The Influence

Chapter Nineteen

Hanae turned off the warm water and stepped out of the shower. She took the black towel Aizawa left out for her and partially dried her hair followed by drying the rest of her body.

'I wish I had two towels, I'm getting the floor all wet!' She thought to herself.

Once she felt like she was dry enough she slipped into the outfit Momo had let her borrow. When she had the shirt and denim shorts on, Hanae examined the long overcoat.

'Is it weird to wear this inside? I can't remember how hot or cold it was in the living room? Should I just hang it up?' Hanae thought to herself while examining her outfit with the coat on and without.

'I guess I'll just leave it off' Hanae finally thought to herself.

Hanae hung up her towel and ran her fingers through her hair. She opened up the cabinet to try to find a hair dryer so her hair wouldn't drip everywhere. After opening every cabinet door, she finally found the blow dryer tucked behind extra toilet paper and washcloths. She began to dry her hair and style it with a comb she had also found. After examining herself another time, she decided this was the best she could do with the tools provided and left the bathroom.

"Hello? Eri?" Hanae whispered, slowly shutting the door behind her as to not make a sound.

No one responded. Hanae tiptoed back down the hallway and heard noise in the kitchen. The smell of sauteed onions and garlic quickly hit her nose.

'That smells amazing' Hanae thought to herself, her stomach starting to grumble.

Hanae walked into the living room and saw Aizawa focusing on the stove, slowly stirring something in a pot.

"It smells good" Hanae stated, announcing her presence.

"Thank you" Aizawa responded, turning his head to acknowledge her.

"Would you like any help?" Hanae asked, maintaining the current distance between them.

"Can you actually keep watch over these vegetables? I want to make sure Eri is okay" Aizawa replied.

"Oh, sure!" Hanae replied, stepping closer to the man.

Hanae walked next to Aizawa, and looked at the stovetop.

Rice was simmering in one pot, while a miso broth was beginning to boil in another. Vegetables were being lightly sauteed in a pan.

"So I'm mainly concerned about the vegetables. Just keep stirring them and make sure they don't brown too much." Aizawa stated as he handed her the spoon, trying to avoid her gaze.

"Okay, I got it" Hanae replied, also trying to avoid looking at him.

Both adults were still embarrassed by what had happened earlier. Aizawa walked away from Hanae.

'I hope dinner isn't this tense' Hanae thought to herself.

She began to busy herself with stirring the vegetables. The rice looked to be almost finished and the miso soup was steaming in its pot. She began to hum a made up tune to herself. Her phone vibrated in her short pocket. Hitoshi has texted her.

Sorry I'm running late, I had to help Denki with something...

Hanae laughed at her brother's message.

Don't worry, dinner isn't ready yet

Hitoshi: Okay cool. I'm leaving in a few minutes. Is everything okay over there? It's not weird being there without me?

Hanae immediately blushed reading her brother's message. She didn't want to tell him what had happened earlier so she quickly drafted a generic response that she thought would make him happy.