"Nakiri! Yo, Nakiri!"

Erina stopped walking towards the stairs and she sighed, turning around. There was exactly one person bold (read: stupid) enough to yell for her like some common street urchin from across the foyer.

"What is it, Sōma-kun?" asked Erina, turning to face him imperiously. As always, her haughty air had little to no effect and the red head just grinned at her.

He was garbed in his usual Yukihira branded clothing, and a long white cloth trailed from his wrist. It made him seem different, but Erina shook off the feeling. There was nothing strange about Sōma's current attire. He was almost stupidly proud of his little special-of-the-day shop after all.

He smiled at her impishly, scratching the back of his head.

"I've got a dish for you to taste."

"Nothing squid based, I hope?" asked Erina cautiously. She'd had yet to fall victim to any of his…creations…but she'd heard more than enough from Megumi to know that she never wanted to either.

"Nah, this one's an old favourite."

Suddenly, they were in the kitchen. Sōma turned to the bowl he had prepared, presenting it to her with a flourish.

"Transforming Furikake Gohan!"

Erina sniffed, trying to hide how delectable the simple bowl smelled. It glistened brown with the aspic and the chicken scented air caressed her, practically begging her to take a bite. She reached out for the chopsticks he held out in his other hand, grasping them deftly.

"Aren't you tired of cooking this by now, Sōma? This will make the third time in less than a year."

Sōma frowned, cocking his head at her questioningly.

"I've only made this dish for you twice, Nakiri. Today and at my transfer evaluation."

"That's incorrect. You've made it another time besides that." said Erina. She reached out and took the bowl from him, prodding at the fluffy egg curds strewn among the rice grains.

"Really? When?"

Erina went to speak again, but she paused. She couldn't remember, try as she might. It's like there was a blank space in her memories. Was she mistaken? Had Sōma only prepared this particular dish twice?

No. This was definitely the third time Yukihira Sōma had prepared this particular furikake dish. But for the life of her, she couldn't remember what the other time was. She felt like it was important. Like she was missing something.

"It's irrelevant." she snapped, grabbing a piece of the dish and bringing it to her lips, the smell beyond tantalizing. Sōma's talents had really only improved after all of the time he spent with Cen-at Tōtsuki.

She put the piece into her mouth and almost spat it out immediately. It tasted…it tasted…for the first time in her life, Nakiri Erina's infamous tongue failed. It tried to pick apart the flavors of the dish and floundered, unable to give her any information. Was it spicy? Sweet? Savoury?

Erina stared down at the bowl, struggling to process just what was happening as her teeth and tongue moved mechanically, chewing and swallowing the bite. Throughout the entire process, she tasted nothing. Nothing at all.

"You know, now that you mention it Nakiri-ojou. I believe you are correct."

Sōma's voice had changed. Where it was once warmth and kindness, it was flat and cold. Blank.

She looked up, too confused to be dismayed, and gasped, the bowl dropping from her hand and breaking on the floor.

Sōma stood before her in a crisp black Tōtsuki uniform, a Central badge pinned proudly to his lapel. A silver chain wound its way around his left wrist and his body language had changed. Gone was the open, friendly boy she had only just been talking to her.

"I did cook this one other time, didn't I? A pity you didn't get to enjoy it. So what do you think of my efforts now?"

"S-S-Sōma-kun…" said Erina, stepping back only to meet a wall that certainly hadn't been there a few seconds ago. She turned, meeting an empty, stone wall where the airy Polar Star kitchen had just been. She turned back around, a cold feeling starting to take hold as she saw what stood before her.

The scene had changed. Sōma was still garbed in his black clothing but now he sat at a table. A familiar table. With a trash can at his side, a candle on the table and a bowl of his transforming furikake gohan in front of him.

"Aren't you going to answer him, Erina?"

Erina froze, almost literally, as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She glimpsed black, gloved fingers at the corner of her vision and she found herself unable to turn to confirm just who stood behind her.

Soon, she didn't need to concern herself with turning around as her father took his hand off of her shoulder and walked forward to stand beside Sōma, whose hands were now above his head, shackled to the wall behind him.

"How was Sōma-kun's food, daughter? Were his efforts up to our usual standards?"

Was his dish worthy?

"What does your God's Tongue tell you?"

Were his efforts one hundred percent perfection?

Erina tried to say something, anything. But not a single word left her mouth. What would she say? What could she say?

Azami frowned disapprovingly, but his displeasure didn't seem to be directed at her.

"It appears, Sōma-kun, that your dish was so deplorable that Erina is without words for how terribly subpar it is. That simply won't do."

In a sudden fit of violence, with strength she didn't know her father possessed, Azami flung the heavy, wooden table to the side of the room, its contents scattering across the floor. Bits of rice and egg flew everywhere as Erina shrieked, the bowl shattering into uncountable pieces against the wall.

He stepped in front of Sōma, turning his back to Erina and partially shielding the red headed boy from her view.

"Well, do you have anything to say for yourself, boy?" he asked, pulling his gloves off one at a time and putting them in his coat pocket.

"Just that I live to serve you, Nakiri-sama."

"As you should, Sōma-kun."

Erina jumped at the sudden sound of flesh meeting flesh, and the muted grunt from Sōma. Her eyes widened as she realized just what had occurred as she watched her father rear his fist back again.

"Father! Stop!"

Azami paused, turning his head to look over his shoulder at her.

"Yes, Erina?" he said calmly, as if he hadn't just brutally struck her shackled classmate across the face.

"What are you doing?!" she cried, the concern for her friend momentarily beating out the sheer terror she usually felt in her father's presence. He frowned at her, his face almost seeming confused.

"It's called discipline, Erina. I did it with you, and now I shall do it to him."

Azami lashed out a second time and this time Sōma's grunt was marginally less muted. Erina stepped forward, holding her hands out beseechingly.

"You never struck me like this Father! You never put me in chains!"

None that existed outside of her mind, anyway,

Azami laughed, fully turning to her and allowing her to see Sōma. His cheeks were already starting to turn a dark purple and his eyes glared out at her, the previous blank stare replaced with one of fury and accusation. She felt her eyes start to prickle as she found herself unable to look away. She had never seen Sōma look at anything with such disdain before.

"Of course not, Erina. You're my daughter. He is nothing. Low class trash that was never fit to be in the same room as us, let alone inside of this school. He's a stray dog among the precious Jewels of the cooking world."

Erina started as she heard the familiar sentiments expressed back at her. It said something that, out of all the things he could've said, her father repeating her very own thoughts back at her was somehow one of the worst things she'd ever heard him say to her.

"I would never treat my own daughter the way I've treated him."

Azami smiled at her, his smile warm and proud, like the way he'd smile at her every time she succeeded in her "training". His next words were as sincere and kind as his smile.

"After all, I'm not a monster."

Which only made them all the worse.

And as Azami turned back, drawing his hand back yet again, Erina sprang forward in a display of courage she'd never before had towards her father. As she ran into his form, he burst into wisps of mist, evaporating as if he'd never been there.

Erina didn't question the impossibility, her eyes blurred with tears as she collapsed into Sōma, holding his shoulders.

"Sōma-kun. Sōma-kun!"

She hugged him, tightly. He didn't evaporate. He was warm and solid. He was real.

She stood up, reaching for his wrist to undo the chains there but he moved his hand out of her reach. She tried again, but the errant wrist moved once again, thwarting her efforts. She looked at the boy in confusion, and she found him staring at her, his golden orbs replaced by a different set of yellow eyes.

"Haven't you done enough, Erina-chan?"

The voice wasn't his. It was soft and feminine. And bitter and sad. So very sad.

Erina screamed. She closed her eyes and screamed.

She screamed and screamed, waiting to run out of breath or to lose her voice, but she just kept on screaming.

"Erina-chan! Erina-chan!"

The voice was there again, but now it was loud, and concerned. And full of warmth where there had been only despair before.

Erina felt unseen hands on her shoulders and she lashed out ineffectively, pushing at them.

"No! No!"

"Erina-chan! Calm down! Stop it!"

She felt someone force her hands together and let go, before she felt a sharp clap on the back of them and she gasped, her mind coming together as her eyes opened sharply, wakefulness forced on her by the stinging sensation on the back of her palms.

She was lying on her back in bed, breathing like she'd just run a marathon. She felt the uncomfortable warmth that indicated she was sweating, made only more pronounced by the school uniform she'd worn to bed. Her eyes felt uncomfortably moist and she found her breaths riddled with sobbing hiccups.

Straddling her, with hands clasped over her own, was Megumi, who was looking down at her with concern. Her hair was free from its usual pigtails, still wet from the shower, and she wore a set of pink pajamas.

In another set of circumstances, they would've made quite the erotic picture. Two wet, panting girls in bed together. As it were, neither of them had any thoughts to the impropriety of their situation. One of them was simply concerned for her friend and another was still trying to adjust to being back in the waking world.

Erina sat up, Megumi shuffling off of her to instead sit across from her on the mattress. She looked around, confused as to why she wasn't in that room. It didn't take long for Erina to realize just what was going on, and even less time to remember just what she'd found out from her loose lipped senpai.

"Megumi-chan..."

"It's alright, Erina-chan. I'm here. What's wrong?"

Erina said nothing, just staring at the concerned face of the girl who'd helped piece her together after her father's untimely return to her life. Who'd given her the strength to believe in herself and stand up against him. Who'd quickly and almost unknowingly become her best friend.

Erina started to breathe even harder, as her eyes started to fill with moisture in the real world this time. She didn't deserve her. She didn't deserve any of them.

Megumi was completely floored when the honey blonde haired girl clutched at her and started sobbing into her chest. She'd comforted Erina after more than one nightmare during her time at the dorm but she'd never seen her quite like this. Erina was usually more silent and unresponsive, almost like a form of shock, and Megumi would have to coach her back into responding to her queries. She would convince her to confide in her about whatever terror had visited her during the night and they would work through it together.

But this...this was something different. This wasn't the usual cocktail of fear and subservience that usually consumed her friend after nightmares of her father. This was grief, pure and simple. And Megumi didn't have the faintest idea why her friend would be feeling so grief stricken. Regardless, she did her best to comfort her.

"It's okay, Erina-chan. It's alright." She said soothingly, running her hands up and down the girl's back.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." sobbed Erina, gripping the girl even tighter around the middle. She kept repeating her mantra of apologies, which only served to confuse Megumi more.

"It's alright, Erina-chan." She tried again. "You have nothing to be sorry for, it's alright."

She kept rubbing her back, trying her best to almost will a sense of calm and peace into Erina. It wasn't only through cooking that Tadokoro Megumi was able to express hospitality and her efforts showed as Erina's cries started to quiet before falling silent altogether, her hiccupping breaths the only remnant of her sobs.

Neither of them moved for a time, both content in the other's embrace. After Erina's breathing had completely returned to normal, Megumi pushed on her shoulders, gently forcing the girl up so she could look into her tear streaked face.

"What happened Erina-chan?" she asked softly.

Erina didn't say anything, shame and guilt starting to encroach on her as her sadness took a backseat to them. She broke eye contact, looking away from the girl and biting her lip. Again, she was at a loss for words. What could she tell the girl?

"I'm sorry, Megumi-chan."

The words had slipped out, almost involuntarily. Above anything else, it's what Erina wanted to say. What she needed to say. She needed to let her know how sorry she was.

"It's alright, Erina-chan. Whatever it is, it's fine." assured Megumi, reaching down to clasp her friends hands in hers. But Erina moved her hands quickly, as if Megumi's hands had burned her, and crossed her arms across herself defensively.

"It's not, it's really, really not, Megumi-chan." said Erina quietly as she moved to stand up out of the bed. She wobbled as she got to her feet but she steadied after a few seconds, deeply breathing in and out, trying to get her equilibrium back.

"What do you mean, Erina-chan?" asked Megumi, standing up as well.

"I..." Erina trailed off, still unsure of just what she could say. How do you tell your best friend something like this?

"It's my father." She finally said. Not nearly the whole truth, but Nakiri Azami was certainly the root cause of it all.

"Alright. And what did he do this time? I've never seen you like this after a nightmare."

'Because it wasn't something he did in a nightmare, Megumi-chan. What he did was all too real.' thought Erina. But she was too much of a coward to say it.

"It was nothing, Megumi-chan. I mean, it was the same sort of thing that always happened. You know, darkness, broken plates. Things like that." said Erina, trying her best to sound casual, and probably failing miserably. Her attempt would've worked better if she'd remembered that she'd never once addressed what had happened to her so casually. Ever.

Which made her behaviour stand out like a red flag to Megumi. The blue haired girl walked around to look into Erina's face but she found the other girl doing her best to avoid meeting her eyes. Megumi gripped the taller girl's shoulders firmly, stopping her shuffling movements and looked into sad, purple eyes.

"Erina-chan. You don't need to lie to me. What's wrong? Tell me, please. I want to help."

"Why?" said Erina, the word ringing with sadness and shame, which only served to confuse Megumi even more.

"What do you mean why?" she asked.

"Why me, Megumi-chan? Look at what my father has done to you. To all of Tōtsuki. Why would you want to help me?" Erina said, doing her best to fight down a resurgence of tears.

Megumi didn't say anything at first. Instead she just looked into Erina's teary face. And then she pulled the girl into a hug. A hug that was filled with all of the care and compassion that was the trademark of Tadokoro Megumi.

"Because you're my friend." said Megumi simply, as if she was stating the sky was blue or grass was green. She leaned back and held Erina's shoulders firmly, making eye contact with her.

"Now, what's wrong Erina-chan?"

Erina found herself unable to resist the petite girl's insistent gaze. Those that thought Megumi was nothing more than a timid wallflower had no idea how strong willed the girl could truly be.

In a halting voice, Erina started speaking. She recounted her encounter with Rindō, telling her about how the second seat had come to visit her to address something important to both the future of Tōtsuki and her family. Then she told her about what the second seat had accidentally let slip and about how she'd had an attack as a result.

Even after the recounting was done, Erina continued speaking, telling her about the nightmare she'd had immediately after, and the feelings of terror and guilt it had invoked. She told her about how Sōma had spoken in her voice and about how her father had used her very own words against her.

She kept speaking, leaving little to no details out, before finally falling silent after it became clear that there was nothing left to be said and she waited for her friend's inevitable reaction. But none came.

Megumi was simply staring at Erina, wide eyed and speechless. Her hands had fallen from Erina's shoulders and were instead at her sides limp. She blinked, slowly, and seemed to finally process just what Erina had said. Her mouth started to move and Erina began to cringe, ready for an angry tirade or perhaps a tearful rejection.

Instead she got a firm declaration.

"We can't stand for this."

Erina saw a fire in Megumi's eyes, one she hadn't seen since the Polar Star Dormitory had been threatened with eviction all those months ago. The same fire that led to her taking the lead and rallying their defences to hold the dorm until Sōma's shokugeki with Eizan was concluded.

"We're going to stop him, Erina-chan. We're going to stop your father and we're going to get our friend back."

Megumi reached out and gripped Erina's hands tightly, almost painfully.

"Together."

Yes, those who thought Tadokoro Megumi was nothing but a shy little girl on the back lines didn't know anything about her. Anything at all.

"Nakiri-ojou. What are you doing here? Weren't you otherwise occupied?" asked Sōma. He was sitting up straight backed, but his elbows rested on the table and his hands were interlocked which, combined with the room's dim lighting, hid much of his face from Alice.

But even considering the small portion of his face she could actually see, Alice was almost certain his expression was much too calm considering what was being projected on the room's side wall.

"What exactly is going on here, Sōma-kun?" asked Alice, her surprise quickly fading to be replaced by a calm, appraising look. It was by no means reflective of how she actually felt, but being able to mask your emotions was an ability Alice had perfected over the years. She just usually preferred a mask of pretentious silliness. But such a thing wouldn't be appropriate. Not here, not now.

Sōma eyed her, his familiar blank gaze locked with her red one.

"Have you spoken to Kobayashi-senpai as of yet?" he asked instead, completely bypassing her question.

He'd asked Rindō to speak with her and it was possible that's why she was back here right now. She'd clearly snuck back to the mansion somehow. He couldn't imagine someone as controlling as Nakiri Azami allowing his niece to discover something like this on a whim.

"What does Rindō-senpai have to do with any of this?" asked Alice, arching a delicate, ermine brow.

"That answers that question then, I suppose." said Sōma, standing to his feet and walking around the table towards her.

As he approached, Alice found herself feeling the urge to step away from him. Something that surprised her. She didn't scare easily, and she hardly expected to ever be afraid of the man in front of her. But she found herself wanting to step back and withdraw from his presence.

Fighting off the foreign feeling, Alice critically examined the boy in front of her, ignoring the fact that the piercing red stare she was giving him bordered on inappropriate.

At a glance, Sōma seemed to be his usual, apathetic self. He stood straight, shoulders back and arms at his side, almost soldier like. But, upon closer inspection, it seemed forced, almost unnaturally stiff, compared to the confident, brisk stance he usually had. His eyes were even more blank, doll's eyes in a human's skull.

What was most worrisome though, was the fact that they were red rimmed and his face was stained with tear tracks.

Alice looked at the projected image of her cousin before looking back at the chef in front of her. She walked past him, towards the projector. After a brief moment of fiddling, the screen faded, leaving the two chefs alone in the room with only the light from the single burning candle on the table to see by.

"What is he doing to you, Sōma-kun?"

"Nothing that concerns you, Nakiri-ojou. As I said, you shouldn't be here. You should leave. Now."

His voice was lifeless and empty but his tone made it clear that he wasn't giving her a suggestion. Alice narrowed her eyes at him.

"Is that a threat, Sōma-kun?"

Sōma glanced past her at the open doorway.

"If you were sincere in your desire to support me, then you will do your best to forget what you've seen here. You'll turn around, go back to your room and we'll move on as if nothing had happened. It would work out best for the both of us that way."

Alice looked at him calculatingly, her face still one of calm serenity.

"I'm not sure it would be that easy, Sōma-kun. It's not every day I walk in on something quite like this."

Her words were light but the tension in her voice was almost palpable. Before he could respond, the lights suddenly flickered back on, causing Alice to squint at the harsh brightness assaulting her unadjusted vision. Sōma glanced up sharply, his eyes also narrowed against the glare.

"Nakiri-ojou. With all due respect, you need to leave this room. Right now. We can discuss this later."

Alice was tempted to argue, but chose to resist the urge for the time being due to the urgency in his voice. He was clearly concerned about something, something important. Besides she'd get her answers one way or the other; she could afford to wait a few minutes.

"Fine, Sōma-kun."

Alice turned and stepped out of the room, Sōma following behind her and shutting the door. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone as he started to walk down the hall, his gait stiff but quick. Alice followed behind him, having to walk three steps to his two just to keep up.

"How long have you been home, Nakiri-ojou?"

"It's been about ten minutes." She said, curious as to why exactly he needed to know.

"And did you pass any staff on your way in? Security guards, cleaning staff, anyone?"

"Not that I saw." She said slowly, putting one finger to her chin, thinking. "I deigned to walk home and leave Ryo-kun with the car, as he'll be getting in quite a bit later. And I came from the side gates to the east, closest to the Cutting Edge RS' building. In fact, the mansion seemed surprisingly empty, even considering the late hour."

"That's by design, I'm sure. There would be less questions that way. It wouldn't do to have anyone walking in the way you did, Nakiri-ojou."

Sōma dialed a number on his phone, putting it to his ear. After a single ring, someone picked up with a crisp, professional greeting.

"Good evening, Manatabe. I need you to confirm that you saw Nakiri Alice enter the mansion about ten minutes ago if Nakiri-sama calls you...yes, that's correct. He's in the foyer then…alright, that will be all, thank you."

He hung up the phone, putting it into his pocket.

"Alright. Azami's on his way here right now to check in with me. As far as you're concerned, you were calling down the hallway, wondering if anyone was here because it was so dark, and I met you in the hall right before the lights came on. Alright?"

Alice nodded, eyeing the tense set of his shoulders from her position behind him.

"As you wish, Sōma-kun. But I expect you to provide answers to all of my questions when the current situation is resolved. Fair?"

Sōma looked over his shoulder at her.

"I can't promise I will have all of the answers you seek, Nakiri-ojou. But I will do my best."

Before Alice could retort and tell him how unsatisfactory his response was, he held his hand up before dropping it to his side, his pace slowing. She slowed alongside him, having a feeling as to just why he'd slowed down and she wasn't disappointed as she started to hear the click-clack of expensive dress shoes on the stairwell ahead.

It wasn't long before Azami came into view, his stride purposeful as he walked towards the both of them. He looked over at Alice, and if he was surprised at her presence, he didn't show it.

"Good evening, uncle." she said coolly.

"Good evening, Alice." he said, his tone just as clipped before he turned to Sōma, levelling the full weight of his gaze on him.

"Sōma-kun. How is your progress this evening?"

"I've made substantial progress, Nakiri-sama."

His tone was back to the lifeless emptiness that he was becoming known for. All of his previous intensity and urgency had vanished as if it had never been there.

"I heard Nakiri-ojou's voice in the halls and came out to greet her and guide her back to her room. It seemed the lights were experiencing some sort of malfunction and she took it upon herself to investigate."

Azami looked over at Alice, who rolled her eyes at Sōma's implied admonishment.

"It wasn't so much investigation as simple curiosity. I simply wondered why our maintenance staff would be so negligent is all. It's most unbecoming of them."

Azami looked between the two, his eyes narrowing just the slightest bit, as if he was trying to see through them. He seemed satisfied with what he saw and he smiled, the expression almost seeming genuine.

"Quite right, Alice. I shall have to speak with the staff promptly and address this failing. Sōma-kun, you are done for the night. I trust you accomplished much?"

Almost imperceptibly, Sōma twitched. A small, innocuous movement of his shoulders that neither Nakiri missed.

"I did, Nakiri-sama. It was quite enlightening, as always."

"I'm happy to hear so. Good night to you both."

Azami turned to head back up the stairs but he paused, putting his hand in his pocket.

"I almost forgot."

A silver chain was held in his fingers. He extended his hand towards Sōma, who took it wordlessly.

"Thank you, Nakiri-sama. I wish you a pleasant evening."

Azami didn't bother to respond, instead continuing to head back up the stairs, the click-clack of his shoes echoing off into the distance until they couldn't be heard.

Sōma pondered the chain held between his fingers, idly threading the links through his fingers. He didn't acknowledge Alice's questioning stare, but her voice wasn't so easily ignored.

"I hadn't noticed, Sōma-kun. But you seem to be acting quite differently than you did earlier today when you'd removed your…jewellery. Was I incorrect in my assumption that your little chain was similar to Ryo-kun's bandana?"

Sōma looked over at her and then back down to the metal links held in his hand.

"That is one of the questions I can't answer for you, Nakiri-ojou."

Alice frowned, crossing her arms.

"And just why is that?"

Sōma opened his mouth before pausing. He blinked, his eyes shifting as if he was seeing something she couldn't, before focusing back on her.

"I just don't know how much I can trust you."

The answer seemed to surprise both of them. Sōma tilted his head, narrowing his eyes as he started to wind the chain around his wrist, staring through Alice as if she wasn't even there.

"It seems someone's chatty when they wake up." he said, his tone chiding.

Alice blinked, caught off guard by the non-sequitur.

"What are you talking about, Sōma-kun?"

Sōma didn't answer her, instead focusing on wrapping the chain securely around his wrist. As he got to the clasps, his fingers started to shake. He tried to link them together but his fingers weren't cooperating and, after one particularly strong jerk, he lost his grip entirely and the chain slipped off of his wrist, sliding to the floor with a clatter.

"Dammit!" he bit out harshly, causing Alice to jump in surprise as his expression shifted. For just a second, there was a look of such unbridled fury and hatred on his face that Alice found herself utterly terrified. Her feet felt like they were frozen to the floor and her heart was racing in her chest as Sōma glared at the floor, the negative emotions roiling off of him in waves she could practically taste.

Then his face had smoothed over, the familiar emptiness reasserting itself over both him and his presence, and he sighed.

"My apologies, Nakiri-ojou. That was rather rude of me. I didn't mean to startle you."

Sōma bent over, picking up the chain, this time slipping it around his hand and fastening it with practiced ease. He breathed in once, his eyes closing, before breathing back out and fixing his eyes onto Alice, who looked as if she'd seen a ghost.

"Are you alright, Nakiri-ojou?"

Alice stepped backwards at his voice, almost instinctively. She stared at Sōma as if she'd never seen him before.

"I…I'm just…I'm fine, Sōma-kun." she said, her voice nowhere near as convincing as it should be.

Sōma went to speak again but he paused as he heard more shuffling on the stairs. He glanced behind him to see two servants descend the stairs, empty trays held in their hands. They passed the two chefs by, giving each of them respectful nods, before heading down the hall.

"Perhaps we should move this discussion elsewhere, Nakiri-ojou. Do you find that acceptable?"

Alice took note of just where the servants were headed towards and, understanding the necessity for such a thing, she nodded and hesitantly followed Sōma upstairs, wondering if she would like what she was about to learn.

"I must say, Sōma-kun. I've lived here for almost a year, but this is the first time I've ever entered any of the servant quarters." said Alice, looking around the room appraisingly.

Even though they were just servant quarters, they were still rooms within the Nakiri mansion, and thusly, held to a much higher standard. The room was large, almost double the size of Sōma's past accommodations in the Polar Star Dormitory. One wall of the room was dominated by two large closets, while the other wall had furniture flush against it, specifically a bed, an armoire and a nightstand. A study desk sat in the corner, wedged in between the wall and the bed. Deep red, almost maroon, carpeting blanketed the room and a door leading to a bathroom was directly opposite the entrance to the room.

"It seems rather nice. Much nicer than your room back at the dormitory."

Despite her statement, and for all its amenities, Alice didn't feel any of the cosiness or warmth you'd normally associate with a home. There were little to no personal items throughout the room, the bed was crisply made and everything was neat and orderly. Were it not for the small bag in the corner of the room and a few books on the desk, she would've assumed that no one lived there at all.

Sōma closed the door behind her, walking to seat himself at the desk, facing where Alice stood at the doorway.

"I would presume that we didn't come here for small talk, Nakiri-ojou?"

Alice's small smile dropped and she huffed, moving to seat herself on the bed, crossing her legs primly.

"How impolite, Sōma-kun. But since you insist, let's get down to brass tacks, as they say."

Alice rested her chin on her palm, her red eyes searching as she looked at Sōma. She was more than a little concerned about what she'd glimpsed in the hallway earlier but she wasn't sure just how to go about broaching the topic.

"Why do you not find me trustworthy?" she asked instead.

Sōma crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair as he met her gaze.

"It is not that I don't find you trustworthy, Nakiri-ojou. It's more that I need to be very discerning with just who I place my trust in these days, as you can imagine."

"I don't think my imagination's quite up to it today, Sōma-kun. Care to elaborate on just why you need to be so discerning?"

Sōma wasn't fooled by the playful tone of her words.

"There are things I need to do. Things that Nakiri-sama wouldn't approve of, to say the least. Things I absolutely cannot have him finding out about before the time is right."

"And just what about me suggests that I'd tell him a single thing? There's no love lost between my dearest uncle and I, in case you couldn't tell." said Alice, the coldness in her voice all too apparent.

The corner of Sōma's lips turned up, ever so slightly.

"Trust me, Nakiri-ojou. I'm more than aware of that. I'm not concerned with you coming forward with anything to him. I'm concerned with who else you may tell, and what may be inadvertently revealed by their actions, along with your own. Keeping secrets isn't always as simple as keeping your mouth shut."

"I think you'll find that I'm more than capable of being discreet, Sōma-kun. I don't believe you're giving me enough credit. After all, haven't you noticed that none of our mutual associates have sought you out, despite the fact that you've been living here for almost two full days now?"

Sōma looked over at her, his surprise not completely hidden from her.

"I had simply assumed no one had bothered to seek me out yet. After all, I couldn't blame any of them for being put off by my recent actions."

Alice shook her head, her bang swaying to and fro.

"Come now, Sōma-kun. Give your friends more credit than that. If they knew where you were, I'm sure they would seek you out post-haste. But I decided to keep your residing here to myself. At least for now."

Sōma seemed to be evaluating her in a completely different light now. He'd known Alice had potential, it was why he had planned to seek her out in much the same way he'd sought Ikumi. But it seemed he'd underestimated just how cunning the heaven sent child of gastronomy could really be. A mistake that could have very well cost him under different circumstances.

"Besides. There are still the terms of our shokugeki that you have to adhere to, ne Sōma-kun?"

Oh yes, Nakiri Alice was certainly cunning. Of that there was no question.

"You would seek my seat as well, Nakiri-ojou?"

"Oh, please Sōma-kun. When I come for your seat, I will do it on even grounds. Not because you're arrogant enough to wager it so flippantly. No, I have different stakes in mind."

"I'm listening."

"We will keep the usual stakes. But, in addition, if I win, I want some insight into just what it is you're doing. I refuse to believe that someone like you would bow to my uncle without having some sort of ulterior motive. I know you're smarter than that, even if you often did your best to seem otherwise."

"And if you lose?"

"Oh, I won't lose. But on the off chance that I do, I'm sure you can come up with a sufficient penalty, Sōma-kun."

It had only been a day since that previous conversation, but it was clear Alice was more than ready to cash in on her terms, forfeit or no.

"You clearly want me on your side. I can't imagine the infamous dog of Central forfeiting for any other reason."

"I didn't forfeit."

Alice looked confusedly at Sōma, whose eyebrows had drawn downwards, his lip set into something resembling a frown. It was another rare display of emotion, one of distaste.

"Sōma-kun. I mean nothing by it, but I distinctly recall…"

"I'm not saying that Yukihira Sōma didn't forfeit the match to you, Nakiri-ojou. I'm saying that I didn't."

Alice tilted her head, wondering if she'd heard him correctly. What he'd said made absolutely no sense to her, and she was sure the confusion showed on her face because Sōma sighed, sitting up and looking at her.

"Nakiri-ojou. You compared my chain to Kurokiba-san's bandana. And I told you that you weren't entirely correct or incorrect in such an assessment. Just how exactly does Kurokiba-san's transformation work?"

Alice tapped her chin thoughtfully, looking up at the ceiling as she thought back.

"Well, when I first met Ryo-kun, he was always rather angry and intense. Foul mouthed too. It was simply how he was. As the years progressed, under my loving hand of course, he started to change. He grew more relaxed, more satisfied with life, but his…berserk tendencies, for lack of a better term…would still emerge at less than opportune times. Something that ruined more than one business deal for me, I'll have you know."

Alice frowned at the memory of her earlier days with the port town chef. He'd certainly been a troublesome aide in the beginning, to say the least.

"As a result, I decided that instead of trying to repress his inner nature, he should embrace it, and learn to control it. To bring it on and turn it off deliberately. Like a pot releasing steam at controlled intervals, instead of allowing the pressure to build and build before blowing its top. Hence the bandana."

Sōma nodded, looking down at the chain on his wrist contemplatively.

"I assumed it was something along that line. At the end of the day, the bandana is just a device, a trigger of sorts, that makes it easier for Kurokiba-san to compartmentalize his inherent intensity. He's still the same man underneath it all."

"Well, of course." said Alice, a bit suspiciously. Sōma had almost sounded…wistful.

He looked back up at Alice and this time, she was much more prepared for the intensity of Sōma's eyes, as a glimmer of the anger he'd displayed earlier shone through.

"I'm afraid that my…situation isn't quite as clear cut. I won't bore you with the details but, to put it simply, I am not Yukihira Sōma. At least not in his entirety."

Alice turned the statement around in her head, trying to figure out just what exactly the boy in front of her was saying. She grew frustrated as she found no resolution that made any sense. She felt like she was trying to form a complete picture from a puzzle that had half the pieces missing.

"I don't understand. Did our dear Yukihira-kun have a twin stashed away somewhere?" she asked, knowing full well that that wasn't the case but hoping the small joke would alleviate some of the tension in the room while allowing him to better explain just what he was talking about.

"In a manner of speaking." he said simply, which only served to confuse and frustrate Alice even more.

"Yukihira-kun. I'm not usually averse to word games myself, but I would ask that you speak simply and plainly here. This is no time for riddles." she said, somewhat harshly as she crossed her arms.

Sōma smirked, a small upturn of his lips that still managed to convey his sardonic amusement at her impatience.

"Very well. In that case, I don't think I'm the one suited to answering your questions."

He raised his bound wrist, holding it out towards her.

"Would you like to do the honors?"

Alice looked at the hand outstretched towards her. She couldn't quite pinpoint why but this was clearly a moment of significance. So she restrained her irritation at such a seemingly mundane request and instead shuffled over on the bed, so that Sōma's wrist was within grabbing distance.

She reached out for the clasp, popping it off with a simple flick of her thumb. As if prompted, Sōma shivered, his face twitching as it had in the halls earlier. Deciding to treat it almost like a band aid, Alice pulled swiftly at one end, unwinding the chain from his hand in a smooth motion, leaving his wrist unadorned.

For a brief second, nothing happened. And then Sōma grit his teeth and closed his eyes, a shiver running through his body as his fists clenched tightly. His shoulders slumped and he exhaled sharply, before opening his eyes.

Warm, golden eyes met Alice's and she gasped at the noticeable difference. She'd seen Sōma without his chain at their shokugeki, certainly, but he'd still seemed fairly distant and aloof, if much more talkative than usual. But the man that sat before her now…

"Hey there, Nakiri-chan. It's been a while, huh?"

"Sōma-kun…you seem different. Or should I say the same?"

Sōma laughed, a sound filled with bright, if somewhat bitter, irony.

"A poetic way of putting it, I suppose. I'm probably a lot closer to the Sōma you would remember, even as incomplete as I am."

"Sōma, please. I'm only getting more and more confused." pleaded Alice, hiding just how relieved she was. The easy-going demeanour and bright grin were characteristics all too reminiscent of the Sōma they'd all thought had left them months ago.

"Well, in simplest terms, the chain you have there is like a trigger. Of sorts. When I wear it, I'm someone else. Still myself, of course. I'm not totally crazy. Just a little bit."

Sōma extended his tongue at her at his quip.

"It's easiest to think of it as…hmm…good and evil doesn't really fit. Light and dark? Nah, that's too pretentious. Let's go with strong and weak, although even that's not quite right."

Sōma spread his palms, almost seeming to show off his unchained hand.

"It's like we're two halves of the same whole, although we aren't completely distinct. We're both still the same person. We have the same goals and dreams, the same passions, the same strengths. But we're still different."

"When I'm wearing the chain, I'm the strong Sōma. I'm the willpower, the strength and the intelligence that make up such a big part of who I am. And when it's off, I'm weaker. Because I'm the one that feels. I'm the "soft" Sōma, the one who wouldn't have the stomach for the cruelty and deception you need to play this game."

"What game?" cut in Alice, although she was almost certain she knew. Sōma smiled, his expression open and honest.

"The game I play with Nakiri Azami, of course."

"But why, Sōma-kun? Is being expelled really worth all that you're putting yourself through? I thought you said you didn't even care about graduating from Tōtsuki."

Sōma looked at her, his expression almost confused before his eyes lit up. He grinned at her, cheekily.

"Oh, you think I'm doing this all because of what happened at the dorm when I punched out Azami?"

"You aren't?" asked Alice, her mind racing as she considered the implications.

Sōma shook his head.

"Nope. It may have been how all this started, but Pops got me out of that months ago. All of my efforts up to now have been in pursuit of a different goal."

"And what goal might that be?"

Sōma smiled mysteriously, tilting his head at her.

"Now, now. I can't give away all my secrets in one night, can I Nakiri-chan?"

Before she could continue her questioning, Sōma's phone rang, an upbeat tone from some anime as opposed to the usual stock telephone ring. He furrowed his eyebrows as he picked it up.

"Greetings Rindō-senpai."

His tone had slipped back into a professional one, something that was rather jarring to listen to when paired with his lively voice. He paused, listening as Alice wondered again just how he and the second seat of the Elite Ten Council were so closely associated. He'd joined their ranks barely two weeks ago.

"That's fine. I'll just do it myself. I'm with her right now, actually."

Alice's eyes snapped upwards to his, meeting his gaze, which seemed to be eyeing her with a sense of bemusement.

"No, I'm not…no we're at the Nakiri mansion."

Sōma blinked, his bemusement replaced by confusion.

"That's impossible. We've been here for at least forty five minutes, there's certainly no…wait. Exactly which Nakiri are we speaking of?"

A brief response. Sōma's phone crackled as he gripped it, a little too tightly.

"No. That is not who I meant."

Alice heard Rindō shout something, her voice coming in tinny through the speaker.

"You don't seem very apologetic. Which doesn't surprise me at all. We need to run damage control. Now. Where are you?"

Sōma stood up, taking the chain from Alice's hands.

"Alright. I'm on my way."

He put the phone in his pocket and looked at Alice, scratching the back of his head apologetically.

"Duty calls, as they say. We'll have to finish this conversation another time."

"I'm going to hold you to that, Sōma-kun." said Alice, getting to her feet.

"I've no doubt you will." he said, giving her a wan smile. As he began to exit the room, Alice spoke again.

"One last thing, Sōma-kun."

He turned to face her, having already began winding the chain around his wrist.

"You still haven't told me just why you're doing all of this."

Sōma looked at her, and he smiled again, but this time it was tinged with sadness.

"I suppose you could say, in a roundabout manner, that I'm doing it all because of my mother."

And with that enigmatic statement, Sōma departed from the room, leaving Nakiri Alice with a few answers but even more questions.

A/N: Here's chapter 6! I was a bit late this time, sorry everyone! It was a combination of IRL stuff and wanting to make sure this chapter was good. I still don't know just how well I conveyed certain things in it, but feel free to let me know what you think of it in a review. This chapter's a fairly important one, as I'm sure you can tell. I hope you enjoyed this, and I'll see you guys and gals next week (hopefully on schedule this time!)

Also, just something to keep in mind: Nothing Sōma said to Alice during his explanation about his two sides was a lie. But, at the same time, sometimes the most damning things are those left unsaid. Take careful note of what gaps Sōma's explanation DIDN'T fill, as opposed to the ones they did.