In the days leading up to the fall selection final, there was a lot on Ryo Kurokibas mind, his upcoming match against Akira Hayama And Soma Yukihira consumed his thoughts, but there was something else he couldn't get out of his head, the ramen that Megumi Tadokoro had made in their match. Of all of the things swirling around in his mind, why did the dish he beat keep coming back to him? Deep down he knew the answer, he liked it, he liked it a lot, and as much as he hated to admit it, he wanted more. Her cooking was like a drug to him, like a concentrated burst of a mothers love, a love he never knew himself.
At first he thought his cravings would fade, and they did, until he saw her again. She had accompanied Soma Yukihira to the fish market to help him prepare for the finals of the fall selection. But the second he laid eyes on her, the hunger came back, and it came back stronger. Luckily, Soma started yapping about how good he was at , distracting Ryo just enough to get his mind off of Megumi. The boy's conversation eventually led to an unofficial "mini food war", which of course, was judged by megumi.
"Sorry Soma, Ryo's Sashimi is better," Megumi admitted to her friend.
While Soma grappled with the fact that he was outmatched in the department of choosing fresh fish. Ryo found something new to think about. For reasons beyond his understanding, Megumi's acknowledgment of his skill sent a shock of joy through him. Thankfully, His mistress, Alice Nakiri managed to rescue him before he fell too far into thought. Unfortunately however, Alice had caught him in the act of staring at Megumi, and there was no way she wasn't gonna bother him about it.
"Ooooo Ryos got a crush, Ryos got a crush" Alice taunted in a sing-song tone as the two were driven back to the estate.
"I have no idea what you're talking about" Ryo coldly responded to his mistresses' taunts.
"Liar, you were totally staring at that girl Megumi, she's cute isn't she?" Alice asked somehow even more excitedly than before.
"Drop it," Ryo responded in a stern tone.
Alice decided not to take her taunts any further but was genuinely excited to see her often antisocial aid actually taking an interest in someone other than her. Alice had always hoped that Ryo would find other people to care about outside herself. However, she was also very much aware that she didn't make it very easy for Ryo to make other friends. Regardless, Alice cared deeply for Ryo and truly wanted him to find happiness.
Of course Ryo knew that he was totally staring at Megumi. Even though he hadn't stared for very long, Ryo began to notice just how pretty Megumi was, especially her eyes. They were warm and soft, just like her cooking.
"Dammit, I can't even look at her for 10 seconds without carving her food "he thought to himself.
If he was being honest, Ryo liked thinking about Megumi's cooking, he liked reminiscing on the warmth it gave him. But he didn't have time for that, the finals were coming, and he had to prepare.