Hey guys. Now, this is a story I wanted to write, which is probably going to be released a while after I start writing it. This will take place during part 2 and 3 of Le Dessert, and it will show a side of Soma that is never explored. Anyway, I am kind of indecisive for a title, so let's see if the title, "The Fallen Chef" will stick. If it doesn't, suggest a new name in the comments below. Anyway, let's start the new chapter of whatever I'll call this fanfic later.

Erina POV

It was a normal day, preparing for the autumn festival.

"When Yukihira returns… I can't disappoint him that this school hasn't moved forward too." I told Hisako and Tadokoro.

Inside my mind, I thought, 'I hope he comes back soon.'

Then, as I thought, I saw red hair emerge from the entrance.

'Am I… imagining him now?'

Previously, even though I refused to admit it, I thought I saw Yukihira walking in the school, only to realize that I was imagining it, and the person wasn't him. By now, I realized that I… felt something towards him beyond the temporary annoyance that came from his schemes. I knew that I, at the very least, I cared for him.

I blinked again and saw a redhead as he slowly walked in towards the center. The once-bustling center remained silent as Yukihira Soma emerged from the shadows.

His shoes clamping on the hard tile flooring caught the attention of the rest of the Elite ten, who were previously scattered.

Soma Yukihira. The one who became the runner up in BLUE. The one who always made me feel like punching his face every time I saw him grin. The person who always made me anxious, and made me question my entire life. The person… I missed when he went to wherever he had gone.

He looked downwards. The hair that once was spiky now grew long against his neck, and the bandana that was usually wrapped around his arm was holding up his hair.

"Yu… Yukihira?"

Everyone who was previously preparing for the festival had stopped as I called his name. They came near where I was, observing him as I had. He looked up.

His eyes.

The once sparkling eyes that I saw for so long, ones that I would have previously ignored, and even hated, were now nowhere to be seen. His eyes lost all color in them, the shine all but gone. His eyes drooped, dark circles painting his facial features, and he deeply frowned. Hisako, my aide, looked with shock, as did Tadokoro. Everyone currently looked at the redhead in either shock or surprise, and everyone stood up as his presence became more apparent.

"Hey, Nakiri." His voice lost all passion, cracking like a desert on a hot summer's day.

Then he gained a grin, one that reminded me of the trouble he has caused since the beginning.

"Did I get you to finally worry about me?"

I could hear a chuckled about to come out of his mouth, to which my concern became replaced with irritation.

"WHERE THE ACTUAL HELL WERE YOU?!"

My voice had blown through the building, Soma's now long hair blowing along with it. He eventually collapsed.

"Huh?"

As he gained his footing, he said, in the most irritating way possible, "Wow. Wouldn't have expected the old Nakiri to say that, would you?" He asked Hisako, standing on my side, and this time her face was dusted pink. He chuckled again, though a bit lighter. "Though, nice haircut. You look good with short hair."

'So… irritating. Why did I miss him again?' I blushed. 'Miss him? I didn't miss him, he blew off all of his responsibilities, putting a massive amount of pressure on the rest of the Elite Ten, including me!'

Then, his eyes drooped once again. "Though, sorry for leaving without telling you guys. But," He paused, swallowing, for some reason, "I'm back, and I'm here to officially challenge you, Nakiri."

He lifted his finger, and I noticed it was shaking, but he stabilized his hand and brought his face up. He said something that I only thought I would dream of hearing since I had lost hope that he would even come back to the school. "Nakiri, will you like to face me in a Shokugeki?"

The long-departed chef has returned from his long, arduous journey. Now, thanks for reading. If you like it, favorite this story, or Kudo it, depending on whether you are on FF or AO3, and subscribe to the story, since this won't be my last chapter.