01 - The Glove Isn't On the Other Hand, I Just Have Gloves on Both

By Chronic Guardian

Written for Twelve Shots of Summer: Seventh Soul, Week 1: Misguided, Mollycoddled (and Mitsuru!)

"Akihiko, a word."

Mitsuru catches him just as he's about to dig in to his dinner. He stops with his mouth open and the chopsticks halfway up, then slowly lowers them. "About...?"

"That last operation."

He blinks. "In Tartarus?" As far as he's concerned, their last foray into the Tower of Shadows went off swimmingly, and that's with him trying to find things to critique.

"No," she flips her scarlet hair over her shoulder and narrows her eyes. "The one in the dining room."

"Oh, you mean Shinji's party." He nods. "…What about it?"

"You seemed ready for it."

There's something in her voice that isn't quite an accusation, but it's certainly toeing a few lines. Shrugging his shoulders, Akihiko decides to play it casual. "I saw someone stocking ingredients in the fridge."

"Yes, but Shinjiro isn't the only one who cooks."

She's slipping into the same tone she used to use when pinning down gatekeepers in Tartarus. It's not so much that she's upset about anything, more that she just feels there's something to be understood that she's missing.

Still, Akihiko isn't one to mollycoddle. He raises an eyebrow. "And?"

"And if you weren't expecting Shinjiro, it would be Yamagishi. And when Yamagishi sets her mind on some new experiment, you're usually running for cover before she can ask for a taste test."

"So what's your point?"

"My point is you're acting strange, and this whole business with Strega and Junpei is leaving me paranoid about abnormalities. You have somehow anticipated Shinjiro not only rejoining the team, but opening up to us enough to throw an evening soiree."

"I'm sorry, Mitsuru, but I don't see the—"

"And you only have a mind for one thing, Akihiko: training."

"...Ah." There it is, that misguided, oversimplified assumption that is messing up her whole perspective. The thought that this somehow isn't related to training.

He nods again. "I really do."

"So then how did you anticipate this?"

"Because I planned it that way."

"You…?" Mitsuru slows to a stop, at a rare loss for words. Her head almost tilts to curious, then evens out as she levels a frank look at him. "...Explain."

"Explain what? I told you I was looking into recruiting him a while back."

"Yes, as another S.E.E.S. operative. Hence why you brought his old Evoker into the negotiations."

"Right, and the nutritious food we're getting is going to help S.E.E.S."

"You mean this… this was all so you could get to taste his cooking again?"

"C'mon," he grunts. "Don't sell me that short. It's for her sake too."

"'Her' being..."

"You know, Fuuka."

"Fuuka Yamagishi?"

"Right. Girl couldn't cook worth a busted knuckle before we got Shinji back. I don't have the patience for projects like that, and you just end up hand-holding. We needed someone to whip her into shape."

"Hand-holding? Me?" Mitsuru scoffs. "Forgive my frank assessment, but I think you may be projecting."

"Look, the point is, neither of us have figured out teaching cooking, and Shinji's a perfect teacher."

"...Putting aside our difference of opinions on the matter, why didn't you recruit him earlier?"

"Because I didn't have a secret weapon earlier."

"Secret weapon?" Mitsuru seems taken back. "You don't mean… Arisato?"

"Well, yeah. She's really got a way with people."

"So all this time, you were only using her..."

"Only?" For the first time in the conversation, Akihiko looks offended. "What's this 'only' crap?"

"Forgive me if I'm being blunt, but you've never really been one for nuance."

"I don't see what's nuanced about improving the team's performance while also being friends."

"...or more than friends?"

"Or that, ye—"

Akihiko stops as he realizes he's given himself away. His cheeks redden and his shoulders hunch, but then he forces himself upright and just glares defiantly. "...So what if we are?"

"Then I would suggest letting her know that before Shinjiro makes a move. You should know better than anyone he's got good tastes."

Mitsuru turns to leave, but not before he catches the smile spreading across her face. Akihiko grunts and gets back to his meal. He can clear things up later.

Little does Mitsuru know, it wasn't Shinjiro or Yamagishi who made him this particular bowl of noodles.

-End-

Author's Note: Why hello! Good to see you here for the start of Twelve Shots of Summer: Seventh Soul! I was about to give you a super angsty one shot set in one of my original tales, but then I thought "Hey, the summer's still young! Plenty of time for angst later."

Of course, that's assuming I get to keep up with posting… This may be the first summer where I eventually forgo the customary twelve shots, depending on availability. Who knows? Maybe you won't have to deal with angst from me after all.

If, however, you are looking for more stories to fill your summer with, please consider searching for other stories with the [Twelve Shots of Summer] tag, or perhaps even joining us with a few of your own by linking up at the forums! Either way I hope you enjoyed this little bit of cheeky fluff and have yourself a wonderful day.

Yours,

-CG

[06-06-20]