Chapter Twenty-nine: Take it easy?! You've got to be fucking kidding me!
Date: May 3rd, 2012
Time: 9:55 AM
"Oooohh! Look at the size of the crowd!" Chi squealed in excitement, pointing directly at the classroom window, which allowed her to view the students lined up in the hallway.
"Oh my god," Asami said once she had exited the tent, which sheltered the snazzy kitchen setup on the other side of the classroom.
Chi sweat dropped, "One things for sure. We are definitely going to have our hands full for the rest of the afternoon."
"It's too late to call for backup," Asami sighed, "For now there's only Fumi, Maya, and Naomi to help us out with this event."
Chi and Asami entered the tent. The other members of the cooking club wore matching white aprons over their academy uniforms including Asami. However Chi was wearing a frilly blue apron over her white Lolita dress. Asami quickly tied her hair back into a bun, checking the time on her watch she focused her attention on the group.
"Ok then…- let's go through the guidelines once more," Asami said, "Fumi, you greet the clients at the door and make sure to give them a bright smile."
Fumi slightly tugged at the hem of her apron, "I'll t-try my b-best."
"Good. Chi and Naomi…- take down the clients menu selections," Asami smiled, "Remember there's four to a table so it might get a little noisy."
"No problem," Naomi said, "I'm cool with a little noise."
"Maya, once the pace picks up I'll need you to take charge of the drinks and desserts. Even though everything else…-"
"I know captain. Only the topping for the desserts is needed," Maya winked, "Don't worry you can count on us. We'll manage the crowd."
EKSTASIS ~ EKSTASIS ~ EKSTASIS ~ EKSTASIS
Time: 10:25 AM
~Sniff…- Sniff~
Curry. Meat. Ringo wondered where that mouth-watering scent was originating from. She practically skipped down the hallway only to find herself mingling with the crowd of students in front of classroom 2 – A. She spotted Ryuuya, who was already standing in between Masato and Natsuki. She squeezed through the crowd making her way to the three.
"Good morning, Tsukimiya-sensei."
"~A lovely morning to you too, Masa-chan," Chirped Ringo before turning her attention to Hyuuga, "Hyu-chan…- you Meanie! Why didn't you reply to my text message yesterday?!"
"Oh, you sent me a text?" Hyuuga sighed, "I thought I was it was spam."
Ringo pouted, "Hyu-chan, so mean!"
So. Annoying. Hyuuga sighed, slightly rolling his eyes. Just like the principal, Ringo was also a pain in the ass. The four were soon ushered to a table at the back of the classroom. Drinks and food were served in yellow plastic cups and bowls. Even the plastic utensils were red. The colors were clearly themed to suit Saotome academy.
"~Waaaa~ so cute!" Chirped Ringo, referring to the adorable design of the menu, which was taped to the table, "Oh. My. The border is filled with familiar beings."
Chibi, Chibi everywhere. The cute drawings of STARISH, the teachers, and even the principal claimed the rectangular border of the menu. Natsuki practically squealed in joy once he spotted the Chibi version of himself, holding a Piyo-chan toy. Masato sighed. His Chibi version of himself was wearing a t-shirt that had '#1 Tea Taster' written on it. On cue, Chi popped up with a notepad and pencil in hand.
"~Hello, hello~," Chi winked, "Is everyone ready to order?"
"I'll have the 'Make My Day' sundae," Chirped Ringo.
Natsuki tapped his chin before coming to his decision, "I guess I'll have the same as Tsukimiya-sensei."
"I'll have a STARISH bread," Masato said.
Hyuuga pointed to his selection on the menu, "Curry combo for me."
"Ok ~ two 'Make My Day' sundae's, one curry combo, and a STARISH bread," Chi said before placing her notepad into the pocket of her frilly blue apron, "You're choices shall be served soon."
EKSTASIS ~ EKSTASIS ~ EKSTASIS ~ EKSTASIS
Time: 10:29 AM
[Asami's P.O.V]
Oh. My. God. The orders are increasing. Damn. The crowd was bigger than I had least expected it to be. Ugh. So crossing 'Chef' off my career list. Dice it. Slice it. Shit. Fingers are slightly aching. Must. Ignore. Pain.
"Maya, please take this out to table nine," I said before starting on another order of sundaes.
"Right on it, captain!" Exclaimed Maya, exiting the tent with the orders.
Always beaming. Energetic type. Highly. Optimistic. Loud. Excitable. I think Maya might be the female version of Otoya. I held the can of whipping cream in my left hand, rotating my right shoulder. Damn. The medication was wearing off. Bad move. I felt a stinging pain along my gauze-covered arm, forcing to wince instinctively. Double. Damn. I closed my eyes for a moment, only to feel the touch of soft fingers on my left cheek.
"I told you to take it easy!" Snapped Yuudai, taking the can of whipping cream from me.
I pouted, "Yuu-chan, I'm not…-"
"You are overexerting yourself!" He quickly grabbed a white apron from a cabinet, "Go back to your dorm room. Rest up. You cannot afford to fall ill."
"But Yuu-chan, the crowd is…-"
"Asami, there will be no excuses," He quickly started on the curry combo orders, "I'll take care of everything from here."
"Yuu…- Yuu…- Argh!"
Totally. Pissed. Off. I glared at Yuudai. Take it easy?! Yeah. Right. I grabbed my shoulder bag from under a table, stuck out my tongue at him then left the classroom. When will he learn that I'm not a kid anymore?!
EKSTASIS ~ EKSTASIS ~ EKSTASIS ~ EKSTASIS
Time: 11:45 AM
~CLANK!~
"Yuudai! You idiot! Jerk! Meanie!"
What in the world?! Ren woke up from his nap, where he was resting against a wall of the rooftop entrance. A sweat drop ran down the side of his head. Asami was standing by the railing yelling at the top of her lungs. The sheer volume of her voice rang clear throughout the warm air.
"…- Butthead! Douche bag! Idiot!"
Cue second sweat drop. Ren tapped Asami on the shoulder, startling her quite suddenly. Poor lady. She nearly jumped three feet in the air.
"Gah! O-oh…- it's you."
"My sweet rose…- did Dai-kun do something wrong?" Asked Ren taking a seat on a marble bench.
Asami blushed, clearly embarrassed, "A-ah…-so you heard?"
"Everything," Chuckled Ren, "You woke a prince up from his daily nap."
"Sorry," She apologized before taking a seat beside him, "I didn't realize that you were resting over there. I needed a place to release my stress."
"You have quite a temper," Smirked Ren, "However your apology isn't enough."
"What do you mean? I gave an…-"
Oh. Dear. God. Ren quickly wrapped his arm around Asami's waist, bringing her close to him so that he could rest his head upon her left shoulder. Asami struggled trying to get free. A shade of crimson dusted her cheeks. Ren gave a teasing nip on the ridge of her collarbone, forcing her to yelp out in surprise.
"~Relax~ or I'll tease you even more," He whispered flirtatiously.
"God. Damn. It!" Asami snapped, "Ren, if I wasn't injured…- I'd strangle you with my bare hands!"
"Shush, my sweet rose," Ren closed his eyes, "Just let me sleep for awhile."
Where was a tazer when she needed one so badly?! Asami sighed. It was such an annoyance to be playing the role as a human pillow. Damn. It. Cue sweat drop from Asami. Sure enough there was a red mark on the ridge of her collarbone. Double. Damn.
EKSTASIS ~ EKSTASIS ~ EKSTASIS ~ EKSTASIS
Time: 2:20 PM
"Is this a new fashion statement?" Asked Tomochika, slightly tugging at the black mini silk scarf, which was wrapped around Asami's neck.
Asami scanned the pages of a library textbook, avoiding eye contact with Tomochika, "U-uh…- y-yeah. I wanted to try something new with my style. You know, trying to keep up to date with the last fashion brand."
"Hmm, it's a great match with your denim jacket but…-" Tomochika tapped her chin, eyeing the black silk scarf.
"But what?" Asami asked. A sweat drop rolled down the side of her head.
"It would look better if you wrapped it around…- like this," Tomochika unraveled the silk scarf, before wrapping it loosely around Asami's neck, "You shouldn't wrap it so tightly...- oh my god."
Sure enough, Tomochika noticed the red mark on the ridge of Asami's collarbone. She quickly averted her eyes. Asami blushed, pulling up an end of the silk scarf, covering up the red mark. Oh. Boy. Awkward. Tomochika emitted a cough before flipping a page in her binder. Cue crickets chirping in the background. A few minutes passed until Tomochika handed Asami a piece of paper from across the table from where she was seated in the library. Asami sighed. It was clear that at a time like this…- 'girl-talk' was needed.
"Uh…- so how did it happen?" Asked Tomochika, making sure to keep her voice low so that no one else could eavesdrop.
Asami closed the textbook, focusing her attention to her essay, "Well if you must know. I was nipped by a flirtatious…-"
"Ren nipped you!" Shouted Tomochika, only to have people nearby stare at them. Asami chuckled nervously, waving a hand to the onlookers, "Sorry. There's nothing to see here. Everyone continue with whatever you were doing."
Tomochika sweat dropped, continuing to speak once everyone else in the library ignored the interruption, "You alright? Well…- what I mean is that…-"
"I'm fine," Asami uncapped her pen, "It's not like I'm going to die."
"Maybe you should talk to Yuu-kun," Frowned Tomochika, "He could be of some aid."
"No way," Asami shook her head, "Knowing Yuu-chan, he'll probably castrate Ren. I wouldn't want to deal with a fight and a funeral all in one night."
"The flirt deserves to be castrated," Sighed Tomochika, "Harassing you like that, even when your injured enough."
"Tomo-chan…- calm down," Asami sweat dropped, "Ren was only teasing."
"Only teasing?!" Tomochika raised her eyebrow. "It was more like he was 'marking' what he wants 'his.' If I had been in your position I would've murdered him."
Asami sighed, "I knew that I should've gone with my Piyo-chan sweater instead."