Of cooking and dogs

I sat alone in my space in the cafe, texting my sister who's all alone in the house considering my mom and dads out (and not working for once suprisingly) together and I'm here awaiting my not so studious partner.

Maybe by doing this, Komachi will learn to appreciate my company... Yes, that's a very nice extra benefit from this little excursion into the unknown. Gotta stay optimistic!

But alas, that's probably what job seekers say, also sensei's state of mind to getting married. The optimistic way of thinking though is like a poison, it only invites misery and pain as all your expectations are destined to never be met. That's why being pessimistic is objectively better because it's either you'll be right or you'll be pleasantly surprised. With this way of thinking, I've had more joy now then I had when I was like that before...

I sipped at my coffee sitting alone in this classy cafe.

As for the reason I was here... It all had to do with a certain red-haired bimbo.
I was heading to the clubroom when she called my name. Catching up to me like an over-eager dog, she proposed something long overdue.

"It's been like a year since you said you'd take me somewhere but you never did."

Searching through my memories, I could not recall promising such a thing with Yuigahama. It isn't really something I would agree to anyway.

"I don't remember. Sorry."

She shook her hands balled up in fists in a hissy fit making an exclaimed groan.

"Oh come on Hikki! I made you honey toast! You said you'd pay me back by taking me out."

Oh? Right, it was the culture festival. I couldn't deny that I made such an agreement but I also couldn't deny that I was trying to post-pone it.

"Well, maybe but the honey brea-erghh toast wasn't that great you see! So maybe later?"

"Hikki!"

She was pouting like a spoiled little girl. Hey, exaggerate it some more and literal steam will come out your nostrils you know. Choo Choo!

It was cruel of me to keep a person like her waiting though. I was hoping she'd have forgot about it herself but maybe something brought it up again. Maybe she had some honey toast or something. How inconvenient, I planned to use the weekend conserving energy.

"Fine, I suppose I have no choice."

Her annoyed, pained expression turned all gloomy as her arms dropped.

"You make it sound like I'm forcing you..."

"Well, not really. It is still the prisoners choice to divulge information or not in torture under extreme pain."

"Eh, what's that I'm supposed to mean?!"

"It means I said all right."

She lightened up, thankful her pushy nature is her greatest advantage. I'm afraid I'd become weaker and weaker against it like Yukino who'd reluctantly go along with Yui's demands. The Yuigahama virus took no prisoners.

"Well I said I'll choose the destination didn't I?"

"Y-yeah, that's right."

"Right, well let's go to club and sort everything out after."

And with a simple nod, she came with me to club.

That was three days ago now, our meet up was at Pasera. I only chose this place since I didn't know any other place that did honey toast and so I was forced to compromise.

"Yahallo!"

She came up to me waving enthusiastically. Her hair reflected the sun shining through the windows and she was dressed in a pink shoulderless top leaving the black straps over her shoulders visible. The difference between her fair, white, bare shoulders and the straps of whatever she was wearing underneath made it stand out that much more.

It was abit too flashy for my tastes.

"Y-yo."

"You didn't wait long did you?"

Well, I was here an hour early. However, no one ever told the truth about how long they wait in order to prevent any harm. It'd be bothersome for those who are on time or late. Unless it's in the corporate world where deadlines have to be met or you're fired.

"No, I just came early."

"So you did wait?"

Yuigahama was the type of girl that couldn't bear being a burden on anyone, that was why she was so considerate.

"Doesn't matter does it? You're here now so sit."

She timidly sat down across from me and waited. We sat there just looking anywhere that wasn't us like two strangers that just sat across from each other.

"Hey."

"Yes?"

"You're gonna buy honey toast right?"

"Eh me?!"

Who else you dolt? Don't tell me...

"Didn't you bring any money to treat yourself?"

"Ahh? I thought you were treating me?"

Yuigahama, why are you so uncouth as to lack such judgement? I thought she was a considerate soul aswell.

"How much money have you got on you?"

She runs through her pockets scrounging all her money and slowly counts them. If you pay more attention in math, you wouldn't take so long you know?

"Ohh... I didn't bring much ehehe."

She laughed guiltily, her laugh quieter then the words that preceded it.

Yuigahama was never at any point since I've come to known her, inconsiderate. Anytime where it seemed she was was only due to her own mindlessness/clumsiness. With that in mind from my experience on earth, she's the single most considerate person I've ever met.

So much so she can't keep her nose out of other people's businesses.

"Well, you use that money and I'll pay for the remainder."

"Right..."

With a light voice of disappointment, she pooled her meager amount of money on the table. That was barely half the price of the honey toast but I knew partly how this would go. She was pretty much the definition of mindlessness but yet also for mindfulness.

She just never paid much attention to herself.

Only acceptance of self from others.

With the waitress to obey my request, I ordered and paid whilst Yui sat quietly. With her finger lightly poking at her own cheek, she tries and fails to insinuate a conversation.

"Hi-huhhh. Hmm."

I can hear you, you know? Seeing it was rather painful, It really reminded me of something unsettling.

With a new-found prideful look of confidence, she sits straight looking straight at me. Her ruby eyes practically shouting "I got this!".

"What's your favorite colour Hikki!"

My favorite colour? I truthfully didn't have one. If I did then it'd be pointless to know. Colours were painfully simple ways of labeling someone, it was also a pretty comfortable blanket to hide behind. Most pretty girls would say pink is their favorite, something that symbolized sweetness and kindness but then again, most girls were pretty evil selfish beings so their true colour would be red or black.

It'd was better to have no colour and just be see-through.

"Glass."

"That's not a colour!"

"Exactly. What you see of glass is just what's on the other side. The only thing you can't do is enter through it..."

Yes, see past the facade, the expectations, the deceit.

Then you see the core, the true self.

And so I continue.

"But you can smash through it. You just have to mind the broken glass after, so you don't hurt yourself or the other."

Yuigahama seemed to contemplate my words, agonizing over what I was getting at. I said too much, I shouldn't have expected her to be able to understand what I was getting at. She was far too simple a girl to know.

"Ahh forget it, that sounded stupid."

"No, it didn't."

Yui smiled sweetly. Instead of being loud and obnoxious, she spoke softly in a tone I'm used to. It usually applied to anything about other people or our much beloved club.

Heh beloved, when have I ever started thinking that?

"You always say what's on your mind so I'm OK with it."

I was reminded of that time Yuigahama first came to us in the service club, how she had us help her with her horrendous cooking and how she surprised us by accepting the criticism hurled towards her and faced the challenge head on again. She only failed again and the lesson was learned, if you fail at something the first time, try again. If you fail the second time, quit it. You only save time and you won't regret wasting it later.

She admired us for our freedom, for being able to be ourselves when Yui was constricted to play a role. A role she's pretty much assimilated into perfectly now like being seated on a couch would make it bend inwards due to the weight. (Well, both her weights anyway...)

I never thought of the possibility of her being jealous of all that. Nevertheless, she fought to have the freedom to have that which was why she was a club-member now.

And to protect that, she vowed to become council president to keep that special something we all hold dear.

Yui Yuigahama can be pretty damn driven when she wants to.

"So whats your favorite colour?"

"Eh?"

"I'm just asking to amuse you."

"So in other words, you really don't care?"

"Well, I'm not one for small talk so I'll ask just this once."

Superficial talk like this really didn't do anything, but for once. I saw it's practical use.

It made time go by so I can fill my empty stomach.

Yuigahama took her time thinking about and upon giving me her answer, she looked away frigidly.

"Gray I guess?"

For such a "colourful" girl, why such a bland colour? It surprised me as a anomaly to the being known as Yuigahama.

"Why?"

"W-well, because it's like, not all shiny but not all dirty? No, that isn't it?"

"So you don't even know why?"

"I just like the colour OK!"

Sheez, no need to get all defensive...

The waitress came back again, a plate of honey toast in her hands. The hot honey itself gave off a pleasing aroma making it a pleasure for the nose. It's thick crumby texture made it look mouthwatering to the eyes. The creams at the top not quite grooving in the same tastes but looked sweetly delicious all the same.

And like a gift from samael, she placed the meal on our table.
"Here you go. Enjoy!~"

Oh I will forgettable waitress #45. I only wonder how long it is til you lose your job.

But before I could entertain the idea of digging in, Yui got their first. Like a starving cannibal, she dug her fork in and gulped a large sizable portion down.

"Waahhh! Soo goood!"

Excessively chewing her food, I plan to do the opposite. I'll eat a small piece of my side and slowly eat it and relish the taste.

A expected, the honey was soaked in through the toast making it sweet. It was also hot enough to make it feel like it was melting in my mouth. I got what I expected so it wasn't any surprise.

"Yeah it's good."

"I could live of this ahh!"

"I'm sure if you tried, you'd die of obesity."

My warning fell on deaf's ears however as she teared her way through the food.

I wonder how she doesn't get fat but then her sizable chest answered that for me. No wonder she's pretty big there...

Everytime I've seen her eat, it was always rigorously and ruthlessly. Too bad she can't cook as well as she could eat.

Before I knew it, the meal was finished and I only ate a quarter of it.

So really, I felt cheated. I paid the most for it aswell...

"Ahh I'm sooo full!"

"I'm so empty..."

"Ahh sorry Hikki! I'll make some honey toast for you to make up for it."

Like hell you will! That wouldn't match up to what I lost today at all!

"Nah, we're even now. Come."

I stood up, ready to make the trip home. Yuigahama followed closely behind me almost as if on a leash. No freedom, only to follow the one holding it.

"Ah heading home now?"

Compared to most people, I'm a damn saint. I was painfully considerate of others. That was why...

I turned towards Yui's way home.

"I'd be leaving it at a bad place if I left it at that so I'l walk you part-way."

Yui, flustered as she was waved her hands in a wide arc.

"Hey, you don't need to if you don't want to Hikki! I'll just walk it myself! Haha!" She exclaimed, rubbing the back of her nape laughing it off.

Well when she puts it like that...

"Oh OK then."

"Huh? Oh, OK then." She gloomily accepted like a whimpering dog not being taken out for a walk. The sight was a pity to look at and so I hated it.

I sigh out.

"You shouldn't really be so considerate. They say nice guys finish last, that applies to girl's too."

"Ah, right. You'd know wouldn't you?"

The accusation felt like an arrow, breaking through the wind. It would've hurt if I wasn't so used to it but it wasn't said out of spite, just mild curiosity. That was why I should take what she says as they are instead of how I could perceive them as.

Otherwise, I'd just cause a rift between us, again.

"Right..."

Knowing where Yui lived, I went in that direction where I could figure Yui would be surprised and come along eagerly asking where I was going.

"Hikki? Where are you going?"

She's pretty predictable but that was because she was so normal.

"Walking you partway of course. Don't get me wrong, I can be a dick but even I wouldn't be as evil as to do just leave it as is."

She smiled once again, content with the solution I proposed.

"Well that's good! Yup!"

Walking onwards, I see Yui hold her chin up in thought of what to talk about. Being in the clubroom with her, she could endlessly go on about hundreds of topics and things all in the span of a minute. Most of it superficial as hell such as clothing styles, thoughts on other people and idols.

But she's shown that sometimes, she does have the capacity for real talk even if she doesn't understand it all that well.

Now I'm reminded of what happened on the rooftop again, huaahh. So painful to think about.

But overall, the end result was worth it.

"So Hikki? What should we talk about?"

This was a famed tactic among socialites. If you didn't know what to talk about, let the other person have direct control. It was the easiest most simple way of getting to know your friend/enemy.

"Nothing."

"Frustrating as usual..."

Hey, why don't you take charge then? I'm only frustrating because you need to alter your approach so technically, it's all your fault!

She ponders deep in thought for just a moment then her eyes widened at what I presume to be a horrifying idea.

"OK! How bout you ask me anything you want to know. Anything at all!"

Anything?

She really shouldn't ask such things of me. Didn't you know what goes through a guy's mind Yui? Thank god it's me or someone else would really take that the wrong way! Be on guard, protect your chasity!

"Anything?"

"Yup! And I'll answer."

Hmm, I do wonder about her chances...

"You think you'll ever get good at cooking?"

"What?! I've improved! Somewhat anyway! Why ask me that? Urggh! Seriously!" She exclaims in protest. Yeah, I'll put that down to a delusional disorder of some sort.

But unexpectedly, she wanted something deeper then that.

"Ask me a serious question Hikki. I mean it."

It was in invitation, whether I come in peacefully or not was of my own volition.

"OK. Between the service club and your groupies, which one would you rather lose."

The question itself was on incredibly thin ice. I know Yui valued both and my own morbid curiosity overpowered my sense of moral conduct. It was too late to take it back but I could jump off the cracking ice under the soles of my feet while I still had the chance.

Yui looked slightly frightful, like I dumped a huge weight on her shoulders. It looked like she struggled to breathe.

"You don't have to answer that."

The rest of the walk was encased in a ugly silence between us.

Whether they were of equal importance or not was not my business. Henceforth, I would separate here and leave to let my pervasive words simmer down.

"Right, I'll leave around here."

And with her silence as my response, I turn to leave.

"Hikki."

"Huh? What is it?"

"Your question..."

She was thinking about it this entire time? By all rights, I shouldn't have been surprised but still...

From my experience, girl's would just hate you right there and then for even slightly overstepping your boundaries.

"The service club is more precious to me."

My chest felt uplifted by her sudden answer. I could ridicule her, show her how naive and silly she was but I couldn't. I was biased since I happen to enjoy our time in the club too.

"I see."

And I walked on back to my place.

Has Yui always been like that? Someone who'd always answer to the whims of others or was she her own person once? Before she'd always play along in a group and play the family dog in her role-playing exercise with her friends in elementary. Yes, she's been home in the submissive role for too long so I guess that's why I was glad that slowly and surely...

Yui Yuigahama was finding her own place.

And despite having barely eaten, I felt full.

OK, Yui fic! I don't really have a continuous storyline in mind so I'll just focus on this being loosely connected set of drabbles or something. I'm not 100% sure but eh, as long as it's good right? I feel some more YuiXHikki fluff is badly needed.

P.S I'm not too sure they already did something to repay the honey toast in the LN's so I apologize if I got that wrong.