Chapter 11: Meals
Ema bit her lip, debating if she should say anything as she watched Ukyo bustle around the kitchen. He seemed on edge in a way he normally wasn't. He kept muttering to himself and, from what Ema could tell, making mistakes.
"Ukyo?" Ema said, her voice light. "Is something wrong?"
Ukyo paused in the middle of chopping vegetables with a force she imagined he didn't normally use. He sighed. "I have an important case I need to prepare for. I should have had time during my lunch today, but an important client came in and all the lawyers of our firm had to be present for a two-hour lunch as he spoke with us." He glared at the vegetables as though they were directly responsible for the two-hour lunch that had stopped Ukyo from getting his needed work done. "And now I'm left with not enough time to prepare properly for court."
"What if I made dinner?" Ema asked. "Would that give you enough time?"
Ukyo looked at Ema uncertainly.
"I can cook," Ema promised him. "I cooked for Dad and me all the time. All those recipes I sent you from around the world weren't just for fun, they were recipes I tried and liked. I've never cooked for this many people before, but I'm sure I can manage."
"Are you sure?" Ukyo asked, already reaching behind him to untie his apron. "That would really help."
"I'd be happy to!" Ema chirped, hopping down from the barstool where she'd been doing homework. "Just leave it to me."
~.~
"Nice job on dinner tonight, Ukyo," Tsubaki complimented as he took another bite. "I like the spices you used this time."
"Yeah," Subaru agreed. "It's really good."
"Actually, Ema cooked tonight's dinner," Ukyo said. "I had some work I had to do and she kindly offered to take over."
"Nice," Tsubaki said, lifting a forkful toward Ema in a salute. "Guess you learned some neat cooking tips cooking around the world."
"That's right," Azusa said. "You started doing the cooking in your house as a little girl, didn't you? I'd forgotten about that."
Ema shrugged, embarrassed by the attention. "Yeah, I started making dinner when I was seven or eight. I don't think tonight's dinner is anything special though." She's actually been really worried about it. Thankfully, she'd been paying enough attention to what Ukyo was doing to note the mistakes he'd made while he'd been cooking.
She had learned interesting and cool things about cooking while traveling. Thanks to her father's show insistence on filming him try food from around the world, Ema had the opportunity to speak with chefs from all over the world. A chef in Mongolia had told her all about how spices worked together, so she'd try to use that knowledge to turn Ukyo's accidental mistakes into something edible. She was relieved the Asahina brothers liked the results. And relieved that Ukyo seemed more relaxed now. Hopefully, that meant he'd finished the work he needed to.
~.~
"Thank you again, Ema," Ukyo told her after dinner. "I don't know when I would have found the time to get the proper preparation for that case done without your help."
Ema beamed. Most of the Asahina brothers were welcoming and kind to Ema, which she had expected, but she still wanted to be useful to them while she lived at Sunrise Mansion. Friend or not, having someone who wasn't family live in your house full-time could be hard. She wanted to help out around the house just like all the Asahina brothers did.
Ema twisted her hands together, suddenly nervous. "Well, if the results of my cooking were good enough, maybe I should take over cooking dinner? I know everyone has their assigned chore, and I feel I should have one too since I'm living here. I'd like to help out if I can."
Ukyo blinked at Ema in surprise. "Well, I think cooking dinner every night for twelve people is a bit much for a high school student. You need to remember to focus on your studies. However, I would appreciate your help with dinner if you're willing to give it."
Ema smiled. "I would love to." She'd never cooked with anyone before. She'd been able to watch the chefs from around the world cook, and many of them had been kind enough to discuss their craft with her, but she'd never cooked with any of them. The idea of cooking with Ukyo felt…like home somehow. Domestic. And the thought of cooking for the Asahina brothers felt the same.
She imagined most teenagers wouldn't be excited at the prospect of having to cook for everyone in their house, but Ema was excited. She'd be contributing to the household, just like everyone else, and she would be helping to take care of them.
~.~
"Are you sure you should cook for them?" Juli asked later that night when Ema told him. He had his arms crossed as he watched Ema play Fantasia Dawning on her laptop.
"Why would my cooking for them be a problem?" She asked. She gave him a teasing look. "Or have you been lying about liking my cooking all these years and you think it will get us kicked out of the house?"
"It's not that," Juli said, shaking his head. "But don't you know that one of the ways to a man's heart is through his stomach?"
"Of course!" Ema said cheerfully. "That's one of the ways Yusuke and I are becoming friends. Hadn't you noticed?"
Juli gave Ema a disbelieving look. "Aren't you paying attention at all?" Juli asked when he'd finally recovered enough from his shock to talk.
"Paying attention to what?" She asked, leaning closer to her computer as she hit the Enter key as fast as she could. She had to raise enough zombie villagers to stop the rat army or she was going to die.
"To your surroundings, Chi! How many times do I have to tell you? A lovely young woman suddenly comes to live with eleven young men, and then she cooks for them? Are you trying to make them fall for you? And that lawyer guy—"
"Ukyo," Ema interrupted, glancing away from her game to give Juli a stern look. "You know the Asahina brothers' names, so please use them. Don't just call them whatever you want."
Juli grumbled a bit before continuing. "Fine, Ukyo is going to be cooking with you every night. I'm sure he maneuvered you into this so he could have you all to himself for an hour or two. How could you let this happen?"
"Ukyo didn't maneuver me into anything," Ema told Juli. "I offered. Two or three times before Ukyo accepted. It was my idea, not his. And none of the brothers have showed the slightest bit of interest in me, Juli. All of the problems only exist inside your head. You need to relax or you're going to make yourself sick."
"You might think I'm paranoid, but it's only been a couple of weeks. I plan to remain vigilant until I know for sure that you're safe here."
~.~
Ukyo was surprised to come home from work to discover Ema already in the kitchen, a pink apron with flowers tied around her. He wondered if she'd brought the apron with her when she moved back to Japan or if she'd bought it special.
"Welcome home, Ukyo," Ema called with a wave when she saw him, a bright smile on her face. "Since we discussed all the recipes for the week on Saturday, I figured I'd get an early start on dinner. I hope you don't mind."
It felt odd to see Ema in an apron in the kitchen, not in a bad way though. It almost made the house seem more homey to come home to find a woman in the kitchen. He couldn't remember the last time his mother had stepped foot in there and cooked something. He'd taken over that duty long ago.
"I don't mind at all," Ukyo assured Ema. "Let me put my briefcase away and then you can direct me for how I can be most useful to you."
Ukyo smiled as he went to his room. He had been happy to have Ema return to Japan and see her again, and he was grateful the Asahina family was able to allow her to attend a regular high school. He had not, however, imagined she would be a help to them. Oh, she seemed to be a positive influence on Yusuke as he'd hoped, but he hadn't expected her to have such an influence on the atmosphere of the house. She was bright and cheerful and always eager to help.
Ukyo found himself, surprisingly, agreeing with Kaname. Their home truly had been missing a feminine touch, or, at least, a feminine presence. He found himself looking forward to getting to cook dinner with her every night.
