I Need You || K. Shinsuke [ON HOLD]

Chapter 6 - A Trip Down Memory Lane

3rd Person POV

"Tetsu, are you done?"

Akane just finished dicing the radish and she looked over at Kuroo's direction, only to find him struggling. Before heading home, the raven-haired boy kept whining about how he missed Akane's cooking so the girl went along with his request. They'll be having grilled salted mackerel pike for dinner. Kuroo was excited so he took the liberty of washing and removing the scales from the fish. However, he didn't know that it would be this hard.

"Not yet."

Akane couldn't help it, her laughter echoed through the whole kitchen. She knew that Kuroo wasn't a great cook, but it never crossed her mind that his cooking skills would be this terrible. She actually found it quite amusing. Kuroo has always been a sly and provocative guy who's confident in everything he does. Seeing him hunched over his shoulders and try so hard not to scrape off any of the mackerel's flesh was a quite a sight. The fact that he was wearing one of her pink aprons made her want to take a picture and send it to a certain pudding-head in Tokyo. She eventually stopped laughing when Kuroo spoke up.

"Oi, stop making fun of me."

He temporarily stopped and looked in the opposite direction in an attempt to hide the blush that crept along his cheeks. He was embarrassed. Akane was going to cook his favorite dish so he at least wanted to do something to help. However, he realised that removing fish scales wasn't as simple as read blocking.

It's half past 7 PM and Akane knew that Kuroo wasn't going to finish anytime soon. At this point, both of them were already hungry. She knows how stubborn the boy can be; he never stops until he's finished with the task at hand. He's also the kind of guy who isn't comfortable with just watching someone else do all the work. She came to the conclusion that she'd have to bargain their way out of this situation.

"Hey."

"What?"

Kuroo let go of the knife and focused his gaze on the girl. He had beads of sweat on the side of his face and light crease marks appeared on his forehead.

"I'll do it."

"But--"

Akane didn't even give him the chance to protest and took the knife. She lightly shoved him to the side and told him to wash his hands.

"It's fine. Just do the dishes later, okay? I'll call you if I need any help."

Upon hearing those words, Kuroo washed his hands and removed the apron that he was wearing. He withdrew himself from the kitchen and sat on the couch. He was amazed by how quick Akane did everything. She's a monster in the kitchen, he thought. His mind drifted back to the time when they used to be neighbours. Akane loved cooking and she would always bring extra food for him and Kenma. She'd call them and tell them to come over everytime she tried cooking a new dish so that they can provide their insights. They were her guinea pigs, but they didn't mind. They actually enjoyed it, especially Kuroo.

He looked at Akane with longing eyes. It's only been a month since he last saw her but he missed her very much. He was devastated when he heard that they'll be moving to Hyogo, but he didn't let himself get depressed. Besides, he still had Kenma with him and Hyogo is still part of Japan. He always made sure to save a portion of his allowance for the transportation fees. Kenma also misses Akane, but he always spends his money on video games so he can't come with Kuroo.

The boy remembered the first time he surprised Akane by coming to Hyogo. It was a week before the start of their first year in high school. The three of them had a group chat where Akane sent her current address. Kenma was on a vacation with his family so Kuroo was all by himself. He didn't tell Akane that he'd be visiting because he wanted to surprise her. The moment Kuroo stepped inside the apartment, she immediately scolded him. She appreciates it, but she knows that the trip from Tokyo to Hyogo can be both tiring and expensive. Kuroo, being the stubborn guy that he is, told her that it was fine and insisted on visiting her every other week. Eventually, she managed to persuade him and he agreed to only visit once per month. Akane even volunteered to come to Tokyo as well but the boy turned down her offer because he was worried about her poor sense of direction (she gets lost easily just like Kenma). Besides, he knows and understands her current situation.