Erina arrives at the arena as Alice berates Azami, and tells Erina to stand up for herself. The next day, Soma volunteers to be Tsukasa Eishi's sous-chef during class, impressing Tsukasa with his skills. At the end of class, Tsukasa asks Soma to join Central as his assistant, and Soma refuses. Tsukasa then challenges Soma to an informal Shokugeki and wagers his position as first seat in return for Soma joining Central. Erina, Hisako, and Megumi watch from a distance, hidden. Soma asks Tsukasa what Azami and Central's true plans are. Tsukasa reveals Azami's ultimate long-term goal: to eliminate all restaurants in Japan and replace them with fine dining gourmet eateries that only he approves of. Realizing this means the end of many local restaurants, such as Yukihira Diner, Soma resolves to beat Tsukasa.