-TADOKORO MEGUMI-
November 19
Megumi was overjoyed to be standing at her dorm's door, though weary from a long trip back to Tokyo. It was good to be home—not home home, of course. Still, Kyokusei was her home. She didn't want to leave her cozy corner of Tōtsuki in September, but her return made her appreciate her quaint space all the more. She told herself, only four more months in here, as she opened her door and inhaled that warm, familiar scent of cherry perfume and a mix of her hometown spices. She hadn't realized just how much Tōhoku stayed in Tokyo. It was nice.
Comforting.
Megumi texted her family group chat that she had made it back safely. Then, she lugged the last bag of groceries her mother and the fishmongers who taught her everything she knew made her bring back, full of stockfish, fish flakes, ground seafood for broths, and more fresh seasonal herbs and spices than she could finish. Best to make the most of it, she thought. She placed the last bags on her kitchenette and just looked around.
Her blackout curtains were still drawn, but their slits let in long slivers of morning sunlight onto her floorboards. Yet, in all its darkness, her room looked as comfy as she'd left it two months ago. The air was still, unmoved by her absence, and dust particles floated around. Her bedspread had changed, though (she'd have to thank Miss Fumio for that), and her winter comforter set was nicely made and waiting for her return, practically begging her to lay down.
Megumi sat on her bed and let out a long breath. Was the worst of the drama over? Megumi hoped so with all she had left inside emotionally, which she didn't think she had much. The fall term had kicked her butt, and not because of her schoolwork.
She was exhausted!
Lying back, Megumi reflected on her conversation with Sōma on the seashore. He had been so surprised to see her at her family's ryokan that she wondered if their conversation would've been different if it had happened in room 303 instead. She remembered how quickly she'd fled from Miyoko's downtown apartment to the safety of familial familiarity and why. Miyoko hadn't stopped reaching out. It was so much to think about that it hurt to hold back her tears. So, Megumi Tadokoro let them flow.
Then, her memory went back to her family. Her mother and grandparents, the bed and breakfast staff, who were like an extended family of aunts and uncles, had all welcomed her back home without question. For a solid month, it felt like she'd never left home. She'd fit so seamlessly into the world of her childhood. Life was calmer in Tōhoku. Once she left the train station, Megumi so desperately wanted to slip back into its simple pleasures and problems.
Problems. Ack! Even the word made Megumi wince. She had her share of problems, all right. The stinging memory of how hard she panicked when the minute she arrived in Tōhoku and saw the flood's devastation through town was seared in her brain. How defeated her mother sounded when she broke the devastating news that the family business was going under. Megumi felt powerless when she learned why her mother and grandparents didn't want to use the prize money to save themselves. They were always thinking of her welfare. So she didn't tell them about the silly romance drama she'd gotten herself into or how she'd messed up so many friendships that she'd never felt this lonely. It didn't help when said drama showed up unannounced at her family's failing business as the only guest residents for an entire weekend stay— not even a little.
But she handled it.
One week and an unfathomably large, cleared check later, Megumi was glad everything happened as it had. At least Megumi could look back now and appreciate Sōma and Erina for meeting her where she was—in more ways than one. Megumi nearly fainted when her grandfather showed her Erina's check deposited in their business account. She'd never seen that many commas and zeroes in her life! It was a life-changing amount for all of them.
So, while she hated knowing that she owed a great deal to Nakiri Erina, her family's seaside bed and breakfast would remain open. So, in a way, finding out Erina was the generous patron felt like just dessert. If all her messiness over the year had built up and led to saving her family's ryokan at the end of it, then good riddance to all of her hard work.
Thud!
Megumi jumped through her skin. The sound came from behind her closet wall next door. Sōma entered his room. She could hear him moving around.
Should I knock to say hi? Megumi shook her head. No. She needed to focus on herself and forget about coming between Tōtsuki's top couple.
"It's never gonna happen, Megs," she said sleepily. "You've woken up. Now move on." She lazily remembered the tea she shared with Erina in the formal tearoom. Still, Erina may have outdone herself even by Tōtsuki's standards. "I guess she really meant it," she said, yawning. She needed to undress, take a bath, and pray, but her body suddenly felt like lead welded to her mattress.
So, instead, Megumi drifted to sleep.
-8-
Buzzbuzzzzzbuzz.
Megumi was startled awake by the phone vibrating in her pocket. She pulled it out and gasped. She'd been asleep for an hour. She was running late! Yuki, Ryōko, and Ikumi wanted to meet up to plan her birthday. The least she could do was be on time. Her phone lit again, revealing the message that made her jolt out of her peaceful sleep.
TAKUMI-KUN (2mins ago)
Meg, hey! Just checking on you
Back on campus yet?
Aldini Takumi did say he wanted to catch up when she was back in Tokyo. She shook her head to think clearly. Had she not spoken to Takumi since Paris? She couldn't believe it. She checked their text thread. It didn't take too long to catch up— not a single scroll. He'd texted her three times since their short conversation that sad and lonely Saturday night in September. She hadn't replied once. Her thumbs swiftly typed:
Omg Takumi-kun! Hiiii
And yes! I just got back! I'm at PS :)
She hadn't meant to ice him out for two months. She was just preoccupied. A small voice in her head said, "Yeah, in your own world, consumed by being in Sōma's." She immediately felt like a hypocrite.
Another loud thump! This time, it came from the other side of her kitchenette's wall. Her skin itched to announce her presence, too. Her phone buzzed on her bed.
TAKUMI-KUN (now)
I'm omw, mon cherie
"Well, that won't work," she said, looking at the time. Quickly, she responded.
I'm actually heading out to catch up with Yuki, Ryōko, and Ikumi. Wanna walk together to my destination instead?
Megumi wondered if it would be odd to see Takumi again. It'd felt like forever since she was last in the Italian-wannabe stallion's presence; it would be nice to feel his kind regard towards her again. Megumi liked how she felt about herself when they spent time together and how Takumi cherished her as she was. She could really go for one of his heartwarming hugs, too.
-8-
She quickly spritzed herself with deodorant and perfume, then changed into a thermal sweatsuit and sneakers, rebraided her pigtails, and stuffed her head into her winter skull cap. It had snowed the night before. Her coat, scarf, and gloves awaited her in the dorm's closet. Crossing campus would be an ordeal. In ten minutes, she was to meet her girls at A Cook's Bookshop, the popular new off-campus coffee bookstore; it would take her twenty minutes in this weather.
Megumi opened her room door like she was disarming a bomb and looked at the door to her right. She heard nothing now. It made her stomach twist in knots. Was she feeling regretful or relieved? She shook her head and frowned. It didn't matter either way anymore. All that mattered was being on time. Sprinting down the staircase, she realized she'd left her phone.
"Great! Even more of a delay," she grumbled, sprinting back to her room and scrambling for her phone. As soon as Megumi found the device under her rejected outfits, the door next door opened and shut. She froze. I would've run into Sōma if I hadn't left my phone. A bitter pang struck her chest.
She knew she shouldn't care, but she did.
-8-
Megumi opened the front door of the Polar Star Dormitory, anxious, sweaty, bundled up, and running even later than before. She hated people waiting for her. Such was the hypocrisy of hospitality. So, imagine her surprise to find Aldini Takumi standing on the front steps…
Talking to Yukihira Sōma.
She faltered at the threshold. There was a time when the three of them being together would've felt as normal as breathing and right as rain. But now, a stale, awkward atmosphere lingered between them in the crisp air. The two boys on either side of her, technically her two best guy friends, turned their heads with their versions of a dashing smile and cheeky grin.
"Megumi," Takumi mouthed in awe.
"Now, this feels like déjà vu," Sōma chuckled, slapping their shoulders. "It's been a minute since the three of us were together," he cackled.
"H-Hey," Megumi squeaked. She cleared her throat. "I mean, hey, you guys."
"Hey, yourself! It's nice to have you back," Sōma said. That sincere Sōma smile that used to seize her heart only pinched it this time. "I didn't realize it back at Tōhoku, but your hair grew."
Takumi looked from Sōma to her. "You went home?" he asked, shocked.
"Mmm, yes," she said, closing the door. "I was feeling…homesick." She let her gaze settle on him. Takumi was easier to look at than Soma at the moment.
Takumi solemnly nodded. "I get that. I miss my Lady Italia all the time. But, yes, it's lovely to have you back, bella donna. Tōtsuki hasn't been the same without you," he softly added.
Sōma looked between them, then smirked. "Okay, you two, I'm off to battle a new Shokugeki request! We should do the same sometime soon," he said. Megumi couldn't help but notice how cheerful and carefree he looked now.
Takumi puffed out his chest and bellowed, "Yukihira Sōma! I am always ready to defeat my rival. Anytime, any place! Let's go. Right now!"
Megumi giggled, and Sōma laughed. They leaned on each other and just stared at the guy, and it felt good to touch him like old times. She resolved that Sōma would remain her safe space, even if she weren't his person. "Some things never change," Megumi said, shaking her head.
"Jeez, Aldini! Calm down," Soma chuckled. "Not now, alright? This Food War is a date," he winked. Megumi lingered on him. Of course, it was.
"Anyway," Takumi rolled his eyes at Sōma, regaining his debonair composure. "Tadokoro, shall we?" Like the gentleman he was, he put out his gloved hand for her. She took it and smiled. Megumi watched Sōma out of the corner of her eye, peering at them.
"What is it?" she asked innocently.
Soma snapped out of his daze and blinked like he hadn't realized he was staring. "Nothing. I just think you two…" Sōma paused, then rethought his statement. "Nah, never mind. I gotta get out of here. Have fun, you two. And check the group chat soon!" He waved them goodbye and sprinted through the snow. Even though she knew he was heading to Erina's mansion, she hoped he wouldn't drive his moped on the icy roads.
She yelled through cupped hands before she could stop herself. "Sōma! Be safe out there!" Still running, Sōma spun around with a cold, bright smile and shot a firm thumbs-up. Then, he stumbled on a mound of snow, but he didn't fall.
A fondness filled her face at the sight.
"We should also be on our way," Takumi calmly said. He was right.
Still, Megumi noted a subtle tinge of jealousy in his voice.
-8-
They walked silently along the salted sidewalks as the sun shone above them. Megumi sucked in the crisp air and let out a deep, satisfied breath. (It really did feel good to be back. Tōtsuki's campus took on a familiar, academic scent of perpetual cooking aromas, books, and holly as the seasons began to change.) Her cheeks stung, and she shivered.
"You okay? Do you need my coat?" Takumi earnestly asked. He wriggled out of his coat in a flash. Megumi gasped and looked at him like he'd lost his mind.
"No, but thank you. It's far too cold for me to accept," Megumi said frantically, pushing Takumi's coat back into his hands.
"But I'm willingly offering."
She raised an eyebrow. "And what will you wear?"
Takumi shrugged. "I'll live."
She shook her head and chuckled. "You're quite the gentleman, Takumi-kun. But I promise I'm good, thanks." She looked around; the campus was an empty wilderness. Was no one willing to brave the cold today?
"I, uh, am happy to see you, Tadokoro," Takumi muttered. His blond hair swept over his crystal blue eyes. He looked charming in the late-autumn sunlight.
"Same, Aldini," she mocked his seriousness. "But, why so formal?"
He scratched his head and slid his gaze to her. "I don't know; I guess because it's been a while, and..."
"I've missed you too, Takumi," she said, tipping her shoulder onto his arm and warmly closing her eyes. She missed his twinkling expression. "Let's catch up! What've you been up to all term?"
"Trying to keep these romantic wrecks we called friends from killing each other!" He responded so quickly that she felt guilty for asking.
"Yeah, I can imagine. I heard a bit when I was home."
"So that's when Sōma came to visit you?"
Megumi slowed down. He was prying for information about her time away. "It was..."
Takumi doubled back, rushing to return to her side. "Oh, I didn't mean to pry-" Megumi held up a gloved hand.
"It's fine," she said compassionately. She knew he was worried.
"Megumi, why did you leave for two months?"
That caught her off guard. "Uh, huh?"
"What happened in Paris? It's like something…you changed after that weekend. Grew distant." Megumi sighed. They were halfway to the bookshop. Was that enough time to tell him the whole story? She didn't know but knew she owed their friendship more transparency than she'd given him all term. She started to speak, but Takumi took her hand and stopped. His face was rosy from the frosty air. "I thought about you every day you were gone. I would've texted you every day, too, Megumi. That's how much I missed you. I'm not playing around when I say it, either." His words were a flurry of raw emotion and cold stammers.
She was at a loss for words.
"I heard you and Ryō kissed," he said low. Was he ashamed to tell her her own business? Good.
"Okay, and?" Megumi huffed, crossing her arms. Takumi's reaction unsettled her, but she was over feeling ashamed about kissing Ryō. She wasn't ashamed.
"I'm just surprised, is all. I didn't think you'd be interested in a guy like Ryō."
"And why's that?" she curtly asked.
"He's a brutish mess," Takumi snorted.
Megumi furrowed her brows and hummed. "I think everyone on the Ten has been a mess this year."
He frowned. "Not I," he said, self-righteous as ever. "Neither has Isami."
"Right," she dragged, teasing his scarf. "Well, everyone can't be as responsible and strict as you, Signore Aldini. And I think Ikumi would beg to differ."
Takumi snapped his head at her. "What?"
"Oh, nothing..." she whistled in the cold. "How's your internship with Dojima-san going?" She glanced up at him. Takumi stared at her with an intensity she'd only seen on him in Shokugekis and…last Valentine's Day.
"Megumi, I'm serious right now. I am not a mess," he said. It was like he didn't even hear her question. "I know where your heart is, at least, where it wants to be. But Megumi, have you ever thought about how much you deserve assurance? To be loved by someone you don't have to beg or chase to love you?"
"Um, Takumi, what are you saying?" she muttered.
"I'm saying, give me a chance with your heart, Megumi. Choose me. Let me take you out on a date. Officially. Then, maybe we can see where it goes."
Megumi watched the words burst out of his mouth, heard them sink into her ears, and still couldn't believe what Takumi just said. "What—WHY?"
"Why?" Takumi repeated incredulously. "Why? Because I'm positively mad about you, Tadokoro!"
"Excuse me?" she shrieked.
Takumi's eyes grew wide with disbelief. "How do you not know this by now? I've liked you from the very beginning. I've been in love with you since we were first years."
Megumi's eyes drifted from his face to the snow on the lawn behind him. Silently, stunned, she thought. The first time they met was when Takumi challenged Sōma at the training camp from hell. Megumi reviewed every memory they shared and replayed every interaction, text, and challenge they faced as chefs and friends since then. Was he pursuing her the entire time? Her vision lifted back up to Takumi's flushed face.
"But…" she paused, furrowing her brows. "We're just friends, Takumi," she said, but it sounded like a question coming out of her mouth. "Good friends. The best of friends."
"Can we not be more?" Takumi asked, pressing her. He took Megumi in his arms. She hadn't realized she was swaying, but her legs suddenly felt wobbly. "Isn't that the dream you had for Yukihira Sōma?" he said.
This petty comment, this senselessly bold and wildly inappropriate question, snapped Megumi back into her full awareness. It sounded like he asked to test her willpower.
Megumi wondered what it was about her that made people who claimed to love her—hell, like her—speak to her with such venom when it came to Yukihira Sōma. She had no clue, but it hurt her feelings each time. Sōma was still her best friend, her brother. Her mind wandered to Miyoko—Shit! I need to text her back! Then it occurred to her—No, I don't.
Softly, she grunted. "You're right, Takumi. Thank you for reminding me why this could never work," she said with a tight smile. "I've already learned my lesson." Takumi bristled at this but bit his tongue as she spoke. "I knew you liked me well enough. I still remember the veranda moment at the Lonely Hearts party." It felt like years ago, but it was only eleven months. So much has changed since last Valentine's Day. But Takumi had been kind then. A listening ear, he wiped her tears.
But that was so long ago compared to where they were now, who she was now.
"But I didn't think you still wanted more."
"I do," he said, his eyes blazed earnestly, searching her face for whatever sign he wanted to see.
As Takumi stood in front of her, Megumi felt herself...change. A chill passed through them, and her lip quivered. She wanted to cry from the emotional exhaustion of dating drama. Tōtsuki's dating pool became too small to swim in once they became third years. It was only fifty of them left. She couldn't put herself through liking another friend—not in that way.
Megumi solely wanted to focus on cooking comfort food for hungry souls. When had she lost sight of her reason for cooking? When had she lost the essence of herself as a chef?
"I need some time to get to know myself better," she said, surprised by the truth in her words.
"Megumi, wait, I-" he babbled.
She placed her hand on his chest. "No, Takumi," Megumi said gratingly. No more explaining herself. "I really must go. I'm already late meeting up my best friends." She started, turning to face her path, then stopped, pivoting just enough to see Takumi's dazed expression over her shoulder. "I thought you were one, too."
"I'm sorry," Takumi said, putting his head down. "I didn't mean to offend you, I promise, Tadokoro!" He said. But I put my foot in my mouth, didn't I?" Megumi blinked away a freezing tear. "I guess…I understand."
Then, she walked away.
-8-
Ten minutes later, Megumi nestled herself into her best friends' arms. The three young women bear-hugged as Megumi crashed to the sofa in the toasty coffee shop, utterly depleted. She yanked off her coat but kept her scarf and mittens on until she warmed up and looked around the cozy coffee shop and connecting bookstore. A Cook's Bookshop was smaller than its popularity could contain on any given day, but it still felt warm and inviting no matter how packed it got. The affordable rotating menu of pastries, hot beverages, and farm-to-table foodstuffs was always delectable, and somehow, there was always enough room whenever the three of them came.
As was to be expected of Isshiki Satoshi.
"Meggie-poo! We've been waiting on you, hun!" Yuki gleefully whined. She threw herself across Megumi's lap on the worn-out couch and flashed open a notebook full of birthday ideas. "Let's get to work planning how to celebrate you, friend! Nineteen is major."
"We ordered you a cup of tea," Ryōko sweetly said, rubbing her back. "You can have the rest of my pastry puffs if you'd like. There's chocolate filling on the inside…"
"I love you two so much," Megumi sighed and settled into the softness of the furniture and her steadfast friends. These two were her ride-or-die girls, her sisters, and she was grateful to have them. She needed their unwavering support now more than ever.
"Did you just call us Sōma?" Ryōko teased. Megumi gasped, and Yuki paused. They burst into laughter, teasing Megumi on the faintest possibility.
"A medium order of Matcha Made in Heaven?" Her tea arrived. "Sweet Tadokoro! Welcome back!"
"Thank you, Isshiki," Megumi said as she pulled off her mittens, finally relaxing for the first time all day. She hugged her former dorm leader and forever big brother. "Where's Ikumi?" she looked around as Isshiki winked at Yuki on his way back to the order counter. Megumi caught her best friend shyly blushing. She took a careful sip from the wide coffee mug. The sweetly spiced, earthy scent slowed down her racing heart. The matcha coffee blend with grated cardamom was smooth going down her throat and hit the spot. For the first time in three months, Megumi moaned with pleasure. "Delicious," she muttered. What a comforting, hot drink.
"She texted the group chat that she was leaving Isami's apartment thirty minutes ago," Ryōko said, taking a sip from her steaming mug.
"It takes less than that to get her from there, does it not?" Megumi giggled.
"Not when you're busy sucking face with your situationship who just happens to be your best friend!" Yuki snickered.
Megumi's insides recoiled. "We really need to branch out more, ladies," Megumi moaned, pulling out her phone from her coat pocket to check their friend's whereabouts. She'd received a message. "Ehhhh! " she shrieked.
"What? Megumi! What is it?!" Yuki screeched. Ryōko sat at attention.
"Oh, what now?!" she whined, on the verge of another emotional breakdown. Her friends raised their eyebrows at her. "Nakiri-san just invited me to her mansion for afternoon tea," she said, dumbfounded. "In two weeks."
-NAKIRI ALICE-
November 20
"Grandpa, it's cool if the Jewels could all go to Nakiri Summit for the weekend this Christmas, right? It's our last holiday season together, remember?" Alice pulled down her pouty bottom lip. She knew how to work with her grandfather.
Senzaemon shivered in his large office chair in adoration at her adorable display. "Ooh, my sweet Alice, I don't know about that, sugarplum. I was hoping we'd spend Christmas here together. All this old man wants for Christmas is to be surrounded by my family. We could all go as a family, but Nakiri Summit is just too cold for my weary bones this year."
Okay... Alice pivoted. "What about the weekend after Christmas?"
"Mm…that's the New Year. We have the donor's party, and Erina usually takes that time off, so I don't know…" he thoughtfully stroked his beard. "I was hoping you would accompany me with your parents. Maybe next year, hm?"
The spoiled heiress nodded. "Understood, Grandpa. I'm sorry for even asking, and I respect your decision," she said, looking on the verge of tears.
-8-
"I almost hate myself for even asking," Alice said, smirking. "Come on, Ryō. We have a weekend to plan."
"What did he say?" Alice flashed her grandfather's credit card. "Oh, shit." Holding hands, they walked down the hallway from Senzaemon's office to Alice's room. "Then, yes, milady…oh, I mean—okay, baby," he said sweetly to his scowling girlfriend.
"Thank you. All that milady stuff is what got your head all confused about who I am to you," Alice said. She was still slightly bitter about how they got here, it never needed to go this far. She was learning life had its limits.
"I've never been confused about that," Ryō replied, lifting her chin. He opened a door. Alice cut him a sidelong glance. He kissed her cheek as she entered. "I've always known I love you, Alice. Titles and nicknames never changed that." He watched her eyes soften as she gently touched his phantom kiss and entered her bedroom. "It's you who confuses me."
Alice gasped. He knew her better than she gave him credit for. "Ryō! How so?" It was blaring hot to be so exposed. Yet, she would never admit, not even the boy who knew all there was to her, that she purposely confused the ones she most loved. She didn't know why, though.
Ryō ran his nose from her clavicle and up her neck. "You're flirty—too flirty—with guys on campus. Makes me look like a weak bitch," he grunted.
"Ryō! I would never!" She flushed, gazing into his smoldering eyes, and a part of her heart cracked. She loved how they shared the same eye color; she used to stay up at night fantasizing about how their children would be an unmistakably gorgeous blend of them both. She couldn't wait to stare into their beady, baby eyes. She honestly couldn't wait.
Ryō closed the door and tipped his nose at her. Alice studied the first boy she'd ever loved. "Often," he said. There was no malice in his voice. If Ryō doubted her love for him, she would lose him and her baby dreams.
"Does that hurt you? When I flirt with other boys on campus."
"No," he said without hesitation. "I know you only enjoy the attention. Ow!" He rubbed the arm she'd just punched. "Let me finish, mi- Alice." Alice stood in the middle of her massive bedroom. In the winter, its sophisticated silver, gray, and white decor felt like being back in Denmark surrounded by snow, slush, and sea. She frowned at Ryō approaching her. She wanted him to do what he'd do next.
In one swift motion, Ryō lifted her by her waist and wrapped her legs around his torso, and held her up her butt. He gazed intently at her flushed face, his stare hard and passionate. "But I want all of your attention," she said, low and rough—a fire lit in Alice's belly.
His breath grew ragged, "I only want you looking at me like this," he continued; she draped her arms around his neck and sidled up to his chest, locking eyes. She felt his heart steadily beat faster on her breast. He tightened his arm around her waist. "I want to be the only one holding you like this." He leaned in to brush her lips. "I want to be the only one kissing you like this." Their lips met and parted with a slight gasp from Alice. "I want to be the only one who hears you moan like that."
"Touch me," she whispered into his mouth.
"Where?" He squeezed her ass, leading Alice to her bed. He laid her on her back and drew a knee up, spreading her legs. His long, dark hair hung down his face and tickled her nose.
"Everywhere," she said breathily.
"No."
Alice pushed him back. "No?" She couldn't tear away from his pink lips.
"No, Alice," he repeated. I want to touch you where no one else can reach." Alice's shoulders relaxed. She shimmied closer, drawing her hand down… "Not even Akira."
Alice froze. It was only a matter of time before he confronted her about her relationship with Akira. She'd keep calm and play innocent. She cupped Ryō's cheek. "Akira hasn't reached anywhere you can't surpass," she said, caressing his cheek in the sexiest teasing voice she could conjure. Something flickered behind his eyes. Maybe she flew too close to the sun with that one.
His eyes hardened. "I KNEW IT. How far has he gone?"
"Doesn't matter. You've gone further."
"It does matter," Ryō retorted. He got off her and sat on her bed. "And I don't believe you. I've seen how you two look at each other when you think no one's looking. But I know you, Alice, and I'm always looking." He looked away, finding a random place to focus on. "What happened between you two when I was in Denmark? Do you want to be with Hayama?" There was an agonizingly long pause in the air. Alice wondered if she should break the silence. "I won't stop you if you want to." His voice was small and defeated.
"What is this? You're not going to fight for me, Ryō?" Alice playfully inquired. She was growing impatient with his sulking, even though she knew she had no right. He still didn't look at her. The silence returned.
"All I do is fight for you, Miss Alice." It felt like a gut punch. She pressed her lips together but did not argue.
She sat up on her knees and forced him to look at her. He was crying.
Ryō looked…she didn't know. But her heart felt like a paper crumpling in her chest. She could be such a bratty princess, especially to Ryō, but she could always trust he'd love her no matter what. Like a steady flame, Ryō's love shone strong and bright and burned consistently for her. For only her. His moment with Megumi may have been a mutual attraction; sure, she wouldn't rob either of them of that. But she knew…Alice Nakiri knew that Ryō was securely attached to her. She was a culinary princess, and he was her loyal knight.
Yet, for some reason, the thought never occurred to her that her knight in shining armor also needed to feel loved by his princess.
And Alice did love Ryō.
She held his head in her hands. "I love you, Ryō," she told him. His stony expression dissolved. Had she ever told him this? That she loved him? A visceral reaction bubbled up in her throat. A vulnerable frog created a lump in her throat.
"I only want to be friends with Akira. Nothing more, nothing less." Alice thumbed a renegade tear tumbling down Ryō's waterline. "Nothing more, Ryō," she stressed. "Akira and I are friends. What we have is complicated, I won't lie, but I promise we're just friends. Look at me, Ryō. Look at me! I want everything with you."
She kissed his left cheek.
Then, his right.
She stared at him intently as she began taking off her clothes, slowly peeling each article off until she leaned on her bare back. But she kept one last piece on. She wouldn't take that one off by herself.
Alice hitched up a knee and balanced herself on her elbows. "Ryō," she softly called. She scooted back against the bed, drew him in by his neck, then whispered, "I'm in love with you."
She planted a soft kiss on his lips. They tasted like her. Then, Alice waited.
Ryō lowered himself onto her. He slipped her lace down her thighs.
She welcomed him in.
-ARATO HISAKO-
December 1
Hisako paced her grandmother's bedroom, chewing on her bottom lip. To say she was nervous was an understatement. She was practically melting with sweat. Today was the most important day of her life thus far.
"Hisako, my dear," a brittle, maternal voice weakly called from behind her. "Why are you so afraid? Have you forgotten who you are?"
It took her grandmother nearly a whole minute to get her words out. Her breathing labored with each syllable. Hisako hurried to her bedside. The life monitor beeped her grandmother's vitals in a steady rhythm.
"Sobo," she said quietly. "Shall I prepare you some tea?" Tears stung her eyes as she watched her grandmother nod her head in such a frail condition. She went to prepare a small, lukewarm cup of the most soothing tea blend she had in stock— a handful of crushed green tea leaves, a teaspoon of camomile and lavender blossoms, a fistful of chopped dandelion roots, two whole star anise, and one cinnamon stick. As she let the tincture simmer and steep in the corner of her grandmother's room, Hisako let her mind take her to the scariest place.
Her parents said her grandmother's condition was terminal and that their colleagues, esteemed professionals in various medical specialties that they'd flown her grandmother to countless times over the last two years, said she only had until the end of the year to live. She was terminally ill and dying of old age.
"Are you all right?" Hisako asked, delicately placing the teacup on her grandmother's cracked, thin lips. Her grandmother sipped; the woman smiled a bright, toothless grin through her sunken flesh.
"I am all right. My child, be of good courage. It is well. You have been…" her breathing labored. She slowly closed her eyes and heaved for her lungs to even partially fill with the commercial-grade quality purified air filtering into her room.
"Sobo?" Hisako's voice shook like a bag of bones. "SOBO," she cried. Her grandmother's eyes flew open. When they stared back at her this time, they looked glassy, distant…ancient. Hisako let out a relieved exhale. "You frightened me," Hisako gasped, chuckling out her fears. She stroked her grandmother's long, thinned-out white hair and felt more scalp than ever before. She was the only one her grandmother would allow to comb and brush her long, thick, pink hair since Hisako was a child. They kept the tradition even through her hospice care. It was one of their sacred rituals.
Her grandmother took another long sip, tea trailing down the slits of her lips.
"Hisako, my dearest," the woman called again. Don't be afraid. You will be great in life—a master healer. I love you," she spoke between labored breaths, then closed her eyes. Hisako stifled sobs. Her grandmother's words sunk deep into her bones.
Two things happened at once.
Hisako's phone vibrated, and her grandmother's monitor beeped a rapid pulse and flatlined.
"Sobo?" She said, confused. She called out to her grandmother again and again. Panic struck her. This was not a Shokugeki. Hisako pressed the home nurse's call button on her grandmother's bedside. "Nurse Tenke, Code Blue! Come quick! She's coding!" Then she pressed the button on the wall that rang up her parents' separate offices. She shouted, "Code Blue! Mama! Papa! Code Blue!"
By the time the home health nurse, doctor, and her parents made it to her grandmother's room, she was gone. Hisako's biggest role model, mentor, and oldest friend had passed on to her next life, and nothing felt solid anymore. It was like time had fissured from her sense of reality. Her first experience with death made reality blur and liquefy within her brain, and she saw double through a watershed of tears.
Hisako's father fell on his mother's empty body, wailing. Her mother crouched over her father's shuddering frame and held him, silently weeping too. She had never seen her parents show so much emotion. It was the final touch that shattered her heart into a million grieving pieces. She moved toward her parents, hugging her father. Startled, he peered down at her with red, watery eyes and then made room for her in his arms. He squeezed her. She pressed her body into him. Hisako wrapped her arms around her mother and ran her fingers through her grandmother's hair one last time.
Then, the three surviving Aratos held each other tightly, weeping as they wished their matriarch goodbye.
-8-
Two hours later, Hisako slammed into her mattress, drained and heartbroken in a way she could not explain. Her grandmother had been old her entire life, but for some silly, irrational reason, Hisako had never imagined her life without her. She wasn't prepared at all.
Her phone vibrated on her nightstand. She'd forgotten all about the outside world. She stretched her arm with the little strength she had left for the day and grabbed her phone. There were several texts from Akira, and Erina texted her, too. There was also a new email. She gasped.
THE EMAIL.
Hisako decided to open it first. "Dear Aspiring Medicinal Healer Hisako Arato, " she read, her heart thumping with fear.
Thank you for applying for admission into The Healing School of Holistic Medicine at the University of Hong Kong for the upcoming 20XX Naturopathic Medicines and Holistic Practices medical program. Your ambition to submit a thorough application package to learn holistic medicine at China's premier naturopathic school of medicine has not gone unnoticed.
Congratulations!"
Her vision blurred. She saw nothing else. Her phone slipped from her hand. Hisako screamed. She jumped. She couldn't believe it.
"I…got in?" she gasped, trembling. Sobo, I actually got in!" she sobbed to the ceiling. Hisako sat motionless for a while, her mind blanking in and out of her room and time. Her life had forever changed twice in five minutes. She picked up her phone to check the time. It came in at 9:05 p.m. That's the time Sobo flatlined, she thought. She tried her best to read the rest of her acceptance email calmly.
"Globally recognized as the leading global institute of interdisciplinary naturopathy and arts medicine, The Healing School is proud to offer you admission into our next cohort…"
Hisako wept into her palms. Her hands…these hands had made her biggest dream come true. Her tears were a wet combination of joy and sorrow. She took a massive gamble by only applying to one medical program—it was the only one she wanted. She could envision her life studying the intersections of food, medicine, and healing in Hong Kong. It married her love for holistic medicine and culinary healing, her two loves cultivated by her grandmother. If only this email had come five minutes sooner.
She grabbed her phone on instinct. But when she moved to press the contact, Hisako froze. Suddenly, her thoughts went blank, and her mouth was dry. She couldn't speak even if she tried; the grief, the overwhelming emotions cycling through her mind, body, and spirit, were too powerful to resist. She closed her eyes and released herself to her sadness.
As she let her tears stream, Sōma Yukihira's image randomly came to mind. She thought about their conversation in the pudding cafe. They'd talked at length about life, love, and their relationships, and Sōma spoke with such deep vulnerability that in Hisako's most significant moment of grief and highest achievement, the memory came flooding back to her. A reassuring warmth moved through her, remembering Sōma's words.
"It's going to be okay, Hisako. You gotta do what's best for you. What's best for your heart."
The determined look he had the entire time he told her how deeply, madly in love with Erina he was revealed what she was missing in her relationship. Soma was so down bad for Erina that he was shameless about making her happy. He had no pride, ego, or qualms about soliciting Erina's best ex to help him win his girl back. Over her three years of knowing Sōma Yukihira, Hisako had seen time and time again that there was nothing Yukihira Soma wouldn't do to show Erina—hell, everyone—just how deeply he loved her. That's how strong his love was.
Hisako knew firsthand about such devotion. Having eyes for no one else looked like, she could taste it on the tip of her tongue. She'd done it for fifteen years.
"Hisako?" her mother's fragile voice called behind her door. "Are you all right?"
Hisako rushed to meet her, wiping her wet face. "Yes, Mom. I…need a minute to myself. I'll come to join you and Father soon," she said.
"O-Okay, dear," her mother said, mouselike. Hisako's eyes grew wide. It was her mother's first time calling her "dear." Bittersweetly, her heart burned.
Hisako sat at the edge of her bed and made a call.
The line picked up.
"Hello? Hisako? Hello?" Akira answered, unnerved. He sounded like he couldn't believe she'd been raised from the dead. It hurt to hear, but she wasn't surprised. Everyone in her household knew her grandmother was on her last days and made preparations. She needed time with her sobo to crawl so that there was enough to love on her in her final moments and say goodbye. They hadn't communicated in three days. Akira had given her space. Maybe too much space.
"Hisako?" Akira tried again.
"Akira," her voice cracked.
"Hisako, baby? What's wrong? Are you crying?"
"Mmm-hmm," she whimpered into the receiver. She could sense Akira's emotions swirling, shifting on the other end. He took a deep breath.
"Hisako, please. Talk to me," he whispered in a broken tone that sounded how she felt. "I'm here. Tell me what's wrong."
"Sobo just passed," she finally said. Her chest heaved, and it occurred to her. She's…gone, she thought, surprised. "She's…gone, Akira." Then, the waterworks came. She sat on the phone weeping, and Akira sat silently, allowing her the space and quiet company.
They stayed that way for ten minutes.
When Hisako stopped crying long enough to sniffle and blow her nose, Akira softly spoke in her ear. "Hisako, baby, I'm so sorry for your loss. I know how much your grandmother means to you." All she could do was cry harder. Christmas was mere weeks away, and it would be the first holiday in her life without her Sobo. "Where are you? At home?"
"Yes," she said between sobs. She sounded like a baby to herself. This was not how she wanted to speak to Akira about next, but she loved him, and he was the only one with whom she wanted to unravel with in this moment. He'd been there from the beginning and through it all. She at least owed him closure.
"Please allow me to come over," he said desperately. "I want to hold you right now, comfort you."
"No," she said, sniffing. "No." She was somber. "I called because I know the love I deserve, and it isn't this, Akira. So, this is goodbye." She hung up quickly so he wouldn't have the chance to change her mind. She didn't want to talk or argue. She only wanted to mourn her grandmother in peace. She had considered sending a breakup text; that would've been a swift and painless block.
But as she hung up, wiping the tears from her eyes, she knew she had made the right decision. As she began making a second call, Hisako realized she loved herself too much to avoid pain to keep the peace. She'd done that before, with…Erina…and it ended with her doing something so humiliating that she nearly lost the best friend she'd ever had.
Yet, once again, she had opened her heart, doted, defended, and been loyal to the one she loved, just to be betrayed in the worst way. When a friend breaks your heart, those cuts leave lasting scars. She had chosen to leave two loves behind when she applied to medical school. She knew her move to Hong Kong would fracture the bonds she'd so neatly threaded during her time at Tōtsuki.
Deliberately choosing to be alone disoriented her at first. She'd never been alone, but as she sat with her sadness, she'd felt alone for a very long time. However, this time, she had a new frame of reference for such grief. So she had to do this. Studying abroad was the remedy, like a soothing cup of herbal tea.
Hisako blotted her tears and saved the email. Then, she went to her closet and pulled out a black mesh veil. It belonged to her grandmother. She walked to her mirror to adorn it. Hisako was determined to embrace heartbreak this time. She'd just lost her dearest friend, her golden girl, and grief was already gnashing deep wounds into her chest. Still, she had learned something vital through the past year, something that only medicine, cooking over hot stoves, and all those years learning how to cook and cure ailments at her grandmother's side had taught her.
In time, this heartbreak would mend. She, too, would heal.
-NAKIRI ERINA-
December 7
Erina sat on her tea cushion in one of her maternal grandmother's vintage kimonos, smiling. She felt beautiful in its floral pink and green silk, but she wasn't sure why she couldn't contain her smile. Hisako didn't seem to mind.
"You look good, milady. Happy." Hisako hugged her as she entered the tearoom.
"I am," Erina softly replied. She let out a deep breath. Erina could feel Sōma's comforting hug wrapping around her waist, his soft lips drifting along her neckline, even as she sat with Hisako and he was nowhere around. "I feel more in control and content than ever." Tea with her grandfather the other day grounded her. She was still nervous about leading an entire institution and all that entailed, but Erina was no longer afraid to be Academy Director full-time again. She could do it. She had her support system to help her, come what may. And, considering the new multi-year expansion project Erina was about to undertake as Director and put Tōtsuki through, she knew she would need them more than ever.
"I'm glad to hear it, milady. And thank you for inviting me to tea. We haven't sat for tea all semester."
"I know; it's been a minute," Erina said, reaching across the tatami floor mat to hold her friend's hand. "I've missed sipping your herbal blends during our high-noon tea. Now that I have this lovely tea set and you'll be going abroad for medical school, I know I will miss it even more," she simpered, staring fondly at the family heirloom tea set on the low square table before them. The polished white and blue ceramic teapot and teacups, cracked all over from decades of use and mended with rush lacquer mixed with gold, were her grandmother's most prized possession. Erina inherited it; her grandfather gave it to her at the end of their last tea date, while Alice inherited their grandmother's fine china.
"Well, I don't leave for China until May. We still have plenty of time for tea." When Hisako squeezed her hand, Erina felt her heart pinch just a little. Five years without her right hand beside her every single day. How would she manage?
"Oh, Erina! Darling, you must schedule afternoon tea more often!" Alice waltzed into the mansion's indoor courtyard, doubling as a botanical tearoom. Her kimono billowed around her feet as she blissfully twirled around the heated garden."After the night Ryō and I shared, there's nothing like a cup of tea while I spill some—" Alice's attention fell to Erina's left. "Oh. We have company."
Erina held her breath as she looked back and forth.
"Alice."
"Hish- Hisako," Alice said. The smug look on her face surely pissed Hisako off, but Erina had promised her best friend a half-day off for every ignored jab or barb Alice threw her way. Erina sighed.
"Okay, you two, listen up. I planned this sado to bury the hatchet between you in a respectful manner. Even though Alice lives here, for this chaji, you two are my guests, and you're my girls, and I cannot—will not—choose between you. So, I will assume responsibility as an impartial mediator.
So, hash it out. Right now. Then, we'll have tea." Erina leaned back, unsure if that would be enough to move one of them to speak. She watched Alice wrinkle her nose. Her eyes narrowed. Though it was rare, Erina knew that look.
"Listen, girl," Alice belabored with a sigh, rolling her neck. "Akira's all yours."
That was not what Erina had expected. From Hisako's expression—she folded her arms and straightened her posture on her cushion—Erina wasn't the only one perplexed.
"Was that supposed to be an apology?" Hisako scoffed.
Yup. That was precisely what Alice thought she did, Erina thought. Erina wasn't used to seeing Hisako's soft, dewy face so tight with contained anger. Her eyes shifted to a still-smug Alice inspecting her scarlet polished nails. This mediation was not going as planned. Still, she would wait before interfering.
"Is that not what you want? Your relationship is undisturbed. What better apology is that?"
"A real one!" Hisako lashed out like a whip. She must've had that response at the tip of her tongue.
"You want me to apologize for helping you realize you can't trust your man?"
Erina sat between them at the square table, watching her best friends battle through their conflict. They'd fought many times without her—in texts, meetings, outings, and on the Shokugeki stage. She'd made a silent promise only to intervene when the words hurled became too vicious. But now, as they hurled petty and wisecracking shots at each other's attitudes, affection for Akira, and their overall difference in values and perspectives, Erina wondered, was there indeed a path towards repair between them?
Suddenly, something snatched Alice's attention.
"Uh, Erina? Why is that here?" Alice asked, scrunching her face. She sharply pointed to the kintsugi tea set on the table's center. Erina and Hisako's eyes followed her finger; both were surprised that Alice just noticed the elaborate tea service.
Cautiously, Alice approached the table, took her seat on her cushion, and surreptitiously thumbed the teapot lid that looked fragile to the touch. "And why does the teapot look like…that?"
"Because Obaasan decided to preserve history." She saw Hisako wince, and her heart softened. Her best friend had just lost her beloved grandmother. She took her hand and softly rubbed Hisako's knuckles with encouragement as the bereaved wiped away a tear.
Alice gasped, "Wait…no, Erina…is this the teapot?" Erina smirked, giving her cousin a knowing nod. She turned to Hisako.
"Hisako, this teapot was our grandfather's wedding gift to our grandmother, Nakiri Yoko. One night in their first apartment as newlyweds, they got into a heated discussion that grew into their first real fight. In a rare fit of rage, Grandmother Yoko threw the teapot at him, and it shattered into ten pieces. That night, they didn't go to bed together. Grandfather went for a walk to cool off. Grandmother felt so bad that she stayed in the kitchen to pick up the pieces and fix them, but she cried so long about how poorly she handled her anger and how difficult it was to do it alone.
"She missed and needed her husband's help so much that she fell asleep at the kitchen table holding the handle glued in place. A short while later, Grandfather saw her sleeping over the repairs. He carried her to bed, finished mending the pot, melting his gold wedding ring to seal it, and left it at her bedside to see as soon as she woke up."
Hisako's eyes watered. "Talk about real love," she said, nibbling on a water cracker.
Alice hummed. "Yes, it's the story of my father's conception. So, it's essentially my origin story." "The beautiful part is that both of their hands repaired it. They never fought again."
Hisako eyed her teacup, perplexed. "But what about the kintsugi teacups?"
The cousins glanced at each other and then giggled like the little princesses playing 'Tea Party' they once were. "That's on us," they said in unison.
A pleasant calm triangulated between them. Erina inhaled with relief that the tensions had died down; Alice cleared her throat.
"Um, listen, Hisako..." The addressed party faced who was addressing her. "I'm sorry for being such a diva. You didn't deserve what Akira and I put you through. But—and I'm not saying this to negate my apology—it really wasn't supposed to go as far as it did. It was not planned or even pre-meditated on either of our parts. Akira loves you. Trust me.
"And even though my previous actions contradict what I'm about to say, I don't want Akira or what you two have. I even think it's cute and special," Alice said, turning her nose up just a smidge and angling herself away from Hisako's teary-eyed expression. Erina noted the petty high society gesture to camouflage personal shame. Something about her cousin had changed.
"More importantly, I'm too busy being in love with Ryō to focus on what you've got going on," she said haughtily, making a show of breaking her wrist to flaunt the demure silver ring on her right ring finger. Erina's eyes rolled over the small, sparkling red diamond set in an invisible halo resembling a silver spoon's basin. The gem had a small occlusion, but it was a cute gift overall— especially from Ryō. But Erina had no idea what it signified for Alice. She wouldn't ask now.
For the five long seconds that Hisako said nothing, did nothing, and moved nowhere, Erina thought the room had entered some suspended animation, like when she stared too long at a manga panel whose art sucked her into its world. This time, though, she wasn't sure what would happen once the spell broke.
"Thank you," was all Hisako said.
The tea garden's French door clicked open.
Three heads turned towards the newcomer.
"Megumi, welcome," Erina said, a genuine smile slipping through. Alice glared at Megumi in her seafoam blue and white kimono, paddle boats swimming around the hem. "Please, take your seat," Erina said. Hisako gaped at Erina.
"What the hell, Erina?" Alice protested.
She gave a sly grin. "Now that all esteemed guests have arrived..." A tea master emerged with a bamboo tea service cart and bowed at Erina. She bowed in return and nodded to begin. The stately madame, wearing a sage green kimono with intricate pink beadwork designed as bloomed cherry blossom branches, took slow, measured steps with her ingredients out of sight. Erina's gaze passed through the three ladies in waiting.
"As the second-ever Director of Tōtsuki Tea Ceremony and Culinary Academy, I felt it appropriate to preserve this illustrious institution's traditions by hosting a traditional tea ceremony for the top three women chefs at Tōtsuki. This will be changing around here, and I can only entrust the council's leadership to you three. I need you to role model behaviors of how an Elite Tōtsuki woman and chef purports herself as graduation approaches. You have my permission if anyone is moved to air their grievances before the chaji begins."
Megumi peeped, clearing her throat. "Um…Alice? Erina, I'm sorry. I caused this mess from the summer, and it's my fault everything spiraled out of control for both of you."
The cousins eyed each other.
"Honestly, it was Ryō's fault, girl," Alice said with a naughty lilt. "He should've resisted temptation." She shimmied her shoulders and shrugged off the bad blood between them.
"Then I took it a step further," Erina added. "I truly am sorry about that, Tadokoro-san. But, Hisako is my witness; that was not my initial intention for wanting to meet with you all those times before." She looked to her best friend just as Hisako began to nod fiercely.
"It's true. Miss Erina wanted to sit for tea with you back in August. Though I am unaware of the details, I assure you it wasn't about what transpired on the jet."
"To clear the air concerning out Shokugeki last winter." She didn't need to remind Megumi that it was to prove she'd won Sōma's heart fair and square. Alice's eyes bounced between them. "And what transpired on the jet?" she asked, damn near salivating for the drama. Erina, Hisako, and Megumi told Alice the whole story and why Megumi did not contend for the Sixth Seat.
"Damn, Erina. You were such a bitch for that," Alice said, which led to Hisako and Erina telling Megumi about Alice and Akira, which prompted Erina and Megumi to tell Hisako and Alice their sides of the story about Paris, and Megumi divulging her dilemma with Takumi.
As the girls gossiped about their own drama and shared their love stories, they couldn't help but laugh as they cleared things up. Erina and Megumi untangled their Sōma tensions and timelines and hashed out their differences, and Megumi gained some respect in the trio's eyes, namely Erina's. Hisako held nothing back, and Erina had to give Alice credit; her cousin took her lashings, but not without landing a sassy clapback or two.
"Let's just agree to blame the boys!" Alice cheered, stretching up her crystal water glass.
"Here, here!" They all cheered, cackling and clinking their glasses.
Five minutes later, fresh matcha powder wafted through the air as the tea master began preparing the tea.
That contented smile returned to the Director's face. Erina was proud of herself. Life was good. Her relationship was thriving. She had repaired her girlfriend group. She was doing well. All was well.
And it was comforting to be alive.
Erina lightly clapped her hands. "Okay, ladies, let our monthly tea ceremony begin!"
a/n: i know it's been a while, but i was cooking with intention as i near the end of this story. i hope you found this behemoth of a chapter worth the wait. ch. 32 centered the boys, now the ladies have had their say. i wonder what else is next to do, then...? hehe, let me know what's on your mind by leaving a review. again, we are so close to the end...but it's holiday season, so i have some treats and surprises in store as a..."Thank you!" for your 3.5-month patience.
"You're Welcome!"
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