Kibishi's POV

  It took a bit longer than I anticipated, but I finally managed to get it done!

  The pancake and syrup had turned out great.

  The pancake was the right color, it felt soft and fluffy, and the texture of it was just right. Making it over and over again was worth it. Not to mention, the way the syrup fused together with the pancake as it drowned it like it was in the middle of the ocean, really made you melt away.

  Once I perfected it to a T, I made multiples and asked my friends to bring the ptes that they had pced down so that everyone could have even slices.

  I knew it was annoying, but when I was in the kitchen, my focus was solely on cooking.

  I couldn't be distracted by something like moving around.

  I knew it would make them a bit mad at me, so I made sure that they would have an extra set for themselves before the staff arrived to have their share.

  Once that was settled and everyone got their share of pancakes, my friends set a few bottles of syrup across the tables.

  I kind of went overboard since I hadn't made something in a long, long time. I had in the past with Tao's favorite food, but not on this grand a scale. It made me so happy that I started to make dinner early as well! Though the fridge was a bit small, Jir ended up buying another fridge alongside Yosei. I asked if they could get David and a few soldiers in training to help, but Yosei said that she could handle it since lifting up something as light as a fridge shouldn't be that hard.

  Well, she said that, but when Yosei and Jir returned, they bought two fridges instead of one.

  Of course, I panicked and told them that we didn't need two fridges since we were meant to simply pce all the food and drinks into a bigger fridge, since it would have space.

  After returning the other one, they got back and apologized to me.

  Of course, I wasn't mad since I knew they meant well. Also, I didn't want us to start fighting again anyway.

  This morning was bad enough.

  I didn't want them to feel like they owed me anything.

  Which led to the current situation!

  "That'll do!" I nodded firmly to myself.

  With multiple tables full of pancakes and big bottles of syrup, everyone should have a wonderful breakfast!

  "Now everyone can have a big pte...." I whispered with satisfaction.

  I started to untie my apron until I felt a hand smacking my back hard.

  Smack! Smack!

  "Damn, Kibishi! You did a great job and made enough for the whole friggin' building!" It was David who complimented me as he continued to rough up my back... ow.

  "You'll make a wonderful husband, Kibishi! Just stop cheating, and you'll be all good, you hear?!" Riley, who was behind David, apparently, showed up and beamed a smile at me with her hands behind her back.

  "I'm happy to help—would you guys stop it with the whole 'cheating' thing already!?"

  I defended myself with my brows lowering as my hands folded the apron even smaller and smaller. I gently pced it on the kitchen table and dusted my hands.

  "Anyway, that's that. You guys should wash up and get ready to eat soon." I smiled at David and Riley.

  "Right-o!~" Riley raised both of her fists in the air.

  "We're feasting tonight, baby!" David screamed while doing the same thing as Riley.

  They then both ran out of the kitchen with no care in the world.

  Yet, here I was, dumbfounded and stunned, staring at the two of them. You wouldn't think they were looking too close the other day...

  My eyes caught Kuma, Yosei, and Jir walking towards me while still having their aprons on.

  "Hey, Kib! Still in the kitchen?" Jir asked while smiling at me.

  "Oh, hey, Jir! I see you dropped your cold act at this point, huh?" I blurted out by accident.

  That was meant to be an inner thought, but it seemed unreal yet satisfying to see that my mouth moved on its own.

  "Hmph. Seems like I'll have to beat you up again for being a smart ass...." Jir said all grumpy-like and lowered her brows. I could see a little bit of wrinkles between her brows as well.

  "H-hey, I'm sorry, okay? I was only joking around..." I raised both of my hands to show that I surrendered and didn't want any trouble.

  "..." Jir silently looked at me and sighed dramatically.

  She seemed to forgive me for joking around like that. I found that side of her sweet.

  "Thanks for not getting mad at me, Jir. I was only trying to lighten the mood a bit." I answered honestly.

  "... Whatever..." Jir whispered. She stared at me with a couple of blushes appearing on each cheek. "Just try to keep out of trouble and stop having people treat you so poorly."

  "Like you did?", was what I wanted to say, but I ultimately decided to keep that to myself so I didn't cause any more trouble.

  "Seriously, man, you should try to stop trying to flirt with Jir here," Kuma said, something surprising as she pced her hands on her hips.

  "Agreed! Ki, I thought we talked about this already?! Have your eyes on a girl you find interesting and who you want to be with for the rest of your life!" Yosei leaned forward a bit while wagging her index finger at me. She seemed like a sister to me at this point with her scolding me more than once already...

  But wait a second?

  "Wait, did you give me a nickname just now?" I tilted my head a little.

  "Hmm? Is there something wrong with it?" Yosei asked innocently with her arms behind her back.

  "Well, no, it's fine if you want to call me that. It's just that it was so sudden that it took me by surprise." I scratched the back of my neck as I looked away.

  "Then it's settled! I'll call you Ki from now on!" Yosei said in a cheerful voice.

  Wait. What kind of trap did I just walk myself into?

  I wanted to ask the question about the whole trap thing, but decided to move instead of dwelling on such a small matter. After all, at this point, David and Riley, and all the girls in the supernatural team had a nickname for me.

  I turned my attention towards Kuma since I wanted to change to another topic.

  "Anyway, thanks again for helping out, Kuma! Your cooking skill has really inspired me to do better!"

  Kuma blinked and grinned at me.

  "No problem, dude! Always happy to help a fellow inspiring cook!" Kuma patted my shoulder and then started to ugh from amusement.

  That line made me blush madly.

  I looked away and coughed into my fist.

  "A-anyway, have you guys seen Tao? After finishing up the pancakes and syrups, I haven't seen her since." I scratched the side of my temple in confusion.

  The girls looked at each other and then looked at me in a smug way.

  ... Okay then, something was up if they were going to do that in unison.

  Step!

  Yosei stepped closer, leaning further this time with her arms still behind her back.

  "You wanna know!?" Yosei asked excitedly.

  "Eh?! U-uh, yeah. That's why I asked in the first pce, so..." I leaned back a little.

  "Do you really want to know what Tao's up to!?" It was Kuma's turn to lean forward at me with her hands behind her back.

  Yup! They're sisters, alright...

  They may not be flesh and blood, but they were acting like it...

  "Do you really?" Yosei leaned forward again.

  "REALLY, really?" Kuma did the same as well.

  ... Okay, I was officially freaked out!

  "Y-yes? Why are you two getting close to my face for? That's kinda creepy, you know." I blurted out.

  "Hey!" Yosei and Kuma said in unison.

  "While I agree with what Kib said, they have a reason for being this way, you know." Jir stepped in between us and pushed Yosei and Kuma away so I could have some breathing room.

  Jir then pointed at me.

  "Also, it's not to say that a girl is being creepy!" Jir suddenly turned this around against me.

  "Even if they were...?" I raised my left brow.

  "Principle, Kib! Principle! In the first pce, you should kindly ask them to back away from you! After! You should ask why they're acting that way instead of saying that they're ft-out creepy! No girl will want to be your partner if you're this way!" Jir "scolded" me. Although it seemed like she was trying to teach me about... whatever this was...

  "Um, I'm not following. Can you guys just tell me without the riddles and subtle hints, please? We don't have much time to eat if we keep this up...."

  I tried to be as honest as possible.

  I normally tried my best to keep most things to myself if it would hurt someone, but if I didn't tell them how it was, then they would continue whatever this was supposed to be.

  Jir simply shook her head at me.

  "Oh, Kib. How will you obtain the girl of your dreams if you continue to be in denial?"

  Did Yosei tell them about what happened st night? No, that can't be it. Maybe she just brought up the possibility of me liking someone...

  That said, I had no one in mind right now.

  Well, I had always been thinking about Tao, but for a different reason.

  She was my best friend, after all. We'd been together ever since we were young, so, of course, we were extremely close. It might have been the imprisonment of all mankind that forced the closeness in a more unsettling pce, such as the prison, but that was beside the point.

  There was no other girl but Tao on my mind. And that would stay that way, too.

  After all, she was too important to me to simply forget about her. Besides, being by her side gave me a good, warm feeling that I liked when we were close to one another.

  I wouldn't mind feeling that warmth with Tao right now...

  Anyway, there was no way they thought Tao's... nah, no way.

  I was jumping to conclusions.

  And anyway, there was no way thinking about Tao meant that I felt that way... right?

  Yeah. Yeah, that was it.

  ... Why was I second-guessing myself?

  I shook my head and spped my cheeks. I needed to focus on protecting my friends.

  ... Yeah, that was the way.

  "Hehe! He's blushing as he thinks about Tao!~" I heard Kuma's voice.

  "I'm not!" I defended myself.

  But despite that, my cheeks did feel warm...

  "Anyways, enough games! Where's-!?"

  "Kishi!" I heard a familiar voice.

  Ba-bump!

  I jolted when I heard that voice call out to me. I knew this voice! It felt so familiar. Of course it did. I'd been hearing it all my life, so it wouldn't be a surprise if it was from her.

  I slowly looked behind the girls and saw her...

  "Here!" Tao said to me in the sweetest voice ever.

  "T-Tao?! That's...!" I stuttered as I saw the shape of the thing she was holding.

  It didn't seem like it at first, but that was a pancake! It was a big pancake, and she was holding it in her hands like it was nothing! No, it wasn't just that, but it was shaped like a...!

  "A heart?!"

  "Huh?" Tao blinked.

  She looked at the pancake and then back at me while looking embarrassed as well.

  "Yeah, I had a feeling you'd react that way. But the girls told me that guys love seeing this shape, so I just went with it. Ehehe..." Tao ughed nervously.

  I gred at the girls, and the three of them simply whistled away as if this had nothing to do with them. I shook my head and looked back at Tao.

  "Um, so, uh, I did this for you, Kishi." Tao gripped the pancake. "I'm not sure why you were in Jir's room. Nor do I have any idea why that fact made everyone angry at you for some reason..."

  THANK YOU!

  Leave it to Tao to understand my mindset.

  "But I won't lie and say that I felt... something," Tao whispered at the end, so I barely heard the word.

  "Sorry, but did I hear that you felt 'something'?" I ughed nervously afterward, saying that.

  "... Yeah. I did." Tao admitted.

  Ba-dump!

  "R-really?" I looked away to hide my embarrassment. But I gnced back at Tao.

  "This feeling made me feel angry. Like.. I wanted to tear my heart right out of my chest! I... I don't understand why, so I simply locked myself away in my bedroom for a while as everyone scolded you." Tao lowered the pancake. "And I was thinking, 'Tao, you idiot! This is Kishi we're talking about! I'm sure he had a reason for being inside Jir's room!'. I thought long and hard about it. But no matter what, I was still feeling angry. Even now, my stupid heart just felt... annoyed."

  Huh?

  But why though?

  "Anyway, I felt so horrible, Kishi. You were there all by yourself. Not even David and Riley were on your side. I think that's when that feeling turned into pure rage. I kept beating myself up about what to do. I decided to help out here, but then everyone was being mean to you again. I hated it. It seemed like... it was all my fault."

  I saw tears appearing in Tao's eyes.

  "I figured out that it was really me who caused you trouble. S-so, I figured that.... I should at least make something that'll represent you. And whenever I think about you, Kishi, I always picture you with a big heart! So... so... so...!" Tao squeezed the pancake even more.

  Tao, hesitantly and fearfully, lifted up the pancake and offered it to me with tears falling and a big smile.

  "Please accept this... for not being there for you... Kishi!"

  Ba-bump!

  I raised my brows as I saw her crying in front of me.

  Static!

  Like lightning, the back of my head felt chilled. Like that, I slowly walked up to Tao and stood in front of her. It wasn't a long distance, so I was able to easily close the gap between us.

  "This girl-!"

  Give it a rest already!

  I yelled inside my head, and just like that, the lightning feeling went away. Repcing it with this warmth that I always desired.

  "Kishi?" Tao whispered my name.

  In that instant, I simply took my present and smiled brightly at my orange-haired friend.

  "Thank you, Tao. You did more than enough."

  "Really? But I crushed the pancake and-"

  "Hey. It's fine, okay?" I gently rubbed the side of her cheeks out of instinct. "You did more than enough for me."

  "You're not mad at me? For betraying your trust? For not being by your side?" Tao whispered as she hung her head low.

  "Of course not, silly! Why would I be mad at you?" I let go of her cheeks. "Hey. Come on, now. Cheer up and get yourself ready. Wash that face of yours and your hands as well. We've got a party to start!"

  "Really? Just like that? I don't need to beg for your forgiveness?"

  "Really? When did you ever do that? Come on, Tao. You're my best friend. I would never let you do that just to make myself feel better. Now, head back and get ready. I'll eat this pancake that you made for a snack ter, okay?"

  Tao slowly looked at me with brightness in her eyes.

  That made me sigh in relief.

  Good.

  She was starting to feel a bit better....

  "Right.... yeah!" Tao grinned at me and then clung onto me with a giant blush. "And then, we can both sit next to each other while feeding pancakes to each other just like old times!"

  "Sure! I don't see why not!" I giggled.

  Tao let go and then started rushing out of the kitchen.

  "Right! I'll get myself ready so we can do that! Bye-bye!" Tao waved at me like a little kid.

  Heh.

  Seeing Tao smile again already made this day better. Even if it started rocky, I was gd to see Tao feel like herself again.

  I looked at the heart-shaped pancake.

  I gripped it a bit tighter than I should have. But something about this pancake shape really made me feel uneasy. I mean, I appreciated Tao's hard work, but still. Somehow, I felt a little scared.

  What was I scared of?

  Well, I didn't know.

  But it was something. Something that might change things. And that thing might have to do with Tao. I wasn't sure myself, but still, I had a strong feeling about it.

  Or, was I lying to myself?

  ... No, it couldn't be that.

  I was overthinking it. I looked up and saw the girls giving me a smug look once more. I groaned and then sighed. I didn't want to dampen the mood anymore.

  .

  ..

  ....

  .....

  ...... Yeah. I couldn't ruin the mood with all of this thinking.

  "A girl who will like me for me, huh?" I stared back at the heart-shaped pancake.

  That would be nice, huh?

  Someone who'd love me for me and nothing else.

  And as much as I wanted to believe in that-

  "... I don't believe that'll ever happen," I said, my honest thought.

  "Huh?" The girls stopped smiling and looked at each other in confusion.

  "What do you mean?" Yosei asked nervously.

  "Forget it...." I whispered in sadness.

  I lowered my new gift and took out a pstic bag to put it in. After that, I sealed it tightly and then put it inside the fridge. I slowly closed the door and halted midway.

  Someone to love you for you...

  I sighed at my stupidity and closed the door. I pced my hands in my jacket, having this warmth turn into sadness.

  "H-hey, are you okay, Kibi?" Kuma asked out of concern.

  "Yeah, I thought you'd be happy?" Yosei frowned.

  "I am happy. But I've been having these stupid ideas and been seeing the wrong-... nevermind."

  I smiled gently.

  "Come on! Let's have a great party!" I formed both of my fists as I tried to keep up the good feeling.

  But I had a feeling that it didn't show to the girls the way I hoped. But they didn't ask about anything else and let me go out to go back to my room.

  I wanted to be left alone before the party started. I needed to get these ideas out of my mind and get my spirit up.

  Right. That was the best thing to do...