A Spice in Life (Shokugeki no Soma x Fem!Reader)

Chapter 73 - A Hint of Goat; None Pizza, Left Beef

(Name)'s POV

If I had a nickel for the number of times a person knocked on my door that night and I mistook them for Ryou (who was supposed to deliver my plushies hours ago), I'd have three nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened thrice.

"McChonkster!!" I exclaimed and seized the plush in an embrace. When I stepped back, however, I was greeted by a vacuum-sealed bag of my plushies. "Finally! Thanks a bunch, Ryou-kun!"

"Heh, I'll let him know you said that." I lowered Count McChonkster at the sound of the familiar voice, except it wasn't Ryou.

"HIBI-KUN!!"

He anticipated both my screech and my violent-hug based on the way he didn't stumble when I tackled him, his boots planted firmly into the ground to stabilize both of us, while his firm arms supported both myself and the bag of plushies effortlessly.

"Oomph," he grunted when McChonkster, still gripped tight in my hand, smacked him in the face. "Hi."

I giggled and buried my face in his chest, relishing the warmth that exuded from him. Hibiki's hugs beat that from a plushie any day. "Hi."

It was as if my energy was renewed, and I ushered him into the room with haste and set another pot of tea to brew. Despite the fact that I'd just finished an entire pot of the cinnamon tea with Hayama, I didn't think I could ever grow tired of its flavor. Gone were the days that I had to ration the tea; I could always ask Hayama to make more!

"–and do you know what he said after that? Do you know what Mister Monochrome Mouse  said?" I ranted, recounting the time we Rebels met up with the Elite Ten to settle the rules for the Team Shokugeki. Time seemed to fly by with Hibiki as I caught him up on everything that had happened since the Moon Banquet Festival as if he were my personal diary, and he listened attentively, nodding at intervals and commenting when appropriate. He was truly invested. "He said that if we were to lose, he'd expel all of us and Erina-chan would have to serve Central for the rest of her life!" Just the memory of Azami's terms was enough to make my blood boil.

Hibiki gasped. "What!? That's — he can't do that! That's not legal, right??"

"I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around it," I grumbled into my tea. "It seems at this school that a chef is only as good as their word, and violating the terms of a Shokugeki when you lose is like tarnishing your honor. Or whatever." But if you asked me, maintaining one's honor and pride was stupid if it meant you were unhappy.

By the time I had caught Hibiki up to date, we'd finished the pot of tea and made a sizable dent on the remaining Sapporo snacks. I'd already given Hibiki his share of souvenirs: snacks for him to share with his family, a hand-woven blanket, and an 'I <3 Sapporo' shirt which he immediately slipped on over his current clothes.

Has it really been so long since we've spoken? It was true things had been hectic lately, and my conversations with the boy had grown less frequent, but I couldn't help but feel bad.

And as per usual, Hibiki seemed to read my mind before I could voice this aloud. "I get it. Things've been crazy for ya'. No one blames you, (Name)." The softness in his voice was enough to stir a fuzzy feeling in my tummy. "Ya' never need to apologize for taking care of yourself. To me, or anyone else."

It was exactly what I needed to hear. I had been so worried about everyone else that I'd almost forgotten myself, and the time I did take for myself always came with a sense of regret. Even now, I wondered if there was anything I could do to help prepare my surviving teammates for tomorrow. But Hibiki was right. It was almost annoying how he knew exactly what to say at times like these.