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

Chapter 54 - Mr. Clean Michelin Man

(Name)'s POV

The next morning was an unusual one when Erina summoned everyone out front at sunrise. I was already awake and had finished my morning chores when I found her knocking on my door.

"There you are, Homura-san. I was looking for you."

She was? I picked at the dirt on my sleeves and furrowed my brows. "I usually wake up early so I can work the farm with Isshiki-senpai."

"I see." Erina fidgeted awkwardly, still a little shy. We weren't exactly buddy-buddy in the past, and our interactions were rather limited despite her move into the dorm. "Well, I'd appreciate it if you gathered out front with everyone else. Please."

"Uh, sure thing. See ya' there?" I turned and left, hoping my friendly smile would help her relax. I joined the rest of our friends outside to find them complaining over the temperature and the time.

"Brr..." Daigo's teeth chattered, the boy wrapping his bare arms around himself. His signature tank top was definitely not ideal for the weather.

"It's technically winter now." Shun said, perfectly fine in his usual turtleneck.

Marui shivered. "I guess we won't have much longer to breathe in the morning air at the dorm."

"Our lives are over once the advancement exam happens," came Shoji's continued pessimism.

"I wonder what Nakiri-san wants, gathering all of us here." Megumi said to Soma, hoping he could shed light on the situation.

"Oh, she didn't tell me anything," was Soma's reply.

"Are you okay?" I asked Kiyoko, who politely declined my coat. To my left, Ryou tugged his hoodie strings taut so that the hood wrapped around his head. He looked like a caterpillar.

"Oh, Erina-cchi!" Yuki announced her arrival. We faced the blonde, sweat-dropping when she pulled out a folded note and a megaphone.

"Ahem... Good day, Polar Star Dormitory residents." She sounded stiff. "Hmph. You all look dejected again, like before."

Did... did she write down that insult?? But I couldn't even be mad. She was right, after all.

"It's obvious now what the outcome of the Promotion Exam would be, before it even happens. Maybe it'd be better for all of you to just leave the academy now?"

"Wh-what's wrong with you? You had us all show up just to tell us that?!" Daigo cried.

"We all want to keep on cooking at this academy, too!" Yuki teared up, face pink as she looked down in hurt. "Why...? You didn't have to say it like that!"

"Don't tell me she wrote this all down..." Ryou muttered, thinking the same thing as me.

But I could see what she was doing. Erina wasn't the type to gather us this early just so she could insult us via megaphone. At least, I didn't think she was.

"It's been some time since I came into this dormitory's care. During that time, I have sampled your creations numerous times. At times, they tasted unusual. At other times, they tasted absurd. I've lost count of how many times I scolded you all for it!" She paused. "...But your dishes were always free!"

We gasped at her declaration. I thought back to the dishes I'd served her, which were purposefully wacky. Despite her disgusted reactions to our cooking, she still found good in them?

Erina pointed directly at us. "If you stay down like you are now, you will be terminated without even getting to build on your strengths! How pathetic! Is that really how you want things to end?!"