Chapter 137 only endears the female characters more to me.
Rindou’s insatiable appetite lives on. I love her camaraderie with characters that are depicted as stiff and cold. It seems that she could be best friends with virtually anyone. And she invited Erina to eat with them, Rindou who looks beyond rank, for a spark of interest and because she enjoyed their company
ALICE BRAVELY CLIMBING ATOP OF THE BALCONY TO RETRIEVE ERINA. and she sent her letters from her time in Europe! My heart breaks on both ends, where Alice might’ve thought that Erina didn’t care about her, having received no reply but perhaps her optimism shone through which is why she didn’t develop a strong antagonistic hatred (which would’ve been understandable) and I wonder if Azami concealed those letters or purposefully destroyed them in front of her.. I request that he be put post haste through a meat grinder.
ALICE, who’s main concern is keeping Erina safe and in a short amount of time, abandoned the long harboured belief that Erina detested her and not even thrown by what the situation could do for her (let’s face it, being on the run without access to a bathroom would be rough). WHY IS SHE SO ADORABLE, that scene of her clambering over the rail and using Ryou’s face as a foothold killed me (as did his expression). God, the three of them protecting Erina is like the stuff of headcanons.
HISAKO, though providing the most realistic outlook, is quick to offer her aid regardless of the situation. Because she’s only beginning to realise how much more she means to Erina. THEY TOOK A CLASS TOGETHER (one that Erina would’ve easily aced) which only reaffirms that their relationship goes beyond mutual respect, they are cherished friends.
MEGUMI, being the one to find them to offer a safe haven. I can’t stress how incredibly important this is. What if Souma had been a red herring all along? Megumi isn’t my favourite character, but a friendship between her and Erina would be beautiful beyond belief. (Megumi challenges Souma to a Shokugeki months later, and hands him back his ass). Is my friendship headcanon coming to life??
So in this single chapter, they impressively strengthened and emphasised all the female friendships which I am 100% down for. Now as long as we steer clear from various elements that I’ve expressed my gripes over, this might be a painless arc.