Prologue

It had been almost four years since they graduated. Much like his father before him, after the ceremony was done, the diplomas were in hand, and the parties were over, Soma wasted no time setting off to travel the world. He had always talked about going to new places in search of new flavors, and after graduation, he had done just that. He had his own path to follow, one that would bring him to an almost god-like understanding of food. But as he had left for parts unknown, Erina had stayed in Japan.

As the Director of Totsuki, she had responsibilities to the academy, and as a graduate of Totsuki, she had great ambitions that had yet to be realized. While juggling her duties as the dean, Erina had opened up several restaurants across the world. With each restaurant, the Michelin stars practically flew into her hands. Praise was thrown at her feet, people calling her the queen of gourmet dining, a caliber of chef that only appeared once every hundred years. One would think with their different lifestyles, the spark that had ignited towards the end of their second year would have died out. Yet somehow, against all odds, the relationship the two had built during their final year of high school stayed strong.

How did this happen? The answer was a single promise. Even after a year of steady dating and three years of tireless effort, Erina still had yet to give Soma the recognition he craved so badly. So not one to break a promise, even after graduation Soma would return to Japan frequently with his latest creation to try to impress Erina. Each time he would return, Soma would spend one or two weeks with Erina. Of course, soon after that short break, Soma would embark on his next adventure. However, each time he left, Erina knew that soon enough he would return to her in another attempt to fulfill his promise. Even without spending as much time together as they would have liked, their relationship stayed strong, and this was because not only would Soma would always strive to impress her, but because his home was wherever Erina was. So in this way, instead of resenting Soma for putting his adventures before her, she supported him and encouraged him to follow his path, wherever it took him.

Satisfied with both life and each other, the almost four years passed before they knew it. In that time, Soma had learned more about food and cooking then one would think was humanly possible. He had become a force of nature, a master of both the taste and experience of dining. However, as time passed, the prospect of traveling started to seem less and less attractive. Eventually, it had seemed as if he had seen all there was to see, learned all there was to learn. As his and Erina's five year anniversary approached, Soma began to wonder whether it was time for change, time to finally settle down and perhaps follow in the steps of Shinomiya-sensei. And so, after months of thinking, Soma finally decided that it was time for the travels to end, and a new adventure begin. This is where the story starts, with Soma finally coming home for good.