A/N: Hello, this is buseojin. It has been years since I last wrote fanfiction but lately I have been so in love with Shokugeki no Soma that I finally decided to try writing again. I hope that everyone will enjoy this story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Shokugeki no Soma or any of its characters

"It occurred to me in the tranquility of last night

That gathering wilted petals won't make them alright

It never grew to a great size, though it was already dead to my eyes

Saying we finished a long time ago is too polite"

- Megurine Luka, "Just Be Friends"

Golden eyes stared longingly at the platinum band resting in the palm of his hand. The precious Tiffany diamonds that adorned it had shined brightly in the moonlight on the night he slipped the ring onto her slender finger, but now they had lost their luster despite how she took immaculate care of the ring ever since she received it. The metal was cold to the touch, even when he wrapped his fingers around the ring, squeezing it tightly as if he would still be able to feel the warmth of her hands if he clutched the ring hard enough.

Now that she was no longer wearing the ring, Yukihira Sōma finally came to terms with what he should have saw coming months ago: Nakiri Erina was no longer his.

At the age of 25, Nakiri Erina still enjoyed reading shoujo manga and watching romantic shows online.

Despite taste-testing the finest dishes created by some of the most renowned chefs around the world on an almost every day basis, handling all the affairs of Tōtsuki , the most prestigious culinary academy in all of Japan, and working at her two Lumiere restaurant branches in Kyoto and London, she always found time to curl up in bed with the newest release of a manga series that the female students at Tōtsuki were talking about, or with her iPad to watch the latest episode of a television series that she was following. However, when anyone asked her for her opinion regarding what she had read or watched, Erina would always offer the same response:

"Hmph! I suppose they'd have to create drama like that to keep the audience interested, but it's simply too unrealistic! Over hundreds of missed calls and unanswered texts just because of a breakup? Perhaps the creators should think of what normal people would do in situations like that!"

It seemed that the creators did indeed take into account how normal people would react, because when Erina woke up at 7:30 AM in her bedroom at the Nakiri estate, she found dozens of frantic text messages and missed calls from Alice, and perhaps five times more from Hisako (However, Erina suspected that Alice was seeking her for gossip rather than concern for her wellbeing). She received messages from other people as well; Megumi, Ikumi, Takumi and Ryoko had sent her texts sending her their condolences, Yuki sent one asking her a series of questions about what had happened (which Erina promptly ignored because she was in no mood to discuss it with anyone), Ryo had sent one asking her to kindly answer the phone before Alice exploded with frustration, and even the aloof Akira sent her a simple "Sorry".

Perhaps Erina should have been grateful that her friends were kind and cared enough about her for them to end messages her way despite not having seen each other for months, but Erina couldn't help but feel frustrated by how everyone from their friend group seemed to have heard the news overnight. Of course she didn't suspect that he told them; they had kept details of their relationship on the low, for the first part (though there was a time she had drunkenly confessed their bedroom habits to Alice). She knew, for a fact, that there had been a paparazzo lurking outside last night when she left the penthouse apartment that they shared holding onto nothing but a small suitcase. Normally, she would have stopped, chastised him and have all his materials confiscated, but she was not herself at that time. She was emotional and vulnerable and scared, and she wanted nothing but to be far, far away from him.

She had arrived at the Nakiri estate without warning, and although Senzaemon was surprised and confused to see his dearest granddaughter there, cold with big, fat tears running down her cheeks, he didn't ask her any questions and instead urged her to take a hot bath and get to bed. Erina was grateful that her grandfather didn't press her for any answers. Although he was fierce, Senzaemon was gentle and considerate, especially towards Erina. She suspected that he was particularly attentive to her needs due to his regret that he had not caught onto Azami's strict "training" sooner, though she didn't hold Senzaemon accountable for anything that had happened back then.

Though Erina would have liked to do nothing more than to stay in bed and feel sorry for herself, she had learned since long ago that moping about would only make her feel worse about her predicament. Besides, she had some explaining to do, even if Senzaemon didn't ask her anything about why she showed up on his doorstep the night before. The Nakiri heiress slipped out of bed, wincing slightly when her bare feet touched the cool marble floor. The flooring should have been replaced with carpeting years ago, but the renovation had been halted since she moved out of the Nakiri estate years ago. Perhaps she should request that the renovations for her room start again.

Erina found Senzaemon in the dining room, enjoying a traditional Japanese breakfast of Gohan, pickled vegetables, and steamed salted fish. The elderly man noticed her the moment she entered the room, despite the lack of sound her footsteps made on the wooden floor. He gave her a nod of acknowledgment and gestured to the empty seat across from her, telling her to sit.

"Good morning, Grandfather," Erina said hesitantly as she settled down into the dining chair. She set her hands on the table in front of her. "About last night…"

"Erina," Senzaemon cut her off. "I already know."

Erina looked up, startled. "What?"

Senzaemon reached to the seat next to him and pulled up a well-read newspaper, which he handed to her. Erina's heart sank when she read the headline, plastered in big bold black letters on the front page with the picture that the paparazzo had taken right beneath it.

NAKIRI HEIRESS SPLITS WITH LONGTIME BEAU

She tightly gripped the newspaper, her fingers pressing so hard into the pages that the cheap ink rubbed off onto her fingers. Senzaemon studied her solemn expression before sighing.

"I was hoping that you would tell me that it was a misunderstanding, but I see now that at least the headline is true," he said. "I always wanted you to be happy, so I was pleased when you got engaged to Yukihira Sōma last year, because I knew you were genuinely happy when he was by your side. But yesterday I saw you crying the same way you used to cry when Azami was still here, and I can only surmise that Yukihira-kun is the cause of those tears. What happened, Erina? What changed since last year?"

Erina stared blankly at the newspaper article. What had changed, indeed? She and Sōma started dating as third years in high school, which did not come as a surprise to anyone who knew them because they all thought that the relationship between the headmistress and first seat of Tōtsuki were meant to be. They had managed to sustain their relationship for years. Sure, they were always busy- Erina with managing Tōtsuki and her restaurants and Sōma with his Yukihira diner- but somehow their feelings didn't fade away. If anything, Erina felt like she only loved him more during the few times that she did get to see him, and when they finally moved into their penthouse together, she was practically drowning in happiness. They were finally in the same place, not making plans to meet each other all around the world, and he could finally pick her up after work every night and drive her home in his old BMW. On Sundays, they would go on dates or conduct their own mini Shokugekis, whichever they felt like doing at the time.

It felt like bliss, and that was why when Sōma proposed to her, she said yes because she thought that their blissful life would stay the same.

Unfortunately, happiness does not come without a fair share of problems. They started fighting more frequently; sure, they had their disagreements every now and then before, but they started having full on arguments. They didn't fight about the important things, but rather petty matters like who left the remote on the kitchen counter. It began to feel like things could not be complacent for even a few days before they'd have another heated argument.

The things that they once found endearing were now frustrating, like how Sōma would collapse into their bed in the dead of night while still wearing his oily diner chef uniform, or how Erina would be so focused on perfecting her next dish that she would ignore him until everything was exactly the way she liked it. She found him too relaxed, and he found her too uptight.

They saw each other less too, after he opened his first fine dining restaurant, Scarlet. At first she missed him only two nights a week, but his shifts started piling up and soon she only saw him three times a week. And if it wasn't him that was busy, it was her. Hisako was not acting as her personal assistant, as the medicinal chef was studying in China for her PhD, and Erina found herself buried with more work, especially around the times that Tōtsuki would be holding exams. Despite having looked forward to the days when they would be home together before, Erina began to dread the days when she didn't have to go into work.

But she realized that it had to end when she finally ate his cooking one day, and thought that it was no longer delicious. It was well known that Erina never gave Sōma the time of day by outright telling him that his food was delicious, despite the fact that he had been one of the few chefs who was able to satisfy her God's Tongue. But somewhere along the line, Sōma's cooking began tasting bland on her tongue, regardless of how long he marinated the meat or seasoned the vegetables. It was as if she could no longer taste his cooking. And Sōma didn't have the drive to cook for her anymore either. Perhaps it was partially her fault that he had lost the spark in his eyes when he cooked for her, since she "criticized" him less and less, but at the same time he made no effort to reignite the passion that had driven him to chase after her for the past few years.

When Erina finally told Sōma that she thought that they should separate, he did not fight her on her decision.

"Alright."

That was all he said. And Erina left that very night.

When Senzaemon noticed Erina's long period of silence, he took the newspaper from Erina's hands. "I imagine that you are quite stressed from this whole situation, so I would recommend that you take time away from work and recover from this ordeal. I personally would like it if you remove yourself from work completely, but if you must continue working perhaps it would be best to just take on tasting jobs for now and leave the rest aside."

"But the Autumn elections are coming up!" Erina protested. "And I still need to overlook Lumiere!"

"I have already asked Dōjima to take your place overseeing the Autumn elections and Hayama-kun has agreed to take on your other Tōtsuki duties until you have recuperated. As for Lumiere, Alice and Kurokiba-kun will be flying in from Denmark tomorrow to take over your responsibilities," Senzaemon assured her.

Oh hell no.

"Alice cannot overlook Lumiere!" Erina cried. She knew of her cousin's whimsical nature and proclivity for fun and entertainment. Surely Lumiere would be driven to the ground under Alice's management! As for Ryo, he was no better unless he was cooking, seeing as how he obediently carried out Alice's orders without a second thought.

"Have faith in Alice's abilities." Senzaemon said calmly as if he had read her mind. "Has she ever let you down?"

Erina was tempted to recall the disaster that was the first day of the Moon Banquet Festival in their first year, or the total state of disarray that the cabin the Elite Ten sold yakisoba was in even on the third day of the year two exams, but she chose to keep her mouth shut. Even if Alice had rough starts, she did manage to get things done… a few days later.

"Very well. I will do my best to recuperate so that I will be able to resume my responsibilities as soon as I can," Erina conceded. "Now, may I be excused so that I can start planning out my recovery?"

Senzaemon gave her a small nod and Erina left the room. The former Tōtsuki headmaster watched as she retreated, before settling back into his seat.

"I wonder if you've given up, Yukihira Sōma."