Chapter 4
'Is it cheaper to buy a half-chicken and eat it for one night or a whole chicken and eat it for two nights?'
'I don't want to eat chicken two nights in a row.'
'Yes but if it's cheaper we could freeze the chicken.'
Kaito was walking through the supermarket, examining the price tags of food items and doing calculations on his phone. Behind him Gakupo was pushing an empty shopping trolley.
'Please Kaito we've been here for twenty minutes! Let's just grab some food and go!'
'But we need to feed ourselves for a fortnight! And in between my job at the general store and your job at the record store, minus our rent…' Kaito began typing more calculations into his phone.
'It's fine. If we run out of money we'll just ask our parents to send us more' Gakupo said.
'Uhh I can't get money from my parents' Kaito said.
'Ok well, you can starve then.'
'Gakupo that's not fair! We live together, we have to share food!'
'Whatever' Gakupo sighed. 'Just pick up twenty-eight microwave meals and let's get out of here.'
'Eww, that's gross. Besides do you realise how expensive those meals are?' Kaito asked.
'So what? Are you going to cook then?' Gakupo laughed.
'Sometimes' Kaito replied. 'Wait, you don't know how?'
'You do?'
'Yes! Wow, how do you not know how to cook, Gakupo?'
'Guys don't cook. That's a housewife thing' Gakupo replied.
'Wow, seriously Gakupo? I cook all the time. It's necessary to live!'
'You can be my housewife then' Gakupo teased.
'Wha-what?' Kaito stammered and then scowled. 'Fine. At least you won't leave me to starve if I'm the one cooking' Kaito said. He then picked up a tub of coleslaw. 'Do you think it's cheaper to buy coleslaw or make it myself?'
I am in Hell, Gakupo thought as he groaned.
'Well since you're cooking, you can decide on what food to buy' Gakupo said. 'I'm going to go buy the things I need.'
Gakupo walked to the bathroom aisle, searching for his special brand of shampoo and conditioner. It took him about five minutes to find it but then he spent another five minutes deciding whether he wanted it apple or strawberry scented. After deciding on strawberry he calculated that he would need about six bottles of each to last him for the month.
Gakupo tried to walk away with six bottles tucked under each arm but they slipped and crashed onto the floor. He tried two bottles in his hands/five under each arm, then he tried two in his hands/four under each arm/one under his chin/one between his knees, but each time the bottles fell on the floor. So Gakupo went and grabbed a shopping basket to carry new bottles he grabbed from the shelf and left the aisle, leaving a pile of the dropped shampoo bottles on the floor.
He found Kaito in the freezer aisle, drooling at a cooler of ice cream.
'Ok so I'm getting a small tub of vanilla, a large tub of chocolate, a medium tub of honeycomb but what flavour should the popsicles be?'
'Kaito!' Gakupo growled, looking into the shopping cart, 'You've barely bought anything since I last saw you! Don't tell me you've spent the last 15 minutes choosing what ice cream to buy? That's so stupid!'
'Well what have you been doing the past 15 minutes?!' Kaito asked.
'Important things!'
'PON PON WAY WAY WAY! PON PON WAY PON WAY PON WAY! WAY PON WAY WAY WAY. WAY WAY PON WAY PON WAY WAY!'
'What is that noise…' Gakupo groaned, rolling over and covering his ears with his pillow.
'Oh it's my alarm' said Kaito. 'We have to get up Gakupo.' Kaito nudged Gakupo's shoulder.
'Leave me alone.'
'Get up, we have class.'
'Maybe you do but I don't…' Gakupo groggily replied.
'Yeah you do!' Kaito said, nudging Gakupo again. 'We have the same classes this semester. Class starts at 10, now get up!'
'Piss off!'
Kaito sighed. He grabbed his phone and turned the volume up to maximum. He played a song.
'PON PON WAY WAY WAY! PON PON WAY PON WAY PON WAY! WAY PON WAY WAY WAY. WAY WAY PON WAY PON WAY WAY!'
'AGGRRH, KAITO!' Gakupo sat up and grabbed the phone, angrily shutting the music off.
'I'm making toast, do you want some?' Kaito asked sweetly, flashing a cheeky smile at Gakupo.
'Y'know if I kill you I could have this unit to myself.'
'Yeah but then you'd have no one to cook for you' Kaito replied.
'Welcome to Academic Cultures. I am Lola and I'll be your teacher for this subject. For everyone here it is your first semester at Shion University, am I right?'
'Actually..'
A student sitting at the front of the class, a brunette guy wearing glasses and a black suit, raised his hand.
'This is my second year. I'm doing a double degree in Music/Education so I did my Education base units in the first year.'
'Ahh interesting. You'll be more advanced than the other students in this class then. A piece of advice. There is a mandatory group project this semester. It is designed to introduce you to the standards of work expected in university. For those students with poor writing skills, you would do well to get in a group with this student here. Now I need to call the class role for attendance.'
'Aaranson Alex' 'here' 'Clarke Regulus' 'here' 'Ericson Daniel' 'here'
…
'Hiyama Kiyoteru'
'Here' replied the brunette guy.
…
'Kaito? Just Kaito?' called the teacher.
'Here' called a distant voice. 'Please wait, I'm here!'
Kaito and Gakupo ran through the door, both out of breath.
'You made us late, Gakupo! I told you to hurry up!'
'You didn't have to wait for me!'
'Yes I did, otherwise I would have gotten lost!'
'Which one of you is Kaito?' Lola asked.
'Me' replied the blunette. 'The only seats left are at the front, come on Gakupo' Kaito said, taking a seat next to Kiyoteru.
'Kamui Gakupo'
'Here' replied the purple head.
'Of course' Lola said, rolling her eyes.
'Hey so did we miss anything?' Kaito asked Kiyoteru.
'Oh she just spoke about forming groups for the upcoming project.'
'Can we form a group?' Kaito asked.
'Uhh well…'
'I swear I'm not usually this disorganised. Being late was my roommate's fault.'
'Well ok then' Kiyoteru said.
'Can Gakupo join our group too?'
'Isn't he your roommate?'
'Yeah, so?'
Kiyoteru sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, above his glasses.
'Oh looks like everyone's gotten into groups already' Lola said. 'Now everyone stay in those spots so I remember who goes where.'
