Chapter 22 – Chizuru's Bane & Takumi's Queen


How did one describe Kojima-san?

He was obnoxious.

He was pessimistic, whinging and complaining.

Smoking and drinking booze like he was born to do so.

Kojima-san had shaggy and unruly, black hair. His past was kind of shady but it seemed he was from Osaka as told by his slurred and sharp accent. Or maybe that was because he was drunk all the time. He looked permanently miserable. He had this nauseating look on his pallid expression as if years of displeasure have shaped his face. He looked like every other second-hand store owner she ever came across. Being miserable seemed to go with the job. Chizuru imagined he had a fiancée who faked her death to escape him and all his friends and families kept it a secret. That sounded like a fitting backstory for him. He always seemed like he had just came out of an alcohol induced coma, stepping back into his miserable reality and then realising that he preferred to slip back into that inebriated darkness because it was way better.

Chizuru didn't care for being around him and working in his second-hand bookstore as long as the pay was good.

It had been a few months since she'd started her part time job at Kojima-san's book shop. It originally started as a second hand bookstore where people would come and sell books they no longer wanted for a cheap price, then Kojima shouten would resell them according to what it was really worth, minus a few hundred yen. Now they included latest bestsellers to expand their collection. Chizuru had a good eye for what books were worth, thanks to all that item-selling and trading experience with other gamers on her various gaming accounts. Kojima-san was generally nonchalant to let her decide the pricing. To be honest he was too drunk the majority of the time and couldn't be arsed. The short girl hummed a quiet tune as she dusted the shelves and tried to align the books neatly.

Chizuru doubted he should be owning a store of any kind. Her boss hated customers. He hated people buying books and was always so rude, insulting them and harassing them. It was brilliant. He liked having a bookstore. He just hated selling books and the people who wanted to buy them. It was a miracle he still managed to make a margin and that was all because of her. When she first started, it was only him and he was in a desperate state (not that he could tell himself). Customer service was non-existent, the place was a pigsty that even the pigs would turn up their snouts at. She dubbed Kojima-san the 'filth wizard', friend only to the dust mites and the rat. There used to be an abandoned wasp nest in the corner of the ceiling and she remembered it vividly. Thinking about it gave her chills. So when Chizuru suggested they should rearrange some of the shelving to make it easier to move around for customers to browse and find their favourite genres, he flat out refused in his typical drunken slurring claiming that the place was lovely as it was and had a certain charm to it. The charm, he mentioned was probably the amount of half empty wine bottles he was 'planning' to make into candle holders. She did it anyway when he went out drinking and the amount of customers coming in skyrocketed. It was like they had a beacon in their brains to let them know the dreaded wanker had gone out. Continuing on the list of things he hated, Kojima-san hated mobile phones and music players, so much so that he wrote it up on his ancient chalk board 'No phones! and 'No music players!' and a whole bunch of other banned items she couldn't decipher from his messy handwriting and displayed it on the walls for all customers to obey.

"Aw man… the cicadas are moulting in the arts and crafts section again…"

Chizuru went into the back to grab a broom so that she could scrape off the hollow cicada shaped shells and sweep it away into the bin. Right now, it was quiet because Kojima-san the owner had gone out into an izakaya and probably won't be back for another fifteen minutes. He should have been blacklisted by now in half the bars of Karakura town. The good-for-nothing-almost-hobo would be yet again thrown out of the Japanese bar and will have no choice but to travel on all fours back to his second-hand bookshop. Urgh… the man behaved like he was a quitter, like he came from a long line of quitters. It was amazing he was even here at all.

This afternoon, there were a few customers browsing around which was not bad, and in particular, one of them caught her eye because he was really fidgety. He looked like a salaryman from a large company. He rolled on the balls of his feet near the counter. He wore a designer spectacles and his hair was parted to the side, looking all slick and shiny. He probably dyed his hair black because no man his age should have completely jet-black hair. His head was raised up high as if surveying the shop from down his nose and had a rather haughty look. Chizuru cringed at those types. He was probably looking to haggle. She knew a haggler when she saw one. It was all in the eyes. Those beady little miser eyes. Obviously he thought himself too important to be in a dinky little second-hand bookshop from the way he eyed the shelves up and down with his arms crossed, leaning away like pond weed from whatever he was surveying because he didn't watch to catch some germs lurking around. Then what the hell was he doing here... He impatiently tapped his finger on the book he was clutching to his chest. Chizuru put away the broom, wiped her hands on her work apron, smoothed out her flicking hair and approached the man with her best 'customer service' smile.

"Can I help you sir?"

"I want to see the owner. Fetch him for me" he said in a posh Tokyo accent. Chizuru hadn't been rejected by a customer like that before. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. What the hell was this shit-head's problem?

"If you're looking to purchase that book you've got there, I could just do that for you" said Chizuru through her shiny, fake, bright smile.

"Didn't you hear me, girl? I said I want to speak to your manager. So hop to it and don't keep me waiting" he scoffed at her and turned away as if her face was too plebeian for him to grant attention to.

"The bookstore owner has stepped out for bit and won't be back until a bit later. If you'd rather wai—"

BAM!

"Chizuru! Get my bottle of the finest! I have returned"

The front door slammed open, scaring a few of the customers but they quickly recovered and continued browsing. Ha. Just in time. The dear customer could deal with that drunken boss of hers if he liked instead. She was done with him.

"That's the owner there. He'll see to you, if you'd like" she said and smiled at him serenely.

Just as she predicted, his lips quivered in fright mixed with disgust as he got an eyeful of a wasted human being with a crippled gait and was regretting his decision to brush her off. She sauntered away as her boss staggered behind the counter. He pulled up the collar of his stained shirt to wipe his mouth, sniffed, and cleared his throat. He was sobering up faster than she thought because he usually slammed his knee into the counter. He squinted his bloodshot eyes at the salary man as if he was an abstract painting.

"What do you want?" he snapped.

The salaryman recomposed himself. Chizuru stood around the back pretending to look busy and shuffling unprocessed books around, watching from the corner of her eyes with glee for what was going to transpire next.

"How much is this book?" the salaryman said stiffly.

Kojima-san sighed "Four hundred and ninety-five yen"

"Hmmmm"

The salary pulled a painful thinking face and tapped his finger on the cover of the book repeatedly. He did it for over five minutes. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. He began twisting his head this way and that in an obviously exaggerated way. Yep, he definitely a haggler. He couldn't be more obvious. Why would someone want to haggle for a measly four-hundred and ninety-five yen second hand book for fucks sake? He could probably afford his own Lexus, that stingy bastard. Had he no shame? Chizuru shook her head and proceeded to shuffle the books around.

Kojima-san plonked himself into his ratty old seat once his knees gave out.

"What? Is there something wrong with your fingers? Or are you drumming them to say 'No, there is nothing wrong with my fingers' or are they just uncontrollable…" he said, with no interest whatsoever, staring at him through half lidded, bloodshot eyes.

Chizuru snorted. He said the best things when he was half drunk, half sober.

"Ahhhh…. Hmmmm…" the salaryman continued to tap his fingers on the cover and pulled back his lips with serious consideration as he scrutinised the book cover.

"Perhaps I could reduce the price…" Kojima-san lit up a cigarette he managed to fish from his jeans pocket along with his lighter. He aimed to throw the lighter onto the table, but it fell short and missed.

"I was thinking three-hundred and fifty yen?" the salary man replied

"Yes, because four-hundred and ninety-five yen is naked profiteering for a book of merely…" he snatched the large tome from the salary man and flicked to the back page "Nine-hundred and twelve pages long. What'll I do with the extra hundred and forty-five yen? I'll add another acre to my property, I'll chuck a few more koi carp into my grand piano shaped pond. No, I know. I'll add another wing to the National Diet Library with my name on it" Kojima-san gestured his hand holding his cigarette around in condescending sarcasm.

The salaryman sucked in his teeth and continued to appraise the thick book.

"Four-hundred yen?"

"That's more like it. Now you're being reasonable" he put out his cigarette in his full ashtray. The cheapskate salaryman dug into his trouser pockets for his loose change to hand over. Chizuru had to crane her head to see what Kojima-san was doing. He grabbed the book right from the salary man's fingertips before he could walk away with it.

"Four-hundred yen gets you…" He tore out a chunk of pages from the back "This much" he gave the book back to the customer whose mouth was agape with incredulous shock. "You can get the rest when you come back with the other hundred and forty-five yen"

"But you—"

"Thank you!" Kojima-san slammed his hand on the counter bell letting the customer know the transaction was completed and he no longer wanted to look at his face.

Chizuru had to stop herself from cackling loudly in the back. Ha! That's what that snobby, stingy salaryman deserved for blowing her off like that. If he had just stopped being a prick and let her serve him, then he wouldn't be caught up in this ridiculous situation with her boss. He actually tore out the back pages of the book! That was just golden. Chizuru finally emerged from her hiding spot in the backroom and watched as the salaryman simpered away, still in disbelief. Kojima-san was right though. The book was almost a thousand pages long and he wanted to pay only three hundred and fifty yen for it? Fuck that, he was lucky Kojima-san hadn't sobered up completely because he would probably be forced to pay another hundred yen on top of that book just for thinking he could haggle with the owner of the bookstore.

"And what were you doing you useless chipmunk?" Kojima-san scratched his stubble and looked around his desk, yanking out his drawers and slamming them back in, looking for a left-over muffin or something.

"Just cleaning up and the usual stuff. Did you seriously need to do that? Insult the customer?" asked Chizuru.

"How else would they respect us" he grumbled.

'Right on, man'

"Where's my booze?" he said, picking his stubble.

"You're all out" she replied.

"Fuck me"

Chizuru walked away and started realigning some books that have toppled over on the shelves. She continued to listen to her boss whine and complain.

"I'm going out to buy some more. Don't fuck with my shop before I get back!" Kojima-san pulled himself out of his ratty chair with maximum effort and bumped himself into the wall before successfully groping for the door handle and was out the shop. Chizuru shook her head. She was surrounded by crazy weirdos. Ayame-chan was the nerdy weirdo, Kuchiyose-kun was the silent weirdo, Angelo was the jittery weirdo who was completely besotted with the nerdy-weirdo, Yukihira-kun was the hyper-active weirdo, and thankfully Isami-san was not a weirdo.

Chizuru heard the door open and shut again. Another customer probably figured out the owner was gone. Chizuru finished aligning and shelving the books in its proper place before decided she should rearrange the 'Newly Released' book display.

"Hey"

Oh a customer wanted her assistance. She could see to the display later. Chizuru turned around with her plastered on smile ready "What can I do for—"

What… the… fuck

It was the punkass-midget.

He was really there. Right there. He stared at her blankly, his eyes in small slits and his lips pursed together in a hard, thin line. He was wearing the Tootsuki school uniform, a white dress shirt that was untucked and had a dark undershirt beneath it, peeking out from his unbuttoned collar. It was fairly rumpled and untidy as if he didn't care about his appearance as long as he looked like some delinquent wannabe. His hair was still wild as ever and he still wore bobby pins fashioned in the same Z-pattern. Around his waist he had tied his school blazer, secured by a loose knot using the sleeves. Chizuru couldn't stop looking into his eyes, it was so sharp as if it would cut into her head if she looked away.

What was his name again? Oh yeah, the top of her hit-list. Terunori or some shit like that.

"What do you want?"

"I…came to see you" he said shrugging his shoulders like he was fucking forced to be there. Urgh… no one's stopping him from walking back out and letting her get on with her business, pretending this never happened.

"…How do you even know where I work?" Chizuru fully faced him and crossed her arms over her apron, cocking her hips to the side, giving him her most displeased look. She blew her fringe from her face.

"Your friend told me… The chick from the festival" he said simply. He kicked his shoes against the floor and looked around the bookshop haughtily, like he'd never been to one before.

'Oh Ayame-chan and Angelo are fucking dead…'

Chizuru felt her ire rise. He was not the person she wanted to deal with right now. He flat out insulted her during that stupid food festival and she was in her right mind to kick him out of the bookstore onto the road in front of an incoming bus. She would do the world a favour and win a medal of appreciation for it. Honestly, she had managed to get over that whole fuck-up at the festival and had left it behind her to get on with her life, but now Terunori being here was just dredging all that back up. Couldn't he just be dead to her? What the hell was Ayame and her stupid boyfriend planning? This guy was really straightforward. At least he had the decency to not insult her intelligence by claiming how it was a coincidence he was in Kojima Shouten on his 'nth' try, totally intending to look for her. She had no idea what this was all about and she was full on planning to stop it before it took root. However there was something in his eyes and expression that was different. A lot milder, less cocky, less punch-able, and less vomit-inducing. So he probably wasn't here to have a second go at her congenital anosmia, that much she could tell. She wanted to groan. Fuck. She was a sucker for curiosity. She might as well hear him out so that he could be gone, double-quick.

"Pray tell, what do you want to see me for?" Chizuru drawled.

His face was pulled into the typical expression Western teenagers did when being told off by their parent she'd seen in movies. Pursed lips, rolling eyes and tongue-in-cheek. He scratched the back of his head as his face began to get a bit flushed.

"Look, I just… urghh this is so stupid… I m-made this for you"

The punkass midget pulled out a plastic container from behind his back and presented it to her. He looked like a little chubby-faced angry child, his eyes avoiding all visual contact with her face. Chizuru looked warily at the container in his hand. There was a bit of steam coating the lid, so she couldn't see what was inside. It was definitely some fort of food, and it was an angry red looking food in there. She scrutinised it some more, trying to wrack her brain for the purpose of this. Why was he giving it to her?

"Just fucking take it already!" He shoved the warm box into her hands and crossed his arms and hunched his shoulders. His lips were pulled back showing his tightly gritted teeth and his light brown eyes were brimming with annoyance. His hair seemed to stand on end like a hissing cat, and his face got redder.

'What the hell is going on…'

She unclasped the lid, releasing a puff of steam. Inside were glistening pieces of cubed silken tofu covered in a runny red and brown sauce, with tiny clusters of minced meat. The minced meat looked really moist. There was the tell-tale sign of chilli oil dotting it and some dark green sprinkling of spring onions. She felt the heat through her fingers. He must have made this fresh before he got here. The pure white rice next to the tofu was still fluffy and steamy with a pinch of black sesame on top for garnish. Along with the plastic container was a small plastic spoon.

"What's this?" she looked up in question. All her hatred left her and was replaced with bemusement.

"It's Mapo tofu. Extra spicy" he said.

"I know that but—"

"I just wanted to apologise properly" Terunori raised his voice as he interrupted her. He sighed loudly and rolled his head back and rubbed the back of his neck in exasperation. "Look, I'm sick of feeling like a scumbag and it's been interfering with my cooking practice, which isn't good in front of my disciples. So yeah… that's all"

Chizuru blinked.

He came all this way, to give her a box of mapo tofu, for something that happened over two weeks ago?

'Well if he's willing to go that far…'

Chizuru was feeling a bit embarrassed all of a sudden. He didn't seem he was lying, actually he looked quite genuine. It must have taken him a lot of courage to come to that conclusion. Two weeks, duh, and he was being an agitated flustered mess looking like he wanted to be on the other side of the world. But he was here. This moron had suddenly gifted her with a box of spicy food at her after school, part-time work place. Only cheesy couples did that! Only Ayame and Angelo would do shit like that! Chizuru felt her face heat up too and it wasn't anything to do with the heat of the food in her hands. Thank god Kojima-san wasn't here to witness this, otherwise he would cut her pay just for Terunori pulling a stunt like this. This was too fucking weird. Something had to be up.

"Hey… did you lace this with something?"

He widened his eyes at her in shock. "Huh?"

"Did you put something in here that's going to make me sick?" she repeated blankly.

"WHAT! Why would I do something as fucked up as that! Oh my god. Just… Okay, I only wanted to show you I'm fucking sorry! Nothing more! I wouldn't do that to you, Alright?!"

He flared his nostrils angrily at her. As if he should be the one that was offended. She asked him a perfectly valid question. It happened enough in her childhood that asking out of self-preservation was a totally normal thing. His face was turning red hot angry and he began baring his teeth. His eyelids twitched and she found it hilarious as he tried to bottle in that volcano of rage.

She raised her eyebrows in mock suspicion.

"Fine. If you don't believe me, watch this"

Terunori snatched the plastic spoon from her grasp and spooned some of the white rice and wobbly tofu. He inserted it into his own mouth and Chizuru watched him eat his spoonful. He was accustomed to eating spicy food also as he didn't even sweat. He swallowed and smacked his lips and raised his own eyebrow at her. He brushed his thumb over the corner of his lips to catch a bit of rice sticking to it. Nothing else happened.

"Yeah, I— MMFFPH?!"

Terunori shoved another spoonful of his mapo tofu into her mouth, once again cutting her off, just when she was about to say that she believed him. He removed the spoon and Chizuru had to slap her free hand over her mouth to stop the food from escaping her mouth along with the spoon. It was hot. REALLY HOT. BLAZING HOT. The spiciness took over her mouth like euphoric Armageddon and she felt the invigorating heat escaping to the back of her throat and up her nose. When he said it was extra spicy, he wasn't fucking kidding because she had never felt this burning heat in anything she ate. It was amazing! She swallowed half her mouthful and was forced to breathe through her mouth to relieve some of the heat. She rolled the silly soft tofu in her mouth and the rice was the perfect stickiness. The minced meat tied all the textures together in just the way she liked. She began to smoothly chew the rest of her mouthful and finally swallowed. Her insides felt instantly warm and her tongue was rendered numb. She felt the first beads of sweat on her forehead.

Chizuru was rendered catatonic.

THAT was fucking fantastic.

"So what do you think, huh?"

Her bleary eyes refocused back onto the person standing in front of her. Her vision had been momentarily taken over by dancing peppers. How was it possible that mapo tofu could be this spicy?! Terunori was looking absolutely like a smug bastard. His lips were pulled into a feral smirk, one of his canines peeking out. His light brown eyes glinted with mocking pride, obviously pleased as punch that she was heavily affected by his dish. It was like the cat got the mouse. His head was cocked to the side and his hands were on his hips, as if waiting to hear the praises he thought he deserved. Was it just her, or was he the only one that was unaffected by this volcanic box of dynamite tofu!? There was not a sign of discomfort on his face. She proudly named herself queen of the Scoville scale in Karakura town when it came to spicy dishes, but he broke the damned scales! When Chizuru finally caught her breath after a few good minutes, and the feeling in her tongue and soft palate returned, only one thing remained on her mind above all else.

'WE JUST SHARED THE SAME FUCKING SPOON!'


Ayame was happy to be taking a brisk walk, especially to her boyfriend's residence. She was very intrigued for what he had in store for her. It was almost evening and so she was sporting a simple red T-shirt, black shorts, a pair of white sandals and she tied her hair up in a high ponytail. Ayame had received a text message from Takumi-kun during the lunch break asking her to come over to his apartment for dinner and here she was making her way to the elevator of the Minamikawase apartment complex.

Ayame brought up the text message to re-read.

'Good afternoon mio amore!

How was your first and second period?
I was wondering if you'd like to come
over for dinner tonight. I have something
special I want you to try. Trust me, it will be
nothing like you've ever tasted before.

Lots of love
- Takumi

She didn't exactly have an awesome time at school because she was clumsy and had spilt a carton of milk. That was Murphy's law and his best friend, 'Gravity', reminding her that if something could go wrong, it will go wrong. Luckily it only stained a small part of her beige school vest and Kuchiyose-kun caught it before the whole contents landed on herself. Ayame chuckled as the elevator dinged and she reached her destined level. She could laugh about it now, she was over it. Ayame was growing more eager as she approached the Aldini twin's front door.

Knock Knock Knock

"Coming!"

Ayame could hear the loud pitter-patter of Takumi-kun's feet as he jogged to the door. She stood straight with a big smile on her face and her hands clasped behind her back, waiting for Takumi-kun. When he opened the door wide, Ayame immediately stepped up and kissed him on the cheek. He was briefly stunned, but instantly recomposed himself and ushered her in, closing the door with soft click. The first thing she noticed was the living room lights were out except for in the kitchen. He was donned in his Aldini apron, but beneath it he looked like he was wearing yet another dress shirt, but different to his school uniform. He did something to his hair! He was exceptionally handsome with his blonde tresses combed backwards with the usual locks of his fringe hanging loosely, shaping his beautiful face. Takumi-kun grinned at her warmly and it made her blush. He planted his own kiss on her temple. The mystery thickened and excitement bubbled in her stomach because he was decked out in semi-casual clothing, his hair was done and was lightly misted over in his cologne. Meanwhile she just chucked on some random clothes. Why in the multi-verse would this dinner be so special?

"Hmmm, what are you cooking?" asked Ayame.

Takumi-kun took her hand and guided her over to the kitchen island, tugging out the kitchen stool for her. He had certainly pulled out all the stops once again. Her brows shot up into her hairline at all the cutlery that was lined out with plates, napkins and wine glasses. There were even three little red votive candles lit up in the middle! It flickered, the dim lighting in the kitchen casted a romantic and sensuous shadow over his face, illuminating his strong cheek bones, his beautifully defined nose, and the deep blue clarity of his eyes which seemed to glow. Ayame felt her cheeks heat up again and she fidgeted with the hem of her T-shirt. There was another thing to add to list of what got her all riled up. Candles. It was like he turned his kitchen into a fine dining restaurant. Drat! He should of told her to dressed up too because now she looked out of place.

"You'll see, everything is ready now" he said mysteriously, winking at her.

'Uhh... okay then?" she chuckled nervously and gulped. "Where's Isami-kun?"

"He's gone to talk to our senpai in Polar Star dorms about something important coming up for us"

Takumi-kun disappeared from view and Ayame turned her head every which way to find out what was going on. She temporarily closed her eyes and sniffed the air. She smelt something tangy and acidic. Interesting. She smelt something like slow-cooked meat and some stock. More fascinating now. Unfortunately for her, the large pan on the stove had a cover on it so nope, she couldn't see what it was.

"Let me tell you a little bit about what I made for you"

Takumi-kun returned and placed a wine glass in front of her. Except, balancing on top of the rim was a perfectly round wafer biscuit delicately towered with thick slices of sausages. It was lightly coated in a deep red sauce not enough to soak the biscuit with caramelised red onions, black pepper, and garnished with a sprig of parsley. It looked so pretty like a piece of art! Inside the stunningly clear wine glass was unmistakeably red wine, filled up to a one third of the glass. It was a deep and sexy burgundy colour. Ayame's mouth fell open in awe. It was like a crimson, mountain island floating above a ruby red sea.

It was only a starter, and it looked absolutely gorgeous.

"A while ago, we received an assignment where we had to design a recipe representing the cuisine from the middle ages fit for royalty of a country of our choice. I chose Spain" said Takumi-kun.

He didn't pick Italy? He unfurled her napkin, placing it over her lap gently. Her hands flew up to her chest in surprise when the soft material fluttered onto her thighs. Takumi-kun needn't do this, she could have opened her napkin herself.

"This is chorizo with sautéed Spanish onion and sherry vinegar tapas" said Takumi-kun. He was standing behind her, leaving only a disembodied voice. He gestured to the glass of wine with the small beautiful food on it.

"I've heard of tapas before. Isn't that a type of Spanish bar food?" asked Ayame, twisting her neck to look at Takumi-kun behind her. He was so close that his cologne smelled stronger than the tapas.

"Si, it is now. But in history there were different theories on its origins, however three of the most popular theories as to how the tapas came about involved the Spanish Kings. One theory said King Alfonso the tenth of Castile recovered from illness by drinking wine with small dishes between meals. After regaining his health, the king ordered that taverns would not be allowed to serve wine to customers unless it was accompanied by a small snack or 'tapa'.

Ayame nodded, returning her attention to the tapas before her. How was the wafer biscuit not collapsing in the wine already? Takumi-kun must have made the wafer somehow so durable, yet it was so thin. He was more skilled than she could imagine.

"The second theory was that King Alfonso the thirteenth stopped by a famous tavern in Cádiz where he ordered a cup of wine. The waiter covered the glass with a slice of cured ham before offering it to the king, to protect the wine from the beach sand, as Cádiz is a windy place. The King, after drinking the wine and eating the tapas, ordered another wine 'with the cover'"

Ayame nodded again, transfixed by the tapas, imagining King Alfonso savouring on the exact same starter Takumi-kun had made.

"Finally the third theory was about King Felipe the third, who passed a law in an effort to curb rowdy drunken behavior, particularly among soldiers and sailors. The law stated that when someone purchased a drink, the bartender was to place over the mouth of the mug or goblet a cover or lid containing some small quantity of food as part of the purchase, the hope being that the food would slow the effects of the alcohol, and fill the stomach to prevent from absorbing too much of iy" said Takumi-kun.

The more Takumi-kun spoke, his voice grew huskier and quieter, totally unlike his usual passionate, theatrical and flamboyant speech and Ayame felt her insides crawl. He sounded sultry and felt herself salivate. His voice and his slight Italian accent caressed her ears as he transported her on a magical journey through the royal history of the well-known Spanish food. Ayame slowly licked her lips. Suddenly there was movement behind her as Takumi-kun reached over her shoulder towards the tapas and the glass of wine. He carefully lifted the super-thin wafer and Ayame tracked it as he drew it closer to her, without spilling a drop of sauce.

He pressed it to her lips.

Ayame felt possessed. She automatically parted her lips as her boyfriend placed the chorizo and sautéed Spanish onion with sherry vinegar tapas onto her tongue. She bit into it and she instantly melted with a blissful groan. The powerful and rich flavours of the chorizo instantly filled her mouth with a strong paprika and fatty taste. The sweetness of the caramelised onions seduced her tongue and glided over it as she chewed slowly, savouring and relishing in its exquisite taste. The aromatic wafer was so crisp and it instantly dissolved against her tongue. The sherry vinegar provided the added acidic kick to tie in the rich and colourful flavours that painted the Spanish flag into her. If she personified the taste, she would say it was a lascivious but classy flamenco dancer, dancing around her, brushing her blood red silk dress across her bare skin in teasing caresses. She swallowed her morsel and sighed from the luxurious aftertaste.

Takumi-kun continued to place more of the tapas into her mouth. Ayame was now slightly shaking, feeling a rapid coiling in her stomach. Her spine could no longer support her as she rested backwards against Takumi-kun's firm chest. What was happening to her? Why was she feeling this way? She hadn't felt like this since…

The times they were being rather 'intimate' with each other...

Ayame sighed loudly as Takumi-kun caressed her jaw with his other hand, coaxing her to bite into the rest of the tapas. She experienced the heavenly flavours all over again and she succumbed completely to him. The coiling traveled to the heat between her thighs. Her breath quickened and her heart thumped in her chest relentlessly. The warmth radiating from Takumi-kun did nothing but escalate the arousal building up within her. It didn't help that he was feeding her, not allowing her to feed herself as if he wanted to directly influence the rapture she felt from his food, and she was sure he took great pleasure in this. His fingers traveled down her neck, stroking it up and down as she swallowed. It felt white hot against her skin. She licked her lips and Takumi placed the last bit of tapas into her mouth.

Next he reached forward again and retrieved the wine. He gently placed the rim at her lips and she was completely at his mercy as she gingerly fingered the glass and tipped it, whilst he still had his own firm hold on it. She sipped the wine. Its strong bitter taste wasn't as shocking as she thought as it would be. Although it sliced through her taste buds, its deep and rich flavour insinuated itself through her palate and Ayame was left with a strong fruitiness with a lacing of a forest and earthy taste.

"How was it?" Takumi-kun whispered in her ear.

"Uh… huh?"

Ayame could barely comprehend what he was saying or keeping her eyes open. She could only listen to her blood rushing in her ears and trying her hardest to keep her sexual urges at bay by tightly pressing her thighs together. If Takumi-kun was an animal, he could probably smell the insane amount of pheromones she was exuding all over the apartment against her will. Also, if she was an animal herself, she would be all over him now, tearing his clothes off.

Takumi-kun chuckled hotly behind her, making her bite her lip. He gently pushed her forward so that she could straighten her posture without his support. She had no idea when did Takumi-kun remove his apron, but he was looking damn fine in his white dress shirt with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Ayame gripped her fingers against the kitchen island as she continued to try and steady herself. She had never tasted anything like that! All her thoughts had disappeared, taken over by some intrinsic primal urge to shamelessly indulge in the carnal pleasure Takumi-kun presented to her in food form. She could do nothing but go along with his whims.

He came back with a steaming plate of vibrant yellow plump rice, mixed with juicy slices off dark red meat which looked so soft and tender. There were also sliced red and green capsicums and mushrooms. Ayame inhaled the aroma and felt herself cave in once more.

"This is paella, the Spanish rice dish. Medieval European royalty often like to eat meat from animals they considered close to heaven such as cranes. Which is what I used in this case. So this is my Spanish Crane paella.

"H-How did you manage to get crane?" asked Ayame, mesmerised by the moist and steaming paella. Yellow was her favourite colour and the electric yellow reminded her of the glowing sun. The contrasting colours of the crane meat, mushrooms and muliti-coloured capsicums made it look like precious jewels resting in a bed of gold. It smelled mouth-watering.

"I ordered my ingredients from Tootsuki"

Of course, Takumi-kun is able to do amazing things with Tootsuki's support.

"Do you know what gives paella its fiery yellow colour?" he asked.

Ayame shook her head.

"What every European royalty wants. A touch of saffron"

Takumi-kun resumed his position behind Ayame, and placed his hands on her shoulders. She suddenly felt he was in complete control of the situation and she was bewitched by him. Possessed. She felt his body bend down to her level and his hot breath brushed across her ears, sending shivers up her arms and making her shudder as something threatened to burst within her. He was everywhere and he was as intoxicating as his food. She didn't know if she wanted him more than the food.

"Tonight, you will dine like royalty with food fit for a Queen"


Ayame compared to European royalty? Take it as you like :P Is she Takumi's princess? or is she his queen? I wouldn't be suprised if Takumi could pull off Spanish food just as well as Italian food. It's nice to know that Takumi could be equally sexy in any cuisine he chose, not just Italian. Crane meat is apparently really nice. It's like a cross between duck meat and steak. So cranes are considered to be flying beef.

Chizuru and Kuga hahahaha! Could you imagine Tootsuki students using food as the pretext for anything in life? Birthday present? FOOD. Going out with friends? FOOD. Someone is sick? FOOD. Revenge? FOOD BATTLE. Studying? FOOD ESSAYS Shopping? FOOD. Apologising to someone? FOOD. Flirting? FOOD PICK UP LINES. The list goes on.

I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think and I'll see you in a few days time!

Signing-off

-TripWire-dono