Chapter 11 – Something Wicked, This Way Comes


Isami literally had no time to relax during the first few days of returning. The two brothers dived head first into planning their Trattoria Aldini booth for the Summer Solstice Festival. That was a fitting name for the ending of summer and the beginning of autumn. Using the same business formula as last year's Moon Banquet festival just wouldn't do now. Trattoria Aldini booth needed to be different this year, continue to evolve. The key aspects they considered was a mix between running a business and being the chef. It was nothing new to the Aldini brothers, but it was no less challenging.

Area. Which area on the Tootsuki campus would provide the optimal number of customers? There needed to be that sweet spot within a particular area. Festival goers will circulate around, back and forth before finding the booth they want. Most people will walk around before settling on one and rarely do they just blow their money on the first stall they see. The twin's booth would need be at the centre of that circulation. They could choose the same area as last year as it worked quite well, but if it was reserved by someone else before they could get their hands on it, they needed a backup area. Or they could force a shokugeki for it.

Environment. They were ending summer, but it was still quite hot, enough to be stifling for a massive throng of festival goers. The internal temperature within the masses and the booths were sure to escalate. The fact that the festival is in the evening will help cool things down. Takumi had checked the weather forecast and it predicted that it should be cooler around the festival dates, however he still made it a point to check every day just in case the forecast changed. Every good event manager knew weather could make or break a festival and pretty much influenced everything.

Customers. All the surrounding towns were invited, plus food industry investors and scouts, but that was fine. More importantly, nearing the end of the holidays meant there were going to be huge numbers of high school students to add on top of families with small children. Totally different to the Moon Banquet Festival which was held in the middle of school semester, where a lot of students still prioritised their studies over the Tootsuki food festival last year. So there will be at least a one-hundred percent increase in festival-goers this time around. Takumi and Isami might not be regular high school students, but they knew that these teenage students were going to party hard here before their arses got dragged back to school the following week. Isami and himself had better be prepared for that. Their number one clientele was going to be high school students from Karakura High school, Naruki Private School and Yosen Selective Academy. The three main high schools in the surrounding areas.

Menu. The brothers decided their menu would showcase Aldini-Japansese food fusion that could be eaten cold or chilled. So a mix of the Aldini-style seasonal favourites was a must because people wouldn't enjoy them until a year later. The food items needed to be creative, innovative, fresh and enticing because adolescent clients were harder to please. They represented the new flourishing generation whose tastes were unpredictable and changed just as fast as the tide, always expecting more and looking for the next level. Teenage customers had a certain advantage over adult customers: Technological communication. If someone snapped a photo of their dish and posted it onto some social media site, it will spread like wild fire and before they knew it, a mass of hungry students will flock in, in no time. Their dishes needed to be on point for that to happen. How many dishes could they afford to make? Complexity vs. practicality? Time vs. expenditure? There was so much to consider. Also, many of the stalls last year concentrated too much on food and not enough on drinks. Isami and Takumi had observed that festival goers were quite parched towards the end and tended to congregate around the few stalls that did provide drinks. This time around, drinks will be very crucial.

Service. Yukihira had the ingenious idea of setting up some seating areas around his booth to allow his customers to relax, sit and enjoy the food with their friends and family on the very last day of the Moon Banquet Festival. It was a resounding success. Tadokoro-san also had organised paper lanterns to be strewn nicely around the booth and makeshift seating area, generously donated by, the Local Cuisine RS. It brought the perfect festival atmosphere and smiles to everyone's faces. His mamma always reminded him and Isami of one of her favourite proverbs.

'No matter how delicious the food is, if the customer receives crap customer service, they will never come back and neither will their friends. A customer may forget what they ate, but they will never forget how you made them feel'

Perhaps he and Isami could devise something similar.

Competition. That shouldn't be too hard because he and Isami were amongst the best of the best in their generation. All they needed was to make a profit and they wouldn't be expelled. But did the two brother's want to settle for just a pass? Hell no! They were going to really test themselves and pull together all they had learnt from Trattoria Aldini, Tootsuki and their friends, and pull in all their effort and make this festival the best they ever had!

Isami and Takumi had spent days brainstorming together and typed the logistics up on Takumi's laptop. Everything else came naturally to them. Takumi breathed out a sigh and flopped back onto the apartment sofa and Isami stretched himself out beside him.

"I think we've done enough for today. We can work on choosing the menu items tomorrow or something" said Isami.

Takumi nodded and pulled out his phone. Now that they had achieved everything they planned for the day, he allowed his mind to rest and wonder. The last time he spoke to Ayame was when bidding each other good night after a surprise welcome home hangout for Isami. Takumi wondered if she was busy right now. Takumi clicked through his contact list until he found her name and hovered his thumb over the dial button. This was a lot harder than he thought. Should he call her? Should he text her? Texting was better right? It's less intrusive. What if she didn't pick up because she's busy? What if he called her during dinner? He began sweating behind his neck and nerves got the better of him. So many things were whizzing through his mind, faster than the ideas for the Summer Solstice Festival. They were together, so it shouldn't be a problem to call her at all!

"Fufufu… Fratello, you can stare at your phone all you want but it's not going to dial itself"

"Isami!"

Takumi threw his head back in a nervous fluster only to be greeted by a chilled bottle of limoncello gently balanced on his forehead, courtesy of Isami. All thoughts of scolding his younger twin were thrown out the window as soon as he broke open the bottle of the delicious Italian drink and took a gigantic swig from it.

Isami settled back beside him and kicked his foot up on the coffee table, nursing his own bottle of limoncello.

"I don't know if it's the right moment to ask or not, Isami" said Takumi.

"What are you talking about?"

"W-We haven't been on a proper date yet. I think I might have left it too long. I don't know how I should ask her or if this is the write moment..." Takumi continued to sip his drink. It was a hot evening and both boys were lounging around in their home clothes. Just shorts and singlets. They left the balcony open to allow some much-needed breeze in. Isami had been overly excited that the balcony was finally accessible after five years and promptly went to buy garden furniture to fulfill the twin's dreams of having Sunday afternoon coffees alfresco style, using their brand new coffee percolator, in the comfort of their own home.

"So you're just trying to ask her out on a date when you guys are already together? " Isami looked at him as if he was making a mountain out of a mole hill.

"It's not that simple, Isami!" Takumi fumed from his seat on the sofa.

"Fratello you aren't making much sense. I don't think Ayame-san minds if you got this all backwards. I mean, nobody's relationship starts off perfectly. Look at Mamma and Pappa! Pappa met her when she was drunk at a bar. She was trying to pick-pocket his wallet for her friend's hen's night party game. It's better that you ask now rather than postponing it. Non?"

Takumi remembered that story well. It was the first time he'd seen mamma so embarrassed.

"You're right Isami. Here goes" Takumi flicked his hand through the Holy Trinity gesture before resolutely pressed the dial button.

'Brrrrrr… brrrrr…brrrrr…brrrrr…brrrrr. Click. Hello?'

"Ah- Hi Ayame-san…" said Takumi.

"Takumi-kun, Hi! What's up?"

The slightly distorted but still sweet sound of her voice made him instantly relax. He finally realised all the jitters he had accumulated melted away and that it was all for nothing and plain silly. There was nothing he should be afraid of when his amore was right here with him, even if it was just a disembodied voice on the phone.

"Nothing much, I've just been going over some plans with Isami for our festival stall"

"Great. How's that going for you both?"

"It's going fine. We've sorted out most of the paperwork. We just need to finalise the menu, that's all."

"Oh? You know I'm the perfect model for a taste tester right?"

Takumi couldn't help chuckling at the thinly veiled excitement in her tone. "Sure, you can taste anything you want" he said.

"Hold on a second, let me put the phone on speakers…"

A few seconds later, he could hear some shuffling on the other side and things being moved around. Isami suddenly entered in his field of vision and gave him two thumbs up and smile. Takumi waved him away to stop him from being distracting before Isami conceded and went off to deposit the empty bottles into the mini-recycling bin.

"Ah there we go! Keep talking Takumi-kun I'm still listening"

"Ah! Right… Umm s-so. What are you doing right now?" Cazzo. That sounded so lame.

"I'm soldering in my room at the moment. I've got some old circuit boards I've taken apart and I'm planning to use the useful ones for my alarm clock"

Right, she had that alarm clock competition she was working on. Takumi leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he detected a soft motor humming in the background.

"Are you sure soldering in you room is a good idea…?" Takumi swallowed thickly, thinking about all the things that could go wrong like a circuit board blowing up in her face in a confined room with lots of flammable school books around.

"Oh that's ok. I've opened up my windows and doors so I don't knock myself out from the fumes. Haha!"

Takumi shook his head and sighed. His bella was a strange one indeed.

"So… umm, I was wondering if you're free on Friday night" he said as calmly as possible.

"Friday night? Sure! What did you have in mind?"

She sounded very pleased, the blonde Italian was happy to note. So far so good, fantasico! His confidence started to build up and he leaned back against the sofa. He could hear Isami in the background shuffling back and forth, no doubt trying very hard not to look like he was eavesdropping. Also, Takumi had been sitting on his idea of a perfect date for a while now.

"I was thinking we could go out to have dinner… just the two of us…" Takumi blessed the Roman Gods for allowing him to speak without any hitches. Takumi folded his legs beneath himself on the sofa, anxiously waiting for her answer.

"Eh? Our first date huh? Haha! I was wondering when you'd get around to asking me" said Ayame, laughing quietly.

"O-Oi! This won't be an ordinary first date! Just you wait!" Takumi blushed brightly at Ayame's insinuation that she knew every step and move he made. He didn't mean to yell, but an Italian man prided themselves on being the most romantic of all men, including beating the Spanish and the French in that area.

"Oh Takumi-kun, it doesn't matter where we go or what we do, as long we're together" she said.

Her words made his heart feel warm. She had great confidence in him no matter what he did. He was going to give her the best first date ever! And what could be more romantic than telling his amore that it will be a surprise?

"So where should we go?" asked Ayame.

"That will be a surprise" Takumi smirked, imagining the cute expression on Ayame's face. He gave himself a fist pump. That was smooth like a cognac.

"Eh? I like a good surprise. I can't wait" she giggled on the other side. Takumi could hear some soft clinking on the other side.

"Yeah me too. How's your alarm clock going, by the way?" asked Takumi, turning around so that he could stretch his legs out on the sofa and place his head on the arm rest.

"Coming along nicely. I haven't told you my idea for it have I? Well here it goes! Basically it will play a karaoke version of a song of your choosing from the list of songs I will input when it goes off. You have to sing along karaoke style all the way to the end as you wake up and become alert before it shuts off. That means I'm going to program it for speech recognition. If you don't, the volume will keep increasing until it reaches a maximum of seventy-five decibels. Loud enough to be super-annoying, but not enough to cause noise-induced hearing loss"

"That sound's brilliant Ayame-san" said Takumi excitedly.

"Also, it will have this neat feature where—guuuurrggllee"

What the hell was that? Then silence fell.

"Umm… are you ok?" Takumi furrowed his brows slightly in curiosity.

"…Yes? - guuuuuuurggllee"

There was that sound again. It was clearer this time. As a chef, he would know that sound anywhere, anyplace.

"Ayame-san, have you eaten dinner yet?" Takumi sprang up from the sofa.

"Uh… I had a couple of rice crackers to start me off…"

Takumi slapped his forehead in exasperation. Dio mio! What was that girl thinking? She was probably starving herself to work on that alarm clock and even resorted to snacking on junk-food to keep her going through the night. Her stomach grumbling was loud enough for him to hear on his side of the phone. There were no excuses to denying oneself food and if she was working hard like that, she must have proper nutrition to keep her brain and body functioning at optimal levels.

Takumi had no choice now.

"Alright. I'm coming over, please wait a bit mio cara" Takumi sighed.

"Hmm? Why? Are you coming over to cook me something? YES PLEASE" came Ayame's creepy and earnest reply.

"What makes you think that?" Takumi said, trying to sound indifferent, but failing miserably. He wasn't going to let her read and predict his actions the second time of the night, not when she was the one with the grumbling stomach.

"Because you're my boyfriend who's an awesome chef~" she said sheepishly on the other side, with a hint of cheekiness lacing her words.

Damn straight he was!

Takumi said a quick 'goodbye bella' and snapped the phone shut. He shook his head in disbelief. If this was becoming a thing, he didn't mind at all, but he'd prefer if Ayame asked him before she starved herself. Even better, he could just invite Ayame over to his place on some nights to have dinner with him and Isami and continue spending time together. Yes, that would be pretty ideal.

"How did it go, Fratello?" Isami popped his head out of his room, eager to know what transpired on the phone.

"It went well. I'm going over to Ayame's place for a bit. I won't be back until late. So don't wait up for me" said Takumi, disappearing into his room to change clothes.

"What? Is your date starting now or something?" Isami's thin brows shot up into his hairline as he followed Takumi into the adjacent bedroom, ready to dig out more information.

"Nope. Ayame hasn't eaten yet, so I'm going to take care of that" said Takumi slipping his arms through his cardigan. He rifled through his wardrobe again and pulled out his Aldini apron. The way Ayame ogled him in his apron last time, made him feel really good.

"Ah ok, It's pretty late now. You're sure one caring boyfriend, you are, Fratello" Isami smirked, crossing his arms and continued to follow Takumi out into the living area once he finished changing and smoothing out his hair with quick flicks and pat downs.

"Alright, I'm heading off now. A fra poco. See you in a bit" said Takumi, stuffing his apron in a bag, grabbing his phone, keys and wallet before exiting the apartment.


Ayame clucked her tongue. She was running out of solder. She had a tiny bit left so decided to stop working on her alarm clock for the time being. She was going to have to visit the hardware store to buy a fresh roll of solder soon. She looked at the current roll she was using to remember which brand to get. Then she turned the clear tube around in her fingers to take further note of the manufacturer's details.

'Hmm… forty percent lead. Welp, mechanical and robotics engineering is certainly not for the weak... I better get the lead-free one anyway'

Her stomach tried to claw its way out of her body for the nearest exit again. Takumi-kun was coming over soon to feed her and she patted her stomach to reassure it. She sighed dreamily and her hunger increased ten-fold anyway. Ayame switched off her soldering iron, letting it cool down sufficiently before tucking it away under her bedside table, and carefully placed the small circuit board she was working on back into its box and tucked it to the side of her desk. Ayame decided to leave her window open a bit more and then turn her air conditioning fan on to circulate the air.

"Urgh… I need to do something about this mess" she muttered "But I'm too hungry…" she bemoaned to the empty room. Ayame left her work desk and settled herself at her little low wooden table in the middle of the floor. She was very fortunate to have a room that was big enough to house a work desk, king single bed, a bookshelf and a small low wooden table in the middle (or kotatsu for the winter). Ayame brushed her fringe aside and pulled out her study books. In a blink of an eye, the holidays will disappear and the new semester will begin. She planned to review the content for next semester to keep ahead of the class.

'Let's see, for physics class, the new content will be medical physics. For Maths it will be Calculus extension. For History we will be covering the Soviet Revolution. Nice. For Literature, we'll be doing Japanese Crime Literature. In chemistry, we'll be looking at shipwrecks. Interesting, that will be very useful to me! Home economics… We're going to be doing textiles?... Geez, give me a break'

Ayame harrumphed. The only good thing that came out of the home economics subject was that it was relaxing. It was a shame the school didn't offer other interesting electives like woodwork or welding as an elective subject, but no, she was stuck with home economics again. There wasn't a chance they will let her bring in her soldering equipment anymore, so she could wave goodbye the opportunity to design and make more mechanical trinkets.

Ayame released her hair from her bun, letting it tumble against her shoulders in soft waves. She pulled out her trusty physics dictionary and physics textbook, getting a head start in reading the introductory paragraph of the medical physics chapter.

Knock, Knock, Knock

"Hmm?"

Ayame got up, wondering if it was either Takumi-kun or Otou-san coming home on time for once. She shuffled downstairs, quickly making sure she was decent, like a bra-strap wasn't showing or anything before hopping downstairs and opening the door.

"Buona sera. Good evening, Ayame-san"

Ayame smiled. She couldn't get enough of seeing Takumi-kun appearing before her, dressed in a pale brown cardigan. He seemed to have a thing for waistcoats, but him in cardigans was pretty easy on the eyes too. Even better that he was holding a plastic shopping bag. She could see a bottle of peach ice-tea peeping out.

"Hi Takumi-kun, come on in. Sorry, for being such a pester right now. I was dumb enough to leave dinner to the last minute. But I was too absorbed with my alarm clock project" Ayame rambled on as she stepped away for Takumi-kun to enter her home and take of his shoes.

"Nessun Problema. I can make food for you anytime you'd like" said Takumi-kun.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, because I'd definitely hold you up to that" said Ayame leading him in to the living room.

She could hear Takumi-kun laughing nervously but he didn't say anything to back out.

"Are your parents at home tonight?" he asked.

Ayame sighed. "Okaa-san is still on a business trip and Otou-san is still working" she said.

"Right" said Takumi-kun. He held a plastic grocery bag to her and grinned "I hope you're in the mood for bruschetta, because that's what I'll be making tonight"

Ayame snorted, bemused "Bruschetta? Isn't that an entrée sort of dish?" Takumi-kun was sure one funny guy.

"It's an antipasto dish to be exact. It's Italiano after all, not Francese. But sì. It's a bit late to make something like pasta now and you don't want to sleep on a heavy stomach late in the night. So I think something lighter like bruschetta would be better" said Takumi-kun, puffing his chest out and smiling at her. He looked pretty smug and proud with himself, telling her little factoids, and his idea of a meal plan and all that at the moment but Ayame didn't really care because all she heard was 'Food, food, food, food, bruchetta, food, food, pasta'.

"Alrighty then, I look forward to it" Ayame smiled and kissed him lightly on the cheek, enjoying the way his face brimmed with redness. He was too cute. Sometimes he was completely fine with physical interaction, borderline eager, and at other times he was a flustered mess. She wondered what really caused those mixed reactions. She didn't know, but she loved it.

Takumi-kun once again made himself comfortable in the kitchen and pulled out his Aldini apron and tied it on with great flourish. He took out a loaf of sourdough bread, some tomatoes, ricotta cheese, honey, balsamic vinegar and basil from his shopping bag and laid it out on the kitchen bench. The Karakura honchou supermarket was the only place she knew that would still be opened around this time, he must have gone there to buy his ingredients.

"You can continue with whatever you are doing Ayame-san. I know you're busy. When I'm done I can bring everything up to your room" said Takumi-kun, smiling at her sweetly, his hands firmly on his hips.

"Are you sure? I don't want you to be lonely down here" she said.

Takumi-kun laughed and leaned over the counter towards her. Ayame felt a blush coming on because the way he was looking at her made her feel queasy in a good way. His electifyingly blue eyes grazed her in the most delicious way.

"Si, signorina. Don't worry. This will be quick"

Ayame, dipped her eyes away. The way his Italian words just rolled off his tongue was a turn-on. She tied her hair back up into her pony tail and quickly went around the bench and gave Takumi-kun a tight hug to hide her face in his shoulder. What did she ever do to deserve someone like him? He came to cook restaurant quality food for her just because, taking time out of his own busy schedule to accommodate for hers. Ayame breathed in his scent from around his neck, feeling completely at ease. Takumi-kun returned her hug and lifted her hand to kiss her knuckles, not breaking his gorgeous sky blue eye contact with her.

"I'm going now. My room is upstairs, the one with open door" she said quickly, resisting the urge to just slump against him. In the end she had to unlock her arms and pry herself from his warm, body to pitter-patter away and climb up the stairs to her awaiting school books.


All done. Takumi carefully laid six perfect slices of bruchetta on a wooden tray. He made enough toppings for a dozen slices, but stored half away into a glad-wrapped bowl in the fridge so that they'll be a little extra something for Ayame for some other time. He arranged it daintily as to not let the tomato, basil and ricotta cheese toppings tumble off. Next he dressed it neatly with a quick drizzle of his balsamic vinegar and honey mix. Ayame was going to love this. It had the perfect sweet tanginess to really compliment the richness of the ricotta and the fragrance of the tomatoes and basil. He looked around to see if he could find serviettes, but found a box of tissue instead and decided to grab it anyway. Takumi tucked the chilled bottle of what he now understood was her favourite peach ice-tea under his arms as he expertly hefted the tray of delicious bruchetta in his hands.

Once he made it up the stairs without a single strand of hair out of place, he knocked on her door.

"I'm coming in"

"Yay, finally! Let me clear up all this mess first" said Ayame.

Takumi patiently waited by the door as Ayame frantically stacked her books out of the way and placed them in a messy pile next to the low Japanese table in the middle of her room. Takumi took the time to absorb it all in. It was a pretty big room, if he looked past all the furniture that was inside it. It made his apartment one look meager in comparison. Her bed was pressed along the wall with the window. She probably benefited from a nice breeze during the summer night, and her bookcase was filled with an assortment of thick textbooks. He didn't have to guess that they were all to do with physics and engineering. She had a standard sized study desk and he could definitely see why she chose to study on the low table instead. It was covered in screws, knuts, bolts, strands of random wires and small screwdrivers of different sizes strewn everywhere. It was a weird sight. In the corner of the desk was a lamp and a little robot covered in a cardboard shell. Beside the table was a box of what he guessed were computer parts. There was a faint smell that lingered in the air that he couldn't quite place his finger on.

"Okay, my study area looks decent now" said Ayame, gesturing him to come sit on the carpet beside her.

She was fidgeting while looking on as he gently placed the tray down in front of her. Her barely concealed excitement amused him. Heaps of his customers weren't ashamed to show how much they desired his food and sometimes the way they drooled grossed him out, but when Ayame did it, it was attractive.

"Itadakimasu!"

She bit into the first slice and Takumi stared eagerly, awaiting her verdict. He eyes flew open as if she from a burst of flavours and couldn't get enough of it. Her face morphed into sensual bliss. A bit of the honey and balsamic vinaigrette got caught on her lips and she licked it up. Takumi swallowed thickly, feeling the tell-tale signs of twitching in his jaw.

He could admit it to himself now. Ayame eating his food aroused him.

"Oh my gosh… Bruschetta deserves more than just being an antipasto!" said Ayame gleefully as she devoured the rest of her bruschetta and picked up another in a hurry.

"I'll be sure to tell that to the Italiano godfathers of cooking the next I see them" he replied back in a joking manner, but it looked like Ayame wasn't listening anymore.

Takumi shifted his position so that he had one leg bent up to rest his elbow on his knee, and tilted closer towards Ayame. He felt his heart rate pick up in excitement as he continued to indulge in his own guilty pleasure of watching his girlfriend eat. His fingers itched to cup her face and pull her towards him and lick off the bits of ricotta stuck to her lips for her and steal a kiss in between. But no, he had to hold himself back and allow her to eat in peace, because he knew he couldn't stop if he tried.

Ayame continued to hum and rock about as she ate her bruschetta, making her an endearing sight. Every bite she took left him hanging on the proverbial edge. He knew exactly what happened next after every bite. She would hum and hold it in her mouth for a few milliseconds to let the flavours melt on her tongue. Next she would chew slowly to savour it. Takumi's breath would quicken and feel heat travelling up his face and his eyes would focus solely on her actions. After that she would swallow. That was when the heat travelled south. She would close her eyes, letting her long delicate lashes fan across her cheeks and her face a bit flushed from experiencing the unique flavours only he could bring for her. Her swallows were sensual. Her smaller Adam's apple would bob up and down the length of her neck and Takumi could imagine himself tracing it, whether it be with his own fingers, his nose or his tongue.

The burning in his loins grew stronger.

"Ah… T-Takumi-kun?"

'Huh?'

It was like a screen of fog lifted from his eyes and he blinked rapidly. How the Diavolo did get so close to her without realising?! To his horror he was leaning way too close to Ayame to be appropriate for a gentleman now. It was like he was hovering over her shoulder inside her personal space, dwarfing her form. Ayame was leaning back away from him looking very confused and blushing like mad. He was absolutely mortified for his actions.

"I-I'm sorry!" Takumi yelped out. He re-erected himself into sitting seiza, the same position Pappa made him and Isami sit whenever they got into trouble at home.

"No! No! Don't be sorry. It's u-umm… a-alright"

Takumi bowed his head low so that he was staring at a tiny spot on the low table, not daring to look at Ayame in the eyes. He was the worst! A chef should do nothing to impede in his customers enjoyment of the food and he just sommer-saulted over that line by being overly creepy and inappropriate to Ayame! Takumi internally wailed, not realising that it all came out in verbal form too.

"I'm really sorry! Whenever y-you eat like that I c-can't help s-staring… It makes m-my chest f-feel really tight b-because… I don't know…It really gets to me. Ummm…uh, You're really beautiful and breath-taking when you eat. Cazzo! That's a lousy excuse… I'm sorry! Please ignore me!" Takumi finished off in a rush. Scratching the back of his head madly.

Suddenly Ayame touched his shaking hands that were balled into fists on his knees, instantly stilling them.

"No it's ok Takumi-kun! You're not doing anything wrong. It's j-just that… when you look at me like that… the way only you do. I-I feel nervous, but… I like it. It feels like… you actually want me"

Takumi gingerly glanced up. Want her? No! It was more than that! Ayame fidgeted anxiously on the spot. Her eyes were looking away from him and she had a deep blush painted on her face. Her verdant greens eyes were shimmering as it always did, even though it was hidden behind her fringe. Ayame chewed on her lower lip. Was she nervous and anxious just as much as he was? She really needed to stop biting her lip because it was driving him crazy! And he didn't have his lip-balm on him right now!

Takumi took her hand in his and shifted his position so that he was facing her properly.

"Do… do you really mean that?" he whispered.

"AYA! Don't look at me!" Ayame wrenched her hand away and buried her face in them.

"No. Never. I will never stop looking at you. You're beautiful" Takumi peeled her hands away and gently stroked her face with the back of his fingers. His eyes bore into her, trying to reassure and convince her that she was the most beautiful in his eyes, and her own shyly looked back to him. So green. So her. Ayame's lovely face was full blown red now, like a roma tomato.

It was too much. Takumi leaned in and hungrily caught her lips. She tasted of the sweet balsamic vinegar and honey. The taste of his food on her. Forget the time she used to dip pana de casa in olive oil and balsamic vinegar which often plagued is mind to no end because this was so much better and satisfying. It was like one of his coveted dreams were coming true. Takumi caressed her jaw, drawing her further closer to him, engrossed in the way she responded just as ardently. Ayame sensually moved her lips against his as she kissed him back and soon he managed to coax her tongue out to meet his in a slow romantic dance filled with his passion for her.

More.

Takumi's hand floated down to her waist reflexively. The suppleness of her skin was just beyond his reach below her cotton t-shirt. The blonde Italian was so immersed in his bella that he once again pulled her closer to his body without thinking until she was leaned over him from between his legs. Ayame released a small sigh when their lips broke apart momentarily, however Takumi quickly reclaimed it, not wanting to release his bella just yet. He still wanted to show her how much she meant to him. Her fresh scent of sunshine clouded his mind, drawing his instincts out to follow what felt right to him to the surface.

"Ayame…"

The blonde Italian trailed his kisses from her soft lips down her jaw to the column of her throat as he grasped onto her body tightly against his, as they still sat together behind the Japanese low table. He revelled in the way her throat vibrated with a soft and titillating moan near the shell of his ear. Sending his mind into a spin and his blood coursing relentlessly through his arteries. He felt her fingers dig into his shoulder as she steadied herself against him and he could also feel her body rise in temperature as she lightly panted, gasping for air.

He affected her the same way she did to him.

"Nnngh…T-Takumi-kun…" her voice sent shivers down his spine, causing his legs to slightly close in around her a bit further. "B-bruschetta… I'm still hungry"

Takumi could die on the spot right now.

HE WAS FUCKING DEAD.

"I'm... sorry, I j-just... you're too beautiful, to... n-not do what I did..." Takumi pulled his hands away and sat on them in embarrassment and shame. He could already feel Death's slippery fingers pointing and jeering at him.

"Thanks, T-Takumi-kun. I actually... enjoyed it. Oh gosh! Umm... I don't want to be the only one eating… So, eat with me too?" she said shyly, releasing his shoulders to sit back on her haunches between his leg, wringing her hands together as she shyly smiled at him "And then, if you want. We can continue where we left off. Hmm?" Ayame leaned back in and traced her finger lightly on his lower lip, hints of mischief in her glittering green eyes. The corners of her lips twitched up into a teasing smile.

Takumi's mortification disappeared upon the sight of Ayame actually implying she wanted more of what just happened right then and there. He couldn't resist. He playfully nipped at her finger, triumphantly keeping it gently caught between his teeth as he smirked at her. Two could play. She blushed deeply.

"Anything you want, mio caro"


'Knock, Knock, Knock'

"Erina-sama, my deepest apologies for disturbing you"

Nakiri Erina had always been a light sleeper. Since young, she was hyper-sensitive to faint nocturnal noises. That included the slightest creak of the wood, the soft brushes of leaves against the windows and the sharp chirping of crickets during the night. Any of that could keep her up all night until she had to learn meditation techniques from Ojii-sama to block out such distractions and let her body and mind rest. It normally took ages for her to be lulled into sweet slumber so it was imperative that she had an early night. Eleven-thirty was when Erina was properly asleep. However, she was roused from her vague dreams by the soft shuffling feet behind her heavy wooden doors even before Hisako, her reliable aide, knocked and opened her mouth.

Hisako was very conscientious of her sleep schedule.

'This better be freaking important…'

Erina threw the covers off and stretch the kinks in her neck and shoulder. She gave a wide yawn and rubbed the sleep tears from her eyes. Grumpiness was the perfect mood to set on her shoulders. She didn't bother to tell Hisako to wait a moment because she already knew to stand by at attention like the perfect aide she was. The Nakiri heiress had no idea what could possibly be this urgent in the night. All business hours ended at seven o'clock and curfew was strictly ten o'clock for all main building dormitories.

She growled through the grogginess

Erina yanked her robes off the bedpost and slipped it on messily. Erina trusted Hisako pretty much with everything, to the point that she could handle most things on her own without consulting her. If whatever the hell this was that important to sacrifice her sleep, she will try to reign in her attitude this time around, but no guarantees. She stomped towards the door and opened it, greeted by Hisako's urgent and worried face. Her rosette-haired aide stepped aside and bowed. She was dressed in what looked like the same smart casual clothes from the morning.

'Don't tell me she's still doing her secretarial duties up at this hour!'

"What is it?" she bit out.

"Erina-sama, there is a gentleman just outside the main building foyer. He said he's with the police and requested an audience with the director of Tootsuki" she said fairy quickly.

"The police? What the hell is going on! Hold on, I need to change." Erina stomped back in and threw on something decent before returning to Hisako's side. Damn it! She wasn't in the mood for this. The pair swiftly walked down the corridor, making their way to this waiting police officer.

That meant she had to see him instead. Her grandfather, Nakiri Senzaemon was still away on important matters abroad and that meant, everything else fell onto her as the second in charge for business matters. Erina and Hisako strode down the corridor of the Nakiri mansion. The Nakiri mansion was only a short distance away from the main Tootsuki building and only required a stroll across the pine boardwalk. The lights had long been extinguished so the night was bathed in the moonlight which reflected off the large koi pond situated by the rock gardens. Anxiety and suspicion crept into her stomach. Tootsuki had a pristine reputation and they had done nothing in their ninety-six-year reign to have tarnished themselves or put them in the spotlight for any scandal or whatnot. Nothing! She wasn't just worried.

She was offended.

She and Hisako made it to the main building foyer and was greeted by the night-shift security guard who was equally apprehensive.

"This police officer. Who is he exactly?" said Erina spitefully.

"He flashed me his badge but I couldn't see his name properly. He said he's directly from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department in the Kasumigaseki sector of Central Tokyo" said the security guard. "I notified your aide right away and I also asked him to wait outside. You know, just in case"

No way!

The worry intensified like a bad gastroenteritis and it churned her stomach. From headquarters itself?! This was very serious then. Ordinarily a run-of-the-mill officer from the local police station would be enough to drop by if there was something going on, but this TMPD officer himself was located in the heart of Tokyo.

"Then this is something we all must take with absolute caution. Alright, thank you Shuei-san. I'll take it from here" said Erina under her breath.

Erina stood at the door, making sure she was prepared to meet this police officer. After all, even though it was the middle of the night, she was still a dignified representative student of the Tootsuki Culinary Academy. She warily opened the door wide enough to see the police officer standing outside.

Cold, dark eyes pierced through her heart.

Erina's breath hitched in her throat and she couldn't tear her gaze away from the man. He emitted an aura that demanded complete submission. Erina suddenly felt very little and insignificant before him. His cold eyes itself instilled something within her that she had not felt in many years.

Weak.

She felt absolutely powerless. He drew fear from her as if it was natural to him. His face was sharp and angular with a prominent jawline and high cheek bones. It was the look of the ideal pure elegance of a beautiful Japanese male. It was like staring into the face of a bloodthirsty samurai. He had long jet-black hair tied in a tight high pony-tail with a single red cord and it reached mid-back. Long dead-straight locks of hair reaching just below his ribs framed his face on either side, and his fringe was neatly cut even, just above his dark eyes. He looked at her with condescending apathy, which she admitted put hers to shame. He stood with the perfect rigid posture of a trained martial artist, straight and yielding to nothing. His build was tall and looked muscular even though his body was clad in a deep, navy blue trench coat. He was no normal run-of-the-mill police officer. He wasn't even wearing the standard uniform at all! In fact, through this unbuttoned trench coat, he donned just a dress shirt, complete with a slim black tie that hung loose around his neck and standard trousers and boots.

However, by his waist…

Erina suddenly gulped when her eyes laid upon his waist and widened in shock. A glimpse of a beautiful shining red and gold hilt of a katana gleamed from behind his trench coat. Erina traced her eyes downward and just as she guessed, the tips of the scabbard peaked from underneath the hem of his coat.

It was many decades after the Sword Abolishment Edict, from the Meiji Government in 1876, that one could own a Japanese sword under special registration and conditions, let alone publicly tote it around. In this present age, there was only one man in history who had the imperial permission from Emperor Akihito himself, to wield a katana blade as an official service weapon in the TMPD.

And that man stood before her. This definitely wasn't just some police officer. She had heard about him. Everyone heard about him.

It was none other than the notorious Superintendent General of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.

His voice was low and sliced the air like a reaper's scythe.

"Superintendent General, Kanda Yuu. Are you gonna let me in or do I have to arrest you too?


WARNING! Please be advised that soldering in your bedroom is not recommended. Again don't try any of my OCs' shenanigans at home. Ayame should have bought a fan-type fume extractor with an attached filtre. Smoke goes in, no smoke comes out. Either she's saving up money for it, or spent all her pocket money on other whizbang contraptions haha.

Takumi and Ayame had a moment ALONE in the house! His talent in cooking became the sword he fell on. The bruchetta was so fucking good that Ayame stopped their little intimacy to FINISH HER FREAKING DINNER. Well done Takumi... Well done.

What business does the head honcho of TMPD have with Tootsuki? Somebody finally got to meet the Superintendent General and it was Erina. Damn... Tune in to find out :D

Once again, have a very Merry Christmas and a happy new year! I See you in 5 days!

Signing off

-TripWire-dono