Sachi walked down the staircase, she saw Ketsueki setting up a brand new dining table while Namida was almost finished installing a new flatscreen that was mounted on the wall. Sachi said. “I see you two already started without me.” She made her way to the couch and sat down while Namida’s pitch-black pupils returned to brown, she said. “There, I had to tear down a part of the wall and fix it back with magic but now we can watch decent shows.” Ketsueki was staring at the new dining table that can have eight people eat on it at the same time.
Sachi picked up a couple of fries as she glanced at the remote that was still neatly wrapped in plastic, she said. “Did you remember to buy batteries for the remote?” She ate a fry while Namida stared at the flatscreen, she spoke under her breath and said. “Fuck…” Namida continued. “I need to make a call.” She took out a phone from her pocket and made her way to the front door. Sachi was in the middle of chewing as she turned her head at Ketsueki who was still staring at the new dining table.
Sachi swallowed and said. “Is there a problem?” Ketsueki placed her hands on her hips, she said. “Does it go with the room?” Sachi rolled her eyes and let out a groan, she thought. Of course, that’s the thing bothering her… She threw a fry in her mouth as Ketsueki made her way to the couch while repeatedly glancing at the table. She sat on the couch and grabbed a burger, Ketsueki said. “What do you think they’ll say about the new table?” Sachi waved her hand as a slice of pizza flew into the palm of her hand, she said. “I think they’ll comment on how the table changed first.”
Namida came back from the direction of the front door as she made her way to the armchair and sat back down, she said. “Batteries for the remote are going to be here in around ten to twenty minutes.” She leaned on the backrest of the armchair, Sachi took a bite of her pizza while Ketsueki wiped some ketchup on the corner of her lip using her thumb. Ketsueki said. “So we’re just supposed to stare at the black screen until the delivery arrives?”
Namida picked up a fry and said. “It’s not a delivery, I called someone back home to search for a pack of triple A’s in my room.” She ate a fry while Sachi stared at her for a couple of seconds, she said. “You called your house instead of online delivery?” Ketsueki placed her burger on the pizza box as she reached for the pitcher filled with water and poured some into her glass, she said. “Life of the rich, Sachi. Don’t think too much of it.” Namida spread her arms and said. “Hey, I paid for the TV, the dining table, and the chairs. I gotta cut costs somewhere.”
Ketsueki took a sip of water while Sachi gulped down a mouthful of food and said. “So you gave her a new dining table and TV in hopes you can get into her pants? Dude, Reiki won’t let you near her room.” Ketsueki almost spat out the water in her mouth as she managed to suppress her laughter while Sachi placed her slice of pizza in the back next to the tall pile of fries. Sachi started laughing as she lightly smacked the couch a few times while Namida ate more fries.
Ketsueki swallowed the water in her mouth as she started laughing, she set the glass on the coffee table while Namida patiently waited for her friend's laughter to stop. Sachi and Ketsueki's laughter slowly came to a halt while Namida said. “Laugh all you want Sachi. I get to eat dinner here.” Sachi wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, she said. “If you’re having dinner here, then I’m also eating here.” Ketsueki let out a long exhale and bluntly said. “No.” Sachi stared at her friend and said. “Why? If this guy trying to get into your pants gets to eat, I should too.”
Ketsueki snapped her finger as a large bowl of strawberry ice cream appeared on her lap along with a miso bowl in her palm that was filled with cherries, she said. “And to make it up to you, we’re going to have ice cream.” The strawberry ice cream in her bowl was slightly melted, Namida lazily waved her hand as a large bowl of vanilla ice cream appeared in her palm along with the spoon partially buried in the ice cream. Sachi slammed her hand on the couch, she said. “Don’t try to change the-.”
Before she could finish Ketsueki moved the bowl of cherries closer to her, she had a tempting smile on her face and said. “How about I give you the honor of being the first in our group to eat an elven cherry?” Sachi accidentally took a small whiff of it as she quickly moved her upper body back, she thought. … The smell of sweetness was so potent it was sickening… She gulped as Sachi slowly reached her hand out and picked up a cherry that had slowly dripped a couple of drops of thick syrup into the bowl.
Sachi held the cherry by the stem as she ate it, Ketsueki and Namida stared at their friend as Sachi quickly took a large bowl of chocolate ice cream from her pocket. Sachi ate a couple of large spoonfuls of ice cream as she swallowed and slowly exhaled. Ketsueki had a look of anticipation on her face, she opened her mouth to say something but Namida spoke first. Namida said. “How is it?” Sachi let out another breath and said. “It feels like someone crossbred mint and cherry, the taste keeps lingering inside my mouth.”
Sachi took one of the tissues near the box of burgers as she took one and placed the stem on it. Ketsueki quickly took a cherry from her bowl and placed it on her strawberry ice cream. Namida reached out to grab a cherry from the bowl as her friend intentionally moved the bowl slightly out of her reach. Sachi thought. Let me just… She took a cherry from the bowl and placed it in her bowl. Ketsueki took out a spoon from her pocket, she scooped some ice cream with it, and ate it while Namida’s hand faintly glowed as a cherry from the bowl floated mid-air.
With some ice cream still in her mouth Ketsueki picked the cherry in her bowl and ate it, she felt a sudden burst of mana in her mouth. She thought. T-That’s strong. Ketsueki ate some more ice cream to drown out the potent flavor of the cherry. The cherry was floating mid-air head toward Namida as she held it by the stem and ate it, after chewing it a couple of times she started coughing. She thought. It reminds me of that one time I got my hands on some dwarven alcohol… A single sip burned my entire throat.
Namida let out one long exhale as she ate a spoonful of ice cream and continued her train of thought. God, I want another shot of that liquor… But knowing mom she’d nag me to death if I got caught. Sachi ate a few more spoonfuls of ice cream, she thought. These cherries are so good… There’s a lot more mana in them than I thought. From the direction of the kitchen, a streak of white came out of it as an albino crow appeared on Ketsueki’s left shoulder. She glanced to the left and saw the albino crow on her shoulder.
Ketsueki wiped some melted ice cream on the corner of her lips and said. “Oh, Hi Cherry.” Sachi and Namida kept eating more ice cream as they moved their gaze onto the bird on their friend's shoulder. Cherry flapped her wings and softly let out a caw, Ketsueki continued. “Eating a single cherry makes me wonder how you managed to eat half the jar in one sitting.” She placed another cherry onto her bowl and ate more ice cream as Cherry let out a caw. Ketsueki nodded and said. “That makes sense.”
Namida turned her head onto Sachi and said. “Since when did she learn how to speak bird?” Sachi shook her head sideways, she said. “Beats me, maybe Reiki taught her a trick or two.” Namida let out a hearty laugh as she placed her spoon into her bowl, she said. “Taught her a trick or two.” She placed the bowl onto her lap, put her left hand on her stomach, and slammed her right hand on the armrest a few times. Sachi glanced at the TV and said. “How long until we get batteries for the remote?”
Ketsueki was gently caressing Cherry’s stomach, she said. “Speaking of deliveries, how did the table get here so fast?” Namida’s laughter slowly came to a halt, she let out a long sigh and said. “The table got here in a short amount of time because one of the butlers was out for an errand and happened to be nearby.” She didn’t notice the odd looks her friends were giving her, Namida continued. “The batteries should’ve been here a couple of minutes ago.” The moment she finished talking the sound of knocking came from the front door.
The bowl on Namida’s lap vanished as she stood up from the armchair and said. “Oh, here it is.” She made her way to the front of the house while Sachi was staring at Ketsueki who was eating more strawberry ice cream. Ketsueki shook her head sideways and gulped, she said. “Sachi, don’t forget that she’s rich, with an upper case R.” She placed the small bowl with the cherries onto the coffee table as Sachi grabbed a cherry and said. “Makes me wonder why she’s even working for this company in the first place.”
Ketsueki grabbed the cherry in her bowl of ice cream by the stem, she said. “On the first day our group was made, she claimed it was to test her skills in the real world… With the kind of people that gather in the company, I’m more likely to build her network and meet people.” She ate the cherry and placed the stem onto the tissue while the albino crow on her shoulder was pecking something in her wing. Ketsueki slowly exhaled while Sachi had a pondering expression, she said. “Since we both met you, she’s basically done with her task.”
Ketsueki’s lips curled into a slightly smug smirk, she said. “Yep, in that entire company. I’m number one.” The two of them heard the sound of footsteps getting closer as Namida came back with a pack of triple A’s in her hand. She said. “I have the batteries, let’s watch some shows from other countries.”
~Three Hours Later~
There was still some food on the coffee table as Sachi and Ketsueki sat on the edges of the couch while Mio, Yuki, and Shiro sat in between them. Namida was sitting on the armchair while on her phone typing, she said. “Yuki, butadon and gyudon. Cottontail wants sushi and for Mio something light.” Everyone in the living room heard the sound of footsteps from the stairway, they turned their heads and saw Reiki. Ketsueki smiled at her little brother, she said. “Did you already finish training-?” She stopped the moment she noticed the mana near him expanding and compressing.
Reiki scratched the back of his head and said. “More or less, I also came down to collect the empty box you girls have.” He moved his gaze onto Shiro, Mio, and Yuki who were sitting on the couch. Reiki continued. “If you girls were here you could’ve at least said hi to me.” Mio’s gaze kept darting to the moving mana, she said. “We didn’t want to disturb your training.”
Yuki kept observing the mana while Sachi managed to keep her gaze on him, she said. “Speaking of empty boxes. Reiki, give me all of yours.” Reiki made his way to her as he took out two empty boxes of pizza along with two containers of the gyoza, he said. “Why are you collecting them?” His gaze wandered onto Namida who was ordering something on her phone, Sachi said. “I live in an apartment complex, the trash chutes there are organized so it’s easier to recycle.”
Ketsueki noticed her little brother staring at her friend's phone, she said. “Reiki, what do you want to order?” Namida moved her gaze away from the screen of her phone and said. “Ok, if Reiki’s ordering something just to make it clear you’re the one paying for it.” Ketsueki faked a surprised look on her face, she said. “Why-.” Before she could even get a word out Sachi lightly tapped the boxes Reiki was holding as they vanished, she said. “I paid for the fries.” Namida glanced at the TV that was playing an animal documentary about koalas, she moved her gaze onto the new dining table and said. “I think it’s only fair.”
Reiki noticed the latest model flatscreen installed onto the wall as he glanced at the dining table that could easily fit all of them. He moved his gaze onto Yuki, Mio, and Shiro sitting in the middle of the couch, Reiki said. “What do you three want for dinner?” Mio moved her gaze onto him and said. “I want a light meal.” Yuki’s eyes lit up as she excitedly said. “Butadon and gyudon for me.” Shiro’s eyes were glued onto the red baby panda sleeping on TV, she said. “I want sushi, Onii-chan.”
Ketsueki leaned on the backrest of the couch, she crossed her arms under her large chest, and said. “What’s that small amount of money between friends?” Namida raised a brow at her, she said. “If you want to talk about money then it should be paying since you make so much more than us two combined.” Sachi placed her elbow on the armrest of the couch as she rested her head on her palm and said. “Going by that logic, shouldn’t you reimburse us for everything?” Ketsueki let out a chuckle, she said. “You two know full well why I rarely use my money.”
Reiki thought. Gyudon, butadon, sushi… Yeah, I can do that. Sachi thought. Alright, now I can-. Her train of thought was interrupted when Reiki said. “Sorry for getting in the way of your friendly argument, tell me what kind of meat do you want?” Namida quickly said. “I want eel.” A hint of confusion formed on Ketsueki’s face, she said. “We don’t have eel.” Namida took out a pouch from her pocket and said. “But I brought my own.” She threw the pouch at Reiki which he caught mid-air, Namida continued. “There’s also a portable grill, white charcoal, and a long nozzle lighter.”
Yuki’s brows furrowed, she said. “There’s white charcoal?” Namida was about to say something when Reiki beat her to it, he said. “White charcoal has a lot of uses other than cooking, some use them as pencils for drawings. It’s also used in most if not all high-end restaurants.” Namida gave him an odd look and thought. How does he know that? Ketsueki stared at her friend, she said. “I’m guessing that’s the reason why you ordered the TV and table.” Namida nodded at her and said. “Correct.”
Yuki had a hint of drool from the corner of her mouth, she thought. Grilled eel… Mio placed a hand on her stomach, she thought. A heavy meal before going to bed never hurt anyone before… Shiro was watching a koala in their caretaker's arms being fed milk from a bottle, she thought. Cute. Reiki moved his gaze onto Sachi and said. “Sachi? Your choice of meat is?” Before she could say anything Ketsueki spoke and said. “She’s not joining us for dinner.” Reiki made his way toward her as he accidentally blocked the three little girls' view of the TV.
Mio and Yuki didn’t react as Shiro tilted sideways to not miss a second of the red panda. Reiki grabbed his older sister’s hand as he interlocked his finger with hers, Ketsueki kept a straight expression. Reiki said. “Sachi?” He used his thumb to gently caress the back of his older sister’s hand as a faint blush appeared on her cheeks. Sachi thought for a moment and said. “I want some shrimp and vegetable tempura.” Reiki nodded at her, he said. “Alright, time to get cooking.” He took a couple of steps toward the kitchen but Ketsueki didn’t let go of his hand.
She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and said. “You’re not going to ask me?” Reiki smiled at her, he said. “Croquettes with meat and extra cheese.” Ketsueki rolled her eyes at him and said. “Don’t act like you know me better than myself.” She playfully threw his hand away as she tried to hide the smile on her lips. He made his way to the kitchen and said. “Dinner will be done in an hour or so.”
~Two Hours Later~
Everyone was sitting around the table, Reiki used the empty chair as he placed the rice cooker on it to his right where he could serve rice to everyone. He said. “Ginger pork, grilled beef, shrimp and vegetable tempura, croquette with meat and extra cheese, an assortment of sashimi, grilled eel, and all the sides you could imagine.” The girls didn’t hear a single thing he said as they were too busy staring at all the food on the table, Reiki continued. “There’s plenty of rice so make sure to eat your fill.” Everyone clapped their hands and said. “Itadakimasu.”
The girls picked up their pairs of chopsticks and started putting their choice of meat on their large bowls of rice. Reiki was eating with his left hand as he hid his right under the table. Yuki used her chopsticks to place grilled beef and ginger pork that she could put in her bowl as the rice underneath was completely covered. Ketsueki noticed her little brother eating with his left hand, she thought. What is he doing?... Mio put an assortment of sashimi along with some red pickled ginger on top. Ketsueki said. “Reiki, why aren’t you using your dominant hand to eat?’
Pinched between Reiki’s chopsticks was a freshly fried croquette with a bite taken out of it as some of the melted cheese was oozing out of it while chewing he shook his head sideways. Namida placed a large piece of grilled eel that was covered in a thick sweet soy sauce onto her plate, she glanced at Reiki from the corner of her eye and used her chopsticks to cut a part of the eel. Ketsueki’s eyes narrowed, she said. “Show me your right hand.” Sachi meticulously arranged a fan of vegetable tempura in her bowl along with large pieces of fried shrimp in the center, she ignored her friend and started eating.
Reiki didn’t make eye contact with his older sister as he placed the croquette onto his bowl and used his chopsticks to eat some rice. Shiro placed some sashimi in her bowl along with some tempura and a side of pickled ginger. Ketsueki said. “Reiki, show me your hand. I will stand up from this table.” Her right hand blurred as she placed a large piece of grilled eel, a few pieces of tempura, and a couple of croquettes in her bowl. Reiki was still in the middle of chewing as he reluctantly raised his right hand and showed it to his older sister.
Floating between the tip of his thumb, index, and middle finger was a mana string shaped into a spinning circle. Namida was holding onto her glass of water, she took a sip, gulped it down, and started laughing at Reiki. Ketsueki used her left hand to gesture at the mana circle, she said. “What is this?! New rule, no training while sitting at the dining table. Your breathing technique gets a pass since all you need to do is breathe.” Yuki ate some rice along with some ginger pork, she thought. Reiki trains while he eats?... I need to work harder.
Mio was in the middle of chewing as she watched Reiki place a large amount of meat, sashimi, croquette, and side dishes into his bowl. She thought. So there are people who train during lunch without being told… Namida gently elbowed Reiki’s shoulder, she said. “Reiki, if it makes you feel any better. If you did this in my household you would’ve been praised for it.” Reiki picked up his bowl of miso soup and said. “Thanks for the words dude, but it doesn’t.” He took a sip of it before his mouth could form into a smile while Sachi covered her mouth with her left hand and started laughing.
Sachi walked down the staircase, she saw Ketsueki setting up a brand new dining table while Namida was almost finished installing a new flatscreen that was mounted on the wall. Sachi said. “I see you two already started without me.” She made her way to the couch and sat down while Namida’s pitch-black pupils returned to brown, she said. “There, I had to tear down a part of the wall and fix it back with magic but now we can watch decent shows.” Ketsueki was staring at the new dining table that can have eight people eat on it at the same time.
Sachi picked up a couple of fries as she glanced at the remote that was still neatly wrapped in plastic, she said. “Did you remember to buy batteries for the remote?” She ate a fry while Namida stared at the flatscreen, she spoke under her breath and said. “Fuck…” Namida continued. “I need to make a call.” She took out a phone from her pocket and made her way to the front door. Sachi was in the middle of chewing as she turned her head at Ketsueki who was still staring at the new dining table.
Sachi swallowed and said. “Is there a problem?” Ketsueki placed her hands on her hips, she said. “Does it go with the room?” Sachi rolled her eyes and let out a groan, she thought. Of course, that’s the thing bothering her… She threw a fry in her mouth as Ketsueki made her way to the couch while repeatedly glancing at the table. She sat on the couch and grabbed a burger, Ketsueki said. “What do you think they’ll say about the new table?” Sachi waved her hand as a slice of pizza flew into the palm of her hand, she said. “I think they’ll comment on how the table changed first.”
Namida came back from the direction of the front door as she made her way to the armchair and sat back down, she said. “Batteries for the remote are going to be here in around ten to twenty minutes.” She leaned on the backrest of the armchair, Sachi took a bite of her pizza while Ketsueki wiped some ketchup on the corner of her lip using her thumb. Ketsueki said. “So we’re just supposed to stare at the black screen until the delivery arrives?”
Namida picked up a fry and said. “It’s not a delivery, I called someone back home to search for a pack of triple A’s in my room.” She ate a fry while Sachi stared at her for a couple of seconds, she said. “You called your house instead of online delivery?” Ketsueki placed her burger on the pizza box as she reached for the pitcher filled with water and poured some into her glass, she said. “Life of the rich, Sachi. Don’t think too much of it.” Namida spread her arms and said. “Hey, I paid for the TV, the dining table, and the chairs. I gotta cut costs somewhere.”
Ketsueki took a sip of water while Sachi gulped down a mouthful of food and said. “So you gave her a new dining table and TV in hopes you can get into her pants? Dude, Reiki won’t let you near her room.” Ketsueki almost spat out the water in her mouth as she managed to suppress her laughter while Sachi placed her slice of pizza in the back next to the tall pile of fries. Sachi started laughing as she lightly smacked the couch a few times while Namida ate more fries.
Ketsueki swallowed the water in her mouth as she started laughing, she set the glass on the coffee table while Namida patiently waited for her friend's laughter to stop. Sachi and Ketsueki's laughter slowly came to a halt while Namida said. “Laugh all you want Sachi. I get to eat dinner here.” Sachi wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, she said. “If you’re having dinner here, then I’m also eating here.” Ketsueki let out a long exhale and bluntly said. “No.” Sachi stared at her friend and said. “Why? If this guy trying to get into your pants gets to eat, I should too.”
Ketsueki snapped her finger as a large bowl of strawberry ice cream appeared on her lap along with a miso bowl in her palm that was filled with cherries, she said. “And to make it up to you, we’re going to have ice cream.” The strawberry ice cream in her bowl was slightly melted, Namida lazily waved her hand as a large bowl of vanilla ice cream appeared in her palm along with the spoon partially buried in the ice cream. Sachi slammed her hand on the couch, she said. “Don’t try to change the-.”
Before she could finish Ketsueki moved the bowl of cherries closer to her, she had a tempting smile on her face and said. “How about I give you the honor of being the first in our group to eat an elven cherry?” Sachi accidentally took a small whiff of it as she quickly moved her upper body back, she thought. … The smell of sweetness was so potent it was sickening… She gulped as Sachi slowly reached her hand out and picked up a cherry that had slowly dripped a couple of drops of thick syrup into the bowl.
Sachi held the cherry by the stem as she ate it, Ketsueki and Namida stared at their friend as Sachi quickly took a large bowl of chocolate ice cream from her pocket. Sachi ate a couple of large spoonfuls of ice cream as she swallowed and slowly exhaled. Ketsueki had a look of anticipation on her face, she opened her mouth to say something but Namida spoke first. Namida said. “How is it?” Sachi let out another breath and said. “It feels like someone crossbred mint and cherry, the taste keeps lingering inside my mouth.”
Sachi took one of the tissues near the box of burgers as she took one and placed the stem on it. Ketsueki quickly took a cherry from her bowl and placed it on her strawberry ice cream. Namida reached out to grab a cherry from the bowl as her friend intentionally moved the bowl slightly out of her reach. Sachi thought. Let me just… She took a cherry from the bowl and placed it in her bowl. Ketsueki took out a spoon from her pocket, she scooped some ice cream with it, and ate it while Namida’s hand faintly glowed as a cherry from the bowl floated mid-air.
With some ice cream still in her mouth Ketsueki picked the cherry in her bowl and ate it, she felt a sudden burst of mana in her mouth. She thought. T-That’s strong. Ketsueki ate some more ice cream to drown out the potent flavor of the cherry. The cherry was floating mid-air head toward Namida as she held it by the stem and ate it, after chewing it a couple of times she started coughing. She thought. It reminds me of that one time I got my hands on some dwarven alcohol… A single sip burned my entire throat.
Namida let out one long exhale as she ate a spoonful of ice cream and continued her train of thought. God, I want another shot of that liquor… But knowing mom she’d nag me to death if I got caught. Sachi ate a few more spoonfuls of ice cream, she thought. These cherries are so good… There’s a lot more mana in them than I thought. From the direction of the kitchen, a streak of white came out of it as an albino crow appeared on Ketsueki’s left shoulder. She glanced to the left and saw the albino crow on her shoulder.
Ketsueki wiped some melted ice cream on the corner of her lips and said. “Oh, Hi Cherry.” Sachi and Namida kept eating more ice cream as they moved their gaze onto the bird on their friend's shoulder. Cherry flapped her wings and softly let out a caw, Ketsueki continued. “Eating a single cherry makes me wonder how you managed to eat half the jar in one sitting.” She placed another cherry onto her bowl and ate more ice cream as Cherry let out a caw. Ketsueki nodded and said. “That makes sense.”
Namida turned her head onto Sachi and said. “Since when did she learn how to speak bird?” Sachi shook her head sideways, she said. “Beats me, maybe Reiki taught her a trick or two.” Namida let out a hearty laugh as she placed her spoon into her bowl, she said. “Taught her a trick or two.” She placed the bowl onto her lap, put her left hand on her stomach, and slammed her right hand on the armrest a few times. Sachi glanced at the TV and said. “How long until we get batteries for the remote?”
Ketsueki was gently caressing Cherry’s stomach, she said. “Speaking of deliveries, how did the table get here so fast?” Namida’s laughter slowly came to a halt, she let out a long sigh and said. “The table got here in a short amount of time because one of the butlers was out for an errand and happened to be nearby.” She didn’t notice the odd looks her friends were giving her, Namida continued. “The batteries should’ve been here a couple of minutes ago.” The moment she finished talking the sound of knocking came from the front door.
The bowl on Namida’s lap vanished as she stood up from the armchair and said. “Oh, here it is.” She made her way to the front of the house while Sachi was staring at Ketsueki who was eating more strawberry ice cream. Ketsueki shook her head sideways and gulped, she said. “Sachi, don’t forget that she’s rich, with an upper case R.” She placed the small bowl with the cherries onto the coffee table as Sachi grabbed a cherry and said. “Makes me wonder why she’s even working for this company in the first place.”
Ketsueki grabbed the cherry in her bowl of ice cream by the stem, she said. “On the first day our group was made, she claimed it was to test her skills in the real world… With the kind of people that gather in the company, I’m more likely to build her network and meet people.” She ate the cherry and placed the stem onto the tissue while the albino crow on her shoulder was pecking something in her wing. Ketsueki slowly exhaled while Sachi had a pondering expression, she said. “Since we both met you, she’s basically done with her task.”
Ketsueki’s lips curled into a slightly smug smirk, she said. “Yep, in that entire company. I’m number one.” The two of them heard the sound of footsteps getting closer as Namida came back with a pack of triple A’s in her hand. She said. “I have the batteries, let’s watch some shows from other countries.”
~Three Hours Later~
There was still some food on the coffee table as Sachi and Ketsueki sat on the edges of the couch while Mio, Yuki, and Shiro sat in between them. Namida was sitting on the armchair while on her phone typing, she said. “Yuki, butadon and gyudon. Cottontail wants sushi and for Mio something light.” Everyone in the living room heard the sound of footsteps from the stairway, they turned their heads and saw Reiki. Ketsueki smiled at her little brother, she said. “Did you already finish training-?” She stopped the moment she noticed the mana near him expanding and compressing.
Reiki scratched the back of his head and said. “More or less, I also came down to collect the empty box you girls have.” He moved his gaze onto Shiro, Mio, and Yuki who were sitting on the couch. Reiki continued. “If you girls were here you could’ve at least said hi to me.” Mio’s gaze kept darting to the moving mana, she said. “We didn’t want to disturb your training.”
Yuki kept observing the mana while Sachi managed to keep her gaze on him, she said. “Speaking of empty boxes. Reiki, give me all of yours.” Reiki made his way to her as he took out two empty boxes of pizza along with two containers of the gyoza, he said. “Why are you collecting them?” His gaze wandered onto Namida who was ordering something on her phone, Sachi said. “I live in an apartment complex, the trash chutes there are organized so it’s easier to recycle.”
Ketsueki noticed her little brother staring at her friend's phone, she said. “Reiki, what do you want to order?” Namida moved her gaze away from the screen of her phone and said. “Ok, if Reiki’s ordering something just to make it clear you’re the one paying for it.” Ketsueki faked a surprised look on her face, she said. “Why-.” Before she could even get a word out Sachi lightly tapped the boxes Reiki was holding as they vanished, she said. “I paid for the fries.” Namida glanced at the TV that was playing an animal documentary about koalas, she moved her gaze onto the new dining table and said. “I think it’s only fair.”
Reiki noticed the latest model flatscreen installed onto the wall as he glanced at the dining table that could easily fit all of them. He moved his gaze onto Yuki, Mio, and Shiro sitting in the middle of the couch, Reiki said. “What do you three want for dinner?” Mio moved her gaze onto him and said. “I want a light meal.” Yuki’s eyes lit up as she excitedly said. “Butadon and gyudon for me.” Shiro’s eyes were glued onto the red baby panda sleeping on TV, she said. “I want sushi, Onii-chan.”
Ketsueki leaned on the backrest of the couch, she crossed her arms under her large chest, and said. “What’s that small amount of money between friends?” Namida raised a brow at her, she said. “If you want to talk about money then it should be paying since you make so much more than us two combined.” Sachi placed her elbow on the armrest of the couch as she rested her head on her palm and said. “Going by that logic, shouldn’t you reimburse us for everything?” Ketsueki let out a chuckle, she said. “You two know full well why I rarely use my money.”
Reiki thought. Gyudon, butadon, sushi… Yeah, I can do that. Sachi thought. Alright, now I can-. Her train of thought was interrupted when Reiki said. “Sorry for getting in the way of your friendly argument, tell me what kind of meat do you want?” Namida quickly said. “I want eel.” A hint of confusion formed on Ketsueki’s face, she said. “We don’t have eel.” Namida took out a pouch from her pocket and said. “But I brought my own.” She threw the pouch at Reiki which he caught mid-air, Namida continued. “There’s also a portable grill, white charcoal, and a long nozzle lighter.”
Yuki’s brows furrowed, she said. “There’s white charcoal?” Namida was about to say something when Reiki beat her to it, he said. “White charcoal has a lot of uses other than cooking, some use them as pencils for drawings. It’s also used in most if not all high-end restaurants.” Namida gave him an odd look and thought. How does he know that? Ketsueki stared at her friend, she said. “I’m guessing that’s the reason why you ordered the TV and table.” Namida nodded at her and said. “Correct.”
Yuki had a hint of drool from the corner of her mouth, she thought. Grilled eel… Mio placed a hand on her stomach, she thought. A heavy meal before going to bed never hurt anyone before… Shiro was watching a koala in their caretaker's arms being fed milk from a bottle, she thought. Cute. Reiki moved his gaze onto Sachi and said. “Sachi? Your choice of meat is?” Before she could say anything Ketsueki spoke and said. “She’s not joining us for dinner.” Reiki made his way toward her as he accidentally blocked the three little girls' view of the TV.
Mio and Yuki didn’t react as Shiro tilted sideways to not miss a second of the red panda. Reiki grabbed his older sister’s hand as he interlocked his finger with hers, Ketsueki kept a straight expression. Reiki said. “Sachi?” He used his thumb to gently caress the back of his older sister’s hand as a faint blush appeared on her cheeks. Sachi thought for a moment and said. “I want some shrimp and vegetable tempura.” Reiki nodded at her, he said. “Alright, time to get cooking.” He took a couple of steps toward the kitchen but Ketsueki didn’t let go of his hand.
She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and said. “You’re not going to ask me?” Reiki smiled at her, he said. “Croquettes with meat and extra cheese.” Ketsueki rolled her eyes at him and said. “Don’t act like you know me better than myself.” She playfully threw his hand away as she tried to hide the smile on her lips. He made his way to the kitchen and said. “Dinner will be done in an hour or so.”
~Two Hours Later~
Everyone was sitting around the table, Reiki used the empty chair as he placed the rice cooker on it to his right where he could serve rice to everyone. He said. “Ginger pork, grilled beef, shrimp and vegetable tempura, croquette with meat and extra cheese, an assortment of sashimi, grilled eel, and all the sides you could imagine.” The girls didn’t hear a single thing he said as they were too busy staring at all the food on the table, Reiki continued. “There’s plenty of rice so make sure to eat your fill.” Everyone clapped their hands and said. “Itadakimasu.”
The girls picked up their pairs of chopsticks and started putting their choice of meat on their large bowls of rice. Reiki was eating with his left hand as he hid his right under the table. Yuki used her chopsticks to place grilled beef and ginger pork that she could put in her bowl as the rice underneath was completely covered. Ketsueki noticed her little brother eating with his left hand, she thought. What is he doing?... Mio put an assortment of sashimi along with some red pickled ginger on top. Ketsueki said. “Reiki, why aren’t you using your dominant hand to eat?’
Pinched between Reiki’s chopsticks was a freshly fried croquette with a bite taken out of it as some of the melted cheese was oozing out of it while chewing he shook his head sideways. Namida placed a large piece of grilled eel that was covered in a thick sweet soy sauce onto her plate, she glanced at Reiki from the corner of her eye and used her chopsticks to cut a part of the eel. Ketsueki’s eyes narrowed, she said. “Show me your right hand.” Sachi meticulously arranged a fan of vegetable tempura in her bowl along with large pieces of fried shrimp in the center, she ignored her friend and started eating.
Reiki didn’t make eye contact with his older sister as he placed the croquette onto his bowl and used his chopsticks to eat some rice. Shiro placed some sashimi in her bowl along with some tempura and a side of pickled ginger. Ketsueki said. “Reiki, show me your hand. I will stand up from this table.” Her right hand blurred as she placed a large piece of grilled eel, a few pieces of tempura, and a couple of croquettes in her bowl. Reiki was still in the middle of chewing as he reluctantly raised his right hand and showed it to his older sister.
Floating between the tip of his thumb, index, and middle finger was a mana string shaped into a spinning circle. Namida was holding onto her glass of water, she took a sip, gulped it down, and started laughing at Reiki. Ketsueki used her left hand to gesture at the mana circle, she said. “What is this?! New rule, no training while sitting at the dining table. Your breathing technique gets a pass since all you need to do is breathe.” Yuki ate some rice along with some ginger pork, she thought. Reiki trains while he eats?... I need to work harder.
Mio was in the middle of chewing as she watched Reiki place a large amount of meat, sashimi, croquette, and side dishes into his bowl. She thought. So there are people who train during lunch without being told… Namida gently elbowed Reiki’s shoulder, she said. “Reiki, if it makes you feel any better. If you did this in my household you would’ve been praised for it.” Reiki picked up his bowl of miso soup and said. “Thanks for the words dude, but it doesn’t.” He took a sip of it before his mouth could form into a smile while Sachi covered her mouth with her left hand and started laughing.
