where brain farts become word diarrhoea.

Beside her, taking the wheel of the SUV that they had rented, Eishi briefly took his gaze off the road to glance at the miserable lump that was his girlfriend.

“Still hungover?”

She responded with an unintelligible mumble, hunching even further into her seat like an upset turtle.

“This is why you shouldn’t have drunk so much last night,” he scolded lightly, not entirely sympathetic with her misery since it wasn’t as if she was dying or anything of that sort. She turned towards him and sent him what was probably a gimlet stare from behind the darkened lens of her shades, but his response to her crankiness was to grab a baseball cap sitting on the dashboard of the car and place it on the top of her head, further shading her sensitive eyes from the bright morning sun.

“Rest. I’ll wake you at a pit stop.”

She was feeling a lot more like herself a couple of hours later, though still a bit quieter than usual. He had made sure that she was properly watered down and also had some food in her, so she was a lot less irritable, and was even beginning to gaze at their surroundings with renewed interest. Soon, they would arrive at the sprawling olive grove and vineyard where they would be spending the majority of this trip, nestled in the charming, rustic countryside of southeastern Sicily. As they got closer and closer to their destination, so grew Rindou’s interest and anticipation, and by the time they pulled into the massive, eighty-hectare farm of Pianogrillo, the redhead was already vibrating uncontrollably, beside herself with excitement.

“Tsukasa, look!” She turned to him with sparkling eyes and a giddy smile stretched across her face. “Isn’t this awesome? I can just smell all the adventures to be had here, already!!” She wound down the side window and stuck her head out of the car, taking deep lungfuls of the crisp country air as they drove past neat lines of olive groves and fruit orchards on a graveled road, an irrepressible grin growing.

A friend of a friend had recommended this place for a farmstay when Rindou had been researching for things to do in this region, and she was glad that she had taken up that suggestion and made a booking – the farm was even more gorgeous than what she had seen in the photos, with its sprawling vineyards that stretched out as far as the eye could see and that beautiful view of the majestic Sicilian mountain range in the distance. She could not wait to get out of the car and start exploring the grounds.

Eishi was bemused by her rousing enthusiasm. Undoubtedly she had been to even more exotic places than this for her work, but no matter where they went, she was always excited and happily marveling at the sights and, of course, exclaiming over the food. No wonder she was so well suited for her role on screen; she was so infectiously bubbly, he wanted to smile.

“Are you really that excited about this trip?” he asked.

She turned to him and peered at him incredulously, as if surprised that he even had to ask. “Of course, duh! I’m here and you’re here and we’re both at this very same place looking at the same views and sharing the same experiences! Don’t you think that’s special? I wonder what fun we’re gonna have here; we should go on more trips together, Tsukasa!”

He glanced briefly at her, lips twitching at her palpable exuberance as she chattered away a mile a minute. Her mood was definitely fully revived now, and it made him happy too, knowing that she wanted to visit all these faraway and foreign places with him and share her pleasure and delight with him.

“Yeah. Let’s travel together more from now on.”

They pulled into the front yard of the guesthouse and Rindou wasted no time climbing out of the car, grinning from ear to ear as she turned in a circle and gazed all around her. The actual working farmstead was a fair distance away and she thought that she could also see the stables just partially hidden up ahead along the road. There was even an infinity pool nestled right beside the guesthouse, and the 17th century architecture of all the holdings on the property had been painstakingly preserved and restored to exactly how they used to look in the past.

Eishi got out of the driver’s seat as well, pulling his shades up to rest on the top of his head as he looked curiously around too. There was farmland stretched out all the way to the horizon no matter which direction he turned; endless plots of orchards and vineyards cultivated upon gently undulating hills and rolling knolls, and it was almost disconcerting, all this amount of vast wide space that were utterly devoid of crowds and people, nothing but nature, flora and fauna all abound. It would take a bit of getting used to, but the white-haired man thought that it was already starting to feel like a peaceful, stress-free kind of vacation. Hopefully.

He turned to head to the back of the car to unload their bags when Rindou loped back to him and grabbed his hand, pulling him along in an entirely random direction.

“C’mon minion number two, let’s venture upon these virgin lands and go explore!”

“But our stuff-”

“Do that later, let’s go, let’s gooo! Ah! That’s the pig pasture over there, isn’t it! I’m pretty sure they are rearing free range Sicilian Black Pigs here; don’t you wanna go see-”

She was already salivating at the thought of those delicious, organic pork chops rooting about the woodlands, happy and plump. Eishi’s wilted determination was no match for that sort of motivation fueling her, and so he was promptly dragged along. They didn’t get too far though, for a horse with a rider approached them at leisurely canter from the farm, waving them to a stop as he neared. The steed was a tall, handsome equine with a sleek chestnut coat though Eishi was not familiar enough with horses to determine its breed, and its rider was a dark haired, goateed, middle aged man dressed casually in jeans, a plaid shirt and dusty riding boots.

“Bon vinutu! Welcome to Pianogrillo!” he called out in a heavily accented English as he drew to a halt in front of them. Flashing a smile, his gleaming white teeth stood out against his tanned, olive complexion.  

“Ciau~!” Rindou greeted back cheerfully, her ears perking at the familiar voice. “Are you signore Lorenzo?”

The man dismounted from his horse and turned to them. “Se, I most certainly am! And you must be the newlyweds! Congratulations, my dears. How was your drive here? I hope it was nice and uneventful.” Lorenzo unhooked a ring of keys from his belt loop and jingled them merrily. “Come; let us go first to the guest house and then I’ll show you around. We’ve prepared the most beautiful honeymoon suite for you lovebirds, I promise you’ll fall in love here all over again! Then we shall open a nice bottle of sweet wine to toast to your happiness!”

Eishi did a small, gaping double take as Lorenzo herded them back towards the guesthouse. Then he stared at Rindou, bewildered.

…Newlyweds…?

To his wonder, Rindou happily, gamely, accepted the offer. “Thanks for the hospitality, Lorenzo-san! We’re in your care!”

“So. We’re…married now?” Eishi asked his beaming ‘wife’ drolly while they were waiting for their gregarious host to tether his horse to a nearby hitching post.

The redhead grinned. “Why not? You don’t wanna?”

“I did not say that,” he was quick to refute. “Though it’d be nice if you can give me some warning next time since apparently I’ve missed my own wedding.”

She petted his arm consolingly, amused that he was playing along. “S’okay! Your beautiful, patient and considerate bride understands that you were busy with work. But feel free to make it up to me during our honeymoon…or I may just run off with some handsome Italian stallion when you aren’t looking~”

He gave her a deadpan stare…and then he glanced pointedly at their surroundings, where there was nothing but farmland all around.

“…Where in this countryside, pray tell, are you planning to wrangle a ‘handsome Italian stallion,’ my wayward, runaway bride?” he asked politely.

She coughed to mask a laugh at his deceptively mild question. She widened her eyes earnestly. “When there’s a will, there’s a way. And I’m a very determined woman, as you know!”

“I’ll paddle your backside,” he muttered in response, and she snickered.

“Is that a bribe~?” she asked innocuously, gold slit gaze sparkling with mirth and anticipation, and he groaned.

“You’re terribly unruly,” he chided.

“But you married me anyway,” she reminded him cheekily. “S’too late for returns now~!”  

He grabbed her hand and tugged her close before she could skip off in her excitement like she tended to do sometimes. “Who says I’m returning you?” he retorted. “You may be a handful but I know how to handle you.”

His bossiness was intriguing to her, and so she obediently stayed close, also partially pleased by his confidence when it came to being with her. She sidled over, tiptoed, and pecked his cheek, pleased to enjoy the thrilling luxury of his undivided attention, especially since they had both been so busy with work lately.

“Is that a threat?”

His lavender gaze settled on her, quietly darkening at her happy affection.  

“It’s a promise.”

xXxXxXxXxX

He slogged over and plopped down on the sofa unceremoniously. He usually possessed more grace and decorum than that, so his actions spoke for his level of exhaustion. Rindou reached out and tousled his hair. Without a word, he turned his face into the side of her neck and breathed her in. She craned her head and let him rest against her.

“Long day?” Her fingertips lazily scraped against his scalp, and he sighed, exhaling at the contact. His arm snaked around the back of her expanded waist, palm splayed flat against the side of her swollen belly, quietly caressing her. She snuggled happily into his touch.

“Mm,” he mumbled against her skin, just content to hold her. She was soft and warm and smelled so subtly sweet. It was nice to come home to her like this.

She let him do as he pleased, and continued to tuck into her tub of yogurt and watch her show. He’d perk up and start becoming more coherent once he was good and ready.

Sure enough, he stirred after a while, nose twitching as he raised his head a bit to investigate what she was eating.

“What are you having?” he asked. “You didn’t put strange things in there again, did you?”

He really was such a worrywart. In response, she scooped a spoonful of her yogurt and fed him. “Taste for yourself; I’ve been good! It’s all the boring stuff that you’ve been nagging me to eat more of.”

Sure enough, it was a fairly regular mix of muesli, granola, nuts, chia seeds and frozen berries. This time, it was his turn to lift his hand and pet her on the top of her head. “Good girl.”

She mock scowled at him. “Are you patronizing me, mister?”

“I’m not. Give me more. I’m hungry too.”

“Eh? Why must I? Why are you stealing food from a pregnant woman?” She sounded rather offended as she hugged the tub of yogurt possessively to her chest, and he looked equally offended by her unwillingness to share.

“I’ve been working hard to support this family, haven’t I?”

“I’ve been working really hard too! I’ve been 3D printing a baby for more than half a year; it’s a lot of effort!”

Despite all that protesting, she did deign to share her snack with him even as she muttered. They sat there and took turns with the spoon. Eishi seemed in danger of nodding off again.

“Everything okay?” she asked. He nodded sleepily against her.

“Mm.” Then he groaned. “I don’t want to open another restaurant ever again.”

She snorted at his remark. “It’s tough being a perfectionist, huh.”

He squeezed her in retaliation. “Are you going to nag me now, woman.”

She tugged lightly at his snowy white hair, amused by his disgruntlement. “Who are you calling a nag, you grumpy old man?”

“I’m not old; my hair is just naturally white,” he muttered in protest. It wasn’t anything that she hadn’t heard before. She cackled.

“That excuse’s not gonna hold forever, you know.”

“What are you doin’?”

Seven-year-old Eishi jumped slightly, startled by the inquisitive chirp that had rang out beside him. He had been so engrossed in his artwork, he hadn’t even noticed that someone had wandered over and had been peeking curiously over his shoulder for quite a while now.  

The white-haired boy anxiously eyed his canvas, meticulously making sure that he hadn’t accidentally streaked paint over the painting that he had painstakingly labored on for the last hour or so thanks to the scare.

“Hey, hey! What are you doin’?”

The kid who had popped out of nowhere nudged him this time to get his attention, much to his alarm. He quickly pulled away, very careful to keep his paintbrush from his painting. There was no way he was going to mess up and undo all of his hard work.  

“What are you doing?” he retorted back with ruffled agitation, frowning a little. Eishi turned his head to find the source of his problem, only to pause in hesitant bewilderment when he abruptly realized that the other was not anyone he had seen before from class. A stranger.

“That’s my question!” the other child mirthfully informed him. “I asked first!”

Eishi had never seen hair that color ever. So vivid, so red. It was cropped short to the other boy’s nape and barely covered his ears in a pixie cut, and it was very fluffy. He stared. The other boy’s eyes were sharp and bright and gold, and the shape reminded him of a cat’s. He had never seen anyone like that before, with those weird pretty eyes. The redhead looked like he was also a second grader, dressed plainly in shirt and shorts and flipflops, and he was also staring at him with such friendly, eager inquisitiveness, Eishi was a bit bowled over by all that positive attention.

Most of the kids their age tended to avoid him once they got to know him, so…

The white-haired boy slowly, bewilderedly, replied.

“I’m…painting…?”

The other boy’s face lit up with interest.

“Cool! Izzit fun? ‘Coz you look like you’re havin’ loads of fun! What are you painting? Do you paint a lot? What d’ya like painting the most-” Eishi was promptly overwhelmed by a barrage of enthusiastic questions, and the other kid crowded over once again to look at his progress so far. This time, Eishi didn’t seem to mind as much, though he still made sure to put his brush down and his palette away from his random, strangely boisterous companion just in case the latter knocked the paints onto his canvas.

He pointed slowly at the large tree just a bit in front of them, at the same time, feeling a bit flustered and pleased that someone his age was paying so much attention to his work. “…I’m painting that.”

The kid squatting beside him followed the line of his finger and squinted at the tree just a short distance away. His fascinated expression grew animated with excitement once he noticed the likeness of the painting and the subject.

“Oooh! I see it, I see it!!” the boy exclaimed and whipped his head around to gaze at him with awe. “You really did that all on your own? How wicked is that? It looks just like the real thing! D’ya have more? What else have you drawn? I wanna see, I wanna see! Show me!”

Eishi blushed at the effusive barrage of praise that his new companion was piling on him. It was impossible not to feel flustered.

“I-I didn’t bring my sketchbook,” he stammered, suddenly a bit shy.

“Aww…!” the child beside him wilted a bit with disappointment, but then he picked himself up again quickly enough. “Hey, show me your artworks next time, ‘kay! Show me your favorite! I bet it’s gonna be a super fun, super cool one!” he suggested, and Eishi hesitated briefly, a confused look briefly crossing his features. …Super fun…super cool?

“I’ll try…” he agreed dubiously, and the bubbly redhead beamed at him so delightedly, the white-haired child could not help but feel his cheeks flush pink.

“Do you…do you paint too?” he asked.

The chirpy boy shook his head. “Nope~! I’m not allowed to ‘nymore! Rai-nii’s still mad at me for fillin’ up water balloons using his school paints last week, so I’m not allowed to touch paints anymore. Mama scolded me soooo much!” He was pouting something fierce at the ban, and Eishi had the strangest look on his face.

“…Why…would you do that?”

The other boy shot him an incredulous stare. “For water balloon fights, of course! Haven’t you had water balloon fights with your brothers before? It’s super fun!!”

He shook his head slowly, reluctantly intrigued. Water balloon fights…? That actually sounded like kind of fun. “I don’t have brothers…or sisters. Only me.”

“…Oh.” The other second grader looked at him like he was trying really hard not to feel sorry for him. “What ‘bout your friends? Those kids painting over there are your friends, aren’t they? Why don’t you play with them?”

He pointed curiously at the cluster of students at the edge of the meadow all working on their own artworks as well. Sensei was there overseeing the class, and every once in a while, she came over to make sure that Eishi was alright, too. Nobody else in class had wanted to work on their paintings near him once he had decided to wander a bit further from the main group to paint his tree. Sensei had tried to convince him to paint something closer to the rest of the group but Eishi had quietly insisted otherwise, so there was that.

“…They’re my classmates,” Eishi shared quietly. “I don’t think they like me very much.”

Golden eyes watched him with interest. “Why not? You draw so good, and you’re kinda funny, too! You’d make a great sidekick- I mean, friend!”

Eishi shot him a mystified stare. He also hesitated, wondering if he told the truth, this boy would go away, too.  

“…They say that I’m selfish.”

The boy’s head tipped to the side inquisitively. His gaze was open, unhesitating, transparent. There was no wariness whatsoever, no doubt. And he did not look like he was going to go away.

“Huh. Are you?”

Eishi shrugged slowly, a strange look crossing his face at the question. No one had asked him that, before. “I guess…I am.”

The other boy started to snicker, shoulders quivering with mirth. “You guess? So are you or are you not?!”

And so the story of how he had ‘borrowed’ the paint of another classmate just because he decided that color would look good on his own painting sheepishly spilled out.

“Wow, you really are kinda a handful!” the smaller redhead declared when he finished, lips still tipped up with irrepressible amusement. He also laughed rather obnoxiously. “No wonder your classmates don’t like you!”

Before Eishi could slump at the insensitive but truthful declaration and go right into a depressed huddle, his companion reached behind and slapped him on the back of his shoulders in encouragement. It was sort of painful, but he was too distracted by the other’s cheerful demeanor to be upset anymore.

“Hey, I got an idea! Next time, why don’t you try asking first before taking people’s things?” Those golden eyes squinted at him up and down consideringly. “And you’re really cute, too! So if you ask nicely and politely, I bet your classmates will help you out for sure!”

Eishi blushed, again. He had never met someone his age who was so friendly and nice and warm. “You really think so?”

“Uh-huh!” the redhead nodded, resolute and confident. “I know so!”

“T-Then,” he stammered as he gathered his courage. “Will you be my f-friend?”

The other boy stared at him. And then he broke out into a large smile, bright as the sun. “What are you talkin’ ‘bout? We’re already friends, aren’t we!”

A warm glow grew in his chest. His first friend.

“Yes.”

His new friend beamed at him. “And I’ve got just the thing for ya!! It’s my most precious thing at the moment but I’ll give it to you-”

He watched curiously at the boy rooted about in the small sling bag that he wore slung over one shoulder. The redhead’s face brightened as his hand closed around whatever it was he had been searching for. He beckoned excitedly to Eishi- “Your hand, gimme your hand!!” -and grabbed the white-haired boy’s hand and pulled it nearer to him.

“Don’t let go, ‘kay? I worked really hard to find it! Promise!!”

Eishi was very bewildered. But his new friend was trusting him with something that was very important to him and so Eishi nodded his head. “Okay. I promise.”

The other second grader was peering at him a bit suspiciously, still. “Promise, promise? Cross your heart and hope to die, promise?”

He nodded again. “Cross my heart and hope to die.” He even did that thing and solemnly drew a cross over his heart with his finger, just to show that he was completely serious. His new friend beamed.

“’Kay, I believe ya!” And without hesitation, he pulled his hand out from within the confines of the bag and plopped the thing that he had been holding right on the palm of Eishi’s hand. “Hold it properly, don’t let go!”

The thing on his hand felt a bit prickly and ticklish against the flat of his palm, but hard and smooth against his fingertips. It was also moving. Eishi gaped down at his hand in shock when the other boy moved his hand away and revealed the mystery thing that he had been given.

It was a bug. It was a very huge bug.

Black shelled and shiny and possessing an enormous rack of ominously looking horns, it was the biggest bug he had ever seen in all seven years of his life.

And he was holding it in his hand.  

Eishi turned white.

His companion glowed with happy pride.

“He’s a beauty, isn’t he? It took me days just to find and catch him!”

“…It’s a bug.” He sounded like he was going to faint. He started to tremble. “You gave me a bug.” Was he being bullied?

“Oi! S’not just a bug; it’s a Rhinoceros beetle! D’ya know how rare they are?”

“B-But what am I supposed to do with it?” Eishi was stiff, everything was screaming at him to pitch the insect as far away as possible and then run away screaming down the meadow, but it was in the spirit of his promise to his friend that he was currently frozen solid as the enormous beetle slowly crawled on his hand.

“You can keep it as a pet!! You can make it your new friend, too!”

“…I d-don’t want t-to…”  

“Oh, c’mon! You really don’t hav’ta be such a girly girl, ya know! Insects are cool!”

Eishi turned his head mechanically to the redhead, brow furrowed in confusion. Something was not right…

“…But I’m not a girl. I’m a boy…like you.” And insects were not cool…

His companion frowned back at him, equally baffled.

“Hahh? But I’m not a boy! I’mma girl, like you!”

…Eh…?

And she would know intrinsically too, much to his chagrin.

He did not have to struggle futilely for the whole night, because as if aware of his mounting difficulties…or perhaps just plain exasperated with his indecisive dithering, the smart device in his hand vibrated impatiently with an incoming call, and the name that popped up on his Caller ID was both a comforting and sobering sight at the same time.

He picked up, of course. After a brief, hesitating pause. Mentally steeling himself, because it was…difficult not to be swept away by that surge of self-critical disappointment all over again.  

“…Hello.”

“Yo.”

In hindsight, he did not know what he was even feeling so anxious about. Just hearing that one word, just hearing that familiar voice filtered through the speaker from the other end, already possessed the miraculous effect of easing the stiff tension that had grown unbidden between his shoulders, bearing down on him like a heavy weight that entire day. He sighed her name.

“Rindou.”

There was some crinkling to be heard in ambient surroundings, as if she was snacking on something while on the phone with him at the same time. That casual familiarity soothed his nerves, because it was just like her to be so relaxed and comfortable around him. Before the conversation could lull and grow tense and awkward, she nonchalantly continued.

“I heard you got your ass handed to you today, Tsukasa~” his impish best friend all but singsonged.

Instead of feeling sorry and regretful over his loss, the woman actually sounded indecently gleeful instead. Even if he wanted to, it was hard to remain down in the doldrums when she was like this. He grew exasperated, remembering that sometimes she was the kind who liked to poke at people’s bruises, just to hear them yell.

“…You don’t beat around the bush, do you?” he deadpanned.

“Why should I?” she retorted between munches. “D’ya know how many texts I got this afternoon alone reporting your defeat to that Saiha dude? I practically received multiple blow-by-blow accounts, and they sent videos too; at least five different viewing angles of you getting your ass handed to you-”

Now, he was just plain mortified, never mind feeling sorry for himself.  

“What. Who texted you?” he demanded to know, flustered that she had to learn about it from other people instead of straight from him. His cheeks warmed in pique. “Why are people texting you anyway to tell you those things.”

“Yeah, I wonder why,” she replied in a tone that implied she didn’t even have to wonder at all. Their closeness wasn’t exactly a big secret to those who knew them in Tootsuki.

“Where are you now, anyway?” she changed the subject blithely. “Moping about in your room?”

“I’m not moping,” he spluttered in denial. Sure, he was feeling a bit morose and out of sorts, but that was because there was nothing to do since he no longer had to prepare for the next stage of the competition! Furthermore and strangely enough, his defeat today had not felt as crushingly overwhelming as that time in the aftermath of the Regiment Shokugeki. And more importantly- “Next time, wait patiently for my texts instead of listening to the gossips of other people.”

“Then text me quicker next time-”

A knock on the door had him distracted, and he got up to answer it, phone still cradled to his ear.

“-I thought you got so depressed you decided to commit seppuku with that long-assed nail file of yours. Hola~!”

He opened the door…and there she was, standing at the entrance, her digitally modulated reply abruptly becoming clear and distinct in real time. She was bright eyed and smirking at him,  just so irrepressibly buoyant it was as if she was a ray of sunshine herself.

Eishi blinked owlishly in surprise. “You are…here.” He quickly snapped out of his brief stupor. “Wait. What are you doing here?”

She brushed past him to get into his room. “Ta-da~ I came to offer my bosom for you to cry on, of course!”

He shut the door and turned to her, a funny look crossing his face, still half in disbelief…because she was supposed to be in Barcelona right now.

She looked like she had just stepped off a flight, and she had come bearing consolation gifts, too. “Look what I bought on the way here!” She swiveled to him and raised the plastic bags that she was holding. “Fried chicken and cheap beer are the best things to fix a broken heart!”

“My heart is not broken,” he retorted, nonplussed by her shining enthusiasm to bring light to his dark and tortured soul. “And will you put those drinks away; we’re still underaged.”

“Boo; you’re so straitlaced! What’s a bit of underaged drinking gonna do? We’d be twenty in a year or so, anyway! Live a little!”

And then she promptly proceeded to make a mess in his otherwise previously tidy accommodation. Her sneakers were kicked haphazardly aside, she dumped her bag unceremoniously on the floor in the middle of the room, and with whirlwind efficacy, she soon had the food and drinks laid out on the dressing table. Popping a crispy piece of chicken, deep fried to golden brown perfection, into her mouth, she pulled out a chilled can of beer from the six pack, bought right off a nearby conbini, cracked it open, brought it right to her lips and drank deep. She exhaled gustily with happiness, eyes squeezed shut with contentment, a look of comical satisfaction flitting across her rosy face.  

“Hell yeah, this is the best~!”

The redhead popped open another can of beer, and she pushed it to him. “Don’t just stand there! Come join me, dummy.”

Eishi was reluctant at first, but as she handed him the choicest bits of chicken on a paper plate and then started to dig into her own share with zeal, he realized belatedly that he was hungry, too. How she miraculously knew that he hadn’t had dinner yet was a mystery; he had been preoccupied and had somehow forgotten all about eating in the process. He took refreshing sips of ice-cold beer in between succulent bites of crisp, precisely battered chicken; she was right, there was a certain epicurean pleasure to be had from this combination. His mind was already automatically deconstructing the dish, gauging the type of ingredients and their exact quantity, speculating on the various steps of preparation, how hot the temperature of the frying oil had to be-

She snorted at his distracted demeanor as they dawdled over the meal. “You’re such a nerd, I swear.”  

He snapped out of his thoughts to stare at her. She snickered.

“Feel better now?”

He continued to stare.

“Wanna walk me through how your bout went?” Her golden eyes gleamed. “Or maybe I should tell you how I think it went as related to me by my secret sources?”

“No, thank you-”

He obligingly spilled, not wanting to hear of the embarrassing accounts as witnessed by whoever had spied on him for her. Besides, she was someone who actually appreciated the finer nuances of his cooking style and methodology, even when others would have been bored to tears by all that incredibly dry, technical talk. She paid rapt attention, her eyes trained unwaveringly on him as he spoke about the dish he came up with, and objectively as well of the one that had eventually defeated him.

Rindou was intrigued.

“Huh. Sounds like you had quite a bit of fun out there.”

International competitions like The Blue were really on another level altogether. She also wondered how they were able to dredge up so much crazy every year just to stuff into one event.  

“I wouldn’t exactly call it ‘fun,’” Eishi muttered under his breath.

There was an annoying soreness just lying under the skin and muscles of his chest, growing more and more aggravating as time passed after that battle with Saiba Asahi, and downright impossible to ignore however he tried. It was a gripping feeling that he had not experienced in quite a long time. It felt like a muted rage, a festering, humiliating wound in his heart that had been dealt by the hand of his opponent.

“He claimed my knife in light of my loss,” he finally admitted his shame.

It was now or never, and he refused to lie. Not to her. Never, to her.

For one moment, the air around her stilled.

And then her eyes glowed bright with fury.

For all that some people always said of his selfishness and arrogance, even he had never stooped so low as to steal the precious knives of another chef, their livelihood, the very source of their pride. Everything that he had, he had painstakingly squeezed out of his own talents, refusing to rely or even lean on the abilities of others, because there was simply no honor or pride to be had for that kind of tainted victory. But such distasteful practice was not entirely unheard of, nor was it illegal or wrong. Life in the kitchen could be cutthroat and fast paced where all sorts of characters lurked; those who could not take the heat simply had no place there, regardless of how good or skilled they were.

Then again, Tsukasa had never been the kind to break easily.

“What an unpleasant punk,” Rindou uttered flatly, stiffly.

He said nothing to that, but somehow, he felt lighter, because here she was, absolutely furious on his behalf.

“Which blade did he take?”

He knew she was going to laugh. “…The one…you nicknamed ‘the long-assed nail file,’” he responded slowly, after a reluctant pause.

He was absolutely right; she snort-giggled into her beer. That heavy tension in the atmosphere promptly dissolved, and miraculously along with it, his paralyzing sense of disgrace. “Pffft. Of all the- That one?? Eh, I s’pose there’s really no accounting for taste, is there?”

Eishi sent her a disgruntled look, visibly put out by her reaction. “Enough, you. I actually liked that blade.”  

She relaxed at his mild censure. He was calmer now, less tense, less brittle. In turn, that pleased her, too. She took another sip of her beer, already on her second can.

“So make an even better one, then. In the first place, you haven’t even fully developed that technique yet with how recently you came up with it,” she pointed out.

He drank to that, too. “I intend to.” There was a firmness in his quiet reply, an unshakable resolve that hardened his usually distant, lavender gaze, as he retreated to a place within himself that would not allow him to give up until he had achieved what he sought to.

She eyed him silently over the rim of her drink. That look of relentless, dogged determination was something that she hadn’t seen on him for a long time.

“…You really are having fun with this,” she observed once more with insistence, her lips twitching up in a delighted smile.

“It’s not fun,” he promptly corrected her. “It’s…frustrating.”

“But at least it’s not boring anymore, right?” She nudged him knowingly. He sighed and looked down at her plainly amused expression. She wasn’t going to give up until he admitted it, was she? He really did not know how she did it; there was not one word of consolation offered over his defeat, but still she made him feel so much better, all the same.

“…No. It’s not boring anymore,” he acknowledged. He was simmering, seething quietly beneath that deceptively calm, tranquil façade of his. “I actually feel…quite displeased,” he admitted, frowning slightly and looking quite out of sorts with himself.

She snorted, once again, at the understatement. He was really terrible at expressing anger. She reached up and petted his head for trying his best, all the same. “There, there. Let it all out. You want Rindou onee-chan to give you a hug too? Not to blow my own trumpet, but my hugs are seriously the best.”

He stared at her shamelessly bragging. Or maybe not, since he knew from experience that her hugs were seriously the best indeed, as advertised.

“Okay,” he agreed readily to her half joking offer. Perhaps it was the beer that relaxed his inhibitions, for he briefly studied her where she was sitting beside him, and then, without hesitation, he reached out, grabbed her around her middle, and half tugged, half lifted her onto his lap. She paused in surprise at his spontaneity, but before anything else could be said, he folded his arms around her and gently nested her against himself. He pressed his face into crimson fragrance of her hair and inhaled, sighing at her warmth and softness.

“…I’m glad you came,” he told her truthfully. It made him feel sleepy too, tension dissipating, and weariness rushing to the forefront in the face of this simple, reassuring contentment that was Rindou.  

Her gaze softened. Her arms curled lazily around him in return, and she snuggled up to her best friend.

“Mm. You worked hard today, Tsukasa. Well done-”

curses like a sailor

He cusses with the spitting intensity and burning fervor of an unstoppable machine gun once he really gets going and he doesn’t care too much about what other people think about it, either, and neither does she. She smiles sweetly and easily beside him even when he’s deep in his ‘mad dog’ persona, even when the people around them flinch away with prejudice and cowering fear at his wild, rough-around-the-edges demeanor. They don’t know him like she does and it is amusing the way they label him even before trying to get to know what he is really like. But of course Ryou makes that hard too, with his fierce visage and unapproachable demeanor and that bored thousand yard stare (he is just sleepy as usual). She reaches up and pets him happily on the bicep in the aftermath of one of his episodes - he has emerged victorious, as always, ‘My Ryou is the cutest~’

does the chores voluntarily

Sometimes he looks at himself and wonders what the hell happened - he has become so domesticated it is horrifying. Once, she was nothing more than an irritating rich brat always getting in his way and causing no end of trouble for him, but these days, he has turned into a manservant, a butler, a bodyguard and a nanny rolled into one convenient package, loyally dedicated to the service of said aforementioned rich brat whose never-ending demands he can never quite seem to say ‘no’ to, and even when he does, she pesters him into doing whatever she wants, anyway. He trains his body even more aggressively as if to make up for that self-perceived weakness in character; but she is only all the more delighted with his strength and tag teams with her mother often to praise and tease him until he is flustered and harried and confused by their easy affection and familial warmth. Too late does he realize that they have caught and tamed him with their loving ways; now she bosses him around all the time and he comes to heel willingly like an faithful hound ready to fulfill her every desire. There is an innate, automatic compulsion for him to guard and take care of her that stumps him at first, but eventually he figures it all out -some bonds, once forged, are for life. 

wants to marry their bed

She has to be literally carried out of bed some mornings, all the while whining to have five more minutes of shuteye (it is never just five more minutes, that much he knows by now). She alternates between kicking her legs at him in childish pique and clinging to him for warmth, her grimacing face pushed into the crook of his neck and her eyes squeezed shut as she tries obstinately to resist all his attempts to wake her up, but he is unsympathetic and plants her upright like a turnip on the seat cover of the toilet bowl. Her toothbrush is pressed into her hand and a placidly delivered threat to put her in the shower stall next and switch on the cold water finally has her attention, and she pouts all the way through her morning ablutions. He does not even blink when her pajamas falls to the floor and she flounces out of the bathroom to find her change of clothes; he has seen her in skimpier swimsuits, and more importantly, must she always leave a mess everywhere she goes?  

gets awkward about romantic gestures

Perhaps it’s the fact that they grew up together, but the blithe exchange of casual, demonstrative gestures comes easily and naturally to them, long before they made things official. Even after that subtle change in relationship status, nothing seems too different or entirely new or something strange that either feel that they had to struggle to adjust to. Alice is even touchier than ever, gleefully groping Ryou in places she has always wanted to grope (she has unrestricted special VIP access now), and Ryou puts up with her amorous affection up till the point where he abruptly reaches his limit. His self-control snaps like a proverbial twig then and he drags her off to somewhere quiet so he can mark her back until her legs shake and her voice comes out of her in unsteady, uncontrollable gasps-

stays in the shower for what seems like hours

Ryou enjoys a long, hot shower after a hard, satisfying workout, the kind with temperatures high enough to peel skin.The shower facilities are equipped with state-of-the-art, high pressure, ionising spray jets that Alice has specifically custom ordered for him - supposedly, they have revitalizing and de-stressing effects and can also help to improve blood circulation, particularly effective for soothing sore muscles.They also have a private sauna which they use often, a standard practice derived from their years living in Scandinavia. It is one of the things that Ryou appreciates when it comes to Japan; how the bathing traditions here in this land of the East are so similar to those back home, in the far Nordic North. The Japanese don’t practice winter ice swimming with as much zeal, though, but Alice and Leonora are always in for a treat every end of the year, when Ryou and Soe gamely don snug swim trunks after a nice, long session in the sauna and brave the freezing winter conditions for a few invigorating laps in the freshwater mountain lake that borders the Nakiri winter lodge. 

would adopt a million cats if given the chance

She comes home with a box of squirming kittens one day, fat tears rolling down her puffy face and her reddened nose dribbling like a leaky faucet in reaction to the mewling felines in her arms. He cannot tell if her sorry appearance is due to being moved by the little strays’ sad, abandoned predicament or more due to the fact that the tiny mewling fluffballs are making her body go haywire in allergic reaction - probably a fair mix of both. ‘Ryou!’ she warbles his name with dramatic woe even as he is already rising from his seat and padding towards her. ‘Help; they were crying on the roadside and I couldn’t just leave th- achoo!!’

fixes stuff around the house / apartment

Alice is forbidden from fixing anything in the house, because more often than not, anything she attempts to save eventually ends up damaged beyond repair. Not that Ryou is exactly some miracle fix-it-all/DIY-er himself either; he does well enough when it comes to simple home repairs and improvements and is very knowledgeable with all the workings of his kitchen equipment, and most importantly, at least he hasn’t accidentally almost burned down the house…unlike a certain somebody whose name he shall refrain from mentioning. 

watches too many Disney movies

‘We’re like Beauty and the Beast,’ she tells him with a grin, and he just eyes her with his usual sleepy apathy, not even surprised by her random whimsy. ‘Do you know why? Because Beauty always saves Beast in the end!’ 

gets drunk off of champagne

She is the most ridiculous drunk person ever - one moment, she’s trying to pick a fight with a street post and the next she has somehow teleported across the road one block down, marching into the conbini for a random shopping binge. She runs off again, cackling into the night, while sticking him with the bill for her purchases and his face is deadpan as ever (his forehead is starting to twitch, though) as the convenience store worker blanches at his blandly murderous visage and nervously rings up the haphazard pile of candy, small mountain of junk food, as well as what looks like the conbini’s entire display of condoms even as the three other customers in queue behind him try not to gawk at the impressive hoard of prophylactics in flustered embarrassment. He catches up to her before she can get into any more trouble, herds her loudly singing self around several exposed manholes before she can dance and twirl right into them, scares off three different groups of hoodlums trying to pick her up (by then that look of pure homicide has been permanently etched onto his face, very convenient that) and manages to drag her troublesome behind home before she can pull another Houdini on him again. She throws herself into his arms when they’re in the backseat of the cab, and he is exasperated and pissed after an entire night of running after his ojou and putting up with her shenanigans; anyone would have taken one look at that dark scowl on his face, promptly do an about turn and run for the hills, but of course she climbs onto his lap instead and demands affection. ‘My Ryou is the best~!’ she brags to him looking like someone’s ridiculously proud grandma, and just like that, he feels his aggravation subside a little at her obvious recognition of his worth and ability. That special feeling is quick to disappear, however, when she reaches up to ruffle his hair and coos, ‘Who’s a good boy? My Ryou’s the goodest boy-” 

cries when the ASPCA commercials come on

curses like a sailor

Perhaps it is due to their traditional upbringing, but neither are in the habit of cursing. Those who have incurred the couple’s displeasure would probably very much prefer to be sworn at, though. Satoshi’s intensely polite, affable hostility is frankly disconcerting and terrifyingly disorienting, and Nene has a way of looking at someone who has offended her sensibilities with such aloof, detached disapproval, it is as if they are no better than the gum stuck beneath someone’s shoe, or a microorganism lower than an amoeba wiggling at the very bottom of the food chain. Once, a thoroughly shamed offender had lain prostrate on the floor before her in profuse apology, all but begging to be stepped on as atonement for his bad behavior - Satoshi was most amused by the series of events; she has always been self-possessed and collected, the rare, elegant kind of flower that thrives on adversity, and that which he never has to worry about having to protect.

does the chores voluntarily

They each have specific roles to play when it comes to managing the household, and an inherent trust that the other will perform their respective tasks well and without fail. It is a fair and equal partnership, and in this Nene does not appreciate overly excessive fawning or being given unwanted and unnecessary special treatment by Satoshi, barring extenuating circumstances. She is determined to pull her own weight in their relationship; anything less is deemed disrespectful to the sanctity of their marriage and an insult to her role as a wife and a woman. She is dutiful and responsible and unbendingly traditional as those of her breeding and station tend to be, but it is in her unwavering determination to be her best for him that he knows that she truly cares. 

wants to marry their bed

They are both early risers; Nene has been conditioned to adhere strictly to her body’s inner clock after a lifetime of cultivated self-discipline, whereas Satoshi is simply one of those unbelievably annoying individuals who actually enjoys waking up all bright and sunny first thing in the morning. She quietly detests that side of him the most, so glaringly obnoxious, strutting about like an overstuffed cockerel crowing about the majestic sun-dewed morn and spouting random haiku that catches his frivolous fancy. She glowers stoically at him out of the corner of her eyes when she thinks that he does not notice...but he does see, and he grins and embraces her wordless disgruntlement all the more, because it takes a special kind of person to rile her up like this, and he is just the man for the job. 

gets awkward about romantic gestures

Nene is not one for overly excessive, showy, flowery gestures. She thinks that they are terribly gauche and tactless and heavy-handed, and she especially dislikes how the other person on the receiving end is left with the responsibility and obligation to respond to the forceful, flashy acts with a certain level of zeal and enthusiasm, or be accused of ungratefulness or lacking in appreciation. Satoshi teases, ‘isn’t that because you’re just really bad at accepting affection?’ 

stays in the shower for what seems like hours

She enjoys long soaks in the ofuro, and for that reason Satoshi usually lets her use the bath first in the evenings. She always seems so content and quietly pleased when she emerges from the bathroom, it makes him smile a bit just watching her. Her pale, celadon hair will be slightly damp and falling loosely around her slender shoulders, and the sight of her in a domestic disarray is incredibly charming. He probably is one of the very few allowed to see her like this, and that secretly pleases him, too. 

would adopt a million cats if given the chance

Satoshi is quite fond of felines, and Nene reminds him of one oftentimes, with her aloof, taciturn nature and prim, quiet fastidiousness. Most would be put off by her reserved stoicism, but he only finds her all the more interesting instead, because he knows what she is really like beneath all that layers of calm, practiced impassivity, he has seen her. She glows softly and burns with an abiding, lasting passion, she is brimming with inquisitiveness and an endless, feline-like curiosity, and she pursues her goals with such admirable determination and tenacity, no matter how often she stumbles and falls, no matter how high that wall in front of her stands. He thinks maybe she finds him interesting as well; that’s why she also watches him all the time too. It compels him to shine brighter to draw her in even more, to entice her into chasing after him with all her might, because when she finally catches up to him, it will be him who has finally captured her. 

fixes stuff around the house / apartment

She is not the kind to stand around weakly and wait for help to arrive when there’s a problem to be fixed. She rolls up her sleeves and marches straight into the situation with her usual resolve for efficiency and to restore order as quickly as possible, and she does everything so methodically and with textbook precision, it is as if there’s a mental checklist in her head that’s she’s ticking off one by one without fail. He knows better than to get in her way or try to get things done for her once she has decided to see something through to the end; she will not appreciate that sort of highhanded chivalry, and besides, he quite enjoys watching her when she’s in charge, all brisk and no-nonsense and purposeful. It makes him think that even if he ever finds himself lacking inspiration and unmotivated, she and her clear, unerring sense of self will not allow him to remain lost and adrift for long. 

watches too many Disney movies

Satoshi hums semi-familiar, catchy tunes sometimes, for no rhyme or reason, and much to her chagrin, inevitably she finds the songs stuck inside her head too. His voice is a light, mellow baritone that is pleasing to listen to, though at times his teasing inflection when he speaks to her ruffles her feathers to no end. It is...different when he is humming, though, and she settles and quiets beside him to listen. It does not take her long to figure out that he has a fondness for animation scores, from Disney to Ghibli works, and the realization that he is familiar with those shows is not too surprising. He has always been such a random, whimsical person; she cannot even begin to figure out what makes him tick. 

gets drunk off of champagne

His eyes glitters like turquoise gems in the semi-darkness, intent and hungry, as he reaches out for her. “Nene-” Her name is a silken whisper on his lips, and something goes taut in her chest at his half coaxing, half demanding entreaty. The faintest flush colors his aristocratic profile, the only indication of his semi-inebriated state, and he touches her slender wrist with such exquisite tenderness she goes utterly still. Her mind starts to cloud and blur like she is the one who’s drunk - it’s an awfully disconcerting sensation, this dizzy loss of composure. He slowly tugs her into his arms, pressing her against his heart like she is something unbearably delicate and precious, and it quietly moves her. He buries his warm face in the side of her neck, sighing happily like he has just come home-

cries when the ASPCA commercials come on

curses like a sailor

Neither are the type to curse prolifically. That said, Souma can be rather inventive with his choice of epithets when thoroughly provoked…just as he is with his never ending, questionable experiments with different variations of grilled squid. The first time Erina hears an, uh, unusually creative combination of words coming out of his mouth, she stares at him like she has never seen him before. He is more amused than embarrassed by her comically appalled expression, and then he makes it a point to get this sheltered princess of his to loosen up a little by teaching her how to swear, too. She is very ruffled and affronted by his instructions, much to his everlasting glee. The first time she accidentally blurts out a cuss word in a fit of frustration, she is visibly horrified by her lapse in decorum, but he laughs until his face is red and calls out proudly ‘atta, girl!’

does the chores voluntarily

Souma is faster with the chores, Erina is more careful and meticulous. Her womanly pride is offended by his easygoing efficiency at first, and like almost everything they do, she tries to turn it into an unofficial competition, albeit a largely one sided one since Souma is never too bothered about that sort of thing in the first place. He is bemused by her sudden, unexpected enthusiasm when it comes to doing housework, this highborn ojou-sama who never had to dirty her hands with domestic chores all her life. She is also very hilarious when she runs to him all bright eyed with excitement and wonder, waving the ‘latest’ housecleaning gadget she finds, usually something incredibly cheap and for sale in 100-yen shops, marveling over the device like it’s the most magical thing she’s ever seen and boasting about it in the most adorably amusing fashion. 

wants to marry their bed

That massive princess canopy bed that she has slept on for the majority of her childhood and through her teenage years is a work of art and a frou-frou monstrosity, both at the same time. When they finally moved into their first apartment together, she wanted to take that humongous bed along too, regardless of the mind boggling logistics and limited space constraints that would render such a feat physically impossible. Souma carefully eyeballs that gigantic, polished, mahogany bed-frame with the equally mammoth mattress that could probably sleep an entire family comfortably, and firmly sets his foot down on this one. ‘Erina,’ he tells her matter-of-factly. ‘You won’t need all that space anymore.’ Not with me.

gets awkward about romantic gestures

She agonizes and worries and frets over them with all the solemness and graveness of making a major decision during a Tootsuki board meeting. Is it too much? Is it too little? What is that even supposed to mean? What if he thinks that I’m overbearing? What if he thinks that I don’t care? She’s so adamant on making everything equal and perfect that she gives herself no small amount of grief just pondering the proper thing to do. Souma watches all the mental gymnastics that she’s putting herself through, highly visible via the earnest emotions that flashes across her hesitating, clouded features, and eventually, he stands up, walks over to her and sets his hand on her shoulder. She glances up at him, startled by his presence. She always looks young and vulnerable and unsure to him during moments like this. He leans down and pecks a kiss on her cheek, silently reveling in this exquisite tenderness that she evokes so effortlessly in him. ‘I love you,’ he tells her simply, because sometimes she needs to hear the words to be reminded that he isn’t going anywhere. ‘What would you like to have for dinner? I’ll make your favorites.’ 

stays in the shower for what seems like hours

She’s a princess through and through, and princesses take long baths, apparently. He is endlessly bemused and fascinated by her girly ways and elaborate evening rituals; how she adores applying those faintly flowery, subtly sweet smelling creams on herself after emerging freshly washed from the bathroom, her ivory, moonlit skin flushed pink after a good, invigorating scrub in the shower. She has so many different bottles and containers of stuff in their bathing area he cannot even begin to fathom what each and every one is for - women sure are an endless mystery, and she has always been the most mysterious one out of them all. 

would adopt a million cats if given the chance

She’s never been allowed to have any pets growing up, and Souma didn’t think he has ever seen such a blissful, content expression on her face until they went to that cat cafe and she’s swimming in a furry pile of happy, purring felines who seem to adore her just as much as she does them. She looks so forlorn when it’s time to leave that he ends up petting her head and telling her they can come back again anytime she wants. She gazes at him with such childlike hope and delight, part of him starts to realize that he will be in trouble once she figures out that he can’t say no to her whenever she’s looking at him like that.

fixes stuff around the house / apartment

Every once in a while, Erina harbors manic fantasies and delusions of grandeur when it comes to being a good homemaker and DIY-er, but much to her dismay and endless bewilderment, most of her (non-culinary) home projects usually end in unspeakable disasters. Thankfully enough, there’s Souma to fix her messes and save her clumsy handiwork; the man is ridiculously handy to have around, even when she sometimes finds it immensely irritating that nothing she throws at him seems to faze him for too long.

watches too many Disney movies

Whenever she gets too stressed out with work yet is too tired to do anything to alleviate that tension, she switches on the television and plays Disney movies to relax. He comes home and finds her fast asleep on the couch with a flick playing in the background on more than one occasion, and whenever that happens, he turns off the TV, quietly picks her up in his arms, and carries her to bed. He tucks her in with uncharacteristic gentleness, careful not to rouse her from the rest her body so desperately needs. She wakes in the morning with no recollection whatsoever of getting in bed, but his familiar scent lingers on her sheets even when he’s already left to attend to work. Erina wistfully wonders if this fuzzy, content fondness is what Rapunzel feels as well when she thinks of her adventurous lover. 

gets drunk off of champagne

She has a secret, guilty weakness for expensive champagne, atypically French, rose gold and sparkling, of a certain rare vintage and an unforgettably full bodied, sophisticated flavor that’s strong, radiant, tense and sharp. Fitting for a queen...Yet he’s the one who grows inexplicably intoxicated as he drinks deeply from her mouth, seemingly unable to get enough of her heavenly taste. 

cries when the ASPCA commercials come on

curses like a sailor

Rindou. There aren’t many occasions that merit swearing as far as she’s concerned, but the multi-lingo cursing flows out like an angry swear song when she’s dashing around the apartment in a hurry (she’s late again) and accidentally rams her toes into furniture. Also comes with dancing accompaniment in the form of comical hopping about and red-faced flailing. Eishi just stands aside, watches the unraveling chaos, and calmly sips his coffee - after the fifth time of ‘I told you sos,’ he has learned to rest his case and pick his battles wisely. 

does the chores voluntarily

Eishi. It’s not that Rindou never does her chores. She just prefers to do them later. Eishi does whatever needs to be done right away and when he’s completed his chores, he simply goes on and picks up after whatever she hasn’t done yet, too. Rindou has no complaints, naturally. 

wants to marry their bed

Rindou. They go bed shopping and of course she insists on testing each and every available mattress, because (according to Rindou Logic) buying a bed is akin to a lifetime commitment, and can last even longer past marriage sometimes. Eishi is not too sure what she is trying to say, but they spend hours just rolling around in the mattress shop until they can finally agree on the one they both like. In hindsight, it might have been a bad idea to get the one she deemed her favorite - it becomes even harder prying her out of bed in the mornings.

gets awkward about romantic gestures

Rindou. For someone who is prone to spontaneous bursts of affection, she gets so adorably flustered when Eishi returns her sentiment with thoughtful gestures of his own. He finds that side of her endearingly amusing...especially when she cannot take it anymore and sputters for him to ‘stop,’ all red-faced and blushy.

stays in the shower for what seems like hours

Rindou. Whenever they travel, she stays in the shower until all the hot water has been used up, or until she has turned all pruney. Hence, it’s generally agreed upon that Eishi uses the bathing facilities first...though that does not stop Rindou from trying to invite herself into the stall sometimes, much to his exasperation. Save water; shower with your girlfriend? More like freeze to death in one corner while said girlfriend is soaking up all the hot water. 

would adopt a million cats if given the chance

Neither. Rindou is traveling too often to consider adopting anything responsibly, and as far as Eishi is concerned, caring for Rindou is already akin to keeping an unruly, human-sized feline well fed and happy as it is. 

fixes stuff around the house / apartment

Rindou. She is surprisingly handy around the apartment, and what she doesn’t know to fix, a quick search online is usually enough to guide her on what to do, and she does a pretty good job of it, too. Eishi is more prone to simply calling in the professionals to fix whatever needs to be fixed, no matter how much she clicks her tongue at him and disdainfully tells him he’s probably gonna be the worst person to be stuck with during an apocalypse. 

watches too many Disney movies

Rindou. That only happens sometimes when there’s nothing to watch in the middle of the night, when she’s unable to fall asleep due to jetlag while recovering from crossing multiple timezones due to her work. There’s a perfectly decent and functional flat screen TV in the living room, but she chooses to plug her earpiece into her phone, snuggle in bed beneath the duvet beside a sleeping Eishi and watch her show from the tiny screen while cuddled loosely in his embrace.  

gets drunk off of champagne

Rindou. Too much bubbly makes her giggly. And snuggly. And touchy-feely. Eishi has lost count of the number of times she returned to him all happy tipsy and very gropey. 

cries when the ASPCA commercials come on