When Subaru Mimasaka challenged him to a Food War for their semi-final match, Soma couldn't think of anyone better to taste his beef stew and give him direction than her. He knew it wouldn't be easy, that was, if he could even persuade her to do either, but he had to try. I mean, right? After Isshiki subtly revealed Erina's little secret, a dying ember in his belly flickered into a quiet flame. And it lit up within him, his greatest character strength and his favorite thing about life.

Hope.

Growing up, Soma never understood why people liked complimenting his confidence or tenacity; he always felt they were missing the mark about who he truly was because they only seemed to notice the byproduct of his hope. Hope was the only reason he could be either. That's what failure, losing, and endless practice taught him and his parents emulated. After Mom passed, he remembered the sharp uptick in the number of people commenting on how brave and confident he was, as if he was supposed to become an invalid in her memory, to have become someone less than who Tamako had raised him to be.

But enough of the mushy stuff, Soma! It was time to get a real taste-tester for the beef stew. Even with Isshiki's succulent tomatoes, something was missing. When he'd tried to use the middle school reporter, Mitsuru Sotsuda, to figure out just what, the kid proved only to be a glutton, not a good judge of Fall Selection quality, but honestly, he was relieved the little boy couldn't hang—and silently excited.

Because it was the perfect alibi to get to see Erina.

If she opened the door, that is.

-8-

Soma had never had a crush on anyone before. He didn't understand why his peers lost their minds and stumbled over their words in front of girls. Don't get him wrong; it's not that he didn't find girls, or even guys, attractive; he just never cared about it. He'd never been shy about anything. People felt good when they ate good food with bold flavors, so all that mattered to him was getting creative enough to deliver those kinds of dishes. Maybe seeing the perfect love story get cut short growing up forced him to detach from wanting that. Who knew? But what he knew was, who had time for puppy love when cooking and fun boy shenanigans like manga, anime, video games, and pranks with friends took up so much of his life?

And he loved his life. He was focused on one day owning Yukihira. So, if he wasn't cooking, he was sketching recipes in his notebook or hanging with his Polar Star friends talking about cooking. Besides, he'd never been approached.

(An invisible voiceover interrupts to note to readers: Of course, not even for a second did Soma notice all the shy and giddy schoolgirls bickering and vying for his attention throughout his life. That simply would not be the neurodivergent teen's way.)

-8-

The Nakiri Mansion door swung open like it would swing off its hinges, and there she stood.

Flashing the brightest, most heart-stopping smile he'd ever seen on another person's face was Erina Nakiri looking the happiest he'd ever seen her. In that millisecond, Soma understood why people got shy. His heart jumped to his throat, and his brain flashed like a camera, taking a mental picture of her glowing expression. How stunning she looked while genuinely smiling—she was radiant. His already overwhelmed brain instantly created storage space in the center of his mind to never forget.

Good thing he did because it was fleeting.

-8-

Erina was adamant that she would only give him thirty minutes. Spending time with her in her mansion's test kitchen, which looked eerily like a Tohtsuki classroom, Soma learned in those thirty minutes that time can feel too short, and thirty minutes could feel like three hours in her presence.

"Well, if you don't mind. I simmered the beef with a bouquet of aromatics. I made the demi-glace from scratch, too." He placed the hot pot of stew on the counter. "And, my secret ingredient is—"

"It's white miso," she said the instant he lifted the pot lid. Soma gasped; how could she know that?

"So how is it? Do you like it? It's super tasty, right? When I had my first bite, I knew I would never get enough of Master Yukihira's—"

Erina shut the middle schooler up, "It's not good. The tomatoes aren't ripe enough."

"But it came from Isshiki's garden!" Soma contested, "I've tasted them fresh off the vine!"

"So what?" Erina snarled like he'd just called her stupid.

"So, that can't be possible," Soma deadpanned.

"Says who? Your plebeian palate or my unquestionable God Tongue? Because last time I checked, you sought me out to tell you this. Soma Yukihira, don't waste my time."

"No, no, I didn't mean it like that!" Way to go, Soma. "I'm just—"

"It tastes mealy, okay? Like they were stored in the fridge." Soma stared at her with a face of stone. Erina's face turned. "Don't tell me you actually brought me store-bought tomatoes to taste, Yukihira!"

"No! No…I just, uh, did use the older tomatoes in my dorm's fridge because we have a Last-in, First-out policy."

"Everyone should have that policy," she retorted. "Anyway, you need to leave."

"Huh? Why, Miss Erina?" Mitsuru shrieked. He glanced down at his watch and looked at the Tenth Seat in shock. "It hasn't been thirty minutes yet! We still have five more minutes."

"Because, clearly, Soma Yukihira, you don't know what it takes to make fine dining. This isn't even close. You're not taking this competition seriously, and it's honestly disrespectful. Like, you don't understand this theme at all!"

-8-

When he came to Tohtsuki and met Megumi, Isshiki, and his dormmates, Soma felt seen and appreciated for who he was for the first time, and it was through his cooking. The people complimenting him now understood just as much as he did the role of hope in carving out their place in this hellscape to Olympus. They needed to discover it for themselves, too.

Even Erina rejected his food from a place of self-discovery Soma dared to imagine. He could tell that even Erina Nakiri recognized his fiery passion for food as hope. Why else would she continue telling him that he didn't even have a prayer of making it at the Academy? Today was just another reminder from her that he was so far from attaining that elusive dream of being the First Seat.

Still, as Soma and Mitsuru left the Nakiri mansion, walking the long road back to Polar Star, Soma was grateful for her. Not only did her incisive tongue decimate his beef stew's flavor profile to a tomato seed and make him feel (yet again) like he was in above his head at Tohtsuki, but Erina was so fascinating to watch at work. And even more impressive to learn from. His heart played double-dutch with his breath. Soma had never had a crush on anyone before, especially not the finest girl—scratch that, the finest person—he'd ever laid eyes on.

But, okay…

Maybe…

Maybe!

Maybe Soma had a teensy, tiiiiiiny little crush on Erina Nakiri.

a/n: last saturday of the month can't come and go without fresh chapter! stick around for more, as i plan to be back within the week with something sweet. ;) but until then, please review, like, and share with someone you think would enjoy reading!

-You're Welcome!-

8.20withlove