Sōma's voice rang out in the hallway. He was leaning against the door, his apron half undone, the smile of a delinquent who already knew he'd screwed someone.
"I'm coming," I replied.
I turned to Rias, who, still sitting, was holding the side of her face where I'd touched her cheek.
She was slightly red. I don't know if it was from the spent magic... or something else.
"See you later," I said with a half-smile.
She nodded, composed as ever, but her eyes followed me to the door.
As soon as we left, Sōma elbowed me in the side.
"I didn't know you liked redheads with a 'fail, die-hard' vibe."
"Soma, please..."
"Easy, easy. But you were looking at her like I was about to serve her up on a silver platter."
"Shut up and let me taste your culinary disaster."
"I promise!"
And so I dragged him toward the makeshift kitchen he'd set up at the school.
Knowing him… I probably would have risked my life at least twice over.
POV: Rias
The room was silent, lit only by the still faintly active seals on the floor.
I rubbed my temple.
It had been a long time since I felt this surprised.
Akeno appeared with her usual seraphic smile.
"So, Buchou? How's the new club member?"
"...Interesting."
"Ahh, interesting?" Akeno raised a hand to her mouth, amused. "You have a tone you don't often use."
"Don't joke, Akeno."
She approached the reincarnation circle, now completely dark.
"So... eight pawns. Normal. But these..."
Akeno ran a finger over a remaining fragment of the spell.
The color was still dark, like crystallized soot.
"...those weren't your pieces, were they?"
"No."
My voice became more serious.
"During the ritual, the nature of the pawns changed without my interference. They became completely black. Without any reflections. They weren't corrupted… they seemed transformed. And not by my magic."
Akeno narrowed her eyes.
"Dangerous?"
"Potentially."
"Fascinating?"
"...Also."
She laughed softly.
"You're aware that you agreed to be his girlfriend for six months, right?"
I looked down.
"Yes."
"If it was someone else would you have done it?."
"Rin is different."
"Why did he stand up to you?"
"Because he wasn't afraid."
I unconsciously touched the spot where he had touched me before.
"And because when he denied it… it wasn't out of pride. He did it because he thought he could negotiate with me on equal terms."
Akeno looked at me with a softer smile than usual.
"Rias."
"Hmm?"
"You're blushing."
"…Shut up, Akeno."
"Fufufu~"
My eyes returned to the now-extinguished seal.
Rin Takamine.
"I'll keep an eye on him for now. I don't want the others—or Sona—to find out anything before I do."
Akeno nodded.
"Then I'll have to prepare myself too."
"For what?"
"Ara Ara. It's obvious, Buchou. A new member of the club… and someone I could take away from you."
Back to Rin
When we arrived at the Donburi Research Club, the president—a man who seemed born to be bullied, was shaking like a leaf.
Soma, as always, was in a state of competitive excitement.
"Rin, official taster," he announced, banging a ladle on the table. "Prepare your stomach."
"As if I had a choice…"
Sample #1 — The Oily Disaster
The smell of used oil, overcooked onion, and undercooked meat.
I took the first bite.
Soma stared at me like a doctor waiting to see where he'll strike his patient.
The meat was good… the sauce, however, sounded like the scream of a depressed person.
"Everything is too… heavy. It drowns you."
Soma nodded. "I knew it."
Sample #2 — The Sad Tofu
"This is my light version!" he announced, as if it were a victory.
I tasted it.
The flavor was so faint, it seemed to apologize as I chewed.
"…It's like eating regret. It's not good."
"Damn…"
Sample #3 — The Serious Attempt
For the first time, Soma really put in the effort.
Thinly sliced meat, perfect rice, a few spices.
I tasted it.
"Okay… almost there."
"Almost?" he muttered, crossing his arms.
"There's still something missing. Something that… gives the dish personality."
Soma approached.
"Like what?"
I put a hand on his shoulder and, pointing to the pot:
"You don't have to improve the meat. You have to—"
But I didn't finish the sentence.
The world spun.
The floor came toward me.
I heard Soma shout:
"RIN?! Hey, Rin!!"
Then darkness.
I open my eyes.
Unfamiliar roof.
The first thing I hear is Soma's voice:
"Oh! He's alive!"
The second is a pain in my head, as if I'd been subjected to an illegal download.
And then—
a mirror.
I look at it.
Everything seemed normal, but then I saw my eyes change color for a second, then return to normal.
Red. Alive.
My heart skipped a beat.
"...It can' be."
The system responds, monotonous as ever:
[Mission Reward Delivered: Sharingan — 1 Tomoe
Status: Stable
Growth: Evolution Possible]
Soma looks at me with an expression somewhere between worried and confused.
He scratches his head.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, your dish was too bad," I tried to shift the blame.
"Sure. Now that you're alive, you have to tell me: what the hell were you about to suggest before you passed out?"
I smile.
"Oh, right. The thing that will win the shokugeki."
Soma leans closer as if I'm passing him the secrets of the universe.
"Rin... tell me."
I grab a spoon, put it on the table, and say:
"Flavored Melted Butter."
Soma's eyes widen.
"...Oh.
I have an idea alredy.
LET'S WIN."