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))

30. At The Grand Ball

Notes:

Hey Everyone! Zancrowe Here!

Apologies for the delay; chapter had to be split up! Bad news means this chapter does offer a lot of setups, but maybe not enough payoff as I usually feel comfortable releasing. But, on the other hand, setup is important, and, also, the next chapter should come out very soon, given as how it is nearly completed (editing notwithstanding) as of this writing! I'll go into more detail come next chapter's release, but… if you have ever read and enjoyed "Nouvelle" or "Classique", then these 2 following Chapters are the ones you don't want to miss. Everything has been leading to this, so if you've enjoyed my stuff, this is why you're here…

Lastly! The Nouvelle TV Tropes Page got a massive update (thanks to whoever did it!) with now including content from "Classique"! Go give it a read if you fancy (link on my Profile Page).

YouTube Page: I have one with upcoming Sorina & Food Wars content (I swear, content is coming!)! Link is on my Profile Page or just search up "Zancrowe" on YouTube.

Disclaimer: Don't own Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma.

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This is a story about a girl named Erina…

Early morning, she wakes up.

Knock, knock, knock on the door.

It's time for make-up, perfect smile.

It's you they're all waiting for.

They go: "Isn't she lovely, this Tootsuki girl?"

…and Erina Nakiri had woken up that day as if it were like any other day. But she, and the whole world, knew better. She had to try her best to fake it, to pretend it was just her doing her usual day-to-day activities, otherwise she'd outright panic at the mere thought, that, during that very night, the biggest event to ever grace Tootsuki's grounds was going to take place…

A dance so splendid, dubbed the "Grand Ball" by all, meant as a showcase of solidarity between all eight Academies and true sportsmanship… or at least that's the lie everyone had been fed.

In truth, the dance mattered little. Sure, it would be fun for many, and a great opportunity to take photos and videos of all these celebrity chefs and use that to stir up some rumors, drama and everything in-between. But, no, that wasn't the point. Her father and her mother, Azami Nakamura and Mana Nakiri respectively, had agreed to use this spotlight to finally clear the air of any and all misunderstandings. To finally fix their wrecked public images after her boyfriend, Soma, and her cousin, Alice, had tossed them all into the fire with their words, and an entire online movement had rallied behind her despite her not ever wanting them to.

She didn't want to play the victim. She didn't want to hurt her father, or her mother. She didn't want payback. She just wanted things fixed…

'Is that actually what I want?' Erina asked herself, her eyes on the mirror, the image she saw reflected looking worse every single time she took a glance at it. Gone were those powerful, demanding eyes or her sharp tongue that would make anyone obey her without a moment of hesitation. Replaced, instead, by this insecure-looking girl who seemed to stumble over her life and couldn't even fake that spark in her eyes any longer.

Then she heard a soft knock on the door, and she held onto her fine dress tightly. It was such an amazing design, made specifically for her, after many brands had outright fought for the opportunity to make it for her for this specific night. She loved it, really, but for once, she really wouldn't have mind it if they could have just gone and done something else instead. Something dumb. Put of some jeans, some sneakers, and gone out into the town. Something like how Soma would do to have fun, and despite her protests (of which there were always many), she always enjoyed every second of it.

Erina sighed, and moved towards the door, unlocking it. The door was opened softly, as, of course, Hisako popped her head in, and as soon as she saw the totally-not-at-all-dressed-up Erina, her eyes widened.

"What's wrong?" she asked, and Erina just smiled.

"…Guess the dress a bit trickier to put on that I initially assumed," Erina lied, kind-of, since she did have a little trouble with such dresses, but she honestly had not even tried to put this one on yet. Hisako, on the other hand, was already sporting a fabulous dress that outright matched her beautiful eyes and lovely hair (and said hair was stylized so amazingly that it almost made Erina forget her own worries and just caused her to swoon at seeing how cute Hisako looked). "You look amazing. They did a wonderful job with that dress," she said, the smile on her lips this time genuine. "…Can you give me a hand with mine, don't want us all arriving later than what fashionably late allows on my account."

-0-

"Are we guys ready?!"

A cheerful shout from the resident troublemaker of the Polar Stars, one Soma Yukihira, currently dressed in his fanciest tux (courtesy of his beloved Erina Nakiri), with his hair brushed back (at the request of, again, Erina Nakiri) called the rest of his dorm to action. He stood before the group (and company) with a huge grin on his face. He knew he was a little less excited about this than most of them, especially considering how this concerned Azami's reputation and Erina's wellbeing, but he wasn't going to be the gloom-and-doom of the evening.

"I think everybody is ready! Here we are, the best showcase of youth imaginable!" Isshiki gave the Polar Star crew an overly enthusiastic salute of acknowledgement, proudly boasting to the entire dorm being all well-dressed and ready for a night that they all assumed they would never forget. The young man, leader of the pack, standing next to the grinning Soma, the two of them currently trying to bring everybody together before they headed out to the Grand Ball, was dressed in his best. A fancy suit, his hair brushed (for once), and all the sharpness imaginable. Isshiki always rocked a suit, almost as much as he rocked an apron, so this was no surprise.

And everybody looked outright stellar, all of them in their fancy suits and expensive dresses…

Nene stood by his side, a small smile on her lips as Fumio told her something that made the young girl suppress a giggle. She was dressed in a form-fitting sparkling dress, very much like the crown jewel she was, which showed an impressive amount of leg.

Yuuki stood a bit by the side, chatting with her date Kuga, Terrubunny on her head because of course. She was wearing a rather short dress, which covered none of her back, and was colored in a light-blue cerulean tint which matched her ever shining eyes. Her date, currently asking her if their "son" was going to the dance too, was sharply dressed in a traditional Chinese flaming red changshan, topped with a very distinct fedora hat.

Another eye-matching dress belonged to Megumi. A mixture of yellow and cream which Isshiki had once more hand-picked for her, at her request of still not putting on anything too revealing. A small equally colored hand purse completed the outfit, stuffed with her phone, her Elite Ten ID, her VIP Pass, and a bunch of little gifts she had gotten to give out to her friends at the party. Her date and boyfriend, Akira, was dressed in a fine black and white suit, complete with a very decorative tie, all handpicked by his ever-proud momma Jun of course.

Ryoko had a very pretty dark, scarlet dress clung onto her frame ever-so tightly, leaving all her perfect curves on display, and causing Shun to be unsure how to properly react or move with her pressed against his arm. The young smoke master was currently wearing what appeared to be a designer-colored suit with a matching tie that was said to perfectly contrast Ryoko's own attire.

Madoka had gone for a simplistic, yet very pretty, short purple dress, with her glasses' frames being the exact same color. Her date, Marui, was dressed in an all-black suit, black tie, black shoes, and, this time confirmed, black underwear too.

Berta and Cilla sported two little golden dresses, for two precious golden girls, with them purposely picking a long dress for Berta, and a short one for Cilla, just to match their signature hairstyles. Raymond looked completely unused to being outfitted in a fancy suit, but he pressed on, while Mitsuru rocked his effortlessly, a fact that surprised Cilla greatly. Granted, not as much as when he proposed taking her picture (and just hers) before they headed out. She had obliged, but she couldn't quite shake off her fluster afterwards.

The other two guys, having been promised a solution to their current date-less dilemma, one Daigo and one Shoji, nevertheless got suited up in their fanciest get-up, both having near identical suits with the only detail that distinguished them being Daigo had a bow, while Shoji had a tie. They looked just as much twins as the sisters did. Still, the two men shook each other's hand, firmly, tears in their manly eyes…

"Did you read that?" Daigo asked.

"I sure did…" Shoji confirmed.

"We got descriptions!" the two idiots cheered, fists to the air, as the rest of the group looked on, utterly baffled by what they even meant.

"W-What are they referencing?" Madoka asked, confused.

"…That's the character development we've been building towards all along, huh?" Ryoko noted, her left eye twitching.

"More than the manga ever gave them," Yuuki just said with a snort.

"…Just let them have this…" Megumi quickly defended, flashing the duo a hearty thumbs up. Everyone else had no idea what the girls or the moronic due were even talking about.

"And you look absolutely precious!" Riko gushed, on the upper floor, her eyes on her daughter, as the little witch walked into her own room now sporting a very gothic gown, gloves and all, with a very fluffy-looking design. Her hair had been (with tremendous effort on Riko's part) brushed back and tied up, allowing for both her eyes to be fully visible, and with some very light blush on her cheeks, the little witch looked outright like what many joked was her "White" version, just this time without the need to be exorcised by a divine dish. Nao, for her part, felt like she was less getting ready for a Ball and more getting dressed for Halloween, as this was simply too much. Heck, the three-inch heels made her almost unable to walk properly.

"Mo-om!" she cried, pouting. "Are you sure I look good like this?" she asked, and Riko was already taking pictures of her with her phone, making Nao pout more. "S-Stop that! I think you over-dressed me!"

"Nonsense, you look beautiful," Riko shot back, then she turned to the side, towards the door, and with a sly smile, called out, "Hey, Loren, can you come in here for a second?"

"What?! Hey! Don't just call him in!" Nao tried to protest, but the boy walked right in.

Loren had his hair brushed back, his clear eyes in full display, and dressed in such a fine suit (courtesy of Azami, making it the most expensive outfit there by a longshot, even more-so than any of the girls' save for, ironically enough, Nao's) and it clung onto his frame so perfectly that Nao had trouble not recalling vividly every inch of him she had already seen. It made her feel faint, but to her surprise, the boy came in, gave a pause, and just stared at her.

"…Well?" Nao said, now beet red, "Say something!"

"…Who the heck are you?"

"If I could walk towards you, I'd hit you!"

"Seems my little girl ended up with quite the fashionable little boyfriend," Riko noted with a smile, her eyes on Loren, who shifted his eyes to the side. This was weird. This was Nao's mom, a big shot on the same caliber of Azami himself, yet she seemed very friendly, genuinely so. And she had quickly pulled him into a hug the moment Nao introduced him to her just an hour or so ago, but it still made him uneasy around her. "No need to be nervous Loren," Riko voiced, sensing his dilemma, "After everything Nao and the others have told me, the least I can do is trust you. You've earned that and more."

"Hmm…" the flustered boy voiced, but his eyes drifted towards Nao for a second. Then they stayed there for longer. A lot longer. Nao felt very self-conscious, as if she didn't know any better, she could swear he was undressing her with his eyes. But like, for real, no way, right?

"I-If you're going to snark at me hurry up and do it!" she said defensively. Loren just laughed.

"Just wondering why you looked so extra, you get me?" he noted, his eyes going over every inch of her, slowly. "Like, excuse me Miss Phantomhive, didn't know it was that kind-of party."

"Ha!" Nao shot back. "I know that reference, and it's not the insult you think it is," she defended, and tried to move towards the mirror, to see if she really was as overdressed as she felt, but the moment she tried to move, she tripped, and of course she ended on her way to the floor. She heard her mom gasp and try to reach for her, but she wasn't quick enough. But still, she never made it to the floor. "…Huh?"

"Careful there, little princess of darkness," Loren told her, holding her up, his hands at her waist, bent down to keep her from hitting the floor, their eyes inches from each other. She bit her lips, the lush dark red lipstick making them look far fuller than what he was used to seeing from the girl. Heck, her entire face was a rare sight, and at times he forgot, that despite it all, she was a scarily beautiful girl.

"And I… will wait downstairs," Riko softly voiced, excusing herself quickly and walking out of the room, as Loren gave the woman a glance while Nao fidgeted in place.

"M-Mom!" she cried out, but relented, she knew what her momma "meant" by that, but she was totally not that love-struck. Not at all. "Please ignore her. She's not used to me having a… well, you know."

"Can't blame her," Loren noted, smirking, and she still wanted to smack him. "But, man, you can look beautiful after all," he added, and he said it so nonchalantly that she forgot how to breathe. She tried to stammer something, but nothing came out, instead the boy that had come to that place to dismantle it from within and ruin them all smiled and told her in the most earnest tone she had ever heard, "I don't regret a single thing I did, or didn't do I guess. Glad you're safe… Nao."

"…I am not responsible for what happens if you keep that up," she warned, even if rather than feeling threatened, Loren felt pretty much the opposite. He moved his hand from her waist, and up her back, trailing his digit through her flesh, sending a chill down her very spine, before his hand ended up on her cheek, caressing her face gently. She gave pause, eyes widening slightly, before they just kissed. Kissed deeply, with her dropping her body weigh onto him, and him holding onto her, both of them crouched on the floor of her room, locking lips and tongues, the very definition of lost souls having found each other.

"Say…" Riko voiced in, poking her head into the kitchen downstairs, "Would it be considered rude if I recorded my little girl making out with her boyfriend? Because they look oh-so damn adorable!"

"Leave the kids alone," Gin quickly reprimanded, coming to their defense, as he, Jouichirou and Jun all stood by the main table, at the dorms that had outright been their home ages ago. The four had never expected to find themselves back here, once again together, but life had a way of finding a way, always.

"It is tempting I'll admit," Jouichirou noted with a goofy grin, his hands on a plate and on a pair of chopsticks. "When I caught little Erina hiding out at my house, my first instinct was to record the two… Well, second instinct. First was freaking out about becoming a grandpa so soon, but it seemed it was for naught… Here, try this!"

"I'm still getting used to Akira and Megumi actually – Jouichirou I swear if you shove another one of your failures into my mouth I will throw hands!" Jun had begun to say, then quickly shifted her stance into an outright fighting pose, fists into the air defensively, the moment she saw Jouichirou shift his hands and aim his chopsticks her way.

"Oh come on! For old time's sake."

"Fumio! Jou's bullying me again!"

"Oh don't be so immature! You damn tattletale!" Jouichirou cried out, but no sooner had he said so, than had Fumio outright appeared by the entrance, standing next to a surprised Riko, who outright let out a little "eek" at her sudden appearance.

"Stop bullying Jun, Jouichirou!" she quickly reprimanded, and the grown ass man just pouted. "For once, try and act your age. Leave the poor girl alone."

"Poor girl? She's just as old as us…" Jouichirou muttered, but when Fumio's frown deepened, he just looked elsewhere.

"Always to the rescue, eh Fumio?" Gin noted, proudly. "I don't think any of us would have survived Jou's shenanigans were it not for you."

"Oh, definitely," Riko quickly added, as Jun had bounced away from Jouichirou and had positioned herself next to Fumio and Riko, all the while the former Fourth Seat softly patted the smaller Jun on the head. "He would have driven us all insane… more than he did, I mean."

"Crybabies, the bunch of ya," Jouichirou said with a playful frown. The four "adults" in the room, as Fumio observed, had all grown so much yet, for this one moment, she felt she had a part of her original kids back. They all talked as if they had just last seen each other a few days ago, not the years that had actually transpired. The ever-diligent Gin, the troublemaker Jou, the playful Riko, and the meek and polite Jun; how she treasured them all so, and how proud she was of the men and women they had become.

"I'm glad I decided against retiring until this current batch of kids graduate," Fumio noted, as the four turned to her, a bit surprised to hear that. She was… retiring? "Don't give me that look," she called the four of them out. "I know I look fabulous for my age, but time waits for no one, but considering the state these dorms were in, I had considered having this past year to be my last, but…" she noted, before her eyes shifted towards Jouichirou. "Then this guy sends his brat over, kid makes a mess of things, draws up an entire storm and ends up reviving this place back to the former glory of its Golden Era days… Heck, maybe even beyond that. So I am glad I stuck around, so that I could see them flourish, and I could see this… you four back here, even if it's one last time…"

"Fumio…" Riko voiced, as the other three looked on.

"I still wish that brat Azami would come around," Fumio admitted, "But for that he needs to correct all the harm he has caused, to so many, chief amongst them being little Erina. But I shall be content with what I have. I was able to see this dorm flourish one last time, and I truly believe that these kids can save Tootsuki, and keep this place open for generations to come. I know that old fool Senzaemon wouldn't have it any other way… But I want you four to promise me, no matter what happens, you'll continue to do your best for those kids. I am proud of all that you are, and I am proud of them. So, please, take care of them… and take care of each other. I know you four may never admit it, but you are friends, and friends should not be years without reaching out to one another. No more "off-the-grid" shenanigans, alright?"

The four just stared, a sudden rush of conflicting emotions on each, with Riko on the verge of tears, Jun actually crying, Gin staring solemnly, and Jouichirou smiling fondly and nodding. The four still raised their hands in unison, and for a moment, all Fumio saw was her four former students before her, before they all replied in unison…

"Yes Miss Fumio!"

-0-

After fumbling around for like the fifth time in a row, one very annoyed Asahi proceeded to just glare at the mirror in frustration and removed his tie entirely. Why was he "gifted" such an expensive set of clothes, yet they didn't come with the commodity of a clip-on tie? I mean, he "got" it. Fancy is as fancy does, and the fancier the tie, the harder it was to put on. This is why he hated the elite, bunch of stuck ups worried about such trivial and dumb things. Yet… for his master plan to work, he had to play along. To say he was shocked when Dove told him Azami, of all people, had suggested they go as a date to the Grand Ball would be an understatement. As is to say that he never did quite think this far ahead, in this case, as he didn't quite envision himself in one of the guest rooms on the Nakiri manor, currently getting ready (or failing to) for the dance, while everyone else did the same.

His little sister Erina was getting ready.

His young cousin Alice was too.

His totally not his girlfriend, but certainly his formal date Dove was as well, and probably even more displeased at her current surroundings than even he was.

This really was absurd. These people knew that there was a war going on, right? I mean, he was as conniving as they come, and yet, the amount of hypocrisy these people would use just to save their images and keep the tabloids happy was absurd even for him. How he strived, once his plan was accomplished, his future assured, the culinary throne his, to never, ever be like any of them…

"Normally," a voice cut in through the silence, and it made the young man tense up, "It's the women who take the longest getting prepared. Alice, Dove and Hisako are already set, and when my niece gets ready before my own son, it is a worrying sign."

Asahi tilted his head with a soft laugh, eyes on the mirror for a moment before he turned to his father. His so-called father, dressed in the finest of blacks, as if he ever wore anything else. The man was standing by the door, his eyes on his son, and his little predicament.

"You try growing up how I did, barely getting any attention at the local orphanage, or worse, with that woman, and see how easy it is to deal with all this fancy crap," Asahi shot back, his tone jovial but not really. Azami stared at him for a moment, before the man proceeded to walk inside, his posture as demanding as always, and Asahi just stared back at him.

"My own father was always a very distant man, both emotionally and physically," Azami voiced, and Asahi couldn't quite fake his expression. His father then took hold of the discarded tie, and placed it over the boy's neck. "I had to always address him as "sir", no exceptions, and it got to the point where it made one wonder why have children in the first place if it's quite clear you want nothing to do with them…?"

"This… is kinda weird," Asahi said, eyes to the side, "You sure you haven't cracked under all the stress?"

Azami let out a little laugh. "Perhaps," he admitted, "But I am aware that there's so much a parent, not necessarily a father per say, could have taught you, could have helped you with. And, while I am aware you will never believe me, despite all your attempts at destroying my plans just to further your own, I will still make sure you have everything you need in life here henceforth, and… had I known about you beforehand, I would have sought you out."

"…Yep," Asahi said as he just nodded, "Yukihira finally broke you."

"Don't mention that name, please," Azami said, closing his eyes, but he did almost smirk. "Now, listen closely," he added, and despite bracing himself for a threat, Asahi was instead offered, "You put the tie around your neck, the wider side always to your right," Azami explained, showing his son each side of the tie. The young man looked on, his eyes a bit wide, but listening. "This is called a traditional Windsor Knot, one of the fancier methods of tying a tie, works wonders for the type of event we are headed towards. So… you take hold of both ends," he added, showing his son the process, "Cross the wide end over the narrow end, bring the wide end up through the neck loop, and bring your tie back down."

"I – ah, okay…?"

"Fold the wide end behind the narrow end, wrap it around completely, all while holding the knot in place near your collar," Azami continued, the man's eyes focused solely on the task at hand. "You then pull the wide end through the neck loop from below, insert the wide end through the front knot, and then you just… tighten the knot firmly."

As Azami explained, he fully tied the tie on his son, who for once, had absolutely no idea what to say or do in this scenario. He settled for, "That it? Feels like I should write that down or something."

"We'll practice it, you'll get it soon enough," Azami said, his eyes now on his son's. "Cooking at the level you do is far, far more amazing than any of these old-fashioned little tricks. If you've been able to master that, there's little in this world I imagine you are unable to learn."

"You know nobody's watching," Asahi voiced, his tone cracking just slightly, his eyes firmly on his father's. "You don't need to put up this act."

"…It's not an act, and it never will be," Azami replied. "Again, I cannot fault you for your beliefs. But I will prove… that what I intend, for Erina, for you, for Dove and Loren, is only the best. And, on that note, about Dove."

"What about Dove?" a very defensive Asahi asked, despite himself. If his father caught his change in tone or not, he couldn't tell.

"She's been through a lot," Azami explained, his eyes still firmly on Asahi's. "Treat her kindly. She'll pretend otherwise, but she's very smitten with you."

Asahi's response was choking on air. He cleared his throat as best he could. "Ah, erm, eh – you sure about that?"

"As if I had raised her myself," Azami replied with something Asahi wasn't sure how exactly he meant it. "And… I suspect she's not the only one with mixed feeling on the matter, hmm?" Azami added, and before Asahi could try and counter whatever he was hinting at, Azami just smiled, playfully patted Asahi on the shoulder, and voiced, "Come. Everyone is waiting. We have a dance to get to."

And Azami walked away, as Asahi circled through about twenty different responses and / or arguments, but ended up saying none of them. He paused, clicking his tongue for a second, his hands on his pockets, fidgeting around the room for a moment, before he just shrugged and walked out as well. He was in this deep, no sense having doubts now. It didn't make sense, none of this did, but he'd improvise whatever he could when the moment of truth came along.

Asahi proceeded to walk down the many halls of this maze of a mansion, before reaching the main stairs and proceeding to walk right down them, coming up to the sight he had been unsure of how to react to. There they were, well, most of them. The adults, Soe, Leonora, Mana and, now joining them, Azami. The four seemed like even the slightest breeze could set them off, but they all held expertly and seemed able to pretend to be cordial with each other.

He also caught sight of his younger cousin, one preciously dressed Alice Nakiri, looking like the very princess she was, in a platinum (not silver) dress complete with elegant gloves and fancy footwear. Next to her stood her boyfriend, the always imposing Ryou Kurokiba, looking so out of place in his own suit, with a platinum tie to boot, all to match his date's. No sooner had Asahi walked down than had Alice perked right up.

"Looking snappy cuz!" she quickly cheered him on, giving him a playful wink.

"What? Me? Nah, how can you say that when you are outright dazzling to look at," Asahi quickly complimented, first aiming his hands at himself before he motioned them away as if saying with them "no way", making it clear all eyes deserved to be on her. It was such a dumb, playful little gesture, but it of course made his cousin smile from ear to ear. She was so easy to manipulate, he'd note.

"Did it suit you?" Asahi heard Leonora ask, walking towards the young man just as he descended the steps. She examined him for a moment, before smiling. "Oh, it sure did! You look outright dashing Asahi."

"I… thank you," he decided to say, nodding. "And you look beautiful Miss Nakiri, so much so that – Ack!"

Leonora had him by the cheeks, pulling on them rather strongly at that. The boy couldn't quite fake the surprise in his features.

"Aunty," she corrected, eyes narrowed. "I don't care about this whole mess we adults have right now, you kids are not a part of this. And you are Erina's brother, and Alice's cousin. So I am your aunty, got it."

"I-I…" Asahi stammered, utterly caught off guard, but the way the older woman seemed to glare despite still smiling at him made him reconsider any potential arguments and the boy just nodded, "Yep! Crystal clear on my end. I shall rephrase. You look beautiful aunty."

"Much better!" Leonora said with bright smile, and Asahi could tell where Alice got her beauty from. "Now then, come on, we just need the rest of the girls to come on down, so we can take photos and then head on out."

"Rest of the girls?" Asahi asked, walking towards where the fractured family stood at, "Weren't we just waiting on me and Erina, who else is –?"

"I had to get my hair fixed, again," Asahi heard a very familiar voice speak out from outside the crowded living room, and as he turned, he finally saw her. Dove walked in, her gloved hand on the door frame. She was wearing a dress so expensive and glamorous he knew she wouldn't look out of place in a period piece. A mix of blacks, purples and blues, the design feathery in nature, down to the very tips, with the center resembling an old-fashion corset the way it showcased the girl's natural curves, with decent emphasis to her impressive bust. And on her chest, which he was desperately trying not to gape at, hung the diamond necklace Azami had long ago gifted her, yet even such an expensive piece seemed to outright dull when compared to the shine the girl's sapphire eyes seemed to generate the moment she and Asahi saw one another. "…Hey."

"Dove," Asahi almost squeaked, but he cleared his throat. "You, I mean… wow," he just voiced, because he couldn't lie anymore. "Just… wow."

And Dove, his father's student, protégée and the master chef he most needed to ensure didn't get in his way, his number one enemy in all sense of that phrase, just sheepishly smiled, and Asahi forgot how even breathe or act or just be alive, it would seem. He short-circuited, basically, and if it wasn't for a flash that seemed to come out of nowhere the boy in question would have likely kept staring at the doll his girlfriend was all night long.

Dove noticed the flash too, and turned, confused, just in time to catch sight of Leonora with her phone out, aimed her way. "And there she is," Leonora noted with a smile. "Truly a porcelain doll brought to life, you are so damn cute baby girl."

"…thank you," the girl simply muttered, eyes to the side. She knew she was blushing. She took a few steps, and Asahi extended his arm, to which she instinctively took hold of it, and as such, of him. She locked eyes with him once more, wondering how she felt more nervous seeing him with more layers on than with less, but pushing on regardless. "And don't you look nice."

"You think?" he asked with a grin.

"You should," she replied, "I don't settle."

"Then I shall strive not to disappoint," he noted, before he pulled her hand upwards, and planted a little kiss on her hand. It made her smile, before her eyes widened a bit, remembering that Azami was right there, which caused her to pull her hand back a bit too quickly, almost smacking Asahi right across the face accidentally. He gave her a confused look at this, but seemed to read her thoughts, and acted accordingly. As in, pretend this was a first date, damn it.

"Hey," the both heard Alice whisper from the side, and the both turned, in time to see the younger girl with the biggest of grins. That… couldn't be good. "Erina told me you two haven't told uncle about, the whole, you know, date night thing, eh?"

'Oh… that's right,' both Asahi and Dove noted inwardly, in utter fright, 'I forgot. She knows.'

"Don't worry, I won't tell," Alice whispered, "But that's so very, very naughty of you both. But if you don't want him to find out, maybe try not to look like your moments from jumping one another, k?"

Both Asahi and Dove blushed harder at this, before they both shot back, "We are not!"

Alice just giggled, skipping away. Kurokiba stood by, his eyes briefly on the couple, and sighing. This was honestly just them asking for more trouble at this point.

"Apologies for making you all wait."

The entire group all turned, hearing the usually boastful voice speak softly and apologetic, as they all saw Erina take a few steps down the same stairs Asahi had walked down from, with Hisako walking alongside her. Her beautiful golden dress looked like if they turned off all the lights it would still outright glow, so much so that it could light up the entire manor with its shine alone.

Dove gave a sly little smirk at the sight of the God's Tongue, rolling her eyes a bit but deciding against saying anything at all.

Asahi seemed to fidget for a moment, unsure of how to act. It should be simple. Just compliment her as he had done with Alice, but the words didn't seem to come out. His little sister looked absolutely precious, and he was utterly worried if he voiced that, it would sound far too genuine.

Mana just looked on, her hands on her purse, pressed to her frame. Erina looked as lovely as always, and she wondered if she should voice it. They were going to go to an event to put on a show, no? It was expected of a mother, was it not, to praise her little girl? So Mana tried…

"You look absolutely stunning baby girl!"

…yet it was Leonora who actually spoke the words. The aunt was already busy taking pictures of her bashful niece, alongside an equally bashful Hisako, all the while Mana looked on, pretending that she wasn't bothered in the slightest.

As Erina took the final step down towards the main floor, Azami was at her side, extending his hand and helping her down, since he knew that her dress was a little… too much, so it was best to be careful. Erina took her father's hand after a moment of hesitation, and joined up with the rest, just in time to be tackled by a squealing Alice. Azami gave a little smile at the sight, and, since he was already there, offered his hand to Hisako as well, who took it out of common courtesy if nothing else, even if the girl kept her disapproving glare on Azami all-throughout. It made the man laugh internally, at just how protective this girl was of his daughter.

"You look absolutely perfect!" Alice proudly exclaimed, waving her hands side to side, and because she was holding onto Erina's, she was waving her cousin's hands as well. "Tonight's going to be amazing! I can't wait! Let's go, like right now!"

"Hold for a second sweetie," Soe quickly called out, causing the girls to turn to him and noticing he had set up a proper camera for just the occasion, "No way we're leaving this manor without a few first class set of photos to commemorate just how adorable you all look!"

"Oh, yes, let's!" Alice quickly beamed.

"I… erm, sure, okay uncle," Erina simply replied, before she was pulled into the center of the frame by Alice. Her cousin was an expert at this, Erina knew firsthand, and she continued to prove it, as no sooner had a camera been aimed her way, Alice had pulled Erina into a hug, posed with one leg lifted up, and winked at the camera, all smiles. Erina had intended to force herself to put on the many practiced smiles she knew, but the sheer suddenness of Alice's actions caused her to let out a genuine laugh, which was quickly immortalized by the photo her uncle took.

"Perfect!" Soe exclaimed, with a thumbs up, before he made a little wave with his hand. Erina didn't seem to understand what her uncle meant by it, and, evidently, neither did her friend, as when Leonora walked up behind Hisako and tugged at her to join the other girls the pinkette seemed to panic.

"Oh, Miss Nakiri! I c-couldn't –"

"Sweetie…" Leonora voiced so low Hisako felt a chill. "I can forgive Asahi because he is still new to all of this, but if I ever hear you call me Miss Nakiri again I will spank you."

It was a playful threat, nothing more, but it did cause all the color to drain from Hisako's face regardless. The girl just nodded, and Alice quickly reached out and pulled her into the frame, with Erina now in the center, surrounded by the two best girls she knew. Her best friend, her cousin, her sisters.

Erina's smile couldn't be more genuine, as her uncle took a photo of the three girls, before he then signaled to the others, and it was here two out of the three were utterly caught off-guard.

"Come on now, now one with everyone on it, well, everyone who matters!" Soe declared, and while Kurokiba just took his spot right next to a grinning Alice, already used to this, Asahi and Dove were utterly unsure of what to even do.

"Come on you two," Leonora voiced, motioning to the two Noirs. "This one's with the entire current generation of the Nakiri family, well, we still need one with Soma and Takumi in it, so we'll have to take that one at the ball…"

"I-I think we're good," Asahi tried.

"Y-Yeah, it's not like…" Dove did as well, but the look Leonora gave the two made them outright flinch. Asahi just sighed and walked right up to the others, while Dove, inwardly screaming at him for chickening out and betraying her, just sulked for a second or two at what a mess this was before she began to drag herself towards all her gathered enemies. Lovely, was it not? "This isn't fair Miss –" she began, but the moment Leonora just turned her eyes towards the girl Dove felt her spine turn ice cold, to which she course corrected in saying, "– Aunty! Not even sure if it makes sense for me to call you that, but I'm honestly kinda too scared of you to say otherwise!"

"Good, you should be!" Leonora said it so cheerfully that Dove felt her eye twitch. Still, the six managed to get together for this… forced photo, with Alice in Ryou's arms, Dove trying her best to position herself alongside Asahi in a way that didn't betray what they really were, while Erina and Hisako now occupied the center.

"This almost makes it look like you're my date tonight Erina," Hisako said with a little snicker.

"Don't tell Soma, but it would be an upgrade, honestly," Erina joked, even playfully fanning herself as if to showcase how heated being Hisako's date made her. Both girls then shared a laugh, before they went on to pose.

The six smiled to the camera, and the shot was taken. Then Soe gave another signal, one which even Alice didn't quite follow. When it was clear none of them got it, Soe voiced, "I mean, that's good for the proper pictures, so now then, have fun with it. Give me wacky!"

"Oh, uncle, come on!" Erina quickly protested, pouting. "We're not kids! This is enough, let's –"

"Does that mean doing something like this?" Asahi's question interrupted Erina, and when she turned to her brother, he pretended (or at least, she hoped he did) to lick his palm and motion it towards her. Or more specifically, towards her hair.

"No!" Erina quickly cried out, both laughing and looking ready to throw hands. "Don't be gross! Keep that hand away!"

"Wait! I'll hold her!" Alice quickly offered, to which Erina proceeded to shot her cousin a massive glare.

"Don't you dare!" Erina cried. "Ryou! Restrain her!"

"Oh, please, he doesn't obey – hey!" Alice had begun, until she felt Kurokiba outright pick her right up. "No! Down boy! And by that I mean put me down! Don't start listening to Erina!"

"I'm sorry, I was told I was to make sure this evening went smoothly, so I have the green light to ignore you tonight," Kurokiba stated, smirk ever present, clearly making half of that up, as a pouting Alice unsuccessfully kicked around to try and get herself loose.

"Bad call sis," Asahi voiced, threateningly, "You should have ordered him to restrain me instead," Asahi added, his palm now inches from Erina.

"Oh, enemies as we may be, never mess with a girl's hair," Dove quickly cut in, and before Asahi could even speak, he felt Dove begin to jab her nails right into his ribs, causing him to twist up on the spot. "Or did you forget I know your weakness?"

"Dove! Traitor! Stop!" Asahi said as he laughed, being as ticklish as he was, which made for quite a concerning sight the moment he saw an outright devious smirk slowly creep its way onto his little sister's face. "…W-Wait, Erina… I-I…"

"Payback!"

Then Asahi had to deal with both girls, for the first and possibly last time, teaming up to antagonize him, as they proceeded to tickle him until he was in tears, all the while Alice was desperate to try and escape Kurokiba's grasp, reaching out towards Hisako, grabbing the girl and trying to pull herself free, all while Hisako ended up pulled towards Kurokiba instead, because he was far stronger than she was. This resulted in them toppling over onto the other three, and in no time, the six teens were on the ground…

The six just stared at each other, blanky for a few seconds, before they just laughed it up.

And Soe captured every moment he could with the camera, as Leonora laughed along.

Only Mana stared, her eyes drifting towards her ex-husband, as despite all she knew of him, for once, she couldn't quite read the expression on his face…

-0-

The Grand Ball was being held within Tootsuki's biggest ceremonial building, usually reserved for very high caliber events, but this one seemed to dwarf all that came before. It was a building that formed part of Gin's massive chain of resorts, in a sense, and it had been expertly set-up to host this grand event. Everybody that was anybody in the culinary world, and many A-lister celebrities, from actors, singers, idols, and many directors and producers from all over the world had done almost the impossible to attend. The place was the destination, and as the Polar Stars arrived, being MVP guests on the account of several of them being Elite Ten, while the rest were still very much active students, they were granted quick entry and were met by the most glamorous of sights imaginable.

And no sooner had they arrived, than had a slew of paparazzi and fans alike began to rain on them with pictures, autograph requests and shower them with gifts. The only thing that kept them at bay was the security staff present, making it so that the fans and the others couldn't quite reach the students, but even they had a hard time at it.

"T-This is too much…" a very out-of-her-element Megumi voiced, her eyes wide, before a photo left her blind. She squeaked, before Akira took hold of her hand and guided her towards the main entrance, as they all were effectively escorted inside.

Once they went through the red carpet, all the way towards the main doors, however, it was like being transported into another world entirely…

Gone were the screams and the flashes of light, and instead the music drowned everything else, and the lights seemed to intensify as the beat did. It was surreal. And as everyone, even those used to the lifestyle of the rich and famous like Nene or Loren, had a little trouble soaking in so… much.

Soma just looked on, his eyes scanning his surroundings, knowing he was way out of his element here, but affirming to himself that this was what Erina wanted… sort-of. But it was what she asked of him, so he'd comply. And it did seem fun, in its own way. Plus, all his friends looked positively thrilled, so he wouldn't just rain on their parade. As the group all began to signal to each other over where or what to check out first, little by little, the group dividing itself into just the couples or dates, Soma took out his phone, noticing a few messages.

First thing he needed to resolve, was a little promise he made, to which he gave the person in question a quick reply, telling them they were here, and then turning to Daigo and Shoji. "Hey," he voiced, but then noticed that the music was so loud he barely heard himself, so he had to try it again, properly. "Hey! Guys! Your dates are here!"

"What?! Seriously?!" Daigo exclaimed, eagerly.

"You sly dog you, you actually did it!" Shoji added, hands into the air, cheering, just as Soma smiled at the two and signaled to the side, where three guests personally invited by Soma, two young girls in particular, walked right into view. Shoji's utter delight was immediately replaced by the worst sense of dread imaginable.

There was Mayumi Kurase, her eyes outright widening upon catching sight of him, alongside an oblivious Aki Koganei and an inwardly struggling between laughing or crying Hiro Kurase. Soma, of course, failed to catch the animosity on display in its entirety.

"Daigo, Shoji!" Soma quickly introduced, while Shoji was ghostly pale and Daigo was slowly realizing why that girl seemed so familiar. "Allow me to present to you both your dates for the evening! This is Mayu, and that there's Aki! They're my best friends, so you two better behave and treat these girls kindly, you hear me!"

"W-Wait, Soma, hold up…" Shoji was barely able to even mutter.

Mayumi, meanwhile, wasn't even blinking. Her eyes just screamed murder. Aki, after offering the duo a polite smile and a little wave, turned towards Mayumi, and noticing how rigid the girl's posture was, she slowly but surely realized what this meant. One look to Hiro confirmed it, and the girl let out the biggest grin imaginable.

"Say!" Aki quickly beamed, bouncing right up to the duo. "Which one of you two was it?!"

"That would be him," Daigo voiced up, pointing to his friend, who felt the betrayal deep within his soul. Aki eyed him for a moment, smirk ever present, before she turned back to Daigo.

"Then that means you're with me!" she decided, turning back to the Kurase siblings. "That solves who Mayu gets, what about you baby boy?!"

"Oh, I can manage just fine," Hiro simply stated, stepping away from his sister before she combusted or something. Before Aki could ask what the boy meant, the kid simply scanned his surroundings for a moment, before he smiled, and walked towards one of the many scattered treat stations available. Aki could only look on, as the little kid she had babysat for so long, outright stepped up to a young girl currently dipping a little treat into melted chocolate and, with a smile, greeted, "Hey! Name's Hiro!"

"Oh?" little Akari voiced, a bit surprised by the sudden introduction, "I… I'm Akari. Hi?"

"Akari, that's a nice name," Hiro noted too smoothly, "You here with somebody?"

"What? No, that's… No silly, I'm not a Tootsuki student or anything like that."

"Their loss," Hiro shot back, "And you're here with somebody now! What do you want to check out first?!"

"…Eh?!"

Akari was utterly unable to even process the proposal, but surprisingly, she didn't turn him down, and soon enough, both kids vanished from the older kids' sights, both of them talking away about everything and anything. Aki just stared, her eyes still wide… "Damn, Hiro's got game."

"That little dude's something else," Daigo noted, insanely impressed, before he turned to Aki, who gave him the most mischievous grin imaginable.

"So, Daigo was it? Show me the sights then!" Aki instructed, "First time at Tootsuki and all of that, since… I think we need to give those two some space."

Both Daigo and Aki turned towards a still petrified Shoji and an equally unmoving Mayumi, as the former finally seemed to snap out of it as he realized what was happening. "H-Hey, wait a minute!" he cried out, but Daigo decided he wanted to survive tonight, so he nodded, and both he and Aki left the two on their own with a nod of acknowledgement. "Daigo, don't! Hey!" Shoji tried, before he turned towards Soma, who was already walking away and just told them to "have fun", still with no clue about the mess he had just thrown Shoji into. "Yukihira, damn it! Wait!"

As Shoji cried, a dead man's tears streaming down his face, Mayumi seemed to come to. Ignoring how her baby brother had effectively picked up a girl in the span of less than half a minute, her best friend had just set her up with the guy who had walked in on her, all the while her other best friend had allowed that to happen. Shoji looked on, trembling in his fancy shoes, as Mayumi's face turned crimson red, in both anger and embarrassment, before she just let out a cry that was heard throughout the entire party…

"Aki…! You bitch!"

Soma gave a little pause upon hearing that roar, but he just brushed it off, reasoning that it must be someone he didn't know, as while it had sounded like Mayumi, she wasn't the type to scream like that. The boy wondered through the massive crowds, as more and more guests were arriving by the minute, and he had trouble navigating through the seemingly endless wave of people. A part of him wished he could have done what his Master Shinomiya had, and outright refused the invitation entirely, but his Master had his wife Hinako safe and sound at their home, while Erina was anything but. So, he had to soldier on. And, as he searched around, soon enough, a familiar blond caught his attention.

Not his blonde, per say, but…

"Yukihira!" Takumi called out, waving at his rival, and Soma quickly walked up to the Italian. The boy was standing alongside his brother, both Aldini boys dressed fancier than almost everybody else he had seen outside maybe Loren, and they were currently being joined by someone Soma had not quite expected to see with them, but really, it made sense.

"Hey Takumi, Isami," he greeted to the twins, before he turned to the young lady, and offered her a polite bow, "Lucrezia."

"Soma," Lucrezia greeted with a polite little curtsy, before she clung onto Isami's arm, and the younger twin seemed utterly in-control, turning to her and offering a warm smile, a dumb little act of composure that had taken Soma and Takumi months to master (if at all). The two pretended not to be bothered by it, as Lucrezia added, "Well, Taku found his date, so we best be off then."

As Isami let out a little snicker, both Soma and Takumi frowned. Still, Isami and Lucrezia said something or the other, and soon enough, the new couple was off to explore the Grand Ball to their leisure, leaving Soma and Takumi on the side, as the two waited for their own respective dates.

"Hisako texted me they were almost here," Takumi said, turning to Soma, who nodded at the confirmation.

"Yeah, Erina texted me something similar," Soma noted, "But hey, congrats! You and Hisako, way to go!"

"Hmph, it's only natural at this stage," the ever-proud rival merely replied, arms crossed over his fancy-as-all-hell suit.

"Ask her when am I getting my bracelet back."

"Oh shut it, I needed the practice!"

"Are you telling me you didn't buy it for me…? And you think you know a guy."

Takumi was going to reply with a snarky comment, but he just laughed, shaking his head in the process. "…Did you ever imagine yourself like this, from our small little diners, all the way into… whatever this is?"

"Not one bit," Soma admitted. "I expected Tootsuki to be just some richer-than-usual run-of-the-mill cooking school. Never did I imagine it to be the warzone it turned out to be, nor did I imagine I'd… well… I never imagined Erina."

"You two really have gone at it against all odds," Takumi noted, as Soma could only nod. "Lesser men would have folded long ago."

"I'm only trying to be the kind of guy she deserves," Soma noted, before he turned fully towards Takumi, "Like, not all of us have the charm factor turned up to eleven so flawlessly like you do."

"Oh please."

"You know it, don't pretend otherwise."

"You're just jealous you can't get on my level," Takumi shot back, before both he and Soma just shared a laugh, and both of them, instinctively, bumped fists with one another, "But for real, Yukihira, keep at it. If anyone can protect Erina, it's you."

"Same man, Hisako's an amazing girl," Soma noted, "And you're an amazing guy, so trust me it's going to get rough at times, but I know you'll…" then Soma gave pause, his phone vibrating, as he took a little look at it. "…Oh, and speaking off, I think they're here."

"You think?" Takumi voiced, and his tone hand a hint of sarcasm in it, which caused Soma to look up from his screen, and yeah, it was warranted. The entire crowd of people present all seemed to have been outright attracted towards the main doors, as the cheers of the crowd outside, initially drowned out by the loud music, was now so loud it was starting to seep into the Ball itself. It was quite evidently clear now…

"Yep," Soma noted, putting his phone away, and getting ready for something he had no idea how it was going to go down, "They're here…"

Erina stepped off the limousine, her loyal chauffer Gaston offering her his hand for her to hold onto, as the flash of cameras and the ocean of screams engulfed her whole. But… she was a professional. The first photo hit, and her trademark smile was already present. Erina left all her doubts and worries behind on the limousine, and proceeded to strode through the red carpet like she owned it, which technically speaking, she did. A confident pace, a warm smile, a little wink here or there, and the screams and chants of her name were deafening.

She stopped, hand on her hip, and struck a pose, allowing the cameras all-throughout to capture her at her best angle, capture her the way she wanted the world to see her. Proud. Confident… Happy.

Her family slowly gathered around, each of them getting a fair share of attention as they walked down the red carpet, although none as much as Erina herself did.

Soe and Leonora kept together, smiling politely and not much else. As the Nakiri members with the least amount of drama to their name, the attention they garnered was little else than just how attractive they were and how beautiful Leonora's dress was.

Mana purposely tried her best to traverse the red carpet quickly, offering the camera's a practiced smile and little else. She would have outright sprinted her way inside, all to avoid the many questions she could hear aimed her way regarding everything, and she knew that these news outlets would give an arm and a leg to get a scoop from her before the actual interview began. But that wasn't in the cards. Still, the one thing that stopped her from trying to run inside was Azami softly taking her by the hand, causing the fancy bracelet she wore with her initial (the very same one her ex-husband had gifted her and their daughter) to bounce around, making her instantly aware of it, and of everything around her. Still, she knew what he intended, and she played along. Strike a pose with him, pretend everything was great. And of course the paparazzi ate it all up, as they were the "controversial parents" after all. Mana smiled, all the while wondering if the ice-cold touch she felt when their hands conjoined was his or hers.

Alice was a camera magnet, so naturally once she set foot on the red carpet, both she and Kurokiba got a massive amount of attention. Alice soaked it all up, posing and smiling, and even pulling in Hisako for a few photos, despite the latter girl's protests.

Asahi got far more attention than he anticipated, almost rivaling Alice's. He was a bit surprised by it all, and unlike everyone else there, utterly unused to it. He tried his best to offer smiles all around, and, unlike the others, one second he was on the red carpet, the next he had jumped over the security line, and was taking selfies with a legion of fans. The guy had to be dragged back inside, for his own safety (or so the staff assumed), as he laughed all the way.

Of course, while Asahi's presence could rival Alice's, only one managed to rival Erina's herself, and that of course was Dove.

Just like the God's Tongue, the God Slayer demanded attention by her very presence alone, and just like Erina, Dove expertly, professionally posed for each shot, positioning herself seductively for them to eat it all up. It was practiced, down to the way she walked, each step she took, how she rocked her hips, where each hand would move to. This was part of every class she had taken, everything Azami had hired tutors to teach her on how to be a proper lady while also making the media beg her for more. And if there was one thing Dove knew how to do, was how to make people beg.

Still… it was just one second, but as she walked towards the entrance, guided by the security personnel, she stopped, as Erina had been guided to the same spot. Both girls gave pause, their eyes on each other, and for a moment, their perfect smiles faltered, replaced by something neither girl knew how to describe.

This photo, just one out of thousands, would later make the front page of many-a newspapers and internet sites, once the Final Round was set to begin, as no other photo had captured the intense relationship these two girls, born worlds apart, now seemed to share thanks to an unavoidable clash that looked poised to destroy one of them, if not them both.

-0-

Soma and Takumi stood close to the entrance, as the family of the event was slowly let inside. The two so-called plebians waited on baited breath as they saw the first sights of their friends walk inside, with Alice leading the pack, alongside Kurokiba, and, much to Takumi's increasing nervousness, Hisako. Soma just smirked, offering the Italian a friendly pat on the back for encouragement, just moments before they were joined by the recently arrived trio.

"Hey! Soma, Takumi!" Alice quickly greeted, and both boys offered the girl a smile and a wave. She looked dazzling, but that was hardly surprising. "Don't you look nice Soma, and… damn Takumi, you look like a Ken doll brought to life."

"See… told ya," Soma noted, as Takumi just smirked.

"And you look positively bellissima," Takumi offered, before he turned towards his date, ready to offer the beautiful beyond his comprehension girl his admiration, but he was cut-off by her stepping up to him and placing her index finger by his lips.

"I am aware we are new at this, but I feel some ground rules must be established early on," Hisako voiced, her tone offering a playful warning. "Save your Italian words just for me, alright?"

As Alice suppressed an excited squeal by covering her mouth with her hands, and Soma and Kurokiba both had trouble not smirking, Takumi flashed a few different expressions before he nodded, and taking hold of Hisako's hand, and placing a soft kiss on her palm as a Takumi does, he declared, "Il tuo desiderio è il mio commando, mia principessa."

"Eccellente," a very smug Hisako replied, mimicking his accent flawlessly, which made the boy give pause, before he just smiled. There was a massive restrain on his part from just kissing her fiercely then and there, but that needed to wait until they had finished greeting each other at the very least.

"Hey, Yukihira, Aldini, get ready for the actual drama that just walked right in," Kurokiba offered as a warning, as everyone present turned, noticing how the security staff had just let the famed Neo-Noirs inside, with Asahi and Dove walking in as if they owned the place, a very satisfied smirk on the face of the former and a very seductive look on the latter.

The two gave pause upon seeing the little squad gathered by the entrance, and while Dove was prepared to simply walk right past them all (she had already offered a few words to Alice, the only one Azami demanded she be at least cordial with), but, of course, Asahi had other intentions.

"Hey! Would you look at that?" Asahi quickly greeted, walking towards the group. "If it isn't Tootsuki's finest, well, part of them. How we doing Takumi… Soma?"

"We've barely talked and I already dislike him plenty," Takumi noted, which caused Asahi to laugh, but he didn't try to dispute the guy's statement.

"He… does have that effect," Soma added, his eyes on Asahi, narrowed, but trying not to glare at the guy. At least, not yet. He did offer up his hand. "I assume you're here with no ill-intentions whatsoever, just enjoying the night and helping Erina to resolve this mess, no?"

"My, my," Asahi voiced, as he took hold of Soma's hand, and instead of shaking it, he instead pulled Soma towards him, putting them both inches from each other. Soma looked utterly unfazed by it. "Bold of you to say that, when it was your words who necessitated this to be done in the first place."

Soma's eyes sharpened here, staring down Asahi's smug grin for a moment, and as the rest wondering if either guy was going to throw hands, because they really looked just about to, another voice spoke up, appearing from the crowds, and utterly unamused at all the bravado.

"You're here as my sister's date, so either behave or I will stab you," Loren voiced up, with Nao struggling to stand by his side (seriously, three-inch heels, why mother, why?!). Soma quickly let out a laugh, while Asahi, after a brief pause, let Soma's hand go, as he turned to the once-upon-a-time little traitor.

"My pops intended to send an infiltrator, ended up sending a protector, how utterly ironic," Asahi noted with a grin, "Still, rocking that look Loren. Don't you look fancy."

"Ah zip it," Loren just voiced, as he turned, his eyes now on his sister, who walked up to him as soon as she heard him speak up. "Hey Dove."

Dove stared, frowning for a moment, before instead of saying anything, she quickly opened her arms and hugged a surprised Loren suddenly. The boy struggled in her grasp, as she snuggled him relentlessly, much to the surprise of everyone present. Once she finally let go, Dove opened her mouth to speak, then frowned again, once she got reminded, upon seeing him up close, that yes, he was an inch or two taller than her now. She was wearing heels, and they seemed about the same height, and that bothered her… intensively.

"When did you grow?" she almost said with outright venom.

"Law of nature sis," Loren replied nonchalantly, as he then gave her a little smug grin. "And look at you. Wonder how much that dress cost to make you look somewhat presentable."

"Oh, wow, somewhat presentable," Dove repeated, faking astonishment, "If I wasn't skeptical, that would sound like outright praise in little brother speak."

He just laughed at this, then he tugged at her gloved digits, softly caressing the hands he knew she had worked until she had bled oh so many times. His sneer turned to a genuine smile, and he voiced, "You look beautiful sis."

Dove felt a knot on her throat, and another on her chest. She looked to the side, and she could feel the smug stares from all the others, knowing the elder sister was getting some very unexpected, honest praise, and she had no idea how to even react. She just lowered her head, ending up forehead to forehead with her little brother, and smiling, said, "Cut it out. Don't be mean."

"Hmm?" Loren pretended he had no idea what she meant, before he motioned to the side, "And don't just stand there like a scarecrow, say something."

"Oh piss off!" Nao quickly blasted, frowning, before both she and Dove looked at each other.

"Hey –" Nao began, but…

"Who's that?" Dove cut her off, and Nao felt a vein pop.

"I'm Nao Sadatsuka! Your twerp of a brother's date!" Nao cried out, doing her best to ignore Loren's resulting laughter. "We've met before!"

"Oh…" Dove voiced, slowly recognizing the little witch girl that had challenged Ashitaro and then kissed her baby Loren. "Oh! Damn! The heck?! You look like a total babe now, not like you crawled out of a well!"

"…I swear you two are equally irritating sometimes."

"Just sometimes?"

The group gave pause, as they knew that voice. They all turned, as through the main entrance, in walked Erina, having been held momentarily back in order to pose with both her parents, upon Azami's request of course. The girl dressed in gold gave a pause as soon as she walked towards the little gathered squad. She gave each of her friends a little curtsy, before she turned towards her date…

Finally, Erina and Soma were at this dance, together, and the two of them seemed to hesitate for a fraction of a second, before it all worked like clockwork.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey yourself," he replied.

"I'm assuming our guests here, the ever-famed Noirs," Erina voiced, her eyes on the God Slayer briefly, before she shifted them towards her own brother, "Are behaving themselves accordingly. Well… I trust one more than I do the… other."

While Dove's only response was to stick her tongue out at Erina, Asahi just laughed. Soma simply nodded, and replied, "They're being themselves, for what that's worth."

"Oh, come on, don't take a little playful banter to heart," Asahi quickly brushed off, his eyes on Soma, and his hands on his pockets. "It's just part of being related to the Nakiri family, having a sharp tongue and all that."

"Is that so?" Soma just asked, returning Asahi's smirk with his own.

"You do not possess the God's Tongue brother," Erina simply shot back, "So that excuse does not apply to you."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that…" Dove practically sang in the background, and it took Erina a few seconds to register what she could possibly be implying with that, but despite how sheltered she was, she still caught it, and she felt herself burn inside. She turned to Dove, outright fury in her eyes, as Dove simply responded with a playful wink. Erina was ready to curse up a storm, politely and professionally of course, but she was beaten to the punch by an unexpected ally.

"I'd be careful with those comments," little Nao warned, and as Dove turned to her, confused at what she meant, Nao, with the evilest grin imaginable added, "I'm dating your precious baby brother, aren't I? So whatever you do to him," she added, signaling to Asahi, before he pointed to a very perplexed Loren, "I may just do to him."

Asahi's eyes went wide.

Soma felt he really should intervene here.

Erina just stared, equally impressed and surprised.

Alice was mouthing an "oh, burn!" in the background.

Takumi, Hisako and even Kurokiba were all sporting some very peculiar expressions.

Dove… Dove just short-circuited.

"W-W-Wait! No! None of that!" she cried out, and Nao's expressions simply got even more smug. "You two are not allowed any of that! You wipe that smug look from your face or I will… I will do something! And stop smirking Loren!"

"I-I'm not!" Loren tried to defend.

"…Best we leave the kids be," Asahi quickly cut in, motioning in-between Dove and Nao, before he took hold of the former's arm, and gently began to pull her away. "Realize when you are beaten dear, and move on," he offered, and while Dove turned to him with an outright murderous glare, she still relented, knowing (hoping, praying) Nao had merely said that in jest to get a reaction out of her, but knowing she couldn't really say anything anyways. So, taking the L, she simply dragged herself away from the group, alongside Asahi, who merely turned back, offered the group a hearty wave, and soon enough, the couple vanished in the sea that was the near endless crowd.

"That was amazing," Erina noted, proudly, as she extended her fist and fist-bumped Nao's. "I'll have your restraining order revoked just for that."

"Don't suppose you can make me your aide too!" Nao quickly beamed, stars in her eyes. "I can help you cook, write up reports, schedule your meetings, I'll even help you bathe if you need it of – ack!"

"As hot as that sound, behave!" Loren voiced, pulling Nao backwards by her dress, causing the poor girl to have to maneuver herself frantically to avoid falling on her butt. "I think we'll be going now. Good luck on whatever this new mess you've gotten yourselves into turns out to be," he added, his eyes on Soma, then on Erina, before he smiled and dragged a still struggling Nao away, as she pleaded to be allowed to at least finish her proposal to the goddess properly.

Both Erina and Hisako stared, their eyes twitching at the sight, but neither girl said nothing. Nao had been through enough they supposed, they could force themselves to overlook her… quirks.

Soon enough, the elder Nakiri members entered the party too, with Soe and Leonora going one way, and Azami and Mana stopping by the entrance to speak, likely to get their stories straight. Upon seeing them there, Erina couldn't help but feel uncomfortable, despite herself, but without her having to speak up, Soma suggested to the group that it would be a good idea for them all to move on and catch the sights and whatnot. They all got the message, and soon enough, the couples all split up, each of them going to a different area to enjoy the night and ignore the drama as best they could. It would be a lie to say it was tough, because the event really was stellar, and even with all her emotional baggage, once the music and ambiance fully hit her, for once, Erina felt like she could finally breathe.

"You enjoying the sights?" Soma asked her, and Erina bit her lip.

"It is a very well-designed Grand Ball," she replied, "But I'm certain this isn't somewhere you'd purposely would want to spend your night in."

"The location? Not really. Can't complain about the company though."

Erina laughed. "Smooth."

"I always am," he said boastfully, "Isshiki said they were even going to hold a dance competition here. You want to participate?"

"Dance competition? Since when do you care about that?"

"We've danced before."

"I-I am aware, I meant… that doesn't sound like something you'd have fun with."

"Normally, not really, but with you, that's a different story."

"Stop being so corny."

"What you call corny I call romantic."

"Oh please."

"It is," he affirmed, "And I know for a fact you adore to dance. So what do you say? Shall we give it a shot? If anything, it's a great excuse for me to hold onto you."

"I do love how you hold me."

"Hmm?" Soma asked, then paused… wait, "Hmm?!"

"You heard nothing!" Erina quickly warned, face utterly flushed, the slip of the God's Tongue a bit too honest for her liking.

"I know I can be dense sometimes," he admitted, "But I'm pretty sure I just heard you say –"

"You heard nothing!"

"Oh no, you're not getting out of this one," he playfully said, jumping in front of her as they walked through the party grounds. The constant flashes of light made her dress utterly light up. It was mesmerizing, Soma noted, but her flustered face and small pout was even cuter. "You need to learn to be honest, admit the things you like. Like, what was it again, how I hold you?"

"Soma!" the increasingly flustered girl sounded like she was now begging. "Erase that from your mind, now!"

"I won't bring it up again if you just confirm it."

"Oh no, I know you," Erina shot back, "You heard nothing."

"I'll gladly take a "your food's delicious Soma" instead you know."

At this Erina gave pause, her pout still in place, and Soma froze for a moment. Erina sighed, closing her eyes for a second, and the boy felt a chill on his spine. Was she…? Was she finally…?

"I love the way you hold me."

Soma's eyes stared blankly at her, for a few solid seconds, before he just laughed. "Seriously?" he asked, trying his best to stop laughing before he ran out of air. "You'd rather admit to… Man, Erina, I am going to get you to admit it someday, you hear me?"

"Bring it," she shot back, smirking at the fact that her plan worked. Admit to the less embarrassing thing, and Soma would focus on the "delicious" over everything else, hence earning herself a small victory. Still, it was sweet, as it made her melt, as he softly took hold of her hands, with her feeling the warmth of his touch even through her dress gloves.

"I do love you, ya know?"

"You've made that vividly clear to the entire world," Erina responded, pressing her hands, and thereby, his, "You somehow found a way to make me fall for you in ways I only thought possible in fiction, and somehow managed to walk the minefield that is Erina Nakiri and remain by my side despite my every effort, both purposely and accidentally, to push you away. So, thank you, for loving me… as I am, and know, that while I know I do not express it as often as I should, I too… love you."

Soma's eyes betrayed what little composure he tried to fake, but seeing this beautiful girl express those words, with that lovely voice of hers, so ice-cold at times, yet so utterly warm as well, he simply decided against thinking and pulled her closer, taking hold of her hips the way he knew she liked to be held, while taking claim of her lips the way they both enjoyed it.

A kiss far grander than the very ball they attended, it caused Erina to take hold of him by the neck, both her hands interlocking themselves behind him, holding onto him, as they deepened the kiss. Soon, his tongue was caressing hers, and for the first time in so long, she felt a hint of that unbearable rush of pleasure her tongue would receive whenever his would lock with hers. Like a spark that would rush through every nerve, and one that had dulled ever since her God's Tongue had spiraled out of control. But now, in this kiss, she got a semblance of that back. And in his lips, she found herself at the most ease she had been since relentless weeks ago.

They then parted, both a bit out of breath, as Soma's lips remained parted, but to his utter shock, as they did, inches from each other still, Erina took her tongue out and softly licked his lips, before she, blushing madly, closed her mouth and took a step back.

Soma and Erina just stared, him at the roof and her at the floor, both utterly heated up in the best ways.

'Did she just…?!'

'Did I just…!?'

"…Wow," the couple heard someone say very close to the two, and they both actually jumped, fixing their clothes and turning to what turned out to be a group of three they knew from that fateful cruise. Ava had been the one to speak, visibly struggling not to giggle at the sight, while Yoshiaki was busy both looking away in embarrassment while also covering Kanon's eyes, as the little girl was arguing about what was happening that she couldn't look at.

"That…!" Erina tried, but her tongue was still tasting a rush utterly new to her, so it was hard to speak.

"Hey!" Soma simply greeted, and Erina felt a twitch, wondering how he could just carry on like that. But, hey, at least one of them was able to function properly. "Ava, Yoshiaki, looking good you too!" Soma expertly praised, before he turned to little Kanon, who was finally allowed to see after her cousin decided the couple before them weren't going to go at it right then and there. "And don't you look absolutely precious!"

"Don't I?" Kanon said proudly, giving a little twirl to showcase the dress Erina had gifted her. It was as gold as Erina's, just so puffy that it almost looked like a ballet dress. "Thank you so much Erina!"

The little girl giving her such a genuine thanks with such a precious smile was enough to finally snap Erina out of it, as Erina quickly motioned towards her, carefully bending down before Kanon, and outright pulling the little girl into a hug. "D'aww! You look absolutely precious, oh my, my little princess, I knew that would suit you… Oh, I can't, too cute!"

"I had the same reaction," Ava noted.

"It really means a lot to me, to her, to our family for you to honor us with this gift Erina," Yoshiaki quickly offered, bowing before her, but she quickly brushed it off.

"Nonsense, for little Kanon she deserves this and oh-so much more," Erina simply stated. "And I'm glad you both made it here. I've… been meaning to thank you three for all you did to help me, and him," she added, signaling to her boyfriend, "and even Urara during that cruise trip. Speaking of that prima donna, where is Kotaru?"

"He's with Urara," Ava replied, using her thumb to point towards the massive crowds. "Somewhere in there. Last I heard they, or rather, she was interested in the dance competition."

"Are you two gonna give it a try too?" Soma asked, his eyes on the other couple, despite having also bent down and began to caress little Kanon, much to her delight.

"I mean, if we did where's the fun when we utterly crush the entire competition in –?" Yoshiaki began, but Ava quickly cut in.

"Most likely," she simply said, "And let's keep the bravado to a minimum until we reach the dancefloor, okay?"

"And what about you?" Erina spoke up, this time getting up with Kanon still in her arms. It was strange, but for a moment, she had hesitated, but she decided to simply hold the little girl like how she remembered her grandfather holding her up. And Kanon was all smiles, but she did turn to Erina, confused at the question. "Don't give me that look. I am well aware you also have a date tonight."

"I-It's not a date! Eww," Kanon quickly denied, sticking her tongue out in "disgust". "And my… friend Aisha texted that he was here already, we were going to meet up with them before we saw you two and Yoshiaki covered my eyes for some reason."

"Y-Yeah, let's skip that," a blushing Erina pleaded.

"And has Aisha managed to cook a delicious dish for ya Kanon?" Soma asked, and the little girl quickly shook her head. Soma just laughed, seeing how both the girl being held and the girl doing the holding were both equally dishonest to a fault. It was part of their charm, he noted.

"He's not as good as he boasts he is, don't know why you all allowed a brat like him into your serious competition anyways," said the brat herself, Yoshiaki noted, but he kept it to himself. "Still…" Kanon added, giving a slight pause, "If he comes with a dress that's the same as mine, do I ask him to change, or should I?"

"The chances of that happening are astronomically low my sweetie," Erina replied.

"And if it does happen, you'll both just look even more adorable as a pair," Soma added, and Kanon just frowned. She didn't want to look like a "pair". But, whatever complaint she had was quickly shut down by a little group walking towards them, with a familiar face quickly offering them all a greeting.

"Erina, Soma!" Ikumi, dressed in a very fancy and form-fitting purple dress, with her hair stylized magnificently, voiced out. She was walking in with the Akintola brothers, all equally dressed their best, although, how Hakeem was able to find a suit that could wrap itself around those muscles without it tearing apart was quite the mystery. "You both look amazing as always! And, apologies for the delay, Ava," she turned to the cruise hostess, "Yoshiaki," then to the cruise's summertime assistant chef, "and, of course, Kanon," she finalized, turning to the young girl, just as Erina softly put her on the floor.

"So glad to see you here Ikumi," Erina quickly greeted back, while Soma nodded. "You look even lovelier. And formal greetings from the Nakiri family to the Akintola family. So glad you could join us."

"It is an honor," Hakeem politely voiced.

"Yeah," Keelan just said, "But if you all don't mind me, I have to find out where Bridgette is at… Really confused I ended up here tonight with her as my date."

"You lucked out," Dakarai offered, "But, dude, for once, don't be rude. Try to at least finish a cordial greeting before you bail go on your own."

"Hey!" Kanon quickly cut in, looking up at the three young men. "Where's Aisha?"

"Right here princess," the littlest competitor voiced up, moving from behind his massive elder brothers so that he could be formally spotted. Kanon had turned to him, ready to make her case about why it was her who deserved to keep the dress just in case they came wearing a similar one, but all her arguments were rendered useless the moment the little girl laid her eyes on the little boy.

Aisha Akintola was dressed in a very fancy tuxedo, mirroring the same ones his brothers all wore, with a black and red pattern, all to match their hair, his design fancy and traditional, as he stood before his little date with his hands on his pockets, his usually messy hair brushed properly, and his sharp eyes outright seeing right through her, or at least, that's how she felt it.

Kanon just stared, her eyes wide as could be, before she softly backpedaled, as in literally walking backwards towards Erina, who instinctively lowered herself just in case Kanon was going to tell her something, and something Kanon did in fact tell her.

"He looks too cute, what do I do?"

Erina had to suppress the urge to outright squish Kanon with a fierce hug then and there (this had to be too adorable to be healthy), and as such, she tried to offer an age-appropriate advice. "You don't have to tell me, tell him."

"No!"

"Come on, us girls like it when we're told nice things," Erina noted, smiling. "And I know boys might seem like such dorks most of the time, but every now and then, they like to hear nice things be told to them too."

"Hmm…" a pouting Kanon "said", before she walked back towards a confused Aisha, before Kanon simply took her hand out and grabbed him by the sleeve. "Come on! You're my date or whatever! And I want to compliment you but not in front of all these people!" she cried out, which utterly amused everyone present, as Aisha just looked on, but allowed the little girl to lead him away from the group.

Once they were a "safe" distance away, as per Kanon's observations, the blonde girl turned to her literal little Nigerian prince, and after taking a deep breath, said, "You… look very nice. I like your suit, like, a lot."

"That's what you were so embarrassed to admit?" Aisha replied, with a smirk, and she pouted in response. Before she could argue and take the compliment back, he added, "I, on the other hand, have no qualms about admitting you look lovely in that dress. But, then again, you look lovely every time I see you, so it makes sense!"

Kanon's face was now redder than the streaks in Aisha's hair.

"What?" Aisha asked, tilting his head to the side.

"…This isn't fair!" Kanon complained, waving her arms around in protest, "You can't look good in skirts and in suits! That's cheating!"

"Sorry for being fashionable, I guess," Aisha simply said, before he seemed to reach into his pockets and take something out. Before Kanon could ask, Aisha motioned it to her. "But! Before we go and play around or whatever, here! This is my ultimate craft, a handcrafted chocolate treat to finally make you admit how yummy my cooking is!"

Now Kanon was giving him the smuggest look imaginable. "Oh, please, you still trying that? Please, little boy. I've been eating stuff made from the likes of Soma, Megumi and Erina. You are not at their level."

"Just try it!"

"You're on!"

So she unwrapped the little ball-like chocolate treat, and bit down on it whole. The rush of flavor and sweetness and all-around euphoria she felt with every bite she took made her weak at the knees, and she was sure her eyes had started watering, but she still had her pride, damn it! So, after savoring one of the best sweets she had ever eaten, with her tongue aching for more but her mind forcing it not to voice it, she said, "…It was alright."

"Alright?!" Aisha repeated, his face utterly defeated.

"…Yeah?" Kanon voiced, a bit taken back by his reaction. He usually took it in stride. Heck, he just got pissed off at her and swore his next dish would be even better, which was a win / win for her anyways. So why…?

But then Aisha's eyes became teary, and he sniffled, as if he was going to cry.

Kanon outright panicked.

"No! Don't cry! What's wrong?! Was it the treat?! I lied! It was super yummy!"

"Now you're just saying it to make me feel better," he said in-between sniffles.

"I am not!" Kanon was outright begging now. "No, don't cry," she added, quickly walking closer to him, and surprisingly, hugging the boy, her little legs almost dangling against him, as he was still a bit taller than she was. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be, well, mean."

"It's not that," Aisha voiced, "I just… These are the treats grandma used to make us, so I thought, if all my dishes failed, then I could try to make hers, and you'd love it. But I know I'm not as good as grandma was, but I was just a kid when… when we lost her, so I don't remember the taste that well, and…"

And now Kanon felt horrible.

"Aisha, I… I don't know how your grandma made them, they were probably incredibly yummy," she noted, expanding her arms to showcase how massively delicious they must have been, "But the one you gave me tasted amazing! And… I'm sorry, I lied since the start. Everything you've made has been very, very good. I just… I didn't want to admit someone so young could cook at the level of Soma or Megumi or Erina. Heck, my uncle and aunt own a fancy restaurant, and I think you could outcook all of them by yourself."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Kanon said with a fierce nod. "I mean, you did taste it. Why would you trust me over your own taste anyways?"

"I mean, you are like a princess and stuff," he said, and she felt butterflies in her tummy. She was grinning like a little fool, and she refused to correct him. "So I figured I had to step up my game to match your standards and whatnot. But, this last treat, since we were in a rush for the dance, I didn't taste this last one I made, since I only had time for that one. You sure it was yummy?'

Kanon opened her mouth to respond, but she then just as quickly closed it. She had made him feel bad enough with her lies, all to get free food and, admittedly, hang out with him more, so, for once, she'd rather just be utterly honest. But she knew she wasn't as good at describing dishes as any of these professional chefs were. Even her cousin Yoshiaki knew a thing or two more about these arts than she did, so…

Aisha's eyes went wide the moment he felt a light peck on his lips, from Kanon's own, as she gave him a quick, soft kiss.

"There…" the blushing little girl said, "Taste it for yourself then."

And Aisha was utterly unsure if the overwhelming sweetness that now lingered on his lips had come from his craft or from the cute girl before him…

"With little Aisha on quite the adorable little date with the equally adorable little Kanon, Keelan somehow managing to score a date with a cutie like Bridgette despite being, well, Keelan, and Dakarai with… Aurora, was it?" Ikumi asked, as after she had bid her "see you somewhere around here" to Erina and Soma, she had gone on to walk the area alongside her date. Hakeem seemed to smile as she recounted how each of his brothers had scored quite a date, it would seem.

"Yes, Aurora of the Italian team, the Terza Studentessa, who, much like Dakarai himself, was denied an opportunity to partake in the Intercontinental Shokugeki," Hakeem noted, "Still, excluding Aisha, I still consider myself the victor amongst my brothers in terms of the date we brought here today."

"As you should," Ikumi noted, proudly, standing before him with her arms crossed against her chest, a smirk in her lips, before she placed her index finger upon his broad chest. God, it felt like she was touching a wall. "…Let me be clear, this is a formal date, and nothing more. Don't be getting your hopes up or declaring victory over your brothers just quite yet."

Hakeem then took hold of Ikumi, gently, by the wrist, pulling her towards him, and she, despite herself, now felt lightheaded. "I am well aware of how fortunate I am to be granted this opportunity, and it pleases me to hear you specify that I cannot boast "just quite yet", as it implies I do have a chance to do so in the near future."

"I-I mean, that's not not what I meant," she said, flustered, ignoring the accidental use of a double negative. "…Geez, I try to let you down gently and all it does it wind you up just to –"

She never got to finish, as the young man merely cupped her chin with one hand, strong fingers gently taking hold of her, and stole a kiss right out of her sweet lips. He paused, deciding against deepening it, but when she fidgeted at the touch he pulled himself away instantly. For once, he was worried.

"I apologize," he quickly voiced, "If I acted improperly, I must have read the mood wrong," he explained, having noticed how she had pulled away at the kiss. "I never meant to –"

"Not that," Ikumi voiced, her hand over her lips, her face burning red, and her eyes to the side. Damn it, how she hated having to be honest here. "It's just… my lips, they're far more sensitive than most people's. A-And a sudden first kiss, it was a bit too much."

"That is… information worth noting," Hakeem said, and Ikumi tensed. What did he mean by that? "But, first kiss? One of such beauty like you? I knew I was fortunate, never imagined I was a man blessed."

"Well excuse me for actually taking this… wait, it wasn't yours?"

"…Ah, well…"

Ikumi immediately turned her embarrassed look into one of disapproval; frown, pout and all.

"I take it you are not pleased by that," Hakeem assumed, as Ikumi's frown just deepened.

"Oh no, what's wrong with it?" she said sarcastically, "After all, who cares if I saved my first kiss for you, when you've clearly already savored dozens of girls back in Nigeria, and maybe one or two here."

"…I never stated dozens," Hakeem just voiced. "That would be quite a record for someone my age," he joked, but when Ikumi's glare intensified, he decided against the follow-up joke and instead took hold of her by the waist. "It was merely one, a childhood friend, but one who does not, will not ever measure up to you. But I do understand your frustrations, and if there's anything I can do to alleviate your concerns, I am more than happy to oblige."

"You're just lucky you're such a gentleman otherwise I would not be so quick to forgive," Ikumi noted, even if she allowed him to hold onto her, not that she liked it or anything. Still, it was nice, and she was wondering how it would feel to kiss him again, and how to hint that she wanted another without asking for it. A girl had her pride, after all. But, before she could think it much, she caught sight of a familiar face, and it seemed he noticed her at the same time as well.

"Hey Ikumi!" Julio greeted, waving at her and at Hakeem, walking towards the two alongside Subaru and two girls Ikumi did not know. "Hakeem! Great to see you crazy kids having fun around these parts!"

"Julio, hey!" Ikumi greeted back, as Hakeem gave the four of them a nod. "And Subaru, and… I don't think I've had the pleasure," she added, her eyes on the girls.

"Oh, quite! You see, these lovely ladies are not from Tootsuki after all," Julio noted, showcasing their dates proudly.

"Indeed," Subaru added, "A friend of a friend of my cousin's son attends Fumizuki Academy, and he helped introduce us to Hiromi Nakabayashi," he said, signaling to his own date, "and to Yoshiko Mikami," he added, signaling to Julio's.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," Hiromi stated with a polite, little bow.

"Yes, both you Tootsuki alumni, as well as the teams challenging them, have certainly become the talk of the entertainment industry," Yoshiko added, "Even those of us whose school is more focused on technological advances rather than culinary arts were outright dwarfed by comparison to just how big a deal this all became worldwide."

"I… why yes, yes indeed," was all Ikumi managed to say, 'I can't believe someone of my standing would be thinking this, but this feels like too much. Damn it Erina, I'm worried, if it's just this and I feel such intense pressure, I can't even begin to imagine how it must feel to be you right now…'

As all his brothers went around with their hot dates (or diabetic-inducing cute ones like Aisha's), Keelan finally managed to reach the would-be English terror twins, and as soon as he saw them, Bridgette immediately turned to him and signaled him to walk on over.

"And there's my date!" Bridgette happily noted, "Guess I wasn't stood up, huh? Well, with that out of the way, you two should move right along!"

"Stood up?" was all Keelan voiced, his hands to his pocket, eyebrow raised, 'She think I'm that horrible a guy?'

"Are you sure Bree?" Van asked, his eye on his sister, who simply nodded, rather fiercely. To the side stood his date, a very nervous Yua, her co-hostess and girl responsible for their get-together, Urara, and her date, Kotaru.

"Yes! Yes! Just go! You wanted this so bad, no sense babysitting your little sister on your big night, relax, we'll be fine, won't we Keelan?" she in turn asked, turning towards her date, who simply shrugged, in a "I guess so" manner. Van was clearly not convinced, but he knew he was always getting called out for being overprotective of Bree. And… he really, really wanted to hang out with Yua, privately at that, so he'd trust that in such a big, and, hopefully, safe environment his sister would be okay.

"Fine, but if anything happens you come to me, alright?" he told her, and she offered him a salute in confirmation. "And, no excuses!" he added, "If you can't find me, go look for Vic and Tim, since they should be together by the large fountains, or, if you don't have a choice, go find Ben and Emilia, who should be smooching… somewhere… Actually, go find Vic and Tim if you can't find me!"

"Relax, I have a phone, I'll just call if anything happens!" Bridgette quickly argued. "So, go on! Get to it! Yua's waiting!"

And the twin sister pushed her twin brother right over to where his date awaited. He just blushed, she blushed harder.

"~My, how far we've come," Urara noted with glee, outright stars in her eyes, "To think this whole thing started with a little crush and a whoopsie in the guests' rooms – hey!"

"Leave the poor kids alone," Kotaru reprimanded, giving Urara a pinch on her rear. Despite how much she enjoyed teasing others, such a display made the girl blush against her wishes. She bit down any remarks, however, since tease as she might like, she didn't want to ruin this for either Yua or Van, so she relented.

"…You ready to go?" Yua asked, facing the floor. She really, really wished Urara would stop reminding her of that incident in the twins' room. Still, she shook her head. She owed Van far more respect than that, and she really wanted to be able to hang out with the boy, who despite how loud and brash he could be, was (a) very, very easy on the eyes, and even more so, (b) incredibly protective and sweet with his little sister, and that was a quality that Yua couldn't quite put a price on.

"Yeah, let's um… let's go enjoy the sights," Van replied, shy smile ever present.

Kotaru was already looking at Urara, eyebrow raised. The hostess-with-the-mostess softly whispered an exasperated "that one was basically a freebie!" but she still held back and avoided saying anything to tease her friend or her friend's date. Soon enough, the couples went their ways, leaving a still confused Keelan (what had happened in the twins' room anyways?) alone with Bridgette. He turned to her, still wondering if this "date" she had set up was genuine or just her doting over her brother, when he saw how the girl's smile seemed to falter.

"…You okay?"

"Oh! I-I yeah! Let's go have some fun too!" she quickly beamed, forcefully so, as she lifted her fist into the air triumphantly, before she began to march towards… wherever. Keelan, not convinced, quickly took hold of the girl by the back of the dress, which had the accidental consequence of lowering the dress a tad too much and almost causing a wardrobe malfunction. "H-Hey!" an embarrassed Bridgette cried out, lifting her dress back to cover her chest properly, which made Keelan quickly let go and turn away. For such a short girl, she was surprisingly well endowed, he'd note, inwardly, against his better judgment. Granted, such thoughts were hard to suppress, when rather than be angry at him, she simply added, "…Save that for the honeymoon, sheesh."

"That wasn't on purpose!" Keelan argued, before he frowned. She really had a way of shifting the conversation anywhere she wanted, didn't she? "…Fess up, what's wrong? You look like you're outright trying to force yourself to do this."

"What? No way! I couldn't be –!" she began, quickly on the defensive, but when she saw his look, clearly not buying it, she just pouted. "…Is it that obvious?"

"Kinda."

"Sorry…" she said, and it wasn't what he expected. What on Earth would she have to apologize for. Before he could voice it, she added, "It's just… the loud music, the flashing lights, it's a bit… overwhelming for me. I don't like it… B-But I can manage! I didn't invite you just for my brother's sake! I-I really want to have fun, and-and I can still –"

"Truth be told," Keelan cut in, his eyes to the side, looking at the massive crowd of guests that seemed outright endless. "I'm not much of a fan of these fancy events either. My brothers live for these things, as do my parents. But me, nah, I'm far more relaxed in big, open spaces…"

"Keelan?"

"So, you wanna bail?" he asked, now turning to her. And, he had to admit, this girl was almost too pretty to be real. "We can get out of here and go somewhere quiet and where the lights aren't trying to give you a seizure every ten seconds."

Bridgette just stared, her eyes wide, silent for a few moments…

"…I'm supposed to make it clear that I'm not an easy girl to take to bed."

"The hell did that come from?!" Keelan blasted, now red in the face. "I'm not trying to lure you out for… that!"

"…I didn't actually say I wouldn't do so either."

"Let's just take it one step at a time, alright!" Keelan just said, his hands raised, still blushing like mad, doing his best to ignore her implications. Heck, those weren't even implications. She was quite direct, it would seem. "Just hanging out, you and me, no strings attached."

"Sure!" she replied, and he'd note, he slowly began to recognize her genuine smile over her practiced one. It was hard to tell apart, as she was dazzling all the same, but there was a difference. And as she motioned for him to take her hand and lead her away, he knew, before, he would have jumped at the chance to bed such a girl in a heartbeat. But for some reason even he didn't quite understand, this girl, Bridgette, he felt like he needed to treat with such respect, like if she was an actual princess, worthy of only the best. It took him quite a while to figure out he had begun to fall for little Bridgette that very same night…

"You guys are not gonna believe who I just saw sneaking out!" Linda quickly beamed as she approached her little party of friends (both old and new). "Little Baby Bree and Keelan just left the building! Zero parental supervision might I add!"

"Leave them alone Lin," Alex said, as he sat down on the table their little makeshift group all now shared. Between him and his girlfriend Linda, to their teammate Christina and her date, the man, the myth, the legend himself, Gautier, to the Russian princess Ekaterina and her date Camille. It was quite a surprise, Alex would note, for such a group to have slowly, but surely, started to become actual friends. "Bridgette's a big girl, and it seems Van finally got his wish to go out with Yua. Let them be happy, this place is a mess anyways. Let us find joy in the little things."

"Sounds like someone's still pissed off over the Neo-Noirs victory," Christina voiced with a giggle, which caused Alex to glare at her.

"It was a stinging defeat, I will admit," Gautier added, one hand on his drink, another over Christina's fine waist. To everyone's utter shock, the girl in question did not seem to mind in the slightest. Heck, she looked to be enjoying herself. Ekaterina had outright tried to tell her to blink twice if she was being held captive, but Camille managed to stop her and told her to behave. "But our efforts were not for naught. We put a dent in them… small as it may have been. And now, I believe the Elite Ten have a one-percent chance of victory, a slight improvement over their prior zero-percent chance."

"Let's not talk about the Neo-Noirs tonight, please," Camille voiced, her hands on her thighs, still wondering if the dress she got was too short. Granted, it was longer than Katja's, one that Camille had to imagine the Russian girl must had used adhesive to keep in place, otherwise one wrong move would have led to the whole thing slipping right off. Then, the thought of that made her face heat up, so she began to blow bubbles into her juice.

"It is frustrating, but Camille is right, best not sully the night thinking of them. Two of them are here, I noticed, and despite how good Dove Dillinger looks, I also would rather not shift the conversation towards them," Ekaterina voiced, playing around with the leftover ice in her cup.

"Of course you noticed Dove quickly," Camille muttered, pouting, which caused Ekaterina to smile.

"Do not be jealous my sweet," she told her, "A fan of Dove Dillinger as I may be, she pales in comparison to you."

"Even you don't believe that," a still frowning Camille voiced. Katja's smile just widened.

"If you do not believe my words," she told Camille, "Perhaps this is one of those, show, do not tell, scenarios, hmm?" she added, and before Camille could even ask, she felt the tip of Katja's toes softly creep up her leg until they reached a very peculiar area. It made Camille squeal.

"Katja!" she quickly scolded, all the while the Russian princess just laughed. "Behave!"

"It is so good to finally see you happy Camille," Gautier noted with pride, a hearty thumbs up aimed towards the two girls, "I couldn't be prouder!"

"And by changing the subject I did not mean to shift it to Katja and me!" she cried out, turning to her… girlfriend, right? She could call this beautiful girl sitting next to her, with the delightful smile and sinister touch, her girlfriend, no? "…That said," she tried to change the conversation, "Where's the rest of your group? I know our guys are out there either hitting on people, or, in Kitsch's case, probably trying to sneak in alcohol."

"My team knows how to unwind," Katja merely stated, allowing herself to fall back on to her seat, "Sasha finally managed to work up the nerve to ask Luka out, and of course he said yes, so I assume those two are having fun. I do pity Aleksei, as nice guy as he is, he agreed to allow all his little siblings and cousins to come to the event, and now he has to keep watch over all of them less they cause a ruckus with the First Years attending this thing. And Grigory will keep to himself, he is a faithful man after all."

"Faithful?" Alex asked.

"He has a girlfriend? Boyfriend? Significant other I mean?" Linda added, curiosity peaked.

"Oh! No, not quite," Ekaterina replied, before she just stated the last part as if it was just the most natural thing ever, and not an utter bombshell of news to them all like it really was, "He is however married and expecting his second child in the upcoming months. His wife is lovely, a childhood friend of his that never once did they part after they met, and I have not met a man more dutiful to her or his child than he is."

"Oh…" everyone else present at that table just said, 'Dude's only twenty and he already has life all figured out…'

"I still did want to properly apologize to you guys, Erina in particular, for how rash my actions were," Eishi spoke up, walking through crowds, with Nene close behind him, the former First seat holding up an impressive number of drinks for their little get-together.

"You should," the current First Seat noted, as she made her way past the crowd and towards where her date and the others were. Isshiki was quick to throw his arm around her, and despite her seeming protest, she didn't much seem to mind it. "But I would advise you wait until this is over. Erina… she has a lot on her mind right now."

"Can't blame the girl," Rindou was quick to say, with her and all the others seated around one of the many decorative stairs in the building, clearly not meant to sit anyone, but who'd tell them that. Joining her, aside from Nene and Isshiki, was her boyfriend, Eishi, and all her best friends, Tosuke, Sonoka, Momo and Soumei. "With that whole mess in social media, and how utterly annoying having a Food-Nazi for a father and the incredible vanishing woman for a mother, it's no surprise she's so bent out of shape."

"Rin, don't talk about her parents that way," Eishi called out, taking a seat next to her.

"Why not? She's right," Momo added, taking a hold of one of the cups, assuming any of them was meant for her, still irked that her boyfriend had made her promise not to take out her phone during the entire night. She wasn't addicted, she swore, but damn it did she want to tweet about over fifty things she had already seen!

"It is in poor taste to speak ill of someone else's parents," Soumei noted, "But then again, that label does fall on them rather firmly."

"We are doing our best to help her out," Isshiki assured, "Amongst others in our inner circle we have to protect."

"Satoshi here has basically waged a one-man war against Nao's monstrous older brother," Nene voiced, and it sounded so strange to Isshiki to hear her praise him so naturally. There was not a hint of sarcasm in her tone, just pure pride. "Getting him to back off and all, Neo-Noirs as they might be, it seems that insufferable genius of yours is finally being put to good use."

"I shall take the backhanded compliment regardless!" Isshiki declared proudly, with a smile, before he did add, "I would, however, like to note that it was not just me who's been defending little Nao from him. Be it Soma carrying the torch, Erina keeping her brother in check, and even our precious little Loren both changing course for her and even standing up to him directly, I am not alone in my desire to see her unharmed."

"And we almost messed that up," Sonoka voiced, feeling outright dread at the thought. "I'm so sorry, I think I should also apologize to you all, Erina and even this Nao girl when I get the chance. Shouldn't we?" she asked, turning to her boyfriend, who despite all his complaints, of which they were many, still ended up going to this event despite how much he made it clear he would be caught dead before ever attending this thing. Hypocrisy, thy name is Tosuke, he would later call out to himself.

"Hmm… I do believe we should," Tosuke simply noted, but he did take hold of Sonoka's hand and pressed it firmly. "Still, you have no fault in this. You only acted on the information we provided. It's us five who acted rashly."

"He's got a point," Rindou agreed.

"That being said," Momo chimed in, after frowning at the drink she had chosen and pushing it aside. Not sweet enough. "I wondered if we would be able to catch up with the rest of the Elite Ten while we were here. Where are Kugyan and Etsunyan?"

"Must you insist on using those nicknames on –?" Eishi tried, but Nene, already used to Momo's antics, simply replied.

"Kuga's here, he's actually going out with one of Satoshi's dorm mates, Yuuki, a very… bubbly girl with quite the killer streak," Nene responded, even if her expression darkened a bit afterwards, "As for Etsuya, well… he didn't much find it appealing to join us tonight. It seems, even when we are forced to bat for the same team, he's still drifting away from us."

"A broken heart tends time to mend," Isshiki added, pressing Nene onto him tighter. "What happened between him and Shouko was surprising to us all, and he assures us he is done helping us, considering the Neo-Noirs to outmatch us too much to be worth the pointless effort, but I have faith. I know Etsuya, I do not think he'll be one to leave us out to dry when we need him most."

"That's quite the risk to take on someone as crafty as he is," Eishi noted, frowning at the idea.

"I, for one, stand behind Isshiki's assessment," Rindou voiced, "Dude's smart, and sure, he can be a little naughty, but I don't think he's outright evil."

"…For all our sakes," Nene just said, her expression shifting downwards, her fist clenched as, despite all their victories, she knew the worst was yet to come, "…I hope you're both right…"

Elsewhere in the party, as the many gathered around and the music got louder, all the while couples like Luka and Sasha, or Victor and Timonthy got into the dance floor, Megumi was just… spacing out. This was too much, and despite herself, she couldn't help but worry about what the interview would bring, and how that would affect Erina. Affect Soma.

"Some punch for the lovely lady?" Akira voiced, as he handed her a cup. Megumi smiled sweetly at him as she took hold of it. He smirked, and added, "It hasn't been spiked, I'm afraid."

"We will not talk about that incident ever," Megumi made clear, pouting, a little blush on her face.

"I mean, if you could, theoretically, translate that state of mind into your cooking skills, I am certain you could take out all four of the Neo-Noirs on your own," he joked, and her pout only grew. It was embarrassing, since while she didn't remember all of it, she remembered parts of it, and it was enough. The ping pong match, the ride to the dorm, throwing up on Akira, after trying to kiss Akira. She was so lucky Jun was so understanding otherwise any other mother would have her just thrown out like a ragdoll.

"Megumi."

The petite girl gave pause, hearing someone call her name, and both she and Akira turned, finding themselves face-to-face with a familiar face, alongside a less familiar face. Megumi still lit up once she saw her.

"Miyoko, hey!" she greeted. "We were so worried when you went off on your own after the duels you all had with the Noirs, everything alright?"

"It has been… strange, I'll admit," Miyoko noted, before she signaled with her head to the girl behind her. Megumi thought her familiar, but Akira recognized her. The former Third Year, turned former Noir, Mea Yanai. Mea seemed to fidget a bit, not knowing where to even look, but Miyoko added, "But I did want to thank you for reaching out to me, allowing me to take place in those matches. While I may not care much about what happens to this school, I do respect you, so you can count on me if you need me. Also, I don't much agree with how everybody seems to be piling all their shit onto Erina Nakiri, so I guess I'm glad I could assist in that regard, but… more importantly, Megumi, just wanted to properly introduce you to Mea… my girlfriend."

Mea seemed to tense up even more, unsure of what to even do, since while she had agreed to this, jumped at the chance even to make things right with Miyoko, she was still so afraid to be classified as such in public, almost as she could hear her parents outright screaming at her in disgust, but, instead…

"Oh! I'm so happy to hear that! You both look so lovely together!" Megumi said with all the love in the world. "I'm so very happy for you Miyoko, I mean, I'm kinda new in this whole girlfriend thing myself, as Akira here can attest."

"She's doing just fine," Akira quickly said. "If anything, I'm the one struggling to match her standards. But, for what it's worth, I congratulate you both."

"Same," Miyoko said, as her eyes sharpened, at Akira, "But you best not make her cry, got it?"

Akira just laughed, but he did nod. Megumi was all smiles. Miyoko was surprisingly smiling too. And Mea was just at a loss for words. She did, however, offer them all a quick bow, and voiced, "I… I'm sorry for all the harm I've caused, every little cheat I tried to get past you all. I do hope we can be friends."

"Of course!" Megumi replied, and Mea just wondered why they had all been so hellbent on harming this school with such kind people in it. Maybe she could convince Rentaro, Rui, and Shigemichi to follow this path instead as well?

With those words spoken, Miyoko and Mea walked away, and before Miyoko could speak, Mea beat her to it, "She is a very kind girl," she noted, "Very easy to fall for I see."

"She's much too precious in my eyes for that," Miyoko argued, "Not unless you –"

"Oh no! Only girl, heck, only person for me is you," Mea quickly affirmed, stopping suddenly, turning, and facing Miyoko, her hands to her back. "You have no idea how much it means to me that you gave me this chance, to try again, to make things right."

"I'm not so heartless as to just leave you crying," Miyoko just muttered, rubbing her head, a bit embarrassed. "I went into that Shokugeki fully intending to crush some bitch who had just toyed with my feelings, not a girl who had been torn by, and I do apologize for saying it, bigoted parents and such."

"You're not wrong," Mea noted, then smiled. "And honestly, screw them. The pressure they made me feel made me throw away all my morals and lie, cheat and steal to try and take the top from this academy, and even then, I still failed. So now, my entire focus, will be on just to things. One, to make a name out for myself and never, ever need anything of either of them. And two, to make you the happiest girl in the world."

"I'm not… I mean, with me, it's not like –"

"I love you Miyo," Mea said in no uncertain terms, and before Miyoko could voice anything else, gave the girl the sweetest kiss imaginable. Mea had to up herself by her tippytoes in order to reach the taller girl. But it was worth it. It would always be worth it. This time, she wasn't the bad guy anymore. This time, they'd make it work…

"Hey! The dance competition is about to start, listen!"

As Yuuki quickly beamed at the announcement to come, which true to what she had heard, within moments, the DJ quickly announced that the dance arena was to be evacuated to allow for the night's dance-off to take place. Any and all couples were eligible to sign up, and they would be assigned a number, whereupon after a few songs of each type of dance, several participating couples would get eliminated, a process that would repeat until the last couple dancing won.

"We're all going to sign up for it, right?" Yuuki asked, first at all her friends, her sparkling eyes on Ryoko and Madoka, before she turned to Shun and Marui, before lastly setting her sights on Kuga. "Right?!"

"If the lady does so insist," Kuga noted, eyes closed, because hey, that sounded fun.

"Are you up for it?" Ryoko asked, her eyes on Shun.

"Considering all the groveling I did in order to be granted this chance, I don't much suppose I have much say on the matter, no?" Shun joked, smirking at her.

"Yeah, no, you don't!" Ryoko playfully remarked with a wink, before she turned to the side, "What about you two?"

"Dancing is not one of my stronger boons, I'm afraid," Marui noted, pushing his glasses in place. He was ready to flatly say no, but Madoka did turn to him, and the look she gave almost seemed… saddened by the declaration.

"We're not?" she simply asked, and Marui felt his brain scream at him to just say no and be done with it. He was a frail guy; he wasn't winning that thing. He knew that. They knew that. But, of course, what he did say was…

"…Eh, screw it, let's give it a try anyways," he declared, and the way Madoka lit up in excitement was honestly almost too much. Marui wasn't used to this; he had never thought of her as anything but a dear friend. But now, seeing her so elated for something so trivial, it felt… right. So he extended his hand, took hold of hers, and guided them towards the dancefloor. The others soon followed suit, with Ryoko having to shush Yuuki into not ruining the mood by squealing the whole way through…

Soon enough, a giant screen turned on, with the music lowering just enough to catch everyone's attention. On the screen:

TONIGHT'S GRAND DANCE-OFF!

"Attention everyone!" Gin quickly announced, making his presence known thanks to the microphone on his hand. He signaled to the illuminated dancefloor. "Here we start with the event you're all here for… well, one of the anyways, the grand dance-off! You all heard the rules! Competitors, couples! You get to show off your grand skills on the dancefloor, and after every few songs, several competitors are eliminated until the last couple dancing remains! Votes will be given by those watching, simply text the number shown below the announcement with the number assigned to your favorite couple! So let's start! The night's young! And so are our competitors! So let's show everybody that Tootsuki spirit! Or that insert-other-academy here spirit! Either one is equally valid!"

His massive fist into the air, Gin declared the competition underway, and as many-a couple quickly rushed the stage in order to be assigned a number, Gin in turn shifted his eyes towards Jun, who was standing a bit to the back, her arms crossed, as she tilted her head, signaling to the side. And sure enough, there they were. The WGO judges, all chatting about, several of them Bookmen who were not part of the core five that had been judging this thing, such as the Lanterby siblings, Histoire's younger sister Dynamis, or the current acting Bookmaster in Mana's (forced) absence, one Tom Tranchant.

But, more importantly to them both, there she was. Decora. And as Gin nodded, Jun quickly excused herself and begun to make her way there. The plan was in motion, now they could only hope the kids could produce a good enough distraction with this competition to make this work.

The music flared, and every and all couples quickly began to reach their designated area. All except for a few…

"Heh, dance-off, how utterly dumb could these people all be?" Asahi noted with a half-amused grin. He turned towards his date, expecting a similar reaction from the girl, even asking a mocking "right?" as he did, only to be met by the sight of Dove with her eyes outright sparkling at the sight. She seemed to catch his baffled stare, as she quickly cleared her throat and looked away, clearly embarrassed.

"Yeah, totally, super dumb…"

"…You wanted to participate, didn't you?"

"What?! No, me? Never!"

"…Fine," Asahi just said, sighing. He then extended his hand towards her, "Dove Dillinger, would you do me the honor of this dance?"

Dove gave pause, her eyes narrowing, holding back the instinct of just taking his hand and going along with it. "…Asahi," she voiced, "At what point is it going to be too much for when we're forced to…?"

"Hmm?" he asked, eyes on her, but she just shook her head furiously.

"Never mind!" she shot back, deciding that maybe, if she didn't think about the inevitable, maybe it wouldn't come to pass, as idiotic as that sounded. "Sure, I'd love to dance with you, my dear King of Noirs."

He gave out a nervous little laugh, a clear different one from his usual confident one, but he still took her hand and led her towards the registration area. As they did, watching from the side, Loren just frowned. Dove was crazy, he noted inwardly, to be doing this. Not only was she making it harder for Azami not to notice that something was going on between the two, but she knew they wouldn't last, right? They were enemies, weren't they? Then again…

Loren turned, as Nao was looking up at the screen, utterly confused by all the fuss everyone was making over something so silly. She didn't notice him staring, but it didn't stop him from doing so. This didn't make sense either. He was supposed to destroy this place, and instead, he ended up helping them keep it open. Ended up helping save this girl currently by his side. But… if Azami had his way, would the man still close this place down? Would Nao still end up back to her father's place, with that monstrous brother within reach? The very thought unnerved him endlessly, so what? Did he actually want the Elite Ten to win? That would save everybody… except Dove.

That thought made him flinch, but… "I have a very troublesome sister," Loren muttered, and Nao turned to him, tilting her head. "Don't give me that look you beautiful zombie girl, it's just me thinking aloud."

"Can you stop insulting me with every damn compliment?!" Nao shot back, frowning at him, but damn it, she looked too beautiful that even pissed off he had to struggle to keep his hands off of her. Loren then motioned forwards, which confused Nao. "Huh?"

"I'm not sure what Dove intents to do, but, for tonight, my priority is you, so, what do you say…?" he asked, extending his hand towards her. "Want to help me defeat my sister and her idiotic boyfriend?"

"W-W-What?! You want to dance with me?!" Nao barely managed to blurt out. "A-Are you crazy?! I dance, like, super weirdly, and only when I'm alone!"

"Relax," Loren assured, and with a playful wink said, "I'm quite good at this, trust me."

Nao had roughly about a dozen different reasons to say "no", but when he phrased it like that, with that smile of his, and that playfulness she hated to admit she adored, she couldn't help but admit, 'Yeah, of course I trust you.'

So she took his hand, and he motioned them both to the dancefloor. They were assigned a number, and were given a spot on the massive dance arena that was, regardless of size, getting very, very crowded. Still, as the pair got into place, their addition did not go unnoticed.

"Is… Is little brother actually stepping up against his sister?" Dove asked, utterly baffled, before she pouted rather fiercely. "If he thinks he can outdance me in this lifetime, he's got another thing coming. Especially not with that girl, who's older than him mind you!"

"Dove I think you're babying a bit too much…" Asahi said with a little laugh.

"He is a baby," Dove just shot back, even if she did narrow her eyes afterwards, "But in this case, baby needs to be put in a corner."

As the spaces were filled out, several prominent couples made their way to the dancefloor, with the likes of Isshiki and Nene, Kurokiba and Alice, Takumi and Hisako, Akira and Megumi, Kuga and Yuuki, Shun and Ryoko, Marui and Madoka, Eishi and Rindou, Tosuke and Sonoka, Soumei and Momo, Kotaru and Urara, Van and Yua, Yoshiaki and Ava, Hakeem and Ikumi, Isami and Lucrezia, Alex and Linda, Ekaterina and Camille, Gautier and Christina, Victor and Timonthy, Benjamin and Emilia, Luka and Sasha, and many, many others all got into their designated area. All that was left was…

Erina stared at the dancefloor before her, her wide eyes scanning all of it, the uncertainty evident in her features. She gave pause, fidgeted a bit, as Soma stood next to her, tilting his head to the side for a moment.

"You wanna join in?"

"…Of course you'd ask that…"

"I mean, you're usually hard to read, but your eyes yearn for that dancefloor, ya know?" Soma explained, signaling to the arena with both his hands, as if her were showcasing a piece of art to a potential buyer. She tried not to but she ended up laughing anyways.

"Perhaps, but I'm here on business," she explained, "Family matters even. This is just a grand gesture for our guests. I really should be with my parents, getting ready." And she motioned to move away, to get away from the tempting dance arena, but she was held up by Soma grabbing her wrist. She quickly turned, voicing a "Soma, stop" before the smirking boy quickly spun her in place, allowing her dress to sparkle with the lights, outright serving as a disco ball in on itself, before he caught her on his arms. "Soma!"

"Erina!" he mimicked once more, smiling all throughout. "Stop telling me what you should do or what others want you to do. For once, Erina, just tell me… What do you want?"

Erina had every reason to simply brush him off. This was far too important for her to get careless now, so close to the goal. To get the entire world off her back. To have her family restored even if by a fraction. But…

What did she want?

As Soma looked on, Erina bit down a curse, before she just sighed. She held onto his hands, because, really, she adored the way he held her. The way she just seemed to fit naturally into his arms. So, deciding to be selfish with her desires even if just once, Erina simply nodded, and voiced, "Yeah, I guess I do want to dance with you."

"Then let's take them all down."

Soma and Erina, with the whole world turning to watch, descended down to the dancefloor, taking a number, and getting into their designed spot. Everyone was watching. They both could outright feel it.

From the side, way into the back, Azami just stared, his disapproval evident, but deciding to just wait it out. Come the interview, he would be set. Erina could be saved by him, and him alone. So he'd let Soma hold onto his little girl for just this fraction longer, but not a moment more.

Mana, standing a bit further of, was a bit more conflicted. A part of her wanted out of this, out of everything. Just to return to her life at the WGO and pushing all this drama and family affairs away. But… a tiny fraction of her, when she saw Erina in that dress, looking at Soma in that way, she could outright picture herself when she was first held by… No, she told herself, shaking her head. 'Don't mix her up with your failure, their relationship is a far cry from the mess that Azami and I… Wait…' she thought, before she gave herself pause, slowly realizing what she was thinking, 'I'm actually… I can't actually compare Erina's relationship with this boy to my own in good faith, can I? Mana… what are you even attempting here…?'

"Yes!" Alice cheered, holding onto Kurokiba, proud at Erina for allowing herself to just have fun for once.

"Yay! Erina's also competing!" Hisako noted, gleefully, as Takumi's eyes outright flared at the notion that this had just become a competition against Yukihira, cooking be damned.

"Erina! Soma!" Megumi said clasping her hands together, utterly delighted at the sight, as Akira just smiled at the two.

"And the goddess herself descends," Nao noted, before she turned to Loren, frowning, "I am not going to be able to defeat her or big sis Hisako!"

"Oh, come on now," Loren replied, his eyes on Soma. "I'm actually, for once, really itching to be able to defeat Yukihira, fairly, even just this once, you know?"

And as Loren voiced that, more to himself than to her, Nao looked on. And she frowned, and this time, her frown was aimed at herself. She hated this, really. Not the dance. Not the night. But this damn feeling inside her. She didn't care for this dance at all, but she really didn't want to disappoint Loren. So, to the boy who had saved her from the monsters of her childhood, she took a hold of him tightly, and took a deep breath… 'Fine… For you Loren, let's do this…'

"Would you look at that?" Asahi noted, seeing Erina and Soma on the arena. "Seems you're not the only one with a cheeky sibling who thinks they can get one over their elder."

"Want me to help you humiliate them?" Dove asked, a very menacing grin on her features, as she pressed her body against Asahi's, both ready for the challenge. For the hunt.

"Looks like our competition misunderstood the assignment," Soma noted, looking all-around. "Call me crazy, but I think these guys all want a piece of us."

Erina said nothing for a moment, her eyes meeting her brother's for a second, then Dove's, before she turned back to Soma, and without a word, placed herself properly into his frame. One hand locked with his, the other on his shoulder. And with the whole world watching, the stage set, and the dance-off officially declared, Erina finally spoke, simply saying…

"Let them try."

---

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Dance Like It's The Last Night Of Your Life (Because It Might Be)…