Alice yawned as she felt herself start to wake up. She resisted her body's attempts to rouse itself, attempting to snuggle deeper into the cushion under her. She wasn't quite ready to leave its soft, plush interior just yet. Her arms reached out for a half remembered source of warmth but found empty air instead. She patted the indentation in the cushion beside her with a vague sense of confusion.

It took a few groggy seconds for the Nakiri to connect the dots and, when she did, she groaned, the disappointment bringing her fully into the land of the waking. She liked waking up wrapped around Sōma and, considering she was much too classy to invite him into her bed after a few short weeks of dating, these movie-turned-sleepover sessions were her only opportunity to do that. So she was more than a little annoyed that he'd seen fit to leave without even waking her.

Alice sat up with a huff, looking around the living room to confirm that the boy wasn't anywhere nearby. He wasn't. Alice flopped back down, her eyes resting on the ceiling. She wondered if she'd make the effort to get up and on with the day but then she remembered that she didn't have any exams scheduled for the day.

While this didn't mean she was going to laze around all day as a result, Alice felt significantly less guilty as she closed her eyes to catch a few extra minutes of sleep.

"Hey, you."

Or at least, that had been the plan. Alice wondered if pretending to be asleep would cause the vaguely familiar voice to go away. And then she wondered why a voice she only barely recognized was in her house at all. Understandably, the latter point was much more important than the former.

Alice's eyes snapped open and she found herself face to face with an annoyed looking Akanegakubo Momo. The petite girl was kneeling by Alice with her signature purple, stuffed cat doll held in her arms. She was glowering down at Alice, the cat ear styled buns on her head almost quivering.

Alice didn't know how to respond and so she just kept looking at the older girl, feeling conspicuous with her night gown and bed head. After a few seconds of utter silence, Momo narrowed her eyebrows at the girl and struck her softly on the head with her stuffed animal, catching Alice off guard. This, along with Momo's expectant look, finally prompted Alice to say something.

"Good…morning, Momo-senpai?"

Momo didn't respond to Alice's hesitant greeting and instead just continued glowering at the girl.

"How'd you get into my house?"

"Someone let me in."

Alice's eyebrows rose and she finally sat up, doing her best to fix the mess that was her hair in the morning. Based on Momo's frown, she was almost certain her efforts were useless. She covered her mouth, doing her best to repress a yawn as she pondered just why she would be receiving a visit from Tōtsuki's resident confectionary genius, but she couldn't think of any conceivable reason for it.

As if sensing Alice's confusion, Momo pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to the girl. Alice opened the paper, idly thanking the pâtissier as she noticed the note was written in Sōma's handwriting.

Nakiri-ojou, don't be alarmed. I ran into Akanegakubo-senpai as I was leaving the mansion this morning and she expressed a desire to sample some of your cooking. I'm not sure why, but she can be rather insistent when she's set herself on a course of action. Good luck.

Good luck? Why would she need luck? Was this some sort of hidden exam?

"Momo-senpai, would you like me to make you something?"

A nod.

"Ah, have you eaten breakfast yet?"

A shake of the head.

"Splendid. Just give me a moment to go upstairs and freshen up. I'll be back shortly."

A glare.

"Or…or I could get started right now?"

With one final nod, Momo got to her feet, exiting the living room abruptly. Alice watched the fourth seat walk off towards the kitchen and she sighed to herself as she got to her feet. She took a glance at the dormant television screen to see that, while still not ideal, her hair had flattened into some sort of order. It would have to do.

Alice walked towards the kitchen, finding Momo having what appeared to be a hushed conversation with her stuffed animal, which she'd placed in a chair beside her. She stopped speaking once she noticed Alice's entrance, choosing to look at the wall instead of Alice.

Once, such difficulty would've irritated the heaven sent child of molecular gastronomy. But she'd gained a new level of tolerance from working at Yukihira's and instead just found the older girl's antics almost amusing. As she began to take out ingredients, she spoke again, her tone casual.

"Any preferences Momo-senpai? I usually like something light to get me started, how does miso soup and rice sound?"

Momo didn't say anything but Alice took the lack of reaction as a negative and switched tactics.

"Or perhaps we could do western? It'll take a little longer but I don't have anywhere to be, do you?"

"That's fine."

Despite the dullness of the response, Alice was almost certain now that she knew exactly what to make. She didn't know Momo personally but she'd definitely heard of the girl and of her exploits in the kitchen. It had been several years since a pâtissier had graced the Elite Ten Council with their presence. Confectionary chefs, while not outright stigmatized, weren't taken nearly as seriously as more conventional chefs, making Momo all the more impressive for what she had accomplished.

Alice pulled two pans from the cupboard, placing them on separate burners that she'd turned on. A quick half step took her to the fridge, where she grabbed milk, eggs, butter and a few other, miscellaneous items.

She cracked the eggs into a bowl, whisking them with a practiced hand before leaving the bowl on the counter as she opened the pantry, eyeing her ingredients. She snatched a few things from the cupboard, stacking them expertly in the crook of her arm before snapping the door shut and moving back to the stove.

She sifted flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together into a large bowl, analysing the fineness of the resulting mixture carefully. Judging it sufficient, she added the milk and eggs into the mixture, stirring them together until she was left with a smooth, yellow batter that she began to ladle into one of the pans.

Momo watched Alice work carefully, her expression hidden by the cat doll she held over her face. Her dull green eyes followed Alice's movements, noting how calm and at ease the freshman was, despite having been awoken mere minutes ago by an Elite Ten Council member.

The warm, doughy scent in the kitchen was soon accompanied by the smell of cooking meat as Alice placed sausages into the other sauce pan that she'd had heating. A swift series of cracks caught Momo by surprise and she saw that Alice had added a series of eggs into a third pan. When had the girl had the time to get another pan ready?

Alice hummed softly to herself as she moved between each pan. Multitasking like this wasn't all that challenging. Not compared to trying to juggle four orders in her head while serving another two. She flipped the pancakes, adding to the small stack she'd started building on a plate.

"Do you like your eggs runny, Momo-senpai?" she asked, eyeing the soft, yellow centres. She noted Momo's almost imperceptible nod and removed half of the eggs, placing them on a plate. A few more flicks of a spatula and the remainder of the pancakes were finished and, after a few more flicks, her eggs were also done, the centres soft but not quite liquid, just the way she liked them.

Alice turned off the burners before picking up each plate, balancing the four ceramic dishes like they were nothing. She placed a plate of pancakes, eggs and sausages in front of Momo, accompanied by a smaller plate of toast. The pancakes had berries strewn across the top and a healthy square of butter at their center. The sausages were a plump, dark color and they had steam wafting off of them, evidence of just how fresh from the pan they were.

"Please enjoy! And thank you for dining with Yukihira's!"

At Momo's questioning glance, Alice realized what she'd said and she chuckled, her cheeks flushing.

"Ah, sorry Momo-senpai. Force of habit, really. Also, I didn't know how you preferred your toast, so I gave you a dark slice, a medium slice and a light slice to choose from."

Alice placed a few bottles and containers in front of Momo, pointing to each one in turn.

"Here's syrup, honey, cinnamon, powdered sugar and, if you're feeling adventurous, chili pepper flakes."

"Chili peppers?" asked Momo, tilting her head at the little container of red flakes that Alice presented to her.

"It's a bit unorthodox, I know, but it can give your pancakes an added kick, if you really like spice."

Momo wasn't a fan of spice but she, like any other Tōtsuki student, was always curious about new innovations in cooking. And she'd never heard of anyone using peppers as a pancake topping before. She sprinkled them lightly over a pancake, before drizzling some syrup on it and taking a bite.

She felt a burst of sweet, baked flavour accompanied by a mild, spicy edge that didn't detract from the pancake's taste in the least. Instead of conflicting, the spice and sweetness seemed to work together to bring her enjoyment of the food to even higher levels than they would've done separately.

"It's good." said Momo, doing little to hide her surprise.

It wasn't just the chili flakes by themselves; the pancake itself was thicker and had a bit more body than the average pancake. That was part of why the flavours could both reside harmoniously in the dish; they had the "space" to.

"Thank you, Momo-senpai." said Alice, taking a seat next to the purple haired girl at the kitchen bar. She began to eat as well, choosing honey and confectionary sugar as her toppings. Both girls continued to eat their breakfast, the silence almost peaceful where it had been awkward and tense before.

"I'm surprised, Nakiri-kun. Most of the underclassmen I've met with have tried to ply me with sweets and other baked goods, because they assume that, because it's my specialty, that's what I would want them to make for me."

Alice took a second to ponder the fact that she'd never heard Momo say more than four words until just then. And then another second to wonder why Momo was meeting with underclassmen at all, considering how anti-social the girl seemed to be. Alice decided to leave her curiosities aside for the moment, in favour of responding to Momo's statement.

"Those people are fools, then."

Momo looked curiously at Alice, who continued to eat calmly, slicing her sausages apart with keen precision. After a few more bites, she continued speaking as she daintily dabbed her face with a napkin.

"I understand the impulse, I suppose. But it seems like a foolish idea to try and impress someone by mimicking their style. You're the best pâtissier in Tōtsuki, period. Anything you make in that area would be leagues ahead of what I could produce for you."

"You submit that easily, Nakiri-kun?" asked Momo. Her tone wasn't one of condemnation, more of idle curiosity. Alice looked at the girl, a mischievous smirk playing across her lips.

"It's not submission; it's about knowing yourself and your own limits. There's nothing saying that your cooking would be ahead of mine forever, Momo-senpai. But I'm almost certain that I'd be unable to come close to topping anything you made in the dessert field."

Alice got up and started tidying the kitchen, stacking the plates and used utensils at the sink. She opened the fridge, reaching up to the top shelf for a square, plastic container that sat there.

"That being said…a part of me still wants to see what you'd think of my confectionary work."

With a cheeky grin, Alice slid the container towards Momo. She looked down at the box before looking back up at the girl. At the expression of challenge in her red eyes.

Momo wondered just what Alice had presented her with, considering how certain the girl seemed that her confectionary knowledge didn't hold a candle to hers. Momo opened the box, looking down into it.

"Chocolate?"

In the box were several pieces of white chocolate. Each of the pieces was hand shaped into a different form. Flowers, snowflakes and hearts were the main theme of the box, and each piece looked like it had been crafted with both precision and care.

"Not exactly, Momo-senpai. I was saving these for Sōm…someone, but I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you had a few pieces. Go ahead and try one."

Momo picked up a white flower, finding it soft and cool to the touch. She placed it in her mouth and her tongue was hit by a hint of silky chocolate flavour before being completely overwhelmed by the taste of strawberries. Cool, soft strawberries.

"This tastes like ice cream." said Momo, doing her best to hide just how impressed she was.

"You'd be right, Momo-senpai. These aren't chocolates at all. They are ice cream bits masquerading as chocolates." said Alice, leaning forward and plucking a heart shaped piece from the box. She broke it open and showed Momo the inside.

"I made the ice cream myself and used moulds to press it into the shapes I wanted and then coated them in white chocolate. Each piece has a different ice cream flavour at its center. This particular piece had pistachio, a personal favourite of mine."

Momo took another piece from the box, the mellow taste of vanilla filling her mouth. She could feel herself smiling, ever so slightly, as she took out another piece at random. She bit into it and found that it was filled with coconut flavouring. It was like a game. You didn't know what you were going to get until you were already eating it.

She was certain that she could make better tasting ice cream. She had done it before, after all. But the sheer novelty and fun that Alice brought to the table with this little box was very impressive. Momo took another piece, her mouth almost melting at the taste of mouth-watering caramel. One of her favourite toppings.

"How do you like it, senpai?"

Momo looked up at Alice, who was smiling confidently at her, her eyes alight with expectation. Momo thought for a moment, biting into another piece of ice cream (rum raisin!) as she continued to think. Finally, she looked up at the girl.

"Bucchi approves." was all she said, tapping the stuffed cat doll in the chair next to her. She hopped down out of the chair, pulling the stuffed animal into her arms as she did so. With a short bow, she walked away from Alice, the movement confusing the younger girl.

"Senpai?"

Momo either didn't hear Alice or chose not to respond. Alice watched Momo exit the kitchen, wondering where the girl was going. Perhaps she needed to use the bathroom? But how would she know where it was in the first place?

It was only when she heard the front door open and shut that Alice realized that Momo had left the mansion just as oddly and abruptly as she had entered earlier that morning. Alice went to go after her but, upon passing a mirror and realizing she was still in her nightclothes, thought better of it and decided to go on with her day instead.

She'd simply have to ask Sōma if he had any idea why the fourth seat had been here. He was on the Elite Ten with her, after all, so hopefully he could shed some light on things for her. She briefly wondered where the boy had run off to. She knew he only had a single final today, and it was scheduled late in the afternoon, so there shouldn't have been any reason for him to run off so early.

Deciding to grill him about it (and maybe guilt him into a few apology kisses) later, Alice went upstairs, whistling a tune to herself as she thought about what she would work on today. She had the whole day to herself, so she would definitely be putting it to good use. Very good use.

Sōma stepped into the kitchen, looking around for the person he'd come to meet. It seemed they hadn't arrived yet.

He turned on the lights and walked inside, taking a seat at a stovetop. He looked down at the surface with a touch of wistfulness. And then he looked over at the cabinets, which were almost fully stocked with ingredients. He felt a desire well up in him; one that was usually suppressed in exchange for controlling himself or planning out his next steps.

Sōma allowed himself a small grin. It had been a while since he tried to make something truly terrible, hadn't it?

After a few minutes, Sōma looked down at the sizzling sauce pan in front of him. He'd gone with the classic squid tentacle as his base, but, rather than honey or soy sauce, he decided to use some of the spice combinations he'd used in his match with Hayama. Once he'd put the sauce on the tentacles, the smell that hit his nose was terrible. If he'd been a weaker chef, he would've gagged on the spot.

Which meant it was perfect. Sōma took up a hot sauce drenched tentacle and placed it into his mouth. He bit down and found himself accosted by a sickly, decrepit version of the dragon he'd used to beat Hayama. The decayed looking creature roared at Sōma, its breath stinking highly of dried squid. Sōma was almost blown off of his feet by the sickly, purple miasma it emitted.

Sōma was brought back to reality by a tap on his shoulder. He turned to face bright green eyes.

"Ikumi-chan, it's been a while."

The blonde girl smiled at him confidently, crossing her arms. Even though she hadn't really gone anywhere, it had still been weeks since Sōma had seen his ally. Her time had been monopolized almost completely by Rindō in the senior girl's attempts to make her stronger, and Sōma could see that all of that effort hadn't been in vain.

The Meat Master had an entirely different air about her. She carried herself with a weight and confidence that simply wasn't there a few short weeks ago. Rindō hadn't been exaggerating when she'd promised Sōma that she could work with the girl.

"It certainly has, Sōma-kun." she said. And then she lashed out and punched Sōma in the shoulder, causing him to almost fall from his seat. After an undignified scramble that resulted in Sōma only barely righting himself, he looked at Ikumi in confusion, to see the girl giving him a flat stare.

"That's for sticking me with that crazy nutjob in the first place. Do you know how insane Rindō-senpai's training methods can be?"

"Ah…Rindō-senpai certainly has a bad habit of going…overboard." admitted Sōma, almost sheepishly. Ikumi continued glaring at him for a few more seconds, before sighing and shaking her head.

"Well. What's done is done, I suppose. More importantly, we should- oh wait, what's that?"

Ikumi had only just now noticed Sōma's simmering sauce pan of spicy squid tentacles. Her eyes lit up and she grabbed the chopsticks out of Sōma's hands eagerly.

"Ah, Ikumi-chan, I don't think that's the best…"

Too late. Before Sōma could even finish protesting, Ikumi had taken a tentacle from the pan and eaten it. Sōma braced himself for the girl's disgusted reaction.

"Oh, this is interesting!"

And was taken completely by surprise. Ikumi reached forward and snagged another two tentacles, smearing them around in the bright red sauce of the pan before bringing them to her mouth and chewing. Her facial expression was one of happiness. Something that should've been impossible, considering what Sōma had just prepared.

"It seems you learnt more than just cooking from Rindō-senpai, didn't you Ikumi-chan?"

Ikumi shrugged, taking up another tentacle and eating it.

"What can I say? She's really opened my eyes to just how much there is to cooking from the other side of the table. There's so much to taste and experience, it would be a waste to let any of it slip by."

"So what'd you think of this, then?"

Ikumi tilted her head at Sōma, pouting as she realized the pan was empty.

"Oh, it was terrible Sōma-kun. Even the stench would be enough to knock someone out. But that's part of what made it so interesting! Something terrible crafted by someone as skilled as yourself was an opportunity I couldn't resist."

Sōma didn't smile but he certainly felt the urge to, at Ikumi's words.

"I see. Well, I must agree. This dish was particularly disgusting. I'm almost proud of myself."

"You should be." commented Ikumi, licking the end of the chopstick she held. "So, let's get down to business Sōma-kun? How are we gonna go about sticking it to that monochromatic bastard?"

"Before we can get into that, I'd like to evaluate your abilities for myself, Ikumi-chan. If you don't mind."

Ikumi grinned, fire in her eyes to match Sōma's cool.

"Gladly. Bring it, Sōma-kun."

Before the two chefs could commence, a knock at the door gave them pause. The door swung open, admitting the tall, sword bearing figure of Saito Somei and a familiar, maroon headed girl.

"Pardon the intrusion!"

Rindō's voice made it clear that she wasn't asking for any sort of pardon. She marched in, Saito following silently behind her.

"Saito-kun needs to borrow Nikumi-chan for a quick second, ok Sōma-kun?"

"May I ask why?" said Sōma, raising his eyebrows slightly, his tone neither confrontational nor conciliatory.

Rindō put her finger over her lips, smirking conspiratorially.

"Nope. It's a secret. Go on now, Nikumi-chan."

Ikumi looked to Sōma who simply nodded at her. The swordsman gestured for her to follow him and turned on the spot, exiting the kitchen at a brisk pace that Ikumi struggled to match, the door slamming shut behind them.

As if the noise was a switch, Sōma noticed a change in Rindō. It was a small, subtle one but Sōma noticed it all the same. He wondered just what he was detecting but didn't have to wonder for long as Rindō turned to him, her eyes half lidded, her lips barely parted.

"Sōma-kun…"

The way she said his name was all but a confirmation and Sōma resisted the urge to step back. It was what she wanted him to do, after all.

"Yes, Rindō-senpai?"

His reply was as calm as ever but he still felt Rindō's heated, slitted eyes pierce through him, able to see the nervousness that was starting to bud within his body. She smiled, the expression almost sinful. Her fangs just barely peeked over the edge of her lips.

"It's been a while since we've…met up…hasn't it, Sōma-kun?"

They both knew what the emphasis on those words implied and Sōma felt himself shift back. Not much, a simple half step, but the movement didn't go unnoticed by Rindō, whose eyes lit up with a triumphant gleam. She stepped towards Sōma, moving towards him until she was directly in front of him, invading his personal space.

She reached out and ran her hand through his hair, almost purring.

"Rindō-senpai…"

Sōma trailed off as the familiar feeling sent what felt like little sparks running through his scalp. Rindō's fingers had always elicited that sort of reaction from him, after they'd started…meeting. He closed his eyes as he struggled to clear his mind of the sudden fog that descended on it.

"What's wrong, Sōma-kun? You seem rather stiff. And not in the usual way."

The blatantly suggestive note in her voice caused Sōma to flush and he could almost feel Rindō's grin grow wider in response to it. She never lost her playful spirit, even in these sorts of situations.

"Rindō-senpai. I know it's been a while since we've talked. But things have changed since then."

"You mean since you started dating that little snowflake?" Rindō remarked casually, her fingers unceasing in their movement through Sōma's locks.

Sōma didn't even bother to ask the girl how she knew about his relationship with Alice. Rindō's carefree and mischievous tendencies hid one of the most cunning minds Tōtsuki had ever seen. A fact that had worked to his advantage more than once.

"I don't know if she would appreciate you calling her that. But yes."

Sōma reached up and gently removed Rindō's hand from his hair, the thought of Alice doing much to clear his mind where sheer willpower hadn't. Rindō leaned in closer to Sōma, prompting the boy to lean back from her leer.

"Oh, don't be like that Sōma-kun. Come on, we used to have so much fun before you came back to Tōtsuki, didn't we?"

Rindō planted her nose in Sōma's neck, eliciting a gasp from the younger boy. She nuzzled at his throat, her breath warm against Sōma's pulse point.

"Rindō-senpai, please."

Sōma pushed against Rindō's shoulders, attempting to put some distance in between him and the girl but that only left him open for Rindō's smouldering gaze. Yellow eyes met gold and Sōma found himself drawn in, the same way he'd been all those months ago.

"There's my good boy…"

Rindō leaned in, her lips moving towards Sōma's. She felt the barest brush of contact, of skin against skin, before Sōma pushed her away again, a little more roughly, before stepping away from her. He took one step and then another until a healthy modicum of distance stood between him and Rindō.

The fanged girl pouted in his direction, crossing her arms under her breasts.

"You know, a girl could almost be offended by that, Sōma-kun. You ignore me for weeks and then don't even have the decency to tell that things are over between us."

Rindō sniffed, looking down at the floor as her shoulders began to shake. She clenched her fists.

"It hurts…right here."

She raised a trembling hand and placed it over her heart. She sniffed again, her eyes hidden by her hair. Sōma didn't react to the girl's proclamation, simply staring at her. He finally responded once he heard her sniffle for a third time.

"My compliments, senpai. Your acting's gotten even better since the last time you "confessed" to me."

"Oh, you think so?"

Rindō looked up, her eyes completely free of tears. They held nothing but mischief and glee.

"I was working on that little bit of theatre ever since Tsukasa told me that he thought there was something going on between you and the little Danish snowflake. Did you like the way my hand shook? Oh, Sōma-kun, my poor heart is breaking!"

Rindō put the back of her hand on her forehead, leaning back exaggeratedly. Sōma was not amused by the girl's antics and his expression said as much.

"Why exactly are you here, Rindō-senpai?"

Rindō quirked an eyebrow at him, her grin not fading in the slightest at his cold tone.

"Would you believe me if I said I missed you, Sōma-kun?"

Sōma didn't say anything but his sceptical expression made his feelings on the matter clear.

"Relax, Sōma-kun. Don't you trust me?"

The question was a double edged one and they both knew it. Neither of them had forgotten what Rindō had said all those months ago, when she'd first pledged to help Sōma against Azami.

Right now, you have nothing and no one, Sōma-kun. It wouldn't be any fun if you were to go up against Azami-sama now, he'd tear you apart. So I'll lend you a hand. I'll be by your side. I'll do whatever you need me to do until you get to the point where you have the strength to put on a decent show against him.

And what will you do then? Once I've reached that point, Rindō-senpai?

That's a good question. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?

Rindō smiled at the memory.

"You can relax, Sōma-kun. I'm still yours. If you want me to be, anyway."

Sōma didn't react to the suggestiveness in her voice, more than used to the girl's teasing antics when she got in this sort of mood.

"You'll excuse me if I wasn't entirely certain, Rindō-senpai. You can be hard to read, at the best of times."

"Don't worry, Sōma-kun. I can assure you. If the day comes where I am no longer your ally, you will know. Trust me."

The girl's ominous tone made it clear that it was more of a 'when' than an 'if'. Which wasn't surprising, considering what she knew of Sōma's plans and his current progression. The end game was coming and, if all went well, he'd be more than ready for it.

Rindō yawned, breaking the tense atmosphere as she stretched.

"Anyway. Doom and gloom aside, I came here to fill you in on a few things you missed while you were kicking dear little Kuga out of school. As I'm sure you were aware, Azami held the opening meeting for next year's Elite Ten selection around the same time you were having your shokugeki with the shrimp."

Rindō reached into her pocket, pulling out a few folded pieces of paper.

"Here are a few meeting notes your gracious senpai compiled for you."

Sōma took the paper from Rindō, folding them into full sheets. There were three in all. He read through them carefully, noting the relevant details and filing them away to the back of his mind. He paused at one particular paragraph.

"Nominations?" he asked, looking up at Rindō. She nodded.

"Yup. Azami-sama wants each of the graduating members to nominate a candidate for next year's Elite Ten. Apparently our "vote" is going to have some added weight in the trials that follow.'"

"Do we have any details on exactly what those trails would consist of?" asked Sōma, handing the papers back to Rindō.

"WE don't. However I do."

Sōma arched an eyebrow at the girl, not liking the playful tone in her voice. She grinned impishly.

"Just how badly do you want to know?"

"What are you getting at senpai?" asked Sōma stoically. Rindō tapped her chin, as if she was thinking.

"Well, the information is pretty valuable you know, Sōma-kun? No one outside of the Elite Ten has any inkling of what's going to happen."

"I'm part of the Elite Ten, Rindō-senpai. Doesn't that mean that I have a right to know as well?"

Rindō shrugged, her hands held out helplessly.

"Maybe. Maybe not. The point is you don't know. And, considering how clear Azami made it that he was trying to keep you in the dark, I highly doubt you'd get any of the others to tell you anything. Which leaves me as your only option. So I ask again, Sōma-kun…how badly do you want to know?"

Sōma looked into the girl's smiling face, feeling frustration creep into the calm that he was struggling to maintain. Rindō was toying with him and they both knew it. Sōma wanted to know the details of the upcoming challenges. He wasn't going to leave anything to chance, not at this stage. But that meant that Rindō knew just how desperate Sōma really was and just how important this information would be to him. Meaning she had all of the power. And she revelled in it.

"What do you want, Rindō-senpai?" Sōma asked, already dreading her answer. Rindō smiled down at him, as if she was a cat that had finally caught a particularly stubborn mouse.

"Don't look so glum, Sōma-kun. It's rather simple. All you'd have to do is something that you've done before; something that you've grown rather well versed at, if I do say so myself."

Rindō's smile was absolutely predatory.

"It's been a few weeks since we last slept together, ne? Give me one last roll in the hay, for old times' sake. Then I'll give you all the information on the selection process for next year's Elite Ten Council."

Sōma didn't react visibly to Rindō's proposal. He continued staring at the older girl who matched his stare gleefully, her smirk not wavering in the slightest.

"So what do you say, Sōma-kun?"

"You know I can't do that, Rindō-senpai."

"Really? I have strong evidence to the contrary, Sōma-kun. Multiple instances, in fact-"

"You know that's not what I meant." Sōma ground out, cutting her off.

"Well, that's my price, Sōma-kun. We've got a few weeks to go yet, so I'll give you some time to come around to the idea. But just know that, with every day you waste, your advantage will get that much smaller."

Rindō turned to leave the kitchen. As she got to the door, she paused.

"Oh, that reminds me. In regards to my nomination, I was going to nominate you. But now…"

She turned to face Sōma, leaning against the closed portal as she did.

"I'm thinking that you'll have to convince me you deserve it."

"And how exactly can I do that?" Sōma asked cautiously. He hoped she was simply asking for a display of his cooking prowess but he knew that, with the way things were going, it wouldn't be anything that simple.

Rindō beckoned Sōma forth with a finger.

"I'll be a bit nicer with this bargain, Sōma-kun. All you have to do is give me a kiss, right here, right now and I'll give you my nomination. How does that sound?"

"Why are you so set on undermining what I have, Rindō?" Sōma growled out, his control slipping, almost violently. Rindō was really pushing his will to its limits. Rindō shrugged again, the movement overly casual.

"Because it's delightfully tragic, Sōma-kun. You have a decision in front of you. Do you stay faithful and drastically increase your chances of losing out on what you've been preparing for? Or do you commit a teeny tiny betrayal that only you and I will ever know about and be that much closer to having it all?"

"Just how much weight would your nomination hold?" asked Sōma, his mind preoccupied with the thought of warm sugar and apricots. As his wrist throbbed and ached.

"A ton." said Rindō simply. "Pegging an exact number's hard but, based on what you'll be up against, it'll be basically impossible to get anything higher than the fifth seat next year without being nominated."

That wouldn't do. Too many things would be left to chance if that was the limit of what he could achieve.

Father, stop! It hurts!

Sōma gritted his teeth, his calm shattering like so much glass as he felt his wrist start to throb in earnest. Warm, red eyes looked up at him, vulnerable.

Girlfriend? Well, that is what I am to you, isn't it?

Sōma clutched the side of his head, closing his eyes as he saw purple eyes looking at him, wide and terrified. Begging for help.

"Fine."

Rindō's eyebrows rose, interested.

"Fine, what?"

Instead of answering, Sōma simply stalked towards the girl until he was practically looming over her.

"One kiss and you'll give me your nomination, right?"

"Yup." said the older girl, feeling victory close at hand. "But you'd better make it a good one."

Sōma looked down into Rindō's cheekily smiling face, the anger sparked by her manipulations hot in his chest. He leaned down, resisting the urge to growl at the girl as his lips approached hers. He paused, right before he made contact, his eyes half lidded.

Then I'll fix you.

No, please! Help me, Father!

And then closed the distance, his lips meeting Rindō's. The girl's lips were warm and receptive, but Sōma restrained himself, the kiss lasting barely a second before he pulled back. Rindō looked up at him, pouting.

"Oh no, Sōma-kun. That simply won't do."

Rindō reached forward and tangled her hands in Sōma's red locks, pulling his face to hers. She felt the barest amount of resistance before Sōma submitted to her heated lips, as he always did. She slipped her tongue forward, delicately probing, and found his mouth all too ready to accept.

As the kiss deepened, Rindō slowly retracted a hand from Sōma's head. She opened her eyes, just barely, and found Sōma's eyes were closed. She resisted the urge to grin, instead continuing to do her best to tongue wrestle Sōma into submission as her left hand reached behind her and settled into the door handle.

It was a testament to her concentration that she was able to simultaneously kiss Sōma while sliding the kitchen door open noiselessly behind them. She felt more than heard the person on the other side tense up and continued to make out with Sōma for a few seconds more before pulling back.

Sōma opened his eyes, the haze in his mind clearing as he broke contact with the second seat. He stepped away from Rindō almost immediately, doing his best to fight down the tides of guilt and shame that threatened to sweep him away. He turned away from her, doing his best to regain control of himself.

"So, do I have your nomination, Rindō-senpai?"

Sōma's attempt to sound nonchalant was ruined by the fact that he was still panting as he spoke.

"Hmm…that was definitely a good one, Sōma-kun. You certainly do."

There was something about Rindō's tone. Behind the lack of breath and cheer, there was something…more. Something almost darkly victorious.

Sōma turned to face Rindō, the question on his lips dying as he noticed what he'd failed to notice before he'd turned his back on her.

Rindō turned her back to him, waving cheerily as she stepped through the open door and past the person standing in it.

"Oh my, Kurokiba-kun. How long have you been standing there?"

Ryo's dark red eyes bored into Sōma's shocked, golden ones.

"Long enough." he said simply.

Rindō fought the urge to laugh, instead choosing to just continue walking past the boy as she headed down the hall. She'd noticed someone's shadow looming outside the door as she teased Sōma. She hadn't known exactly who it was that had been eavesdropping on their conversation but she couldn't have chosen a better candidate to "overhear" them.

As the dark haired girl walked away, whistling to herself, the two freshmen were left alone. Neither of them said anything and instead just continued looking at each other. It was Ryo who broke the silence first.

"I should fucking kill you, you know?"

The sentence was said simply and with little heat, in Ryo's usual tone. Sōma looked away from the boy's gaze, clenching his fist.

"I'm no expert but isn't it bad form to kiss other women while you're in a relationship?"

"Listen, Kurokiba-san I-"

"No." the dark haired boy cut him off, his tone calm as ever. "I don't want to hear it. I don't need to hear it. Save your arguments."

Sōma closed his mouth, the condemnation in the port town chef's tone only making the guilt he felt worse. What he'd done was necessary. But that didn't make the consequences any easier to bear.

"I'll give you one night, Yukihira. You get one night to tell her yourself."

Ryo threw something towards Sōma, the item clattering as it turned end over end to land at Sōma's feet. It was a wrapped bento box.

Sōma leaned down and picked up the cloth covered box, finding a note pinned to the top.

Here's something I whipped up for you, Sōma-kun. I hope Ryo's successful in finding you. I have no idea how long you're going to be out but you'll need some lunch either way, right? Hurry home so you can give me my apology kisses for running out on me this morning, ok? Thinking of you.

Alice

Sōma felt a pain in his chest, a hot, shameful pain. He looked up to find that Ryo had already vanished. He clearly had nothing else to say to the Central chef. Sōma looked down at the box and the note, running his hands over the package as he felt his chest start to ache.

This wasn't the first time Sōma had made a pragmatic call. He'd had to choose between his head and his heart before, more often than he'd liked. But none of those decisions had ever left him feeling quite this way. He felt his shackles strain as the emotion inside of him fought to get out. To release itself upon the world, in some way.

Sōma stood up, placing the box on a counter as he moved to the fridge. He'd release his frustration the way he always did. Through cooking.

As he set a pot to boil and he started chopping onions, he did his best to ignore how hollow each and every movement felt. His knife work was sloppy and his mind was distracted, a combination that was less than ideal in the kitchen.

Sōma felt a sharp pain in his finger and he dropped the knife, the steel blade clattering onto the counter as he examined the narrow line of red on his index finger. He watched as a single drop of blood started to run down his finger and, all he could think, was that he deserved that and more for his betrayal.

Erina laid down on her bed, a shōjo manga book held between her hands. Her eyes moved listlessly over the page, only half paying attention to the struggles of the vampire and her once-human lover. She was more than excited when Yuki had first lent her the latest volume of this series. It was coming to a climax, and she was eager to see how it ended but, right now, her heart simply wasn't in it.

Someone knocked at her door.

"Erina-chan?"

Erina recognized the voice and it did nothing for her mood.

"Yes, Tadokoro-san?"

"May I come in?"

Erina fought the urge to snap at the girl, even as she still felt the familiar feeling of guilt that accompanied the anger. It didn't seem to matter how blatantly unfair Megumi was being, it seemed a part of her couldn't help but still feel guilty.

"Alright." Erina said, her tone disinterested.

The door opened, admitting a hesitant looking Megumi.

The two girls stared at each other, neither knowing exactly what to say. This was the first time they'd spoken since their telling confrontation in the kitchen a few days ago.

"How are you?" ventured Megumi.

"Fine." said Erina, turning a page in her book.

"Ah, that's…that's good."

The two fell into an uncomfortable silence again, the only sound being the scratching of paper as Erina turned the pages of her book. After a few minutes of the tense silence, Megumi spoke again.

"Look, I'm sorry Erina-chan."

"Why?" asked Erina, her tone still cool. Megumi blinked at the girl in confusion.

"What do you mean why?"

Erina sat up, turning and placing her legs on the ground. She bookmarked her page and shut the book, placing it at her side, before facing Megumi. Her back was straight and her eyes were distant, looking past Megumi as if she wasn't there.

"You are perfectly justified to feel however you would like to feel, Tadokoro-san. It's not up to me to dictate that."

"Don't do that." said Megumi pleadingly. Erina raised an eyebrow at her inquisitively, her calm unbroken.

"Do what exactly, Tadokoro-san?"

"Don't just withdraw back into yourself, Erina-chan. Don't become that girl you were before you started living with us. Don't act like you don't care."

Erina folded her hands over her knees primly. Her stance was dignified and proper, reminiscent of the days when she was Tōtsuki's Princess.

"Whether I care or not is irrelevant, Tadokoro-san. You've certainly made that clear."

Megumi flinched at the smooth, cold tone the girl used to deliver her words.

"That's not fair." tried the blue haired girl. She regretted her choice of words almost instantly as Erina's eyes snapped to hers, incensed. The blonde opened her mouth, her words positively acerbic.

"You dare to lecture me about fairness, Tadokoro?"

Megumi bit her lip, looking away.

"If...if we can get Sōma back, then I'm sure things can go back to how they always were, Erina-chan."

The assurance only seemed to make Erina angrier, if the way she narrowed her eyebrows was any indication.

"And then what? Do I just wait until something else goes wrong and you start hating me for something out of my control all over again? What'll it be next time? My father isn't going anywhere anytime soon. What happens when he does something that harms another one of your precious friends?"

The way Erina spoke made it clear that she didn't feel like Megumi placed her in that category.

"Erina-chan. I don't….look, I just…"

"You what?" responded Erina heatedly. "You're sorry? I have no need or desire for another one of your empty apologies."

"They're not empty!" protested Megumi, despite the conflict in her heart. "I am truly sorry for hurting you and for the way I feel!"

"Then why can't you change it? Why go on hating me, Megumi-chan?" Erina asked, her haughty façade breaking as she let her emotions run free. "Do you know how much I care about you? How much I owe you for what you've done for me? I mean, even above everyone else, you Megumi-chan…you've done so much for me. I can't even put it into words."

Erina felt her eyes start to moisten but she resisted the urge to sob. She was stronger than that.

"I don't want to live in a world where you hate me, Megumi-chan."

The honest, raw emotion that Erina's eyes held hit Megumi like a freight train and she felt the darkness that sat in her wane before it. It didn't go away, not completely, but it faded in the face of the genuine feelings of Nakiri Erina. It's not that Megumi had ever doubted Erina's friendship, but seeing the girl so unabashedly lay it out to her was a different story.

Erina's dish had made it clear just how sorry and guilty she'd felt about her father's involvement in ruining Sōma. But this was different. This wasn't Erina apologizing or begging Megumi to forgive her. This was Erina saying how much she valued the blue haired girl and how much it hurt to have her turn her back on her.

Erina looked down, averting her eyes from Megumi, a flush coming to her cheeks. She'd sworn that she'd treat the other girl coldly and distantly until they'd won Sōma back. She'd refused to burden the girl with her cloying attempts at friendship until she'd won back the right to do just that, but it seemed she couldn't even keep promises she made to herself.

Before she could regain control of her emotions, she felt two soft arms encircle her shoulders as Megumi's weight settled onto Erina. The blue haired girl hugged the girl closely, trying to convey what she felt through her two arms. Erina felt her blush glow in response to the physical contact, even as she returned the gesture.

"Erina-chan. I'll do better."

And this time, they could both tell, that Tadokoro Megumi truly meant it. With all of her heart.

"I won't lie to you and tell you that all is forgiven…but it's a start." grumbled Erina, clutching the smaller girl to her as she felt the tightness in her chest start to ease, to be replaced by…something else. Erina couldn't pinpoint exactly what that something else was. All she knew for sure was that she'd really missed her best friend.

"Erina-chan!"

Hisako opened the door hurriedly, only to pause at the sight of the two girls held in each other's embrace. The three young women stared at each other in tense silence before the two on the bed seemed to realize their compromising positon. They sprung apart, stammering excuses with identically red faces.

The synchronized actions provoked a laugh from Hisako, even though she did her best to hide her reaction behind her hand. The laughter did nothing to ease Megumi's blushing and Erina choose to channel her embarrassment into frustration, as she usually did.

"Hisako, please! You know it's rude to simply barge into people's rooms without knocking!"

Hisako's laughing began to taper off, although she still had an amused smile on her face.

"Gomen, gomen Erina-chan."

The blonde continued glaring at the purple haired girl, but the gesture contained little heat.

"So what exactly did you need, Hisako-chan? Is it about your visit to Alice last night? I was a bit surprised that you didn't return to the dorm."

At the reminder, Hisako's face fell a bit, as she remembered just why she'd been in such a rush to speak with Erina. She'd returned home after her impromptu meeting with Sōma and Alice at the Nakiri mansion, conflicted about whether or not she should tell her mistress about what she'd discovered. She assumed that they had some sort of reason for keeping Sōma's whereabouts hidden from the rest of them, and she really trusted the redheaded chef, even after his somewhat ominous return.

But still, loyalty to her mistress had won out in the end. And so, she told Megumi and Erina of what she'd seen the night before.

"A-Are you certain, Hisako-chan?" asked Erina in surprise. Hisako nodded.

"Fairly so. I spoke to one of the serving staff, Riza-san, as I was leaving the grounds. She confirmed that Sōma's been residing at the Nakiri mansion for the past few weeks. He seemed to have moved in on the night following his appointment to the Elite Ten Council."

"That's almost a month…" muttered Megumi, dismayed. She'd noticed that Alice hadn't been around as often as she used to be, but she'd simply assumed that she was busy preparing for finals and the end of the year. Not conspiring with their wayward friend behind their backs.

"Just what are you doing, Alice…" growled Erina, a vein throbbing in her forehead as she thought about what she'd say the next time she saw her cousin.

Hisako looked at Erina's angered face and wondered if she should add in her speculation on the relationship between Alice and Sōma. At the end of the day, that's really all it was, but the evidence seemed pretty clear.

"I'm afraid there's more, Erina-chan." said Hisako, nervously toying with her fingers. "It seems that Alice-san and Yukihira-kun are…involved."

"Involved?" asked Erina, looking at Hisako questioningly. "Well, of course they're involved, Hisako-chan. Yukihira-kun and Alice got along fairly well, even before he started living at the mansion."

Hisako was surprised that Erina had taken the news so calmly but then she realized that the girl had simply taken her a bit too literally.

"Ah…that's not what I meant, Erina-chan. I meant…involved."

Erina blinked at Hisako in confusion. Hisako continued, her tone patient.

"As in…romantically? Like dating, holding hands, sleeping together?"

Hisako had meant her final phrase innocently. She'd witnessed the two literally sleeping together. Erina, due to general obliviousness and naiveté had taken Hisako's comment at face value as well, though it made her chest ache in a way she wasn't used to. But, to Megumi, Hisako's phrasing took on an entirely different meaning.

"SLEEPING TOGETHER?!"

Megumi's sudden shout startled both Hisako and Erina. The blue haired girl's face looked like it was about to burst from all of the blood that had suddenly found its way into her cheeks. She held her hands to her face, as if that would somehow help her calm down. It didn't.

"B-b-but that's so…we're so…that's completely inappropriate!"

"It...is?" said Hisako, looking at Megumi with surprise and concern. The blue haired girl looked back and forth between the two girls in disbelief.

"Well, yes!" she said, her blush showing no signs of abating.

"Why?" asked Erina innocently, which only seemed to rile Megumi up further.

"You don't think Sōma and Alice having sex is completely indecent?!" shrieked Megumi as she felt what had to have been steam shooting from her ears.

"S-S-S-SEX!" Erina cried, waving her hands frantically as she too started to blush. The thought of Alice and Sōma doing…that…made her feel as if she was about to burst into flames. Whether it was out of anger, jealousy or plain embarrassment was anyone's guess.

Erina turned to Hisako, a mix of fury and embarrassment on her face.

"Hisako-chan, you mean to tell me that Yukihira and my cousin are…are…intimate?"

It seemed to have taken all of Erina's inner strength to say the word, and even then, it barely came out in a whisper. Hisako simply stared back at Erina, dumbfounded, until she was finally able to connect the dots. She started to blush as well, shaking her head from side to side rapidly.

"I…no! I didn't mean sleeping together in that way. I meant literally falling asleep together!"

Hisako's correction did much to calm the other room's occupants down but her next words only drove their embarrassment to new heights.

"Although, I suppose that may be possible. They do live under the same roof, after all."

"Hisako-chan!" shouted Erina, grabbing and throwing the nearest thing she could find at the girl's face. Luckily, said thing was a pillow. Hisako jumped at the attack, only barely catching the cushion before it impacted her face. She looked over it at Erina's blushing visage.

"Just because a boy and a girl live under the same roof does NOT mean that they're…that they're…you know…"

Elsewhere in the Polar Star Dormitory, Shun sneezed, the suddenness of his movement waking up the girl in his arms.

"Ah, Shun-kun! Is everything all right?"

Shun nodded, rubbing at his nose.

"I'm fine, Yuki-chan. I think someone's just talking about me."

The bun haired girl opened her mouth to respond, but then she quickly covered it as she sneezed lightly as well.

"Or us, I suppose." he deadpanned, smiling at the blushing girl. She swatted his bare chest.

"That's not funny, Shun-kun!"

Back in Erina's room, the excitement from the misunderstanding had mostly settled and the three girls sat side by side on Erina's bed.

"So what are you going to do, Erina-chan?" asked Hisako.

Erina held her chin in thought, wondering.

"Megumi and I have our shokugeki with Sōma this weekend. Until then, I propose we keep this between the three of us. After all, if we win-"

"When we win." interjected Megumi quietly. Erina smiled and nodded.

"Yes, when we win, he'll be forced to answer all of our questions then anyway, so we can get some proper answers about his relationship with my cousin at the same time. And, with any luck, we can bring him back as well. He'd have no reason to stay away if we knew all of his secrets, right?"

The hope was a distant one, to be certain but it was currently all they had. And Erina was determined to capitalize on it and make it a reality.

"Besides, I need to give this cramped, dusty room back to Yukihira-kun some time. While the loan is appreciated, he should've known that such ill conditions would be unsuitable to one such as myself."

Both Megumi and Hisako could hear the honest concern behind Erina's bluster and it made them both smile, as they each thought back to the reserved, almost snobbish girl that Erina had been a few short months ago.

"You're right, Erina-sama. Such accommodations are beneath one of your station." commented Hisako playfully. Megumi nodded, smiling brightly.

"I'm surprised you've put up with it for so long, Erina-sama. Thank you for the kindness you've showed us commoners. Will you be returning to the mansion upon Sōma-kun's return?"

"Well, now. No need to be hasty." said Erina nervously as they called her bluff. "T-There are a few other rooms in the dorm that would suit my standards. After some basic renovations, of course."

"Of course, Erina-sama." intoned both girls simultaneously, bowing to the Nakiri heiress.

"Would you two quit it?" she cried, swatting at them with her pillow as Hisako and Megumi both broke into laughter. Soon, she joined them as well and the laughter of the three girls rang throughout the hall, bright and carefree.

On the dorm's upper floors, Fumio paused as she heard the clear joy ringing up through the pipes. The noise awakened a nostalgic feeling inside of her as she immersed herself in memories of so many similar situations over the years. The laughter of students was as constant as the stars surrounding the moon at Polar Star.

"I hope to never lose that laughter." she said quietly to herself, sipping her tea. "But I suppose it's up to you to ensure that, now. Good luck, Nakiri. Tadokoro."

The dorm mother smiled to herself. She had the strangest feeling that her wishes were completely and utterly unneeded.

A/N: Here we go, another chapter out and about! I hope you guys enjoyed the read. I'm a bit hesitant about the direction the story has been taken, as I've started leaning more towards the romance side of things lately. How do you guys feel about it? It's your opinions that matter in the end, after all!

That being said, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that next chapter will be the Erina/Megumi vs Sōma shokugeki! I can't promise that chapter will contain the results (I may emulate canon and leave you guys with a juicy cliff-hanger) but the match will start and end in full in chapter 15 of the story.

Now, the bad news is that I won't be be posting a chapter of Nisegami next week. Lately, I've been really pushing myself to get these chapters out on a weekly basis, and I just want to give myself a bit of a breather, so I can plan things out a bit more, as we start to approach the story's end game. I would hate for the story's quality to fall simply because I was rushing to meet an arbitrary deadline. So here's my warning you all in advance! My sincerest apologies!

Please review and give me your thoughts. How much do you hate/love Rindō? How do you think Alice is going to react? What's up with the third year's odd actions? How much of a bitch am I for taking a leave of absence next week? I accept all comments, compliments and flames!

Also, something I would really like to say. A sincere thank you to all of my readers. I don't often say it (as I prefer to leave my author's notes short and sweet, if not entirely non-existent) but I really do appreciate each and every person that takes the time out of their day to sit down and enjoy my attempts at writing! I love all of you guys and gals. See you in two weeks! And sorry for the super long author's note!