Notes:
Hey Everyone, Zancrowe Here!
Got a lot of announcements to make, so let's speed-run through them!
1. Classique, and the saga that started in Nouvelle, comes to an end in just Three (3) More Chapters!
2. Something Borrowed got its 3rd one-shot, this time focused on Loren x Nao, so if you want to read a little of what happened in-between chapters 39 and 40 of Classique, go check that out!
3. The Roles Series that started with the Soma x Erina Role Reversal got a sequel with the Takumi x Megumi Role Models, and more one-shots based on different pairings are on the way, starting with the Akira x Hisako Role-Play!
4. This website's Alert System has been down for two (2) months, so if you can see this update, please let me know!
5. I have a New Story! Fan of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End or Fire Emblem: Three Houses? Give my Lehren der Zeit a shot!
Twitter (X) / YouTube / Spotify: ~ Zancrowe ~
Disclaimer: Don't own Food Wars: Shokugeki no Soma.
It was a fourteen-and-a-half-hour flight from Tokyo to New York City, which excluded all the waiting they had to do before they even got on the plane, and all the waiting after they landed. And that's not to say they didn't go prepared, as they had brought with them books, game consoles, their phones, and of course, a laptop just for her to type away at her stories. Unfortunately, they ran out of things to do with all that at around the six-hour mark, meaning the rest of the journey was a slug to get through. Still, they chatted, teased each other, teased other people, ate the three-and-a-half peanuts airplane staff now hand out and had to pay like ten dollars for water, but at the end of their trip around half of the world, they finally made it to the Big Apple.
"It's been so long since I've been to the States…" Nao mused, as she stretched her tired limbs, her red eyes scanning everything as she trailed next to Loren, both teens making their way through the massive airport. She felt like a little kid again, eyes wide to this newish scenery. "You, on the other hand, I imagine it's like returning home."
"Eh, well, kinda…" Loren muttered, having to struggle with carrying most of her bags. It was the gentleman approach, which he begrudgingly learned from Azami, and as much as he hated following that man's example, it was hardwired into his brain. As such, out of the four bags Nao brought with her, Loren took two, leaving the little witch with only a backpack and a wheeled travel bag, while he carried the heavier two as well as his own three. It was way too heavy, the heck did she bring? "…I grew up in an orphanage, of very dubious quality, considering how I managed to escape when I was ten. The streets were not that much of an improvement honestly."
"You've had it too rough," Nao said, and it was the softness of which she said it that made him give pause. "At least now, even if I am aware you have Dove to fall back onto, if you need anything else, I'm here. So, whatever it is, just ask, okay?"
"It's not the girlfriend's role to provide for the boyfriend," he noted.
"I don't care, I'm gonna regardless," Nao reaffirmed, "And I mean it, even if something happens and you dump me, I'm still helping you out."
"Why the heck are you saying I'd dump you?!"
"Cause."
"Cause what?!"
"Just cause," she said, before she narrowed her vivid red eyes, "But… I trust you won't. You seem genuinely in love with me, and this has been going on for way too long for it to be a prank, so…"
"…For goodness' sake stop being so melodramatic!" Loren just barked, before he began to walk a bit faster. Nao pouted, but she trailed along, and soon they both managed to clear all the airport areas and stairs until they were at the assigned pick-up spot for arrivals. It was here, Loren looked and looked, until he caught eye of a young woman holding up a sign, and the sight almost made him tear up on the spot.
There was his older sister Dove, holding up a handwritten sign that read "Baby & Baggage".
"Dove!" Loren quickly cried out, and began to rush towards her. The girl in question quickly had her eyes light up, as she tossed the makeshift sign to the side, smacking someone with it in the process, but she didn't much care. She ran up to him and quickly covered her little brother in kisses.
"Loren! Welcome home kiddo! Oh my goodness I think you grew a little more!" she said with a wide smile as she hugged him fiercely, and he just pressed himself against her frame. Gods he missed her. "And… did you pack all of Tootsuki with you? The heck is up with so much luggage?"
"Ah… half of it is Nao's."
"Sup," the so-called baggage "greeted" as she walked up to the siblings, and Loren couldn't help but laugh as he saw Dove's expression shift at the sight of her. Nao was unperturbed. "Hey Big Sis Dove, don't you look lovely! If you want to kiss me too, I won't complain!"
"Yeah, no, not gonna happen," Dove quickly shot her down, despite Nao puckering up and everything, "…I still can't believe I agreed to you letting her tag along."
"Come on, you don't mean that Dove," Loren began, but when Dove shifted her glare to him, he quickly cleared his throat and added, "Yeah, maybe you do, but it's to make me happy so there's no way you'd say no."
"…I spoil you way too much."
"Yep!"
"So where are we headed Big Sis?"
"Don't call me that!" Dove quickly barked at Nao, before she sighed and signaled to the two to follow her. "Come on then, car's parked quite a bit away. If we hurry, we can beat the traffic… well, the main, huge traffic, because there's always traffic in the big city, but…"
"Huh?" Loren voiced, tilting his head a bit as he and Nao walked alongside Dove, "Car? You didn't get here on a limo?"
"I don't own one Loren," Dove noted, as if it were obvious.
"But then, what, you got yourself a private chauffer?" he asked, and she shook her head.
"No, I am not going to waste my money that way," Dove replied, and when she saw the look of pure confusion still adorning his face she clarified, "I drove here Loren."
"What?!" he cried out and instantly came to a halt, "You?! Driving?! Since when?!"
"I-I got a driver's permit when I was with Azami, remember?!" she cried back, blushing.
"Yeah, and I'm sure he had to pay several people to look the other way for it…"
"He did not!" Dove added, pouting, "And, well, I've practiced since I've been here, and…"
"You've only been here for a month, Dove…" he stated.
"…And I've driven three times, including today, so…" she muttered, and Loren went pale.
"Oh, we are so gonna die…" Loren just lamented, as Dove gave him the biggest pout imaginable.
Nao, having been watching the two silently, just smiled and gave out a little laugh. The siblings turned to her, Dove half-expecting more snark aimed her way, but Nao simply noted, "…Don't mind me. I'm just glad to see you both together again. It's cute, you're both too cute, but it's nice, to see siblings just being siblings with each other."
Loren just nodded, understanding what she meant, but Dove wanted to play it off, but… she also knew what Nao meant. So, she just said nothing and kept on guiding them to her car. Little did she know, that Nao Sadatsuka was the least of her concerns when it came to unexpected guests during the following week…
-0-
On the other side of the globe, in a completely different time zone, the flight that headed towards the United States of America from Japan was being finally boarded. Erina, naturally, was the first person let into the aircraft, followed immediately by her boyfriend and her brother, both boys still utterly baffled by the special treatment fame, power and money could buy. This would be the second flight Soma had taken with her, while the first for Asahi. So, Soma was at least a little knowledgeable in just how fancy this particular first-class flight would entail, while Asahi was looking at everything as if it was utterly alien to him.
"What?" Erina asked, noticing the stares from the two, to which Soma just shook his head, while Asahi kept his eyes focused on the expensive seats.
"Don't you think this is a little too much sis?" he muttered, noticing that the damn things had a flatscreen television, a gaming console, a mini bar, and even a functioning door to close the whole area up. "…I get traveling in style, but you outright got us a flying hotel room."
"Are you unimpressed?" she asked, and he turned to her with his eyes narrowed. Was she making a joke or did she actually…? "I am aware that this particular airline is not known for quality, but it should suffice for our purpose. It takes time to arrange a flight on the Nakiri private plane, and I don't want to hear Alice complaining that I get to use it more than she does, but still, comparing this to a common hotel feels like a bridge too far…"
Okay, she's not joking…
Asahi frowned, but before he could say anything, Soma just laughed. "That's Erina for ya," he noted, before he moved along and took a seat. This little cabin in the skies was big enough to fit four, so it was more than spacious for just the three of them. "Way too luxurious for us mere mortals to ever understand."
"Oh, come on now, this isn't that big of a deal," Erina countered, taking a seat and turning to her brother, "Still, I advise sitting down. Connections as I may have, we still need to follow proper protocols."
"I…" Asahi mouthed, before he sighed and took a seat. This was moving way too fast. He had no plan of what to even do if he did end up face-to-face with Dove, or what to tell Erina if things kept going in the way they were headed.
He was supposed to what? Find a replacement ring and propose to a girl he failed to save…?
The flight started after a while, and Asahi had never been bothered by airplanes, but now, even despite sitting in the best seat money could buy, he found himself unable to calm down, and he knew it wasn't because of the flight, but the destination, and who awaited him there. Would she be surprised? Probably. But would she be mad? Sad? Disappointed? No matter how much he tried to imagine it, he couldn't picture Dove being happy upon seeing him again. Not if she had already settled down on her new life with her baby girl…
"…May we talk, brother?"
About an hour into the flight Erina broke the silence. Asahi turned to her, and her eyes were fully focused on him. For once, he was reminded that for as thrilled as she had been at this "romantic" idea of his, she, at the end of the day, was still just another person in a long line of people the King of Noirs had hurt for a goal her boyfriend had managed to thwart at the very end. Said boyfriend was currently busy listening to some music, lost to the rhythm, not a care in that empty head of his. To the victor goes the spoils, Asahi inwardly noted, but…
"I suppose you do have things you wish to say," Asahi said, and Erina's eyes did not shift in the slightest.
"Since Soma is currently listening to the playlist I made for him, I suppose this is as good a time as any to address the elephant in the room," Erina noted, and Asahi had to give a little smirk at that. He didn't know she had made a playlist for him. How stupidly cute.
"You may need to be more specific," Asahi nevertheless noted, "We have several elephants to address, a whole herd of them, so…"
"How about we start with the fact that you went through with it and actually attempted to destroy my way of life and my future, all to just get back at our father," she said softly, almost a whisper, likely to keep the conversation between the two of them, but the coldness of her tone was not lost to him. No… not coldness. Pain.
"…Yeah, I suppose that would be the biggest one…"
"…why?"
"Erina, I…" he tried, biting his lip, turning to her. Her violet eyes almost bore into him, and he had to admit, for as cute as his little sister could be, seeing this expression on her face did not amuse him in the slightest. "…I was so focused on just destroying him. Wrecking this whole high society of snobs and elite that did nothing but belittle and mock those below them, that I, well, I had long decided I would not deter my plans for anyone. I went into it fully focused on my goal. I studied you before we met, and figured you'd be easily seduced by –"
"Eww!"
"Not like that!" he clarified, "I meant you'd easily buy into this idea that this outright stranger who turned out to be your older half-brother would come into your life when you most needed him and he'd turn out to be completely genuine and… and…"
"Loving?" Erina concluded for him, and Asahi just sighed and nodded.
"Yeah…" he confirmed, "It was the perfect ploy, in my eyes, blackmail daddy dearest, worm my way into Tootsuki, and fool you into thinking I had nothing but the best intentions and I tried my best to move the pieces so the Neo-Noirs and your Elite Ten would take each other down, leaving just me and Azami as the endgame."
"It was a masterful ploy," Erina noted, and Asahi just breathed. He wasn't sure she was that impressed with his manipulations. "I was naïve, I told you this before, but even after you told me everything back at the mansion, I suppose a part of me still believed, deep down, that…"
Here Erina gave pause, and as Asahi looked at her, he could tell her expression had shifted.
"H-Hey…"
"I believed when the moment of truth came, you'd choose not to hurt me," she finally admitted, eyes on him, with all the pain and hurt finally visible. Gone was the smile and the pretend thrill of this journey. He knew it had to have been an act. Not like his, granted. He didn't doubt she genuinely wanted what was best for him, and that made him feel worse. But he had hurt her, and her pain wouldn't just magically go away after all he did was ghost her for a month. To make matters worse, thanks to him having to safe-face with Soma, he came across as more focused on getting back together with Dove than actually apologizing to…
"Erina, listen, I…"
"When you look at me now," she cut in, sharply, "What do you see?"
"What? As in…?" he tried, but he got no response.
Erina said nothing at all, as her eyes basically told him that he damn well knew what she meant.
"…Listen, baby girl, I –"
"You don't have to force the pet names on me," she noted, "Just Erina will suffice."
"I am not forcing this," he corrected, matching her sharp tone, "You are a baby girl to me. You are kind, cute and annoying, in that order, and while I messed up, I still promised…"
"Promised…? As in…?"
"To lie less, and later on to lie nothing at all," he noted, eyes on hers, "So, when you ask me what I see when I look at you, that is my answer. My baby sister who I manipulated and hurt until the very end, even if I did genuinely feel that it was wrong. Even if ever since I interrupted that date of yours with that idiot next to you at the bowling alley, that moment you hugged me and told me you were glad I was the one you got to called brother, I, against everything I plotted, I grew attached. My whole team of Noirs saw it, almost instantly. I began to second guess everything. I wanted to take everything back, to just be that fake version of me you met… but I didn't listen. Not when Jouichirou told me about it. Not when Soma challenged me for it. Not when… you begged me for me to just let all that go… I let my hatred for the system, for people like our father, override any and all feelings I had for my little sister, and for others, and in the end, I messed up…"
"…And, the Asahi sitting next to me…?" Erina began, "…What version is this…?"
"Erina, you do not have to forgive what I did," Asahi countered, "I can see what you are trying to do. Trying to justify it to yourself to look the other way and give me another chance… Don't. Don't keep lowering yourself when we are the ones who mess up. You don't owe me a thing. And I can't take back what I did by saying I'm sorry…"
"You haven't said it."
"…I," he gave a pause, "I am. I am sorry for hurting you. I am sorry for not listening. I am sorry for putting my future ahead of everybody. I was so desperate to reach the top, that when the world gave me an actual family, I finally met my dad, got myself a little sister and younger cousin, and yet, I didn't realize it."
"I told you before," Erina began, "I'm so used to abusing those closest to me. How I was so frustrated by my father treating my so harshly and my mother walking away that I took it out, not on them, because I was too much of a coward to even try, but on those below me. I tormented Soma at every opportunity I could to disguise how envious I was at how free and happy he was. I belittled Alice in order to hide how much I missed her. I treated Hisako like my secretary just to fool myself into not seeing her as my best friend and sister. I took pride in the fact that I walked into a room and everyone would run away, never once stopping to think, how is Tootsuki expected to grow if I judged everyone who set foot in there by the standards set by a man who abused me?"
"…Erina, you had plenty of reason to be that way," Asahi just noted, "Such abuse isn't dealt with in a day. And you grew. You learned. That school, your friends, this moron seated right there, they adore you. I should know, he kicked my ass to prove it."
At this Erina finally laughed. And then she said what he least expected. "…And don't you think… You have plenty of reasons too…?"
"That's…"
"You haven't told me much, but you did tell me about your time at the orphanage, about how Mister Yukihira took you under his wing. About how when he lost his wife, he had to leave you. Something I cannot fully blame him for, as grief cannot be judged, but I know he unintentionally hurt you. You grew up alone, fighting for the right to just exist. It doesn't make what you did right, but I understand it."
"No, that's not how this works," Asahi countered, "Our circumstances are not the same. You being haughty and stuck-up is not the same as me using your loneliness and desperate need for affection as a weapon to strike down our father."
"…When you say it like that…"
"It is what it is," he finally admitted, sighing, "Listen… baby girl, just…"
"Then how much?"
"How much what?" he asked, a bit confused.
Erina, rather than answering outright, motioned towards her large purse, before she took out what seemed like a checkbook. Asahi gave pause, eyeing the thing with a mixed expression. Erina then opened it up, and pen in hand, turned to him. "How much do you want then?"
"Are you trying to buy me?!"
"No," she denied, rather firmly at that. It was here he noticed she wasn't joking in the slightest. "You want to play the villain until the bitter end, then fine. Here's your endgame. How much money do you feel my family owes you? Name it, and once we land, you can go to Dove or wherever, and Soma and I will return back home. Since what you did is so reprehensible you can't just ask for forgiveness, then, here, I'll set you up for life and you don't have to pretend with me ever again."
"What? No! I don't want your money!"
"Liar!" she shot back, "You wanted the culinary throne! You wanted to crush father and me along with it. Crush the elite? Give me a break, I am the elite Asahi! From the start I wasn't just a bullet for you, I was your mark. Isn't that right?"
"Okay, wait, hold up! No!" Asahi backed away for a moment, but Erina just pushed the checkbook closer to him. This in turn made him quickly take the checkbook from her hands and smack her in the head with it. "Stop that! I am not robbing you!"
"Don't hit me!" she cried out, frustrated, as she began to smack him on the arm with her palms, over and over again, as Asahi shielded himself from the sudden assault. "You think you can make me care! Make me love you and then you can just walk out on me! I am not asking you to change the past! I am not asking you to pretend what happened didn't! I just want my brother, from today onwards! Is that too much to ask for you to apologize and for us to move on together you pathetic, spineless man-child!"
Asahi caught her hands by the wrists, gently, and he slowly placed his forehead on hers. She was starting to tear up, be it out of sadness or frustration. Probably both. He sighed, slowly let go, and pulled her in for a tight hug. She paused briefly, before she sunk her head onto the nape of his neck, resting herself there for a long moment.
"Erina, I…"
She responded by taking advantage of how close they were to jam his fingers right into his sides, repeatedly, making Asahi squirm. "I. Have. Not. Heard. A. Proper. Apology. Yet!"
"O-Okay! Fine! Mercy! Stop!" he cried out, and she gave pause, sitting back down, the cutest pout on her face, as Asahi just sighed. "…I am sorry baby sis, for the tricks, the manipulations, the lies, and for even after I realized how precious you were, still trying to bring you down with the rest of them…"
"…And?"
And he slowly realized what he actually wanted to say right now…
"…And I don't want to go back to being an only child Erina."
She stared, her lips forming a thin line as she seemed to soak in his words, before slowly, she nodded.
"Neither do I," she admitted, "So… if we can start over, I would very much welcome it. So, if you need to hear it, I forgive you brother, so let's please just… be a family, okay?"
"…Yeah, you got it," Asahi replied, finally breathing again, before he added, "And, for the purpose of being honest with you, in regards to Dove… I'm terrified."
"I'd imagine," Erina noted, "The idea of sharing a life with her sounds positively dreadful."
He just laughed. "Not what I mean and you know it."
"I imagine she is very much worth the nervousness, is she not?"
"Like you wouldn't believe…" he admitted, "I'm not actually going to give her the ring… yet," he told her, finding the best way to tell her the truth without ruining Soma's surprise, as she eyed him, "We ended things rather messily, so I'm not sure what awaits me when we reach that house and I see her again."
"You'll think of something…" Erina simply voiced. She knew her brother had screwed up, but unlike with her, Dove shared half of the blame after all. And while Erina was trying her best not to hold a grudge against a girl she herself saved, she wasn't exactly thrilled that out of all the girls in the world her brother had chosen… her. Still, this is what a good sister does. She turned back to him, trying to inquire more about his would-be plan, when she saw him taking things out of his carry-on bag, and the moment she saw a familiar case her eyes outright sparkled. "You brought cards?!"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, well, kinda…"
"Can we play?!"
"…This aren't regular cards sis…" Asahi noted, and as Erina tilted her head in confusion, Asahi opened the case, and… of course it would be those.
"…Oh," she muttered, utterly dejected.
"Hey, the Yu-gi-oh trading card game is a thousand times more fun that playing silly Sevens."
"You take that back!" she almost roared.
"You've never even played it!" he barked back, before he took a look at all his cards and grinned, "I mean, I could teach you now. It is a long flight."
"Oh come on," she scoffed, "I've seen a little of the anime. That game makes no sense."
"It has rules," Asahi countered, "And it's super fun. You're just afraid you'll like it."
"As if."
"Tell you what," he offered, "Let's play a bit, and if you don't like it, we'll play Sevens until we reach New York."
Erina paused, pouting, before she sighed and took hold of the deck he was offering her. She began to check the cards for a moment, as he began to meticulously explain every detail of the game to her. She was lost, and this was him explaining the simple version of the game, or so he said, but it still barely made any sense to her. Still, the cards were pretty, and some designs were very unique. Great artwork. She took hold of one card and showed it to him.
"I like her, she looks like me."
Erina held the Dark Magician Girl.
Asahi's face lost all color, for some reason.
"…Please don't ruin her for me."
"What?! What's wrong? I kinda look like her."
"No, you don't," he said flatly, and she pouted. Why?! "In fact, give her here, you can't have that one…"
"No! I want her!" Erina pulled back, pout and all, "You want to play, then I get to keep her!"
Asahi seemed to inwardly struggle with a lot of things, most of which Erina did not understand, but he relented and, in the end, the two ended up playing for a while. Erina, of course, quickly picked up on the rules and played effectively. It, of course, annoyed her greatly when she didn't win a single duel because her darling brother did not believe in holding back. Her pout remained for the rest of the flight.
Unbeknownst to the siblings, Soma had the smallest grin as he side-eyed the two. He had not heard a word they said, keeping the music's volume loud to give them their privacy, but still checking in every now and then, and it seemed finally the two had put the past behind them, and given how playful Erina seemed, it was the best possible outcome he inwardly noted.
-0-
Dove drove them out of the big city and through a more rural area, close to where she lived. She had missed her little brother a lot, of course, but she was regretting allowing him to bring his plus one, since the two twerps had sat on the backseats, and all Dove could hear was the two making out as she drove, and fittingly, it drove her insane.
"Can't you two behave?!" she outright growled, "Nao, get your slutty ass off Loren's lap!"
"Hey! I'm already aroused, you don't have to make it worse…" Nao said, and Dove had no idea if she was teasing her or if she meant it, so she just shivered and glared at the girl from the rearview mirror.
"You, sit in front, now!"
"Yes ma'am!" Nao said with a salute, before she crawled forwards and motioned towards the front seat, but not before telling Loren, "Don't stare at my butt!"
"…Too late."
"Loren!" Dove reprimanded, and Loren just pretended to be looking elsewhere. She felt her blood pressure rising, but as Nao sat next to her, all smiles of course, Dove couldn't help but glare at her. "And I swear if you don't behave, I am not above tossing you from this car."
"Did ya hear that Loren?" Nao teased, turning towards Loren, flirty tone and all, "Dove says we can continue doing naughty things in the grass."
Loren, who had spaced out for a second, turned to her with the widest eyes. "…You want to do what… where?"
At this Nao actually blushed deeply, her lips quivering as she understood what he heard. "…I-I said grass you pervert!"
"Oh… yeah, that's what I heard…"
Nao, still beet red, sat upright, arms crossed, pouting, refusing to look at him or at Dove. Dove felt outright faint, but at least that reaction assured her they were still somewhat innocent… somewhat. Gods, this was too much for an older sister to have to deal with. Still, it at least shut them both up for the remainder of the trip, and soon enough, Dove drove them towards an unassuming house. She parked herself just fine despite Loren teasing her endlessly about it, and got off as she guided them both inside. Despite everything, here, both Loren and especially Nao felt utterly nervous. This was Dove's home, and that meant…
"Mom, I'm home!" Dove called out, and Loren and Nao stood as straight as they could. They looked like the two most polite kids in the world, which made Dove's left eye twitch. Still, at least they behaved, as soon enough, Milka Dillinger walked in from what they assumed was the kitchen.
Both Loren and Nao had to pause, as the elder woman was insanely pretty and outright looked more like Dove's older sister rather than her mother. The family resemblance was clear, even if Milka's smile looked a lot more genuine than any of Dove's, as she quickly greeted the two kids she had heard so much of (even if she had only heard complaints about the little witch). Said little witch outright scanned the older woman fully, before she whispered to Loren, "Damn, talk about MILF. She's basically the same size as Sonoka…"
"Nao!" Loren reprimanded, shivering. As good as she looked, she still looked too much like an older Dove for him to see her as anything like that, "Shut up."
"Mom," Dove began, signaling to the boy, and bouncing up to him, before, much to his embarrassment, she pulled him into a hug and said, "This is Loren! My cute and adorable baby brother who is welcomed here whenever he wants! So glad you finally get to meet your son!"
"D-Dove!" Loren tried, utterly red in the face, yet Dove just responded by loudly kissing his cheek.
"I have heard so much about you Loren," Milka noted, and she sounded like Dove too. Or, well, the other way around he supposed. "Although, forgive me, but the way she speaks about you, even if I know your age, I was half-expecting a toddler."
"Y-Yeah… sis is – I mean, Dove, erm, she – ack!" he tried, stammering all over the place, before Dove pulled on his cheeks tightly.
"Do not correct yourself if you call me "sis" in front of mom," she outright warned, and Loren (and even Nao) flinched. It was rare to hear Dove outright threaten Loren with such a tone. "I am your sister. You are my brother. We are family. Do not make me spank you."
"Okay! Fine! Sorry…" Loren added, pouting, as he turned towards Milka, and nodded his head as a form of a soft bow. If there was one person he had to cut the wisecracks and be utterly respectful to, it would be her, "I-It's a pleasure to meet you… Miss? Mrs.? Madam…?"
"Mom!" Dove corrected, and Loren turned to her with pleading eyes.
"I can't just call her that!"
"Sure you can! She's my mom, so she's your mom," Dove noted matter-of-factly, and as Loren seemed to convulse in embarrassment, Dove turned back to Milka and added, "Oh, and the other one is Nao. Please pay no attention to her."
"Dove, behave," Milka softly voiced, and Dove just shrugged, but the elder woman did turn and smiled at the young witch. "The little brother's girlfriend I take it."
"Yes," Nao replied ever-so politely, "I'm so happy to finally meet you. Your daughter is an amazing person, and Loren even more-so. I love him, heck, I think I love her."
"…eww," both Dove and Loren muttered, bringing their struggling against each other to a halt just to turn to her in response, while Nao just smirked.
"Not that way," she noted, before adding, "…well…"
"No thanks," Dove added, before she finally let go of Loren and walked up towards her mom, "But, yeah, she's Loren's little girlfriend. It took me… a bit to warm up to the idea," Dove noted, and Loren felt his eyes twitch, When had she warned up to the idea at all? Still…
"Hey, not like you can talk," he began, "Out of us both, your relationship with –"
Dove outright teleported right next to him, her hand firmly over his mouth, shutting him up in the blink of an eye. Loren's eyes went wide, and when Dove spoke, it sent chills down his spine, "No need to speak of that, darling brother. Mom already knows how much I messed up with Ruthie's sperm donor, so the least we speak of him, the better!"
Loren felt faint. 'The heck?! I didn't mean that asshole! I… Oh, come on, are you serious Dove?! You haven't told your mom about Asahi at all?!'
Before Milka could say anything, half surprised Loren knew so much about Dove's past, when in reality he knew even more than she did, the tiniest little steps could be heard approaching, following by the smallest little girl peeking her head out from the frame. Loren gave pause, his eyes on the little girl that looked so much like his sister, almost identical. Bright blue eyes, lush black hair. A nervous, yet clearly mischievous little grin on her precious face the moment she recognized the boy from the photos and the video calls.
"Uncles!" Baby Ruth excitedly called out, grammatically incorrect but too cute to correct, rushing forwards, her little brain taking a few seconds to register this was the same boy Dove would speak to and put her on to speak to as well.
"Baby Ruthie!" Loren exclaimed, eyes on the little lass. His… niece. He stammered, as she stood excitedly before him, bouncing in place, a little bundle of joy if there was ever one. Dove, smiling naturally, bent down, picking Ruthie up, and handing her to Loren. The boy almost freaked out. "H-Hey, Dove, I…"
Milka, watching the scene unfold, could only hear her daughter's very stern words when she had just returned home, having fully decided to raise Ruth herself…
"…And I don't much approve you letting just anybody pick Ruthie up," Dove noted firmly, pout and all. Milka just turned to her daughter and sighed. She didn't expect to have a "mother-to-mother" argument of all things, but such was life.
"I don't let just anybody pick her up," Milka corrected, "They're trusted friends, and Ruthie loves being picked up. But… if you want to be more selective with who gets to pick her up, then fine, just try not to be too rude about it."
"I am not being rude," Dove replied, firmly, "I just don't want her to think anybody can just pick her up whenever. If she wants ups, you and I are enough. Just family can suffice…"
"Someone's a very jealous mother…"
"As I should be!" Dove clarified proudly, "Ruthie deserves only the best! So unless they are family, no grabby-grabby, okay?!"
And now Milka just looked on, how her possessive daughter just handed her baby daughter to this kid without an ounce of hesitation. She wasn't afraid he'd hold her wrong, or accidentally drop her, or do anything of the sort. From her eyes, Milka could see Dove saw Loren holding onto Ruthie as completely natural, because…
"…Mom?" Milka remembered Dove speaking up on her first night back, "There's one more thing you should know."
"About?" Milka asked, and she couldn't lie her daughter's serious tone made her nervous. What now?
"…You remember the kid I kept mentioning to you back when I was overseas? Loren?"
"Oh, yes, that little boy you got super attached to," Milka replied, since she recalls Dove always bringing him up after about the first six months she spent with the Nakiri Family, or so she believed. Here Dove paused for a bit.
"He's my little brother."
"…eh?"
"I know how it sounds," Dove said, and Milka just looked on, "But, when he visits, I want this to be clear. I know we aren't blood related. I know I've only known him for the last three years, but… he is my little brother mom. And I don't mean that I care about like a brother, I mean a real brother. I have cooked for him, bathed with him, even slept using him as a body-pillow. Kid is mine, so it's not like I expect you to accept him as a son or anything, but…"
And for once, Milka couldn't much say anything, since she had never heard her daughter speak with such authority to her. Almost as if Milka said anything that contradicted this Dove would be willing to argue it fully. Because…
"…He is mine."
And Milka just smiled as she saw Loren holding onto his little niece, the little girl giggling, and yes, it seemed her daughter meant it. Dove now had a little brother, and Milka was utterly unsure of how to react to the fact that her child had basically duplicated and now she had two. This was weird, but cute nonetheless.
"Wanna play?!" Ruthie asked, her wide eyes on Loren, utterly eager to play like fifty things at once.
"Oh, sure, let's…" Loren began, before he turned to Dove, "I mean, can I?"
"Loren, she's your niece, you don't have to ask me," Dove merely replied, and the boy nodded, slowly, before he held onto Ruthie tightly and asked her where to.
"My room!" Ruthie replied, as if Loren had any idea where that was, before the little girl noticed someone else she didn't know was there, and as such, she pointed at Nao, "Who she?!"
"Nobody sweetie," Dove replied, and Nao felt herself crack.
"S-Seriously?!" Nao cried, which just made Ruthie laugh.
"…Dove," both Milka and Loren reprimanded at the same time, and both gave pause, eyeing each other for just a second. Dove smirked at that, before she sighed.
"This is you uncles, erm, girlfriend… Nao," Dove finally introduced, and Nao gave a little bow before the little girl.
"Girlfriend?" Ruthie repeated, before she turned to Loren, "She your girlfriend?"
"Oh, yes, she is. She's very nice."
"…You look too pretty for her."
Everyone was quiet. Except for Dove, who was laughing. Nao felt like the little girl's words had become arrows and had struck her.
"K-Kids can be so, so cruel…" she muttered.
"Ruthie that's not nice," Milka corrected, before she turned towards her daughter, still laughing, and cleared her throat.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, totally, don't say stuff like that and whatnot…" Dove tried, holding back her laughter, as much as she could.
"You wanna play too?" Ruthie asked Nao, forgoing any apologies she may need to give or not. Nao just nodded, finding the kid too cute to get mad at, at least for now.
"We should ask your mom if we can all head into your room to play for a while then," Loren told the little girl in his arms, and she looked at him, grinned, then turned and asked.
"Mommy, can we?"
Loren and Nao both froze, a bit baffled at this.
Dove's eyes just went to the side, because…
Ruthie had asked Milka.
"Sure thing sweetie," Milka said, the little girl cheered, the ordered Loren and Nao to take her to her room to play. The two teens did as they were told, even if they were a bit too shellshocked to even think properly. Meanwhile, Dove just sighed, because she could feel the question lingering in their eyes. And she knew they had every right to think that.
"You haven't told her yet?"
"The longer you wait, the more confusing it will be for Ruthie," Milka advised.
"I know…" Dove just muttered, "…I-I'll tell her tonight, or at least, I'll try…"
-0-
It was night in New York City when Erina, Soma and Asahi made landfall. The trio were escorted like royalty out of the airport and into the Arrival Area where they were expected to receive a ride, or whatever it was the siblings agreed on. Soma, for his part, sat at a nearby bench as Asahi and Erina looked at a nearby souvenir shop, with high prices and gifts that Soma did not think would much impress a local girl like Dove, but who was he to spoil their fun? Maybe Asahi was looking for a replacement ring? Still, Soma did wonder if he should step in and help Asahi in turn, he just had no idea how. Women, he had learned, were complicated.
And as the redhead looked at his phone screen, he opened the gallery and looked at the photo Mitsuru had sent him. It made him smile.
It was Erina.
From when he and Mitsuru had gone to the Nakiri Mansion in search for counseling before his match against Subaru during the Autumn Elections Semi-Finals.
Erina had answered that door with the prettiest smile (thinking they were Hisako).
Mitsuru, ever the professional, had snapped a photo of that rare sight.
Erina had threatened to have him expelled if the kid didn't delete it, but Soma was able to charm (or so he claims, bribe is the better word for it) his way into her good grace and get her to offer some assistance. In the end, Mitsuru forgot about the photo until today, where he saw it on his camera and sent it to Soma. Quite the high-res pic, Soma would note, and damn, what a beautiful girl.
So happy. So genuine. Mere days before Akira challenged her and everything seemed to take a rather unexpected route, which ended with Soma getting so much closer to a girl he never thought he'd get to call a friend, much less a girlfriend…
No…
His eyes went to his pocket, where his mother's ring hid. Maybe far more than just a girlfriend…
"Soma?"
Soma looked up, putting his phone away, as the prettiest girl in the world walked over to him. Did she even notice how everybody seemed to pause and stare at her as she walked? He knew she didn't. She had no idea, that outside of her culinary mastery, she was a goddess in every sense.
"Yeah, what up?" Soma replied, as she finally reached him, "Asahi managed to pick a gift?"
"He's surprisingly very good at picking gifts for girls," Erina noted, a hint of displeasure in her tone, "Dove shouldn't merit this much effort."
"Oh come on," Soma joked, "We just flew halfway across the world for them. Stop it with the tsun-tsun act."
"I am not… that!" Erina shot back, frowning, "I'm just saying my brother's talents in being detail oriented is wasted on her. You should learn a thing or two from him…"
"Eh? I'm great at giving gifts!"
"What was the last thing you got me?"
"Okay, one, not fair, we've been through a lot," Soma quickly defended, "And two, you don't count. You already own everything I can possibly afford."
"Excuses…" Erina brushed off, Soma pouted, and she just laughed, "But I suppose that's on me for falling in love with a commoner. Where the most luxurious dates I can expect are trips to bowling alleys or… what were they called again, faster foods?"
"Fast foods, and no, sweetie, for food you know I can take you to Yukihira's."
Erina said absolutely nothing, yet she didn't even blink. Soma felt a twitch in his eye.
"…You automatically though "what's the difference", didn't ya?"
"I-I did no such thing…"
"Seriously?!" he asked, laughing, because damn it that would have so been her response a few months ago. He knew it flashed her mind the second he mentioned his family's restaurant, and the princess had to outright bite her God's Tongue to keep herself in check and not automatically insult him, something that used to come so naturally to her before.
"I didn't say it!" she argued, not really a denial, but hey, she was saying the truth, "And, anyways, yes, Yukihira's is still a marked improvement over any fast food or whatever."
"You are acting as if I didn't get you to say "delicious"," he teased, "But I totally did."
She outright huffed. "I was under severe duress and anxiety and probably about to roll over and die –"
"Dramatic."
"– Oh shush you," Erina quickly added, "I am not denying I said it, but in the month since that Shokugeki, you have yet to reproduce the flavor of that winning dish."
"I'll so reproduce it!" he took it as a challenge, because of course, "Just you wait! I was backed up against a corner, and pretty much cooking way beyond anything I had ever attempted, but soon I'll reach that level again!"
"Yes, sure, whatever you say ~"
"I know you're teasing but I mean it," he muttered, then he paused, his eyes on his palm, the same one he had stabbed open on that very match, "…Perhaps…"
"No!" Erina quickly screamed out, holding onto his scarred hand, that had thankfully healed nicely and the young chef, despite his recklessness, had not lost any function on, "I can tell what you're thinking! You are not stabbing yourself again to make a dish for me! Or for anyone!"
"I-I wasn't…"
"Right…"
The two teens just stared for a moment, Erina's eyes on his hand, that she was currently caressing, her finger tracing the light scar that duel had left on it, as his eyes remained on her pretty face and little smile. Her touch was so gentle, and it made him remember the night those hands of hers had touched much more than just his hands, and it made him tense up. They hadn't much talked about that either, and he wondered if it was proper or not to ask her if they could… you know… do it again, maybe? He was sure that that didn't work as a kiss did, which he could just steal from her lips whenever he wanted to. Which now that he thought about it…
"Soma, I –"
And she was interrupted, because he just kissed her.
Her eyes went wide, knowing such a show affection was likely making everyone turn to them, but she simply leaned in and allowed him to explore her lips and caress her tongue. For as sensitive as she was, she had slowly gotten accustomed to his kiss, to his lips, to his tongue, to the way he made her swoon and how she ached for more with each and every kiss. She grabbed at his jacket, he pulled at her waist.
A few minutes, they parted, not the first kiss they shared in New York, certainly not the last.
He smiled, she smiled back.
"Hey, don't worry if our ride gets a tire blown out, because you guys have quite the third wheel right here!" Asahi interrupted the two, signaling to himself, as Soma just laughed and Erina turned to him with a pout.
"This is your romantic adventure brother," Erina shot back, trying her best not to lick her own lips, "If anything, Soma and I are the tag-alongs."
"I do suppose that's true," Asahi noted, "And Soma, please, even if it's just pretended, try and keep your hands at my little sister's waist or higher, alright?"
"I'm behaving," Soma just noted with a grin, and Erina felt herself flustered, given all the sudden attention, so she simply walked over to Asahi.
"And what did you get our darling Dove I wonder?"
"Chocolates and roses," Asahi replied, showing her the bouquet of roses and the heart-shaped chocolates. Erina gave pause, for a second the image of her father at her door, with a bouquet in hand, flashed in her eyes, and she quickly shook that image away. Her brother wasn't like that.
"A-Anyways, your car is waiting for us," Erina quickly said, changing the subject, and redirecting their attention, "Let's move. If it gets too late it'll look sketchy if you show up to Dove's home uninvited… well, sketchier, I mean."
"You are not making this any easier little sis – what the hell is that?" Asahi said it all almost at once, as soon as he came across the "car" Erina was signaling them to. Even Soma looked on with the widest of eyes, utterly shocked at the vehicle before him, while Erina turned to Asahi with the most innocent of expressions.
"You said we'd need a car," she explained.
He had, and they did. But that wasn't his question at all.
Before them wasn't a car.
That was the Bugatti La Voiture Noire.
As in, one of its kind. As in… "What the hell?!"
"It's a car!" Erina replied, exasperated. What was his problem now?
"That's not a "car" you dimwit," Asahi countered, signaling to the vehicle in question almost afraid to even look at it. "That's a limited edition, one-of-a-kind, vehicular masterpiece that I have no idea why it is parked in front of us!"
"I just searched cars online, saw that the name had "Noire" on it, thought you might like it…" she replied, pouting.
"Seriously?"
"She be like that…" Soma muttered.
"Shut up," Asahi told him without even looking at him, "…Okay, great, you somehow managed to convince the owner of this vehicle, who nobody knows the identity of, to outright rent us his or her priceless vehicle?"
"…Yes," Erina confirmed after thinking for a moment, and before Asahi could faint, she gave a pause, "…Wait…"
"What?"
"…rent?"
"Oh my God Erina you seriously did not buy this?!" Asahi screamed out, now utterly terrified of her power. How much money did his baby sister have? What connections? Why was he ever a threat to her to begin with?!
"You said we needed a car!" she argued back, blushing over her little "oops", "You never specified you could rent one."
"We're going to be here for days, what are you even going to do with it?!"
"Me?! It's yours!"
"Mine?!"
"Yes! Do you like your gift?!"
And Soma just stared, laughing amusedly as Asahi outright short-circuited and had no idea how to even handle Erina anymore. He knew what it meant when that precious girl misinterpreted the sheer gap that existed between herself and mere mortals, but this was certainly… something…
-0-
It took Asahi a while to fully grasp that Erina had bought him a car that was worth more money than he'd ever see in his life, and that she somehow managed to do so in the span of less than a day, but ignoring all that, once he got the hang of driving it (as in, driving a sports car at around twenty an hour because he was afraid to put even the smallest scratch on the thing), they trio did manage to arrive at their destination. A lovely little home, out of the city limits, on a nice-looking neighborhood, warm and cozy looking, just as Dove would describe it. Asahi parked the luxury home on wheels as best he could, before he looked over at the house. The lights were still on, although there didn't seem to be a car parked on the driveway. He sighed.
"…And here we are," Asahi noted, feeling that even over the expensive first-class plane ride or expensive as hell car, this was the most nerve-wracking thing he had to ever do.
"You've got this!" Erina cheered, "Remember, flowers first," she instructed as she handed him the bouquet, before adding, "and chocolates after," and she handed him the treats.
Asahi nodded, swallowing hard, before he opened the door of the car and stepped out, eyeing Soma for a second. The boy flashed him a thumbs up, before Asahi mouthed an "I hate you" to him without Erina seeing. Still, what the hell? He was here. So, the King of Noirs took guided steps, reached this home's lovely entrance, and clicked on the doorbell.
It sang, and Erina peeked at everything from the car's tinted windows, like a little girl invested.
Soma just chucked at the sight.
"A month ago we were pulling out our hair off trying to figure out how to defeat these two."
"Shush, I just want to make sure my brother is happy, nothing else."
"Sure thing Alice."
"I am not like my cousin in the slightest!"
Asahi couldn't see them, but he could feel Erina's stare, as if he needed performance anxiety now of all times. But the door slowly opened up, and Asahi tensed up, since he knew anyone could answer this door. He didn't know if it would be easier or not if Dove was the one to open the door directly, since a part of him wanted to rip the band-aid quickly, but another part of him was very hesitant to meet eyes with the girl who's heart he had broken just a month ago. But, as luck would have it, the door slowly opened up, and…
Dove was the one who opened up.
Asahi's eyes went wide at the sight of her.
She froze on the spot, slowly recognizing him, as he scanned this girl for what felt like the first time. He had seen her in the fanciest dress, in the uniform of their "academy", and even in nothing at all, yet now, dressed in just casual, cheap clothes she had never looked any prettier.
"…Do–"
She just screamed, and immediately shut the door right on his face.
"…That went as expected," Asahi noted softly, before he overlooked the doorbell and just knocked on the door itself. "Dove, hey, I know this must be so out-there for me to just show up here, and…"
"Just go away!" Dove shouted at him from behind the closed door, clinging onto it, her heart on her throat. Why…? Why was he here? She had struggled all month long to forget everything that happened to her during the Intercontinental Shokugeki, only for him to just…?
"Come on, I screwed up, I know that," he begged, and she bit her lower lip, "I wish I could say something magical here that would turn back the clock and reset us to what we were, what we… could have been. But I know that it doesn't work that way. I hurt you. I chose myself over you. I get it if you don't forgive for that, but I just wanted, needed to tell you that I have not spent a single day without wishing I did what Erina did. Asking myself why, if I'm so darn smart, I couldn't figure out a way to save you from… from…"
Dove outright growled, pushing herself from the door, and to his surprise, opening it up fully.
"Who do you think you are?!" she screamed at him, and he had no answer. "You think you can come to my home, track me down like you're some sort of psycho, and what? I'll jump into your arms and pretend that stupid adventure we had for a few weeks meant something?!"
"Don't say that," Asahi called out, his tone sharpening a bit. Dove's glare did not waver, "It did mean something, to me, and to you. I know you don't sleep around. You gave me a chance and I squandered it, that much is true, but don't pretend like it was just a meaningless fling."
"It was," she doubled-down, "And leave, now. I want no part in the culinary world, or with you. You… You know what I have here. Who I have here… Don't ruin this for me… please…"
It was the way she said "please" with all the softness and barely held sadness that almost broke him. He paused, his hands on the chocolate and roses that she was clearly not going to take, and his eyes on the girl that had been once his, yet now felt like an utter stranger.
"I… yeah…" he muttered, because he knew. This had not been his plan at all. He knew. He knew of her little girl. The life she had sacrificed all as "gratitude" for Azami's twisted help, and how she wished nothing more than to go back to her normal. Which meant her family, and not him… "I didn't mean to upset you any further Dove."
"…I know, just…" Dove tried, but she instinctively held herself, her body language screaming discomfort. And he had hurt her enough as was. So, with a heavy heart, Asahi just motioned the flowers and the chocolate aside, offering her instead a simple smile. It made sense. It was logical. It had been just a few weeks, and they were both too hurt for this to ever work. So, at least…
"Are you good now Dove? Happy?" he asked.
"…Yeah, I'm home, that's all I need," she replied, "Have you… found what you're looking for?"
"…Y-Yeah, I did, I'm good," he said, "And you?"
"Yeah, I'm doing great," she said in turn, "Everything seems… to be going my way for once…"
Asahi nodded, miserable but content for her at least, and walked away. Dove looked on, her hand clinging onto the door frame, but she knew there was no fixing whatever this was. It was for the best if they both just…
But Asahi stopped.
"I imagine she is very much worth the nervousness, is she not?"
He could hear his sister's words echoing, and he grit his teeth in frustration. She was. She really was worth all of it…
Dove gave a pause, he sighed, turned around, and took a few steps towards her. She looked at him, eyes wide. She wasn't sure what he was thinking, and as such, she didn't know what to say. She was inwardly begging him just to leave, she did not want to cry in front of him, but… why…?
But he didn't do anything rash. Instead, she was transported back to just outside the resort, as Asahi extending his pinky finger at her.
"…A-Asahi?"
"…Just one last truce," he noted, his voice solemn, "At least allow me to make sure you're really alright. No lies, from either of us… pinky swear?"
She was almost crying. "What are you… five?"
"Please…?"
Dove stared, for the longest time. She contemplated shutting the door, telling him to go away, anything and everything at once, but, in the end… she simply took hold of his pinky finger with her own, just like she had done those weeks ago…
"So truce?" he repeated.
"…Just for tonight," as did she.
"And I promise, no lies," he declared.
"…Same," and just as before, she had no idea what she was getting into.
She turned her eyes towards his, and his smile outright vanished.
"It's not true," he finally admitted, "I feel so damn broken inside Dove. Not helping you. Not rescuing you. I cannot forgive myself for that. I'm no okay, absolutely not. It feels worse every time. I did find what I had been looking for Dove, and it was you, and I squandered it. I, like…" he stammered, taking a step into the side, before just saying, "Even cooking lost all merit if it's not with you, for you. It may have been a fling to you, but it wasn't for me. I never once made anything but love to you."
Dove bit her lips so hard she almost drew blood. She couldn't breathe. She wanted to just end this here, but… she swore… "…And I'm… doing horribly, nothing seems to be going my way. I can't take it. I don't know why I keep lying to you, to myself, I can't handle this mess of feelings, a-and…"
"Dove, I…"
"I haven't been able to get over you…!" she finally cried, "I'm sorry, I don't know if it's too late or not, but I haven't forgotten you!"
"Babe, hey…" Asahi finally remembered how to breathe, stepping closer and cupping her face gently, the roses and chocolates tossed aside. "We can try and make this work. I promise, if you can forgive me and give me one chance to –"
"Forgive you for what?!" she almost screamed, crying, as he paused. "I'm the one who wouldn't compromise! I'm the one who gave myself to Azami's warpath without caring who I'd hurt! I hurt you! I hurt your sister! I put that stupid little witch in harm's way despite my little brother's pleads! I am the horrible person, not you! You tried to help me! You… You…"
"Dove, that's not true, and you know it," he countered, almost crying in turn, "You were manipulated by Azami, just as we all were. That's not on you. He took you out of a nightmare I can't even imagine and of course you'd think –"
"You should have won!"
He paused, eyes wide, as she almost screamed.
"What?"
"…You should have won," she repeated, the tears streaming down her face, "Back when we teamed up, against the dumb twins, you had me at your mercy. Even Azami wouldn't have been able to stop you. You would have gotten all four of us eliminated, and you would have been the hero in front of everybody! But you didn't…"
"Dove, you know I had every intention of…"
"But you didn't," she affirmed, "Because I let it slip, and the big bad Noir, who had just told me he wouldn't change course for me, ended up doing just that. How…?"
She began, and he looked on, utterly taken back by her words. By that one, specific moment.
"How am I supposed to listen to my rational side?" she asked, almost begging him for a response to her dilemma, "About how bad for me you truly are… About how you are nothing but an adventure… When everything you did at that damn place was put your own plan aside to protect me? To keep me safe? You owed me nothing! You owed Ruthie nothing! Yet you're the only person who helped me keep her safe and you didn't ask anything in return. How am I supposed to make sense of this…? This is… This shouldn't hurt as much as it does…"
"Everything you did was to keep your little girl and your baby brother safe," Asahi told her, and she sniffled, "Nobody can fault you for trying your best for that. Our line of work, our way of life, leaves little room for things like love or friends or even family. Yet all you did was protect the two tykes you have."
"Loren would so hate that you are placing him in the same baby-sized category as Ruthie."
"Loren hates me as is, this is nothing new for me," Asahi joked, and it finally got a laugh out of her. Dove looked up, at this young man that she had tried so hard to forget, yet every time certain songs came up on the radio, or she smelled a certain cologne, or just shut her eyes, all she'd see is him. She had no idea what to do… but, if she was sworn into being honest, then…
"Asahi… should we…? Eh?" Dove paused, tilting her head to the side, finally catching sight of something parked right in front of her house. "What the hell is that?"
"Oh! That would be my new car… apparently," Asahi replied, stone-faced.
"Bullshit."
"No, it's true."
"Overcompensating much…"
"Hey, come on, one, you know that's not true," he quickly clarified, and she pouted at him, as he then added, "Besides, I didn't pick it. It was… ah, well…"
"Huh? Wait, don't tell me you came all this way with someone?!"
"I mean…" he tried, but the moment he saw her eyebrows threatening to become a frown, he remembered their pinky promise and quickly replied, "Yes. I ended up bringing certain individuals with me."
"Oh, you did not just bring your whole circus to my house!"
"What, no, I disbanded the Noirs," he replied, "Erina's the one in there."
"That's worse!"
"Oh come on," Asahi tried, almost laughing at her reaction. Dove didn't seem to find it as funny She then raised her pinky finger, making it clear she wasn't lying in the slightest.
"She is the last person I want to see me crying like this you stupid jerk!"
"Okay, that's your genuine reaction, but…" Asahi said with a nervous laugh, before he bent down and picked up the flowers and chocolates. "But be kind to her, she actually had no business forgiving me either, and yet, she did. She's my Loren, you know?"
Dove took a deep breath, eyes narrowed, but relenting, "I suppose I should accept that… darn it, it's difficult to try and be friendly with someone you are actively trained to hate, you know?" she noted, and while Asahi said nothing, Dove simply tugged at his sleeve. "…Tell her she can come inside. She is accommodating Loren after all, so I should be cordial at least…"
So, Asahi gestured to Erina, who had not at all had her face pressed against the window to see everything she could, to walk over, so both she and Soma exited the car and walked right up to where Dove and Asahi were.
"…Erina."
"…Dove."
"Hiya Dove!" Soma just greeted naturally, wave and all. Asahi wondered how many times as a baby he had been dropped, yet Dove tried, tried to glare at him, but she ended up just frustrated.
"Damn it! Why can't I hate you?! Stop being so damn likeable!" she cried out, and Soma just tilted his head in confusion. But before he could respond, as confused as he was, the four heard a little voice speak out, as a little head peeked out from the doorway.
"Dove…?" Baby Ruth spoke up, her eyes sparkling at the thought of even more playmates for her having arrived.
Dove turned, having long thought the girl was still with Loren and Nao.
Asahi felt himself a little faint. That was her. The reason he had chosen to fail. For this little girl.
Soma tilted his head, confused yet again. Dove had a little sister too?
Erina, however, took one look at the little girl, and she almost melted.
"Who's that little bundle of adorableness?!" she outright squealed, bending down to meet the little girl at eye level. "Hi sweetheart, what's your name."
"I'm Ruth Dilli… Dilli… I'm Ruth…" she settled on. She still had trouble pronouncing her last name. But she did smile brightly at Erina. "You pretty. Are you a princess?"
"Kinda, but not as much as you are my absolutely precious little girl," she replied.
"She looks so much like Dove," Soma noted, bending down to also greet the kid.
"Don't insult the child," Erina just said, and Dove felt something in her snap.
"Oh shove it!" she cried out, before she bent down as well, "…Anyways, this is Ruth Dillinger, and… you didn't tell them?" she asked Asahi, who shook his head.
"Not my place to tell."
"Tell what?" Erina asked, eyes on her brother, before she turned back to the little girl, "Is having such a cute baby sister that big of a…?" Erina paused, her thought slowly forming into a possibility that would explain oh-so much… "Wait…"
"…Yes, she's… mine," Dove replied, hugging Ruth tightly, which made the little girl just squeal in delight.
Erina, however, felt her body grow cold. That was it. This was the reason. All that animosity. All that power. All that skill. The secret behind the God Slayer she had feared so much, was this little sweetheart before her. And, now, Erina just smiled, softly, "…Soma's right. She does look a lot like you. Just as pretty as her –"
"Sister!" Dove quickly cut in, which made Erina stammer in place. Wait, didn't she just hint at…? "No, you heard it right, she is mine… but she, well, I haven't actually told…" Dove danced around the issue, so Ruthie wouldn't pick on it, but the other three did. Erina just gave her a look, utterly baffled, but she knew it wasn't her place to say anything.
"I see, apologies then, I wish not to overstep," Erina noted, but before she could get up, Ruthie walked up to her. "Oh? What is it sweetie?"
"Are you friends of Dove?"
"Yes," Erina replied with no hesitation whatsoever, "We are friends. She's the best, isn't she?"
"Yep!" Ruthie noted with a grin, "You wanna play? Uncles and his creepy girlfriend are in my room ready to play too!"
"Oh, Uncles?"
"She means Loren," Dove explained, and Erina nodded, both to mother and child, and an excited Ruthie began to drag her into the house, ready to show her the room.
"Come on! Wait…" Ruthie did a one-eighty, "Are you then my aunty?"
And Erina outright saw the heavens.
She bent down, picked the little girl up, and turned to Dove with the smuggest grin imaginable.
"…Aunty Erina."
"D-Don't get ahead of yourself!" a blushing Dove shot back, but Erina was far too elated for it. She had a little niece! She could do everything her aunty Leonora had done for her! Oh, how she was going to spoil this little girl with the world and then some.
As such, Erina carried Ruthie inside, while Soma just laughed, excused himself, and walked right in, deciding it best to leave Asahi and Dove to their thing. Which meant.
"Hey Loren!"
"What the heck are you doing here?!"
-0-
Dove ended up inviting everybody to dinner, because what else was she supposed to do? She practically had to cry to her mom that she had not at all schemed to invite friends over, even accidentally pointing at Erina and saying "I actually hate her!" before the look Milka gave her made Dove course-correct and explain that they were just friends that had dropped in unannounced.
She purposely avoided saying her past relationship with Asahi, or any antagonism with Erina or Soma. She would figure that stuff out later.
However, once dinner time actually came around, Milka shocked all the guests when she asked them all if they wanted her to order pizza or Chinese. It sounded outright alien to them all, and they all turned to Dove, who just turned to the wall.
"You're not cooking?" Loren asked, sounding disappointed, as he had been dreaming of finally eating his sister's cooking again.
"I-I…" Dove tried, but her mother spoke up.
"Dove doesn't much cook at all," Milka said, and the rest just stared at the girl, utterly baffled, "That internship with the Nakiri family certainly burned her out… Then again, she's always been lazy."
"Internship with…?" Erina repeated, eyes on Dove, who outright begged her with her eyes to not say anything.
"Wait, so you haven't cooked even once since you returned?" Soma asked, eyes on Dove, as she sighed.
"…No, and stop making it sound like a big deal," Dove quickly added, "I just haven't felt like it."
"This feels weird," Nao noted, using her long hair to playfully tease Ruthie, who was laughing about, utterly lost to whatever the conversation even was.
"Dove…?" Asahi asked, eyes on her, and Dove just clenched her fists.
"It's not a big deal, okay?!" she stated, firmly, "If I ever feel like it, I will, just… I just…"
And while the others didn't much understand, unexpectedly, the only one that did was the one Dove least wanted to. Erina looked at her, and said nothing, to her, instead turning to Ruthie. "Say Ruthie, sweetie, would you like me to cook you something yummy?"
"You can cook?" the little girl asked, sounding surprised. She only knew of mommy cooking.
"Yes, I can, and I can make it super, super yummy," Erina explained, and Ruthie eagerly nodded.
"Oh, you needn't actually cook," Milka quickly told her, but Erina shook her head.
"No, I insist, and worry not, you won't be disappointed with the results," Erina said with a smile and a wink, before she got up and showed herself to the kitchen. And while Milka said nothing else, Dove got up in a rush and followed her. As soon as Erina was alone in the kitchen with Dove, she turned towards the young woman. "What? Problem?"
"…I don't need you to flex here of all places," Dove warned, "You don't even know what Ruthie likes. She's a picky eater, so…"
"As if I'm not that and then some," Erina countered, and Dove glared, "But relax, I see what's going on. I can take it from here. I'll give aunty's girl the best meal she's ever had!"
"Absolutely not!" Dove argued, "Get out of my kitchen before I throw you out of my house! My little girl won't eat something that's not…"
"What? Yours? You can't even muster the courage to set foot into a kitchen after our duel, can you?" Erina noted, boastfully, and Dove felt her fist clench. Yet, she couldn't deny it. It was true, but… "Can't even make something for her girl… my, what were your words again? Skill issue?"
"If this is your attempt at getting back at me –!"
But Dove's threat was silenced when Erina instead took hold of her hands and interlocked her fingers with Dove's, gently. For the first time, the blonde princess smiled in earnest at Dove, because she knew… She knew… "These hands won't ever make a dish that will hurt that little girl Dove."
"I-I…" Dove tried, but she could do nothing but stammer.
"Our father's training was harsh, was it not?" Erina noted, solemnly, "I too felt no joy in cooking, no thrill, no passion, no love. It was just… hurtful. But then I met people, I saw others guide me, and after a long time, I learned how to cook for others again. I know what father said, all he said to you, he said to me too. But he's wrong," she added, and held onto Dove's hands a little tighter, "Because you said it yourself. I don't know that girl's tastes, but you do. The best person here who can cook for that little adorable sweetheart is you, and as scary as it feels, once you start, I am certain the love you have for her will shine through," she said, and tilted her head to the side, "Or do you think I'm wrong?"
"…Everything I've ever cooked was just to hurt you…"
"Nonsense," Erina denied, "That's not the version of you Loren saw. And that's not the version of you Ruthie will see either, because that's no longer you. At the Intercontinental Shokugeki, The infamous God Slayer made her last dish, she won't hurt anyone ever again, but…"
Dove looked at Erina firmly, utterly confused if she was being insulted, as hadn't Erina herself declared their record as inconclusive?
But then Erina flashed her the brightest smile, and in earnest told her, "…but the Queen of Noirs, on the other hand, is a force to be reckoned with. What else will she make, I wonder?"
Dove bit her lower lips, refusing to cry twice in one night, but nodding nonetheless. Erina just smiled, letting go of her hands, and walking out of the kitchen with a proud smile on her face. Dove remained behind, breathing hard, as her eyes slowly focused on her prized knife, tucked away. She took a few steps, and took it out, and examined her own teary eyes on its reflection. And slowly…
"Whatever I don't approve of is trash, do you understand Dove?"
…the shadows that had enveloped her whole…
"…So what's our dish gonna be… Dove?"
… began to loosen their grip on her…
"Your food is the best, even better than Azami's!"
…after years of suffocating her…
"You can cook?"
…Dove finally forced herself to be free, as the words her daughter had said towards Erina, were the words she most wanted to hear aimed at her. For her to be happy. For her to be proud. So, for once, Dove decided to cook for the one person that mattered most, and as such, the shadows no longer held even the slightest grip on her…
-0-
An hour later Milka was shocked at the luxurious meal her daughter had prepared all by herself with nothing but what they had stocked in the kitchen, which wasn't much. Dove served all the guests, her mother included, plates for a party of eight. She sat next to her baby girl, and took the spoon on her hand, filling it and motioning to the little girl. Baby Ruth looked at her curiously, but opened her mouth eagerly.
The rest each took a bite, and at that very moment, they were all utterly blown back.
'I knew it! My sister is the best!' Loren thought, nearly in tears.
'People always exaggerate with these tasting, but ~ Oh goodness!' Nao thought, being forced to cross her legs less she, well…
'What… Did… My… Daughter… Even… Make…?' An utterly baffled Milka thought, as words failed her even in her head.
'Damn it! What even is this?! I don't think even stabbing myself twice can make me match this right now!' Soma thought, utterly caught off-guard. He knew she was amazing, but this?!
'Well… what else can I expect from you babe? Masterful to the end…' Asahi thought, a proud smirk in his face.
'…You are a fool father,' Erina noted inwardly, a fond little smile in her face as she watched Dove give that first bite to Ruthie, all while she lost herself to the flavor, 'Had you allowed this girl to cook for her baby, had you simply allowed Baby Ruthie to be present during our last match… Dove would have won. Cooking for her child, even I can't match that yet. Why, once again, I can't even tell what she did…'
"Ruthie…?" Dove nervously asked, since the one who's opinion mattered most had just taken her first bite.
The girl's eyes sparkled like stars.
"That was sooo yummy!" she exclaimed, "Dove can cook amazinglyly!"
"Is that so? Amazinglyly? That's a new compliment," Dove repeated with the widest grin, "I'll take it, but, say, Ruthie, you know you can call me… mommy, right?"
"Mommy?" Ruth repeated, and everyone in the table got quiet, since they knew how hard this must be for the girl. Ruthie then pointed at Milka, obviously confused, "Mommy?"
"Yeah, she's mommy too," Dove noted, smiling at Ruthie, "But you're also mine, and if you want to, I want you to call me mommy too. I promise I'll be… the best mommy I can be…"
Ruthie seemed to ponder it, as best as she could, her cute head tilted, but Dove just raised the bowl.
"Call me mommy and I'll give you more."
"Mommy!"
And everyone at the table felt a sweat drop. What an adorable and wholesome moment of blackmail they had all witnessed.
-0-
Later, Dove found herself washing the dishes with the biggest smile on her face. She was singing a little something when she saw the light get turned off.
"Hey!"
"Just catching your attention babe," Asahi voiced, not bothering to turn the lights back on, instead walking up to her, and taking hold of another dish himself, "Need some help?"
"I'm doing quite fine," she noted, "Besides, weren't you playing with Ruthie?"
"She fell asleep."
"What, really?" Dove asked, surprised, "What magic spell did you use?"
"Considering she tired out Loren and Nao earlier, Erina and I decided to read her a couple of bedtime stories, and lo and behold, it worked… after we dramatized the fifth story I think," Asahi explained, and Dove just snickered.
"She's quite a handful," Dove noted, "And I assume Erina is oh-so proud that she actually got Ruthie to fall asleep."
"No clue," Asahi admitted, "She fell asleep first, before Ruthie, and they're both snuggled against each other on her bed-crib thingy."
Dove laughed. Then cursed softly. Finally… "Alright, okay, for once that dumb sister of yours genuinely sounds adorable."
"I know, I took pics," Asahi replied, proudly, "She is totally going to fall off the edge though."
"And I will laugh with such glee…" Dove noted, and Asahi just nodded.
In silence, the two of them washed the dishes. They both kept quiet, until Dove moved closer, resting herself against his frame. Asahi looked at her, placing the plate down, and slowly turning to her. His hand, wet and all, found itself caressing her cheek, and she laughed. Then she stammered. Then she blushed. She looked to the side, and she felt her heart on her throat, just like the first time. Just like the last time. And every time in-between.
"…You know, if we try this… then that would make you…"
"I am aware… and it would be my privilege, Dove…"
"…This is dangerous," she teased.
"And you will always be worth it," he teased back, and leaned in, drowning her senses, and kissing her so deeply she had no choice but to grip onto his shirt, because she couldn't ever imagine herself kissing anyone else. Because despite everything, she got what she had most wanted. And now, she wanted him, here, in her arms, in her life, and dangerous as it was, she'd risk it, because just like he had said, they were worth it.
…
The doorbell rang once more, and Milka, busy trying to see how she would fit eight people in three rooms, turned towards Soma, as the boy had been, polite as always, the first to lend a helping hand.
"Say, Soma, sorry, can you check who that is? I hope when I called to cancel that pizza order they got the message…" she asked, a little embarrassed, but Soma just nodded.
"Sure!" he replied, walking past the rooms, the darkened kitchen, the living room, and reaching the main door, before he opened it up, expecting a delivery person on the other end. Only it wasn't a pizza, or, in Soma's own expert opinion, not much of a person either.
"…This somehow feels like déjà vu even when it really isn't…" he half-joked, hand clenched on the doorknob, a little smirk on his face to hide away the automatic glare he'd otherwise give out instead.
Because who else would it be other than Azami Nakamura?
%
If Soma Just Punches Him You Can Pretend This Is The Sequel To Kishoto's Nisegami!