Chapter IV––

Ryo very seriously thought about hurling his phone out the window when he received the text message from Eishi Tsukasa.

He had overheard Nikiri cousins' conversation at the beach, where Alice just casually agreed to go out with some random guy she hadn't seen in years. He knew Alice was always bored and aching to try new things, but this was too impetuous even for her. Unless–she already had harbored feelings for the man from their Totsuki years, but Ryo had trouble believing this to be the case. Alice was an open book. If she had such strong feelings for someone, he would've picked up on it by now.

On top of all that, she expected him to make arrangements. It was times like this that made him believe Alice really thought he was her dog, and that she could just drag him around on a leash wherever she wanted. Erina was right. This was entirely too much.

But he knew he couldn't just destroy the evidence and be done. Alice was expecting the message and would know something was up.

Reluctantly, Ryo pulled up the text and showed it to her. It contained an invitation for "milady" to join him for dinner at his private supper club this coming Saturday. The tone was typical Eishi Tsukasa, flowery and disgustingly polite. He threw up in his mouth a little when he read it. The guy was a joke. The Alice he knew would never fall for anyone so soft and pretentious.

"Got it, thanks. I'll take care of it from here."

That was all she said before turning back to an instruction manual for her new centrifuge.

He was relieved, but also confused.

"You don't need me to finalize the arrangements?"

"No that's okay," She smiled almost too politely.

"I was thinking, Ryo-kun, why don't you take the rest of the week off? We've had a busy month, you deserve a break."

Ryo stared blankly at his mistress.

He couldn't remember the last time she offered him time off, or if she ever did. Even when they weren't busy with work, she always expected his company on whatever trips or activity she had planned for them.

"I'm fine. Is something wrong?"

"Of course not! I've got my own plans for the weekend, as you know, so I just thought you might like some time to yourself."

While her offer was unexpected, he couldn't think of any reason to say no.

"Got it. Thanks," he muttered.

"Aren't I the best boss in the world? Now go find me an extra-long power cord, I'm gonna test out our newest equipment~"

Saturday night–––

Ryo watched through the window of his study as a white Rolls-Royce enter the front gate and pull up at the main entrance. Moments later, it drove away with Alice in the passenger seat.

Since that moment, his eyes had been glued to his phone. He scrolled through his recipes and sorted his inbox, but really he was waiting for some message from Alice to say she was in trouble, that she wanted to come home, or anything at all. But nothing.

Ryo learned very quickly that "breaks" were not really for him. Hayama and Yukihira were with their families, he didn't feel like going out by himself, and there were only so many hours he could work on his cooking without someone there to compete with him.

Nevertheless, it was pointless wasting time worried about Alice when this was supposed to be his time off. She was an adult, she could take care of herself. Right?

Meanwhile, Alice was sitting in the private dining room of Tsukasa's exclusive supper club, feeling a little restless herself. Tsukasa senpai's cooking was much better than she remembered, no surprising considering he had just earned his third star. But outside of cooking and their shared experiences at Totsuki, it was obvious they had nothing to talk about. Like his food, Tsukasa was prim, perfect, but a little too delicate for her taste. She felt she had to be careful with everything she said so as not to upset him as man was notoriously skirmish.

"Alice, you've been a little quiet. Did you not enjoy your meal?"

"It was delicious. I expected nothing less from the man who reinvented French cuisine."

"Oh thank God, I thought you didn't like it…"

Tsukasa looked like he was about to burst into tears. Even as he got older, he never stopped being faint of heart.

"Of course I did. Thank you for inviting me. I had a great time."

"Then shall we do this again sometimes?"

Alice wet her lips with a sip of her sparkling water.

"Senpai, I'd be happy to see you again but more as friends, if that's alright. I just don't think I'm interested in you that way."

The white-haired chef looked stunned by her candor but soon broke into a warm smile.

"Too bad. We would've made such an attractive couple..."

"People would've thought we were incestuous twins."

"I suppose that's a possibility too."

They laughed.

"Ah I forgot to ask, is Kurokiba still doing well? I haven't heard much about him."

"He's been keeping busy at Nakiri International. Maybe a little too busy, which is why I've given him the week off."

"Ah, that makes sense. I almost thought I'd be cooking for three, knowing how inseparable you are."

"Ha! That'd be ridiculous. I would never!" she lied.

"But I have been thinking," she continued, assuming a serious tone. "I want to do something special to make him feel appreciated for all his hard work. You know his birthday is coming up in a couple weeks. I know it sounds cliched but I was thinking maybe a surprise party. Invite all his old friends and stuff.."

"How sweet!" Tsukasa gushed. "You're more thoughtful than you seem, Alice-chan!"

"Hey, I'm always thoughtful!" Alice retorted cooly, sweeping back her bangs. "Anyway, I haven't figured out all the details yet so I'm hoping to take the week to do some planning."

"Well if you need help, your senpai here knows all the top catering companies and can arrange some meetings for you. If you reach out through your family's connections, he'll surely find out and know something is up."

"I'd never thought of that! What an excellent idea!" Alice beamed.

"Anything for the pretty lady," he winked. "I'll take you to see some potential candidates next week. You can just say we're going out for a drive. No one'll get suspicious."

–––

Back at the house, Ryo was starting to get very suspicious. It had been hours and there was no sign of his mistress.

Could they actually be hitting it off?

Just as he was about to open his laptop and go pull up her her coordinates, there was a knock at the door.

"Yes?"

"Mr. Kurokiba, the master of the house would like to speak to you."

Author's note:

I've always found it interesting how bandana-less Ryo looks tired and bored but is always on top it when it comes to Alice. He always knows where she is, what she's thinking, and exactly how to deal with her but doesn't seem to notice how much he actually cares about her. Combined with Alice's tsundereness, it's like the perfect set-up for a will-they-won't-they and I just couldn't resist.

Thanks everyone for reading, leave your reviews in the comments!