There for Me

A Troublesome Kouhai

The clattering of trays as they came into contact with tables and the metallic noises of knives and forks accompanied a plethora of conversational atmospheres ranging from jovial light-hearted friendly chatter to tense turbulent end of relationship arguments, moulding together creating the perfect place for a friend group to gather and talk while satiating their hunger.

"Huh. It's kind of funny isn't it?" Akito thought aloud his question both rhetorical and directed at the rest of us who are all probably following the same line of thought.

"We've been together since October last year and yet is this really our first time coming here for lunch?" A slack-jawed Haruka asked in slight disbelief and shame.

The line moved at a steady pace as we, the Ayanokouji Group, were about to eat our first meal altogether inside the school's cafeteria.

"Hm, it does sound like a trivial and natural thing to do, but..." Keisei trailed off, letting his gaze convey the reason why eating in the cafeteria was such an important feat.

"Ah! S-sorry--" Airi sheepishly apologised as she nudged shoulders with a senpai.

Out of our group, she is the one who struggles the most when it comes to social events and crowds, despite being a former gravure idol, and as a result Haruka and Airi usually eat inside the classroom with Keisei. Akito usually leaves to 'attend to club matters' so he only occasionally eats together with Haruka and Airi and as for myself, I am usually all over the place. Sometimes eating with Hirata, meeting with Hiyori so we can eat and read together, discussing strategies with Horikita, eating with Haruka and Airi or sometimes eating by myself revelling in the warm embrace of solitude.

"Hey, looks like we're up!" Akito announced exchanging his ticket for the basic meal set.

Yesterday evening I had managed to somewhat refine and perfect what you would call intermediate culinary knowledge and skill thanks to Ichinose's tutelage. Supportive yet critical, encouraging but also strict, Ichinose's teaching style surprised me, showing me a side of her that I never knew existed.

After my first mediocre attempt, Ichinose had led me back towards her kitchen area, each step full of vigour and passion, putting on another apron which helped her give off a mature vibe, especially since it emphasised her natural beauty and figure.

Trying to prevent a dangerous reaction from happening and ruining my social standing and relationship with Ichinose, my thoughts, almost naturally, connected my current situation to that of a married couple cooking together after a long day at work, relaxing in each other's presence as they made their meal.

Warm...

Once again the warmth which I sought after graced me as a result of Ichinose who managed to keep the tingling sensation alive until it was time for us to wrap up, it is the middle of a special exam after all.

Sadly, however, my culinary lessons didn't come to an end there and when I returned to my dorm I was instead greeted by a rather stern-faced Horikita whose 'welcoming' glare informed me that her cooking lesson wasn't going to be nearly as pleasant.

I was correct with my assumption although Horikita acknowledged that I exceeded her expectations, all thanks to Ichinose.

However, she still critiqued me heavily and spent the next two hours berating me for making mistakes while also drilling her teachings into my head.

Despite Horikita being the one who involuntarily volunteered me I am also thankful since it gives me a perfect reason to learn more about cooking and ultimately encourages me to start making bentos and nutritionally balanced meals for myself.