She Comes And Goes As She Pleases (Part 10)
by BrDPirateMan

Back at Eri's house at last. To help her understand the basics of cooking, I had decided that for her very first cooking lesson we would start off with something nice and easy. Back in school, one of the things they taught us how to cook in Home Economics was shrimp tempura, so what better way to start than with that?

"Since we're going to cook right away," I said, "I'll place the shrimp in the chiller compartment. Is that okay?"

"Go ahead," replied Eri. "Well, assuming we can find space in there."

Here I was standing before the open chiller, packed with cans of beer from all kinds of companies. No matter which way I looked, there simply was no space for even a measly packet of shrimp. Well, it just went to show how much she loved drinking.

"That's a lot of beer, Eri. It's like the Great Wall of Alcohol."

"Yup, sure is!" She sounded proud of the beer she was hoarding, as though it was a stash of gold, but as a teetotaller, I wasn't impressed. "Ah… for you, Neku, I'd recommend a nice shot of Genki draft beer. It's light and is perfect for people who are just starting out on drinking."

"No thanks. You know I don't take alcohol. Besides, how can I teach when I'm drunk?"

"Mmm, good point. Ah, well, I thought I could change your mind. I totally want a drinking buddy like you!" She gently slugged me in the arm as a sign of affection. "I mean, it's fun going to bars with the girls, but what I really would like is a guy with whom I can spend the evening enjoying chilled beer. Thing is, no guy I've met is decent enough so you're my best bet. But since you're not into drinking – and there's nothing wrong with that – I think I'm outta luck, ahaha."

What she just said… it was proof that not only did she trust me, she also… liked me? No wonder the heat was rising to my face.

"Neku?" she said. "Your face is all red. Y-You're not drunk, are you?"

I spluttered at the very insinuation that I of all people might be inebriated. "Of… Of course not! A-Anyway, since the chiller's full, I'll just have to stuff the shrimp in the freezer for now. We wouldn't keep it frozen for too long so it'll be alright."

When I hauled the freezer door open it was the same story. It was completely filled. But it wasn't beer that took up its precious space. Instead, a selection of TV dinners, leftover pizzas and other quick fix-it-yourself meals made up the family inside the freezer. There was nothing inside that spelt healthy.

"Eri," I gulped, "I don't even want to imagine what you eat everyday."

Visibly ashamed, she muttered, "Th-That's blunt, Neku… But I do get my three square meals a day, you know!"

"Your three square meals are stuff you pop into the microwave?"

Now she was getting a little annoyed. "It's not like I want to eat out or chow down on instant stuff all the time either! I love home-made dinners as much as the next person too. This has been bothering me plenty; that's why I appreciate your wanting to teach me how to cook. So get to it already, Sensei!"

"Sure…"

Eri went off to change while I was left to wrestle the shrimp into the freezer. I had to squash the pizza box a little to make room; I hoped she wouldn't mind. It seemed very odd how the shrimp looked the odd one out in a sea of "instant" food. Were her culinary skills so hopeless that nothing in her fridge needed to be prepared? Already I could foresee that today's cooking lesson would prove to be as much a trial for her as it was for me.

As I was sorting out the rest of our ingredients, I began to notice that she was taking an awfully long time getting dressed. Sure, she could spend minutes at a time getting dolled up for a grand night out as she once told me, but she wouldn't be so silly as to put on make-up for something like a cooking lesson, and in her own home at that. A minute or two passed and I was beginning to grow concerned. What happened to her?

My worries eased up completely when she emerged looking just fine in shorts and a long-sleeved shirt. Ah, so these were the clothes that Eri liked to wear at home… cute! Some eye candy during today's lesson was always welcome. But what sent my mind into overdrive was what she was trying to put on in addition to what she was already wearing.

"Hey, Neku!" she grumbled. "I'm having trouble putting the apron on! Could you help me? It's the strings at the back… I can't seem to tie them up."

My breath hitched in my throat as I watched Eri struggle with her apron. I wasn't sure if anyone could identify with my thoughts at that time, but that simple apron just raised her cuteness tenfold! It was difficult to explain. Maybe it really was a fetish of mine I didn't know existed until now. But it just worked. I didn't care how it worked; I just cared that it worked at all!

Eri was cross to see how I was standing there not lifting a finger, but I was just too hopelessly spellbound to do anything.

"Oi! NEKU!" Ouch… She was yelling this time. "Don't just stand there! Help me tie the strings of my apron! Geez! Here I am getting all serious about cooking and your mind's drifting off into space…"

"Sorry, sorry." It was a simple matter for me to fasten her apron, but I did have one thought. "Hang on. I don't get it."

"Don't get what?"

"You can put on Gothic bareback string corsets without a single hiccup (see Part 5) and here you're having problems tying an apron?"

"This is that are different things, Neku. I mean, I haven't done any cooking, so I'm not used to aprons at all. I think that explains things nicely, don't you think?"

"Uh… not really…"

In exasperation she sighed. "I guess that's what happens when someone who understands fashion talks to someone who doesn't… It's like a macaque talking to an orangutan. But enough monkey banter! It's cooking lesson o'clock right now and I've been waiting so eagerly for this day, so let's not waste time and get this show on the road."

I wanted to joke that macaques and orangutans should be on the same wavelength since they're both primates, but she's right. The time had come for Eri to become a little bit more enlightened in the art of cooking, and I was going to help her.

It wouldn't be an easy journey for her, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.

That apron was awfully distracting, though… W-Wish I could take a photo…

XOXOXOXOXO

"Pay close attention, okay?" I told Eri. "And be sure to take notes."

"Aye aye, Cap'n!"

"S-So not only am I Sensei, I'm also Captain now… Oh well."

To be perfectly honest, I had my reservations about Eri being able to carry through with her efforts. Cooking is no walk in the park. A total neophyte like her would find the going hard and clumsy, much like how a kid learning to walk must feel. But as I observed her it was obvious she was taking this very seriously. Throughout the lesson, she never once spaced out, she never complained even when her fingers got stained and oily, and though she might crack the occasional joke now and again, she really got into the whole rhythm of things. That was good.

As she cooperated with me by getting the batter ready amongst other tasks, she looked almost like a wife. My wife? Ah… wouldn't that be nice. Spending time in the kitchen… me, preparing the miso soup, and her, busying herself with the beef cutlets. And then once it was all done, we'd reap our efforts with mealtime, feeling satisfied from a hard day's work and a bond between us that grew stronger with each new tomorrow.

Unfortunately I got so caught up in my daydream that I wasn't really looking where I was slicing the scallions. And so my hand slipped and I got a nice clean cut on my finger.

Eri heard my grunts of pain and came over to check up on me. "Neku! What happened?"

"It's nothing. I just cut myself by accident, that's all. I'll just – "

"H-Hey, that doesn't look pretty at all," she said, cringing slightly. "We've got to treat it!"

She was right. The wound was deeper than I thought and the blood was seeping out. It wasn't that bad, but it was still alarming.

"Eri, do you have any band-aids – uh, Eri? !"

"First aid must be delivered without hesitation." Not wasting a second more, she grabbed hold of my hand and popped my bloodied finger into her mouth.

What was she doing? ! Was she trying to suck the blood away? It was almost like she was sucking on my finger… and it was warm and strangely soothing inside her mouth. A shiver ran down my spine when I thought I could feel her tongue rolling around. I appreciated the quick thinking on her part, but the way she was going about it was so erotic! And she was in her apron too, so that was like a double KO for me! Just imagine the kind of situation I was in… the girl I loved, wearing a cute apron and licking my finger…

After a full minute of this treatment she looked up to a horrendous sight.

"Neku!" she gasped, shocked. "Y-You've got a nosebleed! Did… Did I make things worse? ! And more to the point, wh-which bleeding should I stop first? !"

"Don't worry about me," I mumbled through a pinched nose. "I'll be fine. But I'm going to have to borrow the bathroom sink. I wouldn't be long, so in the meantime please carry on with what you were doing with the batter."

"Uh… if you say so… By the way, band-aids are in the medicine cabinet so go ahead and help yourself to one. You'll find tissues there too for your, um, nose."

I ended up dangling both my face and my finger over the sink, watching the blood drip and stain the enamel. Gosh darn it… Eri really was something else to be able to turn the simplest of acts into something outrageously sexy. It was almost like a talent of hers, though it probably wasn't one that might be envied. To cite an example, when she was with me at Mexican Dog one time, and she ordered a chilli dog…

…No, maybe I shouldn't get into that. Who knew what would happen to my poor nose if I started to recall how she sucked the sauce off of the sausage, or when she accidentally spilt some OJ on her hand and she licked it clean, or when she –

Uh-oh. Too late. I thought about it.

And now… the blood gushed harder.

XOXOXOXOXO

"Eek!"

"Yeow! Almost hit me!"

"I'm sorry, Neku!" yelped Eri. "But this is really scary! Is this how tempura is supposed to be cooked? Surely there has to be a better way! Why does the oil have to splatter all over the darn place? !"

"It doesn't have to! It's because you're dropping the tempura into the oil instead of slipping it in! Then of course it'll splash everywhere!"

Right now I was teaching Eri how to fry the tempura. It had to be deep-fried, which meant filling the wok with lots of oil to cook it evenly. One of the drawbacks of deep-frying is how the hot oil would churn and spray during cooking, and it would sting badly when it came into contact with your skin.

"Easy does it," I said, watching with anxiety. "That's right, Eri. Keep a good grip on the shrimp. Keep a really good grip, then slip it into the oil – "

"Waah!"

"Whoa!"

I couldn't blame Eri for having trouble with the tempura. The shrimp and batter were both slippery, and holding it with chopsticks wasn't easy. So the shrimp slid off from her grip too early and it made a good splash in the hot oil. Again. Both of us managed to evade the oil thanks to some quick reflexes and a bit of luck, but our bodies were twisted into pretzel shapes trying to do so. It might be funny to laugh later on about how Eri and I had to adopt the mantis and monkey kung fu stances respectively, but at that time, it wasn't the slightest bit hilarious at all.

"I-I'm sorry again, Neku!" she wailed. "I'm trying to do like you told me, but it's hard to even hold it in the first place!"

I showed her how it was done and she observed with great care. "Well, I know how you feel, Eri. The first time I made tempura it was pretty much the same story."

"Really?" She was surprised. "Even an awesome cook like you had this kind of problem in the past?"

We were waiting for our current batch of tempura to cook so I took the time to explain in more detail. "Not everyone's a genius from the get-go. We were all newbies once, me included. I remember how my aunt used to teach me how to cook simple foods, and she'd chew me out whenever I made a stupid mistake. Heh… She sure could be harsh."

"Must be nice to have a relative who's willing to show you the basics of cooking. As for me, no one in my family can cook, so I was pretty hopeless from the start, ha ha ha…"

"S-So you're saying your inability to cook runs in the family? Whoa."

"Thanks to you, however," she said, grinning, "I think I can finally put an end to this vicious cycle. Hey, I know! I can whip up some tempura for my parents and totally surprise them! It'll be pretty rad."

"I like the sound of that," I agreed, smiling too. "They'll be proud to know that their daughter can do something they can't."

"And when they ask from whom I learnt how to cook tempura, I'll take you to my parents' house so I can properly introduce you to them. So make sure you say the right things so you can impress them."

I broke out into a cold sweat. "Er… isn't it a bit too soon for me to be seeing your parents? Shouldn't this wait till a later time when we're more – Wait. Wait wait wait! Wh-What're you making me say, Eri? ! I-It's not like we're… you know…"

"…dating?"

Mischief was saturated in her chuckle. It was clear I was about to be subject to her teasing once more, and although I prepared myself for her myriad wiles, I knew this was a battle of wits I could never hope to win.

"So you're saying we're not an item, Neku?" she purred naughtily. "We've chalked up two dates by now, and done lots of things together. Even taking baths – oh my! But still you deny it? That's cute, but…"

"I-I'm not denying anything! Wait… No, if I'm not denying anything then that means…! Argh! Wh-What do you want me to do, you little imp? !"

I nearly jumped when she came closer to speak in my ear, and the tone she used was soft yet seductive. "Hmmm… For starters, you could prepare what you need to say to my parents… With the right words, I'm sure you could bowl them over. Don't worry, they're pretty lenient on prospective husbands."

"Oh, really? That's good to know – " Hang on, this didn't feel right! "No, stop right there! Husband? ! Th-That's not what I wanted to say! N-Not at all!"

"It's cute how your ear's as red as the rest of your face, Neku."

"Whuh…! I-I'm not – It's just the heat in the kitchen!"

Yeah… Looks like I wouldn't be winning this one either. Stuck for words, I hurriedly turned away from her and busied myself with fishing out the tempura and laying it on a plate… anything to avoid her cheeky gaze. Sure, she was putting me out plenty, but in a rose-tinted corner of my mind, what she was suggesting – that we were destined for life – sounded pretty appealing to me. I was embarrassed for obvious reasons, but at the same time, though I didn't show it openly, I guess I was pretty happy…

A gasp escaped from my throat when I felt the warmth of her hugging me from behind, her arms round my neck, and her head on my shoulder. Ah, she had hugged me like this before, and like back then, it was a good feeling.

"You're on candid camera," she said, smiling.

"Pulling my leg again, I see," I sighed. "I expected as much."

"Being the butt of my jokes isn't such a bad thing, Neku. Even my pranks are relatively harmless."

"I-I'm not saying that it's bad, Eri. But if your pranks always involve me getting a nosebleed, can you truly say they're harmless?"

"Ha ha ha!"

Eri had a lot of cheek and little shame. But… I didn't really mind. She should stay just the way she was.

Now we were back to frying the next batch of tempura. She seemed to be faring better this time, as there were no more episodes of dodging flying droplets of searing hot oil. And she also looked happier that she was finally making progress.

"That's it," I encouraged her. "That's the way you do it. Just slip it in nice and easy, and the oil wouldn't spill all over the place."

She was beaming, flushed in accomplishment. "I am getting the hang of this. It's not exactly second nature, but I'm getting there."

Eri was having fun, and so was I. So, in a sense, even if I were to deny it, we were already like husband and wife. Oh well, not a bad thing to be sure…

XOXOXOXOXO

"Ready for the moment of truth, Eri?"

"Yes. Go right ahead."

The lesson was over and done with and the time to put my taste buds to work had arrived. We were now seated at the dining table with a plate full of piping hot, freshly-fried tempura, and as the teacher, it was my duty to give my student the feedback necessary for her growth as a budding cook.

The tempura rolled around on my tongue, and the slight sweetness of the shrimp contrasted well with the saltiness of the batter. The result was a light yet fulfilling taste that flowed through every corner of my mouth. When prepared well, tempura sure was fun to eat. And it was Eri's tempura too, so that's double the pleasure, I guess. Ahaha… guilty pleasure, perhaps?

"It's a bit burnt," I said, with an honesty that was gentle, not brutal. "And I think there might have been a little too much salt. However, the shrimp itself turned out quite well, so all things considered… not bad for your first try. Seven out of ten."

"Really?" Her grin had the word victory written all over it. "Well, what do you know. Seven out of ten… That's equivalent to a B, maybe a B+. Yeah, for a first try, that's pretty good!"

"You could use some improvement, but it's a commendable effort." I flashed a kind smile for her. "And practice makes perfect, so you'd do well to practice making all the dishes I'm going to teach you from here on out. Don't be afraid. Just keep on at it."

"If I surpass you one day, can I make you my student?"

"H-Huh?"

"And when I'm your Sensei, can I give you… extra lessons?" She was giggling. "Broadening your horizons is just as important as self-improvement, you know. Hee hee. 'Oh, Sensei, you mustn't!' Something like that?"

Another dirty joke… "Er, I don't really get what you're insinuating. Besides, it's time to eat, d-don't you think?"

"Yeah, let's tuck in!"

Apart from a few pieces which I fried for her to see how it was done, the whole pile of tempura was done by her. It wasn't perfect, and I could see the many blemishes in the batter that could only be made by someone who had never cooked once in her life (instant noodles don't count). But it was a good try, and seeing her not get discouraged was inspiring.

She sunk her teeth into a piece and nodded. "Mmm, you're right, Neku. It could use a little improvement in places. Otherwise, it's Sensei-tional!" Cute pun… "Oh! And before I forget, thanks for the lesson. I suddenly feel a whole lot more intelligent."

I laughed softly. She could be so adorable. "No charge, Eri. I'll teach you something else next week, maybe omelettes. I know it sounds exceedingly simple, and in some ways, it is. But I feel you need to at least know more of the basics."

"Good thinking. Nice and easy… Oh, Neku? Just to change topics for a bit, there's something that I've wanted to ask."

"What is it?"

"You said that it's your aunt who taught you how to cook, right? I'm just curious… can your mum cook too? Or your dad… can both of your parents cook?"

With anyone else, it'd have been a very ordinary question that could be easily answered with a "yes" or "no". But in my case, it wasn't like that. Some explanation was necessary, but I wasn't sure if it would be appropriate…

"…Neku?"

"Um, to be honest," I said matter-of-factly, "I don't have any parents. My mum and dad have… well, they're not around anymore."

"Huh? ! Oh! Um…" She became flustered and stared down at her bowl of rice, totally unlike her cheery self – she did have a serious side to her too. "I-I'm sorry to hear that. I… I didn't mean to dredge up the past…"

I spoke very gently and did my best to put her at ease. "Ahaha… no, it's okay, Eri. See, they passed away long ago when I was still a very young kid… I was told that I was a toddler at that time. I essentially grew up without any memories of my parents, so it never really bothered me…"

"Then… who took care of you?" She lifted her head slowly, as though still afraid to look at me.

"My aunt and uncle. They took me in after my parents died, and they'd been taking care of me all my life, so they're like my parents, I guess. …And yes, that's the very same aunt who taught me how to cook. Fits together nicely, huh?" Those last words I spoke in jest in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"I-It's hard for me to imagine having no parents," said a meek-sounding Eri. "But you've got your relatives, so… at least you're okay."

"Were you worried about me? Heh… thanks. But I never saw it as an issue or anything from the start, so no problems there."

Eri seemed relieved and loosened up. "Well, I'm glad you've got a positive outlook on life. I mean, sure, it's not all milk and honey the whole time, but you know what I mean, Neku."

"Yeah."

"But," she added, "if ever you feel sad or lonely and you need to pour out your worries to someone or you just need to talk, you just come on over to my house, okay? I'm only a few houses away from you so I'm always nearby."

Whoa, did she just say that? I knew she cared about me as a friend, but it warmed the heart to know she would always be around to offer me her shoulder to cry on. Ah… this was the kind of thing true bosom buddies offer to do in a fraction of a heartbeat. I was the luckiest guy in the world to be so close to such a pretty and wonderful friend! I wanted so badly to hug her out of gratitude but it wouldn't be right so I reined in my urges.

"Hey, thanks, Eri!" I said. "That's very nice of you."

"If you want to stay over, Neku, you're most welcome. It's the least I can do for letting me stay at your place all those times."

"Um… okay, I-I'll keep that in mind…"

"And if you're really really down in the pits, I can strip to cheer you up!"

I choked and spluttered on my tempura. "Th-That wouldn't be necessary, thank you very much! ! !"

So I said, but what she said sure sounded very tempting! Okay, maybe I should tap into my inner angst-filled emo kid and try my hardest to get depressed! Then I could pay her a visit, and… nah, maybe not.

XOXOXOXOXO

Mealtime was over, cleanup was done, and class was dismissed. We had a good time, but now it was time for me to head back home. We were hanging around her doorstep exchanging quick banter before we would part ways for the day.

"Neku, thanks," chirped Eri, clasping my arm affectionately. "The cooking was tough, but I had fun. I'm looking forward to our next lesson!"

"Yeah, me too. Work hard until then, okay?"

"You betcha! You can count on me, Sensei!"

"That I will." I had a mild but meaningful smile. "I'll give you a gold star for enthusiasm."

"Hee hee! You're acting just like a real teacher. Sure brings back memories of school life!"

"Alright, later, Eri. Take care." As I was turning to leave, she grasped onto my sleeve. There was something she had to say.

"Neku, um…!"

"Yes, Eri? Do you need something?"

"Well, no, not really. But I just wanted to tell you that I think you're really cool. Again." She scratched the back of her head. "I just had to say it."

Behind the seemingly offhanded manner in which she praised me was a compliment that I knew she had meant straight from the heart. I just knew. I knew when Eri wanted to be a prankster and when she could be serious. And right now, she wasn't joking. I could feel my face boiling.

All I could do was mumble in embarrassment. "Um… thanks. B-But I think you're cooler, Eri…"

"Because I can actually cook stuff now?"

"You were already cool to begin with. Um… and…" Sometimes I wasn't good with words and would end up so tongue-tied I either couldn't say anything or went into all-out verbal diarrhea. This would happen especially when I was flustered, and right now my nervousness was making my mouth choose to run like water. "And, well… Y-You've always had a knack for understanding people, and… helping your friends with their problems… But I also like how you want to improve yourself and overcome your inabilities, and… and…"

She held up her hand and laughed softly. "Neku, I get what you mean. Don't sweat it, okay? And learn to loosen up a little. Being too high-strung like you always are can't be good for your health."

"Sorry… I'll try."

There was a vacant but soothing silence during which her gaze never left me. Those one or two seconds were quiet but left a good feeling in me.

And then she had to say that and all hell broke loose.

"So anyway, what you're trying to say by me being cool," she said, with a cheeky sideways glance, "is that I'm the one who appears in your sleep whenever you get wet dreams now? Sweet!"

I blurted, "Wh-What are you saying? ! I never said that! ! !"

She wasn't listening and was quickly ramping up the chaos in my head. "My… It's really flattering that you think of me like that. I'm honoured."

"What do you mean by 'that'? !"

"Ha ha ha! Relax, Neku! I'm just messin'. It's all cool! And hey, I did tell you to loosen up." She patted my arm in an affectionate way.

"Loosening up is a tall order when your jokes are so over-the-top…"

"Ha ha ha… Now, now. You know what they say: laughter is the best medicine. And it's so much fun to tease you. I just can't help it, though I don't mean anything bad by that, of course!"

The storm had finally passed, but the destruction in its wake was still there… "Um… uh-huh… Well, I'll see you soon."

"Thanks again for everything, Neku."

"Yeah."

"Sweet dreams," she giggled as she closed the front door. "And what kind of dreams, you should know by now…"

"Ugh… Eri…"

And thus ended Eri's first cooking lesson. A pretty eventful day… After shopping, I fended off her boyfriend, taught her how to cook… And she even joked that I dreamt of her in a less innocent way… Ahaha… That's not too far off, but… oh man, I bet she was a psychic or something. Scary.

But I still felt very happy. The whole time I was taking the short walk back home, my heart couldn't stop pounding.

XOXOXOXOXO

Eri certainly was happy that she was able to start fixing her cooking handicap, bit by bit. She had enthusiasm that surprisingly rivaled even mine and she was really getting into the swing of things. This little setback wouldn't faze her. I knew her long enough to know that, despite her laid-back attitude towards life in general, she was strong-willed, the type to see something through. She would try again.

And she did. In fact, she appeared at my doorstep a few days later with a broad smile on her face and a platter full of shrimp tempura in her hands.

The sight of her startled me, however. "Eri? What happened? You're out of breath…"

She calmed her aching lungs long enough to be able to communicate, though she was still panting painfully. "I was cooking tempura just minutes earlier, Neku. And I think I may have perfected the recipe by myself!"

"Wow, really?" That got me curious. What did she manage to achieve?

Her excitement was growing harder to contain. "Yeah, really truly absolutely. I took a bite, and then I was like 'Eureka'! I've done it! The tempura I've just made is the ideal version! So I rushed out of my house and came all the way over here just so you could have a taste."

"Y-You rushed out still wearing your apron? And carrying a platter at that?"

"Ahaha, yeah. I didn't care that people were looking as I ran down the street. I mean, your house is only a short jog away."

Eri was weirder than I thought… "Oh well, since you brought it all the way here, come on in, and I'll take a bite to evaluate your work."

"Please do!"

The atmosphere was tense. I sat on one side of the dining table. Eri sat on the opposite side, facing me. Between the two of us, was the platter of tempura she had so willingly bothered to bring along. Her tempura didn't look any different from last Saturday's batch except that it wasn't as burnt. I trusted that she was diligent enough to improve on her cooking skills so I was pretty confident this wouldn't be too shabby.

I just wished she wouldn't stare at me so intently like that with all those imaginary sparkles hanging around her… I knew she was curious about how her latest culinary effort turned out, but… it's really unnerving.

But time and tide wait for no man, and neither does Eri. So I picked up a piece and into the trap it went.

Hmmm? ! Th-This taste…!

"I'll be real honest with you, Eri," I said.

Suddenly she didn't seem so eager. "Er, y-yes? Go on… I don't mind. If it sucks, you've got to tell me, okay? I don't want to be stuck cooking poorly my whole life!"

"I know. And I'm glad you understand. If you claim you can handle the truth, I'll just come right out and say it."

Eri nodded.

I said, "You tried tweaking with the recipe a bit, didn't you?"

"Yeah. I figured there was something I could add and stuff, so I did. I thought I'd experiment and see where I wind up."

"It's good that you're exploring new territory without my help," I praised. "Your increased the amount of pepper in the batter, and you marinated the shrimp beforehand… overnight, I presume?"

"Wow, how did you know?" she gasped in awe. "No wonder you're an awesome cook. Actually, I asked my college buddies for advice, and that's what they told me to do. So I did what they said and this is the result."

"I actually like the flavour. It fills the mouth with this aroma and gives the old tempura recipe a fresh edge. Good work, Eri."

"Really? !" Her face was flushed with joy. "Aw, gee! Thanks!"

"There's just one thing."

"Huh? Oh, go ahead. What is it?"

"…It's… too… spicy…"

I made a beeline for the kitchen sink and gulped down water from the tap like there was no tomorrow. My throat, my tongue, everywhere inside my mouth it was on fire. Eri panicked.

"Is it that hot, Neku? !" she yelped. "I-I'm sorry! I tasted it and I thought it was just right… I wasn't trying to murder you for giving me low grades on my cooking, honest! I'm innocent! But man, I'm surprised you could talk normally and hold it in for this long!"

"I… I guess you… can take… spicy stuff," I panted. "That… can't be a bad… thing. But ordinary humans like me… can't handle it… And… for the record, your cooking… isn't that… bad… And I wouldn't say… that 7/10… is a low grade…"

"I-I'll be sure to alter the recipe and add less Tabasco sauce, so don't die on me, okay? !"

"Wh – I'm not… going to die! Wait… you added… Tabasco sauce? !"

Ah… my poor singed tongue… It wasn't easy being Eri's mentor. Well, at least she was working hard.

XOXOXOXOXO

For the record, she did eventually get it just right, and when I last give it a shot, it was satisfyingly spicy without being a burden on the taste buds. And so Shrimp Tempura a la Eri was born. How happy she was to know that she had finally conquered the challenge of tempura!

But the next day after that, her Facebook account was flooded with photos of the shrimp tempura she made by herself. Fresh in the afterglow of personal victory, she must have been so happy and excited over her achievements that in the space of one day she had uploaded seventy-two such photos. In her profile she added this line, "Thanks to my awesome friend Neku, I can make shrimp tempura now, w00t! ! !"

Ah, and did I mention? When next Saturday came around and I paid her a visit to teach her how to make omelettes… smack dab on the wall in her living room was a framed photograph of her beloved dish. And it was signed and autographed by Eri herself, with the words, "Dedicated to my Sensei XOXO".

I knew she was proud of herself, but…

At least it was nice to be so openly appreciated. And whenever I saw that photograph and its attached message, it never failed to make me blush. After all, she did call me "my Sensei"…