Author's Note: Welcome back everyone! I'm pleased by how easily this story is coming to me! These little snippets are much easier to plot out and write than an enormous story with intricately woven plot points (not that I don't still love doing that too). But as a way to ease back into writing, this is working perfectly for me. I hope you're all enjoying! Thanks for reading!


Chapter 3 – A Way to Thank You

Two weeks passed after Fuuka's first trip to Tartarus with SEES and she found herself settling in with her group of new friends more readily. Mornings at the dorm were always a fun way to start the day between Yukari's bright greetings and Junpei's goofy antics. And although Kirijo-senpai wore her usual no-nonsense stoicism as properly as she wore her Gekkoukan uniform, sometimes Sanada-senpai could fall into the back and forth battles his kouhai relished in, going so far as to challenge Junpei to a few contests of varying focuses.

And then there was Minato, who always watched these displays with a small smile, though he rarely partook in the chaos himself. Fuuka was inclined to approach her new group of friends in much the same way so early mornings often followed a set pattern. Fuuka would descend the stairs with Yukari where they would find Junpei already eating breakfast. He would inevitably say something to set Yukari off who would then start arguing with him, just about the time Minato arrived in the lobby.

Fuuka and the SEES field leader would sit either at the end of the table or on the barstools and watch their friends have at it, smiling amusedly and enjoying their own breakfast. Occasionally, they would chat about goings on but more often than not they just shared in a comfortable silence. Eventually, the older students would arrive and, if Sanada-senpai didn't get involved first, Kirijo-senpai would put an end to the arguing by some means before laying out anything they needed to be aware of schedule-wise for the day. After that, everyone headed to school at their own pace, though Fuuka often found herself grouping up with the others in her grade level for the trip.

They had only been to Tartarus a few times since she'd joined, but she'd learned a lot in that time. Aside from discovering the emotional requirements to activate her own Therugy – a desire to support and protect her friends with the insights and knowledge only she could provide – she had even tapped into more of Lucia's powers, allowing her to affect her teammates' abilities in battle and even disorient Shadows to cover for them and keep them safe. Kirijo-senpai and Minato sang her praises several times, both in the field and after the Dark Hour was over, something she wasn't used to hearing. It certainly made her feel bashful, but it also made her very glad. If they found her presence and abilities helpful, she couldn't have been happier about it.

But that wasn't quite enough.

Fuuka felt deeply in her heart that supporting SEES was simply her role in the group, not a way to thank them for everything they'd already done for her. And to that end, she had a plan she wanted to enact today, a way to show her gratitude to the group. It would probably have to wait until after school was over, but perhaps she could make her move then. All she needed was to catch their leader alone and with some spare time. And, as luck would have it, after that final bell had sounded across the impressive campus, Fuuka saw Minato in the hallway.

"Oh, Minato-kun, hi there," she began, feeling a sense of hesitation seize her almost immediately.

As usual, though, he offered her a calm smile.

"Hey, Fuuka-san. How are you? Class was okay today?"

"It was fine, the same as usual. How about yours?"

"Junpei fell asleep during Toriumi-sensei's lecture and got an earful for it. Aside from that, it was pretty uneventful."

Fuuka giggled at the image he'd constructed for her before finally plucking up her courage. It was now or never…and the old Fuuka would never have even managed to get this far.

"Um, I actually wanted to ask you something, Minato-kun. Are you free right now, by any chance?"

"Yeah, I'm free. Something going on?"

"I…wanted your opinion on something, if you don't mind."

"Sure thing. What is it?"

Fuuka took a steadying breath before pressing onward.

"Well, I've been trying to think of ways I can thank you all for being so wonderful to me since we met. And I decided since we don't have anyone in the dorm to prepare meals for us, I wanted to try cooking for everyone! So I was hoping you might try some of the food I made and give me your honest opinion on it."

Minato just gave her another smile before nodding.

"I'd be happy to. Why don't we find somewhere to relax? There's a little persimmon tree out in the courtyard we could sit by."

Fuuka felt herself light up in an instant.

"Thank you! That sounds perfect to me."


The days were getting warmer as summer descended upon Iwatodai, but Fuuka couldn't have been more blissfully unaware of it as she and Minato sat down on a bench in the courtyard. The persimmon tree he had mentioned was just feet away from them at the center of the grassy area they currently had all to themselves. She'd walked past this exact spot so many times but never really paid any mind to her surroundings as she'd done it. For the first time, she was taking everything in, every sight, sound, and sensation.

'Maybe it's because…I'm enjoying my life so much more lately.'

"You're not too warm, are you?" Minato asked softly from beside her as he leaned back and took in the scenery before them.

"Not at all. I'm sure it'll be much hotter in a few weeks, but for right now it's actually very nice out here."

"I think so too."

Fuuka followed his lead, leaning back into the bench and appreciating everything around her for a few moments. She could hear the endless chatter of her fellow Gekkoukan students in the distance, the occasional footsteps echoing off the corridor to their right. A warm breeze rustled the trees and bushes around them, a few loose leaves tumbling across the grass.

It was incredibly peaceful.

"You know," Fuuka began, careful to keep her voice low and preserve the ambience of the moment, "I've walked past this tree for more than a year now and never even acknowledged it. How did you find it?"

Minato laughed lightly.

"I actually found out about it from the couple that owns the bookstore across from Iwatodai Station. Their son used to be a teacher her at Gekkoukan and he planted this tree with his very first class."

"That's such a lovely story."

"It is, isn't it? There's actually been a bit of a problem with it recently, but I'll tell you that story later. We came here so I could taste test your cooking, after all, so that should be the priority."

'He's so considerate of my time, even when I was the one who asked for him to help me out. I could learn a lot from him.'

"Thank you again for agreeing to this. Well…"

Fuuka reached into her bag and produced a small bento box, clutching it a bit more tightly than she meant to. She was nervous to hand him something she'd cooked by herself. And not specifically because she was afraid he wouldn't enjoy it…but because she was afraid that nobody could enjoy it.

"Um…I know we just had lunch a few hours ago so I'll be perfectly happy if you just try a bite or two; don't feel like you have to eat the whole thing."

Minato extended his hand and Fuuka placed the bento into it, watching nervously as he removed the lid and gazed upon her creation. She knew she wasn't the best chef, but it seemed like this attempt had turned out okay…right?

"Whoa, that's a…unique scent," he began, gazing at the box in surprise.

"O-oh, I figured I'd use some lighter flavors to help everything along – I started with vinegar as a base and then added citrus too. I thought it might help ease your fatigue after our nighttime responsibilities. But please, give me your honest opinion on it."

She watched anxiously as Minato lifted a chunk of the rice towards his mouth, his steady chopsticks depositing the small bite before lifting a side to go along with it, one of the tamagoyaki she'd prepared that morning before anyone else had woken up.

After chewing for a few moments, his face twisted a bit, almost as if he'd eaten something extremely sour. He tried to hide it a moment later, but she'd already seen it. He wouldn't come right out and tell her it was awful, but that expression was already betraying his real thoughts.

After swallowing the bite, Minato turned towards her, an unsteady smile on his face.

"So…what did you think?" she murmured.

"It's…not bad for a beginner. But…it could…maybe use a little work."

She noticed he kept pausing during his sentence; that wasn't very like him.

"You…don't look so good, Minato-kun."

"Yeah," he admitted, moving a hand to his mouth. "I…don't feel so good, either."

Panic started to set in at once.

"Oh no! What have I done?" Fuuka leapt to her feet and looked around quickly. "Just stay right here, I'll go get you some water!"


Half a water bottle later, Minato was perfectly fine again. The color had come back to his face and Fuuka felt relieved that her food hadn't actually poisoned him. But the truth was undeniable.

"I'm sorry I made you test my cooking," she murmured, hanging her head. "I figured you'd give me your honest opinion of it but…maybe first I should focus on making one simple thing you can actually eat without getting sick before I put together another inedible bento box…"

"Hey, don't beat yourself up," Minato began, having recollected himself. "I couldn't cook very well when I started but I got better at it. I'm not great or anything, but if I could manage to improve from where I was, then I'm sure you can too."

"Do you really think so?"

"Of course. Want to take a guess what the first thing I ever tried cooking was?"

Fuuka considered him for several moments.

"Hmm…was it something using eggs?"

"Good guess," he offered, grinning at the memory. "It sure was. I tried to make an omelette for breakfast a few years back."

"How did it turn out?"

"Let me answer your question with another question – do you think a fire extinguisher is a standard cooking tool to use when preparing breakfast?"

Fuuka was shocked for a moment before a fit of laughter overtook her. Something about the way he'd said those words and the bemused look on his face as he recalled the memory caught her entirely off guard.

"I'm sorry to laugh," she managed as she settled down again.

Minato just grinned again and shook his head.

"Don't be; it's pretty funny to me too. Anyway, until you hit the point of quite literally burning your breakfast, don't be so hard on yourself. Everyone starts somewhere."

"You're right. Thank you, Minato-kun. I'll keep trying to improve, bit by bit. I'd be very happy if you'd be willing to try something I make again sometime."

He fixed her with a calm smile.

"I'd be happy to, Fuuka-san. Just let me know when."

"I will!"

"By the way, I only ruined my breakfast enough to need a fire extinguisher once."

Fuuka giggled and nodded to him.

"I'll let you know if that ever happens to me too."

Fuuka sat with Minato for a few minutes more before a large shadow crept across her line of sight. The sun was sinking low enough in the sky now that they were losing visibility out in the courtyard. The end of school announcement would play soon, something she wasn't usually around to hear.

But the time had simply flown by this afternoon.

"Think we should head back to the dorm?" Minato asked, his quiet voice carrying effortlessly on the wind.

"That's probably a good idea. I remember you saying this morning that you wanted to go to Tartarus tonight. We should make sure we have plenty of time to eat dinner and get ready."

Minato stood and stretched lightly, Fuuka rising to her feet after she had returned her potentially poisonous bento box to her bag. She had been right to ask Minato his opinion. He hadn't lied to her nor told her she was good at cooking but he also hadn't trampled on her feelings.

Kind and considerate of her, just as he always was.

"Actually," he began suddenly, "I just remembered I need to stop by Aohige and stock up on some supplies for tonight. You're welcome to head home first if you want."

She felt herself hesitate for just a moment. The old Fuuka would have believed that was code for Minato wanting her gone, having grown tired of her company. But she had a good enough understanding of his personality to know better. He was once again being considerate of her, trying to spare her from taking part in what her believed a mundane and tedious trip. So she took a steadying breath before saying what was really on her mind yet again.

It was getting easier to do that the last few weeks.

"If you don't mind…I could come along and help you. A-as long as I'm not intruding, of course!"

He shook his head and smiled again.

"I don't mind at all. I just didn't want to drag you along with me if you had other plans or something you'd rather be doing tonight."

"Nothing at all," she assured him. "Besides, I'd love to learn more about why you pick the specific items you bring into Tartarus. Since I'm supporting you all now, I feel like I should at least know that much."

"Well then, what do you say we head to Paulownia Mall? We'll be home just after dark if we leave now."

Fuuka nodded and fell into step beside the team leader as he began walking.

"I'm right behind you."

"It's more like you're right beside me, isn't it?"

Fuuka was surprised when he began laughing lightly, seemingly amused by his own comment. When the meaning of his words finally hit her, she began to laugh along with him. He always seemed to bring out that sense of joy in everyone around him; it was no wonder she wasn't immune to it either.

"I suppose you're right!"

"Well, wherever you are, I'm glad to have your company."

Fuuka felt her face flush and deliberately it from him until the heat subsided, silently wondering if that last comment was just a reassurance that he wasn't upset she had offered to tag along…or something else.

"Oh! Y-you were going to tell me about the issue with the persimmon tree," Fuuka reminded him, hoping to get her mind on something else.

"Ah, that's right. I'd be happy to tell you all about it on the walk over."

And as the two began heading towards the main exit of Gekkoukan, Fuuka felt a smile spread across her face again. What a lovely afternoon it had been. And hopefully there would be plenty more like it.

7/20/24