I’ve been wanting to write a reaction post for Chapter 278, but I’ve kept putting it off. This is for the anon who asked for my thoughts on SouEri’s relationship development after the latest chapter.
I’ve said it once and I’ve said it a hundred times, I love the relationship between Souma and Erina. Maybe it’s because of how interesting Souma and Erina are to me as characters. Souma is a protagonist, but also a troll. Erina is interesting to me because she shows us that a female character can still be vulnerable and still be a god-tier powerhouse without necessarily being op. Her character development was superb, the melting thoroughly complete that we’ve seen her soft center and her fierce care towards her friends. She’s no-nonsense, but still so painfully naive at times. And yet, wherein other mangas or animes, such an ice-melting would have resulted in the tsundere heroine falling for the protagonist, Erina still hasn’t fallen for Souma. YET.
It’s this obliviousness from the both of them that makes the relationship so interesting and meaningful. Because Souma says things so straightforwardly that he doesn’t even realize the implication of them. I am of the firm belief that Asahi’s Arc is meant to develop Souma’s side of the relationship rather than the other way around. While I don’t think he’ll fall in love with Erina just yet, while Erina may realize she has a crush and futilely tries to tamp it down, Souma will realize some things in relation to her. I mean the process is already starting.
He gets pissed off when Asahi says that the only one who can satisfy Erina’s tongue is him. He was irritated at first but that statement was the one to tick him off. I ask why? If it was the old Souma and his skills were questioned, he’d laugh it off and just look smug. He’d prove the other person wrong with his skills. But Souma getting angry from a statement and being provoked into a Shokugeki is in itself odd when you consider all the other things he got mad about and for which he was provoked into a shokugeki (Megumi’s expulsion, Mimasaka disrespecting Chef’s tools, The demolition of Polar Star Dorm), and even during those times, he managed to be calm or at least restrain his anger to a chilling one. In contrast, his reaction here seems, there’s no other word for it, petty. Why oh why does he get ticked off when Asahi claims that only he can satisfy Erina(’s tongue)? Because it’s Asahi indirectly saying that he’s better than Souma (if so, shouldn’t he have gotten ticked off way earlier)? Anyway, couldn’t Souma and Asahi be both skillful enough to satisfy the god tongue? Why get mad about that? When did Souma even start to correlate being a good chef or being the better chef to what the god tongue decrees (when that doesn’t seem like him)?
Then the statement, ‘Nakiri’s tongue is mine’. It’s not about the god tongue. It’s about Nakiri (even if Souma doesn’t actually realize it). As other people have pointed out, Souma can still get Erina to say his food is delicious, even as she would be involved with someone else. When did the idea that her saying other people’s food was more delicious than his start to irritate him? Why did he have to lay claim to Nakiri(’s tongue)? What right did he think he had to do that?
In the same way that Erina was tsundere about Souma’s food, Souma has become possessive of Erina’s tongue. Both facts don’t necessarily mean that they have feelings for the other, but it serves to introduce the element of exclusivity between them. No other person’s food can make Erina Tsundere (even as she acknowledges them to be delicious), except Souma’s, and no other acknowledgment that his food is ‘delicious’ will mean as much to Souma as Erina’s. Except that Souma won’t immediately realize the significance of this since he’ll rationalize it as the god tongue being the perfect arbiter (but I really don’t think it’s about that, since when did simple diner brat Yukihira ever care about rankings and prestige, again it’s plain and simple that it’s because it’s Nakiri’s tongue rather than it being the god tongue that matters).
Then this part. Souma was supposed to have had a new goal. There’s this new guy who may or may not have his Father’s knife. He humiliated him. Him getting Erina to say his food is delicious was supposed to be a stepping stone for Souma to rechallenge Suzuki-sensei. But as Takumi points out, Souma forgets his priorities. It becomes about making new food for Erina right away. This focus on Erina (though again he doesn’t know what it means) helps him as a Chef, but after all, his involvement with Erina has always pushed him to become a better chef. He has always gotten inspired because of her, take for example the regiment, but even before then, when he’d gotten hints for the beef stew, and how his overall goal that he has never forgotten, is to beat Erina.
Continuing on, when Suzuki-sensei says that Erina will leave, why does that bother Souma so much anyway? Why does he look lost? Where’s his carefree grin?
THEN, OF COURSE, THIS BLESSED PAGE:
Now Souma has seen angry Nakiri (all the time), vulnerable and sad Nakiri, strict Nakiri, Headmaster Nakiri, Chef Nakiri, but he’s never seen Nakiri Erina as she is now, plain, simple, content and at peace, without any troubles plaguing her or any of her responsibilities on her shoulders. This Erina is free and without artifice, and to Souma this Erina is breathtaking.
I think part of why Souma became so shooketh was because as he puts it, his strongest impression of Erina has been of her angry so this is a rare and precious sight, an Erina so unguarded (one who no one has probably seen before, save perhaps Hisako and Alice).
Then he says this. I love how he says it (especially in contrast to Suzuki). No flirting at all, nothing tsundere about it (I can hardly imagine Souma acting tsundere), just plain and simple as if stating a fact. A happy Erina is a pretty Erina to Souma. He likes seeing her happy and he states it. Smooth. No, but seriously, I think he must have thought this for a while (even if subconsciously), and this is why we never got to see panels of Souma’s reaction to Erina smiling during the regiment (I always thought that was odd), which means this didn’t come from nowhere.
Again, this part of their relationship, this constant back-and-forth, and give-and-take. I also think that part of the reason why they would fall for each other is how similar they are. They’re both cooking otaku who have no time for love (which makes it funnier once they finally realize). Erina also doesn’t go tsundere at being called pretty. It’s a normal reaction to a very unexpected statement from an unexpected person. But her reaction is also meaningful since I’m sure she’s been called beautiful plenty of times but she’s always shrugged it off. It’s so funny to me that for all the shojou manga she reads, this statement from Souma doesn’t trigger her flags (though she was careful around Suzuki-sensei, albeit still flustered). It’s like she doesn’t even register Souma could be someone who could be more than a friend or their story as one that could unfold like that of a shoujo manga, because their values are in accord, cooking first and above all (Just you wait, Erina).
And for Souma, he reveals a vulnerable side as well, it may be slight but it’s different from his usual conquer the world attitude. And yet, a single sentence from Erina is able to reassure him and lift his spirits up. This isn’t the first time either. Remember when Erina unconsciously let it slip and implied that Soma could beat Kuga, someone who had a higher seat than her at the time? Soma took notice then.
Much focus is put on how Souma uplifts Erina, through his words and his cooking and just his personality. But Erina does it for him too. Maybe back then, for Souma it was the push he needed since it came from someone who he knew disliked him. And even before they became proper friends, Erina’s taunts were as effective in pushing Souma to get the job done. But now, they are proper friends, and it’s still Erina’s no-nonsense, curt, no-coddling words that boosts his spirits up.
I also really love the banter. They really don’t take each other’s sh*t.
‘A condemned building?’ ‘Yep.’ pffffffffft
Erina’s words and belief in him affected Souma so much that it even carried over to the next day, with other people even noticing his improved mood (and for the already default-mode cheery Souma, that’s saying something).
As other posters besides me have pointed out, Souma even uses Erina’s exact words in rallying the Elite 10 members. It’s just so heartening to see how, in a way, responsible Souma’s become. This, the same cheeky kid who called Tootsuki as a mere stepping stone and who could care less about the Elite 10, is the same one now who’s so vocal about defending the school name (see the Hot Springs Arc) and defending the pride of the Elite 10. For all of Erina’s complaints about Souma slacking off in things like paperwork, he does take his seat seriously and supports Erina as a partner as best he can (the Rindou to Erina’s Eishi).
So in summary, Souma is possessive of Erina’s tongue, likes feeding her, still banters playfully with her, gets a mood booster from her, thinks she’s beautiful especially when laughing, is (somewhat) aware that he’d be bothered if Erina was gone, and doesn’t want to disappoint her. ALL WITHOUT HAVING AN IOTA OR A CLUE ABOUT WHAT IT ALL MEANS.
Amidst all of the craziness, I firmly believe that this gradual development of their relationship (especially from Souma’s side) is A++. Now that the Elite 10 have survived and the second-year exams are done, I’m super stoked to see how everyone reacts to find Erina missing (then again Tsukuda could also show how things are going from Erina’s perspective, it has been a day after all), but I won’t lie, after all this development, I’m most excited to see Souma’s reaction. The focus is after all on our golden-eyed boy.
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