Disclaimer: Not my characters... well, not all of them; but come on, we know it's posted in a site with "Fanfic" in the name...

A/N: And so, we came to the final chapter of the 3rd Arc!

It is a joy to cook in a well kitted kitchen that spared no expense in its layout, equipment, and ingredients.

And the villa's private kitchen is the best I have since I started my chef training; even compared to, dare I say, the professional one in Totsuki.

In the middle stood two kitchen islands: one for prep, the other with a three induction stove for quick cooking, with a stainless steel sink and spray tap combination.

The back counter has a eight burner stovetop with a pot filler tap. It is flanked by two convection ovens, separate steamer rack on one side, and on the other, two fridges, a freezer, and a full sized dry ageing fridge. A well stocked pantry is kept behind rosewood furnishings bringing a soft, comforting colour that brought visually pleasing contrast to the high quality buffed white quartz countertops.

And the cookware, like everything else, is top-of-the-line.

The villa's kitchen is, in a word, Luxurious.

Soma gave the mise en place a final look over before giving a satisfied smirk, "Ready?"

"Ready!" I took on the role as his assistant, feeling the adrenaline surge within me like a Shokugeki would. Which is quite fitting: we are fighting for Soma getting accepted by my parents. The fact that my parents are able to see us in action added a layer of challenge.

Mother had insisted on watching. Father simply tagged along.

"Then," we pulled out our respective bandanas and donned them on like we always do: him on his forehead, mine tied around the neck, "Allez! Cuisine!" Right off the gate, I could not help but giggle as he made an unexpected reference to a certain cooking competition show he was watching.

First: the herbal soup.

To cut down on cooking time, we are using a stainless steel pressure cooker that was loaded with a mixture of herbs that Soma blended under my guidance. A free range chicken that we haggled from the market is lowered into the pot, to which rice wash water is then added, just enough to cover the chicken. A touch of salt for salinity balance, the pot is sealed and placed over medium heat to get to its cooking state.

Meanwhile, I blended matcha powder and coconut milk and other adjustments in portions tuned over many batches we made. Serving it to my parents to enjoy as we worked in sync to the song of the kitchen.

Every glance, nod, and hand off was understood by the other, honed over hours of sharing a kitchen together.

Soma gutted the Ayu fish that we took no small effort to source. They were carefully air flown, live, all the way from Japan as part of a new supply chain. It was through our connections that we managed to get our hands on it. Meanwhile, I took charge of setting up the charcoal for the grilling.

All for tonight's dinner.

Yes, tonight's dinner is not meant to be some Michelin Star meal, nor anything fiddly that you see at some pretentious restaurants. We have decided to offer dishes that have meaning to us:

The herbal soup was in preparation of the Omurice, the one that we made together that started our adventure. And it was to showcase Soma's newly acquired skill learnt from me.

The grilled Ayu is a call back to our shared fish that we had during the class barbeque.

And, of course, "So this is Shinko Matcha. I like it." Mother remarked, after taking a sip. "Isn't it nice, dear?"

"It's good." Father seemed more relaxed after his meeting with Soma. "The news articles don't do justice to it."

"I wonder if it will be possible to can these…"

Soma and I exchanged a look, breaking into smiles seeing that things seem to be going well.

Soon, the table was set:

Father at the head of the table, Mother at his right, my seat next to her. Opposite me, was a seat for Soma, which leaves… "So, when is our special guest arriving?"

"Should be soon, Father." Last I heard, the limo was on the expressway back.

We timed the dishes to be ready to be on schedule.

My parents acknowledged the reply. "Come sit while we wait," Mother said, "we can bring the food out later."

Seated at the table, there was a pause as we looked amongst each other. For Soma and I, uncertain as to how to start a conversation. For Father, he looked over us with his usual commanding presence even in his weekend attire.

As for Mother, "So, Soma, what was it like seeing 1 billion Yen in person?"

Soma and I looked at her in surprise at her candidness. "It was… unexpected, oba-san." Soma, caught off guard, stammered out.

"Well, it is a normal reaction; not something you see everyday. I understand that you turned it down." Mother took a long pull from her straw, studying Soma, "That was some speech you made."

Of course, my parents would share our conversion with each other. Between Mother's supportive smile and Father's approving nod, I felt relief by those words.

Whatever Soma said to Father, was actually taken positively!

"You passed." Father declared.

"Passed?" I asked. A glance over to Soma shows he is as confused as I was.

Father looked between us. "A person's true colours will show in the face of strong temptation. If the offer was taken, it's a small price to pay." as compared to the family fortune, would be what Father was implying. "Nothing personal; It was a necessary test. Meeting you in person gave me a good feeling about you and I'm pleased to find it is right"

Does that mean-

"But don't be mistaken: if you make my daughter sad, I'll hunt you down!" Knowing the extent of resources Father has access to, his words are hard to be dismissed off hand.

Despite those words, a smile still sat on Father's lips.

"Stop teasing him, dear." Mother lightly slapped Father's hand, "Don't take it to heart, Soma. My husband is just being a Father."

"It's alright. I understand." Soma stood up, a fist to his chest, "I promise that I will look after your daughter. In fortune and hardship, we will overcome challenges together. We will make our "New Fortune" as a couple." Soma's eyes seeked out mine, "I want to make her happy; I WILL make her happy."

A rush of euphoria flowed through my body.

"Cheers to that-"

"Bravo!" a voice boomed from across the room. "That was a great speech, my boy!"

"Old man!"

"Yoz, Soma, Hey, Arato." Walking into the room in a simple white T-shirt and blue jeans was our guest for the evening: Soma's father. "You must be Arato's parents." An outstretched hand, "Yukihira Joichirou."

"Pleased to meet you, Yukihira-san." Father gave a firm handshake.

"'Joe' is fine." The way it was said was disarming; It is clear where Soma got his charms from. "I insist… considering the reason we are here."

An amused chuckle, "Yes. Then call me 'Hiroyuki'." Father seemed to be receptive. "This is my wife,"

"Chiara. Pleased to meet you." Mother offered a downward right hand.

"Oh? Is that an accent I hear?" The older Yukihira graciously extended his right palm for Mother to place her hand in his before bowing down and brought his lips close to her knuckles, "Bacio le mani."

Oh, it is an Italian greeting.

"Tu parli Italiano?"

"Solo le basi."

Mother laughed, "Sounds too fluent to be basic, isn't it, dear?"

"It is." Father seemed amused, taking a seat as the others, "something you picked up in your travels?"

"I pick up things here and there when meeting different people. Had my fair share of misunderstandings too."

"Oh? Like what?"

"I once offered some money to a mother begging on the streets with her child, saying it's for the kid to eat… she panicked and next thing I knew, I was surrounded by outraged locals.

"That must be worrying. What happened?"

"After a tense situation with the locals, it turns out the words I used were mistaken as I wanted to eat her kid."

My parents chuckled, "Now that's a misunderstanding! Reminds me of the time when we were in Chile…"

Seeing that our parents are getting well acquainted, Soma and I excused ourselves to do the final touches of our dinner.

Before we got to work, in the kitchen, just out of sight from our parents, we pulled each other into a hug, physically expressing the emotions we held back while at the table.

"I love you." three simple words, unabashedly said, almost simultaneously, expressing the feelings deep in our hearts.

A chaste peck on the lips, and we are off.

With a flurry of activity, we finished the meal. A silky smooth omelette coat for the omurice, presenting the Ayu fish, serving the chicken soup, and plating the accompanying dishes.

Final inspection, satisfied nods, show time!

"You and I remember Budapest very differently." At those words, the three parents at the table burst into laughter.

"Dinner service!" Soma announced, as we placed the food on the table, which was greeted with high praises. "Tonight we have three main dishes: herbal soup, Omurice, and grilled Ayu fish."

"Omurice? Wow, I haven't had this in awhile." Mother remarked, "I love how this looks. Look, Hiroyuki, it even has a drawing of us!" She then did something I would never expect her to do: taking photos of the food.

"This omurice is a dish that we made together. Hisako came up with the idea of adding the goji berries and giving feedback on how we can perfect it." Soma looked over to me, "Thanks to her, this dish has been a hit with the crowd!"

"Please dig in!" I said invitingly.

Breaking into the pillowy golden yellow egg omelette cover releases the fragrance of the fried rice like opening a pot of stew. The whole room was immediately filled with the mouthwatering smell of wok hei from the caramelisation of sugars, maillard reaction, and smoking of oils, as well as the unmistakable deliciously herbal scent of ginseng chicken as the main feature.

Even the staff shifted from their stations for a better look.

Father took a spoonful, "Oh… oh wow." It seemed interesting to see the usually measured and controlled businessman-doctor lost for words. He followed with another generous dig, then another…

"Whoa, slow down there, dear." Mother's spoon barely touched the egg covering while Father had already polished off half of his plate.

"No, no, this is really good!" I felt a heartwarming pride hearing honest praise from a parent for something Soma and I made. A part of me would admit that it even exceeded any I felt coming from Erina-sama.

After all, growing up with busy parents makes such words preciously rare.

"Oh my… I see what you mean." Mother was still able to maintain a level of decorum, but it was clear she enjoyed every scoop of it. "The chicken is so tender and has a pleasant taste of ginseng."

"It's the pressure cooker that tenderises the meat and pushes the flavours into it." Soma explained.

"How did you make the eggs so runny?"

"Temperature control and timing." I replied, "We had used quite a few eggs in our training."

"It was almost a week of having eggs almost everyday." Soma laughed.

"It takes a lot of skill to get it right." His father seemed impressed. Coming from a former 2nd Seat of the Elite 10, it was nothing to sniff at.

"I wanted to make this dish as a call back to one of Hisako's enjoyable memories with her family."

"At the cafe where we spent time together while we waited for the storm to lighten up… I had omurice that day." I said.

My parents looked between each other. "When was that?"

"It was when I was in my first year of elementary school…"

There was a momentary silence. "Has it been that long?" Mother gasped, covering her mouth, "has it been that long?" It was not my intent to upset my mother. However, the realisation that it had been nearly 10 years since we sat down and really enjoyed our time together as a family had evidently struck a chord… even during my time here, there's always someone missing at the table for every meal, or would be too busy with their own stuff to really connect.

Busy people and their busy lives.

Even Father seemed surprised at that fact.

It was an emotional moment that I could not help but turn to my mother and pull her into a hug.

She held me tight, in regret for all those times when we were a country apart, missing on growing up, and years of milestones like elementary and middle school graduations.

"I'm sorry, everyone." Mother pulled back, wiping her tears, "I got emotional there. This dish made me realise how much I missed my daughter." She ran a hand through my hair, "It's a miracle how well you grew up to be… I'm so proud of you; of both of you for making such a wonderful dish!"

That was a pleasant moment Mother and I shared.

"Try the Ayu fish." Soma suggested with a light smile, reading the room.

The Ayu fish, staked as if still swimming in its pristine waters, was salted and simply grilled. Sometimes, simplicity is the right justice to give to a fine ingredient.

"This grilled fish is a call back to the one Hisako and I shared during my class barbeque." Soma and I exchanged looks. We had gotten so used to each other that we shared food without batting an eye.

"Crisp skin, the right amount of smokiness, and the meat just falls off the bone. Good work!"

There was a chorus of agreement to the senior chef's words.

Then, I noticed Father dipping into a small dish. "Father, wait!"

It was Soma's chef special of the day: Ayu guts ceviche. It is… an acquired taste that I am pretty sure will shock taste buds that are used to delicate and fine cuisine for every meal.

"WHOAAA." Father was breathless, unable to believe what he just tasted.

The whole room was looking at him, curious of his outburst.

"How does it taste? Disgusting, right?"

I shot a look at Soma.

Not now.

"It's… it's…" for the second time of the night, Father was lost for words. A staff actually held on to a waste bin, ready to spring into action. "Delicious!"

A moment of stunned silence, then excitement burst from the other two males. "I brought some sea cucumbers that I made today!"

If there is one thing I learnt today about father, is that he has an interest in exortic food stuff. It was interesting to see the three gentlemen bonding over over a common interest.

Meanwhile, Mother and I engaged in really catching up, keeping a hand over mine: a warm connection that only a mother and child could have.

Here we are, among good food, and company.

Open, casual, jovial.

I could not have imagined a better scene of family.

I like to think this is all thanks to Soma. From the time I met him till now, he has swept me up in his enthusiasm and liveliness.

And I enjoy every moment with him.

To end the dinner on a sweet note, Soma surprised us with an ice cream. "Another in our Shinko line."

"It's pink… cherry?"

"Yes, Sakura flowers and Cherry fruit." Soma looked to me, with tenderness in his eyes, "The cream in the colour of your hair, and cherry bits the colour of your eyes."

Hearing that this was made especially for me was touching.

How many girls can say their boyfriend made a dessert in honour of them?

Of course, it was a hit as we continued our chats.

"So, Joe, you're evidently very well travelled. Any plans to settle back in Japan to share your talents?" Father asked.

"No plans for that in the near future. After all, I have restaurants to look after."

Huh? "Look after?"

"Yeh. It is difficult to stay away when you're part owner of a restaurant."

Part owner? Not just freelancing? Soma, however, did not seem surprised about that revelation.

I guess, like the fact that he was the son of a talented chef, he did not find it something to brag about.

Very discrete. Would be the type my parents would go for.

"Yes, that's very true. However, it isn't only one restaurant, is it? Some are even Michelin Starred restaurants. If my findings are right: 17?"

"18, I just signed a new one just up North, near the Forbidden City."

"So that's why you're in Beijing?" Soma asked.

"I was training and setting the standards."

"And then you travel around to maintain them." Father seemed impressed, "It's brilliant to keep them under your professional name, Saiba Joichirou. Keep your private and professional life separate."

"Precisely. I don't want people coming to my family's restaurant to talk business. It's a place for me to raise my son." Soma's father gave Soma a pat on the back before raising a glass, and then draining it. "Good wine. Say, how about we gentlemen have a talk? I have a nice Baijiu that I think you might like." He nodded to Mother and I, acknowledging us out of courtesy.

Knowing that the serious discussions between Fathers and Soma as the subject was about to start, I gave Soma a look to wish him all the best before Mother and I settled into a separate sitting room.

"That was a good dinner.'

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, Mother."

"Yes, we all did." Mother looked at me with pride. "My daughter is all grown up and has met a wonderful boy." A melancholic sigh, "Time really flies if we are not too careful."

A knock on the door announced the entry of a staff member who brought in a small purse, placing it on the table between us before bowing out of the room.

"Speaking of being not too careful," Mother nodded to the item, "it's for you."

"What is it?"

"Have a look."

It was a discrete black clutch purse; no brand, just one zip opening. The contents, though, made me blush a deep red, "Mother! What's this?!"

"Oh come now, you're a grown woman, do I need to tell you how to use them?"

"NO! I know what they are for." I blurted. Mother's features slowly turned into a smirk, interpreting that I already well versed. "… not that I used them before," I added quickly.

"None of those?" Mother looked disapprovingly, "My dear, while I look forward to grandkids, you should know the other methods are not as reliable…"

"I… I…" I stammered, unbalanced and lost on how to regain my composure.

"The way I see it, if you're going to do it, may as well do it with some... advised precautions."

I... really do not know how to respond to that.

"Either way, it does not harm to be prepared." Mother leaned forward, "Besides the standard options, the bag also contains signed prescriptions and the personal contact of a female specialist in Tokyo, one of the best in the world." She dropped her voice and patted my knee, "Since he has a clean bill of health, you may consider getting a hormonal IUD."

"MOTHER!"

"Just think about it, alright?" She held up a hand, signalling to hear her out, "For now, I trust you will use the best of this kit where needed. After all," Mother pulled back and said matter-of-factly, "Soma's father will need the guest house tonight."

…

The guest house has 3 bed rooms.

... And she actually winked at me.

Soma came in about half-hour later.

Without any hesitation, we immediately pulled each other into a hug, savouring our close presence.

"How did it go?" I asked as we sat down on the sofa set at the end of the bed..

"Talked about quite a few things. But it was more like our fathers getting friendly with each other."

Hearing that brought a smile. "They really enjoyed the meal." I said, "we can declare this omiai session a success."

Soma grinned, getting my reference. "Seeing your father enjoying the special was a real surprise. That's very interesting."

We shared a giggle.

"So… this is your room?"

"Yes. Your stuff was already here when I came in." I nodded to his items.

"This means…"

"...Yeh."

"Oh… I was wondering why the staff ushered me here."

We looked down with warm faces.

It was funny that we had shared a place in close proximity for a month without feeling anything about it. And in that one month, our relationship has evolved to friendship, and then to something chaste and romantic.

Slowly, but surely, intertwining our lives together.

We have so much to say and discuss: our present situation, and our future.

On the other hand, it has been about a week since we made things official; almost a week since I woke up with his arms wrapped around me. It felt natural to be in this setting: alone, side by side.

For some reason, having this arrangement done by a parent, and with implicit blessing, it was bashful.

I felt his hand over mine, prompting me to look up, meeting his eyes, while he stared tenderly back.

Within his pools of gold, though, I can read his deepest desire:

He wants me...

…and I, him.

Hearts racing and bosoms heaving, we gave in to the attraction that had us both lean forward. We got closer, and closer till our hot breaths mingled before caressing the other's lips, teasing for the main event.

My eyes closed, giving into instincts, offering him to take the lead on what we both wanted.

Finally, we found home.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Although, I must make an observation that the past chapter might not have been as strong as others, judging from the amount of reviews it garnered. I really do use it to track if it still interests you, and I seek your kind continued support for the final arc. *Bows*

I really appreciate the feedback and the suggestions! I wanted to fit a certain blonde in this chapter but I think it wasn't the opportune time.

Next will be the epilogue and the prologue to the 4th and final arc! feel free to guess what's the arc going to be like!

As for the current chapter:

The surname Arato actually occurs most frequently in Italy. As a homage to that fact, I imagined that mother grew up there.

As for Joichirou, I would thank a person of his talents would be cherished by any restaurant he goes to. Naturally, some would want him to contribute to it by offering a stake in it. That would justify his need for constant travel to periodically supervise and train the staff, letting a resident chef to look after the kitchen day to day. I will imagine that, while not to the extent of the Arato family, the Yukihiras won't do doing so bad themselves if Joichirou chooses to splurge, which isn't his personally I think.

Finally: So what do you think? Did they...? ;)