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

Chapter 30- Nervous Nightmares; Autumn Election, Start!

(Name)'s POV

"Haha, no way! Did Bedonkers really do that?" I laughed heartily as I sat beside Hibiki in the wagon, instinctively leaning towards him as I giggled.

We'd just finished a short business trip to deliver some goods to a merchant, and I'd tagged along for the ride. We were now making our way back to the village, nearly at the mountain's peak at this point, and easy conversation filled the air between us, consisting of jokes, laughs, and reminiscent memories of our shared childhood. It was both calming and relaxing, and I secretly wished to always feel this peaceful.

The boy chuckled contentedly with me, his hands holding the reigns, and nodded his head in confirmation. "Yeah! The little guy saw me and just charged, headfirst straight through the wall and-"

He was cut off by a sharp bump in the road, but what I thought to be a small bump turned out to be far worse when I found myself thrown from the cart and rolling on the ground. I tumbled off the edge of the cliff and barely managed to snag the edge of the mountain with my hand, struggling to withstand my weight but by some miracle not plummeting to my death.

"(Name!)" Hibiki cried and was immediately at my side, looking down in panic.

"Hibiki!" I shouted back, feeling my grip slipping. "I-I can't hold on much longer, I—" I choked on my words, "I'm scared."

Something in his gaze hardened, the ever present warmth of kindness now replaced with an empty, cold look that sent chills down my spine. The sky seemed to darken behind him, turning from a clear blue to a dark and stormy gray, as if reacting in accordance with his feelings.

His eyes like icicles, he spoke in a mocking tone, "Scared?"

Hibiki chuckled callously. "What else is new?"

My grip failed, and I watched my best friend's now empty gaze watch apathetically as I fell hundreds of feet, like I was nothing more than a speck of dust in the wind.

And suddenly, I wasn't falling.

"'Lettuce' see, I'm very 'pea'-sed to meet you all. I 'cannoli' imagine becoming 'butter' skilled here! I 'donut' know how I managed to get here but I'll be 'raisin' to the very top soon, just y'all wait!" My words came out without my control, and I paled as I now recognized the true weight of them.

Items were thrown, and I ducked behind the podium for shelter. Looking offstage to the left, I spotted a familiar head of porcupine hair and felt relief course through me. Maybe he could save me from this nightmare.

"Soma-kun!" I cried and stood up, disregarding the items being thrown.

"Do you mean it?" He asked, voice void of any friendliness as his golden gaze pierced through me sharply. "The number one seat is no joke, you know. I intend to give my all to claim it, no matter who I have to defeat.

"But are you willing to fight for it?" His stare was mercilessly intense, but I couldn't find myself able to look away. "Or are you just a joke like the ones you're always blabbering?"

I was given no chance to respond when a rock hit my head and turned my vision dark.

I was floating now.

'...Has it ended? Is this nightmare over?' I thought helplessly.

A sudden bright light enveloped me, and I clutched my head in pain as a series of scenes filled my head at once.

Soma walking out of the arena, his head hanging low in defeat, whilst Nikumi watches him victoriously as the crowd chants her name.

Megumi sobbing as she's removed from the kitchen, Chef Shinomiya's gaze remorseless as he expels the next student.