Family Business

Chapter 9

Izumi and the others got into a routine fairly quickly.

- Get up

- Izumi goes to her now far less awful day of school while Kai home schools Eri

- Hari picks Izumi up and drops her off at the house before leaving with Kai

- Izumi spends time playing with Eri

- The girls cook, Eri learning simple skills and watching the elder girl work her culinary magic

- Izumi and Eri relax by doing some quirk analysis until the boys come home

- Eri gets put to bed

- Kai and Hari enjoy a home-cooked meal despite the late hour because Izumi is a godess among men

- Izumi, Kai, and Hari enjoy pleasant conversation

-Hari brings Izumi home

-Everyone goes to sleep

And then they wake up and do it all over again. It was simple, but it was nice. It was theirs.

Nearly a week had gone by in this routine. The first weekend shift was on the morrow and that knowledge left all of them giddy, excited, and full of nerves. Currently Kai and Hari were sitting at the kitchen table, the former struggling not to laugh at the scene before him. "I can't believe you've never eaten katsudon before! This is a crime! No, a travesty!"

"Izumi, it's not that bad! You really don't have to go through all this trouble to cook something new! The leftovers are more than enough!" Hari insisted, guilt lacing his tone as the teen worked herself into a frenzy cooking them a meal from scratch. Fresh food for once, rather than the leftovers from her meal for Eri. Kai mentally noted to eat those for lunch as he hid his smile behind the hand he was resting his face on, Chrono didn't realize how futile his efforts were but the brunette saw perfectly.

Izumi wasn't going to let this go.

When the silver haired man got up to try and offer assistance the teen fixed him with toxic green eyes, brandishing her wooden spoon at him like a weapon. "No. You, sit down." she ordered, sending a chill down Kai's spine. His assistant complied, mouth snapping shut as he took in her serious expression. "I know I don't have to feed you Hari. You're a grown ass man, I'd be more than a little surprised if you didn't know how to cook at least a little. I'm doing this because I want to make you something. I don't have many people to share this with, you know. Just you guys, my mom, and my dad - before his work sent him out of the country. I like cooking for the people I care about and that includes you two, so shut up and let me feed you the best dish on the face of this earth."

Kai didn't even bother hiding his smile this time as he watched the teen turn back to the stove. Honestly, he didn't even care that she thought a meal as sweet and unhealthy as katsudon was mandatory. It had bothered him initially, though he'd resolved to eat it anyway just to spare her feelings, that her favorite dish was something so "guilty pleasure" and "junk food" in nature. It was hardly a surprise, given her age, but it was worrying. But now he realized it was the intention behind the offer that left him warm inside.

She was sharing her favorite food with them, cooking for them, because she cared. She liked them. If he were a cat he'd be purring.

The brunette's pleasant mood evaporated when the familiar black and white jumpsuit of Mimic ran into the room. And as the tiny, bird-like figure proceeded to scurry up to him and loudly complain about how "some of their new clients screwed them over" and "that the last shipment was watered down, we shouldn't buy from them anymore" the yakuza boss screamed internally.