Sincerely, Me [Kindaichi Yuutarou] | ✔

So It Goes

"You can handle a knife, right?" That was the first thing that Ueno said to Shino that morning, the latter having finished her food. She'd woken up a bit later than the boys, and, as a result, it was only her and Ueno in the dining hall.

"Yes," Shino answered, as she dumped her scraps into the scrap bin, some of her hair falling over her face. She brushed those strands of hair back as she straightened to face Ueno, waiting for her to continue.

"Good," Ueno grinned, "because we're going to make some good ol' watermelon for your boys. It's a bit warmer than usual today, so it'll be perfect." She led Shino to the refrigerator, where their bare arms were met with chill.

"Ah..." Shino blinked as Ueno picked up two watermelons and held them above her head, the melons balancing in her palms.

"Come on," Ueno said as she exited the refrigerator. "We don't have all day, Iwasaki!"

So Shino picked up a single watermelon, her arms shaking as she brought it over to the kitchen.

"Only one?" Ueno questioned, raising an eyebrow at her watermelon. "And it's small as well."

"I'm not strong."

"Yeah, I noticed. Start cutting, I'll bring the rest."

xXx

"Why is it so hot today?!" Kindaichi complained. "It was so cold yesterday and the night before..." The boys were currently taking a quick break, most of them drinking water or simply flopped on the ground. They had taken the outdoor courts today, Oikawa saying that some fresh air would be good for them.

His question went unanswered; the boys simply had no energy to spare replying. Mizoguchi, whose forehead was shining with sweat, eventually declared, "The heat will die down during the evening. If you have enough energy to complain, Kindaichi, then you have enough energy to train!" He meant to sound encouraging, but his declaration was met with some tired groans. "I mean it! Back to work, boys."

Irihata's lips quirked at the sight of the boys all but flopping back to their training, Kunimi nearly stumbling into Makki. "Have you informed Ueno-chan and Iwasaki-chan about the cookout yet?" he asked his fellow coach.

"Ah, not yet." Realization flashed in Mizoguchi's eyes. "Should I tell them now? To give them time to prepare?"

Irihata stretched his arms, wincing slightly when he felt something in his back pop. "Yeah," he bit out. "You do that, I can deal with a few sweaty youths."

In the kitchen, Ueno was currently holding a conversation with Shino, though it was mostly one-sided.

"... and then she ended up gaining three kilograms anyway," Ueno finished, rinsing her watermelon juice-drenched knife. "If she had just stuck to her normal diet, that wouldn't have happened."

"Hn."

"You know, I was supposed to be at an offline meetup with my guild today," Ueno remarked casually, setting her blade down as she turned to Ueno. "They'll be uber pissed to find out that I'm not there."

"You gave up your gaming time for this?" Shino finally turned to her.

"It was an opportunity I couldn't pass up. Meeting you again... honestly, it's like a dream."

"Or a nightmare."

Ueno smirked. "For you, or me?

"We should start plating up."

"For both of us, then."

They were finishing up when Mizoguchi ducked in, his face slick with perspiration. "Yo. Thought I should tell you that we're going to have a cookout on the last night of our stay. Do you think we have adequate ingredients for that kind of thing?"