Treating the Guinea Pigs

Baldy and Beardy sat in the apartment's dining table, repeatedly looking at each other in confusion as Reiji started taking out various ingredients from his pantry and fridge.

He set up all the utensils he would use beforehand and made sure that he kept a timer ready to track his progress and pacing throughout his cooking process.

"Ummm, Boss? I'm a little confused," Baldy murmured as he watched his prep work.

Reiji responded without looking up, "What's so confusing? I'm going to cook something for you and you're going to tell me how it tastes."

Beardy started scratching his facial hair nervously, communicating with Baldy through his eyes. They had never seen Reiji cook before, and he didn't exactly seem like the type of person to trust in the kitchen.

"But.... why? Should we look for a chef if you're worried about your meals?"

Reiji rolled his eyes and snorted.

"I'm going to join the cooking club at school, and there's an entrance test before I can do that. So I need you to taste my food and give me constructive feedback," he said as he washed the vegetables carefully.

"C-Cooking Club? You?" Baldy stammered in a daze. The image just didn't seem right.

Reiji give him a wide smile, one that didn't quite reach his eyes, and held up a sharp knife.

"Why? Do I not look like I can cook?" He asked with a warning tone.

"H-haha, of course you do! I'm sure Boss will make the best meal we've ever had!" Beardy said as he clamped his partner's mouth shut.

But they still exchanged defeated looks, as if they were resigned to their fate of food poisoning.

And then Reiji started chopping.

The two men's eyes widened with shock, not able to tear them away from the precise and speedy knifework. Reiji barely wasted any time or parts of the ingredients, making sure he got the most out of what he was using.

It wasn't just the cutting skills though, as his movement and technique with the the frying pans and other pots were also not something a beginner would be able to do.

They watched in bewilderment as he continuously paced around the kitchen, focusing on multiple areas at once.

In about 45 minutes, a delicious aroma of karaage (fried chicken) and juicy pork belly skewers were formed, coated in a delicious Korean style spicy sauce. The two large men wiped their mouths, cleaning up the drool that had unknowingly formed in the process.

"Order Up! Each of you take a skewer and give me your thoughts," Reiji grinned while removing his apron.

They both stared at the plates in front of them, refusing to believe that their cranky young Boss had created something that look and smelled absolutely delicious.

They hesitated for a second before picking up the skewers eagerly, taking a large bite out of the fried chicken first.

"....Fuck." Beardy blurted, his eyes glazing over as he chewed quickly on the juicy meat.

Baldy on the other hand, didn't say a word. After the first bite, he started devouring the rest of the skewer as if it would escape if he didn't, the excess sauce dripping down his chin.

In less than two minutes, both skewers which were fairly large, had been completely wiped clean. All that was left were the two metal sticks on their plates, not even a drop of sauce or juices remaining.

"Damn, you could have at least slowed down and enjoyed the flavors! I worked hard on the seasoning composition, and you probably didn't even taste half of it," Reiji snapped in frustration, though there was clear joy on his face as he saw them licking their fingers happily.

"Boss, where on earth did you learn how to cook! That was one of the most delicious things I've had in a long time!" Baldy exclaimed with glimmering eyes.

Beardy also nodded in agreement, the combination of puzzlement and pride more than evident.

"There's tons of videos available online, I've been trying to learn for a while now," Reiji shrugged, brushing off their praises to not arouse their suspicion.

"C-Could we have more?" Beardy asked, rubbing his hands in anticipation.

Reiji chuckled and placed the entire pot in front of them.

"I was saving this for dinner, but I'll make something else. You can have the rest."

"OOOOOOHHHHH! BOSS YOU'RE THE BEST! IF YOU WERE A WOMAN I'D PROPOSE RIGHT NOW!"

'....Ah shit, this is going to give me nightmares.'

***

Hina and Riku were walking towards school together, with the young boy grumbling in discontent.

"I hate Mondays," he muttered with a yawn, pulling at his bag straps tiredly.

"Did you stay up all night playing games again?" Hina asked with a light laugh.

"Yeah, the start of the new season is coming, so I had to go hard and practice with the E-Sports Club for preparation."

"I thought that only proven members could participate in the season?"

"I told you remember? Tsuchiya-Senpai saw my skills and promised that I can skip that process," Riku puffed up with pride.

Hina just shook her head and glanced at her phone.

"Haruna said she's going to be late today so we should go by ourselves.... I'm still sad she didn't join the reading club with me," She sighed sadly.

"Hmm? I didn't know that. What club did she join?"

"I don't know, she's been practically off the grid this entire weekend. I'll ask during class, I'm a little worried about her..."

She had tried chatting with Haruna and even proposed a meet-up, but she said she was busy practicing something. Hina had a suspicion, since she had visited some of the other club orientations with her and saw her interest in a particular one.

"Shame, now you'll have to go to reading club alone," Riku laughed as he kicked a rock.

"Yeah...." Hina drooped her head.

She was really looking forward to discussing books with Haruna, because they had very similar tastes. But now that she was going to be alone, it didn't seem as fun.

She was considering switching her club, but if her guess was right, she'd have no chance at all of making it in.

"Why do you look so depressed? Don't tell me it's because of Haruna. You really need to start making friends, otherwise things like this will keep happening," Riku frowned at her dampening mood.

"I-I know that! But it's not easy!"

"Nothing is easy, doesn't mean you should just start moping around and get depressed over it. You'll become ugly if you keep hunching over like that," he snorted.

Hina tightened her lips at his words. She knew he was right, but the way he put it was a little hurtful.

"...Can you not act like this for once in your life?" She snapped back, surprising herself.

"What? The fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"You've been saying really mean things lately, I can't even tell if you're making fun of me or that you just don't care, but neither reason should let you think it's ok to say things like that."

Riku scowled at her sudden outburst, pausing his steps to look back. He saw her heaving slightly, with clenched fists and watery eyes.

"....Are you seriously crying again??? Man, if I got a Yen for every time you cried, I'd be pretty damn rich by now," he smirked, shaking his head in exasperation.

Hina bit her lips, each word sending a sharp pain through her heart. She couldn't muster up the energy to say something back, just looking down at her shoes with disappointment.

"Now stop whining and let's go, otherwise we'll be late. You don't want to go down the same path as that shitty delinquent, right?" Riku laughed and resumed walking.

She looked at his back yet again, filled with confusion and sadness yet again.

Riku used to be much kinder when they were younger. Though he was always a little self-centered, he would never make such tasteless jokes or overlook her feelings.

'If it wasn't for middle school...'

She wiped her eyes as she recalled some memories from a few years ago, when everything began diverging.

"Are you still there? Let's go, you're starting to annoy me!" Riku called out when he noticed she hadn't moved.

"...You go on. I need to use the washroom, and can't hold it in," she replied, pointing to the public restroom across the road.

"Agh, fine," Riku rolled his eyes and left.

Hina watched him leave and turned to the bench nearby, taking off her bag and plopping down with complicated thoughts. She leaned forward, resting her eyes on her palms to prevent the tears from falling out.

She hated herself for acting so weak.

She hated herself for being so incompetent and shy.

She hated herself for crying so often.

But that was her reality, one that she had no idea how to fix. As much as she wanted to blame Riku for being inconsiderate so often, she knew that the problem lay in herself and her inability to carve out her own happiness, for not being able to be honest with anyone because of fear.

Fear of abandonment.

And of isolation.

As she sobbed quietly to herself, she didn't notice a pair of feet stop right in front of her. A deep voice laced with concern made her almost jump in surprise, glancing up at the person slowly.

"Are you ok? Why are you crying here alone?"