Work Text:
Erina Nakiri has far too much important work to do before she can retire. Already today, she has had to impress on an entire club of clodpoles that their pitiful activities could not possibly be of benefit to Totsuki Academy by thoroughly demolishing their challenge with her naturally superior cooking. After that, she had to instruct those lesser students whose obedience to her she chooses to reward. But with all the time those things took, she has not had time to do justice to her actual class assignments. The teachers here are mostly beneath her, too, of course, but that does not mean that there is not value in the work, or in Totsuki's reputation for first-tier talent or her own reputation as its top student.
Well. She's sure to be recognized as Totsuki's top student very soon, of course. And she intends to have perfect marks for her entire school career, to show that she deserves the honor.
That's why she's coming down to visit the third classroom kitchen as nearly all the other students are retiring for the evening. Let them give in to silly bodily weaknesses like sleep. She is Erina Nakiri and she does not need such things. She is destined to lead this school one day and to promote its standard of excellence, she must be excellent above and beyond all…
She halts at the kitchen door and stares. There is someone else here, unexpectedly. Another student, a lowly first-year, washing up her bowls and pans in the sink and humming something abominably cheerful.
It is Erina's right, as a Nakiri, a member of the Council of Ten, and the God Tongue, to kick out any student from any space at any time. But…those dishes will not wash themselves, if she does. She supposes the girl will finish soon enough and she will have the kitchen to herself. In the meantime—
"Stop humming," she demands.
The humming stops, and the girl startles badly, pan clattering to the bottom of the sink. 'E-erina-sama!" she exclaims, ducking her head. "I didn't see you...!"
Erina sniffs. "Obviously. I have important work to do here, when you are finished." She shoots a pointed glance at the sink of dishes, in case her hint isn't strong enough.
"Of-of course, Erina-sama," the girl bobs, and her head comes up enough that Erina finally recognizes her—it's the little nobody who's been partnering with that singularly obnoxious pestilence (who makes the best egg rice dish she has ever tasted—no, she will not admit it, she cannot…)—this girl should have been flunked out already. Her timid, unexceptional food will never represent the best of the best for Tutsuki.
It is all Erina can do to allow her to finish cleaning up her mess before she leaves. She presses her lips tight in annoyance and takes a seat at the counter so she can close her eyes, praying for patience and determinedly facing the wall to make it clear she is not inviting conversation.
After a moment, the girl—Megumi, her memory supplies far too helpfully, not that she cared what this forgettable girl's name was—picks up where she left off with a gentle clatter of dishes and shushing of water. The humming, thankfully, does not return.
It doesn't take terribly long, but it's just long enough that by the time the sound of water shuts off, sitting still has made Erina's foolish body start to ponder sleep.
It isn't until her flagging attention realizes that Megumi has stopped moving, but hasn't left, that she opens her eyes again.
"I was just wondering, Erina-sama—you seem tired, so I thought you might—that is, might want to..." Megumi fumbled her words until, giving up on speech entirely, she placed a bowl at Erina's elbow, bowed, and retreated to where she had another bowl waiting by her schoolbag.
Erina stared in something resembling disbelief at the bowl. Megumi had just uncovered it and it was wafting faint steamy vapors above the surface of a clear broth. Soup? No one had dared to offer her unprompted dishes for years. If this was some desperate ploy to avoid expulsion…Erina took a breath to start berating the audacity.
But…it did smell enticing. Warm and simple yet delicate, like just the thing to restore a flagging spirit with a long night of work ahead of her before she could sleep.
"Very well," she bit out. "I will do you the great favor of tasting your creation. Do not make me regret my generosity."
Megumi smiled, with no bite at all, and bowed her head.
Erina sniffed again at the rising aroma and picked up the spoon. Prodding curiously at the soup revealed only udon noodles and a few beef chunks. Nevertheless, she couldn't deny that the aroma was making her hungry for it. Dubiously, she raised a spoonful to her mouth and tasted it.
It wasn't mindblowing. It didn't have a surprise twist or secret spice waiting to jump onto her palate and shock her. It was just a simple, basic, everyday udon soup.
And yet…somehow, it was exactly what she needed, right then. She needed calm and sustenance and she would have struck anyone who suggested it when she walked in here tonight, but she the feeling of not being alone was maybe what she needed even more than anything. The broth was rich and the flavor was just right, bringing back memories of quiet meals while she studied at home.
"I suppose," she said grudgingly to Megumi, "It is...passable."
But the fact that she was steadily continuing to consume the bowl, she had the feeling, was what Megumi was paying more attention to than her words.
"I'm glad," Megumi smiled, and somehow Erina got the feeling that the girl hadn't really been after extra credit points or trying to impress the legendary God-Tongue at all. "It's important to be able to feel better from a bowl of soup sometimes."
When Megumi uncovered her own bowl and started eating at the other end of the long counter, it was very different from Erina's usual experiences: chefs quaking in their shoes as they waited for the excoriating critiques Erina would unleash upon their dishes. It was almost, somehow, companionable.
Hah. As if it was this girl's right to dare offer companionship to a person of Erina's exalted station. Erina should be indignant—she should—
And yet, strangely, she didn't mind. She sighed, staring into her bowl. "You may hum again, if you wish," she finally decreed.
Megumi smiled, and some tension went out of her shoulders. "Thank you, I appreciate that," she said gravely.
Erina shot a glance over at her. "Occasionally."
"Maybe after I finish my soup," Megumi said agreeably.
"I have work to do after this," Erina warned. "I will need this entire kitchen and I will need it quiet so I can focus."
"Of course, Erina-sama," the girl said. "I'll be right out of your way."
But she didn't stand up to hurry out immediately, and Erina was strangely all right with that.