Waifu Wars: A Food Wars Fanfic

Ch. 13 Halloween Hoopla (Part Two)

            A crisp fall breeze was sweeping over the campus as the final bell rang. Excitement and anticipation had been building throughout the day, and once school was over, students rushed home to finish up their last minute costume additions and to tweak their recipes.

Torrey had said good-bye to Rindo and Momo after his baking class ended, and was chuckling to himself on the way back to Polaris. Every other step resulted in a satisfying crunch; the ground was covered with swirls of yellows, oranges, and reds. Funny how all these dead leaves can be so beautiful. Dead and beautiful... he was reminded of his conversation with Alice Nakiri this morning, still not fully convinced that she wasn't a vampire.

"Torreeey!" Suddenly he was wrapped in a hug.

"Hey Alice...long time no see?"

"I know, right? I can't believe I haven't seen you since, like, 1st period. The day really seems to drag on when you're not around..."

If anyone were to witness this scene, they'd probably get the wrong idea. Torrey felt that he should probably push her away, but the feeling of her chest pressing up against his back...

"How...was your day?"Alice finally released him.

"Aww, how sweet! It was good I guess. I wish we had more classes together though," she said, pouting.

"Yeah..." It was hard to resist her advances when she was this forward, though Torrey knew he should be making a better effort.

"Well I need to get home and finish up my costume, but I just wanted to say hi. And also to remind you about the competition tonight!"

"I'm not one to back down from a challenge. I'll definitely be there."

"I've got you in my sights, so you'd better watch out." Alice winked, and was gone as quickly as she had appeared.

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Megumi, Ryoko, and Yuki were enjoying a quiet walk back to Polaris after school. Due to its location up on the mountain, it was rare for the girls to encounter many students. On most days they walked together like this on, since their final classes were all in the same building. A gust of wind hit them suddenly, sending a flurry of dead leaves into the air.

"Ooh...pretty!" Yuki said. While taking in the sight of the fall colors, she noticed two students hugging nearby. Well, one was hugging the other. "Hey, isn't that..."

"Shhh! Over here!" Ryoko said. The redhead quickly grabbed her friends and dragged them behind a large planter box. Hidden behind several well-trimmed bushes, the girls were in excellent eavesdropping position. Ryoko and Yuki leaned around the corner to get a look at Torrey and Alice, while Megumi sat on the ground nursing a fresh bruise.

"Owww," she said. "What's going on, anyway?" Ryoko explained the situation, and Megumi was instantly on her feet. Their heads were arranged like a stoplight beside the bush as they spied on their classmates.

"They should get a room," Yuki said.

"Eep! Don't say that..." Megumi said. "You don't think..."

"That they're dating? Not likely. Whaaat? He just asked her how her day was!" Ryoko said, unsure of her own assessment.

"That's something that couples do, right?" Yuki said.

"Hmm...I don't like this. I thought we all agreed to back off from Torrey until after the Shokugeki." Ryoko said. Yuki had shown up just after the catfight on Torrey's first day, but Ryoko told her all about it.