Kyoya's Secret Kitten

Chapter 17

"Good morning, Mr. Kasuka. You're awake rather early." The voice cut through the silence and caused me to jump. I looked up to see the butler standing in the doorway, smiling gently. "My apologies sir, I didn't mean to startle you." I let out a sigh as the older gentleman took a step into the room, and I offered a friendly smile.

"It's alright. I was just so engrosed in my work, that I didn't hear you come in." I quickly straightened the recipie cards that had become disheveled around me and motioned for the butler to join me.

"I wanted to speak with you on the matter of acting as chef for the house. I was going to do it after I was made aware of the decision last night, but I decided to wait until morning. When you weren't in your room, I assumed I'd find you here." He explained.

"Is there something wrong?" I questioned looking up at the clock. The hands pointed to five-thirty. "Shit," I thought to myself. "Kyoya is going to kill me."

"Not really,"The man continued as he made his way to where I was working. "I just want to make sure that you're up for the task. Seeing that you're already wide awake at this hour, it's obvious that you're serious." I nodded nervously, not wanting to tell him that I hadn't even gone to bed yet. "I've been instructed to follow your wishes to the letter and provide anything you may need." I looked to the recipie cards and let out a sigh.

"I've noticed that most of these recipies are foreign. Does Mr. Ootori prefer foreign cuisine, or is the chef himself foreign?" The butler contemplated my question for a moment before speaking.

"A bit of both I suppose. While the chef is from Japan, he spent a great deal of his education studying abroad. And, while Mr. Ootori doesn't dislike japanese cuisine, he seemes to respond better to the more exotic dishes of foreign cooking."

"Can you tell me his favorites?" The butler gave me an odd look. "What sorts of food does Mr. Ootori prefer when he's stressed or he comes down late at night?" I clarified my question.

"Well, I've seen him eating a chicken stew with biscuts late at night in his study on several occasions." The butler admitted. I began to search through the recipies as the butler continued. "If your questioning about his snacking habbits, he tends to choose vegetables, like sugar snap peas and mushrooms." I dug through the pile until I found the recipie I was looking for. The paper was dirty and well worn, but the words were still perfectly legible.

"Chicken and dumplings." I muttered to myself. The butler stared at the card.

"I suppose that could be it. I've never asked what it was called." We were silent for a moment before I spoke again.

"I noticed that most of the recipies here call for pork. Is that a household preference?"

"Not really. The chef just happens to know a pig farmer who cuts him a good deal. We use mostly pork to keep costs lower." He explained.

"What about allergies? Does anyone in the family have food allergies?" The butler shook his head.

"No, but one of your kitchen staff is lactose intollerant. He seems to avoid any reactions pretty easily though. I'm sure it won't be much of an inconvenience for you. I believe his name is Hansuke."

"When can I meet the kitchen staff?" I asked eagerly. Their support was going to be the most important part of this.

"They should begin their work in the next 30 minutes or so. You can meet them when they gather for morning instructions." I nodded and scanned the kitchen.

"Are there any other recipies that I didn't find before?"

"No, I'm not aware of any." He confirmed before moving to the other side of the kitchen. "Would you like some coffee?" He offered.