Waifu Wars: A Food Wars Fanfic

Ch. 82 Regiment de Cuisine: 4th Bout (Wrap-Up)

            "Very well," says Erina, walking slowly toward the judge's table. "But first I must make a confession..."

Ooh's and aah's echo throughout the arena, as the crowd speculates on what sort of crime the Dean's daughter could have possibly committed.

"Did she kill someone?"

"Maybe she ate processed food..."

"I bet she held hands with a boy!"

"Oh?" says Azami, looking very amused. "Dearest daughter, though I'm still disappointed by your decision to oppose Central, this has been common knowledge for some time. What else could my otherwise perfect girl have done to warrant a confession?"

"I can assure you, it has nothing to do with you, Father," says Erina, waving a hand dismissively. "Torrey, Soma...I...I...I'm terribly sorry! Please forgive me!"

"Huh?" says Soma.

"Forgive you?" says Torrey.

"T-this...isn't the first time I've been asked to intervene during a Shokugeki, on the judge's behalf. Do you recall that night on the train? When your match was so close that Alice, Tadokoro, and Kurokiba struggled to reach a decision?"

"I almost forgot. Things have been awfully crazy since then..." says Torrey.

"So they asked you for help, huh? That's no biggie; we were gonna ask you to judge in the first place. But we figured you'd get pissed at us for wasting 'valuable study time'," says Soma.

"Don't use air quotes! Your studies are NOT to be taken lightly! That's precisely the attitude that..."

"Aaand that's why we didn't ask you. But seriously, it's nothing to apologize about. You helped them realize the better dish, right?" says Soma, with a grin.

"I did...and it was Torrey's."

"..." (Soma)

"..." (Torrey)

"WHAAAT?!" (Everyone on the Resistance side except for Alice, Megumi, and Ryo).

"I...did something foolish. I lied about the results, manipulating you two in the process. I knew that if Soma were to lose, he'd be unable to think of anything but a rematch with Torrey, and his exam preparations would suffer. I also knew that Torrey had a lot on his mind, and that losing to Soma would be the least of his concerns..."

"That's the Resistance leader for you," says Torrey. "I can't blame you for looking out for your teammates."

"T-truly?" says Erina, with a hopeful gleam in her eyes.

"You're not off the hook just yet! And Waldenpond, don't tell me you're actually okay with this? It's the ultimate injustice, a violation of the sanctity of a Shokugeki! It's...it's...," says Soma, working himself into a frenzy.

"Soma-kun," says Megumi. She puts a comforting hand on his shoulder, but Soma shrugs it off.

"Don't, Tadokoro. Just...don't," says Soma. Poor Megumi is in tears again.

"It wasn't Megumi's fault!" says Alice. "Those dishes were like, super close."

"Aye," adds Ryo. Soma takes a deep breath.

"But you knew about the real results, right? And you still went along with this?" says Soma. Ryo nods. Alice and Megumi hesitate, but then they nod, too.