It was the morning before the fifth and final bout of the Regiment de Cuisine. Soma sighed.
They were not on speaking terms.
It had been this way since they boarded the tsukikage for Rabun Island. He missed talking to her, cuddling in their different-sized train car beds, sharing their favorite things, and the general enjoyment of food and time together. It had been fun being with her every night.
Until one day, it stopped.
Soma rolled over in bed, exhausted. He'd barely had time to sleep, coming in two hours ago, and had barely slept a wink in the little time he did have. The cloud-soft, full-sized mattress did wonders for his back (he hadn't realized how cramped sleeping in a twin had become). Tohtsuki knew how to put them up in style. Then it occurred to him— it wasn't Tohtsuki but the Nakiri family. All of this, everything about his current life, orbited around this one family. They were central to his highs and lows from the story's beginning.
How had it come to this? His entire Tohtsuki experience ended up on this track to save the school and the home of the girl he enjoyed meddling with—the girl of his dreams. Sometimes, though, when Soma was caffeinated enough to think about it, he felt this was no coincidence. He questioned whether he had chosen or been led upon this path. Whether the whole lead-up to this fight against the Azami Nakamura administration, also known as Central, seemed contrived from the start of his academic career at the illustrious institution or whether he was just at the right place for such a time as this, he wondered who'd pulled the strings, pressed the button, rang the bell, or made the call to set this whole series of events in motion. Why had everything gone so that he was in a luxury bed sulking right before the most important Food War of his life? Even more confounding, why had he just gone along with it without a second thought?
He didn't feel derailed, though. No, everything was working out better than his wildest imagination could have conceived when he stood on that stage two seasons ago, declaring that he would do the very thing he was doing to crowds of people while only addressing one. But it was a most curious and inconvenient discovery to stumble upon the night before the most important Food War of their lives:
For the first time since transferring to Tohtsuki, and maybe in his whole life, Soma Yukihira was emotionally distracted. His heart clenched to his chest whenever she crossed his mind—which was too much for his body to handle. His thoughts clouded with visions of the different versions of Erina he'd been privileged to witness up close—to unfold, explore, discover, touch, and know.
Of course, there was the Erina he met nine months ago holding a single egg in her proud hand, the Tenth Seat and Tohtsuki heiress. But there was also:
Alluring Erina
Bashful Erina.
Compassionate Erina
Darling Erina.
Excitable Erina.
Fashionable Erina.
Geeky Erina.
Hungry Erina.
Innocent Erina.
Jealous Erina
Kissable Erina.
Lambent Erina.
Magnetic Erina.
Naughty Erina.
Obsessive Erina.
Perceptive Erina.
Quirky Erina.
Romantic Erina.
Sexy Erina.
Tenacious Erina.
Unforgettable Erina.
Vibrant Erina.
Witty Erina.
Xenial Erina.
Yearning Erina.
Zealous Erina.
But what overwhelmed Soma the most? They were all his favorite versions of her. Erina Nakiri was simply irresistible.
How did you get here, Soma? He often asked himself.
When did Erina Nakiri become so deeply embedded into his body, brain, bones, and being that he missed all her intimacies more than his own breath?
-8-
"Ugh!" He groaned, rolling to his stomach. He grunted with each pushup after a set of crunches. He was forcing his body to filter out the frustrations clouding his mind, to be grounded in the present moment. He'd never been this flustered when food and fighting were involved, but his heart forced his mind to wander away at the oddest times, and he was never prepared for its takeover—like all afternoon when he couldn't stop thinking about the last time he touched Erina.
This morning, he was on the roof of another fancy hotel owned by her family. Though his stomach was in knots over seeing Erina holding Eishi's hands in a French café mere hours prior, and his adrenaline was pumping at the chance to knock Central down a peg, his body reached for her on its own.
Soma was ready to declare war against Central on that rooftop because of Isshiki's conversation with them at the ice rink.
"My young peers!" Isshiki said. "I've come as Hermes, the messenger of chaos."
"A messenger of chaos?" Takumi screwed his face. "Well, that can't be good."
But everything changed when he heard her pleading screams coming from the roof while looking for his friends. Soma rushed up four flights of stairs in a flash. When he saw her—thee Erina Nakiri kneeling, begging, crying to her father—and how the wicked man rejected her like she wasn't the crown angel of Tohtsuki that she was…
He forgot all about the last night's heartbreak.
His feet floated from the door, and his hand gripped her shoulder without conscious thought. Soma knew that when he touched her, and their spirits made contact through her white chef's coat, he had to protect her crown—no matter what. It was crooked right now, teetering on the edge of slipping off her divine head, and he couldn't handle that for much longer.
"Yo, Azami." Soma's mouth spoke on its own. "At this point, Nakiri, we're just going to have to settle things on the plate," he said to her but burned a hole through Azami's retreating figure. The black-coated man kept walking toward a chopper with a gold 'N' emblazoned on its side, and Soma waited for Erina's father to respond. The whirring helicopter blades chopping through the turbulent skies, an omen.
But his eardrums popped when he heard her softly gasp his name.
(Soma doesn't know this yet, but when Erina's eyes fell on him and saw his profile shining under the sunrays streaming through the dark morning clouds, she witnessed their souls meet and then touch. Their embrace felt too warm, too familiar…too much like home…for this lifetime to be their first time finding each other.)
Either way, they only had a month to prepare for Rabun Island, and Soma was feeling a storm of emotions and pulling his pillow tight because those fucking butterflies were back, bursting out of their cocoons in his tummy, and it was all over a girl.
If the girl were anyone other than Erina Nakiri, maybe he'd be more upset…
Takumi texted him to open his hotel door. The high-strung chef charged in, and Soma thought a fire had broken out. "Yukihira, are you alright? You seemed out of it all day. Kind of like you were dissociating."
It was the night before the first bout of the Regiment de Cuisine (or, for the non-French-fluent, a Regimental Food War), and their month of prep had flown by. Soma, Erina, Takumi, Megumi, and the disposed Seats on the Ten only had the next five days to fight for their futures and change their lives.
When Soma found out Isshiki had been planning to overthrow Central this whole time with Gin Dojima, his adrenaline was pumping so hard he couldn't wait to see the sun. And when he decided that morning that he'd risk it all to battle it out for the seats on the Elite Ten and challenged Erina's father to an all-out Shokugeki...
"No, Soma." Azami sneered in disgust. The blades slicing through the thick air blew the stoic man's jet-black hair out of his eyes. Those cold, soulless eyes.
"What an utterly ridiculous idea! Even for you, Yukihira."
In the end, the Regiment de Cuisine would take place. He just wasn't expecting his father to be the reason why.
"Yo, Soma! How's it hangin'?" His father strolled up to him right after the declaration of war. Soma gave him a blank stare.
"Is this really the right time to be asking that, Pop? And why do you always have to pop out of nowhere?"
"Oh, that?" Joichiro laughed. "Sometimes you gotta pop out and show villains..." The unamused look on Soma's face forced his father to clear his throat. "Sorry, a little dad joke. Anyway, Isshiki didn't tell you? We've been planning this with Gin for a month!" Soma's face dropped. "Wait...Soma. Wait. You didn't think you were the Christ or something, did you?" Joichiro's taunting laughs echoed on the roof.
"Noooo," Soma pouted out his lie. "I just had it under control, is all! I've been fighting for my friends and my life for the past two weeks, and I don't need anything interfering with that." Both Yukihira men turned toward who he really was talking about. Erina stood twenty feet away on the opposite end of the roof. She was talking to her grandfather, looking breathtaking…and overwhelmed. She glanced in his direction and immediately turned away when their eyes met.
"Ah, I see…" Joichiro drawled, picking up the emotionally repressed angst of youth and young love.
"You see what?" Soma dryly asked.
"I see you've found someone worth fighting for."
"Huh? What are you talking about, you old goat?"
"Oh, nothing…just take it easy, Soma. You always rush into everything head-first, but sometimes it's important to slow down and think first."
"I…really don't know what you're saying, Dad." Joichiro laughed, slapping his son's back without mercy. Soma cringed under the striking sting running through his spine. He did not miss his father's "love taps."
"Ah, well, I guess it doesn't matter for now, and as for later, it'll all come out in the wash. Just do your best, son. I'm counting on you to be yourself."
Soma ogled at his dad being an emotionally present, although confusing, parent. Joichiro sounded too sincere to be his cavalier father. "I-I will, Pop."
"Good, because if you don't, we lose Yukihira for good! And that'll play right into Nakamura's hand, and we'll be forever enslaved to the Nakiri-Nakamuras," Joichiro belly-laughed, barely able to breathe. Ah, yeah, there he is. The back-slapping recommenced. "So, no pressure, but this is riding all on you, Soma!" Soma shoved his father off, scowling that he would mock the gravity of the situation. "Wait, don't tell me you're scared!"
"I'm not! But why can't you take anything seriously, old man?!"
"You're the same way, Soma-kun," Megumi giggled, approaching the father and son.
But things changed drastically between Soma and Erina while preparing for the Regiment de Cuisine. They barely spoke to each other between practice bouts, and when they did, all they did was argue. The sharing of late-night snacks, those cozy winter nights in each other's arms and train rooms stopped, too. Soma had a reason not to talk to Erina. She'd given him mixed signals in Hokkaido and, if not for their all-day practices as a team and with their fathers, had effectively ghosted him. But he couldn't for the life of him understand why she wasn't speaking to him, and it bugged the hell out of him.
He wouldn't have cared if she was anyone other than Erina Nakiri.
Still, he always found a reason or a way to be near her. He felt this magnetic pull, this invisible rope tugging him toward her whenever they were in the same room. He felt this flame kickstart in the pit of his stomach when they barely got close enough to touch. It'd been there since she failed him on his transfer exam.
But he couldn't tell Takumi any of that. He was more or less leading this thing; he couldn't let anyone doubt his focus on their mission, especially not Takumi. Saving their friends and school from academic fascism was the only topic that mattered.
"What's going on with you and Nakiri?" Takumi asked, sweeping his bangs back. Soma kept breathing through his pushup sets.
"Why'd you ask?"
"Because of what you saw last night, because of how you acted around each other today because you're doing pushups like a madman in a hotel room when there's a world-class Olympic gym two floors below."
Soma stopped. "Oh."
"Yeah, so spill." Takumi sat in the leather office chair opposite Soma and crossed his legs. Soma rolled his eyes at Therapist Takumi.
"There's nothing to spill. You're all caught up."
Takumi stared at him. "That's not what it looks like." Soma shrugged, wiping the sweat off his brow with a hotel towel, the blue, green, and gold Tohtsuki emblem running across his forehead.
"I'm just focused on ensuring our victory at the end of the Regimental Food Wars."
"Oh, so this is you stressed?" Takumi side-eyed him skeptically. Sure, let's go with that. He shrugged.
"I guess so! But enough of talking about my feelings. It's almost time for our first team meeting, right? Don't feel like seeing Nakiri's horns tonight," he chuckled, standing up.
Takumi heavy-handedly gripped Soma's shoulder. He clearly remembered that moment with Erina on the roof. "Whenever you want to talk about your feelings, Soma, I'm here for you brother." His warm smile touched a shadowy place in Soma.
"You sounded like Isami right then," he softly teased.
"Yeah, well…he is my brother. They have a way of rubbing off on you. Brother," he said, winking and taking his leave.
-8-
Soma learned a new word today.
Maelstrom. Zenji told him it means 'a powerful whirlpool in the sea or a river.'
So, a whirlpool. It's a basic ass whirlpool.
Why couldn't that Takumi-post-time skip judge have just said that? A vein popped. The posh blonde man called Eishi's dish "gentle enough to make you melt while stirring up a maelstrom." Maelstrom. His food was just that enrapturing, huh? Then the stately Black male judge said, gushing, "This is indeed the true face cooking!"
All three judges harmonized, declaring the dish: "Nothing but love!" Their praises and foodgasms rang through the arena, and an envious blaze lit in Soma's gut. Was that how she felt about him, too? About his cooking?
During the third card battle between chefs Kuga and Tsukasa, whenever Soma snuck a look where Erina stood at attention, her eyes were fixed upon Eishi Tsukasa. Her brows furrowed, concern etched on her forehead. Her posture remained pin-straight, and her arms tightly folded, focused on the battle, focused on her ex-boyfriend. And he wondered what she was thinking. She couldn't possibly be hoping he won against Kuga, right? He didn't know what to think about the sight, but it made his stomach slosh with acidic bile each time.
The second bout had been more brutal than they'd planned but not than Erina had predicted (she knew the Council better than anyone). So, still following her lead, Soma did everything he could to be a team captain and a cheerleader as his friends—no, his comrades-in-culinary-arms—went out three-by-three to defeat Central. But it took everything in Soma not to sock Eishi Tsukasa between the bridge of his perfect nose when he tried telling Soma how to do his job upon defeating Kuga. As if he hadn't won his first battle against the Ninth Seath, Nene Kinokuni.
(Do you know how hard it is to compartmentalize your feelings and focus when your heart's crackling in flames and all you want to do is deck your crush's ex in the mouth?)
He did it, but not with ease.
"Nah," he said, smug. "I plan on going out next. I came here to win as part of a team. I've got an important job to do to be the thorn in Central's takeover and hit you guys where it hurts. I'm following in Isshiki's footsteps and fighting for Erina." He glanced at her. It was the most he could manage to say at the moment. If anything, he wanted to burst wide open and scream his feelings to her. She turned to him, a small gasp escaping her glossed lips. Eishi's face soured.
"Isn't that right, guys?" Soma smirked over his shoulder at his best friends. Megumi and Takumi cheered, and the tightness in his chest loosened. He sniffed and sipped the rest of the green tea Tsukasa brewed to calm his nerves. Dammit! That asshole made some delicious and upset-tummy-calming tea. But he couldn't help looking her way…
Eishi walked towards Erina at the edge of the arena's floor, his chest puffed out after his victory. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her temple lightly, whispering something in her ear. Erina's nose scrunched. She turned her head up and giggled—the same face she made when Soma told her a naughty joke in private. Then she leaned on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.
"Soma! Are you okay?" Megumi patted his back, and drool from the green tea ran down his chin.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he coughed out, his voice hoarse from the scalding herbal water. "The tea just went down the wrong pipe."
"You better be careful, Soma Yukihira!" Alice warned from behind bars, shaking her fist. "You and Erina are our only hope!" Takumi frowned at that, and Megumi squeezed his hand lightly. "So don't you die on us, or so help me God…"
"We'll all kill you!" The expelled rebels shouted in unison. It was a ridiculous threat; Central had caged his friends like wild animals in a zoo, but they were still as ferociously determined to beat the fascist regime. The entire arena of Tohtsuki students, alums, and esteemed guests went silent and stared at the portable jail cage.
"Uh oh! It sounds like those stupid rebels know that they're doomed to fall by Central's hand and are becoming a bit desperate!" Urara Kawashima cackled.
"Oh, Miss Bitch! Don't make me come over there!" Alice barked back.
"Oh, yeah? Why don't you try!" Urara taunted the heiress. She spun around with her arms wide open, her long black hair flowing. Soma watched on as Urara flaunted her freedom in his friends' faces. How dare he let his heart get in the way of his mission to save their fates?
Get it together, Soma! Your friends are counting on you! You can nurse your crumbling heart after you win. The third bout was tomorrow, and he partnered with the two chefs he trusted most.
Clearing his throat, he nodded at the Nakiri heiress who set all his overthinking feelings into motion last summer. "Don't worry, Alice. We got this!"
-8-
Soma and Takumi were the only two in his trio standing at the end of the third bout. It struck him to his core to see Megumi lose. Momo had deliberately set out to mock her, but it hadn't worked. Megumi's dorayaki was mouthwatering and more impressive than the apple rose basket— no matter what the judges' votes decided. He walked up to his best friend as she wiped her red face.
"You did great, kiddo!" He patted her on the back. She jolted under his palm.
"Soma! I'm so sorry!" Megumi's chest and shoulders heaved under the weight of her loss. "I'm so sorry! I'm so..." She broke down on his shoulders. He hugged her tight.
"There's no reason to be, Megs! You were fierce out there. I keep telling people to stop underestimating you. But today, you showed them!" She tipped her head up, and her watery eyes glazed into a thankful smile.
"Megumi Tadokoro."
Soma's heart leaped in his throat. Megumi spun around immediately, but he took his time. It wouldn't be easy keeping his cool.
"Erina-sama," she gasped. Soma noticed that Megumi's restless bow made Erina nervous. He wondered why. He wished he could ask her while she ran her digits through his messy mop and he fed her anything she wanted.
"Megumi, please stop. I came to congratulate you on a job well done. Momo was quite a formidable opponent. You should be proud of your dish."
"I agree!" His hand reached out to tap a shoulder. Erina's subtle shift out of his reach twisted his stomach in knots. "Oh-kay?" He stuttered. Erina spun on her heels, her hands cupped behind her, and walked away. As Soma watched Erina's poised back, he got angry. He needed clarity. He wanted answers.
But neither would come right now because as soon as Soma turned around, Azami Nakamura was standing at his back, staring him down.
"Ah, Director Nakamura! What brings the big shot down from his perch?"
"Soma Yukihira, do not think you can speak to me as an equal. I am above you in all things, namely skill and status." The director took a domineering step forward, glaring down the length of Soma's stature. Soma stepped to him.
"You're gonna have to blame my old man for that. Y'know, Joichiro Yukihira, the chef who taught me how to cook?"
"Don't get so cocky, you rebellious chef. You have only won two battles. The war is still at hand."
"And I'll win that, too, Director," he grinned. "That's the only reason why I came."
"Then it'll be a shameful train ride back home."
"Yeah—for you."
Soma pivoted to the side as the tall, vampiric man pushed past him like a caped villain. In Azami's shadow stood his daughter shining in the sunlight, and Soma didn't know if it was because of him or Azami, but Erina looked like she'd burst into flames right then and there.
-8-
"And the winner of the first card of the fourth bout is…" Urara shouted into the microphone.
Erina flashed a smug grin over her shoulder at Momo, glancing at him before she said it. "You are most welcome."
Soma's brain glitched.
Wait…
"From the Rebel Alliance, Erina Nakiri!"
Erina's win shifted everything. Central's tides turned on them in a way that could only be linked to her. Soma knew this as soon as Director Azami declared himself the new judges' panel chairman. So when Takumi lost to Rindo, Tsukasa won against Isshiki, and in the end, only Soma and Erina were left in the fight; Soma knew—this was a sign.
His plan was simple. He exited the shower and paced his hotel room, trying to get his thoughts and confidence in order. The final four were given a whole day to rest and recover, but he'd been restless since he woke up. He checked his phone for the time—it was now or never. Opening the door, fully dressed and determined, Soma marched down the hall toward the elevators.
"H-Hey, Soma. Good job yesterday."
Soma spun on his heels, eyes wide. "Ni...Ikumi! Hey!" His chest felt heavy. "Thanks." He cautiously approached her. "Where are you headed?"
"To the strategy meeting. You?"
"To the strategy meeting," he repeated. He chuckled as he stared at the bundled-up vixen in her school uniform. "Hey-uh... I've been meaning to talk to you about..." She shook her head and placed a finger on his lips. Her green eyes dipped in tears, but she forced herself to smile.
"Not now, Soma. Not here. Just..." Ikumi exhaled. "Just focus on winning with Miss Erina." His eyes studied her face, and they tugged at him.
"Okay," he softly replied. They walked down the hallway together in silence, an ocean apart. Soma turned the corner and froze.
"Erina, please wait," Eishi softly begged. "Just come." Soma heard the ruffling of clothes.
"Eishi, unhand me. I don't have time for this right now. I need to focus for tomorrow and have a strategy meeting starting in ten minutes, which I need to get to!" Soma's breath caught as his legs turned to lead. He pressed his back against the adjacent wall to listen. He was not above eavesdropping.
"Baby," Eishi whined. "Baby?" Soma gagged. "I want to take you to dinner," Eishi said. Soma could hear them kissing. It made him sick. "I want to cook you dinner. I want to wine and dine you...I want to please you." His words were slick against his tongue. His tone was seductive and suggestive as he spoke between broken kisses. "...To discuss things, discuss us, you know, before our final match, and make sure we're on the same page."
"And what page would that be, Eishi? You're literally fighting against me." Call it fate or the gods mocking them, but they had been slated against each other in the final bout.
"Everything will change tomorrow, and I want to ensure you won't hate me for it."
Two sharp footsteps clacked. "What is that supposed to mean, Chef Tsukasa?"
"When I win, I don't want you to hate me. I still want us to keep working on getting back to-"
"I'm going to stop you right there, Tsukasa. I have no idea why you are talking to me as if you've already won, but do not underestimate me."
"Oh no, I'm not. You and I are equals, Erina. I know. But we both know you won't win against Rindo and me with Soma Yukihira." The hubris in his voice was so elitist that Soma's feet started.
"Don't you dare for a moment think that Soma Yukihira will lose to the likes of you!"
Soma stopped in his tracks. Eishi laughed, and it filled the space.
"That's funny!" There was a tense pause. "Wait…you…you can't be serious." Nothing. "Erina. You have to be joking," Eishi said, incredulous. He sounded sick to his stomach. Soma's heart was beating hard and fast.
"When have I ever played with my food?"
"You can't possibly believe Yukihira's a better chef than I," Tsukasa scoffed. Then Soma heard words that spirited his soul away.
"I believe Soma's a better chef than most. And yes, even better than you, Chef Tsukasa."
"That's preposterous! Your father is not one to agree with such a ludicrous claim."
"Who gives a fuck what my father agrees with?!" She snarled. Regaining her composure, she said so icy, so low, it sounded like she was pointing a dagger at Eishi's throat. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere far better to be." The elevator dinged.
Soma took that as his cue to enter the large alcove when it shut. Eishi stood in a daze, but when they made eye contact, a flicker of emotion from the First Seat's purple irises penetrated Soma. He pushed past him.
"You better take tomorrow seriously, Yukihira. Because I won't know what mercy is."
Her defense of him had thwarted his original plan. Now, as Soma rode the elevator alone down to the hotel's basement test kitchens, he strategized. But by the time he reached the steel-laden prep room and saw Erina in the center of their fully present team, his mind went blank.
"Soma's finally arrived, madame," Hisako whispered loud enough for the room to hear. Erina kept her eyes on the dry-erase board, never pausing her note-taking.
"You're late, Yukihira," she said coolly. He stood at the doorway, more nervous than he had anticipated.
"Ah! Young Soma has arrived!" Isshiki cheerfully smiled as he handed him a sheet of paper. It was hard to believe he, too, had suffered a loss. But Soma looked around the room and spotted a demurely out-of-place Nene Kinokuni in the corner. He smirked when she shot her head away from him. Ikumi was nowhere to be found. He dipped his head to scratch his neck.
"Ah, yeah…sorry 'bout that. I got lost." Soma's eyes scanned the document in hand—a laundry list of potential two-course dishes. "Hm." He crumpled it.
"How could you still get lost after four days of meeting here, Soma?" Takumi fussed at him.
"Don't mind him," Megumi chimed in. "He did this the first two nights on the tsukikage, too." Megumi's eyes shifted toward him, and a tinge of embarrassment passed between them. (And hidden by her face to the board, so was Erina.)
"Alright, already! I'm here, aren't I?" He rounded the room and made a beeline to Erina. "So…" he drawled. Erina gave him a stank side-eye, still scribbling her pink marker across the board.
"So?"
"What's up?"
Erina stopped writing and slowly faced him. "What's up? What the hell question is that, Soma? Everything is up!" Ah, they were still arguing every conversation. "Are you too daft to feel the dire pressure of tomorrow's final bout? Do I need to spell it out for you?!"
Soma snatched the marker she'd been jabbing at his nose her entire outburst and twirled it between his fingers. "Yeah, explain why there's already a list made." Erina lunged at him, but Takumi and Hisako held her back.
"You come ten minutes late to our final strategy meeting and have the nerve to ask why there is already a strategy?!" She gnashed her teeth at him.
He couldn't help but laugh. It felt like the first day they met all over again.
-8-
The expelled rebel group dropped in before leaving the Tohtsuki's Rabun Resort for their final night to blow off steam. But Soma's team chose to stay. He and Erina had gotten nowhere with their menu plans, but it had been such a fun time agitating her, and he secretly...selfishly didn't want to stop or for the night to end.
Being with her was fun.
However, it wasn't only about that; he chose to believe. His mind was clear, and he was finally back in his creative flow, creating recipes with her that he could not have imagined alone.
"I truly wish they'd stop arguing and just agree on something already," Hisako yawned. The four of them had taken posts on the floor and wall, exhausted from the long hours and drained from being in the center of the pair's raging storm. "Between Soma's innovation and imagination and Miss Erina's expert taste and vast wealth of knowledge, they are unstoppable. They just need to decide!"
"That's if one could make a decision without the other immediately objecting to the finest detail." Megumi's head drooped onto Takumi's shoulder. He failed at suppressing a smile.
"I gotta admit, though," Takumi sighed, his eyes hooded. "Apart from all the arguing, they make a great team."
The only one standing, Isshiki heartily laughed. "It's true. Their chemistry is undeniable, palpable even. They sure are a dynamic duo. I don't think there's a more perfect matchup to go against Eishi and Rindo."
Takumi yawned. "Look, it's half past three. We need some sleep. Megumi, Hisako? Shall I escort you fair maidens to your quarters?" Megumi averted her gaze to Soma, who was caught up smiling, laughing, and she knew, actively provoking Erina. She yawned deeply.
"It's probably for the best. Those two don't look like they're going to stop bickering anytime soon." She yawned loudly, making Soma and Erina stop moving, talking, and, most importantly, arguing. They looked up from their table, where they stood a hair's distance apart.
"Tadokoro? You alright?" Soma raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, why are you all still down here?" Erina demanded. "All of you! Go to your rooms right this instant! You need your sleep for tomorrow's competition!" Hisako scrambled to her feet.
"But what about you, milady? You and Soma need your rest more than any of us!" Erina cricked her neck back to the thorn in her flesh. Soma flashed a very alert grin. Their friends did not know that they were used to staying up this late with each other. In fact, four in the morning was still relatively early for them. But neither would admit that to the other four in the room.
"That's right Hisako. If only Soma would shut up and listen to me, we could all be getting our beauty sleep right now!"
"Hey! Don't blame me just because you lack the vision I have to secure our victory!"
"I lack vision?! No, Soma Yukihira! You are reckless and reprehensible!" Four heads lobbed side to side at the intensifying quarrel. Finally, Takumi stood on his feet.
"Yeah, well, this charming prince is out for the night. We'll check on you two in four hours." Takumi bowed and took Megumi's arm like they were walking a cotillion. Isshiki smirked at them, picking a knocked-out Nene off the ground. Soma forgot she was still there. He whispered something in the sleepy girl's ear that made her blush and slap his arm before taking his hand. "Don't stay up too late, you two. And do try to get along. We would hate to wake up and find a crime scene!" Isshiki wrapped his arm around Nene's waist, and she snuggled her head on his chest.
Hisako bowed. "Ma'am. Are you certain you'll be alright?"
"Yes, Hisako. Now, goooo!" She tenderly shooed her devoted aide away. Isshiki closed the door behind them, but not before giving Soma a wink.
"So, that's a thing now?" Erina asked once the door shut. They were finally alone—just like those late nights back at Polar Star and on the Tohtsuki Express, just like when they were on track to figure out whatever this was.
"Hm. I suppose it is," Soma laughed. "Though I can't say I ever saw Isshiki and Nene coming."
"Can't say I did either, but I was referring to Tadokoro and Aldini."
Soma snapped his head and screwed his face. "Huh? No! They're just friends! Takumi's just performing his gentleman schtick." He boomed with laughter at the thought. "The three of us are a trio."
"Oh, it didn't look that way to me…" she whistled. "But let me mind my business." Soma squinted, focusing on her for a while. "What? Why must you insist on staring at me like that, Yukihira?"
"You've got some nerve, Erina." The time had come.
"Huh? What are you talking about, Yukihira?"
"You totally stole my catchphrase after your win yesterday, but I forgive you because you made it yours, and it was cute. You defended me against Tsukasa before this meeting. You've been arguing with me over who cooks which dish all night. Now you're gossiping with me, picking up on vibes between my best friends when you haven't even seriously spoken to me in a month."
"Soma." Erina ground out, squaring her body toward him. "How do you know I defended you to Tsukasa?"
The air thinned. "Oh, I overheard…" She exploded.
"You were spying on me, Soma Yukihira?! Listening in on my private conversations, again?!"
"I promise it wasn't on purpose, either time, but I-"
"I don't want to hear another word from you. For the rest of the night. For the entire final bout. Hell, forever!"
"Erina, I-"
"No! Stop talking, Soma! Let's just do our own thing separately to win this once and for all so that this poor excuse for a partnership can be done with."
a/n: whew! am i glad to be typing this right now. tbh i am pleasantly surprised that this chapter's update was right under a month since Sleepless in Hokkaido, bc this website's consistent malfunctioning is very demotivating. idk if y'all are getting my story updates, or if i'm missing reviews, but i appreciate the few who've left a review to let me know you've discovered my work and are enjoying it, or that you're still here and still enjoying it, the faves and the follows; it really helps curb the creative doldrums and goodness, are they hitting strong nowadays. anyway, idk when ch. 32 will post bc a lot of life is happening for me, so i wanted to pour as much into part one of the titular chapter because it ends two arcs (central and hokkaido nights).
twin flame pt. 1: the burning begins two hours after the ending scene and calls back to the kindling (ch. 1). after stumbling upon a rekindled e=mc-squared moment, it felt important to keep soma in an emotionally fraught headspace throughout the tournament week as he reflected on his feelings and first year at the academy. bc, as we see in the manganime, he's cool as a cucumber and having way too much fun throughout the RFW lol so i wanted to disrupt that. i thought about it halfway through the story, "what if he's overcompensating for how he really feels about erina?" and voila! we have this angsty bit of creative genius. but as life teaches us, people make us feel how we make people feel, so it was imperative that soma experience that intimate moment with ikumi (their first time speaking since she ghosted his birthday invitation, mind you) right before the holy rare pair scene. and it was necessary that soma and eishi trade emotional places over erina because he needed to feel the tension points between feeling multiple emotions at once. all these characters serve as mirrors for soma; he knows what he wants but doesn't know how he truly feels. only conflict and experience can help him parse that out.
p.s.: as always, i love reading your thoughts about the chapter and our story thus far. it really goes a long way as writing is a very isolating creative process and authors don't know how our work is being received without reviews. so if you're so moved, pls leave a review, follow, favorite, and share this novel with someone in the fandom you think would enjoy reading it, too! we're ever closer to the end...
-You're Welcome!-
8.20withlove
-i don't own the rights to Shokugeki no Soma, wah wah wah
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