How Mai makes the perfect cup of tea.
After cleaning up the bathroom of the office, Mai headed back to the receiving room to organize some books Naru laid out before shutting himself in his room. When her shadow passed his room, he called out to her.
"Mai."
The girl froze before the door. "Y-yes?"
"Tea."
"Roger that." With that, the girl scurried to the kitchenette to start the tea. Cupboards opening and closing, tea cups and saucers shifting as she pulled them out, Mai felt as though she could make Naru's tea with her eyes closed.
The sixteen year old took great pride in the tea she made for her boss. Considering a majority of her life was spent looking after herself, Mai was more than willing to be able to look after another. That's why she always made time when Ayumi-chan called to spend some time with her "onee-chan" or Michiru and the other girls from school wanted to catch up on some ghost stories.
It was much more difficult with the SPR members. She couldn't recall a time they weren't together on case. Sure, from time to time Monk would stop by demanding iced coffee or Ayako would pop in asking about her "progress" with Naru, but the group never went out in public together unless it was concerning a case. Well, there was that one time we had the Christmas party. But even then… We were still here in the office. Mai frowned. She resolved to ask the other members for their numbers and addresses so they could spend time together.
But with Naru, Mai had a sort of special in. She was the one who made tea for him every day, or rather several times a day. Every cup she made she took special care to make it to Naru's standard, though Naru had never complained before.
After steeping, she poured the tea into Naru's cup (somehow she always ended up using the same cup from the set of six). She brought the cup to her lips and sipped the hot liquid. The heat startled her. The porcelain clicked on the saucer when she jumped away from the heat. Too hot. I'll just leave it for a couple of minutes. She put the cup and saucer back on the counter top.
Mai had this habit, testing the cup of tea before presenting it to her boss. She would never let anyone know about it of course. It was too embarrassing. Just imagining someone catching her made her cheeks flush.
"Mai-chan. Stop giving Naru all those indirect kisses." The Monk would tease. "He's too cold of a person to realize the warmth of a young maiden's love."
"Eh? That's not what I was doing!" Mai would deny. "I was just making sure the tea was okay."
"Sure, sure." Then the Monk would return to the receiving room.
But the thought of an indirect kiss made the young girl unconsciously touch her lips.
"Mai?" Naru's voice called behind her.
"N-Naru?"
"Where's my tea?"
She picked it off the countertop. "Right here."
He took the cup and saucer from her and raised the tea to his lips. He returned it to the saucer and proceeded back to his room. Her boss did not notice the blush on her cheeks or the small smile on her lips.
