Good evening :)
I hope everyone's doing well. This is my first Food Wars! Oneshot. I often find oneshots challenging to write, because I have to fit all the stages of a story into one short story... so I apologise now if this one shot a bit too... loooong for this fandom.
As you know this is a Hisako centered story. I don't have a particular like nor dislike towards her, but I've found her skills in Medicinal cooking to be interesting. While thinking about her one day as I was cleaning out my kitchen pantry, I suddenly came upon my idea of a little story just for her! So for all the Hisako fans out there, I hope that you will find enjoyment in this :)
I've going through a rough patch with 'A Touch of Saffron' my Takumixoc story at the moment. I found a discrepancy in one of future chapters, that I need to fix up before I update the story. Oh the things that escape my notice! It's frustrating!
I guess, in the meantime. I'm posting this one to get out of the way, so that I shall have a clear mind for my main Food Wars! story :)
Enjoy!
Chapter 1 - Clitoria Ternatea
The First Visit
Hisako looked up from the piece of paper tight in her grip.
'This must be the place'.
It was a bright, sunny day and Hisako couldn't think of a better time to travel beyond the suburban Tokyo district to do a bit of fact-finding. Part of her duties was of course to look after Erina's schedules for the day, liaise with Tootsuki officials for Erina-sama, prepare her palate cleansers for taste testing appointments, pre-order her favourite shoujou manga, perform weekly massages for Erina-sama, and all in all, make sure that Erina-sama had everything she needed to have a smooth week. The other part of her duties was to chase up on matters regarding her branch of the Arato family and look after her own personal herb and spice stocks. Today was just like any other day no matter what part of Japan she travelled to.
This was the first time she'd ever been to the countryside.
It was some time ago the Arato family had lost one of their top suppliers, Hakurei-zan, entrusted with providing the spices and herbs they used abundantly in their medicinal cooking and research. The Arato family held tight bonds with their suppliers and producers, and their impeccable trust allowed them to receive only the best quality available in Japan, and in some instances from across the seas. However, tragedy struck when Hakurei-zan, whom they normally placed at least half of their orders with, suddenly closed down after a large mountain landslide disaster destroyed their herb farm. It was with a heavy heart that the dear supplier didn't have enough resources to start up their business and farm again, and so they had made the painful decision to close down their plantation. Hisako was personally very saddened and she still felt her heart clenching as she had a strong beyond with one of the workers. The rosette-haired Tootsuki student wished that she had received the news first hand, because she maybe she could've done something to help save their business before it was too late! But unfortunately she wasn't a prominent member of the illustrious Arato family therefore she didn't find out about it until weeks later. Other issues cropped up such as not being able to find alternate means restock on Erina-sama's favourite Chinese herbal tea in time.
So here she was out in the countryside, checking out the new supplier the Arato Family were interested in.
The rosette haired student stepped onto the desolate rural train station. Once the train finally chugged away, She was instantly hit by a wave of fresh air. It was so different to the city! It was clean and crisp, and the smell of the spring wild flowers swirled around her. It was invigorating! She could also smell the healthy irrigation water for the rice paddies in the distance, which made her feel like she had stepped off from busy city life into a Miyazaki movie. The vibrant greens and blues of the flora and clear skies blended wonderfully with the more muted tones of the lush rice-stalks and the thick foliage of the low country-mountains. It was beautiful and idyllic, and Hisako was instantly in love with the pure scenery. She looked around and spotted what seemed to be a small village just further along the soft dirt road which winded away from the small, empty train station. Hisako unlocked the handle of her travel case and slid it right up so that she could drag it with her. The light chatter of children playing caught her attention and she looked around to see young boys dressed in shorts, singlets and sandals playing with a tattered ball around the outskirts of the wild fields.
It brought a smile to her.
Hisako had initially thought it would be fine to dress in her school uniform, but looking at where she was, she realised it was silly… It felt like she was a piece of pink glitter that landed on top a beautiful traditional Japanese ink painting. She didn't fit in. Oh well it couldn't be helped. She hoped that nobody would give her too many strange looks.
"Alright, so our new supplier should be down this lane", she mumbled to herself.
Hisako strode briskly through the traditional village. It wasn't that traditional, it had more of a Showa period feel now that she thought about it. It certainly looked like a time gone by where modernity still hadn't caught up with the place. Hisako never had a profound interest in Japanese rural areas, but she very much regretted it now, because how could she have overlooked the possibility of visiting such a magical and mystical place? Oh, she was way in over her head. This little countryside town wasn't magical or mystical… it was so different to the city of Tokyo, that it might as well have been part of a folklore of storybook.
The chatter grew a bit louder as she entered in a bit more crowded area. The country women were dressed in nice, plain, modest clothing and the men were dressed in sturdy working clothes as if for farming, black-smithing or carpentry. All the obaa-sans and ojii-sans were dressed in traditional clothing whilst the children were dressed in more modern styled shirt, shorts and dresses. This must be the village square. Oh boy… here came the odd looks. Hisako swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to be inconspicuous. There were more shops around and she spotted a nice traditional Japanese diner, a grocery store, a small bookstore, a candy store, a store that sold traditional Japanese wares, a public bathhouse and a ryoukan just up ahead. She looked further down the town square and there were a few more shops. It looked like a place only the savvy tourists would be able to find.
'Here it is!'.
Hisako smiled when she finally stepped in front of her destination. It was tucked away in a little lane which ended just right there. Behind it she could see more fields and the surrounding low mountains. It was a medium sized building made of both mahogany shaded timber and terracotta coloured wooden planks The store windows flanked the door on each side, had a little bit of grime on the corners of the panes. The window frames were beautifully aged wood, but still looked quite sturdy and strong. It was an old building to say the least. It's roof was beautiful and definitely completed the traditional oriental Japanese look with it's dark green tiling and with its gables and eaves curving gently. She figured back in the day of his prime, it was a very impressive looking shop.
'Ryuusenka Apothecary'.
The large sign hung above the door on a dark forest green wooden panel which looked badly worn. The name of the story was painted in both Japanese and English. The script was either gilded or painted on in gold, which shone brightly against the sun. Hisako peered through the windows for any signs of life in there, but alas there was none. She was surprised the door wasn't a traditional Japanese sliding door. It was actually a antique Western door and it too had window panes embedded into it to allow people to see further inside. It looked quite... odd. She gripped the brass handle of the ornate door and pushed in.
Ding Ding!
That almost scared her! The bell ringing above the door didn't echo but it was sharp enough to startle her. She wrinkled her nose at the powerful musky smell of dried herbs and spices which permeated the whole store. It was like being in the Arato storehouse, but the scent of the blends was different. She gasped at how high the ceiling was. The elaborate cornices were mottled from aging and there were about three modern industrial styled lighting which gave off a soft glow. It must've been installed only recently. Three out of four walls were lined with towering wooden shelves which were fitted with roller ladders. There was not a space to spare as each shelving contained clear glass jars of dried herbs. The variety of earthen colours took her breath away because not even the Arato storehouse stocked this many different types of herbs. Each jar was labelled with both Japanese and English script. She could tell these jars must have been sitting there for decades by the discolouration of the glass and the aging tea-coloured labels that was starting to peel in the corners. They must be the 'display' jars. No self-respecting apothecary would ever sell dried herbs in clear jars sitting in direct sunlight. Those herbs were definitely unusable. Her travel suitcase rolled noisily across the aging timber floor and she fought to cringe from the really loud noise she was causing in the very quiet apothecary. Some of the shelves also contained aging tomes ranging from leather and buckram-bound books as well as traditional Japanese scrolls piled messily together. She ran her fingers across them and was surprised they weren't dusty.
"Hello?".
A few seconds later, some shuffling came from another doorway behind the counter. Hisako tried to crane her head to the side to see if there was indeed anyone there.
"Just a sec", came a voice.
Hisako blushed and resumed inspecting this deceptively small apothecary. It was… bigger on the inside. Behind the counter were rows upon rows of little square drawers. They were definitely where the herbalist or pharmacist stored their herbs for the customer. Each little wooden draw had the same type of labels at the jars, tucked inside the vintage label file name card holder which looked a lot more modern than anything else in the shop. The counter had more display items. It included a small healthy looking bonsai plant, a few more apothecary jars, but this time with beautiful flowering tea in shades of red, orange and yellow in its full bloom. She wondered if it was fresh or was it still preserved in some sort of preserving liquid for display only.
When Erina-sama asked her about the lemon balm tea she made for her yesterday Hisako instantly thought there was something wrong! On the contrary, her fears dissipated when her noble charge actually complimented it highly. The blend of lemon-balm tea was actually new to the Arato family as they had recently changed suppliers to Ryuusenka Apothecary. Of course Erina-sama noticed the difference straight away and she expressed how pleased she was with this blend. Hisako had decided to leave out the part that Hakurei-zan had closed down and so was forced to find another supplier as soon as possible. Erina-sama had enough troubles than to worry about matters of the Arato Family. It just so happened that she ran out of her current supply and had to dip into the Arato family supply because Wednesday was lemon-balm tea day, and there was no way she could serve Erina-sama anything else on Wednesday tea-time. Erina-sama's favourable critique was more than enough for Hisako to run off to her family to get the address of the supplier so that she could check it out more of their products herself.
So here she was, surprised that it wasn't anything like she had imaged the supplier would be. It wasn't as… big as she had thought.
"Sorry for the wait, what can I get ya, sweetheart?".
Hisako snapped herself out of her musings and looked towards who was addressing her.
It was a boy her age.
She stopped herself from gaping like an idiot. He had snow white hair which spiked messily behind him, looking as soft as downy feathers and his jagged fringe shielded his left eye. His eyes were a stunning emerald green that reminded her of the jewels she often admired at the jewellery stores with Erina-sama. She felt a blush creeping up her cheeks as she couldn't rip her eyes away from those piercing green orbs. His eyes looked far too mature for his age, as if they'd seen a lot, and acquired a lot of wisdom. It almost eerily glowed in the dim lighting of the apothecary. But his face shape definitely hadn't matured to that of a fully grown adult yet. He had slightly tanned skin as if he'd been in the sun one too many times. The corners of his thin lips quirked up in the corner into a crooked grin as he gazed at her coolly. He didn't look like he belonged to the countryside either. He was an anachronism, he looked too modern for this place. He looked like he should be in the shopping district in Shibuya chatting up girls. He wore a white hooded sweater over a white V-neck shirt. On top of the white hooded sweater, he wore a black faux-leather jacket. He also donned dark coloured jeans and a pair of black Converse classic cuts. He had emerged from the door behind the counter with his thumbs hooked into his jean pockets, catching her by surprise.
Hisako willed her blush to disappear!
…She wasn't used to seeing a boy this good-looking…
"Uh…oh um…" Hisako fumbled for another piece of paper from her pocket, hoping this boy hadn't noticed her blushing. "I-I'd like to get two h-hundred grams of dried lemon b-balm. Uh… two hundred and f-fifty grams of dried m-marjarom, one hundred and f-fifty grams of ground clo—"
"Just give me ya list".
He chuckled and shook his head as he yanked the folded piece of paper from her trembling fingers. Hisako gasped in surprise and was a bit to tell him how rude it was interrupt a person in the middle of speaking. However, it was too late when he already moved around to the other side of the counter, his eyes quickly scanning her list as he walked.
"Quite a bit of shoppin' ya doin'", he commented through a smirk.
Hisako coughed into her hand and narrowed her eyes. She tried not to look at him.
"It's for the Arato family", she replied sternly.
"Right. We've just struck a deal with 'em. Ya part of the family too, or are ya runnin' their errand?", he asked.
The boy began pulling out different drawers and taking scoops of dried herbs and gently placed them onto an electronic scale. Hisako watched his actions as carefully as a hawk, inspecting the quality of the herbs he was scooping out of the drawers. So far from eyeballing it, the colour was good and didn't look moist of stale. The smell was so fragrant and heavenly and Hisako instantly felt relaxed from immersing in its scent. Whenever Hisako went to a herb store, she always asked the herbalist to package her herbs in front of her so that she could inspect it for herself. She never trusted a herbalist who disappeared into the back to package the herbs. She heard stories of the old 'bait and switch' tactics. Fortunately, she was too careful to let it happen to her.
"I'm Arato Hisako, so yes, I'm part of the family" she introduced herself confidently.
"Hmmm… Coulda placed an order 'head of time, ya know. Save the trouble of recitin' a speech when ya come 'n' pick 'em up" he grunted as he carefully wrapped the first item on her list in specialist paper and tied it off with twine.
Hisako felt her blood boil at the way he just brushed off her name. Didn't he care that her family was the Arato Family, close friends of the Nakiri Family?! Her family was probably this little country-side apothecary's biggest client! That meant she was too! Probably the biggest and most famous clients they will ever have! But no matter, he will eventually learn. Instead she decided to recompose herself and exhibit the poise and grace representative of the Arato Family, and would make Erina-sama proud.
Besides, he couldn't even speak properly!
"So how long has this apothecary been open for?", she bit out in a clipped tone, trying to change the topic and intimidate him by looking down her nose just like Erina-sama did.
"Two years", he said without a care.
His voice sent goose bumps up her arms. It was silky and clear, and wasn't too deep. As if there was still a sense of childishness to it. It was a soothing voice too which Hisako was unhappy with how it was having an effect of her.
"We hand grow 'n' dry our crop. We also do essential oils, tea blends, salves 'n' soaps too. On request we grind dried herbs 'n' spices to powder for customers if they're into that".
"That's a lot for a small apothecary" Hisako nodded, feeling a bit impressed with this particular store, but trying not to actually show it in her voice.
He just shrugged his shoulders and flashed her a smirk. She blushed again. She grounded her teeth in irritation.
"Where do you grow your herbs and spices then?", she tried to intimidate him again.
He jutted his thumb behind him. "We've gotta greenhouse out the back for the herbs 'n' spices. Also a small tea garden beside it. If I 'ave time, I even go for a bit of a hunt up the mountains for wild mushrooms". His voice still remained confident and even.
Hisako nodded. That sounded reasonable. Damn.
"Here ya go, sweetheart", he smirked at her and handed all the neatly wrapped herbs from her list.
She grumbled her thanks and proceeded to pack her order into her small travel suitcase. She blushed when he leaned one elbow onto the counter and watched her with those glowing green eyes and that smug grin as she went about piling her herb packets together neatly.
"That comes to four-thousand 'n' five-hundred yen", he said.
Hisako took out her wallet and gave him the amount in exact change. She took her receipt and bade him a curt goodbye, feeling her blush was still blooming across her cheeks when his lilting voice stopped her.
"Before ya go, here's a li'l somethin' extra for ya. On the house".
She turned around and she caught a small packet of mixed flowers and herbs in time before it hit her in the face. She looked down and noticed it was some sort of tea blend. She looked up and was about to demand what on earth was that all about but he disappeared around the back again with a casual backward wave.
"See ya later, sweetheart".
The Second Visit
Here she was again, back to that countryside town. This time she decided to dress in normal, casual clothes. She was wearing a pair of loose comfortable jeans, a light and airy blouse and sun hat to combat the brightness of the spring day. Once again she breathed in the light atmosphere deeply and felt her inner energy circulate nicely. Hisako dragged her suitcase along the dirt road and straight to Ryuusenka Apothecary.
Hisako found herself thinking about that boy working at the apothecary a lot during the past few weeks. She couldn't get his mesmerising eyes and his rogue smirk out of her mind. It even disturbed her in her sleep! The way he handled the herbs she asked for was very delicate and careful. She could tell that he was very passionate with them. But there was no way that he was from the countryside, he must be a city boy too as his accent was definitely the city-accent. Remembering his dismissive and nonchalant manner of speaking always got her blood riled up and it was worse that she remembered it at random points during the day. It was embarrassing when Erina-sama caught her when she was stuck in a tizzy, muttering curses under her breath to that teenage boy. When Erina-sama asked what was wrong, she covered it up quickly and said it was nothing she should concern herself with. Her noble charge just nodded and asked nothing more.
Speaking of Erina-sama, she had been extremely happy with her for the past few weeks. If Erina-sama was happy, it made her happy. Hisako had used her fresh supply of Ryuusenka Apothecary herbs straight away and it had made a clear difference in the taste of her medicinal cooking. Erina was a lot more enthusiastic and energised for taste testing after having her palate cleansers which she rarely was before Hisako made that visit to the countryside apothecary. It was more fragrant, the flavours were deeper and delicate, and the colour of her food was glistened and was beautiful. Hisako could say she was extremely satisfied with Ryuusenka Apothecary's hand ground herbs and spices.
"Back again, sweetheart?".
'Grrr!'.
"Why do you always call me 'sweetheart'? I have a name you know. It's Arato Hisako. Use it," she finally raised her voice at him.
He smirked.
'Doesn't he even know how to smile properly?!'.
"What can I get ya?" he tilted his head and gazed at her like he thought she was an amusing rabbit.
"Here's my list", she thrusted it at him.
"Ya learnin' fast", he chuckled.
She huffed at him and spun around to face the other way. Instead, she concentrated on inspecting the rest of the insides of the apothecary. This time it was a bit tidier and she could tell there was some effort to clean the grime of the corners of the front window. There was a stand filled with vintage looking soaps, which she had noticed in the first visit. She stepped towards them and bent down to have a closer look. There were a variety of rose, lavender, patchouli, camomile, rosemary, vanilla and whole bunch more. Most aromatherapy soaps she came across smelled nauseatingly strong, and super artificial because they often went crazy on the essential oils. Also sometimes they didn't do as they promised, but rather dried out the skin from the cheap ingredients they used. Therefore, Hisako didn't really trust aromatherapy soaps. But these ones, she held in her hand smelled delicately fragrant. She could also see bits of the dried herbs and flowers dotting throughout the cake of roughly shaped soap. So at least she knew there were real products in them. It was neatly wrapped in a brown paper label and tied off with twine so it looked cutely vintage. So far she and Erina-sama and herself were very pleased with the quality of Ryuusenka Apothecary, so perhaps she could give their soaps a try too.
She picked the most common type. Lavender soap.
"Have ya tried the butterfly pea, lemon grass 'n' pandan tea I gave ya, last time?".
Hisako darted her eyes at him. She didn't expect him to make conversation this time. She suddenly remembered that packet of tea blend he threw at her last time.
"Uh- yes I have. It's actually really nice", she felt herself blushing again.
She returned back to the counter and watched him weigh her herbs. This time he was wearing a black V-neck shirt and a thin red hooded jacket. He seemed to have a thing for hooded clothing. He was wearing tight black jeans and he had metal chains looping around the left side of his hips which Hisako tried not to stare at. That tea he gave her for free had a light, sweet and refreshing taste. It also packed quite a surprise.
The tea turned blue!
Both she and Erina-sama were fascinated by it! When Erina-sama suggested that she added lemon to it, it turned purple. That was when the both of them realised that the blue extract from the tiny dried blue flowers acted the same as litmus paper. It changed colour when reacted with something acidic such as lemon juice. The added lemon flavour gave a greater depth of refreshing flavour. Erina-sama actually liked to add the lemon in herself to watch it change colour. Hisako was happy to see her dear friend find fun in her tea.
"D-Do you grow the butterfly pea flower yourself?", she asked cautiously, ready for any quick sarcastic replies.
"Yep. This is it here", he pointed to a bamboo basket half filled with the flower on the other end of the counter.
Hisako walked over to inspect it. They were vibrant blue flowers. The boy held one up to her and smirked.
"Does it look like anythin' familiar?", he asked.
"Uh…no?" she furrowed her brows in confusion.
He twisted the flower upside down. It took her a few moments to realise…
'WHAT THE HELL?!
"That's…! That's…! That's lewd!", She screamed at his face.
He bursted out laughing and doubled over until his hoodie flipped over his snow white tresses. Hisako was absolutely horrified. The flower when twisted upside down looked like the private parts of a women! She shook in absolute humiliation and pure anger. She felt her face burst with a violent blush.
"How dare you give me something like that to drink!", she pointed at him in utter fury.
The ingratiating boy seemed to recover from his sick humour and wiped a stray tear from his eyes, he made little effort to reign in his chortles.
"Relax. It's a flower that's used in Chinese medicine as an aphrodisiac. It's quite common too. Kinda pretty to look at", he said like it was common knowledge and tried to suppress the building chuckle for his last comment.
"W-Well that can't be true! Because I've never heard of it being used in that way in Chinese medicine before, and I'm a Chinese medicine expert too. Even if it is, you shouldn't even be selling it to me!", she stamped her foot at him.
"Really now. Ya sure you're an expert? Or maybe it's just that the Arato family is too conservative to let their young female members learn 'bout ancient Chinese aphrodisiacs", he drawled smugly.
How dare he! Of course she knew about aphrodisiacs! She just never used them in her cooking because she had no use for them. Her cooking was for the sole benefit of helping Erina-sama, making sure it relieves her stress and rejuvenated her to take on the many harsh responsibilities as the heiress of the Nakiri Family!
"Besides, it's just a belief that it's an aphrodisiac. Almost every plant in the world has a story for bein' an aphrodisiac anyway. I don't believe in that sort of bull. Nobody should".
This insolent boy, working in an apothecary didn't believe in the powers of herbs and spices? Well, that's something new. She had had enough. She threw him the cake of aromatherapy soap she had with her to add to her purchase and demanded him to hurry up so she could buy her stock and leave. Who did this commoner think he was, treating her so poorly like this! Was he too stupid to think how important the Arato and Nakiri family was?! Did he want to lose their business for making such thoughtless remarks to her like this?!
Hisako had an idea!
"Where's your manager. I want to speak to them".
She smiled triumphantly.
He finally wiped that stupid grin off his face.
"…He's kinda busy with a few important things at the moment. If you wanna stick 'round for the next forty minutes, he'll be here", said the boy.
Ha! Now he was getting the idea that she was going to make a formal complaint to his manger about his bedside manner. Maybe he'd even get suspended for treating his customer so poorly. Forty minutes was worth the wait, if it would ensure this guy received at least a verbal lashing that will make him think twice for wagging his rude tongue at her. He didn't look bothered in the slightest, but Hisako firmly believed that he was probably freaking out on the inside. Well, he was going to get what was coming. Nobody should underestimate the ferocity of an Arato. An Arato protected their own and the Nakiri Family fearlessly.
"I'm in no hurry. I'll wait", she said defiantly.
"Suit ya-self", he shrugged.
Then he disappeared around the back.
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Approximately forty minutes later.
Hisako had finished reading some online shoujou manga from her smartphone while she waited for the manager of Ryuusenka Apothecary. She decided to use her time to scope out what other romance manga would be suitable for Erina-sama. She was lucky that her phone network reached this far into the countryside, although the speed was reduced. So far there were a few that seemed light and Hisako was confident her noble charge would like them. The scruff of sneakers on the wooden floor caught her attention and she sat up looking forward to seeing the manager of Ryuusenka Apothecary. Instead it was just the dratted snowy haired boy again. He carried a large book and dumped it on the counter. He started flipping through it lazily. He pulled out his phone and started typing things in and writing into the book. His fingers were long and slender, and there were some light brown smudges on the tips as he'd been handling a lot of herbs and hadn't washed his hands yet.
Hisako pursed her lips and checked her watch. It was just past forty minutes now.
No manager in sight.
Hisako got up and went to the counter. The boy didn't even flinch.
She cleared her throat.
"Yeah, sweetheart?".
"Time's up. You said the manager would be here", she crossed her arms around her chest and tapped her foot impatiently.
He smirked at her. "Ya lookin' at 'im".
What. Did. He. Just. SAY?!
There was no way he could be the manager of this place!
"You're lying. You're not the manager. Get the manager for me. Right now". She hissed through gritted teeth.
"I didn't lie. I did say the manager, which is me, had a few important things to do at the moment. That bein' servin' you, my customer, 'n' I did some bookkeepin' 'round the back. I said he'd be here in forty minutes 'n' well looky here, I'm the only one behind the counter, after said forty minutes" he gestured his hand around him like he was such an important person, also looking like the cat that caught the canary.
Hisako couldn't believe it.
"So, what can I do for ya, sweetheart?".
"For starters, stop call me 'sweetheart'!", yelled Hisako.
He stood up to his full height and raked his fingers through his hair. She watched the way he flared his nostrils as he breathed out and his eyes, half lidded, gave her infuriatingly pleasant chills up her spine as he gazed at her cooly as if he didn't care. Damn him and his roguishly handsome face. He couldn't believe he would always win people over with that crooked smile and his bedroom-eyes, could he?
"I don't like the way you're treating me. You're rude, you play tricks on me and I don't like it", she said.
"Like what? I arrange 'n' package your herbs in front of ya. I didn't scam ya 'n' they're top quality, otherwise ya wouldn't be here for the second time orderin' more. I gave ya one of our special tea blends on the house which ya liked. From my point of view, I'm employee of the month", he smirked again.
"W-Well… Well… I don't like being called sweetheart!", she screamed.
"Ya don't?".
"You're not my grandmother, only my grandmother can call me that. I said my name is Arato Hisako. So please address me accordingly", Hisako stared back at him with as much professionalism as she could muster.
"Hmmm. Interestin'. Point taken, Arato-san. The name's Hitsugaya Daisuke".
He stuck out his hand for her to shake. Was he making amends? She just stared at it in shook, again taken aback that he would do such a thing. She looked up into his eyes again to try to see if he was pulling some other trick. His eyes said there was a fifty percent chance he had something up his sleeve. He was probably stuck on 'arrogant prick' setting. He cocked his head to the side daring her to take his hand.
She took his hand and shook it anyway. She wasn't intimidated by him.
His hands were rough and warm.
"See ya later, sweetheart".
"STOP IT!", she slapped his hand away and left the store, trying to block out the melodious laughter from Ryuusenka Apothecary.
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The Third Visit
Hisako was mentally prepared. For the past several weeks, she had practiced a few smart-aleck quips so that she could beat this Histugaya-so-called-manager-Daisuke at his own game. She needed to show him who was boss. She couldn't let herself be beaten otherwise she could not proudly call herself part of the Arato Family and Erina-sama's trusted aide. Maybe then he would start acting like a professional around her. During her down time when she wasn't attending to Erina, or practicing her hooking she was looking up on the internet different types of wise-cracking phrases, some witty insults that she could use on Hitsugaya.
Ding! Ding!
Hisako lifted her travel suitcase up the step and onto the creaking timbre floor.
Hitsugaya Daisuke was nowhere in sight. Instead, it was a girl sitting at the counter, grinding some dried seeds in a suribachi, the Japanese mortar and pestle. The scent wafting from the bowl told her it was dried coriander seeds.
'Is she a part-timer?'.
"Good morning! How can I help you?", she said enthusiastically.
"Uhh…".
The first thing she wanted to say was 'Where's that bastard Hitsugaya?', but she stopped herself. The girl sitting at the counter had beautiful honey-brown eyes. She had a heart shaped face which was slightly tanned and sleek black hair pulled into a messy, spiky bun on top of her head. Her side-fringe framed the right side of her face delicately. The girl looked fresh and awfully pretty. She hopped off her stool and went to the front of the counter. She was dressed in a tank-top and a pair of tight shorts and boots. She also had a beige coloured apron tied around her which Hitsugaya never wore. She stood about the same height as Hisako and she noticed that the muscles in her arms were quite well built, probably from hard work. Hisako forced a nervous smile.
"Hi, I'm just here for these herbs". She handed the girl her new list.
"Alrighty, let me just grab those for you, I will not be long". She placed her bowl of dried coriander and suribachi off to the side and pulled out the electronic scale from underneath the counter.
Hisako rubbed her arms up and down even though it wasn't cold and she craned her neck around to see if there were any signs of that white-haired, emerald eyed boy anywhere. The only noises she heard was this new girl climbing up the ladder for the herbs in the top drawers.
"So are you from Tokyo?".
Hisako spun around, not quite catching what she said.
"Sorry?".
"Are you from Tokyo?".
"Yeah, I am. How could you tell?".
"Just by your accent. We do not get a lot of city folks around these parts".
Hisako nodded. Now that she thought of it, this girl had a different accent herself. She sounded like she came from overseas, but was unsure as to which country. Hisako still needed to know who this manger was because she didn't believe a word Hitsugaya said, so maybe this employee would give her a straight answer.
"So umm, is the manager around?", asked Hisako.
"Daisuke-kun? Oh he is upstairs having a headache. He stayed up at night doing god knows what in his room". She shook her head and chuckled, pointing up at the ceiling.
Hisako's eyes followed the girls fingers direction, and momentarily looked up at the ceiling.
"So it's true? Hitsugaya-san is the manager of this place?", Hisako gasped. She was about to ask if he also lived in the place he worked too, but figured it was a bit intrusive to ask.
"Yep! Surprising right? It is just him and I here. I just help out every now and then. My name is Riza, by the way. Nice to meet you". She smiled brightly at Hisako.
"I'm Arato Hisako. My pleasure", she said distractedly.
The rosette-haired Tootsuki student was still in the middle of wrapping her head around Hitsugaya Daisuke being the manager of the Arato Family's new favourite herb and spice supplier.
"But Hitsugaya-san is a teenage-boy. He's like, my age. How is it possible that he runs this place full time?", she asked.
Riza-san continued to weigh and package her herbs according to her list and she gave a little smile. Hisako felt completely at ease around her, which was really nice for a change.
"Well, Daisuke-kun does not go to school. He actually dropped out two years ago when he was fourteen".
"What?". Hisako screwed her eyebrows in confusion.
"He is what you call a tensai. A genius. He was often mistaken for being lazy. He never revised his school notes. I do not think he took notes actually… he did not always pay attention in class, he started to skip lessons to pursue other interests. Yet he kept coming up first place in exams. He made a lot of teachers mad for proving them wrong when they made mistakes in their teachings. You see, he was extremely gifted in maths and science like biology, chemistry and physics, but the education system did not allow him to accelerate his classes or take higher education courses to suit his ability levels because of his age restriction. The teachers ended up accusing him of cheating eventually because of his lack of attendance, I think. His retaliation only added fuel to the fire. Then he started getting into a lot of trouble with the teachers and eventually other students. He totally sucked at being humble. Urgh, no matter how smart people get, they never fail to be stupid when it matters most. Am I right? He quickly figured out that he could teach himself things rather than the teachers did. He became a full time truant and started trespassing university campuses to attend their lectures just to alleviate his boredom. The campus security chucked him out after the first few weeks".
Hisako nodded, drinking in the story but not quite believing it.
"How… how could this be so?".
Riza-san paused then spoke again.
"Daisuke-kun is the smartest kid I know. He's intelligent beyond what this system we call 'education' can cope with. The high intelligence kids bomb out of the system. It's too boring, too repetitive. It's like a cage instead of a platform. Do you know what happens when a genius gets bored in a cage, Arato-san?".
"No…".
"They start to experiment and do reckless things to break free. They will push all their limits. Daisuke-kun of course fell into that pattern. Boredom is a tensai's worst enemy. They need something to constantly stimulate their minds otherwise they will end up going crazy". Riza laughed.
"What kind of reckless things did he do…?". Hisako was a bit afraid of what the answer might be, but she was also very curious.
"He had this knack for growing stuff. Well, let us just stay he started finding ways to secretly grow things that have mediocre medicinal value, high recreational value, but also at the same time not very… legal".
'Oh my god… he couldn't have…'.
"His mum is a well-known professor at Toudai, and his dad works for the government. They instantly stopped his little experimental projects and decided that the safest thing was to pull him out of school, because clearly it was a waste of everyone's time, and bought him an old apothecary out here in this countryside and a patch of already herb filled land for him to manage all by himself. That way, he could exercise his interpersonal and high level problem-solving abilities for necessary life skills and apply that to something useful. When you are running a business, plenty of issues arises and you need to think laterally under pressure. As you know, it is a full time job and takes up a chunk of your mental capacity. His parents challenged him to run and look after his own apothecary business and make reasonably profits until he becomes old enough to apply for a scholarship for university. Every few months or so, his mum comes around to check, and make sure he is not ahem... growing things he should not… Daisuke could never resist a challenge anyway".
So this Hitsugaya Daisuke was actually a tensai? Hisako contemplated what that actually meant. Basically he thought he was too good for school. How incredibly arrogant. Surely the education system could support people who resided in the gifted-and-talented spectrum. Riza-san's double entrendes clearly pointed to the fact that Hitsugaya had taken an interest into marijuana! Who knew what other dangerous, limit-breaking things he had taken interest in before establishing this apothecary. Hisako could only shake her head. Even if this guy really was a genius, Hisako still didn't find him at all pleasant.
"I think it has been beneficial for him. It has kept his brilliant mind from wondering over to dangerous territories. The greenhouse and tea garden is a hundred percent legal, so do not worry! He had finally put his talents in maths and science to good use and developed different methods for drying and preserving herbs and spices to maintain its top quality over long periods of time, he has developed algorithms for productive and effective herb farming according to the seasons and moonrises, he has developed a terrarium system for developing specific types of soil for cultivating herbs and spices that are not native to Japan, and an irrigation system specifically for our tea garden and its healthy ecosystem! I am still trying to get him to spread his ideas, but I guess he has got other priorities", Riza-san finished off rather excitedly.
Hisako was gobsmacked.
"Business is good now since he has been able to connect with different food companies and restaurants to supply his herbs, spices and tea blends. We are in the process of making contracts to various gift shops with our essential oils and handmade soaps too. We have also managed to finalise a contract with Yamada Bee Farm to supply us beeswax, which is exciting. Although he only plans to sell herbal salves privately here". Riza tied up the last of her herb packet, which was star anise.
Histugaya, with some help from Riza-san, was able to achieve that much in two years on their own?
"You know, I could show your how our gizmos work, but not right now because his new-fangled water system is on. Would not want to get drenched right now, am I right?", she chuckled.
"Riza, who're you talkin' to?".
Both girls looked towards the back door as Hitsugaya Daisuke emerged, yawning as he came through the threshold. He was sporting another hooded sweater. His ruffled bed hair and his half-lidded eyes made Hisako blush. Damn, he was also good looking when he was sleepy! He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of chocolate and popped it into his mouth.
"Chatting with a customer", said Riza brightly. She took Hisako's money and gave her the receipt. "And is that my chocolate? I've been looking for it all morning!".
"Don't leave ya food unguarded", he replied with a condescending sneer, completely ignoring Riza-san's outburst.
"Ah good mornin', sweetheart", he finally grinned lazily at her.
Hisako rolled her eyes. "It's 'Arato-san' to you".
He shrugged his shoulders.
"Now now, Daisuke-kun, you should not be making our customers feel uncomfortable. Is your headache gone?". Riza lightly scolded her 'boss' whilst shoving her hand into his pocket and pulled out a half full bag of chocolate.
"Go check the aburagiku in the dehydrater for me will ya?". He brushed her aside and made his way to the large book, obviously with all the sales statistics, on the side.
"Sure". Riza smiled at Hisako and waved at her.
Hisako smiled and waved back. Now… that left her with Hitsugaya Daisuke.
"So I heard you dropped out of school", said Hiskao nervously. She didn't mean to sound judging or accusatory, but it still came out that way.
"School wasn't the place for me", he said.
'Right… because he thinks he's too good for it…'.
"I also heard you came up with all these systems for looking after this apothecary business".
"Yeah I did. Is there a point to this conversation?". He looked up at her, this time he wasn't smiling, or smirking. He just stared deep into her eyes and she shivered. "I know ya don't really like me, why do you keep comin' back?", he asked. He folded his arms on the counter and buried his chin in it. He looked like a little cat suspiciously, eyeing a laser dot.
She… had no answer. Because his herbs and spices were good? That was the most obvious one, but then again she didn't have to come back in person. She could've asked another member of the Arato Family to go in her stead. Other than that she had no answer. It was true, he was brash he was teasing, he irritated her.
But… why did she always come back?
…She quite liked it…
…She quite liked his teasing…
… She liked the way his sharp words kept her on her toes…
… She liked the way his slender fingers handled her dried herbs with such care…
… She liked the way his soft white hair ruffled around when he tilted his head at her…
… She liked the way his glowing green eyes looked into her…
… She liked the way he gave her those crooked smiles…
… She liked it when he called her 'sweetheart' in that soothing voice of his…
Nobody in Tootsuki paid her that kind of attention.
Back in Tootsuki, everybody treated her like a school official. They marveled her for her secretarial duties as Erina-sama's aide and they respected her for her cooking. She always walked behind Erina-sama, so people only saw Erina-sama and paid no attention to her unless she spoke. They called her 'Hishoko' because Alice spreaded that nickname far and wide. Her identity became blurred between Erina-sama's secretary and expert in medicinal cooking. She wasn't really treated as a student and because of that… well… she didn't make friends with a lot of students, aside from Erina-sama and maybe one Yukihira Soma too. But that had always been enough for her. She'd been seeing quite a few male students and female students flirting with each other back and forth. Deep down in her heart, she'd always wanted to know what that felt like, but thought it was a preposterous and idiotic idea. Yet her heart still ached for it. That high school experience she'd been too busy to have for herself. Guys didn't treat her like that. In fact, they didn't talk to her often because they were often scared off by Erina-sama, or enthralled by her to give notice to Hisako Arato, Nakiri Erina's aide.
Still… she had to come up with the least embarrassing answer.
"W-Well, the Arato family is contracted with you after all… Also, we're really impressed with the q-quality of your p-products. Um… Erina-sama is happy with them too—".
"Who's Erina-sama?". He cut her off quickly. He didn't change his position on the counter.
"… She's the heiress of the prestigious Nakiri Family! Don't you know them?". Hisako asked incredulously.
"Nope".
"They are the leading noble family of the gourmet food world! They've established the Tootsuki Tea Ceremony and Cooking Academy which had become one of the most famous and prestigious culinary academies in the world, who produce only the top chefs in the country. The head of the family is Nakiri Senzaemon-dono who is a famous and well respected figure in the gourmet food world. He earned his fearsome reputation as 'The Demon Food King' and is known throughout Japan. His granddaughter and the heiress is Nakiri Erina who's revered for her beauty and ability in the God's Tongue'—".
"Hold it right there. If we're goin' back that far, I'm gonna need some popcorn". He arched his back and stretched.
Hisako spluttered from being interrupted from her very proud account of the noble Nakiri Family. Nobody had ever interrupted her in this sort of speech before! She pressed on anyway, as she didn't know what else to say.
"Nakiri Erina is the Emperor I serve. I take care of her and help manage her responsibilities. In ancient Chinese imperial courts, the emperor had a dietitian who provided him with medicinal cooking. In my case, the Emperor is Erina-sama".
"What responsibilities could this Emperor possibly 'ave?". Hitsugaya quirked his eyebrows, enunciating Emperor with unnecessary stress.
"She has great responsibility to uphold the Nakiri name in the gourmet food world. She attends appointments for taste testing for famous chefs who come to pay her to evaluate their food using her God's Tongue ability", said Hisako.
"Wow… that sounds like a real hardship. I'm glad we still have very hard workin' noble families such as the Nakiri Family. Maybe I should take the money I use to spend on my sponsor-kid in Africa 'n' invest it into Nakiri-approved gourmet food", he drawled.
"Don't you dare make light of Erina-sama and her contributions to our food culture!". Hisako growled at him.
"God's Tongue does ring a bell. It's that ability that lets the user taste things with incredible precision 'n' detect all types of flavour profiles right? I also heard that it also grants the user fifty extra mana points 'n' even increases defense by plus fifty— oh wait… I'm thinkin' of a video game I play…", he continued to be sarcastic.
"Erina-sama's God given talent isn't something you should make a joke of". Hisako crossed her arms and turned away.
When she finally looked back, Hitsugaya's eyes suddenly darkened and murmured something Hisako barely caught, partially muffled by his sleeve.
"Talent is a funny thing. Ya born with such a great ability 'n' people say they love ya for it when they secretly hate ya for it. Heh… I got into so much trouble for a stupid thing called a 'gift'".
Hisako furrowed her eyebrows at the hint of spite in his words. What was he talking about?
"Show me a picture of her. I think it might jog my memory better for the Nakiri Family". He gestured at her expectantly at her.
Hisako took out her phone and was more than happy to present him a picture of herself and Erina-sama. Maybe if he remembered he would remember his place also. It was easy to access because it was already a wallpaper. Erina-sama's long her was like spun gold in the light of the photo. Hisako strongly believed that even the models and pop idols of Japan couldn't compare to the beauty, grace and poise of the tenth seater of Tootsuki. They could eat her dust! Erina-sama's violet orbs were magnificent and Hisako always felt honoured when she bestowed her hypnotic and graceful eyes on her. When she praised her… she could melt.
"Revered for her beauty ya say? Tch. I've seen prettier girls". Hitsugaya looked away with a snort, and started busying himself with the suribachi Riza-san neglected. He began grinding the dried coriander seeds while Hisako tried to comprehend what he just said.
"H-How could you say that?", she asked. Hitsugaya never ceased to behave like an abomination!
"For starters, the girl standin' next to her looks way more beautiful".
Hisako blinked up in confusion and stared back down at her phone. The picture was just of herself and Erina.
"But that's—".
"Ya know why I think she's more beautiful? She looks like a really hard workin' girl. She cares for her charge, who clearly looks like somebody who should be able to take care of her own affairs but just chooses not to because she rolls 'round in money, and yet this prettier girl standin' next to her still finds it in her heart to spare her valuable time to her. She's also very loyal, organised, diligent 'n' without fail comes to my apothecary once every few weeks to make sure her stock cupboard is full 'n' ready to use. Why else would she need to, except for traditional medicine 'n' medicinal cookin'. I know she doesn't actually come on behalf of her family, because I've already taken care of their orders which gets picked up even before she arrives, therefore she actually comes for her own stock. This clearly tells me that her heart holds great compassion 'n' devotion for humanity 'n' has great skill 'n' kindness to pursue the art of healin' the body. She's also very strong headed 'n' won't take bullshit from anyone who says a bad word against who she cherishes. Also she's ready to defend their honour at any cost. I think she can be quite stubborn 'n' her pride in her family, 'n' the family she serves adds to her beauty. Ah, not to forget that spitfire in her eyes, which is always a delight to stoke for my amusement".
Hisako… was speechless!
"Ah… I don't like how she's stand' one-step behind the not-so-pretty girl. I don't get to see enough of her. I don't like how she seems to automatically place herself in that girl's shadow. I think she might care for the not-so-prettiy girl more than herself which ain't good. She needs to see more value in herself, than what she does for that other girl. The beautiful girl needs to step forward and stop following from behind because she is so much more capable than that. Then everyone can see just how beautiful she really is".
Hisako heavily blushed and couldn't formulate her thoughts properly to have a reply. He… He thought of her like that?! Hisako had never been referred to 'beautiful' or 'pretty' or anything in her whole life. In fact, she never really took notice if her physical appearance was appealing to anyone. Hang on a minute… he never once mentioned her outward appearance… he only talked about… her inner qualities? Or at least, what he perceived were her inner qualities. Hisako looked up to meet his eyes. His gleaming emerald eyes peered right back at her as if he was looking deep into her soul. It was the first time he'd ever looked sincere to her. Could his words ring true at all? It didn't look like he was tricking her and nor did he look like he had an ulterior motive... this time. His words floored her and she still couldn't come up with a coherent thing to say about herself, because the first thing rolling off her lips was to defend Erina-sama.
"Erina-sama's job it to—".
"Ya talk 'bout an Emperor. An Emperor is somebody who serves their empire 'n' does everythin' in their power to care for the well bein' of their people 'n' defend them from enemies. Somebody who has chosen the art of medicinal cookin', the power to heal the sick, is better suited to care for those lower than themselves. Bein' an Emperor ain't a job. It's an honour. Which I don't think that Nakiri girl really knows 'bout. That beautiful girl, standin' behind her knows what it means to take care of others 'n' be selfless. She deserves the title Emperor more than a spoilt socialite does".
Hisako was about to start again, but was cut off by a joyful voice.
"Also I believe, Arato-san, that this pretty girl Daisuke-kun is talking about is very smart and has rare perception. She can see worlds where none can see value in, whatsoever", said Riza as she popped out from around the back door.
Hitsugaya turned around to give his employee a pointed look and clucked his tongue. "And how would ya deduce that?".
Riza smirked back at him. "She keeps talking to you, you smarmy git! Therefore, she must be capable of finding at least one good enough reason to!".
"Hmmm. What are ya doing here, Riza?".
"Finished my duties for the day, so I am going to have lunch. Bye and see you later, Arato-san". She took off her apron and threw it on the nearest peg before exiting the premise without a moment to lose, leaving a quick backward wave.
He said, she was more deserving of the title of Emperor, more than Erina-sama deserved? It's true that the Emperor holds great responsibility in taking care of his empire. But Hitsugaya was implying that she was better at performing that job than Erina-sama did. How blasphemous! Erina's divine tongue meant she had a responsibility to use it to it's full ability, a burden she had to bare since young to revolutionise the gourmet food world. Hisako's role was to look after her and be selfless for the needs of Erina-sama and she was the only one up to the task. So how dare he insinuate that her devotion and care to Erina-sama was unneeded and better spent on somebody else! And how could he make such a personal attack on Erina-sama like that?! Saying she wasn't beautiful. Was he blind? He didn't know anything about her! He didn't know Erina-sama like she did. If he'd spent even ONE day with her, THEN he would understand the gift she possessed and how hard she worked to—.
.
"…You see, he was extremely gifted in maths and science like biology, chemistry and physics…'.
.
Out of nowhere, Riza-san's words rang in her mind. He was extremely gifted in maths and science, she'd said. Why did she think of that just now? What did that have to do with her thoughts on Erina-sama?
.
"…He made a lot of teachers mad... they accused him of cheating…".
.
Hitsugaya… got in trouble for being a genius in maths and science…?
.
"…the safest thing was to pull him out of school…".
.
He had to be ripped out of school by his parents because his teachers couldn't function on his level. He lashed out. Instead of trying to understand him, and help him harness his intellect, they decided to scorn him and let his potential rot and waste... He was deprived of the education he deserved.
.
"Talent is a funny thing. You're born with such a great ability and people love you for it when they secretly hate you for it. Heh… I got into so much trouble for a stupid thing called a 'gift'''
.
Next it was his words, just spoken a few moments ago. He called his gift 'stupid'. It rattled around in her head. Hisako didn't know how to feel about that. This handsome boy, who's manners were so deplorable, who wouldn't think twice about character assassination, and gazing back at her, loathed his gift.
Erina-sama's talents on the other hand… were in tasting food. And she absolutely loved it. And yet… and yet what? Her thoughts were entering traitorous grounds. Against her will, she was beginning to see how his gift was beginning to outshine Erina-sama's gift. Her gift started to look like a novelty compared to his. No way! There was no way she would see Erina's God's Tongue as something insignificant and unimportant compared to Hitsugaya's talents! Hitsugaya's farming algorithms, scientific methods for plant preservation, soil terrarium system and new irrigation system, all born from his talent for maths and science could potentially make such significant contributions and advancements to society, yes she got that. But Surely Erina-sama's contribution to society…!
'Ah! I don't know what to think!'.
In the last half hour in Ryuusenka Apothecary, Hisako had been shooting her mouth off singing praises about the Nakiri Family and about how majestic and wonderful they were, while on the other side of the back door of the apothecary… were all these revolutionary farming techniques, unknown to the rest of the world…
…All designed and created by this teenage, high school drop-out.
'He doesn't believe anyone else in the world would understand it… THAT'S why he doesn't share it…'.
All her life, she'd been holding a candle to Erina unquestioningly. And despite all of Hitsugaya Daisuke's rough exterior, snarky and rude attitude, he was able to see the beauty in her where nobody else could see. He saw Arato Hisako where nobody else did. Somebody as smart and intellectual as him could see through to a second-string, an understudy, like her. Hisako suddenly her face flame up and felt her perspectives shifting, but was frightened for what it would turn into. She felt… it was changing into something good.
He made her heart beat fast.
"Let's start over. Hi, my name is Hitsugaya Daisuke and I'm the owner and manager of Ryuusenka Apothecary. Nice to meet ya".
He stuck out his hand. His herb stained hands.
Hisako looked at it.
What did that mean… 'starting over'? Did it mean… he was asking her to understand him?
She guessed she wouldn't know until she found out. She took his hand bravely.
"… Hi, my name is Arato Hisako. I'm studying at Tootsuki Culinary Academy. Nice to meet you too…"
It felt warm.
His smile was warm
She felt warm too.
Aw Hisako, nice of you to meet a guy :) It sounds like a beginning of something pleasantly troublesome for her. I'm not sure if I've got Hisako's character down pat, but that's as close as I could come. I don't know her too well, but I guess, that leaves more room for the imagination. I hope Daisuke's characterisation in this story was to your liking! With the other OC Riza, well I hope she sounds alright too.
My research on Japanese/Chinese styled apothecaries was extremely limited, so I had to take a few leniency and cut a few corners to fill in the blanks. So apologies to the experts on Chinese herbal medicine and Oriental Apothecary owners out there!
I don't know what other oneshot ideas my shower thoughts will onjure up, while I'm constantly checking through a 'Touch of Saffron', but I guess it comes when it comes.
Until next time, let me know what you think, I'd love to here your thoughts :)
Signing-off
-TripWire-dono