Love is a Funny Thing

06:25 – Rebun Island, Japan – The Day of the RDC Finals

He finds her sitting in one of the common rooms a little after dawn. Somewhere in the test kitchens below, Yukihira and Nakiri are still arguing over heads and tails and everything in between. It was Ishiki who'd told him to get some rest in lieu of Megishima's early-morning arrival.

All hands on deck, and we're down to just two.

Megumi has her back to him, shoulders slumped. Her hair, usually worn in her two iconic braids, is loose. He can't remember ever seeing her this way, the gentle rays of the early morning sun kissing her soft features and pale skin, slightly-curled tresses brushing her shoulders and the nape of her neck.

In that moment, Takumi understands one thing: Yukihira Soma is a lucky man.

"Aren't you tired, Tadokoro-san?"

"Oh, Aldini-kun." She glances back with a wearied smile. Like him, she wears the dark circles beneath her eyes with pride. But it is a different sort of exhaustion he sees in her. It's barely there, but present nonetheless, in the slight downward flicker of her gaze and the timid way in which she clenches her fists. "I'm alright. Why don't you get some rest, yourself? You must be exhausted too, after facing Kobayashi-senpai too."

"I'm okay." He finds one of the soft woollen throws in the room and drapes it over her slim shoulders. "The real question is: are you?"

For her part, she tries to smile. It's one of the first things he'd noticed about her when they'd first encountered one another during the Moon Banquet Festival. Tadokoro Megumi: forever willing to support, ever present by Yukihira's side, and a chef in her own right, with ideals of her own to uphold.

Tadokoro Megumi, who even now, must surely be heartbroken.

"I'm just disappointed, heh heh." She chuckles weakly, and her hands move to tousle the hair at the back of her head. "I really wanted to win, you know. I guess Akanegakubo-senpai was just too good. A-and anyway, Nakiri-san saved that bout."

He smiles lightly. The girl is so damn transparent. His mind wanders back to the night before, when Isami had made an off-handed comment. Tadokoro-san must find it difficult, watching Yukihira-kun and Nakiri-san get closer. It's obvious she loves them both.

He hadn't understood then, why the statement had stung so much. Looking at her now, he thinks he understands – if not fully, then maybe just a little bit more. "Don't sell yourself short." He places a hand on her shoulder. "I know I'm one to talk, but you don't need to hero-worship Nakiri-san, you know. It's not what she'd want. We're all equals here."

Tadokoro turns away. "O-of course."

"Megumi." He uses her name deliberately. "You love them, don't you? Yukihira-kun and Nakiri-san. Don't worry. You're not invisible. They love you too, and…" He pauses, willing her to turn back to him. When she does, he smiles, and feels his heart warm at the softness of her own golden gaze. "And I love you too. I'll support you, the way you support everyone else. So don't look so glum, okay?"

He lets that hang between them for a moment.

And then the panic sinks in. Tadokoro lets out a sheepish laugh, cheeks eaten up in crimson as she waves him away in that flustered, adorable manner, and he can only react in similar fashion. After, when they're done apologising to one another, he makes up some excuse about being overly tired to the point of spouting nonsense. To her credit, Tadokoro accepts it with zero question and a smile that sends needles into his heart.

Later, Isami laughs at him for it.