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Yui’s ears pricked up as she heard the beginning of that silly yet sinister chant: “Bun-bun, doru-doru, Bundo-”
And she leapt into action. Quite literally. She was all sports girl the minute that her instincts kicked in. Yui didn’t even think twice as she crash-tackled Gentlu and pinned her to the sidewalk.
This was before even her Heart Cure Watch could alert her that a Recipipi was in trouble. She just did it because hearing those few words propelled her to do what she thought was right: apprehend the bandit before she could even strike properly! Yui just knew she had to do the right thing, even if it very much put her - and Gentlu - in a compromising position.
It had actually happened to Yui once or twice before on the soccer field where she, a striker, would collide with a goalie who had dived on the soccer ball before she could kick a goal. It never stopped being unfortunate. Or embarrassing. She felt her cheeks flush red as she landed atop of Gentlu, their legs entwined and Gentlu was all scuffed up by the fall.
“Get off me!” she hissed.
Yui just sat on top of her, blushing, not quite sure what to do but hey. At least she had Gentlu in custody and apprehended. That was good at least. And the Recipipi was safe too. That darn box that Gentlu used to kidnap the poor fairies had scattered elsewhere on the side wall and Yui looked up. They weren’t even in front of a restaurant or anything, just a convenience store.
“Precious! Get off me!” Gentlu protested.
Yui actually obliged the request. Not even thinking. She slowly receded off of Gentlu and Gentlu scowled a thank you. She started to get up and Yui knelt on the sidewalk, allowing. With suspicious eyes kept on Yui, Gentlu reached for her tin and then Yui realised what she had done. Again. So she grabbed Gentlu’s hand. Her grip was iron tight on Gentlu’s thin, even frail wrist and she gave Gentlu a yank. Yui then pulled Gentlu away from her capturing device, only to scramble to pick it up herself, wildly spinning and twirling Gentlu around in the process and pulling her along like a toy.
Gentlu huffed and puffed, protested and argued, as Yui pulled her along. Yui wasn’t quite sure what she was going to do. She wasn’t even quite convinced yet that ordinary folk could even see Gentlu but she was going to do something about her. She had to. She couldn’t let the thieving bandit get away and Yui was worried that Gentlu was going to vanish through her fingertips at any moment but.
She didn’t.
Together, they managed to arrive back at Yui’s place. Yui sat Gentlu down at the low table in the backroom tha looked out into the yard. Gentlu politely, and stilted, sat upon one of the pillows provided and looked around, taking in her surroundings. Yui’s home was, she decided, very comfortable. It was humble and cosy, it was nothing like their base of operations as it was airy and full of light. The smell of homemade food lingered, both from the kitchen and from the diner adjoined to the house itself.
“So,” Yui asked, she sounded cross and even put her hands on her hips, “what was the poor Recipipi that you tried to steal today? From a convenience store, no less.”
“The Boss wanted onigiri.” Gentlu admitted in a quiet voice.
“Onigiri? Those are my favourite…” Yui gasped and then her voice trailed off.
It would be entirely unforgivable if the flavours of her oh so beloved onigiri were taken. Her happening to pass by at the right time, before Gentlu could steal the Recipipi, was clearly nothing less than a miracle to protect her all time favourite food. Her expression was awed, in dumbfounded disbelief, and reflected that; Gentlu disliked it and so she stood up.
“Now, I must be going.” she said and her gloved hand curled into a fist by her side, her face twinged. “I have to report that I was unsuccessful, that a Pretty Cure intervened and… and I will be punished.”
“Wh-What? No way!” Yui exclaimed.
“I have no further business in this world, let me go, Precious.” Gentlu sneered, wanting to take the slap on her wrist now rather than later.
Yui bolted to her feet and she grabbed Gentlu’s wrist again. It felt so delicate, so fragile. Actually, Gentlu was such a tiny, wiry girl… She clearly wasn’t eating enough nor well. Yui’s heart broke for her, her clear and apparent enemy.
“If you go, at the very least, don’t let go empty handed.” Yui begged her.
“Pardon?” Gentlu blinked. She flinched. She felt Yui’s hands gently caress her own. She dripped with pity, with sympathy, with care. Gentlu had never been treated so kindly in physical affection and it made her skin crawl.
“Let’s make onigiri.” Yui pled. “Together.”
Gentlu’s pale face began to turn pink and she stammered, “I-I’ve never done any… It's no good… Food that myself and my fellow bandits make… it’s not good.”
“You just have to keep trying, keep smiling. Food made with love always tastes good, I promise. I’ll prove it to you.” Yui said.
Gentlu was taken further aback by Yui’s earnestness. It still made her skin crawl and though she very much wanted to vanish and disappear from this homey abode, she also didn’t want to be punished. Scolded and slapped. That was the worst part of her work, not even the famine that they faced. Maybe it would be better to bring something over nothing. Yui’s onigiri were likely not to produce a Recipipi - and even if they did, Gentlu was a gentlewoman thief, she wouldn’t take it under such dishonourable circumstances - but they were going to be better than nothing. Gentlu swallowed.
“Okay, I accept.” she said.
Yui gasped and her face split into the biggest, brightest smile and it dazzled Gentlu who very much wanted to slink back into the darkness. Instead, she took some rather bold, if unconfident, steps into the private kitchen of the Nagomi residence.
Yui washed her hands and Gentlu shyly followed her lead. She, in theory, knew all the etiquette of the kitchen but it was very much a foreign world to her. Yui’s cooking especially as it was so full of heart in how she poured out the rice so excitedly and chose toppings from the depths of the refrigerator. Gentlu was astounded that something so simple could be so full of energy and enthusiasm. She had no hope of matching it but Yui encouraged her.
Gentlu picked out what she wanted from the refrigerator and Yui’s face screwed up. Her tastes were going to be odd, it seemed. Anchovies and pickled cucumbers and other, various leftovers, Gentlu had very little idea of what would taste good together but Yui was more than willing to give it a try alongside her favourites of bonito flakes and salmon and seaweed.
The rice cooker went ding and this was the exciting part, Yui announced. She wet her hands again and has Gentlu do the same, only to dirty them with salt. Gentlu was mystified by the process but then she saw why, she watched how Yui rolled the cooled rice. She shaped them into perfect, precious little triangles and Gentlu attempted to copy her.
Gentlu’s onigiri were not quite so good and their misshapen sizes embarrassed her. She tried putting more salt on her hands, hoping that would help but it was all in technique and finesse that Gentlu very much did not possess due to inexperience. Yui cooed that they were cute though. Cuter still since they were chock full of all their favourite things. The onigiri were pounded full of the things they had chosen from the refrigerator and then wrapped in seaweed and bathed in Kewpie mayo.
Yui wrapped the vast majority of the onigiri the two of them had made in plastic-wrap. The difference between who had made what was stark as Gentlu’s were such ugly spheres whereas Yui’s were the ideal, triangular shape but they were, indeed, made with love. That made all of them adorable and beloved in equal measure. Even Gentlu could tell, even though she had agonised the entire time whilst making them, having Yui by her side, did help. They truly glittered with the savoury magic imbued in food through Recipipi Fairies.
“We should taste test a couple before you go home.” Yui suggested with a smug smile.
“That would be nice.” Gentlu replied.
So, they selected a ball of onigiri each from what hadn’t been wrapped tightly to refrigerate in plastic-wrap. Yui chose one of the circular onigiri that Gentlu had made whereas, fighting against the feeling her hand would be smacked if she tried on, Gentlu took one of Yui’s.
“Three, two, one, let’s dig in.” Yui chirped.
“Thank you for this meal.” Gentlu earnestly whispered.
Both took a bite of their respective onigiri. Gentlu was nothing less than immensely impressed with what she ate. The salmon and bonito flakes were of an umami harmony that she had never experienced before, her gloomy demeanour brightened up as she ate - and Yui couldn’t be happier.
She, however, was not in such a well balanced harmony of flavour. Her onigiri was very, very salty. It must have been one of the ones that Gentlu was determined to make triangular but failed at, to say nothing of the pickles and anchovies that it was stuffed with. Gentlu had a very peculiar palette, she decided, but even though her tongue stung with salt, she could still very much taste the love that Gentlu had packed it with and so, enjoyed her snack.
“I really, really liked that.” Gentlu said. “Thank you.”
“You're welcome, any time, especially if it gets you out of your thievery.” Yui teased.
“I’ll think about it.” Gentlu said and she began to collect up the onigiri that Yui was willing to part with.
She placed them - tenderly, lovingly, of all things - inside of the tin container that she used to steal away the Recipipi Fairies. Gentlu smiled as she sealed the lid on top of it and then held it protectively. She bowed her head to Yui, her floppy hat dipping low.
“Let’s not be seeing each other.” she bade Yui.
“O-Okay, well, I hope it's on better terms when we see each other next.” Yui protested hopefully but Gentlu had nothing to say to that.
She disappeared. She teleported away and back from whence she had come. The quiet seeped in immediately, making Yui ache in her chest. Her heartbeat was steady and slow, oddly melancholic for the joys that she had just partaken in with Gentlu. She couldn’t explain why, she just felt as though a pickled plum had just been picked from the onigiri of her heart.
She sighed. A sigh which would turn into a perfect cue for Rosemary to return from his pamper day at the local salon with the Energy Fairies. They immediately made the house loud and noisy again, asking what Yui had been up to and she was glad her big eater tendencies disguised that someone else had been here. Someone who was very much not a friend but no longer a foe either, or so Yui wanted to believe. So, Yui yammered on, perking up for Rosemary and Kome-Kome’s sakes.
After all, it shouldn’t be known that one of the legendary Pretty Cures was fraternising with the enemy and that the gentlewoman thief in question had stolen Yui’s heart.