Disclaimer: I do not own Shokugeki no Soma or Harry Potter.
A huge thanks to anyone who dropped by and has read this story! You're so awesome!
The first time Yukihira Joichiro saw the black-haired woman was at a local patisserie when he was walking down the street going back to his apartment.
It was his seventh day in Paris and he had just finished purchasing his groceries on the local market when he passed by and noticed the woman sitting down at one of the tables set outside the shop.
The woman, wearing a short-sleeved dark green knee length dress and heels, looked casual and normal enough on a regular sunny day. Her dark hair was an awful mess, he mildly thought, but he didn't really have the right to judge seeing as he was also sporting his own bunch of disorderliness.
In essence, the woman was... typical-looking enough not to garner his attention, as she wasn't really doing anything special and was only sipping something from her cup (most probably tea), but he had taken a look at her face when he passed by, and although she was beautiful indeed, it was her green, green eyes that drew him in.
The same green eyes that was looking straight back at him.
Heart thudding, he felt his face flush slightly, a bit embarrassed that he was caught looking—staring—and Yukihira averted his eyes to the pathway in front of him.
Really, there were a few more people with green eyes all over the world. What's another one in France?
=o=
He saw the woman a second time seven months later.
He was in Italy, Florence to be a bit exact, and was currently working in one of his friend's quaint restaurant. It was the start of the evening and all kinds of people were streaming in for dinner, making the kitchen busy as orders continued to pile up.
He was in the middle of working on an order when the head waiter peaked in and asked him if he had some spare time to pop in the dining area, stating that a customer had wanted to speak with the chef.
Sparing a quick glance at the wall clock, he replied to the man that he'll be there in a minute or two. Understanding, the head waiter went back out and Yukihira gave some final touches to the dish before passing it off to be served. After leaving a few orders to the sous chef, he washed his hands and went out to meet the awaiting customer without so much of a thought.
And was given the surprise of the day when it was the same woman from Paris.
It was swift but the woman's eyes grew slightly wide in surprise and recognition before giving off a small yet genuine smile and all Yukihira could think was that he might've thought she was beautiful the first time he saw her but that miniscule smile really made a lovely difference.
The woman was inches shorter than him but her presence was tall and glaringly palpable, as if she was used to facing a lot of people. She'd also managed to wrangle her defiant hair into a side bun but some strands just didn't do well with restraint and had escaped, delicately framing the sides of her face. And her eyes…
She definitely had some distinct features on her but what really captured Yukihira the most were her eyes, dark and strikingly green.
He had wandered to a lot of places, had met a lot of diverse people but he'd never really seen such shade of green before.
He felt his heart beat heavily inside his chest and Yukihira's thoughts were brought back to the time when he fell for his late wife. Forgotten yet familiar feelings were being stirred back to life and Yukihira couldn't be more surprised as he thought, Why now?
"Is this the man behind the wonderful dinner I just had, Erik?" the woman asked the head waiter in perfect Italian.
"Yes, madam. This is Chef Jo, our current head chef for tonight," Erik, the head waiter, gestured to him as he explained, "Chef Luca Romano, the owner, and Chef Jo have been friends for years and have entrusted the restaurant to Chef Jo for the time being as he...took a time off. Chef, this is Madam Edelweiss Potter."
"Great trust indeed for the owner to hand over his beloved restaurant to another chef," Madam Potter commented without a hint of snide, her voice purely curious.
Yukihira answered back in Italian, his tone cheeky and mildly teasing, "Because this isn't really the first time he's left me with the responsibility, madam, and he knows that his restaurant will still be intact by the time he gets back."
Madam Potter tilted her head as she supplied, her eyes sparkling with humor, "Is that so?"
"Of course."
The woman bit back a smile before she turned to Erik, "Thank you for bringing out the head chef, Erik. I'm sure you're all very busy therefore I won't take up more of your time. I would like to personally extend my compliments for the spectacular dinner," she turned back to look at him knowingly, a smile on her lips, "Very well done, Chef Jo."
Yukihira bowed in thanks, "I am delighted that you've liked your dinner for tonight, madam."
"I would say I hope I could continue to taste your exquisite creations but I've heard you're more keen on wandering places rather than getting tied down in one place for too long."
Yukihira laughed heartily, "That's true."
"Then, I hope I find you on the same place in the near future, Chef," she countered teasingly with a wink and then turned back to Erik, "Please convey my compliments to the rest of the staff, Erik. This has been a very wonderful night."
Erik smiled and replied, "I'm glad you enjoyed your meal, madam. I'll be happy to relay your message to the staff."
"That's good. I'll be taking my leave then. Until next time, Chef, Erik," she said as she turned towards the door.
Yukihira tilted his head to the side in acquiescent as Erik followed the woman to the door.
He remained until the woman went out and made his way back to the kitchen, feeling a bit out of himself.
Well, that happened, he thought, feeling slightly misplaced at the meeting, but focused himself once more as he took his place in the kitchen.
He'll dwell on it more when he got the time. For the meantime, he's got his hands full of plates and spoons and ladles.
Literally.
=o=
As promised, he did think about his burgeoning and confusing feelings for the woman, which didn't really make much sense to him. After all, he only saw the woman twice and had only spoken to her once. He might have discerned some things from the woman in the short amount of time they had conversed but Yukihira didn't think it would warrant such…swift reactions from him.
But it did and it left Yukihira puzzled and stumped, seeing as he didn't even know anything about the woman other than her name.
Just Potter Edelweiss.
And besides, he had to consider his son and his late wife's family.
Months had passed by, six months to be precise, and the world was large and he really thought seeing the woman twice within a lengthy span of months was the end of it.
Yukihira honestly didn't think he'd see the woman again.
He tried to bury his thoughts about the green-eyed woman as he continued wandering around Europe and he might've had the chance of succeeding if he hadn't seen Potter Edelweiss in England, sipping something from her cup (probably tea again, knowing the British) inside a cozy-looking café across the street.
Yukihira didn't know if he was that lucky or if the gods above were just laughing at him, putting him in this kind of predicament.
Of all the places, really…
But Yukihira decided not to overlook this blessing and if the superior beings above were trying to send him a message, then he'll damn well take it.
Summoning a bit of courage (since when did he lack said courage? he chastised himself inwardly), he crossed the street, went inside and shamelessly plopped himself on the chair across her.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were following me, Madam Potter," he stated in English, his lips painting a smirk on his face.
The woman, who was in the middle of taking another sip from her cup, blinked and paused mid-air, her eyes wide and astonished as she looked at him.
In a moment of pure surprise, she set her cup down into the saucer plate with an audible clang as she stumbled out a response, "Y-You… W-What…"
Yukihira took pity at the bewildered woman and explained, his yellow eyes still sparkling with amusement, "I've been here in this area for a week now, also currently working at a restaurant just a few streets from here."
The woman blinked her eyes for a moment, probably trying to wrap her head about what was currently happening, before giving him a small smile as she replied, the disbelief on her voice still easily heard, "This… is certainly a surprise, Chef Jo. I didn't think I'd see you here, of all the places."
Yukihira shrugged, "They do say third time's a charm," and then gave her a wink.
The woman laughed softly and Yukihira silently basked in at the sound, "Is that so? When I said I'll see you around some time in the future, I didn't really think it would happen."
"Well, I'm here now, aren't I?" he pressed on as he wiggled his eyebrows.
He was rewarded with another laugh, "Indeed you are. Maybe the gods had finally sprinkled me with some luck this time."
Yukihira grinned broadly, "You and I both." Then without second thoughts, he promptly added as he reached out a hand, "Joichiro Yukihira, madam, just in case we'll continue to meet each other like this."
"Finally, a proper name from the chef," she teased as she also reached out and shook his hand, "Though you already know who I am, Mr. Yukihira, I insist you call me by my given name. Just in case we do continue to meet each other like this."
"Then I also insist you call me by my first name, Edelweiss," he playfully answered as he withdrew his tingling hand.
Edelweiss replied idly as she picked up her cup, "Of course… Joichiro."
Yukihira tried not to concentrate on the budding flushness he felt on his face when she said his name and instead let out a chuckle, "Now, to ask you the important question. Are you stalking me?"
Edelweiss scoffed, "Of course not. As you can hear from my accent, I'm British, so I actually live within these parts." She then raised an eyebrow at him, "I should be the one asking you that question, seeing as you're a wandering Japanese chef and had managed to run into me in three very different places."
Yukihira held up both hands in surrender, giving her another grin, "Perfectly innocent myself. I've been wandering for years so running into a lot of different people isn't really new for me, though I will admit that meeting you a third time within a span of months is slightly peculiar."
"Probably some gods above are doing the work or something. Believe me, I'm surprised just as you are," she casually remarked before taking a bite of her scone.
He crossed his legs and answered, "Well, I'm not complaining."
"It sounded like you did," she refuted out as she crossed her arms across her chest, her eyes alight with amusement.
Yukihira placed a hand on his chest and answered, his face and voice feigning modesty, "I really wasn't and if I did, you've clearly misread my expression."
Edelweiss quipped, "I don't think I did." She gestured to the tea and scone on the table and asked, "Do you have some time to spare for some tea or do you have to go? If you do, then I won't stop you but I wouldn't be opposed for some company if you're not too busy."
He raised an eyebrow as he stared at her, plunging an inquisition that might backfire, "Your significant other might've a problem with that. I'm still quite attached to my body parts, thank you very much."
"Are you actually fishing for details right now? My, my, Joichiro-san… I didn't know you were so bold," she teasingly switched her English to Japanese, letting out a dramatic gasp.
Yukihira blinked a few times in surprise before belting out a loud laugh.
Edelweiss fluttered her eyelashes, "Surprised, aren't you?"
"Very! You're a delight, Edelweiss-san."
She flipped her hair in a pompous manner, "I know. Now are you staying or are you going, Joichiro-san?"
Yukihira laid an elbow on the table, rested his chin on his hand and gave her a long look, "And the answer to my question, Edelweiss-san?"
Edelweiss copied his movements and murmured, her voice low and beguiling, "Considering that said man is nonexistent, Joichiro-san, I'd say you can reassuringly keep your body parts for another day."
"Brilliant!" he exclaimed with a wink as he took a glance at his watch, "I won't have to be in the restaurant for another two hours so I could stay for a while."
Edelweiss graced him with a wide smile before saying, "Excellent!" She raised her hand and caught the attention of a waitress, who approached their table and handed Yukihira the menu.
Edelweiss was sipping her tea while Yukihira perused the menu when he asked the black-haired woman, "What do you recommend I should get, Edelweiss-san?"
Edelweiss tilted her head to the side as she curiously asked, "What do you feel like eating? If you'd like something sweet, I'd recommend their cream scones. It's one of the reasons why I always frequent this café. But if you want something savory, I'd recommend the Cornish pasty or the Scotch eggs," then she paused and gave him a look, "Though I don't think my opinion would matter, especially for you. Chefs have such delicate palates and you might not like what I'd recommend."
Yukihira unconcernedly waved a hand and replied, his eyes not leaving the menu, "Don't worry about it. I'm not really picky about I eat. I've travelled to a lot of places and had tasted different dishes so food coming from a normal café won't harm my delicate taste buds."
"If you say so," she answered before taking a bite of her scone.
Yukihira found what he liked and placed his order and with the waitress gone, he turned his attention back to the woman seated across him, "Where have you gallivanted off after Italy, if I may ask?"
Edelweiss gave him a coy look, her eyes suddenly enticing and her voice seductive, "Wouldn't you like to guess?"
Unperturbed, Yukihira gave her a smirk, "I'd rather not. The world is large and you might've been to more places than I did. Or am I not worthy of at least knowing a simple thing about you after remarkably meeting you in three different places? I'm hurt."
The woman bored a long and hard look at him, as if reading his thoughts and deciding whether or not she should give an honest answer, when she murmured, a hint of intrigue on her voice, "How bold, Joichiro-san." Her lips stretched into a smile and easily answered, "I stayed in Italy for a few days after that fateful night, if you must know. Then I went to Austria and stayed there for three weeks before I moved on to Greece, to which I stayed for a month. But I went back here in England to take care of some things and I haven't had the chance to leave ever since."
He looked at her inquisitively and prodded, "And if you have the chance, where will you go next?"
"Hmm, probably Asia, but I want to visit Switzerland and Sweden before I go farther from Europe," she admitted as her brow creased in thought, "And I want to go back to Paris."
"Why?" Yukihira asked as he raised an eyebrow.
Edelweiss replied with knitted eyebrows, "I've been pressed with time when I was there and I wanted to try this restaurant my friend was talking about. It's a restaurant owned by a Japanese chef too, though I don't know if you're familiar with him."
Yukihira might have an inkling of who she was talking about and can't help but say, "Is it a restaurant called Shino's?"
The woman clapped her hands and exclaimed happily, "Yes, that's the one!" She pouted and grumbled as she stabbed her remaining scone and forcefully devoured it, "My friend's been raving on and on about how good their meal was in that restaurant that I really wanted to try it. It was one of the main reasons why I went to Paris, you know, but due to some unnecessary circumstances, my schedule had been in disarray and I had to cancel my reservation, which really sucked."
"Ehh, the food's great, I admit, but the head chef's an arrogant bastard," he grumbled that last part quite lowly.
"So you do know him?"
"More or less," he vaguely answered but took out his phone and swiped the screen, "When are you planning on going to Paris, Edelweiss-san?"
"Hmm, most likely next month. Why?" she asked, her narrowed eyes looking at him in blatant suspicion.
"We'll see," he replied with a wink as he put his phone beside his ear and waited for an answer.
"What do you mean by 'We'll see'?"
"Just a minute," he answered distractedly as the person from the other line picked up the call, "Hello, Shinomiya-kun! It's been a long time!"
The woman perked up and sat straight, her face incredulous as she mouthed a 'What are you doing?' at him, to which he only put a finger on his lips. Edelweiss huffed and indignantly took a sip of her tea.
"What do you want, Saiba-senpai?" Shinomiya Kojiro grumbled on the other line of the call.
"Is that how you greet your senior after not seeing him for a long time, Shinomiya-kun? I feel so heartbroken."
"If you just called me to waste my time, senpai, then I'm afraid I'll have to hang up. I'm currently busy preparing for tonight," Shinomiya snapped at him.
"You really need to relax for a bit, Shinomiya-kun, or you're going to get old fast," Yukihira ribbed.
"Goodbye, senpai."
Yukihira quickly interjected before the man could hang up, "Wait, wait, wait. I actually called to ask for a favor. Really, you're so grumpy you need to take a vacation."
The other line went silent for a minute before Shinomiya questioned, his voice suspicious, "What favor?"
Before he could answer, his order of Scotch egg was laid down on the table and after giving a quick thanks to the waitress, he replied to the man on the phone, "Nothing weird, really, just wanted to ask if the guest list in your restaurant is full for the next month."
"Why?"
"Just check it for me. You're so suspicious."
Shinomiya grunted but said, "Fine, hang on a moment. Let me check."
"Sure, take your time. I'm just going to enjoy the Scotch egg I ordered," he unconcernedly said as he broke the egg into two, the meat and the egg perfectly cooked with its yolk still runny. A perfect look but as usual, the true test will be on the taste.
"Exactly where are you right now that you can't even cook your own Scotch egg?" his cute kouhai derided.
Yukihira swallowed his food first before answering, giving the green-eyed woman a wink, "I'm on a date with a lady friend in England."
He was rewarded by seeing the woman's face grow red, so different from the seductive and mischievous goddess from earlier. It made him want to reach a hand over and pinch the woman's rosy cheeks.
The woman gave him a sharp glare, Yukihira grinning cheekily in return.
"Ugh, I do not need to know anything, senpai. You don't have to elaborate," Shinomiya answered, distaste clearly heard above the sound of ruffling papers.
Yukihira shrugged his shoulders even though the man couldn't really see it.
After hearing a few conversations in French and some more shuffling of papers, Shinomiya finally gave him an answer, "Why the hell is this paper so far down the folder? Fuck—"
"Language, Shinomiya-kun."
"It's a disorganized mess in here. I need to fire someone for this. But anyway, I have some free slot on the fifteenth at eight o'clock, the eighteenth at seven and the twenty-first at eight o'clock next month."
Yukihira downed some water first before saying, "Perfect. I'll take the one on the eighteenth. Table for two, Shinomiya-kun."
Hearing what he said, Edelweiss snapped a look at him, her green eyes wide in confusion and disbelief. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again instead, waiting for him to finish his conversation.
Such a proper lady.
"And who should I reserve it for?"
He munched down a bit of his Scotch egg before casually answering, "You can put it under my name."
Shinomiya paused before gritting out, "Senpai, what are you planning and why are you making a dinner reservation in my restaurant?"
Yukihira scoffed, "You can rest assured that I'm not planning anything, Shinomiya-kun. It's actually for my lady friend. She really wanted to dine at your restaurant, you see, but due to some unfortunate reasons, she had to cancel her reservation. She'll be in Paris next month, which is perfect because I'll be there too, and since you're my cute, little kouhai, I just had to help her."
"But why a table for two?"
"I'll be accompanying her, of course! Seriously, Shinomiya-kun…"
Shinomiya gruffed and let out, "Fine, fine! But you better behave or else…"
"So little faith in me. Of course, I will."
The man on the other line groaned out loud, "Kami, I'm going to regret this when the day comes. Anything else?"
Yukihira chomped some of his food before answering, "Nothing else, Shinomiya-kun. See you next month!"
All he received was the sound of the call being ended.
"That kid's so rude," he mumbled as he tucked his phone back inside his pocket and went back to eating his Scotch egg, "And this egg is surprisingly good."
"And you're quite assertive too. I can't believe you just planned all that!" Edelweiss exclaimed, her expression incredulous and a little vexed.
"You looked pretty sad when you told me you cancelled your reservation so I had to do something," Yukihira casually answered after swallowing his food, "Besides, I knew the owner so it was no problem at all."
She crossed her arms, "And are you so sure we'll even meet in Paris for that? For all I know, you'll be in freaking Iceland next month!"
Yukihira finished his food, deliberately cwiping his mouth with a table napkin before saying, "Trust me, I'll be there. I wouldn't miss this for anything."
Edelweiss intensely stared at him for a moment before carefully asking, "Is this you demanding a 'second date', Joichiro-san?"
Yukihira gleefully answered, "Yup!"
She leaned back on her chair, her eyes scrutinizing, "You know, I usually dislike it when people try so hard to make choices for me no matter how small the matter. I've had an issue about it in the past, you see."
"But?" he pressed on, a bit stunned that she was willing to share something vague about her past, but wanting to hear more of the incoming contrary he knew will follow.
"But," she expressed, her eyes pinning him an indescribable look, "There are times when I do make some exceptions. My thanks then, for saving me the trouble of doing the deed myself."
"You're welcome," he simply answered before giving her a grin and teasingly supplied, "Though my ego has taken quite a beating for preferring to dine somewhere else when you have a capable chef with you. Really, Edelweiss-san, I thought you liked my cooking."
Edelweiss gave a condescending huff, "You're incorrigible. I need another tea for this," and then raised her hand and ordered another cup of hot tea.
"I know," Yukihira smartly agreed, his smirk fully in place as he observed the flustered beauty across him.
Yukihira didn't know what he was doing. Well, that was untrue. He did know what he was doing, seeing as he had actually been married before, but amidst all the teasing and the flirting, he was reluctant to officially place a name for the creeping feelings for the woman in front of him. He had a lot to consider after all, a few people he should talk to. It's not all about him this time.
There was something about the woman though, that made it so easy for him to slip. She was very comfortable to talk to, not at all shy with bantering and good enough to know how to steer conversations. A little bit manipulative, as if she was used to being in charge, but she wasn't overly domineering.
Potter Edelweiss was a complex woman, and that made her more endearing to him.
Gods, he was so screwed.
=o=
Yukihira may have parted with the green-eyed woman in good and peaceful terms, his mind was anything but.
Days passed by before their promised dinner and all he could think about was the woman herself.
Good thing he knew how to compartmentalize or his food would've sucked every time he made them.
The feelings he had refused to name kept on building up it was almost suffocating and in the end, his vast amount of interest for Edelweiss had won in the end. He was reluctant to really act on it though, because no matter how much he admitted that he liked Edelweiss, his son will always be a priority above anything else.
And so, on the exact date and place and a few minutes to spare, Yukihira could be found standing outside Shinomiya's place, waiting for his 'date' to arrive.
He was feeling very excited about tonight but Yukihira couldn't help feeling nervous and frightened as well, though he'd deny that bit to anyone who'd ask.
His wife may have been gone for a long time now but he hadn't actually introduced himself back into the dating pool, not that he did before either. He guessed it just hadn't been a part of his priorities, even after he'd lost his wife. He did think about it a few times, of course, but then he would always get side-tracked with other things, especially when he had decided to close the diner and went back to travelling.
He knew he was getting old—older—but he was also getting used to being alone most of the time, subconsciously not wanting to replace his memories with his late wife. He would've been okay with growing old by himself too, just being back at the diner and probably be surrounded with friends, but he'd gotten to know Edelweiss and it just felt like a can of buried feelings had been burst open.
And Edelweiss seemed like she was really interested back with the given signals so now he was here, willing in giving this a chance and hoping that everything will go smoothly so that he'll have some solid plan after.
He's even willing to behave for the success of this night.
There was a tapping of a woman's high heels on cobblestone and Yukihira glanced to the side just in time to see the woman dominating his thoughts dressed in a lovely long-sleeved dark blue lace chiffon dress with a purse clutched on one of her hands.
She looked so beautiful it was the only thought he was currently thinking about.
"Glad you could make it, Joichiro-san. I was starting to worry you'd bail out on me," she started with a smirk, halting when she was near him.
Yukihira replied with a grin, "I wouldn't miss this, Edelweiss-san." He extended his arm for her to take and asked, "Shall we?"
"We shall," with that answer, Edelweiss looped her own arm on his and entered the restaurant, which they were then greeted by the hostess who accompanied them to their table as soon as she found their reservation.
They were each given a menu when they were seated and after a few moments of deliberation, the two of them chose their three-meal course for the night. Once they were left alone, Edelweiss turned to look at him, her eyes full of curiosity, "You never did tell me the story of how you knew the owner of this restaurant. I know you've made a lot of connection through the years as a chef but it seemed to me that you knew each other quite well. Would you mind sharing how that exactly came to be?"
Joichiro hummed, taking a relaxed sip on his glass of water before answering, "We actually went to the same culinary school in Japan but I was years ahead as his senior so I didn't know much of him before. We were introduced by a mutual friend, also a former classmate, and we just stuck around each other when we got the chance, which was rare seeing as all three of us were working on totally different places and I was off meandering around the world."
"Is your mutual friend a chef as well then? Or did something else interest his life after graduating culinary school?" Edelweiss asked, a hand tucking a wayward hair behind her ear.
"Oh, he hasn't lost his impressive cooking skills and he's still a chef but he's now more on the administrative side of work when he attained a high position on the company he was working with," Yukihira absent-mindedly answered as he stared at her, awfully entranced by just a simple action, to which he abruptly added, "Have I told you earlier that you look wonderful tonight, Edelweiss-san?"
The woman's face blushed red at his compliment, her eyes indicating that she was surprised by the compliment. She made a reply, trying to sound vain and condescending but was just failing, "You didn't but I'll forgive you for your momentary lapse of judgment."
Yukihira gave a grunt, "A dreadful attempt. It definitely needs improvement."
Edelweiss leered at him, "I'll have you know I perfected that look, especially when I use it when it's needed to."
"Use it for what?"
Edelweiss made a sour face, "Meetings with pompous people. I usually hand it off to the person who handles all of my businesses but I just can't seem to avoid it on some days, which is a real bummer." She sighed softly before grumbling, "Though I think my friend just wanted to see me suffer since I basically dumped all the administrative work to him."
"I actually feel bad for your friend," he stated frankly, a lilt of playful note on his voice.
Edelweiss was about to answer but the waitress came back with their wine and poured the appropriate amount on each of their glass. As the waitress excused herself, she retorted, "I offered but he said it'll only add up to his already heaping workload since I don't know anything about managing a business. That was many years ago, by the way, and after being in his vicinity for quite a long time and indirectly learning by literally observing him, I can proudly say I can at least hold off on my own if he ever did leave me in a meeting."
"You sound so close I sense some interesting story in there," he wheedled out, trying to be smooth.
But it seemed like he hadn't done a very good job at it because the woman's demeanor completely turned around. Her emerald eyes suddenly had a glint on them and her lips formed a quirk upwards, her expression altogether sly and mischievous.
She leaned towards him, her arms folded on top of the table and purred, "Are you jealous, Joichiro-san?"
Yukihira, choosing to get back at her, mimicked her actions and mumbled back, his voice low and a bit rough, "I confess nothing, Edelweiss-san."
Her voice thickened with intensity and heat as she answered back, "Is this how it's going to be then?"
"Of course. Everything worthwhile is hard earned after all," he responded with a saucy wink.
Edelweiss chuckled softly and leaned back, the heated and intense feel in the air taking a step back but not fully gone, "You are definitely a tease, Joichiro-san."
Joichiro grinned and likewise leaned back into his chair, "Just adding up some spice in your life, Edelweiss-san."
Edelweiss beamed and with the arrival of their waitress carrying their first meal, they temporarily halted their conversation. The couple gave their thanks and was left to enjoy their meal, the two of them wasting no time in tasting their starter.
Edelweiss chose to answer his previous question in between bites, "Like you, my friend and I went to the same school together in Scotland but we didn't really become friends when we met. We disliked each other in all the years we spent in school, mainly because he had a very different outlook in life at that time and it was… harming a lot of people I care about." Then her eyebrows furrowed as she contemplatively regarded her plate of Mousse de Saumon Canapés.
Yukihira, tasting something not quite right but choosing to stay silent for now, paused when he saw her expression and asked, "What's wrong?"
Edelweiss looked up at him and back to her plate before answering, uncertain, "Nothing. I just thought…"
Yukihira raised an inquisitive eyebrow, "That was vague. Is it the food? Do you not like it?"
He was seriously going to give Shinomiya hell for serving crappy food if she said she didn't like it.
"My canapés are really delicious. I can see why Draco had raved about this restaurant but there's just something in there that I can't really explain yet. Don't worry about it."
Yukihira skeptically eyed her for a moment before relenting, "Alright."
Edelweiss continued her story, "Draco's the name of my friend, by the way. He was an arrogant prat back when we were in school but he's a bit okay now. He's still arrogant because he came from a rich and established family so his upbringing is really different from mine and the more common people. Well, long story cut short, there was some conflict during our last year in school, Draco got better, we became friends and now he's a business partner."
Yukihira thought that Edelweiss was downplaying and censuring a large part of her story but chose not to pry since he knew they were essentially just getting to know each other and he haven't even started with his own bag of stories yet.
"It's an interesting progress, seeing as you disliked each other for so many years. I'm surprised you hadn't killed each other," he remarked after he finished the last of his appetizer.
Edelweiss took a sip of her wine and took a bite of her meal before she humorously answered, "Oh, it wasn't for the lack of trying. Our first years of tentative friendship was sort of like a trial and we pissed each other so easily it was maddening but we endured and now he's married to one of my bestfriends and has three children."
Yukihira almost perked up at that last comment but held himself in check. It wouldn't do well to get excited over such a tiny detail. It was also an opening to another aspect of conversation to which he grabbed by the hand and ran right through it, "And what about you? Do you have any plans in settling down like both of your friends?"
Edelweiss finished the last of her appetizer and Yukihira signaled to the waitress for their next course. The waitress came and dished out their plates and Edelweiss responded when they were once again left alone, her eyes perceptive, "I do, I'm just taking my time with travelling right now." She smiled and cheekily added, "Makes it more exciting because you never know what you'll find out."
Yukihira agreed with a nod, "Very, though the catch is that you'll have to move on sometime in the future and then you'll have to start all over again."
"But if there's something worthy of staying, then why would you want to go?" Edelweiss questioned with a tilt of her head.
Yukihira stopped short and suddenly remembered that he did stay in one place for a long time before and got a family out if it in the end. Yukihira blinked a few times before articulating, his eyes wide and wondrous, "That's actually a valid point."
She gave him a meaningful look, saying, "The thirst to be on an adventure will never die down once you've started. Travelling is freeing and sometimes the thought of staying in one place for too long could be a little frightening, especially when it'll feel like you're giving up your freedom. Some of the things you'll encounter will be temporary too but some of them will leave a permanent imprint in your memory that will eventually touch something deep within your wandering soul. Those things you may consider to be valuable to you, and then suddenly you decide to stay, because you're truly happy with the thought of staying and settling down with something you've found and loved."
"You…" Yukihira tried to form some words but couldn't. Edelweiss was content on letting him be, a serene smile on her face as she continued to take small sips of her wine. Yukihira, on the other hand, continued to mull over what his table partner had said and found that the woman was too smart for her own good, too perceptive and insightful that if one didn't know any better, would be too stunned and too scared to know what she's going to say next.
Luckily, Yukihira didn't have any qualms with candid words, even if they struck too close to home and when the waitress came back with their entrée and the woman across him said her thanks before they were once again left alone, he asked, his voice intrigued, "Is that why you've decided to travel then? To find something you might value in the future?"
"It might be," she provided with an offhanded shrug but she peered at him and added, "Or maybe I was just deprived of the finer things in life before that's why I chose to lavish myself now because I can."
Yukihira chuckled at her unsurprisingly vague answer, "You really are not making it very easy for me, Edelweiss-san."
Edelweiss retorted, her voice playful, "I'm just adding up some spice in your life, Joichiro-san."
Yukihira gave off another chuckle at hearing her reply.
They both took a bite out of their meal and Yukihira could immediately notice what was wrong the more he savored the flavors of his chosen entrée inside his mouth. The food was delicious of course, the flavors just right and well-blended with the other elements of the dish, but Yukihira could also taste the slight and veiled distress, upset and the weak twang of malcontent and slithering stagnation.
He wasn't really surprised to be honest, he thought as he continued to take careful and unhurried bites of his meal. Shinomiya had unmistakably persevered from the bottom of the food chain when he had decided to be a chef in France, yet he slowly and assuredly climbed his way to the top, winning the prestigious Pluspol award as his goal and prize. But he had peaked too soon and now his kouhai was probably at a loss on what to do next, choosing to terrorize his staff and being grumpy instead.
Perhaps that was what Edelweiss was on about earlier and he was once again amazed at how she could discern the very small things that people wouldn't normally detect.
Or perhaps she wasn't really normal. And then he snorted inwardly at the ridiculous thought.
Yukihira took a sip on his glass of wine and asked, "How's your chicken, Edelweiss-san?"
Edelweiss chewed and swallowed first before answering, "It's very delicious, I can tell that the process of making this dish was very precise and wonderfully thought out." She glanced up at him, biting her lower lip, her eyes hesitant, probably debating if she should spill her honest thoughts or not.
"Please carry on," he urged as he faintly gestured to her plate.
Edelweiss grimaced for a second before saying, her voice soft yet firm and clear, "I have noticed though, that there's a… taste of discontent, as if the chef was unsatisfied of what he was making but was not inclined to modify. A hint of restlessness too with a touch of… lack in progress."
Yukihira hummed before taking another bite of his meal. Edelweiss chose to also take another bite of her meal and the both of them were silent for a moment before Yukihira voiced out, his voice open and divulging, "I don't know how you did it, Edelweiss-san, but what you said was true."
Edelweiss tipped her head to the side, her expression confused and questioning.
Yukihira elaborated as he finished the last of his entrée, "It's usually the chefs who can feel it, being so attuned to the ingredients used and the process of making food in their own different way to make it, as you can say, exceptional and unique." He put down the silverware he used and took hold of his glass of wine, swirling it as he wistfully gazed at her, "But there are some, other than chefs, who just know about it, like you. It's like going into an art gallery, for instance, and you'll see photos and paintings and you guess what it was about by its color and judging the feeling of its mood. It's a hit and miss and you'll never know the true intentions behind every picture unless you got the chance to talk to the artist yourself.
But you were right about this one. Shinomiya-kun is an excellent chef who aimed for the best when he was in school, and he aimed higher when… circumstances in France made him cruel. His goal was to win the prominent Pluspol award and when he did achieve it, he probably didn't know what he'll do next."
Edelweiss nodded, her eyes pensive, "I guess I do understand that. I was the same after I finished my education." She looked at him and gave him a small smile, "I hope he'll find his passion back soon."
Yukihira easily remarked, "He's an independent and strong kid. He'll be okay. He's achieved so much just for him to stay lost forever."
She continued to speak in between bites, "Now I'm curious to what he looks like. You sound so sure when you said that."
Yukihira coyly smirked, "Careful, or I would think you're making me jealous."
Edelweiss suggestively bit her fork and slowly laid it down her plate, her eyes glowingly gazing back at him, "Is it working?"
"Very nearly," Yukihira breathed as he stared right back at him, his eyes definitely smoldering with heat.
"Hmm, I have my work cut out for me then," she muttered before giving him a mischievous wink. She finished the last of her meal and asked after sipping her wine, "What about you? Why have you decided to become a travelling chef instead of opening up a restaurant?"
Yukihira didn't reply for a while, thinking, before he started, "I was discontent with staying in one place to be honest. I dropped out of culinary school because I couldn't take how repressing it was. It was competitions after competitions, events after events and I thought winning would've made me very happy but it didn't and I was getting miserable each passing day. Everything I did felt like a chore and I wasn't happy whenever I cooked anymore. I got out and left, travelled around the world bit by bit as I tried to reorient and find myself again. I've basically been MIA for years before I came back in Japan."
"Oh? What made you go back to Japan after so many years of travelling?" Edelweiss inquired as their waitress carried out their empty plates and refilled their wine glasses, whispering another thanks to the waitress before they were once again left alone.
Yukihira really thought hard about how he was going to reply but decided to throw hesitancy over the window and admitted, "I forgot but I think I didn't really have a specific reason why I came back and then I just stayed and worked in one place for years." He stared at her, a strange glint on his eyes, and added, "I own a diner together with my wife but we lost her to a disease years ago. I resumed my travelling after I decided to close the diner and urged my son to go to the same culinary school."
Yukihira was so intently staring at Edelweiss that he caught her stop midway as she sipped on her wine. She blinked a few times, her eyes unreadable, probably comprehending the bomb he just dropped, and put back her glass of wine on top of the table as she continued to stare unflinchingly back at him.
Yukihira frankly thought that dinner was over right here and now but was so relieved when Edelweiss finally spoke after a few more minutes of silence, her eyes finally bearing emotions, her voice sincere and solemn, "My condolences, Joichiro-san. I'm sure you've loved her very much considering that you did stay for her and for your family."
"It was a long time ago but thank you," he responded mildly.
Edelweiss gave a small smile, sad and wistful, "Time might've passed by but there's always a sting of sadness when you remember them. I've lost quite a lot of people too and there are days when I always think about the possibilities of what life might've been like if they were alive."
Yukihira only hummed as a reply as the waitress came back to their table with their dessert, Edelweiss straightening up as the plates were respectively set on top of the table. Once the waitress left them again, Edelweiss asked before breaking in her exquisite chocolate mousse, "Though, correct me if I'm wrong, Joichiro-san, but did you just leave your son all alone back in Japan?"
"Yes…?" he drawled out, suddenly unsure why she was glaring at him like that.
Her face made an unpleasant grimace before chiding, "I can't believe you, Joichiro-san. Is he living on his own then? How old is your son again?"
Yukihira hastily appeased the woman, quickly understanding why she was so upset, "Fifteen-ish going sixteen. He's a first year in senior high school now but don't worry. The culinary school's really good and has dormitories so he's probably staying there together with his classmates."
Only Edelweiss doesn't seem to be placated, letting out a heavy yet almost inaudible sigh before mumbling, "What do you mean 'probably'? I completely understand that you Japanese are very independent but your answers so far are not making me feel better. Did you not visit him at all when you got the time?"
"I didn't," he hesitantly responded and once again rapidly added when she made another face, "But I call him every now and then so I know he's doing well. He's been making a lot of friends."
"Oh my gods…" she leaned back as she gulped down an unhealthy amount of wine and signaled for a waitress to refill her glass.
Yukihira felt like a schoolboy being scolded and he grumpily voiced it out to the woman in front of him, who gave him another heated glare as she waited for the waitress to finish refilling her glass.
When the waitress was gone, she scooped up a spoon to her dessert and munched on it for a while before saying, "Impressive chocolate mousse, but let's get back to you." She took another bite and swallowed before saying, "I'm not going to meddle because that's your son and it's not my business, but if you haven't seen your son in months then maybe you should visit him for a while before you jump to another country. Teenagers are so rebellious and secretive and your son might not say it but he probably misses you."
Yukihira also spoke in between bites of his very pretty mille-feuille , "Soma's not really forthcoming with his feelings though and his main concern at the moment is to finally beat me with his cooking. The tally right now is probably close to five hundred loses for him. We're very competitive like that," he sagely included when she gave him an incredulous look, "But you're probably right. I'm going to cut back my trip and visit him for a short while before going somewhere again. You know an awful lot about teenagers though. Why is that?"
Edelweiss had finished her dessert, dabbing her mouth with a napkin before responding, "I might not have kids but I have godchildren to make up for it. The oldest one, his name's Teddy, lost his parents years ago and I took care of him most of the time, his grandmother guiding and helping me along the way. There had been some drama going on when he'd entered that stage, mostly because he'd been such a trickster, but he was a very good child, overall. He's on his early twenties now and currently in university while the rest are still children but they're equally messy anyway, so yes," she paused as she seriously looked at him, "I know a lot about taking care of children."
"Amazing. Is your godson alright with you travelling a lot?" Yukihira asked, his plate of dessert empty ages ago.
Edelweiss waved a hand in front of her and assuaged, "He was actually the one who suggested about it. We travel together when he has the time but being in university makes him very busy so it's just me for now. What about your son? Can you tell me more about him?"
Yukihira tried to discern any false pretenses that Edelweiss might just be stringing him along, feigning interest, but she was utterly genuine and sincerely curious about her reactions and questions so far. She might not have shared a lot regarding her childhood and other people might find it strange and inadequate but she's revealed her experiences with some of her important people and for the both of them who just had proper conversations for the second time and still getting to know about each other, it was sufficient.
So, Yukihira answered with a small smile, his voice fond, "Soma's a really good kid. He took more from his mom, I think, so he's more stubborn than I am. When my wife died, he was the one who pulled me out of my depressive state and helped me reopen and managed the diner again. I guess I could say that he learned his love for cooking from me, though he's always challenging me into a contest to see who cooked the better dish when he gets the chance. It even became a thing back at the diner before."
"Why did you take up travelling again then?"
Yukihira downed the rest of his wine and answered, "I became restless and I felt that Soma was limiting his experiences and lessons by just being at the diner. The boy has a lot of potential to become a great chef but he doesn't know much about the basics and the intricacies of other cuisines other than what I had taught him so I enrolled him into the culinary school to learn more stuff." He grimaced, remembering the insistent calls, "That and the director of the school kept on calling everyday. Soma was very against it at first. He was very attached to the diner and he's had friends who were with him for years on a regular high school but I challenged him into getting better so that he'll have a chance of beating me. Kid took the bait and went with it."
Edelweiss scoffed, finishing her wine, "You're so manipulative, Joichiro-san."
Yukihira shrugged, unconcerned, as he gave her a grin, "I just took advantage of what mattered more to him at that time." He looked down at their plates and at the entirety of the restaurant and even though he didn't want their night to end, suggested, "Should we go? Other customers might keep pouring in and then it'll get too crowded."
"Sure, let's get our bill," Edelweiss replied, signaling a waiter and asking for their bill. When their assigned waitress came back with the check, Yukihira swiftly secured the paper, deposited his card and gave it back to the waitress, who immediately left to process their payment.
Edelweiss had a crease on her eyebrows when he looked back at her, "You didn't have to do that. We could've split the bill or I could've paid for it since you got us this reservation."
"I wanted to. I wanted this date, after all," he cheekily answered with a wink.
"Still…" she tried to press on.
"If it bothered you too much, you can take care of it on the next date," he boldly declared, his voice teasing with the right amount of flirting.
Edelweiss took the obvious bait and leaned forward, her half-lidded green eyes taking on a different and familiar gleam, "Oh? So there's going to be a next one after this?"
Yukihira similarly leaned forward, resting both arms on the table just enough for the woman to hear him say, his voice low and husky, his impassioned eyes looking straight at her, "I'm very interested in you, Edelweiss-chan, so I would very much like to see you again, no matter where we are."
Her face went red as her breath hitched, taken aback by how audacious he was regarding about voicing his feelings. She told him as much to which he smirked in reply, reaching out a hand to fiddle a strand of her hair, amused at how her face blushed even more, "I'm verbally saying it just in case my intentions weren't that obvious."
"Oh, you've made it very clear, Joichiro-san. I'm not that naïve," Edelweiss huffed, feeling a bit petulant, as their waitress came back to give him back his card.
The both of them stood up and Yukihira turned to Edelweiss to ask, "Would you like to meet Shinomiya-kun for a bit, Edelweiss-chan?"
Edelweiss was accordingly patting some invisible crinkles her dress when she looked at him and the waitress and the entireness of the place, which was clearly brimming with customers. She looked back at him and smiled faintly, clearly wanting to but was also thinking about the state of the frenetic workplace that was called kitchen, "I'd rather we don't. The place is full of people, I'm sure he's really busy at the moment."
"Nonsense, he can spare us a few minutes," he contradicted, unperturbed, and with his broken and unpolished French, asked the lingering waitress about wanting to meet the chef. The waitress thankfully got the gist of what he was trying to say and with what was clearly an amused smile, nodded and went to the kitchen to get their chef.
He felt Edelweiss sidle next to him and in another daring move, sneaked an arm around her waist to pull her closer, noting her tensing for a moment before eventually relaxing while giving him a sly glance. He winked down at her, seeing as he was a few inches taller than her, and offhandedly commented in Japanese, "I think the waitress is laughing at me in the kitchen right now for my poor French."
Edelweiss leaned against him for a moment before straightening up, her voice jesting, "Yes, you need to really work on your French."
Yukihira shrugged as he replied, "I'm rarely in France anyway so that's moot point. If I do decide to stay for a very long time, then I'll gladly think about it."
"Well, with you travelling a lot, there's really no point in learning the whole language—Oh, is that him, Joichiro-san? He looks so stern and dare I say it, grumpy."
He grouchily replied, "I told him he'd get a lot of wrinkles if he's too frowny all the time, and I'm years older than him. Kid needs to chill sometimes."
Edelweiss bantered, "Like you did?"
Yukihira couldn't counter back because the severe-looking coral-haired man in neat chef's uniform had stopped in front of them, his waitress staying a few steps back from said chef.
"I'm surprised that you actually behaved, senpai. I would've gladly kicked you out if you've given me even just a small enough headache aside from stepping inside my restaurant," Shinomiya said as he continued to glare at him.
Yukihira gave him a wide grin that he knew would tick the younger man off and tightened his hold around the woman beside him, "I had to, you see, since I'm currently dining with a lady from England." He gestured to introduce them, "Edelweiss-chan, this is the ever immaculate Shinomiya Kojiro. Shinomiya-kun, this is the beautiful Potter Edelweiss-chan. She's been wanting to eat at your restaurant for months but she didn't have the time so I helped her out a bit."
Edelweiss swatted a hand at him, "I sound so desperate when you say it like that but well, it is truth." She looked at the chef, reached out a hand and greeted with a dainty smile, "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Chef. The food we had was absolutely divine. I'm glad I could sample such masterpieces."
"You didn't compliment my food that much when you tasted it," Yukihira grumbled under his breath but Edelweiss still probably heard it and just chose to ignore it.
"A pleasure, madam. I'm delighted you liked the food," Shinomiya uttered back as he took her hand and planted a kiss on it.
Yukihira could feel his eyebrow tick and tried his best to keep his cool as Edelweiss sent him a devious glance.
Gods, she's totally enjoying this.
Edelweiss gave the man an overly sweet smile, "We won't hold you back, Shinomiya-san. We just wanted to see the man behind the art we've indulged for this evening. Please give my regards to the staff too. They've been a delight as well," that last part said as she glanced at the back and gave the waitress a small smile, to which it was politely returned.
"You wanted to see. I could go on another year without seeing this grumpy kid," Yukihira sullenly butted in and further asked to the man, "Are you flying to Japan anytime soon, Shinomiya-kun?"
Shinomiya stood straight, scowling, "I am. Dojima-senpai wanted my participation in the incoming training camp. He's been bothering me with calls and I had to say yes just to make him stop." He gave him a fierce glare and asked, "Why don't you go?"
Yukihira swiftly raised his free hand up and said, "Can't. I'm booked for the following months. You should have fun though. The fledgling brats could learn a thing or two from you."
Shinomiya scowled harder at him with his reply.
"We're going to go now. Thanks for the dinner, Shinomiya-kun," he sang out. His hand, which was wrapped around Edelweiss, was now resting on top of her head, "Say your goodbyes, Edelweiss-chan. We shouldn't be bothering the hardworking chef too much."
He would've relayed the observations he and Edelweiss had earlier but Shinomiya was also a prideful man and he wouldn't take it very well if they ambushed him like that, especially on his own restaurant. He could send a text, or a call, but Yukihira thought it was too much work to be honest. Besides, Shinomiya was a full-grown man who can think and make his own decisions. He can figure it out himself.
Edelweiss turned to glare at him, her expression annoyed at how casual he was but otherwise heeded his words, which led them to where they were now, standing just outside the restaurant.
And currently giving Yukihira a bit of a problem.
The night was still young and Yukihira didn't want it to end yet, wanting to spend more time with Edelweiss. Unfortunately, Yukihira didn't know where else they could go since he hardly visited Paris. He should've looked into some interesting places in the area earlier before he met up with Edelweiss for dinner. He could suggest going into another café but they just had dinner and that really wouldn't be wise considering they just had a three-course meal.
Yukihira was out of choices.
But luckily, Edelweiss spoke up to solve his current dilemma, quite shy and bashful when she suggested—rambled actually—which made him want to bundle her with smooth, cottony blankets and lock her up in a tower, which also sounded a little bit of unnerving when Yukihira really thought about it after.
"I have a townhouse just a few walks from here. Do you, maybe, want to come by and have a nightcap? But you can say no if you don't want to, it's quite alright if you don't. You probably have to wake up early tomorrow for work. You know what, just forget abo—"
Yukihira dropped a hand on her head, stopping her from her babbling, and she looked up at him with those reflective and shining emerald eyes. The streetlights were glowing bright, letting him read the hidden yet still-there uncertainness and wariness in her eyes, as if waiting for him to decline.
He snorted inwardly.
As if he would decline. He almost felt offended at the assumption.
He lightly ruffled her hair and gaily said, "Lead the way, Edelweiss-chan."
Her face brightened up at his words, her lips curled into a wide charming smile as she held his arm and tugged him towards the right direction.