Just Get Through Today, Pt. 4

Maybe it had something to do with Megumi's previous comment, but I did end up cooking steak. It was between that and fish, and I wasn't really feeling fish tonight.

The smell filled the room fast — rich, savory, and weirdly comforting. I lightly seasoned the steaks with salt and pepper, then laid them onto the pan with a careful hand, letting them hiss and sear as the butter danced around the edges.

Two slabs. Perfect thickness. Should come out medium-rare if I play my cards right.

Behind me, Megumi sat at the counter, still lazily poking at the apple slices she hadn't finished.

"So~ how was school?" she asked casually.

"Fine."

"Learn anything cool?"

"Nope."

"Make any friends?"

"Not today."

"Hah... You mad at me or something?"

I didn't answer. Just kept my eyes on the pan, watching the browning crust creep up the sides of the steak.

She didn't say anything after that. Not right away, at least. But I could still feel her grin on the back of my neck — smug, playful, and just a little too pleased with herself.

The second steak hit the pan with a satisfying sizzle. I gave it a quick glance, then turned back toward the seasoning jar — only to find Megumi still staring holes into my back.

"Yo," she smiled, kicking her legs back and forth under the counter. "Still here, as you can see. Waiting for an answer."

Without a word, I began basting the second steak.

"Still not talking, huh? I'm starting to take it a little personally."

I stayed quiet, letting the sounds of sizzling steak do the talking.

"Oh, come on. You can't just give me the silent treatment. I made a point to be good today. Didn't trash your place, not even a little."

Finally, I let out a sigh.

"I'm not mad. Not giving you the silent treatment either. At least... not intentionally. I guess I'm just being cautious."

"Cautious? You? I'm the girl here."

"That... That's true. I don't know. It's just weird, I guess. This has never happened to me, that's all."

She rested her head on the countertop with a big, exaggerated pout.

"Well, me neither, but I'm still making an effort. You could at least do the same."

I grabbed a plate and flipped the first steak onto it.

"Fine. You really wanna know?"

"Hit me."

"Classes sucked."

"Oho, wow~ What an opener. I give it a ten out of ten. Actually, I take that back. I'll give it a nine, and the only reason is that you ignored me for a full minute."

I shot her a look, but she just grinned wider, totally unbothered.

"I went to karaoke after. With Koga and Yue."

"Who and who?"

"Oh, sorry. They're my best friends."

"Mm, that's cute. What did you sing? Something sad and tragic, I'm assuming? You seem like the type."

"Well, you'd be right about one thing. I'm trying to get over something, and my friends took me out to help with that."

"Get over what?"

I plated the second steak and left it there to rest.

"...A rejection."

Slowly, Megumi's smug smile faded. No witty comment. Just silence, her eyes suddenly more focused than they'd been all day.

"A girl?"

"Yeah. Her name's Chiaki. She was someone I've liked for a long time. It was the seventh time I confessed to her." 

"Now that's some serious commitment. Then what? She rejected you for the seventh time in a row?"

"Yeah, but what made it worse this time around was that... she told me she liked someone else."

Megumi didn't speak right away. She just leaned back, crossing her arms and staring at me for a long second.

Then, quietly, she asked, "Is that why you were on that bridge yesterday?"

I froze.

My heart did this uncomfortable little flip in my chest as her words settled in. There wasn't really anywhere to hide from it now.

After resting one of the plates on the counter in front of her, I took a seat at the dining table.

For a moment, she just stared at it in silence.

"For... for me?" she asked.

"What do you mean, 'for you'? Yeah, of course. Why do you sound so surprised?"

"I... Haha... I guess I didn't think you had it in you. I mean, I'm kind of intruding on your space, aren't I? The last thing I expected was a free meal on top of free housing."

"I mean, what do you expect me to do? Let you starve? It's not like you're gonna go out and buy your own food. Or clothes, for that matter — since you're clearly very comfortable raiding my closet."

"Oh, you noticed?"

She pinched the collar of her shirt. Well, technically, my shirt.

"It's super comfy," she said. "Smells like fresh laundry, too. I was gonna ask if I could steal it yesterday, but you were already passed out. Sorry. I'll take it off later."

"It's fine. You can keep it."

I sliced off a small piece of steak, gave it a few quick blows to cool it down, then popped it into my mouth.

As expected, my cooking never lets me down. Juicy, tender, and seasoned just right. I say that, but all I did was slap it on a pan and let the heat do the rest. Minimal prep. Maximum results. Still fire, though.

But something was off.

Megumi hadn't touched her food. She just sat there, idly poking her steak with her fork like it was some kind of science experiment. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she looked... distant.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "Didn't you say you love steak?"

"Oh, I do. It's just that this is the first time that anyone's ever cooked for me. Wanted to let the moment sink in for a bit. That's all."

"Huh? How's that even possible?"

"Heh... When you're someone as important as me, you don't really get to choose for yourself anymore."

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

Her voice had gone so quiet, yet it hit harder than anything else she'd said today. There was something in the way she looked at the plate. Not hungry. Not excited. Unfamiliar was more like it.

I glanced down at my own food, then back at her.

"If you don't mind me asking, Megumi... How did you end up on that bridge? I mean, you're famous. Remember the girl who rejected me? She's probably your biggest fan."

"Hmm... Asking me why I was on a bridge so soon after I was about to jump? Not very thoughtful, are you?"

"W-wha—?! Ah... I'm sorry."

"Pfft, why are you apologizing? I was just joking."

 Megumi leaned back in her seat, staring at the ceiling.

"Are you also a fan of mine, Shohei?"

"Huh? Well... I wouldn't necessarily say that. I'm only familiar with you by association."

"Is that so? Then you must not have seen the news."

"The news?"

"Let's just say that I wanted to be alone for a while. A very long while."

Before I could reply, she finally picked up her fork and knife. Then, with the kind of precision that almost made me nervous, she cut a clean bite and popped it into her mouth.

The second she chewed, her eyes widened like she’d just been smacked with flavor.

"Oh... Oh wow..."

"How is it?"

She swallowed, sat back dramatically, and let out a satisfied sigh.

"Honestly? Best thing I've eaten in years."

"W-what the... Don't exaggerate. All I did was pan-sear it."

"Yeah? Well, you pan-seared it to perfection. I've only ever eaten junk that was too fancy and too... over-the-top. So it's nice to have something simple for once."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Dead serious."

When she forked one up and ate it, her face lit up.

"Mmm~! Yeah, no. This is amazing." 

"Hah. Thanks."

"Honestly, I'm impressed. Keeps his place clean, cooks like a pro... Isn't that what we ladies like to call husband material?"

I nearly choked on my water.

"C-can we not say stuff like that? I know you said it's all 'acting', but let's just not."

"No promises," she said with a grin, slicing up another piece.

That one caught me off guard more than I'm willing to admit.

Husband material?

Who in their right mind would say that so casually? It makes it seem like... I have something going for me, which is most definitely not the case. Especially after Chiaki.

I pressed my hand against my head and sighed.

Okay, I need to stop. I promised a drunk Yue that I wouldn't sulk over Chiaki anymore. I'm not about to break it within the same day.

Besides... I think my plate is already full.

"Hey, hey. Shohei," Megumi called out with a mischievous grin.

"What?"

"If you're not gonna eat the rest of your steak... can I have it?"

I gave her a blank stare, but she didn't even flinch. Her shamelessness really knows no bounds.

With a sigh, I stood with the plate in my hand and set it on the counter. An excited grin quickly grew on her face as she devoured it.