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The first few months after becoming the brand new Elite Ten were, in an understatement, exhausting. Many of these monstrously talented chefs were simply chefs, and not at all cut out to do any paperwork. The boys were constantly at each other’s throats demanding why one of them was too slow, too uptight— the kind of utter chaos none of them were enjoying. The kind of utter chaos they do enjoy were Shokugekis, and the numerous students challenging them became their stress relievers.
Their favorite angel sweet Tadokoro Megumi had volunteered to help them improve on the administrative work. She knows all the important offices inside and out and teaches them the school map over and over. She proofreads their written documents so as to not submit a mistake, preventing any future trouble. Sooner or later however, she had come to realize that they were slowly depending on her for all the paperwork and starting to dump more and more stuff on her plate. She doesn’t mind of course, like the angel she is. Shokugekis made her frazzles every time and only accepted a selected few.
One day, the sun shines brightly on the window panes of the Elite Ten office, harsh enough to cause the students to start sweating. It’s only Souma, Takumi, and Megumi working inside, surprisingly enough. Erina had dragged Souma back to the office because You can’t just do Shokugekis all the time! You’re the First Seat, you have documents only you can finish! Takumi was taking a break from some team Shokugekis because Isami had decided to go to the Farmer’s Market alone. Maybe he wants to surprise his Nii-chan, Megumi thought.
“Tadokoooroooo,” groaned Yukihira. Her ever-impertinent best friend leaned back in his office chair, showcasing his exhaustion. “Will you please help me with this?”
A sigh was begging to be let out, but Megumi kept it in in fear of appearing rude. Everybody knew Yukihira hated the administrative duties that came with being the Elite Ten, always neglecting and passing them onto the others (mostly Megumi). Then again, she was a master at handling her very impatient friend. She observed her own pile of paperwork in front of her, which looked as if it could almost cause a dent on the little coffee table.
“Souma-kun, I’m sorry but I’m afraid I can’t do that right now. I have to submit these Autumn Election drafts to the Director’s Office as soon as possible.”
“Hmm, Tadokoro-san you’ll be going to the office?” piqued Takumi. Standing up from his seat, he proceeded to pick up his own modest pile of paperwork. “I need to go as well, let’s go there together.”
Megumi smiled and gave him her usual encouraging nod, one that said Let’s do it! Takumi gave her an equally endearing smile, always appreciating her bright and persevering attitude. She proceeded to pick up a pile, two, then three piles of paperwork, stacking them on top of one another. Her petite figure wobbled slightly with the heavy weight of the drafts. Takumi stepped forward to her.
“Hey, I can carry half of it.”
“O-oh!” Megumi says. She always gets a little shy when others offer to help her, especially when its Takumi for some reason. “Grazie, Takumi-kun,” Megumi beams at him. She had picked up the habit of copying his signature catchphrase after working more closely together during the rebel forces. She only says it to him, of course. Takumi wonders if she had ever used it on his twin brother, which he hopes the answer to is false.
Watching the two, Yukihira smirks to himself. How subtle they are. Still, he doesn’t want to mention anything just yet. Instead he complains, “Awwwww, why do you guys get to leave the office?”
“We’re still doing work, you idiot!” Takumi bellowed while he and Megumi were already halfway through the door.
--
“How have your Shokugekis been, Takumi-kun?” Megumi asked while the two walked across campus.
“Hmmm, battles against Tootski alumni are probably my favorite ones. I learn a lot more from their challenges. The underclassmen tend to be overconfident, egotistic brats,” he says. Megumi can’t help but giggle on the inside. Takumi wasn’t overconfident per say—he definitely had the talent to back up his words. Her first impression on him just wasn’t exactly the best as he arrogantly introduced himself by stomping on Yukihira’s foot. Sometimes she’ll lay in bed wondering how on earth she ended up good friends with such terrifying people. She smiles to him, blissfully reminiscing how maturely they had grown up from their freshmen days.
Continuing to carry the stacks of documents, the two peacefully walked while exchanging more stories and small inside jokes. Being part of the Elite Ten was certainly hard, but there were enjoyable moments such as this that make it just as worthwhile. Takumi and Megumi definitely bonded after the Rebel Forces, and more so after joining the Elite Ten—they found they could trust each other in more things than just the kitchen. They smile to themselves, unbeknownst the other’s equal reaction.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t Takumi Aldini, Mister Big Shot himself.”
The two stop in their tracks. They turn back to see a freshman boy, hands in pockets, smirk on face. Takumi raises his eyebrow while Megumi looks to him in confusion.
“Oh. Do I know you?” asked Takumi.
Furrowing his eyebrow, the boy tsk-ed. “Hmph. No, but I’m certain you will! I’m going to be the next First Seat in the Elite Ten and I’m going to climb even faster than that Yukihira Souma did. I’m going to do that by using my Italian cuisine skills that surpass even further than that of your measly ones!”
Takumi has to stop himself from rolling his eyes. “I can do a Shokugeki with you to prove it,” he retorts. Overconfident freshmen challenging Elite Ten members has become an everyday routine now, thanks to Yukihira’s new rule. Takumi’s used to this by now, but it doesn’t fail to annoy him still.
“Pfft— let’s do a one-on-one to make it fair. You’re practically worthless without your brother anyway so beating you will be like a walk in the park.”
Megumi squeaks at this because she can’t believe what she’s hearing. Not to discredit the talents of Isami, but it’s not like he’s the twin with a seat on the Elite Ten. She looks at Takumi again, noticing his brows furrow further at the mention of his brother. She’s just thankful it wasn’t an insult to Isami for that would provoke Takumi even more.
Takumi huffs in annoyance. He thinks about his first encounter with Yukihira and mentally facepalms himself at how embarrassingly arrogant he was at that time. “Listen,” he says. “Taunts don’t matter if you can’t walk your talk. I already said I’d do a Shokougeki with you. Next Friday would be most convenient. Now if you’ll excuse us, we have some Elite Ten work to finish.”
“Honestly, girls only fall for you because of your bland, foreign looks. That stupid fan club of yours can’t even tell when Italian cuisine is truly impressive.” Oh. He gets it. Comes just another boy jealous of Takumi’s popularity. It’s not like he can help it! “Your Calamari Ripieni is so basic that anybody in Italy can do it, stop trying to showcase it off like yours could taste any better. That mezzaluna of yours? Your form is so messy it hurts my eyes every time I see you try to wield it.”
The freshman continues to jabber and hurl insults, but Takumi is annoyed because Megumi’s wrapped up in this inconvenience too. He looks to her and is shocked to see her expressing a scowl. She quickly notices his staring, turns to him as well and immediately switches back to her sweet, reassuring smile. A little nervously, she motions her head to the side, indicating that they should just go ahead. He knows she hates getting caught up in messy confrontations so he nods in agreement. They start taking steps back towards their destination.
“Hey, Al-loser-dini!” the freshman bellowed. “Don’t just walk away from me!” Definitely a weak & childish taunt, but an annoying one still. Frustration was slowly building up inside Takumi. He usually had more patience with people who looked down upon him, but he was not one for tolerating such immature behaviors. He’s just a first-year, Takumi thinks. Does age really matter, though? Wasn’t he just a first-year several months ago?
“You really think you’re all that—proclaiming yourself as Yukihira Souma’s rival. Ha! You’re not even anywhere close!” Low blow. He gets that everyone’s admiring Yukihira with him being the First Seat and all. I know that. Somewhere deep in the back of his mind, Takumi knows his rivalry can often be one-sided. He notices the way Yukihira will taunt Hayama and Kurokiba more than he does to Takumi. He’s never talked about it with anyone, not even Isami. He knows that if he says it out loud, the idea seems even realer. But that doesn’t mean I won’t keep trying.
“No wonder you’re just the Seventh Seat.”
That’s it. Takumi’s about to take a step towards this arrogant son of a bitch to teach him a lesson and end this once and for all. Then—
SLAM.
Takumi recoils and takes a step back as Megumi slams down the stack of papers she was holding onto his own. “T-that’s enough!” she declares. She quickly starts walking towards the boy until she’s now face-to-face with him. She stands probably a half foot shorter than him, but the anger she’s suddenly radiating is enough to start intimidating him. Takumi swears he sees him gulp.
“You have no right to say that to Takumi-kun! He’s a talented, well-respected chef here in Tootsuki who can beat you any day! Just because he’s amazing with his brother doesn’t mean he isn’t already the best! If you’re so concerned about his cooking skills, why mention his fan club? Y-you’ve just shown what a petty, jealous, insecure little boy you are! If anything, his looks are far from bland! His light blond hair compliments his light b-blue eyes, and that’s probably why so many girls fawn over his looks rather than yours!”
Takumi’s just standing there, mouth wide open.
The first-year tries to distance himself with Megumi by taking a few steps back but she retaliates by stepping towards him every time, refusing to break eye contact. Eventually, he runs out of space and is caught in between her and a wall. He trips backwards and yelps. The girl in front of him has her fists balled up in front of her chest, as if she was still a little nervous. The fire in her eyes say otherwise.
“T-Takumi-kun already agreed to the Shokugeki too so why on earth are you still here? Is it because insults are the best you can do? Well that’s some very bad news for you because he is more than your pesky little insults and has probably won more Shokugekis this month than you have in your life! He won’t ever stoop down to your level! Now, leave him alone!”
The first-year squeaks in fear and scrambles to get up and run away. Megumi watches him, standing still in her position. Takumi is still behind her, frozen in shock. He has never heard Megumi raise her voice, let alone stand up to anyone so fiercely. The both of them stay unmoving. He shakes himself out of his trance and says, “Ah, Tadokoro-san—”
She turns to him and her eyes widen. “AAAAHHH! THE PAPERS! I’M SO SORRY I DUMPED THEM ON YOU!”
Huh? Oh! Takumi looks back down at his stack of documents now twice what he was originally carrying. He completely forgot about them. He chuckles, then laughs a little louder. He knows she’s frantically begging him to stop laughing, probably because she’s so embarrassed. Tadokoro-san is back to her usual self. The edges of the papers are slightly crumpled and he infers it’s because she had done so in order to hold in her anger. Takumi is so shocked at her reaction he laughs even more. S-stop laughing, Takumi-kun!
“I-I can’t believe I just did that!” She’s holding her face while shaking it back in forth in utter shock. “I’m an Elite Ten member, I can’t do that to first-years! I should be setting a good example!” She carries on, switching between mumbling to herself and screaming in panic. “What if he gets back at me?! Hunts me down?! I shouldn’t have raised my voice at him! Ah, ah! P-please let me carry the papers again, Takumi-kun!” she practically shouts at him. “In fact, I can carry your half as well! I’m sorry I did that to you!”
Takumi can’t stop laughing. He puts his hands on her shoulder to balance himself as he practically doubles over in laughter. (T-t-takumi-kun, PLEASE!) She’s always like this, but its one of the things he loves about her and he’s slightly comforted by her frantic overreactions now. She cares about her friends terribly to the extent that she’ll shed her timid little self to defend them against tall, mean strangers. Takumi’s beaming so much that Megumi starts to panic even more. He’s thankful she hasn’t started her nervous habit of writing and eating kanji on her palm just yet.
He finally takes a breath and looks her in the eye, smiling. “No, no, let me, la signorina,” he says. “This is a thank you for standing up for me.” Megumi pauses, staring back at him. She calms down a little when he hears him call her that because she can’t help giggling. She’s tempted to push him once more to give it to her, as she usually does (Why does she have to be such a bother to people?). She’s blushing furiously and her mind juggles between what she had just done and what Takumi might be thinking of her. Still, she likes Takumi being a gentleman more than she hates being troublesome, so she gives him her sweetest smile and starts strolling beside him once more.
Takumi’s back is a little straighter, probably because of the heavier load he has to carry. He doesn’t stop smiling. They walk in silence for a few more seconds until, “Hey, Tadokoro-san?”
Megumi squeaks. “Y-yes?”
“I think my light blonde hair and light blue eyes are nothing compared to your dark blue hair and bright yellow eyes though.”