On the next morning Zashi wakes up from his sleep as the sunrise lighting up his room, to give more cozy atmosphere to syart his day, he can feel his body acting little strange, clearly because of his previous fight.
He stretching up and start doing some workout, begin with sit up, push up and some inversion.
He then begin practicing many fighting style, with different positions, imagine he was fighting with invisible enemies for awhule
And suddenly his shadow clone appear from the walls making him remamber his long past, and the fimmiliar voice, start to invading his brain
[“You can’t save everyone Zulfias”]
[“It doesn’t matter, how many powers do you have!, at the end you only save yourself!!”]
Zashi try to cover his ears from all the voices, but it won’t stop the noise until he decide to punch his own shadow cracking the wall in the middle, making him surprise by his own action.
_ _ _ _ _
He try to calm himself, by getting into shower for awhile, letting the water flowing agasint his body, revealing his strong muscles and fighter physique, with steam cover the whole bathroom, to keep his mind numb endlessly.
But then he hear someone voices that are not from his mind, but outside the door, knocking, calling for his name.
He wrap himself with a towel, and coming down to know who’s the muffling voice outside the door.
Once he open the door, he shock to see Yukio was standing infront of him…
Both of them stunt and hiding their blush, Zashi begin to panicking and close the door immediately, while Yukio can’t stop cover her cheeks.
“Sorry, I will be back in the seconds.”
“Okay I-I wait” Yukio respond but the embarrassment still hasn’t fading away.
Zashi rush his way to get upstairs and dress himself with simple house wear shirt, and then open the door back.
“Sorry about earlier.., i wasn’t expecting my visitor will be a girl,”
Yukio shake her head.
“No is fine, is not totally your fault.” She pull out the plastic contain louch box and hand it to him.
“Anyway I make something for your breakfast.”
“Mhm?
What is this?” Zashi accept the care package from Yukio’s hands,
“Is Katsudon, I make special for you, for…
saving Shinji from yesterday.
Zashi smell the rich aroma that come around housewarming gift.
“Wahhhh this smell really nice!, are you making this by yourself?”
Yukio flustered again with nervous laughter.
“Yes, actually I’ve been learning some culinary recently and I think it will be nice for you to have a taste, my first official dish.
Zashi smile widely, feeling honored to be the first taster.
“Wow this is really mean alot to me, i usually just boil up some ramen every morning, but this?…
Is definitely something else, thank you very much.”
Yukio nod softly, cover her hands together.
“Yes I hope you enjoy it.”
“Alright then, I guess I’ll see you around?” Before Zashi can completely shut the door, Yukio let out her uncertain noise to make Zashi stop.
“Umm…*
Zashi pause, stare at her on small gap of almost closed door.
“Can I perhaps, eating breakfast with you?, I brought some of my own as well and maybe we can hang out?”
Yukio give her innocent smile, waiting for his answer.
“Really…?
at my house?,
Zashi decide to open the door back for letting her inside, gesturing the couch, while feel embarrassed to show the look of his house from the inside.
“Or maybe we can eat somewhere else since my house is a big pile of mess right now.”
Yukio shake her head softly “No it’s okay, I just…, really have to see, what’s the man world such as yourself, looks like, and it is fascinating.”
Yukio can’t stop look around his poorly made zinc house everywhere, the rotten woods everywhere, the poor layout of the kitchen and living room cramped together and the holes on the zinc wall, letting the sunlight flash inside.
“Woah you really live in here aren’t you?”
Zashi walks in circle unsure how to respond to her comment.
“Yeah I already get used to it, beside this is all I can afford, thanks to Mr.
Yosa, letting me live here.
𝗭𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶 place the lunchbox on the table near the TV
“And you can eat here, since I don’t have any dinner table yet.
Yukio step closer, sitting next to him firmly, while 𝗭𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶 already turn on some TV and watch some cartoon
“Is this what you usually watch every morning?
”
“Yeah, all the time honestly, I just watch anything thay airing on TV, and is not like i can afford to pay some subscription to have streaming sever or anything like that, but you can switch channel if you like.”
Yukio wave her hand dismissivily.
“No, no, no, I’m good, let’s just eat our breakfast shall we?”
“Okay” Zashi get his chopstick ready as opening the lunch box, what he see after, totally mesmerized his eyes, the texture of crispy pork, and beautiful placement of eggs in every corner of the bowl, making his mouth watering.
He pick the deep fried pork and egg into his mouth as Yukio waiting for he’s reaction patiently.
Zashi eyes widened , making colors and stars pops out from his eyes
“This…, this really delicious!
, thank you Yukio, you really good at cooking.”
Yukio blush from the compliment
“You welcome, but I’m just a scholar anyway, I bet this was just a basic knowledge.”
Yukio take her turn to open her lunchbox and reveal potato croquettes to Zashi, she take a one bite with a hum, making Zashi curious what kind of food she just swallow.
“Yukio…
, what was that?”
“Oh is, Korokke but you also can call it, Potato Croquette, is loaded with bacon, stuffed with two kinds of cheese, crispy on the outside, and soft on inside and is originated from French, here take a bite.”
Yukio hand the Korokke with a chopstick for him ready to bite in.
Zashi close his eyes while take a bite, and with just one chew, his whole body react intensely, jumping up, crash his body into the ceiling and half of his bod, stuck on top
“YUMM!!!”
“ZASHI!!” Yukio shout, thought she just losing him
“I’m okay..
, can you pull my legs down, please?
”
Yukio put her lunchbox to the side.
“Okay, hold on a seconds.”
Yukio try to pull Zashi’s legs as hard as she can, along with Zashi try to push himself down with his hands.
Eventually both of them falling down to the floor together.
Zashi open his eyes, only to notice his head being hold by her palm, and his back laying against her thighs, Zashi forget to getting up for a moment, after thier eyes locked into each other.
He shake his head, and stand back from feeling overwhelmed.
“Ah so, yeah, I just want to say that I am sincerely thankful for the breakfast, and…
I think we should go now before peoples sees us and…”
Yukio can hold herself anymore for not telling the truth.
“Zashi, I…, I want, can we…, can we be in relationship?!”
Zashi soul almost escape from his body, he almost fall again, for moving uncontrollably hearing Yukio’s confession.
“Ekh huhhh?!!, with-with me?, why.?”
Yukio let out a sighs, facing Zashi with full determination.
“Because I always have feelings for you, my friends often shipping me with you, I keep try to pushing them over zbut the truth is I…
really like you, and I think you have feeling with me too, I think we have close connection.”
Yukio step closer with her emotions carry from her look.
“And there is no denied on what I feel toward you right now Zashi, I know this happen so sudden but my heart can’t stop beating from yesterday when I see you fighting those bad guy that try to harassing Shinji.”
She lean closer, unafraid to letting go of her feelings.
“When everytime I saw you…, I always think that you’re very cool, and kind, strong, and most importantly you’re very handsome when you don’t think you’re, almost like an Angel, and I can’t even try to pretend I want to start this slow with friendship and stuff, and if it tooks me to be the one, who makes the move first, then so be it.”
Yukio holding her heart, on every sentence she try to pulling out, leaving Zashi stunt and lost for words.
“That…, I don’t bealive you!, is just, did you pull some kind of prank on me?, is your friends watching us from outside?!”
Zashi try to peek through the window and play dumb, until Yukio’s hold both of his cheeks to face her.
“Zashi…
This is not a prank, I really meant it, that, I…
love you.”
The last sentence came from her mouth, really making Zashi questioning his life
Yukio smiles patiently for him to respond.
“But if you don’t want me to be your partner then I guess, I should go.”
Yukio step aside, ready to walking past him, but Zashi hold her arm before she walk any futher.
“Wait…, if we do this, do you accept that this relationship are not going to be permanent thing at first?, because I don’t want there’s a chain between us yet, until we really know and love each other, deeply…”
Yukio nod from understanding.
“That sounds like a fair deal, what you want to know about me Zashi?, I try my best to be an open book for you, and no secrets.”
Zashi can’t get over how captivating the way Yukio smiling, before he immediately get he’s sense back, focusing to ask her some personal questions.
“Okay before we continue this any futher, can I know what’s your age?.
“Me?
I’m 21.”
𝗭𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶 body suddenly froze hearing her age reveal.
“What?, what’s wrong?, Is there something wrong with my age?.
Zashi coughing out, try to maintain his composure.
“No nothing, is just I think I might be a bit older than you.”
Yukio smirk, staring at him teasingly.
“Oh really?, how old are you actually?”
𝗭𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶 pause for seconds, try to put a number from his mouth
“I’m 6…”
Yukio curiosity immediately kicks in.
“6?…”
Zashi close his eyes, decide to change his answer.
“I’m 24!”
Yukio almost make no reaction over his underwhelmed answer.
“24?…, you not that old for me, I don’t know why it takes you so long for you to tell me.”
Zashi chuckle nervously, holding his own waist.
“Yeah, I know I guess, I’m just thinking too much.
but…, are you sure to have relationship with me?, I mean..
you still young, and you still can continue your education stuff.”
Yukio let out a long sighs, while crossing her arms.
“Now you just sounds like my mother.”
Zashi panicking how quick Yukio shift the mood.
“What?, No!, I’m sorry I don’t mean to.”
Yukio keep explaining in detail.
“Well I suppose my mother were still applying for me to any collage with low cost but we still haven’t find one yet, well is really suck to be poor don’t you think.?
Zashi nod, having nothing much to disagree.
“Yeah, I agree, but don’t you think that is a good idea to be dating someone, when you already on the line to continue your education?, I just..
I don’t want to be your distraction or anything, look I just care about your future, okay?”
Yukio start getting upset the way, how much he think the best for her.
“More than myself?, look Zashi, I know that you genuinely care about me, but this is not type of care that I want from peoples, not in terms of getting away from me, but having someone that I can have close connection with, Is it so wrong to have a person that can fully understand me before I throw myself into a real world?”
Yukio looking at Zashi with sadness on her face.
“No there’s nothing wrong with that, all these years I was looking for a woman that came to my life, that wasn’t find the term ‘my lover’ disgust them, and I always knew that there is version of me that capable of loving and caring, begging to be release, and I don’t know if that day can come, until you give your warm smile at me today.
Zashi slowly approach her, holding her hands together.
“And with you…
I might get a chance to do be that person, and I don’t think there’s anyone I can choose beside you, Yukio.”
Yukio give her playful giggle from feeling absolute joy.
“You mean it,?
you actually mean it?!
Yukio hold and both of his shoulders and shake him for confirmation.**
“Yes, absolutely, if that’s means I get to see your beautiful smile more often, and hold your hands, taste your delicious masterpiece, and be the luckiest guy in this village, then why wouldn’t I?”
Yukio blushing from his compliment,
“And that being said, what do you say we go outside together today?
and having fun, to get to know each other even more, start our relationship in…, meaningful way.”
Zashi give his confuse3 reaction, but he’s clearly didn’t dislike the idea.
“You mean like a date?.
Yukio nod excitedly.
“Yes just like a date!”
Yukio then walk past him in the rush.
“I go take some shower and dressing up first okay?, we meet on the bridge near the big tree, facing the city, you know where it is right.?
Yukio take a peek on him before leaving to search some answer on his face.
“Alright , just one more thing…, wear something nice okay?”
Yukio give her assuring smile before he finally exit the house.
“You got it.”
Zashi keep standing still, try to process the big change that was going to happen in his life, and eventually he rushing up after realizing, that he asl need to put a good look, for his outing.
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