National- Bennett, Xiangling, Xingqiu
Ah Wednesday. The poor forgotten day stuck smack dab between feelings of "ugh another 5 days of school" of Monday and Tuesday " and the "we're almost free!" euphoria of the latter days.
Wednesdays are even more forgettable if that's the one day of the week where you have nobody to walk home with you.
Bennett clicked his tongue. Sure, it was a bit unfortunate how Barbara had choir practice today, Fischl would always mysteriously disappear after class now, and Razor had to do the weekly shopping for his family…but he got to fulfill his Exploration Club duties, so who was the real loser here?!
No the Exploration Club wasn't an official thing. He would go to a part of the school he hadn't been to and just…walk around for a bit until deciding to unceremoniously go home. Today's target was the west wing of the 3rd floor!
It was exactly the same as any other hall in the school. A few classes filled with either some leftover students asking teachers for some kind of clarification, or clubs meeting. Bennett thought he saw the Chess Club about 5 doors back….
Just another forgettable Wednesday, right…or that was what he thought.
"Hwah!"
That yelp…it was high-pitched, unfamiliar to Bennett. The hysterical-sounding nature of the noise made it difficult to believe that anything serious was happening at the school…but naturally, such thoughts didn't even cross the ordinary boy's head, who promptly deduced where it was coming from (right in front of him) and what his next course of action should be.
Charge ahead blindly and don't stop for anything.
After a short sprint, Bennett reached the end of this hallway, grabbed the door, and promptly threw it open.
….
No, he didn't see someone in the middle of changing, but what he actually saw caused his face to grow a similar shade of red.
There were two individuals in the room, almost certainly fellow students around Bennett's age given their builds…and school uniforms. The first, a girl with her blue hair all tied up above her head was completely motionless as she stared back with huge golden eyes. The white shirt she wore was also covered up by a green apron…indicating a chef? Directly behind her stood a boy with crisp, somewhat lighter blue hair that was much longer on one side, fair skin and dark clothing perfectly complimenting each other. He too stared at Bennett with a smile of amusement, as if everything here was all according to plan.
But if the boy did project an air of maturity, why the heck was he reaching up to a cabinet above the girl? It just made him have to lean on her back, which in turn made the two of them look practically attached.
Speaking of which, the girl was not amused through her reddened face.
"Archons….why Xingqiu?"
"Because you were going to grab the wrong book….again."
"Doesn't mean you can sneak up on me!"
The two started bickering in front of poor Bennett, which really wasn't helping his own face go back to normal. It also wasn't changing both his assumption about the two strangers and his desire to get out of this room as quick as possible.
With all the stealth of a stampede, he clumsily reached behind him and groped at the door for passage out. "W-w-well, I-I'm sorry to interrupt! I'll just be going now!"
Honest to a fault. But naturally, the strange girl was not going to let Bennett leave and spread all sorts of rumors about what he'd seen. As soon as the blue-haired boy got off both his toes and stopped leaning on her, she took off like a rocket and snatched the intruder's hand just as soon as he found the way.
"Ah!" He went wide-eyed.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" She was about to say something- well, probably stammer it more like- but the guy called 'Xingqiu' burst out laughing at what he witnessed.
"H-Hey! Wipe that smile off your face!"
He didn't even try to listen. "Xiangling, you CAN'T just run after someone like a man possessed only to apologize when you catch them~ Who does that?" Upon seeing Bennett's stunned face, his smile only grew. "See look, he doesn't know what's going on."
"…Hit the nail on the head…" Bennett quietly confirmed before looking down. "Can I…have my hand back now?"
"Eheheh…." Xiangling finally released it upon realizing that she was still gripping his wrist. Before he could even think about trying to awkwardly leave again, she exhaled to calm down. "Could you…promise not to tell anyone what you saw? It's not like that, I swear!"
"Ummm….ok…" There was a voice inside Bennett's head telling him to leave now, but his curiosity could not be contained. "What…were you doing then?"
A sudden twinkle in the girl's eye flashed for a moment. "Cooking of course! This is the Cooking Club's room!"
"…Really?" Now that he wasn't distracted by the actions of two teenagers, Bennett took a look around the room. It was very unimpressive…aside from the nearby pots on top of the stove, the apron around Xiangling, and the ladle she held in her hand, it looked just like an ordinary classroom. What, did budget cuts hit here too?
Sadly he said the quiet part out loud. "Kind of expected there to be more people here…."
With those words in the air, Xiangling dejectedly looked at the ground and even Xingqiu's smile faded a bit. Not completely oblivious to what the shift in atmosphere meant, Bennett quickly apologized. "Oh, that wasn't what I-"
"It's alright." Xiangling murmured. "Honestly…it's my fault. There used to be a lot of members, but now it's just us two."
"But don't clubs need five people at minimum?"
"Correct." Xingqiu pulled out an unrelated book an answer for him. "However, clubs shutting down in the middle of the year don't look particularly attractive, if you catch my meaning. So on paper, the Cooking Club still exists…but in actuality, they divert any extra resources we might've received into more popular events."
"Naturally, this creates a snowball effect. With nothing to show for itself, there's nothing we can do to effectively attract new members aside from the occasional free samples, that we have to make with our money of course."
Bennett licked his lips. "Not…good cooks, I take it?"
For once Xingqiu actually appeared shocked at his question, but luckily in a good way as another grin grew. "Just the opposite, in fact. I'm nothing special, but Xiangling here is a downright incredible chef."
"Aww~ You're making me blush…"
Bennett took notice of the fact that there was no protesting that declaration, probably meaning she completely trusted his opinion. The realization actually made him smile a bit, but he remembered what the conversation was leading to moments later. "But, if she's so good, why-"
"Why is the club empty?" Xingqiu guessed to a ready nod. "Hm…it might be more efficient to show you instead."
"S-Show me?" Bennett stood bewildered, still in the doorway of the room. Xingqiu got up, whispered something in Xiangling's ear, and was awarded with a look that just screamed 'are you sure?' But she got a nod back and promptly disappeared to a back room behind the still-being-used stove.
A minute passed until she returned. Bennett didn't even need to look, he knew from her expression that whatever she grabbed was quite warm at the very least. Sure enough his feeling was proven right when she revealed the contents to him: A certain red soup that smelled of….fish and pepper, if his nose wasn't lying to him.
"Soup? Feels hot…" His nose crinkled in reflex.
"Xiangling's latest creation: Spicy Bass Soup!" Xingqiu proudly presented, despite the titular chef looking quite uncomfortable. Bennett didn't exactly understand why, even he with limited kitchen experience could see that this dish was delicious.
As if he was reading his mind, Xingqiu handed a spoon to him. "Try a little, if you want."
But interrupting this quick exchange, Xianging found her voice again. "I-It's fine…It didn't come out that good anyway-"
Maybe he sensed the closest thing to an adventure, maybe he couldn't stand when someone talks down about themselves….or maybe he was just hungry. But ignoring both of them, Bennett snatched the spoon away, dunked it in the soup, and practically inhaled it.
Xiangling and Xingqiu just stared at him wide eyed.
"Mmmm~ Incredible!"
But if Bennett was expecting a round of applause for his bravery or something similar, he wasn't getting it. A few tense seconds passed before someone spoke up.
"…Xiangling, go the cafeteria and ask for some Dango Milk."
"On it." She left immediately.
With only the two boys left, Xingqiu just had to know. "You did hear me say that the dish was called "Spicy" right?" Curiously then, he went to his on the ground and started searching for something.
"Meh, what's a little spice?" Bennett stood proud. "I can handle it!"
But…even as he was saying that, he could feel his mouth begin to burn slightly. Eh, typical spice. He assumed. He was probably just trying to have a little fun with me, this guy seems like a jokester.
"Oh no you can't." Xingqiu calmly rejected.
Bennett wanted to ask what he meant by that, but there was sudden difficulty moving his mouth. Careful touching revealed that he wasn't feeling himself in that area…it was going numb.
"Yeah, that's the first stage." Bennett didn't even try talk back. "Second is sweating, and third is wanting to scream. Don't worry, I've already unlocked the window."
And as if his body was being controlled by Xingqiu, the silver-haired boy felt his forehead start to heat up upon the…facts being laid out. He didn't even need to feel it to know what was going on there.
This was…!
This was too hot!
As quick as his legs would move, Bennett dashed over to the window on the opposite side of the room. Through the furious heat haze his brain was in, the smashed the window upward, moving it out of the way, before sticking his entire head and neck out, getting a full view of the fields behind school. Through his now bulging eyes though, it didn't matter much.
"THS IS TOO HAAAAAUUGGGHHHHH!"
-0-
Outside, two people were busy practicing their archery. In the girl's case, it was because of her own club…but the boy just thought it'd be a fun way to kill time. Whatever the reasons, both were interrupted as they heard rumbling coming from the direction of the school.
"Was that…Bennett?!" The girl asked aloud in clear disbelief.
"Bennett? Ah cr-" Taking advantage of this distraction, the arrow he was loading up was prematurely released. It cut through the air perfectly, missing its' target by a mile, and even completed its' journey by striking someone, which of course made them cry out in pain.
"Sorry!" He feebly called out across the distance.
The girl just facepalmed . "Aether…"
-0-
"Did that soup have lava in it or wha-"
A heated Bennett was about to finish that yell, and probably lead into another, when Xingqiu suddenly shoved something in his wide open mouth. Ordinarily, the boy's instinct would've been to expel it immediately, but his brain felt sweet relief as the foreign object touched his mouth. After blinking a few times, Bennett looked down and found a light-blue popsicle sticking out of him now.
"Damn, that was my friend's final one…" Xingqiu sighed. "Oh well."
He didn't look too beat up about that, thought Bennett, as he just stood there and literally cooled off.
Xingqiu saw an opportunity for an uninterrupted explanation.
"As I mentioned, Xiangling is an incredible chef, but her specialty is…ah, spicy dishes. Very spicy dishes. One time she forgot to mention just how hot one of them was to the rest of the club…and well, there may have been a confrontation." In the first sign of anger within the boy, Bennett saw as Xingqiu's hand slowed balled up into a fist.
"Just from that?" He asked, then re-inserted the popsicle.
The straight-A student actually sighed this time. "No… that was the final straw really. The club was just getting sick of her food, especially because she insisted on making that way"
"Um, I'm sorry for saying this, but-"
"Let me guess: Why doesn't she stop? Or maybe 'Then it's her fault for being inflexible.'?" Xingqiu shot a glance towards Bennett and then proceeded. "Well, you're not wrong to wonder…so one day I asked about it directly."
"And?"
He shrugged. "She just said 'It reminds me of my dad, there's no way I can stop making his food!' before going back to work."
Her dad… Bennett took a moment for that to sink in while moving the popsicle stick. He felt like…he could understand where Xiangling was coming from. Slightly anyway…whenever he tried to make something, it never came out right. But that desire to try your best for your parents' sake, no matter the cost…a familiar prideful feeling emerged within him.
"So she's more than happy to spend her days here, cooking away, even with nobody to try her dishes."
"What about you?"
Xingqiu…fake chuckled? "Do I look like I could handle spice? I'd burn to a crisp."
That wasn't what I meant…but the door opened back up before the words could escape.
Sure enough, it was Xiangling, carrying two bottles of Dango Milk in one hand. She looked just a bit worn out…Bennett wasn't sure, but then he remembered that he probably heard him yell into the air minutes ago and it clicked. Without any words exchanged, she walked over to the window with the two of them and handed the boy both milks before taking a sidestep.
The message was obvious. Sorry for the burn, you can leave now…
Bennett already made up his mind. There's wasn't anywhere left in the school to explore.
"Say…" he rubbed his neck awkwardly. "What days does the Cooking Club meet?"
Xiangling looked up in confusion. "Uh, Wednesdays officially. But honestly, we're here pretty much every day."
"Not like there's a Literature Club at home, either." Xingqiu added quickly.
…
Bennett thrust his hand out, facing it downward. "Then I guess I'll see you in a week."
"Y-yeah, heh heh…wait, what did you say?" Xiangling tried to hide the higher pitch in her voice. Xingqiu's eyebrow went up.
He smiled at her confusion. "I would like to join the Cooking Club. May I?"
"What?! But…after everything that happened?!"
"Yeah! It sounds really interesting and, well, I don't have anything else to do, so…"
Xiangling eyed Xingqiu suspiciously. "What did you say while I was gone?"
"Well, words were exchanged." He smiled back. "But this is all his idea, honestly."
She looked back at Bennett and her eyes widened, understanding this was a serious offer. In the next moment, Bennett could have sworn he saw a tear emerge, but she blinked it back and slapped her hand on top of his. "We'd love to have you here, thanks!" Her hand felt warm, probably still from carrying the pot of soup.
"Xiangling, paperwork." Xingqiu reminded.
"O-Oh right!" She ran to the back again, and after a couple minutes of banging was heard from inside, re-emerged with a sheet of paper. "Get this signed by a parent or guardian and deliver it to the office!"
"Got it!" Bennett hustled for the door after taking it and spitting the dried up popsicle into a bin. "See ya then!"
But just when his hand touched the doorknob, he was stopped by her voice calling out to him.
"Ah! What…What's your name?" Xiangling urged while Xingqiu shook his head and laughed, clearly in disbelief that she hadn't asked before.
In response, Bennett grinned like never before. It was stupid to do this here, now, after such a good, cool-looking moment for someone like him. But he couldn't stop himself as he made a tiny hop, spread his legs, and thrust his arm out skyward with a fist.
"The name's Bennett!"
The wind howled with approval.