Chapter 12 – Their First Date, Meet the Dad


News spread like the pandemic bird flu.

Eizan Etsuya was arrested.

With a few more days, the Summer Solstice Festival would be in full swing and now the Elite Ten were dumped with the most burdening tasks of all mother of misfortune. Erina could barely concentrate on the first line of the fourteen paged document Hisako had set for her. She wanted to tear her hair out.

'Stupid Eizan! Look at what he's done to us'.

Erina shuddered. She remembered the sudden meeting she had with the Superintendent General two nights ago with such clarity that she was afraid something else bad will happen if she didn't.

Illegal Insider trading.

That was exactly what Superintendent General Kanda had said and that was exactly what was written on the arrest warrant which he handed to her once they were inside her office. She felt like she wanted to throw up and so did Hisako. Illegal insider trading involved the trading of a company's stock by people with access to secret information about the company to make profitable gains, before that information was allowed to be public. This meant Eizan was using leaked or hacked information to make more money from the stock market than a typical investor would make, essentially making it unfair for other investors who didn't have that information. This could potentially cripple the economy.

Thus he committed a serious crime.

She knew that delinquent Yankee wannabe couldn't be trusted in the pits of her stomach! His presence tasted foul whenever she was within two metres of him. He was such a slippery and conniving creature. Always hanging back in the shadows and never truly saying what he meant, speaking in cryptic words covered in money allusions, which got so annoying that the rest of the Elite Ten had to tell him off at times for being so smug for nothing. The worst part was he never showed interest in the physical act of cooking despite sitting comfortable in the highly coveted ninth seat, only participating in Elite Ten matters out of grudging obligation.

Why did he even like the culinary arts to begin with? Because it was a lucrative business, both for himself and Tootsuki Academy, he'd claimed. He made no effort to hide his love for making money out of the industry. Tootsuki welcomed him with wide, open arms and soon after he developed a business model for Tootsuki that had achieved astronomical gains for the academy within a year.

'Now they regret it so badly. Once the police find out a percentage of Eizan's income is contributed to the academy's finance. We are done for'

Eizan Etsuya was a slick businessman. His keen knowledge as an entrepreneur went as far back as elementary school and he cultivated his skill to become well-known across Japan, but somewhat underground during his middle school days. As a business consultant, he charged a large monthly fee for his services. He provided state-of-the-art business advice which guaranteed unimpeded success. Though at times his methods and tactics were questionable, he seemed to have a large clientele pool ranging from franchises, independent eateries and restaurants, and most recently to a few of the biggest food companies in Tokyo. Furthermore, there recently was a mutual understanding only between the Elite Ten that he was dipping himself in the stock markets. It looked like he began buying shares and dividends and soon enough, he was raking in so much money that his consultation business advanced. Of course, he never admitted it directly, strangely enough. But he said enough to imply it beyond reasonable doubt. When confronted, he deflected them with vague responses and knowing smirks until it was useless to talk about it.

Now his greed for money was his inevitable demise, and Tootsuki was about to go down with it on that rapidly sinking ship.

Erina abandoned the document and laced her fingers in front of her and rested her chin upon it. Her violet eyes drilled holes into the seat from across her hewn oak desk. It was the same seat Superintendent General Kanda Yuu sat in. He had removed his sword and placed it beside him, leaning it against the plush side. He had crossed his long legs and languidly rested his arms against the armrest, his head tilted up just enough for him to look down his nose at her as if he had done this a million times before. The perfect picture of a victor. It didn't seem like he was intentionally making a big show of his prowess to her. She figured it was more out of habit than anything else, but it still intimidated her. He was absolutely brutal when he broke the news of his purpose for a late night visit like a twig to her.

No mercy, no sympathy, no emotion, no pretext. Only cold, hard, unforgiving facts. She was going to bring Eizan to him and he will be taken down to central Tokyo. That was exactly what he said. Not only that, Eizan was refused bail. When Erina had finally gathered herself enough to splutter how and why the hell was Eizan arrested for this. The Superintendent General relayed it with annoyed curtness.

Erina knew illegal insider trading was a very difficult crime to prove. However he assured her that his team had procured enough evidence against Eizan that was pretty damning and that it would be pointless to hire a defense attorney.

According to him, market surveillance had detected unusual patterns in the stock market around the time of important events such as earning events reports and key corporate developments for select companies. Erina listened with bated breath for every single detail and at the same time yearned to cover her ears. He had looked like he took sickening pleasure in watching her façade crumble as he unloaded onto her the poisonous details of Eizan's arrest. After months of tracking, scouring the stock exchange, detective work, interviews with various investors and interrogations, TMPD received a much-awaited tip-off from one of their contacts. A highly experienced information broker. This person pointed the finger directly at Eizan Etsuya with the final proof they needed to send the top man to go and get him.

Erina had no choice but to get Hisako to summon Eizan from his dormitories.

Eizan was livid but was unable to lift a single finger against the legendary katana wielding police officer.

Erina groaned and fumbled for her drawers for headache medicine. This whole crisis was all Eizan's fault! Not only did the students of Tootsuki eventually found out because Terunori opened his disgustingly huge trap in an open corridor, the Elite Ten were getting socially burned by their fellow students!

Erina couldn't walk around without getting sneers and vicious back-stabbing comments from them without feeling ants crawling under her skin. Tootsuki tried to minimise the damage by threatening to expel any student who breathed a word of it, either in or outside the school, on the phone or via the internet.

With a huge shitstorm waiting to spew from their arse into the public's face and forever cripple the academy swirling in their bowels, Erina and the rest of the Elite Ten had to scramble for ways to save stupid Eizan from five years in jail and a five million yen fine for him and a five hundred million yen fine for them and every other company that was involved in this huge crime.

Erina popped the headache pill into her mouth and gulped it down.

They might not be able to save Eizan from his doom, but they bloody well were going to save Toostuki.


'Okay. Uno: Greet her and compliment on how beautiful she looks, but don't over-do it. Due: Present her these flowers and give her time to smell them and put them somewhere. Tre: Ask her if she's ready to leave. Quattro: Merda! What's step 4?!'

Takumi tried really hard to ignore the flattering looks he got from passer-by's. He was obviously over-dressed by daily standards, walking down the suburban streets of Karakura town. He wore his best dress shirt and carried with him his best blazer over his arm and nestled a bouquet of gorgeous blue irises in his other arm. That was because he was finally taking his dear Ayame out on their first date.

THEIR FIRST DATE.

Takumi was an absolute wreck the night before. He ran around like a spooked cat looking for the appropriate attire to wear. He went out and bought a book on 'How to be a gentlemen' and Isami found that the most hilarious thing in the world. Also he went spritzing different types of cologne to see which one Ayame would really like, using Isami as the olfactory judge. He already made the appropriate arrangements in organising their first date including booking a taxi to be in front of her house once he came to pick her up. He quadruple checked that everything was in order. Yet he still tossed and turned in bed.

The blonde Italian took comfort in the fact the he and Isami's festival booth arrangements were ship-shape. They got the area and spot they wanted. He ordered all the ingredients and acquired the cooking stoves they needed and they already selected the perfect menu and practiced making them until they could do so with their eyes closed.

In other words, everything was going smooth as cognac.

That left Takumi Aldini to sort out his date arrangements.

Isami wasn't kidding when he said he needed to take Valium to calm his nerves. But since Valium required a prescription and wasn't easily accessible to international students like them, he improvised by taking a shot of the special cognac Isami brought back from Italia to achieve the same effects and calm his nerves.

'Aha! Step four was to offer her my arm or hand and smile as if she was my moon and stars' Takumi grinned, feeling the butterflies in his stomach quieten down. One triumph so far!

Takumi controlled himself not to crush the bouquet of blue irises in his grip. That would not be good. The calming effects of cognac must be wearing off. It was six o'clock on the dot and the summer sun was on its journey to the west making it still seem like a late afternoon than evening. But that was ok, their date didn't start until seven-thirty anyway. Soon Takumi took in a deep breath upon the sight of Ayame's house around the corner. Its façade reflected the sun beautifully, capturing the warm colours.

'That's odd… It's never been there before'

There was a black sedan parked in the driveway.


Ayame had no idea what she was doing.

She had spent the whole morning picking out which outfit to wear. Takumi-kun had told her to dress formally, but didn't specify how formal. Takumi-kun was so stylish, so how formal was the right sort of formal to match him? Furthermore, he didn't give her any clues as to what their date was. That left them with a back and forth guessing game the night he came over and made bruschetta which ended in smooth kisses to distract her and steer her attention away to 'other' things.

That suaveness…

Chizuru-chan had come over this afternoon to help her with make-up. Ayame never took a profound interest in those things. She only used simple moisturiser with sunscreen, concealer and eyeliner, exclusive to special occasions. If one had good and healthy skin to begin with, then one should never need to cake oneself with make-up. In fact, constantly suffocating the skin with cosmetics was damaging no matter what anyone said. It clogged up pores and created pimples when applied on by amateurs like the girls in her high school. It did nothing to hide the pimples on their face, as their thick foundation made their skin look like the surface of the moon. Also, if it wasn't cleaned up properly… Hello Tycho Crater.

Ayame was lucky that Okaa-san made her eat lots of fruit and drank lots of water when she was a kid and to this day, she still ate at least three pieces of fruit out of habit. She guessed it payed off because Chizuru-chan was always griping about her skin whilst having their little make-up session.

It was almost time. Ayame checked herself once again in the bathroom. She had chosen a nice, deep wine coloured dress. She checked the straps over her shoulders had covered her bra-strap properly and that it wasn't showing at the back. The back was lower than what she was used to, but Chizuru-chan assured her that it would be more than fine for Takumi-kun. The dressed hugged her slim body really well and flared into broad neat pleats at her waist, reaching her knees. She donned a pair of white, low wedges.

Ayame twisted and turned in front of the mirror. Her stomach started to feel a bit nauseous with all this pre-date jitters. She decided that it was best to leave her hair down. It had a grown a bit longer and was now reaching the bottom of her shoulder blades. She borrowed Chizuru-chan's hair curler and curled her hair to make them a tiny bit wavier and give it more volume using an online video tutorial to help her. Would Takumi-kun like this?

Knock, Knock, Knock

"OTOU-SAN! Don't you dare touch that door!" Ayame hollered as she ran downstairs, being careful not to trip.

Just as she made it, midway down, Otou-san was already there. He was still wearing his work clothes which was a white-dress shirt with that same skinny black tie he never washed. Otou-san stood by the door scowling with crossed arms over his broad chest. His brows were dipped in a serious frown and then rolled his eyes at her, his lips a thin line. That was his work face.

Otou-san was a very stern and strict, but loving Otou-san.

Until she told him she was going on a date tonight.

Shit hit the fan like no tomorrow.

He turned last night's dinner time into a high profile interrogation session. Otou-san had a really odd way of showing that he cared for the family and Ayame was used to it all her life. On top of his excessive 'display of protective fatherly care', he had steamrolled on to ask her sneaky questions to trick her into painting Takumi-kun as a sleaze bag delinquent mafia boy from Italy who was probably looking for an easy route to get a green card to Japan. It was strange of him to hang around to wash the dishes this time because he always left it up to her and Okaa-san to do it. So of course Ayame took advantage of him and stuck him with rinsing and drying to deter him away. That didn't work he belted question after questions.

Of course he didn't work on her either as she replied with two worded monotonous replies so vague that even he wouldn't be able to nit-pick anything from it. Unlike every criminal in Tokyo who bent backwards to his wishes on command once he broke their will, she was Kanda Ayame.

She was the daughter of the Superintendent General of the TMPD.

"I'm your father. There's no point delayin' the fucking inevitable. This is my fucking shinin' moment" he smiled savagely at her, the tell-tale sign that he had a trick card up his sleeve.

"Nuh uh. If Okaa-san was here, she would tell you off so hard. And I'm so going to make sure that happens if you don't get away from over there"

He stared at her blankly as if she was just an uninteresting trinket in a ubiquitous shop window. "Your hair's messed up"

"AYAAAAAAAAA!"

Ayame's hands flew to her hair and she bolted up to the second floor, completely missing the sarcastic 'Tch' from him.


Takumi stood outside for a good five minutes wondering if he should knock again. He wasn't really comfortable with knocking doors because it felt more intrusive compared to ringing or pressing the doorbell. Why should the door receive the business end of his knuckles just because he wanted to announce his arrival? The blonde Italian started sweating behind his neck when he heard yelling inside from a high pitched female voice and then a deep male voice. Curious, he was about to peep his head around to see if everything was ok through the front window but the door swung open catching him completely off guard.

Narrow, black eyes glared down at him.

The man who forcefully opened the door towered over him. He was a beautiful man who possessed the classic male oriental beauty. Takumi felt he was being visual stripped piece by piece by the sharp, narrow gaze of the man blocking the doorway. It was like he was being scrutinised for every single fault imaginable from inside to outside and it was more terrifying than chef Shinomiya's judging. Takumi was petrified, feeling his breath suddenly constrict, as if an immense and ominous pressure was crushing his lungs. Within his fear Takumi was confused as to who this person was, however he quickly erased the thought when he caught a glimpse of the muscles beneath his dress shirt ripple as he crossed his arms making him look even more threatening. Those arms could crush him like a soda can. Takumi had never felt so frightened in his life or for his life. The man continued to glare at him with immense and unmasked hatred. He sneered, instantly letting Takumi know that he was unwelcomed. Takumi quickly glanced at the black sedan in the driveway and instantly made the connection.

"Yeah, that's my fucking car"

Takumi shot his eyes back the front at the condescending aggressiveness of his voice. This was Ayame's dad. Her DAD. Her policeman dad.

His mouth went instantly dry.

'Santa Madre di Cristo! It's really him! Merda, what do I say?!' Takumi frantically screamed in his head, his thoughts a mess. It was too late now. Her father could probably taste his fear from the moment he laid his hawk-like eyes on him, like a predator about to pounce on a pathetic prey.

"M-m-my name is Takumi Aldini! I'm…uh… h-here to take A-Ayame-san out for a d-date t-tonight!"

The glare intensified.

Takumi's teeth chattered behind his lips, regretting his choice of words so much right now.

"Tch"

Unexpectedly, the tall man moved away, only breaking eye contact in the last second before going back inside, leaving the doorway clear. Takumi released a big sigh he didn't know he was holding.

"Come the fuck in, or fuck the fuck off"

"Y-Yes sir!"

Takumi shoved his soul back into his body and dug out the courage to move his leg over the threshold. Oh no… his bouquet for Ayame were slightly drooping in his arms. Takumi removed his shoes and slowly crept into the living room. His eyes instantly connected with the terrifying male who stood rigidly by the sofa. He gulped, feeling sweat beading on his forehead this time. He couldn't tear his eyes away from him and Ayame's father continued to glare him down in the oppressive silence.

Was he waiting for something?

Ayame's father slightly inclined his head to the opposite sofa.

'R-right. He wants me to sit down'

Takumi immediately obeyed. He sat with a stiff back, careful not to lean on the backrest and his feet flat on the floor. Ayame's father remained standing, overshadowing him as if he was a criminal handcuffed to a table.

"You've been here before"

"Yes sir!" Takumi instantly replied, not wanting to be disrespectful in anyway. "Rest assured, we didn't—"

"You've been here before to cook her dinner on multiple occasions. You don't think I fucking know what goes on in my house whether I'm fucking there or not?" He growled at him.

Takumi instantly closed his mouth. This was worse than any job interview horror story he's ever heard. He was about to open his mouth again when he was cut off immediately.

"Let me spare you the fucking trouble. You're a sixteen-year-old brat sent from Italy with your twin brother to study at the fucking prick of a school Tootsuki in the middle school division and now high school division to pursue a career as a… chef"

He spat the word 'chef' out as if it tasted disgusting.

"You currently live with your brother in Minamikawase apartment blocks owned by Matsuoka Ran on level 3, apartment B on your parents money, paying a rent of 192, 263.16 yen per month. Your brother's recently returned from Italy three and a half days ago. Your family owns a well known diner in Florence and your father was also once a Tootsuki student who graduated in the class of sixty-nine"

"H-How did you -?"

"I'm a policeman. Do the fucking math"

The blonde Italian was dizzy from all the cussing. He suddenly remembered Namikaze warning him about Ayame's father somewhere in the bottom drawer of his mind, but he didn't think that he'd be this terrifying as a policeman. What was the point of him telling Takumi all this information about himself and Isami? It was a scare tactic designed to make him piss his pants. Ayame's father was showing him that as a highly experienced policeman, he could absolutely uncover anything he wanted about him, his brother, his school, the rest of his family at the tip of his fingers and anything between him and Ayame. Takumi could barely imagine what kinds of things her father could do with any information he found.

It was a loud and clear warning.

"I don't even know why the fuck she would choose an Italian one-trick pony like you" he scoffed as if he couldn't care less that said Italian one-trick pony was right there…

"With all due respect sir, I think-" Takumi spoke up, starting to clench his bouquet.

"Otou-san!"

Ayame's father was about cut him off to give him another verbal lashing when he was interrupted by an annoyed voice from the stairs. Takumi instantly shot up from his seat on the sofa, still with his blazer in his arms and the bouquet of irises in his grasp, turning his attention solely to the voice.

He was floored. Ayame looked absolutely beautiful. She stood in middle of the stairs with her hands gripped onto the banister in anger. She wore a deep-red dress, resembling the rich colour of red wine from a crystal claret. It accentuated her verdant green eyes, creating a a stunning depth and a glowing vibrance. Her skin was glowing with an ethereal paleness, possibly with the aid of a touch of simple make-up, but that was enough for her. Her hair was slightly curled to fall like midnight black wavy silken locks against her smooth creamy shoulders. All anxiety, fear and nerves disappeared from him like wisps of smoke from a blown-out candle. Takumi was truly the luckiest man on earth.

"Otou-san. Leave Takumi-kun alone" she snapped, stomping downstairs towards them. She threw her father an agitated look, reducing him into a begrudged grumble, before gracing Takumi with her lovely smile, which jump-started his heart. He felt his face heat up and could smell the light scent of apple and mimosa. It was her perfume and it smelt really good.

"Umm… You look beautiful. Oh! a-and these are for you" he said, presenting his flowers to her. Takumi could feel a burning glare on the side of his head.

"For me? Oh, these are so pretty! Aren't they Otou-san?" she said the last bit with menacing sweetness through clenched teeth.

"Tch" her father scoffed, turning his head away to avoid looking at them and an angry vein pulsed on his temple.

"Let me put these in water" Ayame took his hand and lead him into the kitchen.

Takumi threw a tentative look over his shoulder at Ayame's father, but was met with a look that exuded so much killing intent, Takumi felt his airways restricting again. Those deathly eyes were saying 'It's not fucking over yet' loud and clear.

"Did Otou-san hurt you?" Ayame whispered to him as she found a vase and began filling it with water.

"Uh…no? Should he have?" he asked perplexed, looking over again to see if the policeman followed them into the kitchen.

"Good... I wouldn't be surprised if he tried" she unwrapped the bouquet and placed them neatly in the vase, arranging the flowers so that it was spread evenly. She broke into a smile and a blush as she sniffed the beautiful blue irises. Ayame took the vase and placed it in the middle of the dining table.

"Don't touch my flowers Otou-san!" she called out into the living, but no one replied.

Takumi escorted Ayame back into the living room and her father was still there bur this time standing by the door again. Takumi straightened his back. If he was going to be allowed to continue courting Ayame, he needed to get pass the father. He was sure every boyfriend went through that stage. Unfortunately, her father was the most difficult boss monster he had to face and he'd be damn if he didn't show to him that he had a back-bone and wasn't some push-over school boy. He was an Aldini and a signore italiano after all and they took on any challenges with gusto for their woman!

"Sir, I'll be taking Ayame-san out to dinner tonight for our first date" he said with a strange, stilling calmness in his voice. Were his words enough to show back-bone? He wasn't sure.

Her father scanned his face.

"Have her back by eleven-thirty. You fuck-up even once and return her late by one fucking second, I'll deport your arse back to Italy" he snarled back.

"Otou-san!" Ayame yelled, her face puffing up with angry redness. He stared back at her, obviously convinced that he hadn't said anything out of line.

"Done" said Takumi resolutely.

A honking sound echoed from out in the street. The taxi he booked had arrived right on time and Takumi internally cheered. Something went right for once today. Takumi nodded at Ayame, letting her know that the taxi was for them.

"Alright, we're leaving now Otou-san. You've been working too hard. Just relax for once, that way you'd be less of an insufferable grumpy-puss" Ayame leaned up on her toes and gave her father a quick peck on the cheek and he grunted, however he didn't make a move to push her away or wipe his cheek. He had known plenty of his friends' parents back in Italia who would always sabotage their childrens' relationships and even went as far as interfered at every opportunity until they broke up beyond repair. For a long time he thought that was a 'parenting' thing.

However from someone who was as powerful as Ayame's father who supposedly was the head of the TMPD and who had known about everything from the start, he didn't do a single thing to interfere. Threatened? Yes, but interfered? No. That made Takumi pause in thought. He could tell that Ayame pretty much had him wrapped around her fingers.

Like daddy's little princess.

As long as Takumi didn't 'fuck-up', he should be safe from that terrifying man. He was confident. He was sure he was confident. Nope, he wasn't confident.


"What do you mean Otou-san had known about everything between us from the start!" Ayame groaned.

She thought she did a superb job in hiding everything about Takumi-kun! There was no way that Chizuru-chan would accidentally say anything to Otou-san because well… there were no such things as accidents when it came to Chizuru-chan. Also Kuchiyose-kun was still selectively mute. He had met Okaa-san briefly but that was only when they were just friends and she was too busy to have a chat with Otou-san about Takumi-kun anyway. Plus! She was overseas and she only video-chatted with Ayame. If by any chance that she did video chatted with Otou-san too, she wouldn't breath a single word about Takumi-kun to her over-reactive husband because that was like lifting one's foot off a landmine once it was already stepped on. Ayame mentally slapped her forehead. What was she thinking when she thought she could hide everything from Otou-san? He was the embodiment of the freaking police! That's what happened when one's parent was a police officer with twenty years of military and JSDF experience under their belt. There was no way she could've hid Takumi-kun from him for that long.

But she still got away with it… Actually that was incorrect. She didn't get away with anything because Otou-san had known all along. However, he had done nothing about it. Her teeth immediately set on edge… there had got to be some ulterior motive here… Maybe she should play the 'Daddy? I really, really love you and you're the best daddy in the whole word' card, like she always did to wheedle him into letting her do whatever she wanted, if he starts showing signs of going out to murder Takumi-kun and make it look like an accident.

"Your father knew that Pappa went to Tootsuki and I never told anyone that, so he's done thorough research on me" said Takumi. "Doesn't matter anymore, this is a special night for us and don't let yourself get bogged down by your father. Enjoy it with me!" he gave her a reassuring smile.

"You're right Takumi-kun, this is our night" Ayame breathed out and squeezed his arm as Takumi-kun escorted her down the streets of Ikebukuro.

Ayame was really surprised that their date spot would be in the famous commercial and entertainment district of Tokyo where all the trendy restaurants were. She'd never been to Ikebukuro, but Kuchiyose-kun had been on some occasions and he always described it's vibrant and kaleidoscopic lighting from the many buildings and shopping stores. It was a special ward within Tokyo and it really fitted its title. The streets were bustling with many people and the traffic noises drowned out a lot of almost every other noise. The city was so alive!

It was a good forty-minute taxi ride from Karakura town to Ikebukuro. That was because Karakura town was located in Western Tokyo and Ikebukuro was towards the centre of Tokyo and Ayame immensely enjoyed the scenery whizzing past the window.

Takumi-kun looked incredibly handsome and smart tonight. He was dressed in a white, crisp dress shirt and a smart-casual blazer. He wore black pants and simple black shoes also. His hair was gelled back against his scalp, making him look very cool and mature. The fact that his hair was out of his face meant that she could see gorgeous blue eyes a lot more clearly and it was brighter under the city lights. Ayame never thought she would see this side of him and to be honest, it excited her very much. She was so glad that she made a lot more effort to dress herself tonight as if she didn't, she would have paled in comparison to him. Ayame couldn't look at him properly without her flushing red all the way to her neck. When Takumi-kun had opened the taxi door for her when entering and exiting, it made her feel so special, like she was being treated like a real lady. Also when he offered his arm for her to hold and escorted her around the streets like he knew exactly where he was going, Ayame felt incredible comfortable and all thoughts about her 'alpha male dad' went out the window.

'Takumi-kun is really pulling out all the stops tonight'.

"Here we are"

Ayame looked up and was met with warm lighting coming from the floor to ceiling window of a particularly trendy looking restaurant.

"'Restaurant F'… I think I've heard of this place before! It's an Italian restaurant and it always have really good reviews in the gourmet magazines" said Ayame in wonder.

"Sì! And tonight you will see why" Takumi-kun smirked at her.

Ayame blushed heavily and followed her date into the fine-dining restaurant. Excitement was ready to spill from her guts and so she opted to play with her fingers while they waited to be seated. She really wanted to ask Takumi-kun how in the cosmos was he able to make reservations because this place looked like it could be exclusive to… people too important for her to know, but she didn't want to be rude, so she kept quiet instead and gawked at the beautiful paintings that lined the walls. Soon a waitstaff gracefully appeared before them.

"Reservation for two" Takumi-kun said smoothly.

"Name, sir?"

"Takumi Aldini"

"Of course, right this way sir" The waitstaff had the perfect poker face and he lead them over to a flawlessly set out table complete with shining silverware near the windows. Ayame's excitement overcame with such nervousness. She'd never been to a high class restaurant before! She almost jumped in surprise when the wait staff pulled out her chair for her to sit and almost yelped when he flapped open her napkin and gently placed it over her lap.

'Being treated like a lady is full of surprises'

The waiter handed each of them a menu and Ayame received it with shaky hands. She was certainly glad that she dressed up more formally. Once she opened the menu and read the list of all the gorgeous dishes, she almost drooled.

"Would you like to start off with some drinks?" asked the waiter with utter professionalism.

"Sparkling water and Ayame…?" Takumi-kun looked at her expectantly.

"Lemon-lime bitters please" Ayame smiled at the waiter.

"Very good" said the waiter and he glided away.

Soon Takumi-kun and Ayame were left in a comfortable silence as they perused their menus. Soft music played in the background and it was a mixture between something like jazz and blues. The soft trickling of the water feature was so gentle, it almost harmonised with the music. This must be a sound proof restaurant because she could barely hear any traffic from the outside world from their bubble.

"Do you like it?"

"Hmm?" Ayame looked up and hoped there wasn't any saliva on her chin for Takumi-kun ot see because that would have been hella embarrassing. His eyes were more piercing than usual and this new look he had was sending delicious electric shots through her veins. "Oh! Uh, yes of course. This place is incredible. Even better that it's an Italian restaurant" Ayame giggled.

"I knew you would" Takumi-kun breathed out, sounding like he was relieved. Ayame found him a hundred percent adorable this evening, not just handsome.

Soon the both of them picked out their antipasto and then their mains. Ayame felt it in her bones. This was going to be the most magical evening of her high school life.


"Oh. My. God. I don't want to sound slack on our first date, but I think the food here is more amazing than yours" Ayame giggled. She knew that Takumi-kun wouldn't take offense for her words because why would he take her to a place he knew was below the level of his cooking anyway?

He chuckled warmly at her. Ayame had the most delicious dish on planet earth. It was a Linguine alla Vastese. It was a seafood pasta dish, a specialty from the Italian town Vasto in the Abruzzo region of Italy which Takumi-kun kindly explained to her. The seafood tasted so good! She could tell it was fresh and perfectly cooked as the textures were soft and silky, not rubbery or too firm which was characteristic of pre-frozen seafood. The flavours were simple, and she could taste the marriage between the parsley, garlic and lemon. The anchovies gave the dish a great kick and she knew she'll be raving about this delectable dish for ages.

Takumi-kun on the other hand had the Maccheroni alla Chitarra. It was directly translated as 'Macaroni Guitar'. Takumi-kun explained that it was called that because the pasta shape was like guitar strings. This spicy dish came from the province of Teramo, Abruzzo, Italy. Ayame thought it was cute that they both chose dishes that originated from the same regions. It was like they were wearing a matching necklace, only foodish. She might be treated as a lady, but she most certainly was unlady-like when she wanted to steal a bit of food off of Takumi-kun's plate and he was more than happy to let her. His dish also tasted amazing! The lamb in his pasta was so moist and tender that it practically melted in her mouth. The spiciness was just right. Not too overpowering, but enough to leave a good impression on the palate.

"I hope you have some room for desserts" said Takumi-kun, taking a sip out of his sparkling water.

"I always make room for desserts" she winked at him. She thought she saw Takumi-kun blush, but he hid it by coughing into his fist and called for the waiter for the dessert menu.

"Ah yes, Aldini-san. I was instructed to tell you from the head chef, that you are not to order any desserts, because desserts have already been taken care of. Please just wait a moment"

"What?" Takumi-kun furrowed his eyebrows. Uh oh… was this not part of the plan?

The waiter left before he could reveal any more about this mysterious dessert that was supposedly been taken care of and Takumi-kun was looking flushed around the collar and thoroughly confused. Soon, a large tray of a colourful assortment of sweet petite, desserts came out from the double doors and came straight to their table.

"Aya!"

They were so pretty!

There was a little classic tiramisu, Blueberry Panacotta, Cannoli, A tiny, circular Genoise cake, Mini crepe wrapped around fresh fruits and cream, Six different flavours of gelato, A slice of honeycomb semifreddo, Pavlova covered with chocolate and strawberries, A selection of chocolate truffles.

"Uh… What is this?" asked Ayame.

"That, young miss, is a dessert degustation platter. Basically it's a sample of every single dessert that is on the menu for you to enjoy" he said smoothly. "Oh and they are with compliments from the head chef"

"They're for free?!" Takumi-kun exclaimed with shock. "But chef Mizuhara needn't go this far!" he continued.

"On the contrary sir, she is very happy to have you dining in her restaurant tonight with your companion" replied the waiter.

"W-Wait a minute, you know the head chef h-here?!" Ayame stammered, still reeling from the artistic platter of the finest Italian desserts she's ever seen.

". Chef Mizuhara Fuyumi is a Tootsuki alumnus who graduated in the class of seventy-nine and was the second best in her grade. Her specialty is in Italian cuisine. I met her last year during a our first rapport building training camp. Sh-She wanted to recruit Isami and I to work for her" Takumi-kun explained.

'Damn! Takumi-kun was well sought after in the culinary world'

"Well… You've clearly made a really good impression on her… and we can't reject something so generous… and it's already in front of us, right there, only thirty centimetres away from my mouth…" said Ayame, her words beginning to taper off as she stared mesmerised by the dessert degustation platter. She could already feel saliva pooling in her mouth.

"Yeah, there's no going back now when you are making a face like that… Please send chef Mizuhara our utmost thanks" said Takumi-kun happily to the waiter.

"Very good, sir"


WARNING! Underage drinking is not recommended. The Aldini twins have been drinking limoncello (Italian liqueur) below the allowed age in this story and now Takumi's had a bit of cognac to calm his nerves. Well, they are ITALIAN which is the only excuse I came up with haha...

We can safely assume Takumi and Ayame had their perfect first date :) Writing this gave me fuzzy feelings. Takumi and Ayame's father are going to be fishing buddies HAHAHAHA... not. Did Takumi get Ayame home on time and spared himself the wrath of the katana-wielding-policeman father?

Oh no... Eizan... what have you done...

I hope you all liked this chapter and had a Merry Christmas :) Let me know what you think and I'll see you in 5 days!

Signing off

-TripWire-dono