/jp/ - Otaku Culture

>>45135517
Time was ticking as Aya rushed into the HSE, a look of determination on her face. Today, she’d tell Anon how she felt. Reimu gave Aya her blessing (in a way), so this wasn’t homewrecking. Plus, that damn fox would seduce him if Aya didn’t strike first. Yet again, that tall hooded customer walked past her. Now wasn’t the time to draw attention to herself. The tengu simply walked over to Ran, whom had a conflicted look on her face. “My reservation is open, right?”

“You’re right on time. Please enjoy your stay.” It was lip service, but a tinge of wisfulness seeped into her tone.

The reporter waited until the third party left before replying. “I’ll be sure to, and so should you. It’s all for his best interests, right?”.

The kitsune’s expression darkened at Aya’s apparent challenge. “My motives should be the least of your worries.” There was emphasis on the “your” part. “Everything I do for Anon is to help him, nothing less.” Under her hat, Aya could see Ran’s ears standing at attention.

The reporter adopted a slick smile. “Good. Second-guessing yourself isn’t going to do favors for either of you. He needs our full support and if you can’t provide it, I’ll just have to pick up the slack~”

The shikigami’s face brightened and returned a knowing grin. Their banter over, Aya went to the changing room. She knew she’d crush her rival for Anon’s heart, it just wouldn’t be worth it if Ran didn’t put up a fight.

Entering the shrine grounds again, the reporter felt as accustomed to this walk as she did the journey to the real shrine. Perhaps it was for the best that her next two visits would be the last, otherwise she might be ensnared like the rest of Anon’s clientele. Attracted to a simple life with Anon… Her thoughts began to wander, reminding the tengu to choke down her little survival aid. Can’t lose control or she’d lose every bit of progress she made. Opening the doors to the main building, Aya invited herself in. “Honey, I’m home!”

Anon was still in the kitchen, an apron with the HSE’s trademark two ying-yang balls and gohei emblazed on it tied around his scandalous juban. “Oh, Aya! Nice to see you again. I was just starting on dinner, could you wait a moment?”

“Did you really forget what I said last time? ‘I’ll cook for you in the future.’ Guess what today is.” Without missing a beat, Aya reached around Anon’s waist, untying the apron and donning it herself before the human could stop her. “You’ve been so good to me this week, it’s time I return the favor.”

“Really, it’s no trouble at all. You’ve been a lifeline of information, and good food is best accompanied by a good story.” There was hesitation in his voice. Was it from yesterday’s visit or something else?

She put his reticence aside. “If you really insist, then this will be your lesson in tengu cuisine. Watch and learn Anon, you’ll never be able to live without my cooking after your first bite!” Watching the human back away from the kitchen, the tea lesson fresh in his mind, Aya made a mad dash around cabinets, gathering and measuring ingredients in a blur. While rice and meat cooked, Anon cleaned up behind the excited chef and brewed tea on the side. It seemed he was using his go-to blend, but mixing a few of Aya’s favorite additions. The tengu’s chest swelled with pride.

After most of her prep was done and she finally kept her feet on the ground, Aya decided to make this downtime meaningful. “Hey Anon, I wanted to ask you something… what kind of meals did you make for Hana? When she was little, I mean. Children are notoriously picky eaters. How did you get around that?”

The question struck deep, as Anon took a deep breath before replying. “Why are asking?” There was no levity in his voice.

Aya had the perfect reply. ‘Oh, no reason. I just have four of your kids on the way and wanted to know their pallet.’ As if! His daughter was a touchier subject than she expected. Telling him her situation might be too much for him to handle. Yet, something flippant like a column in Bunbunmaru might sound too shallow (to him, that is).

“I’m not going to just force some food down your throat and call it a day. Cooking for someone else is a meaningful gesture. Whatever you made for Hana shows how much you care about her, right? You can still cook what you want here, so don’t forget about the person you made it for. Those good times won’t fade away if you remember them.” Hoping and praying that Ran wouldn’t gap her out into the street, Aya watched as Anon picked up pack of spaghetti noodles.

“Watch carefully.” He washed the pasta and set a pot to boil, his face softening and slowly returning to normal. Yes! It worked! Maybe a little more prodding with Hana and—

Anon broke the noodles in half before dropping them in. Aya nearly broke down herself.

(Part 42)

>>16184699
I mean conquering her through force and fear is a nice fantasy and all, but imagine waking up to see Aya in a naked apron making omelettes with her freshly laid egg and a loving smile on her face.

Alright, I can't really imagine it either, but it could happen once, right?