This idea came to me after seeing one of the monitor room recordings In P3: FES. As always I own nothing, this takes place during the date
of the recording.
It was another dull Sunday at the dorm, everyone else save for Koromaru and Shinjiro had gone into town for some reason or another. This gave Shinjiro a
great opportunity that he rarely had: he could watch his favorite cooking program without being seen. To his embracement, and despite his trying hard to
seem a tough guy, he was fascinated by cooking. Ever since he'd returned to S.E.E.S he'd started making his culinary creations for the first time in years
after seeing the pitiful slop they'd fed to poor Koromaru. He'd made a good friend in the canine Persona user after that, but thanks to that blabbermouth he
knew as Akihiko everyone knew. Of course Shinji had denied the clams, but he just couldn't resist the temptation of his cooking shows. Today's dish had been
a pasta ,and just as Shinji had wondered if they even had a pasta cooker he heard two of his dorm mates returning. Thinking fast Shinji quickly placed a
magazine he'd been reading on his head to pass as being asleep, just as Fuuka and Aigis returned.
"We better be quiet, don't want to wake Shinjiro-senpai."
He heard Fuuka whisper as the girls started to leave. Unfortunely for Shinji, Koromaru had run up to them and barked in greeting, which Aigis translated as
"Shinji-senpai is not sleeping."
Just as warning bells started to ring in Shinji's head his grave was further dug by Fuuka when she noticed the magazine.
"Hey, isn't that the Cooking family magazine? Wow and it's this mouths issue, I didn't know that was out yet!"
Shinji swore under his breath and without warning he tossed the magazine aside and stood up.
"That's it! I'm out of here! I'm not going to let anyone smear my name!"
Before Fuuka or Aigis could respond their senpai stormed upstairs to his room with a "Mess with me and die" attitude. Both Aigis and Koromaru gave up on
that point, but for some reason Fuuka couldn't leave it like this. To her surprise she had the desire to go and apologize to her senpai, so she quietly walked to
his room and lightly knocked.
"The hell is it?"
Was the responds she got, causing her to waver and question I f this was a good idea. But she swallowed her fears and answered.
"It's Fuuka….may I come in?"
At first she thought he would simply ignore her, but to her amazement he opened the door and said.
"What?"
He was looking at her with the normal angry stare he reserved for shadows. Strangely though, Fuuka saw something else in those eyes: fear and worry.
"I-I just wanted to apologize for embarrassing you!"
Fuuka stammered, earning a confused look from her senpai.
"Is that all? I don't care about what happened; just don't go saying anything to the others."
Fuuka swore that she wouldn't but as she did an idea came to her and she blurted it out without thinking.
"Can you teach me to cook Shinjiro-senpai? "
His eyes grew wider and for a second he thought he'd miss heard as he asked.
"W-What?!"
His face turned the same shade of red as his coat and he thought Fuuka had gone mad.
"Well I'm trying to learn to be a better cook, and since you're a pretty good chief I thought…."
That was as far as she got before he grabbed her hand and dragged her into his room.
"S-Senpai?! "
A startled Fuuka gasped as he quickly closed the door behind her and locked it.
"Have you gone insane?!"
He nearly yelled at her, startling his younger peer greatly.
"I-If you don't want to I understand but there's no need to yell."
Fuuka said, making Shinji calm down a bit.
"It's not that….and it's not that I care about my reputation either, no that can go to hell for all I care, it's just…I'm not the kind of guy you should hang with."
She noticed that as he said this ,a grim and forlorn look came across his face, and she felt something within her heart grow cold. "
I don't care about that senpai; I know you're a good person. Otherwise you wouldn't have come back to help us with the dark hour."
For some reason he cringed when she mentioned that, for he alone knew the true reason he had returned to this godforsaken dorm.
"Still what will people say if they see you with me? You like it when people don't notice you much right?"
It was her turn to dawn the shade of red at his words, true as they were though, she persisted.
"I still don't care senpai! Besides I'm just asking you to help me make something edible, not go out with me."
She gasped and clasped her mouth at the statement, her cheeks growing even redder. He noticed this and almost blushed as well, yet he regained his
composer, and finally gave in.
"Alright, alright. If you're serious about this, then I'll show you something tomorrow. But you better bring your best, I won't hold back."
A wide grin covered her face, and Fuuka suddenly found herself trapping Shinji in a tight embrace. She realized what she was doing, and in mere moments
she backed off and bowed as she said.
"I'm so sorry for that senpai! I don't know what came over me!"
Shinji didn't seem to mind, despite the light blush that was on his face, and he shrugged it off and let her leave. Once she was gone however, he found
himself missing her company.
"It's been awhile since anyone willingly wanted to hang out me, save Aki but his ass was just annoying. Maybe this won't be too bad after all."
Shinji thought to himself as he started to write down things he'd need for tomorrow.
"Did you manage to apologize to Shinjiro senpai?"
Upon returning to the lobby, Fuuka was asked this by Aigis. The android was no longer alone however, as Yukairi and Mitsuru had returned, and everyone
seemed interested in Fukka's plight.
"Y-Yes. I think I may have gone overboard though….I asked Shinjiro-senpai to teach me to cook."
Yukairi and Mitsuru did a double take on this, Aigis not understanding the true meaning of the words, and Fukka's fellow S.E.E.S members began to question
her.
"Did he agree? I doubt Shinjiro-senpai is the type to say yes to that!"
Yukairi asked as she tried to process that thought.
" I agree, in all my years of knowing him Shinjiro has never expressed the company of anyone aside from Akihiko."
Mitsuru voiced this as her bit, but when Fuuka told them his answer they flipped.
"He said yes?! What did you do to him to agree so easily?"
Yukairi asked. It was Aigis that somewhat fielded that question as she shared a theory.
"Perhaps Shinjiro-senpai is experiencing that emotion Yukairi told me called "love"."
An awkward silence filled the lobby after that, and Fukka's face was once again caught wearing red.
"There's no way Shinjiro-senpai likes me like that! He must have been caved in after I asked so many times."
Yet despite her saying this Fuuka wondered if that would be so bad. After all, ignoring Shinjiro's attitude and lack of friendliness, Fuuka couldn't help but
notice how cute he was. Under that big tough guy act, she could see a kind and gentle soul waiting to be freed. Before her friends could question her
anymore she left under the guise of going out to eat, when she really wanted some peace.
"Hey Aki, feel like some ramen? My treat."
After moments after Fuuka had left, Shinjiro had returned to the lobby. And, upon seeing Akihiko, he had asked the boxing king if he wanted to go out for
their usual bowl of ramen.
"You're paying? Sure, an opportunity like this doesn't come that often!"
After he received a punch from Shinji for his smugness, the two left for their meal. However, upon reaching the ramen stand, they were met by some familiar
faces: Fuuka and Minato. It wasn't odd to see Minato there, as the mysterious and charismatic leader of S.E.E.S was always somewhere in town. What was
strange was seeing Fuuka with him, giggling and laughing at something he was saying.
" Now that's a sight, didn't know those two were so chummy."
Akihiko said as the two prepared to sit and order. Shinji didn't like the way he said that though, something deep inside him had a deep desire to be the one
making Fuuka laugh.
"The hell's wrong with me? I don't have a beef with Minato….yet for some reason I feel like slugging him across the face."
Shinji thought as he and Aki sat down next to the other S.E.E.S members.
"Oh! Akihiko and Shinjiro senpai! Fancy running into you two here!"
Fuuka greeted as she and Minato noticed their senpai's arrival.
"Yeah, odd to run into you two together here as well. Didn't think you two were so close."
Fuuka blushed at the comment but Minato, stoic as ever, shrugged it off and said.
"I was coming to eat and found Fuuka here alone. So I decided to talk to her as we ate, get to know her better."
Akihiko accepted this but for some reason Shinji didn't like the smug grin on Minato's face as he said this. He'd never paid much mind to the bluenette before
hand, minding his own business as it were, but his mind was going fuzzy upon seeing Fuuka with Minato. Minato, who Shinji had heard rumors about being a
heartbreaker, was the last person that Shinji wanted by Fuuka.
"Since when do I give a shit about that girl? Hell I haven't even talked to her outside of the dark hour. Yet here I am worried over here like she's my girl."
Once that thought entered his mind, Shinji found it very hard to get rid of it, no matter how much he mentally kicked himself. After they had all eaten their
ramen, they headed back to the dorm, Fuuka reminding Shinji of his promise.
"Why do I have the feeling this will bite me in the ass?"
Was all Shinji said before leaving for his room for the night.
Later that night, Fuuka found it neigh impossible to fall asleep. Both her heart and mind were restless with worries about tomorrow.
"I hope I don't start the fire alarms again…Mitsuru senpai still filches every time I pick up a pot."
Fuuka said this to herself but in her heart that wasn't what she truly worried about. Since he had agreed to her request so easily, Fuuka had been worrying
that what Aigis said earlier was true: that Shinji may have feelings for her.
"That may not be so bad, after all Shinjiro-senpai may have look like a thug, but deep down he's really kind. And…he's kinda handsome to."
She blushed and hugged her pillow in an attempt to sleep. But try as she might, Fuuka only fell asleep after one thought crossed her mind a dozen times: The
possibility that Shinjiro had feelings for her.