With Soma's victory, Alice is now on the ground crying after the memories, and Soma sighs, "You act like a kid because you lost. Here, stand up."

Alice grabs Soma's hand, and she says, "Don't act all haughty with me just because you won! I'm going to say it now, this isn't the end for me, even though you are my friend, I won't let anyone else take Totsuki's top. Have a nice day."

After Alice is about to leave, she notices Erina, who says, "It seems your abilities were nothing special."

"What's with you! Erina! You're not only a genius at cooking! You're also a genius at insulting people!" Alice yells. "Listen, just wait until I come to take my revenge! Erina!"

After Alice leaves, Erina sighs and says, "It must be nice to be able to cry selfishly like that."

In the hallway, Megumi rushes to Soma and gives him a hug, she says, "Soma-kun! I was watching you from the waiting room. Congratulations!"

"Thanks, Tadokoro. You're next, right?" Soma asks.

"Yeah, I was really nervous...they prepared a waiting room just for me, and I didn't know when I was going to be called until just before it actually happened..." Megumi says.

"Ah, but somehow, you looked relaxed, and that's great for you." Soma says.

"Yeah. I hope I can have fun cooking, it is the first time I'm thinking like that." Megumi says.

"You sure have grown a lot, you wouldn't think you're the same girl who nervously stared down at the pot while boiling something." Soma says. "Well, don't strain yourself too much, it hurts to see you like that. I'll be watching from the audience."

After Soma walks back to the audience, he is dumbfounded by everyone who is having unusually flashy cheering items, and as her boyfriend, he decides to help out as well.

But Soma realizes that Megumi's opponent is no other than Kurokiba Ryo, Alice's assistant. The theme for the match is Ramen, a noodle dish formed by Noodles, Toppings, and soup.

Kurokiba Ryo uses the Fish leftovers for the soup's dashi, which brings the flavor of the fish. Megumi already knows this when she sees that Ryo is picking Elliptical-shaped 3mm x 1mm noodles which have an almost bouncy elasticity. So Megumi tries to use Scallops and adductor muscles for the Dashi. She wants to make an almost transparent graceful soup.

"That's right, Megumi's home is a port city, her understanding of marine products is second to none!" Yuki says.

"How interesting, to think this would be a match between two people who grew up in port cities." Alice suddenly appears, much to everyone's surprise.

Soma says, "Alice is right, Ryo was raised alongside the sea."

(Flashback)

"Are you sure you can just go out like this?" Soma asks.

"Don't worry, you have come all the way here from Japan, we must greedily try to experiment with all kinds of flavors." Alice says.

But as they are walking to a pub, they find a boy the same age as them, and the boy is a younger version or Kurokiba Ryo. He says, "Who are you? A customer? We're on our idle time now. Get your meal somewhere else."

Soma says, "Oops, looks like we came at the wrong time, right?" But then he sees that Alice walks into the pub and says, "Then I'll wait inside."

They find that the place is not that tidy, and Alice wants to give her regards to the chef, which turns out to be the boy in front of them.

"Oh? So you're the chef, huh?" Soma says.

"I've not seen you two around here." The younger Ryo says.

"You know, it's rude to call me "You". We have proper names, Yukihira Soma and Nakiri Alice." Alice says.

"What about your name?" Soma asks, who mutters, "Kurokiba Ryo."

"That name sounds very Japanese..." Alice says.

"So you have money to pay for your food, right?" Ryo asks them, who nod as he says, "Sit there, there is still some time before we open the dinner, but some of our regular customers have come..."

Just as he puts his headband on, Soma and Alice notice his expression changed, Alice says, "Wow, he looks scarier than you in the headband, Yukihira-kun."

"I realize that..." Soma sighs.

(Flashback Ends)

"He was just like me, he was already working in the kitchen at such young age." Soma says. "But the difference is that my diner is a Family diner, so I won't be the best of the kitchen there, but Kurokiba...he is the best in his."

"Yukihira! You do realize that your girlfriend is fighting against him! You have to cheer her on!" Yuki yells.

Alice says, "Oh? Yukihira-kun and Tadokoro-chan are dating? Since when did it happen?" Alice asks, and Soma sighs, "A long story."

It is because that during that night, Ikumi has been glaring at the girl for stealing Soma like that, and Soma can feel that Ikumi is glaring at him right now.

Kurokiba looks at the place where Soma and the others are, he says, "I don't like seeing cooks getting along so cozily. The relation between the cooks is one of eating or being eaten. None other is possible."

"Is that really so?" Megumi asks, which earns a glare from Ryo, causing the girl to panic.

"Isn't cooperating with each other also important for cooking?" Megumi asks after overcoming the fear.

"The kitchen is a battlefield, food is power. But I didn't think people who were raised in a lukewarm environment would understand that." Ryo says. "The only thing needed in cooking is making your opponent submit to you, those who don't understand this can only create half-assed flavors. Understand this, the cooking you all have been doing is a trashy game."

"You're wrong." Megumi stands up to the boy and says, "At the very least, the things I've seen are not trash at all!"

After showing the broth of her noodles, the judges are amazed at the beauty of it, and Megumi says, "All the people who pushed me forward, don't speak badly of them!"

As the broth is shining, the judges are now looking closely at what Megumi is doing, and much to everyone's surprise, Megumi is calm even though extra pressure is on her.

After a while, both dishes are done as Ryo is the first one to judge. He says, "Now eat it, it's a "Soup de Poisson Ramen."...!"

Everyone is shocked as Soup de Poisson is a soup from Southern France using dashi of fish leftovers and shrimp shells. After the judges taste it, they can't help it as their conscience are about to be taken away. The toppings include three types of cheese, rouille, tenkasa, and rusk that was covered with echiré butter. But in the echiré butter, there are dried shells that are smashed into pieces, which have doubled the flavor.

Senzaemon strips once more, and he says, "To think you made me strip just using sheer strength. I admire your courage."

As the judges also try to learn about who Ryo is, Megumi comes next as she presents the Kozuyu Chicken Soy Sauce Ramen. The judges feel that the soup lacks impact like Ryo's, since Megumi has a timid impact inside her. But after tasting it, they find that the flavor is so strong. And it has Kozuyu in it.

The deciding factor of the dish comes from vegetables like Shiitake Mushroom, Burdock Root, Green Bean, Carrot, Cloud Ear Mushroom, etc. They were dried and then boiled.

Ryo notices it and he stands to Megumi, he says, "Let me eat it too!"

Megumi is too frightened by Ryo's aura as she does it, Ryo takes a slurp and he is amazed a little.

"What a surprise...even if it's another seafood Ramen, to think she could bring out such a flavor using a different method than that of Kurokiba Ryo's Soup de Poisson..." The judge gasps.

"As I am right now, I can't create a strong flavor like rich seafood or pork bone ramen. Because everything from removing the smell to adjusting the taste requires an amazing level of skull. But if I use Kozuyu as a base and squeeze out the flavor of scallops and vegetables, I can avoid unbalancing the dish and create strong ramen. At least, that's what I thought..."

Ryo tastes it and says, "You knew that I would bring out a rich type of ramen and you made it clash with this dish, huh...Interesting! Tadokoro Megumi!"

Then Ryo has Megumi tastes his Ramen, and she feels that the salt smell and flavor are incredible, but she doesn't want to give up as she keeps struggling. Senzaemon takes out the brush and writes the winner, in the end, it is Kurokiba Ryo with the 3-2 win.

"Kozuyu and Soupe de Poisson...it was an intense flavor showdown." One judge says.

Soma quickly rushes to Megumi after the loss as he gives her a hug, "Are you alright? Tadokoro?"

"Kurokiba-kun...he was scary..." Megumi mutters with tears in her eyes, "I'm really scared, Soma-kun..."

"I understand, Tadokoro." Soma says. And much to their surprise, everyone starts to cheer for Megumi for faring pretty well, much to their girl's delight.

As the two matches for today is over, Takumi comes to Soma and says, "It seems you won. Well, look forward to it."

Soma says, "I think that your match is tomorrow. Then I won't face you until the final?"

"No...not necessarily, there's a shuffle in the second round." Takumi says. "It's decided by raffle like in the first round. You won't know your opponent or the theme until just before the match...in other words..."

As they notice Hayama and Hisako walking past, Takumi says, "It is possible to be matched against any of the remaining contestants. But wait, it's all written on the regulations."

"Yeah, I was just playing with you." Soma says, which causes Takumi to anime fall.

"Anyway, good job, Tadokoro! You tried really hard." Soma says to the girl, and Takumi adds, "Yeah, that was a splendid dish."

"I'm completely exhausted." Megumi says. "It was the first time I cooked with a firm intention to win. It's weird, isn't it? I just lost, but I'm looking forward to cooking again. There are so many things I want to try that I can't contain myself."

Unknown to them, one of the two judges who voted for Megumi is Senzaemon, even though he didn't strip outside, he got stripped inside instead.

That night, Takumi, Hayama, and even Hisako have the strong will to win the match because they are going to win for someone they think it is important, for Takumi, he wants to win it for his brother; For Hayama, he wants to win it for Shiomi Jun; and Hisako wants to win for Erina as well.

Soma is also standing at the balcony watching the moon, Megumi walks towards him and asks, "Soma-kun? What are you thinking?"

Soma turns to Megumi and says, "Sorry, it is my old habit to look at the stars while thinking about something else."

"Is that so..." Megumi says.

"And right now, as a member of the Number 0 of the Elite 10, the work needed to do is not that hard to me. But even though I have watched a lot of Autumn Election videos, this is the first time I joined in such a tournament." Soma says. "It is not just you, but everyone in the same grade as me is really strong."

"Really?" Megumi asks in surprise.

"Yeah...I really want to win, for my deceased Mom, for my Dad who has high expectations for me, for the people who taught me everything about cooking, and...for you. I promise I will win for you as well."

"Soma-kun...thank you..." Megumi says with a smile.

Here is a new chapter, and Megumi lost to Ryo. The difference is that I want to make Megumi almost win, I hope you like this chapter.