Collection 7

Tsundere Ball

“Ohayou, Yoshiyuki-kun!” beamed Rikako.

“Ah, Riri. But it’s lunch already.”

“Eheheh. Guess I’m a little late, huh? Is Grandma around?”

“She’s in the garden, she’ll be here soon.

Rikako began to set the table with the pies and rice balls and other stuff Aunt Maruko sent over, while Yoshiyuki helped with the tableware. Whilst they were busy, Granny arrived, pleasantly surprised. “Oh. Is it my birthday or something?”

“Konnichiwa, Hatase-san," said Rikako with a bow. “Auntie loved your matcha so much.”

The old lady laughed heartily. “So she’s returning the favor, eh? But I can’t make any this week. My hands will be full at the office.”

“Oh, no, no! It’s really an honor for us to give you all this. Please eat up.”

After the lunch, the two went out to sit at the porch for a bit for some small talk. As she stood to go, she took his hand and planted something in it. Candy? It was a small ball in a fancy wrapper. “I dare you to eat that, Yoshiyuki. I made it myself. It’s about time I cooked up something different, don’t you think?” Wink. She gave him a friendly peck and left.

A short while after he unwrapped the thing and saw it was some sort of chocolate. Huh. He popped it in his mouth—Ugh. He popped it back onto his hand. It was super spicy. So there’s such a thing as “hot chocolate,” eh? (Did she get the idea from History class where the first chocolate was a Mayan drink flavored with chilies?) But then, he didn’t exactly want to waste a gift, did he? So he wiped it with a hanky and popped it back in despite himself and rolled it around in his mouth with a grimace. In a moment, the spiciness faded away into the slightly-bitter taste of dark chocolate, and then finally, a rich, sweet flavor. “Something different,” huh? It was good old Rikako sweetness only she can pull off.

Shortly afterwards he received an e-mail.

Pass the test.... and take the treat. ;)

The Biggest Wolfer

“Zuraaaa…yo.”

Camera on.

Right after pressing the button Kanako ran over to where Anju stood next to the table, where something large was covered by a huge waiter’s cloche. “Hi-ah! This is Master Chef Kan-chan, and this is my assistant for today, An-chi.”

“Assistant?” she grumbled. “I’m the host, dummy, you should let me talk first.”

“Just admit it,” she replied, smug, “I’ve got the better TV personality.”

Sigh. “Anyway, there are no chefs, alright? Behave yourself.”

“We ain’t cookin’ anything? Then what are the fancy aprons for?”

“I told ‘ya already! They’re to keep our clothes clear when we eat our treat for today.”

“Heh. You mean when me eats them treats for today, zura.”

“That’s right! The challenge is for Kan-chan to eat the treat for today, right here, only one teaspoon at a time! Any bit more than that and she’s out. She took her aside for a moment. “Can you zoom the cam to me? You’re having too much screentime already.” (Kanako complied.) “Man, this will be a pain to edit. Anyway! The real question is….!” Her voice fell to an excited whisper. “Can an absolute pig resist a meal as mouthwatering and supersized as this?! A giant Black Forest cake! Even someone with a ton more willpower like me would have a hard time.” Zoom out. “Alright! Let’s get it on! Are you rrrready, Kan-chan?”

“Sure. Fire away.”

She quickly went over to the table and with a thunderous “Jaaaannnnnn!” uncovered— “Hah?!” Exactly one teaspoonful of cake was left on the plate! “Cheat! I didn’t tell you to eat yet!”

“Eat?” There was still icing on her chin. “Ohohohoho nooooo~ let’s not put it that way… Let’s just say I tucked it away for safekeeping, zura. Shall I return it now????”

“Urrrrrgh….”

Odango Nanan

“Oh, hello, Kan-chan,” smiled Nanaka. The first-year just brought lunch in the faculty room. “Is that for me? Moh, you shouldn’t have bothered, I have my own.”

“It’s OK! You take the time to come over and teach on top of the dive shop, and on top of the club. This is all I can give, zura.”

“Don’t worry about that, I love our school! And the pay isn’t bad for a part-timer.”

Kanako giggled softly. “Say, Nanan-senpai, what do you do with the money?”

“Hm? Why of course I help out with the shop expenses. For one, you know that power rates can be a pain out here in the islands.”

“So you don’t buy anything for yourself? At all?”

“What can I possibly buy for myself?”

She was taken aback. “Eh? You never thought to get a makeover once in a while?”

“Some of our customers gift me with herbal shampoos and lotions, I think that’s enough.”

“Is not! I gonna look for a stylist, zura. I’m sure Shuka-shu knows one from the cruise, zura!”

She laughed. “It’s fine. I like myself as I am.”

“...or better yet, let me do an odango on your hair, just like mine!”

“Huh...?”

“It will be fabulous, zura! I think it’ll look superb on you.”

Nanaka imagined herself for a moment with twin buns..... Well...? “I-It’s nice, but… you know… people might not recognize me.”

Kanako looked her over for a moment.... and she had to agree. Nanan-chan’s right, she likes herself as she is, and now Kan-chan realized with a bright expression she also likes Nanaka as Nanaka, so she went and hugged her from behind. “Nanan-senpai is the best Nanan-chan in the seven seas!”

“H-Hey!” she laughed. “Hold it, everybody will stare at us!”