Chapter Seventeen: Wife Material

"Are you serious Naomi-senpai?" Rina Takano asked with a fair amount of doubt in her voice. "Of course I'm serious!" Naomi replied with vigor. "This is the perfect opportunity! Even Miss Yuki-nin agreed when I brought it up to her!" "But isn't this for the best clubs in the area? I think my skills might be good enough, but I don't know about everyone else," Michi said. "Well, there's only one way to find out. That's why..."

"...we're entering the Knife and Pan cooking competition!"

It was that proud declaration that had greeted all of the cooking club members that Wednesday afternoon. Naturally, all of the other girls were fairly shocked when their president had told them they'd be entering one of the highest ranking high school cooking competitions in the area.

"I don't know about this..." Kanako mumbled. "I bet it will be loads of fun!" Saki said happily. "Geez Saki, you don't know anything do you?" Rina scolded her. "The only one of us that would stand a chance at winning would be Naomi-senpai!" The complaints and debate continued on like this for a time. Naomi kept trying to make her case, but everyone else seemed to disagree. However, it was a bit of a moot point, as it was soon revealed that the club had already been signed up.

The room fell into silence. "...I guess we don't have a choice do we?" Michi said. "Maybe it will all work out," Mayu said, trying to encourage the group. "Well, it's not like we're doing this to be famous or anything..." Rina muttered. Slowly but surely, the other girls began to come around. It wasn't as if they were all entirely against competing. After all, winning trophies and gathering achievements is part of the duty of a club and those accolades help to sustain it in the long run. When they started thinking about it like that, and taking into account a person's innate desire to show off their skills, the discussion quickly shifted from "should the club compete or not?" to "what are each of us going to make?"

Overall, the Knife and Pan contest was a team competition, but each member of the club had to cook their own dish. Then, the four members with the best scores would have their scores added up, creating a team score.

As the members of the cooking club began talking about what they wanted to make, Kanako was left on her own as she continued to process the idea of her competing. Cooking was something she had always enjoyed, but that was it. It was for her own contentment, not competition. "Will I still have fun in an environment like that?" she wondered.

"Hey Kana-chan!" Saki called out. "What're you gonna make?" Kanako was caught off guard. "What will I make?" she repeated in her head. "Um... M-Maybe I'll just go with something simple," Kanako answered with a weak smile. "You weren't listening at all were you?" Rina shot at Kanako. "What do you mean?" Kanako asked, confused. "There are certain dishes that aren't allowed. Practically every single one you can think of that could be classified as easy is on that list!" Rina explained. "Whaaat?!" Kanako cried. "Now I'm really worried..." "It's okay Kana-chan!" Saki said, reaching up to pat her head. "Somehow, Saki doing this just kinda makes me feel worse..."

The meeting continued on. Naomi told everyone that she'd need their official recipe submissions by the end of the month. No changes would be allowed. After that, the rest of the time went by like normal. That day's focus was on creating your own pasta. While the others took their time in putting together their ingredients, Kanako found herself simply grabbing whatever was nearby. She wasn't focused at all. Instead, she was lost in her thoughts, wondering what she was going to do about the competition and worrying that it might have some sort of negative effect on her enjoyment of culinary arts.

She was absentmindedly cutting up some chicken as noodles boiled, then moved on to spices. One by one she went down the line, throwing in a spoonful of each as the chicken was tossed into a frying pan. Then she poured in a liquid and kept mixing it. It wasn't long before a very odd smell began to rise from where she was.

"Um, hey, Kana-chan? What have been doing over here?" Michi asked tentatively. "Just cooking," Kanako said flatly. "Hang on," Michi said, stopping Kanako from her constant stirring. Grabbing a tasting spoon, Michi dipped it in the concoction that Kanako had created and brought it up to her mouth. Taking a sip, Michi's face immediately scrunched up. "What... is this?" she wondered aloud. Looking closer, she noticed that the spices that were normally in a nice row were now scattered about and there was an empty container. Picking it up, Michi saw it was beef broth.

Michi looked back at the bubbling mixture and began putting the pieces together. "...Kana-chan, did you put all of this into the pan?" "Huh? Of course," Kanako said, still not really paying attention. "How about you try it?" Michi offered the tasting spoon to Kanako. "Alright." Kanako proceeded to dip the spoon into the pan.

When the taste finally hit her lips, it was enough to bring Kanako back to full focus. "Ew..." was all she could utter. "Are you okay?" Michi asked. "Yeah. I think I'm just a little distracted by the idea of putting my cooking into a competition. Although, if I keep cooking like this, I guess I wouldn't have to worry," Kanako said.

Before their conversation could finish, the door open. "Hello everyone!" a cheery voice called. "Miss Yuki-nin!" Naomi said excitedly. "Did you tell them?" she asked. "Yeah, but they didn't take it very well at first..." Naomi answered sheepishly. "Well they all seem excited now," Miss Yuki-nin observed. "Miss Yuki-nin, come see what I'm making!" Saki shouted. "Yes, yes, I'm coming!"

The cooking club members had always felt fortunate to have Miss Yuki-nin as their advisor. For one, she was fairly knowledgeable about culinary matters. It seemed that as long as she had a couple of ingredients, she could make anything. The other reason they were thankful was because there were a lot of teachers in Iwanai Municipal High School that were in charge of clubs that they either didn't know much about or simply didn't have the time for, so they would just leave the clubs on their own. For some clubs, that was almost better, but for one like the cooking club, having guidance offered and available was very welcomed.

Miss Yuki-nin went around to each station to check on each girl's progress in their experimental attempts to make their own original pasta. For each one, she'd stop, try what was made so far, and then offer a few critiques. Finally, she reached Kanako's table. Michi was still standing by her and she gave Miss Yuki-nin an uneasy look. Miss Yuki-nin just cocked her head in response, unknowing of the "flavor" that awaited her. So, she picked up the spoon and scooped up a bit for herself.

As soon as the taste touched her tongue, Miss Yuki-nin went through several visible stages of reactions. First, she was surprised. Then, she seemed confused, along with exhibiting an expression that seemed to convey a dislike of bitterness. After, she shifted into a more somber face, seemingly coming to terms with what she had just experienced. Putting the spoon down, Miss Yuki-nin was silent for a moment, coughed, and then found the best words she could.

"That's... certainly something..." she said to Kanako. "I'm so sorry..." Kanako said with a bow, feeling horrible that she had just made her teacher try something so bad. "It's okay. Everyone has off days," Miss Yuki-nin said. "Ah, and that reminds me! I actually came down here to talk to you Kana-chan!" "To me?" Kanako repeated. "Yes. After club is over, I'd like you to meet me in the faculty office."

With that matter settled, the advisor made a few more comments to the group before taking her leave. When she did, Kanako continued to try and figure out what exactly she was needed for. It wasn't long before she got her answer, as the clock on the wall indicated it was time to wrap things up. So after cleaning her station, Kanako made her way down to the faculty office as she had been requested to do.

When she arrived, she found that the only people in the office were Miss Yuki-nin and one other teacher. It made sense, as it was already getting late. "Ah, Kana-chan. Please, come have a seat," Miss Yuki-nin said, making a gesture toward a nearby empty chair. Kanako did as she was told and sat down.

"I'll get straight to the point. What's your relationship with Endo-san?" "What?" Kanako said. "Wait... is she asking because she's seen us holding hands? Is she going to lecture me about dating another girl? But it's not even true! It's fake! Oh no, this is exactly what I was afraid of!" she panicked. "Well, I'm asking because you two used to be like cats and dogs, but lately I keep seeing you together, so I was wondering if something happened," Miss Yuki-nin said. "W-Well, I guess we have gotten a little c-closer..." Kanako stuttered. "That's good to hear," Miss Yuki-nin responded with a smile. "Honestly, I'm glad that's the case. I think you're the only one I can ask."

"Ask what?" Kanako wondered. "You see, Endo-san... is struggling in my class. I'm afraid that if something doesn't change, she'll fail. She doesn't listen to me, and no one else in class even wants to get near her. But, since you're a good student and seem to be friends with Endo-san now, I was wondering..."

"...could you give her after-school lessons?"

"...huh?"

"I was thinking that I could have her complete her in-class assignments with you. I know it's a lot to ask, considering you already have club, but you're really the only one that can help. Please Kana-chan!" Miss Yuki-nin practically begged. "I don't know..." Kanako said quietly. "Me? Teach Haruna?" The thought flew through Kanako's head in the form of various possible scenarios. "Most of them involve me getting yelled at..." Kanako sighed.

Miss Yuki-nin continued to plead her case. "You two can make the recipe from the class, and then I'll grade it the next day. I've already asked the principal and he okayed it, considering Endo-san's reputation." "She makes it sound like she's a delinquent..." Kanako thought. It was true that Haruna had a reputation of not always respecting the teachers, but at the end of the day, she showed up early, didn't play hooky, and turned in all her work (even if it was less than stellar).

Kanako wanted to think it over, but she knew an assignment for her cooking elective was due the next day, so she figured she probably wouldn't be given the time to think. "Maybe I can think of it as an opportunity. If Akio-kun sees me helping Haruna, then maybe it'll up my chances of being picked." As soon as Kanako thought that, she immediately regretted it. "No, no, no! That's just dirty! If I go into this thinking that way, would I even really be helping Haruna?"

Miss Yuki-nin continued to wait for an answer. "... I should help her," Kanako thought. "Not because I want some advantage or because I'm being told to, but because if I want any chance of truly being friends with Haruna again, doing things like this will help me do that." Finally, Kanako came to a decision and told Miss Yuki-nin.

"I'll do it."

"Thank goodness! I'm so happy to hear you say that!" her teacher exclaimed. "Let me know if anything bad happens okay?" "O-Okay..." Kanako replied. "I guess Miyashita-san was right..." Miss Yuki-nin mumbled. It had been loud enough for Kanako to hear. "What about Akio-kun?" she asked. "Oh, it's just that he had heard about Endo-san and the trouble she was having, so he had suggested to me to ask you if you'd help," she explained.

Learning that Akio was actually behind this development gave Kanako mixed feelings. Sure, she was happy to have the opportunity to not only rebuild her friendship with Haruna, but also show she was girlfriend material to Akio, but... "For some reason, I almost feel used..." It didn't sit right with Kanako that she had basically been manipulated into a good situation. But, because it was a good situation, it wasn't like she could complain much.

After agreeing to Miss Yuki-nin's request, Kanako left the office and began to make her way home. Just before the exit, a girl was standing there, leaning up against a nearby wall. "Took you long enough," she grumbled. "S-Sorry, Haruna..." Kanako said. The girl then held out her hand. "Hurry up. This is embarrassing..." she muttered. "R-Right." Kanako took the hand that was offered to her and held it.

As the two of them walked, they did so in silence. Kanako knew she should probably tell Haruna about the request she had agreed to, but she wasn't sure how to bring it up. In the past, any time Kanako had had to help Haruna, it had been disastrous. The situation always devolved into a shouting match and ultimately someone else would be asked to do whatever the girls were supposed to do. Of course, lately things had been going better, so maybe it would be alright. At least Kanako hoped.

"S-So, um..." Kanako began. Haruna looked at her. "The reason I was running late w-was because Miss Yuki-nin wanted to ask me for a favor..." "What could that airhead of a teacher want from someone like you?" Haruna half asked, half scoffed. "S-She... wants me to help you pass her cooking class... with me giving you after-school lessons..." Kanako mumbled. When she looked up, she couldn't really tell what Haruna was feeling. She seemed like she was about to yell something, then thought better of it. "Whatever," was all Haruna decided to say. "Then let's start tomorrow." "Sure."

"Whatever?" Kanako repeated. "What does that mean? Does it not bother her? Or does it?" Kanako's head started to spin. She had become accustomed to being insulted or blown off that responses like the one she just got were still hard to understand.

When they reached their homes, the girls split off. Getting through the door, Kanako took off her shoes and called out to her parents. She could smell something cooking in the kitchen, but she hadn't gotten a response, so she decided to go look for them. Entering the living room (to which the kitchen was attached), she found her father watching the news while also doing something on his computer and her mother was preparing dinner.

"I'm home?" Kanako said again, but this time in a questioning tone because she wasn't sure how they hadn't heard her the first time. "Huh? Oh, Kanako, you're back!" her dad said happily. "Sorry sweetheart, we didn't hear you," her mom said. "That's okay..." Kanako sighed, then thought: "Am I really that quiet?"

"Dinner will be ready soon, so go change okay?" Kanako's mother said. "Okay," Kanako agreed, then turned around to head up the stairs. Arriving at her room, Kanako began to strip off her uniform, untying her bow and sliding off her top and skirt. Then, she threw on a pair of plain pants and a random, plain pink t-shirt before heading back downstairs.

While the family ate dinner together, various topics were discussed, like how work was going and the current political landscape. However, Kanako remained mostly silent, lost in thought. "Kanako, everything okay?" her mom asked. "Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess so..." Kanako answered vaguely, but then she decided to ask the question that was on her mind. "If you had to help someone that doesn't like you, and you tell them, but then they give you an answer you weren't expecting, do you think that would be a good thing?"

Kanako's parents both thought on the question for a moment. "I suppose it would be," her mother answered. "If it's an answer you didn't expect, that'd probably mean it was a good thing, right?" "I agree. If someone who doesn't like you gives you anything other than a negative response, that'd be a step in the right direction," Kanako's father said. "What's this about anyways?" Kanako wasn't sure if she wanted to answer, but she ended up saying anyways.

"Oh I see," her mother said with a smile. "It's nice that you two seem to be getting along again," her father said. "Yeah," Kanako agreed, but she was also uncertain. Sure, right now things were better than before, but what if that changed? What if tomorrow Haruna suddenly hated her guts again? "Well, I'm pretty sure she still doesn't like me anyways, so I guess that doesn't really matter much..."

After dinner, Kanako went to take a bath. As she immersed herself in the hot water, she kept thinking about Haruna and worrying about how tomorrow would go. "I bet if I mess up, she'll yell at me..." Kanako thought, depressed. "It's not like I'm actually a teacher though..." Thinking that caused Kanako to remember her feelings from earlier that day when it had been announced that the cooking club would be entering a competition. "What if it's the same?" Kanako wondered. She worried about how entering a competition might detracted from her love of cooking. Now, she was concerned that teaching could make her feel that way too. "What if the experience is so bad I end up hating cooking?" Kanako panicked.

Finally, she took a deep breath and then let it out, dispersing the steam in front of her face. "I'm overthinking this, aren't I?" she said aloud, looking up to the ceiling. "All I'm doing is helping Haruna pass a class. And besides, this was practically Akio-kun's idea. It'll be fine. Probably."

With her optimism restored, Kanako got out of the bath, dried herself off and headed back to her room. Glancing down at her bag, she remembered that she had yet to do the homework due for the next day. Taking a seat at her desk, Kanako pulled out a couple of textbooks and got to work. By the time she finished, it was well past her bedtime.

*****

The next morning, Kanako found herself to be very slow to get up. It was only when Haruna threatened to rip off the covers that the sleepy girl finally became fully alert. "God, why do you have to be so slow in the morning?" Haruna complained. "Sorry..." Kanako said, finding sleep suddenly trying to take over again. "Move it already! How many times do I have to tell you I don't want to be late because of you?!"

"Great, she's in a bad mood. And it's so early too..." Kanako sighed, but looking at Haruna made her change her mind. "No, that's not it. Her words are harsh as usual, but she seems... anxious?" Kanako wasn't really sure what to make of what she saw. And while she wondered what such an expression could mean, Haruna was busy with her own concerns.

"Damn it, why am I so nervous for today? All we're going to be doing is working on an assignment." It was something Haruna had been thinking about all night. She had tossed and turned as she worried about how the two of them cooking together would go. "It's not like I even care that much about the class. I only took it because I thought it'd be an easy grade. It was just my luck to be stuck in the same period as this girl," Haruna told herself.

As Kanako got ready, Haruna waited downstairs. Both of the Nakatomi parents had already left for work by the time Haruna had arrived, so she had let herself in. However, it was beginning to feel like because she had been making a routine of waking Kanako up, her parents had begun to rely on her making an appearance. "It's like they've made her my responsibility or something..." Haruna thought, finding herself getting annoyed by that. It wasn't like it mattered much, considering she had to do at least this much anyways if she wanted to convince Akio, but a daughter is still the responsibility of her parents. "So why should I have to do all the work?" Haruna finished complaining to herself as Kanako came down the stairs.

The two of them left the house and held hands. It surprised Haruna how naturally it had happened. "It's beginning to feel like we really are a couple," she thought, but then quickly shook her head. "No, that's stupid. This is all fake. It shouldn't feel like that at all!" And yet, as Haruna tried to convince herself of that, she felt her heart beat a little faster than normal.

Along the way, Chiyo met them and the three girls continued walking to school, with Chiyo doing most of the talking (and teasing). When they got there, Kanako and Haruna let go of each other and switched out their shoes before rejoining hands and heading to their classrooms. At first, when the two girls had begun holding hands, it had drawn some looks, but now, it appeared the people who had noticed were already beginning to accept it. The truth was, no one was really sure what was going on between the two of them. They both heard rumors though.

There were some that believed that Haruna and Kanako were actually dating, with a couple people taking it even further and suggesting that their hatred for one another had all been an act and they had been a couple the whole time. Another rumor was that they were playing some sort of punishment game, and a few students had a theory that they were being blackmailed into being nice to each other. Of course, that wasn't entirely wrong.

While sitting at her desk waiting for class to start, Haruna overheard another repeated rumor and sighed. "These people are getting ridiculous," she muttered. Chiyo, who was sitting on top of Haruna's desk, laughed. "Well you two lovebirds are totally the talk of the school!" "We're not- oh forget it," Haruna gave up her protest. "As long as the teachers don't start asking questions, I guess it's fine," she thought.

Through the day, Haruna kept wondering what was going to happen after school. "Lessons with Kanako huh..." she repeated for the thousandth time. Haruna had thought that the idea of Kanako teaching her would bother her, but surprisingly, she just accepted it. "Am I getting soft on her?" Haruna wondered. It was a very foreign feeling for her. Recently, the view that Haruna had had of Kanako had begun to shift, but she could tell there was still something there that prevented her from really turning the page. Thinking about it, Haruna was able to pinpoint what it was.

The fallout of their friendship.

It had been so bitter, and it was a moment Haruna had tried hard to bury in her memories. But, the more time she spent with Kanako, the harder it had become to forget. Remembering such a bad memory began to make Haruna's head hurt. Deciding to sleep through the rest of class, she had one final thought: "Stupid Kanako..."

Once it was lunchtime, Haruna and Chiyo headed for the roof. After the first time both friend groups had gotten together to eat, Kanako's friends had decided it would be best to remain separate (mostly due to Michi). However, the exception was Kanako. It had been agreed upon (much to Michi's dismay) that she could eat with whoever she wanted. So that day, she decided to go with Haruna and Chiyo.

Lunch turned out to be rather uneventful. The most notable thing to happen was Jasmine making an appearance, but then she quickly disappeared with some guy. Chiyo swore it was a different guy than the last time she had seen Jasmine and began to rant a little, which made Kanako laugh. When Haruna pointed out that Chiyo wasn't much different, the gal seemed to be at a loss for defending herself, ultimately going back to eating in silence. Of course, with Chiyo, silence never lasted long, as she began talking again about some other topic.

Afterwards, the girls returned to class. For both of them, the day seemed to drag on. Oddly enough, Haruna and Kanako thought the same thing. They wondered how the lesson would go. In cooking class that day, they made some sort of dish involving a whole chicken breast. Kanako's group managed to make it relatively well, while Haruna's completely burned it, nearly creating enough smoke to set off the fire alarm.

After scolding Haruna, Miss Yuki-nin pulled Kanako aside. "I want you to make this recipe again with her after school," she said. "And don't worry about club. I'll tell Akiyama-san (Naomi) about this so she knows why you'll be absent." "Um, Miss Yuki-nin?" Kanako asked. "Yes?" "Well, if the club is meeting, where exactly are me and Haruna supposed to go?"

It appeared that Miss Yuki-nin hadn't thought about that either. "Oh, uh y-yeah I guess that would be a problem, ahaha..." she laughed nervously. "Oh, I know! There's an auxiliary kitchen on the first floor. You can use that!" "Auxiliary kitchen?" Kanako repeated. "Yes, I heard that that used to be the clubroom for the cooking club before they made renovations to the building. Apparently they never took it out though. Something about 'just in case something happened to the main kitchen,'" Miss Yuki-nin explained. "O-Okay, then I guess we'll use it. Thank you," Kanako said with a bow before leaving to attend her next period.

It wasn't long before the bell signaling the end of the day rang out. While most students prepared to go either home or to their clubs, Kanako and Haruna began to search for the kitchen their teacher had mentioned. "Why didn't she just tell you where it was?" Haruna asked, baffled by the fact they even had to look. "W-Well, she said it was on the first floor, so it can't be that hard to find..." Kanako said, though she wasn't so certain. It wasn't as if Iwanai High was a massive school, but looking for something without much guidance certainly made things more difficult.

About ten minutes later, the two girls managed to find the room they were looking for. "I think this is it," Kanako said, tugging on the door. It was unlocked, but when it slid, it made a rough rattling sound, clearly indicating it hadn't been used in quite some time. When they walked in, they found most of the tables and cookware to be covered with cloths, with only one station not even having a spot of dust on it. On top of it was a bag full of ingredients and a note from Miss Yuki-nin. All it really said was that she got proper permission and that she had cleaned off the station for them, along with giving them what they needed to complete the recipe.

While Kanako read the note, Haruna looked around. The room was definitely much smaller than the current kitchen used in her class. The blackboard was faded and outdated and the floor looked pretty dirty. "Did they just forget about this room or something? It's like it's been abandoned," Haruna thought. When she breathed in, she suddenly felt a catch in her throat, causing her to cough.

"Are you okay?" Kanako asked. "Yeah. It's just so damn dusty in here," Haruna said hoarsely. "Maybe opening a window will help," Kanako suggested. She went over to the closed curtains and opened them, causing more dust to fall and her to cough as well. "Idiot," Haruna muttered. After recovering, Kanako got the curtains open, along with the window, sending a light breeze traveling through the room. Luckily it didn't kick up any more dust.

"Okay, let's get started," Kanako said, moving over to the sink to wash her hands. "Fine," Haruna said, going to a separate sink to do the same. The two of them washed their hands in silence, aside from the sound of running water. After that, they met at the cooking station together and Kanako began to pull out what they'd need. "Let's see. We'll need a cutting board, a couple of knifes and... Haruna, can you grab a pan? They should be in the cabinet next to your legs." "How do you know where stuff is?" Haruna asked as she looked. "Well, this room is pretty similar to the one we use for class. It's just smaller. Besides, most people keep their cookware in the same spots no matter which kitchen you're in." Sure enough, the pan that Kanako had requested was in the spot she had pointed out.

Once all of the stuff they needed had been gathered, Kanako started to grab the ingredients out of the bag on the counter. Looking at them made Haruna remember her failure in class earlier that day, which made her irritated. The culinary arts had never been her strong suit, but she had a hard time believing she was as bad as she appeared in class. "If the idiots in my group actually knew what they were doing..." Haruna complained to herself as Kanako went on to the recipe.

"Okay, let's get the prep work done first," Kanako said, grabbing a couple of vegetables and setting them next to the cutting board. Then she offered a knife to Haruna. "What, I have to do it?" Haruna asked. "Y-Yeah, this is for you, after all," Kanako said. "Fine, whatever," Haruna said as she begrudgingly took the knife and grabbed a green pepper.

Immediately Haruna slammed the knife down into the pepper, causing juices to fly. "W-Wait, wait!" Kanako cried. Haruna stopped. "What? Didn't you just tell me to cut it? Make up your mind." "You have to be more careful! If you just hack away like that you'll lose a finger!" Kanako lectured. "Here."

Kanako slid behind Haruna and reached around her, placing both of her hands on top of Haruna's. "H-Hey, what're you-" Haruna began to yell, but Kanako cut her off. "It's easier to show you this way. Now don't move too much or both of us will get hurt." Haruna could feel her face going red. "What's going on with me?"

As she wondered, Kanako peered around Haruna's back and continued to instruct. "First, take the pepper and hold it like this," she said, using both her and Haruna's fingers to turn the vegetable. "Then, hold the knife properly, like this." Kanako adjusted Haruna's grip. "Now, slowly, tip to table, bring the knife down." "L-Like this?" Haruna said as she did as she was told. "Yeah. You're doing great," Kanako said calmly as the cut was completed. "Wow..." Haruna thought. "Why does this feel so nice?"

"Okay, do you think you can handle the rest?" Kanako asked as she released her grip off of Haruna. "Huh? Oh, um, yeah. It's not like it's hard," Haruna said, trying to sound confident but failing. "Alright, then I'll prepare the chicken," Kanako said, proceeding to pull out another cutting board and setting it next to the one Haruna was using.

Haruna turned her attention back to her task and continued to try and emulate the method Kanako had shown her. "She really does know what she's doing when it comes to this stuff doesn't she?" Haruna thought as she finished cutting the pepper and moved onto an onion next. "I'm sure she'd..."

Haruna momentarily lost her train of thought as she looked up from her board at Kanako. She had begun working on the chicken, slicing it into pieces before moving on to coating each piece in a mixture of spices. While she worked, Kanako happened to catch Haruna staring. "Hm? Do you need more help?" Haruna just continued to stare, so Kanako took it as a yes. "Geez, you're so hopeless when it comes to this," Kanako said with a smile before moving back over to Haruna's spot. "Yeah... I guess you're right..." Haruna mumbled.

As Kanako went to work on the rest of the vegetables, Haruna stood by and watched. However, her eyes weren't looking at the culinary skills being displayed. They were looking at the person doing them. There Kanako stood, slicing and dicing away, lightly humming and smiling the whole time. It almost looked like she had a gentle glow around her. The whole scene had a very comfortable and homely air around it.

While Kanako did the prep work, she did it all with a very contented look on her face. Her eyes were half-closed in a manner that demonstrated that she'd done this plenty of times. Combining that with her smile gave off the impression that she clearly enjoyed what she was doing. The feeling that the sight gave Haruna brought her back to her previous thought:

"...make a good wife."

The thought was bittersweet, though Haruna didn't know why. Was it because she imagined Kanako being with Akio? Or was it because it was a skill set Haruna didn't possess? Or maybe... "Do I... want that?" Haruna wondered before quickly snapping back to her usual self. "What am I even thinking? There's no way that that could ever happen! I'M supposed to be the wife!" But even as she thought that, Haruna continued to look at Kanako with a sense of longing.

"Um, H-Haruna? I appreciate that you're trying to learn through observation and all, but, w-well, this is your assignment, so I don't think it's right that I'm doing all the work..." Kanako said, finally bringing Haruna back to reality. "Oh, right. What should I do?" she asked. "How about you make the sauce? It's really easy," Kanako said, pointing to the paper with the recipe on it. When Haruna went to make it though, it turned out one of the ingredients was missing.

"Wait a minute. Aren't there supposed to be five? I only see four," Haruna pointed out. Kanako stopped what she was doing and went to check. "Oh no! Miss Yuki-nin didn't give us the soy sauce!" Kanako exclaimed. "I'll have to go to the club room to get some. I'll be right back!" Kanako said before dashing off.

Haruna found herself suddenly alone. "Well great. What am I supposed to do until she gets back?" Haruna sighed, then decided to sit down on top of one of the nearby counters. It didn't take long for Haruna's thoughts to drift back to Kanako. "This is so stupid. We're only spending time together because of Miyashita-kun. So why do I keep getting these weird feelings whenever I'm with her?"

However, before Haruna could give it any more thought, the door to the room she was in suddenly slammed open against its frame, causing it to rattle violently. But, instead of Kanako, it was Michi who stood in the doorway, slightly out of breath and looking very angry.

"What the hell Fukuhara-san?!" Haruna yelled, partly because she was startled, but also because just the sight of Michi made her annoyed. Ever since Haruna and Kanako had begun their deal with Akio, it had been Michi that had been the thorn in Haruna's side. Whenever the two of them interacted, there was bound to be trouble.

"What are you doing here with Kana-chan?" Michi asked aggressively. It was already sounding like an interrogation. "None of your business. Now scram," Haruna said with force. "No! I'm not leaving until you give me an answer!" Michi yelled. "I know you're doing something in here! Miss Yuki-nin told us why Kana-chan wouldn't be at club today! I couldn't believe it when she said Kana-chan was helping YOU of all people!"

Haruna glared at Michi. "I don't have to explain anything to you. Just get lost already." "I won't! I... wait a minute," Michi said as she glanced around the room. Once she saw the cooking stuff out, she pieced it together. "You're practically failing your culinary arts elective, so you forced Kana-chan to help you! That's it isn't it! And Miss Yuki-nin is going along with it because you lied to her! That's got to be it! You're blackmailing Kana-chan into doing your assignments so that you'll pass!"

Haruna stared in disbelief. "You're joking, right? You don't seriously believe such a dumb story, do you?" Haruna said. "You insulting my theory proves I'm right!" Michi exclaimed. "It's completely wrong, idiot!" Haruna shouted back. "It's not! You're blackmailing Kana-chan, I know it!"

"Mi-chan?!"

Kanako had just come back from the club room to find her best friend and former childhood friend screaming at each other. She stood just behind Michi, shocked by the scene she had just walked into. "Kana-chan, there you are! Come on, we're going home. I won't let this brute treat you like this," Michi said. "Treat me like what?" Kanako asked, very confused. "You're being blackmailed into helping her, right? That's why you're doing this. Actually, that would explain everything! Why you've been hanging around Endo-san so much and now this! I don't know what she has on you, but I promise we'll fight it toget-"

"Mi-chan just shut up already!!!" Kanako screamed. Michi was stunned into silence. "I'm not being blackmailed. I'm helping Haruna because I was asked to and because I want to." "But you-" Michi tried to protest desperately, but Kanako continued over top of her with a sigh. "Mi-chan, if I had known you'd come up with such wild ideas, I would've told you everything a lot sooner."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Michi asked. "Well, the truth is-" "Kanako, no!" Haruna shouted. "You can't tell her!" "Why not? You told Chiyo!" "That's different!" Haruna fought. "It's the same," Kanako said flatly. "You told your best friend, so I'm telling mine. So could you please give us some time alone?"

Haruna didn't want to leave the room, but she could tell that Kanako was in her serious mood. "Tch. Whatever. Tell whoever you damn well please." Then Haruna walked out. "Haruna..." Kanako muttered, knowing they were going to have to talk this out later. Deciding to put that aside, Kanako turned to face Michi. "Let's sit down."

Once they were seated, Kanako began. "Okay. I'll tell you everything that's going on."

End of Chapter Seventeen.