Training Begins with a Soft-Boiled Egg!

Kuro woke up because he smelled smoke.

“Shit, shit, shit!”, he heard Hinako curse.

Kuro had a bad feeling as he opened his eyes and rose up. He looked over to the kitchen where he spotted the panicked young woman struggling to beat out the flames in a pan on the stove with a tea cloth. Kuro rushed over grabbed the lid of the pan and smothered the flame with it.

“I would really appreciate it if you could refrain from burning this house down… I really like the place, and it was cheap…”, he said and turned around.

“I-I… am so s-sorry… I… didn’t mean to… sorry…”, stuttered Hinako.

Kuro saw her distraught face and slightly teary eyes. It could have been because of the smoke, but he kinda knew it wasn’t. Kuro quickly made some hand gestures and the windows opened, letting the smoke out and fresh air in.

“How many houses have you burned down already?”, he asked nonchalantly.

“What? Uhm… four…”, Hinako replied hesitantly and sniffled a bit.

“Four?!”

“I think, I should lea-“

“Damn, that’s weak! I expected more! My Mum and I had to move seven times before I was ten, because I destroyed our home on accident until I had control over my magic… Well, the destroying of houses didn’t really stop then, only the type of accidents… not all were my faults, I swear! So don’t worry, I am in no position to be angry about an accident.”

Kuro smiled as he recalled some of those accidents. Hinako looked at him confused at first but then began to chuckle.

“Now, that’s better! Soo… was there a reason, you tried to burn down my house or was it just because you hate me?”, Kuro inquired, still smiling.

“I… wanted to make you eggs and bacon for breakfast, as a thanks for letting me stay here and… I tried to speed it up a bit with some magic, but… I went a bit… overboard…”, Hinako explained bit flustered.

“A bit overboard, huh?”

Kuro raised his eyebrow and watched the young woman fidget around. Then he took off the lid and looked at the eggy and bacony bits of charcoal in the pan.

“What are you…? Wait! You can eat th-“, Hinako exclaimed, shocked as she watched Kuro grab the black pieces and wolf it down.

“Yep… you definitely went a … bit… overboard there. For future references, I prefer my food to be a bit less charcoal flavored. They say that the kiss of charcoal brings flavor to the food, but I think they’re referring to more of a peck on the cheek… not full-on tongue.”, Kuro remarked after washing the meal down with some water.

Hinako looked at him in disbelief for a few moments and then burst out in laughter.

“Okay… since you made this mess, you’ll have to clean up… I’ll go and buy some things, be right back.”, Kuro said and left without waiting for an answer.

Hinako watched him leave the room and just shook her head, still chuckling a bit.

“Strange old man…”, she mumbled.

“I heard that!”, came Kuro’s response from the entrance hallway.

Then she heard him leave. Hinako looked at the stove. Luckily the flames were contained only the pan, so there was not much to clean up.

I should really stop trying these delicate spells… I’m just not cut out for it…

Hinako just finished scrubbing the pan as she heard the door to the apartment open again. Moments later Kuro entered with a grocery bag in hand.

“What do you have there?”, Hinako asked curiously.

“Training.”, answered Kuro curtly.

He put the bag on the table and grabbed the egg carton from inside of it.

“Training?”, asked Hinako confused as she watched him take one egg from the carton.

“Yes. Soft-boiled, please.”, Kuro said and held out the egg in front of her.

“What? I don’t… understand…”

“What’s so hard to understand? I want a soft-boiled egg and you’re gonna make it for me.”

Hinako looked confused at the egg in Kuro’s hand. She hesitantly reached for it but Kuro pulled his arm back.

“Ah ah, no touching my egg!”, he said with a strict tone.

“But how should I…”, Hinako remarked confused.

“How do you think, fiery young lady?”

“But… I could burn you…”

“Isn’t that what you want?”

“No… yes… but…”

“Stop worrying about me and focus on the egg. You saw it yesterday. I don’t burn that easily.”

Hinako gave him a strange look, but Kuro just held out the egg in front of her. She sighed but then focused on the egg and started forming gestures with her hand, drawing glyphs. Kuro felt the air above his hand heat up and saw tiny flames appearing. After a few moments she stopped and looked at Kuro.

“Soft-boiled?”, he asked.

“I think so… maybe…”, she gave a hesitant answer.

Kuro touched the top of the egg with tip of his index finger from his other hand, and the shell broke off a bit. He then held it with the opening down above his mouth. Hinako watched in shock as the still raw egg dripped down into his mouth.

“I’m no chef, but I think that’s what you would call raw. Slightly warm though…”, he commented after swallowing and threw away the rest of the shell.

Kuro then grabbed a new egg out of the carton and held it out again.

“Soft-boiled, please.”, he just said again.

Hinako sighed and tried again.

“Still mostly raw with a few chunky bits… again.”, Kuro commented her second attempt.

The third and fourth time ended with similar results.

“More power young lady! And don’t tell me again, that you are worried you could burn me… We both know, that isn’t true.”, Kuro stated as he held out the fifth egg.

Hinako gave him an annoyed look and tried again with more power this time. The egg in Kuro’s hand caught fire instantly.

“Shit!”, Hinako yelled panicked.

“Is it done?”, Kuro asked calmly.

“What?

“Is the egg is soft-boiled already?”

“It’s fucking burning dude!”

“It definitely is, but do you think it’s ready?”

“What? Fuck… YES!”

Kuro blew on the egg extinguishing the flames. He looked at the still smoking black egg shape in his hand and raised his eyebrow.

“Does this look like a soft-boiled egg to you?”, Kuro asked casually.

“No…”, she admitted angrily.

“What does it look like to you?”

“Like a fucking burned piece of egg coal!”

Kuro popped the whole thing into his mouth.

“Yep, you’re right on that one. Good, at least your eyes seem to work.”, he commented after crunching down on the egg coal and swallowing it.

“What are you doing? This is so stupid and useless! I’m not cut out for this! I’m a battle mage not a fucking egg cooker!”, Hinako yelled aggravated.

“Huh… well look at that!”

“What!?”

“It seems like it’s easier than I thought to make you give up, Miss I am no quitter…”

Hinako gave him a defiant look. Kuro smiled and grabbed the next egg.

“Soft-boiled, please.”, he requested for the sixth time and held out the egg in front of her.

Kuro would not admit it, but he enjoyed watching the young woman struggle. It invoked a very nostalgic feeling in him, with the only difference being that he was now the one holding the egg. One hour, a lot of raw eggs, some charred ones, but even two hard-boiled ones later Kuro grabbed the last one from the carton.

“Okay, last chance! Soft-boiled, please!”, Kuro requested one last time.

Hinako closed her eyes, focused and made her hand gestures drawing the appropriate glyphs into the air. Kuro felt the air around the egg heating up slowly. Small flames appeared around the egg but leaving a thin air layer in between. Hinako held the spell for a while, carefully maintaining the intensity. Then she let the flames dissipate.

“There! Soft-boiled! Just like you asked!”, Hinako exclaimed proudly.

“We’ll see about that…”, remarked Kuro, but he already knew the result.

He broke open the egg with a gentle tap. The egg was fully cooked on the outside. Kuro bit into it.

“And? Tell me what I want to hear old man!”, Hinako demanded with a wide grin.

Kuro looked at her for a moment with the egg half stuck in his mouth. Then he bit through and titled the lower part towards her, so she could see the runny yolk.

“Oh yeah! I knew it! Piece of cake!”, Hinako yelled raising her arms in triumph.

“Well… only took you the whole carton, but hey, you did it! Congratulations, you managed to soft boil an egg!”, Kuro remarked with a hint of sarcasm, but Hinako didn’t care.

“What’s next?”, She asked expectantly.

“Well Miss Egg Cooker… Time for you to get changed while I tend to some urgent business.”

“What business?”