Kiss The Cook
It was 9:30 P.M. and Ryou Shirogane sat lazily in his office (A.K.A the café basement) doing research on his computer.
Well, actually he was trying to do research, but the aroma of Keiichiro's cooking had wafted into the basement making it incredibly hard to concentrate.
'Why strawberry tarts? Why now? He knows I can't concentrate when those delicious things calling my name...' He thought, resting his head on his desk but then perking a little at his next thought.
'Maybe just one... and then I'll get back to work. ...Just one...' Andthen, as if in a trance, Ryou stood up and walked towards the door.
'...Just one...' He told himself as he twisted the doorknob and strolled calmly in, heading straight for the pasteries that, as a matter of fact, had just popped out of the oven and were still steaming.
He reached out and could already feel the warmth when Keiichiro stepped in-between him and his precious tarts. Shaking a finger he scolded Ryou,
"Ah, ah, ah! Not until the girls come to work tomorrow!" Ryou folded his arms and was about to argue until he noticed his friend's apron and, looking disgusted/freaked out, said,
"Take it off."
Keiichiro dropped his arms,
"What?"
"The apron, take it off."
"Why?"
"It's freaking me out."
Keiichiro looked down at his apron. In big red letters across the front it stated: KISS THE COOK. He sighed and half smiled,
"I like it, and besides, it'll be good for publicity!" Ryou raised his eyebrows,
"So it's good for publicity to let teenage girls take advantage of a man about ten years older than they are just because his apron says to?"
"If they do kiss me, they're not 'taking advantage of me', they're simply picking an option that has been so graciously offered to them." Just then, Ichigo burst through the doors looking quite panicked and began scanning the cafe,
"My math book! Where is my math book?! I have a test tomorrow and it's worth like, a fourth of my grade! I need that book!"
"You mean this?" Keiichiro picked a large blue and yellow book off the counter and held it out.
Ichigo snatched it from him greedily and threw her free arm around his shoulders,
"Thank you Akasaka-san! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Oh, and," she backed away a little and pecked Keiichiro on the cheek, "I love the apron!" And just before closing the door behind her she turned and winked,
"See you guys tomorrow!"
Immediately after the exit was shut Ryou turned to Keiichiro with a expression that translated, 'I'm going to make that Baka-strawberry clean every inch of this café with a toothbrush strapped to her forehead',
"What am I? Chopped liver? Oh, and she only said that because you found her book."
Keiichiro scratched his head and sighed,
"Her words seemed pretty honest to me…"
"I still say you ought to take it off, it'll just make the lunch crowd of people bigger than it already is."
"The more the merrier."
"Not for the mews."
Keiichiro looked at Ryou and put on a sappy motherly face,
"Deep down you really do care for those girls; don't you? Even Ichigo..." He reached behind his back and untied the apron, folded it, and made his way to a drawer to stow it away and pick a new one,
"You're right, this really should stay hidden. I apologize."
Rolling his eyes, Ryou straightened, and used this opportunity to sneak a pastry. Heading back for his office, he managed to mumble through a mouthful of cherry goodness,
"Whatever."