Having finished her breakfast, Natsuki got up from her seat and made her way over to the sink with her dirty dishes.
"Wow, you must have been really hungry." She heard MC say as he entered the room with the two aprons they would be wearing while they baked. "You completely cleaned your plate."
"Oh..." Natsuki looked down at the piece of pale blue ceramic in her hand, there wasn't even a single crumb left on the plate. "Well, yeah! I mean..." Natsuki looked over at the drying cooking utensils in the drain rack next to the sink. "You worked really hard to make me something this tasty, so it only makes sense that I'd eat every last bit of it."
As MC began to walk over to take over Natsuki's cleaning of the dishes, she shook her head towards him. "I've got this, it's the least I can do, after all." She told him as she turned the water on. "And I meant what I said, it really was delicious."
While Natsuki ran water over the plate and filled her glass up a few times with water to adequately clean it out, MC leaned against the kitchen counter. "Well, if you think that was tasty, then dinner is gonna blow you away."
Natsuki didn't move, she simply let the water run over her hands as she attempted to process what MC had just said. "You're gonna make... dinner too...?"
"Of course!" MC instantly responded. "I thought that since we're going to bake cupcakes together, that we may as well cook something for dinner together, too!"
Natsuki just continued to stare at MC as the water kept running over her hands.
"Oh! Um..." MC rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "I didn't mean to make it awkward for you, Natsuki. I'm sorry if I was being presumptuous." He let his arm fall back to his side. "If you can't stay, I understa-"
"No!" Natsuki yelled out. "It's not that, I'd love to have dinner with you. It's ju-" Her words got caught in her throat. "I mean, I wouldn't LOVE to... but..." Feeling herself continuing to grow more and more flustered as MC just stood there and smiled at her genuinely, Natsuki was fed up with the conversation. "Shut up, I'll think it over! Let's just start baking!"
"Okie Dokie." MC responded as he stood back up straight. "What would you like to make first?"
"Whattaya mean?" Natsuki asked.
"I thought we'd make a day of it." MC answered. "It isn't even ten o'clock yet so we've got plenty of time to bake. So I got a bunch of different ingredients to not only make the cupcakes, but to make all sorts of different flavors and even other pastries. Like..." MC paused to think for a second. "Cinnamon buns, or something. I know Sayori really likes those." Putting his head through the top loop of his apron and then turning his head to look at Natsuki. "What's your favorite pastry, Natsuki?"
Thinking back to happier times with her Papa, she remembered when he took her to a French bakery back when she was little. "Napoleon..." She muttered as she reminisced.
"The general?" MC asked, perplexed by her answer.
"No, you dummy." Natsuki replied, putting her hands on her hips. "It's a French pastry. It's proper name is mille-feuille." She looked past MC and towards all of the ingredients he had bought. "But don't even think about trying to make it, it's too hard to-"
"Oh! I've had that before at St. Gentleman's." MC interrupted as he remembered the pastry Natsuki was referring to. "If it's hard to make, then let's work together and make it!"
Seeing that MC was all fired up to try and make something so advanced from scratch, Natsuki crossed her arms. "F-Fine, but don't blame me if you mess up and it tastes like crap!"
"Don't worry, I won't." MC said, turning his back towards Natsuki and holding out the two back strings of his apron in her direction. "Do you mind tying my apron, Natsuki?"
"M-Me?!" Natsuki asked flustered. "Just do it yourself!"
"Sorry... I... um..." MC cleared his throat. "I've never been too good at tying things behind my back."
"Oh..." Natsuki muttered out. "F-Fine, but just this once! You better learn how to do this yourself, eventually!"
Walking over to him, Natsuki brought her hands up to take the strings from MC. But before she did, she looked at his hands and up his arms. Feeling a blush go across her face as she admired his muscles, she took the white strings from his hands, lightly brushing them with her own.
As she tied the string tightly behind his back, her palms came in contact with his lower back. Curious, she brought her hand up to his body and traced the outline of his muscles that she felt under his black shirt. To Natsuki, MC's muscles felt as hard as steel.
As MC began to turn his head, Natsuki pulled her hands back. "I'm done!" She shouted. "Geez, you should be embarrassed that you can't tie your own apron."
Shrugging his broad shoulders, MC agreed. "Fair enough, maybe you can teach me later."
Putting her own apron over her head, and then easily tying it behind her back, Natsuki scoffed slightly. "That's not something I should need to teach you. Besides, I'll already be teaching you a lot today. So count yourself lucky!"
"I already do." MC smiled as he nodded down at her.
Feeling her face redden, Natsuki quickly walked past him and towards all the ingredients. "W-Whatever! Let's just start baking!"
...
"Alright!" Natsuki began. "If you're really seriously about making mille-feuille, then I need you to start with the puff pastry."
"Sure." MC agreed.
Natsuki looked back at him. "You're... really gonna listen to me...?"
"Of course." MC said as he opened a bag of flour. "Why wouldn't I listen to you, Natsuki? You're my friend."
Feeling a lightness in her chest that she experienced whenever she saw MC, Natsuki's only response to his words was to run her fingers through her hair and tuck some of it behind her ear.
"And besides." MC began. "You're the expert here, after all."
Feeling her confidence return at his compliment, Natsuki puffed her chest out with pride. "You're damn right, I'm the expert." Looking around the kitchen, she glanced back at MC. "Now, where are your pots and pans?"
"They're down here." MC responded, bending down to grab the handle of one of the lower cabinets.
"I'll get them." Natsuki said, moving to open the cabinet as well.
Natsuki grabbed the cabinet handle first, with MC's palm quickly overlapped her tiny hand. Feeling his large hand on her own, Natsuki froze in shock.
"Oh!" MC let out as he retracted his hand. "Sorry about that."
Still a bit taken aback by what had just happened, Natsuki felt her hand that MC had just touched. "N-No problem. You can get the pans if you want."
Nodding in response, MC opened the cabinet and took out several differently sized pots and pans.
Still rubbing her hand, Natsuki looked down at her wrist and thought about all the times Papa had grabbed her by it. Looking back at MC as he placed the cookware around the kitchen, she thought about how strong he is, but also how gentle he was.
"Hey, MC?" Natsuki suddenly said.
"Yes, Natsuki?" MC turned to face her. "What is it?"
"Have you ever..." Natsuki avoided looking into his eyes as she made the attempt to continue to ask her question. "H-Hit anyone?"
Perplexed by her question, MC tilted his head to the side, but still decided to answer. "No, of course not." MC then leaned back as he thought for a moment. "I mean, I used to box and spar with other guys. But I've never been in an actual fight. And I've certainly never hurt anyone in anger." Waiting for her to respond, he continued. "Why do you ask?"
"N-No reason." Natsuki responded. But feeling that her answer wouldn't keep MC from digging deeper, she elaborated. "It's just that you're so strong. I'd have thought that a guy like you would be an ass kicker... or something."
Laughing at the last part of her answer, MC flexed his muscles. "Don't worry, Natsuki. I'm a lover not a fighter."
"W-What?!" Natsuki blurted out, with a face as red as her hair ribbons. "Gross! Don't put that..." She began to trail off as she briefly fantasised about that scenario. "Image in my head."
"Sorry." MC held his hands up placatingly. "My point is that I would never hurt another person unless it was to protect someone I love." Turning back around to continue sorting everything on the kitchen counter, MC asked Natsuki a question. "How about you? You been in many fights?"
Surprised by his question, Natsuki nursed the side of her ribs and winced slightly. "No, don't ask me something so stupid."
"How's that a stupid question?" MC asked. "You asked me."
"You know exactly why!" Natsuki shouted out. "You're so big and strong and hand-" Natsuki's eyes darted up to MC's face and then over to the sink. "Handy." Holding her arms to her sides, she dismissed his question. "Everyone sees me as just a... just a..." She swallowed as she tried to get her words out. "A weakling! You happy?! People see me as just some little midget that can't take care of herself!"
Lowering her head to look at the floor, Natsuki felt as if she was about to burst into tears. "I'm just..." Her Papa's words echoed in her mind. "A weak little thing..."
Tearing her apron off and throwing it over the back of one of the chairs at the kitchen table, she walked out of the kitchen. "I'm going home!"
"Natsuki!" MC called out, removing his apron as well and tossing it onto the kitchen table.
As MC followed after Natsuki, he saw her turn into his living room. Entering the room after her, MC could see that she was extremely upset.
Standing in front of the couch, Natsuki looked around the room for the route to the front door, but saw that the only way out of the room was past MC. "Get out of my way!" She blubbered out, trying to hold back her tears.
"Hey... Hey, talk to me." MC placatingly requested. "Tell me what's wrong, please."
"It... It's just..." Natsuki began to breakdown and freely cry in front of MC. "No one takes me seriously!" She held herself as she began to shake. "Everyone just calls me cute, or ignores me. Or they just call me a... bitch." Thinking briefly, she gazed over at MC. "And they're right! I'm weak! I'm a bitch! I'm mean to everyone!"
Grabbing ahold of the ribbons and accessories in her hair, Natsuki ripped them out and threw them on the floor. "I like cute stuff... and that's the only nice thing people ever say about me... But I... I..." Holding her hands up to her face, Natsuki let out a loud cry as she felt her hot tears all over her hands. "I want to be more than that!"
Pressing her palms back onto her face, Natsuki fell to her knees and continued to sob.
Through slightly parted fingertips, Natsuki watched the floor begin to pool with water as her tears hit the ground. But her crying suddenly paused as she felt powerful arms wrap around her.
Natsuki didn't raise her head or move her hands away from her face. But with her hair a complete mess and her face sticky with tears, she felt a strong hand delicately rub her back as she leaned into a hug.
"You're more than all of that Natsuki." MC whispered to her. "You're more than just what others say about you. You're worth more than just your size, your cuteness, and all that."
As MC held her tighter to his chest, he kept speaking to her. "You always speak your mind, and I really like that about you. And despite what you think, I know how much you care about others."
Hearing this, Natsuki took her hands off her face and wrapped her arms around MC's back, but still didn't look up at him.
"When Yuri claimed she was worthless when we were deciding on festival duties, you were the first one to speak up and console her. You let her know how much she means to you and to all of us, because we're all friends." MC pulled back slightly so he could see Natsuki's face, and while she tried to look away from him, he placed a few gentle fingers on her chin and lifted her face towards his. "I think you're wonderful, Natsuki."
With her eyes red and puffy, tear streaks all over her face, and her hair missing its trademark accessories, she managed a weak, but genuine, smile. "You... You think I'm wonderful?"
Returning her smile, MC moved his hand from her chin and cupped her cheek. "I don't just think you're wonderful, Natsuki. I know you are."
Taking her arms off of his back, and then swiftly wrapping them around the back of his neck as she pulled him into a tight hug, Natsuki sobbed into his chest. "I... I think you're wonderful, too!"
