"Didn't I tell you? That is one of Japan's best cooking schools, an elite school where less than 10% of the students graduate."

Soma's jaw dropped when he heard what his father said.

An elite cooking school… he'd be enrolled in this place? He wondered as he gazed at the huge building in front of him. His mind couldn't comprehend what his father had said that he tuned out the rest of his father's voice.

"Soma," his father's serious tone breaking him out of his concentration. "If can't survive on that school, saying that you'll surpass me is a big joke."

He gritted his teeth. His father was underestimating him, huh?

"I'll show you I can!"

"Also," his father cut his words. "You're gonna find a surprise there, sooner or much-much later, it's all up to your achievement there."

"What does that mean, pops?"

"Sorry, my break's over."

His father hung up.

What the hell, what did his father mean by a surprise there?

Well, no matter. First, he had to pass the entrance exam.

Cousins
A Shokugeki no Soma Fanfiction

"The Tootsuki Elite Ten are ariviiiing!"

Soma was at the Autumn Leaves Viewing. It was an event designated for the participant of main tournament of Autumn Election to bond with their upperclassmen from Elite Ten. At least that was what Isshiki-senpai said. For Soma himself, this was an event that he couldn't miss because it was important to him. His goal was to take down the Elite Ten and to surpass his father, the former 2nd seat of Tootsuki Academy. So it was obvious what his goal was, to take the first seat of Elite Ten.

When the Elite Ten save Nakiri had arrived, he had to widen his eyes because he saw something surprising amongst them.

Soma ignored the spiky black-hair-with-blonde-streak senior, he decided to call him Yugi because the senior reminded him of Yugi Muto from that one old series.

His attention was fixed on one figure. A long red-haired female wearing a sweater under her Tootsuki Uniform. The woman felt his gaze, and stared back at him before winking and plopped some snacks into her mouth.

He couldn't believe it.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

What was she doing here, in Autumn Leaves Viewing? No, what was she doing in Tootsuki Academy?

Not even a second and Soma got the answer.

Ah, of course she was attending Tootsuki. That had been the reason for her stopping her frequent visit to Yukihira after she entered middle school.

Soma glanced at the other seniors and noticed that it had quiet down. So this was the time for his move.

"Um," he raised his hand. "Would any of you senpai want to accept my Shokugeki challenge?"

Yugi glared at him. "What did you say?"

He glanced at her, and found her smiling in amusement while plopping down another snacks.

It gave Soma confidence. From his experience, when she smiled in amusement like that, she usually did something unexpected.

"I want to challenge any of you to a Shokugeki."

"Now listen here, you first year."

"Ara-ara~, what's the matter, Kuga? Are you getting ahead of yourself?"

So he was right, she was doing something unexpected, defending him.

"What are you talking about, Rindou-senpai?"

"Are you forgetting what you said one year ago?"

Yugi thought for a while before blushing slightly. "Th-this and that are two different things!"

Soma saw the other Elite Ten members save Nakiri, Yugi and her murmured to themselves. He couldn't make what they were murmuring but he swore he heard a snort somewhere.

"A-and besides, Tsukasa-senpai's role was supposed to be done by the ever smiling bastard that is Isshiki!"

She smiled.

"Do you know that Eishii did something similar to our senpai as well? The job fell to you, Kuga."

"Rindou! You and everyone had sworn to never talk about that again!" the quiet Tsukasa Eishii finally uttered something.

"Eh~, but I just want to make this interesting, I mean, let's make it a tradition! You challenged our senpai, and he accepted it. Then the next year Kuga challenged you and you accepted it. So when So-chan challenged Kuga just now, he should accept it."

There was silence after she explained that, which was broken by several people at once.

"Tsukasa-senpai did that?!" was the glasses female senpai, Isshiki-senpai, Yugi, and glasses male senpai.

"'So-chan'?!" was the rest except him and her's reaction.

"Kobayashi-senpai, you know Soma-kun?" it was Isshiki-senpai who asked that.

"Of course I know So-chan," she approached him, circling her arm on his neck like she usually did when they were little. "We're cousins you know?"

"Rin-nee, you're suffocating me. Why didn't you say anything about attending Tootsuki? Ah!" Soma realized something. "So you're what Pops meant by a surprise!"

"When I heard from your father that you're gonna attending Tootsuki, I asked him to keep silence about me. It's a surprise for you. I always expected you to be here today on Autumn Leaves Viewing, and looks like you fulfilled my expectation."

"It wasn't much."

"Isn't that right?" she giggled. She then turned her heads at Yugi. "So how about it, Kuga? And So-chan, next year if somebody challenged the Elite Ten, you have to accept them, okay?"

"Senpai, you're saying as if Yukihira Soma will enter the Elite Ten," it was glasses male senpai who said that.

"Of course he will. I have full faith in him, and besides, his goal was to surpass his father, if he doesn't become number one, then he failed," Rin-nee patted him on the head.

"What?! Your father was former Elite Ten?! And judging by what Senpai said, then he was also at least former Second Seat?!" Takumi asked him with a surprised expression.

"Well, I didn't know it at first. Ha ha ha," he scratched his head while laughing. "Pops is like that, when I heard he was former Second Seat of Tootsuki then I realized why I can't beat his cooking."

"But you're from a normal plebeian restaurant! How could your father be a former Second Seat?!" Nakiri Erina finally said something that bothered her.

"Come to think about it, I also don't know as well. I think Dojima-senpai might know but I don't know."

"Dojima Gin?! B-but then that would mean that your father is…"

"Yes," Isshiki-senpai confirmed for him. "Soma-kun's father is Yukihira Jouchirou, formerly Saiba."

Fin

A/N: This was just something that stuck on my mind ever since the colored chapter of Rindou's first appearance on the manga came out. Not to mention the Rindoufags anons always mentioned this every time so… yeah, this happened. Don't ask for more, I have enough on my plate already. If you don't know why I made this, please compare Jouichirou, Soma, and Rindou in the colored version of the manga. And if you're confused, anons always mentioned Kuga as Yugi from Yu gi oh before they knew his name. Also, Rindou and Hishoko is my best girls. I always have a thing for red-haired characters.