Hello my readers!
Before we start, it's been brought to my attention that Pane di casa is not traditionally eaten with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, verified by a true Italian and I'm so grateful for that :) HOWEVER. In Australia, Italian breads are always served in Italian restaurants with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, so Italian eateries operating outside the motherland Italy are not expected to always serve 100% genuine Italian food simply because they need to match the flavours of their dishes using the available produce as well as the overall community flavour preferences. For example Tiramisu made with matcha (powdered green tea) is popular in Japan because it conforms to the Japanese taste, but it cannot be called 'genuine' Italian Tiramisu because matcha in Tiramisu is as non-traditional as anything. Some story with Pane di casa with balsamic vinegar and olive oil in A Touch of Saffron.
BUT I'M SO SORRY THOUGH GUEST REVIEWER! I hope you can forgive me because I still greatly appreciate your superior knowledge for all things Italian.
Enough about me, more about Food Wars! Here's the next chapter :)
Chapter 4 – No Good Deeds Go Unrewarded
A week later, Takumi found himself in front of a pretty huge door. From the looks of it, it was hewn oak and it possessed a lustre of fine polish that could make any master carpenter proud. It certainly had nothing against the ancient doorways of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore but it might as well try to achieve the same opulence. The architects who designed Tootsuki must have really cherished the European styles as evident by the many French style doors and Italian flourishes in the designs of the cornices, doors, railings and columns around the premises. The note he received this morning said he was to meet Isshiki-senpai first thing in the morning for something important. He wondered what the cheery upperclassman wanted from him. Any business or executive decisions of the Elite Ten were shared amongst each other so perhaps Isshiki-senpai wouldn't be the only one behind the doors to this room.
Knock, Knock.
Takumi stood back nervously to see what was in store for him.
A moment passed and there didn't seem to be anyone that was going to open to the door. Takumi gulped. If no one was going to open it then he guessed, he would instead. Just as he was about to grasp the golden handle and turn it, it unlocked itself and swung open slowly in a low creak from the sheer weight of the hardwood door.
"Ah! Come in Aldini-kun!"
The brunette seventh seat stuck his head out and welcomed him in warmly. He was dressed in full uniform which Takumi was glad to see. Which was just as well since he shouldn't be dressed otherwise... right? He wouldn't be able to take him seriously if he was wrapped up in that ridiculous apron and weird Japanese style underwear called a 'fundoshi' again just like the last time he and Isami had met him. A glint of gold diverted his attention.
'Nakiri-san too?'
Takumi was surprised to see Nakiri Erina sitting on the other side of the vast wooden desk at the end of the room. She had a stern expression and her arms were tightly crossed across her chest. She was looking down on him from the top of her nose like she did with everybody else who had the misfortune of crossing her path. Both Isshiiki-senpai and Nakiri-san were still completely dressed in school uniform even though it was holidays. Takumi gulped and refrained from dipping his head to check his own casual clothing. It must be because they still had to do their duties as part of the council.
"Grazie, Arato-san" he said to Arato Hisako who had opened the door for him. It unnerved him that he actually didn't notice her at all until now. She just nodded and smiled before taking her place next to Nakiri-san.
"Have a seat" said Isshiki-senpai
He strode over and pulled out a plush chair with velvet cushions and tucked it under Takumi's knees for him to sit, then nervously thanked him. If Isshiki-senpai was here, then things couldn't be bad because he always exuded a benevolent aura wherever he went and always made others feel at ease. The brunette walked back over to the other side of the desk and stood beside Nakiri-san. What was this all about?
"Let's cut to the chase" began Nakiri-san. She held out her well-manicured hand to Arato-san and a small card was placed daintily upon it. "Grandfather received a letter today, and since he is somewhere else on business, it was passed onto me to see to it"
Takumi waited patiently.
"Hisako! Not that damn postcard from Yukihira! The letter beneath it!" Nakiri-san fumed at Arato.
'Postcard from him too...?' Takumi refrained from saying it aloud.
"I'm so sorry Erina-sama! Here is the letter" The flustered Arato-san hurriedly handed the correct letter to Nakiri-san's impatient hand.
"Anyway... It says here that the owner and head chef of Cioccolatini in Karakura honchou sends his deepest gratitude on behalf of himself and his staff for how you valiantly saved his cafe from ruin with your exceptional skills as a chef at a drop of a hat when he had to be taken immediately to the hospital. He says that he wishes for us to know that you are deeply appreciated and that you are to be commended for your efforts. He says you have really shown him the true spirit of a fellow chef and a Tootsuki student. He also thinks that you are a remarkable chef and he would be happy to take on any student interns from Tootsuki should we ever think about it in the future. One more thing, he thinks that we should be grateful to have a kind-hearted person like you amongst us. Then he goes on a bit more about youngsters these days and work ethics"
Nakiri-san finished skimming the letter and passed it over to Takumi who received it hesitantly. He couldn't believe that the head chef of Cioccolatini would go as far as to write to the Director Nakiri Senzaemon, of all people! Takumi felt a sense of pride bloom in his chest and it warmed him. He didn't fight the smile that streaked his face. A finally blushed. He had received many praises and good reviews from his customers and family about his cooking including how delicious his food was, but he couldn't remember a time when someone praised him for his character... praised him as a person. Takumi was both dumbfounded and ecstatic.
"So Aldini-san, you have made a really great impression on the community in Karakura honchou with our Tootsuki name next to yours. It's not every day that one of our own volunteer their services for strangers on their own... which is a pity, actually." said Nakiri-san.
Takumi cocked his head to the side.
"What Erina-san means is that Tootsuki should be supported by the community. Without them, we wouldn't have anyone to cook for. Without them, there would be no joy in cooking, eating and dining. Our school has always catered for the rich and the wealthy, people who could afford gold leafed desserts and the sort. It's very rarely do we serve the ... common people as I hesitate to put it. I am ashamed to say that that was how Tootsuki had grown to become: Gourmet food for the exclusive."
Isshiki-senpai paused to let the information sink in.
"T-Thank you, Isshiki-senpai" said Takumi.
"It's a work in progress. We have been trying to extend our fingers out into every corner of the community whether they be affluent, working class or homeless, to share what we have. So Erina-san and I are very happy that you can do that so easily without having to think twice for what you've done. This letter here is testament to your passion for cooking not just for you, your family trattoria or for the sake of being number one and beating Souma-kun, but most importantly, for kindness."
Erina huffed and leaned back into her high-back leather chair, but the was a small smile on her lips. "I was just getting to that Isshiki-senpai" she said.
"Are you familiar with DEF Kitchen?" he asked, ignoring Nakiri-san.
"Um, non. I can't say I have"
"It's a cooking school for kids from kindergarten to grade two. It's in Minamikawase. There are also classes for mothers. I supply them with the vegetables we grow on the Polar Star plantation and I teach cooking classes for mothers. This is an example of something I do in my free time because I want to spread my skill and my joy in cooking to others in a way that is practical to them" said Isshiki-senpai.
Takumi felt impressed by the seventh seater's words.
"Souma-kun and Tadokoro-kun have been there to assist me on one occasion and I have all the confidence in the world to say that they enjoyed giving to the community immensely"
Takumi wasn't expecting Yukihira's name to be thrown in there somewhere and it ate at him that he was still stealing his thunder even if he wasn't physically there. Most surprised was that Nakiri Erina was glad for his act of kindness on that day which greatly contradicted his vision for her as a queen lounging around in her ivory tower.
"So if you are ever interested in spreading more kindness, please feel free to come to me or Tadokoro-kun and ask" Isshiki-senpai finished.
"Anyway let's move back into the matter at hand before we stray onto another conversational tangent. We feel that you should be rewarded" Erina raised her voice a bit louder, shooting a disapproving look at the forever smiling brunette.
Takumi shoved his hands between his legs to stop him from fidgeting nervously under the heavy gaze of the two elite members.
"I'm really flattered to hear those words and thanks for your suggestion Isshiki-senpai, but I wasn't the only one to contribute and help out. Besides! I've already received my thanks from the wait staff, so I don't need any more reward than what I've already earned" Takumi said resolutely.
"Another? Who was that?" asked Nakiri-san.
"Umm, it's just another high school student from Karakura High School" said Takumi.
"Well we're only carrying out what the head chef of Cioccolatini wants us to do and we can't exactly ignore that, can we?" said Nakiri-san haughtily.
"So name it Aldini-kun, anything you want, it's yours and anything you want us to do for you, we will" said Isshiki-senpai with a gentle smile.
Takumi thought for a moment, long and hard. He grasped his chin and folded his hand, tucking it under his arms as he thought. It was very rare that a student such as he was offered such a thing from two of the Elite Ten. He could ask for a duelli, or a private kitchen for himself and Isami, or something.
Non. He'd got it. This would be perfect.
"There is something I want, actually" he said.
"Name it" replied Isshiki-senpai.
"Oh heavens above and everything else in between! It's been over a week into summer holidays and all you've done is re-organise your school notes. Can't you be, like, a regular high school student and just burn it already?" Chizuru-chan wailed from Ayame's bed.
Chizuru-chan had stopped by today to hang out with Ayame. Ayame wondered if they were more alike than she'd originally thought as she squinted her eyes at their almost identical clothing choice. Both were wearing a singlet and pair of shorts and Ayame's hair was tied up in an messy bun with a pencil securing it in place. Meanwhile Chizuru-chan had her hair out like always since it was too short to tie up. It was that hot.
"What kind of person does that? We need them for next semester, you know" Ayame placed a refrigerated carton of fruit juice into Chizuru-chan's hands.
"Thanks" she said, taking fast sips from the juice popper.
Ayame had turned on the air-conditioning at full blast, but it seemed it wasn't enough. She had just hung out the washing early in the morning before the sun could get a chance to char her skin. It felt so good to do something mind-numbing like hanging out all the bed sheets, her school uniforms and Okaa-san's and Otou-san's work clothes. Her chattering mind was starting to exhaust her, especially when she had just finished watching a marathon of 'Megastructures', a TV program explaining the finest details of the construction process of many great engineering and architectural feats in the modern world. Everything should be dry by two o'clock and smelling like sunshine, just the way she liked it.
Ayame could definitely use the extra six hours during the day to clean up her room too. Deep down, she knew she wouldn't... Her small bedroom looked dangerously close to being a mechanic's work station than to being a high school girl's bedroom. She had boxes of old circuit boards lying in the corner for her to tinkle with and a large red toolbox stashed under her bed. Her book shelf was almost caving in under the weight of the textbooks detailing physics, aeronautical space travels, mechatronics, civil, electrical, and biomedical engineering. The few other books she had were some manga and a few novellas. Her carpet needed to be vacuumed again because she could see some traces of iron filings here and there. Her study desk had a lamp, a little robot assembled in the corner and a brick phone she was in the middle of fixing for Okaa-san. Also, all over her desk were packets of tiny screws and nuts. She needed to organise those too. Finally, under her bedside table was her soldering-kit. That could stay there.
Ayame reached over and grabbed her little robot which was wrapped in a decorated cardboard shell. It brought fine memories. She made this little guy and named it C3PO, even though it looked nothing like the famous robotic character from the American epic space opera franchise, when she went on an engineering camp for middle school students. It was under the slogan 'Engineers of the Future' sponsored by The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers or JSME for short. It was hosted by Toudai and it was the most fantastic experience of her life. She was totally in her element. She worked together in teams to learn programming and to build little robotic cars to battle each and dance. This one she had in her hand was from a kit they gave out for free to everyone who participated in the program. She still rarely in contact with acquaintances she made there. She inspected C3PO.
'Hmm, it's out of batteries now. I should replace it soon and then I can let it walk around my table'
"There's a free lecture going on in Toudai in the next week. I'm going to see it with my cousin. You met him last time you were here" she said as she put back C3PO and sipped on her own juice box, enjoying the blast of cold air from the Daiken split system above her.
"Yeah I remember. What's it about?" asked Chizuru-chan, flipping through one of the manga volumes.
"It's about space time travel and what kind of machine we would need to build to make that possible using our current understanding of the laws of time, relativity and physics"
"Nice. I'm sure your cousin would really enjoy that" said Chizuru-chan.
"Yeah! I'm so pumped!" she bounced on the bed next to her.
"Why don't you bring Marco too? I'm sure he would enjoy it just as much" asked Chizuru-chan. Ayame noted there was something sneaky in her tone, but wasn't sure what it was.
"I don't think I can just stroll up to Tootsuki and ask him. He'll be really busy practicing cooking to defeat his rival. I don't want to be a bother and his name is Takumi" Ayame tucked a stray tress back into her bun.
"If you say so... Tell me, if I were to go back in time to kill my ancestor would that be possible?" asked Chizuru-chan.
"AHA! You've just referred to the 'Grandfather paradox'! Could you go back in time and shoot your own grandfather? Obviously you couldn't because then if you did that, your grandfather will be dead, and then you could never have existed and if you couldn't have existed, then you wouldn't be able to kill your grandfather in the first place" Said Ayame.
Chizuru-chan got up from the bed and listened to her friend as she burst into her techno-babble.
"Professor Hawking said there's nothing in physics that could prevent time travel. But that's not strictly true because there are plenty of physical laws that are not reversible such as the second law of thermodynamics. Here's the interesting point. Are you listening?" Ayame said, bouncing on the bed.
"Every detail" replied Chizuru-chan, resting her chin on her hand.
"If I had a picture of a glass cup and next to it was another picture, but of a smashed glass cup, you could never put the picture of the smashed glass cup at an earlier point in time than the picture of the glass cup. So now the next question is, are we really human beings that are only capable of living in the universe in which we experience time in a linear thermnodynamic sequence or is time actually reversible?" Ayame finished.
"Can you write that as multiple choice answers for me?" smirked Chizuru-chan.
Ayame threw a pillow into her face.
"Another way of saying it is that if we were to travel near the speed of light towards a planet and it might, say, take a minute to get to that planet. On Earth, four years would pass, but in our spaceship only a minute would pass. Therefore, time travel is possible! Time travel into the future is possible. Because the closer you get to the speed of light, the faster –"
"We're all traveling into the future aren't we, just very slowly though. It's going back is the issue I think" Chizuru-chan said with all the obviousness in the world. "You know I can really see you in aeronautical engineering too. Are you sure mechanical and robotics engineering is the one you're gunning for to the end?" asked Chizuru-chan.
"I love all types of engineering, aeronautical, electrical, you name it. But If I had to pick a favourite, it has to be mechanical and robotics" Ayame said, fist pumping her arm in the air.
"We'll have this conversation again after you attend that free lecture. You might change your mind." said Chizuru-chan, getting up to stretch.
"What's really special about this lecture is that, it will have an engineer's perspective on this and some famous engineering speakers will be there" Ayame beamed, swaying from side to side.
The fact that Chizuru-chan responded and bantered back and forth with her during her moments of techno-babbling showed she understood to some degree what Ayame was talking about. At times she asked questions, other times proposed her own subjects on the matter from a non-science nerd point of view. Ayame really enjoyed those times and didn't wish for it to be any other way. Ayame went over to her desk calendar to check the day of the free lecture at Toudai she had noted in, to make sure she got the date correct when something clicked into her mind.
"Oh! Otou-san's birthday is coming up too. It's in the same week. Gosh, I almost forgot" said Ayame. She slumped back down onto the bed with Chizuru-chan.
"I don't think your dad cares about birthdays"
"I know, but he's turning forty this year. His age will end in a zero so it has to be special"
"What're you planning to do?" asked Chizuru-chan, disinterest lining her voice.
"I always make vegetable tempura and zaru soba for him because that's his favourite, but I really want to make something else. Something he wouldn't think of eating, something that's different and new" said Ayame.
"You do know that your dad doesn't like 'different and new', right?" Chizuru-chan asked, perturbed.
Ayame didn't answer and continued to mull over some ideas in her head.
"Is your dad still teaching kendou classes at that doujou in Minamikawase after work?" asked Chizuru-chan.
"Yeah. Being a police officer is hard work so exercising and doing what he loves after his day at the precinct is the best way to relieve stress" said Ayame.
"Have I ever told that your dad is crazy scary? Make sure you don't have Marco over when he's home"
"Don't be silly. Otou-san isn't always like that and his name is Takumi Aldini" Ayame rolled her eyes back at Chizuru-chan.
"Ayame-chan. What kind of man straps a Minebea P9 semi-automatic under the coffee table?!" Chizuru-chan jumped off the bed and stabbed her finger in Ayame's direction.
"That's just one of his service pistols. It's there for safety precautions. If you had asked him nicely that time instead of hounding him to see it, he wouldn't have pointed it at you, which by the way the safety is always on."
"I'm pretty sure his trigger happy finger was about to flick the safety off..." she grumbled.
"Anyway. How is Kuchiyose-kun doing?" asked Ayame.
"Fine I think. He only responds to my texts with one line and it always ends in 'I have to go now'" Chizuru-chan whipped out her phone and showed it to Ayame. She looked over and scrolled through the text message entries and it was true. He never said much, only about soccer practice. She hoped that this new behaviour he was growing into wouldn't stick.
"He's been that way ever since Luigi came to our school the first time" Chizuru-chan said contemplatively,
"It's Takumi Aldini!"
Takumi was pumped. After his very productive meeting with Isshiki-senpai and Nakiri-san this morning, he had heard the great news.
'It's about time they opened up the kitchens again!'
Everyone received notice that the kitchens were all working and functioning to full capability once again. All the leftover members of the clubs, including the Spanish Cuisine RS, the Skewers RS, Don RS, local cuisine RS and many more were able to continue their research whilst their main members were away on holidays. Luckily for them, they had their own kitchens in their club-rooms and so they needn't have to go through the torment Takumi was going through.
The torment that was booking a cooking station in a pit of snakes.
He didn't belong to a Research Society therefore he had to fight tooth and nail for bookings for the kitchens halls.
He should have seen it coming. There was a massive influx of students wanting to book the kitchens as soon as it was declared they were open to all students. He was furious how the balance of left over students and no academic classes resulted in full kitchen halls. Usually kitchen halls were only used for independent practice or practical classes, but otherwise were empty during academic classes. Takumi cursed his luck that he only managed to scrape a booking at the worst time of the day, which was around afternoon. He wanted a two-hour slot for a cooking station at noon but now he had to wait around all day.
What was he going to do now?
Instead he just wandered around the building aimlessly scheming up new recipes to crush Yukihira. He was having a pretty good time plotting and planning when he was shaken out of his thoughts by the buzz of his phone in his pocket. It must be Isami.
'Ciao Takumi,
I don't think she's your enemy though
and it certainly sounded more like teasing
rather than a viscious attack on you.
If she is your bella's best friend then she
can't be all bad, right?
By the way, I received a postcard from Yukihira
from Osaka. Have you got one too?
Yes, Uncle is well again, but we're keeping him
away from the kitchens just to make sure
he doesn't contaminate any of the
ingredients and us haha!
Hurry and call Mamma, she's waiting!
-Isami
Takumi always called home twice a month. It just so happened that his mind was everywhere this holidays that he forgot this time around. He was about to text back when he was interrupted by a high pitched cry and a whinge. It was coming from one of the club-rooms up ahead. He quickly slipped it back into his pocket and decided to poke his head in to see what was going on.
"Ryou-kun! What am I supposed to do if my new centrifuge is on backlog? I'm on a diet so I couldn't possibly have fat in my milk anymore!"
It just had to be Nakiri Alice.
"I've left the company a voice message about how pissed you are about the backlog, Mi'lady" Kurokiba's monotone voice was unmistakable.
"Were you wearing your bandanna?" she asked.
"I don't think so..."
"YOU SHOULD'VE WORN YOUR BANDANNA! Honestly, you're hopeless" she sighed dramatically. "Oh! Aldini-kun, how can we help you?"
Nakiri Alice turned to Takumi after spotting him from the side of the door. He almost had to take a couple of steps back when she suddenly flounced over in his direction with her fingers intertwined behind her back. He had never actually seen the insides of the The Cutting-Edge Cooking club-room, so his ice blue eyes drank it all it. It had been furnished to look like an experimental lab. Go figure.
"Oh Uh... I heard a scream coming from here, so I thought I'd check it out and make sure everything was alright" said Takumi with his hands on his hips.
"Hmm, just some delays on equipment orders. Which, by the way, is scream-worthy. The last time this happened, it was my brand new thermal immersion circulator. I didn't even have enough time to practice with it before using it in last year's Autumn elections to present my beautiful and sexy Thermal Sense Curry!" she waved her arms up and down like a crying hummingbird.
If the blonde student chef remembered correctly, Nakiri Alice the prodigy in molecular gastronomy had scored one of the highest, the top nineties in last year's Autumn Elections and here she was insinuating that her dish wasn't as good as she had hoped. She was full of cheek...
Meanwhile, Kurokiba was pattering around the club-room looking like he was inspecting all the other highly advanced culinary technology, glad to be busying himself with something else than his whinging and whining mistress.
Something interesting caught his attention.
"What's that?" he pointed to a machine on one of the benches.
It was a box-shaped machine about the size of a small safe with a variety of buttons and dials on it. It stood on three metal legs welded into a metal coil of some sort. There was a blank screen on the front of the metal box, which he supposed was used to display numbers. It looked like something Ayame would be interested it.
"That thing over there? That's the thermal immersion circulator I was talking about. It's job is to circulate and heat a warm fluid kept at an accurate and stable temperature when you want to do low-temperature cooking" she said in a matter-of-fact manner.
"Right…"
"Don't give me that look! It's one of the greatest inventions given birth by food engineering to the art that is molecular gastronomy" Nakiri Alice spun around, flapping her hands out to the side in her excitement.
Takumi walked further in and looked at all the special and brand new cooking equipment lining the walls and sitting on the cold metal kitchen benches. It was like a scientist's fun fair. The principles of molecular gastronomy weren't his interest and he never really needed to know about it to Nakiri Alice's level. However, the chemical principles and engineering behind it to create these machines to make the futuristic culinary art possible was in short complicated and made Nakiri Alice's food look, taste and feel out of this world. He might as well step into a science fiction movie.
There was only one other person he knew who would beyond doubt appreciate the physics, the science, the mechanical and the robotics to engineer these equipment.
"Umm... Nakiri-san, do you mind if I ask you a favour?" asked Takumi.
"Sure! What is it?" she replied happily.
It was late afternoon and Ayame was happily folding the laundry after vacuuming her bedroom floor. Chizuru-chan had gone home a few hours ago. Each time she was about to fold clothes and bed sheets, she would sniff it happily and melt into a pool from the sheer relaxing power of sunshine the freshly dried clothes emanated.
'I love the smell of clean sheets. They should make a fragrance out of it for candles' she thought humourously.
Knock, Knock.
Ayame emerged from of her relaxed and meditative state. "I wonder who that could be?" she said aloud to the empty room. They rarely had visitors.
She trotted downstairs and made sure that her clothes weren't too rumpled and her hair wasn't too messy. It wouldn't be very nice if she opened the door and the guest saw her in a way-too-comfortable state.
"Hello?" she said opening the door.
Ice blue eyes peered back at her. "Buon pomeriggio"
"Takumi-kun! What a nice surprise. Come in, come in." She opened the door wider and wished a hundred times that she was wearing something a bit more decent. Takumi-kun said Grazie before moving to take his shoes off and Ayame guided him into the family living room.
"I'll make some tea. What kind of tea would you like?" she asked happily.
"I'm alright. I'm not going to stay for very long" he said and smiled at her.
"Really? Okay then" Ayame noticed there was a certain twinkling in his eyes and it made it shine brighter. She had never seen Takumi-kun look cheeky or excited at the same time before and something in her gut told her it had something to do with this sudden visit.
Takumi-kun sat on the sofa with his legs slightly apart and he was taking his time to look around the living room, taking in each and every furniture and ornament scattered around it. Ayame could smack herself in the forehead. This was the first time he's ever been inside her house properly and he was doing what all guests did. Look around. Last time he was here; he had probably only seen the typical front entrance from outside her house when he was walking her home two weeks ago.
"I have something for you" he said suddenly. Takumi-kun reached into his inner waistcoat pocket and took out an envelope. He handed it to Ayame.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Open it" he replied. Ayame blushed. She mustn't have realised until too late that she was sitting quite close to Takumi-kun because his face seemed rather near. Closer than a two week friend would have done. She felt his unmoving and watchful gaze, like a hawk as she opened the envelope.
"These are passes... passes to Tootsuki campus?" she asked incredulously.
"Yeah. I asked for them, to give to you. I thought if you had free time, I could give you a tour around the campus. You wouldn't have ever seen anything like it" he smiled at her, looking rather pleased as punch.
Takumi-kun's smile did something inside her every time. She felt a tingle in her stomach, and her skin prickled. It was a strangely wonderful feeling and it made her heart beat faster. She found herself yearning for that feeling whenever she was by herself. At times she had been missing him, his slight Italian lilt when he spoke passionately and his contagious smiles. She couldn't help smiling whenever he was, it was infectious to her. It wasn't just the mouth smiling, but also his blue eyes smiled along. She felt another small blush creep onto her face. Good looking half-Italian boys would really be the death of her one day.
"Thanks so much!"
"Unngh!"
She hugged him. He felt warm.
Ayame hugged him a little bit longer until his muscles relaxed and he hugged her in return with a gentle squeeze. His arms easily reached across her back and she felt safe nestled in his arms and her head tucked under his chin. She caught a deep whiff of his cologne and it brought out a sense of fulfillment in her. She never noticed it before, but the muscles on his arms were really toned. It must have been from the rigourous training as a chef. She released him and really fought hard to will her facial temperature down. She tried to tuck her hair back behind her ears, but succeed around the fourth time.
"P-prego..." he said lowly. Ayame chanced a look to see his reaction to her hugging and felt a sense of pleasure that there was an obvious blush on his face. Had he never been hugged by a girl before?
"U-um, there is someone I think you'd be interested in m-meeting at Tootsuki, if you want. S-she specialises in molecular gastronomy, which is a branch of food science. She's got all these equipment and machinery that are made from cutting-edge technology and she could show you" he stuttered, his blush still there.
Her. Mind. Went. Blank.
Ayame had never felt as happy in her life as she did now.
Takumi Aldini was offering her a chance to come and see, and possibly use the embodiment of robotics and mechatronics of the cooking world. What other nerdy high school student had that opportunity?! Not only that, she would get a chance to discuss with a real life specialist in the area about the physcial principles applied in cooking. Also, the prestigious Tootsuki was exclusive to only their students, their alumni and of course only the rich, the powerful, the influential and here she was holding in her hands a four passes to enter and have a personal tour of the campus!
"Seriously? Like Seriously! You're kidding me right?!" she jumped up and spun around, not caring if she made a fool of herself in front of him.
"I'm serious" he chuckled back, after regaining his composure.
"Aren't these passes difficult to get?" Ayame calmed down and retook her seat, sitting a bit closer to Takumi-kun.
"Not especially" he said, shrugging confidently. She would weed it out of him later.
"Oh gosh! I could hug you to death or until you regret giving these to me! Whichever comes first!" Ayame launched herself at Takumi-kun.
"AAHHHIIII!"
Both of them crashed into the side of her sofa. She continued to hug him tightly, not caring that she was invading his personal space, that he was spluttering that he couldn't breathe. She ignored the way his body came rigid in her grasp and concentrated on how her body fitted his perfectly as he struggled to recline on the armrest, with one arm supporting them.
All she cared was that he had done something incredible for her.
Takumi-kun finally relaxed again. She felt him give her a one-armed hug only it was tighter and solid compared to before. He also rested his chin on her head and it tickled the way he breathed out on the tops of her hair. The side of her face was pressed at the side of his neck it started to feel very warm from his blood rushing up through the carotid. She felt his heart beat in his chest as fast as her own.
"Is that a pencil in your hair?" his voice rumbled lowly from his neck, tickling her face.
"I'm home!"
"Aya!" Ayame relinquished Takumi-kun and sprang to her feet. She was home early! "Okaa-san!"
"Oh have you got a friend over?" Ayame's okaa-san emerged from the front entrance, depositing her brief case next to the genkan as she removed her heels.
Takumi-kun had already stood up a fair distance away beside Ayame as quick as lightening even straightening is waistcoat and hair at god speed.
"Um this is—"
"M-my name is T-Takumi Aldini! I'm a friend of A-Ayame-san and it's a p-pleasure to meet you! APOLOGIES FOR THE INTRUSION!" said Takumi-kun all but yelled at okaa-san. He was bent in an almost perpendicular fashion at her okaa-san and she could see beads of sweat forming from the back of his neck. She had forgotten that he was half Japanese on his father side so of course he had to be instilled with the proper Japanese etiquette.
"Oh goodness! No need to give yourself a stroke dear. Nice to meet you Takumi-kun. Ayame-chan has spoken very nice things about you. I ask that you continue to be her friend and possibly look out for her because she could get awfully distracted by vending machines on the street" Ayame's okaa-san chuckled.
"That was just the one time!" Ayame fumed.
"I d-definitely will. You don't need to w-worry at all!" Takumi-kun replied back still looking like a he was in his first real job interview.
"Would you like to stay for dinner? I'm making sukiyaki tonight" she said. Taking her briefcase and leaving it beside the sofa Ayame and Takumi-kun was sitting on.
"Thank y-you for the offer, K-Kanda-san. But I need to get back to my dormitories. I need to make an international call to mamma. It's been long overdue" he bowed again, this time a bit less uptight.
Ayame saw the way her Okaa-san was pleased at the amount of respect Takumi-kun was showing her. If there was one thing about Okaa-san that stood out, it was her deep love for respect that others instilled in their hearts for their parents and family.
"Of course dear. But you are welcomed anytime" she said, making her way upstairs to get change.
The two teens were left by their lonesome in the living room as Okaa-san disappeared upstairs. She replayed the scene in her head like a film take. She had gone and done it and hugged Takumi-kun on the sofa. Embarrassment and shyness for her bold behaviour overtook her for a bit.
"I... umm... better get going now" Takumi said finally. He made his way to the door and slipped on his shoes. Ayame held open the door for him and he stepped outside, he turned back to her and was about to say goodbye when she interrupted him.
"I really mean it, Takumi-kun. Thank you. This means a lot to me" she began.
Ayame stepped forward and hugged him around the middle again, laying her head against his chest before the handsome student chef got a chance to react. He didn't stiffen this time and she was glad for it. She felt his hands slide up and gave her a proper hug this time, holding her body close. Ayame reveled in the smell of his cologne. It was so him. It reminded her of cedar. She again felt him breathe out on the tops of her head and she too again felt the warmth of his neck permeate her skin. She couldn't see his face and she was glad, otherwise she wouldn't be able to contain herself. She felt his heart beat again and it was beating in sync with her own. A few more moments passed until they let go of each other.
"Umm... here's my number" Takumi-kun withdrew a tiny notepad and a pen from his inner waistcoat pocket with shaking hands and scribbled his mobile phone number onto it. He tore it off and presented to Ayame. He had beautiful hand writing, if she looked past the shakiness.
"Whenever you are free to come and visit Tootsuki. J-just give me a call... or a t-text" he said, not making eye contact with her.
Ayame beamed at him "Sure, I definitely will" she clutched the slip of paper with his phone number to her chest.
"Buon pomeriggio" he said with another shy smile of his before making his way down her street.
Looks like Yukihira's sending postcards to lots of people haha :P and Takumi finally gives Ayame his number~~ Awwww~~ I'm so proud. Takumi had accidentally met Ayame's mum. I wonder about his reaction to meeting Ayame's police officer dad...
I've been loving the detective work everyone's been reviewing me :) It makes me happy that you guys are curious and wondering about the mysteries I hint here and there haha. Trust me, Ayame, Chizuru and Kuchiyose are VERY fun to write ;)
Everyone have a safe and fun weekend! Let me know what you guys think and I'll meet you guys in the next chapter in 5 days!
Signing out
-TripWire-dono