Here you are. Please continue to review and give ideas!
"Since you all can't seem to grasp the meaning of these exercises," Takashima-sensei said, pushing up her glasses, "You'll spend the rest of the afternoon doing chores." She ignored the groans and protests and said, "First years will be doing the cooking. Second years will be cleaning the bath. Third years will be cleaning the rest of the inn. You can stop for lunch, but then I want you all back to cleaning."
Groaning and grumbling, the regulars went off to do as instructed. The first years made their way to the kitchen and looked through all the ingredients they had available. Furuya stared at the apples for a few moments before he picked one up and began winding up as though he were about to pitch.
"Ah! Satou-kun! You can't throw that in here!" Haruichi said, rushing to stop the tall pitcher. He grabbed Furuya's arm and took the apple, sighing in relief for avoiding the potential disaster. His breath hitched when he saw Eijun about to do the exact same thing, only with a tomato. "Eijun-kun! No!" He waved his arms frantically and Eijun frowned but put the tomato down.
Placing a hand over his chest, Haruichi sighed. "Do either of you know how to cook?" He asked, looking back and forth at his two friends. Furuya stared blankly at him while Eijun laughed.
"Of course not!" He said, "My mom made all my food!" Haruichi sighed and dropped his head forward. "What about you Harucchi?"
"A little," The short teen said. "And with the ingredients we have, we can easily make rice, ohitashi, tamagoyaki, and miso soup. It's not much, but I'm sure everyone is hungry. We can also make a sponge cake for dessert." He began pulling out the ingredients as he talked. "Satoru-kun, do you think you could make the rice? Eijun-kun, if you'll start washing the spinach for the ohitashi and start a pot of boiling water on the stove we can get started." Turning, he flushed at the awestruck look on Eijun's face. "W-what?"
"You don't even need a recipe!" Eijun exclaimed. "Harucchi's amazing!"
Haruichi flushed more. "G-go ahead and start. I'm going to start on the miso soup." Eijun saluted and turned on the stove before getting the biggest pot he could find and filling it with water. Furuya took the rice and stared at it, wondering what he was supposed to do. "Satou-kun," Haruichi said when he noticed the silent pitcher wasn't moving, "Have you ever made anything before?"
"…no…" Furuya said softly.
Lip twitching slightly, Haruichi said, "Then how about you go see if someone else needs help. Eijun-kun and I can handle things in here. I really don't have time to teach you right now." Turning, Haruichi stilled when he saw the mess Eijun was creating. "Eijun-kun! You're supposed to wash the spinach! Not tear it up!"
"I am washing it," The pitcher responded, tearing another leaf.
Twitching, Haruichi said, "I can handle the cooking. You two go help the others."
"But Harucchi, we're all supposed to help cook!"
"It's fine Eijun-kun. I'd rather not have to worry about the two of you ruining the ingredients or making a big mess. I also don't have time to teach either of you what you're supposed to do right now, so go help the others."
"But-"
"GO!" Eijun and Furuya jumped before hurrying to see if anyone else needed help. Sighing, Haruichi took one of the cloths and used it to tie his hair back, out of his face. Quickly finishing the task he'd set Eijun to do, he put the spinach into the boiling water and turned to wash the rice.
He moved quickly, no hesitation in any of his movements. A slight smile came to his face as he remembered his mother teaching him, standing behind him and guiding his hands, explaining to him how everything was made.
Checking the timer on the rice and all the other dishes that were cooking, Haruichi started on the sponge cake. Making sure everything was out, he cracked the eggs into a bowl and began whisking them until they were frothy. Gradually, he added in the sugar and honey, occasionally pausing to beat the mixture. He continued the pattern for about twelve minutes before he took his dry ingredients and shifted them together and folded it into his mixture a little at a time. When he was sure it was all mixed, he slid his greased cake pan over and slowly poured the mixture in, making sure it was even. Putting it into the steamer, he turned back to the actual meal.
The rice was ready, and the ohitashi was ready. The tamagoyaki and miso soup were nearly ready, just needing a few finishing touches. Taking a cart that was used to transport food in the inn, Haruichi quickly dished out the servings onto plates and in bowls, setting them on each tray before wheeling the cart out into the dining area.
He wasn't sure if it was the smell or someone had come to check and told the others, but as he was about to go get the regulars, they entered the dining hall. Haruichi took off the cloth on his head and took one of the trays before sitting down in one of the seats.
Gradually, the rest of the regulars grabbed their trays and sat down. "Harucchi!" Eijun said, happily sitting next to his friend, "It looks so good!" Shouting the customary 'let's eat' he started digging in. He only got a few bites before he looked up with stars in his eyes. "It's so good! Harucchi's amazing!"
"Not bad," Jun scowled, sipping some of the miso soup.
"Feminine looks and feminine habits," Tetsu said, nodding like everything made sense. Haruichi flushed and took another bite, ducking down in his seat a little while the others laughed, chuckled or smiled.
Eijun continued to wolf down his food and when it was gone he held his bowl out to the small pink haired teen. "Seconds!" Smiling slightly, Haruichi finished his own meal before taking the cart back into the kitchen. He loaded the rest of the food onto the cart and pushed it back out for the others' to get themselves before heading back in to check on his sponge cake.
"Is he really a boy?" Kuramochi crackled when the first year was gone. "He cooks better than my mother does!"
Ryousuke chuckled. "Yes, and our mother taught him everything she knew before she passed away. When she was gone, Haruichi took over the cooking and we both helped our father with the chores after practice."
Kuramochi rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry about your mom."
Ryousuke shook his head. "She'd been sick for a long time. I'm glad she's not suffering anymore." The air was slightly somber for the next few moments until Haruichi came out with the sponge cake.
He flinched back slightly at the look in everyone's eyes when they saw the cake and hurriedly put it down before it was descended upon. Haruichi blinked when the regulars backed off and saw the pan was empty.
"Maybe I should have made another," He said, mostly to himself. He frowned when he saw that all the other pots were empty as well. "Did I not make enough?"
"You made plenty," Ryousuke said, handing his brother a slice of the cake he'd managed to save. "See?" He gestured to the rest who were sighing happily, some rubbing their stomachs.
Smiling at the sight, Haruichi took a bite of his cake, only to frown. "I left it in too long," He muttered. "It got too soggy."
"It's fine," Ryousuke said, taking the cake from his brother who held it out to him. "Everyone liked it. Not everything has to be perfect." Haruichi flushed a little and ducked his head with a small smile.
When everyone was done, they went back to their tasks and Haruichi brought the dirty pans, bowls, plates, trays and utensils back to the kitchen to clean.
So there you have it. Let me know what you think! And who should Eijun and Furuya help out?
I know I shouldn't say this as an author, but I really want someone to draw fanart for this, regression, and memories...I would...but I suck at drawing -_-
Anyway! Hope you enjoyed it! See you whenever inspiration decided to strike me down and tie me up to force me to write!