A few days had passed since the great success that had been Fuyuka’s birthday party.
She had been in a great mood since then, as she’d already made use of Chiaki’s essential oil set in her room, and was in the middle of testing out the new skin lotion that Hinami had given her. She had been smiling much more frequently lately, and she had been enjoying school more too. Naturally, Fuyuka also cherished the presents she’d received from Asahi.
“Now you finally look the part, wearing that apron and all,” Asahi said.
“Does it make it seem like I can cook properly?”
“I dunno... someone who can cook properly wouldn’t get distracted when handling a knife,” Asahi teased.
Fuyuka pouted, not one bit amused by his quip.
In truth, the apron was a perfect fit. It was light blue and rather nondescript in design. That served Fuyuka very well, however, as it emanated both elegance and class the second she’d put it on.
I bet she can pull off anything.
His other gift—the earrings—had been carefully stored away for a special occasion, or so Fuyuka had told him.
He quietly watched her from the side as she cut vegetables. His imagination began to run wild, and he wondered whether or not this was what it was like to have a wife. Of course, such illusions were promptly banished with a quick shake of his head.
“Well, I personally really like it...” she mumbled mostly to herself and the chopping board she was staring at.
“Aww, no need to get all sulky. You’re doing the murderous eyes thing again, by the way.”
“Please don’t speak to me while I’m holding the knife. I might accidentally slip, and things could end with a trip to the ER.”
“Uh, scary, much? I don’t remember you being this violent.”
It was a testament to how close they’d gotten to each other, in a... twisted sort of way. Fuyuka had been exerting less restraint recently and occasionally made chilling remarks out of the blue. Catching glimpses of her true character became a more frequent occurrence.
“And I was just thinking of complimenting you, but now you’re out of luck,” Asahi added.
Fuyuka’s ears perked up upon hearing those words, and Asahi couldn’t stifle his laughter in time. He had her all figured out. She stared daggers at him, and he quickly apologized before literal knives got involved.
Asahi found her reactions so amusing that he cracked jokes and teased her every now and then. It seemed some degree of moderation was still in order, though.
Guess I never grew up past elementary school, Asahi mused. “It suits you well. I mean it. Definitely makes you seem like you’ve got the whole cooking thing down.”
“Would it have hurt you to say so from the start?!”
She turned her face away, disgruntled. Her lips belied her expression as they began to curl up into a grin. Fuyuka’s typically gentle disposition, coupled with this exceedingly endearing part of her personality, stirred up a mysterious emotion within Asahi’s core.
They stood in the kitchen, chatting and preparing dinner together once more. Asahi caught himself earnestly wishing that this daily routine would remain eternal.
✦ ✦ ✦
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“I... love, Asahi,”
Asahi jumped off the sofa at those words. “Jesus, you startled me.”
“I could say the same with how you leapt off the couch like that,” Fuyuka replied, surprised.
Asahi had left Fuyuka to wash the dishes after they’d had dinner, but it’d been some time since then. He’d been dozing off on the sofa when Fuyuka had approached and said something he’d only caught an unfortunate fragment of.
“Sorry, what did you say just now?”
Asahi had it in his head that Fuyuka was about to tell him something of great importance, so he settled back on the sofa and prepared himself mentally.
Fuyuka cleared her throat and withdrew a few centimeters back. She wore a serious expression as she said, “I want to know what dishes you love, Asahi.”
Asahi sighed.
“Wh-What? Should I not have asked that?” Fuyuka asked anxiously.
“Nah, nah, it’s nothing.” Asahi shook his head; he was mostly sighing at himself and his dumb brain. “But yeah, my favorite dishes...?”
“Yes. I’d like to know, if that’s okay.”
“I mean, fine by me. What made you wanna know?”
“Nothing, just that... I’ve never had the chance to ask,” Fuyuka said. Although the way she averted her eyes aroused suspicion.
“I like French cuisine the most, thanks to my parents.”
“I see. What sort of dishes are they?”
“Hmm... something along those lines of galette, bouillabaisse, that sorta stuff. Oh, I could also always go for a good Hamburg steak.”
She vigorously tapped away at her phone, writing down memos using the note-taking app. “How about sweets? Anything you particularly like?”
“Candy, pastries, cake...things like that,” Asahi listed all the confections he could think of. “I eat chocolate for my main source of sugar.”
Fuyuka’s expression brightened upon hearing those last words.
The brief Q&A session drew to a close. Fuyuka seemed satisfied with the information she obtained. She pocketed her phone—which also substituted for a memo book—and began preparing to leave for her apartment.
Asahi found himself wishing the conversation wouldn’t end, so he spoke up. “What about you, Fuyuka? What’s your favorite dish?”
“Who, me?”
“Yeah. Like, I know you enjoy eggs with your food, but that’s about it.”
“My favorite dish, hmm...” Fuyuka contemplated, resting her hand upon her chin.
Asahi was reminded of the Christmas Eve they spent together. He wanted to learn the reason why she preferred eggs in her dishes.
She told me it’s because it was her mother’s speciality. It was a convincing explanation, given that food preferences tended to become firmly rooted from childhood. Still, Asahi sensed a dark past looming behind that reason. He’d caught the sadness in her expression back then. It’s just a hunch on my part, but I really worry when she seems sad.
“Probably anything you cook for me, Asahi,” she said, smiling softly.
Asahi paused, then mumbled, “Thanks.”
He’d confined his gratitude into a single word in fear that she’d sense how much that had meant to him. The beating of his heart was soon replaced with a rhythmic tone coming from Fuyuka’s phone—she’d received a new message.