Disclaimer: It's a work of fiction and just having fun with my favorite SNS pairing
Thank you for the reviews! Wow, the last chapter really was popular! It really was a motivating factor to get me writing this one! I really do appreciate that you take time to give me feedback and the motivation they give!
Soma had me accommodated in his room while he took his father's. Guess it make sense: sleeping in a friend's room was much better option than sleeping in their parents room when sleeping over.
As expected, on a low cabinet, there were many awards for junior cooking competitions; mainly for "Best Tasting" as well as "Most Creative Dish".
It was backed by a board of photos that featured highlights of his age progression: His first steps, wearing an oversized apron with a toy cooking set, posing with his classmates in front of a school camp barbeque…From his wide grin and bright eyes, his energy and enthusiasm for cooking was shown even at a young age.
Accompanying them were other knick knacks that added to the story that made him who he is.
The first night of any new place would usually be apprehensive when we consider sleeping in an unfamiliar space, especially one that holds the memories of someone else.
Despite that fact… I actually managed to sleep in.
My excuse being that our 4 hour train ride took out more than I expected.
...the truth: sleeping in his room was pretty comfortable. There was a certain familiarity about it on top of the lived-in feel of curated and personalised items. It was a contrast to the spartan and tidy room I have at home where my family subscribes to uncluttered minimalism: nothing more than what you need and anything else is to be kept out of sight.
A quick roll of the futon, deciding to put it away when I have time, I slid open the screen door, fully intent to apologise for my tardiness. However, I found him cheerfully laying out breakfast on the living room table for both of us. "Good morning! Slept well?" he asked warmly, like a host in a ryokan.
"Very." I replied without a thought, before proceeding to add, "Sorry I overslept, on the first day of reopening too..."
Soma dismissed my worry, "It's alright, we have time to prepare. After all, we did a bulk of it last night," a thumbs up to assure me. "Go freshen up and let's eat!"
Not going to argue on that, I got to the washroom which is just past the laundry area, where I noted that the washing machine was in use. Well, it sure beats handwashing that we had do during our stay at the seaside shack. I will have to ask Soma to let me use-
Wait… is that my white shirt in a pile of white clothes? I had assumed it was just Soma's... Hang on, there is another one, and…
"Hey, Soma," I took a step back out to face him, "What's with the pile of clothes here?"
"Oh, I had separated the colors and the whites. We can wash that pile later."
Not really what I was asking about, "So in the washing machine now...?"
"It's the colored clothes." Soma finished for me, "I saw your pile there so thought to wash them together. It's no big deal. Besides, I like doing laundry!"
It is amazing how casual he can be. And he may have missed my point that he was washing our clothes together! I mean, we may be friends, but at what level of closeness does this count as?
And he comes with this response…
That's Yukihira Soma alright.
Well, what's done is done anyway, no need to fuss about it.
Besides, I am used to his quirks and this is not out of his personality.
By the time I got out of the washroom, the white pile was gone and he was slotting hangers for the coloured clothes. "Just a few more and I'll join you at the table." was his remark as he hung my freshly washed blue tee.
"Alright...thanks." I was not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
I did not lump my personals with the general wear anyway...
Back in the room, deciding to stow away my futon, I wondered though: when he said he liked doing laundry was he being polite, or genuine?
Either way, it was surprising that I did not find it uncomfortable...
My hand met a stack of magazines, deep within the recesses.
Oh my, could this be… Yukihira Soma's "private stash"?
Glancing around to find him still in the laundry, I could not resist a peek. Of course, who wouldn't be curious about what he looks at? Perhaps it would give a glimpse of his preferences.
So imagine my puzzlement when I found it to be a magazine stack of food pictures.
Like any food magazine, the pictures were of food, enticing angles, glistening meats, crunchy fresh vegetables… foods that were obviously "fluffed up" for the photoshoot.
Mind you those were some fine, remarkable visuals there, so much so that it actually made me feel fully aware of how hungry I was after a night's fast that I'm actually salivating and my empty stomach twitched.
I mean, it's amazing that they can make a simple Gyukatsusando (Beef steak sandwich) look so deliciously alluring.
It's… dare I use the word?
Sexy.
Then it struck me:
OH! IT'S FOODPOR-
"Hey, I'm done. Let's have breakfast." I bristled at Soma's voice from right behind me, "What have you got there?"
A pause as he assessed the scene while I decided on a response, "I found your magazine stash."
...
"Ah," He crossed the room rapidly, "it's been awhile since I saw these." He picked and flipped through them with some nostalgia.
"You like these kinds of magazines?"
"I... read them for the articles." he supplied, with a subtle glow on his cheeks and in a hopeful tone that I will buy it.
I responded with a look. Really?
He knows that I did not buy it.
Not intending to hold this against him, I held up the magazine in my hands and pointed a dish to him, "This looks good. Let's try this."
Soma brightened, evidently excited about my interest. "Interesting choice, but with the number of steps, it is quite advanced..
"Oh? Is chef Yukihira Soma backing out from a challenge?" could not help but take the good opportunity to tease.
"Of course not!" He puffed up his chest with pride, "I'm sure we can do it!" He took over the magazine and leafed through it, "Let's see what else we can try!"
And that was how we started our habit of discussing cooking ideas from the magazines while eating our meals together.
Evidently, Soma had got the kitchen started while he made breakfast. The soup stock was in a rolling boil, the rice cooker was already steaming, and the new fridge was humming dutifully.
Like working in a new place, he orientated me with where everything is kept and the flow of the kitchen. This was when he shared a little tidbit:
"Oh, and watch this corner here," Soma advised, tapping on the subject, "I got this scar from it when I was-"
"In 5th grade?" I provided, adding when I saw his questioning look, "or 6th."
"You're right, 5th grade." Soma seemed impressed, "how did you know?"
"I saw your photos." I replied, "What happened?"
"I thought I could handle the preparation of a fish that was sent to us." he explained, "Not expecting it to be so lively, it flopped out of the container and I tried to save it from touching the floor, so I dived," he slapped the corner for emphasis, "straight into it."
"Ouch…" I empathised as my hand reached to the discoloured vertical line on his left eye brow. I caught myself in a moment of hesitation, but the fact that Soma didn't pull away gave me the prompt I needed to run a finger over it. It was smooth to the touch, an area where his brow did not grow, "It's a lesson learnt, I guess."
"Yeh! As dad said: `The best chefs have only one scar.'" Soma explained, "It means that when a good chef makes a mistake, they think about what they did, and then make sure they never make the same mistake again."
A smile in reply, "Wise words." There was a pause as we observed a moment where he shared another thing about him that was personal.
"Before we start for the day, I got something for you." From the kitchen counter, He picked up a cotton black tee still in its plastic wrapping, "I formally welcome you as a new member of the Yukihira Family Restaurant!"
I unfurled the shirt for a look over. It was a simple cotton black tee with the Yukihira Family Restaurant logo proudly situated on the left chest, the same one that Soma would wear in school whenever possible.
I will admit, I would never have guessed that I would be having my own Yukihira Family Restaurant shirt when I first met him. I had thought of him as an upstart, arrogant in the face of Erina-sama with the guile to present simple food in a posh culinary world. Of course, being born with a silver spoon in my mouth and blessed with the opportunity to sample Michelin Star dishes, family diners were way, way below what I would be used to.
However as I got to know him better, my perception of cooking and food is evolving.
Holding the Yukihira Family Restaurant shirt in hand made me realise that fact. It was accompanied with the excitement of walking on a new culinary path welling up within me. "Thank you. I won't let you down!"
"Great to hear! And lastly, before we open the shop." Soma reached into his pocket and took out the charm I got him at the shrine back in Oarai, placing it at the till, "For good luck!"
The restaurant rapidly fills up even before the official opening time. They were the regulars, hungry for the taste of the dishes they missed for a long time, coming in to chat with Soma as they waited for us to be ready.
As more and more people came in, the restaurant became lively from the customers socializing among themselves. Like the arrangement at Restaurant Mitamura summer only restaurant, I took the customer facing role. It was Soma's idea for me to get my face out to the district
Of course, more than a few times I got asked if I was in a relationship with Soma.
"I'm his schoolmate," I would reply with a courteous smile.
There were a few that teased, remarking that this was the first time Yukihira Family Restaurant had a new member on staff ever since Soma was born into the family.
"And before that, was his dad." an old timer reminisced on how apt the word "family" was in "Yukihira Family Restaurant".
I simply humored her.
The food was, as expected, well received, especially the newly added herbal chicken omurice that Soma had asked me to help sample and create. They were especially interested about the red bits of goji berries that Soma proudly shared that it was my idea to add them.
And Shinko Matcha was as popular as it was at the beach.
"Shinko… How did you come up with that name?" Koganei asked as Soma cleared the empty glass in front of her. Kurase had joined her in dropping by during the later part of the afternoon, just before our break.
"It is a drink that Hisako and I created while at the beach. We thought the brand created using a combination of our names sounded good and so decided to go with it."
"A combination?" Koganei asked after a pause,
"It is 新 from "新戸"," Soma wrote the character in the air to illustrate, "and 幸 from "幸平"... Together the two characters make '新幸'."
Koganei's lips tightened, "So what's the difference between the last time Mayu and you made the chicken karaage wrap? Why not name it after both your names?"
"Aki-chan!" Kurase shyly protested.
"I just thought that you should be acknowledged in its creation too." Koganei was going to campaign for her friend.
"I don't think that came up. Perhaps we were focused on making something with the combined efforts of the Sumiredori Shopping District." Soma replied, oblivious to the root of the matter, "But, you played a big part in it, Kurase! Thank you!" Soma gave her a wide grin with a thumbs up.
His words made her beam brightly.
Koganei looked pleased with herself. "You know, if we knew you were coming back to reopen, we could have come to help you."
… I suspect Koganei has a goal of edging me out of conversations; Frankly, It was starting to be annoying.
"Aki-chan, I think Yukihira-kun's restaurant would be better with Arato-san here to help him." Kurase meekly said, "After all they attended the same culinary school." she offered me a courteous nod.
Kurase is a nice person.
"Besides, I've also volunteered to help at the elementary school camp." she added.
"Oh, that brings back memories!" Soma remarked, "remember the outdoor cooking competition?"
"The one where you served the blackened fish?" Kurase asked.
"Of course, that sparked off the rivalry between Tomura-sensei and Oomori-sensei."
"That led to the noodle incident." Soma pointed at Koganei's words, fully animated.
"The vice principal actually had to step in to handle it…as he put it:"
"All for a piece of fish." they said together, like a mantra from the past.
They laughed. Clearly it was an event that bonded them together.
And of course, I was out of the loop.
"Alright, Break time!" Soma took off his bandana and tied it o n his wrist as he turned to me, "Let's go for a walk."
Well, at least Soma is here to keep me in the picture.
"Oh hey, why don't you come down on the outdoor cooking day? It would be a good experience for the kids too." Koganei suggested, checking the moment, "Mayu would welcome an extra pair of hands too."
"Is that so? I'm happy to help." Soma immediately accepted while locking the main doors, "What do you think, Hisako?"
I did not have any objections to it. I am more appreciative for the consideration that he has for me.
As we walked down the district though, Koganei hung back with me, drawing me into conversation, allowing Kurase to move forward to walk beside Soma. He flashed a questioning glance to which I responded with an assuring nod.
I wanted to hear what she had to say so I obliged.
"Arato-san, Yukihira calls you 'Hisako'. Why's that?" Her question seemed less of a curiosity, more of a probe.
"He decided to do so." I put on a subtle smile to spite her, "I am alright with that."
"...And when did you start calling him 'Soma'?"
Her words gave me pause. I was quite careful not to use his name in front of his friends. However… looking over to her, she was frowning, not bothering to hide her displeasure, "Just before I arrived here." It was the truth.
"What made it so?"
I glanced up to Soma and Kurase who had walked far ahead of us. Koganei had deliberately slowed our pace to make a distance for the two of them. Soma must have noticed it too as he stopped for us to catch up. I am not about to answer myself to this girl, "that's between Soma and me."
"Hey, Hisako, wanna have a look in the book store?" A side thumb pointing that we have arrived next to it, "I think we should be able to find the next book in the light novel series."
I am surprised he remembered the light novel I was reading. I noticed that he seemed to enjoy reading them too, starting conversations about the plots and characters.
I am glad to share that with him.
In the store, Soma had accompanied me to look for the book while Koganei spoke with Kurase in hushed tones. A safe assumption was that it had something to do with me.
With a tightening of my lip, I decided to ignore that.
"Everything going well with Koganei?" Soma asked. Not seeing it as a big deal, I assured him that it was alright. "You're not telling me something."
"What?"
"You're doing that lip pouting thing when something is bugging you."
My hand instinctively covered my mouth, "You noticed?" my cheeks were warming rapidly.
"Hey, if you can pick up on my habits, so can I on yours." Soma smirked, bouncing his eyebrows.
A short pause as we stared at each other, before bursting into giggles.
"Hey guys, have you found what you're looking for?" Koganei had crossed the room to get to us.
"Yeh, we did," Soma reached out and picked up the book, "I look forward to finding out what happens next."
"I'll pay for it; I will add it to my collection." I said. He refused, insisting that he will ask for me to loan him my collection later and this book was his contribution.
Our next destination, at Koganei's suggestion, was the dagashiya that they would visit during their childhood days. And again, Koganei got me to walk with her. It was time to put my foot down on this shenanigan.
"What's your goal?" I asked Koganei, not bothering to mask my frown, "it's obvious you're making opportunities for Kurase to interact with him,"
Koganei stared straight into me, "Mayu and Yukihira have grown up together in this town. All through middle school, she has a crush on him. Unfortunately, while Yukihira is a genius in cooking, on this kind of thing,"
"He's oblivious." we said simultaneously.
For a quick moment, Koganei and I saw eye to eye, nodding in agreement.
"First names aside: From what I understand, both Yukihira and yourself are not dating, are you?" That moment of truce was short lived as she immediately got to the meat of the matter.
"We… are friends." I defaulted to those words.
Koganei turned pointedly and peered at me, "Then I don't see why you would come in between Mayu's efforts."
I was taken aback. I had my suspicions and she had confirmed it: that she was trying to get her friend and Soma together.
Although... I am not sure what I would do with that information.
Who is she to make such demands, to impose this upon me?
Then again, what reason do I have to deny that? And while Koganei had been making moves for her friend, Kurase was nothing but kind to me so far...
What is my position on Soma's relationships? I had kept my distance between him and Fujiwara. But now as friends, and seeing how the last one went, do I not have some responsibility to look out for him?
I turned my gaze towards Soma to find him making small talk with Kurase who actually seemed to be enjoying herself, chatting with her crush. Contrasted with the whirlwind flirtations of Fujiwara, this was a scene of pure, innocent affection that an outsider could not help but sympathise and cheer on.
And besides, it… it was not my business.
"Do we have an understanding?" cool, calculated words summed up Koganei's position.
And what did I do?
I nodded.
"Alright then." Koganei smirked, "Good talk." she proceeded to join the two ahead of us.
I was left with my thoughts as I increased my pace to catch up with the rest.
Somewhere within me, there was an inexplicable urge to kick myself.
"Thank you for today, good work!" Soma said as he came out of the shower, rubbing his hair with his towel.
"You too," I replied, focused on the receipts and numbers in front of me. As expected, the first day of reopening was heretic while I took some time to get used to the layout and processes. However, with prior experience, we managed to get in sync quickly as a team.
I decided to take responsibility for the numbers of the restaurant which was, afterall, my element.
The room fell into our comfortable silence, rustle of paper and tapping of the keyboard intermittently filling the air.
"Looks good." Soma suddenly said from his seat across from me of the low table, which made me doubletake.
"What?" I looked up, focus broken by his words,
Soma seemed surprised at himself, likely not expecting to verbalise his thought, "The thing you're doing on the computer."
I looked down to the screen, then up again, "it's just a standard spreadsheet…"
"W-Well, it seems professionally done."
"It's one of the templates…"
"Oh."
I offered an assuring nod while returning back to what I was doing. Although, from his tone, I had a feeling it wasn't the topic in his mind.
"I'm just thinking that you look good with glasses," he finally confessed, "it's a different side of you."
"Soma…" I set down the pen in my hand to give him my attention, "are you paying me a compliment?"
He hesitated for a moment, "Er...Yes?"
I could not help but notice: his usual style would be to casually speak his mind without filter, like how I looked in an apron at our stagiaire. In front of me right now, his reaction and tone was a contrast.
Interesting.
And I actually felt flattered at his words. "Thank you."
He soon settled in with the new light novel volume. It brought some pride to me that he seemed hooked onto the series. It was nice to be open and share my hobbies with someone, and find them enjoying it.
Hand over heart, I would never have imagined that I would be here, in the home of someone that Erina-sama objected to, going through his finances while he partook in my hobby.
And I am actually comfortable about it.
"How's things with Koganei? She seemed to be speaking with you often." Yukihira asked casually.
What was I to say? That her main objective was to bring her friend together with him? Or that Kurase has a crush on our oblivious chef? While I may have consented to not to interfere, I did not say anything about helping things along.
"We're getting to know each other so she has questions. I must say that she's a loyal friend to Kurase," I picked that reply, "though I think she may have strong opinions if she were to know I'm staying here. Speaking of which, I think we should keep that under wraps; it brings up less questions."
"You have a point there… I'll keep that in mind."
I like the way Soma simply takes things in stride. "So hey, we need to prepare a cheque for some suppliers. Do you think there's a cheque book?"
"I recall Dad writing them. While I haven't checked it, he did mention that we can use the stuff in his drawer, that may be what he was talking about. It's right there, behind you."
Being a small residential place, it was no surprise that it was there. "This?"
Soma nodded.
As the one nearest to the subject and Soma's approval, I took a look. It had a loose mix of items that you'd expect from a personal drawer. No sign of a cheque book. There is, however, a box of something that may be found in such a place:
Condoms.
"...Feel free to use the stuff in my drawer." It started to click what he was referring to.
"So, found it?" Soma asked, pulling me back to the present, "or anything useful?"
"NO… *ahem* no." I quickly slid it close in a smooth motion. I could not imagine using that. Thinking fast, and to change the subject, I suggested, "perhaps we can make an agreement with the suppliers for a payment plan. We'll portion the earnings to the respective parties."
"Oh, that sounds like a good plan!" Soma beamed at me, "what will I do without you?"
"I'm sure you can manage, you're always resourceful."
He shook his head, "I don't think it will be the same. While dad and I can cook, I always thought our family restaurant had many things that we lack, many things to improve on… I really appreciate that you're here with me!"
His sincerity really came through and resonated within.
It felt... nice.
A/N: Koganei is a loyal friend, but will Hisako be able to keep to what she agreed on? How will Kurase make use of the opportunities her friend helped to set up?
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!