A/N: I took a break from writing during the holiday. Now, I'm back. I promise that if I ever decide to abandon this, I will at least notify. I hope it won't ever come to that.

* An Explanation: If you noticed, sometimes I refer to people alternatingly using their surname and first name. This is not random. I try to use the appropriate addressment based on whose POV it was, and when it was a general POV, I just use the first name. I hope this can clarify things and make it less confusing.

Chapter 5

Souma MAY or MAY NOT had a certain Karaage business go bankrupt because he was helping somebody he just happened to know from the shopping district where Yukihira was located, however, he never would've dreamed that he would be faced with that predicament because of that. Inside a large office with grandly styled interior, Souma was brought face to face with none other than the ninth seat of the elite ten of Totsuki.

"You think that just because you won a lot of shokugekis against those weaklings, you're really something, huh? Let me tell you the truth, you won't even survive in the autumn election! Join me, Yukihira Souma. I shall make sure that you never starve and flourish as a part of my empire!" Eizan Etsuya declared forcefully.

It was troublesome. But Souma was also thinking hard to make the best of the situation. Obviously, he couldn't accept that offer, but at the same time, he couldn't outright oppose it either, lest he make a powerful enemy he is better off not opposing. After brief consideration, Souma decided that it might be best to remove the threat altogether. It also helped that he was also looking forward to the challenge that his reply would surely bring.

"I'm afraid I have to humbly decline your offer, Eizan-senpai." He started off.

Eizan started to look offended, but Souma continued.

"However, let us have a match, Eizan-senpai. If you win, then I will serve under you faithfully for as long as you see fit, even if it is my entire life." Souma bravely proclaimed.

"Hah? Are you really that conceited to think that you can take me on?" Eizan glared ruthlessly as if he was looking at trash.

"Of course not, Eizan-senpai. Not the way I am right now. However, you said that I won't even last the autumn election, right?"

"And what about it?"

"Then, even if I make it to the final and lose, I will consider this match your victory."

Etsuya's eye sparkled for a moment, was that a free lunch? There's no such thing as a free lunch after all, if the Greek saying was to be believed. He narrowed his eyes with suspicion, if Yukihira's demands were unreasonable, he would just object bluntly.

"However, if I do win in the autumn election as the champion… that would mean that I'm not as pitiful as you thought, wouldn't it? In that case, have a shokugeki with me, Eizan-senpai, bargaining your elite ten seat for my lifetime servitude, how about that, senpai? If things go according to your prediction, you will easily get what you want without giving any extra effort, and even if it comes to worst, you can crush me by your own hand, isn't that a very profitable deal for you?" Souma baited Eizan's pride. He knew that his prideful senpai would certainly take the bait.

Etsuya was annoyed, if he looked at the deal objectively, he wouldn't be able to complain. It was extremely favorable for his side, not only his chances of winning were really big, but he also had a double chance where on the second, he had near absolute chance of winning. However, what made him annoyed was Yukihira's audacity to boldly give himself that much of a disadvantage, as if he was mocking Etsuya. 'Fine then, I will play your game, Yukihira, and make you suffer a humiliating defeat under your own rule.' He thought devilishly.

"Alright, I acknowledge your deal." Eizan looked at Souma coldly, but Souma just smirked casually.

"I hope you won't go back on your own words, senpai." Souma remarked jokingly.

"Oh, I won't. It's you whom I'm concerned about. Because of that, you won't mind signing a formal document containing our terms, will you? In fact, I can arrange for it to be prepared in mere minutes. It's only to prevent a… breach of contract." Eizan returned Souma's smirk with one of his own, amped up with malice of course.

"Of course, senpai. That would be no problem."

And so, Etsuya called one of his men to print the document and prepare a pen and his seal immediately. As he predicted, it didn't take long as his men were very reliable. Etsuya signed his own signature on the paper, and another on an identical copy of the agreement. Then, he turned them to Yukihira along with the pen. He told Yukihira to keep the other copy to validate the agreement. Eizan did it professionally as if he would with a business contract. As he observed Yukihira signing casually, he inwardly laughed at the foolishness of the red haired boy.

'You have just sealed your own fate, Yukihira, with that document, there's no way for you to run away. I will soon wipe that annoying smirk off your face, but don't you worry, I won't go back on my words, I will let you prosper under me. In the future, you will be grateful to me for giving you a chance to be a part of my glorious empire. Just wait, Yukihira.' Without needing to be said, Etsuya didn't give off any signs of his inner thoughts outwardly.

/

Awkward. It was really awkward. Souma sat stiffly on the supposedly comfortable VIP-class seat on the luxurious plane belonging to an upper-class airway. Despite that, what he felt was the farthest thing from comfortable. That might be exaggerating as there are lots of thinkable situations that would be even more uncomfortable, but Souma honestly thought that way at that moment.

On a row of three seats on the left side of the plane, he sat right in the middle seat. On his right, a certain genius food-scientist was resting her head against his shoulder, fast asleep and almost drooling. If it was only that, it would be nothing that unusual for Souma, but the presence of a certain blond with excessively blessed tongue on his immediate left was the main factor that contributed to his discomfort. Said girl was looking through the window on her left with her head propped up by her arm, but the aura she excluded was quite eerie.

If it was just Nakiri Erina sitting beside him, Souma would have been able to deal with that. Since she was… forced to go along with them through a shokugeki, he understood that she would be a bit moody about it, but of course, Alice made the whole situation more complicated than necessary. Because of some reasons, Erina disliked the fact that Alice was so close to Souma, especially since Alice didn't really mind skinship in spite of their gender difference. Thus, Souma was brought to the difficult choice of waking Alice up and face her wrath, or endure Erina's unpleasant aura until Alice wakes on her own, which wouldn't be anytime soon.

If he was asked to guess the reason of Erina disliking the closeness of Alice and himself, he would have guessed protectiveness. The cousins often bicker with Erina being overly tsun and Alice being overly boke, sometimes with someone, usually Hisako, being the tsukkomi, but even then, Souma still could feel a bond between them. Inwardly, he found it adorable to see Erina caring for Alice, but that was all just speculation of course, albeit a very convincing one.

In the end, Souma decided to endure it, waking Alice would just be more troublesome. The probability was high for her to begin ranting, making a racket, and put the attention of the other passengers to them. Souma also chose to let her sleep peacefully out of fondness. Alice was, for a lack of better wording, his best friend.

Souma spent his youth learning how to cook from his father. He got his elementary degree from homeschooling and often tagged along with his father to explore the world. He rarely stayed in one place for long, so he couldn't have made that many friends. It was a chance encounter that met him with Alice and Ryou. He and his father were passing by Denmark, and his dad decided to pay a visit to his acquaintance, Nakiri Soe, who happened to be in there at the moment. Since he was bored, Souma asked for permission to experiment in one of the kitchens. It somehow led to a three-way cooking battle with a witty girl and a fishy boy, with them somehow forming a friendship afterwards. It wasn't until later in his junior high years when his father told Souma that he actually planned to stay just for a week, but seeing that his interactions with the two were productive to their growth, he deliberately prolonged their stay.

In his junior high years, he mostly stayed at Yukihira and worked there when he was not studying at school. He had friends from school of course, but he also kept in touch with his Danish friends through letters, and later, phone calls. Since Ryou was a man of few words, he mostly got lengthy letters from Alice, but Ryou would sometimes express a few sentences through Alice's letter. Considering all those facts, it couldn't be helped that he and Alice were close, right? Yet, how was he supposed to explain all of that to Nakiri Erina? He couldn't of course, he chose a safer path and started a small conversation, hoping that it would lessen the tension between them.

"Fine weather we're having, isn't it, Nakiri-san?" Souma started with the most absurdly overused and phenomenally mundane sentence to start small talk. Who can blame him though? It was already formidable to talk casually with the God's Tongue, moreover, they're inside a flying airplane, so the state of the weather actually held more importance as it was related to their safety, adding to those facts, the sky was also extremely bright with fluffy clouds under them, making Souma's careful observation of the weather even more justifiable and credible.

.

.

.

Who was he kidding? He said that because he didn't know what else to say, didn't he? How shameful…

"… Huh? Ah… Yes… Indeed, it is." Erina responded late. She was clearly distracted by something.

"Is something bothering you, Nakiri-san? Can I be of help?" Souma asked kindly.

"… It's nothing."

Of course, she's not an open person to begin with.

"Is something wrong Erina-sama? What can I do to help?" A frantic voice suddenly came from behind and fussed over Erina.

"Like I said, it's nothing. You don't need to be concerned, Hisako." She was exasperated. Although Erina found it enjoyable to be pampered by Hisako, but sometimes, her secretary induced a severe headache with that excess fussing.

Souma casually looked behind him. On the row of seats behind them, Arato Hisako sat behind Erina on the leftmost seat. On the rightmost seat, Ryou was fast asleep, following his mistress' example, although he was fortunately leaning back on the chair, not resting his head on somebody else's shoulder. On the middle seat, Tadokoro Megumi sat awkwardly, as if she was bewildered to be somehow put in that situation, although the gap between the VIP seats were spacious, Tadokoro looked like she was suffocating, sandwiched between an overprotective herbalist and a slumbering sea dragon. It was a long story on how Tadokoro ended up going with them, but the moment when Souma's eyes met Tadokoro's, an empathy link was created. Understanding their shared pain, they silently sent their encouragement to each other. For the rest of the trip, they were comrades.

The previous day /

Megumi was packing for a week-long trip. Originally, she was planning to prepare for the autumn election, but she wanted to go back home for awhile, and return to Totsuki to prepare some more for the rest of her summer vacation. She never thought that she would be faced with an abrupt change of plans. Squished into last week of the summer vacation until just before the autumn election started, the sudden trip was something that she couldn't perceive at first.

Not knowing what to prepare for, naturally Megumi asked Ryouko and Yuuki for advice. If she had known how much teasing she would get from that, she might have reconsidered.

"Nee, nee, Megumi-chi. Come on, tell us how you got Kurokiba-san to invite you."

"Did you perhaps… seduce him? Kya! You're so bold, Megumi-chan."

"Not really… Ryou-kun just asked me normally… And it's not like it would be just the two of us… Yukihira-kun is going too, you know…"

"Ara, since when has it become Ryou-kun instead of Kurokiba-kun?"

"As expected of Megumi-chi. You totally passed the first name basis like it was nothing."

"With your relations being that close, I bet he asked you like this… … …"

"Ohhh, it could also go like… … …"

Megumi didn't know what to say, at that moment, both of her female friends from polar star started about romantic scenarios where Ryou says some cheesy lines like "Megumi… Let us go together, to a world only for the two of us…" or "Come, my love. Let us go on a journey…" while discussing the aftermath of those scenarios, all of them were virtually impossible to happen in the real world. The longer they went on, the more absurd their imagination became, but the truth was… it was actually very anticlimactic.

They were once again paired in French Cuisine class. During that time, Ryou simply asked her whether she already had plans for the last week of her summer vacation. Megumi was flustered, but she thought that perhaps Ryou would only ask her to assist him in some matters or something along those lines, so she told him that she would be free. However, he dropped a bomb on Megumi.

"In that case… Come with me on a week-long trip. Ah, the ojou and Souma will come too."

Naturally, she didn't accept immediately. When she inquired about their destination, Ryou only said that he also didn't know yet and that it would be fine even if she didn't bring anything. At first, she was a bit hesitant, but she was also excited to go on a vacation trip. Moreover, Yukihira was someone she was friendly with, and she also got along well with Alice, so she didn't see any reason to decline. Additionally, she was also the type of person that can't refuse anything asked of her. In other words, she was what people call… a pushover… Sad… but it's the truth.

When it comes to Ryou, Megumi would admit that she had a crush on him. She couldn't deny that he was incredibly HO-*ehem*-interesting when he's cooking, especially when he's wearing that bandana. His muscular form is also eye-catching, not that Megumi paid that much attention to Ryou of course, however, it was just a tiny silly crush that's totally unrequited. There's no way that Ryou would pay attention to someone like her, right? Her chances were too miniscule for her to dare to hope, so she was content with the way things were.

And so, listening to her friends' increasingly crazy concocted fantasies, she could only laugh along. After all, they were just those… fantasies.

/

"Woahhh… This is amazing." Souma was awed.

"Fufufu… It is, isn't it." Alice was not surprised though.

After landing at the public airport in Nassau, Bahamas, they were immediately welcomed by Nakiri employees and were taken to a remote site where a transport chopper belonging to the Nakiri family was already prepared. After that, they were taken to a private island somewhere in the Caribbean Sea that, of course, also belonged to the Nakiri family. The sight that greeted Souma was a vacation villa that could be compared evenly with the Nakiri mansion, as expected of the Nakiri family… Alice didn't hold back on planning the trip it seemed.

"Hmm… I didn't know that we own an island here." Erina commented nonchalantly, as if owning an island or two is not a big deal.

"I know right, me too. Actually, when I told ojii-sama about the trip, he immediately suggested we use this island." Alice seemed really excited, but Erina still retained most of her previous gloom from the plane trip, as a result, she only answered Alice with a bored "Oh, is that so?"

Souma thought that the director was really generous, but after Souma thought about it, perhaps he was just happy because his granddaughters were getting along and decided to lend a hand to improve their relationship. Either way, the place was really awesome. In fact, 'awesome' is too modest of a word to describe the vacation villa.

The size was enormous. It was also decorated excessively with decorations such as paintings from famous artists, sculptures, and other ornaments. There were also a lot of bedrooms, each one very spacious and complimented with a king size bed. Not to mention, it also had a fitness room, a game room, a home theater, a library, and of course, a huge and fully equipped kitchen. Although the island is usually vacant save for the security staff, prior to their arrival, the housekeeping staff had cleaned up and prepared for their arrival.

Later, Souma would find out that Alice had specifically requested no kitchen staff. Well, it's not a big deal actually. All of them were Autumn Election contestants anyway. It would be great if they can practice and receive feedbacks prior to the election, or at least, that's what Souma thought.

Since they had eaten dinner during the plane trip and it was already very late, they readily agreed to call it a day. Since there was an abundance of guest rooms, each of them was given a room.

/

"So, who's going to cook breakfast?"

"…"

The next morning, they gathered in the living room and finally realized about the lack of kitchen staff.

"Eto… I don't mind doing it… but I wonder if it's okay…" Megumi muttered while glancing nervously at Erina occasionally.

Hmm… It seemed that Tadokoro had not fully got rid of her self-doubt yet, but she certainly had improved. Souma remembered that Erina didn't seem to have any problem with Tadokoro's cooking during their nightly makeshift party, so there should be no problem. That's why, it was no surprise that the others easily agreed with no objection.

As expected, Tadokoro's cooking just had a certain warmth. It was something that Souma couldn't replicate, a distinct characteristic that belonged to Tadokoro alone. Recently, he noticed that her cooking felt a bit bolder. She was a bit more open with using strong flavored ingredients to rather than her usual light flavored preference. It was Ryou's influence, no doubt about it, but it wasn't a bad thing though.

The breakfast that morning was western. It was a simple bagel sandwich. Two buns of bagels with a sunny side up egg, bacon, some lettuce, leek, and chives. Overall, it was a simple balanced dish. The amount of bacon per serving was modest and the supplementary vegetables also made the bagel felt lighter, as a result, it didn't become too heavy for a breakfast dish, but quite fulfilling at the same time.

"Mmmm... As expected of Megumi-chan! Ne, ne, Erina… How do you find Megumi-chan's cooking?"

Souma noticed that Alice seemed to get along well with Tadokoro. She was advancing fast, easily breaking into the first name basis. Erina on the other hand was more reserved, as always.

"Well… Tadokoro-san's cooking is adequate I suppose…" She commented simply.

Megumi blushed a little and muttered her thanks. Coming from the esteemed food critic, it was an honor to receive even that degree of compliment.

While Souma, Ryou, and even Alice were content with using a wrapping paper and bite the sandwich right away, Erina elegantly used a knife and a fork to cut the bagel flawlessly bit by bit and took a little bite at a time. Souma noticed that Arato was also using the utensils. However, she didn't have the same grace as Erina. Although she seemed to have a little difficulty, she was determined to follow her mistress' example it seemed. She got the hang of it quite fast though.

/

And so, it was a full week of relaxation. They basically did nothing but procrastinate all day, other than the alternated cooking duty, they occasionally went to the beach to play. While Souma and Ryou were quick to set up a net for a volleyball game, Erina preferred to sunbathe on the side. She even refused the invitation to swim, although Arato also chose to accompany Erina on the side while shooting subtle longing glance to the other four playing in the waves, after Erina assured her that it was okay, Arato also joined them and left Erina alone with her peace and quiet. Of course, it didn't last long. Eventually, Alice would forcefully drag Erina into the water as well, forcing upon her the pain of washing her hair which was sticky because of saltwater afterwards.

Overall it was fun though. It was amazing how only a week of frequent interactions can greatly affect their relationships. Their group had become somewhat closer. Even though Erina was always very reserved and bickered all the time with Alice, Souma could tell that she also somewhat enjoyed the trip.

Without realizing it, it was already their last day there. They would spend another night and return home early the next morning, giving them a whole day to rest before the autumn election started directly on the day after that. On that last day, Souma was fully planning to take it easy and relax. However, Alice apparently had another idea…

"Let's have a battle royale!"

And so, somehow, their dinner turned into a 3 vs 3 battle between Erina, Megumi, and Alice versus Hisako, Ryou, and Souma. Since there were no official judges and they had to judge each other's dishes, it was quite hard to decide the winner. Miraculously, all of them thought that the opposing dishes were better. In the end, they decided to call it a draw. Personally, Souma thought that Erina was amazing. Truly, she was a worthy holder of the elite ten seat. Little did he know that Erina also thought likewise towards him.

/

That night, Souma couldn't sleep, or rather, he didn't want to sleep yet. Since it was the last day there, Souma decided to take a walk across the seashore. He put on a pair of slippers and quietly exited his room. The corridor was dimly lit and desolate, he crept silently to the entrance of the mansion to avoid waking the others.

Surprisingly, he met someone on his way out. On the balcony outside the main gate, sitting on the bench, her silver hair gleamed in the moonlight as Souma approached her from behind.

"Can't sleep?" Souma asked.

"Hmm…" She replied nonchalantly.

She seemed to be relaxing while staring at the sea from afar. Souma took a few seconds to stand beside her and stared at the black ocean as well.

"Care to take a walk along the seashore?" Souma suggested.

"… Sure, why not." She answered after a short delay.

And so, Souma began to leisurely walk towards the beach. Alice rose from the bench and started to trail beside him. They walked slowly, enjoying the walk itself rather than simply transporting themselves. They didn't talk until they arrived at the beach. Both of them enjoyed a comfortable silence.

It was a tranquil experience… Somehow, the sound of crashing waves and rising tide was calming. After walking for a while, they found a large coral on their way. Deciding to rest for a bit, Souma dusted the sands on the rock and sat on the left side of the rock, making space for Alice beside him.

"The day after tomorrow is the autumn election, huh?" Souma broke the silence at last.

"Yeah…"

"If we face off later, I won't go easy on you, you know?"

"Hmm…"

Souma noticed that Alice seemed… a little distracted. She looked as if she was in a deep thought, contemplating about a difficult matter. Thus, Souma chose to keep silent and let her think in silence. It took perhaps 5 minutes before Alice broke the silence again.

"Ne, Souma-kun…"

"Hmm?"

She seemed to fidget a bit and a bit hesitant. It was quite out of character from her usual confident and brash personality.

"Do you think I'm pretty?"

"…"

Souma didn't reply immediately. It wasn't because he couldn't answer or didn't know the answer to that question. It was because he was a bit surprised at the suddenness of the question.

"What brought this on?" Souma asked back.

"I just… want to know…"

"You should already know the answer to that, right? After all, people talk about the beauty and ingenuity of the Nakiri cousins all the time."

"I don't care about what people think of me… I want to know how Souma-kun thinks of me…"

She looked at him with that adorable red iris of her, making him falter.

"I do think you're pretty…" Souma admitted.

"Hmm… Really?" Alice kept staring at him. At that point she started to smile softly.

Souma maintained their eye contact, but with every second, his heart started to thump a bit faster. It was subtle and not at all very sudden. Slowly, their distance neared while keeping their gaze at each other. Going by his instinct, Souma finally took the initiative and closed the gap tenderly and their lips met. It was chaste and didn't even last very long. Souma quickly drew back not too long after. However, it was also very sweet. It was really mellow and somehow felt really innocent.

"Ne, Alice… Wanna try dating?"

"Hmm… Sure, why not?"

She answered just like when he asked her to walk with him on the beach. Souma smiled and felt amused at how trivial it all seemed. They kept their composure and made it felt really casual, but at the same time, it didn't feel any less special. They kept sitting there for quite some time in silence. Somewhere along the way, their hands were already entwined before Souma noticed it.

It didn't happen suddenly. There wasn't any particular moment where Souma suddenly realized he had fallen for Alice or something like that. Instead, it was a slow and gradual process. Two close friends who were already familiar with each other, drawn to each other because of the time and amount of contact they had with each other. They were trying it out, of course, they had no guarantee that it will work out. However, they were willing to try and just hope for the best.