It was fun writing the first one, so… here's what happened a week after.
"Yes! You guys will surely love this!" Meg exclaimed happily as she literally dumped a fourth of a bottle of oil into the pan. Last time the gang was together to have a meal was when Ryu just 'suddenly' fell ill. Of course, Meg just HAD to invite them back to repay them for what happened last time… with lunch.
"Hehehe…" Kyu laughed nervously as he looked around the room for a possible exit. There was none. He, Ryu, Kinta, and Kazuma were stuck in the room for good. Just perfect.
"Meg, what are you baking?" Ryu asked, eyeing the pan as Meg made clumps of what seemed to be a white doughy chunk with black spots, and it wasn't chocolate chips or resins. He still hadn't forgotten what happened last week. Bad thoughts.
"Oh, just some cookies for dessert!" she exclaimed happily as she dug a head of cabbage from the fridge, ripped some leaves off, and placed the clumps on the cabbage before plopping them into the oil soaked pan. Kazuma, Kinta, and Kyu gulped while Ryu quickly excused himself to the bathroom. They had a sneaking suspicion that the cookies were NOT going to taste well. I mean really, who wants fried cabbage cookies with a hint of… moles in it? Well, no one as far as anyone was concerned.
"O…K…" Kazuma said slowly as he whipped out his trusty laptop and began calculating how long each of them will have to spend in bed if said 'cookies' were eaten. It came out to five days and about nine hours. Kazuma sighed. Not very good results.
"Hey! Um, why don't we just go out for lunch?" Kinta suggested, also trying to avoid the cookies.
"Yeah!" Kyu agreed. "We could split the bill!"
"I think it's a good idea!" Kazuma chimed in.
"No," Meg answered, striking down the three boy's high hopes for operation 'avoid cookies'. "Ryu got sick last time because of me, but this time-"
"He may possibly get sicker?" Kyu suggested.
"He may possibly… die?" Kinta thought.
"I may have to pay for his hospital bill again?" Kazuma asked. It was true that while Ryu could have easily paid it himself, but unfortunately his family wanted to be left in the shadows.
"-he will have the pleasure of eating my famous recipe!" Meg told them off as she went back to baking. They just gave up. At least it was Ryu eating the cookies.
Thirty Minutes Later…
"Alright guys! Come get the treats!" Meg called happily. No one came. "Oh, come on!"
Stomping out of the kitchen with a freshly made batch of fried cabbage cookies with moles, Meg proceeded to the living room, where the boys immediately stiffened up at the sight of the 'treats'.
"Don't worry, Ryu, you have our deepest regrets," Kyu told him with a solemn face.
"Yeah, we'll safely get you to the hospital," Kinta assured him, giving him a pat of the shoulder.
"And I'll pay for your hospital bill again, buddy," Kazuma said, nodding his head. Meg just looked at the four, who seemed like best friends giving their final farewells before she frowned and came charging over.
"Alright! Who wants one?" Meg asked. They all shook their heads. Meg turned to Ryu, who out of characterly (if that's a word) flinched. "Ryu?"
"Uh… I think I-I better…" Ryu stuttered, not looking at Meg. No, he wasn't madly crazy in love and was trying to hide a blush from her, he was just madly scared and nervous that if he were facing her she'd be able to stuff a cookie down his throat.
"It's okay, Ryu," Meg said tenderly. "I know you have a very delicate stomach and my cooking just isn't great enough for it yet!" Solemn looks from the other three boys were quickly replaced with smug grins and snickers.
"Delicate… stomach…?" Ryu repeated slowly , his mind momentarily pausing as he tried to imagine why Meg said that. The other three just laughed harder at his moment of confusion.
Meg just huffed and ignored him as she turned to Kazuma, who quickly stopped laughing. "Well, Kazuma?"
"Uh… why me? Kinta likes to eat!" he asked, running behind Kinta like a scared child. Kinta just sighed and took Kazuma by the cover and shoved him front again. If he hadn't, he'd probably be the next victim.
"Because all you ever eat are those fancy meals cooked at your place by some professional chefs! It's time to get a load of home baked!" Meg scolded as she grabbed a cookie and shoved it into Kazuma's mouth.
Five Minutes Later…
"Duh… Idunwanna… uh?" Kazuma said incoherently as everyone stared, worried about the eleven-year-old that was now swaying side-to-side and slurring together syllables.
"Kazuma?" Ryu tried as Kazuma took a wrong step and tripped over himself, only to end up giggling. No really, giggling. "Meg?"
"Uh… I… um…" Meg tried, unable to comprehend as to why Kazuma was acting so weird. She found no answer.
"Well, this calls for… an investigation!" Kyu exclaimed. "Kazuma's all yours, Meg!"
"We'll be right back," Kinta assured her as he, Ryu, and Kyu dashed off.
Five More Minutes Later...
"Okay," Kyu begun as the gang gathered together in the middle of Meg's living room. Kazuma was still… shuffling around and tripping. Poor guy. "There are three hints!"
"Yeah, we know," Meg said, simply because they ALL knew Kyu was going to say that.
"The first: the strange scent of the cookies, two: Kazuma shuffling around and speaking weird, and three: the empty blue sake bottle in the trashcan. There is only one answer!"
"Sake?" Meg exclaimed. "I thought I used the blue vinegar- oops…"
"Vinegar? You were going to bake cookies with vinegar? But put in sake instead?" Ryu inquired as Meg blushed from embarrassment at her own dreadful mistake. I don't know how her memory could have done that to her, but it did, or at least pretend it did!
"Meg, you are the-"
"We already know, Kyu," Meg, Kinta, and Ryu chorused before turning their attention back to Kazuma, who apparently fainted.
"Ouch… poor guy… so young and he's probably going to know how a hangover feels like… but from a cookie? That's a new one!" Kinta sighed before scooping him up and dumping him on the couch. Ryu reached for the phone while Kyu went over to check on Kazuma. Meg just sat there alone, wondering: am I THAT bad at cooking?
That's that!