-YUKIHIRA SŌMA-

November 12

Any serious chef knows how consuming the synergy needed between the mind and body is to endure a twelve-hour shift. But who knew that keeping his friendships and relationship together would require much more energy? He'd heard enough of his friend circle's drama to know everyone needed to calm down! Then again, Sōma had never met a single chef who wasn't utterly obsessed with themselves and competitive in one way or another. More importantly, he'd never had this many genuine friends. (No disrespect to his childhood friends from Sumire District; they were fun to grow up with.)

But this group— the Elite Ten Jewels of the ninety-second generation at Tōtsuki?

They'd grown together.

Everyone knows that surviving at this academy is like bare-knuckle fist-fighting your way out of Hell just not to get expelled. Except for Erina, hadn't they all tasted that acrid fear at least once? It's easier to make foes at Tōtsuki than friends—trust him. But against all contrived and genuine odds stacked against them, the ten of them—Erina, Akira, Ryō, Alice, Takumi, Isami, Hisako, Ikumi, and Megumi—had fought, scrounged, and wrestled together every day for the past three years. Something about what the bond of war brought to friendships, whether on the battlefield or in the kitchen, spoke to him on a spiritual level.

So, they needed to stay together.

And if there were any way to master the balance and keep his friendships intact as graduation loomed on the horizon, Soma would. He had to. He was the First Seat, after all.

-8-

The rain had lulled them to sleep a few hours ago. (Though the three rounds of valid reasons to be exhausted without its help still lingered in his body.) The storm had long stopped raging, but the thunder that struck him awake was befitting. Sōma rolled over. Early dawn light cracked through his eyelids and he gazed at the love of his life, relieved that the storm clouds over their relationship had cleared.

Every life-changing, perfect, and difficult thing Sōma had experienced at Tōtsuki led back to the gorgeous damsel snoring beside him. He took in the peaceful sight of her; a sight he wouldn't mind having for the first time every morning for the rest of his life. Erina nailed her attempt at making amends, although he did not need her to (when he said he'd forgiven her, he meant it), and he hoped he'd done just as well thanking her in return. Erina's gold standard was the only approval he craved anymore.

A loud grumble filled the early morning quietness again. Sōma chuckled and rubbed Erina's back under the cloud-soft duvet.

"Nakiri, baby, are you hungry?"

Erina grunted, but he knew she hadn't heard a word. He slid out of bed. Once dressed, he quietly creeped out of Erina's hotel room, careful not to wake the slumbering monster that emerged when she was forced out of her sleep.

CLANK!

Sōma hopped back. Mouthing, "Oh, shit!" he checked to make sure Erina hadn't stirred. The princess moaned and mewled and rolled into his crater in the bed. She was fine, still spirited away into whatever blissful dreamland he'd left her in.

"Whew! That would've been my head," he whispered, rubbing his neck, and looking down.

A covered room service plate sat on a tray with a tea kettle at the edge of the door. "Now, what are you doing here?" He picked it up and uncovered the dish: four perfectly baked apple strudels topped with powdered sugar, mixed berries, and a now sad excuse for whipped cream. "Aw, that's nice of whoever did this," he said, closing it and walking it down to the bed and breakfast kitchen.

He was on his way to make breakfast for his beloved, anyway.

-8-

As Erina freaked out about the possibility that Tadokoro heard them having sex throughout the night, Sōma decided to check his text messages. He'd been going back and forth with Akira since he got to Tohoku, trying his best to parse together why he was a part of all this Megumi-Ryō-Alice drama, to begin with, but it wasn't making sense. Akira was more serious about his relationship with Hisako than he was about spices. And as for Hisako, Sōma had witnessed first-hand just how smitten she was over Akira. Their dating was kind of the saving grace of her friendship with Erina after everything that happened in the months post-Central and during the BLUE summer. (But that's a story for another series.)

It made no sense to Sōma. Why Akira would jeopardize his perfect relationship with Arato?

However, if everything he'd heard was true about Akira and Alice's inappropriate rendezvous, he needed to hear it from straight his friend's mouth. Because surely, Hayama Akira couldn't be so stupid as to fuck his best friend's girlfriend…

Or was it his girlfriend's best friend's cousin?

Soma shook his head as he typed his message. Surely, Akira wasn't that dumb and sprung over Alice.

Surely.

-HAYAMA AKIRA-

November 13

To say that Hayama Akira had a lot on his mind would be the understatement of the year. It had been a month since the new Council Seats Shokugeki, and he was still licking his wounds from losing to Yukihira for the First Seat. Again. It was a battle he should've won for three reasons.

The first: the fated theme was bear meat. After the shameful loss to Yukihira with the same ingredient two years prior, Akira had done all in his intellectual prowess and power to learn how to tame that beast with his spices. He'd spent over a thousand hours studying all its pairings and components while in his post-loss depression during his first year in high school. He'd prepared, served, and eaten bear in all forms— kabobs, burgers, fritters, soups, and, thanks to Alice, even foam. So, by the time the random theme generator spit out that card, he knew more about bear meat than any other student at the academy; he was sure of it. He thought he'd learned by then not to underestimate his fiercest rival. He was sure he'd grown enough to beat him for the top spot by sure, in fact, since the day of their battle, something had been so categorically different about Yukihira that he was confident the lad would be off his game, and the win was as good as his to claim.

Dearest reader,

Akira was horribly, humiliatingly wrong. (He dare not repeat the judges' final scores from that wretched Shokugeki match.)

The second reason was that Akira didn't think his ego could stand losing another Shokugeki to Yukihira Sōma. His first-year Autumn Election champion self would scoff if he could see him now.

But the third reason was most infuriating; he wanted to be the First Seat because he knew he would be better at it than Yukihira. The boy was grossly irresponsible with administrative tasks, had already previously lost the chair to the school's director by being his same old silly and reckless self, and wasn't the most fastidious leader of the Elite Ten. So, Akira deserved it more—romantic favoritism from the academy director be damned. (He loved the guy and counted him as one of his very best friends, but the truth remains—Sōma Yukihira sucked at being a pragmatic leader.)

He wanted his girlfriend to have something to gush about when she looked at him in a way comparable to how highly she regarded Erina's social status. He hadn't come from money or a notable family lineage; ultimately, he wanted Hisako to feel proud of him. He wanted to prove to her that her last name didn't have to be Nakiri for her to be treated like a queen. His time with Alice showed him that. But Hisako had been screening his calls for weeks and still wasn't talking to him in person. He had to practically beg her by way of Jun to attend his Second Seat celebration dinner—not that second place was anything to clap about, maybe for Ryō, but not from his purview—and though she came, she left right after the toast. He knew he'd messed up, but he refused to give up.

And then there was, of course, Ryō. He couldn't bear to think about his beef with Ryō. He knew he'd betrayed his best friend, but since they were first years, they'd always been at odds over something or another…over Nakiri Alice. Add that messy weekend relapse with Alice to the fact that he wasn't sure he was still in a relationship with his girlfriend, and Akira was on the edge of losing his mind. His final year at Tōtsuki had not gone according to plan at all.

So when Sōma texted their Fall Finalists group chat declaring a three-way Shokugeki between him and Ryō—winner gets the First Seat—Hayama Akira responded so fast he nearly broke his stirring wrist.

-KUROKIBA RYŌ-

November 14

"And the theme for this battle is…"

Kurokiba Ryō was an idiot.

"Eggs!" Sōma revealed the theme ingredient with his distinctive dickhead smirk, making Ryō's blood boil. The two dueling guys looked at their class's head honcho with disgust, realizing once again that he was up to no good. But Ryō couldn't stand the sight of the Indian chef he once looked to as a brother. But Ryo's rage awakened when the backstabbing prick cracked and whipped a dozen egg whites in his bowl in less than ten seconds. With all the fury and confusion torpedoing through his mind, as Akira beat the eggs so fast that the manual whisk sounded electric, Ryō cracked twenty eggs into a bowl and smashed their eggshells into fine dust.

Tonight, Ryō refused to lose to him—to either of them. He was not a fan of the theme ingredient. He hated eggs—eating the mushy texture, sniffing the sulfuric scent, touching the slimy yolk, and especially cooking with them. It was no secret that he was not an eggophile.

But you know who was? Two of the five judges.

Nakiri Leonora and Nakiri Erina.

-HAYAMA AKIRA-

November 14

"And the theme for this battle is…" Urara Kawashima yelled into the microphone, building an obnoxious amount of suspense.

"EGGS," Sōma said with a sadistic grin. The gong resonated, and the battle began. But Akira did not think he signed up to spend his Thursday evening dueling his two best friends with such a basic ingredient. What was Yukihira on, using the symbolic ingredient of his relationship for this battle? What kind of sick, twisted role-play fantasy did the First Seat have in mind?

Sōma cleared his throat and clapped with excitement. "Alright, boys! It's been a while since the three of us had a serious Shokugeki showdown, so let's make up for lost time, shall we?" The arena's audience went wild at the First Seat's loud dare; the chaos was mind-numbing, and though he'd heard far louder applause when he won the Fall Selection, Akira lost his train of thought.

However, the rascally redhead standing center-stage wasn't unnerved by anything. In fact, he looked like he was having a ball. Seeing how carefree Sōma was and how he was too pumped for the context was incensing. Didn't he get it? This match could be the end of their friendship. At least, that's how he entered the arena prepared for war. Akira stood across from his two best friends, sniffing for blood; he wanted to beat them both.

He resented them in different ways. One had a relationship that prioritized nothing else above it and it was understood by everyone. From his purview, Sōma and Erina did whatever they wanted without regard for anyone outside their peapod. The other was an immature brute that Akira was beginning to wonder if he was outgrowing. While the matter of Alice certainly highlighted that point, he'd grown tired of his and Ryo's weekly back-and-forths, in their Shokugekis and social life, and truth be told, at this point, Akira no longer gave a damn.

He just wanted to cook, conduct his research, focus on his relationship, and relax with his friends for their final year together. Alice had nothing to do with any of that. At some point even the closest friends grow apart, right? (Then again, maybe she was the reason why Ryō was that way. He didn't know, and couldn't say because Alice didn't make him act that way. And it would be misogynistic of him to blame his friend's lack of growth on his on-again, off-again girlfriend.)

Akira resented his friends for different reasons. One best friend had been missing in action living out his romantic fairytale for so long, oblivious to the mayhem ensuing within his friendships. The other best friend was on a belligerent, jealous rampage and could not even look him in the eyes without wanting to gauge them out. It'd be a farce to say it's entirely over nothing, but it wasn't his fault that Ryō faced his insecurities and couldn't handle it. But the fact was, Sōma and Ryō shared that same Nakiri-by-proxy entitlement and because of that, they thought they were better chefs than him.

It made him wonder why he remained friends with either of them. He stuck to the rules of this cooking game. He didn't cozy up to wealth and connections to make his way through this tough-ass academy, and all it'd done was make him covet the top Seat even more. So he was going to win the First Seat and shut them both up, for far different reasons and in entirely different ways, once and for all.

But Akira needed his good-luck charm. His eyes paced across the Chandra Room and caught Soma's cavalier expression winking at him. Ugh, how annoying. He looked into the Elite Ten skybox, scanning for that comforting bushel of sweet pink hair.

"Where are you, Hisako?"

-ARATO HISAKO-

"Listen, Jun-sensei. I'm sorry to put you in the middle of this, but can you tell Akira I'm sorry, but I won't be at his Shokugeki this afternoon? Miss Erina has a pressing business matter to attend."

The timid scientist stuttered a disappointed response into the receiver but understood and hung up. Hisako sighed. Her life was unduly difficult and she just needed everything to calm down for once. She looked at her meeting notes, annoyed and confused.

"Why does she want the three of us to have a tea ceremony?" she groaned but went ahead with the preparations. "It is what it is," she said, resigned. She wouldn't fight it; she was sure her mistress had her reasons. Nakiri Alice was the last person Hisako wanted to sip tea with and act like shit was sweet around, but—

Whatever Lady Erina wanted, Hisako ensured she got.

-YUKIHIRA SŌMA-

It wasn't supposed to be an official or even open-to-the-public Shokugeki, but word spread quickly, and the Chandra Room was packed to capacity.

Ahhh…

He should've known. This would make having the actual conversation that he wanted to have tough. But the packed crowd's crackling energy was so palpable and contagious that he was confident he could harness it to his advantage and salvage his friendships.

Ah, this is gonna be fun!

He walked up to the judges' table and kissed the back of the cute blonde's hand. "Nice of you to grace us, Director," he said. He kissed the back of her hand and, with a low, devilish grin, whispered in her ear. Erina blushed and slipped her hand away, unable to stop herself from giggling.

"Sōma! Behave!" She whispered back, covering her lapel mic in the process.

Urara squeezed between them. "Oh? I love a good romance subplot during a manga battle! So…you two…" she winked at them. "Are the breakup rumors false, then? Is Tōtsuki's top and most inappropriate couple back on the throne? Come on now, you can tell me. I won't tell a soul!" She winked at the crowd to resounding laughs. "Yukihira, what say you?"

Erina snapped first. "I say…" she strained through a tight smile. "Either do your job commentating on the actual cooking taking place on the stage, or—" she cut a bone-chilling glare at Totsuki's resident idol—"be replaced." Sōma snickered and threw his arm around Erina's shoulder.

Urara hopped back several paces with a nervous laugh and resumed the job that financed her full tuition. "Ever the ice queen, our academy director, ladies and gentlemen!" She spun on her toes back into her effervescent person. "(Still smells like fraternization to me!) But on that note…now it's time to introduce the rest of our judges for this historical match! One we have not seen since our class's Fall Selection!"

"Get to cooking, you asshat! You called this battle, so take it seriously!" Ryõ roared at Sōma, his black flamed bandanna tightly covering his forehead. Sōma tilted his head at Ryō with newfound intrigue.

"Y'know something, Ryō? You kinda look like God based your character design off of Fire Fist Ace!" He mused, strolling over to the hothead's cooking station and admiring his finished prep work.

"What he said!" Urara said, snatching the microphone away from her mouth. She'd just finished introducing the three World Gourmet Organization judges. "You should start cooking too, Yukihira Sōma. The time is ticking on your coveted First Seat." The spunky match host shooed him to move faster off the center stage. Sōma chuckled and whistled to his station, his hands shoved in his pockets. (Gotta love Urara.) Then she snapped back into character and faced the booming crowd.

"Okay, folks! The rules are different in this match, but the goal is simple and the same! There will be three bouts for both First Seat contenders. The two challengers will face off twice, and the chef whose dish has the most combined votes from both bouts will advance to the third bout. The loser will get one redemptive chance to make a second dish to wow the judges' palettes but must secure a perfect score from all five judges to make it to the final bout. If not, he is disqualified and expelled!"

The audience gasped. Exactly the reaction he wanted. The stakes had to be nearly insurmountable.

"If there is a tie, the higher individual scorer will face off with the current holder of the First Seat, Yukihira Sōma, who seems to be taking his sweet time preparing anything at his station, anyway. If neither manages to make it to the third bout, Yukihira Sōma wins by default and maintains his coveted Seat! But if either of our Second and Third Seats manage to do the seemingly impossible, they'll get the chance to snag the top spot on the Council of Ten!"

"Seemingly impossible?" Akira scoffed. "Do not insult my genius."

"Right! That punk's got me right up on his tail! Sōma! I will crush you!"

Sōma watched the two boys thoughtlessly exchange a look like they did when they ganged up on him before remembering they hated each other.

"Anyway! Last rule, but not the easiest by any means…" She built suspense.

"COME ON WITH IT!" The entire arena cried out. He laughed when Urara scowled at them, taking the time to appreciate the competitiveness within his friendships and peers. Everyone was at Tōtsuki trying their best to be the best version of themselves as people and chefs.

"Each challenger's dish must be enough to feed a third of the Shokugeki's audience as well!"

The applause was deafening. Sōma wanted that reaction, too. If the school was going to see the top three Seats in battle, not only did they have to be at their best, but they also had to share that excellence with the rest of the school. He did not currently hold a 950-45 Shokugeki score for no reason. What was the point of being the First Seat if he couldn't inspire the next generation of culinary talent?

So, he wasn't going to lose.

He washed his hands, split his first batch of eighteen eggshells into an industrial mixer, and set it to the side to beat on the lowest setting.

His dish was easy to make and wouldn't take too long, even if involved. But it gave him more to decide how he'd mend his friendships when it was over. It's not like they had a lot of time left at Tōtsuki to act like this.

-ALDINI TAKUMI-

"…Now it's time to introduce the rest of our judges for this historical match!"

Urara was right. Never in the history of the academy had the First, Second, and Third Seats battled for the top spot like this. He should know. He was the Ten's historian. Takumi anxiously shook his leg, watching the ferocious first bout ensue. What stunt was Yukihira Sōma trying to pull now? What point was he going to prove through eggs?

AND WHY WASN'T HE INVITED TO FIGHT?!

"Miisan, you have to calm down," Isami softly said. He grabbed his twin's shaking kneecap and when their eyes met, he gave him a sympathetic smile. "This is their battle. Trust Sōma knows what he's doing and let it go."

-ALDINI ISAMI-

Aldini Isami sat on the sidelines for most of his life at Tōtsuki. Tonight was no different as he and his brother watched the most intense Shokugeki unfold. As much as he loved being there for his friends, he was worn out by this fight. It was evident who would win anyway.

"Hey, I'm out, big bro," he said, dapping Takumi up as he rose from a bleacher seat.

"What? Already? But the judges haven't given their final score yet."

"I don't think that really matters to their friendship, regardless of the outcome."

He walked out of the Chandra Room, glad not to be involved in the love triangle drama his friends had been embroiled in all semester. At one point before the third round bout, Sōma plopped beside them, exasperated but not exhausted.

"You know, Aldini brothers, what they never tell ya about having a large friend group?"

"What?" Isami asked, figuring it would be worth it to entertain the host. Takumi was still seething from not being included in the fight.

"If they don't get along, everyone might kill each other!"

"Well…" Isami scoped the glaring daggers being passed between Akira and Ryō as they sharpened their utensils. "The knives are out."

"Right. And this might as well be the Roman Colosseum, and all these onlookers are hungry for blood. Kya! Ugh, this sucks!"

Isami listened to his friends' conversations all afternoon, grateful for Mito Ikumi. Their relationship was as uncomplicated as the steady friendship they'd developed over the last two years. Time flew by when they were together, and it was easy for Isami to be himself—not just a twin, especially not the lesser Aldini brother. There was no pressure to be more or less than who they authentically were to each other. Sure, they'd tried to be more than friends once upon a time, but they'd both agreed that the comfort of their friendship wasn't worth the risk of an eventual breakup.

At least, that's what he said.

He pulled out his phone to call Ikumi, grateful for her balanced presence in his life. He missed her sensual energy and wanted to hang out. So he was happy to see a new text from her.

Isami missed Ikumi.

But as he read the message on his screen, his heart drained of all its blood.

-YUKIHIRA SŌMA-

Sōma wasn't one for trash-talking, certainly not in a cooking competition. So, it wasn't his favorite quality about Ryō. In his rage to beat his best friend and—Sōma assumes—win Alice back, he'd called Akira a slew of names bordering slurs over the judges' ruling that Akira's first dish.

But the guy was a hilarious sore loser.

-8-

They needed privacy to discuss the verdict as boys. They had the same man cave since they were first-years.

Sōma scooped a spoonful of Akira's curry omurice. Eyes closed, head tilted to the ceiling, he savored the smooth texture of the eggs and the full bite of umami filling his mouth. "Mmm…"

"What?" Akira scowled. "Clearly, it's good, Yukihira!"

"It's good. It's very good," he nodded.

"Okay…so what?!"

"It's good but it's missing something."

"Shut the hell up!" Akira shot up. "You're lying! That dish is perfect. Jun even told me so."

"Eh…"

"Eh?!"

"It's not perfect, Akira. Just like how neither is Ryō's rolled eel omelet." Sōma turned to face his hot-tempered friend. "Ryō. The eggs were whipped too hard, and it overcooked the eel. Rendering both ingredients too thick and toughen to swallow."

Ryō swatted Akira's empty chair. "You don't know shit, Yukihira! You made fucking croquembouche!"Sōma watched it sail across the lounge and crash into a bookshelf. Books and binders toppled on the floor.

"Hey! Watch that! That's my and Jun's hard work is in those binders!" He stepped to Ryō.

"Watch yourself, you dickhead!" Ryō bumped his chest against Akira's.

Sōma sat staring at them, dumbfounded. "Why are you two so angry?"

"Sōma, do you know you haven't hit my line once since we had our battle?"

"I—" He didn't know what to say.

"What? You didn't think you needed to check on your friend, or at the very least, meet with your Second? My girlfriend was pulling all-nighters doing too much for Erina while you were too busy with your nose under your girlfriend's skirt!"

"Woah, Hayama. Watch it," Sōma warned.

"Oh, no wonder why you had so much time on your hands to stab me in the back," Ryō cackled.

"The fuck did you say?"

Ryō yelled back, "Bitch, you heard me! Don't disrespect my cousin like that!"

Sōma was stunned by both guys' behavior.

"Shut your ass up talking to me, Ryō. You're worried about the wrong Nakiri. Now you have a backbone? Where was it with Alice and Megumi, then? I don't care to be judged by a fucking coward."

"Akira, I think—"

Ryō took off his uniform jacket. "I already told you I'll rip your throat out! You lied and betrayed me, and I haven't knocked your teeth out. Be grateful!"

"Grateful?" Akira sneered.

"You heard me!" Ryō said, turning to Sōma. "He lied about fucking on Miss Alice right after giving me shit about Tadokoro." He gave Akira a sidelong glare. "And you say you love Hisako. You're a fucking hypocrite, Hayama, and shitty friend." He shoved him. "Lying on Miss Alice and can't even own up to that shit. Pussy!"

"Dawg, you're such a fucking lapdog! Why are you still using her honorifics? Ding dong! She's not here! It's just us! So, what? Do you genuinely want me to tell you she sucked me off? Is that it?"

Ryō growled. "You motherfucking-"

"See! This is why I didn't say shit, Ryō! I knew you'd cry like a bitch. Sure, I didn't tell you everything, but I also know just as many of your lies, Ryō, so don't go there."

"Ha! So that's why you were too chicken-shit to come outside every time I pulled up? Because you didn't want to spill my secrets? You wouldn't dare!"

When they met to plan how Sōma would win Erina back, Hisako mentioned that she had suspected something was up with Akira and Ryō for some time because Ryō kept spamming Akira's phone with texts that simply read he wanted to kill him. But Sōma was not expecting all this animosity between them.

He stepped forward but Akira pushed him out of the way. "Who needs you, Ryō? You're nothing but a mad dog begging for the fallen crumbs from your master's table!" He didn't want to talk, he never stopped to listen, and he never sought to understand where he went wrong. Being Ryo's friend sometimes felt like an emotional burden, and he fantasized about being free of that ball and chain. He loved him like a brother but he was sick of the guy.

Ryō stood in Akira's face. "Now I know the street scum that had to be rescued from the slums like a stray isn't calling me trash!" He rocked Akira's jaw with his fist. Motioning around the Shiomi Seminar lounge as Akira stumbled backward. "Looks like you're not too far from home!"

Akira wobbled and threw a jab at Ryo's right cheek. "You didn't have shit to stay when your benevolent benefactor threw you out like a broken toy!"

His chair kicked onto its back. "THAT'S ENOUGH," Sōma said, forcing himself between them.

-HAYAMA AKIRA-

Akira regained his stance and threw a punch at Ryō. "You didn't have shit to stay when your benevolent benefactor threw you out like a broken toy!" It connected and felt like punching a brick wall.

"THAT'S ENOUGH." Sōma roared, forcing them apart. Akira was boiling mad. He was aiming for Ryo's nose. Everyone was panting. The tension in the room was too thick to bring his adrenaline down, but he hated this raging feeling in his belly, so he walked away and leaned on the doorpost.

He needed to calm down.

But Sōma was just getting started. "You both lost to me because you forgot the reasons why you cook. Look at yourselves! Listen to what you're saying! Is this the reason why you're rivals? To cut each other down like our three years of friendship means nothing? You both lost because you're stupid and selfish!"

He pointed to their dishes. The corners of his lips curled down.

"Just look at what you two prepared to feed a thousand people each! You both made omelets, so okay, you're on the same page. But a one-note curry omelet and a dried-out eel omelet could never be made by Tōtsuki's current First Seat. Who were you trying to feed? Yourselves or your egos? Because you didn't even think about your brief. If you did, you would've been more innovative with your craft and thoughtful of your customers. You only cared about beating each other!"

He turned toward Ryō. "Bro, you bombed out there. Like, where was the Ryō that made the Eel Matelote during the Autumn Selection? You're a better chef than what you displayed. Also, you were a total ass to Akira when you lost."

He faced Akira. "You did the same thing in our battle for First Seat. You got so consumed with trying to beat me that you were too complacent and didn't push yourself past your tried and true style. You did this during our first bear battle. You underestimated everyone else and played it far too safe today, man." He placed his hand on Akira's shoulder. "I hate to say it, but you haven't grown creatively, Akira. When did you stop?"

Both young men deflated into stone silence. "Do you know why I made Yukihira-style egg drop soup for the judges and croquembouche for the crowd?"

"Because you're lazier than me?" Akira answered under his breath.

"Hey, I heard that," Sōma laughed. "No. Because they can both be shared with others. Savory and sweet, there's enough for everybody. My eggs were silky and fluffy to satisfy even the most fussy palette while pleasing the sweetest tooth. The judges came to be delighted. The crowd came to be entertained. All left well-fed."

"Are you reprimanding us or bragging, you asshole?" Ryō frowned and collapsed onto the sofa he spent a week on.

Sōma shrugged with a sly smirk and flicked his wrist. "A little bit of both. But it's true. My soup broth was clear and the judges tasted the purity of my intentions with each spoonful. My profiteroles were bite-sized tokens of appreciation for looking to us for culinary leadership. We're the top three students in the entire school and neither of you acted like it. As for our friendship…"

He looked Akira in the eye. "I'm sorry, man. I should've checked on you. You're my brother and my friend."

"Nah, fuck that, Yukihira. Do not apologize for shit to that snake! He's trying to blame everyone else but himself for his fuck-ups. You're too good a guy, but I'm not! Fuck you, Hayama!"

"Ryō! Hey! Thanks, man, but that's not going to get us anywhere right now. We all messed up our friendships. We all could've been better boyfriends, paid more attention to our girlfriends, and made different decisions in the summer—better choices overall."

"I didn't neglect Hisako," Akira said proudly.

"Yeah, bro, I don't think that holds water after you cheated on her with-"

"With your best friend's girl!" Ryo snapped.

Sōma nodded. "…Well, I was going to say her biggest rival, but okay. That, too," Sōma replied. "Although…" he put his arm around Ryo's neck and gave it a light squeeze, giving his head a ruffle with his knuckles. "You also don't have a pot to piss in because you were screwing over my best friend with my girlfriend's cousin."

"Ryō, I promise, all Alice and I did was kiss."

"Tongue?" Sōma asked. Akira barely nodded.

"Dude, you're still lying! Alice already told me that you ate her out. She said you two fucked!"

Soma's head shot in Akira's direction. He looked stunned. And disappointed. "Akira?" It annoyed him to no end to be judged this way.

He wiped his face and shrugged. "We were drunk off champagne. It was late and dark in my room. Things are blurry…" he said with a dismissive air. He pushed Soma's hand off his shoulder and left the lounge. "But, yeah, it happened on some silly, in-the-moment shit."

"Do you love her?" Ryō coldly asked.

Chills ran like a conveyor belt up and down his spine. Akira stopped but kept himself in the small kitchen he just entered. He took his time to answer. This was not the time to divulge the complex feelings and the intense emotions that bound his relationship with Alice. Nor was it appropriate to share more secrets about one another with anyone else that the two promised to keep close to their chests. He knows why Alice told Ryō and even Hisako; that did not matter. No one would understand what that summer they shared meant to him.

"Not more than Hisako."

"Oh, that's not-" Soma shook his head.

"What's your fucking problem, Akira?!" Ryō demanded slamming his fists onto the coffee table. Akira spun on his heels. His eyes grew wild. He took umbrage with his friend's insolence and lack of self-awareness.

Then he blacked out.

-YUKIHIRA SŌMA-

From what Sōma could gather from Akira's rager, the guy was mad about many things. Rather, he was resentful of a lot that happened this semester. He didn't really care about Akira's frustrations over losing their Shokugeki for the First Seat; he couldn't do anything about jealousy. But this beef with Ryō ran deeper than he expected. He was never one to pry into his friends' romantic relationships, but maybe he needed to start asking more questions because everything else circled back to Akira's love for Hisako entangled with his complicated feelings for Alice. Soma could see the brokenhearted inner turmoil brewing in Akira's dull green eyes.

But he could also still see that his friend deeply loved and cared for his girlfriend. Akira knew he fucked up big time. So, why did he cheat?

Sōma sighed. "Bro, I didn't know you and Hisako were going through all of that. She told me things weren't the best between you two, and I was a little surprised she wasn't in the Chandra Room, but whew! That's rough, man!"

Ryō rolled his eyes but his aggression tapered off. "Yeah, well, I still believe you deserve it," he sneered. "She should've broke up with you on the spot."

"You're right, I did…" Akira let out a long breath, "I do. But I'm nervous she's now handling so much more alone because of me."

"I'm sure she's told Erina what's going on, though," Sōma said. "I mean, they're like sisters. They tell each other everything!"

Akira skeptically hummed. "I don't know…" Sōma and Ryō looked at him, curious. "I probably shouldn't tell you this, considering the circumstances…unfortunately Hisako reveres Erina so much that she hides a lot of how she truly feels about some things from her."

Soma's forehead wrinkled. That was not the Hisako he knew. "Like what?"

Akira's head dropped and his voice broke. "Ahhh…where to begin? She's overworked, man. She's carrying the weight of her family and the Nakiri empire on her shoulders. Her grandmother is slowly dying, and her parents are always gone and emotionally absent. She rarely eats because she's friggin' anxious about her naturopathic medical school applications…she's swamped with school and work because Erina's schedule is always booked, so she's barely sleeping…" Sōma nodded at that last part. "But she's too loyal and faithful to yell at the world to stop. So she just cries to me about the stress and overwhelming pressure."

Sōma wondered if Akira saw the irony in calling his girlfriend faithful.

Ryō did. "So, you knew all of this and still fucked around on her?" Ryō snickered, "Well aren't you Boyfriend of the Year."

Akira ran his fingers through his sweat-slicked hair. "No, apparently, that award goes to Yukihira over here," he smirked, eyeing a blushing Sōma.

"I was being sarcastic, dumbass. "Yeah, congratulations man! I don't think I've ever seen Erina apologize for shit in all the time I've known her," Ryō laughed. "I didn't even know she knew the word 'sorry' meant anything other than an insult."

Akira turned to Sōma for confirmation. "Oh? The director apologized to the First Seat?"

"Dude! She apologized, cried, and professed her love in front of both their families. And on his birthday after he forced us to create this elaborate dinner spread just for her!"

Akira's eyes widened. "No way?" Sōma raised his palm in his face.

"Okay, let's make one thing clear: we were not on campus or doing official Tōtsuki business when this happened, so she wasn't the director. But yes, my girlfriend did say sorry. But don't let her hear you talking about her being vulnerable!"

Ryō sidled up to him. "Oh, so you two were off campus doing official relationship business, then?"

Soma's countenance took on a dignified air. He turned up his nose. "A gentleman never kisses and tells."Ryō smacked his back.

"My man! No wonder you two were so lovey-dovey at the judges' table. I was wondering, because y'all've been aggy in Ten meetings all season and TohSpo was reporting some other bullshit that I just couldn't believe, and I live with her." He sat backward in a folding chair.

Akira stuttered. "Hold on. Wait. So, does that mean one of the judges was compromised? Was our battle was rigged?"

Sōma leaned back, kicked his feet on the table, and threw his hands behind his head. "Imma be real with you boys. Nakiri and I getting back together or not, neither of you were ever going to win today," he said smugly.

Akira frowned. "And why not?"

"Because it wasn't a real Food War."

"What're you yappin' about, Yukihira? The stadium was packed and the judges voted on our dishes a bunch of times," Ryō said. He'd returned to his usual grumpiness.

"Yeah," Sōma chuckled. "They did. Because it was official, but it wasn't real. It wasn't supposed to draw such a big crowd because it was never about the actual food competition. Why do you think I made sure everyone in attendance ate?"

Akira's jaw dropped to his clavicle. "You fucking weasel of a First Seat…You were testing us?"

Sōma shrugged with pride. The grin that coated his face told them he was telling the truth.

"Bitch, what the fuck?" Ryō shouted. He jumped to his feet. "This was just a petty game? That's why you made us use fucking eggs?! The fucking symbol of your relationship?!"

Sōma nodded but could not stop laughing. "Brilliant, amirite?"

Akira joined in disbelief, standing beside his biggest rival. "So, the First Seat was never up for grabs?"

"Yeah, no…" Sōma cackled. He swung his arms around trying to catch his breath. "I mean, yes, if either of you won. But neither of you did, so…no! I wasn't giving up the First Seat!"

"WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU PULL A STUNT LIKE THAT, YUKIHIRA?" Leaning in his face, the best friends pressed him in unison.

He tempered himself and looked his best friends in the eye. "Maybe because all real friendships get tested," he said, solemnly. "Maybe the best friends fight because they mean the most to each other. Maybe I wanted to remind you all that food doesn't taste good when it can't be shared with the people you love."Sōma stretched, feeling accomplished and worn out from a full day of mediation. Maybe he could go to school for this if he ever got sick of being in the kitchen.

(Hah! Yeah, right, as if!)

Akira and Ryō gave each other a scathing look before turning back to him. Sōma met them with an innocent gape.

"What?"

-8-

Ryō and Akira jumped him.

-HAYAMA AKIRA-

But it was worth it.

-KUROKIBA RYŌ-

They were back to being boys again.

-ALDINI TAKUMI-

November 15

Takumi couldn't sleep. He'd been doomscrolling in bed through the wee hours of the night when the new post caught his eye. (It'd been months since the last one.)

He clicked into the Tiktok Live.

"You still owe me an apology, dickwad! I ain't forget!" Ryo barked at Akira on screen, his flame bandana tied tightly, throwing innards as Akira shielded himself with a pot cover from the bloody guts.

"I think your use of my private kitchen is apology enough, you demon dog!"

"Hey! Who are you calling a demon dog!"

Soma could be heard cackling in the background. His red hair flashed through the screen. "Nice JJK reference! He does look like Kon when he's angry! But, for real, let's get back to our Food War! My girlfriend's waiting for me."

"Huh. So, The Three Musketeers Cooking Show is finally back," Takumi said to himself, killing the social media app. Aldini Takumi rolled over, sulking. "Where's my damn apology?!"

"Bro, go to sleep already!" Isami groaned from the next room.

a/n: today's my birthday! (8.20 with Love!) and it was supposed to be the day I posted the last chapter of this lovely tale, but hey life is funny! but as promised, this new chapter still came this month! but this chapter was a three-month doozy to write because the shokugeki was originally its own long scene but i decided to leave it on the cutting room floor because these boys fighting over food wasn't as important as their friendship. and soma and i needed time to realize that before it got too out of hand.

though he's a relatively minor character, akira's inner battles came to light in this chapter after being hinted at in previous chapters because he's also at the center of his own relationship drama and he's made some...ehhh decisions. ryo is his mirror and there is tension within seeing ourselves in those closest to us.

-You're Welcome!-

disclaimer: yeah yeah, do i still have to say i do not own SnS? but i do own this story, so, blah!

\_(ツ)/