Chapter Text
Joichiro Yukihira (née Saiba) sent his son to Totsuki Culinary School for various reasons. One was, of course, to hone his child’s talents as a chef. Anyone can see that Soma Yukihira was a gem in the making, with not only the potential but also the hard work and dedication needed to be a world-class chef.
But his worldview was still so small. The kid was decent, but he needed a push if he was ever going to make it into the cutthroat world of fine dining. He needed peers, people his own age– heck, a rival even!
That was the second reason. Let's be real, the kid doesn’t really have any friends. Now, Joichiro admits that this is largely his own fault. When you raise your kid up as your sous chef (Child Protective Services I swear it’s not what it looks like–), you shouldn’t be surprised when that same kid ends up with a single-minded obsession to surpass you to become the very best like no one ever was.
Don’t get him wrong, his kid was nice enough (his mother’s genes, not Joichiro’s) but since you couldn’t keep his interest longer than 5 minutes unless you’re talking restaurant management or japanese cuisine, normal children tended to leave him be.
Not like his dense-ass son would notice, which brings us to point number three:
Joichiro wants his son to get some bitches.
Now, Joichiro remembers being fifteen. The voice cracks. The sweaty palms. The waking up in the morning needing to change your pants for the fifth goddamn time this week.
The hormones.
But Soma isn’t like that. Concerningly so. The only women he talks about are celebrity chefs, the only time he gets sweaty palms is before a food fight with his old man, and the area under his bed is frighteningly clear of any indecent reading material. So is his closet. And his desk drawers. And the loose floorboards under his room. Trust him.
Joichiro has checked.
And he knows for a fact that the kid inherited the Saiba gift of rizz! For Kami’s sake, that poor Mayumi girl basically became a regular for the express purpose of getting closer to Soma (before instantly falling in love with his food, of course). And it wasn’t just her, either! It was just such a waste!
So when old man Senzaemon suggested he send the kid to Totsuki, he agreed almost immediately.
That was why, before giving his son the good ol’ Gon Freecss treatment, Joichiro imparted him with one last pearl of wisdom.
‘If you want to improve your cooking, go meet a woman that’ll make you want to give all your food to her.’
…Of course, his son happened to hang up before he could impart that little nugget to him, but that was why he made sure to pass the message along to little Megumi during his last visit!
What Joichiro could never have predicted was that his little bit of wisdom would lead to him receiving a phone call at 2am Pacific Standard Time from a flustered Gin Dojima, complaining that Jun Shiomi has passed out from shock due to her ward bringing home a certain young man with golden eyes and unkempt red hair. All he could say was,
“Well… that explains some things.”
—
“Hey, Megumi, is it just me or does the air smell more… sugary than usual?”
Megumi Tadakoro turned to the red haired boy working on the cucumber plot next to her. It was a chilly day near the end of January at Kyokusei Dormitory, and they were preparing the fields for the end-of-winter planting season.
“Haven't you noticed, Soma-kun?” The girl replied, wiping some sweat from her brow, “It’s almost Valentine's Day!”
Soma blinked.
Seeing him stare at her blankly, Megumi gave a little giggle and proceeded to speak.
Even though most of Kyokusei’s classes were focused on meal dishes, They had many courses on dessert as well. Valentine’s Day is one of the biggest days globally for sweets, and students salivate over the opportunity to practice their lesser-used pâtissière skills. The teachers as well are more than pleased to accommodate the season, holding more classes focused and oriented around desserts and sweets alike.
Most importantly, though, there was the time-honored tradition of giving sweets to your loved one.
It goes without saying that, even without something like the God Tongue, the students of Totsuki Academy have a far, far higher standard of taste than your average teenager. If you were thinking of giving your crush something for Valentine’s Day, it had better be some mouth-watering delicacy that would knock the socks (and hopefully pants) off of them.
For the weeks around Valentine’s and White Day, the air around Totsuki is always filled with the sweet scent of sugar, chocolate, and romance!
“I see, I see!” Soma exclaimed, sitting cross legged in the field with a hand under his chin, “So we’re going to get more classes on deserts soon?”
“Yep!” Megumi replied with a clap of her hands
“That’s so cool!” Soma’s eyes were sparkling. His mind was clearly already buzzing with multiple recipe ideas, “This’ll be the perfect chance to test my skills in the world of desserts!”
He clapped his hands and looked at Megumi excitedly,
“This is gonna be so much fun!”
—
“This is so frickin’ frustrating!”
The time was two days later, and the students of Kyokusei Dormitory were sitting around the mess hall table. In the middle, papers were messily scattered about, most clearly marked with the letters ‘E’, ‘D’, or ‘C.’
Shouji Satou slammed his head on the desk. “Who knew that desserts were so friggin’ complicated?!” he continued to yell.
Daigo Aoki, having also planted his face on the table, peeled it off and turned to Soma, who was frowning at a paper in his hand.
“How ‘bout you, Soma?” He asked, “I bet you’re breezing through the French pastry classes no problem, huh?”
“Actually, I only got an 80 at the last mock assessments,” Soma replied, turning his paper towards the rest of the residents. A bold red ‘80’ was sitting on the top right of the sheet.
The rest of them collectively balked. A mere 80?! If even Soma Yukihira couldn’t make it past a measly B+, what hope do the rest of them have?!
“Even you only got an 80?” Yuki Yoshino asked, hands clutching her hair buns, “What on earth did the professors even want?!”
Soma frowned, “I’m… not sure actually.”
“Huh?” Yoshino, Daigo, and Shouji asked collectively.
“Apparently, Prof Chappelle thought my dish didn’t have enough… romance in it.” Soma replied, absently reading over his written review.
“What the heck, that’s so vague!” Zenji Marui cut in, “What does that even mean?”
“Yeah, I know, I can’t make heads or tails of it either,” Soma replied.
“You think you can make some for us?” Ryoko Sasaki asked, “Maybe we can shed some light on what Prof Chappelle meant.” She absolutely wasn’t just curious about Soma’s dessert-making skills and just wanted to try her food. Not at all.
As if there was a hard cut, seemingly moments later the halls of Kyokusei were filled with the sweet scent of strawberries.
“Presenting the Yukihira-style Cream and Berry Delight!” Soma proclaimed, “Order up!”
The residents cheered and dug in. The dish Soma made was an exquisite French fraisier; a dessert consisting of a sponge cake base topped with cream and strawberries, hence the name.
“The pre-glazed strawberries are incredibly sweet and juicy, and pairs so well with the cream!” Yoshino exclaimed.
“The sponge cake base is so soft and fluffy, it's like I'm eating a cloud! It’s perfect as a vessel for the cream!” Ryoko followed.
“And this strawberry sauce on top is the perfect balance of sour and sweet, and the texture is impeccable.” Shun Ibusaki, who had quietly been there the entire time, added in.
“And yet,” The residents of the dorm turned to the sudden intense aura emanating from one end of the table, where Takumi Aldini somehow had slipped in undetected, “this dolce is still missing something– something intangible,”
“Um, when did you get he–”
“I can totally understand what Monsieur Chappelle meant when he said it lacked romance,” Takumi continued, nodding at Soma.
“Hey!” Shouji yelled, “What gives you the right to talk smack about Soma’s dish? How much did you get–”
The Italian boy cut him off, presenting a paper with a ‘94’ circled brightly on the top right.
“NO WAY!!” everyone in the group sans Soma yelled out.
“But what does that mean though?” Soma asked, nearly at wits end.
He hated to admit it, but there was something off about his dish. During class, Takumi and Isami’s fraisier had a mellow yet bold depth of flavor that he simply couldn’t decipher. A gentle sweetness that coated the tongue. But they all cooked the exact same recipe!
He said about as much to the Italian boy, who blushed slightly.
Coughing to clear his throat, Takumi raised a pointer finger, entering ‘lecture mode’. “Actually, that sweetness was because of some lemon and honey I put in the cream–”
“Oh! That makes sens–”
“But that’s not what’s important!” He yelled out suddenly, bringing his hand down to point at Soma.
“Yukihira, when you were making your dessert, what did you have in mind?”
“Uhhh… I was just thinking about if I should make a purée or if I should stick to the recipe–”
“Alright alright I've heard enough!” Takumi interrupted him, waving a hand in his face, “This is exactly what Professor Chappelle meant. In order to make a truly good dessert-”
The Italian boy spread his arms wide in a grand gesture, “-You need to put true passion in your dish!”
.
.
.
A leaf blew in through the window.
“OH COME ON!!!” Whined Takumi, face beet red.
“I mean, I know the professors talk about putting yourself in your dish all the time, but that’s just a metaphor, Aldini,” Said Yoshino, completely deadpan.
Takumi huffed, “If you truly believe that, then try this!”
From out of nowhere, Isami Aldini appeared, carrying a tupperware containing Takumi’s fraisier from that day’s class. (“How’d we miss a guy that huge coming in?!”.)
There was a short silence as everyone found a spoon to take a bite with. And then–
“THIS IS SO GOOD!!!”
“I can’t believe I’m eating a dessert and not a fruit from the Garden of Artemis!”
“Even though it’s been stored in the fridge, It’s leagues better that what Soma made–” blurted out Ryoko. She snapped out of it, immediately turning red from embarrassment, “Err, no offense, Soma!”
“But it’s just ‘cuz you added something extra in here!” challenged Ikumi ‘Nikumi’ Mito, who also slipped in unnoticed. (“Oh come on, when’d she get here?!”)
The skimpily clad girl pointed at Takumi in affront, “Passion has nothing to do with it!”
“Don’t underestimate an Italian man’s dolce,” Isami said, smiling, “When it comes to desserts, nowhere’s better than our home country.”
“‘Passion’ is the basis of ‘inspiration’,” Takumi started, “I’ll never forget what my father taught me when I made my first tiramisu:”
“When you’re making a sweet dessert, you need to think of a sweet bella who you want to make it for!”
“I want to laugh, but this is way too good,” Zenji sobbed, clutching his spoon with tears running down his face.
“Let’s test that theory,” Ryoko said, slamming a fist to her palm, “Hey, Megumi,” she yelled at the girl who at that point had been quietly watching in the background the entire time. (It seemed that somehow everyone noticed her coming in.)
Megumi startled in response, seemingly having lost focus before being called, “Um, y-yes?”
“You missed us sharing our grades to each other,” Ryoko continued, “How much did you get?”
Everyone exclaimed upon seeing the ‘88’ printed boldly on Megumi’s paper. Takumi looked completely unphased (and perhaps even slightly proud) and asked, “And when you were cooking, were you thinking of anything in particular?”
Megumi placed a delicate finger on her chin, as if in thought, “Um, well, strawberries always reminds me of my mother,”
She smiled softly, which emitted a blinding light upon all present, causing some to shield their eyes, “Strawberries are Mother’s favorite dish. When I saw some edible sakura petals, it reminded me of the sakuramochi she used to make for us, and I added some to my dish. I guess Professor Chappelle must’ve liked it.”
Takumi nodded sagely, “That’s exactly right. The storytelling elements of desserts are different to that of the main course.”
Unlike savory dishes; entrees, appetizers, meal sets and the like… Desserts are rarely eaten on their own. They’re usually a closing statement that marks a meal, so the only time you would have them on their own are on special occasions.
That is why the storytelling element in desserts are different. Main dishes are meant to be an experience, a reflection of the chef’s very soul. Desserts, on the other hand, tell a more self-contained story.
Longing, desire, love… nowhere is the expression “food is best made with love” more true than in desserts!
“That does make sense,” Soma said contemplatively, “Sweet foods tell a completely different story than salty foods. So far we’ve been focusing on emphasizing umami in our cooking, but sugar is stronger on the tongue and makes you way more full.”
Behind him, the other residents plus the Aldini brothers and Nikumi nodded along like a peanut gallery.
“But still,” Soma scratched the back of his head in frustration, “saying it all comes down to passion sounds kind of silly–”
“It sounds like something Mr. Joichiro said!” Megumi yelled out suddenly.
“Wh- Come again?!” Soma’s head snapped around to her position, causing her to jump like a frightened rabbit and start sputtering,
“N-n-no! It’s just that what Takumi-kun said about making desserts reminded me of something!” She cried out while waving her hands around her, “I couldn’t quite place my finger on it until I suddenly remembered where I heard it.”
“My Dad gave you some advice?” Soma asked, tone and face carefully blank.
Megumi, ever the empath, noticed his sudden shift in tone, “No, no!” she waved the thought away, physically, “I mean, kind of? I mean–”
“Hey, hey, easy there, Megumi,” Yoshino placed a hand on the other girl’s shoulder, “Why don’t you just tell us what he said?”
“Um, well, he said,” Megumi began. Soma looked at her intently, and even the rest of the hall fell silent.
“Something about… finding someone you want to cook for.” Megumi blushed, remembering the far off look in Mr. Joichiro’s face as he said that to her as he was leaving. Soma and Ms. Fumio had left to collect some odds and ends, leaving Joichiro alone to pack.
It was a rare quiet moment in the dorms as Mr. Joichiro looked at her and seemingly remembered something important.
“There’s something I forgot to tell Soma before, please pass it on to him for me, would’ja?”
“He said something along the lines of ‘if you want to become a great cook,’ you need to find someone who you want to cook for.”
“So romantic!” Yoshino and Ryoko cried out in unison with their hands tied together, both blushing red. Even Nikumi had a slight flush to her skin.
“Damn, now I know where Yukihira gets all that rizz from,” Takumi muttered under his breath.
“Someone I… want to cook for?” Soma said to himself. The thought of getting advice from his dad...
“I guess it would be someone whose opinion you truly cared for,” Nikumi thought aloud. She fidgeted a little. Looking at Soma from under her lashes she asked, “Soma, do you have anyone who you really want to impress with your cooking?”
Someone he wants to impress with his cooking?
Soma scratched the back of his head. For some reason, everyone was suddenly looking at him intently after that question. Takumi was practically boring a hole through his skull with his eyes and Megumi was flushed bright red.
“Wouldn’t that be Nakiri-san?” Daigo said thoughtlessly.
“DUDE!” Shouji said from beside him, knocking him upside the head. Takumi and Nikumi glared death at him.
“What? Everyone thinks that!”
“Erina?” Soma said, semi-incredulously, “It's not like that!”
“It’s not?” Ryoko asked incredulously.
Soma shook his head.
“Erina should get someone who appreciates her for her, not just for her talent,” Soma said definitively.
The group stood dumbfounded.
‘What the hell?’ Nikumi thought, covering her blushing cheeks with her hands, ‘I thought he was gonna bring it back into cooking–’
‘But he’s actually taking the question seriously?’ Unbeknownst to her, Takumi was having the same train of thought.
Actually, everyone, on some level, thought that Soma would simply brush the question off. Aside from Erina, his only interest has ever been cooking. Could it be that there’s actually something going on in that head of his?
The answer was, of course, no.
He can’t deny that he initially thought it’d be cool to have such an asset in his repertoire, but that “blessing” brought Erina and her family so much suffering.
Making Erina say his food was delicious was probably always going to be a goal in his life, but after witnessing everything firsthand, he just can’t take advantage of her ability like that.
He’ll need to find someone else to be his dessert evaluator.
‘If Erina is going to judge my food, I’d have to return the favor, and she deserves someone who doesn’t see her as just the God Tongue to judge her food.’ Was what Soma thought.
“Wait, wait!” Yoshino cried, “So do you actually have someone in mind??”
Everyone looked at him intently, bodies leaning forward, sweat already beading on their brows.
Under their scrutiny, Soma can’t help but feel a little flustered. His friends never looked this severe when half of them were on the verge of expulsion, why were they now looking at him like he held the Krabby Patty secret formula?
‘But it was a good question,’ Soma thought.
Usually he’d offer his desserts to everyone equally and get all of their feedback, but having one consistent person to pester and check his progress wasn’t a bad idea.
He has no doubt that his friends would foam at the mouth if he offered to check their dish in return. The question is, who would it be…?
Soma scratched his head, “To be honest, I’ve never seriously thought about this,”
“Well... can you think of any traits?” Shun offered from the back.
“Yeah! What kinda person would you want them to be?” Shouji asked.
Everyone was at the edge of their seats. This might be their one and only chance to hear what Soma Yukihira’s ideal type was!
Of course, no one thought it was weird that Soma would use that phrase instead of the words ‘significant other’, this was Soma they were dealing with here. This was perfectly on brand for him.
“No offense to Erina, but I’d like someone a bit more emotionally intelligent,” Soma started.
Everyone’s eyes widened, and they all looked at each other. The group was still low-key expecting the redhead to start with a quality like ‘good at cooking.’ Who knew even Soma Yukihira would consider emotional intelligence to be the most important quality in a partner?
Of course, Soma thought it was a given that his taste-tester would be one of his peers here at Totsuki.
‘Honestly, if I only had Erina as his taste-tester, even I’d probably get sick of her insults.’ Especially if it was for a whole module. He’d definitely need to pick someone who wasn’t too tsundere to offer genuine praise every once in a while.
“A-a-anything else?” Megumi asked breathlessly. All the suspense– plus the blood rushing to her face– was making her lightheaded!
Soma put a hand under his chin, “Someone creative, and not afraid to try out new things,” He thought about asking the people here in this room–especially the Aldinis, given their background– but most of them were pretty sick of his ‘experimental’ dishes by now, so that ruled them out.
Yoshino snickered. That was definitely a Soma thing to want from a partner.
“Oh, and intelligent. Someone smart.” If he wasn’t going for Erina, his next immediate thought would be her cousin Alice and, by extension, her lackey Ryou Kurokiba. But he wasn’t really looking to improve on molecular gastronomy right now…
Zenji nodded wisely. That was definitely something he would look for in a girlfriend.
Ryoko grinned, “Not looking for someone with money?” She nudged Nikumi by the elbow, who blushed fiercely.
But Soma shook his head, “I don’t need all that, just someone who’s passionate would do.” Someone who’d be sincere in helping him improve (his desserts.)
Takumi clenched a fist, holding back tears. ‘As expected of his rival…’
‘Oh!’ Soma thought to himself that he’d definitely want someone who wouldn’t back out of an agreement “It also has to be someone…” – What was the word he’s looking for– “Devoted?”
Nikumi also clenched a fist, bemoaning Soma’s (unintentional) rizz. ‘That’s the kind of person he wants?? How unexpectedly romantic of him!'
“Oh c’mon, just tell us already!” Daigo whined, “Do you want someone younger? Older?”
“Well, I’d want someone on our level, duh!” Soma said, deadpan. He can’t bother the senpais with this! Even he has some decorum.
Sharp as ever, Shun spoke up, “You already do have someone in mind, don’t you?”
Soma blushed slightly, both because of being read so easily and because everyone was still laser-focused on him and it’s making him a bit antsy. Why does he feel like he’s being interrogated?
(Everyone promptly misunderstood his expression.)
“I… wanna cook for Hayama.” Soma said while shrugging.
Silence.
Megumi passed out from shock.
And then,
“HUUUUUUUHHHH??”
“Hayama??? Akira Hayama???” Daigo asked incredulously.
“It’s not like we know any other Hayamas, dumbass!” Shouji quickly quipped back.
Takumi and Nikumi were both on the floor with their heads bowed low, going through the five stages of grief. Isami had a sympathetic hand on his brother’s back, his expression for once devoid of any humor.
Yoshino and Zenji stood mouths agape at Soma. Shun was on the floor with the passed-out Megumi on his lap.
Only Ryoko managed to get her bearings. Blushing slightly, she held a hand to her mouth and asked, “I didn’t know you swung that way, Soma!”
Soma, for his part, was startled by everyone else’s – in his opinion– overblown reaction.
“Swung what?” He asked. 'Were they still talking about cooking at this point...?'
“Hayama, dude!” Shouji placed a hand to his temple in sheer disbelief, “I mean, why him?”
‘This is kinda embarrassing…’ Of course, with Hayama almost being the cause of the dorms shutting down, Soma can understand why his friends would still be a bit awkward about him,
Before he has a chance to answer, Takumi cut in, still looking down at the floor. “It makes sense, Hayama-san’s the only person to have beaten Soma in a fight.”
‘Of course Yukihira would only fall in love with someone who’s beaten him twice,’ Takumi thought bitterly, ‘Grrr I’m such an idiot!’
Honestly, Soma’s thinking was that Hayama’s divine sense of smell was the only thing that could come close to Erina’s God Tongue. But Soma didn’t elaborate, as what Takumi said was still factually correct.
“Ooooh my god and they spent so much time together after the Autumn Elections,” Yoshino continued. She locked eyes with Ryoko, whose eyes widened in realization
‘That must’ve been when Soma fell in love with him!’
Yes, that was how Soma knew that Hayama was so genuine about helping even his rivals. And he gave good critiques as well!
Shouji tsk’ed, “And there’s no denying he’s handsome.” Beside him, Daigo nodded sagely.
Soma didn’t know what that had to do with anything, but since it was true he simply nodded along.
“You guys might have some bad impressions of him, but Hayama’s actually really kind,” Soma began, feeling the need to assure his friends that he hasn't forgotten about the other boy’s betrayal. Which, of course, no one was even thinking about at this point.
“He’s really considerate of others and always wants the people around him to be comfortable” Despite the fact that they kept dropping by his place unannounced, Hayama always made sure there was warm chai for him and Ryou.
With every word, Soma’s friends just gaped wider. Yoshino’s eyes actually started sparkling with faint tears.
“He’s a super genuine person,” Soma felt the need to continue in the ensuing silence. “Someone who would never, ever let you down.”
At this point, Takumi and Nikumi have lifted their heads and are staring at him wide-eyed as well. Ryoko’s clutching her chest with one hand and he thinks Daigo, Shouji, and Zenji are faintly blushing.
Of course, the main reason that Soma chose Hayama was his devotion to Jun. When you bring up the topic of ‘cooking for someone you care about’, who better than Akira Hayama? Which is to say–
“Isn’t he lowkey perfect?” Soma said brightly.
Soma startled upon hearing a sniffle, and looked down to see Takumi looking at him with bright teary eyes.
In an instant the Italian boy had shoved himself up in Soma’s face and clasped both of Soma’s hands in his own.
“That was beautiful, Yukihira,” the blond began.
Why does he sound so begrudging as he said that…?
“I, no– we– will definitely make that come true for you!” Takumi gestured at the people behind him.
Yoshino was flicking tears out of her eyes but nodding frantically with a smile.
Ryoko gave him a beaming thumbs up.
Shun gave him a slightly less enthusiastic thumbs up.
“Yeah, definitely!” Shouji shouted, sounding a bit choked up for whatever reason.
“We got your back, Soma!” Daigo echoed.
Zenji also nodded with determination.
Nikumi stood up. With gritted teeth and slightly teary eyes she said, “Ditto!”
Megumi was still out cold.
Soma honestly had no clue what was going on at this point, and had a feeling that they’d started having two conversations sometime back but can’t exactly pinpoint when and is too prideful to ask.
Nikumi jabbed a finger to Soma’s chest. Glaring at him with blazing eyes, she declared, “We’re gonna make it so that Hayama doesn’t think of anyone’s cooking except for yours for the rest of eternity!”
Soma thought that was a bit dramatic when talking about a taste-tester but, hey, this was just his friends' way of showing him support, he guessed.
Yoshino, who was now supporting Megumi on the floor, snapped her fingers suddenly, “Wait, but what about Jun-san?”
Everyone winced. They really forgot about a key piece of the puzzle.
Soma looked away, “Right, her.” At this point Soma had fully convinced himself that Hayama would make an excellent study buddy in his quest to perfect desserts, but he still needs to find a way to make sure he’s not too busy helping Jun…
Everyone in the room panicked upon seeing Soma’s face.
“Wait, you said you wanted help with making better desserts, right?” Ryoko piped up.
Soma nodded, even though he was a bit confused. Wasn’t that what this whole thing was about?
“You kicking Azami out got her Seminar back, I’m sure she won’t mind letting you borrow her protégé for the rest of the dessert module!” Zenji followed her train of thought.
Soma looked at them both hopefully, “You think so?”
They both nodded, while the rest of Kyokusei dorm (plus the Aldinis and Nikumi) looked at each other with renewed purpose.
There was no mistaking that hopeful tilt in his voice. It was clear to all of them that Soma Yukihira considers Akira Hayama to be an ideal boyfriend. And as payback for all that the red-haired boy has done for them, they’ll do anything to make sure they get together!
Takumi clutched him by the shoulders, looking him straight in the eye. “We’ll get you both together before the dessert module ends. We swear on it.”
This wasn’t gonna be easy. Hayama seems like he’s already got his heart set on someone else– an older woman no less! Since Soma is obviously already smitten with him, the only path forward would be to make Hayama fall head over heels with Soma.
One of the densest people on campus, who’s blunt attitude has caused a multitude of problems over the months and who’s only got food on the brain 24/7. Was it possible to turn someone like that into someone who could entice an already taken man, all in a matter of weeks?
It had to be possible! Takumi looked at everyone else in the room, and he could feel them come to a silent agreement together.
Everyone around him cheered, and Soma couldn’t help the feeling of warmth emanating from his chest.
‘Everyone’s so determined to help me become a better chef… I really am thankful I got to go to this academy.’ he nodded to himself, 'by the end of this module, Soma Yukihira is gonna be–'
'The best pastry chef/boyfriend ever!'