AUTHOR'S NOTE: So this is my first (of many) random AdachixRise story. I came up with this one while having cabbages for lunch in school so... yeah. Do comment and let me know how I can improve! Thanks!


Cabbage dinner

He had just bought his usual cabbages from Junes and was looking forward to cooking himself a good, healthy dinner at home. Adachi was tired out from the day's work. Running around, completing errands for Dojima-san, keeping that Detective Prince from prying too much in the investigation. It was all very tiring work. The long walk home from Junes, however, kept Adachi calm.

He reflected on the events that had occurred over the past week. Rise Kujikawa had been reported missing but she turned up again just a few days ago without a scratch on her. So that was that. But that nosy Detective Prince certainly thought there was something very odd about her sudden disappearance. Not just Kujikawa's. Even Yukiko Amagi's and Kanji Tatsumi's disappearances were strange to the young sleuth as well.

(Pesky little brat.)

Adachi swung the bag of cabbages over his shoulder as he walked, his other hand buried in his pocket. Then he passed the Marukyu tofu store and nearly bumped face-first into Rise Kujikawa.

(Great. Just my luck.)

"Adachi-san!" She flashed him a bright smile.

Rise was in her summer uniform, dark red hair tousled from the bump-in. She certainly did look like an idol. But Adachi was unimpressed.

(Great. The ditzy, good-for-nothing pop idol. Just another slut in this world of imbeciles.)

Nonetheless, he forced a smile in return. "Ah! Kujikawa-san! Just finished school?"

"Uh huh!" Rise studied the Junes shopping bag he had over his shoulder. She moved closer to Adachi and peeked over his shoulder to get a better look at what was inside.

(... Doesn't she have any sense of personal space..?)

"Cabbages?" she asked inquiringly, "Are you having those for dinner?"

"Ahaha... Yes I am, actually. Cabbages are good for you!" The friendly smile seemed fixed on Adachi's face.

"Wow... So you're pretty health conscious huh, Adachi-san?"

(Is all this small talk really necessary?)

"Hey! We have some leftover silken tofu from today! Why don't you take some? I bet they'll taste good with your cabbages!"

"Ahh..." Before he could continue, Rise had already dashed back into the store to prepare the tofu for him. Adachi released a sigh of exasperation. He just wanted to be home, away from these people, these pointless social conventions.

Rise came back out with a bag of tofu and handed it to him. "Here! To show my appreciation! Y'know... When I first moved to Inaba? You and the other policemen were looking out for me, right? Thanks for that!" She beamed at him.

Adachi took the bag, the smile still plastered to his face. "You're welcome, Kujikawa-san. Well, I'll be going now."

"Hey, how about we have a cabbage dinner tonight?"

(What?)

"Um. What?"

Rise was still smiling. (Is she flirting?) "You just seem like a pretty good cook, Adachi-san! And it would be great if you cooked something healthy for me! I haven't really been watching my diet since I moved to Inaba... It's not a bother... Is it?"

(It is. Very much so.)

"Uhhh. Umm. Well..."

"I'll just tell my grandma and I'll be right out!" She winked, and hopped back into the store before he could say anything else.

(Ridiculous.)

It wasn't that Adachi didn't find her attractive. Quite the opposite, in fact. He found her alluring, and yet adorable at the same time. But ever since the incidents concerning Mayumi Amano and Saki Konishi... Adachi had decided that all females were abhorrent, they were all bitches and whores. Especially those high school brats. So when Rise had approached him, Adachi felt nothing but contempt for her and her ilk.

He enjoyed spending his quiet evenings alone at home, sitting down with his well-cooked dinner, contemplating the inevitable future of his messed up world. But he was always alone. Adachi welcomed the solitude and he didn't relish the idea of having a dinner partner. Until tonight.

Rise popped back out from the tofu store and latched onto his arm. Adachi felt nothing but disgust when she did that. And yet, he couldn't help but smile slightly when she wasn't looking.

Back at Adachi's house, he put on his apron and started cooking as Rise sat at the dinner table, watching in awe.

"Wow Adachi-san! I had no idea you could cook! It smells delicious!" she continued watching as he cooked the cabbages in the frying pan. Before too long, dinner was ready and Adachi set it up at the table neatly.

Rise took one bite of the cooked cabbages with carrots and beamed at him in delight. He felt a swell of pride in his chest as he ate as well. He had to admit, it was nice to have some company during the evening. When they had finished, Adachi cleared the dishes and the two slumped on his couch, side-by-side, drinking glasses of carrot juice.

"So you're really health-conscious, huh?"

"Ahhh... I suppose you could say so..."

Rise laughed softly. "You're a really good cook, Adachi-san. It's nice, being able to enjoy a quiet dinner like this. Even after I came back to Inaba, it's been really hard to get any peace around here. Everyone's always trying to get my autograph, or just get a glimpse of me." Rise frowned, and she seemed deep in thought.

Adachi looked at her, somewhat surprised. It never crossed his mind that celebrities had their own problems as well. It made him wonder a little. Until he dropped his glass of juice on the carpet.

(!)

"I'll get a cloth!" Rise bounded to her feet and rushed over to the kitchen counter. She came back with a wet cloth and started to wipe the stains off of the carpet.

"Ah... Kujikawa-san! I can manage!"

As he reached for the cloth, he inadvertently brushed against the back of her hand. Adachi froze, and his hand remained on hers. The both of them were now kneeling on the carpet, faces just a few inches away from each other. Much against his own will, Adachi could feel his face turning red and he looked away immediately.

(Keep it together..!)

He heard a soft giggle from beside him. "Huh?" Adachi turned back to see Rise smiling at him, and he looked away to avoid her gaze. He realized that they were still touching. With lightning speed, Adachi yanked his hand away from hers and quickly stood up to regain his composure. Rise stood up as well, hands behind her back, leaning forward very slightly.

"So… Adachi-san…"

"Huh..?"

"It's getting pretty late. Aren't you gonna walk me home? Like any good police officer would at this hour?" she seemed to edge closer to him but Adachi remained where he was.

"S-sure. I'll get my jacket."

The pair walked down the streets of the shopping district in silence. Adachi kept his hands in his pockets and did his best to maintain some distance between himself and the (extremely underaged) pop idol. Rise seemed completely oblivious to his anxiety.

(What is going on with me…)

When they finally reached Marukyu, Rise smiled prettily and said: "Thanks for dinner, Adachi-san."

"No problem…"

She took a step closer to him and fingered the end of his red tie. "We should do this again some time," she murmured softly. Rise planted a kiss on his cheek, winked at him, and disappeared into the store. When she was finally gone, Adachi breathed a sigh of relief.

(What just happened…)