-NAKIRI ERINA-
Nakiri Erina sat poised on the plush white divan, her legs crossed delicately at her ankles, with one elbow propped up by the armrest. She clasped her hands together and frowned. The teacup on the tray in front of her had long gone cold.
"Alice. How many times are you going to try on that one outfit?"
Ever the flighty cousin of the two, Alice twisted in front of the full-length mirror, paused, and eyed her restless cousin through the glass. "As long as it takes to talk myself out of this haute couture look. I appreciate your concern!"
Erina rolled her eyes at her cousin's smart mouth and began to inspect her perfect cuticles. She was desperate for a manicure— not because her digits needed it, but because her mind did. "I'm just saying. We've been in this boutique for four hours now. You know how I feel about this." She could've been working right now. It's not like she didn't have six months' worth of requests in her inbox and paperwork piling up on her desk. Honestly, the director of Totsuki should not be held hostage in a fashion boutique like this. Alice faced her with an affronted gaze.
"You know how long I've been waiting for an invitation from Chanel—"
"But we're here on my—"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Erina!" Erina instantly pursed her lips shut. Alice looked like she would commit parricide if not. The pixie princess huffed. "Why don't you request a look at this season's high jewelry to take yourself out of this unbecoming funk? Collection 1932 looks just your style and will match that gorgeous red Prada number I just forced you to buy," Alice lazily offered, fanning her hand dismissively to the other side of the boutique— away from her.
"I already own it." Alice snapped a fuming glare her way. "But maybe I can find something else I don't need." Erina stood up and strolled to the boutique's attendant, standing dutifully at the cash register. Her Chanel little black jacket draped elegantly over her shoulders swayed with each step of her perfect gait. The lithe middle-aged woman was the only other person in the store, barring the two Nakiri aides rarely out of arm's reach and the heiresses' eight bodyguards in all black flanking the entrance to the back of the store of the high-end boutique.
The boutique attendant looked up, stopping at the heiress's diamond-encrusted neck, and smiled. Erina hated that. Hisako spoke first. Her responsible tone blended into the woman's responsive business voice. Still inspecting her nonexistent cuticles, Erina absentmindedly thought of a timeline where Hisako was behind the register guarding and selling priceless jewels and clothing like her life depended on it.
A blunt gray bob swiftly moved past Erina's eye line, and she heard a curtain slide back and forth.
"Erina-sama, the concierge just went to the back to select the choicest pieces for you. She seemed pretty eager to do so—whispered something about it being an honor."
"Of course she did," Erina yawned. Yawns are indeed contagious because, no sooner than she lifted her head to face Hisako, she noticed Ryō taking her place on the divan, doing the same as Alice twirled in the twelfth couture gown of their visit. Alice didn't even have an event to attend. (Unlike the twenty in the next three months that Erina was dreading for herself.) Erina felt his boredom on a spiritual level. "I don't want to do this."
Hisako's eyes widened. "O-oh. Should I tell her never mind then?"
"No…" Erina lingered on Ryō's miserable countenance. "I doubt Alice would let me leave empty-handed anyway." Hisako giggled in her hand.
"I saw some handbags I'm sure you'd enjoy adding to your collection."
"If you're referring to the Pink Palette collection, I've already had the mini flap bag, the top handle mini flap bag, and the classic tweed handbag in storage for months. Call up the Bulgari personal shopper. I want to look at their new watches. Maybe I'll buy a few for always-late Alice." She took a step towards the boutique's entrance, then stopped. Turning her chin ever so slightly toward Hisako, she winked.
"And a couple of friendship bracelets for you and me."
-8-
"You know, Erina…" Alice started as the four teens reclined into their respective massage chairs. They returned to the Nakiri mansion's spa after Erina refused to be as impressed and delighted about being at an artisanal mochi café, listed as the best mochi ice cream shop in downtown Tokyo. "You've been really bitchy all year."
"Um, Miss Alice?" Ryō cautiously interjected on her right. "It's just the second week of February."
"My point, exactly, Ryō! Now, hush!" Alice pouted at him before redirecting her attention back to her left. "Now, why is that, Erina?" She tapped her index finger thoughtfully on her chin.
Erina knew her cousin was baiting her. She knew Alice already had the exact answer she wanted to hear and reason made up in her mind. She just wanted to waste (more) of Erina's time with her petty, childish games, as usual. She arched and dipped her feet into the soothing hot water bowl. The steam curled a blend of fresh peppermint and eucalyptus into her nostrils, and her shoulders immediately relaxed. She took her first conscious deep breath of the day.
"I thought being bitchy was my whole schtick on this show."
That gave Alice a start. "Well, true…" Alice considered. "But, I mean, you've been even bitchier by your standards. You really need to loosen up."
"For crying out loud! Can you please stop calling Erina a bitch, Alice-sama? She's the director!" Hisako slammed her hands on both armrests.
"Oh, you hush, too, Hishoko. Erina was my cousin before she was anybody's director—especially mine." She picked up her crystal champagne flute and took a sip of her sparkling apple cider. "I'm just saying, ever since she came home after New Year's, she's been in a bit of a crabby mood. And as Ryō so kindly pointed out, that was weeks ago, so I want to know why."
"I hate shopping, Alice. My stylist or any fashion house could've easily just sent items to the estate, and you know that."
"Oh, Erina! Where's the fun in staying cooped up in that gilded prison when the world is literally our fucking oyster? Honestly, for you to have it all, you're such a bore!"
Erina downed her sparkling water to keep herself from cursing Alice out. She never understood that girl. Even though they grew up in the same house until they were five and shared the same surname, they couldn't be any more different. The world was Alice's oyster— not Erina's. The world to Erina was just a giant camera lens. Did Alice forget the endless seas of paparazzi they had to pass through to leave Chanel and Mochi Toki? Of course, she didn't; Alice loved the spotlight and drank the cries for their attention all up. But that wasn't even the point right now. Although, if she really wanted to, Erina knew she could use it as the perfect deflection from the real issue at hand…
"I didn't realize I was such an emotional drain on you."
"You've been moping around, wearing nothing but black—" she raised an eyebrow and eyed Erina. Ryō and Hisako tried not to look over in consensus. Erina looked down at the short silk number rising above her knees. At least it had polka dots. "—like you're in mourning, or at the very least, like it's your new academy uniform. And speaking of the Academy: you've been nothing but business during classes and Council meetings…and you never talked about what happened when you went to Yukihira's hometown…" her voice trailed off into her half-empty glass.
And there it was.
Erina didn't want to talk about what happened on New Year's Eve. She didn't want to revisit her short time at the Sumire District. What had started like a storybook night had turned into a nightmare. No, she definitely didn't want to discuss anything dealing with Yukihira Sōma at all. Not about that night, and certainly not about the secret Shokugeki she'd just accepted only a few hours ago.
Erina frowned. "I thought you liked this Gucci dress. You forced me to wear it today, remember?"
"That's not the point I'm trying to make, and you know it, Erina!"
Erina sighed, more out of exasperation at her demanding family member than fatigue. "Look, Alice. None of what you listed is news, or even odd, when it comes to me. I'm just swamped with work, meetings, and school and want to enjoy the rest of this unnecessary shopping and spa day in peace—" Erina felt Alice's lips part. "And silence."
Much to Erina's relief, Alice frumped back against her bubbling massage chair and moaned in ecstasy.
"I know what you need!" Alice sang and clapped her freshly manicured hands. Erina groaned and rolled her eyes. Well, that didn't last long.
Whenever Alice said that, it was never what Erina actually needed and always what she wanted.
"Don't groan! I promise you'll love it! Valentine's Day is tomorrow. Let's have a fancy Galentine's date—just you and me!" She glanced over at Hisako and flashed a tight fake smile. "Oh, and wear the Prada dress, okay?!"
-8-
Erina stood in her closet wing, fully robed and completely flummoxed. Alice had not been the most forthcoming with her details about their Galentine's Day plans, leaving her stumped on what to wear for this nebulous occasion. She had never celebrated Galentine's Day, or even Valentine's Day, for that matter (except for the endless gifts their grandfather showered them with every year).
Her stylist had brought over a rack of fashionable options from fashion houses begging to work with her, but all she could hear screeching in her ears was Alice's voice. "Wear the Prada dress. Wear the Prada dress! Wear the Prada dress!" But where could they possibly go for her to wear the red Guipure lace dress staring back at her from its dustbag? She had to admit; the dress looked drop-dead gorgeous on her. Then again, everything did. The large red rose petals and exposed lace complemented her pale peach complexion. The boning of the corset that abstracted from the model's body, rather than holding and revealing it, hugged her hourglass figure perfectly in every place (thanks to the resident Nakiri tailor). The black silk belt inside the weightless garment gathered at her already snatched waist, and the plunging back revealed her bare skin but still left enough of her full backside to the imagination.
But this was not the dress for a night on the town with Alice.
She sighed and walked out the long corridor and down the hall to the salon studio. Alice was already there, waiting for her, with far too many opinions on how the artists should fashion Erina's hair and makeup. Erina took another deep, resigned breath and sat in her makeup chair.
"Wait. Why aren't you doing your hair and makeup right now, too? Aren't we both on a time crunch?"
"Because natural beauty doesn't take as long to prepare," Alice quipped. Erina swatted at her arm.
"Alice! Don't be a bitch! Or, so help me, God, I will stand you up tonight!" That sobered Alice right up, and playful Alice became too severe for Erina's comfort.
"Mou! Don't play like that, Erina." She grabbed her cousin's hand and held on tightly. "I am going to take a shower. Do not stand me up tonight. I've made it all about you." She stared deeply into her eyes before letting a loving smile spread across her naughty face.
"Oh my god, Alice." Erina rolled her eyes. "You're so mercurial. I'll be there, and knowing you, I'll be ready hours before you." She stood up from her chair to look squarely at her cousin. "And let's be real. You know I'm prettier than you by lightyears." She flipped her hair and left the studio.
-8-
When Erina began her descent down the Nakiri mansion's staircase, sure enough, Alice was nowhere to be found. And knowing her, she was nowhere near ready. Typical. She tucked her pouch bag and a small white gift box under her arm and grabbed the railing. The entire Nakiri mansion's grand foyer was decorated in celebration with red, pink, white, and gold cupids, hearts, and jewels. It had Nakiri Senzaemon's lovey-dovey sentimentality written all over it. Unbeknownst to many, her grandfather was a hopeless romantic, especially about his granddaughters. The courtyard's exquisite floral arrangements, which included a rose gold and white gold rose archway and mistletoe at every entrance, flowed throughout the first floor, and resonated with Nakiri Leonora's signature style. They even had an invisible harpist play classical music and love ballads from sunrise to sunset. Erina found it all a bit over the top, if not downright gaudier.
But catching her reflection in the foyer's center glass ceiling, she couldn't help but nod in approval.
Yeah, she looked bad. As fuck.
She had settled on the Prada lace dress, at last, and paired it with a simple pair of gold high-heeled satin slides with crystals. Her hair was meticulously wound into a messy beehive and dotted with diamond honeybee drooping earrings and matching hairpins to hold her hair in place. She opted for no other jewelry apart from the matching friendship bracelet she bought for her and Hisako and a natural, dewy beat on her face.
Now to wait on her untimely cousin.
Alice pranced down the stairs thirty minutes later in a biker leather mini dress and leather platform knee-high boots. Flailing her arm out to show off her red-feathered shoulder bag, she dramatically posed. "Like my look? It's vintage Versace!" Erina shrugged. "Aw, c'mon! Tell me! How do I look?"
"Not better than me," Erina shrugged again. Alice gasped. "But, not bad. Not bad at all," she grinned as Alice pouted the rest of the way down. To both their surprise, each cousin presented the other with a gift. Erina gave her the white box, and after opening her gift, Alice gave Erina a bear hug.
"Is that it?"
"What do you mean? I love your shoes! Prada?"
"Clearly. Alice. I gave you a white gold watch, and you gave me—"
"My love!"
"Keep it."
"You're so heartless, Erina! Be kinder to me—you're my Galentine," she whined.
"And you're exhausting me. Can we go now?" She asked with crossed arms. "Where are we going, anyway? We don't look like we're even going to the same place. I mean, leather and lace— Alice, are you even listening to me?"
"Huh? Oh, no, I'm not." She looked up from her phone. "Sorry. What were you saying?"
"I demand you tell me where we're going!"
Alice's phone buzzed in her hand another time, and she hummed distractedly at Erina. "No. But I just realized I forgot your real gift in my room." She swiveled on her heels and bounded back up the staircase.
"What?" Erina screamed at her back. "Alice! Are you serious right now? I'm getting hangry!"
"Do you want your Galentine's Day gift or not? Look, just go wait for me outside. Daddy's driver is already in the driveway waiting for us! We're already running late!"
"Yeah, because of you! Ugh, I hate you!" Erina growled as Alice yelled in a singsong, "You know you love me!" and grumbled to the front door, knocked, and waited for it to be opened by security.
-YUKIHIRA SŌMA-
Yukihira Sōma was in a bit of a jam. He had put together a brilliant plan with the help of his most trusted co-conspirators— er, he meant, his friends. But he had nothing to wear and no absolutely no fashion sense. At least, nothing that would compare to whatever his date would undoubtedly be impressively dressed. So he was determined not to embarrass her with his outfit. Dating a billionaire wasn't for the careless wardrobe.
He stood in the Aldini brothers' small sitting room and gawked at the options presented to him.
"I am not wearing that," he pointed and gagged. Takumi looked at the ruffled tuxedo shirt in his left hand.
"Why not?" Takumi protested.
"Because I'm not a big white bird, Takumi," Sōma said as if he had just pointed out the obvious. Takumi reviewed the shirt for a second and frowned. He swallowed his hurt feelings and pushed out his right hand.
"Okay…how about this tuxedo coat?"
"Nii-chan, if he doesn't like the ruffles, I think you're pushing it with the long tailcoat," Isami snickered.
"Oh, shut up! Not true!"
"No, no, listen to the smarter twin," Sōma nodded. "We've been at this all morning. I don't think you know my style at all. I can't believe you have a fan club dressing like Tuxedo Mask." Isami rolled over and fell to the floor laughing. Takumi looked like his head was about to explode.
"Get out of my apartment, Yukihira!"
"Say less." Sōma walked back into Takumi's room and pulled out a black three-piece suit. "I'll take this and call it a day." He headed to the front door. "So, are you two headed to the Lonely Hearts party at Kyokusei tonight, or…?"
Isami passed Sōma to open the door for him."Takumi's forcing us to be the first ones there." Embarrassed by the exposure, Takumi blushed and wailed.
"I did not say that! I just believe we should be punctual to help set up…" The other two boys looked at each other and grinned.
"Right…" they said in disbelieving unison. Takumi stormed at Sōma to push him out the open door. Sōma spun out of his path and beelined to the small kitchen table.
"I think I'll take one of these." He snatched a single rose from the fresh bouquet serving as the centerpiece. "Not like you'll be needing all of them."
"Yukihira Sōma, you are the worst rival!"
"Says the guy that's always playing catch up with me," he said with a wink and a dash out the door. He could hear Takumi yelling behind him how he'd beat him one day, "Just you wait and see, Yukihira!" But Sōma was too busy laughing and running way behind schedule to respond.
-8-
Sōma pulled up to the Nakiri driveway in his moped, suited, booted, and sweating profusely. He wasn't sure if it was his race against the clock (even though Alice had bought him a whole extra hour) or his nerves about how Erina would react to being surprised for Valentine's day, but he could not hold it together; tonight was a big night. It also didn't help that he was staring at two of the toughest-looking men in black watching him like a hawk as he stood beside his secondhand moped, parked next to a 2023 scarlet red Maserati Ghibli. His small gift and the single rose shook in his hands. He chastised himself; he should've known a borrowed suit wouldn't cut it next to this family.
"Take deep, calming breaths, Sōma. This is Nakiri. You're never nervous with her." He sucked in large swaths of cool air and expelled long breaths of warm air until his heart slowed. Finally, his hands weren't shaking anymore, and he could feel his heartbeat slowing down in his chest. Then his phone buzzed in his jacket pocket.
He figured it was Alice texting him that it was game time. But he was surprised to see it was a call from his father.
"Yo, Pop! I'm kinda in the middle of something right now. What's up?"
"Sōma…" Jōichiro's voice choked. "Sato's had a stroke. We're in the ER." Sōma's heart stopped.
The gift and the rose dropped to the pavement. His mind immediately flashed back to his mother. His body began shaking.
"Which one?"
Then the mansion's front door opened. One look at her took his breath away; he almost forgot all about his father on the phone and the news currently wrecking his brain.
Erina looked unreal. Like she had just stepped off a fashion runway or out of a fairytale. He couldn't contain both his awe and his heartache. He stuttered to his dad that he had to go and shoved his phone in his pocket the second she looked up. Their eyes met and locked in an instant. She looked utterly dumbfounded to see him standing in her driveway. He felt torn about what he'd have to do.
"Nakiri…" he started to approach her. "You look…"
"Yukihira? What are you doing here? Why are you dressed like that? Why do you look like that?" The rapid-fire questions would've been adorable any other day, even right then, but his brain could not make sense of them.
"I…" he looked down at the gift and rose and rushed to pick them up. A petal had fallen off from the impact. "I'm sorry, but I have to go," he said, passing her the contents in his hands. Erina looked at them, puzzled, then at him, confused.
"…I don't understand why you're even here."
It was like someone had pressed fast-forward on his tongue. He rushed through how he had made plans with Alice to surprise her and take her on their first date, but now the call from his dad was changing their weeks-long plans. He began to make his way back to his moped. "I'm sorry, but I need to be by my grandfather's side. He's my—"
"Mother's father. I remember," her voice was solemn, understanding. She stepped toward the luxury vehicle and signaled the driver to open it. She placed one smooth, long leg inside the backseat and stared at him.
"Come on. You're not going to make it to any hospital on that," she gestured at his moped. Confused and astonished, Sōma put down his helmet and hurried to the other side. "Which hospital is he being treated at?"
"Uh…" Sōma tried to wrack his brain fog away to remember what his father said. "St. Luke's."
Erina made eye contact with the sunglassed driver, and he took off at once. The sports car flew down the driveway and out of the estate. Sōma wished he could've enjoyed the ride, but…
A soft and warm hand covered his balled-up fist. He didn't realize it was trembling until she made it stop.
"It's going to be okay," she whispered.
-8-
Minutes later, they encircled a helicopter pad on what Sōma recognized as the rooftop of a nondescript Totsuki building. His head turned to her with bewilderment in his eyes. She stepped out of the car.
"It's Valentine's Day. This is the fastest way to get to the hospital without getting stuck in traffic."
"Erina…"
"Shut up, and let's go. Your grandfather's waiting for you."
Once again that evening, Sōma found himself silently doing as he was told. This was not how he'd planned their evening, but damn, was he glad she was there with him.
Sure enough, the helicopter ride was their safest and fastest bet. They made it to the hospital in less than twenty minutes after takeoff. Sōma stared at the city's nightlife taking shape below them in dotted rows of bright lights the entire ride. His chin on his fist, his head in the clouds. It helped distract his thoughts. But her gentle squeezes every few seconds helped ease his mind.
"He's going to be okay," she'd softly say from her side of the small aircraft. And for some strangely comforting reason, Sōma believed her.
When they landed on the hospital's helicopter pad, they hugged and said their goodbyes.
"Nakiri, thank you for this. So much. And I promise, I'm going to make it up to you," he said with every sincere bone in his body.
"You better," she said with a wink, taking a whiff of her imperfect rose. And the aircraft took off with him standing on the roof, gazing into her deep doe eyes. Sōma's chest squeezed with a new feeling. He didn't know if it was love, but he liked it.
-8-
Sōma walked through the hospital's sliding doors at the break of dawn, glad that the worst hadn't come true. Grandpa Kazusato was in stable condition and resting, and the best nurses and doctors the Nakiri influence over the hospital could afford were monitoring him. So…he should probably go to school. As much as he wanted just to skip and sleep the day away, he had his final French recette exam in the morning, an official Shokugeki against the Aldini brothers in the afternoon, and an Elite Ten meeting to run in the evening—with no excuse to get out of the two responsibilities of the three.
It snowed overnight, but the early morning sun was clearing the sky, making the morning scene look like a snow globe at rest.
"Yukihira Sōma?"
Sōma's head shot around in search of the deep voice that called his name. It was too early for nonsense. A stately limo driver was waiting outside the hospital's roundabout, waving and holding a dry-erase board with his name. "I'm here to escort you back to Kyokusei. Courtesy of Director Nakiri."
His eyebrows raised, and his eyes softened. Aw, Nakiri was still thinking about him.
Joichiro walked out behind him. "Hey, Sōma, I'm about to call an Uber back to Sumire. You good to get home safely?"
"I guess…" Sōma replied, nodding at the driver's sign. The driver flipped the board to reveal Joichiro's name on the other side. "We both are?"
"Chef Saiba-"
"It's Yukihira, now."
"Pardon, Chef Yukihira, I have been instructed to chauffeur you to your next destination."
"Welp! I'll never turn down a free ride!" Joichiro laughed into the morning frost, stretching his arms behind his head and walking to the open backseat door. "Come on, Sōma, let's get moving. Don't wanna be late for school."
"So, now you're a dad who cares about my education," he mocked, following his father inside the luxury vehicle.
"Wow, Yukihira! Your girlfriend sure knows how to treat a guy," Joichiro whistled approvingly.
"She's not my girlfriend," he shyly replied.
"Yet." The older Yukihira man winked at his son.
-8-
Sōma woke up two hours later from his cat nap, wishing he could sleep more. The lust of his warm bed pulled him back to his pillow, but the moment he closed his eyes, Erina's smiling face met him. He hopped out of bed and got ready for the day—maybe, he hoped, he'd run into Erina at least once today—he made an extra effort to spray some nice cologne. He just wanted to see her face, thank her for the lift to the hospital, and give her a Valentine's present he thought wouldn't come in time. He snatched the gold box from his desk and ran to the dorm's main entrance, bundled up, dreading the frigid walk to Main Campus. The limo ride had been clutch earlier. If only it had stayed...
He opened the front door. A sleek black Mercedes G-Wagon with matte-black rims stood on the grass before Kyokusei. Sōma stood still, intrigued by the rare sight. The driver's door opened, and the driver walked to the back to open the rear right passenger door.
This felt familiar.
A perfect, long wool-covered leg stepped out the door, and in a flash, Sōma was gaping at Nakiri Erina in her school uniform, a thick scarf, and a long Burberry trench coat, holding a giant red heart balloon, looking like a life-saving sight for weary eyes.
Did he wake up in a parallel universe?
-NAKIRI ERINA-
In the past, whenever the holiday fell on a weekend, Erina did not care about the day after Valentine's Day at Tōtsuki. Every year, the academy informally decided to celebrate it exuberantly. As the saying goes, chefs are passionate lovers.
Still, since the holiday was on Sunday this year, it was guaranteed to be a love fest on campus all day. It was a big deal to students and even school staff, more anticipated than the Autumn Election and almost as big a deal as the annual graduation. This was the day on campus that the sneaking suspicions of crushes were confirmed with official relationship hard launches. And she knew today would be no different. Even her grandfather was still in a hopelessly romantic mood; the courtyard harpist was still playing classical love songs this morning, and his Marvin Gaye and Anita Baker vinyls were playing throughout the mansion late into the night.
So, this was the perfect day to return the favor of last night's romantic gesture before their night together was cut short. She flew back to the mansion, thinking about how to show him she appreciated his effort. Sōma was always the one doing the chasing, but today, he would be chosen—a statement that she was ready to declare out loud. (Though she was still boycotting the word he wanted to hear most.) She knew that grand gestures and public displays of affection and intention were Sōma's whole bit, but secretly competing with him like this felt good.
It had been two weeks since she slaughtered Megumi's audacity all over the Shokugeki arena. She'd made Sōma keep a watchful distance to let the gossip mill die down over the whole thing, partly out of holy pity for Megumi's self-esteem and partly because Erina didn't want her dating him to be about that. She needed the break from running through her haters' minds all day. Thirdly, she'd become very busy with the several Boards she chaired for the Academy and her business when February came. Besides, it was already going to be quite a viral moment when word got out that the academy's director and First Seat were talking romantically.
It was her turn to surprise Sōma.
And, maybe, shock herself, too.
-8-
With all the preparations in order, Erina left the mansion's foyer the second she received the text from Hisako that her ride to school was ready.
'Good,' she thought. There was still enough time before her Associate Board meeting to make a pit stop.
-8-
She stepped out of her grandfather's Valentine's Day gift to her with her heart on her sleeve.
"Happy Day-After Valentine's Day, Yukihira."
-YUKIHIRA SŌMA-
Sōma knew he was dating Erina and was confident that she knew she was dating him, too. But he didn't realize Nakiri Erina, the top culinary academy's youngest and first female director, wanted the entire school to know. Even with him being publicly named the First Seat by her after the Regiment de Cuisine, she'd been very private about their public displays of affection behind closed doors, outside of their closest friends, and their usual performative shouting matches on campus.
So when he entered the truck, trying not to pop the heart balloon as he shoved himself in his seat, he could only stare at the pleased-as-punch peach princess.
"You're staring too hard, Yukihira."
"My bad, but, uhhh…Nakiri?"
"Yes?"
"Why are you here? You know I'm going to school, right?"
"What a silly question. Of course, I do," she scoffed.
"And…you're taking me because…"
She shot up her hand at the rearview mirror. The driver screeched to a halt. Her eyes glowed at him. "Would you prefer to freeze on the way instead?" Sōma felt the ice crackle up his spine.
"Nope! Thank you!"
"That's more like it." She nodded for the driver to go.
"But you know people will see us arrive together, right?" He was nervous to ask, but he wanted to clarify. After Erina won her Shokugeki against Megumi, she made him promise to lay low, and truthfully, he was glad not to be in the academy's spotlight for once in his two years of attendance.
"It has occurred to me."
When she offered nothing more, Sōma nodded and looked out the window. They were less than five minutes from Main Campus. It would've taken him at least thirty minutes to get where they were in this weather.
"Oh, before I forget!"He placed the long gold box in her lap. "Happy Day After Valentine's Day," he grinned through a cat fang and waited for her to open it.
He watched her eyes soften with a tenderness she rarely let show. "A gift? From you?"
"Damn, don't say it like I'm broke and stingy."
"I mean, as you are a commoner, I don't think you have much money, it's true."
"Watch it…"
"But, Yukihira, you are by far the least stingy person I know," she softly affirmed. He leaned in to kiss her, linking their pinkies as they'd done throughout their love story, their subtle, unspoken gesture of love.
But Sōma noticed she didn't open the box.
-NAKIRI ERINA-
They pulled into the Director's reserved parking spot. Valentine decorations, balloons, life-sized stuffed animals, luxury brand shopping bags, and other outrageous gifts scattered the snowy lawns of Tōtsuki Culinary Academy. Despite the biting cold, students across both divisions happily approached themselves to give, receive, and judge each other's romantic gestures.
The overindulgent sight made her nerves clog in her throat. She took a deep breath and turned to meet Sōma's calm disposition.
"Are you ready?" She asked more nervously than she desired. Her romantic eyes were hidden behind a new pair of Burberry shades.
"No less than usual. But should I be more?" He turned to look at the massive horde of red and pink dotting the white lawn. His expression showed her he had no idea how big a deal today was at Tōtsuki.
Well, he would soon learn.
The door opened for them. Slipping out of his pinky, Erina exited first. Everyone's head turned to her at once. This was to be expected. Then she watched as their eyes shifted to the person stepping out behind her. The main attraction of her performance had begun.
Sōma hopped out into the sun beside her and took a deep breath.
"Ahhh! Now, that's some quality air!" He faced her with an innocent smile and reached for her pinky. She grabbed hold of his hand instead and started them on their way, walking together from the parking lot to her office through the center path of the entire campus. An audible gasp blew through the main lawn.
Erina was bursting at the seams from the inside out. She couldn't help it. She could admit that she liked Sōma, but there was also something liberating about letting the world know. She wasn't looking forward to the gossip and hot takes on social media and blogs, but she was hardly a stranger to the coverage. At least this time, the fodder would be because she made a personal announcement on her own time.
-8-
Erina stops in the center of the sunshine walkways and faced the boy she'd slay dragons for.
"Sōma, close your eyes and keep them closed."
"Uh…okay. You're not going to kill me, are you?" He teases.
"Hush, commoner," she playfully commands. She takes a deep breath to release the nerves fluttering in her gut when he does as he is told.
It's time to be bold for once.
Nakiri Erina leans forward on the tips of her toes and kisses Yukihira Sōma on the main lawn in front of over two hundred students. His stunned posture lets her know she's caught him off-guard. It thrills her to see that she can surprise him, too.
But in a blink, her surprise kiss is returned in equal measure with the same passion Sōma brings to everything, right in the center of campus. He picks her up and spins her around, neither noticing nor caring that the entire student body, including some tardy faculty and staff, are gawking at them.
She feels like the only person in his world in his arms.
Alice and Ryō walk by, and the scarlet dame howls and whistles at her cousin. The Aldini brothers stand beside Ikumi, with Isami's arms wrapped around her shoulders, wearing a new Italian leather jacket. Megumi and the rest of the Polar Stars stand on the side, the boys cheering, the girls melting. Wiping a tear, Takumi simpers, "That's Amore!"
Sōma breaks away to study her. His eyes are wild. "Not that I'm complaining, but what's gotten into you, Nakiri?"
Erina shrugs in his arms. "I believe it's time people know we're an item." Her cheeks rose. "Even if it's not officially."
He puts her down and kisses her forehead like it's his most prized possession. "Let's just get through this day. I don't know when all these people came got here, but-" Sōma looks around him, finally aware of his surroundings. "I think people are staring." Camera shutters go off on all sides.
"Let them." She leans up to kiss him again.
-YUKIHIRA SŌMA-
Sōma had not expected a single second of his morning. It was exhilarating in more ways than one. He'd never celebrated Valentine's Day apart from the handmade cards his childhood teachers forced the class to make for his mother. He'd never been anyone's Valentine, either, so the sudden rush of novelty his adrenaline ran on was at an all-time high.
He also didn't know Nakiri Erina could be so bold and uninhibited. She was legendary for how strict she was and how tight the publicity ship she ran was, the complete opposite of Luffy. But he understood why; he'd seen the pressure of her being in the public eye first-hand, and though she carried it like an idol, it was a cold world out there. It made sense why she never allowed the public to peek into her interior world.
But today, he'd been introduced to a different side of Nakiri Erina.
It almost reminded him of himself.
The lunch bell rang, and he rushed down the hall, heading straight toward what he wanted to eat.
The door swung open.
-NAKIRI ERINA-
"Okay, Hisako, got it. To our entire Associates Board, I thank you for your time. Goodbye now!" Erina signed off the video conference and was just about to finish writing meeting notes with her new feathered quill and inkwell when she saw her doorknob twist open.
"Put your phone on Do Not Disturb." She watched as Sōma looked at her hand, his eyes dazzling as he locked her office door.
"Sōma, I just got off a call. What if I was on it."
"But you're not, right?" He crossed the space between them, closing the blinds to the outside world, leaving the spacious office a dark grey.
"…Correct. What are you up to, Yu-OH!" The kiss knocked the wind out her sails. Erina felt her lungs cave in her chest.
"Surprise," Sōma growled in her mouth. He lifted her under her uniform skirt and grabbed her ass, leading her to the chaise lounge in the adjoining tea room. His firm grip around her waist turned her on. She bounced on his chest while he walked, and she knew this was wildly inappropriate. Nakiri Erina knew the school's director shouldn't engage in illicit activities in her office lounge, but she was also just a girl!
He lowered her back onto the leather cushion and soaked in the aroused sight of her.
"You-c-can-not take me in my office, Yukihira!" She shunned him with a smile. He let go of her immediately and sat up.
"I was being facetious!" She rolled her eyes and yanked him back on top of her.
"Oh! I don't wanna cross your boundaries."
"Permission to cross, granted," she purred and licked his top lip. Sōma took hold of her luscious tongue and pressed his total weight on her chest. They returned to a rather steamy makeout session.
"You've been surprising me all day. What did I do to deserve all this?"
"Be you." She said it like she was saying, 'I love you.' She hoped he'd hear it that way. He intertwined their hands and grazed her hairline. A wicked thought flashed through his eyes.
"What do you say? Tell me my cooking's delicious."
"Never," she giggled.
"I'll bet you my Seat in a Shokugeki if you do before the end of my lunch period. Loser takes Isshiki's Second Seat when he graduates."
She scoffed. "Apart from that being a gross mishandling of power, Yukihira, don't press your luck over such a coveted chair."
"What? You don't trust yourself?" Sōma traced her jawline with his tongue. She let out a light, silly laugh.
"Quite the opposite. I am an oracle."
"Am I hurting you?"
"Hardly. I lift," she said smugly.
"Oh, so you're good at lifting things?"
"I'm good at everything."
He grabbed her legs and placed them on his shoulders. "Lift your pelvis."
Erina secretly shamed herself for how fast she did as she was told. Her eyes locked on him as a chill ran through her from his cool touch, pulling down her panties.
"Isn't this your lunch period?" He was in the middle of delicately pulling her underwear off her pointed feet. His concentration was adorable. She loved how careful Sōma was whenever he touched her as if he were aware that the concern with which he touched her beautiful flesh was akin to that demanded by a perfect vase or goddess.
She was both.
And Sōma handled her like she was precious—not fragile.
"You are my lunch."
His head bobbed under her skirt, savoring the yearning moans she couldn't stifle.
-8-
[Two months later, a delighted Nakiri Erina, Tōtsuki Culinary Academy's Director and First Seat, officially swore Yukihira Sōma in as the newest Second Seat.]
a/n: it's valentine's day, so why not share the love with a new (flashback) chapter as my gift to my readers? i wanted to write in more relationship-building moments before this story began, and flashbacks are a fun way to intertwine multiple stages of our lovebirds' overall love story. enjoy your lovely evenings self-loving or sharing it with others, and be safe! and as always, please review, like, and share with someone you think would enjoy reading!
-My pleasure! Hope you enjoyed!-
8.20withlove
disclaimer: you know already i don't own the rights to SnS, but you love reading this anyway, don't you? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯