After the Spring Elections, I went home and immediately slept. I still don't have classes yesterday so, I helped Tsukasa-senpai with his paperworks like I promised.
We had a heartfelt talk. It truly soothe me that he thought I'm capable enough to be a chef. No one has ever made me feel like that, not even my brother.
Today is the day of our date. At least, I suggested it's a date. I'm not sure if he sees it as a date, though he's never said it wasn't when I talked about it yesterday.
I woke up early and decided to jog before I cooked breakfast.
"You're up so early." Hiroto yawned and rubbed his sleepy eyes before sitting down.
I put some fried rice, a hotdog, and two pieces of bacon on his plate and poured him a glass of milk.
"Ohayo, Hiro ni-ssan."
I ate the last bite of my food before standing up and putting my dishes in the dishwasher.
"I'm heading somewhere for lunch today," I informed my brother.
That seemed to snap him awake because he turned his head to me. "What? But papa said that we're going to eat at lunch today. They're leaving tonight."
I rubbed my neck. "Well, I already agreed so it would be rude to cancel. Just tell them I'll come over and bid them goodbye before their flight."
"Y-You're actually leaving me with your mom?!" He said in panic. He started pacing around the room and only stopped when I put a hand on his shoulder.
"You'll be fine. I need to take a bath."
I was going to head to the bathroom when he flipped me over and poked my forehead. "Congratulations, imouto. I didn't get to congratulate you yesterday because papa called me for a meeting and you were dead asleep after the elections. You left so quickly, you know?"
That's why he wasn't around yesterday. He slept at the mansion.
Hiroto frowned and pointed to our fridge. "There's cake there. I bought it for you. Let's eat it later when we get home from later."
I smiled and hugged him. "Okay. Thanks, best brother in the world."
"Hmp." He hugged me back before swishing me away and going back to eating.
I'm still so lucky, aren’t I?
...
After a relaxing bath, I went to my room to dress. I dressed in a sleeveless short navy blue dress and paired it with a Hermes black strapped heels.
Dress:
(I don't have a good fashion taste. Please don't judge me 😭)
Shoes:
I wore it with the necklace Tsukasa-senpai gave me and diamond stud earrings.
I then left my hair in its natural wavy look and went outside of my room and knocked on my brother's door. "I'm heading out, Hiro!"
"'Kay! Be careful, imouto!" He shouted back in reply. He's probably still getting dress for lunch with our father and my mother.
I left the house and texted Tsukasa-senpai where we should go meet. Yes, my dumb ass forgot to text/ask him yesterday and today where we're going or at least meeting.
Me: Where are we meeting?
Tsukasa-senpai: I'll pick you up.
My gold eyes widened.
Me: Don't! Just send me your location.
I didn't receive anymore text back from him. I glared at my phone and stomped my feet in frustration.
"Why are you stomping your feet?" I looked up to see a laughing Tsukasa-senpai and transferred my glare to him.
"I told you not to pick me up! You should've just sent me the location!" I said, upset.
"I know. I just thought I should since I'm the one who invited you. Besides, I was already here. There isn't any harm if I pick you up. I've always known where you live." I crossed my arms and looked away.
My brother will harm you if he finds out.
"Let’s go. There's a car nearby here." I removed my arm from its crossing when he suddenly took my right arm and pulled me towards the way.
Sometimes, I don't know whether his worriness or anxiety is real and it's because of this.
I followed him to the way and he opened the car for me.
"Gentleman, I see. But, remember!" I pointed to myself. "I. Am. Not. A. Damsel. In. Distress!" I said pausing in each word.
He chuckled and nodded his head. "I never said you were."
I pursed my lips before entering the car and thanking him. He entered after me and I asked him where we're going.
"I'm taking you to our family restaurant here. We have a branch here in Tokyo. The main is in Paris," He replied in detail.
"Alright. Do we have anymore plans afterwards?" He looked at me. "Just in case. I have to send my parents away to the airport."
"Ohh? They're leaving so soon?"
"It's not like they can stay here for so long. They have work. We'll see each other in the Winter break. So anymore plans?"
"Yes. But it shouldn't take so long so don't worry about it."
I hummed in reply. We continued to chat about random things until we finally arrived at his family's restaurant.
A huge sign of the the restaurant's name hang in the front, 'La muraille royale.' Its exterior is like a palace's doing justice to its name and when we entered inside, the interior has a modern fragment with a touch of the medieval age.
"Tsukasa-sama," an attendant welcomed us. "Right this way."
We followed her upstairs and we were led to an area where the entire Tokyo could be seen from above.
Tsukasa-senpai pulled me a chair. "Thank you."
We both sat down and were given a menu before the woman asked us. "What do you want for drinks?"
I gazed at Tsukasa-senpai and shrugged at him, telling him to choose for us.
"A bottle of fresh blueberry juice and water if you may," he ordered. The woman left to take our drinks and we were left alone.
"So what's your restaurant's specialty?" I asked to start a conversation and opened the menu.
"Venison." I smiled knowingly.
"I'll have a Roasted Spicy Venison then. For the side dish, a classic French Spinach Au Gratin," I placed my hand under my chin as I scan the menu. "And a Perry."
"You're so classic," Tsukasa-senpai laughed. I shrugged and put down the menu.
Later on, the waitress from before came back with the drinks Tsukasa-senpai ordered and we gave her our orders before she left to have them prepared.
I didn't know how awkward it would be to be alone with him, especially since I did confirm this is a date or is it?
"So..." We spoke at the same time. We laughed a little at our actions.
"This is kind of awkward. We're like two old people here. May be I should've brought you to a normal diner instead."
I looked at him with a blank look. "But are you use to just a diner? Actually, scratch that. Have you ever been to a diner?"
I seemed to be right with my assumptions when he looked everywhere trying to find an answer to my question while stuttering.
"U-um...I...I mean...There was one...time?" He finally answered.
"Ah-huh. That's sounds more like a question than it is an answer. Let's chill out. We don't wanna look so old to the people here."
I scanned the room and noticed that only adults are here. I sighed.
"Sorry." I looked up to the boy with blue eyes. "This is really awkward."
"Don't worry. It's charming in some sort of way," I smiled.
He tilted his head and chuckled. "Is that a phrase from somewhere? It sounds like I've heard it before."
"May be, may be not." I smirked.
Our food then arrived. We ate while talking about our interests and I found him more interesting as I keep on listening to him.
"Then, I want to have my own restaurant," Tsukasa-senpai said, talking about his plans for his future.
"It's nice that you've thought about what comes next so much. I haven't really thought much about what I want to do with my life," I admitted, embarrassed.
He raised me an eyebrow. "Don't you want to manage your family business? I mean you are its heiress or if you don't, possibly manage your own restaurant?"
I looked down at the busy city of Tokyo while I talk. "Sooner or later, my family will accept the fact that my brother should manage it instead. He knows more about cooking and business more than I do."
"Huh? But either way, you'd want to help, right?"
I looked back to the confused boy in front of me who's staring right into my eyes, penetrating my soul.
I intertwined my hands together, my elbow standing at the table as I gave him equal concentration. "You see senpai, I'm very competitive. I don't want to only be second. I don't want to be just an option. That's why I quit cooking when I was young."
"You quit cooking?" His forehead creased and he continued to gaze his cold icy blue eyes with my warm golden ones.
"I told you before, didn't I? I don't like cooking." He nodded his head. "To tell you the truth, my father only forced me to enter Tōtsuki. I've never wanted to study here."
His eyes spread wide in befallment. "You were forced here?"
I rolled my eyes. "I already said I was, didn't I?" I showed him a small tattoo I had made someone imprint on me as an act of rebellion.
My tattoo is small. It's not noticeable unless you're very close to it. It's a palette for painting with paint in it and a paint brush, located in my upper right forearm.
"I'm an artist. I paint, sculp, draw, things like that. You've probably seen or heard that I studied at an art school before I came here, right? That's why."
He inspected my tattoo and I placed it nearer to him so he can check it better.
"How old were you when you got this?" He asked me, shocking me.
"T-that's your question?!"
He laughed and finally continued to eat. "When I found out you studied at an art school last year, I got suspicious and curious. So I stalked you a bit."
I glanced at him blankly. "That's creepy."
He pouted before trying to explain himself. "I checked your social media accounts. That was just it! I saw your works and your pictures at your art school and art places! That wasn't that bad!"
I ignored him and simply continued to eat my food.
"You're so mean." I smiled, laughing internally.
...
After our lunch, we rode the car again to our next destination.
"Where are you taking me? Who knows if you're actually going to sell my organs now that I'm fresh and full," I joked.
"Stop that! You've got such a dark humor, do you know that?!" He reacted, scared of me.
I grinned mischievously and he looked away, sulking even more.
"C'mon. Don't be such a crybaby. I'm just joking." I elbowed him.
"Yeah. That's until I really sell your organs," He mumbled and I laughed.
"That's the spirit. Joke a little!"
He glanced back at me with a deadpanned look on his face. "I'm not joking."
The car stopped at an abandoned building and I felt chills just by looking at Tsukasa-senpai. He went outside of the car and opened it for me.
"Come out," He smiled maliciously and lended his hand to me.
I smiled sheepishly and my eyes went everywhere just to find a place to escape.
I stepped out of the car and accepted his hand. We went straight to the abandoned building and I gazed at Tsukasa-senpai suspiciously. But suddenly, we went towards the right direction.
"Just kidding! Did you see the look on your face?" He chuckled and I hit his biceps. It's hard. He actually has muscles?
"Not funny," I glared at him.
"Now you know the feeling." We continued to walk and I looked ahead of us to see a cliff ahead of us. There's a bench beside it and a sakura tree behind the bench.
When we got there, he gestured for me to sit down at the bench and I did. He sat beside me and then pointed below the cliff.
Below the cliff is a view of the city even bigger than the one inside their restaurant. The people seemed like bugs from up here and the buildings would honestly look better if it was night.
"It's beautiful here," I commented. "How'd you find it?"
"When I was a toddler we would sometimes go to this place. My parents had a transaction at the abandoned building before it became abandoned. It used to be a warehouse," He explained.
I stood up and sat nearer the cliff at the grass. The wind blew my wavy hair and I looked at Tsukasa-senpai and smiled. "Thank you, Tsukasa-senpai."
He returned my smile but it suddenly disappeared.
"What's wrong?" I asked in concern.
He sat down beside me on the grass. I didn't think he'd sit down and dirty himself.
"When you told me yesterday that you're not enough in cooking or when you said you don't want to be an option or just second, it all makes sense to put together why you don't like cooking. I've got a good idea why you dislike it..." He trailed off and gazed down below us.
I didn't confirm anything to him but he continued to speak. "I hope that you know that you're not just an option. You're not just second best and I'm sure he doesn't want you to feel that way. It doesn't matter if you're not the best in this field, what matters is that you do your best. It doesn't matter what they say, what matters is what you think of yourself."
His words completely struck me and I felt hot tears build in my eyes. His words struck me deep like an arrow hitting its target perfectly and I think he may just have successfully done what he wanted to.
"Thank you, Tsukasa-senpai," was all I can say to him and wiped the tears that fell from my eyes.
I'm grateful to him. He doesn't know how much his words help me.
"Do you think we're close?" He asked all of a sudden.
"What do you mean?" I threw a rock at the cliff to see how deep it is and counted in my head my calculations.
"Close enough to call each other by our first names?" I looked back at my companion in surprise. "I mean it's hard sometimes to call you by your last name when you and your brother have the same one."
"But, you wouldn't be confuse. You call him, Hiroto. You call me, Moretti-san."
He smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. But...But I heard you be called by your first name by Isshiki. I...I..."
"Do you want to call me by my first name?" I pulled the grass beside me and blew on them when I held them by my hands. The wind from my breath took them far away and I watched as the wind completely made it disappear from my eyesight.
"Tsukasa-senpai, you already have. You don't need permission for that."
"I have?" He asked, confused.
"When I got into the final round. You muttered my name when you said see you later," I replied and rubbed my eyes and yawned.
"Are you sleepy? Let's go back. You can sleep in the car. We'll take you to the airport."
I nodded my head and stood up. I lended my hand out to my upperclassman and smiled softly.
"Let’s go, Eishi."
I saw his cheeks tint red as did mine and my heart started beating uncontrablly again.
He took my hand and stood up with my help, his head looking at another direction.
"Yes. Let's go, Caterina."