Recall Again
Megumi arrived in the nick of time just when Shinomiya was double-checking the locks at the restaurant.
"Did you forget something?" he was now staring down at Megumi.
She was taking deep breaths from her sprint. "I think... I might have left my charm..."
"You mean this?" Shinomiya dangled a charm in the air and handed it to Megumi.
"Ah! T-thank you Senpai!" she said bowing completely relieved.
She heard a beep, and so she unlocked her phone. It was a message from Lucie that they already took the train.
"Oh... They already left." she said.
Shinomiya sighed hard scratching the back of his head. Of course she was going to miss the train because of this. "Come on... I'll drive you home."
"But senpai, I..." Megumi tried to refuse.
"This is non-negotiable. Your curfew is almost up. We might get arrested if you're still out here within an hour." he said adamantly.
Megumi could not object given the rationale behind it, and so she followed her senpai to the parking lot.
Megumi was staring at Shinomiya as he drifted his car through the highway. She still questions why she cannot remember so much about him.
"Megumi if you have something on your mind, just say it."
"S-sorry senpai..." She turned her head towards the window instead.
He... called me by my first name. Does that mean we were close?
"Senpai... I'm sorry if it was inconvenient, but thank you for allowing me to work in your kitchen today."
Shinomiya deeply sighed. It has been a while since they were alone and instead of catching up on the specifics of what transpired over the past months, he has to be very discreet about anything he does and everything he might say around her. It was close to pretending as if nothing happened between them.
Stupid amnesia...
"Did it help you regain your memory in any way?"
"No..." Megumi shook her head falling into a sulk, but then her hands clapped with a light bulb hitting her. "Oh right! I remember the recette challenge... and our unofficial shokugeki after that!"
"So you remember how we met?"
Megumi nodded hard. "Yes, senpai! I also made breakfast oden the morning after, and..." She paused.
"What is it?" Shinomiya anticipated.
"The alumnis serving us meals as a reward for passing... I thought the dish you made back then was my favorite." she said reminiscing.
He smiled to himself.
Damn right it should be.
He never heard her tagging his dish as her favorite back then, but he knows that during the training camp, he did personally drop by their table to serve them.
A little hope sparked. Restoring their experiences together may not be impossible after all.
How far can she recall though?
"Anything else?" he asked to be sure, because the next time they meet after that would already be the training for the Regiment de Cuisine.
"That's... all I know." Megumi was back to her timid self.
"That's a start." said Shinomiya.
"Your kitchen is wonderful though, senpai. There was no idle moment, but everything was worth it at the end of the day. Plus, everyone seemed happy... so thank you so much for that experience..."
"Sure." he said trying to be neutral. He heard similar lines from her before. Is it safe to share about the other instances they met?
Less talk, less mistakes I suppose...
"Senpai..." she continued shyly. "I know I may just cause you trouble, but if you need help at Shino's, I'd be... happy to lend a hand again... Only if you wish..."
This again...
How frustrating it was for him that her behavior patterns are the same as back then. She'd offer to walk into his kitchen, then eventually she says the right things or does something more than anyone's expectations. Every little thing she says and does would get him to step out of the bounds between a mentor and mentee, to simply... a man and a woman.
Suggesting to keep things slow, but agreeing not to see anyone else, and then before he can do anything, this accident comes right in. How was he supposed to exhort her to believe all they have been through?
So if I don't screw up in a relationship, the universe does it for me.
His mind deliberated and has been deliberating over these things since he found out about her condition.
"Senpai, I think you made a wrong turn."
Her voice snapped him back to awareness confirming that he spaced out and indeed he missed a turn.
"Right."
"Sorry senpai... I guess it might be too much for you to allow someone inexperienced to be in your kitchen..." said Megumi disappointed.
"It's not that." he replied a little irritated.
It might be too much for her if he spilled everything between them.
"Can we... not talk for now?" Shinomiya couldn't say anything else.
Through his peripheral vision he saw her in a gloom.
They were silent until they arrived at the Polar Star Dormitory. He maneuvered his car so it can properly do a u-turn later as soon as Megumi gets off.
"Thank you for today, senpai..." she said with melancholy, her head bowing and reached the handle to open the door.
Megumi's arm was tugged, and she looked back at Shinomiya who was holding her wrist.
"You can go to Shino's whenever you like..." he said wistfully trying not to meet her eyes. "Let me remind you that you're always welcome there... Always have been... It's a shame you can't remember."
"Oh! I'll visit you more often then! Or not you, I mean you and everyone at Shino's..." she said flustered and excited at the same time.
"Right." He released her arm.
"Senpai... Sorry... One last question..." she said hesitantly. "Did we use to talk a lot before I lost my memory?"
Shinomiya did not answer for a while wondering if it was a good idea to even share how often they would communicate before.
She looks eager to hear from him though.
He took a deep breath and safely answered "Not all the time..."
"Oh... It's just that, I tried to retrieve my messages stored through cloud, but I don't think all of them synced with my new phone..." she said. "I don't see any history of conversations between us in any app... At least, not with the recent ones I've checked."
"I see..." That would have made a lot more sense. If she read them, she would have asked about their more intimate conversations. That would have helped so much instead of going back to square one as if they are still trying to get to know each other.
"In the hospital... Mom said the carnations came from you... and I really think no one actually knows they're my favorite flowers..."
"It's something I picked up during our time in Paris." he shared. They once visited a botanical garden in Paris during her trip.
"Oh... You mean, when I traveled around the world to visit restaurants?"
"Yes. We spent some time each day of your trip in France training or sightseeing."
How careful he was with selecting the specific events that could or could not be shared, like those that transpired on her last day in Paris.
"I can't believe this..." Her doe eyes widened as if realizing something.
Shinomiya anticipated that perhaps a memory came through. He leaned unto the suspense.
"I... spent so much time training with you, but I can't remember a thing... How embarrassing!" Megumi continued, her hands clasped on her face. "Senpai, I hope I didn't bother you at the time..."
A couple of seconds passed then Shinomiya blurted out a laugh. It was so much like her. Even with a blind memory, she is being too hard on herself, taking all the blame for this unwanted state.
"Senpai? What's wrong?" She said perplexed with his laughter.
"Nothing." Shinomiya got a hold of himself. "It has been a while... That's all."
"Huh?" Megumi still did not have a complete understanding of what he was trying to say.
"Give me your phone." he requested.
Megumi nodded and took out her phone from her pocket.
Shinomiya casually snatched it from her hand then entered his number before returning it to Megumi.
"Contact me if it helps getting your memory back..."
"Oh... Thank you, Senpai." Megumi said bowing her head to him. "And also I forgot to thank you for agreeing to be a judge at the Autumn Elections Finals this year."
"What?"
"Oh! Did Dojima-san not call you about it?" she asked initially like she was reminding him of something, then in a second her expression altered to a fretful one. "Wait! I was supposed to be the one to ask you!"
Shinomiya once again chortled at her all distressed as she began to write the kanji of man on her palm.
He then gave her a pat on the head. "Stop it already. I'll be a judge. Send me the details."
"T-thank you senpai. I promise we'll organize the whole event properly to make it worthwhile for you." she said.
Shinomiya smiled at her. "Get going then."
Megumi nodded and got off.
Shinomiya drove the car around, and through his side mirror he saw Megumi waving at him.
Last school year's training camp...
All the students who passed the challenges gathered at the banquet hall celebrating their survival. They were served with dishes personally created by the academy's alumnis, by which everyone was at awe with the food being paraded in the hall as if they were glistening to be eaten.
Shinomiya was among the chefs who brought in the feast. He was still scouting for possible students who could work at his restaurant.
With that, he was reminded of that country hick and her Rainbow Terrine. If Tadokoro was a natural dunce, the breakfast challenge would have broken her even if she got through the recette test; however, he saw her at the banquet with the rest of the students who passed.
She was at the table with her friends taking pleasure on this dish that he could tell was inferior to his, and so he approached them adding his creation as one of the selections for their table.
"Don't eat that, Megumi. There's poison in that dish." warned Hinako who emerged out of nowhere.
Megumi winced. "P-poison???"
Shinomiya flicked Hinako's forehead. "Idiot. Why would I do that?"
"Hey you almost got her expelled!" Hinako retorted.
"Get over it." he scoffed then turned to the country bumpkin who was watching their banter.
"Eat." He commanded Megumi as he laid his dish infront of her plate.
"Y-y-yes senpai!" Megumi then submitted to slicing the vegetable dish and placing the sample on her plate. She then cut a piece using her knife and fork then took a bite.
An energy surged in her body as it was wrapped with vegetable goodness.
"So good!" Megumi's tastebuds pleasured itself into the flavor.
"It's wonderful, senpai! Thank you." she praised. "I love your dish too, Hinako-senpai! I had that first earlier."
"I'm glad you like it, Megumi." Hinako said pleased with herself.
"Enough now. We have other things to do." Shinomiya dragged Hinako away by her blouse's colar.
"But I want more time with Megumi!!!" Hinako retaliated as she was forced to pull out from the table.
After some time, Shinomiya glimpsed back at Megumi who added another portion of his dish on her plate.
Megumi Tadokoro...He wrote her name on his list of candidates for Shino's.
Megumi stood there for a while even if the car already disappeared minutes ago. Her heart has not stopped pounding since her senpai touched the top of her head.
It's true what he said that it's a shame she can't remember a thing, but maybe that's why she should make an effort to recall, and even if she can't...
...you're always welcome there...
It was hard to ignore that she has started missing Shino's, and the inexplicable warm and intense aura of Shinomiya-senpai's presence.
See you soon Shinomiya-senpai...
She carried those comforting thoughts as she entered the dormitory.
"Hey Megumi... So? Did you get to remember anything today?" asked Soma.
"Not much... but I'm glad I went there. Thank you, Soma." she said smiling then pranced her way up to her room.
"Something good must have happened there." said Fumio.
"Seems like it." said Soma.
Later that night, Shinomiya received a message from Megumi.
Megumi: Thank you again Senpai. Also, Abel-san said you often stay late at the restaurant. I can't be there physically, but, if it gets a little lonely, I'm here for you.
Shinomiya lied down on his bed reading her message repeatedly. It really has been a while since she made him feel this way. His lips curved a bit.
Shinomiya: Silly. Just sleep already.
Author's Note: In Japan, there is actually a curfew for minors.
Quite tricky to write the details at this point, but then again, I wrote this ship fic out of my own guilty pleasure where I am more engrossed wit Kojirou and Megumi moments.
Still I appreciate everyone's thoughts. :) I do read your comments, and I love you all for it. If you have ideas that could feed this ship, don't be afraid to share them. Who knows? :)
