Disclaimer: It's a work of fiction and just having fun with my favorite SNS pairing

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Soma's classmates have returned to visit again.

To be precise, Koganei and Kurase have come for lunch everyday; I guess Koganei was serious about her goal to bring them together. Well, this time the two boys Okuma and Moriyama accompanied them.

Soma was naturally playing host to his friends, Koganei was subtly facilitating the conversation to encourage Soma and Kurase interactions. So skilled as she was that I have to tip my hat to her talent in that aspect: If I were not aware of her intent, her efforts would not be notable at all.

That takes talent.

It was in that situation of being left out in their talk of the old days that I made myself scarce by doing some bookkeeping. Moriyama came over to start a conversation with me. I had initially thought that he was being polite, exchanging casual pleasantries and asking about common topics before evolving to know each other.

As we chatted, I asked him about how he got the reputation of a future politician. I actually found him insightful and intelligent in discussing topics way above what our peers would talk about: Negative population growth leads to labour shortage, which leads to economic and social issues, that leads to nation instability… Though it was a comprehensive assessment of the topic, he was able to articulate everything clearly and methodically: his passion came through his words.

"I'm impressed with the extent of your knowledge." I nodded in acknowledgement.

"I got to thank television for that. I find them very educational."

"Oh? You keep up with the news?"

"Naw. Because every time somebody turns on the set,", a grin to express humor, "I go into the other room and read a book." He said with a wink.

I could not help but laugh at that. Oh, intelligent and witty.

In contrast to the shallowness vibe I got from celebrity singer Aida Shion, Moriyama clearly had depth and wisdom about him that I found to be intellectually stimulating.

"You know, I don't think I ever spoke with a peer about this topic."

"Oh?" His confession piqued my curiosity.

"Yeh, you may imagine this topic isn't what people our age have any interest to discuss about." Moriyama shrugged, "and my youth does not help me to be taken seriously."

I nodded. It was not uncommon for Tōtsuki Culinary Academy students to be underestimated just because of our youth… only for the other party forced to eat their words once we stepped up to show our skills. "I may not be well versed in policies but what you say makes sense. On top of that, you have talent and passion in this subject. I'm sure people will realise it soon."

Moriyama brightened at my words, "Thanks for your support! I guessed from the attention to detail you put on the ledger that you probably like thought provoking topics." He was clearly appreciative about it.

I smiled lightly in acknowledgement of his words, "So what do you think will work to get our population up? Or what do you think people our age should do?" I asked with light hearted curiosity.

"Perhaps," a pause for our eyes to meet, "we could use this time to know as many people as we can, so that we have a better idea of what we are… interested in."

His gaze lingered.

That did not last long when Soma came in, "Hey, Hisako, Moriyama! Come join us at the counter!" Bringing us back to the present, we turned to find him standing next to us. I glanced over to find the others looking over to us. Guess Soma must have crossed over from the counter to approach us.

From their looks, I would guess it was unexpected for them.

"We had a discussion about organising a class barbeque," Soma continued when we settled in, "Since it's the summer holidays, we should have no problem gathering everyone."

"And the restaurant?" I enquired.

"It'll be held the day after tomorrow so we'll make an announcement that we'll be on break for the day." Soma replied with an assuring nod that it will be fine.

I have no objections, being that it was a social event for the summer.

Besides, the camp I attended in elementary school would definitely be different than this: how many "school camps", if what I attended could be called that, would have butlers and maids attend to their needs? I recall running around making sure things are in place for Erina-sama.

This was an opportunity to experience what a "normal" barbeque was like and it will be interesting to see how one is organised.

"We can also take that day to try out dishes for the outdoor cooking event during the elementary school camp!" Koganei made that smile again, the kind that suggested she had plans.

Well that immediately threw a wet blanket onto my enthusiasm.

"Oh oh oh! We can have a test of courage!" Okuma remarked in his usual unreserved fashion, earning a look from everyone. He continued, "the lads and I always wanted to make one!"

There was a pause as everyone gave it a thought.

I am not really partial to that activity. Having lived alone in a large, albeit luxurious mansion with servants only appearing when summoned had numbed me to what people may consider "dark" and "creepy".

Oh yes, the Arato mansion is so traditionally Japanese that it is dimly lit by small lanterns in the corridors to preserve the soft theme: enough to see the path but it tends to cast shadows that may otherwise play tricks to the mind. I may be used to it but the sheer size of the mansion combined with the emptiness was one of the reasons why I would rather not return there...

Kurase began, "We don't really need-"

Koganei jumped on that idea, "Yeh, sure, we can do that. It's to be done in pairs, right? We should do it, Mayu."

Oh gawd, can you not be more subtle in your efforts?

"That sounds fun, let's do that!" Soma was game for anything, as usual.

"Yes," Moriyama chimed in, "It will be an interesting activity."

Hmm, though I just spoke with him, I would not have guessed Moriyama to be interested in that kind of activity. Seems I needed more time to figure him out.

And so, the walk-of-courage event for class gathering was decided to be held.

A little later, as soon as the doors slid close behind Soma's friends, we got to work, preparing the kitchen for the evening service. "Hey, so…" he hesitated as he scrubbed the potatoes. His rare moment of hesitation prompted me to glance over to him. "How are you getting along with Moriyama?:

I gave it a short thought, "He's quite a sharp minded person and passionate with his interest." I paused to crack a few eggs, "Perhaps you could listen to what he has to say."

He then queried what Moriyama and I were talking about that made me laugh. That I found curious: I recalled Soma was busy speaking with the rest. Were Moriyama and I too loud? Or was he looking over at us during our conversation?

This was the first time Soma would be curious about my conversations with others. Not being a big deal, I shared the joke Moriyama made,

…to Soma's puzzlement. "I don't get it…"

"R-Really?" I had to pause at his response, "he was just being witty in saying that he would rather be reading a book than to watch television. This means that everytime the television is on in his home, he'd be elsewhere reading a book. Thus the remark that he has to thank television for it."

The redhead took a moment, "...oh." was his response. I had a feeling he was not satisfied with my answer. However, he did not press on it.

Silence fell in the kitchen as we carried out our work. Somehow, I highly doubt that Soma did not get the joke, but rather had an issue with something else. As I rolled the tamagoyaki, I thought of Soma's tone in the way he questioned my interaction with Moriyama.

Then again, I may have imagined it.

The day of the class barbeque came and we made our way to the barbeque site on a scooter which was well maintained despite its age. It was an item that was consistent with the care the Yukihira family had for their possessions. Speaking of which, I was impressed with how old their fridge was and I am sure the new one we got will be many years beyond its designed age.

I rode behind Soma as we did in Oarai. Admittingly, I am pretty used to this arrangement with the change in my hold to placing my hands on his waist ever since we went over a pothole and I instinctively grabbed on to him.

Besides, I reasoned, I felt safer holding on to Soma as compared to leaning back and relying on the handle bars.

Holding methods aside, I was relaxed, enjoying the wind blowing on my face, breathing in the fresh air as we left the town limits, following the river upstream on a gentle gradient into a valley where the man-made buildings gave way to beautiful deep green summer foliage.

There was something pleasant this summer so far in contrast to my previous home based ones: I got to enjoy the beach and now I am heading to the woods, to a campsite next to a river.

Soma's arrival to the site was warmly greeted by everyone there.

"Yukihira! Welcome back!"

"Cook something for us, dude."

"How's the city life?"

Everyone clamoured to meet him, excited to meet an old friend who left their town for the city. I had earned a few curious looks which was not unexpected considering I was not part of the class. It was clear that Soma was the centre of attention so I decided to step back to allow the crowd to sweep him forward.

For his part, he managed to throw me a concerned look, to which I responded with a light nod, assuring him to go ahead. He would have a lot of catching up to do.

"Hello, Arato-san." Moriyama greeted as he walked up to me, "Glad to see you here." Glancing over to the redhead, "Seems Yukihira is busy. May I get you a drink?"

"Thanks, I would like that, Moriyama-san." I replied, glad to have someone I know usher me to the refreshment area. "This place is nice," I remarked, starting small talk with him, "I didn't know there was a river near Sumire town."

"Yes, this campsite is where our town's school camps are held. And there are many activities we can do: swimming, fishing, and even mushroom picking."

That last activity piqued my interest, "that mushroom picking sounds interesting. Perhaps there are other wild vegetables to pick."

Moriyama grinned, "That can be arranged."

"Arato-san, hello." Kurase joined us along with Koganei, and I returned a polite greeting to her.

"This is a surprise," Koganei remarked. I noticed she left out whether the surprise was pleasant or otherwise, "I thought Yukihira took the day off with the restaurant."

'Why are you here?' was what she meant.

"Soma invited me to join in." I replied. Of course, Soma did not explicitly invite me, but both of us knew it was a given; I said that because I knew she would not have anything to refute that, while there is some satisfaction believing those words might have gotten under her skin.

"I think it's great to make new friends!" Kurase clapped her hands together, beaming brightly, "let me introduce you to our class."

We made a round and I said "hi" to many people, getting so many names that I could barely keep up if it was not for my experience in putting a name to faces as part of my duties to identify people for Erina-sama.

Of the twenty odd classmates, some came with their respective dates while there were those, as I'm told, who were unable to make it. I was naturally assumed to be Soma's date too, which Koganei would casually mention the fact that I was just a schoolmate working as a staff at the Yukihira Family Restaurant.

Well, props to her for keeping things factual.

And I would grudgingly admit that she is really good at this.

I soon found myself listening to class chatter, nursing a can of green tea with my feet soaking in the cool, clear river. Soma had tried to break away from his conversations but he kept getting drawn in back by someone else. Clearly, his friendly and easy going nature had made him popular ever since middle school.

Though he kept his friendly deposition, I can read from his subtle body language that he was getting distracted as he frequently flashed looks towards me.

I gave him a small smile to assure that I was alright;

Thanks to Moriyama for playing host to me and being a good conversationalist.

I am pretty sure Koganei has a hand in keeping Soma busy as I observed her fluttering around different groups to keep him occupied.

Otherwise, it would not have been so coincidental, would it?

Someone brought up the suggestion of Ayu fishing and it was generally agreed upon by a majority. Soma seemed pretty keen about it but-

"Oh, Yukihira-kun," Koganei called out, "Silly me: I seemed to have forgotten some key ingredients for the outdoor cooking rehearsal. Since you have a scooter, would you head to town to buy what we need?" She then brought Kurase forward, "Mayu should go along with you as both of you can discuss the dishes."

Soma looked at me, considering the fact that I will be left alone here.

Moriyama may have picked up on that, "Don't worry, I'll look after Arato-san, she's in good hands."

Soma had a blink-and-you-miss it flash of emotion at Moriyama's words. Almost like how he was that afternoon when he asked about my conversation with Moriyama. It was followed up by him being more quiet compared to his usual self till the start of the evening service.

Nonetheless, Koganei made a valid reason for both Soma and Kurase to make the trip together. And this would allow them time to be together, while leaving me behind.

Koganei, You. Are. Incredible.

That was how Moriyama ended up being the one assisting me in this new activity of fishing. Yeh, I have not gone fishing before, alright? I needed someone to help me set up the rod, hooking the bait, and the techniques to lure the fish.

"Dip the bait gently into the water or it will scare them away." Moriyama prompted, 'straight down for the least amount of disturbance."

"Like this?"

"Yes, nicely done. You're doing it well."

"Thanks to your coaching." I gave a nod in acknowledgement.

"Thanks for being a good listener." Moriyama grinned.

"So, how's Soma in middle school?" I started on a topic common to us.

"Yukihira's an interesting character. We all love his food." his voice dropped to add, "besides the 'Chef Specials'." I gave a small sympathetic smile. "He makes friends very easily, even winning over troublemakers with a few words or treating them to a meal."

"He did?" I know he did something like that back in Totsuki but hearing it in his youth sounded amazing.

"Yeh, there's talk that a land shark broke into his restaurant and destroyed all of the ingredients." Wow, land sharks? I had an image of Soma facing down a group of menacing suits. "But he managed to convince them to leave with a dish of bacon, potatoes and mushrooms."

Some dish ideas came to me from the combination of ingredients, but knowing Soma, it will be something I would not expect.

I would ask him to cook that dish for me, along with others, while I am at his place.

Our conversation naturally flowed to other topics and I frankly find that he does have what it takes to be a politician, having mastered the art of the conversation, keeping the talk fresh with a variety of topics and witty quips. By asking more about me and my thoughts, Moriyama was much more engaging than Aida Shion who was more self centric.

"You've got interesting views, thanks for sharing them. I would say just do what you want. Most importantly, have fun doing it, we only live once."

"How do you deal with naysayers?"

"Don't worry about what other people think." Moriyama grinned, "They don't do it very often."

There goes his wit again, and, ironically, a real politician's statement that I could not help but laugh.

"By the way, you wanted to go wild mushroom picking, didn't you? What say we go for a walk after?"

I gave it a thought: it will be nice to go for a walk in the woods; besides, it has been a better part of an hour and I do not seem to have much luck on my fishing line anyw-

"Whoa there, you got a bite!" Moriyama exclaimed, "pull up the rod!"

Being inexperienced, my jerk was a conservative, half-strength one. Moriyama jumped in, before the fish got away, and jerked it upwards, hooking the fish to the line.

It was exciting to feel the first fish I ever caught struggling against me through the rod. Moriyama was next to me, sharing the grip to guide me into taking my catch out of the water.

A quick clean, skewer, and heat from an open fire, the fish was ready to eat.

Soma finally returned as I just started nibbling on my grilled catch. Seems like there were only two bags needed for the items from their trip. Nonetheless, the trip served Koganei's goal.

"Yukihira, welcome back!" Moriyama greeted when Soma came closer to us.

"Hey." Soma replied, a little tired from his packed activity ever since he got here. "Sorry for leaving you alone, Hisako."

"Oh it's fine," I understand it was not done by choice, "Moriyama-san has been a good company for me."

There was a flash of emotion again at my words, but Soma immediately thanked Moriyama, "I appreciate your help, bro."

"Arato-san has been a pleasure to be with." Moriyama remarked, "join us and have a drink."

Soma considered for a second, "Thanks." He settled down and cracked a can open to take a long swig. A small huff signalled his slight weariness.

"You alright?" I asked, concerned.

"Yeh, I'm fine." Soma beamed at me, puffing out his chest a little, "just happy to meet everyone again. I didn't realise how much I missed since I was away." He took another gulp, "so, how's fishing?"

"Arato-san caught a fish." Moriyama said, with some pride in his words, likely stemming from the fact that he assisted me in that effort.

"It's thanks to you." I replied with a thankful smile, "I would not have caught it if you didn't help me with the rod."

Soma looked between us, seemingly unsure and uncharacteristically quiet.

In a beeline, here comes Koganei. "Hey Yukihira-kun, the cooking station is set up and ready for Mayu and you to try making the outdoor cooking items."

"Oh." he replied flatly. He looked at me, and I read that expression: I got to do something, will you be fine?

"It's fine. I plan to go for a walk in the forest trail; we may be able to pick some mushrooms."

Soma eyes flicked over to Moriyama, "We-?"

"Picking mushrooms?!" Okuma had just heard us, and jumped into our conversation, "that sounds fun, I'll join you guys."

"Don't you have to prepare for the walk of courage?" Moriyama asked in a clip.

"It's all cool, man." Okuma threw up a thumbs up, "You're going to love it."

"That sounds like a good idea, I will come with." Koganei said to a collective surprise, save for an oblivious Okuma.

Now what are you up to?

It was answered in her next line: "So there we have it, we will be going as a group so don't worry about us and focus on cooking with Mayu!" ah, of course. I would bet it is to keep an eye on me or something. I could imagine the turning wheels in her head.

Soma and I looked at each other. I can read his concern, torn between what he needed to do, and hosting me in his class party.

I'll be fine.

He had a hint of reluctance, followed by a look of trust …Alright.

Before Soma got up, I added, "By the way, Soma, you haven't eaten anything yet." I offered my still warm Ayu catch to Soma, "have a bite before you go."

Soma brightened at that and gladly accepted it, naturally as we have gotten used to sharing food. It made me glad that Soma is getting fed after being so busy, and to make up for the fact he missed the fishing activity.

Koganei's annoyed face was just the cherry on top.

It was a pleasant stroll. Mature trees with generous shade lined our trail, filtering the midday sun. The smell of summer in the air with the flowing river harmonized with the rustle of leaves in the breeze. I learnt that Okuma goes mushroom picking as a hobby, which explains his eagerness to come along, and we managed to pick quite a considerable amount of wild mushrooms under his guidance. I returned the favor by using my medicinal herb knowledge in identifying and teaching them of the wild herbs we came across.

"This is yomogi, slightly bitter but delicious when you learn to appreciate it." I showed them the 5 pointed leaves. "It can be used as medicine for the treatment of inflammation, diarrhea, and many circulatory disorders."

"Wow, I didn't know there were so many wild herbs to pick. You're awesome, Arato." Okuma, mildly put, is an excitable person.

Contrasted with Moriyama who was noticeably less chatty ever since we split up with Soma. Koganei was basically my minder, keeping an eye on me, keeping us away from the barbeque area by encouraging us to go further and collect more.

"We should collect enough for everyone, right?" She reasoned.

Knowing her actual goal of keeping me away from Soma and Kurase, I rolled my eyes.

"Hey, Arato-san," Moriyama got next to me as we harvested shiitake mushrooms, "I've been wondering…" he trailed off.

"Yes?" I looked up. Okuma and Koganei were away from us, him making sure she picked the right ones.

"Are Yukihira and you… involved?"

Eh, this question sounds familiar, having heard that many times from strangers in a space of two weeks. "Do we really look that way? I have been asked that quite a a lot."

"That's not really answering the question."

A quick thinker as always, "We are… just friends." I responded, wondering why I hesitated, "And I would guess you're going somewhere with this?" experience with Aida Shion got me aware of this situation.

There was a pause, "Have you ever thought about what Yukihira-kun thinks about it?"

"I… what?"

"Both of you seem close."

"Close?" I am confused at the use of that word, "How so? What did we do?"

"Just little things."

What little things? I thought, but let Moriyama continue.

Moriyama's lips tightened, "I don't wish to intrude, that's why I asked."

"I see," oh, so that's what Moriyama is heading to. How… How am I really getting attention from guys? No one has talked about such a topic to me before. Then again, I am usually with Erina-sama, and attention is usually drawn to her.

I do not consider myself any more good looking than the average girl my age.

Silence fell between us as we picked the last of the mushrooms. Is he going to tell me he likes me or something?

Instead:

"I respect both Yukihira and you. You're a nice person to chat with. So, I would say I'd like to be friends."

I chuckled, "I'm alright with making friends." Don't know why I held my breath but, whew.

Moriyama responded with a small smile before turning to call out to Okuma and Koganei. "Hey guys, we're done here. Let's head back?"

"No!" Koganei yelled back from a distance, "No. There's more up ahead." She began to hastily get to us, almost urgently. And in that urgency-

Crack!

Ooo. We all heard that: the sound of an ankle dislocating out of place. Koganei dropped to the ground, scattering her collection everywhere. She was groaning in pain, hand trying to add pressure in an attempt to soothe it the best she could.

The rest of us hurried to her. "Are you alright?" one of the boys asked. It was an instinctive phrase for one to say, despite the obvious situation.

"I stepped on a rock…" she moaned with a pained expression on her face.

"I'm a trained first aider." I squatted next to her, "Let me see." She was understandably reluctant to release the pressure she was pressing onto the injury and I had to coax her hand away to assess. Ah, while the swelling is starting, it could have been worse, there were not any cuts and her foot still had some blood circulation so not a life threatening emergency. It was still a simple dislocation, with risk of nerve damage or blood vessel restriction so we need to fix it quickly...

"Stay calm and breathe." I ordered, looking upwards, "Okuma, support her head and hold her down."

"Hold- hold me down?!"

I ignored her, time was crucial. "Moriyama, hold her other leg."

"THAT'S THE WRONG LEG!" Koganei protested to deaf ears as the two boys obeyed my instructions.

And now, the main part of the procedure. "Alright Koganei, you still have adrenaline in your bloodstream which should dull the pain, so we'll do this fast."

"Do what fast? DO WHAT-" Koganei howled like a banshee the instant I popped the dislocation in place.

I would sympathize but I recalled how she was basically hostile, sooo...

Whatever.

A/N: Did Koganei get what she deserves? or too harsh? Moriyama, crashed even before taking off...

Once again, thank you for your reviews! They do let me know if I still got your attention and it keeps me writing; as long as there's a healthy amount of interest, I'll continue writing!