#totsuki culinary academy

[e-adlirez]

Can you tell me about the stars academy series? Like, how much Thea sisters content is there that wasn’t translated into English?

Oh god for the second question you have no idea what rabbit hole you're getting yourself into

But the first question is far simpler so I'll cover that first:

Stars Academy is a spin-off where the premise is this: Violet, Colette and Pamela are accepted to do a summer Master's degree in Stars Academy, a very prestigious performing arts academy situated in Broadway, New York. Think of it like uh, the Curtis Institute of Music for music nerds, or Totsuki Culinary Academy for the weebs. The selection process is extremely selective and so is the master's degree itself-- less than 50% of entrants actually make it to the end and receive their master's degree. What happens to the other 50%? Well, you know what happens when a student just can't keep up with the curriculum and is only flunking harder and harder with each exam.

Oh yeah, Nicky and Paulina? Yeah they applied/auditioned with the girls but they didn't make the cut so they're chilling in Mouseford :'D

Anyway so one other interesting thing about the curriculum is that uh... you don't get to choose what you're majoring in for the master's degree :D everyone's doing something along the lines of performing arts, from acting to dancing to singing to music stuff. The way the school works is they look at you and your credentials, and give you a master's degree that'll either enhance your current skillset or pad things out and give you another tool in your belt. How does that apply to the girls? Well uh, Colette is very fond of dance (specifically ballet), Pam is good at acting and would probably make the next member of Starkid Productions (/j), and as we all know Violet is planning to be a violinist so she'd want to go in that route.

The academy chose an Acting degree for Colette, a Dance degree for Pam, and a Music Composition degree for Violet. And they have no way of changing the academy's decision :D soooo shenanigans :DDD

Anyway yeah so that's Star's Academy in a nutshell, it's basically a taste of the girls experiencing stuff in a different school, different environment (look Mouseford is cool and all and hella prestigious but the vibe is the student body is full of Max Jägerman-certified nerdy prudes), different classes and of course, having to adapt to courses they think don't suit them :D Vi in particular is Family Guy deathposing at every step of the way because uh, learning music theory and composition, while a part of a lot of musicians' repertoire, is something very different from musical performance and Vi can't even use her violin as something to lean on for most of it :DDD she eventually gets through it tho without dropping out! It just takes a loootttt of floundering and dealing with the five stages of grief before she gets to that point. Oh yeah and the course has mandatory singing classes. Vi's shy ass is having a lot of fun with that one.

Okay so that's Stars Academy, hope that answers your question ^^

[school-of-all-time]

School of All Time Qualifiers

Totsuki Culinary Academy from Shokugeki no Soma

Shermer High from The Breakfast Club

Sycamore High School from The Hatchetfield Series

Creekwood High School from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Dotheboys Hall from Nicholas Nickleby

The top two schools will advance to the bracket rounds. The third place winner could possibly advance as well if it gets a large enough number of votes.

[polar-stars]

Here’s to the mysterious genius that’s keeping Totsuki Culinary Academy in a permanent awe. It’s been just one year, and already the first few legends about this boy and his blessed tongue are being spun.

Happy (belated) Birthday to Hiraku Yukihira ❤️

[kalamhs]

Yukihira Soma (幸平創真)

Yukihira Soma, the central character in "Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma," is a vibrant and determined young chef whose culinary journey captivates audiences throughout the anime and manga. Born into a family that runs a humble diner, Soma inherits his father Joichiro Yukihira's passion for cooking. Joichiro's departure to travel the world leaves Soma with the desire to surpass his father's culinary skills and the responsibility of running the family restaurant.

What distinguishes Soma is his fearless and unconventional approach to cooking. He thrives on experimenting with ingredients, pushing the boundaries of traditional culinary practices. His unwavering confidence and resilience make him stand out in the competitive environment of Totsuki Culinary Academy, where elite chefs hone their skills. Soma's ability to think on his feet and adapt to unexpected challenges sets the stage for thrilling and intense Shokugeki (cooking battles) throughout the series.

As a character, Soma undergoes significant growth, not only in terms of his culinary prowess but also in developing meaningful connections with fellow students and mentors. His interactions with classmates, rivals, and friends add depth to the narrative, creating a well-rounded protagonist with a mix of determination, humility, and a touch of rebellious spirit.

The series portrays Soma's journey through the demanding and prestigious Totsuki Culinary Academy, where he faces formidable opponents and undergoes rigorous training. Each culinary competition, or Shokugeki, becomes a platform for Soma to showcase his creativity, adaptability, and the culinary skills he has acquired from his diverse experiences.

Yukihira Soma's character is not just defined by his cooking abilities; it's also shaped by his relationships, personal growth, and his relentless pursuit of becoming a chef who can surpass even the most revered culinary masters. Through laughter, intense culinary battles, and moments of camaraderie, Soma's character resonates with fans as he strives to carve out his own path in the competitive world of gourmet cuisine.

[nevermindtheweights]

The somewhat heavyset white-haired chef nodded, keeping that in mind. There was more she wanted and needed to be a proper chef or at least the head chef of a hotel but she had heard rumours of what the place was and what it was like. When you're in this circle, you hear things.

"Alice Nakiri. Member of the Nakiri Family and Former 6th Seat and Alum of Totsuki Culinary Academy." She greeted as she extended her own hand out, giving the other a professional shake of a greeting. "And if money is no object, you'll have no issues supplying the stock I need~"

"Oh, if that's all it takes~ Hm, perhaps I'll hire you as my own personal chef on the side, as well. Money's no object, if you understand what I mean~" Mari smiled coyly, flashing a "money" hand sign while giving her own fluff of a belly a grip with her other hand.

"Ah, where are my manners!! Mari Ohara~ Daughter of the Ohara family and the one overseeing the Awashima Island location for Ohara Hotels and Resorts~" She let go of her gut and offered a hand.

"Yourself~?"

[tornatoremarzipansoldat]

Shokugeki no Soma OC, Emilia L. Gerbeaud

Name: Emilia Lilian Gerbeaud

Age: 14 (in the beginning of the series)

Live: Carouge, Switzerland 

Height: 1.58m (5′2.2)  Weight: 40kg

Date of Birth: 3rd of February

Professional: confectioner (specialized on chocolate)

Hobby: art 

Type: romantic boy who could treat her well

Love interest: Takumi Aldini

[weird-dere-fics]

Omegaverse Life at Totsuki Academy Headcanons

I was kinda curious about what it might be like to have to deal with all the stuff that comes from secondary sexes at such a rigorous and hectic place, so I came up with some headcanons just because.

I’ll make another if I can think of something to add. Eventually some more omegaverse headcanons specifically for Souma will be posted.

Formatting may look a bit strange for mobile users. Sorry!

Without further ado, the headcanons below ↓↓↓

As I kinda hinted at in the note before, I would imagine stipulations of the omegaverse make things even harder in an already rigorous cooking academy like Totsuki.

Despite their rather intense approach, I think the leaders at Totsuki would believe in a totally fair environment that welcomes alphas, betas, and omegas alike that possess the correct skills and aspirations.

People’s sense of smell in this AU is even more pronounced and nuanced than before, as you can imagine. Students, teachers, judges and guests alike will need to be able to differentiate between scents coming from people and scents coming from dishes. (imagine how much more potentially powerful Hayama’s nose is HHHHHHHHHHHHHH)

During large meetings of normal circumstances (Let’s say like the welcoming of the middle school students into high school) there is no need to inhibit the scents of students or anything. 

However, when it comes to a shokugeki, the autumn elections, or something similar, it is required that all students and spectators in the audience wear scent blockers of some sort. This is to keep from overwhelming the young chefs and judges involved. Creams are allowed, but neck bands, bracelets, thigh straps or other things you can physically wear are preferred. 

That isn’t to say wearing someone else’s clothing will do. Staff at Totsuki make it a point to make sure students understand that scent blocking doesn’t mean covering your scent with another scent, but to cancel your own scent out. 

Judges and adjudicators at such occasions are not required to (and most of the time just don’t) mask their scents. As you can imagine, that can make things for the contenders a lot more tense and can heighten suspense.

The students competing in these events (unless they are currently in heat or rut) are not allowed to inhibit their scents. It is to test their mettle in being able to overcome their instincts and put their fullest into their cooking. After all, when they all have their own restaurants they’ll need to be able to continue to work at top capacity despite whatever scents might stress them out or vex them in the kitchen, dining area or otherwise. 

These events are also meant to be totally fair and based on skill, originality, personality, etc. This means the judges cannot be partial to certain students because of their reputation (though they can talk all the trash they like about students they don’t have high hopes for). They cannot make verdicts based on the competitors’ secondary sexes. All deliberations must be made based on the qualities of the dish served to them.

Being totally fair on the competing students’ end means that they cannot use their scents to intentionally try and mess with their rivals. Intimidation tactics or attempts at seduction will not be tolerated during these events. 

Orders from alphas are strictly prohibited from any arena, examination, or class assignment due to their ability to put any omega under duress and keep them from completing what they need to. Leveraging that is not tolerated. Students who break this rule (even if by mistake) will be expulsed. Instructors who break this rule will be fired. Judges who break this rule will not be allowed to judge at Totsuki events for 2 to 3 years. 

There is a host of students within the three secondary sexes that attend the academy. For the most part the populations of each are pretty equal. Of the three though, betas are the minority and have the highest rate of expulsions. 

Since they’re at a disadvantage as far as aroma goes when it comes to their dishes, most of them make their way through by heavily focusing on the molecular gastronomy within their techniques.

Of course heats and ruts are going to happen in this AU, and the academy cannot simply ignore them. They cannot allow students to fail on account of their biology. They still have a reputation to uphold after all. Anyone should be able to join and climb the ranks if they have the skill. 

I headcannon that heats and ruts last the length of a typical period for girls irl (like 2 to 8 days). Sometimes long cycles happen, which last like 10 days.

When ruts come around alphas get more aggressive. This usually means they get into LOTS of really fierce shokugeki around that time. When in rut, alphas getting into shokugeki cannot wager their expulsion. Their hormones will cause them to be more extreme, and their minds may not be clear. This could also mean prep won’t be as meticulous as it should be. Totsuki wants for their alphas to be able to succeed by working at their peak potential. 

That’s clouded during a rut, so these shokugeki are under a special classification that denotes that one or more contenders is in this condition. Shokugeki under this classification are more for blowing off steam than anything. 

Aside from that, alpha’s are encouraged to take 2 or 3 days off if their cycle is on the longer side to take care of themselves how they will.

Omegas are more sensitive to the taste of food and its scent when dealing with their heats. It’s been studied, and it typically causes their grades to go up for the days that they can still attend class during one.

Omegas are recommended to always have a bottle of heat suppressants on them (like in their knife cases and stuff) in the event that one might start in the middle of something like a shokugeki or one of the examinations that results in expulsion upon failure.

There is a stipulation that omegas may skip up to three cycles using suppressants before they are required to let one heat pass naturally. They are excused from whatever events may be happening during that time, and may have an assignment (of the same stakes) to make it up at a later time. Then they can skip the next three again if they’d like (if they aren’t expelled).

They are not required to skip the three if they don’t want to though. They are free to go through each cycle. They just end up going through school slower if they aren’t well prepared.

Polar Star has special rooms designed specifically for when an omega’s heat or an alpha’s rut becomes too strong or bothersome. There are special suits other dorm students have to wear when visiting them so the scent of the bothered party doesn’t stick to them when they return to the regular dorms and vice versa. Only members of the same sex are allowed to bring the bothered party food, water, or company for a short time.

[amekkusuu]

souma headcannons

my boy

my first loveee

alRiGHT here we go

first thing’s first: this boi- this boi is the best cook in the entire world.

combine that with his optimism & pureness???

you get the perfect boyfriend

like holy crap he will protect you with his life but more importantly he will put heaven on a platter for you?? like his food is just. yes.

besides cooking, he enjoys hanging out with his friends so you’ll be introduced to the whole gang

you’re also attending totsuki culinary academy?? wow, what a coincidence!!!

are you in polar star dormitory? well, say goodbye to privacy. you guys will sleep together (innocently, completely innocently-), eat together, bathe together (innocently, once again, please get your mind out of the gutter), cook together- you guys are inseparable.

you’ll huddle up on the couch together and watch movies while eating dinner or feasting upon popcorn. usually scary movies because souma lives for danger. if things like that scare you, it’ll only boost his ego when you cling to him in fear.

will probably challenge you to cooking competitions because he loves your food. however, his food is on a whole other level from yours (no offense), and, well- it still turns out alright in the end!

souma doesn’t get jealous very easily. it’ll take a lot for him to actually confront the offending person about it- if they’re constantly making moves on you, touching you without your consent, making you uncomfortable, etc. etc.

and, well, when souma gets mad- he gets mad.

you... you don’t want to be on his bad side.

it’s-... it’s not adviseable.

and for the foreseeable future, you’re gonna be stickin’ close to his side.

[spicy-batman]

All Tied Up: Akira Hayama

(Akiiiiiiiiira Hayamaaaaa~~ God... This man... Did anyone else think he looked drool worthy tied to that seat? If yes then lucky you!! If not then you need to go reread/rewatch and behold the glory. Also his hair is to die fooooooooor)

Rating: Explicit. Kinda SMUT? Maybe...

Summary: Did you want to tie up your boyfriend after seeing how he trained for the Fall Selection? HECK YES. Was Akira down for it? Not that he'd admit it but...

Pairings: Akira Hayama x F!Reader

Warnings: No real plot. SMUTTY IDEAS. Blindfolded Akira. Restrained Akira. Teasing. Language. Might have missed some, you get what you're given!! But enjoy anyway~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Well... Don't you look appetising, hmm Akira?~"

"Tch... This isn't a new thing for you to play around with Y/N..."

"Isn't it? You seem to be enjoying yourself as much as I am"

"T-That's not true- Nggh~... Y/N..."

The sound of her name on Akira's tongue sent a ripple of pleasure down the girls spine. His moan had done exactly the same not even a second before, but the tone of it, the fusion of lust, warning and want all combined into one frustrated growl set her nerves on the most alluring edge.

The sight of him as he was right now was truly the most delicious she had ever laid eyes on, even more glorious than any dish she had cooked, baked, or seen with her own two eyes and hands since entering this academy for the culinary arts. As soon as she had bumbled into the Shinomi Seminar and beheld him like this for the first time, she made it her mission to have him in such a state again.

Which she had thankfully achieved, albeit with a little help from Alice Nakari and Ryo Kurokiba in the distraction of Jun Shiomi for a few hours. She was happy that Jun adored her so much, being Akira's first girlfriend and all... But it was hard to be together without her working a few doors away or gushing over how sweet they both looked together, and the woman did deserve a break from her science in her own right. Tonight was a win win for everyone! Well... Everyone but Akira Hayama if Y/N had her way.

"Untie me Y/N! This is your last warning!... "

"What? So you can get me back as soon as your hands are free? I might not have a nose like you, but I can smell that trick a mile away Hayama"

Akira only growled once more in response to her, straining against the silk knots that bound him to the chair he was sat and blindfolded upon 15 minutes ago, tricked into another scent test that quickly became focused on a different kind of spice than he expected. Not that he was complaining, his pride kept him from openly admitting how the loss of touch and sight seemed to warm his blood in all the right ways, he just didn't like not getting his way. Being denied. Being teased.

He was the one who held the reigns in that department of the bedroom. Taking his time to find the ultimate concoction that would send her catatonic, spiralling into euphoria, until all she cared to remember was the name 'Akira Hayama'. But it seemed her recette for today was retaliation, and ever the supporting boyfriend, he supposed he was more curious to see what heights she would take them to to not act fully on his irritation of being restrained.

Definitely not so he could learn and outdo her next time... Totsuki really did ingrain competition into their bones...

"Trick or not, are you really willing to risk tha- Aah~"

A deep blush bloomed on his skin at the sound she released from his throat, but it mattered little compared to the pleasure that sprung from the darkness like a predator to prey, its heat running up his spine in tandem with the tongue that made a long pass from his exposed collar up over his throat, to finish with teeth sunk softly and playfully into his bottom lip .

He could feel her chuckle against his lips as much as he heard it, could feel her body heat so close to him and smell the sweet, familiar scent of her hair as it gently brushed and mingled with his own white locks. The close proximity, the attack of 3 senses at once, knowing who had him in the palm of their hand, it all rushed down to the only place that could betray his attempt at keeping his cool, and he could only pray for his pride that she didn't notice it until she had done a little more work.

While perfect for testing his nose, this blindfold was going to end him if it wasn't taken off soon.

"Oh, now THAT was a sound I'll never get tired of hearing! You're cute when you want to be Akira~"

"Call me cute one more time and see what comes of it when i'm freed. Remember... You can't keep me tied here forever, love. I will get you back~"

"Heheh, I'm planning on it~"

A click of shoes either side of him let him know and brace for her next course, and his legs came closer together on instinct to form a comfortable space as she settled herself to sit on his lap. His reward for it came in the form of a kiss, gentle and loving at first, that gradually became a battle of tongues and dominance the more Akira wanted the control back, and to his utter male pride, she fell quicker than anticipated.

Her soft moans where music to his ears, combined with the feel of her body pressed to his own and the sweet taste only he would ever be allowed to share with her, it all blended and painted the most exquisite image in his darkened vision, one that he allowed his body to desire and fall prey to happily.

The kiss ended to soon for Akira's liking, but there was little he could do with his hands bound, he could only groan in frustration and give chase as far as his arms could allow. It was only at the stopping point that he realised she had unbound his hair at some point, the strands tickling his skin as he wobbled a bit from the speed he had used to capture her sweet lips again, but he quickly got them back under control to save them both from an unfortunate tumble.

The giggle that fell from her lips at the almost accident was a different piece of art all together, a melody that sparked flowers to bloom in his chest, and he couldn't stop himself from matching the sound equally. Her fingers caressed his jaw line affectionately, and Akira's lips naturally fell open to catch her index fingertip softly between his teeth in a playful gesture, even as he felt her other hand not so secretly begin to undo the buttons of his uniform as it drifted down his heated body.

“Someone’s eager to move things along~ I thought you wanted to make the best of my predicament?“

“I do, but don’t think I haven’t noticed your problem“

Akria stiffened at the words, every sense now focusing on the soft hands that got lower and lower, each button that popped open at an agonizing pace, until they finally touched upon the belt at his hips, where they wasted no time to work it open before undoing his pants right after. He sighed in relief at the release, the pressure eased a little but not near what he desired or the way he wanted her to do it. Yet he still felt on edge, especially as the warmth her body provided vanished, following the same path but leaving a trail of kisses down his exposed chest until he was certain she had settled between his open legs. 

“Let’s fix that shall we, Ak-iiiiiiiira?~“

“Fix it?- W-Wait... You can’t-... At least let me see it ha- Aaaah!~ Fuck~“

“Hehe, cute~“

(God i’m mean. Always before it gets good!)

[thicksimpx]

Pairings : Joichiro Saiba/Yukihara x Reader, Isshiki Satoshi x Reader , Terunori Kuga x Reader , Takumi Aldini x Reader

Side Characters - Soma Yukihara, Ikumi Mito, Terunori Kuga , Megumi Tadokoro, Ryo Kurokiba, Alicia Nakuri, Isami Aldini, Shun Ibasaki, & Akira Hayama

Warnings: 18+ , Mature content, mature language, oral sex, cum eating, food porn, orgies, rough penetration, hair pulling, spanking, slightly yandere- Isshiki, Unrequited love.

Summary: ever since graduating from Totsuki Academy, Y/N has been BORED and constantly running away from her problems. for once she’s going to do what she wants .. even if it pisses a few people off

Ch1 | Ch2 |

For as long as you can remember, you always loved to cook. It didn't matter if you had your own restaurant or if you were a private chef. You just wanted to make people happy with your food.

For the past few years, you and your crazy nervous childhood friend Megumi  reconnected since you both ended up at Totsuki Culinary Academy. You eventually became apart of the elite 10 as a first year and by your last year sat in the second seat but below Erina and right above your bestfriend. There you met plenty of people like your now bestfriend Soma Yukihira and Ikumi Mito better know as Meat-meatt. There were also .. other relationships like with Takumi Aldini and Satoshi Isshiki.

After graduating everyone had plans but you. People were trying to drag you everywhere to work with them. Even Erina who you swore hated you until you fed her. The first place you went was with Takumi. At the time you two were "messing around" so you thought why not. After about 6 months of you both working together at restaurants around Italy. He begged you to go with him to Bari to open a restaurant together but you turned him down. He understood and declared he'll come snatch you away from whoever had your heart when the time was right, he's so damn dramatic.

There was also Terunori Kuga who damn near begged you to work on his Chinese style restaurant with him. You doubted it was because of your skills. Although he's a notorious asshole, he proposed to you the moment he tasted your cooking and haven't left you alone since despite being a year older than you. Ya boy was down bad. Still is. He calls you Atleast three times a week and at least once out of the week he ask you to come to him. You laugh it off knowing hers probably serious as hell. He's a good friend though.

You also worked with Isshiki at one point. This was the most recent. For him to be such a sweetheart he was a monster in the kitchen .. and the bedroom. You dated for about a year until you guys broke it off. Nothing was wrong with the relationship but it seemed more like friend with benefits for the both of you but he also had this odd possessive reaction whenever men came into the restaurant and flirted with you which you had to confront him about numerous times. You guys are still on good terms but realized you need your own restaurant or business in general. Before you did that, you felt you needed a mentor to work under, someone who had great culinary skills and their own experience with this own restaurant and business.

Who was better than your friend Soma and his dad. Mr. Yukihira. There isn't much known about Somas dad, hell you don't even know what he looks like assuming he and Soma look just a like. When you asked Soma if you could work under him and his dad for a few months you swear you saw hearts in his irises. Soma is your bestfriend but he treats you like your his baby .. literally. If you asked him to spoon feed you he would with the stupidest smile on his face.

Currently you were on the way to Somas family restaurant. It wasn't far from your house so you walked. You couldn't wait to see his reaction when you walk in his store. You haven't seen him in person in a while so you know he's going to do the most. You didn't even tell him you were coming today.

Hopefully everything works out. You know you work well with Soma. Soma isn't the problem. His dad is the problem .. who knows what this man is going to be like.

. "I hope he's not a dick" you mutter to yourself "ohh what if he's hot."

---------

(Next Chapter)

[pmeraki]

The New Totsuki Elite Ten

&

Totsuki Teahouse Culinary Academy Director

[yuusa]

-ˋˏ 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 ˎˊ-

         -ˋˏ 𝑷𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄 𝑩𝒂𝒕𝒉ˎˊ-

                  ✧𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒌𝒖𝒈𝒆𝒌𝒊 𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕

𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝟖𝟗𝒕𝒉 𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑻𝒐𝒕𝒔𝒖𝒌𝒊 𝑺𝒕𝒖𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔, 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒂𝒔 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑮𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑸𝒖𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒂𝒏𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒕, 𝒂 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍-𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒅𝒖𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒂 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒚.

𝑺𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚: 𝒀𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒇��𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒔𝒄𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒍 𝒕𝒐 𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒕 𝑻𝒔𝒖𝒌𝒂𝒔𝒂 𝑬𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒊.

“Ne, S/o-senpai, what brings you back to the academy?” Kobayashi tied her hair back into a high ponytail, the towel wrapped firmly around her body as she looked up at you, “did you hear about the 92nd Generation?” 

“Yes, they all seem like very lively people,” you rinsed your body with the warm water as you scrubbed at your arms and legs, “Yukihira Soma was it? He sounds really interesting, his fiery hair would make a great addition to the magazines. I actually came back to see all of you guys.” 

You wiped yourself down before wrapping your body with a towel and walked towards the sauna with Kobayashi. Manami was standing outside of the baths since she felt that it would bring too much shame to her if she were to ever look at your naked body. You sat down within the steaming room and crossed your leg over the other. 

“How has things been for you guys? It must have been a huge change since Director Azami came back.” Your gaze darkened at the mention of his name but you kept your cheery persona in front of Kobayashi. You weren’t a major fan of the new change to Totsuki as you were frustrated to see many of it’s promising students become mere slaves to culinary cooking. 

You leaned your chin against the back of your hand in thought. Cooking was a passion for you, a passion just like everything else, something to be kindled and kept ablaze before it burns out completely. You had already seen firsthand what it meant to lose all passion within the world of cooking and it terrified you to the core, hence why you had picked up a secondary hobby to balance out your love for cooking. 

“With all the work piling up I usually give it to Tsukasa,” Kobayashi waved her hand around, “most of us do that since Tsukasa is the only one to do all the work.” 

“You guys are sadists to the man,” you chuckled, “I was trying to call him a couple of times, but they are often cut short due to my schedule. I’m glad to be able to spend the week with you all, but business calls so I’m going to need all of you to model for me!” 

“Sounds great! I’ve been needing a new dress ever since Director Azami has been inviting all the other graduates for parties every week.” 

The two of you sat in relative silence to order to relax in the hot sauna until there was a knock on the door. The door opened up to reveal the other two members of the Elite Ten, Akanegakubo Momo and Kinokuni Nene. Both of them were also wrapped in their own towels and Akanegakubo was carrying her Bucchi in her arms, her eyes lighting up in excitement when she saw you. 

“S/o-senpai! I didn’t think you were actually here until Tsukasa-senpai told us you had arrived just earlier.” Kinokuni pushed up her steaming glasses as she sat next to you. 

“Senpai, you visit us more often! Bucchi says they miss you so much! They miss your cooking!” Akanegakubo gripped onto her Bucchi tightly, almost ripping off the poor animal’s arms off when manipulating them to different poses while she sat on the other side of the room next to Kobayashi. “Are you going to be joining us to watch Central and the Rebels?”

“Hmm. . . Perhaps. I am deeply interested in what the 92nd Generation has to offer.” As much as Central would have liked you to join in their cause, you would have to firmly decline all of their advances. You didn’t want to directly state that you were partially rooting for the Rebels since you were a mere graduate, but you believed that cooking deserves freedom in order to grow. 

“Oh! S/o-senpai and I have been here for a while, we’re gonna go out to get a drink!” Kobayashi grabbed onto your wrist and dragged you out of the sauna despite the others displeasure of her handling you in such a way. You only waved at them, you never really liked the massive formalities and being with Kobayashi felt like a breath of fresh air from your career. 

“Rin-chan, the water is the other way,” You pointed towards the other side of the bathhouse but she seemed to be focused on going into the public baths, “if you wanted to bathe you could have also brought the others.”

“Haha! But they’re such blockheads, it’s more fun just the two of us right? Besides, I still haven’t beaten you in the Inferno Pool yet!” Kobayashi grinned while you stared at her in shock before nodding.

“You’re right, it is a lot more fun. You’re on!” Kobayashi’s smile only seemed to grow wider as she opened the door to the baths. 

The Polar Dorm students stared at the two of you in utter shock while you and Kobayashi deadpanned. The girls comedically stared at your towel-covered breasts. 

“Wow, Tadokoro-chan and her merry band of friends!” Kobayashi called out. 

“Rindo-senpai!” The blue-haired female which you heard was Tadokoro looked both of you in surprise while also panicking internally. 

“Oh, the Nakiri-chans too.” 

“Why are you here?” Erina narrowed her eyes towards Kobayashi while you stood by her side. 

“That should be my line. Who knew the fine young ladies of the Nakiri family would come to the public bath while I was holed up in the sauna? That reminds me. . . I heard an interesting rumor that Miss Erina has run away from home.” Kobayashi placed her hands on her hips as she shook her head, “that wouldn’t be true would it?” 

"Excuse me, would it be possible for you to not inform Azami-dono that you saw Erina-sama with Polar Star Dormitory students?" Hisako stood up from the baths, her hands close to her chest as she tried to defend Erina from one of the Central members. 

“Let me think. . . What if I agree on one condition?” You yawned as you listened to the conversation, clearly left out since you weren’t a student here anymore. 

Erina looked up at Kobayashi in surprise, “eh?”

“Look, this place’s known for it’s really hot bath. I hate the cold, but I’m pretty good at heat tolerance. The only person I haven’t beaten is S/o-senpai!” Kobayashi raised one of her fingers up to emphasize while the other pointed at you, “lets have a tolerance contest, Nakiri-chan. If you can beat me, I’ll keep my mouth shut.” 

You sighed before dipping yourself into the Inferno Pool, your muscles relaxing as you felt unaffected by the heat. It has been a long time since you been to this bath, the last time you went here was when you were in your third year of Totsuki and Kobayashi invited you. This brings back really nice memories. You silently watched as Nakiri pushed herself into the Inferno Pool, her face already growing red and you assumed she was going to pass out any minute. 

“Oh? You’re pretty tough, Nakiri-chan.” Kobayashi commented. 

Erina was trying to do breathing exercises, but it proved to be very difficult when her body felt like it was being fried like tempura. You noticed the way she turned away from Kobayashi as her face turned into a fresh, red tomato. The moment she sunk under the water, Kobayashi already pulled herself out of the bath. 

“Alright, that was pretty hot. It just wasn’t the best idea after the sauna.” You raised your eyebrow at her obvious lie, but it seems like the others didn’t want to believe she was faking it. She walked out of the bath as you followed suite, the heat already cooling off of your body as you wrapped your towel back on. 

"Yeah, I acknowledge defeat, but Nakiri-chan, don't you feel a little less tired and worried now?” Kobayashi lifted the towel around her body as the other students crowded around Erina to see if she was okay, “just kidding. Oh, don't worry. As promised, I won't say anything to Director Azami. Oh, and you should avoid the sauna, there are some blockheads in there." 

The red-haired female waved at them while you smiled.

“We couldn’t talk this time, but I hope to see you all this week.” After that you and Kobayashi arrived back at the sauna to where Kinokuni and Akanegakubo sat next to each other in distaste. Without you, they refused to even cooperate with each other. 

[radbutsafe]

Six continents, 15 countries, eight months later; the esteemed Totsuki Culinary Academy feels like it hasn’t changed a bit. It’s familiar in comparison to the places Yukihira Soma’s traveled. But there’s a shift, the Totsuki he left isn’t the same as the one he came back to; Nakiri Erina’s developed something he never imagined. 

“I think you like me.” Soma says, turning to her and seeing her sputter, eyes wide as saucers while she stares at him. 

“Excuse me?!”

slides my first sorina fic ever posted

hey nerds the resident clown that you didn’t really know existed has finally posted the first chapter of one of her sorina WIPS on ao3 i’ll get to the cursed ff.net site too, just not right away LOL this has been sitting in discord dms with @audsen @royaldragonsevgisi15 @whatermelown and others reading parts of it as i send them chunks of this fic and others randomly out of nowhere but NOW?? 

NOW IT’S OUT HERE FOR PUBLIC SCRUTINITY. ENJOY I GUESS?!

thank u audsen for betaing chapter 1! 

rolls away in haste

[polar-stars]

I maintain that the Central-conflict in "Shokugeki no Soma" was one that held a lot of potential. If executed right, Central could have been brilliant.

But alas it was not executed in the best manner, leaving most of the potential that the conflict had untapped.

One of Central's major flaws to me is the lack of focus of the antagonist's side: The six, so called, "Traitor" Elites were the ones that got the entire conflict rolling in the first place by voting Azami Nakiri into power. Now, back when that happened most of the Elite characters were still very much new to us which means they didn't have a lot of characterization going for them when it happened. And that continued to be the case for a little while longer as, with the exception of Rindou & Eishi and of course Eizan (who is a special case because he was introduced a lot earlier), we learned very little about the Elites until the Regiment de Cuisine happened. Given that half of the characters associated with Central remained strangers to the readers for such a long time, made it pretty much impossible to fully understand why this whole Central thing was happening in the first place.

What prompted these guys to give the reign of Totsuki into Azami's hands? We just didn't know.

And we continued to be left in the dark on that even when the RDC began and Nene, Momo & Somei finally received some proper characterization. Only towards the very end of the RDC two (in the anime three) characters out of the 6 responsible got their individual reasoning for their actions laid out. With the others we can only resort to guesses.

This lack of character-exploration just robs the Elite 10 characters off the chance to be truly compelling antagonists, the only true exception to that being Eishi (and in the anime, also Rindou ig) who gets the most focus out of the 6.

Properly exploring the antagonist's motives and beliefs would add so much more nuance and depth to the conflict as a whole, rather than having it be a generic good vs. evil.

So today, I'd like to theorize on exactly that: The motives of the Traitor Elites. And while thinking about it, I came to split it into two interests: supporting the actual ideology that Central is trying to push or power.

I must confess that I did not reread the entirety of Central arc just now for this but rather looked at specific moments. So if there's anything I might have forgotten about: I apologize!

Central's Ideology:

Before truly getting into the heads of the Elites, I think it's important to establish what it is that Central actually wants to accomplish.

I went back on several of Azami's speeches within the manga, as well as one from Eishi, for this but even then it's possible that I missed something.

It's kind off challenging for me to sum up what Azami seeks to accomplish with his Central-administration but I will try my best and split it into several sections:

Gatekeeping: Azami is introduced giving a speech at Erina's booth at Moon Banquet, insulting her guests and accusing them of 'not being worthy of eating fine food'. He more than often voices the belief that true culinary cooking, as a form of art, should only be reserved for those that have the expertise to properly understand and judge it.

Imagine a cinema only being open for movie critics and other filmmakers, people that made the art of film their life and that are trained to judge the quality of a movie based on things like cinematography, camera-work, editing etc. Things that the average movie-goer that just wants to have a good time might not pay close attention to. And that lack of technical knowledge leads the cinema to refuse giving them a ticket because the cinema's operators believe that the average movie-goer is not able to truly grasp and appreciate the full amount of thought that went into a movie.

Lack of Individuality: Azami's first move at the academy is to abolish the Research Societies and Polar Star Dormitory, in otherer words: autonomous organizations where students gather outside of the lessons and learn primarily from each other rather than from any professor. This is to prevent the students from learning anything cooking-related outside of what Central teaches.

While Totsuki's old system specifically forced students to get creative under harsh conditions with challenges like the Breakfast one from Trainings Camp, Azami aims to take that exact pressure off the student's shoulders.

Rather than having the students be forced to come up with their own ideas, Azami's curriculum has them simply replicating Azami-approved dishes developed by chefs that are recognized by Azami (the Elite 10). This means that only a certain group gets to truly express themselves individually through their dishes and is allowed to be creative, while everyone else is expected to mindlessly follow their example.

Azami goes as far to actually planning to take that outside of Totsuki as well. Right before their cook-off, Eishi reveals to Soma that Azami is planning to close down restaurants that aren't up to the Azami-standard, only leaving those he's approving of.

The One, Singular Perfect Way: In Central Arc's first Shokugeki, the one between Eizan and Soma, the judges (that are supportive of Central's ideals) chide for Soma for cooking the chicken differently from what they think is the best way too do it.

Rather than having chefs wander through wastelands in an endless pursue of innovative ideas, to let them get lost in a never-ending search for new solutions outside of the ones already known...Azami wants to establish one clear path that everyone can follow.

Azami wants to give everyone a concrete goal to precisely walk towards, not letting chefs exhaust themselves over the continues search for something new and crumble under that pressure like Joichiro did.

The 'God Tongue' is his key to figure out what works and what doesn't & based on it's evaluations he wants to create the one perfect ...method I guess. Specific rules that dictate how something has two be done if it shall be good. And if those specific rules are ignored? Well then the dish is trash!

Motives of the Elite 10:

Now with that out of the way let's finally get into my placing of the characters on the chart you see above.

Eishi Tsukasa: Out of the Traitor-Elites, Eishi is explored most detailed and the character I'd consider the best written one out of the six. With Eishi we actually get a backstory to how he was approached by Azami and how he convinced Eishi onto his side. Eishi is also the character who talks about Central's plans and ideals the most out of all the other Elites which always gave me the feeling that he is the most convinced by it. Perfectionism is one of Eishi's most dominant character traits and well, Central is all about that. So that's why I placed Eishi on the Ideology's side because manga canon showed us Azami convincing him of it.

Momo Akanegakubo: My best guess for Momo's motivation on voting Azami is that she aimed to become an authority for sweets so to speak. In her fight against Erina, there are a lot of parallels drawn between the two (they both get a "Queen" nickname, their judgement on taste/cuteness has been trusted ever since they were very young...). Momo kind off works as a mirror for Erina to see herself how she used to be before character development ensued. Given that, I could imagine that Momo wanted to play a similar role as Erina was supposed to do in the Central system but limited to sweets rather than all of cooking. Central would give Momo the power to actually dictate what is cute and what is not and everyone would have to follow her example. So she is placed within somewhat in the middle, I can see her agreeing to some of Azami's ideals but I think there's also a clear, selfish interest of power here as opposed to Azami belief he's doing some greater good.

Somei Saito: Somei was a bit hard to place being honest. In the manga, he's the only other character beside Eishi who has his motive explicitly stated (in the anime adaption, Rindou gets one too but we'll get to that). He is kind-off presented to us as the guy who actually has his heart at the right place but got lured into an extreme solution. Originally, I had him farer on the ideology side but after rereading his part...I wasn't so sure about that fully being the case anymore. What really seems to convince Somei is Azami's offer to give him the power to protect. Under Azami's system students aren't relentlessly wedded out anymore because they can't keep up and it also gives everyone the opportunity to get on Elite level. I can imagine that this is the one idea of Azami's that Somei felt supportive for, because with everyone getting on Elite level it removes the pedestal that the old Elite (which tortured Somei's beloved mother) has placed themselves on. To quote the Incredibles: If everyone is super, no one is.

(I don't think either Momo nor Somei would be too agreeing of the Gatekeeping-aspect in Central tho? Somei comes from a humble Sushi place, where I doubt the regular customers being distinguished food experts while Momo loves being revered but only a certain people being allowed to taste her sweets would limit the amount of people reverring her.)

Nene Kinokuni: Nene is the most severe case of wasted potential of not only the Traitor Elites but I'd go as far and say out of all characters in Shokugeki & it once again shows when we talk about how she never had her alliance with Central truly explored in detail. Because from what we do know about her, it does make sense for her aligning with Central....so if she was treated with the same amount of care as Eishi was, this alone could have added a lot more depth to Central I believe. Nene's cooking derives most dominantly from traditions and her studies of those through textbooks. One reason why she considers a natural genius like Isshiki a threat to her, because she struggles a lot more at being innovative and improvising (this being the very point in the one, singular Shokugeki she has in the series) . Considering that, why wouldn't she agree to something like Central where students succeed through proper study of what is presented to them rather than innovation? Considering the Gatekeeping-aspect, given how acclaimed the Kinokuni-Clan and their family restaurant is I can imagine the customer-type Nene is most familiar with would be Elitists. So maybe, that made her disregard what Azami's gatekeeping would mean for normal, non-food-crazy people.

Etsuya Eizan: Some might think of Etsuya's alliance with Central as a given. Before Azami waltzed into the story, all dressed in black and as pale as a ghost, Etsuya was the character in Shokugeki that probably came closest to an actual villain. It would only make sense for evil guy to team up with the evil side, right? Well, to me it isn't that simple. Actually, I'd make the bold claim and say that in my eyes...Etsuya is the character for who it makes the least sense to support Central's ideologies. What is Etsuya's most dominant character trait? The one that actually remains consistent throughout the story and that people first associate with him? He very much likes to make money. And while I am not very knowledgeable about business, I don't think Central would be good for Etsuya's. Etsuya is a consultant. Now when would you hire a consultant? My first guess would be that you do it when business isn't going too well, but maybe there's also the possibility of just seeking to gain an advantage over a business rival? But how is Etsuya going to find clients if Azami's reform aims to release chefs of all struggles and also make the entire culinary landscape equal, essentially putting an end to all competition, a thriving force in business? Who is he going to advice if the future generation of chefs already learned everything there is to know on Totsuki? Not to mention Azami's plan to close down all restaurants he isn't approving off. Putting aside how utterly ridiculous that is (what is he gonna do? Fight McDonalds?) I could imagine that it would rob Etsuya of clients and of customers because Azami essentially targets the restaurant that serve the largest consumer group, the middle class. Azami's philosophy is prioritizing the art of cooking. But Etsuya considers himself a business man before he considers himself a chef. Central is a lot about perfectionism. Etsuya however is never giving his all when cooking. The two dishes he has made in the series to do not show the full potential he has, because he doesn't care. Rindou mentions he could sit a lot higher within the Elite 10, if he wasn't as consumed by his business. So yeah, Etsuya's focus is...elsewhere. The one reason I could see for him supporting Central is to maintain (and get even more power) within Totsuki at least. I mean if anything, Azami does let him get away with the shadiest of schemes he would not be able to pull under Senzaemon. I could imagine both Azami and Etsuya seeing the other one as a form of tool. Azami saw Etsuya's culinary skill but probably also his willingness to get his hands dirty. After all, Azami's first action on Totsuki is to abolish the Research Societies and obviously, with Totsuki being Totsuki the student's first reaction to that is to issue a Shokugeki challenging. Now this sort of challenging, rebellious spirit is not good for Azami's cause so he needed to render the Shokugeki system as useless. And Eizan did that, at first, with his rigged Shokugekis. Out of the Traitor Elites he's the only person who'd resolve to something like that and carry it out without batting an eye. And well, on the flip site Eizan sees that Azami willingly lets him go rampant in his schemes and he can use this newfound power as a new means to get back on Soma via the closing of Polar Star Dormitory. But I could imagine that eventually, after getting out of Totsuki perhaps...Etsuya would have seemed to get somehow rid of Azami because I don't see their interests aligning in the long run.

Rindou Kobayashi: Rindou is a special case and therefore placed outside the chart because she doesn't fit either motive. While the manga does not give her any motive but just alludes to her disliking Azami, the anime does and that motive is: loyalty. She went along because she feared she'd loose Eishi if she didn't. As I said, she is explicitly shown to hold some dislike for Azami so I doubt that she is actually agreeing of his ideals.

Anyways, thank you for reading this ridiculously long post of me taking a cooking manga way too serious (I didn't think I'd spend so much time on this as I did) //hands you a cookie

[takoyakitenchou]

genesis ch.2

By the end of the summer, they were all scattered to the winds.

Hayama had just finished his first global tour as head chef for Emirates, and now he was in New York, pursuing a business track at Columbia on full ride. Business? Econ? Something like that. Hisako had been in a rush to catch her flight to Cambridge when Erina called her, because MIT freshman orientation was a thing.

Alice and Kurokiba, the new chief officers of the Nakiri-Totsuki Group, were in Colorado, taking an extended vacation at a resort in Aspen, long enough that people had started to wonder if they were ever planning to come back and run the company.

It had taken four out of thirty-six prepared Google Slides to explain to Totsuki’s board and her grandfather that Nakiri Erina, with all due respect, did not give half a shit about being the new head of the Nakiris, and even less about becoming CEO of the Totsuki Network. Especially not at eighteen years of age. After she became the queen of the culinary realm, she’d have all the time in the world to get into that diplomacy bull.

Until a few days before the shitshow in the boardroom, Erina had been more than prepared to shoulder whatever burdens a veritable empire would force her to bear, but it only took a doubtful eyebrow raise from Hisako and a “you sure about this, Erina?” from Alice for Erina’s resolve to go into shambles.

Considering the paths her fellow graduates had chosen, there was absolutely no need for her to be sitting in an office at all hours, and what’s more, she was one of the most highly sought-out Totsuki alumni on record. The list of scouting gala recruitment offers for all the 92’ers in the graduation report she and Yukihira had written (read as dropped on Hayama’s desk and then fled to Paris for a romantic getaway) had been over a hundred pages, and thirty of them were for the first and second seats alone.

As such, after nigh on two decades of relentlessly preparing herself to become the magnum opus and crown jewel of Totsuki, she had thrown it away and started new — and nothing excited her more.

During the meeting, once it became all too clear that Erina had no intentions of reversing her decision, the subject of the discussion became just who exactly was going to take over, because Nakiri Senzaemon adamantly refused to have his retirement stolen from him a second time.

All eyes went to Alice, but she refused with a simple statement — “I’m not going to be a second choice.”

She and Erina exchanged a glance.

Sorry.

It’s not your fault. But I’ll still blame you anyways.

Dammit, you’re making me feel horrible.

You know you love me.

In your dreams.

I’m living my dream, Erina.

Then Kurokiba Ryo put on his bandana and taken charge of the proceedings, and nobody had the courage to oppose him.

By the end of the hour, he and Alice had become CEO and COO of the consolidated Nakiri-Totsuki Group with joint headquarters in Tokyo and Copenhagen, Doujima Gin had taken over as dean of the academy, Saiba Asahi had been named the new head of the tourism department to maximize Totsuki’s outreach via his Noir connections, and Eizan Etsuya, present CEO of Eizan Capital LLC, involuntarily had become chief financial manager for the entire network. Ten minutes after Ryo called to inform him of this development, Eizan eliminated all of Totsuki’s hedge funds, arguing that Nakiri-Totsuki could expand its own capital with aggressive short term trade and some other jargon nobody really understood but pretended to.

Nakiri Erina had just inadvertently caused a goddamn revolution.

[wishingforatypewriter]

Before the Fall (Chapter 14)

Summary: In which Souma misses a golden opportunity. 

The noon hour Elite Ten meetings were always the worst ones because they coincided with the academy-wide lunch hour. This meant that after hustling from their classes to Totsuki’s Parliament — the Elite Ten’s administrative building — they’d then have to rush back to the academic buildings for afternoon classes.  

It was generally understood that no one got to eat lunch on these days unless they packed something ahead of time. And of course, just as his 10:30 practicum ended for the day, Souma received a one word text message from Nakiri. 

Hungry.

It was 11:46. If he took her up on this — and naturally he would — he’d have only fourteen minutes to cook her something and then haul ass to Parliament. She always did have a habit of asking for the near-impossible. He shook his head at the phone as he typed his reply. 

Don’t complain if I’m late. 

Her response came almost instantly, as though she were waiting for his text. But that would never happen with a girl like Nakiri.

Less complaining, more cooking. I’ll see you in 12 minutes. 

He sighed, taking his uniform jacket back off and glancing around the classroom’s ingredient shelf. Beef shank, noodles, cabbage—easy. 

Nine minutes later, he had two servings of beef yakiudon packed in a to-go container. He had just stepped out into the winter air, calculating how fast he’d have to sprint in order to make it by noon, when a black towncar pulled up in front of the academic building. 

The window rolled down slowly, and Nakiri shot him an impatient look. “Wipe the grin off your face and get in.” 

He slid into the seat next to her without a second thought, but was unable to manage a neutral facial expression. “I thought you were gonna leave me to the wolves.”

“I considered it,” she quipped, crossing her arms. “But if we couldn’t start on time, Alice would just find a way to get everyone off task. Plus it’s freezing out, and you never have the sense to dress properly.”

He smirked at her then. “It’s nice to know you care, Nakiri.” 

“It’s a professional courtesy, and nothing more,” she said. “Now what have you prepared for me today?”

His smirk broadened as he watched her eye the takeout box with interest. “Can’t wait to try it, can you?” 

“Don’t flatter yourself, Yukihira-kun,” she said, though her growling stomach gave her away. She regarded him with a murderous scowl even as her cheeks turned red. 

“Betrayed by her own stomach.” 

“S-shut up! It’s just that I’ve been busy all day and haven’t gotten a chance to eat yet. It has nothing to do with you or your cooking!” 

“Whatever you say, Nakiri,” he told her, leaning back on the leather seats.  

They reached the conference room at 12 on the dot and promptly received death stares from all their lunchless colleagues. 

Unperturbed, Nakiri took her seat at the head of the table, chopsticks in hand. “Let’s begin.” 

The meeting started with a review of the budget allotments for new seminars in the coming fiscal year. Arato and Hayama distributed the budget plans for the eight new seminars they’d approved, and the rest of the council voted in favor of their plan—mostly because no one could be bothered to read the whole document. 

Next they discussed the logistics of upcoming events, including the first year promotion exams in Hokkaido and the alumni banquet. Souma had almost forgotten how much work running the academy could be. 

Towards the end of the meeting, Alice — who was now chair of the campus life committee — made a proposal of her own. 

“So your plan is...a party?” Hayama asked in a skeptical tone after she described it. 

“I’m proposing a semi-formal dance for Valentine’s Day,” she explained. “The Elite Ten will commission the chocolate and candy research societies to produce candy grams that students will use to ask each other to the dance.”

“It seems frivolous,” Arato pointed out. “A cooking event I would understand, but what would be the point of a dance?”

“Excellent question, Hishoko,” Alice said. She turned to the next slide in her presentation. “The event will boost morale on campus before finals start up, and all the proceeds will go to Totsuki’s philanthropic branch. There’s no downside.” 

“This is Japan’s top culinary academy, Alice,” Nakiri said with a dismissive wave. “There’s no time for something like a school dance.” 

“And that’s exactly why the student body needs to cut loose,” the other Nakri heiress said. “No one’s gonna cook their best if they’re all uptight, Erina. It’s bad for creativity. So who’s in favor? Ryo-kun obviously supports me.”

“Sure,” said Kurokiba, who most-likely wasn’t even paying attention. 

“I’ll support it,” Takumi added. “I haven’t been to a semi-formal since I left Italy.” 

“Um...” Megumi began. “I really like the idea of all the proceeds going to charity, so I’m in favor as well.”

And once Tadokoro was on board no one really had the heart to oppose the event anymore. 

“So it’s settled,” Alice said with a broad smile once the vote was won. “Totsuki Academy is going to hold its first ever Valentine’s Day dance!” 

---

A week later, Souma walked into the copy room in Parliament, holding a flyer for the dance and a prototype of the candy gram. It was a small, heart shaped box of chocolates with a card attached to it. Sakaki and Yoshino had gone crazy over the design when he showed it to them earlier. 

“Hey Nakiri, can I ask you something?” he asked once he saw her scanning a document. 

“If you must.” She turned around with her usual pre-annoyed expression, and then flushed suddenly. “Wait, you mean here?” Nakiri cast a meaningful glance at Takumi, who had just come in to print something. 

“Yeah, why not? It’s not like it’s a secret.”

If it were possible, the flush on her cheeks deepened, and she started fidgeting with the hem of her skirt. “W-well, if that’s how you feel about it, Yukihira-kun, I suppose I can’t really object, so...” 

“Great!” Souma held out the candy gram to her and she took it tentatively, her fingers brushing against his as she did. She gave one of those fleeting Nakiri smiles and it unwound all of his thoughts the way they always did. Why was he even there again?

“Get on with it, will you?” she asked with a giggle. 

“Right.” Souma ran a hand through his hair, embarrassed to have been caught staring. “So what do you think of the design?” 

Her expression darkened then. “I’m sorry, what?” 

“You know, for the fundraiser and stuff. The president of the Chocolate RS wanted to run it by the Elite Ten before we start selling them. So do you like it?”

“Oh...it’s fine, I guess,” she said with a sigh. Then Nakiri sidestepped him and walked right out of the room. 

Souma watched her go, perplexed. What was that all about? 

“That was painful,” Takumi said to him after a moment. 

“What? You think she really didn’t like it?” 

“It’s not a matter of the design, Yukihira!” the blond shouted. Souma had almost forgotten how intense that guy could be. “That wasn’t the question she was expecting just now.” 

“But how would she know what I was going to ask?” 

With a beleaguered sigh, Takumi pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes for a moment. “Repeat after me. Ask.”

“Ask.”

“Her.”

“Her.”

“To the dance.” 

Souma pondered this for a moment before responding. “What’s the point of asking one person if we’re all gonna end up hanging out, anyway? It makes more sense for everyone to go as one big group.” 

“Yes, but you should still ask her specifically to express that you’re interested.”

“Who said I was—”

“Oh please. You’re only slightly less obsessed with her and her god tongue than you are with cooking itself, and it’s about as subtle as a herd of elephants.” 

“You know elephants can actually be pretty—”

“Off topic! The point is, you need to ask her out and soon, or lose your honor as a chef and as a man!” 

After this grand proclamation, Souma looked at his friend curiously. “So who are you asking, Takumi?” 

And with that, he sent his second blond of the day storming out of the copy room.