Curried Favors

Haru stared at the normal house that Kasumi lived in. For a moment, he was lost in thought, recalling their talk not long ago. The clatter of a window opening interrupted him.

“Oh, that bro is back again!”

Yuta, Kasumi’s younger brother, hung out the window with leery eyes, clutching Horn-kun. This time, Haru waved back before shooting him a ‘cool’ pose.

“What a dork,” Yuta said before climbing back in, having lost interest. Somehow, that deflated Haru more than any kind of teasing Megu had subjected him to.

“Don’t mind him. Come in.” Kasumi waved a bag of groceries before him. They had stopped by the supermarket after leaving the maid café. The standard ingredients for curry was simple enough for a beginner. Haru agreed. Anything that was all thrown into a pot and left to simmer for ages sounded foolproof, especially when the box of curry roux gave step-by-step directions. Easy enough for a child. Easy enough for Grace.

The door slid open and the two of them walked in. A single head popped out of a doorway in the back before smirking and ducking back in.

“Mom, I brought a friend over!”

“That’s nice, dear. Have fuuuuun!”

The prompt yet suspicious response gave Haru a shiver. He was well familiar with ‘parental guidance’. And in this case, Kasumi’s mother felt like a hawk shrinking back into a tree to remain ‘hidden’.

Kasumi guided Haru out of his hesitation and right into the kitchen. “Don’t worry about mom and Yuta. They know to stay out of the way if they know what’s good for them.”

Haru turned back with a look that spoke, “How can you be so sure?” A jar of hot sauce hidden among the groceries, along with a devilish grin, was enough for Haru to piece it together. They were making dinner for everyone, after all.

Haru looked around, at the sink, the cabinets, and the countertops. A head tilt from Kasumi made him realize that he was acting just like Grace did, overly curious and all over the place. The kitchen was nothing special; the one in his house had far more bells and whistles due to being high-end. But he never really took notice of them before. Food was handed to him on a plate.

“Here, make yourself useful and chop.” Kasumi handed him a cutting board. Onions and carrots spilled out of a bag and stopped just before it. Haru grabbed an onion, took the knife handed to him, and raised it.

Wait, I’m about to make the same mistake as Grace.

“Help me, I’m incompetent, Kasumi-chan.” He gave her puppy dog eyes, the kind that worked on his friends. Kasumi just gave him a sigh.

She took the knife and deftly sliced an onion, and then a carrot. With a slick flip of the handle, she handed it back and winked. Haru smiled at the assistance.

“Thank you. I have now traced your movements. Your skills are now mine!” Haru added an evil laugh, getting a carrot to the back of the head for it.

But as Haru went to the cutting board, he proved that his mimicry was not an exaggeration. Using the same motions, he sped through the remaining vegetables. Kasumi watched that nimbleness with disbelief.

“Are you pulling my leg?”

“No, I am simply applying my plethora of other skills toward a monotonous set of motions.”

That wasn’t an exaggeration on Haru’s part. Strumming the notes to a difficult song was easy enough with some visual aid. It was a lack of example that formed a disconnect in his brain. If he saw the motions, he could instantly catch on. And by extension, Kasumi’s demo gave him the knowhow to follow through.

She glared suspiciously at the curry simmering in the pot. One taste of it had revealed no missteps. Haru was a perfectly good sous chef when given the proper guidance.

“One question. Why didn’t you just Yestube a tutorial if you wanted to cook?”

“If I did, then I wouldn’t have an excuse to spend time with you.”

Kasumi blushed. “You came up with that just now didn’t you.”

“Maybe.”

Haru took her hand and held it. Perhaps, it was the allure of wanting to take action with someone at his side. He stopped thinking that everything could be found within the confines of his room. He had to reach out and expand. Just like what he did for Grace.

A face slowly slid into their vision, causing them both to jump.

“M-Mom!”

Haru, on the other hand, quietly had a heart attack. For a moment, he had forgotten that he was in someone else’s home. Some gentlemanly guest he was. But a pat on the shoulder from Kasumi’s mother left a residue of reassurance. She took one whiff at the pot of curry before checking out of the kitchen. It was a modest approval, if Haru had read the signs correctly.

#####

Later that evening, Haru found himself before a giant hibachi table – a stack of vegetables on the right, a plate of meat on the left, and noodles as well. He grabbed a pepper, an onion, and a yellow squash, throwing them all onto the flat-iron grill. Twirling a knife in hand, his movements became a blur as the veggies were sliced and diced before the surface had even warmed up.

Steak, quartered and cubed. Chicken, bite-sized. Haru’s rhythmic chopping created a melody before the sound of a piano joined in. He looked up to find Grace in a maid outfit again, playing a random tune. He couldn’t help but join in, the clacking of knife against metal surface adding to the beat. A strange duet was formed as their meal was being prepared.

With everything cooked, Haru gave a hearty cry and tossed it all onto a plate which he flung across the room. Grace was ready for it, catching the meal discus before setting it onto a neatly dressed table. Another came, caught and served like before.

It was nice to have a meal prepared by hand, even within a dream. For once, Haru wanted to lead, applying a bit of realistic charm to their fantasies. And while he had offered to teach Grace, she refused. Magic was more her style.

They both sat down to enjoy their dinner date, but then, Grace let out a giggle.

“I’m sorry. You’re doing all this for me, but I can help but laugh.”

“I’ve gotten used to it. It’s far milder than that jellyfish outfit you put on me last time.”

Haru smoothed the apron against the dress on his thighs. He fixed his hair and tucked it back under the headdress. And not minding it in the slightest, he began to eat.

Haru arrived wearing the same maid outfit as Grace, but he took it in stride. He would blame Megu at the maid café as the culprit. Haru knew his mind would play games on him as soon as any mention of him ‘trying it on’ came up.

Of course, no one would care if he wore it in a dream, so he just let it be. It was yet another way to amuse the bubbly girl across from him. And he wished for nothing else but to watch her enjoy every moment of it.

Haru woke up soon after their dinner outing had finished, the alarm next to his bed calling out to him a little earlier than normal. He leapt to his feet in hopes for a chance to flex. Now, it was up to him to make the most of his newfound knowledge.

The fancy kitchen that his parents owned would finally see use from him. He would return the favor of Kasumi’s help by making a meal for her. With the ingredients set on the counter and everything chopped and prepped, he got some cookware and…

…promptly stared at the multipurpose, 10-setting, smartphone activated, Bluetooth enabled stove that lacked the normal knobs and buttons that Kasumi showed him.

I need an app for this!!!