BiTTER (Shokugeki no Souma Fanfic)

7. Brown and Blonde Hair

"If I go to a Culinary School away from home, the shop will have to close for a while... well, Grandma can still open shop a few times a week, but I'll be worried..."

Grandma Kiyo laughed.

"Don't just laugh!" Fumi pouted, "I'm worried about leaving the Yukihira Diner to Nee-chan too..."

"It's fine, the people in this Shopping District have iron stomachs after all."

"Jou-san, you shut up."

Laughing dryly, Jouichirou served up a plate of yakisoba for the customer, proceeding quickly into the next order.

Jouichirou had taken to visiting the shop every few months, (whenever he was in Japan, really. Apparently he's worried about the customers if they always had to eat Tamako's cooking,) and eventually, he assimilated into the kitchen.

He was a great, awesome cook. No one could deny his presence in the kitchen, not even Tamako who at first declared that the kitchen was 'her territory'.

Jouichirou and Fumi made a quick pair in their free time, though he spent the most time trying to salvage Tamako's creations.

And just like that, months turned into quick years, and they grew closer. They learned more things about each other.

Then Tamako and Jouichirou became an item and Fumi saw the gears of history turn.

He wasn't too sure how to feel when they finally exchanged vows under the veil. It had been a beautiful day with the sun, but a rainy day in his heart.

Their rings matched, shining a beautiful silver against the moonlight.

(Sometimes, Fumi raised his hands to the moon, and for a moment he almost sees it. He sees the ring she used to wear, that hurt her so much.)

(The pain was so great, the hole was even in Fumi's heart.)

(Oh, to the almighty, all-powerful god above, I pray that you bless their marriage, that their love will run like the river, ever-flowing, ever-lasting, forever.)

-

Fumi watched every step of them growing closer. Their bond was built on the foundation known as cooking-- a pure and solid love between crazy cooks for on two ends of a spectrum. And somehow, Fumi didn't hate it too much.

Okay, scratch that. He hated it.

"Jou-san, can you stop stealing Nee-chan from me?!" Clinging onto Tamako's neck, Fumi glared at Jouichirou, who blinked back as if he were confused.

Jouichirou laughed good-naturedly at that, "kids like you should just go into the corner and eat cake," he said snidely.

"Adults like you should just scram and go make a living," Fumi hissed back.

Sparks of war flared between them, and Tamako almost wondered what on earth she'd done to deserve being in the center of these two. Were they fighting over her? Seriously?