*Based off the anime*
Timeline: After Season 2, before Season 3 (then will eventually go into Season 3)
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Food Wars (shokugeki no soma) characters!
After the Stagiaire, Soma became obsessed with trying out new French recipes. He'd spend days and nights testing out staples of the French cuisine, adding his own Japanese fusion to them. As much as he hated to admit it, Shinomiya has inspired him...which no one else had done in a long time.
However after weeks of trial and error, Soma knew he was beginning to run out of inspiration. One night an idea came to him: Hisako. She had been with him throughout the entire Stagiaire. If anyone could give him suggestions, it'd be her.
Soma rang the doorbell of Erina Nakiri's mansion.
No answer.
He tried again.
This time, a fancy looking butler opened the huge double doors.
"Uhhh..." Soma began.
"Hisako! Did you forget your key or something?" Erina's voice rang out from somewhere behind the other door.
"Miss Nakiri!" The butler said, his voice in a panic.
Erina appeared in the doorway wearing pink fuzzy slippers, silky pink pajama shorts, and a purple crop top tee with a heart on it. "I made us a snack to eat while we watch the movie..." She stopped talking and stared at Soma.
"Yu-Yukihira!" She blushed, immediately aware of the fact that she was in her pajamas, she turned and stared at her butler.
"I will fetch you a robe at once!" He said nervously and ran off.
"Yo! Nakiri!" Soma said, stepping closer to her in the doorway. "I guess Hisako's not home, right?"
"Hisako? She's out picking out a movie for us to watch...uh a movie about cooking of course...for us to...study...Definitely not a girly movie... Why do you want to know if she's home?" Erina asked.
"I just had a question for her about the Stagiaire, but if she's not home..." Soma paused. "Say...Nakiri?"
"What?"
"You know a lot about French cuisine, don't you?" Soma asked.
"Well of course, who exactly do you think I am!?" Erina crossed her arms over her large chest.
"Great! Would you mind telling me everything you know about it?"
Soma walked past her and into the mansion.
"W-what? You can't just knock on my door at almost 9 o'clock at night asking for me to recite my entire knowledge of French cuisine! Also, who said you could come in!?"
Soma just stared at Erina, who was becoming slowly more and more enraged.
She did look really cute in those pajamas...Soma had never really seen her out of her uniform or chef's outfit... except for that time he accidentally bumped into her after she got out of the bath during the training camp from hell...
"Those are some pretty cute pajamas Nakiri." Soma said, ignoring what she was saying.
Erina's face turned red.
"I guess we should go into the kitchen? It's this way right? I remember from the last time I was here!" Soma began walking away from her.
"W-wait! Yukihira!"
"Miss." Her butler returned with her soft, fuzzy robe.
Erina looked at it a moment.
"Uh...that's okay." She said. "I...don't need it."
She began to follow Soma down the hall and towards the kitchen.
"Yukihira!"
"Mmm wow! These pastries sure are amazing Nakiri!" Soma tried one of the snacks Erina made for her movie night with Hisako.
How did Erina allow Soma to get this far into her home at almost 9 o'clock at night? What would Hisako say when she came back and saw him there? WHY DID HE COMMENT ABOUT HER PAJAMAS!?
"Oh...thanks..." Erina said trailing off.
"Something wrong?" Soma asked her.
"W-what!?" Erina blushed, realizing she was probably acting so weird. "N-no! Of course not!"
"Okay... just making sure..." Soma looked at her with slight concern on his face. He ate another pastry. "They are so light! I had no idea you baked!"
"They're called Chouquettes...they are French actually..." Erina explained. "And of course I know how to bake! I'm Erina Nakiri, I can do anything!"
"French? It's like you knew I was coming over to ask about French cuisine!" Soma laughed and helped himself to another.
Erina twitched a little. "Stop eating them all! They aren't for you!"
"Oh, sorry!" Soma blushed a bit, "They are just really amazing, you are really amazing...at baking."
You are really amazing.
Erina blushed again.
"So you wanted to know what about French cuisine exactly?" She asked.
"Well I have been experimenting with combing French and Japanese cuisine and I have run out of ideas...So I wanted to know if Hisako had any recipes I could try."
That's right...she was with him during the Stagiaire...
Still, arriving here at this time of night? Just how close did Yukihira and Hisako get during the Stagiaire!?
"You're sure you're okay?" Soma asked Erina.
"OH! Yes!" Erina jumped.
"M'kay...so I guess now I'm asking you if you have any French recipes I could try to fuse with my own cooking?"
"Even if I did have any recipes why would I allow them to be tampered by your low-class style cooking?" Erina blurted. "French cuisine is a form of art, and what you serve on the daily basis is not art in any sense but a monstrosity of cheap ingredients throw together in a way..."
Erina noticed Soma staring at her.
"ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING?"
"What? Oh sorry...I'm just not used to seeing you not in one of your uniforms..." Soma said.
Erina subconsciously covered her chest with her arms.
What a time to not be wearing a bra...
"You pervert! Stop staring at me!" She blushed like mad.
"I'm sorry Nakiri! But they really are cute..." Soma grinned, scratching his head.
Erina felt her heart skip a beat. There it was again...he called her cute.
"You should dress like that more often." Soma gave her a thumbs up.
"WHY? SO MORE PERVERTS LIKE YOU CAN STARE AT ME?" Erina's face was bright red now.
"That's true...I suppose more people would stare at you...maybe you should only dress more like that around me..." Soma said without realizing it.
Erina's jaw dropped. "I-I..."
"So, the recipes..." Soma said trying to change the subject.
"RIGHT! Yes..."
They both looked away from each other.
What was this tension Erina felt? Her heart ached. Why did it ache?
"I suppose I could give you a recipe...if you promise not to come to my house anymore." Erina told him after a moment of awkward silence.
"You'll have to show me how to make it." Soma said.
"Uh what? That wasn't what you said!" Erina turned back to him.
"We can cook it in one of the empty kitchen classrooms." He told her.
"FINE! If it gets you out of here tonight, then I will meet you tomorrow in the 3C West Wing kitchen after dinnertime!" Erina snapped.
"Yes!" Soma nodded. "That works. Thanks Nakiri!"
"Don't thank me, I am only doing this to get rid of you before Hisako gets home!" Erina snapped.
Soma smiled. "Even if that is true, thank you."
Erina nodded and pointed to the door of the kitchen. "You sadly know your way out I assume?"
"Yeah, I do." Soma nodded. "I'll let you watch your cooking movie with Hisako. See ya tomorrow Nakiri!" He grinned and left the room.
As soon as he was gone, Erina sank to the floor.
What the hell just happened?
Did she just make plans with Yukihira?
Why did he keep calling her cute?
What was this feeling inside her chest that radiated throughout her body?