Sweet Dreams

A Long Conversation

Tsukasa rubbed his temples and yawned as he stepped outside of the Elite Ten building. On top of having to teach a group of nervous first years, he was also given a mountain of paperwork.

One of these days Rindou is going to pay! I swear, she needs to take more responsibility with her life!

Nevertheless, it was nearing sundown when he stepped out, and the cool autumn air helped to clear his head. The sky was ever so slightly dappled with gold, and leaves crunched underfoot as he strolled along the school grounds.

He checked his watch. He had a good twenty minutes before his chauffeur would come and pick him up, and the day was simply too good to not take a walk.

And so he went, aimlessly walking around the beautiful Totsuki premises. He could smell that wonderful earthy scent of autumn leaves all around him, and a crisp breeze swept through his hair. Distantly, he could hear whistling and-

Wait, whistling? Is someone out here? It's way after school hours.

His curiosity piqued, he cautiously made his way towards the mysterious noise. Eventually, he found himself in front of a sign that said: "SCHOOL ORCHARD #2".

Wait, we had a school orchard, let alone two?

Walking into the many, many fruit trees, he saw that all the trees were haphazardly arranged, like whoever planted them just threw a bucket of seeds on the ground. Stepping his way quietly through a path littered with fallen petals, he heard the whistling grow louder.

And, as if he was in a fairytale, at the end of the path was a girl.

Not just any girl. Her hair was a long curtain that drifted around her in the autumn breeze. Small strands of gold were peeking out of the black in the sunlight, making it seem like her hair was glowing slightly. Around her, two birds were hopping by her feet, chirping along to the song she was whistling .

Sweet and soft, the tune was enticing and cheerful, filled with the tenderness of a mother singing to its child. It mixed with the chirping birds, filled with joy and laughter, but also, a bare hint of sorrow mixed in.

But it was her eyes that shocked him.

They were a deep blue, staring at the rosy sky, with depths that seemed to go deeper than the ocean. They were big and dark, like rich sapphires glowing in the sunset. Long lashes framed her expressive eyes, eyes that seemed to hold a thousand sorrows.

Eyes that had spotted him staring at her like a creepy stalker.

Immediately stopping her song, she leapt up and took off running away from him, chasing the birds off in a frantic flight.

Puzzled, Tsukasa didn't a react immediately, staring after the way she had fled.

Before long, he came back to his senses, turned a bit grey, and ran after her.

"Ahh! Wait, it's not what it looks like! Come back! Er, please?! I can explain!" he yelled, tearing after her through the trees.

Soon after, he was wheezing and gasping, trying to catch his breath. How big is this orchard? I almost died trying to run across it! he thought. Standing straight again, he looked up and saw that the girl was staring straight at him.

"AHH! Wh-where did you come from?" he exclaimed.

"I've been standing here for a while now. You probably didn't notice me," she replied.

Taking a closer look at her face, he saw that she looked very familiar. Too familiar.

"Um, excuse me, but have I seen you before?" he asked.

She fidgeted and looked uncomfortable. "Actually, yeah. You taught my French cooking class earlier today."

Blinking at her, he suddenly placed her face. "Oh, you were that girl who I asked to be my sous chef. I remember now!"

Still, she didn't seem very happy and looked rather on edge and awkward. "Er, yeah, that's me."

How in the world did I forget her eyes? Or her hair? Or her in general? Was I completely blind for not taking note of her face at all today?

The more he thought about it, the more confused he got. "I'm sorry! I didn't recognize you for a moment. I really am sorry," he said.

She sighed. "Yeah, it's fine. I get that a lot from people."

"No, but seriously, I don't know how I forgot who you were. You were pretty amazing today. It was an impressive array of skills for someone who's only a first year."

Surprisingly, she didn't smile or show any sign of happiness.

"Uhh, I'm sorry, so sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or anything!" he said, frantic.

She cracked a small smile, her eyes softening.

What is up with this girl? She gets complimented by the first seat and acts emotionless, but smiles when I'm a complete dork?

"No need to apologize, Tsukasa-senpai. Thank you for the compliment."

"Yeah, you deserved it!"

"..."

Noticing her silence, Tsukasa only laughed awkwardly before sighing and turning around.

"It was nice to speak with you, miss. May I ask your name?"

"Hisakawa Asuka."

"Nice meeting you, Hisakawa-san!" he said, beaming at her. The blinding sun was suddenly revealed when the clouds overhead shifted, and Tsukasa closed his eyes from the brightness.

When he opened them, he saw that she was already gone.

What a strange girl...

~OOO~

Crap, crap, crap, crap! Why am I such an idiot? Cooking in front of the class with him was bad enough, but holding a conversation with him? Have you gone mad, Asuka?

She had broken the most important rule. Never draw attention to yourself. And what did she do? She had gotten acknowledged by the top chef of the academy.

You had one chance. You could have run away! Why did you wait for him?

To be honest, she didn't really know why she didn't just leave. She definitely could have, given the fact that she got a head start and Tsukasa wasn't the best at running (or any type of physical activity).

So then, why?

Maybe you liked it. Being acknowledged for once. Being known as a 'somebody' and not a 'nobody'. Someone whose name was worthy enough to reach the first seat's ears.

If that was the case, she had to stop thinking that immediately. Her past had taught her enough about fame. It always lead to misery.

~OOO~

Trees flew past as the car drove along, smearing into dark smudges as the sun faded away. Tsukasa sat in thought in his family's car, and the chauffeur knew better than to disturb him.

Hisakawa Asuka...where have I heard that name before? Was she in the Autumn Elections? That would explain it if she was...

And today, those tomatoes. What kind of person would dare to alter my recette? And why was she such a mess earlier during the class?

But, the thought that would not leave the front of his mind for long was

How come I've never heard of her, a chef so good she can match pace with the first seat?

He needed to know who this 'Hisakawa Asuka' was within the academy.

Tomorrow, I'll look into who she is...

Tomorrow...