When the girls of Polar Star took Daigo and Shoji's frat boy chant seriously for a pre-Tohtsuki Friendship and Rapport Training Camp party to let off some nervous steam, it was supposed only to be a Polar Star Dormitory affair.

"What do you guys think you're doing? You cannot have this party in my room!" Zenji protested, his circular lenses fogging in mounting frustration.

"Ah, don't worry, bro! The party's not happening here! It's happening downstairs and on the lawn." Daigo reassured him with a sharp slap on the scholar's bony back. Zenji seized in pain and then relaxed.

"Okay, good—" Zenji said. Relieved not to have to plan on waking up early the next morning to deep-clean his room. Again.

"Yeah, bro! Only the pre-game and the afterparty kickback!" Shoji said. He gleamed with an excited teenage boy grin. Zenji erupted.

"No! Absolutely not!" Zenji ranted and stormed out of his dorm room.

But within an hour of Yuki sending out the mass invite, the entire dorm was sprawling with first-years. By the time Yuki finished putting out the second round of finger foods—- duck confit lollipops, cured red meats, and freshly smoked cheeses—the entire dormitory's main room, kitchen, and lawn was packed like canned sardines.

"Jeez!" Megumi's eyes grew wide as she looked around the room. Never had she ever seen so many people in the hard-to-enter dorm. "Are you sure there's enough food for everyone?" Ryoko took the punch bowl from her hands and placed it on the drinks table.

"Forget food. I'm not sure I have enough special rice juice for everyone." She knelt and threw a wooden keg over her shoulder. She pressed its spout and let its contents flow into the crystal bowl. "This is the last fermented batch that's ready. Everything else is in its test-trial phase. I don't want to risk it."

"Aw, don't worry about it! Look around!" Yuki wrapped her arms around her two best friends. "The Ryukimi Punch is a hit, and everyone's having fun!" Sure enough, the scene was chaotic and lively. The entire first-year class of Totsuki Culinary Academy was scattered and crammed in every nook and cranny of the ancient building, laughing, dancing, and talking entirely too loudly to one another.

"Ryukimi Punch?" Ryoko cringed.

"Has a nice ring to it, amirite?" Yuki replied. A self-gratified smirk spread across her face. Megumi scanned their breakfast room which had been transformed into the refreshments hall for the party, from the windows to the doorway, until she found what she was looking for.

Or rather whom.

-8-

Soma loved a good, spontaneous party. He'd already left a Tohtsuki test kitchen and walked up the long pathway back to the dorm before he began seeing large swaths of his classmates flocking in the same direction, and he had no choice but to join them. He strolled into the bustling breakfast room and beelined to the assortment of smoked jerky. "Some party! What's all this, then?" He cheeked, meeting Megumi's gaze. Sometimes, when he looked into her soft gold eyes, he felt his mother's love, which was often— or at least whenever she looked at him the way she was right then. That's what he was beginning to like about his blossoming friendship with Megumi. She had perfect timing and was warm and kind, like a mom. She didn't act or cook like they were the same age, but she was already beginning to feel like home to him. They all were. Yuki bounced around the table to shove a lollipop in his mouth.

"Soma! What'd'ya think?" Soma watched her wait for his reaction as he saved himself from choking and slowly chewed on the crispy and succulent meat. The duck meat melted on his tongue, making him feel tingly in his abdomen. He closed his eyes in surrender to the silky saltiness when his eyes flew open.

"How did you congeal the duck fat in the center like that? It's like eating a duck butter Blow Pop!" He pulled the stick out of his mouth and nommed.

"I won't tell," Yuki replied, clearly pleased by his feedback. The corner of Soma's lip curled up his cheek.

"Battle me in a Food War for your secret?"

"Not a chance!" Yuki winked. "But to answer your first question: the dorm himbos suggested it to get out the pre-camp-from-hell jitters. And I wanna be reckless for one last time because who knows if I'll make it out this year." Her face suddenly turned sullen.

"Nah," Soma fanned away her doubt. "Like I said when we got the announcement, we'll all be in the half that makes it through." He watched his dorm mate's positive personality return like a firecracker.

"You're right! Now let's party!" Yuki screamed over the music. Soma laughed as he watched her jumping around at the song change. She reminded him of a bunny, how she could instantly switch from being sad to carefree.

Soma grabbed the red cup Megumi was extending at him and drank the tartly sweet liquid in one gulp. He shook his head. The sting of alcohol tightened his throat. "Another great batch, Ryoko!" He tipped the empty cup in her direction. Ryoko grabbed it appreciatively to refill it. Being a student at Tohtsuki had turned out better than he had imagined.

Soma strolled around the party, surprised at how many of his peers he never knew existed. With every bump and shove and "'Scuze me...pardon me," he said through the sweaty crowd, the red cup sloshing in his hand, he realized he didn't know a quarter of these people. (Even though they were all scowling at him like they knew him well enough.) And since Soma didn't have a class with even a quarter of the first-years, he waded through the crowd, searching for a familiar face— a stunning one, in particular.

But he knew expecting her to be there was a silly thought. Erina did not come off as the type to willingly spend her casual time with anyone for fun, especially not with sweaty, drunk teenagers she went to school with. He was sure she would scoff and turn her nose up at the mere invitation to hang out with them. Still, Soma humored his desire to see her, so he searched.

Instead, he found Nikumi scowling at Daigo and Shoji for holding Zenji's legs up as he vomited into a trash can. "Meat-Meat! You're here!" He left the trio struggling to keep Zenji from dunking his head in his throwup and moved closer to his former opponent as she passed them paper towels. She looked like she didn't want to be there.

"Unfortunately. And I told you not to call me that!"

"Aw, it's cool," Soma dismissed. "Having fun?"

"I was…until I saw these numbskulls trying to kill that nerd." Zenji looked up and yelled a protesting "Hey!"

"Oh, shut up. You're fine!" She rolled her eyes and gagged when she noticed the drippings of chunky vomit trailing from Zenji's mouth down the outside of the trash can. Soma was inspired. A punishing recipe popped into his head: bitter leaf and squid chutney. That would be a great snack to pass around to his victims— er, he meant visitors. He slipped away to the staircase.

Soma turned the corner of the second floor's staircase and overheard gossip that stopped his heart. A group of girls giggled above him on the landing between the second and third floors. They huddled around a smartphone, and he could see them scrolling through a social media app, but he couldn't tell which one.

"I heard this pic is their soft launch," a girl with platinum blonde hair and a sinister tone said. She held the phone, but he could only see her back.

"Wait, hold on! I just saw this post on my For You Page an hour ago!" A girl beside the platinum blonde squealed. "I thought it went viral because of Tsukasa's impeccable plating…but now that you say it, that does look like Erina's hair color." Soma reflexively stopped breathing. He didn't mean to, but his stomach leapt when he heard her name. Though he tried his damndest to play it off like he wasn't listening, he plastered himself to the wall. Another girl, shorter with round cheeks and glasses, gasped, "Forget the hair color… Omigod. Look at her wrist! Isn't that the same rose gold four-diamond Cartier love bracelet he gave Erina when she joined the Ten?!" The group screamed.

"It is!" The platinum blonde clapped like she had been waiting for the discovery.

Soma needed to beat feet. He couldn't handle any more new information about Erina's love life. He didn't even know she had one; it just never occurred to him that Erina Nakiri was capable of liking someone romantically. The music was loud enough for him to flash a wry smirk their way while acting like he hadn't heard a thing and slipped past them. But the questions were already racing through his brain. He cooked for her? She let him? His stomach churned imagining Erina smiling over a fine dining plate cooked by the First Seat of the Academy. He had no issue with the third-year student; he didn't even know what he looked like. All Soma knew about the guy was that Soma wanted his first seat on the Council. He shook his head at the jealousy and alcohol throbbing against his temples and struggled up the stairs.

"Soma? Is everything okay?" Megumi's soft, concerned voice pulled him back into his body. She stood outside his dorm room as if she knew he would find his way back to his room at least once this night.

"Megumi." He let a lighthearted grin slip through. "I'm about to make a dish to torture our class," he said.

Megumi didn't miss a beat. "I figured you would. Please keep me out of it," she winked.

Soma was relieved to have the mental distraction. They walked into his room, and he rushed to his kitchenette to gather his ingredients.

"Oh! Did you hear the rumor going around about Erina?" Soma froze, gripping a cold glass jar of squid gelatin. He knew his face was flushing. If Megumi could sense his anxiousness, she didn't care as she stared at her phone. She lightly bounced on her toes. She was buzzed. "L-looks like Tsukasa and Erina went on a date tonight," she said in fangirl awe. "Rumor has it they're a couple." Megumi stood beside him in the cramped half-kitchen and shoved her phone screen in his face. "See, here's the TikTok that's going viral!" She hiccuped. "That plate does look delish—"

"You know what?" Soma interrupted, snapping his head her way. "I've changed my mind. I've been cooking all day. Let's join the party," He saw Megumi's nose faintly wrinkle at the fake cheerfulness in his voice. Still, he ignored it, swiftly putting everything back in its rightful place before storming out of his dorm room, almost leaving Megumi in there if not for her shuffling to meet his pace.

Soma didn't want to get drunk. He just wanted a distraction when joined his dorm mates on the back lawn and laughed around a campfire. He meant to ignore that tightness squeezing his chest as his peers, fruit and grain fermentation experts, passed around amber jugs sloshing with their latest fermented experiments. He'd take a swig straight to the head, shake his head impressively, compliment the brewer by challenging them to a Food War for the recipe, and crack a couple of jokes. Rinse and repeat until the moon climbed over the backwoods' treetops. He just wanted to forget the confusing feelings clouding his vision (was this jealousy?)

Soma walked over to where Shun and a large brown-haired boy stood silently. Shun immediately nodded as he approached, casually handing Soma a bag of smoked turkey jerky. Soma chewed on a stick and stared into the fire. The crackle hypnotized him back into his forbidden thoughts. He thought about the last time he saw Erina, but as Soma felt his stomach begin turning in knots, he quickly tried to snuff out the memory of her fresh lingering scent.

He failed.

Around the bottom of his fourth jug, though he was not acting sloppy, Soma felt his insides heat up and liquefy from all the partying and dancing. He wouldn't consider himself a lightweight or someone with a high tolerance. After his residency on the Amalfi Coast the summer before, his dad taught him a little about cooking wine and wine pairings and let him wine tastings with him, so he'd learned to hold his liquor enough, but he knew he was reaching his limit. He made his way to the veranda to catch some air. His mind was starting to soften in sadness. Once again, he found Megumi just in time not to have to be alone with his thoughts. She was leaning on the open French doors, staring at the full moon.

"I thought I was the only one dying in there," he shouted, his speech slurred. "Sorry," he said sheepishly.

"No, you're not alone. It's too hot and cramped there. I didn't realize Tohtsuki accepted all these people in one year," she giggled. A bubbly burp erupted from Megumi's throat, and the two burst into a comfortable fit of alcohol-infused, warm laughter. Soma keeled over and saw her French-tipped toes before her face. The figure stood in the shadowy part of the terrace like a statue, like she was purposely hidden from view. Soma stopped laughing and slowly walked toward the shadow.

"...Meat-Meat?" A bountiful bosom swayed out of the shadow. Nikumi crossed her arms but refused to look his way. "Hey! It is you! Whatcha doin' over there by yourself? Come join us!" Soma didn't even wait for her to respond before he pulled Nikumi's smooth forearm toward him and Megumi.

Megumi's eyes glinted toward the best beef chef in their year with skepticism before suddenly realizing she had to help Yuki with the party downstairs.

"We'll just come with you to help. Right, Meat-Meat?" Soma turned to Nikumi expectantly. Ikumi Mito's lip twitched like she didn't want to say something, but it didn't matter.

Megumi silently shook her head. "Oh, nononono! I-it-it's fine. You two keep talking on the veranda," she rushed out, cutting them off with a hurried wave goodbye.

Later that week, when Soma would be sitting in front of his burner, and his thoughts began to drift back to this moment before the training camp, he'd barely remember snapshots of what happened after he turned to face Nikumi. She spoke first. Her voice was low and nervous. Her Westernized intonations made her words drawl and linger like curled smoke.

"Yukihira," she whispered. Her hand lingering on his shoulder, she moved closer to hug him. "I…I want to apologize for how I spoke to you during our Food War." She said, her breath heavy in his ear. Soma noticed her voice lacked its usual confidence, but it still sounded alluring, pulling him in like thick molasses. "It was my ego, and since losing to you, it's been humiliating to…"

Soma pulled back and watched his index finger hook and lift to her plump chin. His eyeballs trailed from his calloused finger to her full lips. They held eye contact for a slow minute, and he saw the full moon in her giant pupils before her long eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings. He blinked and found his hands slipping down the bare-skinned sides of her cowbell halter top. Her skin was firm and smooth beneath his touch. Soma blinked again and saw her come in closer until their noses were mere inches apart. Then things became too blurry.

"Soma?"

"Hm?" It was all he could muster. His breathing was hot and shallow. He felt the boiling rumble of temptation in the pit of his stomach. His brain knew he was staring at Meat-Meat, but the fuzz from the Ryukimi punch's effects turned her short blonde hair golden as it lengthened past her curvaceous bodice. Her bronzed skin lightened into a peachy hue, and her eyes rounded. He blinked.

Erina stood in front of him.

"Do you want to kiss me?" She asked. Her full lips puckered thin, strawberry-stained, and smooth as they leaned closer to his. He blinked again.

"Yes." His voice was gruff. His head tilted forward in anticipation. The heat from their breathing increased between them.

"Yukihira! Where you at, bro? Me, Shoji, and Zenji are having an unofficial Food War in the kitchen and need a final judge!"

Something about the way Daigo called his name snapped Soma back to form. He blinked again, gazing at an expectant Nikumi, and shook his head. He felt his blood draining from his head and knew he needed to leave before he did something he'd regret. He stepped back, creating distance between them, and looked over his shoulder.

"I'm in!" He shouted. The three drunk boys rushed to the veranda and eyed the two suggestively. As awkward as he felt on the inside, Soma casually stepped into their line of vision to distract them. "Wait a minute! Why am I the judge and not a competitor?" He whined. He needed to distract himself, and what better way than to cook? Soma didn't want to call himself a coward for fleeing the scene with Meat-Meat, but he couldn't tell her they were about to make a mistake–she wasn't who he wanted to kiss. So he said nothing at all.

At least not to her.

"Hey guys, I'm competing. Zenji can be the judge," Soma declared and ran back inside. At the top of the stairs, he could still see the group of gossiping girls where he left them. For some reason, he locked eyes with the platinum-blonde hair. Even though she had a blank expression, she stared back with creepy interest. She looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't remember from where. The girl tilted her head as if to permit him to address her. Her sharp cheekbones sat perched beneath her squinted, smiling eyes. His dried throat pulsed until he shouted to his friends.
"Last one in the kitchen eats a rotten egg!"

a/n: hiya! yes, i'm back. no, i haven't abandoned this story. between competing life and creative priorities and enough writer's block to make a month-long hiatus turn into half a year sabbatical, i know it's a question i've asked myself daily for months. but the continued readership counts, the follows, and the favorites encouraged me that you, the reader, are still out there waiting for more of this tale to read. so i hope this was well worth the wait. thank you for sticking by me and reading. and you can confidently expect a return to more frequent chapter drops until the end of summer.

p.s.: if you also read my first work, COMFORT FOOD, let this be the sign that more storytelling is on the way. if you haven't, what's stopping you?! Please review, like, and share with someone you think would enjoy reading! i'll be back soon!

-My pleasure! Hope you enjoyed!-

8.20withlove