Classique

by Zancrowe

{Soma / Erina} As rival schools attempt to crush Tootsuki in the biggest Tournament Arc; Azami finally attempts to retake control of his daughter; while Asahi decides it's time to usurp the Nakiri Throne from that very heiress. Only problem? Erina's boyfriend. [ft. Asahi/Dove; Loren/Nao; Ryou/Alice; Isshi/Nene; Taku/Hisa; Akira/Megu] ((43 / 44: To You, 10 Years From Nao))

25. Light & Midnight

Pairing: Soma/Erina

Genre: Romance; Drama; Hurt/Comfort; Shonen; Slight Mature Themes

Notes:

Seasons' Greetings Everyone! Zancrowe Here!

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, and that the New Year brings you everything you have been fighting for. I know life gets hard, but we can all surpass even the harshest of climates. I may not know any of you personally, but I hope my words here can be read as sincerely as I am attempting to type them. I wish you all the best, because you deserve nothing less. Here's to a 2023 filled with nothing but achievements and positivity. Onwards, now and always!

Lastly, remember I have Youtube Page with upcoming Sorina & Food Wars content! Link is on my Profile Page or just search up "Zancrowe" on Youtube.

Poll: Visit my Profile Page to cast your vote on your favorite Side Pairings! It doesn't show up on the Mobile Site, only on the Computer Browser version!

Reminder: "Email Alerts are now only active if Email Opt-In is enabled in Account Settings."

Disclaimer: Don't own Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma.

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Con Calma, Don Calma was a very inconspicuous locale, very much so by design. Despite its unassuming looks, it usually had a very diverse clientele, from businessmen and women during lunch hours, to ladies' nights on Wednesday's that featured the most well-endowed strippers the man in charge could hire, to drag queen shows every Friday, and, occasionally, some female strippers every now and then to appease the other end of the masses. Might not be Don Calma's cup of tea, but he was an entrepreneur above all else, and the first rule of business is to try and cover every market possible, so he did just that.

Granted, these days, he needed the establishment for a… different type of party. Asahi had "rented" the locale to gather his supporters, which wasn't too out there. His place was already the premier gathering spot for the Noirs, but it was clear his boss needed all hands on deck, so the place was closed off to any and all visitors, and used exclusively to train these new Noirs.

Right now, Don Calma took careful care to properly set up his shakers accordingly, as he knew he would need to use them soon enough. Asahi had made a call to action after all. And, as per his instructions, he was also keeping an eye on the ever troublesome Boogie, who was currently helping out with the equipment. The clown with the frown had not spoken at all, probably still pissed off at the bat to the face courtesy of Asahi, but he was at least paying close attention to all of Don Calma's instructions.

But… what worried the older man more was not so much the traitor they knew, but the new boy within their ranks.

Shun Ibusaki, he had heard one of their best Noirs from the States, Tommy Revolver, brag about.

A master of the culinary arts, who specialized in "smoked" cuisine, and who had cut off all ties with that illustrious yet vexing culinary academy known as Tootsuki. The very bane of all their existence. But, would such a young man, still only beginning his second year at that school, really be so willing to throw it all away? Tommy had said they were second cousins, and that he knew Shun's talents were being wasted at that school, but Don Calma wasn't convinced. So he'd observe, but it was still annoying to have to keep watch of both the new kid and the clown with so many damn people running around…

"So, now that you're in our ranks, let me show you around," Tommy spoke up, walking around the locale, with Shun following quietly behind, "You already know this place as Con Calma, Don Calma. Our not-so-secret hideout. At least, here in Japan. The man with the mustache is the owner, Don Calma himself, while the clown next to him is Boogie Malcanta, which… you should keep an eye on. I've been warned about his loyalties as of late."

"…Is Boogie his birth name?" Shun asked, eyes on the clown.

"You know, I have no idea," Tommy replied in earnest. "Haven't much spoke to the guy. Heard he comes from a family with ties to a circus. So maybe, maybe not. Most folks here use their nicknames far more than their given names, so it's hard to tell anymore."

Shun just nodded. He honestly didn't care either way, but he felt if he didn't say anything he'd be raising more concerns. He could feel the distrust in the air. He was lucky enough that whatever it was the other guy, Yuunosuke, had shown Asahi had made the guy leave to, as he had put it, "help manage a situation", but that didn't mean he was in the clear just yet.

"So let me introduce you to everyone," Tommy continued, "And while there are a lot of Noirs here, most of them are supports, aides as it were. The main chefs are the ones you need to get acquainted with," the man with the spiky green hair explained, as he reached one of the many scattered groups. "Here we have our resident knife fanatic, Bonnie Harriet, as well as our ever so mysterious Kou Shiou. These two have been tasked with offering a few… lessons to our newer, non-Tootsuki recruits. Everyone, this is Shun Ibusaki."

"This the guy you wouldn't shut up about?" the masked Kou Shiou asked, Shun assuming his eyes on him. Then again, Kou couldn't much see Shun's eyes either.

"Whoa, hey there," Bonnie quickly chirped up, motioning from her seat and wrapping her arms around Shun, causing the boy to tense up. This was… unexpected. "Hi, you can call me Bunnyhair. Or, you know, you can call me yours if you'd like."

"…How do you do?" Shun managed to say, nodding and politely setting himself free from her grasp and from her pressing her chest against his. She didn't seem at all deterred, as her smirk never left her face, while, for reasons he couldn't even understand, Shun felt the most intense death glare being aimed his way and he couldn't tell from where it was even coming from. "And yes, I'm Shun. It is a pleasure. I hope we can get along and work well together."

"Oh?" Bunnyhair said, same seductive smile, a little lick on her lips. "How very proper. That would be a first. An educated and professional Noir. I wonder what does it take for a girl to make you drop that act and be a little bit more… fun~?"

Shun forced half a smile, and said nothing else.

"You're going to scare the kid away," Kou added, scoffing.

"And you're just jealous he doesn't need a mask to hide his ugly mug," Bunnyhair shot back.

"I'm not ugly you bitch!" Kou barked. "This is for intimidation!"

"Your face would do that just fine!"

"…And that's their whole thing," Tommy flatly noted, eyes narrowed, a bit of secondhand embarrassment. "And these two, like I said, are currently… well, supposed to at least, training our newer recruits. Say hello to Para and Dox Wong," Tommy introduced, signaling to the two Shun had to force himself not to scoff when he just saw two characters ripped straight from an anime sitting before him, "…and Jerry Monarch… who we honestly all thought was dead."

"Why does everybody bring that up?!" Monarch quickly cried out, arms raised, causing his little crown to fall from his head. The man scampered to get it back on, before he continued, "I was just shot, okay? It was on the leg, and yes, it hurt like a bitch, but I recovered. It just goes to show that my "mistake" wasn't that big a deal. The boss was lenient. And I can respect that. Respect that power, you know?" he then turned to Shun. "This guy gets me, right. Power is what it is all about. Us here, now in Japan, we are the King-samas of the culinary world. You… You get me, right?"

Shun had never had to force himself as much as he did that very moment to simply nod to someone.

"Greetings! I am Para Wong, and it is our utmost pleasure to make your acquaintance Shun Ibusaki!" one half of the duelist team greeted.

"Indeed! And I am Dox Wong, and we extend to you our greeting as they do in our home city of Nagasaki!" the other half of the duo completed.

"Okay, that rhyme felt forced," Kou interjected, pointing at the duo.

"Our boss Asahi told us to always remain in-character as part of our contract!"

"So do not make us talk too much as it is very hard to keep up the act!"

"Yeah, we better stop talking to them," Tommy noted, and Shun was having trouble with the twitch in his eye. How thankful he was for his bangs. "Moving on though," Tommy continued, pushing Shun along the ocean of no-name Noirs that served as Sous-Chefs for the main guys, until he reached another group, one that Shun recognized. "And this is our leading lady," Tommy introduced, and the woman in the military outfit turned with the biggest glare in her face. "Sargenta Kruel. You may call her Sarge if she gives you the authorization. She's currently overseeing –"

"Wait, I know this guy!" Rentaro quickly blurted out, pointing at Shun intently. "He's one of those Polar Star dorks, from the same class as that bastard Yu –!"

The sound of the whip cracking right against his hand quickly shut the guy up, as Sarge only gave him a glare as a warning.

"What was it the first thing I said to you vermin when you got recruited?" she spoke with so much venom even Shun tensed up a bit.

"Only speak when given permission to, ma'am!" three out of the four of them, Rentaro, Mea, and even Shigemichi all voiced in unison, all looking down, while Rentaro rubbed his aching hand. Only the blonde girl, Rui, kept to herself, even if her expression was hard to make out thanks to all her hair.

"Exactly, so keep quiet and keep cooking," Sarge told the four, before she turned to Tommy and Shun. "And so this is the other, other Tootsuki betrayer? Notable I guess, as he's the only one who wasn't expelled, correct?"

"…Do you want me to talk or would that be reason enough for me to get whipped?" Shun asked, and Sarge frowned. His tone was hide to decipher, expertly expressing both formality and sarcasm in equal measure.

"Do you want me to whip you?"

"No ma'am," Shun relied. "I am here to assist, not get rewarded. Save such treatment for after we've won, if I may be so bold in requesting."

He could feel how Rentaro gritted his teeth at his response, and while Sarge looked at him for a moment, she still gave him a smile. "There's some fight in you, I like that. But that better be sincere, you don't want to mess up here kid. This ain't Tootsuki. Asahi won't be as lenient."

"…I am aware."

"Relax Sarge, trust me, kid's good," Tommy quickly came to his defense, patting his cousin on the back, and moving him along, before he paused, turning back to Sarge, "There was another guy from Tootsuki here, no? Isn't he with you?"

"Oh, you mean the one obsessed with taking the Nakiri family down?" Sarge asked, rolling her eyes in annoyance. "He proved to be a step above this lot, so he's currently assisting Claude with the inventory."

"Oh, got it," Tommy noted, and he and Shun moved along. "So, you'll get to meet those two later. Claude Ville is a very unique individual, kinda like a mad scientist but of the culinary kind."

"…I see," Shun corrected, "And the other guy?"

"I have an idea, but I haven't met the guy yet," Tommy replied. "Seems he has quite the hate-boner for the Nakiri family, and for the Elite Ten as well, or so I heard, but, take my advice…" he added, and turning to Shun with a very serious expression, "…Don't overthink who he is, okay?"

Shun simply nodded. Why did it feel that statement had not just been directed at him?

"And how is our new guy doing?"

Shun tensed up, since for as much as he tried, he was slowly getting into grips about the hierarchy of power present in this armada. Asahi was the King, no doubts there, but the two biggest followers, the two who had the most power after him were that Sarge woman he had just met, and this guy.

Yuunosuke Tanaka.

And Shun wasn't sure of which of the two to be more wary of.

"Just got him up to speed with everyone who matters," Tommy replied, smirking. "So, what say you Yuunosuke? When are we starting this thing? I thought Asahi wanted us to start making rounds today?"

"…There's been a minor… change of plans," Yuunosuke stated. "He's currently helping out a… friend in need."

A rather loud disgusted scoff was heard echoed through the entire locale, and Yuunosuke couldn't help but smirk.

"Now, now, Sarge," Yuunosuke offered. "I am sure there's nothing going on between our King and the God Slayer."

"He is going to put us all at risk for that stupid girl!" Sarge shouted back, utterly pissed off at having to even think about Dillinger. "He wasn't like this! He never puts his plans on hold for some, some wench like this before! It feels like she's the one using him rather than the other way around!"

"Tsk, tsk. Jealously is bad look for you Sargenta," Don Calma calmly stated from behind the counter, shaking his finger at her as a sign of disappointed disapproval, causing the woman to turn her frustrated glare towards him. "A man cannot fight against his feelings, and Dove Dillinger is quite the prestigious individual."

"How would you even know?!"

"My dear, I am gay, not blind."

"That's not what I mean!"

"…Yeah, let's just try and have a little faith in our boss, okay?" Yuunosuke told them all, mostly directed at Sarge, before he turned back towards Shun and Tommy, "And, excusing that, most likely our meeting with the Urban Life Planner is still going to happen tonight as planned, so we need to be prepared… Shun," he added, now focused on the former Polar Star, "Would you mind bringing in all the equipment we have out back and setting it up? I want to see you cook something up before Asahi returns if possible."

Shun kept his expression blank, merely nodding in response. He was instructed on where to go, which was right outside the establishment, where new (stolen?) cargo had been left in their boxes, and he was to unpack everything and get it ready as soon as possible. It sounded like a job for more than just one guy, but he knew he had no power to complain. So, with just his nod, he went on his way. He found himself outside, with some fresh air for once, away from the crazies, and with far more boxes than he could count.

'…And now I miss Daigo and Shoji,' Shun noted inwardly, before he narrowed his eyes, making sure to make a mental note and engrave it into his brain until he had the time to actually put pen to paper. 'Excluding Asahi, the "main" Noirs they have gathered to challenge both the Elite Ten and the Neo-Noirs amount to a total of sixteen chefs. I would be number seventeen… Yuunosuke and Sargenta are the right hand and left hand of their "King" respectively. You have Don Calma, Kou Shiou, that Bunnyhair woman, Claude, and the clown Boogie as Asahi's main force. The newer Noirs are Tommy, the Wong brothers, and that Monarch guy. And the Tootsuki deserters, myself excluded, are the former Third Years Rentaro, Mea, Rui, Shigemichi and whoever that last unknown one is… This… This could prove problematic…'

-0-

The entire stadium was at an uproar, upon the very moment that the fourth and final member of the Neo-Noirs had appeared on the arena and had joined their Team Leader for the forthcoming match. It was almost uncanny just how much these two, now that everyone could see them together, standing side by side, reminded everyone of the power couple that had taken Tootsuki by storm all those months back.

"…Brother," Erina voiced, utterly surprised, her eyes wide at the sight of her elder sibling now seemingly, and openly, supporting their father's efforts.

Soma just frowned. It could be him overthinking things, a novelty for him granted, but that maneuver. That little call-out and gesture. He couldn't help but see it as an outright mockery of what he and Erina had done way back at the Showcase.

"Wait… Asahi Saiba is taking part in this?" Urara asked, utterly confused. Yua looked not much better.

"That I am!" the ever cheerful Asahi explained, raising his index finger to add, "Sorry I'm late, but the traffic was brutal. But I'm here now. So… it's Dove and me against the Autumn twins, right?"

"If they are willing, that is," Dove noted, and Van just glared. He turned to his team, and despite the concern from Benjamin, Emilia, Victor, and Timonthy; Bridgette just nodded fiercely, and taking hold of both her cooking and music equipment, quickly darted downwards to the arena. Within a few minutes she was ready, standing next to her brother, staring Dove and Asahi down.

"So nice for you to join your team every now and then," Dove teased, her eyes on Asahi. Her phone was also vibrating wildly, which she assumed was Azami wanting her to abort and not have Asahi partake in this at all, but she ignored it. He should know by now that she was talented enough to keep things in check and under control. "I was going to mark you as absent for your teamwork assignments; lucky you."

"Oh, dodged a bullet then," Asahi said with a laugh. "Sorry 'bout that boss. I'll be a good Neo-Noir from now on."

"Eh… Urara?" Yua asked, utterly afraid of the carnage on display. Urara just frowned, and sighed.

"Very well," she announced. "Now then, let the second round begin! Who is dueling who?!"

The now eight competitors faced each other down, with the match-ups ending up as:

"A pretty little thing like you shouldn't be getting involved in something so dangerous," Ashitaro warned, smiling like a madman.

"Your concern is unneeded. I can take care of myself," Lucrezia shot back, her reflection tripled across the smooth surface of her triple-bladed Mezzaluna.

Ashitaro Sadatsuka vs. Lucrezia Russo

"You should have an idea of how it is I will take you down," Julius offered, trying his best to sound as genuine as possible. "No hard feelings, alright?"

"You may think you have my entire family's secrets figured out," Hakeem countered, "But I assure you I may just surprise you still."

Julius Bedlam vs. Hakeem Akintola

"You two ready?" Dove asked with the biggest grin.

"You'll regret letting us cook together," Van warned.

"I don't think that's how this is going down kid," Asahi noted with a laugh.

"…hmm," Bridgette just muttered, pouting at the older duo, before she turned her music on. Her favorite song. Nothing else would work at this point. This was do or die after all.

Dove Dillinger & Asahi Saiba vs. Van Autumn & Bridgette Autumn

"Let's go!" both Urara and Yua cried out, signaling the start, just as each competitor got their ingredient selected. In no time, they all began to move, and to cook. As the hostess did their best to offer whatever commentary they could, all eyes were on the Neo-Noirs, as if to try and decipher the outright magic they did. They each went to work mostly like they had done before.

Ashitaro throwing everything in the cauldron and shutting it tight.

Julius beginning his prep with what looked like a very Nigerian-based selection.

Asahi had taken care of prepping his vegetables, taking out not one, but two very familiar knives, and proceeding to shred through them effortlessly.

Dove, for her part, proceeded to focus on the meat, taking out both rabbit and duck, and beginning to cut it off to leave just the right amount of fat intact. Just like Azami had taught her over and over and over. Not to break the mold. Follow the True Gourmet to absolute perfection. No other craft was needed. Nothing else was required. True Gourmet was the perfected cooking method, and she'd show everyone, and once she did, she'd finally be free.

As Soma seemed to still struggle with the fact of seeing Asahi wield his parents' knives, his mind racing about what the hell had even happened; Erina could barely even look. Seeing that girl down there, it reminded her too much of herself. She could hear her father's "teachings" echoing at every movement Dove made. He had molded this girl into everything she was supposed to be, and she had no idea how to even react anymore.

Tootsuki as a whole watched, feeling the sense of dread overtake everything. It was a given who'd win… until…

"Here we go!" Lucrezia cried out, and taking a firm grip of her Mezzaluna, proceeded to cut an ungodly amount of vegetables in quick succession. It was like seeing a buzz saw at work, but her cuts were outright perfection. The Prima Studentessa had cut so much veggies that everyone was utterly perplexed, wondering if she had gotten confused do to the stress and decided to make a salad of all things. But then… "Alright, prep is done! Hakeem! Van and Bridgette! Here's all the vegetables you'll need!"

Everyone stared, utterly baffled at her words.

Ashitaro, Julius, Asahi and Dove, for what seemed like the first time, actually paused, turning towards the Italian girl, who looked utterly worn out, but sporting quite the smirk.

"What?" she told the four. "This is a Régiment De Cuisine after all. Teamwork is allowed, right?"

"That's right!" Urara quickly announced, before Azami could perhaps cut her off and add a bullshit excuse or something. "In what has been a very surprising move, it seems our one-upon-a-time challengers are actually cooperating in this round! Oh my goodness, this could actually work!"

"Wait, I just got here, can they do that?" Asahi asked, eyebrow raised, pointing at their opponents like a whining little boy.

"…It is within the rules," Dove noted, "Didn't think they'd try, given how different their styles are, but… color me surprised."

"Our response, Leader?" Julius asked, and Dove just shrugged. It really wouldn't make a difference.

"Screw them all, if they are so desperate that they need help, let them squirm all they want," Ashitaro just growled. "I can more than crush them on my own if need be."

As the match went on, the next surprise came from Hakeem, who had taken hold of the different meats that each of the three matches would utilize, and proceeded to aromatize and season them all with that distinct aroma that had given Akira quite the troublesome duel. It was shocking to see, but the man built like a truck handled the meat effortlessly, down to slicing it into the desired cuttings, even if each dish called for a very distinct cut. It made sense, everyone thought, that the elder brother of the little slasher Aisha would be just as, if not more, capable with a knife or a cleaver.

"You show them Hakeem!" Aisha called out, his little fist proudly in the air.

"I swear that man is lifting easily seventy pounds of raw meat at once effortlessly," Hisako noted, before she turned to Ikumi with a smirk. "…Seems he's pretty good at handling Meats, eh?"

"Oh, don't you start!" a very flustered Ikumi cried out. "Stop hanging out with Alice so much, you're starting to catch her stupidity!" she added with a huff, and Hisako just laughed. Ikumi was just so cute when she was so flustered.

Bridgette then quickly ran all over the arena, taking each meat, and giving it to who it was that needed it. She left Hakeem with his, took Lucrezia's to her, then brought Van and hers towards their side. During this time, Van had finished several sauces, which in turn meant Bree had to once more run around and give each sauce to each Team Leader, before running back to work on their dish.

The crowd was stunned at the level of teamwork from a group of effectively strangers. But it could as well be crazy enough to work.

"They're covering so much ground!" Urara announced happily, for once, feeling hopeful. "Lucrezia with the vegetables, Hakeem with the meat, and the twins with the sauces, why, this is outright ingenious!"

Yua mouthed something, but the microphone didn't much catch it, as the girl was having trouble keeping her nerves in check and she had pressed her microphone to her clothes and effectively muted herself. Urara just rolled her eyes, before she corrected Yua's hold of the thing.

"Yua, hold it firmly," she instructed, before, with a little devilish grin, added, "Just imagine what you're holding is what Van showed us in his room. How would you grip that?"

What followed was a mix of unintelligible words from the utterly flustered Yua, before, utterly uncharacteristically, she outright smacked Urara with her microphone upside the head, causing the other girl to yelp.

"Hey! Just trying to help!"

"Stop that! It's rude and it's mean!" Yua reprimanded, and Urara gave pause. She was certainly holding it firmly now, even if it meant she was probably taking aim at Urara's head still. "And, furthermore, we don't want them to lose, right?"

"Uh… yeah, that wouldn't be ideal."

"Then…!" Yua added, pouting at Urara, and signaling to the side. Urara turned, and her eyes went wide in fear.

Her comments had made Van utterly freeze in place, his hands now trembling, face drained of all color. Bridgette was desperately trying to get him to regain his focus, but failing this, the younger twin turned to Urara with the biggest death glare they had ever seen the baby of the team sport. Urara was now sure she was going to be stabbed by that little gremlin. That or maybe stripped nude in front of the entire arena to humiliate her in turn… then stabbed to death.

"Oh… crap," Urara muttered, turning back to Yua, and adding, away from the microphone, "That is totally my bad! I didn't mean it like that! To make him, you know, self-conscious or whatever. How do I fix it?!"

Yua just frowned, because while she liked Urara, she didn't much like how she kept putting people down or made fun of them. But, what could they do? And worst still…

"Oh, seems our loudmouth has a little secret with the shy hostess~" Dove noted with glee, smirking at the blushing boy. He flinched at pretty much each word. "I wonder what it was she saw? I hope it wasn't too cold, eh?"

"Leave the kid alone Dove," Asahi tried. "It's not the size of the sword that seizes the victory, but the skill of the swordsman after all. Also… don't body-shame now, for shame."

"Oh, I am not!" Dove countered, pouting. "If anything, as long as the antenna is up, it works," Dove added, erecting her index finger up high, and Asahi couldn't help but blush a bit at just how descriptive she was being in live television. That of course, didn't prepare him for her following statement, and action, which caused his mind to overload, as she added, "And of course, Yua's response should have been, nice antenna," she said, then bent down, raising her backside right up into the air, "Wanna check my signal~"

"Dove!" a burning red Asahi cried out, quickly shoving her gently to the side to try and get her to behave, as she just laughed it up. The entire crowd stared, despite her status as their clear enemy of enemies, seemed utterly enamored with this crazy girl, male and female students alike.

"…She makes me look sane," Urara noted, having no clue what to even say anymore. Yua just looked on, her eyes on Van, a very worried expression on her features.

"Van, c'mon," Bridgette tried again, and her twin seemed to shake his head and force himself to react.

"Yeah, yeah, I get how important this is," he replied, forcing himself to refocus. "Let's make this work. This is all we have."

Bridgette was still worried, and still very, very angry at Urara, but she nodded, and continued on working. Everyone did, and in no time, it seemed all parties were close to being done, despite the matches' time limit not being even halfway over. An early finish for all parties involved it would appear.

"I'm done," Ashitaro said, or rather warned, and two of his three teammates nodded, as he lifted the lid from his cauldron, and once more, the entire arena got smacked by the stench of the walking dead itself. "Hope there are no complaints this time around… heh, heh, heh…"

Dove just ignored it, focusing on making her final touches just as Azami had always instructed.

Julius was also finishing his dish, his attention on it solely.

Asahi didn't even seem to notice, busy cutting away with his little pair of knives, smiling proudly.

The Challengers all pressed on, despite the strong, intoxicating stench, they all held their ground, forced themselves to focus, even if Bridgette felt her eyes outright water due to the damn smell, which was a lot stronger down at the arena than up in the seats. Urara and Yua resisted as best they could, both clinging onto each other, as Ashitaro just scoffed at the "weakness" on display. Pathetic, the lot of them. All these Tootsuki elite, and they couldn't even handle one of his tamer efforts.

"…Something's not right," Akira spoke up, his eyes on the elder Sadatsuka as he placed his bowls before the judges. The rest of the Elite Ten turned to him, figuring that if they had a rough time handling the Warlock's cuisine, then Akira must have been in hell. But despite this incredible smell being something far beyond anything he had ever worked with, or against, what honestly bothered Akira was that… "It's the same."

"Same?" Megumi asked, turning towards Akira, a cute confused expression on her face, as the rest listened on.

"It is the exact same dish he served before," Akira explained, almost glaring at the Neo-Noir. "He's outright mocking them. Mocking us. He served the exact same dish, only added the new ingredient and nothing else."

As the Elite Ten all soaked that information in, turning back to the arena, the judges took their bite, and just as before, exactly as before, they all seemed to collapse at the sheer deliciousness before them. It was a knock-out all over again from the Warlock, as Ashitaro merely grinned wildly.

"Did you seriously serve them the same dish?" Lucrezia asked, walking up to the judges and her opponent, dish on hand. Her glare couldn't be more pronounced. "Are you insulting us?"

"Mocking you, really," Ashitaro corrected. "You can team up all you want, and I can simply respond with the exact same dish, and the result will still be the same. Or… do you care to prove me wrong?"

The Prima Studentessa fought the urge to reply, feeling it wasn't worth the argument, and instead presented her dish to the judges. Their theme had been Peas, and if Ashitaro had just served his Lutefisk w/ White Sauce & Vieux Boulogne w/ Mashed Peas or Some Shit (as per her observations at least), then she'd respond with her own Pasta e Piselli.

The judges took a taste of the colorful dish, a mix of alluring yellows and greens, and seemed to have quite the reaction to it, but to everyone's dismay, perhaps not as strong reaction as they had done so with Ashitaro's.

"This is quite exquisite," Anne noted, hands clasped, her eyes on the Italian girl. "It is quite a gift to be able to get an authentic Italian dish from the Prima Studentessa. Such a delight!"

"I didn't know you could mix peas with pasta this well," Courage noted, savoring her meal.

"Yeah, it's not that uncommon," Lucrezia, almost out of breath and drenched in sweat, explained, a very nervous, yet proud smile on her face. Takumi couldn't help but grin. Isami had never seen her look so stunning. "The northern region of Italy, Veneto, is known for its high quality soil that grows the best peas in all Italy. I have worked on those fields since I was a little girl, and I've used them for several dishes, and I keep expanding as needed. I… I can't just let myself focus solely on our common ingredients. We will branch out, and-and make sure the WGO never regrets adding us into their ranks. My school will continue to make waves; that I promise you."

"Just throwing peas into a pasta doesn't make for fine cuisine, girl," Ashitaro told her with a laugh, she just frowned.

"Chef," she corrected. And raising her Mezzaluna to meet him as if it were a sword and she was signaling the start of a duel, she added, "…And while I am aware of the difference in our level, how strong you all are, I will not stop. This is everything I am capable of now, and after so much blood, sweat and tears, I refuse to believe that my craft is that far beneath you Neo-Noirs!"

"Believe whatever you want," Ashitaro simply responded, "But the results… do not lie."

And the voting took place, and as expected, the winner was chosen. The entire stadium felt the strongest mix of emotions. Defeat, because…

Winner: Ashitaro Sadatsuka.

…but also…

…hope. Because… it had been four-to-one.

"…Huh?" Ashitaro couldn't help but utter, his eyes wide, looking at the score. "There's no damn way! Who the hell gave her a pity vote?!"

"Be careful how you address us, competitor," Anne voiced, her sharp eyes on Ashitaro, and he didn't have a choice but to swallow any retort he had. She then added, "While I do find your dish tastier, it is like I stated previously, we judge dishes on all aspects: taste, structure, ingredients, theme, presentation, originality and ingenuity. While your taste was grander, and my coworkers deemed that enough to warrant you their vote, for me, the presentation and originality in Lucrezia's dish closed the gap between you both, and add to that the fact that you simply gave us the same dish again, well, I couldn't just in good conscious vote for the same plate again."

Ashitaro said nothing, but his eyes were outright showing murder.

Lucrezia looked at the score, her eyes tearing up, as the gap had been too wide, but…

"It is not a pity vote Ashitaro," Lucrezia told her opponent, who turned to her, holding back his rage, as she smugly smiled at him. "It's like one of my best friends in the entire world told me a few weeks back. And frankly, it was something I very much deserved to hear, and now, so do you. Do not insult me or my friends. I couldn't even dream of being the Prima Studentessa, if I couldn't do at least this much."

The erupting cheers seemed to drown everything, as the once Tootsuki elite, utterly against these invaders, now cheered for the Italian girl who, against all odds, had actually put a dent on a seemingly unstoppable opponent. Ashitaro was livid, Lucrezia was smiling, and trying to hide how much her hands were shaking and how much she really, really wanted to cry.

Takumi was outright blushing, and he couldn't wait to tease Isami about this. Finally, finally it seemed the tables had turned. And, twin telepathy or otherwise, Isami felt himself shiver.

"What the hell was that?!" Julius uncharacteristically shouted out, causing Ashitaro to turn, having not expected it, much less directed at him. The man sounded positively livid. "One thing is for us not to cooperate, but if you are going to half-ass it and just redo your earlier dish, then don't even bother showing up. I am with you Neo-Noirs because my job entails so, but if your poor performance puts my boss' reputation at risk, you will be sorry."

"You actually think you can step up to me and order me around?" Ashitaro shot back, aiming all his ire towards Julius. "The Eizans' loyal guard dog now wants to talk as if he were such a big shot. My craft speaks for itself. Even leftovers would still secure a win. You what? You have to study up an entire hierarchy in order to even keep up with me."

"If you ruin this with these little stunts, I warn you now, it will not be –" Julius began, getting right up to Ashitaro's face, as the latter did not waver. Everyone looked on, utterly caught off-guard by this sudden show of animosity between teammates. The judges were moments from calling them out, while Nao was praying Julius would smack her brother or something, but what interrupted the two was…

"Enough!"

Both Neo-Noirs gave pause, turning to the girl, as Dove had slammed her hands on the table and turned to the two, her eyes almost burning holes into the two of them.

"You two are supposed to be the best of the best," she outright spat out. "This is not the time, and especially not the place, for all this bravado. Keep in line, focus on your craft, and do what you signed up to do. Am I being clear?"

Both young men seemed poised to argue their respective sides to her, but she quickly cut in, not allowing a single word to leave either of their mouths.

"I am the Neo-Noirs' Team Leader. Your Team Leader," she said in no uncertain terms. "I repeat. Am. I. Clear?"

Both of them then seemed to take a deep breath, before Julius was the first to nod and say, "You are quite clear, my apologies Dove. I meant no disrespect."

"…Yeah, whatever," was the best they got from Ashitaro, and Dove felt like arguing it, but she knew her team was hanging by a thread as was, so she'd take it for now. 'Damn it, it still sucks so much! We were supposed to have a full show of force, to be seen as this utterly unstoppable team, perfect scores across the board! Now thanks to Ashitaro being a lazy bum, we actually lost a point! Damn it, Azami is going to be displeased with my results as a Team Leader…'

She then heard a little sharp whistling sound. It had been her current partner, she noted, as Asahi whistled, letting it be known just how impressed what he had seen had been. "Now that's crowd control," he said with the biggest smirk, almost as if none of this had a thing to do with him at all. "I didn't even step out of line and I felt like I had to also reply with a "yes ma'am!". Props!"

"Just focus," Dove simply said, since now that they were in public she needed to pretend they weren't as close as they really were. Downplay all her emotions, just as she had been doing for the last three years. 'Just… focus.'

"Excuse me," Hakeem spoke up, setting down his plates on the table. The judges all stared, eyes wide, as the young man had brought forwards five massive plates on one giant tray with just one hand. How strong was this guy? "Please, help yourselves."

Given that their theme had been Pepper, Hakeem has just presented to the judges Jollof Rice w/ Moin Moin.

"This is quite the aromatic dish," Histoire noted, feeling as if his nostrils being slowly being cleansed of the stench left behind by Ashitaro's two-fold.

"Surprising that even after such a foul smell, this still smells heavenly," Decora admitted, genuinely impressed by the dish served before her. Using pepper as the base of this delicacy, alongside rice and tomatoes, Hakeem had indeed served them a very inspired dish.

To their continued surprise, Julius set his own set of plates right beside Hakeem, and they looked… almost identical.

The judges all stared, confused, while Urara and Yua had no idea how to make head or tails over this. On one hand, Julius had made his style clear, but last time he had served a similar dish, but heavily modified or "perfected" as he had stated. This looked like just a carbon-copy.

"Please give them both a taste," Julius offered, "I can see the questions in your eyes. You'll find your answers in the taste."

The judges did so, taking a bite out of Hakeem's dish, and then, one out of Julius'. They paused, having to go back to the former's once more, before again to the latter's. This repeated itself until both dishes were empty, and both opponents stood at the ready, Hakeem with his strong arms crossed in defiance, while Julius stood with his hands on his pockets, utterly relaxed.

"I made enough for you to have a taste," Julius said, turning to Hakeem. "Just in case you wish to have one last taste of her craft."

"Hmm… I see," Hakeem noted, smiling a bit. "I figured that was your aim. It takes not much to dig into my family's history, or my Academy's for that matter. After all, we are Ada Akintola's Culinary Academy, so it stands to reason that my late grandmother's recipes are the very backbone that made our Academy what it is."

"Indeed," Julius affirmed. "A very delicate craft. I will be honorable and admit, that out of all the dishes I've dissected in my career, hers has been the hardest to find flaws in, and in turn, polish. No disrespect meant, of course, as my improvements are all because of the advancement in our culinary techniques and tools in the years since. I am certain, a woman of her skill, could have matched and exceeded this dish were we to have been of the same generation."

"Kind words for one such as you…" Hakeem noted, nodding, before he turned to Julius, "But, I ask you this. You called out your teammate for being lazy. Reusing his prior dish, and thus, costing you all a point in this showcase of pure power you Neo-Noirs are attempting. So, please explain to me…"

Then the votes were cast, and the stadium was silent. They truly had no idea how to even react anymore. Because of course…

Winner: Julius Bedlam.

And Julius eyes were as wide as could be.

Because the results had now been three-to-two.

"…What's your excuse then?" Hakeem concluded, and Julius, for what felt the first time, had no idea how to even respond. It didn't make any sense. What? How?!

"That's it!" Aisha screamed his little heart out. "Make him sweat! Make him BLEED!"

"…We really need to take this kid to a psychologist," Dakarai muttered.

"He's not exactly wrong," Keelan replied, as the littlest Akintola continued cheering at the almost victory.

A few other scattered cheers could be heard, many of Tootsuki feeling the tiniest amount of relief at the fact that these unstoppable opponents had taken not one, but two heavy blows. Not enough to take them out, but something was something.

"He is amazing," Ikumi blurted out, before she caught herself, blushing madly, as Hisako just turned to her with a knowing smirk.

"Aisha's brother almost won," Kanon voiced out, now seated on her cousin's lap, pointing to the arena, as Yoshiaki and Ava both nodded. The little girl was quite happy indeed, and she could hear Aisha cheering (or calling for murder, she wasn't sure which), but he seemed happy so she was happy too.

"…Hmm," Julius muttered, eyeing the screens as if they had betrayed him somehow. It made no sense. He had dissected everything perfectly. He didn't mess up like Ashitaro had. So…?

"Why?" Hakeem voiced Julius question for him, and Julius couldn't do much more than turn and wait for the answer. "…You are truly gifted. At this very moment, you do eclipse me. But, no amount of studying, of experimenting, of dissecting a dish down to the barest elements will ever get you to the level of what a grandmother's love can accomplish."

Julius looked on, and just nodded. He never met any of his grandparents, so he couldn't contest that claim, so he just nodded. Fair enough he supposed.

"It was so close," Urara voiced, softly, her eyes on the judges. Both Histoire and Decora had voted for Hakeem, and the others had looked like they could have flip-flopped in their votes. But she knew, knew this didn't guarantee anything. Julius was still the victor, as was Ashitaro. And they had both gone twice in a row, which was tiring. And the Competitors had teamed up, while the Neo-Noirs refused to do so out of pride or whatever. All these factors would not be at play in the Final Round. It would be four-on-four, one round at a time. No team-ups, possibly no multiple participations from the same contestants, a fight until all four members of either team were eliminated. And after these near misses, she was sure the Neo-Noirs would come at them even harder. But… it had been so close. If only at least Julius had been eliminated, then maybe…

"Hey, Urara?" Yua meekly voiced, her eyes not on her cohost, but on the arena. There was a very pensive gaze to her that Urara seldom saw on the shy girl.

"Yeah?"

"…Correct me if I'm wrong, but," Yua began, her eyes, as Urara noted, clearly on the twins, "If… If Van and Bridgette win their match, they count as two Team Leaders, right?"

"Yes, that's why they're against… oh," Urara began, until it hit her. There was no way.

"…Julius and Ashitaro are incredibly strong, but it would be their third time in a row," Yua explained, her little fists clenched. "And such a marathon took a toll on even a monster like Kurokiba. Plus, those two do not seem like they would mesh well as a team… am I overthinking this, or could…?"

"No… No. No!" Urara cried out, her eyes outright sparkling. "You're right! If Van and Bridgette can win, they could realistically take out Julius and Ashitaro! We can be saved! Oh my God… I… I… Damn it Yua, follow my lead and help me make this work!"

Yua paused, utterly confused, before Urara completely screamed out, at the top of her lungs, making the entire crowd jump.

"And now the Régiment De Cuisine seems about to be concluded!" Urara began, making herself sound as unattached as possible. "Despite the valiant efforts of all our Challengers, the Neo-Noirs look to be triumphant after all!" she declared, and everyone did a spit take. What the hell was the hostess doing?

"Did she go utterly insane?!" Nene cried out, about to throw her chair at the girl.

"…No, I don't think that's it," Soma noted, his eyes on the girl. "She's not like that."

Erina said nothing, but she nodded. She trusted Urara. The girl had a plan. A crazy one, probably, but she would accept anything at this point.

"And despite Van and Bridgette's best attempts, it doesn't look like we're getting any impressive results from the twins!" Urara continued, much to the utter confusion and frustration of the entire crowd. "Then again, Van has made it perfectly clear to us girls there's really nothing that overly impressive to show anyways!"

A smile, a knowing wink, a very confused crowd, and an insanely flustered boy, who almost dropped his tools.

"I will murder you!" Bridgette outright roared, her eyes almost glowing, and Urara was praying Yua would step in before she got murdered.

'Sorry! Sorry! It's an act!' Urara noted inwardly, knowing it was a really spiteful thing to say. 'But, trust me little sister, the boy needs that spark. All Yua now needs to say is she believes in him. That she knows he will have the most impressive showing imaginable, and BAM, motivation to the max! So, please Yua, before Bridgette stabs me right up the ass, compliment the boy!'

Yua took a deep breath.

Everyone had gone silent. No one outside the Challengers even knew what Urara had even meant.

The Elite Ten looked on.

Van was on the verge of hyperventilating.

Bridgette would have stabbed Urara if it didn't get her arrested.

…Then Yua spoke.

…A bit too much at that.

"I WAS EXTREMELY IMPRESSED WITH EVERYTHING I SAW!"

Everyone froze.

Alex had his mouth agape, utterly convinced he must have misheard the girl.

Hakeem was not emoting much, but he had his eyebrow raised at Yua, curiosity finally getting the best of him.

Lucrezia was beet red, covering her embarrassed face with her Mezzaluna.

Gautier had the biggest grin imaginable, utterly proud of his "homie".

Ekaterina was just laughing a bit, finding it both idiotic, and as much as she hated to admit it, kinda charming just how stupid this whole thing was.

Urara was malfunctioning. She could outright hear her own neck audibly squeak as she slowly turned her head to look at the very, very red faced Yua. "…Yua?"

Yua looked utterly out of breath, breathing heavily, her eyes wide, and her fists closed. She then noticed all the eyes on her, and turning to Urara she muttered. "…too much?"

"A bit."

Still, for what it was worth, Bridgette had done a full one-eighty, turning her murderous glare into a look of pure awe, now staring at her brother, outright stars in her eyes. "Did you hear that?! She likes you! SHE LIKES YOU!"

Van had about fifty different expressions at once, before he shook his head, and decided to just… "Okay! I have no idea what is even happening anymore, but Bree, we gotta win this!"

"Win this!" his sister repeated, fist into the air.

"So let's go over this whole thing again!" Van screamed out, and for as annoying as he was, it was a relief for his teammates to hear his boisterous tone once more. Little Bree was outright giddy. "No mistakes! We win five-to-nothing! Let's go!"

"Yeah!" Bridgette roared as well, and cranked up the music as high as she could, and the twins began to fix up their dish and make it their greatest creation ever.

The entire audience looked on, still confused, but now certain that something either had happened, or was happening, between the shy hostess and the loud competitor.

"…You do realize you pretty much complimented his, well, you know?" Urara muttered, away from the microphone, to a still crimson Yua.

"…shut up," was all Yua offered in response. It had been the first thing that had come to her mind to counter Urara's exact words. And… besides… it wasn't exactly a… She shook her head. Good girls don't think of that!

As Tootsuki as a whole seemed to gain a sense of hope, beginning to cheer for the twins that just a few days ago had almost crushed them, Dove was utterly peeved. "…Great. Ashitaro ends up losing one point, then Julius loses two. And there goes our image of being impervious. Undefeated as we still are, that doesn't quite carry the same menace if they can still score points against us," she complained, while Asahi stood to the side, arms crossed, his eyes on the result screens. She gave pause, turning to him, wondering if he was done on his end. "Asahi? Have you…?" then it hit her. Like a bucket of ice, cold water, it finally hit her. What Azami had been trying to warn her about since the start. What her own brain had cried out to her, yet her heart (or hormones (or both)) had outright ignored. And, for once, she felt complete and utter… fear. "…Asahi?"

"…What's up?" he said, as if nothing had changed. He turned to her, smiling. Because of course. Calm, as always. While she was about to freak out.

"Don't," she tried to order, but it almost sounded like her begging him. "Don't even think it. Asahi…"

Because, now, it made sense. As she saw, and outright felt, Azami's glare burn into her from up above, allowing Asahi into her team meant they needed to produce a dish together. And, if Julius and Ashitaro had faltered, then, together, they could realistically lose. So…

"Asahi," and now she was begging, "Please… don't make us lose."

He let out a little laugh, the same laugh that she outright adored, now utterly terrified her to her very core.

"I didn't really come in here with that in mind you know?" he admitted, "I wanted to show off with you, because you looked amazing. You are amazing. But… We both knew it would come to this. This is, I'll admit, a lot sooner than I expected, but –"

"Asahi, please!" she begged as she pressed herself closer to him, grasping him by the sleeve, while his features didn't change.

"Sweetie, don't pretend to cry," he told her. "It totally doesn't suit you. We're both professionals after all. It was fun while it lasted, but… well, realistically, those two dorks," he added, signaling to the twins, "Can actually win this."

"Asahi! Asahi!" she repeated, preventing him from even moving. He just stared, knowing she had no card to play to convince him otherwise. "I-I know what you are planning, okay? Make us lose, then Julius and Ashitaro will most likely fail because they are utterly incapable of cooking together. Please, don't let me be eliminated here. Azami's watching. Asahi, please."

"Dove," he simply replied, and she was outright crying. "Come on. You know, if the roles were reversed… You'd do the same thing."

"N-No, I –"

"Dove," he repeated, and she just looked down, shaking in place.

The entire stadium was quiet, since they couldn't hear what they were saying, but it looked like even the Team Leader of the Neo-Noirs was in trouble. That was certainly unexpected.

"…Oh, no, no," Loren muttered, his eyes widening, slowly realizing what could be happening.

Nao looked on, her eyes on the boy. She had no idea what was happening, but Loren looked utterly spooked, and despite herself, it worried her.

"I know how tough Van and Bridgette are," Soma noted, his eyes on the Neo-Noirs duet, "But I also know how tough Dove and Asahi are… what's going on?"

"Hmm…" Erina just mussed, her little mask still on, her eyes on the couple. 'Please be a break up! Please be a break up! Please be a break up!'

"A-Asahi! I-I wouldn't," Dove tried, but the boy just shook his head.

"You and I both know you would," he noted, and he then took hold of the plates he had prepared. "And consider this a little lesson to your little bro on how to properly sabotage a match –"

"Wait!" she both whispered and shouted at the same time, loud enough to make it clear how terrified she was, but still low enough not to give herself away to anyone else. She did, however, hold both his arms tightly, trying to prevent him from ruining anything. But she knew, even if she kept a hold of him, since even now, she knew he wouldn't push her or anything, even still, she wouldn't be able to finish her dish and present it. She would lose whether or not he did anything or not… "Asahi…"

"Dove, this is just how things work for us Noirs."

"…You're right," she admitted, still crying, and he frowned. For an act, she cried very realistically, and it sort-of hurt to see, despite himself. "I would so take this opportunity to ruin you if the tables were turned. I would absolutely destroy you just to please Azami. All to pay off my debt… But, please, I'm begging you, don't… I can't say anything to convince you, you won't get this chance again, I know that, I know it makes no sense to side with me, but please, just, p-please, don't do this…"

"You are making a very poor argument for yourself."

"Asahi I am begging you!"

"Dove, just –" he motioned to move.

"I need to win!" she held on tighter. "Please don't!"

"I am sorry," Asahi replied, still smiling, "But I am not changing course for you Dove."

"Please! I-I want to go back to my family! I'm begging you, please!"

"That's not my problem babe," Asahi coldly told her, just softly shaking his head. But…

"Asahi! I-I, please…!" she outright sobbed. And then, she spoke something he never thought he'd ever hear her say, "…I just want to finally hold my little girl!"

Asahi just froze.

He turned, his arm inches from his craft, his eyes now on her. Her eyes were red, her nose was runny. She really wasn't faking any of this. But, that wasn't just it. He knew Dove had a family. A mom, and a little sister. A little… sister? Then, slowly, it made sense. He remembered, when he first told Erina he was her brother, or rather, when Dove told her for him, how, just moments prior…

"Please, get me out!" Loren had outright begged Dove, "We can even make it look like I challenged you or something and I lost so I got kicked out."

"No, none of that," Dove had told him firmly, as Loren proceeded to pout. "You have a job to do. So go do it. And stop coming to see me, if we are seen together people are going to suspect something."

"They already do!" Loren had whined.

"Then don't give them more reason to!" Dove had shouted back. "But, if that girl does anything else to you, you let me know," she had added, referring to the then recent incident between the little witch and Loren and the bath, "I'll take care of it."

"Man, that's a surprise," Asahi remembered cutting in, which had caused both Dove and Loren to turn to him, the former with a small frown and the latter still pouting. And that's when he had said the words that kept on replaying in the back of his mind. "What? Didn't peg you as the motherly kind."

"Hey!" Loren had quickly cut in, the pout gone and in its place a glare, which had not been a reaction Asahi had been expecting from the kid. Such an intense, protective reaction, and he had not understood why. Yet Dove had played it off, expertly so, telling Loren that it was alright, that Asahi was one of them, and they never approached the subject again…

And now Asahi found himself looking at the mess that Dove was, her hand slowly rising towards her lips, her eyes wide, having said something she clearly had not ever intended to. She was shaking, and the King of Noirs just closed his eyes for a long moment, sighed, before he reopened them, looking at the girl that looked outright frozen in time.

"…damn it all," he muttered, hands now once more in his pockets, "…So what's our dish gonna be… Dove?"

-0-

What had seemed like a quick match had extended itself greatly, as now the Régiment De Cuisine's last match-up had mere minutes before completion, and neither pair seemed outright done. Urara had tried her best to keep the spirits up, with Yua still pretty much malfunctioning after her sudden declaration, and everyone just kept watch.

Van and Bridgette seemed outright struggling to meet the deadline.

Dove and Asahi, strangely enough, after whatever it was that they had discussed or argued about, seemed laser-focused on their craft, but even these once seemingly invincible Noirs now seemed to be pushing themselves to get things done. If Urara didn't know any better, they had outright started over again after their little clash, but it was still so hard to even decipher what the pair was working on. They, unlike the twins, had not uttered a single other word to each other.

The clock was almost up, and Van and Bridgette presented their dish to the judges. Their theme was Rabbit (much to Kuga's horror at remembering his baby) and as thus, the twins had served the judges their Rabbit v. Chicken: Dawn of the Cacciatore.

The judges all stared, as the two twins who were utterly sweaty and out of breath, both clinging onto each other, but looking at the five judges firmly. Their dish presented a clash between rabbit meat and chicken meat, dipped in avocado oil, and braised with the finest selection of onions, garlic, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes and hearty herbs. The presentation was absolutely stunning, and it smelled divine.

"This seems like quite the hunter's dish," Charme noted, and the rest nodded. Quite the surprising dish, a stew (of sorts), but so clustered with ingredients it barely resembled one.

So they each took a bite, and effectively, it was like a shot of pure pleasure and deliciousness hit them all at once, transporting the five judges into a very particular hallway, where at the very end, Van and Bridgette stood, holding hands, blank expressions on their faces.

"Come play with us, judges," the eerie twins said in unison, "Forever… and ever… and ever…"

And as an elevator's doors were opened, a flood of the stew burst out and enveloped them all, leaving the judges to drown in the taste of the purest delicacy…

"~Too much!" the five exclaimed, their heads back, utterly lost to the flavor. Van looked on, almost holding his breath, tense. Bridgette stood by his side, her big eyes on each judge, begging…

"An amazing response from the WGO," Urara noted, pleading inwardly, "With only two minutes left on the clock, how will –?"

"Holy shit!" Urara announced, then caught herself, "Ack, sorry! I mean, we have a winner. Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of this Sudden Death Shokugeki, the Champion of tonight's showcase, give it up for… Asahi Saiba!"

The crowd exploded. The cheering began to get louder and louder, as everyone began to bounce up and down out of sheer joy. The Neo-Noirs were outright dancing up on their seats, the Challengers were awestruck, and every member hired by the World Gourmet Organization were now jumping for joy.

"It wasn't much!" Asahi said, proudly, triumphantly. He turned to Dove, the prim and proper princess currently all dirty and messy with oils and juices staining the fancy dress she had modeled tonight. She had never looked prettier, and he was sure the cameras were catching all of it. Then he smirked, a devilish thought entering his mind.

"You actually pulled it off," Dove told him, trying to keep it cool but on the verge of joining in on the cheers. She was sure he'd win, but boy did it feel good to actually see it happen. To finally see it happen. "…Aren't you forgetting something?"

He then pulled her in for a kiss so intimate she almost collapsed onto his arms the second their lips touched. Her eyes went wide, as the once proud Noir took possession of her mouth as if it were his own, taking even the legendary God Slayer and reducing her into putty on his hands. One hand on her waist, another on her hair, and she was his…

Urara outright dropped her microphone, the sound of the crash echoing through the stage. Her eyes were wide, and as Yua looked on, outright captivated by the scent, but utterly confused at why Urara looked so scared, the girl could barely regulate her thoughts, 'What…? That sensation… I was back at that showcase. I was back at that moment Soma and Erina won. That's not… That doesn't make any sense! What is happening…? What am I even looking at anymore…?'

Dove and Asahi stood by the twins, their plates on the judges' table, both of them breathing hard, Asahi with a very serious expression, Dove with her eyes still red because of the tears, but frowning to power through. What they had served, that dish before the judges, had outright eclipsed the aroma from every other dish presented that day.

The judges looked on, trying to decipher this girl's mysterious craft, as even with Asahi doing half the work, he somehow kept her style intact. The two had served, as the judges were best able to tell, a type of Old-Fashioned Rabbit Stew. Carrots, onions, peeled baking potatoes, freshly grounded pepper, and a mix of red wines and red wine vinegar. And most likely several other things they couldn't even decipher.

Soma and Erina looked on, the boy's eyes on the King, the girl's eyes on the Queen.

Van and Bridgette held their ground.

Urara slowly picked up her microphone, but she couldn't find how to speak. Yua was frozen in place.

The Elite Ten looked on. As did the Challengers. As did everybody. It was all they could do.

The judges took a bite, and silence followed.

The two pairs waited, and after what seemed like an eternity to everyone watching, after not a single word had been uttered, the verdict was simply given.

Winners: Dove Dillinger & Asahi Saiba.

Five-to-nothing.

"…no," Yua softly cried out, her eyes quickly on the twins, as she saw how crestfallen Van looked as he stared at the screen, biting down whatever pain he felt for the purpose of holding his little sis tightly, as Bridgette began to cry softly, despite her best attempts not to.

Urara could even bring herself to announce it. She tried, she really did. But her mouth wouldn't work.

"Hostess?"

Urara felt the strongest chill. Azami had spoken up, with his own microphone on hand, as he seemed to have appeared directly from the shadows, now currently walking out of one of the nearest entrances and towards the main arena. His face betrayed nothing.

"It seems we have the verdict," he informed politely, "Could you please announce it?"

"…Oh, yeah-yes, a-apologies," Urara forced herself to say, "…After such an intense match, the winners of this round are Dove Dillinger and Asahi Saiba, and, well, that makes the overall victors of the Régiment De Cuisine… Neo-Noir Academy…"

The crowd was too stunned to know if they should applaud as a courtesy or even "boo" at them, because, it was a horrible result for them, but they couldn't muster either.

As the judges all slowly recovered from the dish they had been served, they all tried their best to pay attention to whatever it was the man was going to say. Anne, in particular, had her eyes not on Azami, but on the little duo of Noirs that had just won. 'How…? How are two chefs so young able to produce something of that caliber…?'

Azami was now smiling, standing proudly before his team, as Dove, Asahi, Ashitaro and Julius stood at the ready, as they had been instructed to. Despite the set-backs, they had emerged victorious, which meant Azami had yet another notch on his belt.

"What have I told you about taking unnecessary risks?" Azami softly whispered, his eyes on Dove, for her ears only, and she tensed up.

"…I was able to correct it."

"Which in itself is… peculiar," Azami noted, and she felt like crying. Did he suspect something? Did he know what she had let slip? Or what was really going on between her and… "Asahi, son. I am surprised. One would think such an opportunity would have been the most advantageous to you. Even I would have been unable to detain you completely."

Asahi just laughed. A click of the tongue, his eyes to the side for a moment before he met his father's. "You really think me such a bad son?" he replied. "Or, such a poor chef?" he added, and at this, Azami did tilt his head a bit. That was a curious question. "I can achieve what I want without having to resort to your petty tricks. I'm not Loren, daddy, sabotage ain't the only tool at my disposal," Asahi explained, and with a flick, he took and effortlessly twirled his newest knife in his hand. "Just ask your idol. The one who made the mistake of not taking action sooner… still remains you."

Azami gave the boy the biggest smile. "My… this is certainly a unique feeling. A sense of pride, on someone actually against me," he admitted, and Asahi tensed just the tiniest bit. What did the man mean by that?

"Azami?" Soe spoke up, also walking down towards the arena, another microphone in hand, his glare evident, but trying to keep it cool and professional. "Are you going to make your announcement?"

"Apologies Soe," Azami quickly called out. "I was simply congratulating my team on their incredible efforts," he lied. "And I should extent that congratulations to the seven Team Leaders that had the courage to face-off against them. You are all gems amongst gems, as this academy is often quick to say… You all fought bravely, and for that, you will each return to your academies with your heads held high. Of course, as per our arrangement, now not only Tootsuki's ownership rests in the result of the final match, but shares in each of your academies do as well. Winner take all, the ultimate power of the culinary world, to be soon decided. So, I thank you all for participating, and of course, I do extent your invitations until this Intercontinental Shokugeki is decided. Would not want any of you to miss the grand ball that is to come."

Asahi looked on, hands on his pockets, his mind a mess despite how calmly he was trying to fake it. He had a back-up plan, and a back-up to the back-up. Of course he did. But that still didn't excuse, or even explain, why he had let pass such a golden opportunity just now. He turned, since they were now standing in line behind Azami, to the girl responsible… and frowned.

Dove was holding strong, but she was sniffling. Holding back her tears, biting her lips, it was clear she was on the verge of crying and was simply saving face.

"So, everyone," Azami continued, biggest smile on his face, "Make sure to invite your significant other for this grand event of ours. You have all received your notifications, and should already know that you may invite up to a certain number of family or friends from the outside. We will also be hosting a televised interview to finally set the record straight of all these nasty rumors surrounding my family," he explained, as he signaled, to the stands, where the Elite Ten sat. Erina, for the life of her, couldn't help but tense up. "My dearest Erina will of course be there," he noted, then turned, and to the surprise of the Noir, added, "As will my dear son, Asahi, and, of course, my dear protégé, Dove," he concluded, and the girl did her best not to emote.

"That…" Soe forced himself to say through gritted teeth. "Sounds lovely. Now then, please listen up everyone. Given the… results. We now move full speed ahead to the finale of the Intercontinental Shokugeki."

"That we will," Azami noted. It was clear to Soe that the man in black was already tasting his victory, and what was worse is that he didn't much have an argument against such a view. "So let us bring down our other important guests. Please, everyone, give a very warm welcome to your Elite Ten…" Azami said, signaling to the group, but not before adding with just the tiniest amount of mockery, "…all eleven of them."

-0-

"All eleven of them," Kuga repeated with an exaggerated impression of the man, as the eleven Elites walked down the hall, on their way out. "Dude clearly despises how we were able to get that over him."

"This still doesn't much keep us in the clear," Nene noted solemnly. "Listen, guys, I have… news," she said, as she came to a halt, and the other ten stopped, all their eyes on their First Seat. "Azami and his horrifyingly competent Neo-Noirs aside, I received word from Mr. Nakiri, your dad and uncle respectively," she explained, signaling first to Alice, and then to Erina, "And we have another problem. Well, another, another problem. It seems our former upperclassmen have, well, declared their intentions to take these matters into their own hands."

"Meaning?" Akira asked.

"…Meaning," Nene tried her best to explain. "Eishi and the rest want it to be them to challenge the Neo-Noirs, four of them to replace the four we still have left."

"What?!" Alice quickly shouted, fists clenched, "After we did all the heavy lifting?! No way! Father didn't agree, did he?!"

"No, he specifically wants to talk to me about it," Nene replied. "Go over the pros and cons of it all."

"…Would it not be for the best?"

Nene froze, her eyes widening a bit. Everyone else turned, their eyes on Erina, who seemed to have caught herself and was currently covering her mouth with her palm. "…Erina?" Soma voiced softly, a very worried expression on his face.

"I-I just meant…"

"…We know how stressed you are sweetie," Nene offered, "And despite being the First Seat, you are still the heiress. So if you so decide it, then we could work something out. I know, that out of all of us, you are the most affected because of this whole mess."

"Personally, while a blow to our pride," Isshiki offered, "I will stand by what is best for the academy and our students. But I feel that such a change would then merit for Azami to perhaps alter the deal slightly more to his favor. Quid pro quo and all that."

"Indeed," Nene confirmed. "Our Director, Senzaemon Nakiri, had made it clear, since the first Intercontinental Shokugeki during the Golden Era, that he would only ever use current students, as graduates would have most likely learned skills outside of these halls, and as such, did not represent the true Tootsuki experience."

Everyone seemed pensive for a moment, and they turned to Erina, especially Soma, even if he hadn't much taken his eyes off her as was, and Alice, who was fighting back the sheer fury she felt at, well, everything.

"…No, then no, he's right. Grandfather's right," Erina declared, shaking her head. "This is his legacy. We… are his legacy. I care not for Eishi or the others intentions, but we shouldn't overstep what my grandfather wished nor should we allow my father even an inch more of power."

"Agreed," Nene replied with a little smile. "Hence, why we have a meeting with your uncle and our former seniors stated for tomorrow. Ideally, we should –"

"Pass."

Nene felt her glasses crack, as she had not even explained her plan than had Eizan just walked right past her, past all of them, and left. She glared at his back, pouting, since while she knew he had been clear up to what point he was willing to help, she very much had the biggest urge to just dropkick him into oblivion.

"…A-As I was trying to say, ideally, we should go as a group," Nene continued, still pouting. "But I know we need not all be there. Would have liked it if the six of us that were amongst the Elite Ten when Eishi and the others were there would attend, but at least, if only to serve as support, Satoshi," Nene said, her eyes on her boyfriend, then she turned, "And Kuga, if you both, as my Second and Third Seat respectively, could join me, it… it would honestly make it a lot more manageable for me. I'd ask you too Erina," Nene added, "But you don't need any more on you plate. I will cover for you."

"Thank you," Erina replied in earnest.

"So that's why daddy said he couldn't join us tomorrow," Alice noted, her index finger raised in realization.

"Hmm?" Nene voiced, turning to the princess.

"Mom is taking me and Ryou to go visit grandpa," Alice explained. "And he told us he couldn't go tomorrow."

"Alice has been pressuring her parents to take her to visit the old man ever since she learned Lady Erina did so," Kurokiba explained, and Alice turned to him with a pout. What was wrong with that?

"That's fine," Nene just said. "Send him our regards, and let him know we are fighting with all we have to honor his legacy," she added, "Once this meeting concludes, I'll let each of you know about the… eh?"

The group paused, turning towards where Erina and Soma were standing. A little musical tone, indicating an incoming message, rang. Then it rang again, and again, and again. And slowly, much to everyone's confusion, all their phones began to receive the same influx of messages.

"Is it more Tootsuki emails?" Takumi wondered, taking his phone out to check.

"Doubtful," Erina noted, taking hers out as well. "Soma doesn't even have his log in credentials for those."

"Hey, I didn't even know we had them until a few days ago," Soma protested, also taking out his vibrating phone, and noting, that no, it wasn't any emails, but rather…

"It's from your little group chat," Akira noted.

"…It's from Ryoko," Megumi voiced, her eyes widening as she read. Everyone had their eyes on the messages, a sense of dread on all of them as they read through them. "…wait, isn't this, like, very, very bad…?"

-0-

On the opposite end of the arena, after the Challengers had left to regroup with their teammates and lick their wounds, Asahi walked through the hall with his hands on his pockets and quite the scowl on his face. It still didn't make sense. Such a perfect, perfect opportunity to take the man and his team out, and yet…

"…I just want to finally hold my little girl!"

Her words still echoed, and it infuriated him to an insane degree. First Erina, now Dove. Since when did he bend over for others? The King whose crown was slipping clenched his fist and slammed it against the wall, almost hurting himself in the process, but he didn't care. This was getting out of hand.

"…Asahi."

He tensed, turning around, and coming face-to-face with the girl once more. Dove stood, fidgeting with her hands, stammering in her stance, a far-cry from the proud and powerful young woman she always presented herself as.

"What now Dove?"

"…Just say it," Dove said, and Asahi tilted his head. He had plenty of things to say, granted, but none were directed at her at the moment. When she noticed his seeming confusion, she added, "You did something I myself wouldn't have done. This is the second time you've saved me. So… just say it. What do you want in return?"

"Dove…" Asahi said, and sighed. Today was too much. "…I don't know what kind of villain you make me out to be, but I am not going to juggle such sensitive stuff over your head and demand anything from you. I'll never do that… Not to you."

"That's not fair!" she almost cried. "I know how close to winning you were. You could have, should have. I need to offer something in return. Anything. Please, I feel like such a horrible person right now and I just can't…"

"Go to the dance with me then."

She both cried and laughed at the same time. He had said it with such seriousness she could keep a straight face. "…I hate you."

"I get that a lot."

"Are you seriously just going to let this go?"

"Not gonna blackmail you if that's what you're thinking," Asahi replied, "Even if you'd be doing so willingly so maybe blackmail wouldn't be the correct term and all that… but still."

"What an honorable villain," Dove said in jest, and in tears. She shook her head, wiped her tears away, and added, "But yeah, I'll go to the dance with you. I'd love to."

"It's a date."

"…And Asahi?"

"Yeah?"

"About… what I said," Dove began, her eyes now on the floor, away from his gaze. "Listen, I –"

"You don't owe me any explanations either," Asahi quickly cut in, his hand raised to signal her to stop. "You have your reasons, and I respect that. If you ever feel, and I mean genuinely, like telling me, then I'm all ears, but know that you don't have to."

"This really isn't fair," Dove protested again, outright beginning to tear up again, despite her best efforts. Her mom had always warned her about dangerous men, and she had ignored her warnings before, but what was she supposed to make of this? This was the definition of a dangerous guy if there ever was one, and yet, he was treating her with such care and tenderness she couldn't even respond properly.

"Dove!"

In a flash, to Asahi's utter surprise, Dove's eyes went wide, and she seemed to somehow suck the tears right back, and proceeded to fake the brightest smile imaginable. And, it sort of made sense, Asahi noted, because she was still an elder sister after all.

"What's up Loren?" Dove asked as if nothing had happened at all. The blonde boy rushed past Asahi as if the guy wasn't even there and quickly hugged Dove, and she pressed herself onto him firmly. "D'aww, baby brother missed his sister so much he just had to disobey orders and come and see me~"

"Dove," Loren spoke, and his tone was a bit too serious for her liking. She pouted, but he just frowned. "You've been crying, I can tell. You can't fool me anymore."

"It's nothing Loren," Dove replied, avoiding his piercing gaze. "We just hit a bit of a road bump in that last match. You know how much Azami pressures me, so I got a bit nervous. A bit out-of-character, but hey, still human."

"Yeah, I don't buy it," Loren replied flatly. Dove felt slapped. Since when did this kid see through her so effortlessly? Before she could try and rephrase herself, Loren turned to Asahi, and with the biggest glare he had ever seen the kid sport, asked, "Did you make her cry?"

"Wow, if looks could kill," Asahi noted with a little laugh. "Relax Loren, I didn't do anything to Dove."

"Loren," Dove spoke, a bit softer now, deciding against faking it and just speaking normally, "He didn't. He actually helped. Don't be mad at him," she said, turning Loren's face so he would look back at her. "And… I'm not okay, but it has been resolved. It worked out, so I'll be fine. Don't you start worrying over me. That's the older sister's job, not the baby brother's."

"No it ain't," Loren shot back. "And if it wasn't him," Loren added, and Asahi could feel the spite in the kid's voice. "Did Azami say anything to you? Or is anything wrong with your family? Your mom? Or your little sis?"

"They're fine," Dove replied, before she seemed to struggle a bit, and add, "And… you don't have to pretend anymore when it's just us… he knows."

"Huh?" both Loren and Asahi voiced in unison, both caught off-guard. Asahi more because he was surprised Dove had seemed to just now include him into this intimate secret between then, but as for Loren… "He knows?!" the kid screamed out, "How?! Why?! Isn't that super, super secret?! You didn't tell me until we had been living together for two years!"

"Yeah… I kinda didn't intend to, but, well…" Dove said, a sheepish smile on her face, since this was honestly the first time she was being reprimanded at by him, rather than the other way around. And kid had a point, she couldn't dispute it. "But it's okay, Asahi isn't going to tell, I mean, we're…" then Dove froze, her eyes wide as plates.

She had never told Loren about that.

Asahi looked on, amused.

Loren was staring, but slowly, his eyes read her expression, and for the first time in their life, he was the one glaring at her, and she had to admit, it did freak her out a bit.

"You're together?" Loren basically spat out.

"…yeah," Dove replied, and now she sounded like the little sibling getting scolded.

"With him?!" Loren added, pointing at Asahi with all the fury he could manage.

"H-Hey," Asahi defended, since he recalled Loren's match with Soma and he was certain this kid could and would resort to murder if tempted to. "I'm not that bad a guy you know."

"I will stab you!" Loren cried out, while Dove quickly held him in a hug, to which he protested, but Asahi noticed, that much like him, Loren didn't even try to physically shove Dove away. Good kid, knew how to treat girls at least.

"Baby brother's jealous," Dove now said with glee, as Loren was still clearly pissed off. "I was going to tell you, I swear. It is just that it's recent and you are horrible at keeping secrets. Azami doesn't know, cannot know. But don't be mad… please."

"Hmph," Loren huffed, eyes on Dove, then glaring at Asahi. "…So he knows about Ruthie?"

"Just the true relationship," Dove explained, "You still have him beat in knowing the whole story."

This didn't much seem to convince Loren, but the boy did seem to mellow out in Dove's embrace, as she held him tight until he seemed to melt in her arms. Quite the way to calm down someone. It was still somehow a bit uncomfortable to watch, these two siblings just care for each other, as despite how much he tried, a part of him wished he could be like that with his own little sister. Could he also calm her down with a hug like Dove could Loren, or would Erina be so fierce in protecting him like Loren was for Dove?

"You both love each other dearly," Asahi said, then he caught himself. He had not meant to voice his thoughts like that.

"…Of course," Dove replied, all smiles, and Asahi could tell she wasn't faking it anymore. Just having Loren in her arms had not only calmed the kid down, but her as well. "He's family. In fact," she added, dancing around in place with the protesting boy, "I can't wait to finally finish things here so that Loren can also finally meet his little niece."

Asahi stared at this picture, at this puzzle that, piece by piece, was slowly forming, and he could only make out the fractured picture. So, despite everything telling him otherwise, he felt he could at least… try. "Say," Asahi offered, "Why don't we – oh?"

Asahi's offer was cut short the moment the last two members of their little squad approached from the arena, with Julius with his hands on his pockets, a controlled walk, while Ashitaro looked like a ticking time-bomb moments away from exploding. Both young men stopped at the sight of their Team Leader, her infiltrator of a little brother and the guy who had blackmailed his way into their ranks.

"Julius, Ashitaro," Asahi greeted, biggest grin in his face. "That was quite the spectacular poor showing you guys just gave."

"You care to try and repeat that?" Ashitaro growled, but before he could even move to a very amused-looking Asahi, Julius held him back by the shoulder. "What?!"

"You heard what we were told," Julius told him. "No more acting on our own. We work as a unit, either willingly or by force."

"~Oh, seems Azami gave you both quite the scolding," Dove noted, a knowing smirk on her face. She still had Loren held tightly in her arms, and she didn't much understand why, but as soon as her whole team was there, the boy's glare had totally shifted from Asahi to Ashitaro. "…I mean, I got perfect scores all around, and even I got a little reprimand for my troubles, I can't imagine how it was for you both."

As Ashitaro seemed to convulse in rage, Julius just sighed. "It is… expected. We were hired for a job after all. Mr. Nakamura made it clear he would overlook this incident, but any such performance in the final round will undoubtedly reflect poorly against my boss, Mr. Eizan, and," Julius added, signaling to the Warlock, "his father, Mr. Sadatsuka."

Despite all his rage, recalling the warning Azami had given them, the threat really, was enough to make Ashitaro reevaluate his stance in all of this. Just the very idea of making his father mad was enough to cause Ashitaro to force himself to calm down. Although, speaking of infuriating events, wasn't the kid in Dove's arms the same one that…?

"Guess dear old dad really has you two by the balls eh?" Asahi noted, grin still in place, and while Ashitaro settled on just a glare, Julius just laughed. He couldn't much argue such a view. "But, I guess this works on my favor, listen, we're all adults here. You all know I could have easily screwed you all over if I wanted to, and while I'll never blackmail Dove over it… you two, well, now that's fair game."

"Asahi?" Dove asked, turning to her boyfriend. Loren's eyes never left Ashitaro.

"It seems you have a proposition of sorts to offer us then?" Julius noted.

"You honestly think I'd listen to anything you say?" Ashitaro spat out, as Asahi merely smiled.

"It may be in your best interests if you did," Asahi merely offered, "Think of this as a much-needed team building exercise. So, Julius, Ashitaro; would you fine gentlemen care to see how it is to live like a true Noir?"

-0-

The Elite Ten split up to handle all the different events they all had on their agenda, with Nene making it clear to try and keep each other informed and, if need be, ask for assistance at any point. They knew they had a lot on their plates, and many moving parts to try and keep under control, but it was the best they could manage. But, as such, they were currently divided as:

Nene, Isshiki and Kuga were gathered back at Nene's dorm, the top three Seats planning out a way to negotiate against Eishi and the others in an effort to avoid yet another conflict when they had plenty of those to spare.

Alice and Kurokiba had returned to the Nakiri Manor, as they needed to prepare for their visit to Senzaemon early tomorrow, and despite all the chaos, everyone knew family came first, so it was obvious that this hospital visit took priority over these mess that surrounded the Academy at every turn.

Akira, surprisingly, had informed the group, or rather, informed Megumi who in turn informed the group; that he would be kept a bit busy for a while. While he didn't tell her much, letting her know even he himself wasn't all that sure, he did share that there was something he wanted to investigate regarding the WGO and their judging. He didn't elaborate, and this left the group with more questions than answers, but Megumi assured them all that she trusted Akira, and that if they needed him, they could call on him and he'd show up to assist.

The same could not be said for Eizan, of course, who had bolted from the meeting early, and everyone knew he had zero intentions of helping them in any way whatsoever. It would be a miracle if he held up on his end of the bargain and even bothered showing up for the final round, but it was at least a little better than Shouko, so they digressed.

This left the quartet of Erina, Soma, Megumi and Takumi to tackle the new, new problem that had been shared with them over their aptly named group chat "Rock Out w/ Your Wok Out" (still courtesy of Alice, who refused to have the name changed). The rest of the Polar Stars, as well as those in their inner circle of friends, had already taken one of the busses to return towards the dorms, where Ryoko, Yuuki, Marui and Madoka had been texting from. This left the only four available Elite Ten members to head there as well and work from then on. Of course, Erina offered to take the four there at once on one of her personal cars, and while Soma had slowly gotten used to the luxury, both Megumi and Takumi felt utterly out of place inside such an expensive vehicle with a fully stacked fridge, couches, a fancy table and even a bar counter; all as shiny as humanly possible that it made the two have a very difficult time relaxing or even focusing on the topic on hand.

Soma just laughed a bit. Oh how he had struggled with this all for months by now.

Erina didn't even seem to notice.

The shining vehicle that seemed to be made out of gold came to a stop right in front of the Polaris dorms, and the chauffer quickly opened the door for them, and two out of the four had to rush out of the car to try and stop their heads from spinning.

"Everything sparkles in there…" an out of breath Megumi noted, her eyes basically as little swirls.

"Lifestyles of the rich and the famous…" Takumi offered, not doing much better, trying to regain his focus on the world around him, even if he could still see the shine in his eyes.

"…You don't much get used to it," Soma noted, calmly walking past the two, "I had to use sunglasses during the first few months."

"Let's move, Hisako texted me she was already here with the others, and they've been setting up a – you two okay?" Erina had begun, but paused, utterly confused at seeing both Megumi and Takumi looking utterly drained of all color and almost about to collapse to the ground.

"We're fine," they both lied in unison, giving her a thumbs up, and forcing themselves to shake off the shellshock and act naturally. Erina stared, worried, but confused, while Soma just laughed. The Tootsuki princess really did come from an alternate world that the rest of them, he noted with a little amusement.

The four still managed to make their way into the Polar Stars' home, and were greeted by a little reunion of sorts, as all the couches had been moved together, and most of their friends had gathered around. They all quickly turned at the arriving four, and they all seemed to perk up at the sight of main players finally arriving, all except, notably, for Ryoko herself, who kept her eyes on the floor, a very crestfallen look to her eyes.

Outside of the Elite Four, gathered there tonight was the Polar Stars Yuuki Yoshino, Ryoko Sakaki, Zenji Marui, Madoka Enomoto, Daigo Aoki, Shoji Sato, Mitsuru Soutsuda, and the twins Berta Pedersen and Cilla Pedersen. Excluding the currently preoccupied Isshiki and the missing Shun, the only members not accounted for were the resident little witch Nao Sadatsuka and the little Trojan Horse himself, Loren Frechette, Soma was quick to note, his eyes scanning around.

Those that weren't part of the Polar Star Dorms, but had likewise gathered here upon the request of Erina herself, were, of course, Hisako Arato, alongside Ikumi Mito, Julio Rossi Saotome and, joining his brother, Isami Aldini. A very trustworthy group, Erina noted proudly.

"Very well!" Erina quickly announced her presence, pushing her long hair back, almost accidentally smacking Soma in the face with it, before she declared their meeting was starting, "What's all this then?"

"Oh, it's terribly Eri!" Yuuki quickly cried out, rushing over to the princess, and hugging the girl tightly with tears in her ever-expressive eyes. "Shun has turned traitor, and we followed, and there was a huge ass army of freaks all gathered with some very bad intentions regarding Tootsuki! We only heard a little, and we wanted to try to reach out to him, but we couldn't!"

"They utterly outnumber us, so in the likely event we are forced to face off against them, it is likely at least half of us gathered here will lose their career at best," Madoka offered, earning herself a quick glare from the almost crying Yuuki. "Apologies, I overanalyze when I'm nervous."

"I should have forced my way in there and spoke to Shun regardless," Ryoko muttered.

"Are you crazy?!" Marui quickly blurted out. "You saw how packed that place was! It was first filled with a lot of strong guys! Then came more strong guys! And then came even more strong guys! It never ended!"

"Stop crying man!" Daigo quickly reprimanded.

"Yeah, why didn't you guys tell us!?" Shoji added, "We'd have gladly put them all in their place!"

"I said the exact same thing!" Marui agreed.

"Charging in as if we were looking for a physical alteration would have only gotten us stabbed or defenestrated," Madoka muttered, and upon feeling Yuuki's glare on her once more, quickly muttered a quick, "Sorry, still nervous."

"R-Regardless," Erina tried, forcing herself to focus on the main subject at hand. "Shun Ibusaki. I don't know him much, but would he really…?" Erina asked, recalling the boy, as she turned to the rest.

"Oh no, never," Megumi quickly came to his defense, shaking her head. "He keeps to himself, but he never thought twice about coming to our aid every time we needed him. He helped Soma back during his preparations for his match against Subaru, and again when we all pitched in to help you both get Soma back in Tootsuki. This… This is something else. It has to be."

"He did make his intentions pretty clear," Soma simply noted, hands on his pockets, before he turned, a large banner catching his attention. It seemed it had also caught Takumi's attention, as both boys were currently staring at this huge banner that had seemed to have been made on the spot, yet had been crafted to expertly they couldn't help but be impressed. "Eh… this is…?"

"So I'm not the only one who just noticed it…" Takumi noted, and Soma nodded.

"Was it here when we walked in?"

"I would assume so."

It was a huge banner that read: "ERINA NAKIRI'S FOOD WARS' COUNCIL" in bright, bold, neon letters. Handmade it would seem, and with very, very eloquent handwriting on it.

"Is it too much?" Hisako asked, pushing her pretty little glasses a bit, to hide her little blush. Both boys turned to her, and both pointed at the banner, as if to ask if it was her who had made it. "…Yeah, it felt appropriate. Why?"

"Well, I mean –" Soma began.

"It looks magnifico Hisako," Takumi quickly cut in, smiling to the girl, who just as quickly smiled and turned away. Takumi then turned to a very confused Soma, and with a frown, warned him, "Do not insult her art or I will punch you."

"Hey, you act like I don't have any tact," Soma shot back, muttering to the guy so Hisako wouldn't hear them. "I was not going to say anything negative. It does look nice."

"You better keep it that way," Takumi simply responded, and as both boys stared each other down, with Isami just laughing at the scene in the background; the meeting continued regardless.

"From what I've gathered thanks to Ryoko's initial report," Hisako quickly told Erina, placing several documents on the table they all sat around. Erina was quick to take a seat and scan through the documents, with Megumi taking a seat shortly after, while Soma and Takumi kept standing, their eyes on the piles of paperwork they couldn't even begin to make heads or tails over. "It seems the Noirs, or the Midnight Chefs if you prefer, have made a very concerning effort in strengthening their forces and expanding their group. Worryingly, this includes former Tootsuki alumni, and we've heard reports about them using our own term, the "Shokugeki", to challenge any noteworthy chef and, upon defeating them, force him or her into their ranks."

"They dare use my grandfather's official term to further their agenda?" a disgusted Erina asked, frowning at the files. "Our term is trademarked, so we could sue… but, if we go it by the courts, it could take too long. And with as underground as they appear to be, it would be hard to pinpoint them unless we force them into the light, so to speak."

"Should we send in the full might of the Nakiri personal armada right to their front doors Milady?" Julio asked, pounding his fist into his hand, eager to get in on the action. "We could show those jokers what true power is like!"

"The Nakiri family has enough troubles as is," Ikumi quickly countered, "Unless we can prove what these guys are doing is illegal, we can't just send people to beat them up. Mi-Erina doesn't need any more bad publicity right now."

"Oh, yes, that is fair," Julio noted, frowning.

"That does pose a problem," Erina noted, her eyes on the documents and the student files. She recognized several of these names, including…

"Why?"

Erina gave pause, as did pretty much everybody, turning in turn towards Soma, who stood there with his arms crossed, his eyes on the files as well.

"Soma?" Erina asked.

"Why are we making this out to be that difficult?" Soma simply asked. "We know who their ringleader is. So let's just deal with him directly."

Everyone kept quiet for a moment, their eyes slowly drifting away from the couple, as Erina just stared down.

"I know what it is you want to say," she said. "So say it…"

"It's not like that," Soma said, "But the guy who leads all those Noirs is Asahi. And all he has done is try and manipulate things to fall in line to whatever it is he wants. I get it that he fooled you, fooled me too, but if that guy has anything on Shun, then –"

"That guy is my brother," Erina corrected, and she turned to Soma, their expressions meeting for a moment, both locked in a look that was rare for them to share ever since they became an item. It was almost as if seeing them back before the cruise, just with less bravado, and more… pain. The others did their best to just look elsewhere, as this felt a bit too personal and they all felt strange.

"Well, your brother is not a nice guy," Soma added, "I know how much you want to have your family together and happy, but if Asahi has an outright army of chefs and willing to use any underhanded tactic he can to get them, and then, to us, he needs to be stopped."

"I know that," Erina shot back. "But it's not as simple as just challenging him, and if, if we could beat him, just wreck him and his livelihood. I will not ruin my brother's life."

"Erina, come on, this guy has been wrecking people's lives far more than we can even know," Soma argued. "And now he has something on Shun. I can't allow this to get any worse. Even my dad was wary about him, and my dad doesn't give a damn about anything. That alone should tell you –"

"I appreciate Mr. Yukihira far more than I could ever convey," Erina interrupted. "But this is a family matter."

"I get it, you want to save him," Soma noted, forcing himself not to frown. "But there's a point when it's too much, you know?"

"Oh, are we finally drawing a line then?" Erina asked, now frowning in turn. Soma flinched, since before she even said it, he could see her words in her eyes. "…So my brother is too much, but forgiving Subaru Mimasaka was the right call, huh?"

"He just –"

"Or even Etsuya Eizan," Erina continued, her arms now crossed against her chest. "I mean, all he did was attempt to destroy our relationship and your education and very way of life."

"Okay, I know that –"

"Or even Loren Frechette," she concluded, and Soma just frowned. Mitsuru, Berta and Cilla all flinched at the name, since they knew, but it still sounded surreal to hear the Erina Nakiri voice it. "He's working for my father, meant to outright destroy us from the inside, but hey, Erina, relax, I've got this, what's the worst that can happen, right? I just want to save the kid even if I put your life at risk, right, that was you? And what did I do? Trust you enough to go through with that. Then why… Why is it now "too much" if I want to save my own brother?!"

The room was utterly silent for the longest time, everyone pretending to be preoccupied with something else, while Soma just took a deep breath and slouched himself to the nearest wall, before he slid down until he was seated on the floor. "…Yeah, you got me. Fine, saving Asahi Saiba from himself. Sure, let's do that then."

Erina frowned, as she felt the argument hadn't concluded at all, but she knew Soma. He had spoken with that same genuine tone he always used, so she knew he would keep his word. And now, in a complete contradiction, that worried her. Because now she felt he was going to try everything he could to help her "save" her brother, come what may. This… This was such a conflicting situation.

"…But we still cannot just allow them free reign," Erina decided to simply continue. "I shall get in contact with my brother. See what I can gather from his interest in my classmates."

"…I don't think Shun's being forced into their ranks," Ryoko softly voiced, her face still down, and her tone almost broken. "I tried so hard to reach out. To talk to him, but that place was crawling with those chefs. And they all welcomed him with open arms. He really believes this is what can save us," she added, before she raised her head, and turned her eyes to meet Erina's. "He declared last night that his match against Soma was the start of the Food Wars between the Noirs and us. And it seemed he meant it. They all look like they are getting ready for just that."

"That sounds utterly frightening," Cilla quickly noted.

"Could the newspaper club not warn everybody or something?" Berta quickly turned to Mitsuru and asked, and he pretty much gulped in response.

"This goes beyond just reporting such a thing," he admitted. "We won't know when or how they'll strike unless…"

"Unless I make my brother declare it himself," Erina concluded, "If the Noirs wish to engage against us in an outright Food Wars, then so be it. I shall meet him in that would-be battlefield, but I won't allow him to just continue to tarnish Tootsuki's name."

"Erina?" Hisako voiced, taking a seat right next to the girl, "I get your concerns, but… if this is all true, do you really think Asahi Saiba will be willing to meet you in some middle-ground as opposed to simply attacking when it best suits him?"

"…I…" Erina muttered, biting her lower lip for a moment. 'I know I'm making a poor defense for myself here. What am I supposed to say, that we promised each other to be more honest with one another? How are they supposed to trust my brother's words at this point…? Or… how am I…?'

Soma said nothing, but he had his eyes on Erina. He didn't much like this scenario at all, but she had a point. Mimasaka, Eizan, Loren, and even now, Shun. Everyone who had gone against him he had always tried to help. So what was it about Asahi that made it so he didn't want to even consider that as an option? It was almost like a sense of fight or flight when it came to the Noir, one where it was either him or Asahi, no other outcome…

'Is it really just that?' Soma asked himself, for once, shocked at his own thoughts. He paused, looking at his own hand, and just imagining his father's former protégé with both of his parents knives now under his belt, made it so he couldn't quite stop his hand from shaking. 'Against everyone else, despite how uphill the battle could be, I still had faith I could pull it off. I still had enough faith in my abilities to not consider it a worthless cause, a hopeless fight… Does this mean, that I'm admitting it to myself? That despite my own attempts… I can't seem to envision a reality where I can actually defeat Asahi Saiba…?' and hearing these very thoughts on his head outright frustrated, and, shockingly, terrified Soma, 'It is that, isn't it? I'm… terrified of facing off against him again…!'

As the meeting continued, with Erina and the rest trying to form a plan to whatever Asahi and his Noirs had planned, all of them concluding that she would attempt to reach out tomorrow, only three members of Polaris kept quiet throughout.

Soma, who could only replay his unofficial match against Asahi over and over in his head.

Ryoko, who felt like her heart had been shattered into a thousand pieces by now.

And Nao, up on her room, door closed, curled up into a ball on her bed, her eyes on her phone. Two messages left on read. One from her mother, telling her to stay safe, that she would handle this somehow, which Nao knew wasn't true in the slightest. It was just her mother attempting the impossible, and she thanked her, but she knew that if Tootsuki fell, then she was doomed. The second message, she left on read because she didn't know how to even respond to it at all. She didn't even expect it. It had been Loren, leaving her nothing but a very short message.

"The Noirs are planning something. Ashitaro will be involved. Whatever happens, stay at the dorms. Don't engage."

"…stupid boy…" was all she could muster, her thoughts just as conflicted as her feelings.

-0-

"…Soma," Erina called out, as the boy walked up the stairs, causing him to pause. Erina took a few steps forwards, just a few steps below him. Their meeting had concluded, more or less, and everyone was cleaning up and making sure they knew what each of them was assigned to do come tomorrow. Still, Erina felt uneasy about, well, everything. "…About what I said."

"You're not wrong," Soma quickly told her, turning for a moment before signaling her with his head, as if to follow him upstairs. Erina blushed at this, but shook her head. She knew he didn't mean it in any way improperly. "I've been very forgiving with pretty much everybody who has tried to harm me, and I share no blood between any of them. So, it makes sense you'd try to do the same with Asahi."

"But… are we good?" she asked, and her tone sounded… afraid. Soma paused, turning to her fully. Now both of them stood on the second floor, with Soma's grip next to the bathroom's door. He frowned, because he hated how scared she sounded and looked.

"Of course," he said without an ounce of hesitation. "If I sounded unhappy, it was because I was worried. I'm not going to, ya know, just push your needs aside when things get heavy. You didn't do so when I needed you, I won't when you need me."

"…I just feel so helpless," Erina admitted. "So pathetic at times, when I can't even make a decision and feel assured about it. I know it is logical for you to distrust Asahi. I know he plans to harm us. To harm me. I… I didn't tell you, but we had a talk, a bit before this whole mess began. Right after the Sixth Round," Erina confessed, and Soma looked on, his eyes betraying nothing. She didn't much like that. He was usually very direct. Very easy to read. She didn't like it when she couldn't do so. "He utterly insulted me. Fully intending to cut all ties with me. I… I replied as I imagine you would. Met his animosity with kindness, concern, and just enough snark and sarcasm."

"That's how you feel I'd react?"

"That is how I have always seen you react," Erina confessed. "You meet aggression with passion. Hate with friendship. Pain with laughter. I wish I could have enough faith in myself to always emulate that about you. I would have never forgiven Mimasaka, or Eizan, or Loren. And look at us now… Mimasaka has helped us greatly, a true friend of ours. Eizan, still a… jerk, to put it lightly," she explained, and Soma let out a little laugh, "But he is the reason we haven't gotten eliminate yet, so I have to give him that, and Loren… well, not sure what he has done to merit his forgiveness, but whatever."

"Nao's safe," Soma noted. "He's done plenty."

"I may have to talk to her while I am here as well," Erina said, "Him too, I guess. I have not spoken to him properly at all, and this is a boy that has been trained by my father, so there should be some kinship in there, somewhere."

"…We can try and see if we can get you two to talk without you trying to strangle him," Soma said with a laugh. "Don't forget who his older sister is."

"…I am aware," Erina just muttered, shaking her head. Then she felt his hand cup her face, and she flinched, and she blushed.

"Take it easy okay," Soma told the blushing girl. "We'll solve this mess. We always do. I'll get through to Shun. And I'm sure you'll get through to Asahi. We can even try and save Dove too while we're at it."

"No, she can rot," Erina stated flatly, and Soma laughed again.

"Whatever you wish," he told her, his hand the caressing her face, and despite herself, she rested herself on his hand, allowing him to gently caress her cheek and almost tug on it. She let out a little laugh, and he kept his smile. "Stay the night. We'll work something out tomorrow."

"Soma!" she noted, a bit loudly, blushing harder. "I-I have to go home. I can't stay here."

"You are home," he shot back, smirking. "You own Tootsuki. You own this place. This is as much yours as your manor is."

"You know what I mean."

"Still, wouldn't be the first time we've shared a bed," he noted, and she was turning redder with each word. "Come on, I'll sleep better if you're here. Mrs. Fumio won't notice if we don't make so much noise."

"W-Why would we be making noise?" Erina almost hyperventilated when she spoke, her arms crossed, but her face crimson. The stupid boy before her just laughed.

"I dunno, you tend to snore."

"I do not."

"How would you know?"

"…Soma, I…" she tried again, but the way he kept looking at her made her weak in the knees, and she just, against all judgment, just nodded. "…Fine. I'll stay. If we get in trouble, it'll be your fault."

"Always is."

Then he motioned forwards, and like always, despite the many times he had done so, it caught her just as off guard as it had the first time. A sudden kiss to the lips, making her melt at his touch, making her freeze at his embrace. Such a conflict of descriptions, but none other matched what she felt at feeling his lips on hers. And, for some reason, his taste was the only one her tongue never decried. God's Tongue or not, she savored every bit of him, and when he motioned away from her, she was always left wanting more, but she still had some dignity to her name, so she wasn't going to ask for it. Never.

"My room's open," he told her. "Get some rest, you look tired. I'll join you once I take a long, long bath to try and get my thoughts in order."

"There's actually some thoughts up there?" Erina mocked, laughing a bit, as he gave out a sarcastic laugh in response. She really, really felt she should protest at all of this, because what, she was now expected to wait in his room for him to come in fresh out of the shower? That sounded way, way too shameless, but, she also knew he wouldn't do a thing she wouldn't allow… which also worried her. Because… at this point, just how much would she realistically stop him from doing?

She shook her head furiously. Not the time, and certainly not the place.

"You okay?"

"Y-Yes," Erina blurted out. "Stop acting cocky with me. I assure you I –"

And she forgot what she was going to even say.

Soma had already removed his shirt, placing it on the basket to the side, as he motioned towards the nearby towel rack. He then turned towards her, wondering if she wanted to use the bath first or something, but the girl who looked brighter than a Christmas tree could only let out a shriek of some sort before she closed the bathroom's door and left him inside with the biggest amused look imaginable.

She huffed her way all the way towards the room with the numbering of "303", and upon getting inside, she threw herself onto his bed. This was too much.

'This damn bed just smells like him,' she noted in defeat. This really was too much. 'And I don't even have a change of clothes or anything with me… This certainly brings back memories…'

She recalled those better days, when she appeared out of nowhere in the front steps of Yukihira's for the first time, and how the two practically lived there, by themselves, for a few days before Jouichirou arrived. Such simpler times… such wonderful times…

And with those happy thoughts on her head, Erina slowly drifted off to sleep, lost in the aroma of the cologne Soma used that she could never get enough off…

-0-

…Erina woke up with a start.

Her eyes darted open immediately. It had been almost like having a falling dream. She had barely even registered that she had fallen asleep when her body or mind (or both) forced her back awake. She quickly pushed herself up, noticing she had just drifted off to sleep in her uniform, and right across the bed, leaving Soma no room whatsoever that wasn't, well…

Blushing madly, she ignored that thought, and turned. The lights were still on, because she had not turned them off, but there was no Soma to be found on the bed or on the floor. Was he still bathing?

She took out her phone, and her eyes widened when she saw the hour. What had felt like a few minutes at most had actually been close to two hours, and while she knew Soma had told her he was going to take a long bath, she didn't expect it to be that long.

So the blonde girl pushed herself up, and rushed right out of the room. And she was utterly shocked. The halls were all dark. Everyone had gone to bed, or home. And it then slowly clicked on her… What would she do if the tables were turned? When Soma needed her, she didn't think about it twice. There she was against everyone's, even her own grandfather's, best intentions or orders. She just showed up where it was he needed her to be…

So now…

"Oh!" she slowly realized her mistake. "Soma, no! Damn it, no!"

Because Erina Nakiri knew Soma Yukihira, so she knew exactly what he had been planning all along. Only he could do something so moronic so earnestly.

And because Soma Yukihira knew Erina Nakiri, he knew this was what she needed, despite his own hesitations. But not once had she ever hesitated for him, so, he wouldn't either. Not when she needed him most.

Which was why he found himself staring at the entrance of Con Calma, Don Calma.

Soma had dressed himself in his casual clothing, sporting the trademark Yukihira's design as opposed to the Tootsuki attire. He had his chef's tools to his side, with extra care given to the knife with the name "Nakiri" engraved onto it. He had already lost a knife to this guy, he wasn't losing another. Not this one. Not one from Erina.

So, if it was a war Asahi wanted, very well, he'll have it, but do be warned, Soma was never one for patience.

So he began his march towards the bar-turned-hideout, the same one Asahi had taken him and Erina when the bastard had interrupted their date, with his fake good intentions fooling them both, and the very same one Ryoko had texted them that Shun had taken shelter in. He walked towards the front steps, where he was quickly stopped by a Noir decked out in a fancy crown and long, royal robes.

"Oh? Who are you?" the American Noir asked when he saw Soma approaching the main entrance, a very amused tone evident in the guy. "I'm the Midnight Chef Jerry Monarch. The power I was blessed with is –"

And like a Sternritter utterly obliterated by a quick Getsuga Tenshou before he could even finish his introduction, Monarch fell to the ground, utterly passed out, only a very high pitch screech managing to escape the Noir's lips before he lost consciousness fully, his crown now adorning the streets and his robe now tangled with his unconscious form.

Soma stepped right over him, and opened the main doors, the little bell signaling a new customer ringing. Soma looked on, at the closed up shop, with all the chairs tucked in for the night, but there was at least someone notable present.

"Soma Yukihira…" Don Calma noted. "This is… unexpected. I had been told our dear friend Monarch had been in charge of keeping watch for the evening. I take it that girly scream I just heard came from him."

"Pretty much."

"Consider me shocked," the older man replied. "I had not expected such ruthlessness from one such as you. Usually such methods are reserved for us that slither in the dark, not you "light chefs"."

"What do you mean?" Soma noted with a smirk, taking something out of his pocket, which quickly put the old man into high alert. A weapon, perhaps? But, to his utter surprise, what Yukihira had brought out was simply… a can. Don Calma stared for a moment before he felt his nostrils be outright violated by a stench he could barely handle. The old man darted back, feeling his soul almost leave his body. "I just offered our friend out there a piece of my latest dish. It is an outright failure I'll admit," Soma said with the evilest laugh Don Calma had ever heard, "But a freshly opened can of Surströmming, mixed with strawberry jam, peanut butter and cockroach milk. So gross, ain't it? But between my time with my senior Rindou and little Nao, I feel I've gained quite the understanding in just how disgusting a dish can truly be. Now, not even my pops can stand a chance against me."

The boy sounded outright triumphant.

Don Calma felt outright fear.

'He outright murdered Monarch!' Don Calma screamed in rage, before he collected himself. It didn't much matter, anyways. "…That… disgusting display aside, I take it you are here for a reason."

"I want to speak to your boss," Soma noted, "Is Asahi home?"

"He is indeed," Don Calma noted. "And I'll be more than happy to take you to him… Just, please leave that biohazard on the trash."

"Huh?" Soma asked, eyes wide in confusion. "Why?"

'He really is utterly oblivious to everything or he is here to outright murder Asahi,' Don Calma noted grimly, 'I honestly cannot tell which.'

Still, Soma followed the instructions, throwing his prized new disgusting dish onto the trash, it hurt, granted, but he had more of each ingredient stored back at the dorm, so he could recreate it easily, and maybe even better next time. So, he followed the older man down a little set of stairs that led to a bottom section of the restaurant, and just as Soma suspected, his arrival had already been notified, either by camera or by someone else, as it seemed he was being expected.

It was surprising to see all of them gathered there, though. As Soma finally reached the Noirs, he came face-to-face with all of them, all dressed up in their best, but even more so, it wasn't just the Noirs… but all four of the Neo-Noirs as well.

They were all by a nearby little throne, held up on a fake set of stairs, all handpicked to make it so they could all look down at anyone who would drop in for a "visit". Soma looked up, his eyes on each person there.

Ashitaro sat by these fake stairs, bent forwards, almost like a mad dog on a leash awaiting to be let loose.

Julius stood by the opposite side of the throne, hands on his pockets, a little smirk in his face at the sight of the young Seventh Seat.

Dove was laying not on the throne, but on Asahi, her legs raised and rested on the armrests, a very flirty look on her face.

The King himself sat on the throne, with Dove on his lap, and a huge smirk on his face. He held onto Dove tightly, and stared Soma down.

All around the steps, were the rest of the Noirs. The girl in the uniform, Sarge, leading those on the right; and the creepy young man, Yuunosuke, leading those on the left.

"Welcome to the Noirs hideout Soma Yukihira," Asahi said with the most confident tone imaginable. Soma really, really did not like this guy. "What can we do you for?"

"Ah… I wanted to speak to you about something," Soma replied, looking at each Noir there. He could spot Shun standing alongside the bunch, the boy's expression utterly hidden by his hair, and Loren was also there… and wait, wasn't that other guy…?

"And what exactly would –" Asahi began, savoring this moment, but he was quickly cut off, much to his frustration.

"Hey Soma!" Loren quickly greeted as if this was just the friendliest of meetings, even waving his hand at the guy. "You're totally insane coming here alone, you know that? These guys will resort to murder if they can, you know?"

"Yeah, I've been told as much Loren," Soma noted, while still giving the kid a wave. "Should I count you as one of the Noirs too, by any chance?"

"Huh? Me? Nah man, I'm just here just cause, I've got nothing to gain from this at all," Loren admitted, as the rest of the Noirs all frowned at the kid, but they knew they couldn't say a thing as long as Dove was there, and in turn, as long as Asahi was there.

"Loren…" Dove mouthed, shifting in her place and managing to sit up straight, squeezing her behind right alongside Asahi's on a throne made for just one, somehow. "Stop fraternizing with the enemy!"

"He's your enemy, not mine," Loren shot back, and Dove felt slapped. Kid was still pissed off at her having hid her relationship it seemed. "I support you over Erina, but… I support him," Loren added, pointing to Soma, then shifting his finger towards… "Over Asahi here."

"Oh come on," Asahi whined, "What do I have to do to get on your good side kiddo?"

"Break it off with my sister," Loren said with a growl. As Dove and Asahi both felt their eyes twitch Soma let out a little laugh.

"I guess there could be a chance you and Erina do get along after all," Soma noted with a little knowing smirk, before he turned back to Asahi. "But, what luck, here I wanted to finally put an end to this whole thing, and well, look at this, you have everyone gathered here. Lucky me."

"You think you can actually call for a cease fire on a war you can't even comprehend?" Asahi asked, sounding like he was moments away from laughing in Soma's face. Soma simply shook his head.

"Nah man, that's not it. You want a Food War, you'll have it," Soma declared. Then he raised his hand, and with it, his index finger. "If you know my old man as much as I suspect you do, then you know his record, right? Took on fifty people in a single Régiment De Cuisine."

"Fifty?" Ashitaro couldn't help but blurt out.

"The Asura, was it?" Julius noted.

"I am sure Azami masturbates to that memory," Dove added.

"Yeah I've been – God, Dove, stop!" Asahi had begun, before he turned to the girl almost shivering in response, while she just shrugged. Loren said nothing, but he did nod. Asahi decided to try, try and ignore them both and continue on to say, "Y-Yeah, I am aware. In case you didn't notice, we were involved in a Régiment De Cuisine ourselves just a few hours ago."

"Exactly! So I don't have to explain the rules," Soma noted with a grin. "So if dad could take on fifty, what's…?" he added, before he counted each Noir before him, one by one. He skipped Loren, taking the kid up on his word, but counting Shun first. That left him with, "…sixteen opponents then?"

"He can't be serious?" Sarge voiced, her eyes wide, most likely in rage at the insult.

"Do not underestimate this one," was all Yuunosuke offered, his eyes fixated on the boy before them all.

"…You actually want to take on my entire team by your lonesome?" Asahi said, and it sounded so stupid that it couldn't be anything but true. What arrogance. But before Asahi could add a mockery here or there, Soma corrected himself.

"Wait, no, that wouldn't be it," he said, then continued to count…

…He pointed to Ashitaro…

"…Seventeen…"

…He pointed to Julius…

"…Eighteen…"

…He pointed to Dove…

"…Nineteen…"

…And he pointed to Asahi…

"…Twenty," Soma said with the biggest smirk in the world. "If my dad could take out fifty opponents, what's a measly twenty then?!"

---

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1 vs. 20?!