Seat Number Zero

Part 21

"Are you sleeping properly?"

Yumi turned towards her boyfriend with a look of pure contempt as she continues to scrub the wok in her hands. "I would be sleeping properly if you didn't choose me as your sous chef."

"No you would not," Isshiki retorts playfully. "If I left you alone I would've found you sleeping on a stool, dangerously close to an active fire, slow-cooking your next meal after pulling three all-nighters."

"That's oddly specific." Yumi frowns.

"...I wonder why." He hums in reply. The two continue their cleaning so they can quickly close up shop for the day.

"Tea..." Yumi murmurs deep in thought. She raised her head and in a louder voice she raised a suggestion, "We should add tea to the menu."

"Tea is already on the menu," Isshiki said. "It's the first thing we serve to the customer."

"Not that boring diluted crap, tasteless as hell!" Yumi frowns knitting her brows. "I meant tea as something people will actually pay for, like fruit tea, matcha, black, earl grey, etc... other drinks are fine as well, ever tried sugar cane juice?" She said, listing off a few on her fingers, then noticed the dead silence around them. "Where did everyone go?" Yumi asked, looking around the empty shop.

"They all finished their chores and left," Isshiki explains putting away the last chair. "You're the only one left. I'm waiting for you so I can close up shop."

"Somehow that pisses me off," Yumi mutters drying off her hands on the nearest rag. "It's like being told I'm slow." She tossed the used rag carelessly into the sink, not giving it another thought.

"Well, you would've finished earlier, if you weren't stuffing your face with the leftover ingredients," Isshiki said, frowning at the rag in the sink but decided not to say anything.

"Oh great, you're now calling me a fat glutton," Yumi huffed, raising a brow with her arms crossed.

Isshiki shifts his gaze back towards his girlfriend, frowning at her words. Snaking his arms around her waist he calmly asks, "why are you trying to pick a fight?"

Shocked by the sudden shortened distance between them Yumi staggered backward, tripping over her own feet. If her waist was already caught, she'd definitely be seeing stars right now.

Isshiki lightly laughed at her poor attempt to put some distance between them.

"I wonder why..." Yumi grumbles. Although she isn't entirely pleased playing the damsel that needed saving because she tripped over nothing, she doesn't hate being so close to him.

It has been far too long since they were this intimate with each other... the month of separation due to many circumstances. The Stagiaire, the quote on quote lovely picnic between the first years and the Elite Ten. They did meet up once for a meal to discuss their plans, (mainly Satoshi's plan) for the Moon Banquet Festival. But nothing more.

Though she does miss him, Yumi refuses to admit it. 'I'm such a coward...' she saddens as the guilt of her leaving him from two years ago washed over her in tidal waves.

As if sensing her pain, his arms traveled up from her waist and made their way to her crossed arms, slowly he silently untangled them. His touch numbed her skin, it felt nice.

Yumi watched his movements, allowing Isshiki to hold her arms, limp from his presence. There were still noises outside, as the other neighboring shops closed their doors for Day One. But Yumi barely noticed the background noise. She sighed, all her previous angsty thoughts dissipated and replaced by the sound of the makeshift river that was dugged out by the two of them the day before.