Erina sighed at the ever-growing pile of candy-grams accumulating at her feet on the campus quad.

"Form an orderly line," Hisako said through her bullhorn. "No pushing. You will all get an opportunity to make your confession. Next is number eighty-three."

"P-please go to the dance with me, Erina-sama." The would-be suitor bowed and placed yet another chocolate in Erina's hands. "If you do, I'll die a happy man."

"You have a long life ahead of you," she replied with a wave that told him to move along. It was all so boring.

Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink. Erina had read the poem in a literature class two years ago — one in which, if she remembered correctly, Yukihira-kun sat right in front of her and fell asleep every other day — but now the words were taking on a new meaning.

"Can we wrap this up soon?" she whispered to her aide. Her patience was running thin, and it was too cold for this shit, anyway. The only reason she'd agreed to make public appearances in the first place was to prevent the confession cards from stopping up mail service at the Nakiri Mansion.

"Of course," Hisako replied with a calm smile, but her expression turned to stone when she faced the crowd again. She produced, seemingly out of nowhere, an orange flag and planted it in the ground. "Attention, all! Erina-sama is extremely busy with ensuring the welfare of the academy, so we will have to leave soon. Everyone standing behind this flag will need to come back tomorrow. If you refuse to comply, you will be forcibly removed!"

After some nondescript grumbling, the crowd largely dispersed.

While Erina was receiving the last ten or so candy grams, one of the Polar Star residents arrived. The blonde one with the fade. As Erina struggled to recall if this one was Daigo or Shoji — they sort of blended together in her mind — he pulled out a unique looking valentine.

Hisako's eyes narrowed. "There will be no special treatment for friends, Sato-kun," she said. "If you intend to ask Erina-sama to the dance, you'll have to wait just like everybody el—"

"Actually, Arato-san," he interjected, flushing red. So it was Shoji after all, Erina noted. "I was wondering—hoping, really." The boy took a deep breath, gathering his resolve. "I know it's a long shot, but will you go out with me?"

Hisako's jaw was on the ground, and she seemed frozen for a minute like a glitchy video call. "Wait, what?"

"I want to go to the dance with you," he said, scratching the back of his head. "I've...well, I've been into you for a while now. I know it's a long shot, but…" He paused then, handing her the valentine. "The Elite Ten ones were nice, but I made this myself. I hope you like it."

"Thank you." Hisako opened the royal blue box, and Erina could tell right away that the candies were dark chocolate truffles infused with green tea. Excellent choice; Erina was almost rooting for him. "I...I don't know what to say."

"You can say yes, and I'll take you out to dinner before we go."

Smooth, Shoji. Erina was now officially rooting for him. It was far more courage than she had seen as of late.

Hisako's eyebrows knit together, like she was making calculations. "I...wow. Can I get back to you?" she asked.

"Take all the time you need. Thanks for hearing me out," he said, and then walked away.

Once Shoji and the last of Erina's suitors were gone, the Nakiri heiress turned to her best friend. "So are you going to say yes?"

"I...I don't know," she replied after they started walking towards their car. A security guard on retainer for the Nakiri family came to collect the discarded candy grams. "I was planning on working during the dance; doing damage control to make sure Alice doesn't get too out of hand."

"Annoying, but necessary," Erina sighed. Asking Alice to temper her impulses was like asking for snow in a desert. Impossible. "But really, we can outsource that kind of task. You should enjoy yourself too, Hisako."

"I really don't mind," she said quickly. "And besides, there's…" She stopped short, catching herself.

"There's what?" Erina prompted.

"Never mind," she said. "What would you like me to have them do with all the chocolate?"

"Can we give it to an elementary school or something?" she asked. "I can't even look at them."

Hisako made a quiet, sympathetic noise. "You're still annoyed about Yukihira-kun?"

"How is it physically possible for someone to be so obtuse?" she raged on in a familiar refrain. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think he was playing with me. In fact, I'd prefer it because at least then I'd know he has two brain cells to rub together and could take comfort in the fact that I didn't fall for a complete idiot!"

Hisako said nothing then, regarding Erina with a bemused grin.

"What?" the first seat asked, noting the loudness of her friend's silence. "Hisako!"

"Nothing," she said, trying to reign in her expression. "I'm just glad you were able to come to terms with things on your end."

"What do you mean? Come to terms with—" When she realized her mistake, Erina wanted to evaporate and float away. "I-I didn't mean it that way! I take it back!"

"Of course, Erina-sama," Hisako said, smiling again despite her best efforts. "Consider it forgotten."

Erina rubbed her temples as the mansion came into view. She'd have to bury herself under the duvet for hours to get over this one. However, these plans were effectively thwarted when they ran into Alice in the foyer. She was holding court with Yukihira, Kurokiba, and Hayama, testing recipes and chatting.

"Oh, Erina! Hishoko," her cousin called, bouncing over to them. "How many were there today?"

Erina merely shrugged, and Hisako frowned. "I stopped counting after ninety."

Alice raised her eyebrows to comedic heights. "It's not like you to lose count. You might be losing your organizational edge, Hishoko!"

"Don't be absurd," Hisako retorted. "I was on top of it until…" She stopped abruptly. "Let's just say there was a distraction."

At this, Yukihira looked up. "Oh yeah, Shoji said he was gonna do that today."

"Do what?" Alice asked.

"Confess to Arato," he said casually before turning to Hisako. "Did you say yes?"

"Who the hell is Shoji?" Hayama asked Kurokiba, who merely shrugged.

"Fuck if I know. Is that the one with the sideburns?"

"No, you idiots. Sideburns is Shun," Alice interjected.

As the lab coat trio got into an argument over names — and Hisako stealthily disappeared up the stairs — Yukihira approached her. "Hey, Nakiri. Can I talk for you for a minute?"

Oh, no way was she falling for this trap again. "Actually, I'd prefer if you didn't."

"Come on, don't be like that," he said, grinning at her. He stepped out into the corridor, and she followed him against her better instincts. "Anyway, I think I misunderstood the situation last time."

Well, that was the understatement of the fucking millennium. "Oh? I don't know what you mean, Yukihira-kun," she said in a monotone.

"Really?" he asked, glancing at her curiously. "I guess Takumi was wrong then."

"Assume he wasn't," said Erina through gritted teeth.

Yukihira looked confused for a moment, but then just shrugged. "Alright, so you're probably tired of getting asked out by now, so I have a proposition for you."

"Okay." Erina crossed her arms over her chest, reminding herself not to get her hopes up again.

"If I can make a dish you find delicious in the next five days, you go to the dance with me."

Erina gave a caustic laugh and a hair flip, though her heart was beating quadruple time. "A-and why should I agree to such a thing?"

In response, Yukihira Souma regarded her with a smirk that made her weak-kneed. Where the hell had he learned that? "I'll take that as a yes," he said. "Prepare for it, Nakiri. I won't hold back this time."

And he was gone before she could have the last word.

At the very least, she wasn't bored anymore.

Author's Notes: Okay! It took fifteen chapters, but Souma is finally getting on with it. Now the question is, will Erina's tsundere impulses sabotage her again? Also...how long will Akira and Hisako be able to keep their "relationship" a secret? Thanks for reading, everyone! Please let me know what you think!