Azami grunted, swinging his pickaxe down with finality, its point sticking into the asphalt beneath him. He stepped back, wiping the sweat off of his forehead with the back of his hand. He raised his other hand and, within seconds, a cool bottle of water found itself placed in his palm.

"My thanks, Arato-kun." said Azami to Hisako.

The purple haired girl pursed her lips tightly, simply nodding in response and turning to direct Daigo and Marui as they struggled to distribute and spread the asphalt mixture along the portion of the road they'd managed to clear.

Azami checked his watch, noting the time. The trial would be just about halfway by now. A detail that didn't overly concern him; when Tsukasa had called him, he'd been deep within downtown Tokyo. The time it would've taken him to get back meant he wouldn't be able to get there in time to alter the proceedings anyway. And he wasn't even sure that he would have wanted to.

His faith in Central's doctrine was absolute; it would prove itself superior in time. And it would only be better for him in the long run if he allowed those who would stand against him to protest and struggle. They would be that much more crushed when he succeeded regardless of their petty rebellion.

A phone began to ring.

Azami glanced up at Joichiro, who paused in his own digging to fish his phone out of his pocket. He looked at the screen and paused, tilting his head at the phone in question. He looked around furtively before his eyes landed on Azami's. For a brief second, Azami could've sworn he saw something like concern in his senpai's eyes before Joichiro grinned, waving the phone at him.

"I'll be right back, Nakamura. Gotta take this. Keep an eye on the kids for me, huh?"

Joichiro stepped away, off the side of the road and into the trees. He kept walking, surreptitiously glancing back until he couldn't even glimpse Azami's tall, dark form through the trees. He put the phone to his ear, struggling to keep his tone steady as he fell back against a tree trunk, sinking to the floor.

"What do you mean she's gone?" he said.

"I mean just that, Joichiro-kun! She said she was going to spend the day at Aiko-chan's but I called Aiko's parents to check in and they said they hadn't heard anything about it! Aiko was at home by herself, watching TV. She has no idea where Kumi is; she hasn't heard from her since yesterday! And every time I call her cell phone, it gives me a busy signal!"

The voice on the phone was filled with maternal worry and concern.

"Alright, alright. Calm down. When's the last time you saw Kumi?" asked Joichiro, looking around and confirming he was still by himself. He didn't need anyone overhearing this particular conversation.

"This morning, at around 9. I sent her off with a bento and her knapsack. I called Aiko's parents at 2:30 and I've been searching frantically ever since!" she said.

Joichiro looked at his watch and noted the time. 3:30. His daughter's been missing for over six hours. Joichiro felt the plastic casing on his phone crinkle as his hand clenched it.

"Did she leave a note?" he asked, mind whirring as he filtered uselessly through the last six hours in his head. He knew for a fact that he hadn't heard from his daughter but that didn't stop him from thinking back and meticulously reviewing every single scrap of information his perfect recall had picked up.

"No! Nothing! I've searched her room three separate times now. There's nothing there." she said and Joichiro could hear that she was about to cry; Joichiro wasn't far off from that himself, though he didn't show it; Kumi was their world.

"Alright. Calm down. You said she had her knapsack right? What did she take?" he asked, working with what little information he could. Kumi clearly hadn't been abducted or anything of the like; she'd fabricated her plans with Aiko so this little outing was her idea. Joichiro ignored the dark thought that it was more than possible that it could've started that way but then taken a turn for the worse.

"I…I'm not sure…" she said hesitantly. Joichiro heard scuffling on the phone and waited, silent.

"Most of her things are still here. She took her phone and her wallet but everything else is still here. All of her school uniforms and most of her other clothes are right where they're supposed to be. The only things missing are the jeans and T-shirt she was wearing this morning and…"

The woman on the phone trailed off.

"Her chef's uniform."

Joichiro's breath hitched as his mind connected the dots. Kumi was aware of what was happening at Tōtsuki; the power struggle that her brother was going through and the results he was seeking. She wasn't happy about it and had made that clear to all of them, several times. She knew today was the trial for the Elite Ten, specifically the trial in which Sōma would need a partner. A young partner. And Kumi had always hated the thought of sharing her big brother. No "child" would be good enough to assist her brother on the culinary battlefield. She'd begged to be allowed to come and assist him; she'd pleaded for days but had been unanimously denied at every turn by both of her parents. It was too risky.

He should've known something was wrong when she stopped complaining. Yukihira Kumi never gave up; it was a trait she shared with the rest of her family.

"Joichiro-kun. Tell me…tell me what I'm thinking is wrong."

The despair in the woman's voice was audible and Joichiro felt his heart begin to thud audibly in his chest as the implications settled onto him.

"I have to go." was all he said, hoping his voice didn't sound as shaky as he felt.

"Find our daughter, Joichiro-kun. Please."

The desperation in her voice only made Joichiro's heart race even faster.

"Of course I will." he responded, hanging up the phone.

He took a deep breath, slapping himself firmly on the cheeks as he tried to compose himself. Once he felt sufficiently put together, he sauntered out from the treeline.

"Well kids, something's come up. I…"

Whatever Joichiro was about to say was lost as he saw Azami sitting astride a motorcycle. It sat past the ruined part of the road; it had clearly had no difficulty navigating the potholes and fissures that married its surface. After all, they'd been engineered to stop cars, not something as small and manoeuvrable as a bike.

Azami was slipping on his gloves, a helmet fixed on his head. He still only wore the white dress shirt he wore before; its sleeves still rolled up and exposing his pale limbs to the sun.

"I'm sorry to leave before completing our volunteer work, Saiba-senpai." said Azami, his voice slightly muffled by the helmet on his head. "It appears my ride has arrived and I do have things to attend to at my school that take priority, sadly."

His tone made it clear that it wasn't sad in the least.

"I wish you and the students the best of luck with completing this task. Their passion is admirable." he said.

Azami started the bike, the engine flaring to life with a loud roar. Gunning it once or twice to gauge the throttle, Azami shifted into gear and took off, disappearing swiftly into the distance with the loudness that was a penchant of almost all motorcycles. Joichiro watched him disappear into the distance and fought to keep the concern from showing on his face.

"Wow. Azami-sama was kinda cool there." said Daigo.

"Yea, I had no idea he knew how to ride a motorcycle." said Shoji.

"Nakamura's full of surprises." was all Joichiro could manage to say, before turning and heading towards where he'd parked the car they'd arrived in further up the road, past the damage they'd inflicted. "Let's go kids. This little field trip is over."

"But…Joichiro-senpai, the road…" said Marui, looking out at the torn up thoroughfare. "Shouldn't we fix it?"

"I've got bigger problems right now, Marui-kun. Come along now or walk home. It's your choice." said Joichiro sharply. He continued walking, not breaking stride. The students looked after him, surprised. They'd never heard the older man be anything other than pleasant and good humoured; the stern barking tone was one they'd associate more with Fumio than Sōma's father.

"That goes for all of you, by the way." he added when he noticed no one had begun moving. He ignored the scramble his words provoked, his mind occupied with thoughts of his children. He'd delayed Azami as long as he could; not as long as he'd hoped but hopefully it had been enough. Even Azami wouldn't be able to alter the outcome of the Elite Ten trials when they were all but done, he was sure of that, but he was less sure of what exactly Sōma would do if his path crossed with Azami's. Especially if Kumi was with him.

XXXXXXXXX

"This cake…it's so delightful. The outside is firm and springy but almost immediately, your fork breaks through to its liquid chocolate center!" said Haru appreciatively, cheeks bulging childishly as he continued to scoop up the dessert into his mouth.

The refined boy had re-entered the room after several minutes of being absent. His demeanour was much the same but he seemed to have random bouts of childishness he simply hadn't exhibited before tasting Megumi's dish.

"It's just so balanced." marvelled Mimi. "A chocolate lava cake isn't exactly a complex dish and the chef knew that; he stuck to its roots and the simple flavours of the disk flourished under his care. He brought out each and every ingredient to its maximum potential!"

Kida didn't add anything to the critique. He was playing his video game but he'd also fully polished off his lava cake faster than his fellow judges.

Haru placed his fork down, dabbing delicately at his mouth with a monogrammed handkerchief. Placing it down, he smiled at the Tōtsuki student before him.

"I also must say it's also a pleasure to finally meet the God's Tongue herself. I'd heard stories about you but never had the opportunity of making your acquaintance, my lady."

Erina smiled, dipping her head in response.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Haru-kun. I must thank you for all that your family has done for Tōtsuki over the years." she said.

"No thanks needed, Erina-sama." said the boy. He held up his tablet, showing a score of nineteen. "You did amazingly, as expected."

"This was all Ko-kun. I barely had a part to play here." said Erina, smiling down at her student.

Mimi held up her tablet, where she also had a score of twenty displayed. Kida held up his own, displaying a bold score of seventeen.

"Alright, Erina-sama. That brings your score up to a total of fifty six, giving you the highest score that we've seen among the entrants so far." said the examiner, making a note on her clipboard. "Feel free to depart or join the spectators to the side."

"Thank you, examiner-san." said Erina, bowing politely. "Let's go Ko-kun."

"Alright, Erina-sensei!"

As they made their way over to the stands, Erina noted the large gap in seating that surrounded her girlfriend. The only other people within ten seats of her were her partner and Tsukasa Eishi. Confidently walking forward, Erina took a seat next to Megumi, smiling at her.

"How'd you and Ai-chan do, Megumi-chan?" she asked, taking the blue haired girl's hand in her own.

"We did very well. We got a score of fifty five." said Megumi, squeezing Erina's hand warmly in response. "I was really proud of Ai-chan's work today; she did amazingly."

"Megumi-sensei…" whined Ai, blushing at the praise.

"Well, we got a fifty six!" said Ko, sticking his chest out proudly.

"That's amazing, Ko-kun!" said Megumi, clapping once in appreciation. "You've certainly come a long way, haven't you?"

"It's all thanks to Erina-sensei's teaching; she pushes me to be the best chef I can be." he said, looking at his partner out of the corner of his eye. Erina simply smiled, silently acknowledging the boy's compliment.

Across from the spectator's stands, another set of chefs were getting ready to present their dishes to the judges.

"No, after you Takumi-kun."

"No, I simply must insist. After you, Subaru-san."

Unfortunately, they were having trouble deciding which chef should go first.

The two students each held three plates, balanced effortlessly on their arms. The tension in their shoulders belied the smiles they had on their faces.

"I'm afraid I couldn't, Takumi-kun." said Subaru apologetically. "It's only right that I allow you to go first. My father raised me to be polite."

"As did mine." said Takumi, smiling even wider to the point where his cheeks began to ache. "I will have you know that courtesy among Italians is paramount. It's my duty to allow you the first shot here."

"Be that as it may, I simply can't-"

"ENOUGH!"

Both chefs paused, taken aback by the loud exclamation. Mimi had stood from her chair and was huffing in barely restrained frustration. She pointed a finger at Takumi decisively.

"You! Blondie! You're up first! Get up here right now or I swear I'll give your dish a one without so much as looking at it!"

Takumi regained his composure quickly, promptly stepping forward to acquiesce to the young girl's demands. He placed the covered plates before each judge, before placing his right hand upon Mimi's and unveiling it with a flourish and a smile.

"Behold." he said, gesturing to the pastry before him. Its bold, rectangular shape was contrasted by the light, circular slices of lemon garnish strewn atop it. It was split into several levels; each a distinct color, height and texture, though they all complimented each other as well. The end result was a tall, multi-layered pastry with iridescent stripes of bold colouring. It almost resembled a work of art more than it did a piece of food.

Mimi leaned forward, pointing and counting under her breath.

"Seven. This cake has seven layers to it?" she asked, curious despite her previous annoyance.

"Indeed. It's an improvement on one of my previous dishes; this is a semifreddo like no other." said Takumi, glancing back at where Subaru stood. "It consists of seven layers. The central layer is a genoise; a classic Italian sponge cake."

Mimi used her spoon to scoop up a portion of the cake's upper layers. She placed it into her mouth, humming appreciatively as she chewed.

"I taste walnuts, lemons, sugar and…ice cream? Is that an ice cream layer?" she asked curiously, poking at the dessert in interest.

"That's right. The top layer of the semifreddo consists of a walnut praline, followed by a layer of tangy ice cream and a layer of lemon curd. It provides a somewhat sharp taste to the top of the dessert, to further compliment the sweetness of the bottom layers."

Haru was chewing at his own piece; he'd taken a portion from the semifreddo's bottom half instead.

"I believe I can guess what these layers are…coconut, whipped cream and…macadamia nuts?"

"Right again." said Takumi, smirking at the look of wonder on Haru's face as he went for another spoonful. "It's a sweet mirror of the top of my semifreddo; a coconut curd layer, a whipped cream frosting layer and a floor consisting of a thick, macadamia praline."

"I'm astonished, Takumi-san." said Haru, dabbing at his mouth with a cloth. "This is such a carefully constructed dish; I can clearly see the level of thought and care you put into its conception."

Haru held up his tablet, showing a score of thirteen. Takumi heard a gasp behind him but his expression remained steady.

"The execution, on the other hand, left much to be desired. A reasonable effort, to be certain, but there were clear gaps." Said Haru, shaking his head.

"Yea. Not very impressive, honestly. Like it was definitely okay but…"

Mimi shrugged and held up her tablet, revealing a score of fourteen.

Kida held up an open palm. At Mimi's (literal) prodding, he explained he meant he was giving Takumi a five. His plate had hardly been touched.

Takumi's smile didn't falter at the revealed scores.

"That gives you a combined score of thirty two, Takumi-san." said the examiner, making a notation on her clipboard. "Please exit the cooking floor."

He nodded and bowed politely to the judges, walking to where Nina waited near the edge of the judging area. She had a panicked expression on her face and was already mid-sentence by the time Takumi got in range of her.

"-rry. So sorry, Takumi-sensei! This is all my fault. I messed up the lemon curd layer, I know. My ratio of ingredients was completely off, I know. I can't believe they graded you so low. I'm really, really-"

Takumi placed his hand on her shoulder firmly, cutting off her protests.

"Nina-chan, it's fine. These things happen." said Takumi, smiling gently. "I know you tried your best."

"Y-yea." she said, looking down. "I'm sorry. It's just…I got so nervous you know? All these people and the lights and everything…"

"No worries, Nina-chan. I'm serious. You'll do better next time." said Takumi honestly. "Besides, now I have an excuse to do even better in the following rounds."

Takumi smiled confidently, glancing back at where Subaru had stepped forward to present his dish. The glance he caught in return showed him that Subaru was just as aware of his presence.

Subaru stepped forward, placing his plates in front of each judge. He unveiled his for Mimi, much as Takumi had.

"I present to you a true semifreddo, crafted by Li-kun's skilful hands!"

The cake revealed resembled Takumi's in shape and shape alone. The rectangular pastry sat much lower on the plate than Takumi's 7 layer semifreddo and it was one consistent colour; a rich, dark brown. White, flaky shavings dusting its surface were the only parts of the dish that contrasted against its primary colouring.

"The Single Layer Semifreddo." he said triumphantly.

Haru took up a spoonful, eyeing the dessert considerately. It seemed straightforward enough; mousse like in its texture. He found it was anything but when he placed it in his mouth.

"My goodness…the flavour profile of this semifreddo." he said in amazement, taking another bite and smiling as it hit his tongue. "There's just…so much to it! On the surface, it appears to be one straightforward layer but you've cleverly hidden the layers inside the cake itself!"

"Toblerone, dark chocolate, coffee, cinnamon…there's just so much in here." said Mimi, surprised at seeing half of her dessert gone. She barely remembered consuming it, that's how fast she'd gotten through it. "The flavours are chaotic but…somehow, that isn't a bad thing here. Very, very good. You get an eighteen from me, Dreadlock-san."

"I'm impressed but clearly not as impressed as my colleague here. Still, great work." said Haru, holding up his tablet, presenting the chef with a bold sixteen.

"It was ok, I guess." said Kida, licking a smear of chocolate from his index finger. "Fourteen."

"Fourteen, eighteen and sixteen. That gives you a score of 48, Subaru-san." said the examiner.

"My thanks to you, judges." said Subaru, bowing lightly.

He immediately started striding over to where Takumi stood. The blonde chef watched him approach stoically. Subaru came to a stop a few feet away from Takumi, folding his arms in a mirror to the Italian chef. They locked eyes. Nina looked back and forth between them in worry.

After several tense seconds, Subaru spoke first.

"A bold choice, Takumi-kun. I can only imagine how you would've done if you'd been head chef on this dish."

"I won't have you slandering my partner, even indirectly. She did well." said Takumi. "You, on the other hand…a single layer semifreddo? How simplistic of you. I expected better."

"Semifreddos are more than about seeing how many layers you can stack before it tips over." said Subaru, smirking.

Takumi smirked back.

"You lecture me, a native Italian and resident chef of one of the best trattorias in Italy on semifreddo? Your arrogance hasn't changed."

As the two walked to the stands, side by side, their bickering continued, devoid of any real heat. Nina walked slightly behind them at Li's side, looking between the two older boys in confusion.

"I don't understand…are they fighting or are they friends?" she asked Li.

Li shrugged.

"I don't know. I think our partners are just both weirdos." he said.

Nina's cheeks bulged and she glared at the other boy.

"Your partner is a super creepy weirdo. There's nothing wrong with Takumi-sensei!"

"How dare you call Subaru-sensei creepy?" asked Li, narrowing his eyes. "At least mine doesn't spend more time on his hair than in the kitchen."

As the two of them descended into their own squabble, they didn't realize just how eerily they were mirroring their senseis. Someone else did though.

As the bickering quartet passed him, Genti spared them a glance and laughed to himself.

"Ah, look at that. Such spirit! They really bonded. Kinda like us, right Preppy?"

Genti looked over his shoulder to where his partner was pushing the cart containing their dish. The young girl flinched in response, lowering her head.

"Of course, Genti-senpai." she replied meekly. Genti laughed, stepping back and slapping her on her back, eliciting a squeak.

"Lighten up Preppy, I don't bite. Besides, we're almost done. Then you can go back to doing whatever it is you were doing before you got dragged all the way up here."

"Yes, Genti-senpai." she responded quietly.

As they reached the judges' table, she moved forward without prompting, presenting each judge with a small bowl. She took several steps back, bowing to Genti as she did so.

"Greetings. What's your name?" asked Haru, looking curiously at the large bowl Genti held in his hands.

"Mori Gentian." the shaded boy responded.

"And what do you have for us today, Gentian-san?" he inquired.

"Fruit salad." he said.

Haru quirked an eyebrow and Mimi guffawed loudly, ending it with an unladylike snort.

"Fruit salad? Here? I might give you a twenty on the spot because I'm sure it would make Momo-nee's head explode." said the girl, chuckling.

"Very well then." said Haru, leaning back in his chair. "Let's see it."

Haru grimaced internally. He hated fruits. Barring strawberries, there wasn't a single fruit he could eat without forceful prompting from his father. There was simply no way a fruit salad could get anything other than a one from him, he was all but certain.

Genti stepped forward, ladling the contents of his bowl into each bowl. Mimi eyed the creamy yellow mixture in confusion.

"This doesn't look like any fruit salad I've ever seen." she said.

"It's something a little different than your typical fruit salad, I'll admit." said Genti, smiling. "Hope you all like it."

Mimi shrugged, picking up her spoon. She dipped it into the mixture, eyeing the large, diced chunks of fruit she could see. She recognized apples, bananas and pineapples but couldn't identify anything else. She brought the utensil up and closed her mouth over it.

She blinked and found herself in a field. She looked around, confused. She tried to step forward but found she couldn't. Looking down, she saw that her feet were entangled with vines. Vines that continued to grow and wrap themselves around her. Before her eyes, fruit started sprouting on the vines. Watermelons, lemons, mangos, pineapples, oranges, bananas…these and more grew on the vine, surrounding her in a menagerie of fruits that had no purpose being found together in the same country, let alone on one single winding vine.

She felt more than heard words being whispered into her ear.

Welcome to my garden, little flower. Enjoy its taste.

Suddenly, Mimi found herself back in her seat at the judges' table. Her bowl was completely empty and she felt warm stickiness slathered across her face; she recognized it as the feeling of something sugary being splatted across her cheeks. She didn't even know how that had happened.

"Now please make your way off of the cooking floor, Gentian-san."

The examiner's words jarred Mimi from her confusion. Mostly, anyway.

"But…don't we have to judge him?" she asked, looking over at Haru to confirm. She found the refined boy holding his bowl to his face, frantically licking at it. His eyes were locked onto the empty dish and there were several yellow stains across his cheeks and across his white gloves. Mimi touched her own cheeks, wondering if she looked half as dishevelled.

She turned to inquire about Kida but she found him curled up in his chair, his handheld off and to the side. His thumb was in his mouth and he was staring after Genti, eyes wide.

"Kida-kun…" started Mimi.

"I want more. So much more." he said. His head rotated with a snap and he stared deeply into Mimi's eyes. "Did you finish yours?"

"Ah…yea, I did." said Mimi, almost flinching away from the crazed look in his eyes and, for once, mentally thanking her older sister for subjecting her to so much confectionary tasting over the years. She could only imagine how much worse off she would've been if not for her resistance if this was what the dish had done to someone as dispassionate as Kida.

"That was crazy. A fruit salad did this. And one prepared by his partner." said Mimi, looking over at the door where Genti had exited the building. Mimi couldn't help the cold shiver that ran down her spine. She could still feel the deliciousness on her tongue and, odd as it sounded, that frightened her.

"Ah, excuse me. Mimi-chan?"

Mimi looked forward in response to the voice; a white haired girl stood in front of their table. Three platters were balanced effortlessly on her left arm.

"I wanted to be judged." said Alice simply, smiling at her.

Mimi blinked, dazed before realizing just what was happening. She shook herself, slapping her cheeks.

"Right, right. One second!" she said, looking over at Haru and then at Kida. With a grunt of effort, she reached over and shoved both boys out of their chairs, sending them to the floor. The sudden movement, along with the impact, brought them both to their senses.

Haru took his chair, coughing lightly into his hand in an attempt to regain his composure. The sticky sweetness on his cheeks didn't help at all but he was remarkably more composed by the time he looked at Alice.

"Greetings, Alice-san. It's a pleasure to meet you, as well. The Heaven sent Child of Molecular Gastronomy herself. Today certainly has been a treat." he said, trying to discreetly wipe at his cheeks with a handkerchief. "What have you prepared for us?"

Alice put her plates down before them, taking off each cover as she did so.

"Take a look for yourself." she said, grinning.

"Oh my." said Haru, reaching forward. He picked up one of the three balls on his plate. They were white spheres, lightly dusted with powdered sugar. A ribbon was tied around each of them along with a peculiar pattern. As Haru looked closer, he realized he recognized it.

"That's me." he said in surprise. The pattern on the ball, while somewhat cartoonish and exaggerated, was undoubtedly a caricature of Malo Haru.

"It's all of you, actually." said Alice, gesturing to the other two balls. Haru looked at them and saw that she was right. He could see Kida's typical bored stare and Mimi's impatient glare looking up at him from his plate.

"They're cake balls." said Alice. "The cake mixture was stirred in with blended frosting and then coated in white chocolate. Kanon-chan was the artist here; she designed your faces herself and made a silicon plastique mould of each of them that was then applied to the surface of the ball."

Haru bit into his cake, delighting at the taste. He could taste the white chocolate and the cake together. He'd had chocolate toppings on cake before but never quite like this. The sheer ingenuity expressed in so simple a manner was exactly what he'd expect from someone as well known for unorthodox cooking as Nakiri Alice.

"Marvellous job, Alice-san. The cake is red velvet right?"

"Yup." said Alice, nodding. "You can also eat the ribbon, if you like."

Haru plucked the ribbon from the ball bearing his face, eyeing it closely.

"Pulled sugar?" he asked, noting the dusty texture of it. Alice nodded.

"Right again. You're good, Haru-kun." she said.

"No, you are, Alice-san. This dish gets an eighteen from me. What say you, Mimi-san?" he asked.

"I'm tempted to grade you low, cuz I know Momo-nee would love something like this but…"

Mimi broke off, blushing. The little faces were just so cute. It took all she had to not squeal when she saw them.

"Anyway, you get an eighteen from me too Alice-san." she said.

"I'll give you a seventeen." said Kida, already on his third cake ball.

"What's with all the seventeen's Kida-kun? That's like your fifth one." said Mimi, glaring accusingly at him. Kida shrugged and didn't respond.

"That gives you a fifty three, Alice-sama. A wonderful job." said the examiner.

"Did you expect anything less?" said Alice, smirking and bowing lightly before walking back to meet up with Kanon. The ponytailed girl was attempting to look stoic but Alice could see the happiness leaking from her.

"You did amazingly, Kanon-chan. Thank you." said Alice.

"Of course I did. I told you I would, after all." she said, smirking boastfully at the older girl. Alice laughed, walking towards the stands with the girl. She glanced over the floor as she did so, observing the sparsely distributed pairs still at their stations. At least three quarters of the entrants had already submitted their dish for judging. There wasn't that much time left. She noticed that the only faces working that she recognized were Sōma and Nene.

She also noticed that Sōma's expression seemed tight; tighter than usual. And Kumi's was openly hostile. She wished she could go over and see what exactly was going wrong but the rules were very clear. Once you'd been judged, you left the cooking floor pretty much immediately. Approaching an active station was expressly forbidden.

"What do you think is happening with Sōma-kun and his partner, Kanon-chan?" asked Alice, gesturing to the red head's station. Kanon looked over, furrowing her brows as she looked between the two.

"Well, I can't hear anything but that's Robot-sensei's 'you're being a dumb idiot' face, for sure."

"He said that to you?" asked Alice, surprised. Kanon shook her head.

"No, never in those words. He'd always say something more polite but you could pretty much hear it in his voice. Robot-sensei's a jerk." she said, frowning. "And you can tell that his sister's one of those popular girls used to getting her way. She probably doesn't like Robot-sensei's attitude and that's messing them up. Me and Sōma-sensei were going to make a soufflé; if that's still his plan, there's no way they should be taking this long."

"That's right." said Alice, frowning as well. "Even the most complicated soufflé wouldn't take much more than an hour to make. If they're still working, it's because they screwed up and had to start over."

"That's not good." said Kanon.

"To say the least." said Alice worriedly, biting her lip.

Erina noted the expression on her approaching cousin's face with concern.

"Is something wrong, Alice?" she asked.

"I'm not sure. Sōma-kun is supposed to be making a soufflé." she said, by way of explanation.

Erina went to ask why that was an issue but then realized what it was as she heard the bell go off, signalling the end of the three hour time limit.

"Alright, time is officially up. Chefs, you must stop cooking immediately. You have an extra two minutes to plate your dishes and line up for judgement." said Momo, again acting through Bucchi. The large stuffed cat was held in front of her face as she gestured for the remaining chefs to finish up.

There were only three remaining students working. Nene was the first of the three to finish up and she presented her dish first, placing small bowls filled with jelly in front of the judges.

"What's this?" asked Mimi, looking unimpressed.

The glasses wearing girl held up a white and pink fruit.

"Hakuto jelly." she said. "Specifically Okayama Yume Hakuto jelly. I was able to acquire a few of them for the occasion."

"If I may ask, how?" said Haru, looking at the fruit in interest. "They don't come into season for another few months well and even then, they're not exactly plentiful."

"It was a gift from a friend." said Nene disinterestedly, tucking the fruit away.

"Well then, let your friend know that they could stand to make a lot of money if they're willing to share the fruits of their bounty, pardon the expression." said Haru. "My mother would be very interested in acquiring a few of them for herself."

"What's so special about a dumb fruit?" asked Kida, looking bored. His handheld sat in his lap, powered down, but he seemed just as disconnected as he did when it was on.

"Hakuto peaches are rare." said Haru. "But Okayama Yume Hakuto peaches are legendary. They're not found anywhere outside of Okayama and they're known for being among the largest and sweetest of Japan's white peaches. They're hard to get when they're in season and next to impossible to obtain when they're out of season; such is the demand for them."

"Ah. K. You get a twenty then." said Kida.

Mimi looked at him sharply.

"But you haven't even tried it, Kida-kun." said Mimi, looking pointedly at his untouched spoon.

Kida shrugged, leaning back.

"I don't like peaches, fancy or otherwise. But I still give Kinokuni-san a twenty." he said.

"That doesn't make any sense." said Mimi heatedly. "How can you give her a perfect score without even trying her dish?"

"Because suck it, that's why." he responded, yawning.

Mimi growled but snatched her spoon up, digging it aggressively into her dish instead of into Kida's thick skull. She'd probably just end up damaging the spoon.

Mimi ate the jelly and found herself taken away to a field. A single tree stood at its centre and a single large peach hung from its highest branch. The white and pink fruit was almost perfectly round. A breeze picked up and Mimi was suddenly overwhelmed by the strong, sweet scent and taste of peaches. She gasped as she felt a familiar voice in her ears.

Little flower, enjoy a small taste of what my garden holds.

Mimi blinked and found herself back in her seat. Her trip was much shorter and less involved than it had been before. She found her marker in her hands and saw that she was in the middle of writing a twenty onto her whiteboard. She gritted her teeth, forcing her hand to stop. She erased the number, replacing it with a nineteen. She couldn't bear to go any lower than that.

"Nineteen." she said, holding up her tablet.

"A fifty nine! My goodness, I should've expected nothing less from the student slated to replace Tsukasa-sama next year." said the examiner, smiling broadly. "Amazing work as usual, Kinokuni-sama."

Nene didn't acknowledge the praise. She simply turned and began to make her way off of the floor. The second pair of students stepped forward to take their place for judging but it was the third pair that Nene paused by.

"Yukihira."

"Kinokuni-senpai."

She met his gaze.

"I hope you haven't forgotten my words to you." she said.

Sōma quirked an eyebrow at her.

"You took away Kuga's future. And I plan to do no less to you." she said, giving him a small, cold smile.

"Feel free to try, Nene-senpai." said Sōma. "I would advise you to be cautious, however. You don't exactly seem flush with allies at the moment."

"Azami-sama is the only ally I need." she said. "You'll realize that in time."

She moved past him but paused as she saw his partner.

"And who's this?" she asked, tilting her head at the young girl. For some reason, she seemed familiar to Nene, but she wasn't sure why.

"Someone that doesn't concern you."

If Nene thought Sōma's voice had been cold before, it didn't compare to the frigidness in his tone now. He stepped from behind their cart and in front of the girl, his expression unchanged. But Nene saw the change in his eyes and the only thing keeping her fear at bay were the hot flames of anger she still held for Sōma's role in Kuga's expulsion.

"Leave. Now." he said.

"Or what, Yukihira-kun?" she asked with more calm than she actually felt. "You'll assault me, the way you did Eizan-kun? In front of all of these people?"

She gestured outwards to where the stands were. The assorted crowd weren't paying any attention to the current judging. They had their eyes firmly locked on the standoff between Nene and Sōma.

Sōma's eyes narrowed slightly but he didn't move from his stance.

"Easy does it, nii-chan." said Kumi stepping in front of her brother and pushing him back. He let Kumi's hands guide him but his eyes never left Nene's.

"Hi there. I'm Yukihira Kumi. Sōma's little sister." she said, holding her hand out.

Nene glanced down at the proffered appendage but ignored it in favour of looking back up at Sōma.

"Your sister? I hadn't heard you had a sister, Yukihira."

"Well he does." said Kumi, dropping her hand. "Now I'd appreciate it if you'd stop needling him. Your little spicy boytoy got himself expelled. Don't take it out on my brother."

Nene's eyes snapped down to Kumi's, filled with heat.

"Watch yourself." she warned.

"No, you watch yourself. My brother may not be able to hit you but I have no problem kicking your ass. I don't even go to this school." said Kumi, returning Nene's glare with equal force. "The same person that trained nii-chan trained me. So trust me when I say: back off."

"It's no surprise to me that your low class family turned out to be filled with thugs." said Nene, stepping back and giving Soma a look dripping with condescension. "What's next, Yukihira? Will your mother come and threaten me with violence too?"

The flaring of his nostrils was the only warning Sōma gave. Luckily Kumi stood in between her brother and Nene and so she felt him begin to move around her and toward the glasses wearing second year.

Without breaking stride, Kumi stepped forward, hooking her arm around Sōma's shoulder as he tried to leap forward. She placed her leg into his instep, rotating with the motion as she redirected Sōma's momentum into the floor instead of full on into one Kinokuni Nene.

As he fell to the floor, Sōma tried to catch himself but Kumi jabbed him in the neck with her free hand, catching him off guard and causing him to stumble further, falling onto his back as Kumi fell with him, landing onto his chest with her knees.

The entire thing took a second, at most. Most of the spectators didn't even see what happened. One minute, Sōma was standing behind his sister, glaring at Nene. The other, he was on the floor on his back, with his sister's knees pressed into his chest.

Nene stepped back, startled at the sudden movement and hostility. Kumi slapped her brother firmly before slapping him again, for good measure. She grabbed him by the lapels, leaning down to whisper into his ear.

"Get a hold of yourself, you colossal idiot." She whispered sharply, her tone biting. "I should've never been able to drop you like that; has this school made you that stupid? Ojii-chan would be sick if he could see you right now!"

Sōma didn't respond to his sister. He was craning his neck to look at Nene. Even from where he lay, prone on the floor, his glare still held all of the ill will he could muster. The hostility in his gaze caused the glasses wearing girl to take another step back.

"Go."

The word slipped from between Sōma's gritted teeth and Nene was halfway to the exit before she even realized it. As she practically ran away, Sōma glared after her, panting. His throat and face still hurt from where Kumi had hit him but he could barely feel them with the sudden anger he felt in his chest.

"Come on. Get up."

Kumi sprung to her feet, giving Soma a none-too-gentle kick to his side as she did so. He stood up, looking at his sister but he didn't respond to the almost palpable waves of disappointment he could feel radiating off of her. He glanced around at the spectator's stands, noticing that they'd fallen silent. Among them he saw nothing but surprised and stunned faces. With one noted exception.

Alice's face was sad. Heart crushingly sad.

The sudden guilt he felt in response caught Sōma off guard; he gasped as he felt his other half rise up with surprising strength. The Sōma that felt things like compassion and happiness and honour. The hapless Sōma that could barely hold a knife properly but knew how to talk to his friends; that knew how to keep himself from attacking a helpless high school girl.

Sōma grit his teeth, holding his temple with one hand as he felt that Sōma lash out and grab hold. He fought the sensation for several seconds, surprised beyond belief. He'd made sure that his other side didn't have any control; it had been the compromise he'd inadvertently signed onto when he started reshuffling his head after Tsukasa's helpful advice.

He was Sōma's strength; Sōma's talents and ability to take on anything; destroy anything he needed to. He had Sōma's physical prowess, his abilities in the kitchen, his unwavering determination. He had everything that made Sōma who he was. He'd easily given up everything extra; everything he'd deemed superfluous and useless.

He'd made the same mistake he'd made before he'd broken his chain. He'd misunderstood a critical part of himself and was now caught up in a struggle for dominance that should never have been allowed to happen.

How did this happen? How are you doing this?

It took me a while to figure out, that's for sure.

The obnoxiously cheerful reply caught Sōma off guard and he almost growled at the practically infectious sense of cheer he could feel radiating from what should have been his weaker half.

We don't have time for this.

You're right. I'll let you go, for now. But we're going to talk later.

Sōma regained control of his limbs but felt the other presence in his head, persistently stable. He looked up and found Kumi looking back at him worriedly.

"Come on nii-chan. We're almost done. Then we can look at getting you fixed, alright?" she said, pulling him by the hand to the judges table. Sōma noticed that the judges had already received their covered bowls.

"And just what was that?" asked Kida, eyebrows raised. For the first time all day, he seemed interested in something. "You looked like you were about to beat that girl up."

"It was a headache." said Kumi, looking up at Sōma. "He gets really bad headaches sometimes. And they can make him pretty cranky. And that girl is kind of a jerk. That's all. Right nii-chan?"

Sōma nodded, one hand still held to his temple. It did nothing to stop the joyful laughter that resounded in his head.

Kumi sure is quick on her feet, huh?

"Alright then." said Haru. "Excitement aside, I believe you're our last judgement for the day so I hope you brought something impressive."

As the judges began to dig into the soufflés, Sōma found himself distracted by the feeling in his head. It wasn't a painful feeling; not really. It was just uncomfortable. It was like someone was pressing on the inside of his skull. Not hard enough to hurt but more than hard enough to be noticeable.

I could be doing a lot worse, ya know? I'd appreciate a thanks, even though I know you won't give me one.

"It's like a cloud!" said Mimi, smiling as she ate another piece of the soufflé. "The chocolate and vanilla are harmonized to perfection! And the presentation it adds to the dish is remarkable."

Mimi gestured to the cup where, upon breaking its dark brown surface, white streaks were present within the dish, spiralling into a centre of pure, creamy white soufflé at the very base of the pastry's center.

"This is something else. A fitting last dish." said Haru, smiling. "Central's Premier Enforcer does good work. I admit that I was worried; I'd heard about the negativity your cooking has inspired in these recent months, Sōma-san. But this dish holds none of it. I suppose we have your partner to thank for that?"

Sōma nodded, only half listening.

Yea, I could only imagine how furious they'd be right now if you'd made it yourself. And I doubt kids are as impartial as other judges.

"Well, I think that this dish deserves no less than a nineteen." said Haru, holding up his tablet.

"Twenty from me." said Mimi, still savouring each bite as she slowly worked through her bowl. "I love soufflés! I wish Momo-nee made them more often."

"Fifteen." said Kida.

The other judges paused at Kida's score. Mimi openly goggled at him.

"Fifteen?! Are you nuts Kida-kun? This is amazing!" she said, jabbing her spoon at him. "You've already finished yours!"

Kida shrugged, pushing the empty bowl away from him.

"It was pretty good." he allowed. "Could've been better. I took points off cuz this is like their fourth try. Right?"

Kumi narrowed her eyes at the boy, crossing her arms.

"I don't see why that matters." she said tightly.

"Well, I'm the judge. Not you." said Kida, shrugging. "And I say you get a fifteen from me."

"And that gives you a score of fifty four, Yukihira-san." said the examiner. "Please exit the cooking floor."

"Gladly." said Kumi, still glaring at Kida. "Come on, nii-chan."

Sōma followed behind Kumi listlessly, still focusing on the voice…the presence in his head. He'd always had full control; he'd let his other half run free at his whim and his alone. He'd taken all that mattered from their very being and his other side had been forced to settle for the remnants he'd left behind.

Leftovers? Really? Things like honesty, happiness, remorse? Those are all mere remnants? Who are we kidding?

The voice's friendly mocking was interrupted by a voice that originated outside of Sōma's head.

"Sōma-kun?"

Alice.

Alice.

As one, Sōma looked up and faced the white haired girl. She stood before him, arms crossed. There were still traces of sadness across her face; mostly hidden from view but plain as day to Sōma's eyes.

"Are you alright?" she asked, reaching up to brush his bangs back so she could look him in the eye.

There's my girl.

The sheer amount of emotion that came along with those three words was enough to make Sōma gasp and he stepped back, feeling his hold on his body slipping. He debated simply succumbing but found the very idea reprehensible; Yukihira Sōma didn't surrender. That sort of weakness didn't reside in him.

It's the tree that bends that doesn't break, you know.

Shut up.

Clamping down on his other side as much as he could, Sōma returned his attention to Alice, who had stepped forward concernedly. She'd raised her hands but seemed unsure where to place them.

"I'm fine, Alice." said Sōma, his voice steady. He looked away from her insistent red eyed gaze and saw the others crowded around them. The sheer volume of people startled him and he started assessing threat potential immediately; moving to position himself in between the group and Alice.

NO!

Sōma's body locked up before he could take a single step. His eyes widened as he factored in his inability to control his body to his assessment of the danger surrounding them. His breathing began to pick up and he struggled against the firm hold his other half had on him; twitching and spasming. He saw people start to step forward and he grit his teeth, almost growling. He couldn't allow them to approach, not before he had control of himself. The threat of the red eyed, dark haired one alone was enough to…

This isn't getting us anywhere. Move.

With an abrupt snap, Sōma found himself tumbling head over heels. His limbs flailed as he struggled to find purchase until he hit the floor with a slam that rattled every bone in his body. He almost instantly sprung into a crouch, taking stock of his surroundings warily as he felt his heart begin to calm in his chest.

He was in a dark, featureless area. It was pitch black but Sōma could see in spite of that. He looked down at his hands and found them to be a monotone, white color that looked nothing like human skin. He was no longer garbed in a chef's uniform; instead he was in a Tōtsuki uniform, blazer and all. The entirety of his outfit was black and Sōma was sure, if he checked, that his hair was much the same shade.

The only thing in the abyss with him was a floor length mirror that stood a few feet away from him, in which a fully colored, cheerfully grinning Yukihira Sōma stood in the frame. He waved as his double laid eyes on him.

"I'm going to need you to chill here for a while; I'll handle things upstairs until we can sort this out, man to man. See ya."

He waved again and faded from view, opening his eyes in the real world as he did so. He was standing rigidly and Alice was still looking at him in concern; no time had passed since his other side had slipped and he was grateful for that.

He smiled widely at Alice and he saw her expression relax in response.

"Welcome back, Sōma-kun."

"Thanks Alice." said Sōma. He looked over her shoulder and waved. "Hey guys."

As if taking Sōma's words as permission, the rest of the waiting party stepped forward to where Alice stood. The group consisted mostly of Sōma's allies and the other Polar Star competitors, along with their DEF kitchen partners. Erina was the first to speak up.

"Well, it seems your plan was successful, Yukihira-kun." she said, her expression neutral. "It was an intelligent bit of trickery on your part, I must admit."

"Trickery's a bit harsh. I'd prefer to call it thinking flexibly." said Sōma, grinning impishly in response to Erina's cool tone.

"Be that as it may, we all did well." said Megumi, softly interjecting. She smiled gratefully at Sōma. "I doubt we would've done nearly as well with the partners Central had chosen for us."

"Undoubtedly." said Takumi, his arms folded. "I can hardly imagine having a better partner than Nina-chan here."

"But Takumi-sensei…" the girl began to protest, blushing. Takumi silenced her with a short wave of his hand, smiling at her.

"So that's two stages down, three to go." said Hayama thoughtfully. "I'm actually rather curious as to what the next challenge could be, considering the lack of a current third seat. Have you been provided with any additional information, Yukihira?"

Sōma shook his head.

"Not a word. Azami's been tight lipped with everyone on just what that's going to entail. Even Rindō-senpai was clueless."

"Well, that's not exactly true."

Sōma jumped in response to the nearby voice, along with the arm that suddenly found its way around his shoulders. He looked to the left and found his eyes met with Rindō's mischievous ones. The maroon haired girl was smirking and toying with a lock of her hair in her free hand while her other remained firmly secured around Sōma's shoulders.

"Rindō-senpai." said Sōma, rapidly getting over his surprise. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"Oh, were you worried about little old me, Sōma-kun?" asked Rindō, exaggeratedly widening her eyes.

"More worried about what you were getting up to honestly." said Sōma, his voice deadpan. The response made Rindō smile even wider.

"I do have a knack for getting up to no good, don't I?" she asked innocently, touching the tip of her finger to her chin in idle thought. "What if I promise you I wasn't up to anything too bad?"

"I'd think you were lying. Or purposely misinterpreting just what 'too bad' means." he said.

Rindō laughed, releasing Sōma from her grip so she could slap him on the back.

"It really has been too long. I missed that Yukihira wit of yours, Sōma-kun. And speaking of Yukihiras…"

Rindō moved her gaze to the dark haired girl that stood a few feet away. Kumi had her arms crossed and was eyeing Rindō with no small amount of scepticism.

"You must be Kumi." said Rindō, stepping forward. She extended a hand politely, smiling. "I've heard a lot about you."

"You have?" she asked warily, looking over at Sōma before looking back at Rindō's extended hand before hesitantly taking it. "I was under the impression nii-chan didn't talk about me much."

"Nope, Sōma-kun kept you as quite the little secret. But I have my own ways of making boys talk." said Rindō, winking. Kumi's face blanched and she stepped back, releasing Rindō's hand as if it had burnt her.

"Ewwwwww!" shouted the girl, shaking her hand. The usual maturity she carried herself with faded entirely and she began hopping up and down. "Gross, gross, gross!"

Rindō blinked, surprised at the sudden turnaround in the girl's mood. She turned to look at Sōma, who had sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Your sense of timing is as inconvenient as ever, senpai." he said. "Kumi's not…well, she's not the biggest fan of…um…"

"DID YOU DO NASTY THINGS WITH MY BROTHER?!"

The high pitched shriek caught everyone off guard. Kumi was still shaking her hand. She was holding it far from her body, as if afraid to let it touch any other part of her.

"Um…I…"

Rindō was, for once, speechless.

"DID YOU USE THAT HAND TO DO IT? TELL ME RIGHT NOW!" shouted Kumi, red faced. Her chef's hat was tilted sloppily on her head, in danger of falling off and her eyes were beginning to tear up. Rindō, for all that she was usually indifferent to the feelings of others, panicked at the sudden onslaught of childish fury. Everything she'd heard about the younger girl had given her the impression that Kumi was a calm, if somewhat haughty, individual. Mature beyond her years.

"No, no! I promise Kumi-chan, we didn't." she shouted, cheeks red. "Nothing of the sort."

"Really? You swear? On your life and the lives of your family?" asked Kumi, staring intensely into Rindō's eyes. Her eyes were pitch black in their intensity and it caused Rindō to blurt out something that did absolutely nothing to help the situation.

"Well not today, anyway."

Rindō froze, her eyes wide. She looked over Kumi's shoulder at the crowd of Sōma's friends that still stood nearby, actively watching the discussion. Alice sighed, shaking her head. Sōma groaned, slapping one of his hands over his eyes.

"Senpai…" he muttered, shaking his head.

Kumi was staring wide eyed at Rindō, frozen in shock. But her reaction, while delayed, was even more surprising. Her mouth shut closed with an audible click and her face fell, withdrawn. What little light there was in her eyes faded away, leaving them as wide, round black orbs. She turned to face Sōma.

"Nii-chan. Bathroom."

Her tone was clipped and robotic, in an almost eerie mirror to Sōma's.

Sōma groaned again, pointing to the right at the side door.

"Through there at the end of the second hallway on your right. Bright green door, can't miss it."

"Thank you." said Kumi, her tone unchanged. She abruptly turned and began walking away.

Once Sōma heard the door open and close, he removed his hand from his eyes only to shove it into his hair with a third groan.

"She's going to be in there for at least twenty minutes. Thank you for that, Rindō-senpai."

Rindō had recovered from her shock and was simply staring curiously at the door the girl had exited through. Most of the people standing around them were doing the same, with varying expressions of confusion, humour and concern.

"The fuck was that about?" asked Oro, his blue, white flamed bandanna still fixed in place from the challenge. He was struck immediately by a blow, sending him directly into the floor. Ryo dusted his hand off, peering down at his partner. The blue bandanna was clutched in his clenched fist.

"Language." he admonished simply before looking up at Sōma.

"I concur with the kid's general idea though. What exactly was that, Yukihira?"

Sōma scratched the back of his head, sighing.

"Ok. So you know how some kids believe in cooties? Kumi's thing is kind of like that."

"I don't really understand." said Alice, trying and failing to hide her smile. "She thinks Rindō-senpai has…cooties?"

Rindō frowned uncharitably at the white haired girl, who was now openly snickering at the look on the Second seat's face. Sōma shook his head, still awkwardly scratching at the back of his head.

"It's more like…any sort of non-platonic affection makes her really…uncomfortable. When Rindō-senpai said what she did, Kumi realized she was holding the hand of someone who'd done…things. The fact that I was involved in said things only made it that much worse to her, I assume."

"That's ridiculous, Sōma-kun." said Rindō, scoffing. She seemed completely unfazed by the blunt discussion of her and Sōma's past dealings before such a large group. "How does she walk outside with that sort of attitude? Anyone over the age of sixteen should terrify her."

"She's fine, normally." said Sōma. "It's only when someone brings it up and makes her think about it that it really ever bothers her. And even then, she usually just needs to leave the conversation to get over it. But to be touching someone's hand? A hand she suddenly realized is "tainted" in her mind?"

Sōma looked to the door she'd exited out of.

"She's probably scrubbing her hand raw right now. I'd be surprised if any soap was left in there by the time she's done."

There was a beat of silence.

"Your family's weird, Sōma-kun." said Rindō.

"Isn't everyone's?" he responded lightly with a small smile.

No one chose to deny it, though there were many thinking that there was a difference between everyday weird and Yukihira weird. There was one person, however, who'd been thinking furiously on what she'd just learnt and stepped forward to make Sōma aware of that fact.

"So you and the cat eye girl used to be boyfriend and girlfriend then, Sōma-sensei?" asked Kanon, narrowing her eyes at him. She puffed her cheeks out and stomped on the floor, glaring.

Soma opened his mouth but paused, not knowing how to correct the girl without also ruining her innocence. Luckily, Kanon had already built up a full head of steam and continued speaking almost immediately.

"How many floozies are you going to mess around with before marrying Megumi-sensei?!" she cried, stomping her foot.

The pigtailed girl's statement prompted a sudden round of laughter from those aware of Kanon's particular opinion on Sōma and Megumi's romantic lives. It simply left Rindō completely confused. Megumi was blushing intensely and looking at the floor, almost hidden behind Erina, who was smiling good naturedly at the statement.

Sōma simply covered his eyes again, resisting the urge to blush in response to Kanon's assertion. He also mentally thanked her for redirecting the flow of the conversation; hopefully the joke would be enough to let the topic of him and Rindō go to the back of everyone's mind. He didn't need to get into that; not here and definitely not like this.

"Anyway." said Sōma loudly, doing his best to speak over the laughter. "Why don't we all get going? I'm sure Fiji-baa-san is wondering just where her students are. The bus should be waiting right out front by now."

His friends voiced their agreement and began heading towards the large, double door exits to the room. They began talking amongst each other, some going over their dish with their partners, others discussing the task itself and how odd the judges had been. Sōma smiled at the group from his place in the rear and turned, breaking away from the crowd as they passed by a particular door.

"I'll go wait on Kumi and meet you guys back at the mansion, alright Alice?" he called.

"No problem, Sōma-kun." she called back before resuming her conversation with Erina.

Sōma pushed through the door, whistling to himself. He followed the hallway, turning down the second corridor and coming to the bathroom door. He could still hear the sink inside running and so he propped himself up against the wall.

"Hey, Kumi. Hurry it up in there, alright?" he called before turning his attention inward.

How you doing in there, sulky?

You aren't nearly as amusing as you believe yourself to be.

You mean we. It's our sense of humour after all.

Sōma grinned at the predictable lack of response. Even the uncomfortable pressure he felt in his head wasn't enough to sway his mood. He'd taken control. He'd found the proper leverage and evened the playing field out. Now if only he could figure out how to keep things that way.

Any ideas?

Sōma waited but, when it was clear none was forthcoming, he rolled his eyes.

Quit being dramatic. Speak up. We need to resolve this somehow.

If I had anything to offer, I would. I'm just as confused as you are.

Yet you're much chattier than you were a few days ago. I wonder what changed? A power dynamic, perhaps?

For someone claiming to seek resolution, you're being quite antagonistic.

Don't you think you kinda deserve it? Lighten up. I'm just kidding around. I'm you and you're me and all that jazz. There's no point in us fighting like this.

Of course there's a point. The point is that, while we are two halves of the same whole, one of us is clearly more necessary than the other.

Sōma frowned at the implied slight; it faded quickly as the emotion faded, like all of his negative ones did. Ever since he'd broken his chain.

That funnelling thing is pretty creepy; I wish you'd stop doing it.

It's not exactly voluntary. You're the one that abused the link between us and got it to where it is now.

Because we were SO much better off before.

At least it was easier to control us before. Now there's no check and balance. We're switching and swapping and pretending like we understand how any of this works!

Of course we understand it; it's our mind!

Fool! Does having a broken bone mean you automatically understand what makes it so? Does it mean you know how to set it, fashion a splint, check for infection?

I'd like to point out that we DO know how to do all of those things.

I know you grasp the metaphor; stop being coy. It's both exhausting and pointless.

Sōma chuckled out loud, glancing around to see if anyone had noticed. The hall was just as empty as it was before he'd began talking to himself. He chuckled again at the thought.

Boy, that makes us sound pretty crazy, huh?

Well, we're not exactly the picture of sanity right now.

His other side's dry wit caused Sōma to outright laugh and he covered his mouth, attempting to stifle it. He briefly wondered if Kumi had heard him and then realized just how long he'd been waiting outside. He could still hear the water running inside.

"Kumi?"

Sōma stepped towards the door, knocking firmly on the wood. He waited, straining his ears.

"Kumi?"

Sōma knocked again, harder, but still heard no response. He didn't even hear any movement or shuffling. His heart dropped and he opened the door.

He was met with the sight of an empty bathroom with a running faucet. His sister was nowhere in sight. For a moment, Sōma wondered if she'd gotten lost or simply gone to a different bathroom but then he glimpsed something in the mirror that made him freeze.

He reached around the door, grasping the piece of fabric he could see hanging off of the hook on its back. Lifting it off and bringing it around revealed to Sōma exactly what it was.

A navy chef's hat.

XXXXXXX

A/N: So I checked the review count for chapter 25 and it was…

*drum roll*

One! One review, haha.

That saddened me, not gonna lie. I love when I hear from you guys! I love hearing your thoughts and opinions on the story. I even love when I get the flames because, sometimes, the flames are accurate and help make me a better writer. Other times they're just hilarious jokes I email to my friends. And other times, they make me really sad. But I still love them!

So please, if you have any sort of opinion, hit that review button and let me know! I think I'm pretty decent at responding to reviews, although I generally will respond more to reviews that ask some sort of question or state some sort of complex thought as opposed to reviews that are just like "Good chap!"

Even still though, I love all of the reviews you guys send in so please send in more! Or don't! That's your choice and I'm gonna keep on posting either way. See ya guys later!