The Nuggets of Desire
It's not that Mitsuru didn't appreciate the meals she ate every day. She was quite fond of them, and knew that they were carefully crafted by her personal chefs with a balanced nutrition and her tastes in mind. As wonderful as those meals were, Mitsuru would sometimes crave something a little more... decadent.
She often looked forward to the occasional days where Ryuichi would prepare her afternoon tea. He would pair her tea with snacks that were a little more indulgent than recommended, but she always enjoyed everything he made for her.
Every once in a while, Ryuichi would bring home some barbecue, burgers, or some amazing fried treats from his parents whenever he visited them. He always shared the food with Mitsuru and her mother per his parents' request, and Mitsuru would always show her appreciation by eating her portion with fervor.
But one day, Kikuno got into a row with Ryuichi over all the food he fed Mitsuru.
"Everything is too rich for her," she argued.
"'Too rich'?" he questioned. "I mean, she's one of Japan's wealthiest women. My food's actually not rich enough for her."
"That is not the kind of rich I was referring to."
Not long after that, it was decided that Ryuichi was no longer permitted to prepare any food for Mitsuru. The excess of barbecue, burgers, and fried goods from his family were also forbidden. If he tried to bring her anything, the food would be confiscated and deliciously disposed of by the maid staff.
"At least they haven't tried to strip search me for food yet," Ryuichi moaned to Mitsuru after having yet another bag of food from his family taken from him at the door.
"Perhaps Kikuno has a point," Mitsuru tried reasoning with him, despite wishing she could have had a tiny morsel of barbecue to at least show her appreciation to his family. "I have a tendency to overindulge in everything you prepare for me, so I should have been more careful about how much I consume."
"It's not like I get to make your tea every day," he said with a shrug. "And I don't bring home my family's food that often."
She locked eyes with him, as if to telepathically remind him of how many times in the past week alone he brought home some barbecue, only to have it confiscated.
He put on a foolish smile. "Um, Akihiko says protein is good for you?" he weakly argued, and all Mitsuru could do was shake her head at him.
But Ryuichi had a plan. Regardless of the fast food prohibition, he was determined to give Mitsuru an occasional treat.
"We're working on something new for Dad's food truck," he told her, keeping his voice low through his excitement. "Something I know you're going to like."
Mitsuru was curious, but she didn't want to show it. "Ryuichi, let's just stop this," she said with a sigh.
But he didn't. He described it to be something that was the stuff of legends, that no one could resist after eating just one. The dangerously addictive snack was one he was certain Mitsuru would hate him for, as she would like it so much that Kikuno's ban on decadent food would prohibit her from getting more. The fabled food he spoke of was none other than:
Chicken nuggets.
Small and snackable. Crispy yet tender. Juicy and delectable. Her bodyguard's description of the nugget-y wonder was painfully tantalizing, where Mitsuru could imagine biting through its crunchy shell. She could almost taste it, despite never having eaten it before.
"Kikuno would never allow it," she firmly told him when he offered to sneak her some.
"So what? Okay, so you don't get to exercise every single night anymore without the Dark Hour. We just gotta get you out from behind your desk more often."
Mitsuru grimaced at the truth of his words. "You have a point, but you know my work keeps me at a desk for extended periods of time," she murmured, grasping her arm. "And because of that I've... I've gained weight."
She looked away in shame, feeling his intense stare on her.
"But you look fine," Ryuichi reassured her. "But, if you did gain weight, it's probably muscle. We've been working on self-defense moves lately, and you've been helping me up my fencing game, too."
"You teaching me self-defense and our sparring matches never last longer than a few minutes," she argued, turning back to him. "Furthermore, those sessions are sporadic, and hardly enough to build muscle."
He wasn't about to give up. "Look, there's no way you're gonna gain a ton of weight by eating a few chicken nuggets, especially if it's a one-time thing," he reasoned with her. "So at least give them a try."
She knew he was right, but she still had her concerns.
"We mustn't. I don't know what Kikuno will do to you if she finds out," she murmured.
"Who cares? She's literally not the boss of me."
Ryuichi leaned in, putting his lips closer to her ear. "They come in spicy, too," he said in a husky voice.
Goose bumps dotted her arms. "They do?"
"All flavor, no heat. I promise."
She grew skeptical about his claim. "How can that be if it's supposed to be spicy?"
He stepped back, flashing her a mischievous smirk. "You'll have to try it to find out," he replied. "And there's only one way to do that."
At that, Mitsuru could resist temptation no more.
"But, how will you—"
"I'll find a way."
A few days later, Ryuichi informed Mitsuru that he would be visiting his family again. His excuse was to help them out with their new food truck, but she knew better. He had been calm that morning, talking to her like normal, making jokes, and telling her that he was going to do some training after his classes before seeing his folks. Mitsuru didn't have half his pep, and the dread she felt only grew worse when she watched him ride his motorcycle down the long driveway and out of her sight.
All day long, Mitsuru was anxious for him, where even her work offered little distraction. She knew he wouldn't be home until sometime after dinner, and she estimated that the promised snack would likely come during the night.
If his plan succeeded.
That evening, Mitsuru dined with her mother. The meal was wonderful, as always, and she even noticed that the server had cut her slice of prime rib a little thicker than what Kikuno would have allowed. She almost expected Ryuichi to be the one carving the meat, but it was the short butler, Keigo, who smiled at her and offered her more before he ladled some au jus on top. Kikuno waved him away before Mitsuru could decline his offer of a second slab of succulent meat.
After her meal, Mitsuru started her labored walk up the stairs to go to her room. She kept glancing towards the front doors, wondering when or if Ryuichi would return. When she passed by his bedroom door, she paused to stare at it for just a few seconds before continuing down the hallway. A few doors away was her room, and when she closed the door behind her, she cast some of her woes off with a sigh.
"This is ridiculous," she said to herself. "No food could be worth all this trouble."
She started dialing Ryuichi's cell phone number to call off his plan, then stopped.
"But, what if it is?" she pondered aloud.
To distract herself from her worries, Mitsuru decided to do some more work. She sat down at her desk to pore over the documents she was looking at earlier, but her mind kept wandering back to Ryuichi. After about fifteen minutes of staring at the same page and absorbing none of the information, she gave up and went out onto her balcony for some fresh air.
Summer was just starting, and the night air still carried much of the day's warmth. A light breeze played with Mitsuru's hair, making it tickle her face and stick to her lip balm. She held some loose strands of her hair behind her ear so she could see the dense, darkened forest that surrounded her home. The wind blew again, making the leaves murmur.
She heard it: the distant rumble of a motorcycle engine. Her gut clenched, recognizing it as Ryuichi's.
Glancing to her bedroom door, she thought about dashing back downstairs to meet him. She figured that she might be able to intervene if Kikuno discovered what he brought for her, but wondered if her presence alone would blow his cover.
She went over to the door and grabbed the handle, ready to run. But she didn't move. She strained to listen for a commotion, hearing the rumbling engine come around from the front of the mansion over to the side where the entrance to the underground garage was. A maid or butler had taken the motorcycle for him, no doubt, and any second now, Ryuichi would be patted down and searched for any contraband on his person.
Mitsuru waited, her heart pounding in her ears. Nothing. No shouts or arguments. She grew even more worried.
Footsteps. Mitsuru held her breath. She listened for one person or more, the steady rhythm coming closer. A plastic bag rustled, keys jangled, and Ryuichi's door opened and shut.
"He made it?" she mouthed to herself in awe. "Just like that?"
She gripped the door handle again, debating if she should go to his room or stay. A silent minute later, she let go.
"He probably got caught," she muttered in defeat. "He wouldn't have let it sit this long if he succeeded."
She went back to her balcony, standing just inside the doorway. "What have I become?" Mitsuru asked herself. "Asking him to smuggle fast food for me—It's ludicrous."
Frowning bitterly to herself, Mitsuru closed and locked the French doors. "It's not as though I'm starving," she reasoned with herself. "I'm fortunate to eat well every meal and a little something with my tea."
She leaned her head against the glass pane of one of the doors. "But, it would be nice to try something new once in a while," she murmured.
Her phone beeped on her desk. She flipped it open to see an email from Ryuichi.
"After Dark," it read.
She scrunched up her eyes at the cryptic message. "'After Dark'? But it's already nighttime."
Unsure if she should respond or not, she began typing out her response. She started asking about his email but deleted it soon after, having a feeling she already knew what he meant.
In the end, she decided against sending a response. She snapped her phone shut and sat back down at her desk.
"Even if he did manage to get them past Kikuno, I'm sure she's keeping a close eye on him," Mitsuru figured. "Though, that does seem a bit excessive, even for her."
Nothing more than her will and determination helped her focus on her work. She looked over some reports, taking notes of some of the finer details to compare with some research she found. As she straightened up the files, her room went completely dark.
"A power outage?" She waited patiently for a few seconds for the backup generators to activate, but the lights didn't turn back on. "Strange. It's taking too long."
Mitsuru stood up when she saw the familiar, sickly green sky outside. She gasped when she recognized the rancid moon hanging overhead.
"It can't be."
She flicked open her cell phone for the time, but the screen remained blank.
"Just as I thought," she said, smirking. "This must be what he meant."
She opened her desk drawer and pocketed her Evoker. "But, he's taking advantage of that technology," she remarked. "I'll have to have a word with him about it later."
She crept into the darkened hallway. With no lights and a lack of windows, she took slow, deliberate steps, keeping her hand along the wall as she headed to Ryuichi's room. When she found the door handle, she gasped when the door opened by itself. A hand yanked her inside.
"Sorry it took so long," Ryuichi whispered to her. "I had to cook them here."
He led her to the far side of the room. There in the left corner was the kitchenette he asked to have installed, so he could cook whenever he pleased. There was a pot on the stove with some oil bubbling merrily in the dark, already frying some chicken nuggets. With help from the decaying moonlight pouring in through the window, Mitsuru could make out three bowls on the counter, and two of them had breaded lumps in them. The third contained some kind of viscous liquid.
"How did you manage to get these past Kikuno?" she asked him.
"I just carried them in a plastic bag in plain view," he told her. "She saw it was just raw, frozen chicken, so I don't think she suspected I'd cook it up tonight, since it's already so late."
When he gestured to the freshly breaded nuggets waiting to be fried, Mitsuru saw the black ring on his finger.
"I see. And you also employed a simulation of the Dark Hour to shut down any cameras that might record our rendezvous," she said with an agreeable nod.
"And to prevent anyone on patrol from catching us doing things we shouldn't be doing," he added, grinning.
Ryuichi turned his attention back to the nuggets frying in the pot. "Say, Mitsuru? I get that Kikuno-san is concerned about your diet and all, but as her boss, don't you have a final say on all this?"
Mitsuru gave it some thought, folding her arms over her chest. "To be honest, I was thinking that her concerns were valid," she replied. "As I told you before, I did gain a little weight, and I had been eating more than I should."
"Well, you're about to eat just a tiny bit more."
He used a pair of long chopsticks to pull one nugget out of the fryer. "Crap, I don't know if it's been long enough," he grunted, sticking it back into the oil. "Sorry, but it might be a bit before—"
He froze. Ryuichi turned towards the door, narrowing his eyes. Mitsuru straightened up, listening for an intruder.
"Did you hear something?" she whispered.
"Thought I did," he muttered under his breath. "You sense anything?"
Mitsuru concentrated hard, drawing from her Persona's power. "I think I sense someone," she said slowly.
Ryuichi touched his ring. "You'd better get back to your room," he advised, guiding her to the door with a hand on her back. "If they catch you here, we're both in trouble. I'll bring everything to you later."
Mitsuru agreed. She slinked back to her room to wait there, still smelling the spices on the nuggets and already imagining how they might taste. She sat down on her bed instead of returning to her work, figuring it shouldn't take too long for the food to finish cooking.
A minute later, she heard footsteps in the hallway. Mitsuru held her breath when she heard a knock on Ryuichi's door.
"Ryuichi-sama, did you put on that ring again?" came Kikuno's voice.
Mitsuru couldn't hear a response. Another knock, then the jangle of keys. The door opened, and multiple pairs of feet went into his room. She heard muffled voices, one of them giving orders. She stiffened when she heard footsteps approach her bedroom door. She almost flinched when her visitor knocked.
"Please forgive the intrusion, Ojou-sama," Kikuno called through the door. "May I come in?"
Mitsuru took just a second to collect herself. "Just a moment," she said, taking a deep breath on her way to open the door.
"I'm sorry for disturbing you so late, Ojou-sama, but it seems that someone has caused a simulation of the Dark Hour," her maid said to her. "We suspect that Ryuichi-sama was the one who had done so, and it appears that he is not in his room."
"I did take notice, but Ryuichi has a habit of playing with that ring when he shouldn't be," Mitsuru replied coolly, seeing that Kikuno wore a similar ring. "I wouldn't be surprised if he was doing some late night training, either."
"We thought as much as well, except it seems that he was cooking in his room up until just recently."
"Is that so unusual?" Mitsuru asked, trying to play it off calmly. "He tends to make his own food quite often."
Kikuno studied her with quiet intensity. "It's strange that he would still crave snacks, particularly after a visit to his family," she remarked, eyeing Mitsuru with suspicion. "Furthermore, it's a curious thing that he would activate the Dark Hour just so he could cook. It's almost as though he was trying to hide what he was doing."
As Mitsuru tried to come up with a response, Keigo's shouts alerted them. Moments later, Harumi approached Mitsuru and Kikuno, holding what looked like a shotgun.
"The target has fled through the balcony, it seems," she reported in her apathetic monotone.
Kikuno frowned. "Through the balcony?"
"Yes. We've already called for backup."
Mitsuru winced. "The balcony?" she uttered, and hurried over to her own. She threw open the doors, the winds greeting her as she leaned over the balustrade in time to see a group of armed security guards running into the forest. Seconds later, a Kirijo helicopter descended from above, shining a brilliant circle of light down onto the tops of the trees.
"A helicopter, too?" Mitsuru grasped the balustrade. "This is going too far!"
She turned to see Kikuno with a grappling hook attached to a cord. "Kikuno, what are you—?"
"Please go back inside and lock your doors, Ojou-sama," Kikuno advised, securing the grappling hook onto the balcony. "We have reason to believe that Ryuichi-sama was planning to give you some unauthorized food."
"Kikuno, stop this!" Mitsuru shouted over the helicopter's thumping blades. "Call off the guards!"
But her maid was already rappelling down the side of the building. When she hit the ground, she ran to where the security guards disappeared into the forest and followed them in.
"This can't be happening," Mitsuru moaned. "And all over some chicken nuggets?"
Out of nowhere, a powerful gust of wind ruffled the trees. A figure shot into the air, passing through the helicopter's searchlight. Mitsuru recognized the figure as Ryuichi, his arms pinwheeling with his Evoker glinting in one hand, and a white paper bag in the other. He flew towards her, both of their horrified faces agape when he managed to hook his arms onto the balustrade.
"S-Special delivery," he uttered, somehow managing to flash her a smile despite appearing to be in pain.
Mitsuru was too stunned to do little more than stare at the greasy bag in his hand. The longer she stared, the more her thoughts converged onto a single idea.
"That's it!" she exclaimed. "Ryuichi, I just realized—the strict diet, the security, the ridiculous ban—it's all just—"
"Can't talk now!" He swung his leg up as the helicopter shone its light on them. "Eat fast! They're coming!"
Mitsuru grabbed onto his belt to hoist him up. As he tumbled onto the balcony, heavy footsteps thundered into her room and collected at the balcony doors.
"Freeze! Ojou-sama, please step away from the intruder!"
Ryuichi straightened up, scowling at the security guards.
"Intruder? I live here!" he protested.
Mitsuru stood herself between Ryuichi and the security guards. Her heart raced, but she silently ordered it to settle down.
"That is enough!" she bellowed at the guards. "This has gotten way out of control! Stand down, all of you!"
She snatched the greasy bag out of Ryuichi's hand and held it out to them. "All of this just for some pieces of chicken, is it not? Then here, take it!"
In that instant, she felt a strong hand grasp hers. Turning around, Mitsuru saw Ryuichi fall backwards over the balustrade, pulling her with him. As they fell together, Ryuichi wrapped his arm around her. Her face was buried in his chest, and amid the panicked shouts and the helicopter blades thumping in her ears, she heard multiple bursts of glass shattering, and a powerful gust of wind hurled them back into the air.
Gale after gale, they were thrust, tossed, flipped, and tumbled every which way. They hurtled through the darkness, Mitsuru clinging to Ryuichi as they whipped all over the place. Terrified, all she could do was pray that she didn't lose her grip, or that he wouldn't lose his on her, either.
Finally, a strong but gentle wind eased them down. Leaves and branches scraped at Mitsuru's legs, back, and arms, pulled her hair, and tugged at her clothes as they sank past the canopy of trees, but soon their feet touched solid ground.
"You okay?" Ryuichi panted.
With her head pressed against his shoulder, she nodded. "Y-Yeah," she uttered, still shaken.
He let her go. Mitsuru heard his labored breath sink before her.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah," he grunted. "It's not easy keeping two people airborne for so long without hurting someone who isn't immune to Garu spells."
Mitsuru started to reach out to him when they heard shouts from a distance.
"They landed over there!"
"Spread out! We'll find them!"
Ryuichi straightened up, still panting as he grabbed Mitsuru's hand and led her deeper into the forest.
"What if it's a trap?" she asked him. "I saw some guards run in here earlier."
"You can sense them, can't you?" he suggested. "I can't hear anything with that helicopter drowning everything out, even with my Persona."
They ran in almost total darkness, tripping over tree roots and rocks, and getting slapped in their faces with branches and leaves. Ryuichi accidentally let go of a branch too soon and smacked Mitsuru in the mouth with it. Through his rapid apologies, Mitsuru ended up taking the lead and yanked him deeper into the dark.
"I think here should be okay," Ryuichi whispered to her. "Let's climb this tree here."
He braced his back against the tree trunk and laced his fingers together, but Mitsuru had another idea. Thinking she could make a ladder out of ice, she took out her Evoker from her pocket. As she raised it to her head, Ryuichi reached out and lowered it.
"They'll see Artemisia's light," he told her. "Better not."
Mitsuru frowned when she realized he was right. "Yeah, sorry," she murmured in disappointment, then let him boost her up the tree.
Pretty soon, Mitsuru was sitting up on a thick bough next to the tree's trunk. Ryuichi managed to climb up on his own and step around her before settling next to her. Their legs dangled precariously beneath them while the bough bounced from Ryuichi's movements.
"You climbed up a lot easier than I thought you would," Ryuichi marveled at her. "And in heels, too."
She chuckled. "I used to climb trees as a child, but I haven't done so in a while, so I still struggled a bit," she said, proud that she could still do it.
In the dim moonlight, she could just make out Ryuichi's grin. "That's right," he said, "I remember your mother saying something about that before.
"Say, you still got the bag?" he asked.
She did, surprised at herself that she never dropped it during their erratic flight. She held it in her lap, staring hard at the greasy, white paper as the tiniest slivers of rotten moonlight found its way to them through the leaves.
"Is something wrong?"
Mitsuru looked to Ryuichi. "You could have given up back there," she told him. "They already had you. We could have called all of this off, but..."
She crinkled the paper bag in her hands. "But, you didn't give up when you had the chance," she continued, her shoulders drooping. "Even if it was only for something so frivolous as this, you kept going."
At that, she drew in a deep breath and released it slowly.
"Why is this so important to you?" she finally asked him.
Even in the darkness, Mitsuru could make out the somber expression in his bright, blue eyes. He gripped the bough, as though grasping for an answer.
"Just me being selfish, I guess," he said after a time.
"Selfish? What do you mean?"
He reached up to grab onto another branch overhead. "I really like making snacks for your tea time," he began, his voice wavering as he spoke. "Ever since Kikuno-san banned me from bringing you any food, I felt like she was taking away something I actually liked doing for you. It's fun trying to figure out what you might be in the mood for with your tea and introducing you to new stuff we can try together. I was lucky if I could make you tea two or three times a week, but each time I did, I felt like I got to learn about you a little more.
"And, about my family's food, you always look so happy whenever you eat it," he continued, hiding his eyes beneath his bangs. "You're more relaxed, and we can just eat and talk about anything without having to worry about those rules for proper dining. You just seem more at ease when we get to eat with our hands, and considering how busy you are all the time, sometimes it just feels like that's the only time you're not stressing about work and stuff."
He lowered his hand to his lap, staring deeply into his open palm. "I guess what I'm trying to say is: The little time we spend together and any chance I can get to learn more about you are really important to me. But, now that Kikuno-san's preventing me from cooking for you and doesn't want you eating anything my family makes for you, I just feel like, like we're losing a connection to each other."
His words pierced through Mitsuru's heart. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize that you felt this way," she replied, barely able to get the words out. "These things really mean a lot to you, don't they?"
"Yeah, they do."
He gave a half-shrug, his eyes flickering to her briefly before looking away. "Our schedules don't always line up. If it does, we usually end up studying or working together. Other than that, we don't really do much else, considering we can't really go out like we used to."
"But we still take our meals together whenever we can," she reminded him. "And tea, too."
"Yeah, and those are great and all, but sometimes I wanna cook stuff for you, too."
Crushing realization struck Mitsuru just then. She couldn't believe that she had forgotten how important meals were to Ryuichi, that they weren't just about eating food. To him, sharing meals was about spending time with the people he cared about and making them happy, whether it was by eating or preparing food together.
It was only during their senior year in high school that Mitsuru started to understand the pleasures of dining with close friends. In fact, sharing meals with their dorm mates became some of her fondest memories of that year.
But now, she could see that Kikuno's ban on Ryuichi's food hurt him worse than it did her. She was just too blind to see it until only then.
"Maybe I can work something out with Kikuno-san," Ryuichi said, his voice growing hopeful. "I can learn to make healthier snacks for you. And for my family's food, we can always share some with the maid staff if it's too much for us, right? Your mom won't mind, will she? I mean, she doesn't have to share her portion, so you and I can split ours with the maid staff, no problem. Fewer calories for us, and tasty food for them."
He scratched his chin. "Though, I wonder if that was my parents' intention from the start," he murmured. "Free samples to draw in more customers. Go figure."
"Why would you need to share your portion, though?" Mitsuru asked him.
"So we can eat the same amount," he replied with a grin. "That way, you won't feel unsatisfied if you see how much more I ate compared to you. Plus, there'll be more for the maid staff to share."
Frowning, Mitsuru wasn't happy with his answer. "But you still don't need reduce your meals for my sake. You require more food than I do."
"Oh, don't worry about that," he reassured her. "I figured if I need to snack on something, I'll do it without you looking, so at least you won't see me and get tempted to eat more.
"But, if it's a healthy snack, then I'll gladly share with you," he added with a decisive nod.
He was being considerate of her, she noticed. She appreciated his honesty about planning to eat more in secret despite wanting the same portion sizes as her. She was just grateful that he was being supportive of her while still taking care of his own nutritional needs.
When she came out of her thoughts, Mitsuru saw remorse in Ryuichi's eyes. Alarmed, she was about to speak up when he bent slightly at the waist, bowing to her.
"I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused," he said solemnly, no longer smiling. "And for making you gain weight."
Mitsuru's guilt stabbed into her gut. "No, I'm sorry that my overindulgence in your food caused you anguish," she told him in turn. "The truth is, I really do enjoy all the things you prepare for me, and I'm grateful that your family always thinks of me and sends their delicious food. I guess I let my lack of self control get the better of me every time. And because of that, I caused Kikuno to take drastic measures for my sake."
Her eyes tensed up as she recalled her other realization from earlier. "But, it's strange," she said slowly, and Ryuichi straightened up from bowing. "It felt like Kikuno was pushing harder than usual for this manhunt. It's almost as if—"
That was when she saw Ryuichi's knowing grin. "Don't tell me this is all part of your training?" she asked in bewilderment.
"Yeah, but I didn't catch onto it at first." Ryuichi let his head loll back onto his shoulders. "She kinda ruined it when she brought in the chopper. Way too dramatic."
Mitsuru's lips flapped as she searched for the right words. "But, this is normal training for you? To this degree?"
He gave her a pitiful smile. "This is actually pretty tame. They probably had to tone it down since it's at the mansion and you got involved."
Calling what they just went through "tame" was beyond Mitsuru's comprehension, especially when she tried to imagine how much worse it could be.
"I had no idea how rigorous your training was."
"The surprise element is part of the training. Gotta be prepared for anything, right? At least this time, I had a handicap."
He gave his Evoker a few spins on his finger. "But, you figured out what she was doing?" he asked her.
She nodded. "I realized that her creating such a ridiculous ban on your cooking was some sort of challenge to you," she explained. "It struck me as strange that she wasn't advising me to limit how much I ate in general.
"Though, she did attempt to limit me at dinner tonight," she recalled. "But, that was probably because I received a slightly larger portion than normal."
She rubbed her thumb against the paper bag. "But to think, you still rose to the challenge and did all this for me," she murmured appreciatively.
Ryuichi started turning to her and nearly slipped. They both clung to the tree when the bough bounced from his movements. Mitsuru braced herself against the tree trunk, then snatched up the paper bag before it slipped from her lap. Even after the bough had settled down, neither dared to move beyond taking shallow breaths. They exchanged frightened stares, as though to silently reassure each other that they were safe.
"Sorry about that," Ryuichi muttered, steadying himself on the overhead branch again. "Anyway, I was gonna say that after last year I was fed up with people bossing me around, so I wasn't just going to let Kikuno-san stop me from cooking for you even if it was just a test."
He looked to her with determination burning in his eyes. "The time I get to spend coming up with your snacks for tea, and the time we share eating my family's food together—No one's gonna take that from me."
Mitsuru's heart swelled from hearing his passionate declaration. "Perhaps that was the true purpose of this test," she said, struggling to hide how flustered she was.
"What, to see how far I'm willing to go for you?"
"Possibly. It could actually be a test for us both."
Ryuichi let out a low groan. "All I wanted to do was spend a little time with you today," he grumbled. "Why'd she have to schedule a test now?"
Mitsuru looked around them, seeing little more than dark silhouettes of trees and tiny shreds of green skies through the leaves. From what she could tell, they were alone.
"We're here now," she remarked. "And there isn't much else we can do until Kikuno calls off her search. Why not take this time to sample your cooking?"
She could just make out Ryuichi's broad smile. "Yeah, you're right," he realized. "Let's see them nuggets!"
With delicate fingers, Mitsuru unfurled the paper bag's crumpled top. She reached inside, groping around blindly in the dark when she felt a small, plastic container. There were four of them, and each one she found, she passed to Ryuichi for safekeeping.
"It's the sauces," he said. "Can't really tell in the dark, but they're ranch dressing, honey mustard, sweet and sour, and our signature barbecue sauce."
She pulled out a small box next. "It's still warm," she told him.
"That's good. I was afraid they'd be cold by now."
She found another box. "There's two in here."
"Yeah, the one with the 'X' on it is the spicy one."
Ryuichi took the box of spicy nuggets from her so she could try the plain ones first. Squinting in the darkness, Mitsuru could just barely make out the lumpy little nuggets inside.
"Try it without the sauces first so you can make a comparison," he suggested.
Mitsuru picked up a nugget. She was surprised to find that it wasn't as greasy as she expected. After assessing it in the dark, she finally took a bite.
"It's so crispy!" She merrily munched while holding her hand up to cover her mouth. "And you were right about it being moist inside. And those flavors—It tastes like the fried chicken you made for everyone on Christmas! C'est trés bon!"
"That's exactly what it is!"
Ryuichi was all smiles as she ate. "You know, most commercial fast food places actually make their nuggets out of some kind of chicken mush with breading mixed into the meat," he explained. "Dad just took some chicken breasts, cut them into pieces, and marinated them. All I did was bread 'em and fry 'em, so you're getting the real deal."
Mitsuru finished off her first nugget. "Why would they mix breading into the meat?"
"For filler, I guess. Saves money that way."
Mitsuru asked to try one of the spicy nuggets next. "You said before that it's not spicy, is that right?" she asked, making sure she had heard him correctly the first time.
"Yup." He held open the box for her to take one. "Or at least, I didn't feel any heat when I ate some."
Mitsuru slowly turned her frigid stare to him, having already taken a bite. She braced herself for a blaze in her mouth, tasting even more flavors than the plain nugget. Soon, she felt a tiny smolder on her tongue that surprisingly didn't worsen as she ate.
"It's a little hot, but it's quite nice," she said, marveling at how tame the heat was. "I think I prefer this to the original, though that one's good, too."
He put on an uneasy grin. "So, does that earn a 'c'est magnifique'?"
"Yes, I believe one is in order," she agreed. "C'est magnifique! My compliments to both you and your father!"
He let her try the nuggets with the sauces next. Mitsuru sampled and complimented each pairing, praising the variety of creamy, tangy, sweet, and smoky flavors. She offered him some of the nuggets, and as they ate together, she couldn't help but giggle.
"Never did I ever think I would find myself eating chicken nuggets in a tree while hiding from my maid staff," she realized aloud, tickled by their circumstances.
Ryuichi paused with his mouth open in a silent, hearty laugh. A second later, he laughed along with her.
"There really is something about your cooking that I've missed," Mitsuru said, thinking back throughout the past week or so. "I noticed that, even though we still took our tea together sometimes, there was something different. Everything tasted good as usual, but the feeling wasn't the same. I suppose that means I've gotten used to your tastes when you started serving me tea last year."
She shook her head. "No, it's not that I got used to it. Rather, I've grown very fond of it."
Her face flushed when she said that. Through the darkness, she couldn't tell if Ryuichi was blushing, too, but she did notice how much the bough trembled and swayed from the way he fidgeted.
"W-Well, um, I think we've had our fun for tonight," he sputtered. "Don't want the others to think you're getting me pregnant or something."
Mitsuru nearly choked on a nugget. "I-I beg your pardon?"
"I kid! I kid!" he laughed. "Just don't choke up here; the Heimlich maneuver is kinda hard to do in a tree, y'know."
They packed up the remaining sauces and nuggets. When they were ready, Ryuichi dropped down from the tree first, surprising Mitsuru with how quietly he landed.
"Um, Ryuichi?" Mitsuru whispered down to him. "I have heels on, and I can't see."
"Just drop down," he whispered back. "I'll catch you."
"Drop... how?"
"Just push off."
With a dutiful nod, Mitsuru cast all her trust on him and dropped down. Half a second later, Ryuichi caught her in his arms, completely safe.
"Thank you," she uttered breathlessly as he set her down. "Incredible. You've only been training for a few months now, and your strength and skills have improved immensely. I don't even know how you didn't get disoriented during our flight."
"That's because you don't know how many times I've crashed," he said proudly.
"What?"
"I used Rakukaja every time! No worries!"
He held up his hand with the Dark Hour ring. "So, ready to go back?"
She thinned her lip. "There's one more thing," she said, squirming as she gripped the greasy bag.
"Yeah? What is it?"
Hesitating, Mitsuru pretended to divert her attention to something else. "Um, I was just thinking about how quiet it's been," she said instead. "I didn't notice it before, but I haven't heard the helicopter or the others since we fled."
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure they pulled back a long time ago," Ryuichi replied. "Probably didn't want anyone to think there was a raid going on at the Kirijo mansion if I took off the ring right away."
"Ah, that makes sense." She pushed her bangs away from her face, only for it to fall back over her eye. "Well, then, let's not delay any longer."
As Ryuichi slipped the ring off of his finger, Mitsuru leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. The world darkened for a few seconds, then lit up again with the stars twinkling above and the lights around the grounds turning back on.
Mitsuru pulled away, hiding her blushing face from Ryuichi.
"That's not fair," he bemoaned. "Here, let me put it back on—"
"You don't have to—"
"But they might see me return the favor—"
"I was the one returning the favor," she insisted, still reeling from her bold move. "Now, come along. We're going to have a little talk with Kikuno about our current situation."
She started for the lights beyond the forest when Ryuichi took her by the hand.
"It's this way," he said, pulling her in the opposite direction.
Mitsuru shook her head. "But the lights are over there," she told him. "That means the mansion is that way."
"Trust me. I know the way."
Nodding, Mitsuru let him lead her through the forest. They took their time, strolling along the trees hand-in-hand, taking the longest possible route. The two chatted and laughed as they went their way, and only let go of each other once they emerged from the darkness of the trees.
The next day, Ryuichi was once again permitted to prepare Mitsuru's tea. Mitsuru contained her giddiness with a warm smile as he wheeled the tea trolley into the music room where she was waiting. When he lifted the cover off of the dish in the center, Mitsuru stared in confusion.
"Chicken nuggets?" she asked.
"They're baked!" he said triumphantly. "So they're actually healthier than what you had last night, but still delicious!"
Mitsuru tried one. She notice right away that the texture of the breading was a little different, where there was no grease and not as crisp as before. The flavors were all there, and despite the differences, she found herself enjoying it as much as the fried version.
"So, I know it's not quite the same as the original, but I'm still testing out recipes and techniques to keep it moist but crispy without a fryer," Ryuichi said enthusiastically as he poured her some tea. "I'm gonna try to tweak all the other recipes I know to make them healthier, too, so please bear with me while I'm still experimenting.
"Don't worry, Mitsuru," he told her with a reassuring grin. "I'll be sure to make you something in its original decadent glory every once in a while."
Mitsuru beamed at him. "I look forward to it, and all the other dishes you prepare," she said. "Please remember to reduce the portion sizes for me."
"No problem. In fact, your mother has requested that I personally prepare her some snacks for her tea as well, so I can always send some goodies her way."
Just then, Mitsuru saw Kikuno pass by the music room. Her maid gave an approving nod with her smile, and Mitsuru returned her nod with a thankful one of her own.