Chapter Text
“Wow!” Alice mused, breathing in the authentic scent of a traditional Japanese inn. “I haven’t been in a countryside ryokan in a really long time.” she giggled to herself.
“Miss Alice…” Ryo whispered, his voice laced with some sort of… uncertainty. Megumi heard it but chose to keep it to herself. He doesn’t understand it, in fact he hasn’t understood anything since he stepped foot in this place. As much as he couldn’t come to admit aloud that the snow-haired Nakiri can be quite annoying- it’s the first time he seemed so troubled seeing her, a feeling akin to something unwelcoming.
“Ah, would you perhaps like a cup of tea then?” Megumi’s mother offered, her experiences in diverse situations easily picked up the tension forming between the three teenagers. She knew better than to voice out the awkwardness of it all. “You must be very tired coming all the way here.”
Alice smiled at the woman politely, “Well, I am famished. I would greatly appreciate that, thank you ma’am.”
“Very well then. Megumi, why don’t you and your friends go to the guest room while I prepare some tea and cake?”
The girl did not respond at first, her mind seemed to be elsewhere as she stared at her sock-clad feet. Ryo had to subtly nudge her shoulder to snap her back to attention. Her head shot up, looking at Ryo in question and the taller raven-haired wordlessly jerked his head slightly at her mother in answer. She frowned her brows in confusion, and Ryo moved his eyes from Alice and towards the direction where they held the other rooms that welcomed their guests if they needed a private or public area to discuss their affairs, without needing to move his head. In realization of their silent conversation, Megumi flushed in embarrassment.
“S-Sorry!” she bowed, and he clicked his tongue at her stutter, to which she responded with a subtle narrow of her eyelids towards his direction. Ryo scoffed.
Mizuki parted her lips slightly at that, for one, unbelieving of what she just saw. Like a clash of something heart-fluttering and sad nostalgia- if not for the awkward tension, she would’ve been elated. But her motherly instincts had to kick in first. As for the cousin to the Nakiri heiress, her usual jovial façade became impassive. She had also seen that one-two many times with her parents, and it made the gears of her brain whirling as it sift through possibilities, questions and answers. But for the most part, she was utterly surprised.
Megumi led them through the hallway as Alice’s critical mind questioned the psychology of their walk. The young Tadokoro was on the borderline of nervousness, as expected of the easily-flustered girl who she only had a few chances of encountering- but it wasn’t all there was to it. As for her aide, well, he baffled her the most. Ryo kept his usual distance around her with him in the lead, but his every step appeared to be… reluctant. For a split second he would falter, and then he would widen his step a bit to catch up. It’s as if he was being uneasy. To whom? To her? Her master? Her childhood friend?
Just what exactly has been going on?
Once seated on a plush zabuton, Alice feigned her ignorantly innocent façade as she laced her fingers together to rest her chin on them. Megumi fidgeted on the purple zabuton across from her while Ryo remained quiet on one side of the low table. It was very awkward, at least for the two of the dark-haired students. Neither understanding just what exactly made them feel so uneasy. As if the sudden appearance of the genius gastronomist suddenly plunged a stake in their peace.
“Soooo,” Alice said in a sing-song voice, “Tadokoro Megumi, right?”
“Y-Yes!” she bolted her head up.
“Last time I saw you, it was during the autumn elections. You were cheering for Yukihira Souma, right? As expected of his girlfriend, you’re pretty supportive of him, aren’t you?” Alice giggled, missing the subtle way Ryo’s jaw tightened.
Megumi flushed red, genuinely surprised at how the snow-haired girl confidently declared her claim with her relationship with the redhead. She and Souma started rocky, sure, and the trials they had undergone through instantly turned the tables for them- and she can’t outright deny that she isn’t close to him (their friends back at the dorm assumed the same thing as well)- but the reason she tails the redhead around and is willing to assist him in any way she could, is because she owed him. From the moment they met and up to the time he defended her against that alumni- Shinomiya Kojiro…
She owed Souma a lot. Even if he never asked for anything in return, if it weren’t for him, Megumi wouldn’t have even lasted another week in Tootsuki Academy. Besides, Souma was just the one who showed her how to take the first step- who removed the curtains from her windows, but the one who pushed her to move forward and look through the window was-
“I’m sorry, Nakiri-san,” she managed to not stutter even with her flushed expression. “But Souma-kun and I are just friends. I’m not his g-girlfriend. He’s an important friend of mine so it’s only natural that I would support him.”
Alice pouted her lips at that, “Well I think you two will look really cute.” Ryo snorted. “So, can you tell me just how my aide wandered in your hometown when I gave him orders to meet me in Kobe?”
“Well- that’s-“ the midnight-haired shifted her gaze towards the raven-haired. He didn’t respond anything else but the closing of his eyes. “Actually i-it’s more of an accident. Ryo-kun and I bumped into each other in the train and we found that he misunderstood your note so that’s why he was heading to Tohoku instead of Kobe”
“Ryo-kun?” Alice parroted, raising a delicate eyebrow with a smirk tugging on her lips. “I never thought that you two became so close.”
Megumi’s heart instantly doubled, her cheeks tainted with red as she looked down to play with the hem of her traditional chef uniform. Her discomfort did not go unnoticed by Ryo though, as he tapped a finger on the table, a signal for Alice.
The snow-haired only glanced at her aide for a moment, her carefreeness washed away before turning back to the bluenette.
“Megumi-san, can you spare me and Ryo-kun some time? We needed to discuss something privately.” she spoke with as much politeness, but it held a tone that would not take no for an answer.
When she exited the room, all she saw was Ryo’s head hanging low and a very serious looking Alice.
“Playtime’s over, Ryo. You’re coming home.”
“You’re leaving?” it sounded more like she said it to herself rather than asking him.
“Yeah.” he shoved another shirt in his bag.
“Oh…” she drawled, voice dropping almost inaudibly.
They stayed in silence just like that. Her by his open doorway, not entering, just standing there and watching the wooden floor beneath her feet, while he took out what little clothing he had on his drawers to stuff them back in his duffel bag. Neither of them spoke a single word, for what was there to say? Even though deep inside, they wanted to say something.
Don’t leave?
Stay?
I’m sorry?
Why?
Yes, why? Him coming here was a mistake- an accident in the first place. They both knew that Alice will come for him sooner or later, and what power do they have over her? Neither of them were clear in what they wanted, so fighting this course will only result in failure.
“You sound disappointed.” Ryo spoke as he zipped his bag closed, eyes moving towards the bluenette who was still clad on her traditional chef uniform while he had already changed in some shirt and pants.
Megumi opened her mouth, then closed it again. Her gaze never left the floor as her hands fell back to her sides.
“N-No I’m- well, yes I am but- what I mean is… I was just really looking forward to celebrating the festival with you…”
His mouth felt dry and his heart banged wildly in his chest.
“I mean, it’d be really nice to have Gokuraku no Kaiyō in the festival again…”
Ryo’s lips pressed into a thin line and slung his bag over his shoulder. With her head kept low, all she could see were his sock-covered feet and feel his intense gaze on her head.
“Is that what you really want to say?”
It was a simple question. A very, very simple question. Answerable by yes or no and supplied by a defensive answer. Yet why does she feel so tongue-tied and troubled? Why did her breath hitch in her throat? It wasn’t that she doesn’t know what to say. It was right there, right at the tip of her tongue and all she needed to do was open her mouth and say it.
“I-I hope you have a safe trip.”
Wrong answer, and they weren’t the words she wanted to say.
If she had just looked up, even for one moment, she could’ve seen the look of disappointment in his ruby eyes. “Is that what you really wanted to say?”
He repeated and this time, she closed her eyes in response. The question hung in that tense air for a long moment and Megumi knew he was expecting her answer. He was giving her a chance. But as the seconds ticked by and by, until what seemed like hours and she still refused to answer, Ryo exhaled through his nostrils and turned. The second pair of feet were gone and she didn’t need to look up to know that he had circled her and went down the hall.
She could practically feel him walk farther and farther away, leaving a cold trail of disappointment with every step. Her hand had made its way over to her chest in a futile attempt to calm her beating heart but she could practically hear it pounding in her ears. The memories came rushing to her like a silent film. To another person’s eyes, the times they spent together weren’t even that special at all. They didn’t do anything grand, or anything that resembled friends would do. They even had an argument and a stupid bet to change each other. But then her memories jostled a bit, and Megumi felt as if she was looking at a mirror as she stared at herself during those trivial, nonspecial, seemingly pointless, precious times.
It didn’t have to be about happiness or joy.
When was the last time she expressed her feelings for herself?
“RYO-KUN!” she called out as she turned on her heel and felt her eyes widen when he stopped. It was probably best that he didn’t turn to look at her, lest he’ll see her face was heating up from the burst of raw emotion she hadn’t felt for years since her father died, while her heart beat so hard she was afraid it would practically burst from her chest. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused you! I’m sorry if I didn’t turn out to be strong person you thought I would be! I’m really grateful for everything you did! Even though you didn’t owe us anything… what you’ve done to the people, to the village, to the ryokan, to me… thank you very much! A-And I know that it’s useless for me to say this now- I mean! It can’t be helped but-! W-what I mean is! I-I want you to be my partner for the festival! I-I want to make Heaven’s Dish with you so please… if you can… please stay. I want you to stay, Ryo. I also want to see the fireworks with you.”
Whether her tears came after or while she confessed all that she said didn’t matter. There was nothing to stop the flood from falling from her eyes now. For the first time in years, she finally said things that she always held back. Without any influence, or any sort of concern regarding other people, words that she didn’t say for the sake of other people but for herself. On the day she last saw her father, she told him a wish that she would return back to her, and that wish that didn’t came true had brought guilt with her grief that ate away at her heart for years. Ever since then, she had sworn to always put other’s sake above hers.
But for the first time in years, she made a selfish wish.
The hand that had cupped her cheeks and forced her head to look up were big and warm. She remembered how frightened she were with these hands, as if they could crush her little skull like a pomegranate. And he probably could, considering how strong he is and how his muscles weren’t just for show. Instead, she felt… safe, and secured, as she remembered how these same hands she healed had held hers under the stormy rain.
“Why are you crying?” Ryo said, eyes boring down to hers. “You’re strong, aren’t you? You’re very strong. You’re very… very strong.”
He let her cry onto his arms as they stayed like that for a long while. The heavy burden finally left her shoulders and relief followed inside her.
~0~
“What, you’re not finished packing yet? We need to get going now, Ryo. Daddy’s waiting at the airport” Alice rose a brow at him as she stood patiently by the inn’s front door, her gaze alternating from her bored-looking aide and to the sniffing, puffy-eyed girl walking behind him.
“Miss Alice,” he began, “Forgive me, but I’m going to have to disobey your order this time.”
Megumi and Alice flinched. However, Megumi did so out of shock and anxiety for the raven-haired, whereas Alice did because she felt like someone just hit her hard.
“You want to run that by me again?” her tone drastically changed into something bland. Accompanied with a stoic face, it was difficult to distinguish what the snow-haired girl was feeling.
Straightening his back, Ryo answered, “I will not be accompanying you back to Denmark, miss.”
Steady steps directed towards him but her gaze locked onto the country girl trying her hardest to remain calm with the whole situation before turning towards her childhood friend and aide, narrowing in suspicion and silent outrage at his audacity. The only times he has ever disobeyed her was when she was pushing herself too far over something. This is the first time he did so out of- she bets- a selfish reason.
“Why is that?”
Ryo’s back straightened, head slightly tipped down in politeness. “I made a promise, miss. I have to stay here to keep it.”
“And what sort of promise did you made?” he spared a glance at the bluenette behind him before meeting Alice’s gaze.
“I cannot say”
“Ryo…” The snow-haired was more speechless than betrayed and at that time she realized that she might have taken him for granted. He swore himself to her since they were children, and he had continued to serve her even when her family took him under their wings and pulled him away from that low-down excuse of an eatery at the port. Kurokiba Ryo, unless he wanted to prove himself better to whoever challenges his culinary skills, was selfless, knows how to tend to her needs, and follows her orders to the dot.
“You were the one who told me to always keep my promises. To hold them above all others and see through it till the end like a man. Well, I’m just doing what you’ve told me.”
He’s never asked her for anything before.
Both of the girls’ eyes widened when Ryo suddenly fell on his knees in a traditional Japanese bow, dipping his head low enough to press his forehead on the floor with his palms.
“Ryo-“ Alice flushed but was interrupted.
“You know that I always keep my word, and I never break a promise. I’ve never failed my promise to you and I’m not doing that because of this but please... I beg of you to grant me this one request.”
Seeing the Mad Dog begging on his knees felt so surreal. Megumi honestly never pictured him to have the capability to do something like… this. They met as competitors- as rivals, he scared her, and from the short span of time they met she had grown to know him outside of his reputation. She’s not one to label but she likes to believe that they have grown to be friends. That’s when she realized that maybe they have grown closer, as friends. He helped out in her village, stood beside her in the kitchen, exchanged knowledge on cuisine with each other- they even talked about menial things when they shared a meal together, and most of all- he was there when she was at her weakest state (anything related to her father has always been a very sensitive topic for her) and instead of reprimanding her, he opted to change her for the better. Even if he took it in a form of a challenge. She noticed the change in herself but she never knew that for just being herself, she had mellowed him as well.
What felt like hours of stunned silence came to a close when Alice finally stomped her foot on the wax floor like a spoiled child.
“Oh just stand up already, you’re embarrassing me! Okay fine!” she flushed and he followed, standing up to his feet while wearing the same unfazed expression.
“Miss-?”
“I said fine already! You can stay!” Alice huffed, crossing her arms. “Geez I leave you alone for a few weeks and now you became all dramatic?!”
.
“I have no idea what happened but you better make sure to return him in one piece when the summer’s over! Got it?!”
“Y-Yes!” Megumi squeaked and Ryo rolled his eyes.
Alice gave Ryo one last look and the raven nodded at her silent message. She smirked before rolling up the car window and it sped away. Inside the car, Alice grumbled as she called her cousin. Erina’s face flashed in the screen, showing her in her pyjamas and awful bed hair.
“How come you’re alone? Didn’t you said that you’d pick up Kurokiba?” Erina asked after a none-too-pleasant greeting.
Alice huffed as she crossed her arms, “Change of plans!”
“Why? Did something happened?”
“Something like that. He said he made some promises he needed to keep but that’s just his excuse. I bet he grew attached to this place and practically asked if he could stay for the entire summer.”
“And you just let him? That’s strange, coming from you. Knowing you, you would be dragging him back here by the tail by now.”
“I know! But…”
“But?”
Alice flushed, “How could I say no if he acts like a puppy?!”
“Like a… puppy… are we still talking about the same Kurokiba Ryo here?”
“Who else?! Tch, I feel like this whole trip was a waste of time. He didn’t even let me convince him to leave. You think I should go back?”
“Why are you asking me? If anything, you should just let him be. It’s just for the summer, right? I let Hisako take a vacation all the time. When was the last time you let your aide take a break?”
“Uhh… never?”
“Slave-driver.”
“Hey, is it true that folks in the provinces are fond of witchcraft?”
“I thought you’re focused on science. Since when are you interested in the supernatural?”
“Since I noticed something between Ryo and that Tadokoro girl. Erina, I think she bewitched him!”