TakaYuu Please 
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“Is that all for you today?” The female cashier asked holding the container filled with small blood-red orbs as Matsui Rena nodded.
“Cherries… There are usually naturally sweet, right?” The cashier asked as Rena nodded again.
“I usually make sweet syrup to sweeten it a bit more.” Rena began to explain with the thought of her cup of simple syrup still on the counter in her home only covered with a thin piece of plastic wrap.
The cashier handed her the container as Rena paid exact change before leaving the store. Rena admired the fruit as it was simple to eat and the flesh reminded of her childhood which her mother would place a bowl of fruits on the table. The first thing was the cherry was placed on the top as she would grab it and pull the stem off before placing it into her mouth. Within her mouth, she worked the flesh off the pit before the pit was discarded over the ledge in the apartment building.
As an adult, it represented something else that was precious to her. The fruit grew to acknowledge the nostalgic taste but with the syrup she toyed with for a year was an expansion of her taste palette. The container was a jar for her consumption after marinating in the syrup for a few days but one day was long enough for her though.
Rena pushed open the door to the building to the dust that sprinkled over her. She covered the cherries with her arm as she slowly passed through the lobby with the women staring at her. She nodded her head toward them before reaching the elevator, pressing the button to head up. The rumblings of the elevator made her anxious as she feared the convenience. The stairs were condemned when she first came before the anticipated change but time and money seemed to go into other projects and taking the elevator was an adventure on most occasions.
The door flew open as the beige interior was peeling and the mirrors where covered in masking tape. People came on after the doors opened leaving Rena to be squeezed between the wall and another person. Rena ignored the talk between the people as she held the container toward her chest as one stepped off on the third floor. Then, the fourth floor before her floor where she pressed the button before the door closed and ran out onto the tattered carpet.
The area smelt of strong urine as she walked past the two doors before she pushed her key into the door and turning it open. The living room had a chair and a table that was leaning toward the kitchen. She placed the fruits onto the table before closing the door behind her. Rena inherited the room from her uncle that had passed after his children decline to hold it in his name. Rena was glad to have an apartment but the place was not livable as she saw the many vermin passed her way.
She tied her hair into a long pony tail as she washed the board in the sink before placing the blue towel onto the counter. Rena grabbed the container from the table and placed it under the running faucet to wash off the residue before dumping it onto the board.
She pushed the fruits to her left as she grasped a small knife and splashed water onto the stone beside her. Rena placed the blade away from her and ran it against the texture of the stone a few times and then switching to the other side. She washed the knife under the running faucet and placed the stone to the side. Rena plucked the stems off each of the fruit and left them to the side before gathering them again. She rolled the cherry on the board with the knife right through it before tossing the pit aside. Rena placed the halved cherries into the bowl as the mountain grew until the final one was cut.
Rena glanced at the bottle and jar, grabbing it to place in front of her. She dumped the cherries into the jar and opened the bottle to let the syrup glaze over the fruit. She admired how the thick liquid covered each with precision before emptying it out and throwing the bottle into the sink of soapy water. Rena closed the cover to the jar and placed in the refrigerator.
She turned to the familiar sound of chimes and swiped the screen, briefly catching the name of the caller. “Moshi moshi.”
“Rena-san! There’s a sale on desert at the French café we go to.” She reported as Rena remembered the place in her mind and how expensive the place is usually.
“Airin! What about Churi? Wouldn’t she be interested?” Rena contemplated as Airin quickly answered.
“She’s been busy with her birds so I’ve been wondering when you have time to go out.”
Rena agreed to go with her friend despite knowing her girlfriend was busy with her pets. She looked toward the closet for the event but none seemed to catch her eye immediately as she began to find something to at least cover her clothing and reached for a light blue jacket that snuggly fit around her body. She ventured out of her apartment to the carpet and caught herself against the wall as the patch was flipped up leaving a trap for her.
“Are you okay?” The person flipped his hood revealing his rigid cheeks. He bent his body at ninety degrees towards the woman.
“I’m okay. I should have been looking.” She mentioned as the man grinned toward her.
“Such a beauty living here… I feel embarrassed looking at you.” He mumbled as Rena felt her cheeks heat up.
“Thank you!” She replied. “I must be going.”
“Jaa~”
Rena rode down the elevator and jogged through the lobby as she labored over the directions when she felt the ground as a person running past her hadn’t apologized and Rena followed her to the café where Airin had been waiting outside. Rena ran over as she saw the person ran inside. She pointed toward the woman with dark brown hair as she was facing a robust man. The group of chefs slowly grinded to a halt as they watched the woman argue, she saw the rest cross their arms, and she left through the back throwing the hat onto the ground.
Rena followed her wanting the apology as the woman glanced up at the woman. “What do you want?”
“I just wanted an apology for knocking me over.” Rena explained as the former chef pushed Rena away from her.
“You made me late!” She yelled as she ran off the other way as Airin came to get Rena from the situation and took their seats at the event.
Rena stared at the window as they were handed the menus with trickle of water hitting the glass before a shower immediately fell to the ground. The woman had thought about her for that brief moment before looking down at the menu when she saw the name. It was a glass cake with a cherry on top. She glanced up at the waiter and pointed toward the item. He looked at the kitchen motioning about the cake when the guy gave him an okay sign.
“This cake is a white cake with layers of sugar crystals between the layers. It is frozen so once it comes out... I will ask to defer eating right away.” He described with the flair to hook in the customer as Rena pointed toward the name.
“Who is she?”
The waiter forced a smile as he leaned in. “She’s the one that made a scene. I’m sorry you had to see it.”
“Okay, can I have the cake?” She requested as Airin ordered a piece of chiffon cake.
Rena glanced at the window as the torrent of rain pounded against the window. She began to see her face filled with anger and her brown eyes were flaming red as she stomped off. She didn’t want to anger her but once she left, her heart started to feel the remorse that she once felt when she lost her job in Nagoya. It was swift and the manager made her the goat of the situation that led to the collapse of the company. Rena was hanging out with an executive when he suffered a heart attack. She called the emergency services when the others caught her with him suffering in her arms. The swift justice against her was done with blind people as she saw her uncle passed on later that night.
“Rena, what’s bothering you? Is it that chef that walked out?” Airin asked as the two plates were coming their way.
“Just the past year has been rather cruel and I applied that onto her.” Rena bit down on lower lip as she saw the cake. The cold wisps of white clouds escaped from her plate as red dots circled the plate. She took a picture of the admiration and cut through it like a hot knife through butter. The sounds of crackling sugar brought warmth within the woman. She ate the first piece and dropped the fork next to the plate.
“This is incredible.” Rena sighed. “She shouldn’t be fired.”
“Rena… I think you should find her to thank her.” Airin suggested as Rena nodded after taking another bite of the cake.
She grabbed the umbrella from the front stand and headed toward the location where she had found her the last time. The place was filled with mist as she looked around with her eyes being covered with the rain. Then, she turned toward the sound to the right of her when she saw a silhouette of a person. She proceeded toward the light and saw the flames coming from a can with a woman rubbing her hands over the fire. Rena glanced up at the glass window above her before proceeding toward the woman.
“What are you doing here?” She snapped when Rena bent her body forward.
“I’m sorry for yelling at you earlier.” She apologized as she grabbed the chef’s hands. It was warm but it felt smooth to the touch before she tilted her head to see her eyes. “You’re Watanabe Miyuki?”
“Yes… what does it mean to you?” She barked as Rena gripped her hand.
“You have a wonderful desert. I really enjoyed it.”
“Thanks but now they can sell it however they want and change the name to take credit. It will be good for them as long as it is on the menu.” She moaned as she placed her hands over the flame.
“It’ll only be there for a while unless they know how to make it.”
She glanced back at the woman still holding the umbrella in her head. Miyuki had the recipe in her possession but the only difference was the sugar. Her laboring for a year was the product of the desert but the experiment was for naught as someone had taken credit for the idea but given the stress, she had decided to take money consideration, and was fallen out of favor in the male-driven kitchen. Miyuki had considered quitting if it wasn’t for the cake but once the simplicity of the box came into play, she became ashamed of the place. Driven by her agenda, she made her wish come true but at the cost of living in the apartment.
“They have everything and I have nothing.” She sighed.
“Do you need a place to hang for the time being?” Rena asked as the chef shrugged.
“I need to have a place to stay period.” Miyuki breathed as Rena grabbed her hand.
“Your hands are soft.” Rena commented. “Let me help you move in with me.”
“Really? There is no catch right?” Milky gleamed at the opportunity as Rena glanced at the phone at the only contact she had left.
Milky returned to the apartment under Rena’s umbrella as a truck came in front of the complex. The former chef made a quick pickup of her clothing and left the rest of the items in the room as she dropped the key off into the pot of the manager. The relieved woman took a seat between Rena and the driver. Milky leaned onto Rena’s shoulder with the driver glancing over at the pale-skinned woman.
“Long time no see, Matsui-san.”
“Nishishi, we can be casual.” The two laughed as Milky closed her eyes holding onto her arm.
“She seems rather cute…” The driver tailed off her sentence as Rena felt the warmth from Miyuki.
“I’m not going to go that far.” Rena retorted as she couldn’t deny her attractiveness.
“I think that was the only reason that you approached her. You are a sucker for cute girls.” She laughed when the truck pulled up to Rena’s building.
Rena grabbed her bags up to the apartment where the old man was placing the new patch of carpet over the hole. He glanced at Miyuki as she grabbed her hand to introduce herself. Rena observed his smile grow wider as she continued to talk to her. Rena was amused to see her talk to him as he was melting with her voice. Miyuki waved before leaving him back to his job as she opened the door to her apartment.
“How did you get this place?” She asked to the owner as Rena looked toward the window seeing the raindrops on the windowsill.
“I inherited it from my uncle.” She said curtly as she dropped the bag on the dusty floor.
“I see.” Miyuki ran to the fridge to see the empty shelves except for the jar of cherries in the syrup. She felt her stomach rumble with Rena coming up to her about the situation.
“I usually eat out because I don’t have a stove after they turned off the gas.” Rena pointed out the empty fridge as Miyuki walked over to the couch. Rena glanced at the clock and approached the door with her hand on the knob. She wasn’t sure what she wanted and went to the only place that would make her happy with their mapo tofu.
Miyuki turned on the couch as she felt the abyss in her heart. She heard the woman’s voice in the car but pretended to continue sleeping. It was something she couldn’t explain but she always had the natural feeling of being in a bubble. Miyuki observed the world as being a supportive system but that was shattered when she saw her opportunity in the industry. She worked her way through the ranks for three restaurants when she could see the wall. Once the wall seemed unconquerable, she decided to walk away.
“Let me try the cherry.” She thought when she walked up to the fridge and plucked out a cherry from the jar. Miyuki knew it was fresh between her fingers but tasted it anyway and felt her heart melt the darkness she had been keeping inside. The sweet and tart flavors covered her mouth as she put the jar away and thought about the food. Miyuki was quick to get one thing off her list which would be easy to obtain.
“I’m home!”
“Matsui-san… may I have permission to cook?” She bowed as Rena nodded. “Call me Milky, what’s your first name?”
“Rena. You can call me Rena-chan.”
Milky grabbed her phone and called to install gas to the unit. Rena provided the information to her as the man had given her a time for an inspection tomorrow. Rena handed her the beef friend rice and she got the mapo tofu stew with extra vegetables. The two ate quietly as they would pass glances and Milky decided to sit at the table.
“Honestly, I’m sorry for how I reacted from before…” Milky lowered her head as Rena smiled toward her.
“It is fine. I think many things happen for a reason.” Rena explained as Milky placed her plate on the table.
“I tasted the cherry and I’m sorry for not letting it maturate.”
Rena patted her on the head. “I should have told you about that.”
Milky imagined a person to be angry but Rena calmly ate her meal. She started to feel the calm aura escaping from Rena and took a seat at the table.
“Do you have a boyfriend?”
The question blindsided the woman as she choked on her mapo tofu. Rena swallowed the food as she knew the answer would satisfy her. “No. You?”
Milky answered quickly, “No.”
“That’s good to hear.” Rena smiled as Milky toyed with her food wanting to ask another question.
“Would you consider being with someone with the same sex?” She asked as Rena glared at her. “I always wanted to see how it would be with another woman.”
“Well… it would be something to be with another woman. She would need to be responsible and mature.”
Milky felt her heart dipped a bit hearing the words. “I see.”
“Are you considering that we should become a couple?” Rena asked as Milky balled up her fist.
“No! I was just thinking about it.” Milky defended her words as she scooped up the meal.
The duo kept quiet as they would pass each other. Milky let the thoughts flow that she had never been held by anyone. The past came like falcons going for their meal with Rena passing by every so often. It seemed awkward to straight out ask her but she started to seek her mental state when her hands propped up, protecting herself from the contact as she turned to find the soft parts in her hands.
“Gomen.”
“Its fine but you need to remove your hands.” Rena smiled.
Milky removed her hands and placed it behind her back. She felt her cheeks burning as Rena walked by her and then reached out for her hand. She felt the firm grip of Rena’s hand as Milky moved into the woman’s space. The elder woman reactively wrapped her arms around Milky as she laid the head against the heart.
“Is it okay?” Milky mumbled.
“Yes… I guess so.”
Rena placed her head on top, remembering that she could help her now. Milky released her embraced and glanced up at Rena.
“The thing is I get attracted to others easily.” She admitted as Rena slowly leaned forward pressing upon Milky’s lips. Milky froze in place with Rena pulling back, staring at the woman.
“The thing is you are beautiful but self-conscious.” Rena stroked her hair back as she grabbed her hand.
“What are we going to do?”
“We shall talk.” Rena instructed. “After that… we’ll see how things go. Maybe a glass cake?”
Milky laughed at the suggestion. “I can agree to that.”
Rena closed the door behind them wrapping her body with her arms smelling her perfume. She thought about Milky’s words and thought about pursuing the idea when she spun her body around staring into her eyes. Brushing her hair back, Rena forced her lips upon Milky again. The taste was addictive to consume in bits. Rena had pulled back every time to gain her breath as Milky rolled on top to feel their cheeks touching.
“What about the talk?” Milky whispered.
“You’re the one who is preventing that…” Rena replied as they shared another embrace.
Milky was anxious to see what was next but Rena kept her partner close without trying to proceed beyond the heavy kissing. Rena finally lock down Milky’s wrists and gave her a wide smile. She pressed down on her lips, travelling off to her neck before concentrating on her collarbone. Milky breathed a moan out into the air as Rena loosened her grip before sitting up.
“Is this what you wanted?” Rena questioned.
“Yes… I want to believe so.” Milky pouted as Rena raised her face.
“I’ll accept all of this for the one thing.”
“What is it?” Milky raised her head.
“I want your heart to not be broken again. Faith played the cruel trick on your personality and now I can protect you. You can reel in the fish and now do your best.” Rena smiled as Milky felt her lips again and continued until they expired in each other’s arms.
Topic: Kuro's Unusually Weird OS/SS/FF/CS HKT request part 2 (Read 63299 times)