Chapter 13:
Yuki looked at the finished product with a bright, satisfied smile. Yes, it truly looked like a cheesecake! It smelled like a cheesecake. It's shaped like a cheesecake. Only question. Does it taste like a cheesecake? Tohru came and smiled at him, holding up a silver fork. "Let's taste it, shall we?"
"A-AH, H-Honda-san, perhaps I should taste it." Yuki nervously smiled. He wouldn't want his mentor to die of food poisoning, now would he? Better he tasted it. That way he could spare himself the shame when he finds out that he failed totally. He gently pried the fork out of her hand and tasted a small portion of the cake.
His eyes widened, as if electricity bolted throughout his body, his fingers shook. He couldn't believe it. "Souma-kun? Are you okay?" Tohru asked with worry all over her face.
"I-It's—It…It tastes like cheesecake!" he exclaimed with joy! He can bake! He can bake! Oh, Hana-chan would be so happy! He could just imagine Hana-chan smiling when she opens the box he's going to give her and see the cheesecake he baked himself! He didn't even mind that Honda-san forgot about the curse and hugged him out of pure joy.
"G-Gomen, Souma-kun." Tohru said with her head hung low. Yuki almost laughed,
"It's alright, Honda-san. It's no problem." He was too happy to be bothered by anything right now.
Meanwhile, as Yuki rejoiced his "Victory" over his inability to cook, his brother Ayame and his best friend, the doctor, Hatori were sipping tea on his couch. "It's so nice that you've come to visit me, Ha'ri!" Ayame said.
"Hn." Hatori said, sipping on his tea.
A girl came into their view in a maid's outfit—much like what Mine was wearing except with a longer skirt, with a tray of biscuits in her hands. She was fairly pretty (pretty enough to catch Hatori's eyes) and looked only a little older than Tohru. She graced the two men with a brief smile then placed the tray ceremoniously down onto the table in front of them.
"Arigatou, Sonrisa-chan!" Ayame said loudly and sweetly, in a way.
Sonrisa glared at him with her gleaming emerald green eyes and frowned angrily. Seeing as Hatori was still there, she bit her tongue instead of snapping at him for calling her so informally, again. She spun around, he long jet black hair whipping behind her and swaying, much like her hips, as she walked away.
When she was out of sight completely, Hatori raised a brow at Ayame with curiosity. "Who is she?"
"Ah, her! She's a new employee of mine. Her name's Hermoso, Sonrisa. She's of foreign blood but she's orphaned. 'Gure-san said she used to be a pickpocket working for a gang that she was indebted to." Ayame said casually, staring at her tracks with soft eyes.
"Shigure?"
Ayame started laughing at the circumstance. For the first time he actually had something Hatori didn't know of. It was funny, in a way. He waved it off with a graceful, overly exaggerated flip of the hair. "So tell me, Ha'ri, to what do I owe the honor of having you actually visit my humble shop?"
Hatori took another sip of his tea. "I needed an escape."
"Escape?"
"High school girls are flooding my clinic with imaginary pains and symptoms." He said factually. He was never flattered by such attention. He was mostly irritated. That was why Hanajima, Saki was so interesting to him. When faced with her, he had the need to have her attention on him. He actually wanted her eyes focused on him and only him. She made him want to be under her spotlight.
"HAHAHAHAHA! Ha'ri, you were always the ladies man! Gure-san would just love to be in your place right now!"
"Hmph." Hatori silently scoffed but then stayed silent and sipped his tea again.
"So," Ayame started with a sly smile, leaning back on the couch, "Who's finally made you move on?"
Hatori quickly snapped his eye at Ayame in alarm. "What?"
"OHOHOHOHOHO!" Ayame laughed at the back of his hand, "I know you, Ha'ri! People may not see it but I certainly do! You're positively blooming today!" Hatori looked at Ayame with disbelieving eyes. Ayame continued with his rather loud proclamations, "So tell me, who's the lucky lady? She must be very beautiful! Of course, she'll be beautiful! Oh, I wonder what clothes she likes to wear. What's her favorite color? I'll need to know if I'm going to make her a wedding dress!"
Hatori hid a secret smile with his cup. Yes, Hanajima was very beautiful. He could just imagine how beautiful she would look like in a wedding dress, her hair up in a bun, flowers in her hand. "Tell me, Ha'ri! Tell me!"
"Shut up."
The next day, Yuki passed Hanajima while she was getting her notebooks from her locker. "Hana-chan, are you busy?"
Hana turned to him with blank eyes, wondering why he asked her that. "No. Why do you ask?"
"Would you mind coming with me before classes start?" before she could give him a reply, Yuki had already taken her hand and led her to the roof deck. They didn't notice the many student's whose expressions were that of shock at seeing them together. The boyish excitement radiating off of Yuki disoriented everyone, especially Hana. Why was he so bright all of a sudden? It was making her bright too.
When they came to the roof deck, Yuki closed the door not so gently and turned to Hana with a small red box in his hands. Hana looked at it, a red box with a golden ribbon. Strange. Why was he showing this to her?
He put it in her hands with a sweet smile and said nothing. Hana looked at it, then to him with curiosity and confusion. She carefully took off the ribbon and opened the box. There inside was a beautiful slice of cheesecake, almost glowing with the rays of the sun. She looked up at Yuki and said, "Is this…for me?"
"Hai." Yuki nodded. I baked it myself, he bragged in his mind. Of course he would never say that out loud.
Hana, for some unknown reason, felt warmth inside of her. Yuki gave her a gift. But what was so special about this gift that made Yuki so…exuberant? Knowing the basic human psychology, she quickly found a conclusion. "You…made this?"
Yuki's eyes widened in surprise. How did she know? Did it look that bad? "Gomen, Hana-chan, if it isn't made as good as the ones you can buy in a bakery."
"No." she shook her head gently and looked up at him with a small sweet smile. "I…like it. Thank you…"
Seeing a smile on her face made Yuki smile as well. He was relieved and…enlightened that she liked it. They sat on the roof deck together, talking and slowly eating the cheesecake Yuki worked so hard on. Hana, for some reason, wanted the moment to last. She wasn't one to appreciate warm moments with other people other than her friends. But then again, Yuki was her friend, wasn't he? He was…he's become an important person to her, hasn't he? Yes, he has. But how important has he become?
She looked at the ring glimmering around her finger. Yes, that was the question. How important has Yuki become to her? Riiiiing! The bell rang and told them it was time for classes to start.
Hana looked at him as the teacher kept on talking about something she didn't even bother to listen to. Why was he so kind to her? Did he pity her for something? What did he want from her? Why give her so many things? Like the cheesecake he baked himself. And…she looked down at her hand again, like this ring. He was doing things so strange lately. It used to be that he didn't even give her a second look. He never showed interest in her before. He was simply another one of those shallow hypocrites who were too blinded to see anyone else's pains because of their own. So why change now?
"Hana-chan? Hana-chan?" Hana looked up and found herself staring at a worried looking Tohru and a curious looking Uo.
"Tohru-kun…" she said as if waking from a stupor.
"Wow, you've been zoning out more often than before nowadays." Uo said casually.
Hana looked around and found that the teacher had already left the room. It seems that she spent the whole class time staring at her ring. Oh. "Gomen." She spoke lifelessly.
Uo sighed and put her palm to her forehead. She shook her head and then opened her eyes to smile at her hopeless friend. "So, I guess you don't know we're gonna have a quiz tomorrow on the History of Mythology Chapter 12?"
Hana looked at her blankly and stayed silent for a while. Then a very meek, "Oh."
"Hana-chan, if you want me to help—" Tohru started, taking a step forward with that oh so concerned face of hers.
"Tohru-kun, how can you possibly help Hanajima when you yourself need help?" Uo said with a condescending smile. Tohru blushed at that and bowed her apologies with teary eyes.
"Gomen, Hana-chan!"
Hanajima smiled a small sweet smile, Tohru was always so kind. Just like…Yuki. "Do you want to come with us, Hanajima? I can teach two people you know." Uo said with an inviting smile.
Hana thought it over. Knowing Tohru, she would most likely put most of her attention on her rather than her studies. Tohru would surely rather make sure that her friends were comfortable instead of making sure that her brain was taking in all of the information. She would merely serve for a distraction for Tohru. Tohru didn't need that.
"Iie, it's alright."
The smile vanished from Uotani's face when she heard her gothic friend. "You sure?"
"N. I'm sure." Hana answered calmly. Uotani was reluctant but shrugged and left with Tohru nonetheless. Hana looked down at her ring again. It was alright. When she fails this quiz she can retake an easier quiz later. She won't need to pass this time.
"Hana-chan." She looked up again only this time, to see Yuki's undeniably beautiful face. "Gomen, demo…I couldn't help overhearing your conversation with Honda-san and Uotani-san." He smiled at her charmingly, "If you don't mind, may I volunteer to tutor you on this?"
Her eyes widened only a fraction, practically too small for any perceptive eye to see. What was Yuki doing? Was he trying to commit—what do they call it?—social suicide?
Seeing the doubt on her face, however small it may be, Yuki smiled reassuringly. "I want to help you pass, Hana-chan."
She stood up gracefully and said, "I don't need to pass this quiz…Yu—ki—kun." She was obviously having a hard time being informal with him. Yuki understood. Hana was hardly ever informal with anyone. And to think that she was trying to be informal with him was enough to make him smile.
Seeing the relentless smile on Yuki's face, she realized that it was his way of being persistent. She sighed and looked up at him. If this was what it took to make Yuki happy, then, "Alright."
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