Good Tastes in Desires

Miyami took a sip of her strawberry green tea, watching the steam swirl around her face as she exhaled. This was her first time trying the blend, but she liked it. It was sweet, with just the tiniest bitter note and earthiness to ground the taste.

Two days had passed since their escapade at the shop, and it was Friday again. She and Hinoka were in the middle of enjoying another freshly homemade dinner now, the smell of rice and sauce wafting through the mid evening air.

"Aaah, I love your cooking," Hinoka said between bites, her mouth watering at the flavor. "I know I've said it before, but seriously, you have no idea how much you're spoiling me here. It's amazing!"

Miyami smiled shyly at the praise. She was too sweet.

They continued eating together in the cozy apartment, window open to allow the cool outside air to flow in. The sun had already set an hour ago during their showers, so the only illumination came from the lights within the room.

However, the most prominent thing right now was the New Life List set aside on the tabletop to discuss during their meal.

Miyami gulped down another spoonful of curry rice as she thought.

The fire in Hinoka's eyes hadn't lessened at all since that Wednesday afternoon. Rather, it was probably even hotter. The shorter girl had made it very clear on their way back home and in the past two days just how much she was looking forward to seeing what was written down in the book, and it'd made her a little self-conscious, even if she still really wanted to show her.

Since she'd started the list during the worst period of her life, everything was just a silly coping mechanism to escape reality, and a lot of the entries would likely reflect that. There were probably a few things with just a tiny bit too much whimsy or color.

Miyami took another bite of her meal, looking for something to redirect her attention to instead of the eventual showcase. What could she try to distract herself with this time?

Her tongue wordlessly answered her conundrum with the spice of flavor, and her face brightened.

That was right! The food!

✧Chicken Katsu Curry✧

The humble yet flavor-filled dish was a dark shade of brown—almost black, the color of the spices blending together for a rich and bold aroma. Carrots, potatoes, caramelized onions, red pickled ginger, chili flakes, and a crispy katsu cutlet over roux combined perfectly to create a hearty medium-heat! With a bed of accompanying fluffy rice to absorb the mildly sweet sauce, this truly was the quintessential escape from hunger!

The dark-haired woman's chest inflated with heartfelt pride.

It was a recipe she'd learned from her mother before she'd passed away, and the first thing she'd ever learned to cook herself. Despite how young she'd been at the time, she'd managed to nail it down pretty well in her opinion.

She could still envision the chop of vegetables, the sizzle of the pot, and the fragrant smell of the curry powder mixing together in the embrace of motherly arms—her mother ecstatic she was trying out something new. Then, once it'd been cooked and thoroughly enjoyed, a sweet dessert like a parfait on the dining table would soon follow to mellow out the lingering spice—

"Earth to Miyami. Come in Miyami." A hand was being waved in front of her face. "Hey, are you alright? You've been zoned out there for a minute."

Miyami blinked as her distraction was interrupted, spoon still in her mouth.

Oops.

"Is everything okay?" Hinoka asked as she leaned in a little further, some bits of rice stuck to her cheek.

The dark-haired girl nodded, removing the utensil from her mouth before reaching out to wipe away the grains with her thumb. "I-I'm fine. Just reminiscing a bit."

A blushing smirk. "Mm, let me take a guess. Was it our kiss from earlier? If you want, we could always do something after dinner for dessert. Something sweet to add to the spice~"

Miyami's face turned pinker than her tea. "I-I wasn't, but if you're offering… I wouldn't mind."

"Hehe! I'll hold you to it then!" Hinoka grinned at the concession. "Anyway, what're you thinking?"

Miyami looked over to the New Life List on the table, rhythmically tapping her fingers across the wood. "Just the past, and a little worried about the list I suppose… Do you promise not to laugh too much at them?"

The other girl nodded. "Of course. I wouldn't have asked to help if I wasn't willing to take it seriously."

Miyami smiled, then reached to grab the skinny notebook, flipping the pages.

"So far I've only checked off a few, including… erm, 'finding a significant other who accepts me for me'," she said bashfully, fluttering her eyelashes at the woman across from her as her finger slid down the page.

"Aww, you're so freaking sweet." Hinoka smiled back, shimmying over so that they could both start reading. "Well, I'm glad I could help with that one, and hopefully others as well. What else have we got here?"

"Hmm…" Miyami scooted over to make some room on the floor.

The two of them looked down at the open page together. Each entry was labeled with a little note that explained why it was written. Some were simple things like: 'Visit a Hot Spring (because I've always wanted to)' or 'Get Better At Talking With Others (probably Uncle first, because I want to get better with my voice)'.

Then there were the ones that made her cringe a little at the thought of having to read aloud, such as: 'Do Karaoke With Someone (because while I don't have the voice for it yet, I still wanna sing ⊂(￣▽￣)⊃〜♫)', or 'Kiss Under Fireworks (because I'm a lonely and desperate girl who needs to experience something like that once in her life (ಥ﹏ಥ))'.

"…" She felt judgmental eyes fall upon her.

"Pfft. Okay, wow."

Miyami pouted. "Y-you said you wouldn't laugh much!"

"I'm not! I'm just amused, that's all," her girlfriend replied, failing to stifle her chuckles. "I don't think I know of anyone else who doodles kaomoji on paper, especially with such cute handwriting."

"…!" The tall girl hid her face behind noodley arms. "I-it's just how I write, okay?"

Hinoka nodded, her expression turning more genuine. "Sorry, it's funny seeing you get all flustered like this. I actually think it's one of the most endearing things about you."

"…" Miyami slowly opened her arms like shutters, her cheeks still flushed with heat.

"Anyway," Hinoka continued, her gaze returning to the list. "You have good taste; these are all really nice. Which ones are you most interested in completing first though? I have some ideas for some, but I wanna hear what you think before anything."

Miyami's eyes wandered down to the paper, skimming over her handwritten dreams. Perhaps not the hot spring just yet, since that would likely require a lot more confidence than she had now on top of more private accommodations. And she'd already started planning with Hinoka about getting better at talking with others.

However, fireworks could probably be done with the autumn festivals coming up soon…

"…" A faint imagining of the night sky lit up in her mind, stars and shimmering explosions illuminating the air. She could almost feel the warmth radiating from Hinoka beside her, the smell of smoke, and the sound of stalls bustling around them.

It was a nice vision.

"I think the hot spring is a little out of reach right now, but fireworks and maybe karaoke sound good."

The statement set off something in her girlfriend's eyes. "Perfect! Pretty sure the festival next weekend should have fireworks. And I think I know a place for karaoke if the customer I heard it from has good enough taste—should be straightforward enough for newbies to figure out."

Miyami's curiosity was immediately peaked. "Y-you haven't done karaoke before?"

"Pfft. Of course I have. It's just—" she stopped herself, a 'there's an embarrassing story behind this' look on her face.

The dark-haired woman's brow rose.

Hinoka sighed. "I used to do it all the time, back when I was in high school. But uh… well, I've already told you how much of a dumbass I was then." A hand ran through her streaked hair. "I had a bit of a falling out with my only friend at the time after I tried to push her to go further than she was willing to, and it sorta soured the activity for me for a while. Haven't done it since, really."

"…" Miyami gave no audible response. Instead, she pulled her girlfriend in for a hug, arms wrapped firmly around her waist as she pulled her close.

Hinoka's head nuzzled against her chest. "Thanks, but it's no big deal. Just a dumb memory from my youth…" She stared silently as if contemplating something.

One of Miyami's hands rose to stroke her head, fingers gently running through her locks. She wondered what could be going through Hinoka's mind right now? Was it anything like hers? Perhaps something sweet, or perhaps something bitter? Knowing Hinoka, it could also be something more on the spicy—

*rubrubrubrub*

"…!" Miyami's eyes shot open as she felt movements against her breasts. "W-what are you doing?!"

"Enjoying myself?" the shorter woman responded innocently, face half-way concealed by mammary.

"T-that's not what I—"

"You're the one who started it~" Hinoka said with a smirk, her head squishing into softness. "You were rubbing my head, and I'm rubbing your boobs. It's a fair trade~"

"Tha—" Miyami stammered, unable to form words. She could feel her blood rush at the blatant teasing.

Ack no! Her will to argue back!

Why was her body betraying her so suddenly?!

Sensing opportunity, Chibi Hinoka tried breaking from her mental dungeon to worsen the situation further. But before the chibi could even rattle the bars, the real Hinoka said something.

"If you don't want me to keep going though, then I'll stop. I'd rather not make you uncomfortable."

Miyami felt her breath catch in her lungs.

T-this was her out! All she had to do was say something, anything, and everything would return to normal. They'd go back to discussing plans for the future or whatever else they wanted—

"A-and what if I didn't stop you…?"

Noooooo! Curse her tongue's sudden mutiny! Why had she asked that, and in such a lewd way too?!

Hinoka's expression wiped blank for a second, and her cheeks turned a shade darker from within her valley abode as she contemplated a response.

"E-erm… then I'd thank you for dessert?"

The two stared at one another at the beat, neither quite sure how to proceed.

"…"

"…"

"S-sorry," the shorter girl finally whispered. "This was weird of me. We can just continue looking through the list now if—"

Miyami quickly grabbed a pencil and began scribbling something new into the New Life List, her rationality screaming in the background at the impulsivity.

After a few seconds of frantic writing, she tapped the notebook against Hinoka's shoulder, face turned away in embarrassment.

Her girlfriend's eyes scanned over the new entry, widening. Then, a grin as she read the words aloud:

"Have an Intimate Encounter with Someone Special (because I'm hopelessly enraptured by my partner)?"

The penguin's soul stepped onto the express train platform, ready to depart from her body.

WHY DID SHE HAVE TO SAY IT OUT LOUD?!

Hinoka chuckled, relaxing once more into Miyami's bosom.

"Mmm, I'm guessing you were referring to this, but uh, I think 'intimate encounter' could usually be classified as something a little… more than this. Don'tcha think?" She gestured over to the bedroom with her eyes.

Miyami's soul pulled out from the station at full speed!

"H-hey, don't worry, was just a joke. Mostly," her girlfriend clarified, looking back up to her. "I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page here."

"…" Miyami's brain reengaged, processing the statement before nodding, voice now thoroughly disabled. She'd been so caught up in the moment that it was hard not to consider the option of… more.

Her eyes lingered over the list again. That was a possibility though, right? The two had been dating for three months now. Was that long enough to be ready to go further than just cuddling and making out on the couch?

The train slowed down a fraction, giving her a chance to take in the mental scenery as her mind drifted to the idea. The thought had crossed her mind more than once in the last few weeks, but…

She felt Hinoka's fingers slip in between her own, and the shorter girl squeezed gently, retreating to an upright position. "Hey. We can drop the subject if you're getting uncomfortable. Seriously."

The train stopped as it pulled into the station, letting her soul off at the destination.

"…"

Miyami looked at her girlfriend, then at the list, then back to her girlfriend.

The point of it all was to get her to try things out and experience new things, right? And if it was with Hinoka…

"W-we can just continue and… see where it goes tonight?" she said, her voice barely able to get the words out.

Her partner blinked in surprise, but when their eyes met again, Miyami's intent was clear.

A breeze from the window blew against their faces, stirring loose strands of hair.

They existed in a pocket of space, a moment in time that stretched as the universe waited to see which of the two would make the first move.

Hinoka broke the silence first.

"If you're fine with it, I'd be more than happy to." Then she smirked. "But uh, regardless of what happens, let's finish the rest of dinner first, yeah? The food will get cold otherwise. And I wouldn't wanna waste an amazing meal from my girlfriend~"

Miyami nodded, trying to calm her nerves as the two returned to their original seats. She took a bite of the katsu, her tongue registering the taste, but her mind not fully present.

She couldn't stop thinking of dessert.