Lunch at the Nakiri household had been overall pleasant. Megumi felt herself relax in the company of Leonora and Soe. While she loved her mother and felt loved in her community, seeing this particular relationship between the Nakiri's was humbling. She wished that she could have what they did one day. She wondered if Alice could recognize how rare her parents' love was.
"Now then!" Alice startled Megumi from her reverie, "While you're here I think that visiting a Scandinavian spa is a must, and of course we'll sample plenty of food! Plus, you and Ryo should have a rematch from our study sessions!"
Ryo scoffed, "She had a focused goal. There's plenty she still needs to learn to be better than me."
"I have to agree with Ryo." Megumi interjected, "I only focused on a few aspects of a simple lunch offering."
"If you say so, regardless, you're going to encounter as much of Denmark, and maybe some surrounding areas, as you'll let the Nakiri organization show you!" Alice struck a pose like that of a tour guide, or enthusiastic host.
"Please, don't go through so much trouble on my account." Megumi pleaded with Alice to keep her visit casual.
"You've come to the wrong place for that. "Ryo chuckled. "Miss will make sure you see ALL of her favourite places whether you like it or not. You may as well enjoy the trip."
Alarmed at seeming rude, Megumi quickly stammered, "I came here to experience new things, I'm grateful that Alice wants to share everything with me!"
Ryo huffed, "We'll see." Ryo nods to Mr. and Mrs. Nakiri before excusing himself for the evening. Alice fixed him with her most mischievous grin as he exited. He may have reconsidered his decision to leave Alice with their guest if he'd had a better understanding of her motivations.
Alice was still determined to see Megumi and Ryo together, but she accepted that she would need a more delicate touch. She always had Ryo to influence, but for now she would focus on Megumi while she had the homecourt advantage. Luckily, her parents could always be counted on to uplift a chef and preach their best qualities.
"Please, pay no mind to our Ryo," Soe informed Megumi, "He's really a lovely young man, but he doesn't care much for company." At this point Soe couldn't help but chuckle, "Though to be fair, that can be said of most chefs that I've met. He's still part of our family."
Megumi hesitantly smiled back at the elder Nakiri, "I'm sure of it. He's certainly talented."
"Ah, but while talent is well and good, Mr. Kurokiba certainly needs more appreciation for other chefs and their views to become his best self." Leonora interjected.
Blushing, Megumi listened to the premier experts on cuisine seated across the table from her. She debated if she had anything to add to their conversation. Finally, she opened her mouth, "I certainly don't share your expertise on such matters, but I know that my cooking makes people happy. And I've seen Ryo's cooking leave people beyond satisfied." Soe turned to Megumi with a gentle smile.
"So, Ryo's cooked for you?"
"N-n-no-no-! Not exactly!" Megumi protested, "Only what we've all made during our study sessions and in class."
"Hmm, don't forget when you two battled during the Fall Selection, and when I brought you that bite during the straggler hunts. I think you have a pretty good idea of Ryo's style of cooking." Alice helpfully mentioned.
The memory of those occasions left Megumi flustered. Seeing this, Leonora stepped in to rescue the shy chef. "You also live in the dorm that houses the majority of our recent rebels, now council of ten. We haven't had the opportunity to meet most of them yet, what can you tell us about your other friends and their styles?"
Grateful for the change of topic, Megumi responded brightly, "I have to say that all of us who live at the Polar Star are very different in terms of cooking styles. Well, except I guess Shoji and Daigo are kind of like a tag team. Still, at the end of the day everyone has so much fun learning from each other and combining their specialties. Even before Soma arrived, the midnight feasts of the Polar Star were unlike anything I've seen before!"
Soe chuckled, "And how was your dorm after Soma entered the high school?"
Turning green, Megumi grimaced, "He certainly shook things up. But thinking back to those days, I can't forget the taste of his abominations."
"Abominations? I must be misunderstanding you. Abominations is meant to be bad, right? Yet we're talking about the cooking of the number one seat on the Council of Ten." Leonora asked, perplexed.
"Sure, when he's looking to serve a customer or in a competition. But on his own…." Megumi shuddered, "Soma creates the worst things that barely even pass as food."
Soe laughed, "I heard similar stories about his father! I guess the two are very close." The rest of the table also giggled. After this break the conversation felt more natural. Megumi glowed as she spoke about her dormmates and all the ways they support each other.
When it came to Ryoko and Yuki, Alice found herself feeling a twinge of jealousy when she heard how close the three girls were. Not for the first time Alice was wistful for what she and Erina might have had. Catching the uncharacteristically soft look on Alice's face, Megumi paused.
"Is everything alright, Alice?"
"Oh! Yes, of course." Alice smiled warmly at Megumi. "I'm just really enjoying your company." Megumi quirked her head to the side in confusion. Giggling, Alice continued, "Come on! We need to make the most of your time here. Come freshen up in my room then mother and I are taking you to the spa!" Alice joyfully dragged Megumi out of the kitchenette chattering about all the places she wanted Megumi to take special note of while they were out. Soe and Leonora happily waved the two teens out of the room as the Nakiri staff set to cleaning and wrapping up leftovers.
From his room Ryo heard Alice excitedly pull Megumi down the hall to her room. He supposed he was thankful for the time to himself while Alice had a new pet to play with. Of course, that left him with just his own thoughts... Images of Megumi blushing up at him or flashing him a joyful smile flashed through his brain. Ryo snorted to himself at such a pathetic notion. Ryo rolled his head stretching his neck before taking off his shirt and jeans. He pulled on some loose shorts and started his workout with pushups, yet once more Ryo found his mind drifting towards memories of Megumi reacting to his food… Ryo paused to physically shake his head again. This was the perfect time to burn off some energy by working out. He didn't even have to worry about Miss Alice barging into his room with her nonsense. Though even with his favorite distraction method, he couldn't block out the feminine chatter echoing down the hall, particularly the melodic cadence of Megumi's voice.
Eventually Ryo heard a commotion coming down the hall resulting at a sharp knock on his door. Before he could respond, Alice threw the door open, declaring, "We're off to the spa! Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Alice stood boldly in the doorway while Megumi shyly huddled in the hall in a loose, pajama-like outfit and overcoat. Knowing which spa Alice likely had in mind, Ryo refused to accompany them. He knew that Alice and Ms. Leonora would want to give Megumi an authentic Scandinavian experience, which would mean some time spent nude in the sauna. The gender-neutral sauna. As much as he enjoyed making Megumi squirm, being naked around her felt a step too far.
"I don't feel like it today." Ryo pivoted and switched from push-ups to crunches.
"Hmm. Fine." Alice conceded. "At least join us for a movie later." Alice turned to close his door on the way out, but as he glanced over to check that Alice was actually leaving, Ryo caught Megumi's heated face as she tried to hide her blush at the sight of him. Their eyes only met for a second, but Ryo could see just how much she was affected by him. Surprisingly, Ryo was conflicted about the affect he had on Megumi. While he was aware of Alice's intentions about his romantic life and Megumi Tadokoro, he hadn't really entertained the thought that Megumi might be interested. But even if she was, how much of it was Alice pushing her towards him?
No. As much as Ryo was intrigued by the country chef, he could not relinquish this last piece of autonomy to Alice. Besides, would Megumi actually be happy with him?