SUP Guys, its been a while~~~ I have been going back on forth on how I was gonna do this chapter. Finally, I decided to settle on this as this seems to flow the smoothest in accordance to the story. Another thing that I wanted to say is Thank you all for the support on this story, I still cant believe that I hit 100+ followers on my first story. I can't express enough gratitude to you all~~~.
Onto some bad news, My country is currently undergoing lockdown 2.0 but sadly the state I live in is not having the lockdown. This just means that the people from other states will be able to travel here before the lockdown commences. Good Job Government...
Well enough of that, let's move on to the Review Corner
Oskuwa: Thanks for the support man~ Terima Kasih Abang
FoodWarsJunkie: Thanks for the shoutout on your story My G, appreciate your support from the get go and I'm fully immersed into your story. It is a Shokugeki Story, expect more comedy from this point on.
I'mAlsoAWe: Thanks for the support man~~ Updates will be within 2 weeks for each chapter~~
IndraAshura: Thanks for the constant support man~~ Shokugeki just screams comedy does it not haha~~ Nice nickname for some different reasons ehh~~ Cough cough...Yup, 1 thing I don't get from the Original is how Soma did not bleed when he got the scar. Was it Sad enough? I could have make it even sadder if I wanted but its a comedy show.
Yoharu: Thanks for showing your support~~ You ask and I shall deliver~~ hopefully the twists won't be that predictable to you guys.
Dark spirits: Thanks for the kind words man~~, hopefully I wont disappoint you guys.
ARONE30: Mucho Gracias Amigo... ok those are the only words I know in Spain besides counting 1-10. If you have just join now, you should be warned that I'm a scumbag that leaves a lot of cliffhangers hehe.
"Ugh, where am I and why I do have a bandage on my eyebrow…'' The voice said groggily. He began scanning the unfamiliar surrounding trying to remember what had occurred.
"I thought I was with Erina-chan…OH NO!" Soma shouted suddenly and began getting off the bed.
'Please be alright Erina-chan… Please be alright' Soma continuously pray as he reached the door. However, the door opened at the exact moment showing a white hair girl carrying a familiar piece of hair ornament on her hands.
"Soma-kun?! You're alright?! Thank god!" Alice exclaimed while burying her face in Soma's chest. She then tightly wrapped her arms around him in fear of losing him.
"Alice-chan?" Soma asked surprisingly while putting his hand on her head petting her in hopes of calming her down.
"Alice-chan, I'm totally fine besides the bandage above my eye. More importantly, we need to hurry. Erina-chan is in danger, her dad is trying to make use of her to fulfil his plans to take over the culinary world." Soma hurriedly urged Alice.
"It's all ok now Soma-kun, Ojii-sama has taken care of things. Azami Oji-sama is no longer a Nakiri, he has been banished by Ojii-sama and Erina is safe and sound. She is now in her room but she has not spoken anything after you fell unconscious, she looked really depressed." Alice briefly explained the situation.
"We should go check-up on her, she will be really relieved to see you awake now." Alice suggested to Soma.
"Ok, let's go" Soma said while rushing out of the room. However, he was stopped by a hand strongly pulling his shirt back.
"Do you know where Erina's room is? I don't want to chase after you and look for you like the time you got lost looking for the toilet." Alice said with a deadpan face.
Soma then clicked that he indeed did not know where Erina's room is, sure he visited them many times but he had not been in Erina's room since Erina keep saying her room is off-limits. Thus, he rubbed his hair and chuckled embarrassingly to Alice to lead the way. "Lead the way, Alice Ojou-chan"
"Hmph, don't call me that Baka… Hehe did I sound like Erina or what" Alice said while giggling.
"Haha, let's go then Erina-chan~~" Soma replied cheekily while holding out his hand.
"Mou Mou, you meanie. I'm gonna tell Otou-sama that your bullying me." Alice said with a pouting face.
"Uh, please don't." Soma replied quickly. He started to sweat bullets on what Uncle Sōe would do if he found out that her dear Alice is sad.
"Hahahaha, you should look at your face Soma-kun, you were so scared hehe. There isn't anything to be scared about Baka, there is nothing bad that I can ever say about you. You were the first one to reach out to me, you were the first to help me and Erina voice our feelings towards each other and lastly you are the one that inspire me that maybe one day in the future I will be able to match both you and Erina." Alice said softly while linking their fingers together and looking at him with sincere gratitude.
To say Soma was stunned was an understatement, he was completely mesmerized by the honesty of his dear friend. He never thought that his acts of kindness will lead to events such as threatening people that he will not stand someone hurting her and being a glimmer a hope to her that she will someday indeed reach Erina's level.
In response, Soma just tighten their interlocked fingers and smile brightly at her. Time seemed to stop for the two as both just keep staring at each other. Eventually they started to move again with Alice leading Soma to Erina's bedroom. However, they were unaware that some people had front row seats to their little 'moment'.
"Ufufu, did you see that Anata? They were so cute together, I already told you they were smitten with each other." Leonora said.
"Sniff sniff…My baby dear Alice heart has already been taken away by young Soma. My kawaii Alice-chan is gonna leave me soon." Nakiri Sōe said while crying comically.
Senzaemon just shook his head tiredly seeing his son expression. "Maybe Erina will be the one to capture his heart then you can have your dear Alice back but seeing their relationship I don't think that will ever happen".
"Mou, have you two really not consider that they will both come to love him. I can already picture the three of them together, maybe it is unorthodox but if anyone were able to do it then it will be those three." Leonora voiced out her opinion.
"Hoho, the three of them together. I will of course give them my blessing. Back to serious matters son, make sure to keep an eye out for Azami. He maybe banished from the Nakiri household but he still held some influences elsewhere. He was not the former first seat for no reason." Senzaemon told his son.
"Of course, Otou-sama. I will monitor his activities accordingly but I heard that you also informed Gin and Joichiro about the matter as well." Sōe asked his father
"I was able to contact Gin and he told me that he will be on the lookout for any suspicious activities. However, I was unable to contact Joichiro. I guess I will tell him in person after young Soma finish consoling Erina. It is not that strange that he will not answer any phone calls but I can't help but feel that something is amiss this time." Senzaemon answered worryingly.
While their future was already planned out unknowingly to them, Alice and Soma had finally reach Erina's room after their longer than anticipated 'stroll'. Soma lightly knocked on Erina's door in hopes for a response but sadly there was none. Thus, he leaned in towards the door hoping to hear Erina's voice.
He did hear something, but what he heard was something that pain his heart deeply. He heard Erina whimpering to herself. Pain? Fear? Sadness? Those were the things he swore that he would prevent his friends from feeling but just across this door was his dear friend crying to herself about how she had cause him harm, what would happen if he did not recover and the fear that he did not consider her a friend anymore.
Tightly clenching his fists, Soma could only lament himself for his lack of ability now but he swears in the future that only positive emotions are radiating from his two friends. Seeing Soma's tighter hold on her, Alice also leaned in to hear her cousin crying to herself. She understands how hard it is to hold everything to oneself and curse herself from not preventing the incident from happening sooner.
Flashback
Alice was hiding behind the door after pushing Soma inside for one of her pranks. She wanted to see the surprised reaction from Erina and the dumbfounded reaction of Soma when looking behind him. She was delighted that her prediction was spot on as Erina just sighed tiredly and Soma was innocently looking behind his back in search for her.
Lightly giggling to herself, she turns to focus on the other person in the room. He was not the least bemused by the intruder, the constant twitching in his eyebrow pretty much gives away what he was feeling now.
"What does he know about Soma-kun food, it is delicious and genius. It may not be at Ojii-sama level but he is still young and he will 100% improve in the future." Alice angrily said to no one in response to Azami ridiculing her friend's food.
"Did Azami Oji-sama hit his head on the plane? What part of his plan was saving chefs from failing? Everyone would look like a puppet just blindly following him. Who's the chef he's talking about, if he was so great then why did he not compete in the competition? Is he that scared that one failed dish would ruin his reputation?" Alice innocently asked which cause a sneeze from a certain brown hair chef.
"That's my Soma-kun~~~ Go stand up to baddy Oji-sama, show him that no one can force Erina. This reminds me of the time when he stood up for me in front of the guests, he really is a reckless baka hehe."
Alice snap out of her memory when she heard Erina shout in pain as her father dragged her towards him. 'I got to find Ojii-sama quickly.' That was her first thought as she run all over the mansion in search for Senzaemon.
"Ojii-sama, where are you? Ojii-sama, are you here? Ojii-sama its urgent" Alice asked loudly.
"What got you so work up my dear? I thought you were with young Soma and Erina." Senzaemon answered while walking from the garden.
"Ojii-sama! Its Erina and Soma-kun, Azami oji-sama is hurting Erina and Soma-kun." Alice immediately ran over and hug her grandfather.
"What?! I knew Azami had been acting strange after Mana left. We have to hurry." Senzaemon urged Alice to lead the way.
After arriving at the scene, Alice could feel her breath stagnate. On the floor was Soma desperately trying to keep consciousness while clutching the bloody part of his face. She immediately ran towards him while holding back tears.
She saw Senzaemon and Azami got into a heated argument which resulted in Azami being banished from the Nakiri family but she didn't care what was happening around her. All she cared about was the unconscious boy around her arms. She saw Erina slowly walking towards her but her eyes were dyed with regret so she just walked out of the room ignoring her grandfather's call.
Recalling the scenes that had unfold, Alice grasp Soma hand even more tightly which cause Soma to snap out of his slump. They gave each other a silent nod and gently push the door open.
The room was pitch dark as lights were off and windows were shut tight. Without proper inspection, you would not think that someone was inside the room. Soma and Alice though knew better as they follow the silent whimpering and saw who they wanted to see crouching at the corner with bed sheets covering her.
Softly lifting the bed sheets away from her, Soma and Alice saw Erina crying her eyes out and keep repeating 'Sorry'. Her eyes were swollen and her body was trembling. 'How long has she been crying alone, how much has she been holding in, how can someone as gentle as her suffer such cruelty.' Both Soma and Alice solemnly thought to themselves.
"Erina-chan? I'm all fine already, there's no need to cry anymore." Soma said trying to relieve the tension.
"Erina Erina, look who' back up and kicking. I told you he was more stubborn than a horse." Alice follow up with her usual antics.
"Soma-kun…? Alice…?" Erina slowly looked up to see the two.
Soma and Alice softly smile to Erina signaling their presence. However, Erina's reaction was not something ordinary.
"Haha, there's no way Soma-kun and Alice would come find me after what had occurred. I cause both of them so much pain. You both are just my hallucination, Soma-kun is still lying unconscious while Alice is still pissed at me." Erina ridiculed her own imagination.
"Haha Why not? I hurt Soma-kun… I hurt him by not preventing Otou-sama sooner… I hurt him by being his friend… I hurt him by knowing him…Alice… if you can hear me… I'm sorry for not noticing your pain sooner…I'm sorry for not doing a better job as your cousin…I'm sorry that I am your cousin… Without me both you and Soma-kun would not undergo such pain… I'm sorry that my existence cause so many people such pain." Erina said with tears flooding from her eyes.
"Erina-chan, we're real. We are not angry with you and we will never put the blame on what happen on you." Soma said while trying to get closer to Erina.
"GET AWAY! Can't you both see that by continuing to be close to me that you guys will get hurt even more?! Otou-sama and Okaa-sama already left me, both of you should leave me alone. Please…I beg of you…Just leave me alone… Its much better for everyone…If I am no longer around, everything will be better. Just forget about me please." Erina said brokenly.
"DON'T GIVE ME THAT CRAP ERINA!" Alice burst out as she raised her hand and hit the wall behind Erina.
"Everything will be better?! How will it be better?! How would Ojii-sama feel and most importantly how would WE feel?! Have you not thought of the pain it would cause if you say something like that?! The pain that I suffered from people belittling me is nothing compare to the words you spoke just now!"
Erina was stunned, she never saw Alice snap like that. The usual teasing cousin was no where to be seen, Alice was raging and the glare she gave her is enough to signal that those words really hit her deeply. She wanted to apologize but she was interrupted.
"Don't you say your sorry, those are not the words I want to hear. If you really have decided to give up on yourself then I dare you to apologize." Alice said as she grabbed her shirt.
'She doesn't want me to apologize? What words can I possibly say in this situation' Erina wondered to herself.
Seeing the troubled Erina, Soma leaned forward and took her hand. "Erina-chan, remember what I told you at the restaurant earlier? I told you that you're a blessing to both of us, you are the pillar that support us and drives us. Without meeting you, I may still be unaware that someone my age is that incredible in cooking. In the past, all I ever think of is beating my pops but after meeting you and Alice-chan, I felt like my goal has been slowly changing. I always wonder to myself what could I do to beat pops, is he really an insurmountable wall that I will never reach? That all change when I gave you both my dish, seeing how anticipated you both were lit up something inside me."
"It was you, Erina-chan. You're the one that started that change, I never thought that someone would not finish my dish. Not because it was not delicious but because it was something different, something I did not know was needed in a dish. You said that my dish was lacking something and I'm starting to slowly realize what it is. Is it to make you finish my dish? Is it to make you say its delicious? All I know is my cooking circle around both you and Alice-chan."
'Ah, that's right. How could I have forgotten…Soma-kun said to me that he will become better and surpass me in the future. Alice said she will proof that she can stand on par with me. Both of them are always helping me and striving to get better because of me. How can I let them down by faltering here, how can I face them if I dun even have the courage to stand up now? Its just a minor setback, I am Nakiri Erina. If I want something accomplished, I need to take the first step. I will bring Okaa-sama back, I will help set Otou-sama straight and with Alice and Soma-kun I will help bring the culinary world to greater heights.' Erina finally remembered as she gave Alice and Soma a determined look.
"Thank you, you both. I will do everything I can to bring Okaa-sama and Otou-sama back, I'm gonna make sure that the culinary world will be improved by me Nakiri Erina. When the time comes, can I rely on both of you to stand beside me?" Erina said confidently.
"Of course, don't you know who are you talking to? I already said that I will surpass you" Soma replied smugly.
"Hehe, that's the bratty Erina I know. You already know that I'm gonna stick to you like a leach and won't let you endure anything alone." Alice said caringly.
"You guys better don't be slacking because you know that with my ability I'm gonna leave you guys in the dirt. Do your best to catch up to me because I'm gonna be the Queen of Cooking… ~~~growl~~~."
Erina's intensity suddenly dispersed with the sudden growling sound. Both Alice and Soma faced her with a broad grin fully knowing what the sound signifies.
Sensing their gaze, Erina tried to play it off coolly by saying something but a body's natural reaction is not something you can control. "Growl…growl…growl~~~"
"Hoho, the future queen of cooking is making quite a ruckus with her stomach. Should we lead you to the kitchen, Your Majesty?" Alice said.
"Hahaha, your stomach is making quite a sound Erina-chan~~~. Looks like you're not that different from both of us when you're hungry. Should I cook something for you, My Queen?" Soma follow up cheekily.
"Shut up Shut up you two, don't say anything more about it. I'm hungry ok?!" Erina said embarrassingly while covering her red face with both hands.
"Hoho~~~ the mighty queen is quite demanding eh…Lets go Soma-kun, we're gonna use Erina as a lab rat for our dishes." Alice claimed as she dragged Soma out of the room.
"A…Alice! Get back here! What did you mean as a lab rat?! You should feel honored that I'm tasting your dish every time! Can you hear me?!" Erina growled as she chased the duo to the kitchen.
"Looks like Erina is back to normal, got to hand it to them." Senzaemon said as he stroked his beard.
"Indeed, seems there's nothing to worried about now. Otou-sama, I will prepare the car as soon as they finish their meal." Sōe said.
"I'll leave it to you Son." Senzaemon replied as he continues to wonder 'I still can't shake off the feeling that something has happen.'
An hour later, the trio had finish their meal (It was mostly Erina doing the eating) and were greeted by Senzaemon and Sōe.
"It's good to see lively again, Erina. I express my greatest attitude to you young Soma, Alice."
"Good job you two, its great to see Erina-chan smiling again. Anyways, the car is ready. So, Otou-sama would be accompanying you all to Soma's home".
"Just give me a sec, I just need to pack this nicely for Okaa-chan." Soma said as he began to put the food into a nice container.
"Hmm~~~ What's this Soma-kun?" Both Alice and Erina asked at the same time.
"Just a bit of testing regarding a recipe Okaa-chan taught me, I want to see how I can improve it more and let her taste it" Soma replied excitingly.
"I thought your father was the better chef Soma-kun, why don't you want his opinion?" Erina asked curiously.
"Come closer" Soma said as he motioned Alice and Erina closer.
"This is the only dish that Okaa-chan is better than Pops at. I'm not there yet but, in the future, it will be since this is the first recipe I ever learn. This will be our little secret okay?" Soma said confidently.
"Wow, a dish that surpasses Saiba-sama. I'm very interested to see what it is now." Erina replied curiously
"Sugoi~~~ This is another dish I can't wait to try from you Soma-kun. Your mother will love it." Alice said energetically.
"Haha, I know she will~~~ Come on, lets get going before it gets cold." Soma said as he held both of their hands and sprint to the car.
After reaching the restaurant, Soma was surprise to see that there were no lights open inside the restaurant. Usually his parents would just be finishing up their night shift. Being the positive kid, Soma thought nothing of it and just open the front door. Arriving inside, Soma saw that nothing has been touch since he left.
Seeing the unusual situation, Soma left the restaurant and went back to the car to inform the Nakiris'.
'It's strange for my parents to not be home at this hour, where could they have gone?' Soma wonder to himself.
As he was wondering, he failed to hear rushed footsteps coming towards him. "Soma-chan, thank god you're back. I be waiting for you the whole day." The voice said urgently.
"Tomita-san? Good timing, have you seen my parents? They have not been home all day." Soma asked
"Huff…huff… That's why I been waiting for you. Soma-chan, you need to get going quickly, your mother has been admitted to the hospital."
"…Huh?"
After hearing what was said, Senzaemon urged his driver to get on the gas to Central Hospital while Alice and Erina pull the unresponsive Soma into the car.
Within the car you could only hear Soma just repeating: "Okaa-chan is in the hospital…Okaa-chan is in the hospital…"
Alice and Erina tried their best to cheer him up but nothing was working. Thus, the journey to the hospital was gloomy and depressing.
Arriving at the hospital, Soma immediately dash to the front desk and inquire about his mother's whereabouts. "Do u know where is Yukihira Tamako?! Is she alright?! Which room is she in?!"
"You must be their son. The situation is unfortunately not favorable for her." The nurse replied solemnly.
Soma could feel his whole world crashing down after what the nurse told him and he miss the final part on what the nurse said.
"Soma-kun, it's going to be alright. Once your mother sees you, she will feel better." Erina said as she is trying to convince not only Soma but also herself.
"En, lets get going. The nurse said she is in the ICU and we are allowed to visit her." Alice said as she herself is trying to hold back tears.
It felt like an eternity for Soma as he slowly wandered to the room that her mother was currently resided in. His hands tremble as he slowly knocked on the door and turn the doorknob. Inside the room, he can see his father tightly holding her hand accompanying her during her final hour.
"Soma, you're back. Did you have fun again today? Oh, I see you have make another dish for me to try." Tamako said weakly.
Even during her toughest time, she still put more concern over Soma than herself. Unable to endure anymore, Soma dived in towards her mother's embrace and let the tears flow. Knowing the situation, Alice and Erina went out of the room to leave the Yukihira family some private time.
"When did you become a cry-baby Soma? I thought I told you that boys should only sweat blood than tears." Tamako said as she caressed Soma's hair.
"Its gonna be alright, I have lived a wonderful life. Meeting Joichiro, giving birth to you and seeing you grown into a fine young boy. Before I met Joichiro, I was kind of a punk hehe. Constantly smoking which lead to my illness now. Thinking back at the times where the restaurant was known for its dish special and now thanks to you two, the restaurant is known to be the one of the best in Japan."
"Sniff, you're wrong Kaa-chan. The restaurant serves the best food when all three of us are there, it can never be replaced." Soma said as he held onto her mother tightly.
"The brat's right Tamako. If I didn't meet you, I'll probably will still be wandering around the world aimlessly. You're the one that gave me the purpose to cook again, it can never be replaced and it will never be forgotten. Our time together was the happiest I ever felt when cooking. Competition? Trophies? Fame? It all doesn't matter at the end of the day to me, all I care about was cooking for you." Joichiro said sincerely.
"I told you not to say something so cheesy, I already swore that I won't cry but if there is something that I regret not seeing is the day when you become the best chef in the world." Tamako said as she looked at Soma with teary eyes.
"Soma, your father was optimistic about your potential when you first started cooking. However, as time passes you began to show signs that you are not an ordinary chef. You began absorbing your father's skill and repertoire while having the heart to never give up after failure. That is one part that you already triumph your father with as you have my undying attitude."
"Still can't resist a dig at me huh, Tamako. She's right Son, you have what I lack during my time. One thing you already have going for you is that you have found someone to cook for. Remember what I told you on the road to the mansion? Us chefs cook with a purpose in mind, but what really drives us to do better? Is it satisfied customers? No. Is it fame and recognition? No. All us chef want to do is to cook for someone we cherish dearly and make sure that your food gives them joy. You already know which two am I'm talking about right Son?" Joichiro said sagely.
"Here, let me give you something Soma." Tamako said as she removed her headband and tied it to Soma's right wrist. "This is to let you know that whatever you do in the future, I will always be right beside you and supporting you all the way."
"Kaa-chan…Sniff…Kaa-chan…Sniff…I'll make sure that I'll fulfil the same promise I made to you, Erina-chan and Alice-chan." Soma said as he gave his mother one last hug.
"Good boy~~~ Can you call Erina-chan and Alice-chan inside for a bit, I have something private to tell them both. Before that, let's give your take on my speciality a try, shall I?" Tamako said as she took a bite of Soma's food.
'He's almost there. You're just lacking confirmation Soma. He will absolutely nail this dish when he confesses his feeling, this is the final thing I can give to you Soma.' Tamako thought to herself.
"Delicious as ever, you're not that far away from me now" Tamako said proudly.
Happy by his mother's praise, Soma went out of the room to call in Erina and Alice. Both of them seemed surprise that Soma's mother wanted to see them.
After 10 minutes, both of them left the room with teary eyes but with renewed purposes. They called the others to get in the room as Tamako's life force was gradually depleting.
Soma and Joichiro both held onto her hands as they watched her slowly drifting away to an eternal slumber. Crying could be heard all the way from the receptionist desk as the losing of a family member was too hard to contain for the three children.
A day has since passed after Tamako unfortunately passed away, her funeral has already been taken care since Joichiro wanted her wife to rest in peace immediately. Soma was gloomy throughout the whole day as he was never pictured with a smile. Erina and Alice tried to cheer him up but all they got was a "I'm fine" reply from Soma.
Night could not have come at a worst time for Soma as he had failed to sleep for the past 2 days, he was tired but something was still preventing him from going to sleep. When he was suffering from sleep deprived nights, he would often get tucked in by his mother or she would prepare a glass of hot milk for him. Sadly, she was no longer around.
Briefly reminiscing about the past, he went to his mother's room and took out the photo album. What he didn't expected to see was something dropping out of the photo album he was holding.
How was it? Was it Sad yet Comedic? One point I was thinking of not letting Soma see Tamako pass away but I thought that will stray away too much from a light hearted anime. Don't worry though, next chapter will be a lot more happy and we will bid farewell to childhood Soma, Erina and Alice.
PS: Next chapter will be in 11-12 days as well.