Akai Ito / Red String (of Fate)

Heartache

They're still able to carry most of the conversation pretty smoothly, especially in a three or four way conversation where Takumi, Alice, or anyone else can chime in. Or how the way he brags about moving up three seats could still take her straight into the asylum every single time.

At most of these times, she can easily look him in the eye and think how she'd made the right call not getting things move from where they left off. He makes it easier for her with the constant tease he'd always thrown at her, and Erina would still snap at him for speaking that way to her as the 1st seat holder. Though she's now customized to the fact that Sōma would always ignore that and repeating it the next day they sit next to each other in food waste management class.

But it is when they find themselves the last two to leave the Elite Ten meeting room they feel the cold surrounding and built-up suspenses. Maybe it's the glimmer of what-could-have-beens in her amethyst eyes that stops him from stacking the mountains of paper on the wooden desk. Or it could be the red bracelets that still intact nicely on their wrist that sometimes got her mind so lost in the forest of thoughts.

It's not that the rest of the Elite Ten and Polar Star members are unaware towards the weird triangle situation, but none of them are gutsy enough to bring it to the surface. The most that she gets is a pity glances every time she's in the same room as her.

"You okay?" The 2nd seat asks. Smiling ever so carelessly.

"Why wouldn't I be?" She assures. "Are you?"

"Yeah. Never better."

Somehow, this introduces a slight ache in her chest, and it grows further when Luna comes back in sight and cheerfully tucks her arm on Sōma's, leading his scatheless self out of the room before the 3rd seater girl obliviously waves her goodbye.

A part of her still manages to find faults within the dark-haired girl whether it's her delusional ideas or her constant curled up lip that everyone adores (except her, of course), but never brave enough to confront her like her past-self would because she's been nothing but kind to Erina despite all the bitter glare she's been offering her, and how unprofessional that would be since she's a part of Elite Ten as well.

And later that night, on a cold rainy November, she catches herself picking her iPhone up behind her thick blanket and texting endlessly with Tsukasa Eishi, switching stories and catching up as fellow 1st seaters. But what she's not admitting is how much pain she buries within the presence of him. From agreeing to dinner with him on that weekend, to finally go back to his place and giving him everything.

Everything.