Disclaimer: It's a work of fiction and just having fun with my favorite SNS pairing

Thank you for the reviews! It really was a motivating factor to get me writing this one! I really do appreciate that you take time to give me feedback and the motivation they give! I love to hear what you think and seeing good response makes me want to write add the next chapter faster too!

For the past two days, I kept to my word and attended the omiai as agreed with in exchange for Soma getting the same opportunity.

Vetting can only tell us so much about the candidate. Additionally, it would not be unusual to have some discrepancies when you meet the candidate face to face. Thus, the excruciating custom of the meetings.

It turns out that there was a ready pool of candidates and they had managed to arrange a meet in short notice. In keeping up with modern times, we had a few candidates whose meeting was done virtually over a video call.

Pretty smart if you ask me as it saves time on travelling and waiting for the meeting to start.

Frankly, I was also curious to see what kind of candidates my parents have arranged for me. Perhaps I can use the information to our advantage.

We had a military Lieutenant, a scholar for Garvard law, a managerial candidate interning in one of the Big Four accounting firms, an athlete…

All of them were slightly older than me.

Fortunately, while they had passed the vetting process, it was not too difficult to claim incompatibility. All they were told about me was that I am the daughter of a business family who was in high school, so there was nothing much to go by. So instead of making themselves interesting, they played to their stereotype.

The lieutenant was too regimented, formal to a fault with exacting standards.

I know, I know; I am pretty similar but there is a difference between anal retentive and organized. I cannot see myself keeping up with that lifestyle where every moment is planned to the second.

Then again, it also brought along a moment of self awareness of how my hard nosed attitude earned my nickname.

The Garvard Law scholar was an intellectual snob.

Thinking that he would charm with his "superior knowledge" that got him to the prestigious university. Granted it was no small feat being in that small select group, he did not really have to look down on the service industry, dismissing cooking as a non-intellectual endeavour… before realising I was a chef in training.

He spluttered an excuse that would hardly hold up.

Well, Mr Scholar, in acknowledgement of your Garvard education:

Quoque paulo, nimium sero;

Too little, too late.

The Big Four managerial candidate was calculative.

He was great with numbers, able to estimate the value of my surroundings over a video call and, thinking that it would impress, stated the expected costs that were to be expected to raise a family. I mean, come on, we just met and he was talking numbers to settle down.

Perhaps he wrongly assumed that clearing the vetting, the match was already a given for him. He was a little too robotic anyway.

Hard pass.

As for the athlete… that was an easy "No" as there was nothing we had in common. Not the amount of protein shakes he takes, nor the sit ups, push ups, squats and runs he does every day for warm up.

Nonetheless, for the reputation of my family, I humoured the meeting and put on a facade to be nice. At the end of the meeting, I just crossed them off the list like I always intended.

Mother, who had sat off camera after making an introduction with the other party's mother, was seen facepalming a few times during the candidates' clumsy attempts to connect.

If anything, these meetings gave perspective on how Soma was the right choice.

Now, in a change of pace, I am attending an in-person meet.

And I am bored.

We were in a private dining room of a swanky restaurant with over the top decadence: 5 tier chandeliers, golden cutlery, and a red carpet so thick and plush that my foot felt as if stepping on pillows.

As if those will be enough to make up for the poor company.

"My son is always a good boy. He's very smart, always top of class. He has a great exercise regimen to keep fit. Socially, he is popular with friends. For hobbies, he plays the violin…" She made it sound as if he was some hunky, multi talented genius with lots of friends who are the children of important people.

However, looking at the person in front of me, a boy of my age, I suspect that his mother was garnishing the truth.

He sat slouched over his tea cup, barely making eye contact.

I get that it is normal to be nervous when meeting new people, especially when one is dragged into it, and I can sympathise. But this seemed different: He kept glancing over to his mother rather than me.

"Son, sit up." His mother ordered and he immediately complied. His sight moved from his mother to me. Upon realising my witness of the situation, he avoided my gaze.

Not that I cared personally, as an observation, I think it seemed like there is a dynamic here that is unhealthy; I can see through his browbeaten demeanour that he is not usually the decision maker in his own life.

The one who does that is most likely the lady next to him, the one who stifles his growth: his own mother.

Well, it was none of my business, thus the boredom as his mother droned on and on.

"打扰了, 贵宾。请问要点菜了吗?" The maitre d' asked, bringing some relief to the situation.

"让这位先生点吧。" I replied in the local language with a slight Japanese accent that I am trying to get rid of. To be honest, my reason of letting the person opposite me place the order was to offer the opportunity for decisiveness, and regain some "face".

I was not sure if he was surprised at my act, or the fact that I spoke mandarin (yeh, remember I had training in a Chinese culinary school?). But rather than taking charge, he turned to his mother who gave him a look, coldly observing what his next action was.

With a suppressed sigh, he muttered, "Mom, would you like to place the order?"

In response, his mother relaxed and was pleased with his decision to defer to her.

That just cemented my impression of who really is in control of this life. It was too painful to watch.

And, despite my predetermined decision to reject him, I could not imagine having a control freak like her as an in-law anyway.

"Oh my, how filial." Mother remarked. At her words, Mother placed her hand bag on the floor.

Ah… a signal;

Her assistant approached her and made a show of whispering in her ear, to which mother immediately declared, "Well this is an interesting meeting, but I must go."

"What? We haven't even ordered!" The boy's mother protested. "We made the trip all the way here-"

"And I do appreciate you taking the time to come. However, I'm on call." Mother stood up, making a show of being rushed, packing her handbag as if an emergency had occurred.

Well, that is what a doctor's life is like.

"And your daughter? Isn't the reason for this is for them to meet?"

Mother looked over to me. In response, I flashed my eyes to the door to confirm that I wanted to leave too. "Mother, is it…?" I joined in on the act.

"Yes, it is." Mother nodded, "I'll need you to come with me." she then motioned to her assistant, speaking to the other party, "My assistant will sort out the details. In the meantime, I suggest you try the desserts here." She had ushered me out the door, "Perhaps your son would get to pick something he likes."

Mother led the way out of the restaurant, giving the restaurant staff who thanked her visit a polite nod all the way till we got to the elevator. Too bad we can't sample more of their hospitality.

Mother blew out a breath the moment the elevator's doors closed, "Well that was a waste of time. I don't think they are quite suitable. Good acting, by the way."

We are now in the world of doublespeak and subtlety. Rather than outright rejection, things are done in a roundabout fashion.

I gave her an impressed glance, surprised to see Mother pull that off and her reaction to the meeting. "Mother, is that really alright to leave like that?" wondering if it would come back to us somehow.

"Oh, this isn't the first time I've done that. My assistant is pretty capable so there's no worries." Mother said dismissively, giving a sideways glance, "I'm sure you did your fair share doing the same for Erina-chan?"

The familiar way Mother addressed Erina-sama aside, thinking back on similar situations, Erina-sama would have been more direct, shooting down the prospect without holding back, as if releasing all her frustrations that accumulated over the many sessions she had to go through. As her secretary, I have honed a plethora of convincing reasons to cut short the meetings, and closing the matter on her behalf.

"Well, it is clear that this Omiai process isn't working out." Mother remarked, giving our chauffeur a grateful smile as he held the door open for us. "The vetting could have been more thorough by interviewing the candidate directly before we met them."

"I think it was already quite comprehensive, Mother."

"Really? It's just a standard family background check, calling up their supervisors, and legal screening. Just like a job interview." Mother tapped away on her cell phone. "Evidently, they aren't perfect; Meeting and speaking with the person is still the most effective as evidenced in our last meeting."

Huh? "Soma says he has already submitted the questionnaires he was asked to fill. He should be at the hospital now taking the medical exam."

Pausing from her typing, Mother also expressed confusion, "Questionnaire? Medical exam?"

"Yes… were they not part of the vetting?"

"The medical exam was to come when things got serious. You know, checking for diseases and all." She waved dismissively, "However, we never had a questionnaire requirement before."

"It was a two hour psychological and IQ assessment!" I recalled seeing Soma's mussed up hair over our video call from running his hand through it as he raked his brain.

"Perhaps your father added those in." Mother shrugged.

"So the requirement for the elementary and middle school report books was also an add on?" indignant on this unfair assessment on his behalf, "Even I thought it was an odd thing to ask for his age progression photos."

"Did he send them over?" Mother was amusedly.

"Of course he did. He was prepared to fulfil whatever is required."

"Seems like this boy is really committed."

Thinking about Soma made a smile play on my lips, "When Soma is determined to do something, he will give his all to see it through."

"Oh? Like what?"

"During the Tōtsuki Friendship and Rapport Training Camp, there was a breakfast challenge. Soma had chosen to make Soufflé Omelette for the challenge to serve 200 portions, which became an issue for him."

"Serving 200 portions already sounds difficult, and what issue was it?"

"Yes, the problem with Soufflé is that they would deflate after a short while. So the ones he pre-made were unappealing to the diners. Furthermore, he was situated just next to Erina-sama who naturally drew attention away from him."

"Now that is quite a pickle." Mother chuckled. "So how did he solve it?'"

"Showmanship." I smiled fondly, recalling my amazement when Erina-sama ranted at how he stole her thunder. "Soma figured a few factors: the foot traffic that Erina-sama brought to his area, the artistry of making a souffle, and the resources he can effectively manage to carry out his goal. He made it into a live cooking exhibition using eight stoves!"

Mother listened with interest as I continued on his other feats of culinary talents:

Working with limited ingredients in the land shark incident,

Created a donburi dish using what little cash he had that defeated an A5 wagyu dish,

Coordinated his shopping district to create a karaage roll that stood up against the might of a franchise chain….

"Sounds like this Yukihira boy is very talented and resourceful."

"He is, Mother."

Mother thought for a moment, "and it is clear to me you really like that about him."

Her words pulled me back to the ground. This was the first time, as far as I could remember, I had such an open and long talk with my own Mother.

And I found myself happy to tell her more about the way I saw Soma, "He's also kind, helpful, brave and, most of all, honest."

"Honest?"

"Soma may not have been born with a silver spoon, but that has him brought up in a community of folk that does what they say." I thought about the people back in Sumiredori shopping district, "pride and satisfaction comes from an honest day's work."

"Be that as it may, people may change in the face of money."

"That's unlikely for Soma." I looked Mother in the eyes, "He was offered a lucrative deal to work under a business oriented Elite 10 member for his karaage success. He turned it down as his goal was to succeed his family restaurant."

Mother fell silent as she processed my words. She then asked:

"You love him, don't you?"

Love… the four letter word that expresses happiness on a subject, a promise of commitment, and a declaration of affection.

Soma makes me laugh with his jokes, my heart flutters when he holds my hand, I worry when he does something reckless, get exasperated when he fools around even though stakes are high, feel relief when all turns out well, and rightfully proud of what he achieves.

I believe in him.

I believe in him to the extent that I was mentally prepared to leave my family name for him

Yeh, I was ready to forget about the Arato billions for him…

Love does makes us do stupid things.

But I doubt that being with Soma will be a stupid decision:

I have no doubts of his capabilities as an individual. I have no doubts about OUR capabilities as a pair. I am sure that we can make our own fortune and create our own happiness.

Come hell or high water, we will stick together.

To answer, I loudly and proudly declared:

"Yes, I love Yukihira Soma!"

A/N: This chapter I wanted to mainly focus on how Hisako and her mother reconnect over Soma and how the Omiais went. I hoped to show Hisako's thoughts and her determination to be with Soma! Was it good enough?

To celebrate the 100k words milestone, let's play a game to review details of past chapters :)

1) What ingredient did Hisako contributed to Soma's dish to kick off the story?

2) What is/are Hisako's hobbies?

3) What is Hisako's Father's name?

4) Which wrist does Hisako put the bandana on?

5) Where did the Nakiris head to for their summer?

6) What were the words on the beach restaurant sign?

7) What kind of magazines does Soma keep in his cupboard?

8) What is the alcohol content of that tea drink Hisako downed? (Should I make an between the lines story on what happened there?)

9) What business does Koganei's parents do?

10) How many songs Aida Shion produced using Hisako as his muse?

Have fun!

Once again, thank you for your reviews! They do let me know if I still got your attention and it keeps me writing; as long as there's a healthy amount of interest, I'll continue writing!