Tying the Knot: Giyuu & Sanemi's Guide to a (Not so) Perfect Wedding

VII. Step Seven: Taste Test the Cake (Or Don't)

Planning a wedding was supposed to be about details-finding the right flowers, choosing the venue, picking the outfits. But for Sanemi Shinazugawa, it was turning into a never-ending series of headaches. And now, it seemed, the latest disaster was the wedding cake.

It all started when Inosuke barged into their planning session a few days ago, declaring with far too much confidence that he was going to "handle" the wedding cake.

"I found the perfect cake!" Inosuke had yelled, his chest puffed out in pride, his boar mask resting crookedly on his head. "You two are gonna love it!"

Sanemi had narrowed his eyes at him, already suspicious. "Do you even know what a wedding cake is?"

Inosuke had blinked at him, as if the question was ridiculous. "Of course I do! It's a big pile of food, right?"

Giyuu, seated next to Sanemi, had said nothing, but the faint twitch of his lips had betrayed his amusement. Sanemi had scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. "We don't have time for this. We've got a lot of other things to deal with."

But Inosuke had insisted, and somehow, through sheer stubbornness, he had convinced Giyuu and Sanemi to let him handle the cake.

That had been their first mistake.

Now, as they stood in front of the towering monstrosity that Inosuke had presented as the "perfect" wedding cake, Sanemi found himself on the verge of losing it.

The cake-if it could even be called that-stood precariously in the middle of the tasting room, a wobbling tower of chaos that looked like it might collapse at any moment. Half of the cake was covered in slabs of raw meat, the other half piled high with chunks of fruit. There were some vaguely cake-like layers in between, but it was hard to tell where the actual cake ended and the rest of the mess began.

Sanemi's eye twitched as he stared at the disaster before him. "What the hell is this?"

Inosuke, grinning like a proud child, clapped his hands together. "It's the perfect cake! Meat for strength, fruit for health, and cake for sweetness!"

Sanemi blinked, utterly dumbfounded. "You can't be serious."

Inosuke puffed out his chest, clearly misinterpreting Sanemi's stunned silence as admiration. "You're welcome. I even added extra meat for you, Shinazugawa. I know you like it."

Sanemi opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. He was too busy trying to comprehend how this had happened. How had they let Inosuke get involved in this? How had they let him- of all people -handle something as important as the wedding cake?

Giyuu, standing beside Sanemi with his usual calm expression, surveyed the cake with a faint frown. He reached out, prodding one of the slabs of meat with his finger. "It's raw."

"Yeah!" Inosuke nodded enthusiastically. "Raw meat for strength. You need to eat it raw to get all the power."

Sanemi finally found his voice. "We're not cavemen, Inosuke. You can't serve raw meat at a wedding!"

Inosuke's brow furrowed, as if this concept was completely foreign to him. "Why not? You're always going on about how strong you are. This will make everyone stronger."

Sanemi ran a hand through his hair, his patience rapidly wearing thin. "This is a wedding. Not a training camp."

Inosuke frowned, looking genuinely confused. "But I thought weddings were supposed to have food. Lots of food. And this is the best food I could think of."

Sanemi pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling slowly through his nostrils. He was moments away from losing his temper. The monstrosity was teetering dangerously, and the more he stared at it, the more his frustration grew.