[COMPLETE] First of a Million Steps
Characters: Angel Starr Ichinotani Kyouka (age 14) & Hijikata Toshirou (age 7) [bustybentobabe & mayovice]
Content: The first of many meetings, in which mayonnaise and awesome food is involved.
Setting: Lunchland, Bellcius.
Time: Backdated to eighteen years ago.
Warnings: Too Much Mayonnaise, Kid!Rou being a brat, loads of general consistency fail because this thing took ten months to finish. Yes, we fail this much.
Each afternoon, after the lunch rush had ended but long before dinner, there was a lull in the business at Lunchland. The normally crowded tables were almost entirely empty, save for one or two lone diners, and the young waitress Kyouka had gone from having her hands full of orders to having nothing to do. Well, almost nothing. Her family, who owned and managed the restaurant, had told her to go wash tables in the dining area until another customer arrived. And so she occupied her time by wiping every table clean of crumbs with a wet cloth, listening carefully for the bell above the door that would ring if anyone came in.
Most kids his age would most likely have never ever done this--but for seven-year old Hijikata Toshirou, doing something like this was just as simple as doing whatever he usually did everyday.
Barely an hour after lunchtime, and the kid was already long bored with toddling around the mansion and was wandering around the streets of Bellcius. Most of the places were still relatively new to him, since these 'excursions' of his were something that had just started a month or so back. But even then, he had already pretty much memorized the street that his home was located at and some of the more often used roads that led to there. One would say that he had nothing better to do, but that was... well, that was pretty much the truth of the matter. He really didn't have much to do since his parents were always busy and never attended to him. Toshirou didn't like it, but he put up with it since his elder brother was quite sickly in health almost all the time and needed constant attention.
Thus he had been wandering randomly around the city despite being only a child, looking around the streets as he walked down one particular path and glanced at the shops to the side to see anywhere that would catch his interest--candy shops, toy shops, the occasional bookshop, swordsmith, Lunchland, another bookshop--
Toshirou stopped and backtracked a couple of steps to see that shop once more; it was a rather big establishment, if the size of the place from the outside was of any indication. Although it did look kind of deserted, but the kid supposed it could be due to the time--it was past lunchtime after all, and judging from the large shiny 'LUNCHLAND' sign at the front, he guessed the place only really worked during, well. Lunchtime. Still, he supposed it couldn't hurt to go take a peek--his young and rather insatiable curiosity was stirring, and as all kids his age were wont to do, Toshirou only followed what his mind was telling him to do. Which was in this case, to go into this Lunchland place and see what it had to offer.
Once at the entrance, the child only reached for the door and pushed it open; the door swung inwards to open with a ring and the child stepped in, big blue eyes blinking in curiosity as he glanced around him to take in the sights of this new place.
That bell was like music to Kyouka's ears. She dropped the washcloth on one of the tables, to be reclaimed at another point, and turned with a faint smile towards the door. Inwardly, she hoped this would be some politician or military officer, as they always had some juicy information which they would carelessly share over their meal.
However, her smile dropped as she looked down at the customer with her cold white eye, keeping the other hidden safely behind her bangs. He was only a child, about half her age if she had to guess. Kyouka was accustomed to dealing with people who were older than her, since seeing another kid at the restaurant was rare. Seeing one without their parents was unheard of.
At first, she wasn't sure what to do. Was it all right to serve a child like an adult? No, there was a more pressing issue, first. Her instincts told her that something was probably wrong here. So, out of concern, she asked, "Are you lost, boy?"
Toshirou had been glancing the general surroundings of the place when the question drew back his attention. The kid looked back, eyes blinking as he came face to face with a girl who looked waaaaaay older than him. Dark blonde hair, sharp looking eyes... eye, since the other half of her face was covered by her hair and dressed in what seemed to be waitress outfit (...he guessed. Toshirou pretty much ate at home, so he wasn't too sure about these sort of things).
He blinked a few more times after that before his mind processed the question that the other had asked him and promptly made a pointed glare at her, looking unamused at the question as he answered it. "No I'm not."
Well, it certainly wasn't the sort of dress she would wear because she liked it. It was too cute, and it prevented both boys her age and grown adults alike from taking her seriously. The only thing about it which had been her own idea was the bow tied in the back of her hair, chosen purely for appearance rather than to attempt to keep her bangs or her golden-brown curls out of her face.
Kyouka glared back at him. "If you're not lost, then where are your parents?" Little boys weren't usually allowed to run around Bellcius on their own, and he didn't look like some orphan from the gutter. It seemed more than likely that he had gotten separated from an adult.
"They're at home, of course!" the boy huffed back in response, eyes narrowing as he gave the girl before him a once over. Who did she think she was, his mother? Just because she was older than him certainly didn't mean that she could just come and yap at him for no reason at all now. He really hated it when people treated him like a kid--okay sure, he was only seven, but no other seven year old would so much as dare to toddle off around a place such as Bellcius on their own now. The fact that he had clearly already showed that he had done something that few others could do, and for him it was more than enough to show that he could very well take care of himself when it came to it, thank you very much.
...though, he wasn't going to mention the fact that he hadn't really... seen his mother before. Since she was pretty much always gone.
Kyouka frowned. There was no telltale guilty tone to his voice, that little bit of uneasiness that you could always hear when a young liar had decided to sneak out and run around the city unattended. It was as if the kid honestly believed it was okay for him to be off by his lonesome. But it didn't seem to fit. He was so young.
"Then why aren't you there? What kind of parents let their kids run wild in the streets?" She crossed her arms, using the height granted by her age to look as authoritative as possible, showing she would not be moved by a kid with an attitude problem. On the inside, however, her mind was ticking quickly, trying to figure out this unusual boy. Why was he here, and not having at home? Did he have his own money, too? Maybe he was a street rat, looking for a hangout?
The seven-year-old only puffed up his cheeks at that, looking very much like any other child who was about to throw a tantrum. Who did the girl think she was anyway, demanding answers from him like this? Just because she was older didn't mean she had any right to ask answers from him like he was expected to answer her like some obedient little kid! ...well, even though he was only seven. There were times where things like these could be overlooked - and as far as Toshirou was concerned, this was most certainly one of those times.
Still, even though he was still a kid (which he was going to overlook for the moment now alright; there were much more important things at hand now), the boy wasn't going to just let things go like this. He was more than old enough to stand his ground.
"My parents would, of course!" was the answer from the child, blue eyes defiant and headstrong as he glared head-on towards the other, and it was obvious that he wasn't going to back down anytime soon. "I can go anywhere and everywhere I want around this city and nobody's gonna stop me!"
Nothing besides his own stomach, most likely.
Kyouka maintained a firm, cold glare at him, but her heart had softened a little. He still wasn't lying. And if his parents really didn't care that he was roaming the streets of Bellcius, where he could be hurt or kidnapped or killed at any moment, then it was hardly any wonder why he was such a tough brat. She felt pity for him, but also a bit of admiration that he was able to suck it up and deal with it.
Not that she was going to let that show, or be any nicer to him. "And I suppose they let you go find your own meals, too," she remarked coldly, leaving it implied that he wouldn't be stopping in the restaurant otherwise. "Do you even carry your own money, boy?"
"Of course they do!" Toshirou responded instantly, almost as if he had been expecting that question - well, he was sort of expecting it, anyway. After being rather used to toddling around the streets by himself, the seven-year-old had gotten rather under to the curious and surprised looks and questions/inquiries he got from the people he met. Not that he had met much, since he'd rather wander around the city as compared to talking to people and generally wasting time. There was a whole city to explore, and everyday just seemed so short to him as he went around the place.
He paused after saying that, lowering his head just a little before adding something else. "...well, Ikumatsu-san's the one who gives it to me." Now that he thought about it, the kid really wasn't too sure where the money had come from - but his parents were merchants, so they certainly had to be the one... right?
Her expression was still firm, not letting him see any of the sympathy she felt for him. With a soft huff, she turned and started walking away. "There are some rotten people in this world. It makes me sick," she muttered to herself. And obviously something bad had gotten into his family's bloodline, if they would let their child run the streets like a wild dog and let him find scraps for himself. Hopefully this apple would roll a little further away from the tree than most.
She stopped after a few steps, and picked up a menu, then turned to look over her shoulder. "Well, come on, then. We're not supposed to turn away paying customers, no matter how small or weird they are."
The boy only looked even more indignant at that last comment. "I'm not small! And I'm not weird either!' he responded with a huff of his own as well as a puff of his cheeks. What was so strange about a kid wandering around his hometown anyway? Just because he was only seven didn't mean that he had to be looked down by so many people now! He could already do so many things that most kids his age (that he was aware of) couldn't do at all! That had to account to something at least, right? Right.
Still, at least he could finally get into the place after all that. With that exclamation done, the child only quickly followed behind the other, big blue eyes blinking as he glanced around the place with a fair amount of curiosity. He had heard a few things about this place before thanks to the gossip he had heard from the servants of his home, but seeing it by himself was seriously something else altogether. It was... really quite different.
"Yes, you are," Kyouka replied with a shrug as she started leading him to a table. "You're smaller than I am, at least, and you're certainly not the normal kind of customer we serve. The truth's the truth, even if it's a little bitter. Deal with it, and if you don't like it, blame your parents."
All things considered, though, the boy picked a very good time of day to come here. The restaurant was divided into two levels, a lower level for non-smoking customers and a higher level for smoking customers. From the higher windows, one could see pretty far down the streets, giving one a fairly good view of one of the best parts of the city. But during the busy hours, the old men usually crowded into the section and filled it with so much smoke that it became difficult to breathe and the windows had started to turn yellow with tar even despite being scrubbed clean every day. Now, though, the seats were all clear, and with no one smoking in the section, there was only a faint residue smell hanging in the air.
She started to lead him up the stairs to the smoking section. "Think you'll be all right with the smell of smoke? The seats are really the best up here."
Toshirou only glared indignantly at the girl's back when she responded, clearly not amused or happy at all with her response and the way she said that response. So what if he was only a kid? That didn't mean anything special at all! He was just another person coming here to have lunch like so many people did here - that was a perfectly normal thing to do, as far as he was concerned. Though, of course it was because he wasn't aware that wandering all around by his lonesome at the mere age of seven in a city such as Bellcius was hardly normal for most people in this day and age. But it was the reality that the kid was used to, and the life that only he knew best of all.
He only remained silent after that response, having nothing to respond to that and followed the other towards wherever she was taking him inside. Then came the question, and the boy blinked in confusion at the inquiry several times before replying. "I'm okay." Being all around Bellcius meant that he had crossed over to the more... dinger sides of the city a few times already, so while the some was something he wasn't quite used to (yet), it was something he could deal with when needed.
"Good. Come on," she said with a small beckon of her hand, continuing up the stairs. It was, admittedly, partly for her own interests to lead him up here. During the lunch hour, the upper level's smog was so thick that the older waitresses did not allow young Kyouka upstairs, so it was only during the less busy hours that she could come up here and see the city. Since no one was here, she even led him to what was, in her opinion, the best table, right in the corner bordering both streets of the intersection Lunchland was located on.
She set the menu down on the table and stepped aside, allowing him to take a seat. "Would you like something to drink?"
Following behind the girl, the boy continued on his look around the place, taking in whatever he could see from where he was. The furnishings were something that could be appreciated, the decor was quite fancy (at least to his tastes) and the food that he could smell from his spot seemed pretty delicious. Toshirou made a note to see what was the best thing he could get with his money later - hopefully there wasn't anything too expensive, and preferably there was something that had loads of his favourite condiment on it. One could never say no to the wondrous add-on that was mayonnaise.
He got into his seat once the table was shown to him, bouncing a little on the chair (not noticing the scenery he was granted with yet) before pausing as he mulled over the question from the other. It took a bit, but eventually he perked up and responded. "Orange juice, please!"
Unfortunately, while there were several common condiments on the table - ketchup, mustard, salt, pepper, even some hot sauce and soy sauce - there was no mayonnaise already there for him. The restaurant had never received so much demand for mayonnaise that there seemed any point in setting it out for people to use freely. In the rare instance that someone wanted some extra mayonnaise on their food, the only way to get it was to request it of the waitress.
(This was, of course, something that would change in the years to come.)
"Coming right up," she replied with a small smile and a nod as she left to fetch a glass of orange juice for him, giving the boy time to browse the menu.
Once the girl had left him to his own devices, Toshirou only glanced around the area for a few moments before he picked up the menu that was on the table and opened it. His eyes blinked as the kid glanced through the menu, reading the words that were on it. While he wasn't as educated as most kids his age were mainly because of his different upbringing, he did know enough at least since his caretaker had given him some lessons from time to time. So at the very least, he was able to decipher most of the items on the menu besides the ones with the more fancy names.
It only took a bit before he made his choice (he wasn't a very picky kid when it came to food) and right after when he had decided on what he wanted to eat he closed back the menu and placed it to the side. He then looked around again - and this time, he did notice the scenery that he had for him. Right before him, almost the whole city of Bellcius was sprawled out before his eyes through the window. He did find some places familiar even from the top because he had been there multiple times before, but there were so many others that he had never even seen before.
His eyes widened in surprise as the boy made a sound of awe and looked at the landscape before him. This was just... there really were no words to say other than amazing and awesome.
"Enjoying the view? I told you the seats were the best up here," Kyouka said as she returned with a slight knowing smirk on her face, carefully balancing Toshirou's glass of orange juice on a tray as she walked up the stairs. It had taken her a bit longer than she had intended to fetch his drink, since nearly all of the dishes from lunch were still being washed, and so she had to go out of her way to wash out a clean juice glass for him.
But the glass was spotless and filled to the rim, and somehow she managed to cross the room to his table without a drop spilling out. She set it before him along with a straw, advising that, "You should take a sip first. If you pick it up or put the straw in, it'll overflow."
Then, she folded the empty tray under her arm, and pulled out a notepad and a pencil from the pockets of her apron-dress. She could remember most orders easily enough without writing them down, but it usually helped to act like she was taking careful notes on everyone's order, since most people didn't trust a young girl to get their order right without help. "Have you decided what you'd like to order yet?"
He was enjoying the view, of course, but Toshirou did his best to hide the expression of awe on his face as he turned back to promptly direct a rather irritated look towards the teenager instead - hell could freeze over before he would let her see how exactly impressed he was. For now, at least, since he didn't know her so well yet and vice versa; in the life he was accustomed to, the boy knew better than to just start yapping at strangers unless he trusted them well enough. Which was good, but then again when one considered the fact that seven year old kids weren't really the most difficult people to trick...
At any rate, the boy quickly found himself distracted by the nice tall glass of orange juice that the other had brought up, barely taking in what she was warning to him about and promptly splashed a bit of the drink onto the table when he dunked the straw in. Like any other seven-year-old though, that went completely unnoticed by the child and instead was simply more than happily gulping down the juice - cool and refreshing, just perfect for a warm sunny like this. Toshirou looked pretty contented himself right after the first sip, sighing with relief once he managed to get a few mouthfuls down his throat. He then rose up his head when the other addressed him, eyes blinking as his mind digested what she said and promptly half-exclaimed out his order once he had the window of opportunity to do so. "Tempura rice with mayonnaise!"
...she may not know it now, but it was going to be something she was going to get used to in the following months and years.
Kyouka closed her eyes to keep him from seeing that she was rolling them. Hadn't she just warned him...? Not that there was anything to be done about it now. Besides that, it was something she had come to expect when serving children: They always made a mess. Always.
"... with mayonnaise?" She bit her lip, to keep herself from laughing at that. It wasn't normal for rice, like soy sauce, but there were some children who would eat their favourite condiment with just about anything. For example, there was one kid who ate at the restaurant with his family from time to time who could never seem to stop putting ketchup on his food. One could only hope boys like them would grow out of their habits quickly, for there was no greater insult to a chef than to drown their hard work in dressing.
Which, again, she may not know now, but would learn was wishing in vain for this boy.
Oblivious to the reaction that the other was having towards his order, the seven year old only nodded eagerly in response to her question, a grin on his face as he repeated himself with a fair amount of enthusiasm. "Yep! Mayonnaise! Loads of it! The more the better!"
With the way he was responding, it was pretty clear that was sounding far too happy for any other kid his age over something as simple and strange as mayonnaise... which might have sounded somewhat ominous in a way had it been known what was going to come later.
"Mayonnaise it is," she replied, shaking her head with an amused smirk. Normally, she might have offered to just bring him the tempura rice and a bottle of the mayonnaise for him to add to his food himself, but she didn't want to have too many globs of the condiment to clean up, especially if he handled the bottle the way he handled his juice. Things like caution and moderation were concepts far over the heads of most boys his age.
"It should only take a minute," she said, walking away from the table to go bring his order to the chef. In fact, it was easy enough that she could have made it herself, but with no one else in the restaurant, the chef wasn't busy at all, and quickly prepared the rice with experience and masterful skill.
Skill that would go to waste immediately after when Kyouka had to add mayonnaise on top. It was an insult to the craft, like building an elegant, deadly warship, and then painting a big pink unicorn on the side. But she kept her distaste to herself, because she wasn't the one eating it, and brought the meal up to the second floor of the restaurant.
"Tempura rice with mayonnaise. Please, do enjoy," she said as she set it before him.
Toshirou could just smell the meal as it came towards him - and like any other kid his age, the boy could only do his best not to drool too much as the awaited dish came before him. He immediately sparkled with glee when it finally was before his eyes, all smiles and sunshine and wholly enthralled by the glorious, fantastic, amazing dish before his eyes--
--the boy took a better look at his dish after that before abruptly making a whole hundred and eighty degree shift of expression from absolute glee to one of utter disappointment. The seven year old sagged, eyes wide with hurt and childish longing as he stared quite sadly at the dish before his eyes. This... this wasn't what he had thought it was.
Kyouka's smirk disappeared and her brow furrowed as she saw the drastic change in expression. What exactly was the problem? She knew for certain that she had brought him the right dish, and ruined it exactly to his specifications. Why did he look like he had just been sent to his room with no supper?
Unable to guess at what had just gone wrong here, she went ahead and asked him: "... is something the matter?"
There was a somewhat long pause at that question; mainly because the much younger boy was currently looking at the dish in front of him with disappointment, discontent and now apparent distress. It was only after a few minutes then did he finally respond, looking back up at the other with slightly watery eyes as he almost wailed out the answer as if it should be obvious enough. "You didn't put enough mayonnaise on it!"
Kyouka glared down in utter disbelief. What was this kid's problem? Not enough? She had slathered it on liberally, just as he requested. How could that possibly not be enough? He wasn't seriously going to cry over this, was he...?
She gave the slightest of defeated sighs, just under her breath, and then forced another smile. "Oh, really? If that's all it is, then how about I go fetch the mayonnaise for you? And then you can go ahead and add as much as you like." There was no point arguing with a customer, particularly one that was at risk of throwing a tantrum.
Toshirou immediately nodded rather enthusiastically at the question, looking much more happier now with a huge childish grin plasted aright across his young seven-year-old face as he chirped out his response. "Okay! Thanks a lot, Miss!" More mayonnaise was always, always awesome.
She couldn't help but give the slightest chuckle at how quickly his mood turned around. Kids really did get upset over the dumbest things. "It's no problem, really. Wait right here!"
Kyouka headed back into the kitchen, her sweet smile once again dropping for a more serious expression as she scanned the supplies. They had plenty of mayonnaise, of course, but not in the small containers that were kept in home kitchens: they ordered sauces and condiments in large glass jars, large enough that you could probably fit your head in one if it were empty. It was necessary due to the high demand of the restaurant, which could easily use up an entire jar just making chicken salad on a particularly busy afternoon.
Well, at least he wouldn't be able to complain about not getting enough mayonnaise. She picked up an open jar and a butter knife, and carried both out to Toshirou's table.
The kid's eyes seemed to sparkle with absolute glee as he caught sight of the other returning with all that mayonnaise and Toshirou was almost inclined to believe there and then that he had died and went to mayonnaise heaven. Man, when was actually the last time was he able to lay his eyes on so much mayonnaise? It was like a dream, that's what it was. A dream he would never, ever want to wake from, if he really was dreaming. Just so. Much. Mayonnaise!
All smiles and sunshine now, the boy gleed rather obviously as the mayonnaise was set before his eyes. Without wasting another second after that, Toshirou completely paid no attention to the knife brought out and instead picked up the jar and held it in his hands before rather carefully tipping it over in his grip and poured the mayonnaise right over the dish.
Kyouka gaped in horror.
Now, no one could argue that she was a picky eater. In fact, Kyouka was already developing a reputation for her iron stomach. She was the kind of girl who could gut fish without losing her appetite, who would slurp down escargot and exotic shellfish the way most children would eat candy, and who was already experimenting with the culinary possibilities of insects. She was reasonably certain there was nothing which was too unsavoury for her to handle.
... or, rather, she had been reasonably certain. But even she had her limits, it seemed, because she couldn't help but feel disgusted as she watched a waterfall of mayonnaise pour onto that poor, poor tempura rice. After staring in silent shock for a moment, she asked in disbelief, "Are you sure you can stomach that much mayonnaise?"
Toshirou didn't make an immediate response to that question, instead concentrating much more on his task at hand - which was to pour as much mayonnaise as humanly possible onto his meal. By the time he decided it was enough and set the jar aside, it was pretty much close to empty. The butter knife remained completely untouched.
The boy then finally turned his attention to the teenager with a visible gleam in his eyes, looking very much as if he was in the land of sunshine and happiness as he beamed happily and pretty much came close to sparkling. "Nope! This is just right!" That said, he turned to his meal and slapped his hands together in the traditional family ritual before eating a meal. "Itadakima~su!" And once that was all over and done with, he wasted no second in picking up his cutlery and promptly began to wolf down his lunch.
Kyouka couldn't seem to turn away, much the same way that eyes would fixate on an airship crashing out of the sky. She knew young children often had the worst tastes imaginable in the world, but... this was crossing a line. It was wrong, nothing short of a crime against nature. So, even though she had been trained to smile nicely and not breathe a word of offense against the customer, the moody young waitress couldn't help but remark to herself: "That's disgusting."
With a great feat of willpower, she turned away from the spectacle, retrieving the washcloth she had abandoned earlier and used it to begin cleaning a table rather close to Rou's, despite the fact that it had already been washed once. She wanted to keep an eye on the boy: he seemed young enough that there would likely be mayonnaise all over the table and the floor by the time he was finished.
Contrary to what she had thought, Toshirou actually made a rather clean spectacle of eating his meal despite all that mayonnaise that was wobbling rather dangerously on top of the whole dish in general. Whether if it was by some sheer miracle or if it was just the kid himself somehow being miraculously clean for once, that was something that would be found out for another day and time. For now though, at least she was spared from the horror once it was gone all the way down into the seven-year-old's stomach in a mere matter of minutes; from the way he wolfed down his entire dish, it was pretty clear that the child had been dead hungry.
The boy made a satisfied sound once he finished off the last of his plate, licking off the remnants from the cutlery like a giant lollipop before burping rather loudly as he placed the fork and spoon back down onto the now clean plate. "Gochisoosama! That was a really awesome meal!" the kid exclaimed as he reached for his orange juice - it hadn't really been touched at all while he had been busy cleaning off his plate. Now that he was done though, it was time for a nice, long drink.
The speed at which he finished his meal wasn't surprising, considering what he had told her earlier. In fact, it came mostly as a relief, because even if she didn't approve of his meal there was still a sense of satisfaction to be gained after giving food to someone so hungry. Besides, at least it meant the culinary abomination was put out of its misery as quickly as possible.
"You really must have been starving," she noted, walking back to his table with a soft, perhaps even sincere smile.
Toshirou only grinned in response as he looked up from his drink, all smiles and sunshine as he responded with an innocent chirp. "Uh-huh! I haven't eaten anything since I woke up, so I was really hungry!" Usually he would have eaten something before heading out of the manor... but Ikumatsu was too busy with her duties today due to something within the family and wasn't able to make anything for him, so he was just given some francs to make use of before he went out for his daily wanderings around the city.
Her smile dropped as quickly as it had appeared, and gone again was her professional courtesy. "What? Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! No wonder you-" She cut herself off, and gave a frustrated huff. There was no sense in scolding him about it. Anyone could guess that it wasn't his fault, but that of those parents he mentioned. The kid deserved to be praised for his honesty and then smacked upside the head for not feeling like he was being wronged by any of this.
Briefly, she looked away from him, as if contemplating something. She unconsciously teased her bangs a bit with one hand, a habit she had developed. When she was done, she brushed her bangs off to the side again, seeming unaware that she had pushed them to the opposite side as before. The single eye that was now exposed was a complete opposite from its twin, dark black and soft, as welcoming as the other one was judging. "I'll be right back. ... but first, I want to know if you can keep a secret."
The boy blinked when the teenager seemed to start shouting, completely unaware of whatever was wrong with what he had just said - this was the life he had been used to for as long as he could ever bother to remember; as far as the seven-year-old was concerned, it was completely alright and normal for him to go through with this and wholly not knowing that he was actually being so heavily wronged - he would only find that out in the next few years. Plus of course, Toshirou never exactly had a normal life, nor would he ever have one for the next two decades or so to come. But those were things to talk about for another time.
He opened his mouth, about to ask what was wrong when she looked at him once more, and the kid only looked back curiously with some surprise at the rather abrupt change in her demeanour. Just one switch of an eye and she looked so much better now! Weird, but not unwelcoming. Toshirou blinked innocently at the question, blue eyes alight with a childish curiosity. "Okay, what is it?"
"Just don't tell anyone I did this, or it could be bad for business!" she said almost jokingly as she headed back down one level to the kitchen. She was more serious than her tone suggested, though, because while she approved of granting special privileges to deserving customers, she didn't want word getting out and people attempting to abuse these privileges. Though she wouldn't have a hard time judging who was sincere and who was merely attempting to take advantage of her kindness... still, it was more of a hassle than it was worth.
It didn't take long for her to return with another serving of tempura rice - and this one even larger than their regular servings, brought in a large bowl rather than plated, and with some extra fried meat and vegetables mixed in - for him to drown in his favourite condiment. "Here you are. One bottomless tempura rice bowl with mayonnaise... on the house." She set it on the table in front of him. "So eat as much as you need, all right?"
Toshirou's eyes immediately sparkled the moment he saw the bowl set down before him, a delighted gasp coming out before he registered it as he looked at the meal that was given - free! - to him. There were so little instances where someone actually did these sort of nice things for him, and when they did... it just felt so very good inside. A warm and fuzzy feeling took root in his heart, and it took a lot for the boy to not just tackle and glomp the elder in gratitude - he had been at the very least taught (by his cousin no less) far better than that. Regardless of anything, he was someone from a somewhat prestigious family line.
So instead all he did was to look over at the other with a bright grin and beamed happily towards her, full of smiles and sunshine now. "Thanks a lot!" he went with a happy chirp, "You're really nice, onee-san!" And he really meant it - he certainly hadn't expected her to give me so much food all of a sudden!
Kyouka didn't respond to him right away. She had anticipated gratitude, but it was a little strange to hear the compliment. Of course, given that she rarely showed how altruistic she could be, this was only to be expected. But despite that it still came as a small surprise, a fact which Kyouka hid under a calm expression and low-lidded eyes.
"You're welcome. Just remember to keep this between us, all right?" she replied, before turning away, smiling to herself.
The boy himself wasn't one to show these sort of emotions and gratitude as well, but the fact that she had given such a big bowl of food - without having to pay for it! - was really really awesome. Nobody had ever done something like this for him before! Toshirou really really did appreciate it a lot, and it showed on his face as the seven year old grinned brightly still and responded to her words with a chirped a happy, "Okay!"
Picking up the bottle of mayonnaise that was still nearby, the kid wasted no time as he immediately started to pile up the condiment upon the bowl once more, sparing no quarter as he piled it up all the way to rather impossible heights, the stuff wobbling somewhat dangerous upon the bowl.
She still didn't like to see him drenching her work in awful mayonnaise, but she kept her comments to herself. Better that he eat his food in a mayonnaise soup than not eat at all.
That she remarked on again, but only to herself: "There really are some rotten people in this world." Not that she needed to meet this kid to know it, but seeing that a boy like him could starve without his parents giving a damn... it was something that had that familiar, acrid taste which Kyouka came across day in and day out, waiting on the military dogs and piggish politicians and listening to the details of their sordid affairs.
But even if all she could do for now was to give a neglected child a free lunch, at least she could say she was doing something about it. And she could only hope the world would be a little better for it.
She could never have guessed what this would lead to.
Content: The first of many meetings, in which mayonnaise and awesome food is involved.
Setting: Lunchland, Bellcius.
Time: Backdated to eighteen years ago.
Warnings: Too Much Mayonnaise, Kid!Rou being a brat, loads of general consistency fail because this thing took ten months to finish. Yes, we fail this much.
Each afternoon, after the lunch rush had ended but long before dinner, there was a lull in the business at Lunchland. The normally crowded tables were almost entirely empty, save for one or two lone diners, and the young waitress Kyouka had gone from having her hands full of orders to having nothing to do. Well, almost nothing. Her family, who owned and managed the restaurant, had told her to go wash tables in the dining area until another customer arrived. And so she occupied her time by wiping every table clean of crumbs with a wet cloth, listening carefully for the bell above the door that would ring if anyone came in.
Most kids his age would most likely have never ever done this--but for seven-year old Hijikata Toshirou, doing something like this was just as simple as doing whatever he usually did everyday.
Barely an hour after lunchtime, and the kid was already long bored with toddling around the mansion and was wandering around the streets of Bellcius. Most of the places were still relatively new to him, since these 'excursions' of his were something that had just started a month or so back. But even then, he had already pretty much memorized the street that his home was located at and some of the more often used roads that led to there. One would say that he had nothing better to do, but that was... well, that was pretty much the truth of the matter. He really didn't have much to do since his parents were always busy and never attended to him. Toshirou didn't like it, but he put up with it since his elder brother was quite sickly in health almost all the time and needed constant attention.
Thus he had been wandering randomly around the city despite being only a child, looking around the streets as he walked down one particular path and glanced at the shops to the side to see anywhere that would catch his interest--candy shops, toy shops, the occasional bookshop, swordsmith, Lunchland, another bookshop--
Toshirou stopped and backtracked a couple of steps to see that shop once more; it was a rather big establishment, if the size of the place from the outside was of any indication. Although it did look kind of deserted, but the kid supposed it could be due to the time--it was past lunchtime after all, and judging from the large shiny 'LUNCHLAND' sign at the front, he guessed the place only really worked during, well. Lunchtime. Still, he supposed it couldn't hurt to go take a peek--his young and rather insatiable curiosity was stirring, and as all kids his age were wont to do, Toshirou only followed what his mind was telling him to do. Which was in this case, to go into this Lunchland place and see what it had to offer.
Once at the entrance, the child only reached for the door and pushed it open; the door swung inwards to open with a ring and the child stepped in, big blue eyes blinking in curiosity as he glanced around him to take in the sights of this new place.
That bell was like music to Kyouka's ears. She dropped the washcloth on one of the tables, to be reclaimed at another point, and turned with a faint smile towards the door. Inwardly, she hoped this would be some politician or military officer, as they always had some juicy information which they would carelessly share over their meal.
However, her smile dropped as she looked down at the customer with her cold white eye, keeping the other hidden safely behind her bangs. He was only a child, about half her age if she had to guess. Kyouka was accustomed to dealing with people who were older than her, since seeing another kid at the restaurant was rare. Seeing one without their parents was unheard of.
At first, she wasn't sure what to do. Was it all right to serve a child like an adult? No, there was a more pressing issue, first. Her instincts told her that something was probably wrong here. So, out of concern, she asked, "Are you lost, boy?"
Toshirou had been glancing the general surroundings of the place when the question drew back his attention. The kid looked back, eyes blinking as he came face to face with a girl who looked waaaaaay older than him. Dark blonde hair, sharp looking eyes... eye, since the other half of her face was covered by her hair and dressed in what seemed to be waitress outfit (...he guessed. Toshirou pretty much ate at home, so he wasn't too sure about these sort of things).
He blinked a few more times after that before his mind processed the question that the other had asked him and promptly made a pointed glare at her, looking unamused at the question as he answered it. "No I'm not."
Well, it certainly wasn't the sort of dress she would wear because she liked it. It was too cute, and it prevented both boys her age and grown adults alike from taking her seriously. The only thing about it which had been her own idea was the bow tied in the back of her hair, chosen purely for appearance rather than to attempt to keep her bangs or her golden-brown curls out of her face.
Kyouka glared back at him. "If you're not lost, then where are your parents?" Little boys weren't usually allowed to run around Bellcius on their own, and he didn't look like some orphan from the gutter. It seemed more than likely that he had gotten separated from an adult.
"They're at home, of course!" the boy huffed back in response, eyes narrowing as he gave the girl before him a once over. Who did she think she was, his mother? Just because she was older than him certainly didn't mean that she could just come and yap at him for no reason at all now. He really hated it when people treated him like a kid--okay sure, he was only seven, but no other seven year old would so much as dare to toddle off around a place such as Bellcius on their own now. The fact that he had clearly already showed that he had done something that few others could do, and for him it was more than enough to show that he could very well take care of himself when it came to it, thank you very much.
...though, he wasn't going to mention the fact that he hadn't really... seen his mother before. Since she was pretty much always gone.
Kyouka frowned. There was no telltale guilty tone to his voice, that little bit of uneasiness that you could always hear when a young liar had decided to sneak out and run around the city unattended. It was as if the kid honestly believed it was okay for him to be off by his lonesome. But it didn't seem to fit. He was so young.
"Then why aren't you there? What kind of parents let their kids run wild in the streets?" She crossed her arms, using the height granted by her age to look as authoritative as possible, showing she would not be moved by a kid with an attitude problem. On the inside, however, her mind was ticking quickly, trying to figure out this unusual boy. Why was he here, and not having at home? Did he have his own money, too? Maybe he was a street rat, looking for a hangout?
The seven-year-old only puffed up his cheeks at that, looking very much like any other child who was about to throw a tantrum. Who did the girl think she was anyway, demanding answers from him like this? Just because she was older didn't mean she had any right to ask answers from him like he was expected to answer her like some obedient little kid! ...well, even though he was only seven. There were times where things like these could be overlooked - and as far as Toshirou was concerned, this was most certainly one of those times.
Still, even though he was still a kid (which he was going to overlook for the moment now alright; there were much more important things at hand now), the boy wasn't going to just let things go like this. He was more than old enough to stand his ground.
"My parents would, of course!" was the answer from the child, blue eyes defiant and headstrong as he glared head-on towards the other, and it was obvious that he wasn't going to back down anytime soon. "I can go anywhere and everywhere I want around this city and nobody's gonna stop me!"
Nothing besides his own stomach, most likely.
Kyouka maintained a firm, cold glare at him, but her heart had softened a little. He still wasn't lying. And if his parents really didn't care that he was roaming the streets of Bellcius, where he could be hurt or kidnapped or killed at any moment, then it was hardly any wonder why he was such a tough brat. She felt pity for him, but also a bit of admiration that he was able to suck it up and deal with it.
Not that she was going to let that show, or be any nicer to him. "And I suppose they let you go find your own meals, too," she remarked coldly, leaving it implied that he wouldn't be stopping in the restaurant otherwise. "Do you even carry your own money, boy?"
"Of course they do!" Toshirou responded instantly, almost as if he had been expecting that question - well, he was sort of expecting it, anyway. After being rather used to toddling around the streets by himself, the seven-year-old had gotten rather under to the curious and surprised looks and questions/inquiries he got from the people he met. Not that he had met much, since he'd rather wander around the city as compared to talking to people and generally wasting time. There was a whole city to explore, and everyday just seemed so short to him as he went around the place.
He paused after saying that, lowering his head just a little before adding something else. "...well, Ikumatsu-san's the one who gives it to me." Now that he thought about it, the kid really wasn't too sure where the money had come from - but his parents were merchants, so they certainly had to be the one... right?
Her expression was still firm, not letting him see any of the sympathy she felt for him. With a soft huff, she turned and started walking away. "There are some rotten people in this world. It makes me sick," she muttered to herself. And obviously something bad had gotten into his family's bloodline, if they would let their child run the streets like a wild dog and let him find scraps for himself. Hopefully this apple would roll a little further away from the tree than most.
She stopped after a few steps, and picked up a menu, then turned to look over her shoulder. "Well, come on, then. We're not supposed to turn away paying customers, no matter how small or weird they are."
The boy only looked even more indignant at that last comment. "I'm not small! And I'm not weird either!' he responded with a huff of his own as well as a puff of his cheeks. What was so strange about a kid wandering around his hometown anyway? Just because he was only seven didn't mean that he had to be looked down by so many people now! He could already do so many things that most kids his age (that he was aware of) couldn't do at all! That had to account to something at least, right? Right.
Still, at least he could finally get into the place after all that. With that exclamation done, the child only quickly followed behind the other, big blue eyes blinking as he glanced around the place with a fair amount of curiosity. He had heard a few things about this place before thanks to the gossip he had heard from the servants of his home, but seeing it by himself was seriously something else altogether. It was... really quite different.
"Yes, you are," Kyouka replied with a shrug as she started leading him to a table. "You're smaller than I am, at least, and you're certainly not the normal kind of customer we serve. The truth's the truth, even if it's a little bitter. Deal with it, and if you don't like it, blame your parents."
All things considered, though, the boy picked a very good time of day to come here. The restaurant was divided into two levels, a lower level for non-smoking customers and a higher level for smoking customers. From the higher windows, one could see pretty far down the streets, giving one a fairly good view of one of the best parts of the city. But during the busy hours, the old men usually crowded into the section and filled it with so much smoke that it became difficult to breathe and the windows had started to turn yellow with tar even despite being scrubbed clean every day. Now, though, the seats were all clear, and with no one smoking in the section, there was only a faint residue smell hanging in the air.
She started to lead him up the stairs to the smoking section. "Think you'll be all right with the smell of smoke? The seats are really the best up here."
Toshirou only glared indignantly at the girl's back when she responded, clearly not amused or happy at all with her response and the way she said that response. So what if he was only a kid? That didn't mean anything special at all! He was just another person coming here to have lunch like so many people did here - that was a perfectly normal thing to do, as far as he was concerned. Though, of course it was because he wasn't aware that wandering all around by his lonesome at the mere age of seven in a city such as Bellcius was hardly normal for most people in this day and age. But it was the reality that the kid was used to, and the life that only he knew best of all.
He only remained silent after that response, having nothing to respond to that and followed the other towards wherever she was taking him inside. Then came the question, and the boy blinked in confusion at the inquiry several times before replying. "I'm okay." Being all around Bellcius meant that he had crossed over to the more... dinger sides of the city a few times already, so while the some was something he wasn't quite used to (yet), it was something he could deal with when needed.
"Good. Come on," she said with a small beckon of her hand, continuing up the stairs. It was, admittedly, partly for her own interests to lead him up here. During the lunch hour, the upper level's smog was so thick that the older waitresses did not allow young Kyouka upstairs, so it was only during the less busy hours that she could come up here and see the city. Since no one was here, she even led him to what was, in her opinion, the best table, right in the corner bordering both streets of the intersection Lunchland was located on.
She set the menu down on the table and stepped aside, allowing him to take a seat. "Would you like something to drink?"
Following behind the girl, the boy continued on his look around the place, taking in whatever he could see from where he was. The furnishings were something that could be appreciated, the decor was quite fancy (at least to his tastes) and the food that he could smell from his spot seemed pretty delicious. Toshirou made a note to see what was the best thing he could get with his money later - hopefully there wasn't anything too expensive, and preferably there was something that had loads of his favourite condiment on it. One could never say no to the wondrous add-on that was mayonnaise.
He got into his seat once the table was shown to him, bouncing a little on the chair (not noticing the scenery he was granted with yet) before pausing as he mulled over the question from the other. It took a bit, but eventually he perked up and responded. "Orange juice, please!"
Unfortunately, while there were several common condiments on the table - ketchup, mustard, salt, pepper, even some hot sauce and soy sauce - there was no mayonnaise already there for him. The restaurant had never received so much demand for mayonnaise that there seemed any point in setting it out for people to use freely. In the rare instance that someone wanted some extra mayonnaise on their food, the only way to get it was to request it of the waitress.
(This was, of course, something that would change in the years to come.)
"Coming right up," she replied with a small smile and a nod as she left to fetch a glass of orange juice for him, giving the boy time to browse the menu.
Once the girl had left him to his own devices, Toshirou only glanced around the area for a few moments before he picked up the menu that was on the table and opened it. His eyes blinked as the kid glanced through the menu, reading the words that were on it. While he wasn't as educated as most kids his age were mainly because of his different upbringing, he did know enough at least since his caretaker had given him some lessons from time to time. So at the very least, he was able to decipher most of the items on the menu besides the ones with the more fancy names.
It only took a bit before he made his choice (he wasn't a very picky kid when it came to food) and right after when he had decided on what he wanted to eat he closed back the menu and placed it to the side. He then looked around again - and this time, he did notice the scenery that he had for him. Right before him, almost the whole city of Bellcius was sprawled out before his eyes through the window. He did find some places familiar even from the top because he had been there multiple times before, but there were so many others that he had never even seen before.
His eyes widened in surprise as the boy made a sound of awe and looked at the landscape before him. This was just... there really were no words to say other than amazing and awesome.
"Enjoying the view? I told you the seats were the best up here," Kyouka said as she returned with a slight knowing smirk on her face, carefully balancing Toshirou's glass of orange juice on a tray as she walked up the stairs. It had taken her a bit longer than she had intended to fetch his drink, since nearly all of the dishes from lunch were still being washed, and so she had to go out of her way to wash out a clean juice glass for him.
But the glass was spotless and filled to the rim, and somehow she managed to cross the room to his table without a drop spilling out. She set it before him along with a straw, advising that, "You should take a sip first. If you pick it up or put the straw in, it'll overflow."
Then, she folded the empty tray under her arm, and pulled out a notepad and a pencil from the pockets of her apron-dress. She could remember most orders easily enough without writing them down, but it usually helped to act like she was taking careful notes on everyone's order, since most people didn't trust a young girl to get their order right without help. "Have you decided what you'd like to order yet?"
He was enjoying the view, of course, but Toshirou did his best to hide the expression of awe on his face as he turned back to promptly direct a rather irritated look towards the teenager instead - hell could freeze over before he would let her see how exactly impressed he was. For now, at least, since he didn't know her so well yet and vice versa; in the life he was accustomed to, the boy knew better than to just start yapping at strangers unless he trusted them well enough. Which was good, but then again when one considered the fact that seven year old kids weren't really the most difficult people to trick...
At any rate, the boy quickly found himself distracted by the nice tall glass of orange juice that the other had brought up, barely taking in what she was warning to him about and promptly splashed a bit of the drink onto the table when he dunked the straw in. Like any other seven-year-old though, that went completely unnoticed by the child and instead was simply more than happily gulping down the juice - cool and refreshing, just perfect for a warm sunny like this. Toshirou looked pretty contented himself right after the first sip, sighing with relief once he managed to get a few mouthfuls down his throat. He then rose up his head when the other addressed him, eyes blinking as his mind digested what she said and promptly half-exclaimed out his order once he had the window of opportunity to do so. "Tempura rice with mayonnaise!"
...she may not know it now, but it was going to be something she was going to get used to in the following months and years.
Kyouka closed her eyes to keep him from seeing that she was rolling them. Hadn't she just warned him...? Not that there was anything to be done about it now. Besides that, it was something she had come to expect when serving children: They always made a mess. Always.
"... with mayonnaise?" She bit her lip, to keep herself from laughing at that. It wasn't normal for rice, like soy sauce, but there were some children who would eat their favourite condiment with just about anything. For example, there was one kid who ate at the restaurant with his family from time to time who could never seem to stop putting ketchup on his food. One could only hope boys like them would grow out of their habits quickly, for there was no greater insult to a chef than to drown their hard work in dressing.
Which, again, she may not know now, but would learn was wishing in vain for this boy.
Oblivious to the reaction that the other was having towards his order, the seven year old only nodded eagerly in response to her question, a grin on his face as he repeated himself with a fair amount of enthusiasm. "Yep! Mayonnaise! Loads of it! The more the better!"
With the way he was responding, it was pretty clear that was sounding far too happy for any other kid his age over something as simple and strange as mayonnaise... which might have sounded somewhat ominous in a way had it been known what was going to come later.
"Mayonnaise it is," she replied, shaking her head with an amused smirk. Normally, she might have offered to just bring him the tempura rice and a bottle of the mayonnaise for him to add to his food himself, but she didn't want to have too many globs of the condiment to clean up, especially if he handled the bottle the way he handled his juice. Things like caution and moderation were concepts far over the heads of most boys his age.
"It should only take a minute," she said, walking away from the table to go bring his order to the chef. In fact, it was easy enough that she could have made it herself, but with no one else in the restaurant, the chef wasn't busy at all, and quickly prepared the rice with experience and masterful skill.
Skill that would go to waste immediately after when Kyouka had to add mayonnaise on top. It was an insult to the craft, like building an elegant, deadly warship, and then painting a big pink unicorn on the side. But she kept her distaste to herself, because she wasn't the one eating it, and brought the meal up to the second floor of the restaurant.
"Tempura rice with mayonnaise. Please, do enjoy," she said as she set it before him.
Toshirou could just smell the meal as it came towards him - and like any other kid his age, the boy could only do his best not to drool too much as the awaited dish came before him. He immediately sparkled with glee when it finally was before his eyes, all smiles and sunshine and wholly enthralled by the glorious, fantastic, amazing dish before his eyes--
--the boy took a better look at his dish after that before abruptly making a whole hundred and eighty degree shift of expression from absolute glee to one of utter disappointment. The seven year old sagged, eyes wide with hurt and childish longing as he stared quite sadly at the dish before his eyes. This... this wasn't what he had thought it was.
Kyouka's smirk disappeared and her brow furrowed as she saw the drastic change in expression. What exactly was the problem? She knew for certain that she had brought him the right dish, and ruined it exactly to his specifications. Why did he look like he had just been sent to his room with no supper?
Unable to guess at what had just gone wrong here, she went ahead and asked him: "... is something the matter?"
There was a somewhat long pause at that question; mainly because the much younger boy was currently looking at the dish in front of him with disappointment, discontent and now apparent distress. It was only after a few minutes then did he finally respond, looking back up at the other with slightly watery eyes as he almost wailed out the answer as if it should be obvious enough. "You didn't put enough mayonnaise on it!"
Kyouka glared down in utter disbelief. What was this kid's problem? Not enough? She had slathered it on liberally, just as he requested. How could that possibly not be enough? He wasn't seriously going to cry over this, was he...?
She gave the slightest of defeated sighs, just under her breath, and then forced another smile. "Oh, really? If that's all it is, then how about I go fetch the mayonnaise for you? And then you can go ahead and add as much as you like." There was no point arguing with a customer, particularly one that was at risk of throwing a tantrum.
Toshirou immediately nodded rather enthusiastically at the question, looking much more happier now with a huge childish grin plasted aright across his young seven-year-old face as he chirped out his response. "Okay! Thanks a lot, Miss!" More mayonnaise was always, always awesome.
She couldn't help but give the slightest chuckle at how quickly his mood turned around. Kids really did get upset over the dumbest things. "It's no problem, really. Wait right here!"
Kyouka headed back into the kitchen, her sweet smile once again dropping for a more serious expression as she scanned the supplies. They had plenty of mayonnaise, of course, but not in the small containers that were kept in home kitchens: they ordered sauces and condiments in large glass jars, large enough that you could probably fit your head in one if it were empty. It was necessary due to the high demand of the restaurant, which could easily use up an entire jar just making chicken salad on a particularly busy afternoon.
Well, at least he wouldn't be able to complain about not getting enough mayonnaise. She picked up an open jar and a butter knife, and carried both out to Toshirou's table.
The kid's eyes seemed to sparkle with absolute glee as he caught sight of the other returning with all that mayonnaise and Toshirou was almost inclined to believe there and then that he had died and went to mayonnaise heaven. Man, when was actually the last time was he able to lay his eyes on so much mayonnaise? It was like a dream, that's what it was. A dream he would never, ever want to wake from, if he really was dreaming. Just so. Much. Mayonnaise!
All smiles and sunshine now, the boy gleed rather obviously as the mayonnaise was set before his eyes. Without wasting another second after that, Toshirou completely paid no attention to the knife brought out and instead picked up the jar and held it in his hands before rather carefully tipping it over in his grip and poured the mayonnaise right over the dish.
Kyouka gaped in horror.
Now, no one could argue that she was a picky eater. In fact, Kyouka was already developing a reputation for her iron stomach. She was the kind of girl who could gut fish without losing her appetite, who would slurp down escargot and exotic shellfish the way most children would eat candy, and who was already experimenting with the culinary possibilities of insects. She was reasonably certain there was nothing which was too unsavoury for her to handle.
... or, rather, she had been reasonably certain. But even she had her limits, it seemed, because she couldn't help but feel disgusted as she watched a waterfall of mayonnaise pour onto that poor, poor tempura rice. After staring in silent shock for a moment, she asked in disbelief, "Are you sure you can stomach that much mayonnaise?"
Toshirou didn't make an immediate response to that question, instead concentrating much more on his task at hand - which was to pour as much mayonnaise as humanly possible onto his meal. By the time he decided it was enough and set the jar aside, it was pretty much close to empty. The butter knife remained completely untouched.
The boy then finally turned his attention to the teenager with a visible gleam in his eyes, looking very much as if he was in the land of sunshine and happiness as he beamed happily and pretty much came close to sparkling. "Nope! This is just right!" That said, he turned to his meal and slapped his hands together in the traditional family ritual before eating a meal. "Itadakima~su!" And once that was all over and done with, he wasted no second in picking up his cutlery and promptly began to wolf down his lunch.
Kyouka couldn't seem to turn away, much the same way that eyes would fixate on an airship crashing out of the sky. She knew young children often had the worst tastes imaginable in the world, but... this was crossing a line. It was wrong, nothing short of a crime against nature. So, even though she had been trained to smile nicely and not breathe a word of offense against the customer, the moody young waitress couldn't help but remark to herself: "That's disgusting."
With a great feat of willpower, she turned away from the spectacle, retrieving the washcloth she had abandoned earlier and used it to begin cleaning a table rather close to Rou's, despite the fact that it had already been washed once. She wanted to keep an eye on the boy: he seemed young enough that there would likely be mayonnaise all over the table and the floor by the time he was finished.
Contrary to what she had thought, Toshirou actually made a rather clean spectacle of eating his meal despite all that mayonnaise that was wobbling rather dangerously on top of the whole dish in general. Whether if it was by some sheer miracle or if it was just the kid himself somehow being miraculously clean for once, that was something that would be found out for another day and time. For now though, at least she was spared from the horror once it was gone all the way down into the seven-year-old's stomach in a mere matter of minutes; from the way he wolfed down his entire dish, it was pretty clear that the child had been dead hungry.
The boy made a satisfied sound once he finished off the last of his plate, licking off the remnants from the cutlery like a giant lollipop before burping rather loudly as he placed the fork and spoon back down onto the now clean plate. "Gochisoosama! That was a really awesome meal!" the kid exclaimed as he reached for his orange juice - it hadn't really been touched at all while he had been busy cleaning off his plate. Now that he was done though, it was time for a nice, long drink.
The speed at which he finished his meal wasn't surprising, considering what he had told her earlier. In fact, it came mostly as a relief, because even if she didn't approve of his meal there was still a sense of satisfaction to be gained after giving food to someone so hungry. Besides, at least it meant the culinary abomination was put out of its misery as quickly as possible.
"You really must have been starving," she noted, walking back to his table with a soft, perhaps even sincere smile.
Toshirou only grinned in response as he looked up from his drink, all smiles and sunshine as he responded with an innocent chirp. "Uh-huh! I haven't eaten anything since I woke up, so I was really hungry!" Usually he would have eaten something before heading out of the manor... but Ikumatsu was too busy with her duties today due to something within the family and wasn't able to make anything for him, so he was just given some francs to make use of before he went out for his daily wanderings around the city.
Her smile dropped as quickly as it had appeared, and gone again was her professional courtesy. "What? Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! No wonder you-" She cut herself off, and gave a frustrated huff. There was no sense in scolding him about it. Anyone could guess that it wasn't his fault, but that of those parents he mentioned. The kid deserved to be praised for his honesty and then smacked upside the head for not feeling like he was being wronged by any of this.
Briefly, she looked away from him, as if contemplating something. She unconsciously teased her bangs a bit with one hand, a habit she had developed. When she was done, she brushed her bangs off to the side again, seeming unaware that she had pushed them to the opposite side as before. The single eye that was now exposed was a complete opposite from its twin, dark black and soft, as welcoming as the other one was judging. "I'll be right back. ... but first, I want to know if you can keep a secret."
The boy blinked when the teenager seemed to start shouting, completely unaware of whatever was wrong with what he had just said - this was the life he had been used to for as long as he could ever bother to remember; as far as the seven-year-old was concerned, it was completely alright and normal for him to go through with this and wholly not knowing that he was actually being so heavily wronged - he would only find that out in the next few years. Plus of course, Toshirou never exactly had a normal life, nor would he ever have one for the next two decades or so to come. But those were things to talk about for another time.
He opened his mouth, about to ask what was wrong when she looked at him once more, and the kid only looked back curiously with some surprise at the rather abrupt change in her demeanour. Just one switch of an eye and she looked so much better now! Weird, but not unwelcoming. Toshirou blinked innocently at the question, blue eyes alight with a childish curiosity. "Okay, what is it?"
"Just don't tell anyone I did this, or it could be bad for business!" she said almost jokingly as she headed back down one level to the kitchen. She was more serious than her tone suggested, though, because while she approved of granting special privileges to deserving customers, she didn't want word getting out and people attempting to abuse these privileges. Though she wouldn't have a hard time judging who was sincere and who was merely attempting to take advantage of her kindness... still, it was more of a hassle than it was worth.
It didn't take long for her to return with another serving of tempura rice - and this one even larger than their regular servings, brought in a large bowl rather than plated, and with some extra fried meat and vegetables mixed in - for him to drown in his favourite condiment. "Here you are. One bottomless tempura rice bowl with mayonnaise... on the house." She set it on the table in front of him. "So eat as much as you need, all right?"
Toshirou's eyes immediately sparkled the moment he saw the bowl set down before him, a delighted gasp coming out before he registered it as he looked at the meal that was given - free! - to him. There were so little instances where someone actually did these sort of nice things for him, and when they did... it just felt so very good inside. A warm and fuzzy feeling took root in his heart, and it took a lot for the boy to not just tackle and glomp the elder in gratitude - he had been at the very least taught (by his cousin no less) far better than that. Regardless of anything, he was someone from a somewhat prestigious family line.
So instead all he did was to look over at the other with a bright grin and beamed happily towards her, full of smiles and sunshine now. "Thanks a lot!" he went with a happy chirp, "You're really nice, onee-san!" And he really meant it - he certainly hadn't expected her to give me so much food all of a sudden!
Kyouka didn't respond to him right away. She had anticipated gratitude, but it was a little strange to hear the compliment. Of course, given that she rarely showed how altruistic she could be, this was only to be expected. But despite that it still came as a small surprise, a fact which Kyouka hid under a calm expression and low-lidded eyes.
"You're welcome. Just remember to keep this between us, all right?" she replied, before turning away, smiling to herself.
The boy himself wasn't one to show these sort of emotions and gratitude as well, but the fact that she had given such a big bowl of food - without having to pay for it! - was really really awesome. Nobody had ever done something like this for him before! Toshirou really really did appreciate it a lot, and it showed on his face as the seven year old grinned brightly still and responded to her words with a chirped a happy, "Okay!"
Picking up the bottle of mayonnaise that was still nearby, the kid wasted no time as he immediately started to pile up the condiment upon the bowl once more, sparing no quarter as he piled it up all the way to rather impossible heights, the stuff wobbling somewhat dangerous upon the bowl.
She still didn't like to see him drenching her work in awful mayonnaise, but she kept her comments to herself. Better that he eat his food in a mayonnaise soup than not eat at all.
That she remarked on again, but only to herself: "There really are some rotten people in this world." Not that she needed to meet this kid to know it, but seeing that a boy like him could starve without his parents giving a damn... it was something that had that familiar, acrid taste which Kyouka came across day in and day out, waiting on the military dogs and piggish politicians and listening to the details of their sordid affairs.
But even if all she could do for now was to give a neglected child a free lunch, at least she could say she was doing something about it. And she could only hope the world would be a little better for it.
She could never have guessed what this would lead to.