Omurice

Oneshot

Ayumi explored the rooms of the facility. Medoki had told her where Shunsuke was, but somehow she got lost after getting sidetracked with some interesting rooms. She whimpered when she entered a storage closet, once again unable to find her brother's office.

"You're Ayumi right? What are you doing, looking inside that broom closet?" Ayumi jumped when she heard the voice. She turned around, seeing a dry Kumagami looking at her from the intersection of the hallway. Ayumi smiled, seeing a familiar face.

"I'm looking for Shun-nii-san," Ayumi explained.

"Shunsuke huh. Come with me, I'll take you to him," Kumagami nonchalantly said, before taking off in a random direction. Ayumi ran to catch up to him.

"Here we are," Kumagami opened the door to Shunsuke's office.

"Yay! Thank you Kumagami-san!" Ayumi made her way to Shunsuke.

"Ayumi wants to make omurice for Shun-nii-san!" Ayumi exclaimed. Shunsuke smiled at her generosity. It had been many years since he last had a taste of Ayumi's cooking. Ever since he left her and Yuu, Shunsuke had been yearning to try Ayumi's evolved cooking once more.

Taking her by the hand, he led her out of his office, and made his way to the, his cane precariously held in front of him. Despite having memorised the layout of the facility, Shunsuke still uses his cane to ensure that he does not bump into anything or anyone.

As they opened the door, Ayumi was surprised to see Yuu. He was holding a plate, held over the kitchen sink.

"Ayumi! Shunsuke! What are you doing here?" Yuu inquired, as he placed the plate on the sink, while grabbing a towel to wipe his hands.

"Ayumi wants to make omurice for Shun-nii san!" Ayumi pumped her fist in the air. "Does Yuu-nii san want some too?"

'Did she bring the secret sauce...?' Yuu deliberated over it in his head. He observed Ayumi, her jovial expression instigating a sense of guilt, forcing him to acquiesce. "Sure...."

"Yaay! Shun-nii-san, Yuu-nii-san, Ayumi will make omurice for you!" Ayumi skipped to the fridge, starting to work on her masterpiece.

Yuu and Shunsuke sat on the table. An awkward silence engulfed them as Yuu silently watched Shunsuke, who was sat silently on his chair, with both hands on the table. Yuu took the time to observe his eyes. His once bright grey eyes have become clouded, indicating his blindness from using time leap. Apart from that, and the fact that he looked older, his appearance seemed to remain the same. Yuu wondered why he and Ayumi looked almost nothing alike their older brother.

"So...." Yuu tried to break the awkward silence, "Do you remember the taste of Ayumi's secret sauce?" His voice became a whisper, in fear that Ayumi, who was humming to the tune of ZHIEND's song whilst beating eggs, could here him.

Shunsuke's smile faltered. He ever so slightly shifted his chair, and placed his hand on his cheek, resting it on the table.

"Admittedly, no. It's been too long," Shunsuke lowered his gaze. "I don't even remember the last time she made it for me."

"Well, there's no tomato sauce in the pantry right? Ayumi loves to add it into everything in excess amount. Too much makes it unsavory," Yuu explained, sensing the discomfort in Shunsuke.

"Is it really that bad?"

"Yes. She even added it in french toast and I don't even know how she eats that! It tasted horrible," Yuu petulantly stomped his foot.

Both brothers broke into a fit of laughter at that comment. Wiping a tear from his eye, Shunsuke calmed himself down before looking down.

"I miss her cooking," Shunsuke stated.

"Yeah... I did, too," Yuu added. "At least now we get to eat her cooking again right?" Yuu tried to lighten the mood.

"She learnt it from mom right?" Shunsuke asked.

"Yeah, she perfected it in her own way too. Wonder if she can become a chef in the future," Yuu deliberated it in his mind.

"That might be possible. Maybe we can even send her to Tootsuki Academy," Shunsuke suggested.

Before Yuu could reply, they heard footsteps resonating in the room.

"Yuu-nii-san, Shun-nii-san, food is ready!" Ayumi carried a tray of three omurice. She made her way over to the table, careful not to trip and drop the food. She placed a plate in front of each brother, before putting one for herself and sitting between her siblings.

"Good things did happen..." Yuu read out the words made out of sauce on his egg. He smiled briefly, before realising that Shunsuke cannot read his. He glanced at Shunsuke, who was inhaling the aroma of the meal.

"Welcome back," Ayumi said, as if reading Yuu's mind.

Shunsuke stared, or at least looked like he was staring, at the omurice. He patted Ayumi's head, and leaned down to plant a kiss on her forehead. "I'm back...."

Shunsuke remained in that position for a few more seconds before turning his attention back to his meal.

"Itadakimasu!" All three siblings exclaimed, before digging into their meal.

Shunsuke scooped a bit of the omurice and held it near his mouth. He inhaled the scent, looking out for the one thing his brother warned him about: the secret sauce. He slowly brought the food into his mouth. Upon the food coming into contact with his tongue, Shunsuke felt like his mouth would melt as he chewed on the food. The soft texture of the egg perfectly compliments the bits of chicken hidden within the rice. Surprisingly, Ayumi did not add as much sauce as he expected her to.

Unbeknownst to him, Ayumi was silently observing him. A wave of amusement, delight and relief hit Ayumi like a tsunami as she watched her older brother eat her cooking for the first time in many years.

"Surprisingly there is not much of Ayumi's secret sauce in this," Yuu stated, after he reluctantly took a bite of the omurice.

"Well... we ran out of sauce. So Ayumi made sure that the sauce is evenly distributed," Ayumi explained.

"Remind me to get someone to restock the pantry," Shunsuke said, smiling at Ayumi.

"Yay!! Ayumi will make more food for Shun-nii-san!!" Ayumi exuberantly exclaimed.

"I look forward to it, Ayumi-chan."

Yuu could only watch in horror as his brother encouraged the use of Ayumi's secret sauce.

"Nii-san!" Shunsuke chuckled. "After all, it doesn't taste so bad." Shunsuke teased him.

'More sauce....' Yuu felt his entire body becoming leaden, and slumped back onto his chair, as if his life was being drained away from him.