Skipped Mitsuo's dungeon, and Shadow fight because he's a dick, and I didn't want to write about it xDD So this chapter is dedicated to the Omelette Cookoff~! 8D
900 words to 3,000? YEAH, TRY TO SAY IT'S TOO SHORT NOWWWW! *shot* I'm kidding~! D;
7/31
Exactly a week after you dove into the TV to save Erin, the police's suspect appeared on the Midnight Channel. His dungeon was an old school, pixelated video game, and when you reached the end, you were forced to fight his Shadow self. Long story short, he confessed to the murder, and he was prosecuted.
"At least Adachi-san seemed happy..." Chie offered at the Junes foodcourt's table, trying to lighten the mood. The atmopshere definitely felt tense, as each one of you had a forlorn expression on your face.
Yosuke looked at you, "Well, I guess this means our work is done..." He said, a little unsure of himself. Beside him, Erin shook her head.
"I-I still can't believe he did that all for attention! That's insane..."
"I know... Don't worry." He told her, forcing a smile.
Rise sighed in relief, "It's finally over... Let's leave the rest to the police."
Teddie smiled, "My world will be peaceful again now."
"Yeah, I'm happy for you," Yukiko began, her own smile beginning to appear on her pale face, "We really went through alot..."
Kanji turned to you, "But now that the case is solved, we won't be calling you 'Leader' anymore, will we...?"
"Oh! Well, we still could~ It'd just be a little weird calling you that in public..." Erin started with a laugh, which earned her some weird looks. Despite her efforts, you could still feel the heaviness set in, and you stared down at the table. Now that the case was over, what would you do with yourself...?
Kazuto suddenly shot his head up, as an idea came to mind, "Why don't we celebrate? We've put all our time into the case, and haven't had much time to relax. Plus, it'll give us some closure."
Seichi grinned at the idea, "Ooh, a party! That sounds fun! Let's go all out~!"
You smiled, and nodded slowly, "It does sound nice... I don't remember the last time I attended a party."
Narashino put an arm around Rise, "Then it's decided?" She nodded, with a small giggle, and the group of you exchanged looks.
"Oooh ooh! I wanna go to Yuki-chan's house!" Teddie suddenly sprang up, and had a dreamy look on his face, "Gorgeous dinner, hot springs, table tennis, yukata! Geisha, Fujiyama, full wootness!" You wondered if he'd start foaming at the mouth... And how he knew about all that in the first place...
Kanji had a look of realization on his face, "You're right, Yukiko-senpai's family runs a hot springs inn... A-A hot spring that... Yukiko-senpai bathes in too...?"
Erin wrinkled her nose in disdain, "Eww, Kanji-kun, that's disgusting! Why would you even bring that up?"
Yosuke joined her, "Seriously, keep that to yourself! ... You're sounding like a real creep." Kanji 'tch'ed, and crossed his arms. (THEY JUST GANGBANGED HIM! *shot*)
Yukiko chuckled nervously, "W-well, it does sound like fun... But I don't think it's possible today..."
Chie frowned, "Yeah, it is summer vacation. All the rooms must be occupied."
"We can't do a sleepover...?" Teddie looked like he was about to cry.
"W-We could always have it at my place," You offered, and his face instantly brightened up.
Seichi fistpumped, "Alright~! Let's do this!"
It was decided that you all would attempt to make dinner for Nanako tonight. Attempt meaning, your stomach still cringed at the thought of Chie and Yukiko cooking, and you weren't sure how'd it turn out... A flashback of the school campout suddenly came to mind... (Written by DA ;D)
"Ugh, picking up all that trash was murder on my back." Yosuke groaned.
Seichi let out a 'tch' as he rubbed his shoulder. "You think that's bad? I had to pick up a bike. A bike! I swear, when I find the guys that did this, I am gonna..." you shivered at how Seichi was acting. This was one of the few times you were beginning to wonder who was worse, him or Kanji when they were angry.
"Still, it'll be totally worth it once we get some of the girls cooking!' Yosuke grinned. You felt your heart drop, suddenly remembering that.
"I think I'm gonna be sick." you muttered. Seichi and Yosuke look at you curiously.
"Huh? Dude, what's wrong?" Yosuke asked.
"Dibs on Yu's food!" Seichi suddenly shouted.
Yosuke snapped his fingers. "Damn, I was just gonna say that!" You looked over your shoulder and gulped. It looked like Chie and Yukiko weren't very good at cooking. You should have told them you were gonna cook. You knew a couple of things, plus, whenever you cooked, it seemed like Nanako was taking notes or something.
"Okay guys, it's done!" You gulped hard as you silently prayed. Seichi and Yosuke rubbed their palms.
"Alright, chow time!" Yosuke cried happily as the girls prepped their plates in front of you. Without another word, Yosuke took one bite...
And hit the ground, holding his throat. Seichi raised an eyebrow while the girls tended to him. He took a quick whiff of his food, then raised an eyebrow. "What did you girls put in this?" he asked curiously.
Chie fidgeted. "A lot of... love?" Seichi still looked suspicious, then he turned to you. "You gonna take a bite?" Well, you were feeling a little brave, plus, the girls were staring at intently. You took one bite of your food...
And just like that, you hit the ground. Seichi raised an eyebrow even higher, but either way, he took a bite, and for a moment, he was silent. "Are you sure this, tastes... bad..."
And just like you and Yosuke, Seichi hit the ground. Chie sighed, along with Yukiko. "Okay, so... who's taking them into the infirmiry?"
You and Yosuke were inside your tent with Kanji. He already told you he was coming, but, you were wondering where Seichi was. "Hey, anybody seen Sei?" Kanji asked.
Yosuke shrugged. "He got the worst of it, since he ate most of it. Honesty, that guy has a lot of stomach tolerance." You nodded in agreement.
"Maybe it was because Chie cooked it and he didn't want to hurt her feelings?" you offered.
Kanji chuckled. "Yeah, that does sound like him. But, why does he like Chie-senpai anyway?" he asked curiously.
Yosuke sighed. "Who knows, but, he did say that she was cute when he saw her back in his dungeon. He doesn't even mind the fact she dresses like a tomboy, or the fact that she's a kung-fu nutjob!" he shook his head. "I wonder if he's alright in the head."
Kanji raised an eyebrow. "Huh? But, hold on a sec, ain't he the captain of the boxing team?"
You nodded. "Yup, and he's only a first year. It's mostly because he was asking to beat the crap out of anyone he laid eyes on."
Kanji nodded, but then he looked at Yosuke. "By the way, where's Kaz?" he asked.
Yosuke shrugged. "Dunno, he said that he was feeling a bit under the weather and had to skip. Lucky bastard." he grumbled. For once, you agreed that Kazuto was lucky.
"But, that doesn't explain why you're here Kanji!" Yosuke fired back.
Kanji shrugged back. "My teach threatened to hold me back, and the first year's tent was as quiet as all hell." You weren't surprised. "So, I decided to come here. Hope you don't mind, Senpai." you smiled as you shook your head.
"No problem at all, Kanji."
Yosuke, on the other hand, wasn't pleased. "Fine, just... sleep over there." he stabbed a thumb over a large rock.
"Dude there's a huge rock over there! It'll hurt like hell!"
Meanwhile, back at the infirmiry tent, Seichi groaned. "Note to self, ask Chie not to cook period... Oh god, nurse! Get the trash can! Think I'm gonna..."
"Dude, you alright? You look like you're gonna get sick." Seichi commented, and you were brought back to reality.
"Y-yeah, I'm okay~ Wait here, I'm going to call Nanako." He nodded, and you fished out your phone from your pocket, and dialed the number.
Teddie thought it'd be a good idea to turn the dinner into a competition, with Nanako as the judge. You weren't too keen about the idea, especially with what happened before, but you didn't have the heart to tell him no.
After a few seconds, Nanako finally picked up, "Hello, Dojima residence..." When she realized it was you, her voice softened, "Oh hi."
"Hey, Nanako. Is your dad going to be working late?" A sad yes was her reply, "Don't worry about dinner tonight, my friends and I are going to cook."
"Huh? You're all going to cook...?"
Why'd she sound like she was in disbelief? With a small laugh, you asked her what she wanted for dinner, and she told you an omelette with fried rice. "Alright, we just need to pick up some ingredients, but we'll be there in a few."
"Okay, I'll be waiting!" You could hear her smile as you hung up, and closed your phone shut. She seemed to be looking forward to it.
"Fried rice omelette... An excellent choice, Nanako-chan," Yosuke remarked, like he had culinary expertise, "With a dish that simple, I doubt we'll get a second helping of Mystery Food X."
"Mystery Food X...?" Erin repeated, looking confused. "Huh? Leader-kun, what's wrong?"
You felt bile rise in your throat at the thought, "I-I don't want to talk about it..."
Chie sweatdropped, and laughed nervously, "I-It's probably nothing, Rin-chan... Alright, let's go get our ingredients!" The girls dispersed, and went off in different directions. The 6 of you looked around confused.
"Uhhh... Where the hell are they going?" Narashino asked, visibly twitching, "If they're cooking the same thing... Why'd they go to different parts of the store?" A good question... You shrugged in defeat.
"Looks like you'll need all the help I can give you..." Yosuke murmured, looking at you and Kazuto, "Hey, what kind of omelette are you two making? I'll go get the ingredients for ya."
"We'll go with an Asian-American one," Kazuto replied, handing him a written list of ingredients you needed, and Yosuke nodded, and left to gather them.
Once everyone was done, you ended up with a cart filled with very... Interesting ingredients.
Narashino looked down at the assortment of items, "So... who's puttin' habańero peppers in their omelet?" He asked, but no one replied. "Fine, don't tell me~"
"Foie gras?" Yosuke questioned, also looking over the cartful of ingredients.
"I think it's French, or... Something..." Seichi shrugged.
Rise's eyes seemed to sparkle at the question, "It's a must-have for my special omelette~!" You weren't sure why, but your stomach was doing backflips. "Don't worry, I'll let you have a taste. Ooh, maybe I should spoon-feed you~!" She giggled seductively, "I heard last time you choked down something so awful that words couldn't describe it."
Yosuke cringed at the memory, "It was horrible..." He said, a little too dramatically.
"You poor dears… Who would do such a horrible thing...?"
Chie glared at her, "R-R-Rise-san? This is gonna be the only chance you get to gloat, is that clear?"
"Damn, is it just me, or is Chie-senpai really hot when she gets angry?" Seichi whispered to Yosuke, or seemed rather repulsed.
"It's just you..."
Kanji walked up to you guys, "Whoa~! You guys look like you're ready to enter the Ultimate Frying Championship!" He remarked jokingly.
Yukiko's eyes drifted over to the bottle he had in his hand, and she gasped, "Kanji-kun! That's alcohol!"
"Huh? ...Ohhh, uh... Hahaha... Ehh..." He went to go put it back.
"If he really wanted it, I could've bought if for him..." Narashino muttered, "I can pass off as an adult."
Erin looked around, "Oh, by the way... Where's Ted-kun?" She asked you.
His voice could be heard off in the distance, "Miss? Am I allowed to eat this?" The group of you turned to see him flirting with a middle-aged woman wearing an apron, and standing behind a table with a portable grill. You guessed she was the sample person.
"Of course you can, dear! Eat as much as you like~!" She was flirting back... Gross.
Teddie smirked, "You're such a nice lady. Is this one cooked already?"
She giggled, "This one's ready too." He scarfed down the piece of meat in record speed. He put Chie to shame, "Oh my, are you hungry for more? Here... I'll open this package too..."
"I'm gonna knock the stuffing outta that bear!" Yosuke muttered, all, but dragging Teddie back to your place.
Rise, Chie, Yukiko, and Erin were making their omelettes (if you could call them that) in the kitchen, while you and Kazuto were making yours at the table.
"Man, I can't wait to taste Rise-chan's omelette~" Narashino sighed, and Seichi nudged him in the arm.
"Oh yeah, I bet you like her eggs, huh?" He said with a wink.
Narashino didn't catch the innuendo, "I wouldn't know, she doesn't cook much."
"Ehhh..."
After finishing your own omelette, you walk into the living room, alongside Yosuke. Teddie's sitting with Nanako at the table. "You guys... I have a new promise to keep," The blonde informed you, "S-So, I wanna stay here a little longer, even though the case's closed.. I-Is that okay with you?"
You smiled, "Don't worry about it, Ted."
"Yeah, you're not going anywhere~! You can't just quit your job like that." Yosuke narrowed his eyes, "In any case, if you left—"
Before he could finish, Rise pushed him out of the way, "Outta the way, Senpai~! The food's ready!"
He bumped into your chest, "Whoa~! Ow!"
She set each plate down on the table, and you all squished together around it. It was tight... Either you needed less friends, or a bigger table...
"Bon appetit~!"
Yosuke waved his arms, "W-Well wait a sec... Asking Nanako-chan to jump in and try these for us is kinda... Unethical."
Seichi snorted, "What do you know about being ethical, Senpai? 'sides, wasn't that the whole point of the cookoff?"
"Ohh... I get it what he's saying." Kanji murmured.
"You do? 'cause I don't..."
"He's sayin' it's our job to taste it first to make sure we can keep it down." Kanji finished, and Yosuke winked.
"Exactly~!"
Rise smiled, "Then try mine first, Yosuke-senpai. It's gua-ran-teed delicious~!" You had a feeling it wasn't.
With an eager smile, Yosuke picked up his spoon, and took a bite from Rise's omelette...
...and then choked. "Uurgh!" He reluctantly swallowed, "... I-I can't give this to Nanako-chan..."
"Because it's so good you won't let anyone else take a bite?" She asked. He didn't answer, and Narashino dug his spoon in too.
His eyes widened as he chewed, "...W-Water! N-Need water!"
Ignoring him, Yukiko offered with a smile, "Here, try mine next."
"I'll take this one~" Kanji announced, taking a bite. He looked down, and hummed.
Then took a second bite... Then a third...
"H-Hey, say something!"
He sweatdropped, "Well... Uh... How do I put this...? It tastes really, um... boneless...?
Yukiko glared at him, "What? That's not a word you use to describe taste!" In any event, you decided to take a bite too, and was surprised to find that it really didn't taste like anything. You told her that, and she scoffed. "Y-Your palent just isn't refined enough!"
Nanako reached over, and took a bite, "...I think it tastes good!"
"...Nanako-chan~!" She praised.
"So, umm... mine next?" Erin asked, and Yosuke grinned at her.
"Yanno, I've been waiting to try yours~"
She blushed, and waved her hand, "Aww, shucks, you're so sweet~!" He cut into her omelette, took a bite, and chewed thoughtfully.
"How is it?"
Yosuke blinked, "It-um... It's not bad? ...D-Definitely not the worst thing I've ever eaten!"
"Oh man..." She looked down at the table, "It's edible at least, right?"
"S-Sure?" He smiled.
Kazuto took a bite too, "It has quite an... Interesting taste?" He said slowly.
Her frown deepened, "I-I wasn't going for interesting!"
Nanako tried it too, "I-It's a little salty..." She admitted, "B-But still good~!"
Erin looked at her, "... Nanako-chan~!"
Chie scratched her neck nervously, "O-Okay… My turn!" She sighed, "Urgh… I don't know about this… But I-I think it'll taste good! This time for sure." She seemed rather unsure about it, and you cringed inwardly when Seichi took a bite.
"..." He grimaced, and discreetly spat it back out into his napkin. "So-um... A-Anyone else want some?"
"I'll give it a whirl~!" Teddie replied, taking a couple bites, "Wow... This tastes AWFUL! You hafta try this, Kazuto~!"
With some hesitance, Kazuto ate some of her omelette, "Yeah... That's... Pretty bad, actually."
"I-It's an improvement over the curry at least?" Seichi spoke up.
Chie hung her head, "Yeah, thanks for the consolation... I feel soooo much better."
Nanako took a bite after the guys did, and forced a smile, "I think... this tastes good... too..."
The tomboy's head popped up, "Nanako-chan...!"
Yukiko tried some, "Oh yeah, they're right... They're totally right, it tastes awful!" She broke into a laughing fit, and Chie glared at her.
"Then try Rise-chan's! I bet you anything mine tastes better than hers!"
She accepted the challenge, and took a bite from Rise's omelette...
...Then collapsed...
"S-Senpai?"
She wasn't waking up.
Nova-kun, I'm gonna try introducing Kagome in the next chapter, alright? :3