Chrysanthemum (5)
In the quiet bar not far from town, Kaito sat on the high chair by the counter and stirred his cocktail quietly by himself. The soft music consumed his thoughts most of the time, but once he noted a familiar figure descending down the stairs, he began counting the seconds that ticked by.
It took Shinichi ten seconds to deduce his choice of appearance today, and he was disappointed at how slow it was. Kaito raised his head, showing his straight teeth of Shinichi's distant friend, the one he used to appear at his wedding. It would be disappointing if he didn't leave a mark behind to prove Kaitou Kid appeared at his rival's big day. So during the photo taking sessions, he changed back to what he was for the briefest moment when the camera flashed.
The groom wasn't very happy and Kaito believed it was because the former never expected so many guests who attended his wedding were Kaitou Kid's fans.
"You're really enjoying this disguise, aren't you?" Shinichi scowled.
"It's the only person that I find similar to myself."
Shinichi slumped onto the seat next to him. "Care to share?" He didn't sound as interested as his words seemed to be.
"Handsome."
The detective faked a laugh. "Very funny."
"And that too."
Shinichi slid the thick, brown envelope across the counter, cutting their greetings to an end. Kaito picked up his gift and peered inside the content, instantly sighing when he saw the sheer number of papers he had to read. It would be great if there were cartoons or pictures to make the report a little less boring but who were we kidding?
"A summary of this, please."
"There's a table of content at the front."
Kaito carefully pulled out the very paper and his nose twitched at what he saw.
"I'm flattered you think so highly of my talents but I don't read dog language."
"It's codes." Shinichi rolled his eyes. "I've encrypted in a way only you'll solve them. These information are classified, be happy that I even give them to you."
Now that school days were over, Kaito had more free time to plan his heists, but that didn't mean he would allow troublesome work like this. And the codes were in bloody hard copies, not in data form where he could push all the responsibilities to the computer's brain. This ass better meant it when he said he could solve it.
He shoved the paper back into the envelope and tucked it safely inside the large pocket within his suit.
Shinichi stepped off the high chair. "I've got some matters to settle, contact later."
"Oh? Picking up your wife from her baking lessons?" Kaito fiddled with the cherry-on-stick in his cocktail. He did remember Mouri Ran's conversation with Toyama Kazuha at the cafe a while back. It wouldn't be shocking to him if her teacher happened to be a certain feisty, blue-eyed girl he knew...
"How- Wait a minute. You're tracking Ran's schedule?!"
Kaito blinked, honestly not expecting a rash response.
"Chill." He raised a hand to defend himself. "It's just a casual guess. Looks like I'm right?"
"Very smart." Shinichi drawled sarcastically, his fumes died down. "You better keep all your playful games to yourself."
"Are you still butt hurt about the wedding?"
"Shut up." The detective left the counter.
"Wait for me." Kaito stood up and threw some notes on the table by his drink.
Shinichi turned and narrowed his eyes dangerously. Although it was sometimes hard for Kaito to believe this man before him was the same little brat that chased him years ago, he still liked the reaction nonetheless. It pleased him entirely to see the smart-alec uncomfortable and irritated. Kaito thought it was his way of sending his thanks for the bloody codes.
"Can I follow?"
"What are you up to?"
"I thought I can say hi to my sister-in-law."
"Who are you calling your sister-in-law?"
"Come on, have you forgotten all the times we've been through? Brothers not by blood but by bonds, perhaps?"
"Get your thieving arm off my shoulder."
.o.
Instead of going straight, they should have turned left to reach the baking studio faster. Kaito knew his directions by heart, but he kept his mouth shut and followed Shinichi's stupid routes quietly behind him.
The baking studio was painted mostly white and pink on the outside and inside, easily catching eyes of girls who walked down the crowded streets. The smell of freshly bakes filled Kaito's nose once he stepped in, a complete different feeling compared to the first time he was in here. Everything was bright and cheerful, unlike that cold dark night and the aching pain on his hand.
"Good evening." The receptionist chimed.
"Good evening to you." Shinichi bowed his head slightly.
She certainly didn't look like the Kasumi Aoko described to him. Knowing that, Kaito smiled and said his greeting back, to which the receptionist swooned in her seat.
They walked further inside and Kaito took the time to see the interior a little more closely, a chance he didn't get previously. There were tons of pictures, awards and certificates lining up the walls, but it was none of his business unless he spotted Aoko or her name in one of it.
His eyes lit up curiously when he noted the walls didn't stretch all the way to the end of the corridor like he thought. Instead, a part of it was replaced with a long transparent glass and behind it was a huge room, where the baking classes were held in. When Kaito moved closer, faint sound of chatters and laughter could be heard, one of which belonged to Aoko's and he recognized it even before he got to lay his eyes on her behind the glass. She was standing in front of a class of adults, waving a piping bag animatedly in her hand.
Kaito goggled the entire scene, watching how her hand carefully circled around the tip of the bag, giving a little pressure as the cream flowed out beautifully. She twisted her wrists gently, like a slow dance he imagined her doing. He would have drooled at the creamy and delicious looking cake she was crafting, if he wasn't busy capturing every movement of her body.
After Aoko was done, the students followed her instructions as she strolled around the class, guiding anyone who needed her help.
"Are you done gawking?"
He snapped his neck to Shinichi, who was staring at him suspiciously. This moment proved his point that he was so, so distracted that he had forgotten the existence of the detective standing beside him. Kaito gave a toothy grin, regaining his composure in no time.
"You can't blame me with all the delicious cakes inside."
"I almost thought you'll say beautiful ladies."
"Oh, I wouldn't dare when your wife is in there."
"Good thinking."
Kaito turned back to the glass again. Now that he noticed, it was really an all-ladies class. There was no male inside, so definitely the dinner-date-guy Inspector Nakamori spoken of wasn't here today.
As he continuously glanced around, it wasn't long till Aoko noticed and turned to his direction with a blank look, her blue eyes staring straight into him.
He unconsciously touched his face, feeling exposed all of the sudden. His disguise was always top notch, and as long as someone didn't pinch his face, his mask would stay in place until he decided not to. But seeing how Aoko was looking at him like that, he felt so insecure with his skills all of the sudden.
Her blues eyes moved away as she trudged to the other side of the class and tapped onto a lady's shoulder, who was none other than Ran's. Aoko signalled her to the glass window and Ran placed her chocolate piping bag aside before showing the brightest smile and waved excitedly, to which Shinichi responded elatedly as well.
Kaito sighed inwardly. Was he feeling a little confident today? Thinking as if Aoko's stares were on him and no one else. He should have known.
"Let's start over, as friends. Nothing more, nothing less."
How pathetic. The phrase happened almost a month before and yet he still couldn't let it go.
Shinichi and Ran were still waving at each other, both smiling like idiots. Kaito suspected they were silently transmitting signals to each other, something along the lines of "You stop waving first!" "No, you stop waving first!"
Ew.
To irk the murder-magnet for a little bit, Kaito raised his hand and waved just as enthusiastically, to which he earned himself a scowl from Shinichi when he broke their beautiful moment. Ran paused for a split second and gave a sheepish smile before returning him a wave back too.
Ran turned away when Aoko spoke about something. Kaito considered training himself to hear through glass one day. As for now, he decided to stick to lip-reading.
"Kudo-kun's here to pick you up?"
"Yeah. He's free from meetings today."
"That's really sweet of him."
Kaito could have been as sweet as Aoko wanted him to be, without any hint of coldness like the ice cream she used to compare him to. He scoffed to himself and dismissed the thought. That memory was so long ago.
"Now that I've said hello, I shall go now." He stuck his hands into the pockets of his pants and turned to the entrance of the studio.
"Seriously?" Shinichi glanced at him with raised eyebrows. "No doves, no giant pancakes, no smoke bombs, no fancy exits?"
Kaito rolled his eyes. "Not today."
At least not here before Aoko's class.
.o.
It was a good day for Aoko today. Not like any particular happy thing happened, but since nothing bad did, it was already considered great for her. She whistled her way to work, greeted familiar faces of people she came to know for working here and walked into the baking studio. Kyoko, the receptionist, brightened up with a smile and it instantly made Aoko's mood grow even better.
"Any mails for me?"
"Nope."
Aoko nodded and glanced down at her phone's screen. She still had ten more minutes to spare before her class would start and she pondered if she should rush down to the coffee shop next door to get something quick when Kyoko handed a file to her face, disrupting her thoughts.
"You've got a new student."
"Really?" Aoko took the file filled with all the particulars of her students and flipped through the pages.
"Yeah. Weirdly, he didn't want any trials and just asked to be sent to your class for his first day."
That was indeed weird. The first thing that Aoko found puzzling was the new student was a male. She would be lying if she wasn't stereotyping since it was rare to have male students signing up for baking courses, unless they were interested in the business perspective. So perhaps that was the case? But not taking up the trial, which was free, made her a little skeptical about this whole matter even more.
And she was right once her eyes landed on the name of the new student.
Kuroba Kaito.
Are you kidding me?
"He's only interested in your classes." Kyoko added. "He didn't bother looking through other choices!"
It isn't surprising but... shit.
"Oh yeah, he also purchased the materials and ingredients package for a couple month worth of lessons." Kyoko said. "He must be serious."
What the hell? Her head shot up. That was literally insane, no one would ever do that! Not just talking about how serious or whatsoever but the expense of the non-refundable deposits too!
"Kyoko." Aoko slowly closed the file and returned it back to her. "Is there anything else you want to add?" Just tell me everything and hit me all in one blow instead of doing so one by one. It's not helping!
"Now that you've reminded me, he's inside now." She jabbed to the baking room at the back. "He arrived pretty early."
"What?!" Aoko choked. "The class he's joining is today's?"
"Yeap. There's a space left so I suggested him for it."
Oh my God...
"Is there something wrong? The ingredients are enough if you're worrying about that."
"N-No. It's nothing." Aoko managed to say after getting her voice back in order. She clutched onto her bag and muttered a thanks before rushing to the staffs' lockers instead, the plan to get her coffee was long forgotten.
After locking her belongings, she scooped her apron from the hanger and hung it around her head while trying to process her thoughts.
"Let's start over, as friends. Nothing more, nothing less."
Selfishly, this was the only way for her to stop the sickening feeling in her throat, as if she was going to burst out crying whenever she thought about the past. As for Kaito's side, she would no longer be his burden in anything and he didn't need to answer his actions to anyone. It was a win-win situation.
But she wasn't blind, and he wasn't the king of emotionless-land either. Even though his poker-face was kept intact throughout the whole period, the way his pupils dilated and his slightly tightened jaws didn't escape her eyes.
Had she created more damage than necessary?
Then this happened. Now that he had practically signed up for her lessons, Aoko began to wonder if she was just over-imagining things. It had always been her forte.
Taking in deep breaths, she stomped towards the direction of her class, feeling determined all of the sudden. It would be good if it was really all just her imagination, and that Kaito was fine with her plan to remain friends.
Maybe the reason why he decided to attend her class was to become... more than friends? Closer friends? Was it possible? Aoko tried not to get herself hopeful, then again, she shouldn't even be hoping for this at all.
Just gonna act normally... She reminded herself.
Aoko swung open the door of the baking room, to be welcomed by the sight of the almost empty class, saved for a huge crowd at the end of the room.
"How do you do that?"
"You're so cool Kuroba-kun!"
"Show us more magic tricks!"
She blinked, dumbfounded.
It took Aoko a while of coughing and clanging of utensils to gain everyone's attention and get them back to their seats. She grudgingly introduced herself again, for the sake of Kuroba Kaito, who was technically the new student and began the lesson for the day. She wasn't happy with the commotion previously, and his cheeky grin was making it even worse.
For God's sake, all of her students here were an adult, the youngest being a fresh graduate who was preparing to open her own bakery store. Yet everyone was behaving like kids when Kaito turned Aoko's mixer into a bunch of falling cards while she was in the midst of explaining the power level to use later on. It was the most usual tricks Aoko saw since forever and it didn't impress her that much, but now where the hell was her mixer?!
Was this how her homeroom teacher felt when their young-self disrupted the class? She groaned in agony. Karma was real.
Though she was trying to remain cool, she had been inwardly half praying that candyfloss wouldn't suddenly burst out of the oven, and half hoping her students would concentrate better just for a little bit. Only when they finally reached the free-style decorating part of the lesson, Aoko let her painful, tensed shoulders to relax as she began walking around the class to see how her students explore their creativity.
Her intention was also to use this moment to coincidentally approach Kaito's desk and demand an answer to why he was here, but his arm was the first to be raised in the air and Aoko got a feeling something was up. She tied her apron a little tighter around her waist and trudged uncertainly towards him.
"What?"
"Icing is boring." Kaito said as he stared at his piping bag in disdain. He then waved his hand and a rose magically sprouted between his fingers.
Aoko widened her eyes, the feelings of Déjà vu hitting her like a truck, but her astonishment died down once she heard the few squeals coming from the back of her head. She sighed inwardly, putting a hand to her hips. "Your point is?"
He snapped off the stalk of the rose and placed the flower in the middle of his Lavender-buttercream and blueberry cake. "That's better."
"Interesting concept, though the colour combination is a little off." She crossed her arms. "But no worries, Kuroba-kun. In the future, I have plans of teaching how to decorate a cake with dried flowers."
"I can't wait." He said, in such an innocent manner that pissed Aoko much more than before.
She tread heavily to his side, teeth gritting.
"Why are you here?" Aoko whispered harshly. Inwardly, she was glad Kaito was being himself, the prankster he always was; she would be much worried if he didn't do anything at all. But to the point of disturbing the class every ten minutes or so was...
Kaito blinked. "Why not? Aoko-sensei."
"You're not keen in baking at all."
"How would you know about that?"
"Because I know."
He smiled faintly. "You know?"
The corner of her eyes began twitching.
"Are you going to hit me with a mop?" Kaito smirked, pointing at the convenient mop that was leaning against the cabinet just beside them. Aoko was really tempted to do it, for the sake of seeing his shocked face for heeding his words. But currently, she was a teacher leading the class and there was no way she could do it if she wanted to keep her image and reputation.
Aoko cleared her throat professionally and gave a big smile. "If you continue your stupid behaviour, I'll kick you out of the class."
"Can you?"
"Want to try?"
He went silent for a while. "You meant in a literal way of kicking or?"
"We can do both meanings."
"Nakamori-sensei! SOS!"
Before Aoko leave for the next student who was calling for her help, she swiped her fingers across his cake and poked the lavender-flavoured cream into his cheek, catching him by surprise.
And eye for an eye. Aoko silently mouthed and turned away. She took the chance and licked her stained fingers.
It tasted better than she thought.
.o.
Kaito's weakness for fish was a great tool Aoko loved to use. To put his silly acts to the bare minimum, she declared to him that she would start to keep fishes in class as decorative purpose and increase the count whenever he pissed her off. He laughed and said that her threats were pitiful, although his voice were pretty shaky at the point of time.
So to prove her words, she set a fish bowl she secretly borrowed from the coffeehouse next door on the cabinet near Kaito's desk. Aoko had always been a frequent customer, and asking for this small request was almost too easy.
Ever since then, Kaito called for a truce and was limited to two tricks per lesson. A bonus if there was none.
Aoko wished she could strike her usual victory pose, claiming her nth number of wins against Kaito's stupid games. It was a habit she once did, to the point where she was so excited about her achievements that she marked anniversaries like 100th successful pranks on Kaito! on her calendars when she was younger. It was silly when she thought back, but if she had a choice, she would do it all over again.
Painful memories were one thing, those fun memories were something she couldn't forget too, even if she tried (Barely tried, actually. She couldn't do it).
A year before she first saw Kaito in Jii's storage room, she couldn't even breathe right whenever she came across Tropical Land's advertisement or offers for skiing lessons. Luckily for her, work was hectic enough and she had her new colleagues and friends' help. Things gradually grew better when time passed and after their relationship-friendship agreement was done and dealt with, it was safe to say Kuroba Kaito's appearance no longer turned her into a swirling hot mess. There was this cool, minty feeling she felt whenever she saw him in the baking studio, something she didn't go through in her life before.
It was like experiencing her meetings with Kuroba Kaito completely in a new way.
Their mocking insults, her naggy reminders on proper meals, his abrupt and sudden magic tricks he pulled on her in the past...
He still teased her now and then, though it was less mocking but more of those flirtatious, roll-eyes-worthy puns she couldn't believe he would use.
Ironically, it was he who attempted to get her out for a quick bite and failed more times Aoko could remember because she was in a rush to prepare for the next class.
The magic he flaunted on her was less of pranks but more decent, something like his signature rose, which he occasionally did it to her in front of people and in private too.
Friends... Friends? They were almost doing the same things when they were best friends in the past, just reacting in a slightly different manner. Obviously, after what they've been through, Aoko deemed Kaito had grew mature a little, and she herself changed too.
Though all these positive things happened, Aoko could still sense a distance, a clear line that separated them, yet they never dare to step over all the while.
Love.
As for Kaitou Kid, he was still doing his usual things, sending heists notes, stealing jewels, making a fool out of her father... those usual routines. It wasn't always the phantom thief's choice of dates for his heists, such as certain special exhibitions that happened to last over a fixed period, or when it was a challenge sent to him and the details wasn't his to decide. For some odd reasons, those dates never once fall on the days of their baking lessons, and whether it was related to fate or whatsoever, Aoko didn't bother trying to understand.
Kaito's perfect attendance had been going on for two months, not until when the news about Child of the Moon became a hit across the globe. It was an old diamond that was kept away and hidden for several centuries in Korea by the request of the previous Kings, but when a major economic crisis hit Korea, money was the most important thing they needed instead of a jewel. Soon, it ended up in different hands of many bloody-rich people from all sorts of countries and ultimately came into the possession of a billionaire from Azabu, who later announced that the brilliant, flawless stone was going to be exhibited in Tokyo to the public next week.
He didn't come to lesson on the same week when Kaitou Kid declared he was going to steal the diamond. Neither did he come for today's lesson too.
The heist was tomorrow.
It was Aoko's turn to close up the studio for today and an hour had passed since she finished her cleaning up duties. She would have reached home by now, sleeping perhaps or catching up with her friends on the phone, but instead, she was sitting on the chair behind the receptionist counter, the lights all switched off, saved for the small lamp that weakly lit up the desk.
She dumbly stared in space, too tired to move.
Her father had cancelled their dinner on the same weeks she didn't see Kaito. It was a little depressing, and the reasons behind it wasn't helping. He briefly told her about the case on the phone, saying he had meetings with Division 1 regarding a message from Kaitou Kid that was not revealed to the public; he requested the exhibition to be a private event instead because it's dangerous. They were still discussing if it was a plan Kaitou Kid made up so to get his loot easier, but her father still warned her to be better safe than sorry, and not to go to the museum even if she was interested to see the jewel.
Dangerous.
On the other hand, Ran shared her concerns about her husband to Aoko after class, who coincidentally belonged to the same Division 1 her father was working with. She said Shinichi hadn't been returning home from work as of late, and his health wasn't the only thing she was worried for. He was going to attend the so-called dangerous heist and she was scared something would go wrong.
Aoko complimented Kudo Shinichi's brains and commented that the worse thing he would ever suffer from would only be her Karate kicks. Ran smiled gratefully, and told her she hoped so too.
Scared.
If only she could comfort herself the same way she did to other people.
The quietness and lighting provided the same environment for Aoko to bring back the memory of tending to Kaito's wound that was resulted for her sake. She stared at her hand, her thumb caressing the air over her palm.
"You'll be fine, right?" Aoko imagined his hand there as well. His warmth, his skin...
Slowly, she brought her hand to her lips.
Just friends her stupid ass. She cared about him more than she would ever let on.
"Please be safe."
When I said updates won't be as frequent, I didn't mean it to be 3 days later. It was just that my part-time job was actually less-tiring than I thought it would be so... here it is hehe
Thanks for reading and reviews are appreciated :)