Winter break was finally over, and the students of Tōtsuki were slowly filtering back onto campus. Much to Erina's relief, Soma hadn't told anyone about the time they spent together in Paris. All they knew was that they had ended up on the same plane together on their way to Paris. She was relieved at his discretion, as she literally couldn't handle the interrogation she would have received from Alice and their friends if they knew they had spent New Year's Eve together…plus all the days following…

It wasn't her fault! Her grandfather had given her permission to forgo the meetings and explore the city, and she couldn't very well go alone! He just kept showing up at her door every morning and for some reason, she followed him everywhere-to the Eiffel Tower, across the Seine, to the golden palace of Versailles. They really did have an amazing time together, and Erina was falling more and more in love with that idiotic ball of energy.

Now that they were back at school though, things had to change. She couldn't be that silly infatuated schoolgirl she was over the break; here she had to be the headmistress. She couldn't allow her students to see her like that-giddy and airheaded just because of a boy. Erina was perfectly content with her new mantra: "What happens in Paris, stays in Paris", and she was determined not to allow their vacation together to change their relationship.

Soma, on the other hand, was more determined than ever to make his new year's resolution come true. He would make Erina Nakiri his girlfriend. He was almost certain she felt something for him, but honestly, he couldn't know for sure. Soma had never been good at picking up on signals from girls. Plus, she was always so mad at him—that couldn't be a good sign.

He found himself lost in his thoughts as he finally began unpacking his suitcase almost two months later in February. His eyes fell upon a fluffy white scarf and he smiled, picking it up gently. Erina must've left it at his apartment on their last day when they went to the Louvre.

Soma supposed he could just return it to her tomorrow in class, but she was really weird about stuff like that. She might get mad if he gave her back an article of clothing in front of others. Were all girls this weird or was it just Nakiri? He decided to play it safe and head over to her mansion to hand it over privately.

The guards let him through without a second thought, and Soma made his way through the complex maze of a mansion. Where is her room again? Now that he thought about it, he'd never actually seen Erina's room before.

"Yukihira! What a pleasant surprise!" Alice's chirpy voice sang out as she ran into him in the halls.

He sighed with relief, "Alice! Thank god, you have no idea how lost I was in here. Why do you guys need such a big mansion?!" The size of this place literally boggled his mind and he shook his head and clutched the scarf tighter, "I'm glad I ran into you! Can you show me where Nakiri's room is? I've got something of hers."

Alice's eyes glimmered with mischief. Now why would Yukihira have one of Erina's scarves? Did she leave it in his dorm? She cocked her head in the direction of her cousin's room and said, "Follow me!"

As she led him down the hallways, she asked innocently, "When did she leave this with you?"

Soma stuttered suspiciously, red in the face, "U-uhh, she must've left it at the dorm or something. The girls just found it."

The white-haired girl cocked an eyebrow in disbelief. She knew Erina had been whining that she thought she left it back in Paris, so how could the girls at Polar Star have found it? Something was fishy… Alice took a chance and claimed surreptitiously, "It's okay, Yukihira. Erina already told me everything."

The redhead stared at her in skepticism for a few seconds but her innocent puppy dog eyes were all it took. He finally laughed, "Oh, cool! I didn't think she'd told anyone! Well I'm pretty sure she forgot it on that day we went to the Louvre."

Alice's voice raised an octave as she asked nonchalantly, "The Louvre? Like the museum in Paris? That you both went to together? Right, of course." Jackpot! Her gamble paid off! So Yukihira and Erina had spent time together in Paris!

Soma nodded, "Yeah, she probably left it at my place. I didn't even notice I had it until just now when I was unpacking! I hope she's not too mad," he chuckled, totally unaware of Alice's stunned expression.

The girl simply nodded in mute understanding and stopped in front of her cousin's door. "I'm sure she'll be relieved to have it back. Well, here we are!" She motioned grandiosely to the door.

Soma smiled, "Thanks, Alice!

She smiled back cunningly, "Not a problem. Oh, and I'm glad to hear you two had such fun on your trip."

Soma knocked on the door and smiled brilliantly when Erina finally swung the door open.

"Yo! Good to see ya, Nakiri!" He leaned against her doorway casually, amused at her puzzled expression.

She hastily smoothed out her messy hair from hours of lying on the bed reading her romance manga and asked alarmedly, "What are you doing here, Yukihira? Shouldn't you be working on that paperwork I sent you for our next council meeting?"

He exclaimed, "That's not due for another week! C'mon, let me in. I come bearing gifts."

She frowned but stepped aside to let him pass.

He took in the sight of her room; it was very…pink. He handed her the scarf, saying, "I'm guessing you left this at my place back in Paris?"

She grabbed it from him and exclaimed, "I've been looking all over for this!"

He explained, "Sorry I didn't give it back sooner, but I literally just got around to unpacking."

She frowned, "Who unpacks more than a month after their trip? Regardless, thank you for returning it. Even if it is late," she stuck her tongue out playfully at him and he chuckled.

Soma said, "I would've just waited and brought it to class but I figured you'd be weird about me bringing it in front of people."

Erina wondered, So he's not totally obtuse. I wonder if that's why he didn't tell anyone we hung out over the break? For my sake?

She simply stated, "Thank you for your discretion. And yes, I would have been upset. I don't need anyone knowing about what we did-not that we DID anything! But you know!" Her face was flushed, and she broke into a sweat thinking of her classmates believing anything was going on between her and the first seat.

Soma laughed, "Not really? But whatever, princess. I live to serve." He winked at her, causing the familiar butterflies to pop up in her stomach.

He mused, "I'm surprised you told Alice, though. Did she find out somehow?"

Erina froze, "What do you mean? Alice doesn't know."

Soma started, "Yes, she does. I ran into her here and she told m-ohhhh."

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and avoided the girl's icy stare. "I think she might know now…"

The blonde screamed in frustration and rushed towards the door, but Soma grabbed her arm and pulled her back. He yelled, "So what if she knows we hung out? What's the big deal?!"

Erina blurted out, "She's going to think something's going on between us since we kept it a secret!"

He replied, "No, YOU kept it a secret! I just stayed silent because I figured you'd be pissed if I was the one who brought it up first, but then you never did! So, in a way, you're right, now it's weird that we never mentioned it! Why didn't you tell anyone?"

She stuttered, "I-I don't know… It's just suspicious that we hung out alone in the most romantic city in the world! I didn't want people to talk!"

He groaned, "It's not that weird! We're friends, right? Friends hang out. It's not our fault we happened to be in the same place over the break. It would've been weirder if we didn't hang out just because it happened to be Paris. You're overthinking this!"

Soma wondered nervously, Does she really care that much? Is she embarrassed about being seen with me? Maybe I'm not making as much progress as I thought.

Erina looked like she was about to reply but stopped. Instead, she sighed and murmured ashamedly, "I suppose you aren't totally wrong… I'm sorry for making things uncomfortable for you. It was inappropriate."

Soma smiled and placed two hands gently on her arms, prompting her to look into his eyes. He offered, "No big deal, Nakiri. I get it. If you want, I can talk to Alice."

She muttered, "And say what?"

He grinned, "Duh, the truth. That you didn't want to say we were hanging out because… you were protecting my reputation."

She cocked an eyebrow at him and spat out incredulously, "What?"

He nodded seriously, "I know you were just trying to protect my bad boy reputation. I mean, if people found out I was hanging out with the Princess of Tōtsuki my image would be destroyed!"

She giggled and rolled her eyes, "Oh yeah? I hardly think you have that reputation around here. I think people mainly see you as the village idiot."

He looked shocked and exclaimed, "What? No way! I'm definitely the resident rebel here. Seriously, can you imagine if people found out that I let you have the last bite of those desserts we split? Or that I carried your shopping bags around the Champs-Elysees?" He gingerly tucked a piece of her hair back behind her ear, forcing her to blush furiously. He continued, "Nobody would take me seriously around here anymore." Soma leaned in and whispered in her ear, letting his warm breath graze her skin, "So, thanks for keeping my secret, Erina Nakiri."

She muttered a choked, "Dummy", under her breath but couldn't help but let a small smile slip. Soma always made her feel better.

He took his hands off her and slid them back into his jacket pockets, casually asking, "So where are we going next?"

The fleeting moment of calm left her, and Erina yelled anxiously, "Nowhere! Why would you think we'd repeat that?"

He smiled adorably, "Because it was fun. Didn't you have a good time?"

She crossed her arms defiantly, "That's irrelevant. Besides, because of you, I didn't get any work done over the break, which means my next vacations will be nonexistent! I have to catch up on all that work!"

He thought for a moment and said excitedly, "We could do a weekend trip! Something short! Come on, it would be fun! I could pack snacks for the road trip!" An ominous aura surrounded him as he started planning all the horrible food he could force upon her and she stuck out a hand, stopping him.

She stated, eyes shut, "Yukihira, if anyone is to bring the snacks, it will be me. You are forbidden from coming anywhere near me with your god-awful creations."

Soma shrugged, "Suit yourself. Okay, so you're bringing the snacks, it's settled. Where are we going?"

Erina shrieked, "Nowhere!", and stomped her foot into the ground forcefully.

Soma ignored her, "We could always go to my hometown… I could show you Yukihira! But nah, you probably wouldn't want to go there." He continued listing places she might be interested in but she interrupted him.

"Hold on-Why wouldn't I want to go to your hometown? Am I not good enough to visit?"

He laughed, "No, not at all! I just didn't think you'd be interested. It's just a small town."

She sniffed and mumbled, "I like small towns. Besides, you took Mito-san!"

The redhead smirked, "What, are you jealous?" His golden eyes gleamed with amusement watching the blush spread across her face.

Erina exploded, "No, don't be ridiculous! You can take whoever you want for all I care!"

Soma remarked offhandedly, "Ya know, that actually reminds me. Nikumi came up to me earlier this week and started talking about that dance that's coming up, but then she got all red and weird and ran away. I wonder what that was about."

The blonde gaped at him. Did he really not know how Ikumi felt about him? Okay, he really was that obtuse. And she was going to ask him to the dance?! The thought made Erina's stomach churn and her blood boiled.

As part of the Elite Ten, Alice had used her status to plan a Valentine's Day Dance for the whole school. The catch? Girls asked the boys. And the worst part was that as Headmistress, she was forced to attend!

Erina ran a hand through her long golden hair and muttered, "I hate this dance. It's a waste of our time. We should be focused on school and becoming the greatest chefs of this generation, not silly things like dances! Besides, it's completely inappropriate for girls to ask guys! It should be the other way around!"

Soma shrugged, "I think it's kinda cool the girls have to ask! Guys always have to make the first move." He had even been hoping that maybe Erina would ask him, but after hearing her views on dances, that was unlikely.

Erina looked down at her nails, pretending to examine them, mentioning frostily, "I noticed some first-years sticking notes in your locker. Did they ask you?"

He nodded, "Yeah, but I turned them down. They just want to be seen with the first seat, ya know? They don't actually want to go with me, Soma. But it's fine, I don't mind going stag. I'd rather go alone than go with someone I barely know. You planning on asking anyone?" Soma's pulse raced as he waited for her answer.

She hesitated, then shook her head, "Of course not. It would be unbecoming for the headmistress to show up with a student as a date."

Soma frowned, "You're a student too, though. I don't think it would be that weird. Besides, there's gotta be someone you wouldn't mind going with?" He couldn't help but be hopeful; there was no way this was one-sided. He knew she had to feel something for him. Their time together had been too amazing for it to be all in his head.

Erina's face turned as red as her crush's hair, and she lied, "The guys that have actually impressed me with their cooking haven't impressed me with their personalities, and the guys that have decent personalities haven't impressed me with their cooking. It's impossible to find a respectable suitor around here." She flipped her hair over her shoulder disdainfully.

Suddenly, Soma had a distant look in his eyes and murmured, "Oh my god…"

Alarmed, she asked, "What?"

He began talking to himself, "Of course! I was so focused on my other goal that I completely forgot about the first one…"

Erina snapped, "What are you talking about?!"

His promise to make Erina say his food was delicious! Soma had been so wrapped up in his second new year's resolution, he had lost sight of the reason they became friends in the first place. He still hadn't made her acknowledge him as a first-rate chef, so how in the world could she ever choose him to be a potential suitor?! He hadn't proved himself worthy yet!

He replied excitedly, "I get it now! How could I have been so stupid? Nakiri, my first promise to you has literally been my motivation ever since my first day at Tōtsuki!"

Erina frowned and exclaimed, "Obviously! But what does that have to do with this?"

Soma exclaimed, "I have to keep my promise before I move on to my other goals—it's the only way!"

His eyes gleamed with determination as he shot her a fierce smile and a thumbs up. "Once I do that, everything else will fall into place!"

Her frustration had reached its peak. Why wasn't this idiot listening to her?! And what was he saying? That once he got her to admit his food was delicious, he'd surpass her? Could she really be just another stepping stone to him?

She crossed her arms, seething, "So, all you want is my approval, and once you have that, you'll move on, just like that?! Well guess what, Yukihira, l will never say your food is delicious!"

Soma only chuckled and gave her a cocky smile, "Just you wait, Nakiri. I'm comin for ya!" He bounced out of the room, leaving her in a confused rage.

She screamed silently, What just happened?!

Over the course of the next week, Soma bombarded Erina with new recipes to try. Every dish left her in a state of delirious deliciousness, but her pride got the better of her and she refused to give him the satisfaction.

"Disgusting!" She'd cry out after putting her fork down on an empty plate. Soma wasn't deterred though; his cooking was only improving, and Erina's defenses were crumbling. The dance was in a week, and he was determined to get her to admit his cooking was good by then! It was the only way for her to view him as a serious candidate.

After a particularly busy day of experimenting in the dorm kitchen, Soma received an unexpected text, breaking him out of his cooking trance.

Soma ran into Erina as he was turning the corner at school.

She fell to the floor, and as soon as she saw him, she barked, "Watch where you're going!"

He laughed and helped her up, commenting, "Wow, I just got a serious case of déjà vu. Remember the last time I accidentally ran into you at the training camp? It feels like so long ago. You hated me so much."

She smirked, "The word 'hated' would imply that feeling was in the past tense."

Soma smiled back cheekily, "Come on, Nakiri, you know you love me now."

She blushed and grumbled, "In your dreams."

It was frustrating how even after he had all but admitted she was just a stepping stone, her heart still ached for him. She couldn't deny the intense feeling of excitement she felt whenever she saw him or heard his voice down the hallway. Every time he teased her, she wanted to fall back into their familiar pattern of jesting and flirting like they had before.

She hastily shook those dangerous thoughts from her mind. How stupid of her to continue falling for a guy who didn't see her that way. Erina asked, "What are you doing here after hours?"

Soma replied, "Alice texted me and asked me to meet her here for something. She said it was an emergency."

Erina froze. "She told me the same thing."

They both looked at each other in fear; Alice was the master of terrifying plans.

"Oh, there you two are!"

"Ahh!" Soma and Erina both jumped at the sound of the aforementioned girl's voice, staring at her in terror.

She ignored them, clapping her hands excitedly, "Thanks for coming! I desperately need your help with something!" Before they could respond, she grabbed them by the wrists and dragged them into the nearest classroom.

"What the hell…" Soma muttered as he stared into the room. Inside were an anxious-looking Megumi and Takumi next to a giant game board with lights around the words "Cooking up Love!", while on the other side were Hisako and Akira, who were just looking mildly irritated.

Alice giggled at their stunned faces and explained, "So, you guys know I'm in charge of this year's Valentines dance! I thought it would be fun if we did one of those newlywed challenge games at the dance, like who knows their partner the best! But I need help working out the kinks! That's why you two are here; I need you to pretend to be a couple just for right now to help me with the game!"

Erina sputtered, "What? No way! I am not pretending to date him!" at the exact moment Soma laughed, "Sure! It'll be fun!"

They stared at each other in surprise and Alice took advantage of this moment of uncertainty to drag them behind the third desk. Erina started to protest but Alice hummed over her loudly, signaling the start of the game.

Soma leaned over and whispered, "What's the matter, Nakiri? Scared we'll lose?"

No, she thought worriedly, I'm scared we'll win.

She yelled over Alice, ignoring Soma's taunt, "Megumi, switch with me!"

The blue-haired girl squeaked at being addressed so forcefully and stared in confusion at everyone. She answered timidly, "W-why? I think you'll do fine with Soma-kun!"

Erina moved past her desk and rushed over to their desk across the room. She responded hastily, "You and Yukihira know each other much better than we do. Besides, Takumi and I are old friends."

Takumi stared blankly, "We are?"

She growled to both of them, "Yes! Now go over there, you don't want to keep your sweet faux-boyfriend waiting!"

Megumi hesitantly left her desk to go join a very exasperated-looking Soma at his desk. He cocked an eyebrow in her direction as if to ask, Really? but Erina avoided his gaze and nodded towards Alice, "Continue."

Alice glared and asked sarcastically, "Oh can I? Thank you, cousin. Now then, the rules are simple. I am going to ask you all a series of questions, giving you one minute to write down your answer on a whiteboard while thinking of your partner's answer. After the time is up, we'll go around and see how many people know their partners as well as they think they do! The couple with the most points will win a free dinner or something; I haven't settled on a prize yet. So, without further ado, let's begin!"

Alice used her hands to create a drumroll and announced in her best game show host voice, "It's time to see which of these couples is Cooking up Love! Let's start with quest- Hey!" Alice turned to face Soma and Megumi who had their heads bent over and were discussing something excitedly in hushed voices.

She exclaimed, "Are you guys cheating?! You can't discuss your answers!"

Soma's head popped up and he grinned, "How could we be cheating if we don't even know the questions yet?"

Erina's hands gripped the edge of the desk so hard her knuckles were white. How dare he flirt so blatantly with some other girl in front of her?! After everything they'd been through! Ugh! She was right not to give in to him! Her resolve to never give him the satisfaction of knowing he was a good chef strengthened in that very moment.

Alice narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the pair but said nothing, choosing to continue on with the game. "As I was saying, let's start with question 1! Ladies and gentlemen, which person, dead or alive, would your partner love to have dinner with?" She let the clock tick down while everyone pondered their answers and wrote on their whiteboards. After the minute was up, she pointed dramatically at Hisako and Akira. "We'll start with this lovely couple and work our way around the room. Alrighty, Hayama, please answer for us: which person, dead or alive, would Hishoko love to have dinner with?"

Akira thought for a moment and stated coolly, "Since Arato doesn't value anyone higher than Nakiri in the cooking world and she can have dinner with her anytime, probably someone that has to do with medicinal properties. Maybe someone like the inventor of medicine?"

Hisako's jaw dropped as she lifted her white board to reveal "Hippocrates" on her board, nodding in awe. Alice whooped, "I think that counts! Nice one! You guys get a point! Hishoko, who would Hayama want to have dinner with?"

Hisako shrugged and said, "The only person I think Hayama really cares for is Jun?"

The slight smirk on his face gave him away and he lifted up his board. "Jun."

Alice cheered, "Two for two! Awesome, guys! Let's move on to the next group, Yukihira and Megumi! Yukihira, who would Megumi like to have dinner with?"

Soma answered almost immediately, "Her mom."

Megumi lifted her board to reveal "My mom" with a little heart and Alice clapped appreciatively, "Whoa, we've got an impressive set of guys here!" She added a point to their group, and asked Megumi the same question.

Erina instinctively thought, His mother. Megumi responded the same way, "His mom."

Soma's laughed cheerily, and he smiled, flipping his board over to reveal that both girls were right.

He teased, "Am I that predictable?"

Alice moved on to Erina and Takumi. Unfortunately, Takumi didn't know Erina very well as they almost never hung out or spoke to each other. The most he knew about her was what he had learned on the train during the Regiment de Cuisine. He took a shot in the dark and said, "Yukihira's dad?" Alice giggled and Erina blushed at the mention of her idol, but she shook her head. She raised her whiteboard to reveal the words "My mother".

Alice stopped giggling immediately and shot Erina a sympathetic smile, rushing through the question, "Ooh, sorry. That's okay though, because we have a few more rounds to make up those points!" Erina also missed the question, completely blanking on who Takumi would choose. She knew absolutely nothing about him. This was a total mistake.

"Round two!" Alice announced. "Favorite drink in cold weather!"

Akira and Hisako both got points, citing the others favorite herbal teas. 4 points for them!

When Alice asked Soma, he answered confidently, "Hot chocolate, 3 mini marshmallows, dollop of whipped cream." Erina stared perplexedly at him. That was her favorite drink. Megumi lifted up her board to reveal "Green tea" and she shrugged apologetically. He laughed, "Aw man, you win some, you lose some!"

After Megumi guessed his favorite drink correctly, they had a total of 3 points. Alice moved on to Erina and Takumi. Takumi guessed once again, "Hot chocolate?" He thought he had seen her drink it once?

She slowly revealed her answer to the group. Everyone except Soma looked shocked to see her board showed, "Hot chocolate, 3 mini marshmallows, whipped cream." That answer sounded familiar… Erina dared to look at Soma, and she found him staring back at her with a sly smile on his face. His golden eyes bored into hers and she looked away, unable to fight the blush creeping onto her cheeks.

During the next round, Alice asked, "Where would your partner want to go on their next vacation?"

Hayama and Hisako both missed this time, guessing incorrectly, only to reveal that they both wanted to go to the same place: Greece.

Soma once again stated confidently, "Argentina. She wants to see if the steak there is really as good as everyone says it is."

Erina couldn't help but gasp, completely stunned, as he threw back her statement word for word. She had told him this during their dinner at Shino's.

Megumi giggled and lifted her board to reveal "Hawaii". The navy-haired girl knew his answer though. Erina silently said the answer along with Megumi at the same time: New York. He lifted his board to reveal a crudely drawn Statue of Liberty and nodded, smiling back.

When the time came for Erina to reveal her answer, the group had caught on to what was happening. Alice's jaw dropped when she saw "Argentina" printed on the board, and Hisako was practically swooning over her best friend being courted from afar. Alice crooned, "My, my…" but said nothing and continued tallying on the board. Erina guessed Italy for Takumi, earning her another point.

They went on to play a few more rounds, with the questions ranging from factual to behavioral. Soma continued to state his answers assuredly, never earning a point as he apparently wasn't playing for his partner but guessing every one of Erina's answers correctly. The cocky redhead smiled at the blonde every time she revealed her matching answer and she rolled her eyes in response. Why was he doing this?! Didn't he know how this looked in front of all their friends?

Finally, when the game came to a close, Alice summed the points and announced the winners to be Hisako and Akira. She grinned, "Congratulations, lovebirds! As a special thank you for helping me with this, you'll be treated to a romantic dinner for two at the restaurant of your choice!"

They glanced at each other awkwardly and rushed off, postponing the weird conversation for another day. Before Takumi could leave as well, Erina caught him.

"I'm sorry for causing that weird situation, Takumi. I shouldn't have gotten you involved, and it was very inappropriate of me to drag you into this."

Takumi smiled kindly in response, "Don't worry about it. I know you and Yukihira have always had a tense relationship, to say the least." He laughed at her embarrassed face and assured her it was fine. He continued, "But this just shows how much we still don't know about each other! I hope we can become better friends!" She nodded excitedly, glad he had already forgiven her for acting so disgracefully.

Speaking of disgraceful…

Erina gave Megumi a polite smile as she passed and waited until everyone had left the classroom before resolutely hitting Soma on the arm. She cried, "What is wrong with you?! What kind of game are you playing here?!"

He groaned and rubbed his arm in response, "Stop hitting me whenever you're mad!"

She ignored him, yelling, "How could you do that in front of all our friends?! How could you do that to Megumi?"

He defended himself, "She knew about the plan! She thought it was a funny idea!"

She berated him nonetheless, "Whatever! Now everyone's going to think something's going on between us!"

He cocked an eyebrow, "Not necessarily! Hisako and Hayama knew a ton about each other too and no one's accusing them of dating. We know they're just friends!"

She began to protest but weakened; he had a point. Erina crossed her arms defensively, "It was still embarrassing! You think you know me so well, don't you?"

He grinned back, "Kinda. C'mon Nakiri, I know we would've crushed that game if we'd played together. Why didn't you want to play with me?"

She stared at her feet and grumbled, "We're not a couple."

Soma tried to ignore the pain in his heart as he watched her walk away. Not yet, Nakiri. Just you wait. I'll prove I'm worthy to be by your side.

The day of the Valentine's Day dance had arrived, and Soma hadn't been able to get Erina to admit she liked his cooking. He felt broken. He'd really wanted to fulfill his promise to her by the time the dance rolled around so he could prove he was worthy of her! But he'd failed once again, and now she would never want to be his girlfriend. However, he still had one last resort…

Soma found Akira Hayama in his usual hangout, the Shiomi Seminar. He called out to him cheerfully, breaking the tan boy's concentration.

Soma wrung his hands together nervously, "Yo, Hayama! Sorry to interrupt but I kinda had a question for you! Uh, do you remember in the Autumn Elections when the judges picked your dish over mine and Kurokiba's because they could tell you made it for someone?"

Akira nodded, recalling how his devotion to Jun had shown through his dish and resonated with the judges. Soma continued hesitantly, "How did you do that?"

The spice master smirked-Yukihira was finally figuring out the secret to being a great chef. He replied, "Are you trying to make something for Nakiri?"

Soma's face turned as red as his hair and he exclaimed quickly, "No! What? Are you—what?"

Seeing Akira's disbelieving face, Soma dropped the act and sighed, "Okay, is it that obvious?"

Akira shrugged, "It is to me. But not everyone else pays attention like I do. Yukihira, the way to show your love through a dish isn't by constantly forcing them to try your stuff and trying to prove them wrong. Nakiri is a very proud person and she'll never fall for those tricks."

Soma groaned and ran his hands through his spiky hair, "Believe me, I know. I've tried for almost two years now. So, what do I do? How do I make a dish that'll finally make her admit my cooking is delicious?"

The white-haired boy sighed, "At the risk of getting too sappy, all you have to do is cook with that person in mind. Not about how much you want to impress them or beat them, but just how you feel about them. Your emotions will show through your cooking. If you feel strongly towards her, your food will do all the talking. At least that's what happens when I cook. But we all know, I'm better than you."

Soma growled, "You wanna go, Hayama?!" He instinctively reached for his white bandana and Hayama stopped him, "I don't have time to school you right now, Yukihira. I've gotta pick up Arato for the dance."

Soma's mouth fell open, "You and Hishoko? Who would've thought!"

Akira smirked to himself, "We found out we had a lot in common during Alice's dumb game. She asked me to accompany her shortly after." He smiled thinking of how fond he'd become of the pink-haired girl. "Good luck with Nakiri. Just let your cooking speak for itself."

Hours later at the Valentine's Day dance, Erina sat at the table, scratching away at the pink tablecloth absentmindedly. She watched bitterly as dozens of couples swayed on the dance floor, entranced in the other's eyes. Romantic music filled the air, red tinsel was strewn across the ballroom, and shiny pink hearts covered the walls. It all made her want to gag.

In the end, she hadn't asked anyone to be her date for the dance. Every day when Soma came to present his latest dish, she tried to work up the courage to ask him, but she couldn't do it. It was too humiliating. So now, here she was alone again because of her pride. She knew her hubris was going to be her downfall, yet she couldn't fight it. Erina had resigned herself long ago to the fact that she was destined to be at the top, but alone.

Her eyes scanned the floor through the pink and white balloons for the boy she longed for, but he wasn't there. Instead, red eyes met hers, and Alice sat down in the chair next to Erina's.

The blonde inquired dryly, "Where's Kurokiba?"

Alice giggled, "Getting us drinks! I've got to hand it to him, he really has been the perfect date all evening."

Erina smirked, "Did you set this whole 'girls asking boys' thing up to ensure you would have him as a date?"

Her cousin exclaimed, "No, don't be ridiculous! Besides, I wouldn't need to do that. As my aide, Ryo is instructed to serve me at all times, so even if boys asked girls, he would still have to ask! I just thought it would be more fun this way!"

Erina shook her head but said nothing. Alice noticed the cold expression and poked her finger into Erina's cheek playfully, "Why so glum? The dance is a hit! Don't tell me otherwise!"

Erina rolled her eyes, "The dance is fine, Alice. Everyone looks like they're having a good time."

Alice quipped, "Everyone except you. What's wrong?"

The headmistress snapped, "Nothing's wrong. I just have better things to do than babysit a bunch of hormonal teenagers at a dance."

Alice smirked, "Are you upset you don't have a date? Any boy here would have said yes if you'd asked!"

Erina sighed, "I don't want just 'any boy', Alice! I want-" She gripped the hem of her pink dress and bit her lip. She couldn't say it. She would never say it.

Alice put a soothing hand on her cousin's shoulder, offering, "I know. But on the bright side, he's not here with anyone else either."

Erina glanced back up towards the dance floor, hoping for a sight of his wild red hair. She countered glumly, "He might be on a date with someone. After all, it's Valentine's Day."

Alice shook her head, confused, "No, he's in the kitchen!"

Erina's head snapped up to meet her cousin's gaze, "What? Why is he there?!"

The white-haired girl shrugged, "He said he wanted to make the snacks for the party, so I let him. He seemed really adamant about it." Ryo had come back with two drinks in his hand, and Alice leaned in and spoke hurriedly, "You still have a chance to turn this around! Don't let your story end this way!"

She stood up, smoothed out her red dress, and took her date's arm. As they walked back towards the dance floor, she called out over her shoulder, "You can do it, Erina!"

Erina pushed past the kitchen doors, slowly poking her head in. "Y-Yukihira?"

She found him mixing batter in a metal bowl while simultaneously shutting the oven door behind him with his foot. His bandana clad head popped up and a bright smile graced his face when he saw her. He called out, "Nakiri! I'm so glad you're here!"

Her heart fluttered at his words and she smiled softly, "What are you doing here? Why aren't you enjoying the dance with the rest of your classmates?"

Soma shrugged, "It didn't feel right. I couldn't stop thinking about my promise to you."

Erina muttered cynically, "So now you can't even have fun because of me?"

He cocked his head to the side in question, "What? No, this past week has been so fun! You know how much I love it when you challenge me!"

She sighed with relief and giggled quietly, "I know; it's infuriating. No matter how much I discouraged you in the past, you kept treating it like a personal invitation to keep going." Erina leaned against the kitchen counter, watching him arrange a small plate with an assortment of delicious-looking snacks.

He laughed, "I can't help it. Messing with you and cooking are my two greatest passions. But I think it's time to bury the hatchet between us, don't ya think?"

Erina scoffed, "You want me to lie and say your food is delicious just so you can feel good about yourself? I will not be used as a 'stepping stone', so if you think-"

Soma cut her off, "Whoa, stepping stone? You? Nakiri, what are you talking about?"

She spat out, "I know you think I'm standing in the way of your other goals, like opening up your restaurants and earning your Michelin stars! You just want my stamp of approval like everyone else so you can move on and surpass me! Well let me tell you, it's not happening!"

He blinked wordlessly for a few moments before bursting out laughing. "You thought-oh my god, what? You thought those were the goals I was talking about?"

She shouted, "What was I supposed to think? You were ignoring me during that very one-sided conversation!"

Soma grinned and approached her with the prepared plate in hand. He passed it to her and she took it with trembling hands. He ran a hand through his hair apprehensively and the blush on his face was evident. Why was he so nervous all of a sudden? He could literally feel his heart beating through his chest! How was it that he could enter an arena with absolutely no plan and still crush his competition with thousands of people betting against him, but he couldn't confess his feelings to a girl?!

He laughed nervously, "Sorry, I guess I didn't explain very well back there. Let me start over. You see, when I first started at Tōtsuki, all I wanted was for you to acknowledge me as a chef, so I could move on and go back to running Yukihira. You were the only person who had ever rejected my cooking, and it drove me crazy. I would get your approval if it killed me."

She smirked, remembering how dejected he had looked when she had lied and told him his food was disgusting at the entrance exam.

He continued, "That promise to you made me a better chef in every way. Working so hard towards making you like my food made me push myself past my limits, and even though you hated me, I never felt anything but admiration towards you. I knew if I could get you to admit my food was delicious, it would mean I had finally made it.

That was all it was in the beginning. It was like I had tunnel vision and I could only see that finish line at the end. But somehow this past year through all our Shokugekis and competitions and conversations, you showed me there's a lot more that I want-stuff I didn't even dream was possible, and it's all because of you."

Erina's breath hitched; where was he going with this? Was he really saying what she thought he was saying?

Soma pushed on, "But I guess somewhere along the line, I pushed my first promise to you to the back of my mind. And when you reminded me that you still hadn't said my food was delicious, I felt ashamed. Like I hadn't earned the right to even think of those other plans. So that was why I wanted to fulfill my promise to you."

She murmured, "Yukihira..."

Soma's next words tumbled out, "What I'm trying to say is, after chasing after your approval for the past two years, I finally figured out what the secret is to being a great chef."

She whispered, heart pounding, "What's that?"

He said simply, "Meeting a woman that will make you want to give all the food you make to her. I found that in you from the first day we met," he admitted. He took a shaky breath and confessed, "Nakiri, I… I'm in love with you."

Erina froze. Her whole body tensed and her brain glitched. Did she hear that right? She shook her head as if to jog it back into working order and asked, "What?"

His face was bright red and he laughed uncomfortably, "And those other goals I was talking about? I was referring to all the stuff you made me realize I wanted with you: dating, opening our restaurants together, being partners. But how could I even think of asking you to be my girlfriend when you hadn't even acknowledged me as a chef? I had to get your approval first in order to prove that I'm worthy enough to be seen by your side."

Erina's knees felt weak and she slid down to the floor with the plate of food in her lap. Her head was spinning at the confession.

Soma sat down next to her and took her hand in his. He murmured, "It's okay if you don't feel the same way. I just needed you to hear it. I wanted you to understand why I'm working so hard towards making you like my food."

She nodded absentmindedly, peering down at her plate. The assortment really did look delicious. With trembling fingers, she picked up the crab cake with garlic aioli. She took a bite.

Someone knocked on the door, and Erina called out from behind her desk, "Come in." Soma strolled in with a bag in his hand, dropping the take-out on her desk. He asked, "Ready for a break?"

She groaned with relief, "Yes! I'm starving. Thanks for the food." They dug into their Thai takeout and Erina sighed in contentment. Erina commented, "I can't believe we're graduating tomorrow."

Soma smiled excitedly, "I know! These three years have really flown by. I'm gonna miss these guys."

"It's not like you won't still see them from time to time."

He replied, "Yeah, but it's not the same. Living with people really turns them into your family. I'm gonna miss those crazy guys. Besides, once we're in Paris, it's gonna be hard to find the time to fly all the way back."

She nodded, "That's true. But don't worry, our first restaurant will be a total success and then we can come back and open our second and third locations wherever we want."

He smiled, "I can't wait," and kissed her softly on the lips.

Erina gasped at the vivid dream; she opened her eyes and saw that she was back in the kitchen with Soma. She gently touched her lips, as if searching for a trace of the kiss. She glanced towards the redhead next to her who was staring at her expectantly. She picked up the mini empanada and hesitantly took a new bite.

Hisako couldn't help but tear up at the beautiful vision in front of her. Erina sniffed, "I forbid you to cry! If you cry, then I'll start crying!"

The pink-haired girl wiped her tears away and forced herself to breathe. She nodded, "I'm sorry, Erina! I'm just so happy for you! I've been waiting for this day since we were kids!"

The girl in white laughed and agreed, "I know. It's crazy to think how it all happened this way. Who would've thought I'd end up with him?"

Hisako snorted, "Everyone."

Erina gasped and threw a fluffy pillow at her best friend, who merely giggled in retaliation. She added, "Seriously though, you two are perfect together. I really couldn't be more happy for you."

Just then, the door opened and Alice appeared, wearing a matching lilac dress like Hisako's. She squealed, "The guys are all ready! Not to be crude, but our men look hot!"

She poured champagne into three flutes and passed them around. "Soma's not even nervous. He told me he's just excited to get out there." She smiled at the blush spreading across Erina's cheeks. "Let's toast to a happy marriage for Erina and Soma!"

The three girls giggled and clinked their glasses together, "Cheers!"

Erina's eyes flew open once again and blushed at her daydream. They felt so real! What was this food doing to her?!

Soma started, "Nakiri-" but she cut him off, "Hush," and she took a new bite of the mini red velvet cake.

"Look what I found!" Soma announced, holding a Fischer-Price easy bake oven. "How cute is this?!"

Erina giggled, "Very cute. Now stop playing with toys and help me finish setting this crib up."

He frowned and put down the toy, walking over to the middle of the nursery. "You did all this while I was at the store? Damn, I forgot how capable my wife is." He winked at her, and she found that even after all these years, she still couldn't help but blush.

She smirked, "Well, someone has to be the responsible one here."

He grinned, "Thank god for that. You're totally in charge of keeping this one alive, got that?" He carefully rubbed Erina's pregnant belly, laughing at her unamused expression.

She reprimanded him, "Soma Yukihira, if you think for one second you're leaving me to be the bad guy while you get to be the fun parent-"

Soma laughed, "Erina, chill! I'll be a good dad, I swear! This kid's gonna be the luckiest in the whole world."

The blonde giggled, "And why's that?"

He responded as if it were obvious, "Because he has you as a mom."

Erina's eyes popped open and her hand flew to her flat stomach in shock.

She mumbled, "What did you do to this food?"

He looked at her anxiously, "Nothing weird, I swear! Hayama just told me I had to cook with my heart or some shit, so I tried to do that instead of just wanting to impress you."

He cooked with his heart. It was like his food had made all her secret desires that had slept within her come awake. Erina murmured distractedly, "…so, you really love me."

Soma nodded, "Yeah, I really do."

Erina lowered the plate onto the ground and pulled her knees into her chest. She had a big decision to make. She could be prideful once again and lie. She would retain all the power in their relationship and she would never fear getting hurt by him.

Or…for once in her life, she could drop the act. She could admit his food was delicious and that she felt the same way he did. That she wanted all the same things he did. She'd lose the power, but she'd gain something else. Love. Someone who knew her and understood the good and bad things about her, and still loved her regardless. Wasn't that what she'd always wanted growing up? Someone to love her unconditionally? Not because of her unique gift, but because of her?

After a moment of tense silence, Soma said quietly, "Listen, like I said before, I don't need you to say it back or whatever. I just want you to be honest with me and yourself for once. Was this delicious?"

His golden eyes searched hers for any sign of a clue as to which way she was leaning, but her impassive face revealed nothing. She shifted back onto her knees and faced the boy who loved her so dearly. She gently lifted a hand and ran it through his wild red hair, using the other to trace the little scar on his eyebrow she found herself so partial to.

Now it was Soma's turn to be frozen, and he couldn't move a muscle. He watched Erina lean in slowly and he closed his eyes when her lips brushed his. She kissed him cautiously, as if testing the waters, before wrapping her arms around his neck and melting deeper into his embrace. In turn, he wrapped one hand around her waist and the other around her neck as he kissed her hungrily in return. Erina moaned softly when she felt his hands tangle themselves in her hair, and every place his fingers traced over her back was electric. She felt like she was flying-invincible-like nothing and no one would ever be as alive as she was at this very moment in time. This was love.

Erina pulled away breathlessly and stared into Soma's golden eyes. She finally allowed herself to utter the one word the boy had been dying to hear since the day they had met.

"Delicious."