post-canon souma x erina headcanons
(because there is absolutely no way they arenāt AT LEAST dating by that point. heck if tsukuda hadnāt said he planned for them to be married, I wouldāve thought they had been since I donāt see either of them changing their last names)
he calls her first out of absolutely anyone he knows when he comes back home and from erinaās dialogue theyāve had this practice for quite a while, literally an ldr right there folks
it seems the usual thing is that erina arrives earlier than him to yukihira and that she waits inside for him so that means sheās the one who usually opens up the diner; thatās right it looks like sheās even been given keys to yukihiraās! if that doesnāt scream domesticity, I donāt know what does
the familiarity between erina and grandfather; the way he calls her erina-chan or how he leaves it to her to tellĀ āthe boysā where heāll be, and just how he speaks to her as if already seeing her as a granddaughter-in-law
that whole reunion! so soft, after both their inner monologues, and just for them alone. theĀ āiām homeā on soumaās part and theĀ āwelcome homeā on erinaās part and how erina is probably always the first to welcome him home since he calls her first andĀ āhomeā for them doesnāt just meanĀ ājapanā but coming home toĀ āyukihiraāsā and even better coming home to āherā waiting at the place he calls home. THE DOMESTICITY I CANNOT. THEY ARE LITERALLY HUSBAND AND WIFE MATERIAL.
THE PARALLELS. erina as saiba and souma as tamako.Ā
itās actually soumaās inner monologue that convinces me. what his dad and asahi said has already been on his mind for a while and in this chapter itās already solidified into an absolute certainty, theĀ āforeverā is what clinches it to me. heās been dedicating his cooking to erina all this time after all. it seemed to me that itās in this chapter that he came to a resolution that itās forever, no-takebacks between them. wouldnāt surprise me that when erina finally saysĀ ādeliciousā, heāll just propose there on the spot. headcanon that thatās why he wants there to be a lot of witnesses when he didnāt before because he could propose at any time. wouldnāt even be surprised if after this chapter he really did propose with all their friends surrounding them because of how heĀ āswearsā that thisāll finally be the dish to make her sayĀ ādeliciousā (at this point delicious has become code forĀ āI doā between them not kidding)
HEADCANONS (since Tsukuda said the rest was free to our imagination, and anyway he confirmed their romantic feelings towards each other already, so many possibilities and I hope the anime builds on it)
when souma came back from his first tour abroad, they were already about to graduate as third years; it was erinaās teary, frustrated face, as if ready to smack him (and she does) when she sees him again that puts everything into place for him
but he still doesnāt say anything
since he already missed a lot of his requirements and the graduation exam he was granted a special exam by the headmistress herself, beat her in a shokugeki in order to graduate; that high-stakes confrontation was just like them; I think he did eventually beat her in that shokugeki or in a shokugeki because at present it seems their challenges donāt consist of shokugekis but him just feeding her and he did eventually take over yukihiraās, that would have probably been enough to satisfy jouchirouās conditionĀ
she still doesnāt say itās delicious. not because she doesnāt want to, but because there seems to be something stopping her. itās ok, heāll wait for her to be ready.
so she becomes dean full-time and he becomes owner of yukihiraās but she invites him to teach at tootsuki often; he has this habit of his, pre-asahi, of when he was bugging her to eat his dishes but sheād have her hands full with paperwork so he just feeds her. just like that (you know what Iām talking about that blessed volume 36 inner cover). soumaās just likeĀ āsay ahhh nakiriā and erinaās justĀ ā?!?!?!ā but itās more troublesome fending him off and fighting off her blush so she just. gives in to it. so it wasnāt that uncommon to see the dean being handfed with chopsticks by yukihira-sensei to make sure she eats (so hisako totally approves) while making sure this is finally the day she says ādeliciousā, while she multitasks with paperwork in her office. and that just fuels rumors among the student body and even their friends donā know what the heck they are?? itās just their something and they donāt really say anything about it, not like they need words when they have food and thatās enough of a language for them. and erina is still oblivious.Ā
as repayment for teaching at tootsuki, souma invites erina to help out at yukihiraās and cheekily tells her she has to wear the uniform and that heās the boss this time around. erina just scoffs. and thatās how soumaās grandfather finds them, cooking together at yukihiraās, and with how souma grows to look more like jouchirou everyday and erinaās short hair, itās like heās seeing a young jouichirou and tamako all over again. heās a bit teary and more than a bit glad to be introduced to erina-chan.
souma was in for a surprise to find out asahi was erinaās older brother, as if the nakiri family couldnāt get weirder enough already. asahi does not give him an easy time AT ALL, always saying he was never going to hand over his precious baby sister to souma. souma just gets hit by dejavu and not a small amount of irritation. shokugeki battles are frequent. (asahi knows theyāre inevitable though, his younger sister andĀ āyounger brotherā, he just likes to tease and prolong it); the lines in the nakiri family are pretty clear-cut, anyone apart from asahi and azami (like father and son) wholeheartedly approve of souma for erina (not that either of them know it); mana: what has you so irritated? doesnāt that boy remind you of yourself when you were wooing and already married to me? azami:ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦; mana apart from senzaemon is probably soumaās biggest supporter in the nakiri family (even if he probably wouldnāt take the nakiri name) since she witnessed his devotion to erina so early on; azami probably weighs being saiba-senpaiās in-law versus having souma as a son-in-law. it is not an easy decision.Ā
eventually wanderlust hits again and souma decides to travel to learn more and be a better chef. after all erina still hasnāt saidĀ ādeliciousāĀ
for erinaās part, sheās sorely tempted to just finally say it, but apart from the fact that sheās nakiri erina, sheās also scared at what comes after, if finally sayingĀ ādeliciousā would end this tenuous something between them. but at the same time, sheās tempted to say it just to get him to stay. but sheād never clip his wings like that especially when he was the one to give her a chance to break free from her birdcage (just as souma doesnāt take her away from what makes her a nakiri and has only ever pushed her upwards even so early on when he made her headmistress in their first year; I STAN A HEALTHY, SUPPORTIVE, AND INDEPENDENT POWER COUPLE OK). and always, always, no matter how far or how long (only a few weeks at most, because souma probably canāt last that long anymore) he always comes back home. to cook for her. to her. just like how saiba-sama always came back to tamako-san no matter where his travels took him and ANWAY WHY WAS SHE COMPARING THEIR SITUATION TO THAT OF HIS PARENTS?? erina is still in denial.Ā
see, for his part, erina really is the best motivation because he canāt go back to see her without an outstanding dish that will dazzle her and he canāt not go back to her, so he puts his all to creating his recipes, the sooner to see her and make her finally say itās delicious. itās the same way erina puts her all to running the academy and make sure itās not a disappointment to him when he comes back home.
the first time they say goodbye at the airport (because she wouldnāt let him hear the end of it the last time he left with just a note, not without a little hurt), she tries to be stone-faced, after being conspicuously left alone by his family and their friends, and he just saysĀ āsee you nakiri, iāll miss youā and goes off without even hearing her reply which is just as well since erina probably couldnāt speak for how red she was. she swears sheāll kill him when he comes back for making her realize, because ah, now erina remembers a girlās sleepover and love-talk and now she knows.
after numerous goodbyes at airports andĀ āiāll miss youās andĀ ānext time for sureās from souma, the day erina finally stutters backĀ āi-iāll miss you tooā is when souma asks to kiss her on the cheek (anything more would probably make her combust)
erina initiates their first kiss and soumaās like oh so thatās why they call it theĀ āgod tongueāĀ
jouichiro and his grandfather give him a lot of grief about his relationship with erina sinceĀ ācould he hurry it up I want erina-chan as my daughter/grandaughter -in-law and grandkids/great-grandkids already!ā and soumaās likeĀ āshe hasnāt said itās delicious yet pops!ā and jouichirou is just dumbfounded at his kidās stupidity and his grandfatherās just exasperatedĀ āwhat is it with you yukihira men wooing your future wives by stuffing them silly?ā the key to a womanās heart is through her stomach after all.
after erina finally, FINALLY, says itās delicious, soumaās too nervous to even celebrate - the ring? the ring?? where did he put it? - erina stops him in his tracks because she says to him with a small smile and a twinkle in her eye - āhmphh I guess youāre no longer that plebian I first met, so how would you like to be promoted to my precious person? - souma recognizes it, of course he does, and of course sheās beat him again. he canāt help the blush on his face and doesnāt know who laughs louder, his pops or him.Ā
at the wedding, erina asks him what now since sheās already said his food was delicious. soumaās there grinning manically āwhat are you talking about? you think one measly delicious is enough after how many times youāve denied me? I swear Iāll make you say delicious a million times - no a hundred million times - for the rest of our lives.ā and erina canāt help but cry and smile and laugh through her tears. heās always told her she was at her most beautiful laughing. there could have never been more perfect vows for them.
although I donāt think either of them will change their family names as Iād see them always support each other through their endeavors, I headcanon that after so much responsibility at such a young age erina would enjoy retiring at yukihiraās and just savoring her warm family time, something sheād desperately wish for when she was young and now has in abundance. sheād still consult and run restaurants but would probably leave most of the leadership to alice in later years.
souma and erina have a son as cheeky as his father and as brilliant as his mother. they have cooking showdowns with erina as the judge, but unlike tamako, she almost always declares their son the winner; souma: unfair, you only pick him because heās your son. erina: heās your son too dear and of course since he has the best of both of us; they also have a younger daughter whoās every much the tsundere erina is and as wild as tamako was (I DEMAND MY TWINTAILS SORINA DAUGHTER THANK YOU VERY MUCH); her brother probably dotes on her and they probably have the same relationship as soe and mana as well as asahi and erina. between the two of them, itās their daughter that inherits the god tongue but she doesnāt want to be a chef and thatās perfectly ok with the whole family.
And thatās a wrap.Ā
Honestly, that was a better ending than I expected. For me, in terms of satisfying resolutions of shonen ships they rank up there with Ed and Winry, Kaneki and Touka, Medaka and Zenkichi. Itās that softness and the promise of more to come, them knowing and us, the audience knowing their mutual feelings for each other, with the knowledge that they will eventually get married. I have the anime to look forward to at least and seeing all those moments animated.Ā Ā
jbbartram-illu
theartofmadeline
turnnoffyourmind
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