Title: Riding the Roller Coaster (Part XXI)
Author: ficeler37
Note: Don't own Mai-Hime. I'll let Sunrise take the credit.
Rating: PG
Word count: 1328

Summary: Shizuru, Natsuki, tofu, mayonnaise, and Shizuru's mad chopstick skills.

A/N: I'm surprised that Monday Night Football didn't get sucked into my fic as my ideas are easily influenced by what I watch on TV. Can't imagine Shizuru and Natsuki flinging tofu at each other like a football. LOL. Ok, I'm weird. This chapter focuses more on the casual banter between the two girls, which may be refreshing after so many chapters of things happening around them. Am I making sense at all?

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The way the chestnut haired girl delivers steamed green beans into her mouth with her graceful chopsticks skills can almost be considered an art form. From the angle of her hands to the chopsticks control that prevents food crumbles from marring the speckless table, not an excessive movement is performed that wastes an ounce of extra energy. In stark comparison to the Kyoto-born woman's natural elegance, on the other side of the table, Natsuki gives up holding the chopsticks in the normal fashion to instead bring them together like a skewer stick, and stabs the fried tofu like an ancient homosapien jabbing a spear at swimming fish in the river. After the blue haired girl brings the tofu in her bowl, she will twist her wrist violently to shake off all the annoying green onions sticking to the golden surface before taking a bite of the tofu with a grimace.

Shaking her head with a small smile at the childish eating habits of the younger girl, Shizuru poses a question that has been bugging her mind since she stepped foot into the restaurant. "Natsuki, be honest. How often do you eat mayonnaise?"

The handsome girl in the baseball cap puts down her chopsticks and diverts her gaze to the side as if that would help her come up with a better answer for the simple question. Shizuru is going to laugh at me if she finds out the truth. It's not like she can verify what I am about to tell her anyways. Alright, decision made. The blue haired girl blinks twice before answering nonchalantly. "Just a small pack a day."

Noticing how Natsuki had been stirring absentmindedly at the green onions in her bowl since she asked her that question, Shizuru immediately deduces that the likelihood of Natsuki telling the truth is as often as a blue moon. "Really? That's too bad. I was shopping at a supermarket yesterday and I saw a big sale on new mayonnaise flavors. But since you're only having a teeny tiny bit of mayonnaise each day, I guess there's really no point for you to stock up then." The chestnut haired girl takes a long sip of tea with barely open eyes that are discreetly observing the reaction of the girl on the other side of the table. Time to change the topic. "So Natsuki, tell me about your school work? Still having trouble with Japanese history?"

Big sale? New mayonnaise flavors? WHERE? Green eyes stare intently at the bowl as Natsuki's mind is currently traveling as fast as a bullet train. Vaguely aware that something had come out of Shizuru's lips, the blue haired girl just assumes that they are still on the topic of mayonnaise. "Where was the sale?"

"What did you get on your last Japanese history exam?" An innocent smile displays across the delicate features on the Kyoto woman's face. Let's see for how long you can hold in the truth. "I still have my Japanese history notes from high school, so I can lend them to you if you like. You can pick them up when you drop me off at my apartment tonight."

Ahhhhh, she is doing this on purpose. Quick, Natsuki! Come up with an excuse to get back to talking about mayonnaise … Wait, I got it! "Mai said she needed to buy some mayonnaise for Mikoto. You know about Mikoto and her bottomless stomach. Why don't you tell me where the sale is so that I can let Mai know too?"

"That's interesting. I was just on the phone with Tokiha-san yesterday, and she didn't mention anything about Mikoto picking up the strange habit of eating mayonnaise." Who do you think gave Tokiha-san the idea about your amusement park outfit today? "I'll make sure I tell her about the sale next time I talk to her. Thanks for letting me know, Natsuki." Soon my dear Natsuki is going to explode. Ho ho.

The frustrated younger girl brings her palms up to her temples roughly and lets out a deep breath. "ARGH! Fine, you win! I put a bottle of mayonnaise in my backpack everyday when I go to school, and I finish a bottle a week on average. Now will you PLEASE tell me where you saw the sale?"

Grinning like a cat that just caught a mouse, Shizuru delivers the shocking news. "There's a sale on new mayonnaise flavors in the kitchen of the Fujino residence. Completely new flavors and a hundred percent free for you. I was mixing new flavors to try to surprise you the other day. I never said that the sale actually took place in a supermarket now, did I?"

Knowing that she had just lost another verbal battle to the infamous ex-student council president, Natsuki can only blame herself for letting the truth escape her lips so easily. Nonetheless, the thought of Shizuru mixing mayonnaise for her alone in the kitchen warms up her heart tremendously. "So you are okay with me eating that much mayonnaise?"

The Kyoto beauty takes on a more serious look as she stares into the timid green eyes. "Natsuki, people cannot survive on mayonnaise alone. You need to pay attention to the food pyramid. Have you been eating fruits and vegetables?"

"Mai makes sure to put some of those in my lunch box everyday, so it's not like I'm going on a strict mayonnaise diet." The younger girl hurriedly explained.

I'm glad that Tokiha-san fulfilled her promise. But how I wish I was the one contributing to your healthy diet, Natsuki. You have no idea how many times I dreamt about preparing lunch boxes for you to eat at school like what a dutiful wife would do for her loved one. "Thank goodness Tokiha-san is around to take care of you. I guess I worried too much. Sorry, Natsuki." You seem to be doing quite alright without me, Natsuki. I don't know if I should be relieved or disappointed by this. "But I still think that it's better for you to cut down on the mayonnaise to one meal a day. I don't want to see the day when you come crying to me because mayonnaise starts leaking out of your ears, okay?"

"THAT'S NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN!" Natsuki can only focus on munching on the fried tofu in front of her in order to ignore the giggles coming from the other side of the table. Shortly after the bean curd massacre, green eyes scan the remaining dishes anxiously as the realization that chopsticks spearing won't pick up any more food item hits Natsuki hard. Why did I never bother to learn how to use chopsticks properly? WHY? I hate you, squishy food. Why can't you be solid? After trying to pick up a block of steamed tofu from the center of the table for the umpteenth time, the blue haired girl finally decides to put down her chopsticks and announce that she is full.

"Natsuki, you are such a meanie. You expect me to finish everything on the table by myself?" Skillfully picking up the piece of steamed tofu that was poked many times by the younger girl, the chestnut haired girl reaches her hand over the table and holds the delicate food item up in the air in front of Natsuki's lips. "Do me a favor. Hurry and eat this before I drop it."

After years of hanging around the cunning older girl, Natsuki finds complying with Shizuru's orders as natural as breathing in air at times. Without a second thought, she leans her upper body forward and takes captive of the naughty tofu that had been causing her trouble before. Ew, this is as tasteless as I expected.

Just as the blue haired girl is chewing on the offered item, Shizuru brings her chopsticks directly from Natsuki's lips to her own without making any detours. "Yum, the essence of Natsuki. (pause) Tastes like fried tofu, hehe."

"Shizuru!"

TBC.