Hey guys~ Back again with another chapter. Just finish my exams today and got to start on my internship next week. Sad times ahead. Don't worry though, I will still hopefully be updating weekly since I mostly write on the weekends. After reading your reviews, I have decided to post 1 chapter a week so you guys just have to stay tuned~~.
Hehe, this chapter will be a bit more revealing for Soma. Getting a heads up about his father and how some people view his "girls" would make him less dense like in Canon. Don't worry, it wont be as dark as some of you may think. I will leave a small teaser since I have finished the next chapter:).
Now onto answering some reviews~~
YoLO1992: Appreciate the support my guy, I have the layout plan for most chapters but I'm just trying to figure out how to make it as realistic as possible.
IndraAshura: I knew Indra and Ashura from Naruto and Shiva and other gods from Highschool DXD (I swear I watch it for the plot). Seeing you write about Arifureta really hypes me up since Nagumo is one of the MC I really like and i have finished reading the light novel of it. Shizuku best girl btw.
43: Shhhh, why are you so smart. Some think a three-way relationship is bad but in Shokugeki No Soma, I felt that Soma really inspire both of them to change. Not to say Ryo did not change Alice, but Erina was what caused Alice to pursue cooking and Soma was the one to help break her out of her shell. Dandere Erina and Deredere Alice incoming.
FoodWarsJunkie: Love your story man, especially the new chapter. I'm gonna take in your advice and post 1 chapter a week.
Teloch: That is a great idea, I do rarely see engagement fanfictions on this site. It does take away from the Central Part which people really like to see. Maybe I could use your idea as a future concept but it will probably be a long while. BTW, hyped for Bleach New Season. Just waiting to hear Aizen quote: "Welcome to my Soul Society"
I like atla: Thanks for the feedback~ I do try to make stories more interesting and relatable so hope you could give me some pointers on my writing~~.
Darkdiablo, kuma kuma: Sorry, it seems with my tough schedule I can only manage 1 chapter a week so be sure to check on every Friday/Saturday/Sunday~.
"Wow…I knew they were famous but I didn't know they were loaded as well!" Soma exclaimed excitingly while looking at the palace ahead of him.
The place Soma was describing naturally is the Nakiri mansion. Security guards, Outdoor Pool, Sundeck Jacuzzi, Spa, Steam room, BBQ area and tennis court. The place has it all and these are just the exterior surrounding the mansion.
"Hey mum, if dad was as famous as you said why aren't we living in this kind of place?" Soma asked her mother innocently.
What he got in reply was the boisterous laughter of his mother. "Hahaha, your dad could barely pay his food back then when he was eating at the restaurant. And now you ask why we aren't living in a mansion, well then let's give your father a chance to answer, right Dear?'
Joichiro with a betrayed expression turn back to meet his wife smug face and cough lightly. "Ahem… I was just spending more time with you and didn't want us to leave behind the restaurant which has a lasting history." Joichiro replied with a bit of stuttering.
However, his wife was not buying it and just continue to stare at him: 'Jiiiii~~' while Soma has a complicated expression trying to understand what his father just said.
Seeing that his wife was not letting up, he just sighs and explain honestly to Soma. "Kiddo, just remember this: Cooking is done with a purpose, what are you cooking to achieve, who are you cooking for and why are you cooking. Always keep in mind these reasons. I got lost in the middle of my journey and fell short, I hope you won't make the same mistake as me."
Soma could see a glimpse of discomfort coming from his father when talking a little about his past, it was the first time that he saw his father sadden by something, normally he was just a teasing old bastard to him. Soma just obediently nods and replied with vigour: "I'll always remember it, Dad."
"Alright! Enough with the gloomy story, let's not forget what we are here for." Tamako exclaimed excitingly trying to move the subject on.
"Ah! See you guys later, I need to find Alice before the cake ceremony. I need to give her my present !" Soma said hurriedly while waving goodbye to his parents.
Flashback
"You got to got to come to my birthday party next week Soma kun. There will be lots of games we can play there, I can bring you to explore my house and maybe I could even get the chance to eat your cooking again." Alice exclaimed happily.
"I think you meant our house, I will be there too you know." Erina replied to Alice.
"Then we can both bring him to explore the house, which room do you want to visit first? Mine or Erina." Alice replied while teasing the two.
Not catching on to what Alice is implying, Soma just let it be and asked: "It's your birthday next week? That's awesome, I really can't miss it then. I can't wait to see to see your house and play games with you both."
Please, Can I go with you? Mum? Dad?" Soma asked beggingly to his parents.
"Of course you can tag along with us sweetie, you can go enjoy the party while me and your Dad will be in the kitchen help preparing some food for little Alice-chan here." Tamako replied sweetly.
"Awesome! I can't wait to see you both again, Alice-san, Erina-san." Soma said joyfully to the both princess.
"We will be waiting" Both the girls replied while giving Soma a final hug before leaving the restaurant with their grandfather.
'What present should I give to Alice-san…I can't really bake a cake since I never learnt how to. Maybe I should ask mum, I'm 100% percent not asking dad since he will be teasing me the whole week before party.' Soma decisively thought in his mind.
Back to the present, we can see Young Soma wandering into the main ballroom in hopes for finding his friends. Inside the ballroom, we can see many renown people chatting with each other but Soma did not get a glimpse of either of his friends. So, he decided to ask the closest person beside him.
"Excuse me Sir, do u know where Nakiri Alice is?" Hearing the young boy's voice, the man turned around to look face to face at the young man.
"Hmm, why would you want to see Nakiri Alice if Nakiri Erina is at the corner of the room? Don't you know that meeting the god's tongue is one of the most prestigious event in the culinary world?" The main replied haughtily to the boy.
'Ah, so Erina-san is at there.' Soma wonder while turning his head to get a glance of golden hair coming into his view. "But isn't today Alice-san birthday? What does this got to do with meeting Erina-san? Isn't Alice-san birthday more important?" Soma could only ask confusingly.
The man could only shake his head in frustration. "Kid, your really don't know the weight of importance regarding the god tongue, nothing beats having her recognition. One word from her literally can destroy a chef's career, but on the other end if we manage to please her enough, we could possibly be even more famous. So, now you know why some little cousin's birthday isn't anything special, she can celebrate it daily if she wanted to while being the god's tongue cousin."
To say Soma was not impressed was an understatement, he could definitely feel his anger rising. Thus, he clenched his fists tightly in hopes of letting some steam. He was furious that someone would discard celebrating someone's most important day in hopes of getting fame and recognition from her cousin no less.
"So…If Erina-san wasn't at the event, does that mean you coming here was pointless." Soma asked which clinching his teeth.
However, the man was oblivious to Soma's fury and laughed uncontrollably. Hr then signal his friends to come over. "You see kid, many guests including us here don't even care if we failed to meet her today. The Nakiri family will always organise massive events like this non-important birthday celebration for the god tongue's cousin. Imagine getting a seal of approval from the god tongue herself, our business will skyrocket. The Nakiri Family should really focus only on Nakiri Erina, she was born to lead the culinary world forward unlike her cousin who would always remain in her shadow." The man exclaimed loudly.
That was the last straw for Young Soma, his fury was at an all-time high. His knuckles had already turned purple from how hard he was clenching it; his expression can't even be seen due to the bangs covering his eyes. There was only one thought in his mind, 'these people are disgusting, what would happen if Alice-san heard this, how would she feel after realizing that people see her as nothing but an opportunity to get in close-contact with Erina.'
After calming himself down a bit, he just walks past the ones that 'enlighten' him about the greatness of the god tongue. Before leaving however, the coldness of the words he utters could only be hear from him once a lifetime: "You guys are disgusting, you don't even deserve to meet the presence and attention of Alice-san and Erina-san."
Leaving the confused group of people behind, Soma set out on his objective to find Alice, he wanted to ask Erina first but she was surrounded by lots of people and he did not want to barge in and interrupt them. He felt a bit sick knowing that some of them are just trying to get her approval and increase their reputation. Thus, he left the ballroom in hopes of finding his other friend quickly.
Soma found himself quickly wandering towards the kitchen as he could imagine Alice poking her head inside the kitchen to see what food the chefs are preparing for her birthday. But there was no such luck as not even a glimpse of white hair could be seen in the kitchen.
Soma left the kitchen abruptly, too fast to even hear his mother calling out to him. Tamako was surprised to see Soma in such a hurry but she just let him be as she imagine that he was playing games with the two girls.
Soma hurriedly walk to the next location but he was knocked off his footing by someone. He rubbed his head softly and apologize to the man he bumped into. The guy was surprised to see a young kid with red hair rushing into him, it looked like he was in a hurry. So, he decided to ask what or who he was looking for. "What are you in the hurry for kid? It looked like it was quite important."
"Ano, have you seen a girl with white hair and ruby red eyes, I'm looking for her. She was not at the ballroom or even the kitchen. Her name is Nakiri Alice." Soma asked the man in hopes for clues.
"Haha…so you are the boy that my sweet baby Alice has been talking about. You really do resemble your father." The man told Soma.
"You know my father? But more importantly, you know Alice-san?" Soma asked surprisingly.
"Why of course, Your dad is quite famous and we appreciate that he does sometime come to the mansion and visit my father. Whenever he turns up, there is never a dull moment. As for your second question, I'm her father Nakiri Sōe. Alice-chan has been pestering me all week about how she met a young boy that manage to cook a dish she had never heard before and even manage to get Erina-chan approval. She also was extremely happy that you will attend her birthday party."
"So, you're her father?! Does that mean you know where she is?" Soma asked excitingly.
"Hmm, the last time I saw her was when she was wandering towards the backyard. It looks like it raining a little, could you bring her back in since the party will start soon?" Sōe requested Soma.
"Of course, see you later Oji-san." Soma quickly said goodbye and rushed towards the backyard. Well, he did come back quickly and asked for directions.
"Hahaha, you really are the splitting image of your father, the backyard is over there, I trust you to take care of my dear Alice." Sōe pointed at the opposite direction and laughed at the boy's antics.
Once again, Soma set foot towards the backyard in the right direction this time. He was very excited he could see his teasing and outspoken friend. Her personality held a special attraction towards him. However, what he saw in the backyard was something he never expected to see.
Nope, no kidnapping like that. Its not that dark guys~~ I always wonder how Alice would have felt if she did hear people said something devastating about her like that. But thankfully, in this fanfiction she will have two "heroes".
Ps: Here's a sneak peak for next chapter: "Come here Dear, you did nothing wrong. Whether is regarding Alice or your mother. We don't know why your mother suddenly left but we now know how you and Alice feel and care for each other. Even in situations like this, you both still care about each other more than yourself." Leonora replied and open her arms wide inviting Erina to come over.
The next chapter will be on Christmas day so think of it as a wholesome present by me~~.