Megumi Nakajima, a coworker in the hospital where Irie and Kotoko work, runs up to Irie.
"Irie-san, I know you don't know me that well, but would you like this Italian Tiramisu cake from the expensive bakery up the road?" Her adoration for him is apparent.
"I'm sorry, but I will have to decline. Thank you anyway," he replies smoothly and goes to the cafeteria with Nishigaki sensei, who has his mouth open in wonder.
"How could you decline such a beautiful cake, from such a beautiful, talented lady? She is our hospital's best female-" The prestigious doctor is interrupted by yet another woman with a gift from Irie, this time a receptionist-intern with a large box of caramels and chocolates.
"H-h-hi, I am Ibuki Sakura. Uh-um...would you like these chocolates?"
"I'm sorry, but I will have to decline. Thank you anyway," Irie repeats the same line from before, like a robot, and continues with the doctor.
They sit down at one of the tables. Nishigaki-sensei opens his bento, a very cute one with the wieners cut like octopus and everything in its right section.
Irie opens his, and sighs. Nishigaki-sensei looks extremely scared. He looks like he wants to run from the seemingly menacing dish on the table.
It looks like a brown goop, and bubbles occasionally. Thick, foreboding black smoke hisses from the mysterious brown mixture and an occasional electric spark jolts out. Attached is a note on pink stationary paper written with purple glitter pen.
Dear Irie-kun,
Mother was supposed to make your lunch but I wanted to make it instead. I know its a rough time because of the epidemic breaking out and I barely see you in the hospital anyway, given we are working in diffferent different sections of the building. I made you a sandwish...sorry, sandwich. I even wrote the letter in Inglish, I mean, English to try to impress you so you can take your mind off of work.
I know the sandwich didn't turn out so well, but plees...I mean, please try to enjoy it.
I love you,
Irie Kotoko
Irie finishes reading out the letter, laughing and Nishigaki-sensei almost spits out his food. "THAT'S supposed to be a SANDWICH?"
"Apparently..." Irie replies and takes a bite out of the suspicious brown goop, making an effort to swallow. Eventually, he finishes the whole thing.
"What..." Nishigaki is confused. "Why would you refuse gourmet cakes and chocolates, and then eat TOXIC WASTE?"
Kin-chan at that moment chooses to walk over, hand in hand with Chris. "Hello, Nishigaki-sensei! We just wanted to say thank you again for curing Chris's burns. There is barely any scarring." Greetings are exchanged and Kin-chan looks at what remains of the 'toxic waste' AKA the sandwich.
"Kotoko made that, didn't she?"
"Yeah," Nishigaki decides to reply for Irie. "Kin chan, Irie refuses all sorts of gourmet desserts and eats" he shudders, "this sandwich."
"Ah, but that's the difference." Chris says, smiling. "Irie will eat ANYTHING that Kotoko makes. Just because it's Kotoko."
Irie grumbles, but doesn't reply in the negative.
AN: I noticed this while watching the new J-drama with Furukawa Yuki and Honoka Miki. When Irie is working at Pandai, Kotoko makes a disgusting dinner, which Yuki hates, (it cracks his teeth), but Naoki eats it and tells Yuki to finish it too, much to the shock of Kotoko and Yuuki.