As usual, Yukino Hikigaya listens

Surrounded by the family pictures that ordained the walls, I stare at the clock. Waiting for that small stumpy line to hit 10...the time she gets home... I lay carelessly on the bed, mentally exhausted by the day's events awaiting my wife to come home.

...
...

Urghh this is gonna take awhile! No way I'm gonna get any sleep, the best way of conserving energy! Not with my mental reserves running on power totalling 110% so the only solution is...to distract myself (something I had a particular talent for from the days in the service club).

Staring at pictures was always a time-waster, perhaps not really an exciting one but a time-waster nonetheless. Adorned in Pan-san sheets and pillows, I reach for the drawer to pull out the picture book, time to drown in nostalgia I guess.

I open it up to a random page only to find a picture of a handsome stud with dark hair, nervously glancing at the camera with 2 beauties next to him. The red haired gal with that bubbly smile had his scarf in an unknowing death-grip whilst the other, surprised and dragged into unforeseeable circumstances. The Destiny-land trip huh?

God that brings back memories...

Flipping through the book, I browsed through cheap recollections of memories. After all, a photo could only capture the aesthetics and look of the memory but feelings were locked away away in the deepest part of us and only us can keep the memory for what it was, unfiltered and unfrozen.

Highlights of my life shot by in minutes, like my graduation (which my dad didn't attend per the woes of slaving away) and my...our wedding. The picture was one of Yukino in a ivory-white pearl laden dress hugging her slim (albeit flat) figure, gazing unquestionably at the camera with such a...genuine smile. Must've hurt to spread your lips this far! I was at her side in wedding suit, gelled hair and teary eyes.

Wait that must've been edited in?! Didn't figure I was this much of a softie...

Click! Clack! Rustle Rustle

That was the door! Turning around and seeing the clock mounted on the wall informed me subtlety that it was indeed past 10. I close the thick, dusty picture book earning me a light sneeze and make my way downstairs to greet the conspiring intruder. Now how do I break something like this to her?

"Y-yo"

"Good Evening..." She let out a long wearisome sigh.

"Uh-oh, bad day at work again?"

"I see your basic abilities of perception still haven't wavered Hachi. The day seemed to drag on." So the answer was yes then? Well you and me both I muse whilst she went and settled her bag down on the kitchen table. She was dressed in her usual business dress with glasses adorning her petite face.

"Ahh, I'll brew us some tea then." We then entered into the first stage of our common comforting routine.

"Oh thanks, I suppose I'll appreciate your efforts to improve your sub-par tea making skills."

"It's charity work so don't expect top quality product! Anyway...I'm improving...slightly."

"You know, I could just teach you. It'll be more efficient, faster and we both would share the mutual benefit of better tea."

"I-I-I guess I'll t-take you up on that offer then...After all, good tea soothes the soul right? Or I think that's how the saying goes anyway"

"Well, it'd be body and soul. Yui's was exactly the opposite though urghh." Yeah, that concoction had the opposite effect that tea had, it wrecked and destroyed us leaving our spirits in shambles.

"Yeah, urgh." I reply in similar disgust.

"Speaking of, we catched up on the phone and regrettably, she still wants to learn how to cook." This is a disaster waiting to happen! Well, similar to a tidal wave, nothing can be done to prevent it, you can only get away and watch it happen.

"Ermm got to admire her spirit I guess...Seriously Yukino...Good luck."

"Hach-It's not not like I'm gonna die."

"I think you're underestimating her potential at poisonous new kinds of food."

And then aside from the boiling kettle, there was silence between us...I suppose now is when I break it to her? Looking at the entrance to our humble kitchen, a furry intruder settled in lazily glancing at us with both an amber eye and ocean blue eye with a random array of fur going from ginger to black. Our odd, furry bastard finally woke up eh?

"Ah, Kamikuro!" Yukino then patted her lap, inviting the cat a place on the throne. Course, why would a cat refuse such a invitation? Making a nimble leap, it landed on her legs with perfect clarity then made itself feel at home being hypnotized into sleep by Yukino rhythmically stroking Kamikuro's ears.

Man, that is quite a dazzling sight...Oh right! Tea!

After the preparations were finished throwing away the teabags, I shared the results of my dedication.

I carefully handed her the cup.

"Thank you."

"Yeah yeah."

"Hey...Yukino..."

"Yes?" I'll break it to her now. The sooner I can throw this ever-growing weight off my shoulders the better.

"I... umm. I. Wait. Hold on. Hmm. If-no. wai"

"Hachi." Wait I had the words in my mind! It's just getting lost in translation or something! She's giving me a stern look now.

I take a deep breath.

"I...was laid off today."

"So? Get a new job then."

Huh? Wasn't she inconceivably mad? Royally pissed?

"Umm wait. I thought-"

"Look, if you were an idiot again then I suppose it can't be helped. Just as long as you get back on your own two feet OK?"

Ahh ok, it wasn't failure that Yukino hated, it was lack of effort. After all, one of the best lessons in life was that it's always easier to give up or as I like to say if in doubt, give up!

I see how Yukino can hate those type of people, lessons aren't really learned but disregarded, no self-improvement is made.

"Ahh sure. I will. No I promise you."

"Good. I'll accept nothing less." She throws a warming smile at me.

"But until then...You better be a good temporary house-husband for me.

Wow...so dreams really do come true then! Well at-least...temporarily anyway.

"Hey, that was my future career prospect at one point you should remember! I'll be dedicated to the cause."

"Good, you were always good on errands." She finishes her tea and walks briskly to the door. With an almost-twirl, she says

"Want to accompany me to bed, Unemployed-kun?" I smile softly.

"As you wish Hikigaya-san"

Thats it, the end folks. Sorry it took so long though I hope for atleast it passed the time. There's a huge lack of Kawasaki fics so maybe a kawasaki fic next time? Maybe...maybe...