Akai Ito / Red String (of Fate)

Her Experiences

Her hatred towards Yukihira Sōma may appear like she despises men, but the truth is, that's not the case at all. It's just that she barely has time to give a hoot about them-- or even relationships in general.

Or if she was being honest with herself, she'd say her expectation is ridiculously high, just like it is to the food that's touching her tongue.

In her eyes, all the lads that chase after her are either overly arrogant big talkers or stuttering mess losers, which are nothing but a waste of space and time for her. Yes-- she usually figures all that out after a conversation with them.

"Everyone in Tōtsuki knows by now, my influence in food industry combined with your 'God Tongue'," Eizan Etsuya approaches her that day after Elite Ten's Autumn Election meeting, lifting her chin in such eerie manner, "We can rule the world, E-ri-na."

His voice against her ear is dark, and the way he circles her figure like the moon slowly orbiting the earth comes across as a demand to the blonde, instead of a request.

It's obvious to her that he's in the first category, and if anyone can talk their butts off, no one can do it better than the Nakiri goddess herself, who has been keeping a straight face the whole time.

"Hmpf. Don't make me laugh. Everyone in Tōtsuki knows I can easily take over your precious 9th seat and send you and your precious businesses to the bottom pit of Japan." Erina shoves his chest away and struts forward, "Save those sweet nothings for someone your caliber, Senpai."

Instead of another beg, she gets a scoff, "Is it because I didn't object on Yukihira's participation?"

She stops her tracks in the mention of that name. Not sure why, but it's certainly not because of that accusation. Eizan is not the type of men people want to be close to, anyway.

"He's tainted my record, you know. I'm going to make him pay for it with my brilliant plan, and I'm inviting you to watch the number 1 public enemy crash and burn in our hands. Are you sure you're not interested?"

The thought sure is appealing to her. Yukihira Sōma gone forever out of her life and this academy. She's not going to deny that it's going to be quite a watch.

But she even surprises herself when the only thing coming out of her mouth sound like a rejection towards his expulsion.

"I have somewhere to be."

~

Those that fall into the stuttering mess losers category is another different story. Everyday she would get at least 2 packages of sketchy, unappetizing food from those so-called secret admirers-- really, that won't flatter her in any way. And she has reasons:

1. The food has gone cold and soggy because they probably made it in the morning and give-then-run it to her at lunch time. Nothing makes her barf more than inedible food textures.

2. She's always extremely full. It baffles her that her so-called secret admirers don't have a clue about what kind of work she does.

3. Give-then-runners-- they can't even talk to explain their dish to back up their cringe worthy personalities, and they expect to excel in this academy.

She's tired. Literally.

"E-Erina-sama... I-I mean, senpai... N-No, E-Erina sama... " A 9th grader would come to her with a shaky hand holding a typical bento lunch box, "I-I-I h-have made y-you a...."

And then he would just fled before she even say anything. She usually would find a little note on the box that roughly says: "From the moment I look at you, I know you are the most beautiful woman in the world. You are so talented and your eyes are the only thing I want to look at forever. Please enjoy my..."

She's fighting so hard not to roll her eyes at those nonsense.

Yes-- people do say she's beautiful, talented, and nothing she hasn't heard before. And no-- she's certainly not going to enjoy whatever those people give her since she always give it away to the homeless (or rather, Hisako does). Same as those boxes she'd find outside her door or inside her locker-- don't ask her how'd it get in there.

Can't a girl get a change of things these days?

~

"Yo, Nakiri!"

Now, this is a much more different, unexpected story. So different that all she's dying to do is to bury her face in her locker. Why on earth does he always appear when she's alone.

"What do you want, Yukihira?" She coldly asks as her hands roam around her steel cabinet-- where in the world is that god awful French textbook?!

"Well, for all I know, we have French together, so since I'm running into you here, why not go to class together?" Sōma leans on the other side of the locker as he watches her frantically making a mess of herself, "Maybe tell me a spare bit of that shoujo manga I lend ya."

The proposition stops her movement and raises her eyebrow at the redhead, "I can walk perfectly by myself, and I believe you can too."

"You need an extra pair of eyes, maybe?"

"A-Absolutely not!" Erina replies peevishly, hands continuing its raging patronage, until all her cabinet stuffs spill to the floor.

"Whoop, seems like what you need are extra hands." He takes initiative by picking up her things off the marbled floor, leaving the blonde petrified at his gesture, "Here's your French book. You don't want to forget this 'less you want Emilie-sensei to bust your ass, eh?"

As she hesitantly receive that French textbook (which she's certain has some invisibility superpower) from his hand, her mind goes out of control-- it goes to a place where this plebeian piece of trash does not even belong in.

Which type of men does he falls into?

She's known him from quite some time now-- five, or six months roughly, and it's hard for her to exactly pinpoint his stereotype. He's certainly don't stutter (yet still a loser in her book). He's too confident, but he manages to draw a fine line between that and being arrogant-- she knows just by the way he lets himself clean up her locker.

They end up walking side by side to Emilie-sensei's class-- while Erina keeps a 2.5 meters distance between them, and her mind now races to the fact that Yukihira Sōma's traits remind her of the main character in a shoujo manga that ended up with--

Oh, no-- do not go there, you stupid Erina.

She mentally curses herself for even thinking about that, and curses even more when there's only two side by side seats left in the French class.