[WELL.... He'll trust her word, but that certainly doesn't mean that he isn't watching every move Mafuyu makes, just a little nervous every time her fingers get too close. But quarters are a start, and proud of her work, Kouhei walks over to give her a small pat on the head.]
Good work. Could you help me out by filling up that pot halfway with water?
[With only a tiny smile, he rinses the quartered potatoes and puts them back on the cutting board to slice them up a little smaller. It's important to make Mafuyu feel like she's helping (and she is!), but he also doesn't want her to feel bad about the parts she can't do.]
Yeah? If it'll pay well enough to cover tuition, I'm in.
[ The little pat on the head makes her freeze up. It's not a bad feeling; it's just surprise, because it's a clear sign of affection or praise or something that's in general good, that's so rare for her to receive even if it's a gesture commonly given to small children or cute dogs. ]
...I got it!
[ It's such a rare gesture, she definitely cannot let him down here, she decides as she grabs the pot and holds it under the sink faucet. ]
And you can have all the money that we make from it! All I'd use it for is to buy food, but if you can make good french fries, then that's all I need to be happy!
[Likewise, Kouhei isn't generally the affectionate type, but there's something about Mafuyu trying so hard that makes him want to praise her. Like this, he really is reminded just a little of the way his mother taught him to cook.]
I wouldn't need all of that money, you know. I already have a job.
[Smiling (again!), he dumps the small chunks of potatoes in the colander and rinses them one final time.]
But I can try to make you french fries sometime, even if the kind you buy frozen and put in the oven would be easiest. How does that sound?
[ Fun jobs are the only ones worth holding, in her opinion, but she's having trouble finding one that's both fun and sustainable. It's a problem she'll tackle in the future, putting it off for now that she still has two years of school to get through, but Kurosaki French Fry Co. would really solve all her problems, because then she wouldn't have to worry about money, and she'd get good food all the time, and she gets to watch Kouhei cook and smile like that and talk normally despite all his claims that he's bad at it. ]
I don't need the money either, so you take it and buy potatoes with it! I like watching you cook, 'cause you seem happy doing it!
I'm a tutor, remember? Here to judge your writing in all of your text messages.
[Honestly, Kouhei more or less lives at school, so he actually really enjoys teaching people. Talking with someone one on one can actually be quite nice, but hanging out with someone outside of school, someone like Mafuyu, is.... nicer. Less stifling. Freeing, in a way.
He doesn't realize he's still smiling as he puts the potatoes on the stove. By the time he turns around, though, it's slipped away (now that it's been drawn to his attention).]
You think so? I guess it does remind me of home. I usually don't have anyone else to cook for.
[ Her texting's gotten a lot more legible since the start of the year where her chatspeak was insufferable and I quickly gave up on it. With the prep more or less done, Mafuyu just hangs by the stove, warming her hands over the pot whenever she can without being in the way. ]
Did you cook a lot at home too? Do you have siblings you cooked for?
[Listen, he won't actually judge, okay! He isn't that cruel. Or cruel at all, really. Mafuyu being by the stove isn't a bother at all, and now that the potatoes are on, Kouhei begins mixing a sauce for the stir-fry in a separate bowl.]
I'm an only child. It's just my Mom and I back home, but she's a chef, so she's been teaching me to cook since I was young. It's been a hobby ever since, if you could call it that.
[ She stays by the stove to watch the potatoes cook, not really on the lookout for anything burning but more like she's waiting for that magical moment when "ingredients" come together to become "food." ]
That's a good job and a good hobby! You make lots of people happy doing it, it's not like baseball or soccer or things that I do.
[There isn't anything interesting about the potatoes?! They hardly even look any different as they continue to cook, only getting softer (which is the goal). But Kouhei isn't about to say anything, content to let her enjoy it.]
You think so? Sports make people happy too. I've never played any, but lots of people find enjoyment in watching them, you know? And if it makes you happy, that's the most important.
[He's putting the vegetables in the pan now.... and pouring the sauce on top as he stirs them. This looks more like food!]
Besides, it's not like I ever cook for anyone else. I've only started to do it in the past few months.
Sports are more fun to play than watch, but food's different! I like watching and I like eating. I especially like eating!
[ The potatoes continue to look the same and she can't even tell how soft they're getting just by looking, but with the vegetables and the sauce.... ugh... waiting is so hard, she thinks as she lets her head rest sideways on the countertop next to the stove while she watches. Maybe if she stares hard enough at the pans, they'll heat up faster and it'll all be done sooner. ]
Who else are you cooking for, since you live by yourself? Whoever it is, they're super lucky!!
Good, since I think watching them is kind of boring, to tell you the truth. But maybe playing would change my mind. [Yes, Mafuyu, he knows your priorities by now.] Hold on just a few more minutes, okay? Once the vegetables finish cooking and soak in more of the sauce, the stir-fry will be ready.
[He'll probably be the one working on the other dishes as Mafuyu (hopefully) enjoys the first course of her meal, but hey, there's nothing wrong with that.]
I've actually made a couple of friends.... One of them lives in this building too, so I make a quick meal maybe once a week. It's nothing special.
I'll teach you how to play, sometime! Whatever sport you want.
[ This is basically all she can offer in return for cooking for her, which is still a pain and she'll have to judge whether it's worth cooking for half an hour vs zapping something in a microwave for two minutes. By the smell of it already, though, it's worth it. ]
Uh.... Are you sure? I'm not the most flexible guy around, and I doubt I have much stamina. But if you really want to, I could try whatever you like best. ....You'll have to put up with me being pretty terrible, though.
[Sports have clearly never been a point of interest for him, but all the same, he's a bit touched that Mafuyu would go out of her way to offer teaching him.]
Yeah? I'm sure your family would worry if you said you want to move in here on your own. It can get lonely living by yourself.
[Back to the food, though! Because he let the vegetables cook in the pan for a few minutes before pouring the sauce over them (even though I didn't write it, listen, let me live my life), they're just about finished, and he takes out a plate and fork before offering them to Mafuyu.]
Don't burn yourself on it, it's hot. Let it cool before eating, okay? [Guess what's not going to happen.]
Think of it like this: If you can hit a home run, you don't have to run bases.
[ Put another way, you don't have to be amazing at everything, just good at one thing and everything else accommodates. Flexibility and stamina aren't all that necessary if he can be a good soccer goalie, or shoot three-pointers in basketball, so she's sure she can make things work. Kind of how like she can't cook but Kouhei still found something she can do and now she's the best potato peeler in the world!!! ]
My parents probably wouldn't care if I moved out, but I want to take my dog and cat and snake too...
[ They'd probably be happy about her moving out, to be honest, so they don't have to put up with things like Mafuyu taking this plate and blowing the steam off a forkful of food as if that will magically make it not feel like fire when she shoves it in her mouth. IT'S HOT AND IT HURTS BUT WHAT IS THERE TO DO besides chew and swallow and not only burn your mouth but your throat too, she is probably crying or close to it. ]
[Well.... Mafuyu has a point, and that does get a small smile out of him. There's no way he'd be able to hit a home run, but he isn't going to say that. The meaning is clear, and he isn't about to be enough of a downer to argue that.]
It might be hard to take care of--
[That many pets on her own, in addition to herself, he's about to say.... (And he hopes her parents would care.) But then she does EXACTLY WHAT HE SAID NOT TO, and he straight up drops the spoon he was holding and hurriedly fills up a glass of water for her.]
Are you okay?! Uh, just-- Spit it out! You aren't choking, are you?! [SHE DIDN'T SWALLOW IT, DID SHE.... He honestly can't tell from her face, but he's freaking out a bit anyway. Please help this child.]
[MAFUYU?!?! That's a sweet sentiment, certainly, but not when she's burning her entire mouth! Kouhei's practically shoving the water into her hands at this point, hoping that the food didn't scald her tongue enough that she can't taste anything else....]
Drink this! You can't-- You can't just do things like that! Are you alright?!
[ She is young and stupid and all the things that suggest that she'll be just fine. The best that anybody can hope for is that she'll learn her lesson about waiting next time, but the pain's already subsiding and Mafuyu takes the glass of water and downs half the cup before stopping there and holding the water inside her mouth without swallowing.
It's fine. It's fine. And she's still going to eat the rest of the food, sliding over a little to angle her body in between Kouhei and the plate as if he would take it away from her because she didn't listen. Look! She'll just... take her free hand and wave away the steam rising up from over the plate to cool it down before eating the rest. It's fine. ]
[She'll probably be fine, yes, but that certainly isn't stopping from Kouhei from fretting. What if the burns are so bad that he has to take her to the ER? No, they wouldn't be that serious, but let him worry, okay! The good thing is that she's drinking the water now.... Kind of. That works too.
He isn't going to take the plate from Mafuyu, but that doesn't keep him from sighing slightly and wilting a bit in a combination of relief and "why this."]
Okay, okay, I'm not going to stop you! Just don't keep eating if it's too hot, alright? [REALLY, NOW.] What am I going to do with you....?
[ "Why this" is a question for the ages. She gets a little feeling back in her mouth a she takes another sip of water, but her taste buds have definitely been scalded and they hurt a little when she runs her tongue against the edge of her front teeth.
That doesn't stop her front eating, though. What does stop her is a memory that comes filtering through her mind, noisy and full of commotion although it leaves her quiet here, staring blankly down at the plate with the fork held limply in her hand. ]
[In spite of the commotion, he's genuinely happy to see Mafuyu eat the stir fry so eagerly. But just as he's about to turn around to refill her glass of water, she suddenly falls quiet, and leaves Kouhei immediately concerned.]
Mafuyu? Are you okay?
[She seems just fine when she looks back up at him, but that doesn't stop him from faltering a bit and taking a seat next to her in concern. The potatoes can wait.]
Huh? [That isn't what he was expecting.] Well.... Yeah, my Mom used to say it when I helped her in the kitchen. In Japanese, it's ryouri wa aijou. Why?
[ And she goes back to eating normally too, mulling over the phrase— ryouri... ryou... Hmm. She does not actually know Japanese very well despite her parents speaking it at home. ]
Just something I remember someone saying to me. I was choking down food that was all burnt and disgusting! I could've died! I was being so stupid!
It's delicious! Of course it's delicious! I never get to eat home cooked meals, so I would die happy if I could eat this every day!
[ She probably would have died happy five minutes ago when she was busy scalding her mouth; the dying might have been the similarity that triggered the memory, she thinks? Because it definitely wasn't the person. ]
Anyways, there was no love in that memory! The cook was my neighbor I grew up with— he was like a spartan general, always ordering me around!
[Oh no, how sweet.... He can't help but grin even more brightly than usual to that, though the mention of Mafuyu never having someone cook for her is a little sad.]
I'm glad! Then how about I cook for you more often? I usually make something for a friend once a week, so I can start making a little extra and bring you leftovers.
[A guy ordering her around, huh? It could always be that he liked her.... but he isn't about to say that.]
He wouldn't have cooked it to make you choke, right? Was he really that bad of a guy?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Good work. Could you help me out by filling up that pot halfway with water?
[With only a tiny smile, he rinses the quartered potatoes and puts them back on the cutting board to slice them up a little smaller. It's important to make Mafuyu feel like she's helping (and she is!), but he also doesn't want her to feel bad about the parts she can't do.]
Yeah? If it'll pay well enough to cover tuition, I'm in.
no subject
[ The little pat on the head makes her freeze up. It's not a bad feeling; it's just surprise, because it's a clear sign of affection or praise or something that's in general good, that's so rare for her to receive even if it's a gesture commonly given to small children or cute dogs. ]
...I got it!
[ It's such a rare gesture, she definitely cannot let him down here, she decides as she grabs the pot and holds it under the sink faucet. ]
And you can have all the money that we make from it! All I'd use it for is to buy food, but if you can make good french fries, then that's all I need to be happy!
no subject
I wouldn't need all of that money, you know. I already have a job.
[Smiling (again!), he dumps the small chunks of potatoes in the colander and rinses them one final time.]
But I can try to make you french fries sometime, even if the kind you buy frozen and put in the oven would be easiest. How does that sound?
no subject
[ Fun jobs are the only ones worth holding, in her opinion, but she's having trouble finding one that's both fun and sustainable. It's a problem she'll tackle in the future, putting it off for now that she still has two years of school to get through, but Kurosaki French Fry Co. would really solve all her problems, because then she wouldn't have to worry about money, and she'd get good food all the time, and she gets to watch Kouhei cook and smile like that and talk normally despite all his claims that he's bad at it. ]
I don't need the money either, so you take it and buy potatoes with it! I like watching you cook, 'cause you seem happy doing it!
no subject
[Honestly, Kouhei more or less lives at school, so he actually really enjoys teaching people. Talking with someone one on one can actually be quite nice, but hanging out with someone outside of school, someone like Mafuyu, is.... nicer. Less stifling. Freeing, in a way.
He doesn't realize he's still smiling as he puts the potatoes on the stove. By the time he turns around, though, it's slipped away (now that it's been drawn to his attention).]
You think so? I guess it does remind me of home. I usually don't have anyone else to cook for.
no subject
Did you cook a lot at home too? Do you have siblings you cooked for?
no subject
I'm an only child. It's just my Mom and I back home, but she's a chef, so she's been teaching me to cook since I was young. It's been a hobby ever since, if you could call it that.
no subject
That's a good job and a good hobby! You make lots of people happy doing it, it's not like baseball or soccer or things that I do.
no subject
You think so? Sports make people happy too. I've never played any, but lots of people find enjoyment in watching them, you know? And if it makes you happy, that's the most important.
[He's putting the vegetables in the pan now.... and pouring the sauce on top as he stirs them. This looks more like food!]
Besides, it's not like I ever cook for anyone else. I've only started to do it in the past few months.
no subject
[ The potatoes continue to look the same and she can't even tell how soft they're getting just by looking, but with the vegetables and the sauce.... ugh... waiting is so hard, she thinks as she lets her head rest sideways on the countertop next to the stove while she watches. Maybe if she stares hard enough at the pans, they'll heat up faster and it'll all be done sooner. ]
Who else are you cooking for, since you live by yourself? Whoever it is, they're super lucky!!
no subject
[He'll probably be the one working on the other dishes as Mafuyu (hopefully) enjoys the first course of her meal, but hey, there's nothing wrong with that.]
I've actually made a couple of friends.... One of them lives in this building too, so I make a quick meal maybe once a week. It's nothing special.
no subject
[ This is basically all she can offer in return for cooking for her, which is still a pain and she'll have to judge whether it's worth cooking for half an hour vs zapping something in a microwave for two minutes. By the smell of it already, though, it's worth it. ]
Lucky.......... I want to move in here too.
no subject
[Sports have clearly never been a point of interest for him, but all the same, he's a bit touched that Mafuyu would go out of her way to offer teaching him.]
Yeah? I'm sure your family would worry if you said you want to move in here on your own. It can get lonely living by yourself.
[Back to the food, though! Because he let the vegetables cook in the pan for a few minutes before pouring the sauce over them (even though I didn't write it, listen, let me live my life), they're just about finished, and he takes out a plate and fork before offering them to Mafuyu.]
Don't burn yourself on it, it's hot. Let it cool before eating, okay? [Guess what's not going to happen.]
no subject
[ Put another way, you don't have to be amazing at everything, just good at one thing and everything else accommodates. Flexibility and stamina aren't all that necessary if he can be a good soccer goalie, or shoot three-pointers in basketball, so she's sure she can make things work. Kind of how like she can't cook but Kouhei still found something she can do and now she's the best potato peeler in the world!!! ]
My parents probably wouldn't care if I moved out, but I want to take my dog and cat and snake too...
[ They'd probably be happy about her moving out, to be honest, so they don't have to put up with things like Mafuyu taking this plate and blowing the steam off a forkful of food as if that will magically make it not feel like fire when she shoves it in her mouth. IT'S HOT AND IT HURTS BUT WHAT IS THERE TO DO besides chew and swallow and not only burn your mouth but your throat too, she is probably crying or close to it. ]
no subject
It might be hard to take care of--
[That many pets on her own, in addition to herself, he's about to say.... (And he hopes her parents would care.) But then she does EXACTLY WHAT HE SAID NOT TO, and he straight up drops the spoon he was holding and hurriedly fills up a glass of water for her.]
Are you okay?! Uh, just-- Spit it out! You aren't choking, are you?! [SHE DIDN'T SWALLOW IT, DID SHE.... He honestly can't tell from her face, but he's freaking out a bit anyway. Please help this child.]
no subject
-—'s delicious, so 'm not gonna waste it by spitting it out!!
[ even if she can't feel her tongue!! It was made with care and love; she can't do that. ]
no subject
Drink this! You can't-- You can't just do things like that! Are you alright?!
no subject
It's fine. It's fine. And she's still going to eat the rest of the food, sliding over a little to angle her body in between Kouhei and the plate as if he would take it away from her because she didn't listen. Look! She'll just... take her free hand and wave away the steam rising up from over the plate to cool it down before eating the rest. It's fine. ]
no subject
He isn't going to take the plate from Mafuyu, but that doesn't keep him from sighing slightly and wilting a bit in a combination of relief and "why this."]
Okay, okay, I'm not going to stop you! Just don't keep eating if it's too hot, alright? [REALLY, NOW.] What am I going to do with you....?
no subject
That doesn't stop her front eating, though. What does stop her is a memory that comes filtering through her mind, noisy and full of commotion although it leaves her quiet here, staring blankly down at the plate with the fork held limply in her hand. ]
...
[ She looks up suddenly, and turns to Kouhei. ]
You ever heard the phrase "food is love"?
no subject
Mafuyu? Are you okay?
[She seems just fine when she looks back up at him, but that doesn't stop him from faltering a bit and taking a seat next to her in concern. The potatoes can wait.]
Huh? [That isn't what he was expecting.] Well.... Yeah, my Mom used to say it when I helped her in the kitchen. In Japanese, it's ryouri wa aijou. Why?
no subject
[ And she goes back to eating normally too, mulling over the phrase— ryouri... ryou... Hmm. She does not actually know Japanese very well despite her parents speaking it at home. ]
Just something I remember someone saying to me. I was choking down food that was all burnt and disgusting! I could've died! I was being so stupid!
no subject
Isn't choking down food someone made for you an act of love in itself?
[He can't imagine that she was close to dying, but it still gets another smile out of him.]
You didn't remember that because this food tastes bad, right? If it does, you can tell me.
no subject
[ She probably would have died happy five minutes ago when she was busy scalding her mouth; the dying might have been the similarity that triggered the memory, she thinks? Because it definitely wasn't the person. ]
Anyways, there was no love in that memory! The cook was my neighbor I grew up with— he was like a spartan general, always ordering me around!
no subject
I'm glad! Then how about I cook for you more often? I usually make something for a friend once a week, so I can start making a little extra and bring you leftovers.
[A guy ordering her around, huh? It could always be that he liked her.... but he isn't about to say that.]
He wouldn't have cooked it to make you choke, right? Was he really that bad of a guy?