Erina held the phone to her ear, listening to it ring. She looked over her shoulder in the direction that Sōma had run off to, but didn't see anything. Not even the slightest flash of red hair or dark clothing. Should she have tried to follow him? Why did he react like that though? Would she have just made things worse by trying to catch up to him?

"Hello?"

"Good evening, Rindō-senpai. I just ran into Yukihira-kun a few minutes ago, but he reacted…oddly. You're the only person I know who's been in contact with him recently, do you have any idea why he would do something like that?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to be a little more specific, Erina-chan. Odd can be a very relative term when it's Yukihira Sōma we're talking about."

Erina gave the girl a brief recap of Sōma's actions and Rindō hummed thoughtfully.

"I see. You're right, that is a bit odd. Even for him. Tell me, Erina-chan, was he wearing his chain?"

"His…chain?" asked Erina, thinking back. "You mean that silver chain he wears on his wrist? I'm not sure, I don't think so."

"Ah…" said Rindō. Erina waited for the girl to say more, adjusting the basket she held in her hands, but only got silence in response.

"Rindō-senpai?"

"Hmm? Oh, sorry Erina-chan. I was just lost in thought for a moment. I'll take things from here. Thanks for the heads up, alright?"

"Alright…" said Erina carefully. She wasn't sure how much she trusted the girl, considering that she was flighty and mischievous at the best of times. But she had little choice, considering the only other person she knew that Sōma associated with these days was her father.

"Thanks. I'll talk to you later alright Erina-chan?"

"Wait, Rindō-senpai!"

"Yes?"

Erina bit her lip, wondering how exactly to ask what she wanted to ask. It wasn't exactly an easy topic of discussion, least of all for her.

"Listen. About what we were discussing the other night, I just wanted to-"

"Oh, that?" Rindō laughed, cutting the girl off. "Sorry, Erina-chan. It'd be best if you just forgot all about that. Seems there was a bit of a mix up on my part."

"Mix up?" parroted Erina, confused.

"Yes, I was sent to relay a message to someone, and I thought that person was you. But I was mistaken. Gomen."

Erina was only more confused now.

"What exactly do you mean senpai?"

"Can't tell you, Erina-chan. Loose lips sink ships. And I'm on a pretty important boat, so to speak."

Erina could practically hear the grin on Rindō's face through the phone and she resisted the urge to snap at the girl in irritation. Even when Erina had been on the Elite Ten and a prominent member of the Nakiri household, she'd held little sway over the purple haired girl, and was reluctant to give her the pleasure of knowing that she was getting under her skin.

"Fine. Then how about what you said about my father's training? And Sōma-kun? What did you mean?"

Rindō didn't respond immediately and, as the seconds stretched, the silence only seemed to grow heavier as Erina's anticipation built. When Rindō spoke, the amusement was plain for Erina to see, or hear, as it were.

"I think you know exactly what I meant, Erina-chan."

Erina gripped her phone reflexively, feeling her teeth grind against each other in her mouth. The tone with which Rindō spoke set her on edge. It wasn't as if she was under the mistaken impression that she was close with the second seat, but she'd also thought they were comrades, at the very least. And to hear the sheer mirth with which the girl spoke was more than disheartening.

"Can you tell me why then? Do you know why Sōma-kun would put himself through that?"

"As a matter of fact, I DO know why. And I certainly COULD tell you. But I most DEFINITELY won't."

Rindō ended her sentence with a particularly obnoxious cackle and Erina saw red.

"Rindō-senpai! Why must you-"

Erina heard an audible click and a droning beep. Rindō had hung up on her. Erina pocketed her phone, continuing to walk down the path and doing her best to not stomp TOO hard on the cobblestone as she fumed silently. She was tired of being kept in the dark where Yukihira Sōma was concerned. Especially when, for once, all she was trying to do was help!

It was frustrating. She wasn't used to caring about other people like this. She took to the good parts of having actual friends rather well. The late night slumber parties, the weekend cooking sessions, the laughter filled conversations. The minor annoyance of being nagged for tastings. If she was being completely honest, she'd enjoyed all of those things.

But she'd had no idea that part of becoming good friends with people was being so stressed out and worried when things weren't going well. Things had been easy when it had just been her and Hisako, for the most part. Her aide was quiet and helpful, rarely fussed and was almost never in any sort of trouble or turmoil. She'd done everything that was asked of her without complaint. It had been easy.

But now? Now she had a whole new host of people to fret over, which included a boy that seemed determined to make her feel guilty with every single action he took under her father and a girl that, try as she might, wasn't able to completely hide that she blamed Erina for it. In some fashion, anyway. Yet claimed everything was fine whenever Erina tried to discuss the issue with her.

Ugh. Having real friends was exhausting.

She opened the door to the run down building, sighing. Oh well, she would deal with it as she always did, with dignity and grace. Even if she didn't understand what was going on half of the time. She walked down the hall, looking at the signs above the doors before stopping at the one that said 'Shiomi Seminar'. She saw light coming from under the doorway, which she took to mean that Hayama was probably still here.

Opening the door, Erina went to call out a greeting but found the words stuck in her throat as she was struck by a sight that she hadn't expected in the least. Hayama was holding a girl in his arms and they were…were…kissing!

Erina didn't know how to react, and so she just stood, frozen. She wondered if it would be possible to step back and just close the door before she was noticed. Deciding to do just that, Erina stepped back, but her foot landed on something, which rolled almost immediately, sending her to the floor with a shriek. A very audible, high pitched shriek.

Erina found herself looking into two very red, very surprised faces as she sat sprawled in what must have been a very undignified position. Silence reigned as the pestle responsible for her fall rolled across the room. She struggled to come up with something, anything to say, but couldn't find the words. It seemed Hayama and the girl were in a similar position.

Actually, now that she got a better look at her face, Erina had the nagging feeling that she knew the girl from somewhere and, as her brain finally decided to resume functioning, her mouth dropped open.

"Shiomi-sensei?!"

At her words, the now identified Shiomi Jun shrank, seeming to grow even smaller than she already was.

"G-G-Greetings, Nakiri-chan. Would you like some tea? Yes, yes. Tea would be great right now, I'll get some."

Without even waiting for a response, Jun all but ran outside of the room, slamming the door behind her, leaving Erina and Hayama alone. Hayama seemed to be doing his best to avoid even looking in her direction.

"Are you alright, Nakiri-san?"

Erina didn't respond, still seeming stunned at what exactly she'd walked into. She didn't even seem to notice she was still on the floor.

"Nakiri-san?"

"Oh, yes. I'm fine, Hayama-kun."

Erina moved to stand to her feet, brushing at her skirt. She picked up the basket that she'd dropped when she fell, checking to make sure that none of its contents had fallen out. Seeing that everything was accounted for, Erina found herself at a loss.

She'd initially come over here to extend an invitation to Hayama to join the Polar Star Dormitory. It had been Isshiki's idea, as he knew that the boy resided in one of the residences allocated under the Shiomi seminar, something he wouldn't be entitled to anymore once the disbandment of the seminar was made official. Erina had volunteered to go, out of an odd mix of empathy and guilt.

Now she wished she'd just let her senpai go instead. Nothing seemed to faze him. But she certainly had no idea how to progress from here. What was appropriate conversation after you'd walked in on your classmate kissing your teacher?

"Nakiri-san."

Erina looked up at Hayama, the aroma chef's face now back to its normal, calm expression.

"If I may ask, what exactly are you thinking?"

"Um…what exactly do you mean, Hayama-kun?"

Hayama looked into her eyes, his expression serious.

"Nakiri-san, let's speak plainly. I know you just walked in on Jun and I…well, you know…"

His confidence seemed to falter and he coughed, his cheeks brightening ever so slightly.

"I just want to know what exactly you're thinking. I'm not so foolish as to believe you thought nothing of what you saw."

Erina looked away from Hayama, blushing. He was right, she certainly didn't think it was nothing. Not in the least.

"Hayama-kun. It's…I…"

Erina huffed, shaking her head.

"I'm here to formally invite you to reside at the Polar Star Dormitory, contingent on you passing Fumio-san's entrance exam, of course."

Hayama blinked, taken off guard by the sudden shift in the topic of the conversation. He looked at Erina who still looked away from him.

"That's…I appreciate the offer I suppose, Nakiri-san. That won't be necessary, however."

"It won't?" asked Erina in surprise. It had only been a few hours since the shokugeki, could Hayama have found new accommodations already? That shouldn't have been possible, housing in the area was notoriously hard to come by.

"Indeed. I've made some arrangements and everything should be fine. The seminar won't be going anywhere anytime soon."

'Does that mean he negotiated with my father? Or Yukihira-kun?' thought Erina, trying to figure out a tactful way to pose the question.

"Hayama-kun. You didn't have to commit to anything…distasteful, did you?" she asked, her mind briefly overtaken by a flash of fear as she thought about if Hayama was to soon follow in Sōma's footsteps. To her relief, Hayama shook his head, his eyes amused.

"Nothing of the sort, Nakiri-san. I simply have to do what I was always going to do."

The vague wording, combined with his closeted tone, was enough to let Erina know that she wasn't going to be getting anything more from Hayama on that particular subject. Yet another secret caught up in the web that was Yukihira Sōma. It was getting more than a little frustrating now.

Suddenly the door burst open and Jun walked back in with a tray bearing a pot of tea, cups and cookies. The smile on her face was just a bit too forced and Erina could hear the tinkling of the china from her trembling as she walked over, setting the tray on the coffee table. She bowed to Erina, more than a little stiffly.

"Please, have a seat Nakiri-chan."

Erina took the proffered seat on the coach, placing the basket on the coffee table. Jun sat on the coach opposite her, still smiling.

"Ah, if I may ask, what's in the basket Nakiri-chan?"

Erina uncovered it, showing the collection of vegetables that she'd brought from the gardens at the dormitory.

"It's just a few things we grew at the dorm, Shiomi-sensei. I was coming over to offer Hayama-kun a place in the dorm, and decided to bring a gift along."

"That's so nice, thank you!" said Jun, a bit too loudly and a bit too cheerfully. Erina smiled awkwardly in return, doing her best to react naturally to her clearly uncomfortable teacher. Hayama took a seat next to Jun, his arm going around her as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Jun squeaked, her face going completely red. If she'd been stiff before, she was a veritable statue now.

"H-H-H-Hayama-kun…w-w-what exactly are you d-doing?"

"There's no point playing coy with her, Jun." sighed Hayama, pulling her towards him so that her shoulder rested snugly against his chest. She put up a feeble resistance before sighing and leaning against him, seeming to relax a bit, even if her face still resembled one of the tomatoes in Erina's basket.

"The question is just what she plans to do now." said Hayama, staring at Erina, almost challengingly. Erina stared back, frowning as she considered just what Hayama had said. Embarrassment aside, this was a fairly serious situation. Something that could easily ruin both of the lives that sat before her. Jun would lose her position within Tōtsuki and, depending on how culpable he was, so could Hayama.

Rightfully so, really. What they were doing was inappropriate and shameful. Erina should report this, if she was being honest. It's what she should be doing right now, in fact. But…

She thought back to what she saw, before she'd tripped and alerted the two to her presence. When they'd pulled back and looked at each other in that brief second before she'd fallen over. She'd seen something. Something she really didn't understand. She felt half remembered words in the back of her head.

Geez! You have no idea what love is! You really are no good, Erina!

Erina ground her teeth in response to the memory. What did Alice know? It's not like she'd ever been in love either.

Across campus, at the Nakiri mansion, Alice sneezed, hurriedly checking to see if she'd woken up the red headed boy dozing against her midsection as she ran her fingers through his hair. She ignored how warm her stomach felt, chalking it up to Sōma having a particularly warm forehead.

Back at the Shiomi seminar, Erina crossed her arms and leant back, ponderously. Even though she wasn't a member of the Elite Ten anymore, she still felt some responsibility towards Tōtsuki and its status and reputation.

"Shiomi-sensei. Tōtsuki regulations explicitly forbid relationships between students and teachers. By right, I should call Human Resources right now and report you."

"What."

Hayama's voice was pure ice, the coldness almost enough to bring back memories Erina would rather forget. Despite that, Erina looked at Hayama, who was glaring at her, every expression he kept off his face held in his bright green eyes. Erina didn't back down, it would be long before she backed down to anyone that didn't have the unfair advantage of being her sire.

"She's taking advantage of you, Hayama-kun." said Erina, thinking back to the Tōtsuki rules and regulations she'd all but memorized what seemed like forever ago. "She's in a position of power as your teacher and, if there's any sort of illicit relationship between you two, the blame falls on her for it."

"You. Know. Nothing."

Hayama's voice hadn't gained any warmth, the venom in his tone clear.

"Don't you dare speak of things you know nothing about, Nakiri Erina."

"It's the rules, Hayama-kun." said Erina snappishly, the boy's tone bringing out the temper she was known for. "That is simply how things are. The rules are in place for a reason. As a student of the most illustrious cooking institution in the world, it's your duty to follow them."

Hayama felt Jun start to shiver and he looked down at her to see a morose expression on her face. She sat up, pushing away from the white haired boy.

"She's right, Hayama-kun. We…I should've been more responsible. I'm your teacher and your guardian. This is my failure."

Jun sniffed, pulling her glasses off of her face as she wiped at one of her eyes.

"I…I shouldn't have been foolish enough to…to…"

Jun hiccupped, the words stuck in her throat as she looked down at her knees.

"To what, Jun?" Hayama asked, glaring at the girl across from him who met his glare with one of her own.

"To fall in love with you."

The six words were said quietly, at a barely audible volume, but no one in the room missed them. Hayama's expression had turned into one of shock as he looked back at Jun, who was still staring down at her knees. Erina's face held a similar look of surprise and she looked at the diminutive professor, turning something over in her mind.

"Is that really how you feel, Shiomi-sensei?" she asked, surprising herself. She normally wasn't this forward, especially when it came to things she didn't understand, but there wasn't exactly anything normal about this situation anymore.

Jun was quiet for a second, but Erina saw her hands trembling. She gripped her knees and she looked up, her brown eyes meeting Erina's. While there was certainly embarrassment, shame and more than a bit of fear, she still held the Nakiri heiress' gaze with firm resolution.

"Yes."

"Even though it could cost you your tenure here? Your entire career?" asked Erina, dumbfounded at the simple, affirmative response.

"Even then."

The conviction in her tone was unmistakeable and Erina found herself thrown by it. By the sheer certainty in her voice. An errant thought crossed Erina's mind and she suddenly found herself uncertain, her thoughts of shameful behaviour and broken regulations being interrupted by a vision of a dark haired man, with kind, dark eyes in a chef's uniform. Would she…is that…

"I don't understand." admitted Erina, more than a little conflicted as she thought of the feelings she held towards Yukihira-sensei. Equal parts respect and admiration. Was that love? Should she want to date him? Kiss him? Did that make her just as improper as she was accusing Jun and Hayama of being?

"What's there not to understand, Nakiri-san?" asked Hayama, not looking at the girl in favour of staring down softly at Jun, who had gone back to staring down at her knees, her face still an iridescent red.

"Love…what exactly is it?" she asked, forcing each word out as she fought her own embarrassment. She'd never imagined that she would be having this sort of discussion today, least of all with her teacher and classmate. But she needed to understand this, lest she be unable to ever face her childhood idol again.

Hayama looked at the girl, pondering her question. He wasn't exactly an expert, after all. He'd never been in any sort of romantic relationship, had never been on a single date. He'd never even kissed a woman! At least, before tonight. He racked his brain, trying to come up with a suitable answer for the girl but he wasn't finding any words. All he was finding were feelings, his feelings for Jun. How could he put those into words?

Luckily, he didn't have to.

"Love is when you admire someone more than anyone else in the world."

Hayama felt a hand grab his and he looked over to see Jun smiling at him. He couldn't help but smile softly in response.

"Love is wanting to be with that person above all else. Love is wanting to keep that person safe and happy, even at the expense of your own. Love is…the most selfish but also the most selfless way to feel about another person in this world, Nakiri-chan."

Jun squeezed Hayama's hand and looked at Erina, smiling happily without a single trace of embarrassment.

"Love. Being in love, that is…it's something you can't mistake for anything else. Love is caring for someone, no matter what they do or how far away they are. Wanting to be with them no matter how out of reach they may be, for one reason or the other."

At those words, Erina saw the image in her mind change. She saw the chef's uniform fade, to be replaced by a black, school issued blazer. Hayama spoke up, his voice light as he held Jun's hand in his.

"Love also makes you stupid. You feel happy even when you're frustrated beyond all reason that a certain someone fell asleep on the floorboards for the fourth time in a week."

Jun pouted, looking away from Hayama indignantly, provoking a laugh from the boy.

"I keep telling you that you don't need to move me, Hayama-kun. I can take care of myself, you know!"

Hayama looked down at their joined hands and he smiled again, something unreadable in his green eyes.

"You can say that all you like, Jun. I'll still be there to pick you up every single time. I'll always be there to help you, even when you try to handle everything by yourself. Is that not love too?"

Erina saw the dark hair lighten, growing shorter as it flared out into red spikes.

My son doesn't need any saving, Erina-chan...This is something Sōma has committed to tackling himself…

Kind eyes lightened into mischievous, golden eyes. A grin adorned his lips as he looked back at Erina, hand held out to her, his wrist adorned with a silver chain.

"In the end, Nakiri-chan…love doesn't care about rules, or status or age or anything like that. It's blind and reckless and foolish. And it'll drag you along with it, whether you like it or not."

"And that's a good thing? Being subject to this…this mindless thing that cares little for the way things are? The way they should be?" asked Erina, her temper flaring as she tried to expel the image of golden eyes and teasing smirks from her mind. She ignored the way her heart beat just a bit faster. It meant nothing. Nothing at all.

"What's the use in that? What's the point?" she asked, more to herself than to the two people that sat in front of her.

"Nakiri-san."

Hayama looked at her, his expression serious.

"How important do you think cooking is to me?"

Erina wasn't sure how to answer. Once, she would've said it was obviously the most important thing to him, it had to be if he truly wanted to compete at a school like Tōtsuki. But now, she was unsure.

"I don't know, Hayama-kun." she answered honestly.

"Cooking has been my passion for years. Even before I started attending Tōtsuki. I've worked tirelessly and devoted my entire being to being the best chef that I can be. It's my life's work, completely and utterly. And if I was forced to choose between Jun and being able to step foot in a kitchen again, I would choose Jun each and every time. With zero hesitation and even less regret."

Erina looked at Hayama, stunned beyond words at the gravity of his words. It was unfathomable. Cooking was the very lifeblood of this school, of its students. It wasn't something to be thrown away, no matter the cost. She thought back to the many alumni she'd met over the years who'd gone on to become world class chefs. About the sacrifices they'd made to get to where they were. The friends they'd left behind and the things they'd given up in pursuit of their goals.

And then she thought about a chef that she knew who hadn't done that. Who'd dropped out of Tōtsuki, settled down and opened a special-of-the-day diner in a middle class shopping district, despite having the skills and the clout to work at virtually any restaurant in the entire world.

When she compared the alumni in her head, to this one single man, she noticed a rather glaring difference. One that she hadn't been cognisant of before. No, that wasn't right. She'd noticed it, she just hadn't understood its importance at the time. She'd written it off as a necessary price to being the best.

They were all alone, at the top of their respective fields, and he was not. Saiba Joichiro, the man known as the Asura, a veritable demon in the cooking arena, had left the culinary world behind, changed his name and opened a special of the day restaurant. When one of her classmates had asked him why, during one of his lectures, his answer was short and direct.

I had someone else I needed to cook for.

She'd assumed he was just being his usual, flippant self, instead of taking it for the plain, simple truth it was. The man she looked up to most, the best cook she'd ever known had given it all up because he found someone he wanted to devote all of his cooking to. Was that love? Giving up all of your goals and dreams for someone else?

Erina didn't realize she'd said her question out loud until Jun looked at her, smiling as if she knew something the girl did not. Which was all too likely, considering how out of her depth Erina was right now.

"No. It's love when you realize that you want them to have a part in every single goal and dream that you have."

Even Hayama looked surprised at Jun's words and she looked away embarrassedly, toying with the end of her ponytail.

"You've certainly given this some thought, Jun." he said simply, causing her to redden even further.

"Hayama-kun…don't tease me." she chided half-heartedly, before looking up at Erina, earnestly.

"So what are you going to do, Nakiri-chan?"

Erina looked away, biting her lip as she thought over just what she'd learnt. Even though she'd only been here for a few minutes, her head felt full to bursting with new, confusing and downright strange information. She'd asked for the meaning of a single word and had gotten…this.

Erina stood up, flustered as she chased away thoughts of a red headed chef that seemed to be on her mind more and more as the conversation went on. She may not be exactly sure what love was, but she knew that there was no way she loved Yukihira Sōma, despite his prominence in her thoughts. It simply wasn't possible.

"Shiomi-sensei, while what you're doing is completely inappropriate and against Tōtsuki policy…you can rest assured that I won't say anything."

The sigh of relief Jun gave was more than audible and, though he hid it better, Hayama felt tension he didn't know he was carrying in his shoulders ease.

"However, I want something in exchange. May I speak with you outside please?"

"Um, sure Nakiri-chan. That's no problem."

Erina walked out of the door, closing it behind Jun as they stood in the empty hallway. She walked down a bit, the diminutive teacher following in her wake as she stopped to stare out of the window, at the blue-black evening sky outside. She didn't say anything and she could feel the confusion start to emanate from her teacher's direction.

"Shiomi-sensei, in exchange for keeping you and Hayama-kun's secret…I would like it if we could do this again. In the future, I mean."

Jun cocked her head, confused.

"Do what again, Nakiri-chan?"

Erina didn't look back at the woman, silently cursing the warmth she could feel in her cheeks.

"I…I may have more questions. In the future, I mean. About…about our topic of conversation this evening. And I just wanted to know…if you wouldn't be opposed to it, that is…I…"

"Nakiri-chan, are you looking for love counselling?" asked Jun, nonplussed. Erina turned to her, waving her hands in denial as her cheeks grew even redder.

"No, no, no! Sensei, I mean…not counselling. It's just…you're an older woman, so you clearly have more experience in these matters than I! And I'm sure you would keep our discussions confidential, right? It is certainly NOT love counselling. Of that I am certain!"

Jun looked at the flustered heiress, finding the blatant falsity endearing. Who knew the great Nakiri Erina would be so desperate for a little girl talk?

"Sure, Nakiri-chan. No problem. May I see your phone?"

Erina didn't say anything, instead just offering the device to the teacher, who took it and placed her contact information into it.

"There you go. Feel free to reach out to me anytime you want to talk, ok?"

Erina felt the urge to thank Jun but was unwilling to acknowledge that she'd needed help in the first place, so she settled for a deep nod.

"I'll be taking my leave then, Shiomi-sensei. Please give my regards to Hayama-kun."

Erina turned, walking down the hallway towards the exit with as much dignity as she could muster after what may have been among the most embarrassing, confusing and enlightening thirty minutes of her life.

Alice shut the door gently behind her, trying to make as little noise as possible. Once she was sure the door was fully closed, she walked briskly away, making sure she was several feet away from it before she started to hop up and down, squealing.

What was that? What had just happened? She didn't really know. All she knew was that Sōma's forehead was really, really warm and she was pretty sure it had made her feel warm too. She looked around, making sure she was completely alone before she squealed again, tittering happily as she held her warm cheeks in her hands. It wouldn't do for anyone to see her so undignified.

She didn't question just why she was happy, she simply knew it probably had something to do with the sleeping boy she'd left behind. It felt like butterflies were in her stomach, even now, when she'd left the room minutes ago. It was only after she'd begun starting to slowly twirl in place that Alice came to a realization.

Butterflies? Warm cheeks? Nervous energy? Squealing?! Oh she knew what this was, she'd seen the movies!

Alice stopped, gasping.

She had a crush! Oh yes, yes, yes! Her very first crush!

Alice wouldn't have admitted it to anyone but she'd never had any sort of relationship with boys. (unless you counted Ryo, which she didn't) Even in her middle school days, she'd always been swept up in her cooking. Between her desire to get back at Erina for abandoning her and the pressure she felt as the next in line to inherit her father's company, she simply didn't have the time for anything else.

Not that it mattered, considering no one had ever tried to ask her out before, a fact that had made her more than a little insecure once she was old enough to care about it. She was a knockout, and a Nakiri to boot! Logic dictated that the boys should've been beating down her door.

If she'd been a little more self-aware, she would've realized that being a rich heiress with an aide that resembled a demonic bodyguard more than anything else could be more than a little intimidating. Especially when everyone simply assumed you were dating said intimidating bodyguard already.

Alice went up the stairway, her steps light as she pondered this new information. Sōma was skilled, more than skilled enough to be worthy of her. Not to mention, he held power and sway here at Tōtsuki, which could be easily translated into the real world with some planning.

Was he cute? Alice thought back to him, her head filled with recollections of golden eyes and red hair. Of quiet confidence and dry wit, along with a familiar warmth once she'd gotten that chain off and she felt herself blush again.

Yes. Yes, he was cute.

Alice opened the door to her room, heading over to her armoire as she pulled her sweater over her head. As she began to change into her nightwear, she continued thinking and pondering. It wasn't until she was fully clad in her pajamas that she realized she had no clue what to do now. Beyond being able to figure out if a boy was worthy of her affection, she had no idea how to proceed.

Her eyes alighted on a stack of DVD cases and she grinned. She may have no idea how to proceed but she knew exactly where to go to find answers.

"Ojou…ojou…"

Alice blinked, squinting as she looked up into a tan and black blur. More blinking revealed it to be the placid face of Kurokiba Ryo.

"Hello there, Ryo-kun. I was simply-"

A yawn interrupted her sentence. Alice covered her mouth daintily, trying to think. What had she been doing? She was laying on something odd. Under her head felt very, very soft but the rest of her body felt a bit stiff, as if she'd been laying on an unyielding surface. She also felt hair plastered to the side of her face, practically in her mouth, and a grey blanket lay over her curled form.

Alice sat up slowly with a stretch, yawning again, the blanket around her form falling from her shoulders. That had been a particularly good nap, it seemed, although she honestly didn't remember falling asleep with a blanket. In fact, why was she napping in the evening time at all? What time was it now?!

"Ryo-kun, what time is it?"

"It's eight in the morning, ojou."

Eight in the morning? That couldn't be right. Alice looked around, noting that the room was much brighter than she remembered as early morning sunshine streamed in through the windows. She could've sworn it had just been the dead of night.

"Did you fall asleep watching romantic movies again?"

The boy's sentence set off warning bells in Alice's head and she gasped as she realized just what had happened. She looked behind her and recognized the large, purple cushion that she preferred to use in the entertainment room, which was where she was now. A stack of movie cases was on the floor in front of her, and the TV was lit up with an animated menu displaying several scenes, all of which took place on a large cruise ship.

Alice frowned as she realized just what had happened. She'd come down to try and do research to help her with her situation but had been foiled by the softness of her favourite cushion. A quick glance at the table showed her that she hadn't even made it through Titanic, her first choice, let alone any of the other movies she'd brought down with her.

She felt angry tears well up in her eyes and she crossed her arms, glaring at nothing. She had no one to blame but herself, after all. Actually that wasn't quite true…

"Ryo-kun! Get me the name of this cushion's manufacturer immediately!"

She got a very slow blink in response, along with an accompanying yawn.

"How about I get you some tea instead?"

Alice pouted, crossing her arms and looking away from him.

"That would be a suitable alternative."

"Sure, sure…"

Ryo shuffled off, looking even more zombie like than usual. It went without saying that mornings didn't agree with him.

"Oh, Ryo-kun. Thank you for the blanket by the way. It seems like old dogs can indeed learn new tricks."

Ryo turned to look at her, his eyes half blurred from sleep. He opened his mouth, as if to respond to the teasing, but he simply closed it and sighed, shuffling off to fulfil his original goal of fetching tea. It was too early in the morning to properly deal with his mistress.

Alice got to her feet, stretching further as she felt her body loosen up from its night spent on the hardwood floor. She moved her hands to feel around her head, pouting as she felt the dip in one side and the flare up of the other. She didn't have a mirror but she'd bet she had a terrible case of bed head. Sleeping on her side always did that to her.

She yawned one final time, rubbing at her eyes. Well, it wasn't like there was anyone but Ryo or servants around to see, considering Erina had moved out and Azami rarely spent time at the mansion. She shouldn't have any witnesses to her less than becoming appearance.

"Good morning, Nakiri-ojou."

Alice shrieked, spinning around so fast that she stumbled, falling onto the cushion behind her, leaving her to look up into the eyes of Yukihira Sōma, who seemed somewhere in between amused and very amused, if the small smirk on his face was any indication. He wasn't wearing his regular attire, instead being clad in a grey tracksuit and worn tennis shoes.

"Good morning, Sōma-kun." said Alice, her heart thumping in her chest from both the scare and who had caused it. She realized the position she was in and felt the tips of her ears slowly start to heat up. Never had she wished so hard that she didn't have the porcelain complexion that she did.

"Would you like some assistance getting up?"

Nodding mutely, Alice took the extended hand, ignoring the way she felt sparks as her fingers touched his. She wasn't ready for this, not at all. She'd barely made it half an hour before nodding off during her research! Jack was still downstairs and Rose was still with her jerk of a fiancée. That didn't give her anything to use here.

And as if that wasn't enough, she saw Sōma's eyes briefly flick over to her hair, which she knew, from experience, had a tendency to stick up in an ugly cowlick if she slept badly. She couldn't see it but she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it was there. And it was killing her.

"I…I have something to do, so if you'll excuse me!"

With that, Alice turned and walked off as proudly as she could with rumpled pajamas and morning breath. Once she rounded the corner, she crouched immediately, whining pitifully to herself. It wasn't fair!

"Good morning Mama, I trust all is well?" said Alice, holding a sleek smartphone to her ear as she walked through the halls, fully dressed and showered and hungry. It had taken her over an hour to be fully satisfied with how she looked, determined as she was to make up for her earlier beleaguered appearance.

"Ja, although it isn't morning over here, my little skrupsak. Regardless, things are fine." replied Nakiri Leonora in fluent Danish.

"Mama, please. Speak Japanese. You know it's the only way you'll get better."

"But it's so hard. It's such a complex language, my sweet. So many differing phonetics, and they all sound so alikeeee."

"Mama!"

"Fine. Fine. Good morning, Alice-kun. Good you are?"

Alice winced at her mother's butchering of the language. It was almost impressive how bad she was at speaking Japanese considering how long she'd been married to Alice's father. Her mother would've probably been a top contender at Tōtsuki if she hadn't failed out of her first year because she couldn't get passing marks in her basic language courses.

"I am fine, mama. And it should be chan, not kun. Kun's used more for boys. Or kohai."

"Kohai?"

"It means like someone who's your junior, under you. Like a protégé, for example."

"But you are junior to me, right? I be mom after all."

"Yes, but really it's more for-Never mind that Mama! That's not why I called!" she shouted into the phone, walking into the dining room and seeing that someone had already laid out a breakfast consisting of white rice, grilled fish and soup. Ryo had already taken a seat at the table, and he was looking down at his plate in fierce concentration, prodding one of the half eaten fish there.

"Ok, ok. What's wrong? Did you lose another battle of cooking?" asked Leonora, her speech slow and plodding.

"No!" replied Alice hotly, taking a seat across from her aide. She began to spoon rice and fish onto her plate.

"Then what? Are you having problems with Erina?"

"No, it's not her either, Mama. It's…"

Alice looked over at Ryo, who seemed absorbed in pulling apart the cooked fish on his plate. The intensity with which he did it would've almost been concerning if Alice hadn't been used to him doing much stranger things than picking at his food. Satisfied that he was distracted, Alice's voice dropped into a whisper.

"It's a boy."

"Eh? Did I hear you properly Alice-chan?! Are you perhaps speaking about a boy, as in a young man as in a member of the opposite sex that you find yourself feeling interest towards, romantically or otherwise? Is that the context in which you meant it?"

Leonora's voice had heightened in both pitch and volume, her excitement such that she'd stripped off her broken Japanese, revealing the eloquence she displayed only when truly surprised or elated.

Alice blushed at her mother's blunt summation of the situation.

"Well…yes. There's this boy I think I like. A little. Maybe."

"Oh, oh, darling! That's so precious? Who is he? Is he handsome? Is he strong, manly? Is he a good cook? Oh, what am I saying, of course he is. Unless you found yourself a boy outside of Tōtsuki, oh is it a city boy? Now you know Alice, your father and I wouldn't tolerate you bringing home some leather jacket wearing, bike riding bad boy!"

"Mama!" Alice shouted, scandalized. "You're getting ahead of yourself, please! It's no big deal!"

"No big deal?" questioned Leonora knowingly. Alice held firm for a second before turning away from the table, talking quietly into her phone.

"Ok, ok, yes Mama. It's a big deal. A huge deal. And I don't know what to do, help me please!"

"That's more like it." said the elder Nakiri. Alice had never been any good at faking things with her, especially not things that mattered, something the woman knew all too well. "So this boy, tell me about him."

"Well, he's another student, a first year like me. You'd know him actually, his name is Yukihira Sōma. He was one of the finalists in the Autumn Election, remember?"

"Oh, isn't that the boy that trounced you in the quarter finals?"

"Trounced is a very, very strong word!" retorted Alice petulantly, the reminder of her loss still stinging a bit even after all these months.

"Ah, that's so romantic, Alice-kun. You surrendered your heart to the only man worthy of it, someone who'd conquered you on the battlefield that is the cooking arena."

"Again, you're going too far Mama! It isn't even like that. I just kind of like him, okay?"

"Like who?"

Alice blinked, turning around to look at Ryo who seemed to have given up on his food, the contents half eaten. He was lounging back in his chair, staring at her with his bag laden eyes. She'd completely forgotten about his presence, and wondered how much he'd heard before deciding it didn't matter. She didn't feel the need to hide it from him, not really. This was Ryo, her trusted aide of eight years. If he couldn't keep her secrets, then no one could.

Picking up a piece of fish, Alice popped it into her mouth, chewing idly.

"If you must know, Ryo-kun. I'm speaking of Sōma-kun."

"Oh really? And in what context might that be, Nakiri-ojou?"

Alice jumped as she heard the unexpected voice behind her. Really? Seriously, Kami-sama? For the second time today, Yukihira Sōma had popped up, seemingly out of nowhere at the most inopportune time. Alice felt the butterflies in her stomach start to flap rapidly, this time out of nervousness.

"It was…well, you see…I…um…"

"I believe ojou was talking to her mother about the fact that you now live here, Yukihira." interjected Ryo smoothly, his eyes meeting Alice's. She hoped he could see the thanks in hers for his quick thinking.

"Did Kurokiba-chan just say he was living there, Alice-kun? Did I understand that right?" asked Leonora, a note of warning in her tone.

On second thought, maybe Ryo's quick thinking hadn't been as ideal as she'd first thought.

"Alice Eleonore Nakiri. Did you or did you not invite a boy you barely know to live with you?!"

With each word, her mother's voice grew louder until she was practically shouting as she slipped back into her native tongue, causing Alice to cringe.

"Mama…it's not like that. Sōma-kun works for Uncle Azami, so he's staying in the servant quarters. We're not…living together. Or anything."

Alice had switched to speaking Danish as well, attempting to keep her words from the red head across the table who was sipping at his soup, watching her just a bit too attentively.

"Oh, I see. Well…alright then. But I swear, if I get even the slightest hint of you doing anything I wouldn't approve of, I'll have you shipped off to that derelict dormitory right alongside your cousin!"

Alice blanched, thinking back to the Polar Star Dormitory, with its creepy pipes, overgrown gating and peeling paint. She'd spent more than one slumber party night there, and it had certainly been fun. But it had been fun in the same way that camping was fun. You enjoyed the first night you spend sleeping on the ground. But it got old. Fast.

"No, no. That won't be necessary, I promise. I'll be good, Mama!"

"See that you do. Now, discipline aside, tell me more about this young man."

It was almost frightening how her tone switched so easily from stern threatening to teenaged gossiping.

"Mama, but he's…he's right here." said Alice, doing her best to not look at Sōma. Ryo looked like he was doing his best to not burst into low pitched chuckles then and there, the warning glare from Alice only barely keeping him at bay.

"So? You're speaking in our homeland's tongue now, sveske. Your words are safe."

Alice looked to be weighing her mother's words carefully before she burst into speech, carefully avoiding Sōma's name but disclosing everything else she knew about him. His diner, his friends, his skill in the kitchen, his oddly interesting scarred eyebrow. She left nothing out, speaking excitedly as she looked anywhere but in his direction, patting herself on the back for such clever tactics.

It was only after several minutes of speaking and a long, heartfelt goodbye to her mother that Alice hung up her phone, sighing contentedly. Ever since she'd figured out her situation, she'd wanted to discuss it with her mother. The woman had nagged here more than once about her love life and it felt good to finally have something to say about it, preliminary as it was.

Alice hummed happily, eating her food in earnest as she thought over some of the advice her mom had given her. Her mother had really gotten going once they'd resumed speaking in Danish, and the tips had practically flooded through. She'd all but laid out a map for Alice to follow.

She looked over at Sōma, grinning at him. She pointed her chopsticks towards him, almost challengingly.

"I'm afraid you don't stand a chance here, Sōma-kun!"

Sōma looked at her, his expression almost bemused.

"Would it distress you if I told you that I'm fluent in Danish, Nakiri-ojou?"

"Yes. Very much so, Sōma-kun."

"Ah. I suppose it's a good thing I'm not then, ne?"

Alice nodded blissfully, scooping more rice into her mouth, the deliciousness of the dish only further adding to her mood.

"This tastes delicious, Ryo-kun. Is this your work?"

Ryo looked surprised at her words.

"You really like it, ojou?"

Alice nodded, chewing eagerly on the fish which had just the right amount of tang from salt and smoke.

"It's very well done, some of your best work I must say."

"I'm afraid I can't take credit for this meal, ojou. Yukihira's the one responsible for this."

Ryo jerked his head towards the chef, who'd leaned back in his chair to watch Alice eat with a curious gaze. Alice blinked, looking down at the food before her. She could honestly say she was surprised. After watching so many of Sōma's shokugekis, she'd assumed his food would be unpalatable. Based on the judges' reactions anyway.

She picked up another morsel of rice, staring down at it. She sniffed tentatively, noting its scent before putting it in her mouth, making a concerted effort to focus on its flavour.

As she gave her full attention to the dish, she found herself spirited away to a desolate field. It was completely lifeless, but for a single redheaded boy, crouched and shivering in its center. She advanced towards him, cautiously.

He turned towards her, his expression fixed into one of aggression and hatred even as tears ran from his eyes. He growled at Alice, lunging towards her but being pulled short by the silver chain shackled to his ankle that was staked into the ground. He swung his hands furiously, swiping in her direction with a ferocity that few grown men could match, let alone children.

Instead of feeling fearful or angry in response, Alice simply felt sad and sympathetic. She approached the boy, getting within his reach and ignoring how he screamed at her, shying away from her approach despite his earlier bravado. Alice knelt down in front of him, wrapping him in her arms as she pulled him towards her, ignoring his kicking and screaming.

She pulled him in, his struggles quieting as she hummed softly, feeling a strange protective urge that she wasn't used to feeling.

It's alright. I'm here now, you are safe.

The boy's struggles ceased completely as she held him, a feeling of peace enveloping the both of them.

"So how was it, ojou?"

Alice blinked, finding herself back at the dinner table. Ryo was looking at her intently, his eyes focused on her expression while Sōma eyed her with much-too-casual disinterest from where he stood near the exit to the room. Alice looked down at her plate, finding the entire meal gone, picked clean. She felt the remnants in her teeth and on her tongue, so she knew she must have eaten it but she hadn't realized she'd been eating at all.

"It was…delicious." she answered honestly. "Very well done. I'd expect nothing less."

"But how did it make you feel?" asked Ryo intensely, his eyes flaring as he fingered the bandanna on his wrist. He pulled it free, wrapping it around his head as his eyes widened fully.

"Do you feel a sense of rage, anger, passion? Hatred? An urge to smash something into nothing?" Ryo hissed, his knuckles whitening where he was gripping the table and pointedly not looking at Sōma.

Alice thought back, considering. She'd certainly noticed something along that line, yes. The aimless negativity held within the very fibres of the dish that permeated that lonely place. But it didn't affect her, in that sense anyway. It just made her feel…something. Something she wasn't sure she fully understood.

Nakiri Alice was many things, but selflessly protective wasn't usually one of them. But that is how Sōma's dish made her feel.

"I may feel a touch discontent, maybe a little annoyed. But that's it." she lied smoothly, pushing the empty plate away from her as she stood. "I guess my will is just stronger than yours, Ryo-channn."

She smiled cheekily at the boy who glowered, rising to his feet as he slammed his fists into the table.

"What was that, bitch?!"

Alice's cheeks puffed up and she slammed her hands down on the table in a mirror of Ryo's.

"Who exactly are you calling a bitch?! Looks like you need to be taught your place. Go and prep the kitchens, dog!"

"Gladly…" he growled, storming off to prepare their usual battlefield.

"Hmph, so disrespectful. I swear…" she muttered to herself, storming towards the exit and striding past Sōma, who was leaning against the door jamb from where he had been observing their argument passively.

"Nakiri-ojou."

"Stop that, Sōma-kun!" Alice twirled to face him, pointing a finger into his face, which caused him to lean back in surprise. He blinked down at the girl, the question clear on his face.

"That's so stuffy and proper. Nakiri-ojou this. Nakiri-ojou that. Don't do that."

Sōma raised his scarred eyebrow at her.

"I'm simply being respectful of your station, as is expected of me."

"Well it's very annoying! Plus I'm not the only Nakiri around anyway, so it just feels weird."

"Alice-ojou then?"

Alice shook her head vigorously, frustrated. Couldn't the boy take a hint?!

"No, that won't work either."

"Why not?"

"Because…because…" Alice bit her lip, trying to think of an excuse. "That's Ryo-kun's personal term of address. I don't think he'd be very happy if someone else began using it."

Alice doubted the blatantly transparent answer fooled the boy, especially considering how perceptive he'd proven to be since his return. But he didn't call her on it. Instead, he simply shrugged.

"Then what shall I call you?"

"Call me Alice-chan. Or even just Alice!"

Sōma blinked at the intimate suggestion, and Alice saw just a hint of red stain his cheeks. He looked away from her, his face stubbornly set in an impassive expression.

"I don't think that would be a very good idea. All things considered. I highly doubt Azami-sama would approve."

'Uncle Azami can take his approval and shove it.' thought Alice, her cheeks puffing out petulantly. Still, she knew that the boy had a point. If he were to continue his "game" with her Uncle, it wouldn't do for him to step out of line unnecessarily.

"Fine, fine. How about just when we're alone then? Call me Alice."

"Alice-san then?" said Sōma. Alice poked him in the cheek, somehow being aggressive while being gentle.

"Just. Alice."

Sōma stared into her deep red eyes and he felt that odd discomfort again. That part of him that seemed ever so willing to flare up when he was around this girl. It was worrying, to say the least. But he couldn't bring himself to fight it either.

"Alright then…Alice."

Alice smiled and Sōma almost gasped as he felt his heart start to beat faster, the feeling increasing in weight but in a way that made him…happy? Was he feeling happy? If so, it was a different kind of happiness than he'd known, even before when he was more…whole. Happiness felt good in a way that was light, airy and carefree. This other sort of happiness felt good in a different way, a weighted way that seemed to mix with nervousness and fear in an odd cocktail that left Sōma feeling just the slightest bit light headed.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go teach a mutt some manners. I'll be seeing you, Sōma-kun!"

Alice skipped off, waving at him. Sōma found himself waving back, wondering just what it was about Nakiri Alice that had such an effect on him. This odd, chaotic, disarming effect that made him do things like wave and smile, or cook breakfast or place a blanket over her sleeping form while he finished watching an oddly touching movie about two lovers' fateful encounter on a boat that was destined to sink.

He didn't do those things. That wasn't what he was for, that wasn't his purpose. But being around Alice seemed to make him go against that; it made him do things he wouldn't normally do.

Sōma frowned, trying to analyse what effect this may have on his current plans. He found his efforts stymied, however, as he just kept thinking about Alice herself. About how her prattling was both annoying and endearing, about how she would be completely silly one minute and serious the next. About how she was considerate of his secrets, even though his explanations were woefully inadequate.

Sōma headed out of the dining room, hearing the familiar noises of cooking prep echoing throughout the mansion as Alice and Ryo's duel began. He fought the urge to go and spectate simply for the sake of spectating. Instead he moved towards his room, trying to clear his thoughts so that he could properly focus on the next phase of his goals.

Today was the first day of Tōtsuki's final break of the academic year. Most Japanese high schools had their spring breaks at the end of March, immediately following their graduation ceremonies. However, Tōtsuki did things a little bit differently. Spring break was split into two portions; two weeks at the end of February and then one week after the first week in April, which is also when the graduation ceremony would occur.

They also finished their academic curriculum officially with the end of year exams immediately following the first spring break, which usually fell in the first week of March. This left the remaining weeks of the month for a very special purpose that the entire school would gather for, whether it was to support, participate or administrate. A purpose that Sōma had been working towards for months, which would herald the beginning of the end of his game with Nakiri Azami.

The selection of the coming year's Elite Ten Council.

Hello everyone! So this was a big chapter as well (both in length and importance) but in a different way than last chapter. Also, something to take note of, if you haven't already: The pairing of our favourite red head has been officially declared and added to the summary of this story. Sōma/Alice is now officially a thing. I'm sure this will earn me both love and hate, so I urge all of you to leave your love/hate/thoughts/flames in review fashion to assist me on my way to the First Seat of the SnS fandom! I hope you liked it!