Chapter 2: "Breakfast...Or Break Fast"
After Hikaru and Saya got done with their morning routine, they had a fresh change of clothes. Their wardrobe wasn't much to look at since they virtually consisted of the same threads over and over. One could only think if all the Gingamen wore the same outfits everyday, especially without washing them every now and then. That'd be quite problematic when it comes to the aroma.
They both stepped out of their rooms and met up facing each other. Not a word was said. They just nodded as they looked at each other, headed outside to the patio, and took their seats on the dinner table. As they sat, wry, somewhat smug smiles formed across their faces. Ryouma and Hyuuga were already seated beside each other, discussing the plan of the day and some battle tactics for the team to use against the Balban for their next potential encounter.
From inside the house, Gouki excitedly yelped, "Guys, breakfast is ready!" He then stepped out with two plates on his hand, one with the omelettes, the other with the potatoes and toasts. Hayate helped him out by carrying a tray with coffee, tea, juices, and water. Gouki and Hayate then set the food and drinks on the table. Just as Hayate eased himself up, he noticed Hikaru and Saya with dreamy looks on their faces.
With quite a puzzled look on his face, Hayate pointed to the two and asked, "Hey, what's with both of you? Had a really good dream?"
Hikaru looked to his left and closed his eyes. He held out his palms beside himself and happily replied, "I guess you could say that, Hayate."
"Care to elaborate, Hikaru? I sure would like to hear about it!"
"Oh, something that just passed like thunder and lightning in a quick nanosecond. I don't think you'll understand."
"Huh..." Hayate looked away slightly and pondered about that statement for a bit. He then took his seat and waited for Gouki to give his word for everyone to start eating.
Upon hearing that little banter, Ryouma and Hyuuga stopped their shop discussion and looked at Hikaru and Saya. Both brothers were going to say something when Gouki sat with the team (and Bokku standing on his side of the table). The big man was smiling, too, seemingly happy about his breakfast cookout. The brothers started to suspect something.
"Alright, Guys. Let's eat!" The giant bellowed out in huge glee.
"Right," Hyuuga softly replied as the team picked their food from the table.
Saya grabbed her portion of the food from the table. Just as Hikaru grabbed a cup for his fixing of coffee, Saya patted his hand and intervened, saying, "Uh-uh. I'll get it." She then took a cup for Hikaru, poured coffee from the pitcher, and mixed it with sugar and creamer.
"Here you go," Saya handed the coffee to Hikaru in a playful, sing-song manner.
"Well, thanks," Hikaru responded in kind, somewhat apprehensive, as he saw Saya then help herself with her own cup.
Amazed at Saya's bit of overt tenderness towards Hikaru, Ryouma said, "You two seem pretty sweet at the moment. Did something happen?"
Saya chuckled as she barely sipped her coffee and countered, "No. Nothing special."
"Huh," Ryouma looked slightly away as he pondered.
"Oh, I'm sure there's nothing going on with these two, Bokku!" Bokku quipped sarcastically. Nobody said anything back to the acorn fairy.
On Gouki's end of the table, the giant ate his plate like a goblin while drinking some cranberry juice. In between munches, he softly giggled. At the same time, he tried to make sure nobody heard him doing so.
"Hey, Gouki! Where's Yuuta?" Ryouma asked the giant.
"Ah, he's pretty busy with his Math and English homework. He's been lagging behind his studies for a bit. So, I let him stay in his room and just handed him his platter, water, and juice. He'll be out sometime later today!" Gouki let Ryouma know about the kid earnestly.
"Huh," Ryouma responded in further pondering.
On Hikaru and Saya's end, the pair's conversation started to become livelier. They began cracking jokes at each other. Hikaru started by asking Saya, "Hey, Saya! What do you call a pop band with a pained fruit as a name? I'll give you a hint – It starts with a 'B,' and the fruit is the same as my color?"
Saya started to giggle then asked, "What?"
"Bananatrauma!"
Saya tilted her head back in hearty laughter. She then turned to Hikaru and quipped, "Dude, is that the best you can do? Mind if I up you one bit?"
"Sure. Shoot."
"Okay. Here goes. What do you call a girl band who just loves the living bejesus out of peppers, paprika, ginger, and many other strong herbal ingredients out there?"
"What?"
"The Spice Girls!"
Hikaru turned sideways and laughed out loud while banging one fist on the table.
Suddenly, Bokku gazed towards the pair and asked out loud, "What's so funny, Bokku?"
Hikaru turned to Bokku upon notice of the little critter's question and quipped, "Saya and I are just telling each other corny jokes pertaining to pop culture and music. I think they just might sound lame to you and all the others. Wait a minute. See what I did there? Corny? Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!"
Bokku laughed. The cute little fairy sure has a thick fiber (if not a skin like that of a human being) and could take about any joke the Gingamen could throw at him. He just loves a good laugh.
Out of the blue, Hyuuga started to chuckle. He was sitting with the pair to his front and left as Ryouma sat beside him on the right. He turned to Hikaru and said, "By God, Wolf Boy! You know what I think? Your jokes are fine the way they are."
"What are you talking about, Hyuuga?"
"They're awesome!"
"Oh, Thanks. Glad someone is having a good laugh at my stuff," Hikaru showed his bit of gratitude in a rather subtle manner.
"You're very much welcome, Breh."
The team and Bokku then finished the rest of their meal in the most serene manner possible for this sitting. Ryouma kept wondering what in the world was going on with Hikaru and Saya as he noticed the two cozying up to each other in a manner that made them a little too close for comfort. He shook his head at the thought and just wrapped up munching his plate and downing whatever tea he had left in his cup. Somehow, he's gonna have to have a word with them sometime later today.
