BiTTER (Shokugeki no Souma Fanfic)

22. Warm Meals and Calm Banter.

Shinomiya knew very little about his new friend.

From the shoddily, but evidently purposefully half-dyed hair, to the strange scar of a horrific burn on his right hand-- those were just distractions to the real personality behind 'Eda Kiyofumi'.

Clumsy under pressure, yet confident under the right spotlight-- there was just so much to admire about this boy. He didn't have much of a charisma, but his hardworking spirit evidently made up for that in the right places.

(Sena was one of the few that were drawn in by Eda's glowing lead.)

Unlike Shinomiya, who held a dominating, clear prestige over the rest of his peers-- Eda lingered in the shadows with his mixed, mysterious reputation.

That is precisely why this boy could draw in a crowd of his own, filled with those who understand him fully-- much easier than Shinomiya could ever.

-

"Fu~mi-pon!"

Being ambushed right at the entrance of Sumiredoori was apparently not something either of them expected. A tall woman with tanned skin came right in and threw an arm around Eda's shoulder, dragging him down.

"Rase-cchi!" Eda whined, "ow-- hey, that hurts! Let me go!"

"What's with you, did you get a little taller?" she grinned.

This woman, with tanned skin and a violent streak that she never quite left behind in her gyaru days-- is Kurase Ayaka, who Eda lovingly (not by choice) refers to as 'Rase-cchi'. If you've forgotten about her from the beginning chapters, Eda would now lovingly direct you forward because it genuinely doesn't matter.

("Huh? Her name sounds familiar from the show? Nah, you must be imagining things," he insists. "Next.")

Then, immediately turning toward Shinomiya, "woah! Nice hair!" in complete honesty, "seems our Fumi-pon's been in your care, so thanks for that. Welcome!"

"Ah," Shinomiya seemed to find full difficulty in dealing with pushy women, so he simply lowered his head and jutted out a polite greeting, "ah, not at all, I've been in his care as well... And I'll be intruding on your hospitality for the next few days, so it is me that should be expressing my gratitude--"

"Your polite speech is gross," Eda groaned.

"Shut yer trap, brat!"

Rase-cchi laughed at that, setting her hands on the boys and pulling them to either side of her. "Now, aren't you two just adorable! C'mon, we're all waiting for you in Yukihira's!"

Shinomiya continued to growl at Eda, and Eda responded in turn-- but they made their way toward the diner, unaware of the warm look on the woman's face.

"Isn't that sweet?" Rase-cchi gossiped to a passing, similarly swooning shopkeeper as the boys headed on forward, "our baby Fumi-pon made a friend he can fight with. He's got the delinquent spirit in him, eh? He's just like O'Tama!"

-

"Speaking of, what the hell is 'Fumi-pon'?" Shinomiya snorted. "Fumi-pon!"