The Expert Among the Chefs | Yukihira Souma

The Other Worker of Yukihira

"No, it's fine! I'll just sleep on the floor. Anyways, I'll go pack!" So Sakura quickly dashed back to her room.

Grabbing the smallest of her suitcases, Sakura began to fill it up with her necessities. "Hmm, I'll need...two pairs of extra clothes," she folded up some casual clothes and stacked them neatly in one end of her case. "My chef's uniform and pajamas..." those went in as well. "Hygiene supplies," she shoved those into a small pouch before tossing them in. "And my 'kitchen stationary!' Great I'm all set!" so she quickly changed into some more casual clothes (other than her overly revealing uniform...courtesy of Nakiri Alice) before going back to Soma's room.

"I'm done, Souma-kun!" she called before charging through his swinging door.

"Great!" Soma offered her a thumbs-up. "I'm done too, so lets go."

"But shouldn't we tell Obachan first?" she inquired.

Soma nodded in agreement. "Right!" So they quickly made their way downstairs, informed Fumio of their whereabouts for the next few days before heading out the door.

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A warm summer breeze whisked its way towards the Sumire street Shopping District. It was the perfect weather to walk home from school. The breeze made everything feel oddly blissful and the happiness from being able to walk home with friends multiplied the good outcome.

Kurase Mayumi and Koganei Aki, two girls who were inseparable best friends, walked side by side along with their other "guy-friends." Everything was running smoothly, until they hit a particular bump in the road.

Kurase stayed back, as her friends moved on. She looked up at the large red sign that spelled out Yukihira Diner in big jumbo letters. Kurase sighed, a feeling of self-pity and emptiness bubbling in her chest. This isn't worth it, she thought. So she continued to move.

Except, she heard voices...talking (???)....

No! She must be hearing things. It wasn't possible for Yukihira Souma, her long time crush, to be back, right?

She was about to continue walking with her friends, until Koganei Aki got right up in her face and gave Kurase a piece of her mind. "Every single day, you look around when we pass this place."

The shy girl instantly turned beet red. "Eh...?! N-not really, I..." she trailed off, unsure of what to say.

Koganei shook her head, exasperated. "Aish, that's why I told you to confess when we were still in middle school." she pointed a finger upwards to prove her point. "Especially when we found out he would be going to a different high school. You're such a coward, Mayu..." Koganei was simply speaking her mind when she said this, and through her bluntness, Kurase began to whimper like a lost puppy.

Koganei's eyes widened and she panicked at her upset friend. "Aaah! Geez, I'm sorry! Really, I am, Mayu!!"

When Kurase calmed down a bit, they all continued walking. "Well, it isn't too late, now, right? You could call, or mail him something." her friend suggested.

"N-No! I'm too plain. For somebody like me, it would be impossible to..." her voice trailed off and morphed into a small shriek of surprise as the metal door slid open, revealing a slightly shocked Yukihira Souma.

However, he seemed rather indifferent about the whole situation as he said, "Oh? Isn't it Kurase? It's been a while."

Kurase, however, displayed a face of pure shock, mirroring the faces of those behind her. "E-Eh?! Yu-Yukihiraaaaaaaaaaaaa?!?!?!!"