Recipe 5: Parents and First Date Preparations

Well, guess what! AnimeGirl4576, my faithful reader and reviewer, requested for more chapters, so I'm going to try and continue this😊

Ichigo had to wait less than a second for the door to burst open, the hinges breaking.

"I'm home!" She said, laughing.

"Welcome home!" Her parents said, her father setting the door right.

"He's been breaking the door since yesterday, when you told us you were coming," Said her mother, laughing.

"Are you tired? Should I carry you? Or your bags? Did you eat too many cakes? Or too less?"

"Dad, I can't answer so many questions at once!"

"You're spoiling her, darling!" Said her mother, smiling anyways.

Natsume came running down.

"Welcome home, sis!"

"Hello, Natsume! Busy with studies? Or the piano?"

"Actually, my school's annual day festival is in five days. The music club is singing a few songs, and I'm just editing the song. I'll be playing the piano for it."

"Five days? That's great! I'm going to be here for the next week!"

"You mean you can come?"

"Yes! Of course!"

Ichigo was turning seventeen in a few months, and Natsume was in her first year of high school.

"Sis, why don't you bring a few friends along? I'll be busy with the show for half the day, and then I'll be helping my classmates."

Ichigo remembered what Kashino had said to her just before they parted ways.

"My home isn't too far away, and," he said, scratching his neck and blushing, "I won't like it there anyways. So if you want to invite me somewhere maybe, I-I'll come. You know."

"Natsume, actually I do have someone I would like to invite."

Then her fussing father pushed her into the dining room and filled her with cakes until she could hardly walk.

"You haven't come home for a very long time! Daddy's so lonely, you know?"

"Dad, you visited my shop a week ago."

"But you haven't come HOME! I'll unpack for you, just wait. And I'll carry you to your room- whoops, up we go. Oh, you're lighter than before! Are you starving? Are you sleeping enough?"

Ichigo's mother just smiled. "Ignore him. Darling, fussing over her will make her even more tired."

Ichigo bounced on her old bed until she heard protesting moans from it. She then laid on it, her hair spread out, and took out her phone.

She paused at Kashino's contact, his face bright on her screen. Hanabusa had taken a picture secretly when he was tempering chocolate and sent it to her. His eyes were determined and his brows were furrowed in concentration. Ichigo's hand hovered above the call button.

Should I? Or should I not? Gosh. This is scary.

After staring at his picture for ten minutes, she finally summed up the courage to call him. She clicked on the call button, a shaking hand holding it to her ear.

Three rings and then she could hear someone's voice.

"Hello?" She said. "This is Amano Ichigo.."

"Oh, Ichigo. Kashino Makoto here. Did your father fuss too much? Judging by your tired voice."

"Yes! But he gave me lots of cakes so I'll forgive him." She could almost see Kashino rolling his eyes.

"What about you? You're home right?"

"Yeah, and my sister's being cold as usual. And on top of that I have to bear the romance between her and the bodyguard."

He heard Ichigo laugh on the phone, and he smiled.

"Anyway, Makoto, my sister Natsume is a freshman in high school this year and they are hosting their annual day in five days, so.."

"You want me to come, right?"

"Um.. Yeah.." She was glad that it was on the phone. If it was face to face he would surely tease her about the red tinge on her cheeks.

"Sure. What's the name of her school and where is it? Message me later if you don't know."

"Makoto! You know I'm bad at spelling!"

"If I can't understand what you've written, I'll just call you." He said with a teasing tone.

Ichigo's blush became redder.

"Fine. Her school is called Sakura High School, I'll message the address okay?"

"Okay. Bye, baka."

He cut the call, and Ichigo was left screaming to the wall "Makoto no baka!"

Ichigo rubbed her sleepy eyes. Her room was bright, and it illuminated the time on her digital click on her bed stand.

"Ten forty?!" She ran down, and tripped down the stairs as usual.

"Oh, someone's awake."

Her father ran to her, checking for injuries.

"I'm fine."

Her mother microwaved her toast and gave it to her. Ichigo took a bite.

"What's that strange expression on her face? The one when she eats delicious cakes?"

"Ichigo, it's only a sandwich.."

Ichigo and her parents sat in the living room after lunch, her father reading the newspaper and her mother straightening a cushion. Ichigo sat down.

"So, Ichigo.."

Ichigo gulped at her mother's tone.

"Any boyfriends yet?"

Ichigo hadn't told her parents yet, mainly because they didn't see each other often. The two years in Paris and the year running Lâ Reve Couleur were busy indeed. But she knew that it was only an excuse. She turned red.

"Um, mom, you see.."

Her father abruptly put down the newspaper.

"What? My darling daughter has a boyfriend? You promised you'd marry ME! Do you remember?"

"When she was four!"

Her mother glanced at her father, who was now pounding his newspaper into a pulp and ranting.

She turned back to Ichigo. "You're seventeen. It's fine, ignore him. Now, who is it? One of the Sweets Princes right?"

She nodded. "But they aren't the Sweets Princes anymore, they-"

"Tell me his name. Was it the tall black one! Ooh, Andou I think. Or that green haired handsome one? Hanabusa if I remember. Or, don't tell me- That blonde one?"

"T-the last one. Kashino Makoto."

Her mother frowned slightly. "Hmm. The other two would've been better, but this one's fine. Now I have to convince your dad."

She nodded, relieved.

"You're taking him to Natsume's school's annual day right?"

She blushed. "How did you know?"

Her mother smiled a knowing smile.

"I was just like you a long time ago. Now go before your father explodes."

Ichigo giggled and ran into the kitchen to bake a cake.

The next few days were spent baking cakes (they were very impressed), eating cakes and worrying about Natsume's school festival. She sent Kashino the address, and he sent a message back.

Got it. It's only the two of us, right? Then it's a date.😉

M.K

Ichigo turned steaming red. "Makoto no BAKA!"

She conveniently forgot that she was in the living room, and that Natsume was right beside her.

"Ooh, sis… You have a boyfriend!"

Her father ran out, crushing the newspaper again.

"And you're going on a date in my school! I better keep away.. Or maybe I'll stay near and learn about kissing!"

"NATSUME…."

"Uh oh."

"Stop fighting, girls.."

"AAAAAAAAH! TAKE THAT!"

"OWWWWW! THAT HURTS!"

Ichigo stood in front of a heap of clothes. All piled up, they were as tall as her.

"Party dress.. Too flashy.. Cake costume.. No way I'm not gonna cosplay… Uniform.. No.. Swimming clothes.. NO WAY!"

Another pile lay beside it. Ichigo flopped onto the bed.

"What do I wear…"

After help from Natsume, she finally picked a frilly shirt and short white trousers.

"Isn't it too plain?"

"Nah, it'll be fine. On my first date I wore something way too extravagant. Luckily your dad is stupid, and he didn't notice it."

"Hey! Who are you calling stupid?"

Ichigo just smiled. She couldn't wait.

You are probably wondering where Vanilla was. She was in Sakura High School (Natsume's school). She and Chocolat were planning something.

Truly evil.

Muhahahahaha!

Wow, this is 11 pages long! There will be a continuation of this story. Sorry if there's too less Kashigo! Thanks for reading!