Chapter 7 – Welcome to Tootsuki!
Takumi waited by the Tootsuki gates patiently. The bright day called for his best black waistcoat over a simple grey dress shirt and grey skinny jeans. He had spent a little extra time in front of the mirror today to make sure he looked absolutely presentable. This included making sure his hair fell the right way, he exfoliated and moisturised his skin, and ironed his clothes. Basically everything an Italian man ought to do to groom oneself. He peered out into the distance, down the never-ending avenue, detecting some chattering coming closer.
It was them.
The bella had texted him yesterday to tell him that she was bringing her friends over too. He didn't mind Kuchiyose, as he didn't say anything and he wasn't too weird. But he wished the chiacchierone could just stay home. He didn't want to risk another humiliating experience with her or even lay eyes on that shit-eating grin. Takumi stewed over the fact that Namikaze made him want to break from his polite and courteous self.
"Hi!" Ayame-san waved as they made their way over to him.
Takumi pushed himself off the wall and met them part of the way. He reached for Ayame-san's hand and planted a soft kiss to her knuckles, giving her his most charming smile. It made him happy to see her blush adorably as she tried to suppress her own infectious grin.
"Buon giorno. You look beautiful today" He said appreciatively at her.
"Thanks, Takumi-kun. It's refreshing to be called 'beautiful' every now and then." Ayame-san chuckled like wind chimes.
'I would tell you every hour of the day if it didn't sound too creepy' Takumi mused.
"You look handsome as always" said Ayame-san, teasingly earning a rapid blush from him and a stuttered 'Grazie'.
Takumi bestowed a casual 'Hi' to Namikaze who responded likewise and went back to concentrating on looking for Kuchiyose, his figure looming in the distance.
He allowed his eyes to swiftly look at Ayame-san up and down, whilst Namikaze's head was turned away. She was wearing a black and billowy knee length T-shirt. It had a scoop neck and small white bicycle patterns and she was also wearing a white singlet underneath. She wore light blue jeans that were fashionably torn at the knees and donned pair of low heeled ankle boots. He noticed that her hair was again put in a loose French braid to the side, with a few tresses loose to frame her lovely face. She brought with her a small yellow leather handbag with a long shoulder strap.
"Hurry up Kuchiyose-kun!" Namizake cupped her hands around her mouth and bellowed down the avenue.
Kuchiyose's hazel eyes held the same level of emotion as the first time they met, but they were looking around with mild interest. He was quite a good-looking boy, but he would've been more so if he didn't look so deadpanned all the time. Once he arrived with the girls, Takumi shook his hand and they both nodded in greeting. So far so good.
"Welcome to Tootsuki" said Takumi excitedly. He lead them into the campus and started with a brief introduction to the school, which got Ayame-san nodding and smiling. He couldn't say for the other two because Namikaze's eyes were hidden behind her really big fashionable sunglasses and Kuchiyose carried the same expression.
"Are there any clubs?" asked Ayame-san when they were walking through the main building.
"Si, We have many. There's the Spanish Cuisine Research Society or RS, Donburi RS, Chocolate RS, Chinese Cuisine RS, Skewer's RS, Local Cuisine RS and many more" said Takumi.
"Amazing. Are you in a research society too?"
"Non, Isami and I aren't really interested. We just want to concentrate on getting better together" he scratched the back of his head. He noticed up ahead was one of the kitchen halls.
"These are our kitchens" Takumi stepped aside to let his guests through. "It's where all the practical classes take place. There are fifty kitchen halls in total and they each can hold up to sixty students"
"Wow, everything in the school looks so intense" said Ayame-san. Her eyes swept over the big room and even Namikaze's eye's slightly opened in awe, now that she removed her sunglasses.
"And rolling in money" Namikaze added. Well, he couldn't fault her there.
"All the kitchens look relatively the same, so we'll skip the rest. Come, I'll show you the classrooms" said Takumi. He led the way into another part of the building, which started to look a little bit similar to a normal Japanese school corridor however it was a bigger. He opened one of the classroom doors and stepped aside.
"Oh my gosh! It's so huge. It's almost like Toudai" Ayame-san ran in with her arms out stretched. She spun around as if she was trying to physically garner the enormous size of the lecture hall.
Namikaze stepped inside to and joined her friend. They started talking about differences between Karakura high school and Tootsuki. Takumi turned to Kuchiyose. He stood outside like a vampire waiting to be invited into someone's house... Was there something wrong? Takumi never knew what was going on in his head, but Ayame-san didn't seem to sense there was something out of the ordinary with him. Perhaps looking at lecture halls wasn't particularly exciting to him.
Takumi cleared his throat and tried to think of what to say "So how was soccer camp?"
Kushiyose shrugged his shoulders and turned his head away. Interacting with his silent giant was going to be harder than he thought.
"Where to next?" Namikaze sprang out from the door with Ayame-san in tow. She looked like she was enjoying herself very much. He was glad.
"Next is the spice seminar. It's one of the classes I'll be taking next semester. The winner of last year's Autumn Elections is a residential assistant to the professor there" said Takumi.
"So what should we be expecting at the spice seminar?" asked Ayame-san, her eyes twinkling.
"A shokugeki" Takumi smirked at her.
Knock, Knock.
"About time Aldini, I was starting to wonder when you'd get here"
Last year's Autumn Elections triumphant winner revealed himself from the door way, casually leaning back to allow Takumi and his little tour group to enter the seminar room. Hayama Akira was dressed down today, like every other student. He wore his usual grey, short sleeved, striped grand-dad shirt and brown trousers. His hair was tied off in his usual lazy pony tail also.
"Scusa. Everyone, this is Hayama Akira, a fellow second year student and this is Kanda Ayame, Namikaze Chizuru and Kuchiyose Byakko" Takumi politely introduced everyone to the dark and handsome spice expert.
Hayama politely shook everyone's hand. "I specialise in curry and spices. I'm the assistant to Shiomi Jun, the leading spice researcher of Japan. She's over there sleeping off her hangover" he said, pointing a softly snoring bundle on the sofa.
"Err… will we be too noisy for her?" Namikaze asked suspiciously.
"No, I already gave her something for it. She'll be fine. I can't carry her to her private room because she's heavier than what she used to be. Don't let her size full you" Hayama flipped the issue off like it was nothing. Diligent as always in taking care of his professor's needs… when he wanted to…
"I wished Takumi-kun told me I'd be meeting such an esteemed person as you. Then I would've done my research and have some questions prepared" said Ayame-san sheepishly.
Takumi smiled to himself. Where was the element of surprise if he told her everything? He decided to take a back seat in this part of the tour, allowing Hayama to do whatever he was going to do that they had agreed on.
"That's alright, I can demonstrate all you need to know about curry and spices" said Hayama, crossing his arms over his broad chest.
"So, is there going to be a shokugeki?" asked Namikaze.
"Umm… yeah, but my challenger is late as well…" Hayama shook his head and sighed.
"I'M HERE DOUCHE FACE!"
Takumi narrowly dodged the door as it was kicked open by a heavy, combat-boot clad foot. The deafening bang resonated around the whole room causing everyone to jump up in shock and the sleeping professor to snort in her sleep.
It was Mito Ikumi. The incredibly buxom chef was clad in the skimpiest of her bikinis and the shortest of shorts. Her choice of attire was beyond Takumi's reasoning, but he wasn't about to tell her how she should dress because he didn't want to get his teeth kicked in. She had her 'meat carving' knife, her 'boning' knife, her 'breaking knife' and her 'flanking & shoulder' knife on every limb. She was certainly prepared for a battle.
"Eh? Takumi-san's guests are already here? Damn, I was late" said Mito-san, snapping her fingers.
"What the hell, Mito. Don't go destroying the seminar room, just because you got downgraded to Don RS last year" Hayama scolded her, veins pulsing on his temple while keeping a relatively calm exterior.
"Hey! Don't talk shit about Dons RS!"
"Yes I will, because Jun's seminar is the best. Pray tell why you are late anyway" Hayama huffed.
"W-well… b-because. I got a postcard today a-and I wanted to r-read it first…" she shuffled her feet anxiously. "Oh ah… my bad, leaving that aside, my name is Mito Ikumi. I specialise in all things meat. You guys must be Takumi-san's guests" Mito-san held her hand out with over flowing confidence to Ayame-san and she took it excitedly.
"I'm Kanda Ayame. It's an honour to meet another specialist in their field." She beamed at Mito-san, probably inflating her already huge ego.
"I'm Namikaze Chizuru and this is Kuchiyose Byakko" Namikaze jumped in from the side, wrenching Ayame hands away before Ikumi-san's own hand broke off.
The Meat General greeted them too and shook Kuchiyose's large hand gingerly, a faint blush adorning her face as she tried to avoid making eye contact.
"So should we get the shokugeki started or what?" said Hayama sarcastically from the side, tapping his foot after donning his black apron.
"RIGHT! I'm going to prove to you that Don RS is the best RS here!" Mito-san brandished one of her knives at him, her combative nature exploding on point.
"You'll eat your words when you recognise that I'm your superior" said Hayama confidently. He turned to Ayame-san's crew "You guys are assigned as judges to see whose dish is better" he smirked.
"What! We get to be the taste-testing judges?! You're not joking?" Ayame-san stumbled towards Takumi taking him by surprise and shoving her face in his for desperate confirmation. He was just relaxing not too far away, happy to not get in the way of Hayama and Ikumi-san, so he blushed beet red with her face was suddenly so close to his.
"S-Surprise?" Takumi shrugged his shoulder, looking away and coughing into his fist.
"Alright now, stakes are you hand over to me the best of your prime cut for free if I win" declared Hayama, that sickening hubris coating his words.
"And If I win, you have to surrender your collection of best spice blends" Ikumi-san placed her hands on her hips, cocking it out to the side with sinister confidence.
"Deal" said Hayama stepping behind one of the cooking stations whilst Ikumi-san did the same.
"The theme will crêpe" he said. "One-hour limit. Let's begin"
It had to be a cooking battle of the century. And this was a holiday. Ayame had been thoroughly convinced that Takumi was the best of the best she had seen, but she had no idea that other students in the school would be at this level. She watched mesmerised as Hayama-san grabbed bottles of spice after spice without even looking and sprinkled them in with meticulous measure. The captivating smell of chilli, cumin, turmeric, paprika and clove overwhelmed her plebeian senses. It was like the scent of spices grew sentient and stroked her nostrils, promising it's exquisite flavours.
On the other hand, Mito-san was absolutely savage, the way she sliced up meat for her crêpe. It was like a ghoulish glee she possessed when the sight of fresh blood seeping from the meet touched her fingers. Even the way she licked her lips when prodding the sizzling meat to test its juiciness sent chills up Ayame's spine. She wasn't a person to take lightly and looked to be a strong opponent despite her over-zealous attire. The delectable smell of frying slices of beef delicately seasoned, made her stomach grumbled. She should've eaten more than cereal this morning.
Takumi-kun called the time and they both finished.
"All done! Eat it and weep. This is my sizzling beef crêpe donburi!" Mito-san was the first to step forward and placed a bowl in front of Chizuru-chan, Kuchiyose-kun and herself.
"For real? crêpe donburi? crêpe on rice? You guys are breaking serious boundaries" Chizuru-chan appraised the steaming bowl of sizzling beef crêpe donburi.
"Dig in guys, don't hold back" Mito-san smirked.
And so they did. The godliness of the perfectly seared beef slices tantilised her tongue. The steaming crêpe delicately wrapped around the rice like a donburi parcel was super interesting, but for some reason it worked really well. The light silkiness of the crêpe and its crisp edges were the perfect textures to die for! It looked like Mito-san opted for the simplistic tastes of soy sauce, garlic, onion and pepper to showcase the delicate flavours of the super-expensive looking slices of kobe she was using. She sighed breathlessly. Ayame looked over to Kuchiyose-kun.
'What the heck! He's already done!'
Kuchiyose-kun placed his chopstick over the empty bowl and leaned back, his face not giving anything away, except the twinkling of pleasure in his eyes. Ayame looked over to Chizuru-chan. She was steadily eating her serving like any donburi, but she looked like she was enjoying it more than she expected. She and Chizuru-chan finished up their dishes and she couldn't wait to try Hayama-san's.
"Here's my dish. It's Malaysian beef curry crêpe" said Hayama-san with conviction, gentling placing his dish before them. "Enjoy".
Ayame was on the verge of drooling. The magical aroma of spices caressed her nose once again. It wasn't overwhelming, but it was pungent enough to whet her appetite to its fullest. Her hands shook as she cut into the crêpe and it oozed out a glistening, thick curry sauce, coating little diced beef. She took a mouthful and the flavours struck her full force. Flavour overload! It was perfectly spicy. It was delicious. It was… indescribable.
Ayame looked over to Chizuru-chan, now eating the crêpe faster than she did for the donburi. She turned to Kuchiyose-kun so see that he was already finished and just leaning back in his seat. He certainly was easy to please.
"Time to vote guys" said Mito-san.
Ayame hated disappointing people when both their dishes were superb, but what could she do when one dish was knocked out of the ball park?
"Hayama-san" said Ayame
"Curry crêpe" said Chizuru-chan.
"…" Kuchiyose pointed to Hayama-san's empty plate.
"Your best prime cut can be delivered anytime this week, Mito" Hayama triumphantly smirked at her who was sulking in the corner. The unanimous vote looked like it crippled the life out of her.
"I'm confused. The whole time you were cooking, you didn't look inside your pot once. Isn't it a rule for all chefs to taste test along the way?" asked Chizuru-chan quizzically, still dipping her fork in the curry sauce and licking it nonchalantly.
"Yeah, tasting your cooking as you go is a rule of thumb. But I don't need to because I have this" he pointed to his nose with his thumb.
Ayame didn't get it.
Hayama didn't disappoint when he explained "I have the sharpest sense of smell around. I know the exact conditions of every pot just from the smell of the ingredients alone, therefore I don't need to actually taste to know what they taste like"
"No way…" breathed out Chizuru-chan.
"One thing hits your sense before all else. Before the taste… before even the presentation… after the last bite has been chewed and swallowed, that one thing lingers on. That's the scent. To command the kitchen, you must command scent. In other words, the one who will be at the top of the school, is me" Hayama pinned an electrifying smirk in Takumi-kun's and Mito-san's direction.
Suddenly the air felt frosty as Ayame had never seen such a cold determination in Takumi-kun's arctic blue eyes directed back at Hayama-san. It was clear there was some tremendous rivalry there. So it wasn't just Yukihira-san and Mimasaka-san he marked in his book.
"For example. Tell me, what spices do you taste in my dish?" asked Hayama-san looking in Chizuru-chan's direction, since she was the one still lapping up the sauce.
She stopped and panic overtook her expression.
"Uhh… chilli…?" she said.
"What else?" Hayama-san pressed his palm on the table in front of her and leaned forward, making Chizuru-chan lean backwards in tandem.
Her best friend blushed brightly and flustered under Hayama-san's sharp, green gaze. Chizuru-chan threw her a dreadful, horrified look from the corner of her eyes, silently screeching for help because she was too stumped to think when the tall, dark, handsome male was leaning over her.
"There's turmeric, clove, paprika and cumin. Right?" Ayame jumped in without missing a beat. Hayama-san switched his attention to Ayame and stopped leaning over Chizuru-chan, allowing her to sink discretely in her chair and sigh in relief.
"Correct. You could smell each one, can you?"
"Um, I can't differentiate all of them. But I can see the labels on your bottles" Ayame shyly pointed to his kitchen station where all his ingredients lined up with an embarrassed grin.
The spice master just huffed and shook his head before continuing "Each spice has their own properties that either blend very well, or conflict with other spices to create unique flavours. Also each spice has a specific heating time and intensity that is perfect for releasing the best of their fragrance or enhancing their flavours. All of this, my nose allows me to discern with impeccable accuracy" Hayama-san pointed to his nose again, a smug smile gracing his lips.
"Yeah yeah, whatever Hayama" Mito-san recovered from her loss. "I'm sure Takumi-san has other places to show Kanda-san and her friends. Am I right?" she blushed, still feeling the sting of her defeat and anxiously rubbed her arms.
Takumi-kun on the side checked his watch and nodded in agreement.
"Your dish was absolutely beautiful too Mito-san" Ayame got out of her chair to go over to her and gave her a hug, shocking the girl. "I'd love to have more if I ever come back to visit" she assured her. Mito-san nodded shyly at her.
Ayame was glad the talented meat specialist didn't feel too down in her loss but considering they all went to a highly competitive school, everyone must have learnt to bounce back and not dwell on losses for too long. She went to thank Hayama-san also and Kuchiyose-kun went to give both him and Mito-san a handshake. She had to elbow Chizuru-chan to properly thank them, before she darted elsewhere.
Suddenly, Hayama-san bent over and whispered in her ear.
"Hey, your friend over there, Namikaze right? What kind of food does she eat?" he leaned back waiting patiently for her answer.
Ayame smelt a distinctly strong cinnamon scent coming from him. It was pleasant enough. She looked over to find Chizuru-chan starting to pick a fight with Kuchiyose-kun and Takumi-kun was trying to calm her down. Ayame turned back around to Hayama-san. What an odd question…
"She likes very spicy food. Why?"
"No reason" he shrugged, releasing his ponytail. "She didn't look like she fully enjoyed or understood any of the dishes. Since she likes spicy food, and I'm the resident expert, just thought maybe next time I could make something that tastes spicier if she comes back"
"Oh okay then… That's generous of you" said Ayame slowly.
"Don't get me wrong. It just unsettles me if my food isn't perfection to my customers' palate… nothing more" said Hayama-san, crossing his arms over his chest, looking towards his sleeping professor. She sure didn't wake up for anything... especially with all this commotion happening.
Ayame was confident he meant exactly what he said and she went back over to her group of friends. Takumi-kun suggested the three went ahead and wait for him outside, as he wanted to have a few words with his two amazing classmates. Soon they exited the premises together, their bellies full with an awesome brunch.
"Thanks so much for taking us around. It's really exciting. What's next?" she beamed at Takumi-kun as they walked together back towards the main building.
"Uh… Next is the Polar Star Dorms" said Takumi-kun.
"Welcome to Polar Star Dorms!" Ayame-san and Megumi-san repeatedly bowed to each other. They looked like they were about to become fast friends.
"My name is Tadokoro Megumi and this is where I live while studying at Tootsuki" she gestured to the grand, vine covered dormitory building.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Kanda Ayame and these are my friends, Namikaze Chizuru and Kuchiyose Byakko"
"Yo!"
"..."
"Nice to meet you too" Megumi-san bowed again, eliciting a reflexive one from each person "Come inside for a drink, you guys must be thirsty" she said, ushering everyone out of the sun.
Takumi's little group broke out into a murmur on how great the dormitory looked. They looked around from the plush carpet all the way to the big staircase. Megumi-san continued to usher them into the dining room and ran to grab some drinks from the kitchen. Takumi went over to Ayame-san and pulled out a seat for her.
"I hope everyone likes chilled barley tea" said Megumi-san who came back toting a tray of cups and a chilled jug of the delicious caramel-coloured tea, he had the fortune of trying before, serving everyone with grace.
Takumi was once more indebted to Megumi-san who was generous enough to welcome his guests and agreed to show them the Polar Star plantations. She had accepted immediately, probably guessing that he was going to bring and introduce Ayame-san to the place. Takumi had tried to play it down, but the knowing look on her face when he asked the favour told him the country bumpkin was excited to find out what kind of girl he chose.
"Thanks, any cold drink is fine by me" said Namikaze sipping on her tea.
Kuchiyose nodded his thanks and drank his tea silently.
"You just got back from Hayama-kun's residence right? How was the shokugeki?" asked Megumi-san.
"It was absolutely magnificent! The food both he and Mito-san made were wonderful. I'm just stoked that this school is full of shining talent. They made a Malaysian beef curry crêpe and a sizzling beef crêpe donburi " said Ayame-san smiling.
"Wow, who won?" asked Megumi-san.
"Hayama-san's Malaysian beef curry crêpe was the sure fire winner" chuckled Ayame.
"I would expect as much, although Ikumi-san is a brilliant chef also" everyone around the table nodded in agreement. "So how did you four meet?" Megumi-san asked looking back and forth at Ayame-san, Namikaze, Kuchiyose and himself.
"I left my physics dictionary at a local cafe and Takumi-kun found it and was kind enough to return it to me at my high school, which is Karakura High" Ayame said happily.
"Oh that's cute" Megumi-san commented, giving Takumi a sidelong look of approval, not that he needed her approval for anything.
"Then I introduced him to my friends too" she continued, sipping her chilled barely tea.
"Ah! Are you by any chance the same girl who gave him that keychain?" Megumi-san's eye's lit up.
Takumi began to feel a bit hot under the collar.
"Hmm? Oh yes, I did give him a keychain" said Ayame-san happily.
"I didn't get a closer look at it because Aldini-kun had already taken it apart and pinned it to his chef's uniform"
"Chef's uniform?" Ayame-san turned to him quizzically.
"Uh... yeah, so it's like a g-good luck charm that I a-always keep on me for when I'm cooking and training..." Takumi buried his face in his cup.
"I hope that it'll actually be useful" Ayame-san smiled shyly at him. His heart skipped a beat. She really was stunning in more ways than one.
"Ano Namikaze-san, do you have any interests?" Megumi-san asked politely, turning the conversation to the other two like a good host.
"Yep. Have you heard of League of Legends?" she replied.
"I can't say I have. What is it?" she replied, looking into the air to see if it rang any bells.
"It's a multiplayer online battle arena, real-time strategy computer game. I play regularly. I wouldn't call myself a casual gamer because I enter in gaming competitions with my team sometimes. But probably serious enough to be damn good" she said, crunching on left over ice in her drink before
"Wow that sounds exciting, even though I know nothing of the sort" she replied and chuckled politely trying to refill Namikaze's drink.
"That's alright, I don't expect you to" The midget nodded in thanks and continued sipping.
Takumi thanked the Roman gods for Namikaze's sudden burst of social etiquette. He had counted on their interaction turning completely sour because of her crass and crude nature of speaking, blunt and sometimes-vulgar words. But it looked like that chiacchierone did have some sense when being a guest in someone's home.
Ayame-san swiveled around in her seat and brought her face close to Takumi's ears, startling him a bit. "Chizuru-chan isn't always tough to talk to or frank. I should apologise if she'd said anything insensitive to you when we all went out for ice-cream together. I swear I didn't know about that until yesterday" Ayame-san whispered.
"No need to apologise, she didn't say anything I didn't need to hear" he assured her. She blushed and gently punched him in the arm.
"Megumi-san, would you mind showing us the Polar Star plantation?" Takumi said quickly before Megumi-san got the chance to try and strike a futile conversation with Kuchiyose. The last thing the blonde Italian wanted was for her to feel awkward when it wasn't her fault.
"Oh sure! You need to meet up with Nakiri-san too don't you?" she said.
Takumi nodded.
Megumi-san led them out into the back where all the plantation was. It reminded him of the rustic countryside in Tuscano where he and his family used to take trips to retreat from the busy lifestyle of Trattoria Aldini.
"This is our Polar Star Plantation. We grow and harvest our own vegetables and breed our own chickens in the farm pen. We also have our own Kouji lab for special fermentation just over there, our own smoking house which comes with a firewood workshop" explained Megumi-san as she pointed out to each feature of the land.
She began her tour of the plantation, explaining in more detail as they stopped at particular sites she pointed out. Takumi lagged behind the group with his hands tucked in his pockets. Ayame-san and Namikaze were both glued to Megumi-san's guided tour, showing increasing interest in how the food and farming industry worked, with the Polar Star Plantation as a small-scale example. He could see Ayame taking in and processing the information in her head like the well-oiled gears of a machine all for her thirst for knowledge. Even Kuchiyose seemed to be listening closely.
"Polar star is self-sufficient huh?" said Ayame-san, admiring the view.
"Yep! And we like to keep it that way. The dorm is a special place to us and it's where we continue to build upon our specialty. It gives us plenty of room to grow and explore more about ourselves and our cooking style. This is the place to be for creativity" she said. Tadokoro-san handed each of them a ripe Japanese momotaro tomato she just picked straight from the tomato vine they were looking at. They thanked her and Ayame-san eagerly bit into it.
"So sweet! Isn't it crisp, Chizuru-chan?" Ayame-san looked excitedly to her friend, with a bit of tomato juice sticking to the corners of her mouth
Takumi mentally slapped himself for thinking of licking it off of her.
"Sure" she said, nibbling on the oblate-shaped tomato.
It looked like Kuchiyose already downed his own tomato.
Megumi-san resumed the tour across the plantation and allowed the little group to pet the chickens, claiming that Yoshino-san wouldn't mind. The poultry perhaps was feeling a bit lonely that their keeper wasn't there this summer to nurture them, leaving the task to her and the dorm-mother. Ayame-san and Megumi-san spent a few minutes talking about how great an ambition Yoshino-san had for breeding her own Polar Star species of chickens. She had thrown a few genetics related explanations and terminology here and there about the style of breeding poultry and it got Megumi-san really interested too. Soon their tour ended and the little group thanked her for her adventurous trip into the fields. Takumi thanked Megumi-san separately for her time and she smiled saying that she hoped he would bring Ayame-san over again. He turned away before she could say anymore because he knew what she would say next, and wanted to spare himself the embarrassment.
"Are we going to see Nakiri-san next?" asked Ayame-san, slowing down her walking pace to travel beside Takumi, while the other two walked in front having a one sided conversation.
"Sì, we are" he smiled at her.
"Velkommen! Aren't you the most adorable thing~?"
"Nakiri-san! Let go of her hands!" Takumi fumed at Nakiri Alice. She was grasping Ayame-san's hands tightly between them longer than what was socially appropriate and pressing her sly looking face into hers. Ayame-san looked like a deer caught in headlights.
"I don't think so. How do you feel about Tootsuki so far? I hope Aldini-kun has been showing you the fun places" she giggled.
"It's great, but if you don't mind me saying so. Meeting you is my highlight of the day" Ayame-san said back enthusiastically at her.
Takumi guessed that mad scientists thought alike, though he could never imagine Ayame-san being a mad one. Maybe there was a telepathic connection that all scientific minds had inbuilt to connect and link to other scientific minds on a spiritual level.
"Did you hear that Ryou-kun? She loves me!"
"Ousu" Kurokiba replied casually, blending in perfectly with the background.
"When Aldini-kun asked me a favour to include me into his little tour, he mentioned that you wanted to be a mechanical and robotics engineer after university. I can't tell you how excited that makes me. I hope you'll choose building and designing equipment for the molecular gastronomy or the food engineering industry!" she cooed at Ayame-san, still not letting go of her hands.
Nakiri Alice was more energetic and over-familiar than usual. Takumi put it down to finding another female who could possibly challenge or share different knowledge with her on a scientific level. Because really, she was pazzo most of the time.
"Can I ask you a question?" asked Ayame-san exuberantly.
The Danish Nakiri blinked rapidly, as if she was taken aback by the sheer excitement the green eyed girl exuded, but she quickly accepted it like a gracious lady she was brought up to be.
"Go ahead!"
"I've been reading up on culinary mechanics, which applies mechanical engineering to food preparations. My understanding is that it involves scientifically analysing how mechanics affects taste and nutrition. I was wondering how much of mechanical engineering principles is applied in molecular gastronomy and in the current food and service industry, because I think it's something really important for not only exploring and inventing knew cooking techniques to increase the human experience in eating, but also tackling the world issues like obesity and global hunger"
Nakiri Alice widened her eyes, allowing a short pause to fill the air before grinning from ear to ear.
"Interesting, because culinary mechanics has existed for thousands of years! Take the pestle and mortar for example. It's just only recently been given its own branch of food science. My father's research facility up in Copenhagen is currently investing in it to increase and improve our research, lab procedures and results in molecular gastronomy. Personally I do use some cutting-edge culinary mechanics, but it's limited sometimes due to the lack of equipment or I haven't had the chance to try out certain principles" Nakiri Alice, laced her fingers together and regarded Ayame-san with an intriguing stare.
"So basically culinary mechanics is becoming an 'important thing', but it hasn't taken root into the main food sciences industries yet even though it pretty much goes hand-in-hand with molecular gastronomy. Also I guess there is still funding and grant research to go through to apply culinary mechanics and molecular gastronomy to world issues" said Ayame-san, slowly summarising.
In Takumi's point of view, it seemed like Ayame-san was looking more at the big picture applications of the food science, whilst keeping her mechanical engineering twist, whereas Nakiri Alice was more akin to personal gains within her field of expertise. If he didn't know better, he would have thought Ayame-san was advocating for mechanical engineering to have their own branch in the food sciences.
"Did Aldini-kun get you into the cooking world, Ayame-chan? Because you certainly know your stuff" said Nakiri, shooting a look in Takumi's direction.
"Haha, not really. My passion had always been in mechanical and robotics engineering. I was surprised and found it really interesting on how mechanical engineering principles and concepts play a strong role in innovations in food texture, taste and nutrition, as well as packaging and delivery" Ayame-san replied shyly.
"We need more people like you in molecular gastronomy!" Nakiri Alice bounced up and down.
"Could you give me an example of what kinds of culinary mechanics you already apply to your cooking?" Ayame-san asked, not at all intimidated by Alice.
"Sure! Currently my father is exploring applications of cell mechanics in ketchup, seeking best practices to mash tomatoes and bottle the product. Did you know how you mash the tomatoes and how it flows through the pipes changes its flavour, thus influencing whether a consumer likes or dislikes the taste? Personally for me, cutting carrots with a dull knife gives a different taste to cutting with a sharp knife. That's because sharp cuts create different textures and release different compounds of the carrot affecting its taste" Nakiri Alice finished very confidently.
"…"
"What! Were you expecting something more complex than that!" Nakiri Alice, started to become red in the face when she wasn't getting the reaction she expected from Ayame-san.
"No no! That did sound very interesting, don't get me wrong! Cell mechanics in ketchup and different cutting techniques sound really cool, but I was hoping you would mention hydraulics or something like that… haha" Ayame-san held her hands up in front of her to appease Nakiri.
"I must congratulate you Ayame-chan, you could be on my level if you were a fellow chef. Hey Aldini-kun! You better convince her to join the food industry, we can't lose a gemstone like her" Nakiri Alice said teasingly.
"It's not up to me" Takumi replied.
"Girl! Let me show you some of my equipment already, because my flash freezer uses a hydraulic system, did you know that?" said Nakiri. She grabbed Kurokiba to help her lift or move some of the equipment to show Ayame-san.
Ayame-san couldn't look any more excited. Nakiri Alice then dragged her over to the many technological toys whilst yelling orders at Kurokiba to demonstrate or turn on one of the equipment. The room filled with the incessant chatter of numerous scientific words thrown all over the place. Even words he had never heard of, but could tell they were to do with physics and engineering.
"You're not going to join them?" asked Namikaze by his side. Both of them pulled up a stool and sat at one of the metal benches.
"No, this is for Ayame-san" he said, looking away, feeling the need to find another place to sit.
"Sweet. She talks a lot about you" she said.
"Really?" Takumi said and sat up a bit straighter, looking at Namikaze.
"Hmm, I didn't want to come today you know, because I wanted you two to have a bit of alone time. Don't give me that look, I'm not that heartless." she chided him. "But Ayame-chan really insisted anyway. She does this turtle face thing…".
Takumi was curious by this 'turtle face' Namikaze spoke of. Perhaps he could get Ayame-san to show him one day. That aside, her brutal honesty didn't settle well with his stomach. Takumi turned away a bit embarrassed. He wasn't even aware he was giving her any kind of facial expression. His impression of Namikaze had always been that she would be the third wheeler screwed tightly. To hear that she actually wanted the two of them to grow closer alone made him skeptical.
"Don't get the wrong idea, I'll always be watching somehow, anywhere and I always carry out my threats" she smirked at him.
Nope he was wrong, she was still the same obnoxious midget.
"Damn, Kuchiyose-kun isn't back from the toilets yet. I knew he shouldn't have gone alone" Namizake clucked her tongue.
Takumi had completely forgotten that Kuchiyose had gone to the bathroom just before they reached the cutting-edge RS clubroom. It wasn't his fault that the tall giant was non-verbal, so how was he supposed to assert his own presence and actually get people to remember and notice him? He had been gone for more than twenty minutes so he was probably indeed lost.
"I'll go find him. This place is pretty big. No one would remember how to get to places" Takumi said hurriedly. All the guests here were his responsibility and under his care after all. He got up and ran to the door.
"Hej! Aldini-kun! Where are you going? I'm about to get everyone my famous Thermal Sense Curry I've already prepared for lunch" Nakiri Alice huffed with her hands on her hips.
"I need to find their other friend, tornerò" he said.
Takumi quickly dashed towards the men's bathroom, leaving Nakiri's hollering behind him. Just as he made it in front of the bathroom corridor, he spotted Kuchiyose just standing there with his phone.
'Seriously, what the Diavolo is his deal?'
If he wasn't going to enjoy the tour to Tootsuki, he could've spoken up to Ayame-san and said he didn't want to come. That way, she would have an extra pass to use herself. Something told him Ayame probably badgered him into coming the same way she did to Namikaze. He guessed if he was in the lilac-haired boy's shoes, he wouldn't say no either... or say anything...
"Hey, the girls are waiting for you" Takumi said, cautiously approaching him, needing to crane his neck a tad to look at his face.
Kuchiyose looked up at him from his phone and slowly slipped it in his pocket. There was something indescribable in his eyes. Takumi couldn't tell what it was because it was so potent. He moved languidly, his hands stuffed in his pockets. Takumi walked beside him as well, just to make sure he didn't lose him. He wished Kuchiyose walked a bit faster. Who knew what other things Nakiri Alice was getting Ayame-san to do. He had initially made her promise that she would show Ayame-san the safe stuff, but she refused to promise him that, claiming that he was trying to oppress her. Which was ridiculous! It was just being around Nakiri Alice and Kurokiba wasn't always a good idea.
Takumi opened the door when they finally arrived.
"Ah Aldini-kun, just in time. Ayame-chan's boundless knowledge has been a great help. Come and have a taste of-"
CLATTER!
Everyone in the room held their breaths in horror as the last plate of the exquisite and sensual Thermal Sense Curry clattered loudly to the metal counter-top. Luckily the plate didn't crack, but the flash-frozen pie crust garnish fell on its side.
"Mi'lady?" asked Kurokiba, genuine concern laced his voice.
Everyone looked at her. There was shock, surprise, distress and lastly fear swimming tumultuously in her ruby-red eyes. Her lips quivered and her hands trembled, poised in mid-air. Her brows also shot up to her hairline and sweat started beading on her forehead. Takumi was confused. Why was she looking at him like that?
'Uno momento… Not at me'
Takumi traced Nakiri Alice's line of vision with his own eyes to tall boy next to him. Kuchiyose's facial expression was just as puzzling. His lips formed a tight line and Takumi didn't think Kuchiyose's eyes were capable of pinning someone down until now, because he always looked lackadaisical. The potency in his gaze intensified as it zeroed in on Nakiri Alice, like a sniper finding his mark. His eyes were hard and barely unreadable, but there was something violent brewing behind them.
"Alice-san?" Ayame started, reaching for her trembling shoulder.
"U-uh… umm…I-I'm sorry… p-please excuse me" Nakiri Alice spun around and bolted out of the room through the clubroom back door leaving a trail of dust. Ayame-san stood there like a confused child, not knowing what to do or say.
"I need to go after Mi'lady" said Kurokiba as he jogged after her.
"What the hell was that?" Namikaze quirked her eyebrows at the back doorway, to Ayame-san and then to himself and the tall, lilac-haired giant.
Kuchiyose finally closed his eyes and sighed. Everyone left in the room waited for a reply if there was going to be one. When he spoke, his voice was deep and husky.
"She's my ex-girlfriend"
It had been some time since Kuchiyose-kun's announcement and nobody was sure how to take it.
"Should we go after her? Will she be alright? What should we do?" Ayame peddled back and forth behind the metal kitchen counter, chewing on her nails.
One second, the two of them were having the time of their lives, Alice-san was whipping out her equipment and showing Ayame how to use the 3D Chocolate printer that could print seven times faster than a regular 3D printer. In the next second, she was absolutely shell-shocked as soon as Takumi-kun and Kuchiyose-kun came back into the clubroom. It was like staring at the victim in a horror movie. Alice-san's personality did a one-eighty and was trembling all over. Even weirder still, she had never seen Kuchiyose looked so adamant at someone in all her time she had known him.
It was clear as crystal there was something suspiciously wrong!
"Nakiri-san's aide has already gone after her. What I really want to know is…" Chizuru-chan dipped her spoon into one of the curry sauces and lapped it up "Why did she look deliriously happy to see you?" Chizuru-chan said sarcastically and waved her spoon in Kuchiyose-san's direction who had already taken purchase leaning against the wall. Chizuru-chan was as sharp as ever.
Kurokiba-san came back from the back door and he had a sullen expression on his face. This couldn't be good "Milady has locked herself in Kitchen Hall fifteen"
"Will she be alright?" Takumi-kun asked Kurokiba-san.
"Fuck I can do when she's in that state" said Kurokiba-san and he sighed. Then he turned his attention to Kuchiyose-kun.
He sighed too.
"Alice and I were in a relationship for about a year and a half" Kuchiyose-kun said, shrugging his shoulders.
Ayame instantly looked up. She had almost forgotten what Kuchiyose-kun sounded like. Today he sounded heavier and huskier than usual, which was probably due to the present circumstances.
"What! Dating for more than a year? When was this? None of us knew? Did Nakiri Erina know? And how did she even have time to date?" Takumi-kun exclaimed, more so towards Kurokiba-san. It sounded like it was a pretty huge deal.
"..."
Kuchiyose-kun obviously didn't want to answer any of that much to Ayame's and Chizuru-chan's disappointment.
"Mi'lady knows how to keep secrets when she wants to… and balance her social life to some degree…" said Kurokiba-san and he sighed again.
"Did you know that we'd be meeting her today?" Ayame asked Kuchiyose-kun cautiously.
He nodded.
Ayame suddenly felt guilty. The sinking suspicion in her gut was right. She should have paid close attention to the signs! Ever since Takumi-kun visited their classroom, Kuchiyose-kun had been endlessly staring at the Tootsuki buildings in the mountains in the distant. It didn't just happen in class, but also when they were out and about and walking home from school. She should've asked him if there was a connection between his odd and silent behaviour and Tootsuki, which obviously now she realised was a painful one! Also, she had nagged and nagged him to come with her to Tootsuki today through texting, until he finally conceded.
But he never said a word. She was the worst friend!
All this time what had been on his mind was her. His past. Nakiri Alice, his ex-girlfriend…
"Kitchen hall fifteen, right?" Kuchiyose-kun broke the heavy silence and sauntered out the door with his hands still in his pockets and headed down the corridor.
"Wait-!" Ayame swiftly turned after him but stopped in her tracks when she felt a firm hand on her shoulder. She turned back around to protest that Kuchiyose-kun shouldn't be going alone and saw it was Kurokiba-san's hand.
"It's best that Mi'lady faces this on her own" he simply said, his eyes still looking at the spot Kuchiyose-kun had occupied.
Alice wiped and wiped and wiped her tears, but they just weren't going away.
'Stupid! Stupid! Stupid, Byakko! Why the hell is he here?!'
She pushed her silver tresses to the side to stop them sticking to her face. Even in this moment she needed to look beautiful. There was no one to see, but she would bet on her life there must be some sick camera trick planted somewhere by Erina to get back at her for whatever grudge she held. Only Erina and Ryou-kun knew and Ryou-kun wouldn't do anything underhanded towards her. It simply couldn't be a coincident that he was here!
Tirelessly training away in Tootsuki and busying herself with the intrigue known as Yukihira-kun all throughout first year had made the pain and memories of her past subside substantially. However, it was always still there, lingering in the crevices of her heart. She hadn't seen him in more than six months and he looked just as stupidly handsome as she remembered. There were some slight differences she could see on his person. His body looked firmer and more toned from constant soccer practice. He was a bit taller too. His hair was more unkempt the only thing that remained the same were his eyes.
They were still burning.
The same eyes she fell in love with.
Alice slapped her forehead, trying to shut down all the memories in her head as they popped up one by one.
'Byakko…'
Guilt welled up inside her. She had spent many months subduing it, burying it deep into her ice-cold heart and making sure that it will never get in her way again. What the hell was she thinking?! She ran! She ran from him like the coward nobody knew she was! Well now they knew, that's for sure. It was like the crack in the dam finally caved under the phenomenal pressure of the sea of emotions that just burst out and flooded every system in her body.
Click, click, click, click, click, CLACK.
"R-Ryou-kun, is that you? Have you sent my apologies? I-I've just got a uhh… stomach c-cramp" she said her head buried in her hands as she sat on the stool leaning herself onto the metal kitchen counter. It was a pitiful excuse, she knew.
"Still a little liar, I see"
Ice shards dripped down her spine. No.
"Byakko!" Alice jumped out of her seat and collided with the other kitchen counter behind her.
Her knees almost buckled. He was really here! The tall figure she knew was Kuchiyose Byakko leaned against the door frame and regarded her coolly. Her heart was ready to burst out of her chest as she stared at her once flame glowering at her with a dangerous, burning ardour. His lips were in a taut thin line, hiding his razor sharp tongue. His tall frame casted a long shadow into the room, making her so much more aware that he was blocking her only exit. Alice felt her snow white skin heat up as shame and guilt rampaged through her again. She could see that his body was tense despite him reclining on the door jam, his hands were deep in his pockets.
Her defence mechanism kicked in and she quickly wiped away the rest of her tears.
"Well, fancy seeing you here again. I hope you've been—"
"Why did you leave me?"
The deep roughness sent goose bumps up her arms. Oh God. She knew that he was going to target that one God forsaken question straight off the bat. He wasn't one to beat around the bush for anyone's benefit. She was still affected by his haunting voice. It wasn't fair. His voice had only been two things to her: velvety and silky, and deep and husky. But this was a different combination she knew he used when he was restraining his anger. Alice took a deep breath and mustered the strength to look back at him.
'Oh God, no…'
Perhaps, never telling him the real reason was a big mistake. No, it couldn't be. She did the right thing, she was sure. Her defense mechanism went into over drive. Frustration started to seep into her being. She tried to stop it, but it was too late.
"I a-already told you…!"
"Not to my face"
It sounded almost as if he was harshly chastising her in contempt. She hated answering his questions to his face because it was the most intense method on how he judged if a person was being true to their words, or was lying through their teeth. It always made her feel bare and transparent whenever he casted his penetrating stare, unlocking all her secrets and hidden stories whether she was talking or not at all. If he was going to play that game, then so will she. Alice sucked in her breath and steeled herself.
"We're too different from each other. You and I are not suited" she started, trying to maintain her voice. "Byakko… I was training to become a world leading chef in molecular gastronomy and one day take over my father's research institute and create my own culinary empire. I was already traveling across the globe, perfecting my cooking when we met! While you, you were still in middle school and already getting scouted by famous international soccer teams! You are going to have a sporting career that could take you to different places too. We live in different worlds! Can't you see that it was never going to-"
"Bullshit and you know it" he cut her off completely.
Byakko pushed himself off the door-jam and stepped into the room. The shuffled steps of his shoes on the sterilised floors echoed off the walls and only made him more intimidating in Alice's eyes. His body was still tense behind his guise of self-control, his hands still in his pockets and his eyes never left hers. The closer he got, the taller he became. Byakko still maintained a wide berth from her.
She refused to show him how frightened she was. She clenched her fists.
"Look, don't screw—!"
"You already did"
The tall, lilac-haired boy advanced upon her with quick long strides, easily sidestepping around the kitchen counter that separated the two. Alarm bells blared in her head. Where the hell was Ryou-kun?! Her god damn useless aide was supposed to be finished up with the cutting edge cooking clubroom eons ago! Byakko was so close to her now and to her shock he smelt the same. The same musky masculine smell of pine poured nostalgia into her.
Gud, how she missed it.
She tried to scoot backwards, but was trapped between the second row of cooking stations and him. Her backside pressed tightly on the edge of the metal countertop. She looked up and met eye to eye with his chest. Damn! She only came up to his collarbone. His chest and shoulder had gotten broader with all that exercise practice.
She hated how he still had a hold over her mind!
"Do you remember?" his voice returned to its calmer state as she felt his eyes graze over every inch of her body.
"W-What?"
"How we first met?" he continued.
He lifted his large hand up and she flinched, not knowing what he would do. She clenched her eyes and then felt feather light caresses, brushing aside her lone, long silver lock of silver hair she always fashioned to her left, just on the edge of her face. It shot electricity into her body. The memory sprang forth, but she couldn't concentrate on the details. She concentrated on his gentle touch.
"Our first date?" his voice drowned out all the voices in her head screaming at her to push him away.
His fingers traced lightly across her jawline, it felt white and hot and Alice's mind became muddled and the muscles around her eyes soften. Her eyes slowly looked up into his and was trapped by his hypnotic gaze. Those deep, dark hazel pools drawing her in.
"I-I don—" his thumb tugged her lower lip down, instantly silencing her. His face drew closer.
"Our first kiss?" He breathed onto her lips.
Her lips were hypersensitive to the fact that his were a hair's breadth away. Her breaths came out quick and sharp, her heart pounding in her chest. Too close. She could almost taste him. Her traitorous body trembled violently under his touch. It was on longer under her control, she couldn't even lift a finger. Her head swam with his musky scent and the sheer closeness his body was to her, radiating his own warmth.
"S-Stop—"
"Our first… night together?"
"Mmmhh…!" she slipped out a moan. His fingers trailed down her swan-like neck, leaving a blazing trail of hot-white tingles that gripped her body to new heights. Memories of their private intimacies engulfed her. She knew what he was trying to do. He was trying to make her feel again!
His fingers rested on her pulse point, stroking the skin. Her body erupted in a burning and strong arousal. She struggled to keep her thighs shut together to try and quell the intense coiling in her lower body. Her hands gripped the cool metal bench behind her and she shut her eyes once again to stop his eyes from breaking her will. Another mewl threatened to escape her lips
Of course she remembered everything they shared and she hated herself for it.
"Just admit it" he whispered, resting his heavy forehead on hers.
"S-say what…?" she responded in equally in a hushed voice.
"You never wanted to break up" said Byakko in a hushed tone.
Alice clenched her eyes tight. The tears stung as they squeezed itself out from between her eyes lids, soaking her lashes and leaving small wet trails down her cheeks. Her inner voice screeched at his audacity to make blatant and untrue assumptions! Of course she wanted to break up with him! She had to! She had no choice. Alice fought herself from reaching for the collar of his shirt and pull him down to her. However, he was making it unbearable and her body cried out to him.
"Byakko, don't be—"
He descended. The fingers that stroked her neck slithered up and grasped the back of her head in a forceful grip and tugged it backwards, causing her to gasp. Byakko took advantage of it and crashed his mouth onto hers in a searing and heated kiss. His tongue penetrated her mouth, caressing her tongue in a furious dance. He didn't fight for dominance, he took it. He pulled her head further back to angle himself, threading deeper into her.
It was a burning bliss. Alice cried out in exaltation and Byakko silenced her again with another and even more passionate kiss. His lips locked onto hers, pulling and sucking at her bottom lip making her see stars. In the past, how was revved up easily and his beast-like nature emerged from time to time, but this experience all over again was twice-fold, shattering her senses. She felt her body give in to him. He slid his other hand behind her back like a boa constrictor and crushed her smaller body to his, effectively caging her against him, her legs went limp a good few inches above the floor. She was smothered by the intensity of his administrations until her mind went blank.
The last chain on her conscience broke.
Alice snaked her arms up and around his neck, pulling him down to her greedily, even closer and responded back to him just as ardently. Her tongue met his and he upped the ante and subdued her with ease.
She couldn't breathe. He wouldn't let her breathe.
"Ngghh-!" the hand that was around her back hitched her up over the counter like she weighed nothing and he stepped forward between her legs, keeping them in place. His lips continued to claim her over and over, not breaking at all and his hands settled back down onto her lower back, tracing small circles just under her chef's uniform. She groaned without warning.
A growl rumbled in his throat causing delicious tingles in her. He grinded his lower self against her and Alice cried out into his mouth again and he swallowed it. The coiling forged stronger and stronger until it threatened to ruin her right then and there. Her body was too hot.
Then he stopped.
Byakko released her and stepped back until he collided with the other kitchen counter.
A rush of cold hair hit the Danish Nakiri princess hard. Her mouth felt bruised and tender and her eyes were still bleary from passion. It was so cold without him. The fogginess started to clear and her conscience slowly returned, chastising her. She slowly slid down the counter until she could find footing back onto planet Earth.
She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe she actually let him do that. She couldn't believe she wanted it.
Byakko's torso stiffened again, his muscles tightened in his forearms, biceps and his shoulders. His face was turned away, his eyes hidden behind his tousled lilac fringe. His hands were fisted, resting against the metal countertop.
"G-Go now" she forced out her voice and it tremoured, about to break. He finally turned around to look at her, she wanted to weep before the same haunting and unreadable eyes she had fallen in love with long before. "Before we do something… we'll both regret" she whispered.
She bowed her head down and clutched at the collar of her chef's uniform. A few seconds later, his footsteps resounded in the kitchen, making its way to the door.
"You know that I'm the worst person to lie to, Alice"
The furious clatter of the door sliding shut told her he'd left and then bursted into tears, collapsing to her knees onto the floor. It was excruciating. Misery and sadness clawed at her and the guilt continued to poison her blood. She was poisonous, she had always been that way. She had to let him go. She couldn't stand poisoning his life.
Not when they both had their big dreams to live for.
"Mi'lady was dating before last year… just after coming back from Skandinavien… then she found someone… she kept who it was a secret… Eventually she told me"
Takumi had a harder time digesting all this information than one of Ayame's wormhole stuff. Nakiri Alice who was the picture of perfect arrogance and confidence had actually scored a guy and kept him for more than a year.
"What went wrong?" asked Namikaze, who had just about finished her plate of Thermal Sense Curry.
"An argument in Mi'lady's manor… on the phone I think and then she broke up with him on Christmas Day…There might be a connection… Fuck I know" said Kurokiba disinterestedly.
"What? Just like that? That's got to be extra painful, even for him…" said Namikaze.
"I heard that he demanded to see her a few times…but security didn't let him through and had to physically escort him off the grounds. It was the only time I've seen him in real life. Yeah… it looked like he wanted answers…" Kurokiba finished in his same monotonous tone.
Takumi wasn't keen on swearing in front of the girls, even if Namikaze was that type who was all for it. He reconsidered his judgement on Kuchiyose. Maybe he was the way he was because of his break up with Nakiri Alice? That could actually explain a lot of things. His oozing reluctance today, his cold distance from Takumi because of his association with Tootsuki, hence Nakiri Alice. That might be stretching it, but it made some sense.
"That's terrible. And we never knew about that side of Kuchiyose-kun at all…" said Ayame-san.
"We only became friends with him this year, you can't expect him to give you an autobiography on the first day, especially skeletons in the closet. And you certainly can't blame him for hiding it either. Ah speak of the devil" said Namikaze.
Kuchiyose came back into the room, looking a lot worse for wear. His head was bowed down and his hands stuffed in his pockets. Ayame-san ran over to him and hugged him around the middle but he didn't respond. She quickly let go and stepped back.
"You should have told us, then I wouldn't have forced you to come. How is Alice-san? Is she alright?" she asked worriedly.
"It's fine" he said.
"I take it that we're finished for the day. Did you sort things out with her?" said Namikaze.
Kuchiyose ignored her. To Takumi, it had ended in a disaster. He didn't think a drama would've erupted out of nowhere. Truthfully, he thought Namikaze was going to start something sooner or later. He prayed that Ayame-san 's day wasn't dampened. But it looked like she still got a lot out of it. His little group said their goodbyes to Kurokiba and wished him and Nakiri well and Namikaze had to stop Ayame-san from apologising profusely and hoped that she and Nakiri would talk again soon. Kurokiba just nodded.
The trip back to the Tootsuki front gates was silent and awkward. Takumi was blushing, not knowing what to say and how to react properly. He didn't want Ayame-san 's day to end so… badly. Then he felt bad. It wasn't anybody's fault. Nakiri Alice didn't know Kuchiyose was coming, Ayame-san didn't know about Kuchiyose's situation and he did try to make an effort to hide when they were approaching the cutting-edge cooking clubroom. The trip to the bathroom sounded more like a decoy to him now. So maybe that meeting was unavoidable.
"Don't look so glum, Takumi-kun. I still had a marvelous time" Ayame-san said to him when they reached the gates. Takumi blushed a bit and coughed into his fist.
"I'm still sorry about what happened just then. I know that it wasn't supposed to end this way" Takumi said, he smiled sadly.
"That's okay. I still feel really bad for coercing Kuchiyose-kun to come and I hope Alice-san won't hate me for it. I think I'm glad that he got to see her again, even if it wasn't the most ideal circumstance. Chizuru-chan will probably grill Kuchiyose-kun later. I think she's offended that he kept this from us for a long time. I've got to be there to protect him from her and her firing squad" Ayame-san sighed.
The pair looked up ahead and could see that the not-so-silent giant was trying to edge away from Namikaze, but she wasn't buying it and kept bulldozing into his personal space, chattering away and snapping her fingers at him.
"I sure hope you're right…" he said offhandedly.
"You know how Kurokiba-san mentioned Kuchiyose-kun wanted answers from Alice-san when they broke up? I think he might've found it today" she said, looking off into the distant at her two friends.
She had such a soft smile, but it was a sad one. Takumi didn't like to see such a sad smile on her face. No matter what reason it made his heart squeeze. She should always be happy, she deserved all the happiness owed to her. If it were in his power, he would always strive to make her the happiest woman on this Earth. Even if that meant cooking her Italian food every day of the week if she was within capacity to burn down her kitchen... or not.
"How do you know that, Ayame-san?" he asked.
"His eyes look different. He looks...more alive somehow. Like he's found a new purpose" she said. Ayame-san turned to look at him and took his hand into hers and squeezed it
"Thanks again for inviting us. I'll be sure to come again with my last Tootsuki pass" she winked at him.
His stomach fluttered. Her winks made him feel so weak. He tentatively squeezed her hand back.
"Prego. I'll be waiting" he smiled at her.
"Oi Ayame-chan! We need to catch this bus if you want to make it time for the new episode of Megastructures! Also, I've got a doctor's appointment. Hurry up!" Namikaze's obnoxious voice rang out in the distance as she waved, jumping up and down.
"Hold your horses!" Ayame-san yelled back. "I guess it's bye for now" she said back to Takumi.
She wasn't walking away which made Takumi a bit confused. Did she want to tell him something? He was all ears. She stood there a few seconds more, biting her lips, fidgeting with her fingers, and looking away. Was she being nervous? Time stopped for Takumi. Before he could react, she leaned up on her toes, placed both hands on his shoulders and pecked him softly on the cheek.
'WHAT just happened…'
"That's how Europeans say hello and goodbye… right?"
Takumi was stone-still, already long gone from the physical plane. The sensitive skin on his cheek tingled, spreading over the rest of his flushed face. He absentmindedly said arrivederci to her and could barely register any actions he took as he watched her run to where her friends were waiting. He lifted his fingers to gently pat his cheek. He could feel a miniscule coating of her lip balm.
He wasn't dreaming then.
He wasn't bloody dreaming.
He didn't care for what tradition she was talking about, but she kissed him on the cheek.
'Isami… I've died and gone to paradiso'
Bzzzt!
Takumi reflexively reached into his pocket for his phone, but his mind was all over Ayame. He flipped it open and tried to read it with whatever was left of his sanity.
'Ciao Takumi,
We're moving back into our apartment? Alleluia!
I can't wait for you to introduce your bella and
don't you dare try to hide her from me :D
One more thing. My flight will be arriving back
to Narita airport in 2 weeks. Don't forget.
Ci vediamo presto!
-Isami
Right. Isami will be home soon and wanted to meet Ayame-san. He also needed to organise moving back into the apartment for his return.
'WHAT! Hiding Ayame-san? What's Isami trying to insinuate!?'
No one saw that coming. What woes do Alice and Kuchiyose have in their past? This is Ayame and her friends' first time and I wanted to revisit the finer details of Tootsuki which could be easily overlooked. I like to do a little bit of that for each chapter.
I know that some of you reviewers are very keen to see Souma/Erina romance. Unfortunately that's not a priority in this Takumi/OC centric fanfiction and it's not ever going to be. Perhaps you should be looking elsewhere?
Let me know what you guys think and I'll see you in 5 days' time!
Signing off
-TripWire-dono
