I finish making the pancakes for the two of us. It is fluffy and light, just like how I pictured it in my mind. I set it on the table, and took a sit beside Monika. We were about to dig in to our meal when the door flew open. Akami-sama enters the room cheerfully, followed by two sleepy pink haired girls. I smile at this happy scene before me, this house finally isn't empty anymore. I stand up and heat up the pan so I could make more pancakes.
" Yoku~ Can I have your pancakes? I'm really hungry." Before I could answer Sayori, she begins to eat the pancakes on my plate.
" Geez, how do you not get fat after eating so much?" I ask her as I flip a pancake.
" I don't know. I just eat and eat and I get more energy to get trough the day." She says before taking in a huge chunk of pancakes.
" Let her eat as much as she wants, Yoku. Sayori is a growing child!" Monika exclaims as she pats Sayori on her head.
" Anyway, hurry up with the pancakes! I'm hungry." Natsuki barking orders at me, it seems she is getting better.
" Fine, fine, two plates of pancakes coming up!" I place the two plates on the table. One for Natsuki, one for me since Sayori already finished eating mine.
" What about me? Don't I get one?" The god looks at everyone. He is the only one without a plate or a cup of coffee.
" Go make your own." I coldly say to the god.
" Sheesh, fine. Harsh words." The god laughs as he stood up and begins to cook. We spent the next few minutes talking about the
I look at the time, it is around 6:30 am. School starts in an hour and a half, what a pain. I stand up and tell everyone I have to get ready for school. I left the table and head towards my room. I open my closet and pull out my uniform. A white polo, a brown sweater and the grey blazer that completed the top of the uniform. I took out the blue slacks and together, I place the entire uniform on my bed. I grab a fresh towel and I ready the hot water for my shower.
I lock the door to my house and proceed to walk over to Sayori's place. Natsuki opens the door and looks at me. She gently pushes me aside and cocks her head backward as she walks proudly. That proud and mean attitude of hers, how I missed it. Though, even if she puts up a front like this, I could sometimes see her glances towards me and the sweet smile that follows after before she pouts again. Sayori finally shows up, her bright and cheerful smile and energetic walk brings a smile to my face. We begin to walk together to school, talking about what we are going to do today since we don't have any events scheduled for today. Sayori wants to see the planetarium that the Astronomy Club, Robotics Club, and the Computer and Technological Research Club put together. She said it is one of the most extravagant and amazing exhibits in the school.
" Oh... so you like stars, Sayori?" I ask her with a curious tone. She is quick to reply.
" Yup! I like how they twinkle and shine against the black background of the night sky." She has a smile on her face that tells me she is talking about something she really loves.
" Wow, I never thought you would like stuff other than food and Yoku." Natsuki grins as she tease Sayori. Sayori gets flustered at this words.
" W-Wha?! O-Of course I like other things! A-And don't go accusing me o-of liking Y-Yoku when you yourself likes him!" As Sayori blurts out those words, a streak of red appears across Natsuki's face. Both of their faces have turned as red as a tomato. Natsuki became defensive.
" W-Who in their right mind w-w-would like this i-idiot?! I... I don't l-l-like him like that! W-Whatever! L-let's j-just talk about the other clubs, okay?!" Natsuki huffa before puffing out her cheeks and turning her head away from us. Her agitated walk and how she kept her arms stiff at her sides made me and Sayori laugh. Typical tsundere, always putting up such a tough and harsh exterior.
" What's so funny?!" Natsuki asked with an an annoyed voice.
" I hope you never change, Natsuki." We laugh as the three of us finally reach the school gates.
The three of us head towards the club room. Sayori bursts in before us and exclaims loudly that we are here. I look inside the room to see four people inside. Amy and Yosuke in one corner, reading some sort of manuscript. Yuri in an excluded corner, away from other people reading some book and Monika at the back brewing some coffee. The room
has the scent of cinnamon lingering in the air due to the diffuser being on. The curtains are parted widely so that a lot of natural light enters the room. I place my stuff near the front of the room and head over to where Monika is brewing coffee. She notices me and smiles warmly at my approach. But before we could start a conversation, we heard Natsuki's annoyed groan.
" Monika! Did you put my manga collection on the top shelf again?!" She runs beside us with a pout on her face.
" Oh, sorry Natsuki! I sorta got carried away when I was cleaning, ehehe~" Monika chuckles as she rubs the back of her head.
" Geez, sometimes I think you're really doing this on purpose! Anyway, now that I live alone now, I guess I should be taking this home then." But before we could even get back to what we were doing, the back dokr flew open and a god with a cheerful smile on his face enters.
" Speaking of which! Natsuki, I need you to pack up your stuff in your old house. You're moving in with Sayori." We all look at him in a confused and surprised manner.
" I've managed to finally finish up the paperwork for your adoption! And the court finally agreed to give what remains of his assets to you as an inheritance!" Everyone looks at the god with shocked eyes, especially Natsuki.
" W-What?!" She drops the box of manga on the floor. Her hands are shaking at the sudden realization that this god is now her father.
" Ahaha~ Sorry it's a bit too sudden, I was just too excited when I received the phone call from my lawyer just a while ago. Now..." The god kneels down and opens his arm in a warm and inviting manner.
" Give Papa a hu-" I hit the god with a rolled up magazine on the head.
" Don't go making a scene in the school! Dumb idiot!" I scold him harshly. Thankfully, there weren't any people in the hallway to hear this news or see a student hit a teacher.
" You're so mean~ I just wanted to show my new daughter some affection. Ehehe~" The god laughed nervously as he stands up. Every pair of eyes in the room is looking at him.
" W-Wait... Natsuki is going to be my room mate?!" Sayori stands up, the wide smile and the bright glimmer in her eyes says she is really excited by this.
" If it is alright with you... Cause I won't be around after Sunday, for a really long time." He places an emphasis on the word 'really'. Everyone gives him a strange look except for Monika and I.
" Oh? What is the matter, Sir Akami? Do you have some important businesses elsewhere?" Yuri closes her book and asks the god with a look that implies she is pressing him for answers.
" I...Uhhhh... I'm... having a midlife crisis! Yes! I want to travel the world to sate my hunger for adventure!" He replies confidently but with a slight shaking in his voice. I let out a sigh while everyone just gives him a confused and pitiful look.
" Anyway, let's not dwell on that! Let's go visit the maid cafe! They invited me to taste their new dish!" We all look at each other before letting out a sigh.
" Fine. Let's get going." I groan as I rub the back of my neck. Damn god, his perverse behavior towards the students is getting out of hand.
" But what about this coffee I brewed?" Monika tugs on my sleeve as she asks.
" Let's just heat it up later. We're going to a cafe anyway." She nods and puts away the thermos filled with coffee. Everyone gets up and we all follow the god's lead towards the Cooking Club.
As we walk towards the cafe, Akami-sama kept talking with Natsuki as we walk. I could overhear the god telling Natsuki about the places he wants to take her to on Saturday. Natsuki's eyes glimmer at this, but she refuses to show her excitement at this. Sayori and Yuri kept talking about what kind of books would suit Sayori's taste. Yuri recommended that Sayori should start reading about the fantasy genre. Yuri starts listing down the different books Sayori could read, causing the poor girl's brain to be overloaded with this information. The two behind us kept talking about the plot of some story I haven't heard about. We reach the cafe and Akami-sama was greeted and hugged by at least 5 different girls.
" Akami-sama came! Hurray! We're gonna serve our favorite Master the best food he ever tasted!" Said one of the girls.
" Hmm, sounds good! I would be happy to try any food you give me. Anyway, table for 8 please." The girls smile and brought us to the large table near the window. The arrangements in the room has not change a bit since the last time we got here.
" Don't worry guys, this is on me! I'll pay for whatever you guys order, so order a lot!" The god said cheerfully.
" Okay then... I'll order this, and this, and that and that..." Sayori listed down so much sweets that just hearing it made my teeth hurt, but the god merely nods and listens, while the waitress is struggling to keep up with Sayori. Sayori finishes up listing down the numerous treats she wanted to enjoy.
" Is that all?" The god asks Sayori, whose only response is a nod.
" Very well, I'll get a latte and the new item on the menu that you promised me. How about you Yoku?" The god looks at me and smiles.
" Just coffee would fine." I said as I put down the menu.
" A banana crepe and a latte would be nice!" Monika exclaims.
" Hmmm, green tea would be nice..." Yuri softly said in a timid manner.
" A large parfait please!" Amy and Yosuke said in unison.
" A banana crepe sounds delicious right now." Natsuki said.
" That settles it! You got that down, miss?" The waitress nods and runs to the kitchen. We chat and talk about random stuff like oceans and space for the next few minutes. Suddenly, Amy asks for our attention.
" U-Uhm... d-do you guys know s-someone who could draw manga?" Natsuki, Sayori, Monika and Akami-sama points their gazes towards me. Amy's eyes lights up.
" Sure, but why?" I ask the red head. She gives Yosuke the manuscript she has been carrying around and he passes it to me.
" Hmmm, 'A Philophobiac's Love Story'? That seems like a good story. Wow... interesting, I didn't know you could write so well, Amy!" I exclaim as I flip trough the pages.
" Yeah... I'm a fan of love stories and fantasy novels, but I can't really write poetry." She sighs as I hand her back the manuscript. Yuri asks to read the manuscript, and Amy agrees.
" Anyway, would you like draw it?" Amy asks with a pleading tone.
" Sure! I'd love to draw such a story. But it may take a while since I have so much to do." The two smiles widely, joyful that I have accepted their offer.
" Really?! I'm so grateful to you. You have done so much for us." Amy says cheerfully.
" Don't mention it! I just like to help people in need, that's all. Besides, you're a part of the club now, and we help each other in the club." Everyone nods in agreement. I could finally see the Literature Club that was supposed to be if Monika haven't altered the game.
Soon, our food arrives at the table. Sayori is served a mountain of sweet treats. She ordered the largest parfait the cafe and the most delicious crepe. Along with it is an assortment of different kinds of biscuits and pastries. Immediately, she begins to eat the food infront of her. Well, at least she is enjoying the food and aslong as she finishes it, I don't think it's a bad thing. We chat as we ate our food. The sudden defensive outbursts of Natsuki, the stammering of Yuri due to Natsuki teasing her, the intellectual discussions of Monika that is followed by Sayori being confused and asking about the flowery words she used, this sight warms my heart. If at any point in time I messed up with Sayori or Natsuki, this scene before me would not be possible.
We finish up eating and drinking our coffee after some time. Akami-sama paid for the food we ate and we decide to go check on the other exhibits. We watch Akami-sama participate in the chess competition hosted by the Board Games Club. He is using the knowledge he has to destroy mere highschoolers and it is clear he is enjoying it. It only takes seconds for him to analyze and make a move against his opponents. But he forfeits when he reaches the semi finals, we could see the relieved faces of the different students.
When he finally found us in the, we look at the time and saw it was almost lunch. Akami-sama then tells us that we should go to the cafeteria since he prepared a bento for everyone. We sat down in the largest table we could find. Monika and I look at the group's reaction when the god pulled out a bunch of boxes from under the table. The bento box is a typical one with ornate floral designs that is wrapped in a violet silk cloth. The group is clearly baffled as to where he got this boxes from. This god keeps hiding his identity, but doing these things in public... At least be discreet about it!
" H-How did you do t-t-that?! Is it some sort of magic?!" Amy cries out in fear.
" He can't possibly have carried all that without us noticing. How did you do it?" Yuri asks the god with an inquisitive tone.
" Ufufu~ A magician never reveals their secrets. Now, just eat up and enjoy!" This
god really is hopeless. But I guess that is what makes him so lovable.
We open up the bento to reveal an assortment of bite sized foods like a few hotdogs cut into the shape of octopuses and crabs along with some cherry tomatoes, lettuce and slices of mango are separated from the assorted Japanese delicacies. The second layer is our main course, the aroma alone made my mouth water. It's fried pork cutlet with tonkatsu sauce on top of the slices. A few cups of fragrant rice and shredded cabbage with Japanese mayonnaise beside it. Monika received a vegetarian version of a tonkatsu made out of tofu substitute. The heat and steam emanating from it suggests that it has just been recently cooked.
" Itadakimasu!~" We shout in unison before digging into our lunch. The crisp vegetables and the soft texture of the pork compliments each other. The fruits gave balance to the strong umami and light saltiness of the cutlet by providing sweetness to the dish. I feel myself having a foodgasm due to the intensity of the meal.
" S-Such a strong flavor from the cutlet, yet the gentle acidity of the tomatoes entices you to keep on eating!" Yuri exclaims as she scoops another mouthful of food into her mouth.
" Akami-sama is on a whole different level compared to Yoku's cooking." Natsuki's muffled voice reaches us while she bit down on a slice of the tonkatsu.
" Eh, I don't really care. I can never beat someone like that in a cook off." I say before biting down on a tomato.
" Don't say that! You just need to keep practicing so that you may defeat him some day! Like the person in that anime we watched that one night... Believe in the Sayori that believes in you!" As she said that with a confident tone, Sayori pointed a thumb at her chest to emphasize her faith in me. I smile and raise my head to meet her confident gaze.
" Sure thing! I'll do my best to keep believing in you." I gave her a thumbs up and a smile. We laugh as we finally settle down, the attention of the people around us have turned to our noisy table.
We finish eating our lunch and we head towards the south wing of the campus. Sayori is really excited to see the planetarium. They were using a small auditorium that has really few windows in it. But as we neared the auditorium, we see a long line infront of us. Sayori is saddened by this. Her expression is full of disappointment and sadness as she looks at the line. She pauses for a moment, then turns to look at us.
" Sorry guys, I won't ask you to come if you the line bothers you. I'll just wait here, you guys go and do your own thing..." As Sayori sulks in the line, I feel a sting in my heart. But before I could say anything, Akami-sama dashes to the front of the line. Monika and I run after him.
" Okay, Ne- Oh! Akami-sensei! What a surprise! What brings you here?" One of the three guys in charge of managing the exhibit asks the god in a cheerful tone.
" Oh, I'm just wandering if I could cut myself and my friends in line." The god asks in a cheerful tone.
" Oh my, that's no good sir! As you can see, the line-" The god walks up to the boy and gives him a glare before placing his hand in one of the pockets in his trousers.
" Look, yes, I see the line behind me. Now, listen here, I'm going to ask again as a friend, could you let me and my friends here cut in line?" He says in a shushed tone as he pulls out a picture. I catch a glimpse of the picture, it is one of the hottest girls in the Anime Club, the vice president of the club to be precise. She is cosplaying as a cat girl in an Amazonian warrior attire. It is skimpy and showed a lot of her skin, coupled with her fierce stance and aggressive expression on the picture, it seems that she enjoyed cosplaying this character.
" I-Impossible! How did you get such a treasure?!" The boy tries to reach the picture, but the god merely pulls it away.
" I have my ways... friend. So, do we have a deal?" He places the picture in the pocket of the boy. The boy nods at the god.
" Oh! How could I forget! Akami-sensei made a reservation yesterday, sorry for the inconvenience, everyone!" The boy shouts at the line as he tucks in the picture and winks at Akami-sama. We hear the line groan and complain about this. Sayori and the others run towards the front and asks what happened.
" Oh, I forgot about the reservation I made yesterday. Now, let's get a look inside this planetarium, shall we?" The boy opens the door for us and we all enter the the room.
It was pitch black at first, but projectors lit up the room. At first, I thought it would be some normal planetarium exhibit, but the guide shows us the seats located in the center of the room. As we strap ourselves in, the chairs started to shake. Soon, the sounds of space filled our ears. Ar first, it is nothing but deafening silence except for the sounds of our breathing and amazement. Then, trough the combination of different projectors and special effects, the stars and other heavenly bodies seem to pop out and become 3D. By shining an assortment of lights trough the mist emitted by the fog machine, they recreated the different nebulae in our galaxy. The room got colder, then hotter then colder again as we pass the stars around us. We are all impressed at the planetarium's sophistication and how high tech it is. To have climate control, near perfect holograms, chairs that could move around and provide a realistic feel, putting this together must have been a herculean task. The stars move and rotate as their coronas emit solar flares around them while the different planets revolve around them. The final scene is that of the universe, it's space filled with the different stars and constellations. We could see the Andromeda galaxy along with other distant bodies. Then, the simulation finishes as the room lit up and the chairs finally stops moving. As we got out of the room, Sayori is overjoyed at the experience.
" Wow! I never thought the planetarium would be that amazing!" She hops around cheerfully.
" Yes, it is quite intriguing as to how three clubs manage to put together the funds for such an exhibit." Yuri says as she walks quietly beside me.
" Yeah, that was a hell of an experience!" Natsuki says out loud.
" Yup, it certainly is." The couple behind us said in a soft tone.
" How about you, Akami-sensei? Did you enjoy it?" Monika asks the god. The god has a smile on his face as he answered.
" Yup! It reminds me of the time when I used to make universes... models! Yes, I used to make models of the universe as a hobby." The god laughs nervously.The group shrugs it off as we head back towards the club room.
School is about to end for the day. We spend the rest of the day lounging around in the club room, doing our own things. As the bell rings, we pack up our stuff and say good bye to each other. What a satisfying day indeed, it's a nice change of pace after the week's drama. Monika, Sayori, Natsuki and I walk home together, talking about the events of today happily. We reach our houses when we notice Akami-sama standing in front of ny house with at least 3 boxes. He looks at us and waves.
" Thank goodness you guys are here. Help me bring my daughter's clothes inside her new home!" I stand perplexed at this. Does this god know nothing about human etiquette?! I look at Natsuki's face, who is glowing pink right now.
" D-Did you touch m-m-my underwear?!" She shouts at the god as he rushes towards the boxes.
" W-What?! No! It's not in my interest to do that. Besides, you might get angry if I touch them so I left them at your house. Anyway, are you mad that I went trough your clothes?" Natsuki gives the god a glare before opening the boxes. Suddenly, her expression changes to that of surprise.
" They've all been cleaned and washed. Not just that, they're all properly folded. H-How did you do it?" She asks the god in surprise.
" Hehe, a magician never reveals his secrets. Anyway, want me to go help you take the stuff you need in your house?" He extends his hand as a warm gesture. She nods and takes his arm.
" B-But... I should carry them myse-"
" Nonsense! What kind of a father am I if I let such a frail little girl like you carry those boxes!" Natsuki let's out a gasp of shock.
" I'm not frail or little! Sheesh!" She huffs at the god, who just chuckles at her.
" Anyway, the sun is setting. Should we go now?" The god asks Natsuki, who is clearly baffled by his kindness.
" S-Shouldn't you be the one telling me to get going?" She asks with a slight tremble in her voice.
" Why? It's your house and stuff, right? Besides, I'm not in a rush." He pats the girl on the head. Natsuki turns to us and smiles.
" W-Well, we'll be back in a few! Bye!" Natsuki gets inside the god's car eagerly. Before the god gets in however, he looks at me and smiles.
" Could you bring those boxes inside Sayori's house? Thanks a lot!" He got in quickly and sped away. I sigh before we giggle at each other.
" Natsuki finally has the father she deserves, huh?" Monika says out loud.
" Yup! I'm sure Akami-sensei is pretty happy right now." Sayori clasps her hands as she says this.
" Now, put her stuff inside, Yoku." Monika orders me before grabbing Sayori and running inside my house while laughing. Really, making me do all this work by myself. I look at the boxes I pick up and smile.
Yeah, I'm happy Natsuki finally has a decent father figure in her life. I sigh as I place the boxes inside Sayori's house. After I am done moving the boxes inside the house, I think about what kind of dinner we should have. Maybe we should eat some sweet and sour vegetarian meatballs tonight. The idea dances inside my mind as I made my way home.