There had been a major storm the night before. It left the air clean and light from the grueling winter they'd endured.

A new season had rushed in like a roaring lion as Soma walked on the mushy grass and made his way to the freshman opening ceremony. He was instructed to find a large white tent at the back of the main stage and wait there. As the lone transfer student into the high school division, he was supposed to be introduced to his entire class— all one thousand student chefs. Which was perfectly fine. Weird and wholly unnecessary, he determined, but okay, if that's what it took to be a Tohtsuki chef, whatever they said goes...for now. Being back at this school lit a bitter fire in his belly. He wanted to look his opponents in the eye and let them know he'd leave no prisoners. They were far from his competition, but he knew he had much to prove to these snobs.

He was a mere fifty meters from his destination when his heart leaped out of his chest. He couldn't explain it; time slowed and sped up at the same time. Only his mother knew how he managed to stumble upon the first person he wanted to, but the last person he expected to see so soon. But the world had already stopped and restarted for Soma too many times in his life, so he knew the feeling of luck very well, especially after this past month. So, call it fate or coincidence that the girl on his mind nonstop since the day he laid eyes on her was the first person he saw on campus.

She was too far away to see her face, but he immediately knew it was her. She'd haunted his dreams enough times for Soma to tell that her posture was straighter than a blade and that her stride was as long as her smooth legs. She was shorter than him, even from a distance, that was very obvious, but she carried herself like a skyscraper among flats. As she walked from one building to another, her gait was too graceful to miss and held power and authority that rivaled a drill sergeant. Not a single strand of her silken hair was out of place as it flowed lighter than a feather in the light breeze. Its honey-blonde color and smooth profile carried a polished sheen under the spring sun. She even looked like she smelled good— better yet, delicious. And though she did not utter a word, he could hear her nasally, rich girl attitude clear as day.

Suddenly, nothing else mattered.

So when he called the rest of the ninety-second generation of Tohtsuki Culinary Academy his stepping stones, while he meant it, he didn't plan it.
Had he not met her, had the transfer exam been proctored by a different examiner;
had he not been rejected, then unexpectedly readmitted into Tohtsuki—by the academy's head honcho, of all people,
had even one thing happened differently, he wouldn't have said it at all.
He probably would've just said a cheeky shonen protagonist line, like, "I'm not the best, but I'm going to do my best!" Or some corny shit like that.

But meeting her changed everything.

Soma felt the trajectory of his life swept into an endless storm on that fateful day. And, in a way, his entire approach to cooking. So if that meant attending and dominating Tohtsuki, so be it. Because while he was addressing hundreds of his peers, he was only speaking to one. Soma flashed his mischievous fang into the camera when he finished his off-the-cuff introduction because he knew she was watching. He just didn't know from where. (Tohtsuki had so many people gathered in one place it felt like the academy could be a city of its own making.) But he wanted her to hear his challenge no matter where she was. Whether the crowd knew it or not, he'd declared in front of everyone that he was coming for her crown, specifically.

No one else mattered.

That's why he didn't notice the other students fuming and sneering at him as he strolled off-stage and headed back to the large white tent. Even if he did, their anger was irrelevant. He knew he'd piss them off even more in the kitchen. His food was his best weapon, so even if he couldn't beat his father in a cooking battle, Soma was confident none of these rich kids could hold a candle to his flame.

From here on out, he was only cooking for her attention.

a/n: happy new year, everyone! i'm back to start the new year with a short one-shot update to help ease the wait time between a much longer drop i'm working on. i hope this new year (gregorian calendar-wise) ushers you into a new season full of possibilities and potential to rise and shine in all aspects of your life. hang in there; i'm rooting for you.

as always, leave a review! share, favorite, and follow this one-shot novella and my long-form novel, Comfort Food.

-My pleasure! Hope you enjoyed!-

8.20withlove

disclaimer: i don't own the rights to SnS. but, i'm doing my best, okay?! °﹏°