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))

27. What It Means To Be Tootsuki

Notes:

Thank You For Waiting! It's Your Favorite Hostess ~ Urara!

If you want to read Zancrowe's thoughts regarding this chapter and whatnot (like, why would you when you have me?) you can find those at the end of this Chapter. I wanted to let you all know that our climax is soon approaching, both to the Intercontinental Shokugeki and to the massive, lovely, Grand Ball of pure Romance for all those of you who love the juicy parts. I know I do!

And if you want "live" reporting from those two events, make sure to follow my totally real, not at all a marketing ploy for this story, Twitter account at kawashima_urara (the underscore is important, as is my name order XD) where I will be making posts regarding any rumors I hear, little tidbits of interviews I get out of our alumni and our challengers, and most important of all, who is inviting who to the dance!

…Oh, and the final matches and stuff too. I'll tweet about those too. You can also follow Zancrowe at, well, Zancrowe. (I am legally obligated to mention him, but make sure you follow me first, okay?!)

Poll (!): Hey you Romance-Lovers, remember to visit Zancrowe's Profile Page to cast your vote on your favorite Side Pairings! It doesn't show up on the Mobile Site, only on the Computer Browser version! Make your vote count, as the top eight (8) pairings are in quite the tight race right now!

Disclaimer: Zancrowe does not own Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma (why are we even called that?)

---

He had never much been a fan of hospitals in general.

They always felt cold, and not in the usual way. As someone who grew up in the snow-covered lands of his former hometown, the cold was an old friend in a way. But something about this type building in particular, never failed to give him chills. Still, he pretended otherwise, stood to the side to give the family the space they deserved and needed, only offering a nod or a gesture every now and then to make it clear he wasn't completely disinterested (this was his family too), but he knew just how much more important this was for them. For her.

Which is why, when he noticed she had left the room, he waited a few minutes before he excused himself and followed her. He found her where he expected, right outside the main entrance, her back rested to a nearby pillar, her eyes on the early afternoon skies.

He pondered saying something, but decided against it, simply taking a few steps until he was standing right next to her, his eyes also on the clouds up above. It was the right call, he noted the moment he felt her shift her stance and then rest her head on his shoulder. Wordlessly, they communicated so much, and he knew just how utterly terrified she was, and he couldn't quite deny he wasn't just a little afraid himself.

"…You think grandpa is going to make it out alright, no?" Alice asked.

"That old geezer is as tough as they come," Ryou replied in earnest. "They don't built them that way anymore. He's got this."

At this the girl beside him just laughed.

"You sound like an old man yourself, speaking like that."

"I've heard that expression get thrown around a lot," Ryou explained. "Felt it fits in this case," he added, before he finally turned to face her. Her face was a little puffy, but she was refusing to cry. "But it's not a lie. He's a monster of a man. And he's in good hands."

"Dr. Arato," Alice noted. "I am so going to have to stop calling her Hishoko. I'm going to owe her family so much after all this… Heck, I already do as is. Sure, we pay for their services, but there are things money can't buy, and family is… well, you know."

Ryou said nothing, simply nodding.

"Hisako has been there through thick and thin with Erina, ever since we were all little," Alice recalled. "I never quite realized, that all that teasing I gave her, despite my rivalry with my cousin, a part of me was so jealous at Hisako. Not cause Erina had such an amazing aide when I didn't…"

"Excuse you?"

"Before we met," Alice quickly corrected, giving him a knowing smirk. "But… It was also the fact that Erina now had an actual best friend, and it was genuine. Hisako didn't care for the money, the fame, the power behind our name. She cared for Erina, and I was so irked that I was just the cousin while the secretary became the sister. How utterly childish of me."

"…Your childishness is part of your charm."

"Ryou, dear, the correct response is to politely correct me that I'm wrong and I've matured so much in these last few years and I am no longer the same childish brat I used to be," Alice explained, to which Ryou nodded, but he didn't really voice it. At this Alice pouted. "…Well?!"

"I am not supposed to lie to you."

"Oh, for real?!" Alice quickly whined. "No, I mean it, for real, real. Have I matured even a teeny-tiny bit?"

"Yeah, you have."

"…That doesn't sound so reassuring," Alice noted, frowning. It was now Ryou's turn to let out a little laugh.

"You declared to the entire world your love and support for Lady Erina without an ounce of hesitation," Ryou expressed, and Alice blushed a bit at the reminder. "The proud, devilishly smug little princess I met that kidnapped me all those years ago would have never voiced such thoughts. You've grown, you've matured. You even defended the Academy so fiercely. What your gramps said in there wasn't a lie. Tootsuki still stands thanks so much in part to everything you have done."

"We," Alice corrected, "Grandpa said all that we have done."

Ryou nodded once more, and Alice looked on, her head still rested on his broad shoulders. To think that once upon a time they were the same height. Who would have think he'd tower over her like now?

"…Ryou?"

"Yeah?"

"…You don't regret taking me up on that challenge when we were kids, right?" Alice asked, softly turning to face him. His expression gave nothing away, as he merely frowned a bit at the question, as if confused at the suddenness of it all, and rightfully so she surmised. "Such a life changing decision, taken so young. I know I said I wanted an aide, when really I was just too prideful to admit I just wanted a friend, but I didn't quite think things through. It's not like I expect you to continue being my aide for the rest of my career. I know you have your own goals. Your own dreams."

"Am I being fired?"

"What? No! You know what I mean!" Alice quickly barked, now frowning. "I am being sincere! I know how much potential you have to make it so big in the world, and not just serving the Nakiri family, especially considering how rotten to the core half of this family became…"

"I have the most beautiful, kind, exceptionally talented, and just plain fun personified girlfriend a man could ever ask for," Ryou voiced, and Alice felt her entire body flinch at once. Where had that sudden barrage of compliments come from? The blushing girl just stared forwards, eyes wide, looking at nothing in particular, as Ryou continued, "And it is thanks to that very girl that I have such a great father-figure, such a kind mother-figure, and such an inspirational grandfather-figure. My life is so intertwined with yours that I don't think it is even possible to separate it at this point. But… it is by design. By choice… my choice. If I had wanted to, I would have left ages ago. But I love this life. I love you. And I will be with you until the very end of the journey, wherever it is that takes us."

"…W-Wow," Alice just stammered out. "You cannot just go a spring all that on a girl, you know? Have some delicacy for once, you sentimental brute."

"That's uncalled for."

Alice just laughed. "But, really, thank you. For being here. For being in my life. I love you too. So, so much," she added, then smirked. "I guess I should also thank you for being such a crappy chef when we were kids, so I could beat you as easily as I did."

"You are so fishing for an argument right now," he replied with naught but a laugh. She laughed too.

"Am I wrong?" she teased, before her tone softened, and she added, "But you are right. And I am just as lucky to have met that young boy running that creepy restaurant that day. I was looking for a friend, and I found so much more… And as always, you've always been right in most of our arguments, so I do believe you'll be right about grandpa getting out of this alright. He is strong. And there's so much more chapters of my life, of… our lives, that I want him to be a part of."

"…True."

"…Hey Ryou?"

"Hmm?"

"About that Grand Ball my uncle is hosting…" Alice began, turning back to the Ninth Seat. He eyed her curiously. "We're going to attend, no?"

"I had assumed as much," Ryou noted. But instead of leaving it at that and having Alice continue her train of thoughts as they usually did, Ryou instead extended his hand and placed it before the heiress. "If we do, would you do me the honors?"

"…ah…" Alice basically squeaked, fidgeting for a moment before she forced herself to place her hand on his, also a lot larger and stronger that before, when they used to interlock fingers as kids. "I-I mean, of course I'll go with you, you don't have to ask. N-Not like the entire world doesn't know we are, well, dating and stuff… Ever since your match against the annoying Akintola, you pretty much cemented the fact to the world that I am yours."

"You've been mine since we met," he corrected, and she felt her entire face turn crimson. Where was this all coming from? Before she felt anymore lightheaded, Ryou simply pulled her in, first into an embrace, then into a kiss so deep she had no choice but to surrender to his raw passion. It was too much for a girl to get taken off-guard in such a manner. But one thing she couldn't quite resist either. She couldn't resist him period.

So they kissed, not caring who would pass by and see such an intimate display, which was quite something given how, thanks to their height difference, Ryou had the tendency to grab her and give her a lift by way of her backside, which always made her blush by just how tight her gripped her assets. It was one way to cement who belonged to who she guessed, with what little thinking capability remained during those embraces.

Then they both felt their phones vibrate in unison, indicating a shared message, and this made them part. There were indeed onlookers, blushing ones at that, but neither party much cared. Alice was the first to take her phone out, already expecting it to be her mother teasing them, having concluded her little chat with Dr. Arato about the upcoming procedure on behalf of her father, but instead, it was someone else. Something else.

"It's Kinokuni," Ryou noted, his eyes on his own screen, frowning.

"Those assholes…" Alice noted, pouting at the message on display. "Come, we should probably tell mom about this. If daddy couldn't quite derail their plans, this could spell trouble for us, and especially for Erina. And that we cannot allow."

-0-

The Tootsuki Resort was currently buzzing with a mixture of ire at the results of the failed Régiment the Cuisine of behalf of the Challengers and excitement at the prospect of the upcoming Grand Ball on behalf of all the teens and young adults running around trying to muster up the courage to secure a date for the grand event and get that elusive yes from their respective crush.

Not that actual couples had it any easier, as they were currently rushing to get the proper clothing and accessories for an event they had clearly not packed for. They had all come over for the sole purpose of clashing against Tootsuki in the kitchen, not the dance floor, so they were a bit caught off-guard by the shift in priorities.

The few couples that were already together, such as Alex and Linda, Victor and Timonthy, or Benjamin and Emilia had all long decided on assisting together, but to the surprise of everyone except their own teammates, the latter lovebirds had actually brought along a matching set of clothes for just such an occasion. Why or how they even thought to bring it was beyond anyone honestly.

As for the yet-to-be couples, so far, a few teens had managed to get the words out and ask a significant other out. Such examples included:

Ekaterina of course asking Camille directly, which caused the latter girl to turn several shaded of red before she simply forced a nod as a response. She was too new to this, to all of this, and having her relationship with the Russian princess become "official" was almost too much for her to fully process.

Gautier, to his merit, got rejected by over half a dozen girls he asked out, but the man was nothing but willpower incarnate, and surprisingly respectful when it came to rejection at that. He accepted the "no", then moved on to ask another lovely lady out, rinse and repeat. It made Camille worry, since she knew he was a good guy deep down, and it would break her heart if he didn't manage to get a date for such a wondrous event, but on his seventh try, with all the enthusiasm and self-worth as it were his first attempt, he finally got a "yes". The young man himself had to do a double take, as he had not expected Spain's Christina Jusino (who didn't even get a chance to duel Tootsuki) to simply nod and agree, no questions asked.

Bridgette, on the opposite side of the Resort, had moved Heaven and Earth to make sure (or force, whichever word fit better) Yua into the twins' shared room (making sure her brother was fully dressed beforehand), and almost pushing them into each other (sometimes literally) to get either of the two to ask the other out. Her brother sucked at this, and it seemed Yua was not much better. And Bridgette was getting annoyed. A girl does not praise a boy's… erm, assets and then not call back, or whatever that had meant. When Van, red in the face, argued that if it was so easy then why didn't she have a date (a desperate ploy if Bridgette ever saw one) the younger twin just pouted, turned around, walked out, and within five minutes of awkward silence between the competitor and the hostess, the little sister came right back into the room with a very confused Keelan in tow.

"Why did you drag me in here?" Keelan asked, his arms filled with groceries he had been forced to go out to buy because Aisha kept using up all their stock to try and impress little Kanon and Hakeem was busy elsewhere.

"To prove a point," Bridgette replied in a very out-of-character serious tone. Both Van and Yua just stared, both still blushing at their failed attempts at even talking to each other, but also confused at what was Bridgette even doing at this point. But the little sister quickly called her brother's bluff. "Your name's Keelan, right?"

"…Yeah?"

"Wanna go to the dance with me?"

"Wait, what? You joking or something?" a very confused young man replied. "I don't think we have even talked before. You serious?"

"I am," Bridgette replied firmly, then turned to him and blinked in a way that made her eyelashes outright fluster in the wind and her eyes almost sparkle, somehow. "Will you be my date for the Grand Ball?"

"…S-Sure…" Keelan replied, utterly caught off-guard.

Bridgette then flashed him the brightest smile, before she turned back to the two idiots in her room. "See! Does this look so difficult?"

"You are insufferable!" Van shouted, utterly peeved, if not somewhat impressed, before he sighed in knowing defeat (sort-of), turning to Yua, and causing the shy girl to flinch at the sudden direct eye contact. "…damn it, fine, will you be my date to the dance… Yua?"

Yua's utter tomato-like appearance was only eclipsed by Bridgette's own thrilled scream of pure, unadulterated success. The Academy's second hostess just twiddled her thumbs for a moment, before she met Van's eyes for what seemed like the first time.

"A-Are you sure?" she asked nervously. "You don't have to force yourself on my account. I-I'd understand if this was a misunderstanding and –"

And as Yua tried to explain herself, and before Bridgette let out a hellish shriek of pure annoyance, Van quickly interrupted them both. "…I've had quite the crush on you since I first saw you, back when you hosted that sudden match between Megumi Tadokoro and Shouko Kaburagi. I… well… it was like love at first sight and all that, b-but if you don't want to then –"

"No!" Yua quickly cried out, arms raised. She was blushing even harder now. "I-I mean, I want to. Like, a lot. So… yeah… please make me your date for the Grand Ball…"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah…"

They both smiled, blushed, and stared at the floor. Bridgette had outright stars in her eyes. Keelan felt nauseous. "…I'm out," he declared, turning right away, and walking right out of the room and whatever that stupidity had been. Bridgette, surprisingly followed him for a moment, which caused him to give pause. "And you… You really are spoiling that brother of yours, you know?"

"He deserves no less," Bridgette quickly replied with a little smile, causing Keelan to frown. She was too kind for her own good. "…I mean, the amount of times he a stuck up for me. Not many people understand when you tell them you're in the spectrum, you know? That I learn things in a different way. He helps guide me. Helps me focus. And he has done so since we were oh so very small."

At this Keelan said nothing, his hands on his pockets. Instead, he just looked to the side. "…Regardless, it was a very kind thing for you to do. Glad I could help you out and whatnot. Next time warn me at least, so I can actually deliver a better performance and help you properly, I mean, not that I think he'll mess this up, but ya know, just in case he ever –"

"But what part of that was a performance?" Bridgette asked, head tilted to the side in confusion. "I asked you out in earnest. You think I wasn't nervous you'd say no? I'm not immune either, I just wanted to prove to Van it is doable, and behold, you said yes, so it was worth it, but even if you said no, well, nothing ventured, nothing gained."

Now Keelan was honestly bemused. "…Listen, Bridgette, I don't think a guy like me suits a little princess like you," he said without thinking. Normally he wouldn't care. She was the right mix of cute and hot he wouldn't think twice over, but it felt… wrong to take advantage of such a kind girl.

"And?" she simply shot back. "I asked you. So unless you don't wanna be my date, then remember to pick me up before the dance starts!"

"…Now that is surprising," Keelan noted, then he just laughed. "Sure, that's fine. Just don't get surprised once people start talking about such a good girl like you going out on a date with such a troublesome individual."

"Oh please," Bridgette replied, and the sudden shift in her tone from childish to a type of playful he did not expect from her caught him by surprise. "Nice doesn't mean innocent," she warned, as she spun around on her little heels, now facing away from him, but her sharp stare still fixated on him. "And since my brother will be busy that night, I need to refocus my attention… elsewhere."

And Keelan had to pretend he didn't feel a small shiver the moment she slowly eyed him from top to bottom. Or the fact that she softly bit her lower lip as she did so.

As more and more pairs got together for the event to end all events, unbeknownst to all the Challengers and students currently playing matchmaker with their love lives and those of their friends, something a bit more serious was also taking part at the Resort, as walking towards the main offices, the current Fifth Seat of the Elite Ten gave pause before the main doors. He had repeated and reevaluated his theory over and over to make sure he didn't sound like a madman at best, or got in trouble for slander at worst. But this could no longer be ignored, he noted, and if his hunch was true, it could spell endless trouble for them. All their efforts, utterly in vain, and after so much sacrifice, that was something he could not allow.

"Okay, okay, just be calm alright, we have to play it cool and speak just what we need to and not panic," Jun spoke up, reaching the door and standing next to her son, and honestly, she looked about to faint due to all the stress. "Just go in, explain what you told me, and see how we can work something out. We'll manage. We always do. This will work. Don't worry, okay, I'll take the blame if need be, so don't worry about –"

"You sound far more worried than I do," Akira cut in, eyes narrowed. Jun just stammered in place, not really able to reject his observation, but before she could try and say anything, Akira just took a deep breath and opened the main doors, fully prepared to speak to the one man who Jun assured could help them with this problem.

And he was indeed there.

Akira felt his eye twitch at the sight.

Gin Doujima, quite the beast of a man, was currently shirtless, in his office no less, lifting a huge set of weights as if they were nothing, in what appeared to be a personalized gym he had gotten built right into the office itself. Or, knowing the man, a gym he himself built.

"Oh?" the muscle-bound man who seemed to sparkle in his own hard-earned sweat voiced as he noticed his visitors. "Jun and Akira, what can I do you for?"

"Ah-Apologies for the interruption," Akira noted, feeling a bit awkward at the sight. "Your secretary told us we could head right in. Didn't mean to disturb your… set."

"Oh, nothing to worry about, I was told about the Fifth Seat wanting a consultation," Gin replied, as he placed the weight down, and Akira could have sworn he felt the floor itself shift in the direction he had put them on. "And I am always available for Tootsuki students for whatever it is they need. But I did not expect to see Jun as well. It must be serious if you are accompanying your boy."

"It is, at least, we suspect it is," Jun voiced, taking a few steps into the office, with Akira following right behind before he closed the door behind them. This was a very well designed office, he noted, with adequate ventilation, as despite Gin having such an intense workout session, the place smelled perfectly of pine cones, somehow. "We need your help Gin, and what we're going to say cannot leave this room, and I mean it. It's that serious."

"Understood," Gin noted, taking hold of a nearby towel, and beginning to dry himself with it. His bath was going to have to wait it seemed. "What seems to be the problem then?"

"Akira," Jun signaled, turning towards the boy, before she set her sights back onto Gin. She also had to struggle at the sight that was before her, given that her boy was right there and it wasn't proper for her to enjoy said sights as much as she really wanted to. Stupid high school crushes never seemed to go away, she inwardly cursed.

"You see Mr. Doujima, I have… made a few observations that have been troubling me since this whole Intercontinental Shokugeki began," Akira, none the wiser to his mother's internal struggle, told him, trying to be as concise as possible. "It is in regards to the World Gourmet Organization, or rather, one of their main members. A judge at that," Akira added, then he turned his sharp eyes directly onto Gin's. "It's about Decora Sinnerfield, and it may relate to Azami Nakamura as well…"

-0-

As Dove watched Asahi play around with his dumb little sister over an altered set of chess pieces meant to signify each of them, she couldn't help but feel she was risking a whole lot by just being here. If Azami found out, it would spell trouble, and she could not, would not put her little girl at risk… But also what kind of person would she be if she didn't actually try to smooth things over with the young man that had had the perfect opportunity to conquer the culinary world and decided not to on her behalf? It was too much, and as she now sat, alongside her teammates on one side, and the God's Tongue's friends on the other, she really wished there was a version of this that ended with both her and Asahi accomplishing their goals without destroying one another. But, what sort of fairy tale was she even expecting at this point?

This was still the young man currently destroying his own little sister without any remorse whatsoever, and just like Dove before her, Erina did not seem to fully grasp just how easily Asahi could and would stab you in the literal back the moment the perfect chance appeared.

"Brother," said little sister voiced, before she pointed to behind Asahi. "I've been meaning to ask: What is that on display there?"

"Huh?" Asahi asked, confused, turning back towards where she pointed, and noticing only Don Calma's usual selection of expensive booze. "You are still too young to drink, not sure why you'd – hey!" Asahi quickly called out, realizing Erina had tricked him into looking elsewhere and had just shifted all the pieces on the board to her favor. "…Really?!"

She just laughed. "What?"

He gestured for a moment, before he fell back on to his seat, and then he just laughed as well. "You really think you're cute, don't ya?"

"I'm adorable, yes."

As the siblings currently engaged in all-out war laughed a bit with each other, the other six chefs present all looked on, with varying degrees of interest in the battles being waged. Soma, Megumi and Takumi were far more invested in the matches, currently displayed upon many screens, than any of the Neo-Noirs were.

Dove was playing around with her phone pretending not to be over analyzing Asahi's interactions with Erina.

Julius, for his part, was the only one half-paying attention every now and then to the matches but not really caring who won or lost.

Ashitaro, meanwhile, was carving something with a knife, which did make everyone there a bit wary.

Takumi for his part had his eyes glued to both Hisako's and Isami's screens, equal parts concerned for their safety as well as assured of their skill. It was quite the conflict of emotions.

Megumi had spent most of the time softly cheering for everyone, all the while also texting with her mother about what it was they were doing, altering a few details to make it sound not as dangerous as it really was. Less "we are currently engaged in possibly career-ending duels against culinary criminals" and more "we are having cook-offs with Erina's brother's… friends".

Soma, while concerned for his friends, almost all of them, he couldn't help but glance over to Erina every now and then, his discomfort at her closeness with Asahi evident despite everything. Something just didn't feel right in all of this…

Then their phones collectively vibrated.

Soma, Megumi and Takumi all took out theirs, as Erina turned to them, since her own phone had not. A message specifically for the three of them, she surmised, and her theory was proven correct the moment she saw the three's expression shift.

"They can't be serious?" Takumi voiced, frowning.

"Wait. What are we supposed to do here?" Megumi asked, worried.

"…Eishi really doesn't trust us, eh?" Soma noted, before he placed his phone away, his eyes on Erina. "It's Kinokuni."

"I see," Erina voiced, "Something urgent, I take it?"

"Looks like it," Soma noted, before he shut his phone's screen off. Neither Megumi nor Takumi said anything about the context of the message, and for good reason.

"Something wrong sis?" Asahi asked, still smirking, for once sure this wasn't his meddling. Erina just shook her head in response.

"Nothing for you to concern yourself over brother," Erina noted, before she turned back to the other three. "If you guys must go, then do so. I can ensure this competition remains fair until it ends, so don't stay here on my account."

"Yeah, but…" Soma voiced, already standing up, his hands on his pockets, as Megumi and Takumi stood next to him. The boy frowned, his eyes on each of the Neo-Noirs for the briefest of moments. It's one thing for him to charge in, guns blazing, against this place by himself, but leaving Erina alone here…

"Soma," Erina quickly voiced, reading his thoughts. "I know what you're thinking. I'll be fine. Enemies as we are, there's not a single doubt in my mind that my brother will never hurt me."

Asahi smiled at this, before he turned towards Soma and his stare. For once, the boy wasn't glaring or smirking, just awaiting a response. Any response. And as much as Asahi would love to get under his skin, he felt it appropriate to just say, "She's right, you know? But, for what it's worth, despite what may come to pass, I do have to admit, I do find this trait of yours admirable, Soma…"

"Is that right?"

"Yeah, no joke," Asahi offered, and he sounded earnest, for once, Soma thought, "No matter who wins or loses, I do admire your devotion to my little sister, and how you put her wellbeing above everything, even when it is insane of you to do so. You have my respect for that. You are dumb as a sack of bricks, but you're a real one."

"Man, you two really are related," Soma just noted with a scoff, "Those type of compliments really do take me back," Soma noted, and Erina pouted at the comparison, while Asahi just laughed. Soma still bent down and took hold of his bag, before pushing it over his shoulder, and walking up to where Erina and Asahi were seated. Before either sibling could speak, Soma merely cut right in and gave Erina a kiss on the lips, causing the girl to flinch, and causing the elder brother to frown. Quite the middle finger of a response, he'd note. "Keep me posted, okay?"

"Y-Yes," Erina stammer out, "Now go and solve whatever that is… Stop it with the teasing."

"Sure," Soma noted, nodding, before he pointed towards Asahi, "Keep her safe."

Asahi just flipped him a thumbs up with a smile.

Soon enough the trio left Con Calma, leaving Erina with her brother and the three other Neo-Noirs, which while worryingly, it wasn't the worst scenario. One, Gaston was parked right there, so if Asahi couldn't keep his Noirs in check, the former military man most certainly could. Two, and more importantly…

"You sure it's a good idea not to tell her?" Takumi asked, as the three walked towards the nearest bus station.

"There's a reason Nene didn't text her," Megumi noted, "If our former seniors intend on reaching Mr. Nakamura, then it would be best if Erina is not present."

"Yeah," Soma replied, his mind on the message Nene had sent them all save Erina. "Still, it is kinda surreal to read the name "Stuffed International" after all this time… I have to say, this is going to be quite the party we are planning to crash."

With the three on their way, and Erina suspicious of the true significance behind the texts but realizing she really couldn't be in two places at once anyways, the blonde heiress decided it best to focus on the matches currently getting close to their climaxes, in what would decide which faction would be eliminated first from the three-way war between Tootsuki Academy, the Neo-Noirs, or the Midnight Chefs (also known as the plain, old regular Noirs). With her father's Neo-Noir Academy currently all but untouchable, depending on who won today, the Midnight Chefs led by her brother, or Tootsuki Academy's alumni led by her, it would go a long way in deciding who'd the actual threat to Azami Nakamura's dynasty would end up being.

"Say… In less than thirty minutes we should be hearing about the first few winners," Asahi noted, signaling towards the many screens. "You still sure you made the right call by not sending in the Elite Ten for this?"

"You would do well to remember this," Erina affirmed, her sharp eyes on her elder brother, her tone betraying nothing but confidence in her words, "These people are not the kind of cooks you will be able to push around…"

-0-

Ken Dakekanba vs. Shigemichi Kumai

The massive, bear-like young man that towered over all of his former Tootsuki Third Years took to the judges, those five seemingly randomly selected nearby workers and passersby that were offered a free high grade meal in exchange for a fair judging. Granted, the Noirs had been the ones to gather these people, so Shigemichi was not all that convinced that there would be no foul play involved, but he wasn't counting on it either. Twice he had tried to get by through devious means, and twice he had failed, the last time costing him his place within Tootsuki. He then turned to his opponent, a pathetic-looking Second Year he had never even heard of, which led some credence to Asahi's assertions that Tootsuki Academy was on its deathbed.

As such, Shigemichi offered the five judges his Cantonese-Style Lobster w/ Ginger & Scallions.

It was quite a messy dish, but by design. Large chunks of lobster with the shell still intact, stir-fried with scallions, ginger, hot peppers and yellow chives mixed in a lightly seasoned sauce. The smell alone proved it was the best dish he had made in his career so far, and as he saw the judges squeal in delight at the taste, he let out a small satisfied grin. If only he had managed this before, then maybe could have…

Winner: Ken Dakekanba

Shigemichi felt his soul leave his body, his eyes on the score of five-to-nothing, with a very triumphant-looking Ken all smug over his victory. Before him and the judges was the younger man's dish, as per their theme, also a Lobster dish, in his case his trademark (citation needed) Dakekanba's Famous Giant Lobster Tail Delight.

"What the hell?! How did you win with such a simple looking dish?!" Shigemichi roared, as Ken just turned to him, smirk ever present. "All you did was smother them with a buttery garlic herb sauce and broiled it under high heat! That's just a basic culinary method for lobster, nothing that would merit such a score!"

"Shows what you know," Ken replied, his eyes firmly on his defeated opponent's. "My father works with the greatest of fishermen and seafood restaurants. Such a theme, to one such as I, is nothing short of a cakewalk. So take solace, friend, that you have been defeated by the future First Seat of –"

"…Is your father's company called Noboru's Culinary Enterprise?" Shigemichi softly inquired.

"– Tootsuki Aca – ah? Why yes, yes it is," Ken noted, then he felt a very strong chill.

"Why the hell are all five of the judges wearing that name on their damn uniforms then?!" Shigemichi screamed out, grabbing Ken by the throat, and choking him in place, as the Noirs that had been ordered by Asahi to serve as security to oversee these events had to step in to prevent the beast of a man from outright killing Ken, and more importantly, ruining the King of Noirs little game over someone so not worth the effort. "Let me go, I am not going to accept this!" Shigemichi roared, "That damn cheater! He picked this damn spot because his father owns this entire district! The votes are a lie! You cannot allow this! I will murder him!"

As Shigemichi was dragged away, literally kicking and screaming by at least five of the would-be security personnel, Ken, still on the floor and his face blue thanks to the lack of oxygen, just raised his fist into the air.

"T-Tit for tat," Ken managed to mutter, before he outright collapsed. "To protect my academic career, what's wrong with cheating a cheater out of a victory… h-huh?"

Then he passed out on the floor.

'…The young master really is a detestable person…' the five judges, really five employees of the boy's father, all thought in unison.

…

Asahi slowly turned his head from the screen showing the first match's conclusion and towards his little sister. His absolutely innocent little sister. And she avoided his stare like a champ. She kept her eyes on the screens. She would never, ever purposely match Ken What's-His-Face against an opponent in an area that she knew his father owned and that, thus, it was very likely most of the passersby would either be employees of the man or have a relation of some sort with him. No, of course not. She'd never.

-0-

Madoka Enomoto vs. Rui Kofuru

The judges felt utterly… bored to death during the match.

They had heard that Tootsuki students were the best in the world of up-and-coming talents, and from what they had seen on television, they always had this massive, grandiose battles that kept you at the edge of your seat all-throughout. And, the opponents were supposed to be those Noirs that everyone kept talking about, who took their theatrics to an even grander degree. All of it spelled a spectacle like no other. So why…?

Why were they stuck with this?!

The five judges, randomly selected like the rest, just stared at the two silent girls, who had not uttered a single word since the match begun, cook in silence, the theme being Potatoes, and the battle was as bland as the main ingredient. The most exciting thing that had happened so far was that Madoka had softly bumped into Rui for a moment, and the girl with the glasses gave the girl with the blonde bangs a nonverbal apology, which the elder girl nodded to, and… that was it.

By the time both girls served their dishes, a variant of the Melting Garlic Potatoes from Rui, and a form of All-White Vichyssoise from Madoka, the judges were about to fall asleep…

…Only to get slapped right awake by the intense clash of flavors they got once they ate from both dishes. True to its name, Rui's oven-roasted delight outright melted in their mouths, while Madoka's cold potage was so creamy it almost resembled soft-served ice cream. It was too much of a whiplash, to go from the most boring event to then get lambasted with such intense flavors. They all debated, arguing between themselves and each other, until they got their votes out.

And in a three-to-two vote, a victor was selected.

Winner: Madoka Enomoto

It was here they all turned, looking forwards to the most exciting part of all these clashes, the sheer proud cheer of a well-earned victory from the Tootsuki student, down to the over-exaggerated defeat from the would-be Noir. Finally, they'd get the true reactions they had been aching for after two, massively long hours of nothing!

…

Madoka merely shook Rui's hand, both girls nodded, and they walked away…

…

The judges just stared at the now empty makeshift kitchen…

"Why did we stuck with actual professionalism and realism?!" they all screamed in sheer frustrations, their fantasies of crying participants, fist fights breaking out, nail-biting final gambits, and personalities so grand that their clash of egos would implode the very kitchen where they stood utterly unfulfilled…

-0-

Miyoko Houjou vs. Mea Yanai

"H-Hey! Hold up a moment!" Mea cried out, having tried to make sense of this all and get the words out properly during the last hour and a half or so of their match. She had not expected her opponent to be Miyoko of all people. She wasn't an Elite Ten member. Heck, she had never demonstrated much interest in assisting Tootsuki Academy at all, her focus being strictly on just her self-interest and only getting involved if it helped further her career. "…Just, talk to me damn it."

Instead of a reply, Mea got her response in the form of a knife flying inches from her face and stabbing itself onto a nearby wall. Mea gulped, as Miyoko had finally turned to face her. And that glare was far sharper than the very knife.

The judges, utterly shocked at such animosity on display (which they would later hear made them the target of envy from the previous set of judges), wondered if someone was going to step in before one girl stabbed the other, but from the look of things, Miyoko simply walked on forwards and took back her knife, her glare ever present.

"Stop trying to distract me," she warned Mea. "Focus on your damn dish and leave me in peace."

"W-Wait, Miyoko, just… this makes no sense!" Mea cried. "Why are you acting like I –?"

"Acting am I?"

"I-I mean to say is you said I… broke your heart and stuff," Mea noted, not really knowing where to look at this point. "We both know that what we… had, you know, it wasn't, well…"

"Just another game to you, I know," Miyoko replied, and Mea felt the sting in her tone. "It must be quite the skill to possess, to just be able to draw and discard your feelings for someone. Be with a partner one day, then the next week be in some random guy's arms like nothing happened."

"It's not like that! I… that was, we decided to break it off."

"You decided to break things off," Miyoko corrected. "Unlike you, I was actually happy with what we had. Taking things slow. It was… my first time with anyone, yet you only wanted to have some fun and move on. I couldn't force you to be with me, that would never be my intent, but I would have appreciated you had let me down gently. Now… I'll take you out in the very same cold-hearted fashion you did me."

And with this Miyoko placed her dish before the judges, and set an extra plate right before Mea. The older girl's eyes widened at the sight, the Sesame Chicken w/ Ginger Broccoli being a staple of Miyoko's craft, yet it looked like the girl had polished it extremely.

"What's this for…?"

"Have a taste," Miyoko offered, "It'll be the last dish I ever make for you."

The judges, feeling like they really, really shouldn't be there in such an intimate argument, decided to give the first dish a taste, and the flavor was so much it almost knocked them out. Sorrow and anger all seeped deeply into the meat, a taste so profound they could tell the chef had suffered a lot in order to create this, and… it had not really been made with them in mind it would seem.

"…Miyo," Mea tried, her hands on the warm dish, eyes downcast, before she sighed and just spoke, "…I didn't do it to hurt you. I didn't think you thought that much of the time we spent together. Yes, I just wanted to mess around. I know that. But word got out, and my parents started to call and ask questions. My folks are… old-fashioned, no, I don't think that's the correct term. It's just, they didn't actually expect me to be with another girl, so I… freaked out, and jumped ship…"

"I would never have forced you to admit a thing," Miyoko merely told her, her hands crossed. "We could have kept it under wraps if you wanted, or if you did want to break things off, then you could have at least warned me before I saw you with someone else. So, live your life as best you see fit, it doesn't matter anymore anyways. Just hurry up and serve whatever you –"

"I give up."

"What?" Miyoko voiced, her eyes wide.

"…I give up. You win," Mea simply stated, and the judges felt like the decision was no longer theirs. Miyoko frowned at this, as Mea's eyes seemed to be dangerously close to getting filled with tears, and despite everything she had sworn to herself, she really, really did not want to see this girl cry. "Don't look at me like that," Mea noted as soon as she saw the change in expression Miyoko sported. She knew that look well enough. "I have followed my parents' whims or peer pressure for all my life. All that has earned me is the scorn of almost everyone I've ever met, and two massive defeats, one against Soma Yukihira in a grand stage, and another against Asahi Saiba at the hands of a child of all things. I can't…"

"Mea?"

"I don't want to be the bad guy anymore Miyo," Mea admitted, biting back the tears, before she took a bite of the dish offered to her. And just like she imagined, Miyoko had improved insanely. Such flavors reminded her why she had fallen for this girl in the first place. They were polar opposites in every sense, one loud and boastful, the other quiet and reserved. Yet they just clicked. "…You were the best thing I ever had in that school. I've done things I am ashamed off, many things, but I will not hurt you… not anymore. This… tastes amazing by the way."

Miyoko let out a little laugh at Mea's small shift in tone, as the other girl was busy savoring the dish she had made. They say revenge is a dish best served cold, but here…

Winner: Miyoko Houjou

…she supposed a warm meal and a little laugh between them would have to suffice, and perhaps, someday, that which was thought completely broken could perhaps be mended.

-0-

Urara Kawashima vs. Rentaro Kusunoki

"And here we have it folks! With the clock against our participants, it seems like a close race to the finish line to be able to get their dishes before the judges!"

"Are you seriously commenting on your own match?!" Rentaro cried out, turning to Urara, who was somehow cooking with one hand while she held up a microphone with the other. Where were this girl's priorities at?

"~ Naturally," Urara commented, with a smile and a wink. "I deserved no less, and neither do our judges! This is after all the ever precious Urara's first official Shokugeki of her Second Year, and while I agreed to this in order to help out my friends, far be it for me to leave my fans without their fix of, well, me!"

"What fans?!"

"My followers, duh," Urara replied, signaling to her phone, which she had expertly set up on a tripod to the side, live streaming the whole thing. Rentaro felt his eye twitch at the sight, since this crazy girl gave a whole new meaning to multi-tasking and being quite the attention-hog. "Which, might I add, need not worry, as while I do commentate of our state of affairs as if we are evenly matched, I do want to make it clear I am taking home this victory. So worry not my lovelies, Urara's got this!"

"Oh shut your trap!" Rentaro cried out, fully sick and tired of her whole attitude. He had had enough of girls humiliating him at every turn, like Shouko back when he worked for her and Eizan, or Dove Dillinger. He was not going through that again with this nobody of all people. "Lie all you want, but my craft has been pushed to the very brink to bring our judges the best damn dish they'll ever eat! Tootsuki will regret ever expelling me!"

And with that Rentaro placed his dish before the judges, and the craft created with low-temperature cooking looked absolutely stunning, and with just one taste, the judges concurred that it indeed tasted heavenly. At this Rentaro gave out a wide grin. That was the reaction he needed. This was the first step for his comeback, even if he had to push himself right back by himself. But…

"Tootsuki will regret expelling you, huh?" Urara voiced, and it made Rentaro turn, since ever since this match started, it was the one time her tone had lowered. Urara walked right over to him, placing her own dish right next to his Saumon Confit Flamme.

Urara presented everyone there with her Stuffed & Glazed Salmon w/ Butter Roasted Potatoes.

Rentaro gave her dish a look, and he frowned. She used their theme, Salmon of course, expertly enough. But that wasn't it. It was quite the spectacle of colors and design, looking more like an art piece that a dish meant to be eaten.

"You roasted the salmon with honey garlic, and then glazed it, all the while accompanying it with the potatoes, cherry tomatoes and several herbs and spices," Rentaro noted with disdain, as he shifted his glare towards the girl. "You actually think you can best me in this field? You really seem to think I reached my Third Year without any actual merit on my end, don't make me laugh!"

"You are the one who is making jokes here buddy," Urara shot back, as the judges then took a bite out of her dish. "And like the name implies, my salmon is also stuffed, filled with layers of my handcrafted guacamole sauce," she explained, taking hold of a nearby ripe avocado and tossing it into the air before she caught it and pressed it to her face, smiling and winking as always, "Just the best for my lovely viewers, but like I said, the one confused here seems to be you."

"How's that?"

"Tootsuki regretting expelling a student only happens once in a lifetime," Urara commented, and Rentaro felt his fist clench in fury. Was she honestly…? "And you are no Soma Yukihira. I was there, on that cruise, on that journey, I saw everything he had to sacrifice to prove the establishment wrong. And not once did he ever feel the need to cheat, not even when he took you out at that showcase. You are, and have always been just another stepping stone for him, and today, you are one for me. So, I am sorry former senior of mine, but on this stage, you just didn't cut it…"

And the votes were made, and Rentaro felt his entire world collapse for the third time in less than a damn year.

As in a five-to-nothing vote…

Winner: Urara Kawashima

"Damn it! No!" Rentaro cried out in nothing but defeat at this point, "Against the hostess of all people?! How?!"

"You seem to be the one who thinks I'm still in that Academy just because I'm a wonderful hostess," Urara noted, her eyes narrowed, but the smirk ever present. "You failed to grasp it then, and I hope you understand it now… My generation is not to be messed with, and Tootsuki Academy will not fall, so sorry, not sorry, but you are just not worthy of this uniform."

She ended her cutting words with not but a laugh, a wink, and a literal mic-drop.

-0-

Daigo Aoki & Shoji Sato vs. The Paradox Brothers

This was supposed to be a cook-off, no?

The judges had expected a duel of gourmet delicacies, instead they got another type of duel outright. The Paradox Brothers were currently engaged against Daigo and Shoji in a children's card game, and they had the two Tootsuki students on the ropes.

"Just like we informed," Para Wong noted, "Rules state that you are only able to cook depending on how many life points you take out of your foe!"

"Life points lost equal minutes earned to cook," Dox Wong denoted, "And so far, you two have proven all you have to look forwards to is woe!"

"This is both complex and moronic in equal measure!" Daigo shouted out, his fist clenched, gritting his teeth in frustration. They were so not prepared for such an encounter. This was beyond unfair.

"…Calm down Daigo," Shoji commented, almost out of breath. "An hour and a half has already past and we've only been able to cook for ten minutes. Meanwhile, they've managed to earn themselves over an hour of "cook-time" since they dropped our Life Points to less than half."

"The problem is not that we're losing!" Daigo barked, "It's that this match is rigged from the start!"

"No sense in crying about it now," Shoji just replied, and he drew his next card from his diminishing deck. They had been forced to play defensively for a while now, and sooner or later their luck was going to run out. "We wanted to help everyone, this is how we do it. Get your head on the game, otherwise we'll be forced to serve a cold chicken breast that has barely been seasoned."

Daigo wanted nothing more than to rip the chains that held them by the ankles, and smack both the Paradox Brothers and the Noirs "helping" them by loosening the chains a bit whenever someone (mostly the cosplayers) got a hit to allow them to cook, as per the "rules" stated. But, fine, screw the rules, and screw these assholes too. Shoji had a point, so he needed to think fast.

Life Points (or LP) had started at 2000 for each pair, each thousand meant to represent an hour, with the minutes more or less divided as needed. The Paradox Brothers currently had 1900 LP left, while Daigo and Shoji only had 600. The field currently had two monsters on the brothers' side, and none on theirs, with the brothers also having a spell card face down on the field and they had, of course, none.

"Okay, I summon the Koumori Dragon in attack mode!" Shoji declared, placing monster card in an upright position on his little toy duel disk, the beast with an attack of 1500 and a defense of 1200. Against the brothers' Shadow Ghoul, which started with 1600 attack, but had the effect to gain 100 additional attack for each monster on their graveyard, which gave it a total of 1700, it wouldn't really be effective, but against their other monster card, the Giga-Tech Wolf, which only had a measly 1200 attack, they could destroy that and earn themselves some time. They didn't need to win the duel, he noted, just the Shokugeki. "And I attack –"

"Not so fast!" Para Wong cried, "You have activated our Trap Card!"

"It is Trap Hole!" Dox Wong decried, "And if your monster has more than a thousand life points, which it does, it gets destroyed, so say goodbye to your Monster Card!"

And a very pissed off Shoji had to shift his little dragon card right into the graveyard, leaving them utterly defenseless, but not before he set a card face down, ending his turn.

"And this is the end for you fools!" Para Wong said.

"With this attack we end these two concurrent duels!" Dox Wong… also said. "Attack Shadow Ghoul and lower the Life Points to nothing!"

"Not so fast!" Shoji cried out, revealing his face down card. "That activated my own Trap Card, behold!" and as he stated, he flipped his card around to reveal Drowning Mirror Force.

"That!" both brothers cried out, then… they gave pause. "What did that one do again?"

"Seriously…?" Shoji asked, feeling his eye twitch. They called out for a little pause, as one of the assisting Noirs had to walk up to Shoji, read the card, then walk towards the brothers and tell them what it did. Shoji just stared, wondering how on Earth did these two not know what this card did, when they lived and breathed this damn series?! Daigo, on the other hand, was not even following anything at this point anymore.

"It makes us shuffle all our monsters into our deck," Dox Wong told his brother, breaking character. "Why the hell do they have such a good card on their deck?"

"No idea, must have been inside one of those boosters we gave them," Para Wong replied. "No matter, they may manage a decent hit next round, but I have a play on my hand to win us the duel come my round."

So the field was emptied of everything. No monsters, no spells. And it was Daigo's turn, who had no cards on his hand and only one chance to draw. Everyone, from his partner, the brothers, the judges, and the entire crowd who had gathered thinking this was some sort of show, all waited on baited breath for the clearly so done with today young man to draw his card.

"You should have been aware of your inevitable defeat ages ago!"

"So hurry up and draw your last pathetic card Daigo!"

"Stop forcing those stupid rhymes!" Shoji cried out, before he turned to his partner, the concern evident. "Hey man, this is bad, I know no one would blame us for losing this, but I still –"

"They're wrong."

"Huh?"

"My grandfather's deck has no pathetic cards," Daigo declared proudly, to the amazement of everyone in the crowd, as no one bothered correcting the guy that those cards did not in fact belong to his grandfather at all, everyone too caught up in the moment. "And I believe…"

"Believe?!" the Paradox Brothers asked in unison, feeling a cold hit their very spines.

"I believe in the heart of the cards!" Daigo dramatically announced, and he drew his card. And everyone stared, eyes wide, as the impossible happened. Daigo drew Vorse Raider, a monster card with an attack of 1900, the exact amount needed for them to win, and with tears in his eyes and one last defiant shout, he summoned his monster and declared his attack. "Strike them down Vorse Raider, and win us the duel!"

And with one last desperate cry the brothers' Life Points were reduced to zero, and the card game was won.

…

"…Are you seriously tearing up?!" Erina asked, utterly baffled, her eyes on her brother.

"Y-You don't understand," he squeaked, "That was my childhood brought to life. I don't care if we lose that one, bravo Daigo, bravo Shoji."

Dove, Julius and Ashitaro all pushed themselves a bit further away from the siblings, feeling that this was getting too strange even for their standards.

…

"Hurry up and take these damn chains off!" Daigo shouted, as he and Shoji were untied, and they both ran to hurry and get something done in the minutes left. "Let's now… hey! Why the hell are you two cooking?!"

"The duel is over, so we can cook freely now," Para Wong replied matter-of-factly, proceeding to work on their dish. "Truth be told, we never said if you lost the duel you lost the Shokugeki."

"That's bullshit!" Shoji cried out, as he quickly got into tempo with Shoji to try and cook something up. In no time, the Paradox Brothers had served the very confused judges a very decent looking dish, using their theme, Carrots, to make quite the hot pot, with one side of the divided pan housing several oven-roasted carrots and other veggies, while the other half held a type of soup.

They called it The Flash In a Pan-adox.

A spoonful of each side, mixed at the moment of the famed bite, and the judges were hit by a massive flavor. This would indeed be a Shokugeki in the end it seemed, and as the brothers turned towards their opponents with a smug pride, Daigo and Shoji looked at each other.

"Use that then?" Daigo asked.

"No other choice," Shoji affirmed.

Then they both threw their chicken breast meat into the fryer. The brothers looked on, knowing desperation when they saw it, but to their shock, despite frying it as such high temperatures, Daigo proceeded to take out the chicken meat just as it finished, before Shoji took hold of the burning poultry and proceeded to add another layer to it. Then they threw it right back into the fryer. The brothers watched on, eyes widening, as they did this process once more. No, twice more.

This was, what? It couldn't be? A quadruple fried chicken breast?

"Here!" both Daigo and Shoji screamed out as they placed the steaming dish before the judges. And it was here everyone noticed that not just the chicken had been fried, but also the accompanying veggies too.

It was their Deep Fried Garden Deluxe.

Fresh veggies, battered and deep-fried to perfection, everything from whole mushrooms and cauliflowers, to thinly sliced dill pickles, all of it was crisp, covered and crunchy. And as the judges took a taste, it was like they were attacked directly, as the rush of flavors far eclipsed the Paradox Brothers' earlier dish, and as a result…

Winners: Daigo Aoki & Shoji Sato

"In the end, we're the ones who ran out of luck!" Para Wong commented.

"Oh… well… fuck," Dox Wong lamented, which caused his older brother to turn to him with a very questioning look in his eyes. "What? You try to be the one to always find the rhymes! I'm tired and this is stupid, I wanna go home!"

As the brothers wailed in defeat and in their career choices, Daigo and Shoji shared a fist bump in victory, as for the first time in their careers, they had gotten a five-to-nothing victory, in a Shokugeki no less. Then it slowly hit them…

"Say… if losing the duel didn't mean we lost the Shokugeki, why didn't we just let ourselves lose and focused only on the cooking?"

"…Don't ruin the moment."

-0-

Julio Rossi Saotome vs. Julio Shiratsu

Never in their life did this set of judges ever imagine they would witness a real life mirror match.

On one side was Julio, cooking his dish.

On the other side was Julio, cooking his dish.

And while Julio seemed to have an early advantage over Julio, not to be outdone, Julio had revealed a special little trick, as despite his size, Julio had a very delicate touch when it came to his craft, which had taken Julio by complete surprise. Both Julio and Julio had decided, given their familiar upbringing, once the theme of Roast Beef was selected, to use their trademark Frittata by mixing high quality roast beef with eggs. Julio had selected Silkie eggs, the finest selection he could use, as those had a body that would not be destroyed by the intensity of the roast. Yet, to Julio's utter shock, Julio had instead gone with garden variety eggs instead, some cheap and honestly insulting quality of produce, which he quickly brought to fry with his marvelous frying turn over technique dubbed the "rondo", which left the frittata with a very beautiful color. Not to be outdone, Julio also flipped his own frittata, and it ended up equally beautiful. Now both Julio and Julio presented their seemingly identical dishes before the judges, but Julio knew better.

"I am severely disappointed in you Julio," Julio told Julio, "That you'd claim I have insulted the Nakiri family name and yet you have been reduced to actually using cheap ingredients. Tell me, had your "Lady" also reduced your pay, all because she is now currently too busy wallowing in her own self-pity and her completely unprofessional relationship with that commoner?"

"…My, how lucky I am that I managed to be your opponent, because that is quite the disgusting line of thinking you possess," Julio shot back, "Let me clear a misunderstanding you seem to have. Well, several of them at that. One, Milady Erina's troubles are no concern of yours, and I assure you, if you so much as hint at her or dare utter her name again, I will be forced to introduce your mouth to my fist."

"Can't defeat me in a Shokugeki so you must resort to threats and –"

"Two," Julio quickly cut Julio off, "I was like you before. Thinking quality ingredients meant quality dishes, but… how blind I was. You seem assured that just because your ingredients were more costly, your dish is by default better. Allow me to correct that notion and give you the very last lesson Tootsuki will ever give to a lowlife like you…"

"What?!"

"Using only high quality ingredients is nothing but a veil you use to hide the fact that your own cooking is lacking," Julio explained, and his glare was something else. Too much that even Julio couldn't even set up his own counterargument properly. As Julio dressed Julio down, the ever-so confused judges began to taste the dishes, first from Julio, then from… Julio. "Substituting real effort with high class ingredients is far too beneath someone who serves under the Nakiri family or someone who wears the Tootsuki uniform. And I will admit, I was like you, but you see Julio, unlike you, I can look myself in the mirror and admit when I am wrong. I was there. I saw how a commoner came in, to the scoffs and sneers of every single alumni, brought down to nothing but a lowly busser, and yet, he ended up victorious on a grand stage of a showcase, taking out an Elite Ten student with the approval of the remaining Nine! Do you not see?! Our way of thinking was wrong! And in order to protect Milady Erina however I can, if I must swallow my pride and reevaluate my entire worldview, I shall do just that! I am ever so glad Some Yukihira showed me the flaws in my cooking, because now, even while doing the same dish, and me using inferior ingredients, my cooking alone will show itself superior, because it is not the ingredients, but the chef behind them that make a dish magnifico!"

Then, after a rush of flavor, despite the judges' prior confusion on which Julio was which, or which dish was whose, the taste spoke for itself. It was clear which dish was superior. And as the five gave their vote, Julio's eyes couldn't be wider.

"H-How…?!"

"At least now there will be no further confusion back at Tootsuki," Julio told the defeated Julio, looking down at his pathetic cousin with nothing but disgust, "There is only one Julio back at the Academy, Milady Erina's loyal aide, and Soma Yukihira's friend, and his name is…"

Winner: Julio Rossi Saotome

"…So good bye Julio Shiratsu," the victorious Julio told him, "…And good riddance."

…

…And back at Don Calma's, Erina couldn't quite hide the little grin she now sported.

-0-

Ikumi Mito vs. Boogie Malcanta

"~ My, how very unfortunate for you little lady!" Boogie quickly mocked as he juggled three separate closed bowls filled with his ingredients, mixing them up in a very peculiar fashion, as a Noir does, but his expression was certainly expressive. His long tongue sticking out, eyes bulged, and his little laugh echoing throughout the rented kitchen. It made the judges utterly uncomfortable, and they wondered if they would have to call someone because this did not seem like a sane individual for a teenage girl to be currently competing against. But he didn't seem to care. He needed this win, needed it more than ever; as if he didn't win favor for Asahi, there was no going back. Not with Dove there. He couldn't go back to Azami. But, lucky be the stars, as it turned out, "I know who you are, and what terrible fortune to have, but for a master of meats to end up with a Vegetarian theme!"

"Gods, how I wish you were a mime instead," Ikumi muttered, her large cleaver out, having cut several vegetable into the finest cuts she could, as she frowned at the table before her. The disgusting clown wasn't wrong. Out of all the themes she could get, this was not ideal, as it wasn't that she had to make the veggies the main part of the dish, rather, she couldn't add any meats at all. 'That said… this is still better than the alternative, so if I play this right…'

Boogie finished his little circus trick, and by mixing all the ingredients from each bowl, he ended up with his completed dish. It was quite the hearty salad, a rainbow of colors in the ingredients, all somehow perfectly symmetrically divided despite the strange method he had used to mix them up.

"~ Enjoy!" he told the judges, and it almost sounded like a threat.

But eat it they did, and just as Boogie suspected, they absolutely adored it.

"See that Meat~Meat," he said with the creepiest grin, turning to the bikini-dressed chef, his eyes clearly not focused on her eyes, which absolutely revolted her. "You Tootsuki lot focus too much on just one particular area of the culinary arts, that when you get a theme that goes against it, you can't help but feel utterly lost. But worry not, I am not a monster. I can look the other way," he offered, almost drooling as he did, "I'm sure the only daughter of the Mito family would only bring shame to daddy dearest if she got herself expelled from Tootsuki, so I am more than happy to call this match a draw if you… agree to offer a little payment in return…"

"Not to quote Erina, but… disgusting," Ikumi noted with utter disdain, before she set her dish before the judges. Boogie looked on, but then the aroma hit him, and he turned to the dish, utterly shocked.

Was that…?

"Wait…" Boogie voiced, frowning, "…You added meat to this? You damn cheater! Don't think I wouldn't notice! Trying to keep it hidden at the bottom because you know the judges are not professionals so they wouldn't notice? For shame, I expected –"

"Shut your mouth you fat pig," Ikumi voiced, her tone dangerously low, and it made the clown flinch. "A true Tootsuki student has no need to cheat. In fact, I am shocked that one of you oh-so frightful Noirs actually seems to be so utterly dumb when it comes to the simplest of culinary rules. Vegetarian does not mean Vegan, you moron, and while I may be forbidden from using any meats, one can find more than enough flavor and substance from products derived from animals, such as milk, yogurt, cheese or even eggs. There's more than enough for a meat specialist like myself to still play around with."

And as such, she had offered her own Impossible Chaliapin Steak Don, much to the clown's shock, as it looked to have a massive piece of cooked beef sirloin buried underneath a heavy set of rice and topped with a medium egg. But, the name… Impossible? Was that steak itself a plant-based meat then?

"Garlic and onion," Ikumi expressed, seeing his confusion, "Pepper, salt, potato starch, and pickled plum, a special sauce made with red wine, butter and soy sauce, all to give the rice its potency. The meat is fully vegetarian, and of course, the egg is a little addition of mine. I actually once lost to a dish similar to this one, and I swore, until I get the chance to defeat him, I am not about to lose to anyone else, less someone as despicable as you."

"Big talk, but let's see if that holds true once –"

But he wasn't even able to finish his sentence before he heard the moans from the judges. Eyes widening even further, Boogie turned in time to see that all five of them had fully tossed his salad to the side and taken her don and outright devoured it. The clown with the frown could only look on in desperation, as the obvious vote was cast, and he outright saw his life flash before his eyes, now having failed two unforgiving monsters.

Winner: Ikumi Mito

"And five-to-nothing at that," Ikumi noted with a little smirk. "That's gotta sting. Hope you have some other gigs available to you, cause clearly cooking ain't it."

"Y-You think I will just sit back and allow you to ruin my career and my very way of life?!" he outright growled, turning to Ikumi with utter contempt in his eyes, no longer even caring if he was being watched by the Noirs or the judges. This was bad, way too bad, and all because of this stupid girl. Not even thinking at this point, he just walked up to her, seeing red, all while Ikumi just stared, arms crossed against her chest, eyes showing no hint of fear. Oh well, he'd fix that quickly enough. "I'll show you what happens when you mess with the wrong Noir, you pampered daddy's little –"

His insult was cut short before it ever reached his lips the moments an outright wall seemed to appear next to him and Boogie was left in a sudden shadow that eclipsed him whole. The clown blinked, confused, wondering if someone had cut the lights, until he noticed that what stood next to him was not a wall, but…

"Do you care to finish that statement?" Hakeem Akintola, who easily towered over the already tall Boogie, spoke in the most chilling voice the clown had ever heard.

"Let it be known I didn't ask you to come watch out for me," Ikumi noted, smirking. "But… I'm still glad you did. Would you perhaps talk to our friend Boogie here and teach him some manners?"

"Naturally," the Nigerian young man built like a tank replied, and despite Boogie's frantic search for someone, anyone to come break this off before he broke him in turn, the judges had already excused themselves once they saw Ikumi had someone more than qualified to keep her safe, and the Noirs had long vanished because that was not in their job description at all. No cameras, no witnesses.

Just Boogie, and Hakeem.

…at least now the clown didn't have to worry about Azami or Asahi any longer.

-0-

Zenji Marui vs. Claude Ville

The judges were in utter ecstasy the moment they took a bite out of Claude's dish. It was natural. He was a master of the use of pig's blood to give his cuisine such a powerful taste that a mere student could never hope to replicate. And not just pig's blood. Every single ingredient that the common person shied away from, was just another area of expertise for the mad doctor. With his syringes on one side, and his eyes turning to the other side, the Noir turned towards Marui, wanting to be done with this farce and finally be allowed to take on an actual opponent of worth.

Marui, for his part, looked utterly drained, but he held on, placing his own dish before the judges, before he turned to Claude, feeling the latter's eyes bury themselves onto him.

"…It feels as though you have something you wish to say," Marui noted.

"Not to the likes of you," Claude simply replied. "Just know that your loss today, your expulsion really, is thanks to your so-called school abandoning you and throwing you to the wolves, literally. They can't really expect results when they send a boy to do a man's job."

"Oh… you really do live up to your namesake," Marui said, and while Claude merely scoffed, the Tootsuki student added, "But… are you so sure of your superiority over me that you have already concluded that your victory on this match in guaranteed? I saw you cook, I saw your style. It is interesting. You clearly are a man well-versed in many culinary techniques, but are you aware that I am something of a culinary bookworm myself? Knowledge is power, would you not agree?"

"Are you actually suggesting your culinary knowledge could ever compare to mine?" Claude asked, his glare evident. This was beyond insulting. He could hear the moans of pleasure from the judges. It was clear who had won this. "I was experimenting with dishes before you were even a sperm, do not think you can argue with me that a few years in that pathetic school, soon to be closed, could ever compare to the years I have spent learning everything the culinary world has to offer, by any means necessary."

"Is that so?" Marui noted, before he simply took hold of another dish, one extra place, and passed it off to his opponent, "Then, if you are so certain of this fact, please, follow the scientific method and prove your hypothesis to me. Taste my dish, and tell me exactly what secrets it holds."

"Secrets?!" Claude almost spat out. The nerve of this kid. Still, he took the damn dish from his scrawny hands, and after removing his mask, took a bite of the uninspired dish. "What could you have possible done that someone of my caliber would not be able to –?"

And Claude Ville found himself within a vast library, with Zenji Marui seated at the main desk. The mad doctor turned to him, his eyes furious, as Marui merely smiled at him.

"Allow me to educate you," Marui calmly told him, "You currently fancy yourself to have understood everything through the power of Midnight, correct?" he told the Noir, a reference to his title, before Claude felt the library itself expand. No, that wasn't correct. Was there even an end to it to begin with? "But "everything" as you understand it…" Marui explained, with millions upon millions of books surrounding them both, "…doesn't even fill one page of one book of this library."

"…What?"

"All of the contents of all of the books in this library are about to flow into your mind," Marui continued, "And this time, you will truly come to understand everything."

"What will happen to me then?" Claude asked.

"Once you understand everything…" Marui's voice echoed throughout the endless halls and halls and halls and halls of nothing but books and books and books and books…

You can only think of Tootsuki until you die.

You can only think of Tootsuki until you die.

You can only think of Tootsuki until you die.

You can only think of Tootsuki until you die.

You can only think of Tootsuki until you die.

"T-Tootsuki?" Claude Ville asked, "Tootsuki…"

And it was here he realized, what little his mind even could at this point, that the earlier moans of pure pleasure had not been when the judges had tasted his dish, but rather, when they had taken their first bite of Marui's.

"Do not make me laugh," Marui noted as he pushed his glassed back in place, the glare they emitted fully hiding his eyes from sight. "What "knowledge" could you have possible gained by simply cooking whatever you want without a proper education? Do not belittle our establishment. The sheer amount of knowledge on "everything" that we Tootsuki students have at our disposal. My poor villain, I am sorry to inform you, but the things that could have taken you years to learn, is merely just yesterday's homework for us…"

And in a vote of five-to-nothing…

Winner: Zenji Marui

"Tootsuki!" Claude Ville cried, his mind shattered.

"…And for you anime-only fans out there, worry not, this reference will make sense someday," Marui told the audience with a playful wink.

-0-

Yuuki Yoshino vs. Kou Shiou

Yuuki had just managed to complete her dish, using the best game meat she had in her possession, since luckily for her, their theme turned out to be Duck, and area she was very experienced with. Despite her temptation to just bring in one of her ducks and outright skin it before the audience, she was somewhat certain that these judges, not actual professionals of the craft, would probably deem that animal cruelty and not really appreciate the fine details of a freshly slain animal could bring to the table. But, she knew how to play to the crowd, so she'd focus on the meat she had.

Her opponent, the masked individual known as Kou, had been using this super stupid looking claws to slice, dice, and even, as he had put it, marinate the duck meat with the pure umami in order to transform it into the highest quality meat possible. Outright transform the very ingredient itself.

He laughed maniacally as he worked.

Yuuki just felt this was all beyond stupid.

So they both presented their dishes to their judges, his Duck Dish Dynasty against her Cabard à l'Orange, the original source of inspiration for her Autumn Election dish Duck Cutlet Curry.

"Roasted duck with orange sauce…" Kou spoke up, his voice eerily muffled by his trademark mask, as he turned toward the petite huntress, "Such a classic, simple dish may fly at your little school, but out here, in the real world, when your life is on the line every time you place a dish before someone, one has to go above and beyond…"

"Eh…?" Yuuki merely voiced, her head tilted, "That's kinda funny old man, coming from someone who could never possibly get into Tootsuki Academy even in his wildest dream. Instead of just assuming my dish is just the classic without anything special, please, try it out for yourself. If you want, I can certainly give your… erm… murder scene of a dish a try as well."

"Murder scene is an appropriate description," Kou noted, before he took hold of Yuuki's dish, and he knew for a fact that whatever modifications she made to the classic dish was superficial at best. It could never hold a candle to… wait…? The aroma, now that he held it up close was… different than he had expected. His mask had masked it earlier, but now…

Both Yuuki and the judges took a bite of Kou's dish, and just like he had promised, it was a blood bath that awaited them once they did. Yuuki found herself back in her bedroom, wearing nothing but her shirt and panties, covering her exposed body with her sheets, as she could see the five judges (somehow) also on their own beds all forced into her room, all of them in equal states on undress, before, one by one… they were sucked into the very mattress itself. Yuuki's eyes went wide, as she saw each judge scream in fear and agony as the bed swallowed them whole, only to spit back out a massive gush of sauces into the very roof itself.

One.

Two.

Kou's coming for you.

Three.

Four.

Better lock your door.

Then the fifth judge was taken, and she was alone. Yuuki looked on, eyes wide, at all the bloody sauce that had now stained her roof, her walls, her floor, and even her own face. The sauce-drenched girl just looked at the culinary murder scene before her, until she saw, from the corner of her eyes, as the wall behind her seemed to shift, and a clawed figure began to emerge from it. The claw extending until it was at full mast, and Kou Shiou's eyes seemed to glow in the darkness itself, dead-set on the final girl…

"~ How utterly adorable ~"

Kou paused for a moment.

Yuuki had just spoken, and had turned to him, her eyes on his, and instead of fear, all he saw was… excitement. Thrill. Outright euphoria. "You still fancy yourself the killer in this scenario…"

"What is that supposed…?" Kou began, until he noticed the sauce that stained everything. His eyes went wide. That wasn't his seasoned specialty he had crafted with his trademark claws, but rather… "Orange sauce?"

"Exactly, it wasn't you who murdered (with flavor!) them, but rather…" Yuuki told the man, who suddenly found himself chained up inside some deserted cabin; the very bedroom they had been before outright distorting itself until he was somewhere that felt both familiar and… alien at the same time. He tried to scream, but he felt his own mask now suffocating him, muffling his cries, as the little girl before him took hold of the largest machete he had ever seen, and with the largest slasher smile he had ever seen anyone sport, she noted, "This has been mommy's game from the start…"

Then she slashed him right in two.

"What did you even do?!" Kou screamed out, his mask slipping off his face and landing on the floor, breaking on impact, as he just stared, in cold sweat, as the judges, lost in the fantasy of murderous culinary delight, all gave their unanimous vote to…

Winner: Yuuki Yoshino

"You all underestimate just how hard that Academy pushes us," Yuuki simply told him, her hand on one of her unused oranges, spinning it in place by the tip of her finger. "We are also fighting for our very lives there every day. Roasting a duck I caught this very morning, mixed with the fruits and vegetables I harvested soon after, all skinned and cooked in this very kitchen. I'm sorry, but it appears you have never attempted to remedy that delicate procedure of creating the freshest dish while making sure that the particular strong odor of fresh game does not affect the dish. So easy that it is to ruin it all…" Yuuki explained, and Kou Shiou could only look on, utterly defeated, as he wondered what on Earth was Asahi even planning to do at this point, when his would-be army seemed to crumble under the sheer might of… "Tootsuki Academy will no longer distress over you pathetic little Noirs. Sad to say, but if you are looking for fear, you won't find any here."

-0-

Ryoko Sakaki vs. Bonnie Harriet

"You've been awfully quiet there little miss," Bunnyhair told her opponent, grinning at the younger girl who just raised her eyes and sent a glare the Noir's way. This made Bunnyhair even more excited, to be granted a chance to play with such a cutie. Sure, Shun was quite the boy-toy, but she really wouldn't complain about having this doll instead. "I thought you were making a point about me staying away from a certain someone? Or was that all talk once you saw that unlike most of my peers, I can actually back-up all of our grandeur with actual cooking?"

Ryoko just kept her glare up, even if her eyes did drift towards Bunnyhair's current completed dish. Their theme had been Pork after all, which was both a blessing and a curse, as while it offered for ample different strategies for Ryoko to use, it offered the same for her opponent. And given that the Noirs were famed for their use in the strange, this could spell trouble if Ryoko wasn't careful.

But, that said, she was still pissed off. Pissed off at Shun for doing the whole "lone wolf" act to help them and cause so much trouble for Soma, Erina and the others, for not trusting her enough to tell her at that, and she was utterly pissed off at this woman for just throwing herself at Shun, for… reasons.

She shook her head. There was more at stake in this match than just a schoolgirl's jealousy.

"Order up," Bunnyhair declared, placing her dish before the judges, and it was certainly quite the extravagant looking dish. The Noir had used a host of sharp objects, some very much not even made for kitchen use Ryoko assumed, to create a dish that mixed shrimp and lobster sauce with the full-cut pork chops, calling it the Pan-Roasted Pork Chops w/ Lobster & Shrimp Sauce. It certainly gave off quite the aroma, almost as if she had cooked at entire aquarium's worth of sea life and threw that into a farm, but it was certainly alluring, as was she, given that the judges, all young dudes she was sure were selected at totally random and not these damn Noirs trying to play favorites, seemed enamored with both the dish and the playboy-like model currently serving it to them. "Who's up first? Say ah ~" she seductively offered a spoonful to one of them.

One taste, and the man seemed to melt at her touch and her taste.

"You are quite the shameless individual, aren't you?" Ryoko noted, stepping up, her own dish in her hands. Bunnyhair just turned to her, now seating in the judges' very table, a very smug smirk on her face.

"What…?" Bunnyhair asked, "Does my sexuality make you uncomfortable little girl? Please, grow up sweetie. No need to be shaming something you don't quite understand."

"Far from it actually," Ryoko replied, and more that her statement, it was her calm tone that surprised Bunnyhair most. "I have nothing against someone who is confident in his or her own body and is not afraid to flaunt it. My senior had a televised match against a rival school's Team Leader were both guys ended up shirtless, and to say that that wasn't a sexy sight would be quite the lie. And girls like Ikumi or, as much I may not be too fond of her, Dove certainly know they are drop dead gorgeous and they have no qualms being risqué over it."

"Then…?"

"But you know what separates them all from you?" Ryoko asked, as she set her own dish on the table, next to Bunnyhair, who felt a wave of aroma hit her all the sudden. The Noir turned, and what she witnessed was not what she had been expecting at all from such a delicate looking girl. "They all can offer the best cuisine imaginable without having to hide behind their sexuality," Ryoko noted, and this made Bunnyhair glare at her. What the hell was she implying? "Their risqué nature is just a plus, not a feature, I mean, after all, what's sexier than a professional chef?"

'Koji?' Bunnyhair noted, frowning at the dish, "Well, aren't you certainly full of surprises. To think you'd actually have the… well, not balls, but you know what I mean, to servea fermented dish to random people who may not be quite the audience for it."

"It is certainly an acquired taste," Ryoko noted, but she was all smiles now, and Bunnyhair did not like it at all. "This is my Koji-Brined Pork Shoulder. My shio koji is a fermented mixture of grain inoculated with mold, water and salt that I use in all my marinades and brines. It works wonders to tenderize the meat, and in order to help balance the richness of the dish," Ryoko explained, before she showcased a little pot she had on the side, "I served it with handmade ginger pickled carrots, as their acidity works wonders for making it consumer friendly and oh-so flavorful."

The judges took a bit of Ryoko's dish now, and to Bunnyhair's utter shock, despite her earlier assurance, once the votes were cast, in a five-to-nothing decision…

Winner: Ryoko Sakaki

"…Okay…" Bunnyhair tried, still processing what had happened. "So it isn't just Shun and the members of the Elite Ten from that little dorm of yours that are at this level. That… How on Earth is that fair?! I didn't think you'd be Elite Ten level!"

"I'm not," Ryoko admitted, and all this did was freak Bunnyhair more. "…We have still ways to go, I know I do. Isshiki, Soma and Megumi got there, and I know how much they had to struggle for it. I will forever continue to try and better myself to one day match them, but that doesn't mean we are to be underestimated. I know how frightening an opponents you Noirs are, but when you back us up to a corner, then don't be shocked when bite back. After all, this is more than friendship. This is a family you are attacking," Ryoko firmly stated, and for the first time in her life, Bunnyhair actually felt… envious at how sincere the younger girl's tone sounded. "But do be warn, get close to my Shun again, and I will show you no mercy."

-0-

Shun Ibusaki vs. Tommy Revolver

Shun felt himself shiver, as if there was a disturbance in the force, that of a very, very mad girl.

"You are right to be afraid," Tommy told him, his hand on his plate, ready to serve. His tone made it clear he was pissed beyond belief at his younger cousin for everything. "This is the biggest mistake you've ever made; so I hope you've enjoyed your career up until now, cause after today, you'll have none whatsoever."

"…Truth be told, my current worry is not this match, for as disrespectful as that may sound," Shun offered, turning around, his eyes on Tommy. Tommy had begun to prepare a retort, but the moment Shun opened the lid to his dish, the intense smoke that came out of it caused him to get utterly winded by the aroma. Tommy had to back up and cough, feeling like his lungs had been violated by the very smoke. The judges all looked equally taken back, and the Noirs had to scramble to turn off the smoke alarms, less the sprinklers got set off and the Shokugeki got drenched. "I made a… significant person in my life very angry, justifiably so, and it will take quite a while for me to make things right, but first… First is me making sure you Noirs can't do any more damage that you already have."

"Is that so?" Tommy was finally able to say, "You'll have all the opportunity in the world to grovel to whoever you are referring to once you both get kicked out of that damn academy."

Tommy was halted, once Shun stepped right up to him, his dish carefully balanced in his fingertips, his glare ever present. Their theme had been Turkey, and both contestants had made their best dish with that theme in mind, as Tommy's aromatic turkey breast meat seemed to clash against Shun's own smoke-laced aroma.

"Ryoko won't ever lose to the likes of you," Shun said in no uncertain terms. "Yuuki, Zenji, Madoka, Daigo, Shoji, and all the others we brought here today, just like Soma proved me wrong, these chefs will prove you all wrong. You see no value in our Academy, then allow me to take you to school cousin. And show you…" Shun added, as he placed his Chipotle-Spiced Smoked Turkey Legs on the judging table, "…Even your invincible Neo-Noirs may not be as unstoppable as you all believe them to be. Even your King might find himself forced to bow down."

"You clearly do not know what you are talking about," Tommy stated with ire, and just as he did, the tasting was done. He knew Shun, he had seen Shun do his best just yesterday against Yukihira, and get wrecked despite this. So he knew he could best him. It wasn't what he wanted originally, but if not him, then Asahi would inevitably destroy them all regardless. But just as he thought that, the judges all seemed to get utterly overwhelmed by the strong flavor of, not his, but Shun's dish. "…Huh?"

"Seasoning turkey legs with dry brine packs them with very strong flavor before I set them to smoke," Shun explained, his hands in his pockets. "This results in meat that is juicy, smoky and tender, all the while having a light kick to it thanks to the chipotle chiles," Shun added, and Tommy could only glare at his dish, sporting a beautiful mahogany color and unbeatable aroma. "I could have served it whole, but for the purpose of sharing, I did offer them sliced up. Feel free to have a taste, Tommy, so you can see why I believe you Noirs will not walk away with a victory today."

And as Tommy felt his blood boil, the judges seemed to agree, and in a unanimous vote…

Winner: Shun Ibusaki

Shun simply looked at the score, and without saying anything, turned around, ready to go find Ryoko and begin to try and properly apologize to the girl he knew had every right to be mad, and worst, disappointed in him. But he was stopped, by Tommy of course, but rather than more anger, his cousin spoke in a far more… sadder tone.

"We honestly don't see ourselves as invincible," Tommy admitted, and Shun gave pause. Why was he saying this now? "I know my limits. I also know that that stupid school of yours has to have some merit, despite word on the street, since it has stood undefeated for so long as is. You don't get that by luck alone…"

"…Tommy?"

"But be wary Shun," Tommy offered, and despite himself, the words his cousin spoke did finally actually unnerve the smoke master, "Our belief that our King, that Asahi Saiba is unbeatable… that is genuine. You don't know… You haven't seen what that guy can really do. I am not lying…"

"…No, you're not," Shun noted, and he frowned. Why was he walking away from a clear victory even more worried than when he had commenced it?

-0-

Subaru Mimasaka vs. Don Calma

"Shake! Shake! Shake it baby!"

Don Calma cried out as he danced around, his ingredients in his cocktail shaker being shaken around expertly by the elder man's impressive strong grip and hip movements. The crowd was in awe, at just how much this old man could move, and how that somehow would, they imagined, translate into his cooking.

"Did you really think just bringing a similar tool to my own would allow you to match my abilities, my young, naïve opponent?" Don Calma spoke as he turned towards Subaru, expecting a flailing opponent trying and failing to imitate the elder man's expert moves, but to his utter shock, "…Wait, what?!"

"Shake! Shake! Shake it baby!"

Subaru Mimasaka cried out as he danced around, his ingredients in his cocktail shaker being shaken around expertly by the younger man's impressive strong grip and hip movements. The crowd was in awe, at just how much this young man could move, and how that somehow would, they imagined, translate into his cooking.

"Hold up!" Don Calma screamed out, "Are you seriously attempting to mimic my pattern?! My dance?! My mojo?!"

"Mimic? Please," Subaru said, his tone utterly frightening, making the older man flinch. "This is my Perfect Trace old man, not some little act. I know your act from top to bottom, down to the most minor flaw –"

"Flaw?!" Don Calma cried out, "How dare you? There is no flaw in my technique!"

"There are twenty-seven flaws to be exact," Subaru countered, and Don Calma was not calm. "And I have corrected each and every one. You should be grateful, and pay attention, cause after I crush you, then maybe you can take a few notes and try and improve your own dishes. Think of it as a freebie."

Don Calma was going to shout back at the audacity of it all, but then Subaru allowed his mixture to spill out into a plate, and out came, without a doubt, Don Calma's very own Three Type of Greedy Verrine. The old man's eyes were wider than the plates themselves.

"H-How?!" he cried out, "You must have been spying on me, on my craft?!"

"Obviously," Subaru replied, sticking his tongue out and frightening the old man. "Come on boss, don't you remember me?"

"Huh?!"

"Don't you remember?" Subaru stated with glee, "You taught me all this things yourself. Granted, I may have had a little make-up on and you could have confused me for someone else… but I feel that's on you if you do not recognize your own staff!"

"What are you even blabbering about…? No!" Don Calma begun until it hit him. Taught? Make up? "There's… There's no way!"

But… was that it. Just a while ago, when he had been instructed by Asahi to watch over Boogie, was that…?

Right now, Don Calma took careful care to properly set up his shakers accordingly, as he knew he would need to use them soon enough. Asahi had made a call to action after all. And, as per his instructions, he was also keeping an eye on the ever troublesome Boogie, who was currently helping out with the equipment. The clown with the frown had not spoken at all, probably still pissed off at the bat to the face courtesy of Asahi, but he was at least paying close attention to all of Don Calma's instructions.

And completely unbeknownst to Don Calma, Boogie was busy working elsewhere, which meant the clown in a fat-suit and make up next to him was… Subaru Mimasaka!

"You were pretending to be Boogie this whole time?!"

"That was just the start," Subaru noted, grinning from ear to ear. "I spend days at your restaurant, carefully observing you. I went with you to get groceries, and I went with you to every single eatery you visited. I was there when you called your family and lied to them that you were still seeing Mark, not having the courage to tell them he left you because you have trust issues and your relationship had turned too toxic for him to handle!"

"What?!"

"I was there when you came up with this dish, hoping to finally have something that would finally make Asahi place you at the same level as Sarge or Yuunosuke, who you claim are your friends but you are secretly envious as, just as you wrote in your diary!"

"You vile villain!"

"And do you know where else I was…?!"

"…No…"

"I was with you when you slept… Right under your bed. Every. Single. Time."

"AHH!" Don Calma screamed out, rushing right out of the kitchen, dropping his trademark shaker and spilling his dish onto the ground, leaving the Noirs at a loss, and a very smug Subaru standing alone, victorious. The judges, unsure if they should call the match or the police, decided this was too much for what they were offered, so instead they took a taste of Subaru's dish and, by default, gave all their votes too…

Winner: Subaru Mimasaka

"Vile villain, huh?" Subaru muttered softly, laughing a bit. "You're not wrong, but if this villain is able to find the right track, and take out the truly vile people wanting to take advantage of the pain and suffering a young lady, then so be it. I hope someday you may find some redemption Don Calma, we all deserve a second chance, so be better, and hopefully someday, Mark will call back, because you two do care for one another deep down. Best wishes, from one villain to another."

-0-

Isami Aldini vs. Yuunosuke Tanaka

"Not a single victory on our end it seems," Yuunosuke noted grimly, his hand on his phone, the screen showing the results of all the matches, as all of them had concluded save for his own and Sarge's, but he still gave out a little laugh. He turned towards his opponent, the currently slim Isami, the "lesser" of the Aldini twins, and gave the boy a little grin. "Seems we heavily underestimated your little friends. They are making quite the showing."

"That is good to hear," Isami noted, "But I was sure of their success already. Thank you for sharing it with me though. I had feared you Noirs would be unpleasant company, but you seem like a chatty enough fellow, so I am relived."

"…You sure you shouldn't be taking this at least a bit seriously?"

"Why do you think I am not?"

"I know who you are," Yuunosuke replied. "If you truly had the intention of crushing us, you would have borrowed your brother's trademark Mezzaluna for this. Or do you think it is unneeded? I assure you, unlike the other Noirs, Sarge and I are a special case."

"Oh, I'm aware," Isami replied. "It is the reason why asked Erina to allow me this match-up, because I wanted to be sure I could prove myself and help her as best I could. But… I do understand your confusion," Isami added, and Yuunosuke frowned, "After all, I haven't used a true tool during the entire match, and that's precisely because I am making a pizza, given how our themes are Tomatoes, and I want to serve the final toppings as fresh as possible. But, given how we are almost done, it does make sense, that I would need a Mezzaluna now, no?"

"A Mezzaluna?" Yuunosuke repeated, before Isami took out a very familiar tool. Yuunosuke's eyes widened at the sight, as he saw his own visage reflected on the sharp, curved blade. Thrice at that.

"So that's about what's going to happen," Isami explained, seating down on the room's couch, his hands on his lap. He had come rushing over, since this had all be so last minute, but he had no other choice. "I don't want to inconvenience my brother in any way, but I know I have to give it my all, otherwise I may actually lose. These guys ain't no joke. So…"

"So you want to borrow my Mezzaluna?" Lucrezia Russo asked, and Isami smiled. He then nodded. Lucrezia seemed to ponder it for a moment, before she stood right up, going towards her trademark briefcase, and pulling out the triple-bladed Mezzaluna. "Despite how strong she looks, she still needs to be handled with care," Lucrezia explained, before she pointed the opposite end towards Isami. They boy, a bit flustered, still motioned and took a firm hold of the blade's handle. "And don't you dare insult her with a loss… like I did… twice."

"I would never," Isami replied. "And neither did you. There is no shame here whatsoever. All I see is a beautiful, talented, magnificent and amazing work of art that despite it all, still shines just as brightly as when I first saw her all those years ago," Isami noted, and when he caught himself and saw Lucrezia's expression shift all over the place, he quickly added, "Y-Your Mezzaluna, of course, i-it's what I am referring to, and… you know…?"

"Yeah, of course," Lucrezia repeated, eyes on the floor, "What else would you be talking about? Anyways… just go! Go and show the Noirs not to mess with you or with Takumi."

"Yeah," Isami said with the biggest of smiles. He stood up, motioning to leave, before he stopped himself. This was nerve-wrecking, he noted, but, for as much as he teased Takumi for it, he really should do the walk if he could talk the talk. "…Say, Lucrezia?"

"Yeah?"

"…If I win this, will you be my date for the dance…?"

"That's Lucrezia Russo's…" Yuunosuke noted, eyes wide.

"Yes, her triple-bladed Mezzaluna," Isami noted with pride. "While my brother and I have quite the connection with our Mezzaluna, I can't quite deny that it is more his than mine. So while I decide on how I go about acquiring one for myself, I wanted to test out this one from the girl I admire more than anyone else in this world."

"How romantic."

"It is frightening," Isami noted with a little laugh, "But let's put it to the test, shall we?"

Before Yuunosuke could reply, like a machine being turned on, Isami begun to spin the blades in a frighteningly fast motion, cutting a vast selection of vegetables and cold-cut meats in mere seconds, before he slashed the Mezzaluna right across the cutting table, and to the shock of the judges and the Noirs, all the toppings landed perfectly spread out over the pizza the young man had moments prior taken out of the oven. Then he expertly pulled it out, with a giant spatula, before he set it on the wooden plate, proceeding to switch to a smaller knife to give the pizza its trademark shape. Within moments it was done, and the smell of Italy overtook that kitchen.

Yuunosuke had offered his Stuffed Tomatoes & Peppers w/ Garlic Brine.

Isami had offer his Saucy Delight Deluxe.

The judges took a bite of each dish, and as both competitors stared each other down, each clenching their respective tools a bit harder than needed, a verdict was reached.

In a close three-to-two vote…

"No," Lucrezia replied, and Isami felt a massive wave of embarrassment and disappointment hit him at once. Before he could try and utter an apology, Lucrezia added, "Me going out with you does not depend on you proving anything to me. I'll be your date. I'd be so, so happy to be so. But, don't go at it like that. If this guy is that tough, then don't say "if" you win. Promise me. Promise me Isami, that you will win."

Winner: Isami Aldini

"I promise," Isami repeated softly, recalling his earlier conversation with his… date. And it was here he felt a bit lightheaded, since for all the teases he aimed his brother's way, it really was hard to keep your composure when it pertained to matters of the heart. Isami then heard his opponent let out a hearty laugh, and the young Italian turned to Yuunosuke, to see the latter seated on the floor, hand over his face. "…You okay?"

"Well, I did lose, which I am sure will disappoint Asahi," Yuunosuke admitted, before he turned to face the match's victor. "But while I may fancy myself particularly gifted even amongst my fellow Noirs, I know my limits. I can't ever hope to match any of the Neo-Noirs. But… Sarge is a different story. She's the only one amongst us all that comes even close to Asahi, and by extension, the rest of them. And you fools made the mistake of sending the princess' best friend against her. We may not win this war, but if we eliminate Hisako Arato, how, I wonder, would Erina Nakiri react?"

"That is a cruel way of plotting," Isami noted, but added, "However, I think you may have made a small error in that calculation."

"Huh?" Yuunosuke muttered, before he turned to his phone once more, and his eyes widened once again.

-0-

Hisako Arato vs. Sargenta Kruel

Winner: Hisako Arato

Sarge was outright on the floor, her eyes on the dish before her, which the young Japanese beauty of a girl had just served, and that had left the five judges looking like she had taken a good ten years off of them. Such delicate cooking, backed by such healthy benefits. As if every ingredient, every single step in her cooking were purposely selected to booster the body and mind. True medical cooking. Sarge prided herself in her craft, in such destructive and powerful cooking that those who ate her dishes were left utterly destroyed, as if she had slashed them right open with a chainsaw. But… If her dishes could be linked to a chainsaw, then this…

Hisako had outright parried her chainsaw with nothing but a medical scalpel.

"H-How?!" Sarge couldn't help but scream at. "How on Earth could you manage all of that without even being a Seated member? I… I am Asahi's right hand! I can't just lose in a damn five-to-nothing match against a nobody like you! What did you do?!"

"…I feel I must apologize to you, as while my anger is justified, it is not you who has wronged me the most," Hisako voiced for the first time since their initial one-sided banter. It left Sarge in shock at just how much venom she could feel in the pretty girl's words. "I am sorry, as I feel that in another time, another version of these events, you Noirs might have given us more trouble. You might have been worth the cause for alarm, and made us struggle to find ourselves victorious against you, but now…"

The first time Erina took Hisako to her bedroom to show it to her new aide and secretary, Hisako felt like she was going to faint. They were little, but even back then Hisako understood her place. Knew what her job was supposed to be. Her father had allowed her to go there because they shared the same age, and, while Hisako didn't understand it fully, he had said something along the lines of Erina needing someone by her side now more than ever. She was recovering, he had said, and as a future medical culinary specialist, Hisako figured she'd be perfect for the job.

But it was strange. The girl did not seem ill in the slightest.

"And this is my room," Erina declared, extending her arms as wide as she could to show it to Hisako. "What do you think? Pretty, huh?"

"I-It is beautiful Milady," Hisako voiced, meekly, avoiding eye-contact as best she could.

Erina seemed to frown at this response, and Hisako wondered what she had said that was wrong. Was beautiful too much of a common word? If so she needed to expand her vocabulary to meet her Lady's expectations.

"Okay… So, what do you want to play?" Erina asked, eyes on the pretty girl that she had met a few weeks ago. She seemed like the polar opposite of Alice, quiet and dignified, which was good, Erina supposed.

"Oh, I could never," Hisako quickly said. "My duties are first and foremost. I would never expect Milady to have to lower herself to have to entertain me. M-My role is –"

"You can't play with me?" Erina asked, tilting her head to the side, and Hisako had no idea what the proper protocol even was. Where was her job description again?

"No, I mean, I could, but it's not what is proper Milady," Hisako offered, and she couldn't blame Erina's confused face, since even she didn't much understand what she had just said. "H-However, if you do order it, then who am I to ever deny such a request from –?"

"Do you really want to be here?"

"Huh?" Hisako just blurted out, her eyes wide, her skin cold as ice.

"…I don't want to force you to be my… aide if you do not want to," Erina expressed, her eyes to the side. "Its fine, I know I am… difficult to work with. It is fine. I will not be mad at you for it. Nobody should… be forced to do something they don't want to."

"Milady… What? No, no, never. I assure you I chose this position because I am the best person for the job and because I want to be here," Hisako quickly voiced, and Erina just pouted. "I mean, my daddy was your mom's-I mean-Lady Nakiri's aide when they were in Tootsuki, and it worked out… I think."

"You father worked for my mother?"

"Yes Milady."

"Were they friends?"

"I… I wouldn't know," Hisako offered honestly. "I do not think my daddy-Father! I don't think my father would ever go beyond what he is allowed and actually dare call Lady Nakiri a friend."

"I mean, I wouldn't blame him honestly," Erina just muttered, and Hisako tilted her head. That did not sound like she was blaming her daddy, rather…? "Still, I-I… hmm, I don't want you here by force. You can have fun. We can play. I don't have to order you around every time."

"But you do," Hisako countered. "You are Milady Erina. I will do whatever you need me –"

"Don't blink."

"– to… eh?"

"You heard me," Erina repeated, now with her hands crossed against her chest, standing with a heavy pout in place. "You want to follow orders and nothing else, then fine. I order you not to blink."

"…Oh-okay?" Hisako tried, having no idea what she was even supposed to do at this point, but an order was an order. So she held her eyes open, and for a good thirty seconds, it worked, until she felt the irritation begin to hit her. Hisako felt her eyes water, as Erina just looked on, her face stone-cold serious. Hisako was so nervous she was sure she was going to pee herself at this point, but her eyes gave out before her bladder (thankfully), and she ended up forced to shut her eyes. She panicked, rubbing her eyes and already forming an apology for failing what was, in hindsight, an impossible order anyways, when she heard Erina burst out into laughter. "…Milady?"

"See, you don't have to do everything I say, it is impossible," Erina explained, and Hisako just blushed. "I'm not ordering you when you can go to the bathroom, or when to eat, or when to sleep. You are the one who tells me what you need, and you just go do it. So when I ask you if you want to play, I don't need to hear what the job or whatever states, just tell me what you want. Do you want to play or not?"

"…I-I," Hisako stammered, and what years later she'd understand was the beginning of the biggest friendship either girl ever had, she just nodded. She ignored her insecurities, her duties, all for the purpose of having a bit of fun. It couldn't hurt, right? And as such was how her "working" relationship with Erina began, filled with laughter and teasing, Hisako following Erina to wherever she would go. What she had understood as a job slowly became her very life, and it took years for her to understand what her father had meant that Erina was "recovering".

So now, years from those events, it made her blood boil that she still needed to help Erina simply live a normal life, because so many tried to hurt her. So many tried to mask their own intentions under the guise that it was for Erina's sake, when not one of them had ever even asked the girl what she really wanted. So it angered Hisako so that she still had to fight to help Erina recover, but she would not stop. Her job was not done. And as long as they breathed, it would never be done.

"…Now I've been training to be able to take on Azami Nakamura himself if need be, all to protect my sister from anyone that seeks to harm her," Hisako told Sarge, and the Noir's Right Hand couldn't even fully process the weight of the words the former secretary had just told her. "So I apologize for not allowing you Noirs the attention you all so desperately crave, but this isn't a game to any of us. Not anymore…

And it was here Sarge understood just how out of her league she had been from the start, and when Hisako told her those final words, it was accompanied by the most pitiful sideways glance that anyone had ever aimed her way.

"You're an eyesore, step back."

-0-

"Wow," a very unimpressed Dove spoke up, as Asahi forced himself not to twitch at the results showing up on screen. "They totally kicked your team's ass. How utterly humiliating."

"Yes Dove, we get it, I can see that," Asahi noted, turning to Erina, who was all smiles. "And… dubious methods from a few on your side aside, this is your victory little sis. Congrats. I shall honor my word and keep these army of Noirs out of your hair… although to be frank, given their performance, I don't much think I can do anything else with them anyways."

"You should have probably spent the time you did trying to train me, training them, don't you think?" Erina voiced, and Asahi laughed. Cheeky little… "That said, I hope I made things clear," Erina added, before she turned her eyes towards all of them, "To all of you. We'll settle things at the Final Round. So, until then, no more open challenges, okay?"

Asahi smiled and nodded.

Dove raised both eyebrows in a mock gesture.

Julius simply raised his glass in agreement.

Ashitaro didn't even bother looking up at all.

Satisfied, and worried about whatever that earlier text everyone except she got, Erina proceeded to stand up, ready to leave. But, before she could say anything else, or Asahi, who looked about to speak, could voice their thoughts, the front doors were opened, and as the five turned, they were met with the most unexpected of sights.

Erina's eyes widened in fear.

Asahi had to take a moment to realize who it was, and he was utterly confused.

Dove did not recognize who it was at first, but she knew that uniform well.

Julius did a click of his tongue, wondering if this could be the worst possible thing that could happen.

…And Ashitaro. Ashitaro turned towards the new guest with his eyes blood red. "…Nao."

Nao Sadatsuka, dressed in her uniform and wearing her robes and hood over it, dressed like a true little witch, walked right across Con Calma, her singular visible eyes finally meeting her elder brother's glare with one of her own.

"…Ashitaro," she voiced, and her elder brother begun to dig his knife onto the very table at the tone she used. No fear. No respect. Not even a term of endearment. Just his name, and with quite a heavy amount of disdain. My, how he'd have to discipline her…

"Nao, what are you doing here?" Erina quickly asked, jumping from her seat and landing right next to the little witch, the worry evident in her tone. "Its fine, we're fine. Tootsuki won. Go back to the dorms, now."

"I figured we'd win," Nao noted. Despite everything, Erina could still make out the fear in her voice, but it was masked so well. It was like hearing herself whenever her father was around. "Tootsuki is strong. And I am tired of always dragging it down."

"You have never –"

"I got invited to the Elite Ten Selection Exams," Nao said, and Erina bit her lower lip. She knew after all. Two Second Year students had rejected the invitation despite their skills. One was Julio, because he had told Erina that he had other duties that day and that he felt his skills needed a little more polish before they could match the likes of Soma, Hisako or Ikumi. That Erina accepted. The second was Nao… "I rejected the offer, didn't bother to attend because I already knew that if I did get in… I would be forced into this mess you all are in. And I was terrified of ending up in the same stage as Ashitaro. B-But what is that, for me? Am I supposed to throw my entire academic career away just because he exists? I'm done running. And since we, as in the Tootsuki alumni, won against the Noirs, then even better, because they can now humor my request. So, how about it Ashitaro?" Nao asked, her eyes once more on the monster before her. The monster that invaded every nightmare she had. Every waking moment too. "…How about a Shokugeki between you and me?"

Ashitaro pushed the table away, and got right up, knife left stabbed on the table, as he took a single step towards Nao. The girl tensed up, but her glare remained. Erina, however, was not leaving anything to chance. And despite everything she knew about all the lies and deceit, she still trusted him enough.

"Brother," she called out, and her tone must have sounded a bit more afraid than she had intended, as to the utter shock of everyone present, Asahi seemed to outright vault over the table and appear in-between Erina, Nao and Ashitaro, his hand on the latter, holding from moving an inch.

The Warlock paused, eyeing the King's hand, before he returned his gaze towards the latter's glare.

"This is a family affair," Ashitaro told him. "I am just going to talk to my little sister."

"You do not get close to Erina," Asahi warned him, in no uncertain terms, "And if you lay one finger on this other girl, you are going to be sorry."

"Are you also believing her lies?" Ashitaro countered, as both boys glared at one another, Ashitaro not backing down, but Asahi's hand firmly on the former's chest, ready to push him back if need be.

"Nao, you really should leave," Erina outright begged, "Leave this to us. This isn't you being a coward, this is keeping you safe. Trust us."

"I do," Nao replied. "But how am I supposed to even live if I am afraid of every damn shadow I see? I cannot let him control my life any longer. He broke into my room, stole my photograph of my mother, the only memento I have of her. And this is just me. If he's not stopped, he's going to keep on hurting people. Men like him… do not change."

Dove looked on, taking a deep breath, as she turned towards Asahi for a moment, before she set her sights on Ashitaro. "Hey, Ashitaro?"

He outright ignored her, instead focusing on the man before him, while Asahi's eyes kept on him, wishing Erina would hurry and take little Nao away so he could solve this… issue.

Dove just sighed, standing up, before she placed her phone on the table, and in speaker mode, it begun to ring. The group all turned to her, confused, and for once, she turned to Erina, and placing her finger over her lips, told her to keep quiet. Erina didn't much understand, until she heard the other line pick up. Until she heard her father speak up.

"Dove."

"Hi Azami!" Dove replied ever-so cheerfully, and the entire party tensed up. "Sorry for interrupting your very important meeting slash party slash you should have taken me with you event, but… I wanted to ask, you were clear with Ashitaro that I am the Team Leader, right?"

"…Yes," Azami replied. "Is he causing trouble?"

The drop in tone that Azami's last question took caused everyone involved to take a step back, with the exception of Ashitaro, who took like three. Angering Azami meant… angering his father. No, that was something he couldn't do. And Dove just turned to him, her eyes narrowed, as she spoke, "I don't know… Is he?"

She directed the question to Ashitaro, who despite shaking in fury, just shook his head, and proceeded to sit back down. Dove just smiled.

"Sorry, I think he just needed a reminder," Dove told Azami, all smiles once more. "Thank you, and have fun! Don't drink too much! And remember, if you have a party, wear a hat!"

"Please behave Dove," Azami voiced, clearly already used to this girl's antics, while Asahi and Erina both had to look elsewhere at the implications behind Dove's words. The man, however, did add, "And if you can hear me Ashitaro, remember, what Dove says… goes. One more call from her that you are out of line, and you will answer to me. Am I clear?"

Ashitaro just clenched his fists and bit his lips, drawing a bit of blood, but he had no other option really.

"I said," Azami repeated, "Am I clear?"

"…Yes sir," Ashitaro forced himself to say.

"I'm sure he'll behave," Dove quickly voiced, motioning to hang up the call, "But thank you, love ya!"

Then she hung up, and turned to the others, a very proud look on her face. The rest all looked on, sort-of having forgotten that this girl had Azami on speed-dial.

"I don't know how to feel about this, but sure, let's roll with it," Asahi noted, before he turned to Erina and Nao. "You'd best take her away. We'll talk later."

"I am not going anywhere," Nao told Asahi, which caused him to turn to her in confusion. "If Ashitaro is done with his little tantrum, then perhaps we can settle things as actual chefs for once."

Ashitaro turned to her, but the threat still echoed in his mind, so he just spoke, "You know damn well you can't match me. No one from that academy can. Just leave and hide. I'll close that place soon enough."

"If I can't beat you," Nao reiterated, "Then you have nothing to worry about. Or are you the one afraid to take me on, you brute."

Ashitaro gave out a little laugh, before he stood up, which quickly placed both Asahi and Erina on edge, as Dove and Julius looked on, the former with her finger on her phone's screen. Ashitaro merely raised his hands defensively. "Not needed, I know my place. I know my role. And I accept your challenge, little sis. But know, only on the condition, that if I win, you return home… deal?"

"Absolutely not!" Erina quickly shot out, until she was held back by the sleeve by Nao, who gave her a pleading look. "Oh, no! None of that! I am not letting you put yourself at risk against him!"

"How about winner just keeps the photograph?" Asahi offered, "You know a Shokugeki has to be equal offerings. And you returning something you stole versus her giving up her entire life and safety is hardly the same."

"This ain't any business of yours."

"You made it my damn business when you brought that shit over here," Asahi countered, and his eyes reminded Ashitaro of Azami, and he didn't much like that. "Either that, or you just return the photo without the duel. Your call."

"You think you can force me to give something like that up?" Ashitaro asked, no longer even bothering to hide the fact that he did in fact have it. "Have Dove call your daddy and maybe I'll listen."

"I am not the one here scared of daddy," Asahi shot back, smiling. "And I'll prove it," Asahi added, as he took a step to the side. The rest looked on, as he had left Ashitaro a clear path towards Erina and Nao. "…If you think my threats are empty, then, please, go on. Approach either of them."

Ashitaro stammered in place for a moment, clearly uncomfortable, but he didn't quite move forwards. He looked around, seeing Nao glaring at him and Erina too. Asahi just stood back, clearly inviting him to call the "bluff". Dove remained to the side, but her phone was still on the table. And Julius…

"Don't look at me," Julius simply said, "You dug this grave yourself. Just, word of warning, if I had to vote on who's considered a more dangerous person between you and Asahi, well, you wouldn't get my vote."

"Or mine," Dove added.

"…Fine," Ashitaro forced himself to say. "I'll… duel Nao for the right to the photograph, and in the process, I will show you lot why I will be the one to come out on top on this upcoming match. But," he paused, turning to Nao, "Any other accommodations you wish to get these idiots to consider for you out of pity?"

"The only pitiful thing here –" Erina began, glare still ever present, but the doors were once more opened, as the group all turned, wondering what it was now, and to say the little group that arrived was the last anyone ever expected was saying something. "– eh?"

"Sorry for the interruption," Loren said as he pushed the door open with the tip of his fingers, as Mitsuru, Cilla, Berta and Raymond stood behind him. The blonde boy then shifted his attention to the little witch next to the heiress, and he couldn't help but smile. "Hey… you okay?"

"Loren?" Nao just blurted out, confused. "W-What are you doing here?"

"Your last text of "I'm going to do something reckless" was not very self-explicatory, but we were able to deduce what it meant," Loren explained, as he signaled to right behind him. "We do have a reporter with us after all."

"I honestly just asked Lady Fumio," Mitsuru admitted, "She said you weren't in your room, and since Urara is live-streaming her match, we sort-of went on from there that you'd end up where Loren was at yesterday."

"We were of so worried!" Berta quickly claimed, rushing over to Nao and giving the girl a tight hug, which was a bit surreal for her.

"And are you alright Milady?" Cilla asked, her eyes on Erina. "We had thought Soma, Megumi and Takumi would be here with you. But…"

"They had to attend another matter," Erina replied, cursing inwardly that she had almost forgotten about that. But, this was more important. "That said, you all should not be here. This is dangerous."

"That's precisely why we came," Raymond assured, cracking his knuckles, his eyes on the Neo-Noirs, "Are we going to take them on?"

"Easy there Baby Rambo," Asahi called out, waving at a small cease-fire to the eager First Year, before he turned to Erina and Nao. "That said, it is your call. If she wants to challenge Ashitaro for the photograph, sure, why not. I can keep him in check, and so can Dove, but to say she has any hope to win, is, well…"

"I know my odds," Nao voiced, firmly, before she motioned to move past Asahi, only to be stopped by Loren. "Loren, damn it, not now. I'll explain it to you later, but I've made up my mind. I am doing this."

"Yeah, I figured," Loren noted. "And I'm not gonna try to stop you, but given how uneven this match is, I just wanted to offer my services if you'd like."

"Huh?" the little witch asked, her single visible eye wide, utterly taken back by that offer.

"Huh?" Dove, likewise, also voiced, equally taken back by that surprising offer. She quickly stood up, leaving her phone by the table, before she approached Loren and outright pulled him away, which earned herself a "hey!" from the surprised boy. Once they were a bit further away, closer to the bathrooms' entrance to be exact, Dove asked, "What are you even saying? Loren, I know what Azami taught us, but this is beyond cruel."

"Beyond cruel?" her little brother asked, confused.

"Why are you playing up this role of friend to them?" Dove asked him, and he frowned. "She's already at a disadvantage, you do not need to sabotage her cooking. This is not right, you wouldn't, I know you, this whole mess is…"

"Sis," Loren voiced, and Dove took a deep breath and looked at the boy for a moment. His expression was far more collected than she had ever seen him sport. "I didn't lie," he explained, "I am not here to sabotage anything. I want to help her. I know I'm not the best chef or aide, but she's afraid. And if she's there by herself, she won't cook to her best level. All I have to do is be there, and hopefully, she'll be calm enough to give that bastard what he deserves."

"You're going to be an assistant chef for real?" Dove voiced, and it sounded outright surreal. "But, Loren, you can't even cook!"

"Yeah," he laughed, "You would think that, I know."

"Loren…"

"Dove," he said, and he seemed to straighten up, likely prepping himself for what was to come, and it was here she finally noticed. "You said it yourself, how you felt so terrified of that guy that you couldn't even sleep. Ashitaro is like that for Nao. I'm not just going to sit back and do nothing."

Dove said nothing as her eyes were fixated on his, and he found this strange. But he had more pressing matters.

Dove, on the other hand, was a mess. She understood what he was saying. It was the correct call, one she would have never imagined from him at all. This was the same little boy fully trained to harm a chef from the inside, meant to spy and trick and steal from Tootsuki Academy from the shadows. That same annoying little boy that had pestered her so much, who was equal parts childish and prideful.

That same… little boy that she now finally noticed that she had to actually look up to meet his eyes.

'When…?' she asked herself, as she watched him walk back towards where Nao was, arguing something with the little witch before they both shared a little laugh. 'When did you grow…?'

"So it's Nao with Loren against Ashitaro," Asahi declared, turning to the Warlock, "No complaints on your end, right?"

"She could bring the entirety of the First Years and it won't make a difference," Ashitaro merely commented, as he made his way into the kitchen where, just yesterday, Soma had battled Shun. To think, that now, he'd use that very kitchen to crush his own little sister. How utterly poetic.

The rest of the group moved towards this back area as well, with Nao only pausing slightly. Loren paused alongside her, his eyes on the girl.

"I am beyond terrified," Nao admitted, turning to Loren, her visible eye on his, "Thank you for standing by me, for all of it… traitor."

"You've never been the sharpest crayon in the box," Loren admitted, which made her pout, "But you're not alone. I've got you… witch."

She nodded, as did he. And they both took a deep breath, both feeling the pressure of what was to come, but as Nao bumped her frame playfully against him, they both let out a little laugh, before, hand on hand, they moved into the kitchen, ready to confront the monster once and for all…

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For The Possibility Of A Future; She Faces Her Past!

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Notes:

Hey Everyone, Zancrowe (Down) Here!

It feels so amazing to finally reach this point of the story. The whole Nao & Loren vs. Ashitaro was one of those initial scenes I had in mind ever since I namedropped Ashitaro during the latter parts of "Nouvelle", so it feels so bittersweet to finally get to write a scene that has only existed in my head and a scattered note here or there beforehand.

Also, aside from, once I finish this story, I am never going to write another cooking scene in my life, this chapter made me understand why Shokugeki no Soma outright ignored most of their cast. Boy is it hard to try and give everyone the chance to shine. Still, if you found any enjoyment in this chapter whatsoever, do not hesitate to leave your thoughts in a review. You don't know how much that motivates me to bring this thing to its proper conclusion, and I do try to reply to all of them.

Youtube Page: I have one with upcoming Sorina & Food Wars content! Link is on my Profile Page or just search up "Zancrowe" on Youtube.