Soma Yukihira

Gender: Male

Birthday: November 6

Enrollment Status: Year 3 - On track to graduate

Elite Ten: First Seat

Erina's pen hovered over the words printed on the file. With one simple mark of ink she could kick him out for missing a year of school. That's right - a year. Soma had left to train at the end of their second year, claiming it would be a couple of months, but as time went on and the seasons changed, the students of Tōtsuki held little hope for his return.

Idiotic as it was, his picture at the top right corner of his application brought a small smile to her face. Why did you have to leave?

A rap at the door brought her hesitation to an end. She capped her pen and placed his file on top of the others, unchanged. The weary look on her face smoothed over to one of practiced apathy, and she commanded, "Enter."

Hisako, sporting her now-typical ponytail, strode into the room with a protein shake in one hand and a manila folder in the other. "Are you ready? The ceremony is starting in a few minutes."

Erina nodded, her eyes creeping back towards the stack of files on her desk. "I was just reviewing the files of the graduating class. All is in order."

Hisako spotted the top file with Soma's name which was becoming a permanent fixture on Erina's desk. She crossed her fingers behind her back for good luck, asking gingerly, "And what did we decide today?"

Erina grumbled, "It was tempting, but today, like every other day, I have decided he will remain a part of the graduating class despite missing our entire third year. Hisako, am I pathetic?"

Hisako assured her hurriedly, "No, of course not! You are a merciful headmistress who is only lenient towards the first seat because he saved the school!"

Validated, Erina nodded, "Correct! I was kind enough to return the favor by extending his sabbatical every month and now we're even. He has nothing over my head anymore. If he ever comes back here I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!"

"Of course he'll come back. He just needs to get this out of his system."

Erina shook her head in frustration and murmured, "It's utter nonsense. Just because he hasn't beaten his father and doesn't deem himself worthy to take over his family diner, he takes off and abandons us for a year to train? Saiba-sama is an incredible chef of course, but Yukihira..."

Hisako prompted her gently, "Yukihira... what?"

After a moment of silence, Erina huffed and packed her bag with haste. "Yukihira will never reach that level so I don't know why he bothers trying."

Hisako sighed. One full year of Erina struggling with her feelings was driving her up the walls. "He'll come back," she assured the blonde.

"I'll believe it when I see it."

They made their way towards the ceremony while Hisako filled her in on some last minute details. "I know you haven't eaten lunch, so please drink this," she said as she passed her the protein shake. "Also, here is your speech. I took the liberty of adding some notes if you'd like to review them."

Erina shook her head, "I'm sure they're more than acceptable."

They were now by the steps of the stage; the eager buzzing from the friends and family of the graduates filled the air, and they knew it was almost time. Professors, old alumni, and Senzaemon Nakiri were seated onstage, ready to greet each graduate as they received their diplomas. The Tōtsuki emblem was displayed proudly behind them, and the crisp spring air and cherry blossoms were the perfect setting for such an exciting event. 3 years of painstaking work, challenges, and triumphs had gone by in a flash, and now they were graduating side by side as they were always meant to. Everyone except the one who had led them there...

Before she set off on the stairs, Erina turned to face her best friend and she felt a lump in her throat. "Um, thank you, Hisako."

Hisako smiled politely, "Of course, Erina."

Erina wrung her hands together. "I mean for everything. For being by my side all these years. I don't know what I'm going to do without you."

The pink-haired girl waved her off in embarrassment. "I am confident you will be perfectly equipped to handle whatever life throws at you. Besides, if you find yourself overwhelmed, we can get you another assistant."

"I don't mean as an assistant - I mean as a friend. I'm going to miss playing cards until 2 in the morning with you and going shopping on the weekends. Who else is going to help me calm Alice down when she's throwing a tantrum or tell me when I'm acting like a princess?"

It had always been difficult for Hisako to break down the walls she had put up for the sake of being professional; even when Erina had begged her to, it had taken her years to begin acting more like a friend than an assistant. However, Hisako's sense of propriety failed her at that moment, and she let out a giggle. "Of course I'm going to miss you too, but please do not worry. I hadn't even considered our friendship ending here."

Erina breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Really?"

For someone who acted so haughty and arrogant around others, Hisako knew Erina was still as naive and vulnerable as the young girl she used to be. "Yes. Just because we're graduating doesn't mean we won't see each other anymore. And you know you can call me day or night and I'll answer."

Once she received this assurance, Erina regained her composure and stated firmly, "You better. If you let me make a ridiculous decision like using eggshell instead of ivory napkins because you didn't pick up the phone, it will be on your conscience."

"The horror!" Hisako brought her hands to her face in jest as Erina laughed and shooed her towards the audience. "Okay, I believe we're ready to start. Go find your seat. Everyone's anxious to graduate, myself included." She watched as Hisako made her way towards the seats reserved for the graduates, and she nestled herself between Akira and Ryoko.

Confident as ever, Erina made her way up the steps and to the podium on the stage. A hush fell over the crowd as they waited for their elegant headmistress to speak. She looked out at the sea of friendly faces, spotting her mother seated next to Hisako's family. Her eyes scanned the audience in one last ditch effort but found her hopes falling again when she did not find the person she was looking for. Refocusing on her notes, she began speaking, the amplified words flowing perfectly just like she had practiced.

"Good morning students, professors, family, and friends. I am Erina Nakiri, the headmistress of Tōtsuki and fellow graduate. Today we are here to celebrate the graduation of our third year students, who against all odds, have made it to the end. We were warned at the beginning of our journey that this program was cutthroat. This school is not for the weak of heart, mind, or spirit. Every trial and challenge has pushed us beyond our limits, and the students at this school are measured by inordinately high standards no normal chef could ever hope to measure up to." She paused with a smile, "However, we are no ordinary chefs."

Rowdy cheers and applause, especially from the PSD gang, rang out, and Erina continued, "My grandfather, the previous headmaster of this institute, Senzaemon Nakiri, believed our class was filled with diamonds in the rough. 'Rough' may have been the appropriate term for them 3 years ago. However, as their headmistress and friend, I can now stand before you and confirm that their skills have been polished and refined beyond measure, and my classmates are fully prepared to take on the culinary world before them. Our graduating class holds the most extraordinary chefs of their time, and I have no doubt greatness is on the horizon for each and every one of them. Ladies and gentlemen, may I please present the 92nd graduating class of Tōtsuki: our Jewel Generation."

Loud applause from the audience broke out to celebrate the students' success, and when the smiling faces of the graduating class were all beaming up at her, Erina couldn't help but smile back. She never thought she could've been a part of something like this amazing group of friends, but somehow they had accepted her as one of their own. All thanks to that annoying redhead.

She glanced back to the notes Hisako had prepared for her. What came next after her speech? Was it time to hand out the diplomas? "Before I present the 92nd generation with their diplomas, we will have a few words from our first seat."

She blinked. Whispers spread throughout the crowd at the mention of the elusive student. Erina stared hard at her notes to make sure she hadn't misspoken. However, printed between the last words of her speech and the instructions to call out the first name was Hisako's neat handwriting which had clearly been added at the last minute. She must have meant 2nd seat... Perhaps Hayama was meant to say a few words, Erina thought in confusion. But before she could clarify further, a resounding wave of cheering and whistling pierced the air. White bandanas tied to underclassmens' wrists waved in the sky, and she heard them cry out:

"There he is!"

"He came back!"

"You rock, Yukihira!"

The PSD kids were practically screaming, and she followed their gaze to see Soma Yukihira, in the flesh, waving and smiling at his adoring fans as he made his way towards the podium. Had she not perfected the art of the impassive stare, Erina was sure her jaw would have dropped. Because there he was. Not galavanting across European kitchens - not trekking through the Andes for outlandish ingredients - but right there, walking towards her. With every step he took she could feel her heart bursting out of her chest, and in a second he was by her side, clapping a hand on her shoulder as he'd done hundreds of times before.

His usually wild hair was longer and tied up in a bun, his shoulders were broader, and he was a bit taller, but it was him. He was wearing his Yukihira diner shirt and the same cocky grin that had caused her hours of migraines in the past. Even his amber eyes still emitted their familiar warmth when they fell upon hers, and Erina felt every muscle in her body tense like it did when they were first years.

"Sup, Nakiri, miss me?" Soma asked casually as if he hadn't been MIA for the past year. Out of shock she couldn't answer, and he gave her a nonplussed look before motioning towards the mic. Erina stepped aside in a daze, still unsure whether he was actually there or if she was just having a stroke onstage.

He waved his arms to silence the boisterous cheers and applause and said, "Thanks for the welcome back, guys! I haven't even said anything and this speech is already going way better than the last one I gave up here." His fellow third years who were there to witness his disastrous Spring Orientation speech laughed with him, and he rubbed the back of his neck, shrugging. "Well, uh, what can I say? 3 years ago I didn't even want to come to this school. I thought I knew everything there was to know about cooking and anyone who spent money to learn was a sucker. But boy was I wrong," he admitted.

"I hate to admit it but the education I've gotten here is years beyond what I would've gotten if I'd stayed at my family's diner. The competitions are tough and homework took like 3 hours every day, but I can honestly say it was all worth it. If you wanna be the best and you're willing to work for it, this is the place to be. I wouldn't give up my experience here for anything else in the world. And by the way, I've definitely learned a lot through classes and competitions, but I think I've mainly learned from my friends. So, uh, first and second years, use your classmates. Work with them. Fail with them. There's so much you can achieve when you have a good group to support you. The people here are gonna be your main sources of inspiration - or at least they were for me!"

He grinned and waved over at his graduating friends who he hadn't seen in months. "This class right here has been through a lotta ups and downs, but through it all we stuck together and made it to the other side. I couldn't have done it without you guys! Uh, anyways, that's all I gotta say. Bye!"

Erina moved to retake the podium but he grabbed the mic and added as a last minute thought, "Hey wait a sec, anyone wanna challenge me for the first seat before I graduate?"

Excited murmurs rippled throughout the audience as hands shot up from first to third years. Ryo, Akira, and Takumi all stood up ready for battle but Erina shoved him to the side and said irritatedly, "I apologize for the misinformation but we will not be having a Shokugeki. The seats of this year's Elite Ten have already been recorded and are permanent as of last night." She glared at Soma's retreating back as he sauntered off to join his fellow graduates. Everyone crowded around their old friend, fist-bumping and hugging him. Megumi gave Soma a particularly long hug, Erina noticed.

She cleared her throat. "And now, our 92nd graduating class..."

The rest of the ceremony went off without a hitch, and one by one, the graduates walked the stage, bowed, shook hands with their professors and headmistress, and sat back down with bittersweet tears. Handing Soma his diploma was almost surreal after not seeing him for all of their third year, and Erina couldn't place the feeling of nervousness when he finally stopped in front of her to shake her hand. Finally, Erina received her own diploma from her grandfather.

"I am so proud of you, Erina," he said as he stood before her.

"Thank you, grandfather," Erina smiled. She looked into the crowd to see her mother smiling proudly as well, not an unusual sight now that BLUE had brought them closer together.

Once the ceremony was complete, she made her way back down the same steps she'd come up to be alone. She didn't feel like celebrating with her friends at the moment. Right now, what she needed was a quiet space to process everything that was happening. Graduating, her friend group splitting apart all over the world, Soma coming back... It was all a bit too much to handle at the moment.

"Yo."

She turned around to find Soma standing there with his hands in his pockets. As the wind blew gently, the cherry blossoms drifted down, and the two stood there alone next to the stage, she had the strongest sense of deja vu. She remembered it like it was yesterday - Soma swearing he would make her say his cooking was delicious and her rejecting him to save her pride. Yet despite the setting staying the same, so much had changed since then. He was no longer the low-class commoner she had threatened with expulsion every day - he had become an idol and inspiration to the students. He had become her hero, single-handedly saving her and the school. Even more than that, he had become her friend and confidante during second year.

And then one day, he left without a word, just a stupid crumpled note with no explanation or apology. She, being the person she was, took his words at face value. A couple months, right? He'd be back in no time. But as each month came and passed and each email remained unanswered, she lost faith.

And now that he was finally standing there right in front of her, there was so much she wanted to say. How many times had she imagined this moment? Hundreds? Thousands? And which way to go? Haughty, sincere, indifferent? Each path would alter the course of their relationship forever.

He walked up to her and gently tugged at the braid that was tucked behind her ear. Erina's breath caught in her lungs as his fingers brushed against her skin. "You cut your hair," Soma commented in amusement as he eyed the new length, but she could only look up at him with wide eyes, staying mute like an idiot.

"Damn, I never thought I'd see the day," he chuckled, delicately tucking it back to where it belonged. He must have noticed how stunned she looked, because he childishly pulled at one of her side bangs, causing the spell to be broken. "Glad I can still do this though!"

She swatted his hand away and said coolly, "Yes well, lots of things changed this year. Not that you would know."

Angry it is.

For once, he actually looked guilty as he said, "I know, I'm sorry. I didn't think training would take this long. One thing led to another and somehow I was live-streaming the Autumn Elections from Germany and celebrating Christmas in Morocco. I'm really sorry though."

"Do you know how worried I- your friends were?" She corrected herself, shaking her head and turning away from him. She didn't want to look at his stupidly handsome face or hear his dumb excuses.

"You're right," he said, surprising her. "It wasn't cool of me to leave like that and I should've let you guys know what was up. I just needed to get away. It pissed me off that after all I'd gone through I still couldn't beat my dad and you wouldn't accept my cooking. I don't know. All I can say is that I'm really sorry. And thanks for covering for me."

She crossed her arms in annoyance and sniffed, "Don't thank me. I thought about expelling you everyday."

"But you didn't! Things really have changed!" He joked half-heartedly. Soma walked around so that he was facing her again and was met with the conflicted look on her face. "Nakiri, talk to me. I honestly didn't think you'd care this much."

She pretended to examine her perfect manicure and said frostily, "As Headmistress I care about all of my students. Do not consider yourself special."

Soma frowned, "C'mon, I'd like to think we're a little closer than that."

She shrugged, "Perhaps at some point. But friends talk to each other. Friends don't take off without a word and let the other think they're dead!"

He sighed, "Nakiri..."

She narrowed her eyes angrily. "I sent you dozens of texts and emails. Do you know how foolish I felt sending you updates for the Elite Ten or requests to know where you were when you never wrote back? You thought I wouldn't care? You're the one who doesn't care!"

Soma's eyes widened as he realized how badly he had hurt her. "Wait, let me explain! I'll admit I could've emailed, but where's the fun in that? I sent you guys postcards from all the different places I'd been!"

She held a hand up, saying, "And yet I received none. Save your excuses, Yukihira."

Soma blurted out, "You didn't get them because I'm an idiot!"

She stared at him suspiciously and Soma took that as his cue to explain. "Alright in my defense I've never actually mailed a letter before. Snail mail is way before my time. I thought you wrote the letter and sent it off and that was it. Nobody ever told me you need stamps to send a postcard!"

Erina stared at him. This idiot. This absolute idiot. She asked in a deadly whisper, "Are you kidding me?"

Soma shrugged awkwardly and pulled a stack of postcards from his back pocket. At the sight of over a dozen postcards, she exploded, "What kind of idiot doesn't know this?! Of course you need stamps otherwise they'll be returned!"

"Yeah, obviously I know that now! All of the postcards I'd sent got mailed back to my house! I found 'em all waiting for me on my front porch and my dad gave me a smack on the head for being so dumb the second I got back." He handed them to her. "Here. I promise I wasn't trying to be an asshole on purpose."

Some of her anger subsided as she took them wordlessly. Before she could look through them he said, "I'm gonna go because I hate when people read birthday cards and shit right in front of me. But listen, I think they're planning a party tonight at the dorms if you wanna swing by. I'd love to catch up and show you everything I've learned. I really feel like tonight's the night, Nakiri. You're gonna say it." He offered her a small smile and backed out without waiting for her response.

Erina stood frozen for a few moments. Damn it. Just when she thought she was finally going to move on, he pulled her back in. She shuffled through the postcards he'd left her and looked at the various dates spanning throughout the past year. So what if he'd tried to write her? He still failed! Well, because he was an idiot, not a jerk...

Erina's curiosity got the best of her and she sorted through the postcards, each with a crudely drawn cartoon of himself as the signature. An old timey car and palm trees in bright colors caught her attention. It was dated almost a year ago.

Yo, Nakiri! Greetings from Cuba! I know - you're pissed. Sorry for leaving so suddenly but I just had the urge to get up and go! I'll be back in a flash though. I'm learning so much and training hard. I'm having tons of fun here learning a lot about the local cuisine (ropa vieja is pretty good!) but the language barrier is really somethin' else. I'm just barely getting by with my English. I hope you guys are getting on ok without me!

P.S. Did you know salsa is a dance, too? Long story short, I can do both now. I'll show you when I get back!

She smirked picturing Soma clumsily dancing out on the streets of Havana and randomly drew another card, this time with a shimmery Statue of Liberty dated back 10 months ago.

Hey, Nakiri! Hope everything's okay over there. I miss the gang a lot but I'm not quite ready to come home yet. New York is too cool! There are a ton of nice restaurants, and even the street food isn't too bad. All the craziness and intense competition in this city makes me wanna open my own restaurant here someday. Come visit me when I do! Just so you know, I'm totally cracking up picturing your face looking disgusted by these hot dogs stands or riding the subway – wish you were here so I could see it!

P.S. Tell Isshiki-senpai his attire would be totally normal here. New Yorkers are weird.

She supposed she wouldn't mind visiting him in New York. 5th avenue was apparently very nice. She flipped over another postcard with the Colosseum dated back 8 months.

Nakiri, smack the Aldini brothers for me. They're straight up crazy for leaving Italy. This place is gorgeous and the food's amazing. I even met up with their 'nonna' and she taught me how to use a mezzaluna! I'm basically an honorary Aldini. Anyways, you've gotta come visit. I feel like you'd like it a lot. In fact, I'll just come with you since I'm gonna miss it the second I leave.

P.S. You like gelato, right? There's this little place - ah, whatever, I'll just show you when we go!

She smiled thinking of Soma showing her around Italy, falling off a gondola in Venice or taking goofy pictures with the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The Eiffel Tower caught her eye next. He'd written it roughly 6 months ago.

Bonjour, Nakiri! Don't be mad. I know it's been a little longer than I said it would, but it's your fault. You're the one who said Paris was "to die for". I had to check it out! I'm writing this outside a little cafe with an awesome view of the Eiffel Tower. You were right, of course. The food's great and it's super pretty. I don't know though, it's kinda lonely if you're here by yourself. Everyone's a couple and it's way too romantic. Maybe I'd like it more if I came with someone.

P.S. Shinomiya-senpai says hi!

Erina bristled. Who the hell would he be going back with? Shoving that unpleasant idea to the back of her mind, she drew another postcard which had a drawing of the Taj Mahal - 3 months ago.

Yo, Nakiri! As you can probably tell, I'm in India right now! The curry here is fucking incredible. No wonder Hayama's got such a talent for spices. I'm shadowing one of the top spice masters here though, and once I come home, I think I could take Hayama on in a curry battle! You'd bet on me, right? Anyways, I'm heading home soon. Gotta be there for graduation! See you soon!

P.S. It just occurred to me that Hayama's probably been stuck with all my work. Thank him for me, will ya?

She sighed. Typical Soma to not think about the consequences of his actions! Sifting through the cards, she found the Great Wall of China was next from only a month ago.

Hey, Nakiri! Just had to make one final stop in China before I come home! I'm actually hanging out with Kuga and his family learning more about ma la. Your taste buds are literally gonna be on fire when I get back to show you my new and improved Yukhira-style mapo tofu! I'm pretty excited to go home though. I've missed you and the gang.

P.S. Remember how mad you were when I opened my booth right next to Kuga's during the Moon Festival? You sure had funny ways of showing you cared!

She must've read through about a dozen cards, smiling despite herself as she read the little snippets of his adventures. Finally, she found the most recent postcard that was dated yesterday from Japan.

Yo, Nakiri! My journey's finally come to an end. I can't believe it's been a year! I hope you're not too mad at me, but I've learned so much in each country and I'm psyched to prove it to you. I'm positive you'll say my cooking's delicious now! I picked this card up at the airport just 'cause I thought it'd be funny. I'll probably just give it to you in person at the graduation ceremony.

P.S. Speaking of graduation - am I still a student?

P.P.S. Eh whatever. Be there either way.

Can't wait to see you.

Erina blushed as she read the last line over and over again. What an idiot. She gathered the cards close to her heart and finally called the car to come pick her up. She absentmindedly ran her fingers over his words the entire ride home. Finally, she called Hisako from the backseat of the limo. "Hisako? What are you doing tonight?"

"Nothing, Erina, why? Do we have plans?"

"Yes... We're going to a party at the Polar Star Dorms."