It was 12 in the afternoon.
What would have been the lunch break many people look forward to ended up being the busiest hour in the hospital, for that particular day. All the operating rooms were booked. Emergency and critical care doctors were all occupied. Many of the patients in the wards were "toxic", as some would say.
Only the two of them remained in the break room. Tomoe set an exquisitely lacquered bento box on the table. CR-S01 glanced at the container inquisitively, attempting to reach for it, as she pulled the bottle of antiseptic towards them. Before Tomoe turned around to look at the table, he pulled his hand away, as though nothing happened.
"I saw that," she said, wagging her finger and clicking her tongue.
CR-S01 remained silent, but hung his head low.
"We have to practice aseptic technique, even when we're eating! Go on, push the top of the bottle and rub the antiseptic all over your hands, down to your elbows." Tomoe demonstrated it to him, distributing the antiseptic on both hands and all her fingers, before working her way down her wrists and the rest of her forearm, until she reached her elbows. In the middle of her demonstration, CR-S01 stood up and washed his hands on the sink, faintly humming the melody to "Happy Birthday".
"I'm glad you remembered what I taught you! Doesn't humming that song naturally perk your spirits?" She lets out a poised laugh as she opens the bento box, to reveal gyoza and onigiri. As soon as she takes out chopsticks and a fork from her bag, CR-S01 returns to the table and wordlessly takes his seat.
Taking one of the onigiri in her hand, she scrutinises it carefully, before replacing it in the box.
"Hmm, it's a bit smaller than usual," she thinks to herself. She grew conscious of her weight a few weeks ago, after Hanzou noted that she was less reluctant to decline her patients' invitations to take her for lunch or dinner, with their families. Maybe she can eat one more onigiri. It wouldn't make much of a difference.
By the time she looked at the box, only three out of the six pieces of onigiri remained. The gyoza was left untouched. Tomoe glanced at CR-S01, whose cheeks were puffed out, possibly from stuffing the other three onigiri in his mouth.
"I told you that a piece of sushi or maki are eaten in a single bite, but that doesn't include onigiri!" Slightly vexed, Tomoe's forehead curled slightly. CR-S01 slowly swallowed the onigiri he placed in his mouth, with much difficulty.
"Hey, I didn't tell you that you had to swallow everything in one go!" Tomoe quickly filled a glass with water, running back to his side. He took the glass from her and gulped down its contents.
As soon as CR-S01 was no longer choking on his food, Tomoe looked into his eyes, asking, "Tell me, am I becoming fat?"
"That's irrelevant," he quipped, in a dismissive tone. He took the fork and poked one of the dumplings with it.
"You're always like that," she said with a frown on her face. Taking her chopsticks, she takes a dumpling into her mouth, and savours its taste.
Of the gastronomic gustatory experiences that the cuisine of the world can offer, Tomoe liked the simple things best - Japanese staples and commonplace food. She also enjoyed natto, but she never brought it to the hospital, for she knew that many people cannot tolerate its smell, much more its taste.
She takes another dumpling, reminiscing about the first time CR-S01 saw her eating onigiri. She told him at the time that they were rice balls. Remembering how he threw one of them at Gabe made her chuckle. Startled, CR-S01 took a good look at her. His gaze was directed at her lips, then her dainty fingers.
As she used her chopsticks to take another dumpling, she noticed that CR-S01's fork had dug into it. Playing a tug-of-war involving the last dumpling in the bento box, their vigorous play hurls the container and most of its contents, including the rest of the onigiri, away from the table and into the ground. With a subdued victorious look in his face, CR-S01 chows on the last dumpling.
"Hey, no fair! You've been eating more than your fair share of food, and you've even wasted perfectly good onigiri!" A cross between irritation and amusement can be seen on Tomoe's countenance as she bends down to pick up her bento box and its contents, standing up to unload the soiled food into the waste bin.
The frown on her face betrayed a feeling of remorse over their horse play a few moments ago.
"What I did was unbecoming of a lady. I shouldn't have done it. I was wasteful," she loudly muttered to herself. Tomoe felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see CR-S01 standing right behind her.
"It was indeed wasteful, but I know something that might taste better," he told her with a straight face.
"Oh?" Tomoe's interest appeared to be piqued, as her eyes widened at his promise of something more delectable.
Just then, he leaned forward, lifting her chin up with his fingers. Pressing his lips against hers, he held her in his arms.
Tomoe's first thought would have been to gently push him away, but she was overcome by how sudden it was. Besides, a lick of his lips gave her a taste of the onigiri filling.
Pulling her closer to him, his tongue slipped in between his lips, gently prodding hers. Like a snake looking for the opportune time to lunge at its prey, he slid his tongue into her mouth, grazing it against hers.
A few knocks were heard, coming from the door.
"Mmm... mmf!" Just as Tomoe gently pushed him away from her, a trail of saliva connected their lips, as he simultaneously pulled his head away from hers.
Her face once in pallor was now coloured with shock, her cheeks flushed. She brought a finger to her bottom lip as soon as the fluid that connected them broke, licking it. "That... was so good," she whispered in his ear, before taking a glance at the clock. It was 12:30 in the afternoon. "If you want to continue, it'll have to wait for later. We must attend to our patients," she tells CR-S01, who appeared slightly dejected.
"You promise?", he asked with a sparkle in his eyes.
"Yes," she replied with a wide smile. "Just don't let anyone know, and don't get lost in euphoria, now." She took her bento box to the sink, washing it well, before placing it back in her bag. Washing her hands afterwards, she turns around and looks at CR-S01 before leaving the break room.