Bitter
Finnel claimed that she had a surprise for Aoto. When Aoto inquired as to what exactly the surprise was, Finnel remained tight-lipped about it. Aoto simply scratched the back of his head, before he shrugged his shoulders, letting Finnel do whatever she pleased. Still, Aoto hoped that Finnel wouldn't hurt herself; Finnel was notorious for her clumsiness, though Aoto had to admit it was rather endearing, in a way. Tomboyish Finnel who charged ahead without thinking, clumsy Finnel who had no sense of direction or the quiet grace that Saki had, crybaby Finnel who hated herself for being weak and tried her hardest to act tough when she was actually falling apart. As Aoto had delved through several layers of her Cosmosphere, he experienced an intimacy that was not unlike sex, and a bond had formed between them as Aoto tirelessly fixed the cracks in her Cosmosphere.
While Aoto reminisced about those moments spent together, Finnel set out a covered dish in front of Aoto. Aoto blinked in surprise, imaging that there was a funny smell coming from the concealed meal. He was about to make a comment about it until he noticed Finnel nervously fidgeting with the ribbon on her left sleeve, her gaze downcast and a pale pink blush covering her cheeks. Aoto looked from Finnel, and then to the covered plate. So this was probably the surprise that Finnel prepared for him. For a moment, Aoto imagined Finnel crashing around the kitchen, tripping over silverware or cutting herself while chopping vegetables, though he pushed those thoughts aside when Finnel finally spoke up, "T-They say that the way to a man's stomach is through their heart. I mean, the way to a man's heart is through their stomach. I um, I worked really hard on this. I-I'm not a good cook like Saki, but…I thought…"
Aoto simply smiled at Finnel's awkward behavior, before he said, "Thanks, Finnel. I'm looking forward to the meal. Itadakimasu!"
Finnel clapped her hands together, adoration shining in her eyes at Aoto's enthusiasm. "R-Really? Well, eat up, 'cause there's more where that came from. Ta-da!"
She then removed the cover from the plate with a magician's flourish. What lay on the plate had been charred into something unrecognizable. Aoto poked at a stringy piece of the questionably edible stuff, trying to determine what it was. He looked towards Finnel again, who was gazing at him rather expectantly. Even if the meal was burnt, Aoto could stomach it down. He had far worse. Aoto then shoveled the food as quickly as possible so that it didn't touch his tastebuds-it had a rather crunchy texture, and if he ignored the smell, it wasn't so bad. After all, Finnel had prepared a hot meal for him on the table.
Once he swallowed the last few gulps, Aoto leaned back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head and giving Finnel a great big grin. "Not bad. I can tell you put a lot of work into it."
"I-It really wasn't that good, huh?" Finnel said, before she slumped her shoulders a bit. "It was supposed to be chicken, rice, and vegetables."
"Everyone's gotta start somewhere," Aoto said, before saying, "Tell ya what, how 'bout you make me a nice hot meal every Tuesday. It'll give you some time to practice. B'sides, we'll practically be husband and wife! Though, in your case, it would be master and servant."
Finnel puffed out her cheeks, before saying, "Jeez, Aoto, you're so mean sometimes. But I guess it can't be helped. I'll make you meals every day. I can't lose to Saki-chan, no matter what!"
"Yeah, yeah," Aoto said, before a mischievous smile overtook his lips. "Though I have a better idea of what I'd like for dinner."
Upon seeing Aoto's wolfish grin, Finnel blushed a deep shade of red. She continued fidgeting with her ribbon as Aoto approached her, planting one hand against the wall and trapping Finnel against it. There was no room for escape; Finnel had no choice but to submit to Aoto as he closed the distance between them with a kiss.
