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"Hisako sweetheart, let's hurry. We cannot be late to meeting the Nakiri family." A beautiful and well-dressed woman calls her small child. A few seconds later, a young pink haired child nervously walks up to her mother. The head of the Arato family was already seated in their car and waiting outside the Arato family estate for his wife and daughter so they could leave for their itinerary that night.
"Mother, do I have to wear this dress?" asks the little girl as she tugs on the dress that the Arato family staff had helped her put on moments ago. The next heir to the Arato family was not used to dressing up or meeting strangers despite how often people come and go in her estate.
"Yes, Hisako." sighed her mother and she shook her head as if Hisako had asked her something stupid, which did not happen often because Hisako was a very smart child. "We are having a meeting at the Nakiri mansion. We have to look our best. Now, come." She says and starts walking towards the car.
Hisako follows her mother into the car and sits by the window, the driver puts Hisako's seat belt on for her and closes the door. Her parents have been preparing her first meeting with the famous Nakiri family all weeklong.
What to say. What to do. What not to do. How to speak. How to eat.
As the good and obedient child she was, Hisako took those lessons seriously and ingrained it all into her head. Even though she was only four years old, Hisako was very bright and aware of how powerful the Nakiri family was. Well to be fair, everyone in the Japanese culinary world was aware of that family's existence. But Hisako knew more than what tabloids and google had to say about the family.
She had heard that the Nakiri family had two girls the same age as her and that one of them had an ability known as the God's Tongue or humanity's most powerful tongue. That ability made the infamous girl a celebrity in the culinary world. As a child of science and medicine, Hisako finds it hard to comprehend that someone could be that powerful, but there are things that science cannot explain.
The car ride was quiet and Hisako got more and more nervous as they got closer to the Nakiri mansion.
When they finally arrived at their destination, the first thing Hisako noticed was how beautiful the Nakiri mansion was. It was much larger than the Arato mansion and looked traditional, but very well kept. Hisako watches her father greet the guards at the gates to check in. She holds her mother's hand and walks with her. Meanwhile, their driver drives the car away to find parking.
"Hisako, remember what we told you. Don't do anything that will embarrass the Arato family name. You are the next head of the family, be more dignified and prideful." Hisako's father tells her.
"Y-yes, father."
Once inside, Hisako is even more amazed by how grand the mansion looked. The walls were filled with art and books. The room was surrounded by other notable families, some even more famous than hers, such as the Isshiki and Kinokuni families, their children were part of the circles and seemed very comfortable and dignified despite all the adults around them.
Little Hisako sees a girl her age, who she recognized as the daughter of the Mito family, Mito Ikumi. Her parents begin socializing with other adults and left Hisako to her own devices. The Arato heiress decides that she ought to make conversation with other children considering they will most likely also inherit their family businesses just like her. The pink haired child shyly walks up to the Mito heiress to start a conversion.
"H-hello, Mito-san." Hisako politely greets the tan girl. Ikumi stares at Hisako's dress, admiring how cute it looked, but Hisako takes the silence as a sign of disinterest. The Arato heiress nervously apologizes and hastily leaves before Ikumi could speak.
"What's up with her?" Ikumi mumbles.
"She's cute. Kinda like a lost puppy. Or a zombie without its head. No sense of direction." A girl says as she walks up to Ikumi.
"Do you know her, Alice-sama?"
"Nope. I hope she doesn't get lost. Erina and I get lost sometimes. Grandpa says we shouldn't walk around too much without a grown up. Anyways, come! Erina and I cooked some things. I want you to try and tell me which tastes better! I'll win this time!" Alice says and drags the Mito daughter to the buffet table.
Hisako isn't sure how far her small legs walked, but all the fatigue finally catches up to her and she knows she needs to rest. It's when she attempts to catch her breath that she finally realizes something very important and scary; she's lost.
The horrified four year old girl looks around to see if there was anyone who could help her. Unfortunately the hallway was completely empty. Most of the Nakiri staff had been stationed at the party, leaving the young Arato heiress alone.
'I'm lost. Father and mother will be mad. They told me to be good' Hisako cries, but wipes her tears with her sleeves; crying at a social event was not dignified. She walked some more until she noticed she was in a garden. Although she was scared of the unknown area, the cherry blossoms in the Nakiri family garden were in full bloom and they were breathtakingly gorgeous. The scenery and aroma helped the little pink haired child relax her nerves for the time being.
Hisako continued looking around and appreciating the flowers. She stopped where she was when she saw a blonde girl, who she assumed was the same age as her, sitting peacefully on a bench and smiling at the cherry blossoms. The girl had beautiful, long strawberry blonde hair and pinkish-purple eyes. She was wearing a red dress and Hisako thought it looked really good on her.
'She's so pretty' Hisako blushes and sighs.
The other girl turns her head when she feels someone's eyes on her and sees Hisako staring at her, which causes Hisako to apologize profusely.
"I-I'm so sorry!" Hisako screams and repeatedly bows to the other girl.
"It's okay." The mystery girl smiles and Hisako blushes even more. The blonde giggles and pats on the space next to her on the bench. She was interested in Hisako and she knew her family would never let anyone into their mansion if they didn't have some talent.
"Come sit with me" orders the other girl and Hisako obediently does as she's told. The blonde makes room on the bench for her newfound friend and Hisako nervously plays with her dress as Erina inspects at her from head to toe. The shorter girl had shoulder length pink hair, a cute face and most importantly, she didn't seem stuck up like the other people who come into the Nakiri family.
It was a nice breath of fresh air.
"Have we met before?" ask the girl after a few seconds of silence, which surprises young Hisako and makes her squeal. Hisako hastily covers her mouth, a squeal was undignified.
"N-no. This is my first time here. I-I'm Hisako. Arato Hisako." She shyly introduces herself and takes her hand out to shake her company.
"I'm Erina. Nakiri Erina." Erina smiles and shakes Hisako's hand.
Hearing the family name hits Hisako harder than the aroma of all the herbal medicine her family uses and she finds herself apologizing once again. Erina felt disappointed seeing the anxious girl be so formal and serious over what seemed like nothing.
"I'm so sorry Nakiri-san! I didn't mean to bother you!" It seems like all Hisako is doing today is serving apologies to all the children in this party. Her family is always telling her to represent the Arato family with pride, but it's not easy when you're an insecure child.
"I didn't mean to be rude! I'm sor-" Erina covers Hisako's mouth.
"What are you sorry for? I told you to sit here, you're not bothering me. Is being with me a chore? Do you do it if someone tells you to?" replies Erina and she gives Hisako a small pout.
"N-no! I-I just don't want to annoy you, Nakiri-san. My family says-" mumbles Hisako.
"You're not annoying me. I was bored. I'm glad you came up to me." Erina smiles at the girl to assure her she was not bothered one bit.
Hisako thinks it's the most beautiful smile she's ever seen in her short life. None of the flowers around them could even compare to the beauty of Nakiri Erina.
"Thank you, Nakiri-san."
"You're welcome, Arato-san."
The two sit together once again and Erina happily tells Hisako about all the flowers and plants that can be found in her garden. She also shares her favorite activities, what dishes she's been trying out and even talks about her cousin Alice and how they constantly have cooking competitions. Hisako patiently listens to everything Erina says. While most kids love to talk about themselves, Hisako is not one of those kids. In her opinion, hearing Erina speak is more fun. Besides, it's not like she's interesting enough to have anything to share.
Erina is leaning against Hisako's shoulder and laying her head against it while the latter silently appreciates how nice the blonde smelled and how soft and warm she felt. They were holding each other's hands and watching the cherry blossoms gently fall around them and coat the floor with its petals. A few petals would occasionally fall on them, but neither of them cared.
They were just happy to have each other's company in what seemed like a suffocating lifestyle of rules and regulations. It was the first time they were aware of each other's existences, but they felt a sense of belonging with each other.
"There you are!" An adult voice shouts and interrupts the two children. Erina looks up from Hisako's shoulder to see a couple and some Nakiri staff running towards them. Hisako's anxiety resurfaces as she realizes her parents were here to scold her.
"F-father-" Hisako starts speaking, but is cut off by the man.
"Erina-sama! I'm terribly sorry if my child has disturbed you in anyway. Hisako! I told you in the car to stay put and not cause any trouble!"
"But father and mother I wasn't-"
"Let's go home now. Please have a good night Erina-sama." The head of the Arato family says and takes his daughter's hand to take her home. The staff began checking on Erina, but the Nakiri heiress shook them off and ran up to the Arato family.
"Hisako!" Erina calls out, causing everyone to stop in their tracks. For a four year old, her charisma and aura were already very commanding. There's no doubt that she is a Nakiri and the granddaughter of the demon of food.
Hisako turns back and anxiously looks at her new friend. Erina stares at her and Hisako somehow musters up enough courage to look at Erina's face. Their eyes meet and despite the both of them being barely 100cm surrounded by adults towering over them, it felt as if they were alone and their only company was the garden.
Erina takes a deep breath and then smiles at Hisako.
"Please come again some time. I'll cook you something or we can cook together. See you soon, Hisako." Erina says.
Hisako blushes and shyly nods.
"I...I will. See you soon, Erina-sama." She smiles genuinely for the first time that night and this time it's Erina's who's surprised.
On the car ride back home, Hisako is speechless at the absolutely enchanting night she just had. Her parents were silent, unsure of how their daughter had managed to befriend Nakiri Erina, out of all the children who were at the party.
What seemed like a scary and serious event that night for Hisako had became something so bright and beautiful. Blushing all the way from the Nakiri mansion to her room in the Arato mansion, Hisako is completely wonder struck. The heir to the Arato family goes to sleep that night with a smile on her face. She remembers her family telling her during her zhong yi lessons that in imperial China, the emperor would have people who practiced medicinal cooking. If that's true, then Nakiri Erina must be her empress who just came into her life. She will devote her all her knowledge for her empress if she's given the opportunity.
Hisako cannot wait for their next meeting.
That enchanted meeting was their first meeting and Hisako is sure that's when she first fell for Nakiri Erina.
Over at the Nakiri mansion, Erina had told her cousin Alice all about the cute and shy pink haired girl she met. The party had ended hours ago and all the guests had left. Erina barged into Alice's room, something she rarely did, and quickly told her Danish cousin about her unforgettable encounter tonight.
Alice pouted and told Erina to include her the next time Hisako comes over. As the friendlier and more outgoing cousin, Alice loved meeting new people. On the other hand, it was very rare for Erina to be interested in someone else, which means Arato Hisako must be something special.
"I'm not sharing" Erina tells her cousin and giggles before returning to her room, ignoring the complaints and tantrum from Alice.
Erina climbed into her large bed and hugged her stuffed animal before drifting off to sleep.
The next head of the Nakiri family went to sleep that night smiling and thinking about her next fated meeting with the heir of Arato. The little pink haired girl was like an angel come into her life. A breath of fresh air that gave Erina motivation to create a dish that would satisfy Hisako.
It would seem Nakiri Erina had fallen in love that night and the only witnesses were the cherry blossom trees in her garden.