243 Days of KiyoRisu Stories

Day 13/243, Story 10, Chapter 1 (W)

Day 12/243, Story 10, Chapter 1 (W)

Words: winter, stare, notebook

(Set in AU)

*****

It was a cold day in the middle of December - the temperature had reached less than 0 degrees, and ice clung to the roads like magnets on a refrigerator. Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was curled up in a booth in a cafe in the middle of the city.

He had ordered a variety of pastries and a black coffee. Starting his second pastry, he continued to jot things down in his notebook - a small journal of sorts made of black leather. It was then that he saw a familiar face.

"Sakayanagi-san?" he called out.

Walking past his table was a petite woman with lilac hair and violet eyes. She was wearing a short, light brown trench coat with a waist belt, a dark grey skirt, 30 denier black tights and black, suede, over-the-knee boots. She was also carrying an apricot, leather crossbody bag over her shoulder. Sakayanagi turned towards the man.

"Oh my, Ayanokouji-kun, is that you?"

"It's been a while." He replied.

"Fufu, it has indeed. Do you mind if I take a seat?" Sakayanagi asked.

"Of course not.".

Sakayanagi sat down opposite Ayanokouji and set her bag down.

"Would you like one?" Ayanokouji pointed towards his plate.

"Thank you very much." Sakayanagi picked up a croissant covered in powdered sugar.

"Itadakimasu~"

Sakayanagi began chewing the delicacy. Ayanokouji continued indulging in his vanilla crown as the two watched each other.

"Oh, Sakayanagi-san, you've got some powdered sugar on your cheek." Ayanokouji said.

Sakayanagi wiped her right cheek before checking her finger.

"No, the other one."

"Fufu, Ayanokouji-kun, could you please get it for me?" Sakayanagi said, pointing her cheek towards him.

"You can get it yourself." Ayanokouji passed her a napkin from a set of napkins he kept underneath the plate. Sakayanagi used it to remove any powdered sugar on her face.

"You're no fun, Ayanokouji-kun. This is why you never had a girlfriend all throughout your time at university." Sakayanagi stated, poking fun at his maidenless history.

"Speak for yourself." Ayanokouji riposted, before taking a sip of his coffee. He wrote something down in his notebook.

"Fufu, I'm only joking." Sakayanagi chuckled. She noted Ayanokouji's jottings.

"If you don't mind me asking, what is this?" She asked, pointing a finger at the notebook.

"It's a journal of the different flavours I experience everyday." Ayanokouji began. "I had a concussion a few months ago, which left me with a loss of sense of smell for a week or so. It made me realise how much I took it for granted, so I decided to make a note of the foods I taste throughout the day. I also tend to treat myself to new foods - hence why I'm here."

Sakayanagi nodded. "Oh my, I hope that you're okay, Ayanokouji-kun."

Ayanokouji smiled in response to her worried statement. "Don't worry, it was nothing serious."

"I'm glad to hear that that is the case. I must say, the notebook seems very intriguing."

Ayanokouji showed her a page from the book with the current date. "I had a vanilla crown with almonds earlier, but I also had a vanilla crown with no almonds to see how it affected the taste. I also take a sip of coffee after each one to see whether the pastry I eat affects the flavour of the coffee."