Kuga smirking at the duo in an effort to hide their fury at them, and Alice was pouting… menacingly!

Only Soma had his eyes elsewhere. Not on Shouko, but rather…

'So this is why you didn't compete for Seat, huh, Eizan,' Soma thought, remembering how it was his name he had not seen when the Elite Ten competition had taken place before this Intercontinental Shokugeki began.

"Yep!" Shouko cheerfully replied. "You have just two days to get your six students ready for your next round, otherwise, you'll be eliminated on the spot! And trust me, there's no last second eliminations to save you this time."

"…That was you, wasn't it Etsuya," Nene asked, her eyes turning to the silent watcher of this all.

"Consider it a courtesy," Eizan finally spoke up, his eyes on the First Seat, "As well as a showcase of what is going to happen at this next match if you don't take us up on our offer."

"Seems like someone's still bitter about a certain event," Isshiki noted, his smile ever present, and Eizan just glared.

"Don't patronize me Satoshi," Eizan shot back. "You idiots have been just barely surviving by the skin of your teeth. It's time some true talent got involved and showed those rival schools that Tootsuki doesn't bend over to anyone, despite that one time," Eizan added, his eyes now on Soma and Erina.

The two glared right back. This was bringing up way too many memories at once.

"So…" Shouko continued, her hands clasped together. "Here's what I can offer. Let's have an official match. You guys win, and I'll be a good girl and help you guys out or even relinquish my seat if you so prefer," she explained, and Nene just stared, her eyes narrowed. "But, if I win, we switch things around. Say… you take my seat, and I'll take yours… First."

At this everyone's eyes widened, and a rush of complaints quickly flooded the room from almost everybody.

"That's a load of bull!" Alice barked.

"She cannot expect us to actually take her up on that?" Kuga noted.

"Is she serious?" Takumi asked, now glaring at the girl.

"Sure, I'll take you on," Soma said, clenching his fists in preparation.

"This is beyond insulting to-Soma!" Erina cried out, turning towards her boyfriend who looked moments away from storming into the nearest kitchen, because of course he was.

"So what do you say, First?" Shouko asked, grinning. Nene felt her body run cold for a moment. Was this really the best course of action right now?

"You really have no choice in the matter I'm afraid," Eizan added, taking out a folder and throwing it at the table before the nine Elites. "You have every right to order an investigation into Shouko's conduct, and, frankly despite our best efforts, she'll probably get caught and punished for her actions," he explained, but then gave them the widest of grins, "Too bad such an investigation takes time, especially for an Elite Ten student. And with this event just around the corner, why, I'm certain that you will not be able to resolve the issue before it is all said and done. So your choices Nene, right now, are accept her offer or just let things play out and have Tootsuki shut down come this next Saturday."

Nene stared still, her eyes on Eizan, then at the documents that detailed what such an investigation would entail, proving his point, and lastly, on Shouko.

"…Fine, you're on," Nene decided with a heavy breath. "Let's get this over with."

"Oh, hold your horses there girl!" Shouko quickly cut in. "Whoever said I wanted to challenge you? I want your seat, but you are not a worthy enough opponent," Shouko told her, and at this all nine before her glared at her rather fiercely. Kuga most of all. "This is a match for an Elite Ten seat, granted we can't have our traditional restaurant mock-up match because, well, we are involved in something bigger, but that doesn't mean I have to settle. This will be a televised match, and I've already taken care of informing the WGO of it, so they'll be judging this match as if it were a round of the Intercontinental Shokugeki itself! An extra round in a way!"

"At least allow us to clarify our confusion," Isshiki voiced, extending his hand and signaling to Shouko. "You did mention wanting Nene's Seat, yet you do not want her as an opponent? Forgive me, but that in itself makes little sense."

"I understand your confusion Satoshi," Shouko replied, and Nene had to restrain herself from simply slapping the shit out of Shouko. Why wasn't she calling him "Second"? "You really don't wear jealously well First, ya know?" Shouko noted, her eyes on a flustered and irate Nene, before she turned back to Isshiki, "But, yeah, that's what I want. I want a true duel, a true challenge. First, despite being, well, first, got beat in her humorously ironic first round. So, what will my fans think if I just beat down on an opponent that has already long lost? If I am to become the true First Seat, and lead Tootsuki to a proper victory, then I need a true show of force, catch my drift?"

"I am hating this girl," Alice noted, arms crossed. Erina just nodded. This was very unexpected, and risky as all hell.

"Then how about you challenge me?" Soma offered, to the surprise of no one. He pointed at himself with his thumb, closed fist and all, eyes focused on the girl that had taken the seat he had aimed for initially. "I'm still very much in the competition, and last match I got the highest score. Would that be worthwhile enough for your fans or whatever?"

"It would Seventh, it would, but sadly, you are spoken for," Shouko replied, and Soma just gave a little pause.

"What does Erina have to do with that?" he asked, and Erina felt a blush coming.

"She doesn't mean it like that," Eizan cut in, his hands now on the table. "You, Yukihira, are my target. While Shouko has her match, you are to have one with me. I win, I get your seat. You win, and you get whatever you want from me."

"Against you?" Soma asked, a bit surprised. He clenched his fists, since he wasn't about to back down from a challenge, but Erina quickly cut in.

"Sorry, but that won't happen," she declared. "You already lost to Soma, and lost your Seat. If you want it back, challenge him once this is all over, if you're still allowed in these grounds that is."

"Oh, I fear he has to take him up on that challenge," Shouko corrected, causing Erina to turn her glare towards their would-be Sixth Seat. "You see Fourth, Etsuya and I, well, we are business partners. So if I am to accept this little risk, Seventh must accept his. It is the only way I'll put my seat on the line, otherwise, no deal."

At this, the group all complained in different ways, all angered at this hostile takeover, but Nene just remained with her glare fixated on Shouko. Had this really come down to this? Sighing, she just said, "Fine then. So, if I were to guess, then…"

"…You wish to challenge me?" Isshiki concluded, his eyes on Shouko. Her smile said it all.

"Of course my dear Satoshi," Shouko replied with a smirk and a wink, "Soon enough I'll show you what it is like to have an actual dependable First Seat for once."

-0-

The Chandra's Room.

After an hour or so to get things prepared, the Elite Ten Minus One found themselves in the special Shokugeki arena reserved specifically for clashes between Elite Ten students. Outside the stadium that was currently hosting the Intercontinental Shokugeki or the one that annually hosted the Autumn Elections, this was the most proper and best equipped kitchen set-up in all of Tootsuki.

And, to no one's surprise, Shouko had been thorough. She had indeed notified the WGO, and as such, the five judges found themselves entering the chamber, all to be quickly greeted by a very happy-go-lucky Shouko playing up the part.

Upon hearing that Isshiki was to have such an important match, news spread quickly, or rather, Soma texted Megumi and somehow that spread, enough so that the entire Polar Star Dorm students found themselves there as well. The Chandra's Room did not have much in the space for audiences, but it was spacious enough to house a few students here and there.

All of them had crowded towards Isshiki, cheering him on one minute, the chewing him out for taking such a risk against such a distrustful opponent the next.

"She could do something to your tools again!" Yuuki cried out.

"You can't trust her to play fair!" Ryoko added.

"There has to be some loophole you guys can use to speed up the investigation. Don't you have any proof of what she did?!" Marui desperately tried.

"…No other option, huh?" Shun noted, his eyes, covered by his trademark bangs, staring at the happy Shouko currently chatting away with the judges. All five of them had arrived: Anne, Charme, Histoire, Courage, and Decora. How much influence did that girl have?

"She got us good," Isshiki replied, smiling much to the annoyance of his juniors. But then again, he wasn't the only one in trouble right now.

Soma stared at Eizan, who was sitting down to the side, away from the attention, and for once, the elder boy wasn't making threats or showing off. It was strange, Soma noted, but he couldn't quite understand what about this whole thing felt… off?

"Doing something stupid again, huh?"

At this Soma laughed. Then he turned around. "Don't tell me you're actually worried about me now, eh Loren?"

"As if," Loren merely shot back, eyes narrowed, his eyes on Soma before they shifted towards his would-be opponent. "That's the guy you faced off against when you were on the television, right?"

"Yep," Soma noted. "Equal parts gifted and treacherous. Still somehow manages to surprise me to the depth he'll go to get revenge," Soma added, before he began to pat Loren on the head, much to the younger boy's annoyance. "Guess he kinda reminds me of you a little. Don't worry, you're cuter though."

"Lay off!" Loren cried out, smacking his hand away.

"I say they're both about equally ugly," Nao chimed in, causing Loren to turn to her with a glare, as Soma just laughed a bit more. "What?" Nao asked, tilting her head as if to edge Loren on, adorably playfully at that. "Problem?"

"Nobody asked you," he shot back, pouting. "Go back to your well."

"Seriously?" Nao argued, frowning. "Are all your insults always going to be about-?"

"Sorry to interrupt your flirting you two," Soma cut in, to which the two quickly flushed a shade of red and both, in unison, turned to him to deny such claims, rather loudly at that. Ignoring how that display only seemed to prove his point, Soma continued, "But, just wanted to say, I spoke with Dove last night. You should go give your sis a visit, she's worried about you."

"You spoke to Dove?" Loren voiced, all pretenses gone from his tone. What was left was what was genuine. "What? Why? How?!"

"Long story," Soma replied. "If we're not utterly screwed over once this is done, I'll fill you in. But… just think about it, okay? Take Nao with you, introduce her even."

"I don't want to freak Dove out!"

"Oh screw you!"

Erina stared at the bickering little duo and at Soma, who was looking at the two just as amused, even if she could tell he was just as nervous as she was at all this. Soma had defeated Eizan before, that much was true, but taking him on again, out of the blue, without the chance to prepare, was still a high risk for the boy. Etsuya Eizan, for all his faults, was not an opponent to take lightly. Much less when he was out for blood. Rindou had often said she really believed he should have been seated much higher than he was back before this all had begun, and a part of Erina dreaded that.

And then there was Shouko.

She knew Isshiki. She had grown to trust Isshiki, like a lot. But, Shouko was an enigma in this school. Not a single Shokugeki loss, yet she never before had tried to take on an Elite Ten student. Always following Eizan from the shadows. So now, fully baring her fangs at the school itself, under the pretenses of saving it, could they really stop her?

"This is so unreal."

Erina paused, blinking for a moment, until she turned to see the other girl who had walked right next to her without her noticing. She had a gift of blending into her surroundings rather easily after all. "Megumi."

"You look worried Erina," Megumi noted, and the concern on her voice was evident. Heck, when was this sweet girl not worried about someone, Erina pondered? "I'm sure Soma will be fine. He's good at thinking up solutions on the spot," she added, "And Isshiki too. He's amongst our very best students, after all. He won't fall to someone like her."

"My… never quite heard you actually refer to someone with so much venom before," Erina noted with a little smile. "Not unearned I'll admit. But it must take a lot to get you that mad."

"I'm not a saint," Megumi explained. "And I've seen you all struggle. I've seen all of you fight so hard, and you, you've been hit again and again by things so out of your control, yet here you all are, desperately trying to keep this place open, to keep us all safe, and yet… There she is, having a seat, being able to help, and yet, she just hurts you all further. I'm sorry, but I cannot stand her. How I wish I could-I mean, anyone else would be on that seat. Someone you all could trust."

Erina stared, her expression one of understanding, far more than Megumi herself probably thought.

"I cannot argue with that sentiment."

Both Erina and Megumi flinched, having not noticed Isshiki appear before the two, as he spoke up, and gave them both a reassuring smile.

"Isshiki!" Megumi voiced, startled.

"…Are you ready?" Erina asked, worried.

"You know, I don't think I am," he replied in earnest, before he turned to Megumi. "You'd give anything to be able to take her on, wouldn't you?"

"Yes," Megumi replied without a hint of doubt. It genuinely impressed Erina. "But I trust you. You have this."

"Maybe, but…" Isshiki noted, with the wheels in his head almost visibly turning. "I think, for once, I trust you even more."

"Huh?" Megumi blurted out, confused, as Isshiki moved on, and walked right up to Shouko and the judges. They all paused, as Shouko had been busy chatting away about something or the other, when they saw Isshiki before them. "Pardon me, I have a small adjustment I wish to have approved."

"A little late for second guessing, don't you think?" Shouko noted, the smile ever present. As they spoke, the room got quiet, as everyone's attention fell onto the declaration being made, or altered, or whatever.

"It's not that," Isshiki replied. "I was just thinking, that merely getting you to comply with us or even removed from your seat won't really fix the problem we have," he explained. Shouko tilted her head. "You see, while I know you have full faith in your victory, but, and humor me on this, if we do win against you and Etsuya, our choices are either we have you at your word that you'll help us out, which we are understandably wary of, or just an empty seat which will end in our expulsion regardless."

"Guess you have no choice but to trust me then," Shouko noted with glee. She knew that already. It was all stacked in her favor anyways, far more that any of them even knew. One sly look at Decora all but confirmed it. "I swear on my honor as a Tootsuki student, in the unlikely event I do lose, that I will assist you to the best of my capabilities."

"I very much appreciate that," Isshiki commented, "But I much rather have someone I trust on that seat," he explained, and Shouko frowned at this. What was he getting at? "So allow me to suggest my alteration. Instead of me, please allow the chef to face-off in this Shokugeki against Shouko Kaburagi to be Megumi Tadokoro."

The silence of the arena seemed to deepen, somehow, as everyone's attention shifted from the Second Seat and towards Megumi, who seemed to take a few seconds to register Isshiki's words.

"…eh?" she muttered, eyes blank, head to the side.

The silence remained, until it was slowly replaced by the growing belly laughter from Shouko, who looked to be in the verge of tears. "Oh, that's rich! You almost had me going there Satoshi," she said through laughter, but when the boy did not falter, Shouko's eyes widened a bit. "…Wait, no way. You're actually serious? You'd wager the First Seat of the Elite Ten, on… her?"

"I'd wager my very life on her."

The entire arena began to gossip a bit, all around that powerful declaration, as Shouko's smile shifted into a frown, which slowly shifted itself into a full on glare. "This isn't funny," she threatened. "I told you I wanted to challenge you because you are the only one who is even close to my level. Beating this… No Seat won't garner me any praise. So no, no deal. If you are having cold feet now, then man up and bear-"

"Why?" Isshiki asked, "Are you that afraid of having a Shokugeki against an opponent you haven't studied up on?"

Shouko felt a vein pop. Her glare could almost pierce right through him. The judges looked on, since they were informed, and whatever the students decided, so long as it was fair, they'd agree to it. Anne specifically, eyes on little Megumi, and despite Shouko's words, they didn't seem to register all that heavily on the petite chef.

Soma looked on, his eyes on Shouko, almost ready to jump in and push for Megumi's inclusion somehow.

Erina's eyes were on Megumi, and once more, she couldn't help but be impressed by what she saw.

Eizan's eyes were also on Megumi, and it was poetic, he noted, that it would all fall on her. She had been the one to flick the first domino that led to his downfall after all…

Shouko's glare only intensified, but when she realized Isshiki was dead serious, she said, "Fine, have it your way," Shouko declared, before she pointed at Megumi, "But, since she's not a seated member, once she loses, she's expelled, got it?"

"That's fine with me."

Shouko felt her blood boil. It hadn't been Isshiki who had replied. It had been Megumi. The petite, dead last, failure of a student boldly took a few steps forwards and reached where Shouko, Isshiki and the judges were at, her expression being a hint of slight worry completely eclipsed by the most intense focus ever sported on said girl.

"I… I…" Megumi began, her hand clenching the top button of her jacket, as she stared Shouko down. But, taking a deep breath, she forced herself to stand her ground. "You've done nothing but hurt my friends. So it's fine. I'll fully risk my expulsion if it grants me even a fraction of power to help them save Tootsuki Academy."

As Anne begun to write down the necessary corrections for the Shokugeki to follow, the cheers from the Polar Star students began to eclipse everything. But, from what everyone could see, neither girl could even hear them. For that very moment, they were focused on each other and nothing else.

"Guess that means our very livelihood is in her hands now, huh?" Kuga noted, smiling at the sight. His juniors were indeed quite the bold set of students.

"Isshiki trusts her," Nene noted, her eyes set firmly on Megumi. "…And I will place my trust in the girl he trusts so much."

"A wise decision," Akira cut in, stepping right next to his seniors. They both turned to him, a bit surprised by his sudden interest in conversation, until they both remembered the relationship the Fifth Seat had with the girl, which made Nene blush and made Kuga grin. He paid them no mind however. 'You've trained so hard for this,' Akira thought, his eyes on the girl he admired most of all, 'This is your moment, show them all…'

"Then it's decided, right?" Anne asked, as she and the other judges all turned to the two girls. "On the main stage we'll have the Sixth Seat Shouko Kaburagi facing off against Megumi Tadokoro. If the former wins, she'll get access to the First Seat, for some reason, and gets Megumi Tadokoro expelled; while if the latter wins, she gets the Sixth Seat and Nene Kinokuni remains in her First Seat. Correct?"

"Pretty much," Shouko replied.

"Yes," Megumi did as well.

"Noted," Anne said, before she turned to the other two combatants. "As for Soma Yukihira and Etsuya Eizan, you both, wow, déjà vu, I mean, you both will be facing off at the secondary kitchen. Your affair is strictly Tootsuki related, so we'll leave the judging of that to the academy itself."

"Huh?" Soma blurted out, surprised at how different each match was being played off. He turned to Eizan, but the elder boy seemed to have fully expected this, as he took it as his cue to stand up and get ready.

"Now then," Anne noted, since their hostess had not yet arrived. Had she even been informed, since it wasn't the usual one this time around. Not Urara, but another girl. Regardless, they could start prepping things and worry about that with the match proper. "Contestants… To your stations, please."

At this Megumi and Shouko both began to walk towards the main arena found within the Chandra's Room, itself a new sight to both girls, but Megumi looked a lot more awestruck that Shouko did. Shouko did, however, turn to Megumi one more time, and she felt, almost, just the tiniest amount of pity for the dumb girl.

"It's a shame, really," Shouko told her, and Megumi just looked on. "I'm not a bully. I honestly did not do all this to harm you. I did not want to be responsible for cutting short the career of someone who had at least some potential to be good."

"I see…" Megumi voiced, and Shouko could feel her tone shift into something she had never heard be directed at her before. "Then do not be concerned on my behalf. I will protect my friends, my school, and whatever it takes… I will defeat you."

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Next Time: The Potential of Megumi Tadokoro…