A/N: Hello! It took me forever to update, I'm so sorry about that. This draft has been sitting in my Gdocs for a while and I'm happy I get to finish this chapter now we're all in quarantine. Are you guys hyped up for the new season? I got so excited with the first episode! Stay safe and healthy! I'll try to update soon. :)

Chapter 1

It's not the first time that Megumi had been to Paris. She had been in the city a few times in high school, as she made the most out of the privileges of being in the Elite Ten. Still, she had not gotten used to the ways of the French. She got lost a few times in the Metro. She had been ignored when she asked for directions. Most of all, she failed to realize that negotiating an apartment would be the biggest challenge of all.

Three days in, and it seemed like Megumi had been living the life. She had a good job at Shino's and she was boarding in a hotel, all expenses paid by Totsuki. But the fun wouldn't last as her deal with Chef Doujima was that Megumi had to find her own place soon and start living on an allowance. This wasn't a special VIP mission, as what she was offered in her high school days. It was a volunteer activity which she gladly signed up for.

She casually scrolled on her phone screen, looking for an apartment that was closest to Shino's.

"Whatcha doin' there, Megumi?" Lucie scooted next to her in the lounge.

"Finding an apartment," she absentmindedly replied. In the middle of translating a few words, she realized that if she can't do it, it's best to ask someone else who can. "Hey, Lucie, can you make this phone call for me?"

"Sure!"

After a few minutes of interpreting and negotiating, Lucie ended the call in defeat. "The landlord won't take your price."

Megumi groaned and slid back on the couch. "Why is it so hard to find an apartment in Paris? I have to find a place to live in soon because Doujima isn't going to cover my hotel beyond tomorrow."

"Eh? I thought Totsuki was taking care of your expenses here?" Lucie was baffled.

"I have an allowance, but I can't stay in the hotel forever. I'll be depleted in no time."

Just then, Shinomiya stormed into the room. He was in a more sour mood than usual. Normally, he would've stopped to scold his chefs staying too long in the backroom. But this time, he didn't even care to stop. He simply slammed the door to his office without a word.

"What do you think happened?" Megumi turned to Lucie.

The sous chef shrugged and stood up, "Don't know, but we better get back to work before he calls us out...and I do not want to be on the receiving end of whatever he's feeling now."

She watched Lucie straighten her scarf and leave the room. Although she was getting ready to follow suit, she couldn't help but worry about her mentor. She reluctantly walked to the door, getting ready to voice out her concern for him when the door suddenly swung open.

"Chef!" she gasped, staring up into his cold, amber eyes.

"What?" he spat in reply.

She trembled underneath him. Despite the years that have passed, Shinomiya still always seemed to make her nervous. "I-I…" she stuttered, foolishly trying to justify her actions.

He clicked his tongue. "Are you just going to stand there and waste my time? Move." he brusquely told her, pushing her aside.

Megumi, still filled with concern at this uncharacteristic anger, couldn't help but cry, "Chef! Where are you going?"

"None of your business, noroma." was the last thing he said before slamming the door to her face.

That evening, Megumi was left alone to lock-up Shino's for the night. As she double-checked the main floor of the restaurant, she couldn't help but think about her boss who they still had not heard from for the rest of the day. Although Megumi had only been in Shino's Paris for a week, it was the first time Shinomiya had ever been so angry.

He wasn't even like that at the times she messed up in the kitchen all week. "Unless - " she gasped, a shiver running through her spine. Her anxiety started kicking in, thinking that maybe she had done something to make Shinomiya so mad at her. Was he giving her the cold treatment?

She then started to panic, pacing the floor back and forth as she tried to wrack her brain for clues on what transpired earlier that day. "Was it the coffee I gave him earlier?" she thought aloud. "Oh my god, it must be the way I peeled the sweet potatoes!" she freaked out. "Did I forget to clean the oven again!?"

Megumi was silenced when Shinomiya suddenly came into the restaurant. He seemed surprised to see her, but then, his eyes softened as he placed his hands in his pockets. "You're still here," he acknowledged.

"Chef! I didn't think you'd come back!"

He stayed silent as he crossed the room. The closer he got to her, the more Megumi felt the urgency to do something - anything that would alleviate the tension. Think, Megumi, think.

"Chef! Have you had dinner? Shall I cook for you?" She hurriedly offered.

"No, thanks." he plainly replied.

"Um," she squeaked. She just wanted to do something to help. But slowly, she was feeling more and more helpless and useless as Shinomiya just put more walls up over whatever was bothering him that day. Megumi then remembered all the times in the Polar Star Dorm when all her friends would gather for a reunion and ease the tension of their adult responsibilities.

"Chef!" Wine?"

Shinomiya stopped, intrigued by her offer. She scurried off to him, holding a bottle of Chateau Rieussec Blanc. He leaned forward and flicked a finger to her forehead. "I don't drink white." he clicked his tongue.

Just as she was about to feel dejected, Shinomiya walked to the cooler and picked up a bottle of red. She carefully watched him, trying to read the label from a distance. She promised herself she would take a mental note of his preference just in case. "Well, what are you standing there for? Get two glasses."

"T-two glasses?"

It only took Shinomiya raising a brow to make her scamper into the kitchen.

Megumi swallowed hard. Is this even appropriate?

She didn't know what to do with the glass of vino sitting in front of her. Her fingers moved from her lap a few times, attempting to pick it up from the table, but she kept hesitating to do so. It felt so incredibly awkward to drink in front of her boss. Was it a test? Would she be sent home if she took a sip?

But Shinomiya seemed to grow impatient at watching her shuffle back and forth, taking the glass and then placing it back. "What the hell are you doing, noroma?"

She bit her bottom lip and shyly replied, "Um, I've never had red wine."

He raised an eyebrow. "Huh…" he breathed out in disbelief. He thought it was such a juvenile thing, as he himself had been drinking and training his palette since he was eighteen. Megumi is a chef from Totsuki, for god's sake. After all these years...was she really that much of a conservative country hick?

"Don't make me feel like a bad influence over here. It's not like you're underaged...besides, Yukihira used to tell me all about your wild parties at that dormitory of yours."

Megumi looked mortified. "Eh?!" she violently reacted. Images of her misdoings in the dormitory instantly came in a flash back. Just before she left for Paris, Isshiki decided to throw her a 'going away party' and everyone including her did something dumb all because of Ryoko's "special drink".

"W-what did Yukihira say?" she stuttered, bracing herself for the worst. People constantly teased Megumi of being a prude, but she seemed to take on a whole different personality when she was intoxicated.

He eyed her suspiciously, "Nothing. Just that you would have parties at the dorm."

"Oh," Megumi sighed in relief.

Shinomiya opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated. He figured it was none of his business to ask her about her relationship with Yukihira. He was never dense, and he had always known that Megumi had the biggest crush on the red-haired boy. But it's been years...surely, she couldn't still be hung over her feelings for Yukihira?

"What is it, Coach?" Megumi asked, seeing him in deep thought.

He shook his head and dismissed her question. This dunderhead is pathetic if she would still have a crush on a now married man.

Bright and cheerful as she is, she continued to make conversation. "So, does Yukihira come here a lot?"

"He visits Paris a few times, dropping in without warning."

Megumi looked away, but her face still seemed to brighten up with the mention of his name. "Seems like him."

Pathetic.

"Why are you here, noroma?"

"Oh," she was startled by his question. "I'm locking-up today."

"No, you idiot, I mean did you actually want to fly to Paris? Don't you have things to do in Japan? Run your family's ryokan, for one?"

She spat the wine back to the glass. She had finally resolved to take a sip when he startled her again with a question that was quite sensitive to her. "Sorry!" she squeaked.

"Don't waste good wine!" he chastised, pinching the bridge of his nose. God, this dunderhead would be the death of him.

He then noticed the distant look in her eyes. "What's up with you?"

"N-nothing!" she smiled brightly, grabbing the wine again and taking a huge swig. She grimaced, tasting the bold, dry liquid and then swallowing it hard as she carefully looked at Shinomiya who was watching her every move.

Shinomiya sighed. "My kitchen is not a place of refuge for your problems."

"But it is!" she protested.

Megumi met his gaze. "It's just that…" she started, then stopped as she hesitated to speak.

Impatient, he slammed his hand on the table and demanded, "What is it?"

"What if...the ryokan is not everything I've wanted?" she sadly mused.

The past year had been tough for Tadokoro as she watched all her friends succeed in their different endeavours. The newlyweds, Soma and Erina had opened their restaurant and immediately, they were able to earn a Michelin star in their first year. Takumi and Isami had opened a Trattoria in Japan, which garnered a lot of popularity in Ginza. Even Yoshino and Marui had gotten engaged and had just opened their own distribution company for imported high-quality ingredients. It felt like time had flown by fast, and everyone had already figured out what they wanted to do in life. But Megumi was still the same - single and back in her hometown with a Ryokan that gained popularity, but not enough to put itself on the map of "Japan's Must Eats".

Shinomiya leaned back and took a sip. "Quarter life crisis?"

"I'm serious!" she whined, huffing and angrily taking the glass of wine, chugging it down her throat.

He watched in horror. "You're not supposed to drink wine th-"

"What if I'm not meant to stay in Tohoku?" she blurted out, rubbing her hands to her face. "What if...what if...I would rather close the ryokan?"

"Have I taught you nothing?" he said through gritted teeth. "If there's anything I can't stand is whining. If you resolve to just complain and do nothing about it, then -"

"But I am doing something about it," Megumi protested once more. The tone of her voice seemed to become bolder. "I'm not here to run away...I'm here to figure it out."

Surprisingly, Megumi was getting more comfortable with being around him. It was probably the buzz, but she abruptly took the bottle and started refilling both their glasses. "You helped me figure out my true potential back then...and I just thought, I don't know, maybe I needed this more than you needed me."

There was definitely something odd about Tadokoro Megumi. Shinomiya couldn't help but stare - her wide amber eyes glowed underneath the warm lights. Her pink lips were more vivid as she bit her bottom lip in thought. The flush on her cheeks made him feel uneasy. What was it about her?

"I don't have time to teach, noroma. I have problems of my own." he quickly dismissed his unnerving thoughts.

"Right…" she gave him a wry smile.

"Still…" he started, fixing his gaze on his glass. "If it's assurance that you want, then I'll tell you this...there's nothing bad about recognizing that you want more out of something, especially if it's about your career."

Megumi might have been an ultimate klutz, but now and then, Shinomiya often saw a younger version of himself in her. Her determination to succeed reflected his own when he was about her age in Paris.

With his words, she had slowly started to calm down. "Thank you...coach." she said with a smile.

He ran his hands through his hair. Shinomiya never did understand why she started calling him that. It was fine back then - tolerable, when it seemed to motivate her under his tutelage. But now, it felt a little childish and insulting of his hard-earned Michelin star status.

"Will you stop calling me that?" he said coolly.

"Mm? Why?" she asked, taking a sip of wine.

"I'm not a coach, I'm a chef." he stated.

She set her glass down carefully on the table. "Will you stop calling me 'noroma'?"

He stopped, surprised at her clever comeback. Megumi raised her eyebrows expectantly, holding her breath. Shinomiya wasn't a bully, but somehow, he always did find amusement in her comedic helplessness.

"No," he flatly replied.

Her face instantly dropped, looking deflated. Shinomiya turned away, inwardly smirking at her reaction.

They sat in silence. What started out as something so awkward didn't turn out so bad for Megumi. It was a different feeling to leisurely drink with her senior compared to the drinking parties at the Polar Star Dorm. It wasn't just the sophisticated choice of wine, heaven knows she can't properly tell the difference of what's good and what's not. But it was just refreshing to be in a different place, and to hear a different perspective. It just validated her choice of taking a break from the ryokan and coming to Paris instead.

Feeling grateful, she decided to return the favor. "Chef Shinomiya…" she called softly, playing with the stem of her wine glass. "I wouldn't mind if you told me about your problems...I might be able to help out."

He threw her a glare, and she instantly freaked out. "Or...not! I don't know, I just thought, you know...I don't know…" she started to babble and wave her hands profusely at him.

"It's none of your business."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I know, but just in case...if you ever need any assistance in anything, I'm here."

Shinomiya shook his head in disbelief. What could Megumi possibly help him out with? If anything, she needed him than vice versa. He took one last sip of his wine and decided to call it a night.

Megumi knew that she would be expecting chaos the next day. Lucie had warned her that Saturdays were usually the busiest day in Shino's, with the whole day being devoted to prep work for a full house in the evening.

She felt more motivated after hearing Shinomiya's advice last night. Whether or not she was truly going through a so-called quarter life crisis, she promised herself that she would continue to hold her head up high and make the best out of her time in Shino's.

With a hum and a skip, she made her way to the entrance and beamed, "Good morning, everyone!"

Oddly enough, the main floor was completely empty. However, there was a distinctive sound coming from the kitchen. Lucie's high-pitched voice was loud enough to echo throughout the entire restaurant. What was going on?

Megumi entered the kitchen. "Good mor-" she stopped, hearing Lucie angrily yell in French.

Lucie was outspoken, but she would never be so bold as to defy Shinomiya in an argument. It was even more uncharacteristic of her to shove the chopping board to Shinomiya's chest as a way to shield herself from him.

"I said no," she enunciated every word.

"It's just for a week." Shinomiya argued.

"No," she deadpanned and grabbed the box on the floor.

He groaned and followed her. "I'll give you a bonus."

"No,"

"You can go on a 3-day vacation after."

"No," she threatened, sticking a carrot against his chest.

"Mon Dieu, Lucie, come on!" his voice rose.

Megumi felt the urge to act quickly. Shinomiya looked like he was about to snap, and Lucie seemed to be ready to do just about anything to prove a point. With the tension in the air, it wasn't unlikely that vegetables would soon be flying in the kitchen.

"Stop fighting!" Megumi cried, instinctively jumping in between them.

The two chefs were silenced as the blue-haired girl put her hands up, creating a space between them. "I-I don't know what's going on, but please don't throw the vegetables! I just bought them yesterday!" she candidly reasoned out.

A few seconds of silence passed and Lucie placed the carrot on the counter. Shinomiya retreated, taking a step back as he watched Megumi tremble in front of him. "What's going on?" Megumi asked, putting her hands down and shifting looks from one chef to the other.

Lucie quietly pressed herself against the counter and sighed. She opened her mouth to speak, but then stopped when she noticed the two in front of her. The idea instantaneously clicked in her head. "Chef Shinomiya...why not Megumi?" she suggested.

"Hm?" Megumi squeaked, surprised as the attention was suddenly shifted to her. She turned to Shinomiya, who was towering behind her. "Why not what?" she innocently asked.

Shinomiya crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes on Lucie. "Don't," he curtly warned.

But Lucie knew that this was the only choice he had. It was either this, or come clean with the truth. This little lie Shinomiya told, which eventually snowballed into a huge problem, turned out to be the thing that had been plaguing him since yesterday.

She took control. Clearing her throat, she said, "Megumi, Chef Shinomiya is looking for a girlfriend."

Megumi's brows furrowed and she suddenly felt the weight of Shinomiya's shadow. She kept her eyes on Lucie, confused as ever, as she blinked a few times, trying to make sure she heard it right. "...a what?"