"I said stir it, not stab it!"
"I am stirring! It just… looks like stabbing!"
Yuzume leaned over the wooden mixing bowl, hands on hips, as Riku wielded a pair of chopsticks like he was fighting a ghost made of egg yolk.
It was supposed to be a simple lunch.
Just rice, soup, and tamagoyaki.
But somehow, the kitchen smelled vaguely of burnt sugar, something was bubbling that shouldn't be, and Riku had yellow streaks on his sleeve.
"You're doing this on purpose," she accused.
"Why would I sabotage eggs?"
"Because you're jealous of my perfect cooking."
Riku looked down at the bowl. "This is not perfect."
"That's because you touched it."
She grabbed the chopsticks from him and started whisking with the vigor of someone trying to exorcise a kitchen demon. Her tail flicked behind her in rapid frustration.
Riku held up his hands. "Alright, alright. I'll just… observe."
"Smart."
He leaned on the counter, watching as she poured the egg mixture into the pan. It sizzled loudly. She hummed to herself, flipping the layers with a delicate flick of the wrist.
"See?" she said, grinning. "This is technique."
Then the egg stuck.
And tore.
And folded weird.
And half of it flopped out of the pan and landed on the floor with a sad plop.
Yuzume stared at it.
Riku choked back a laugh.
"Don't," she said.
"I wasn't going to."
"You were going to."
"I—" He burst out laughing.
She turned red. "It's your fault!"
"I wasn't even touching anything!"
"You were watching! Badly! Your energy ruined the egg!"
He doubled over. "Oh, I see. I'm egg-cursed."
"You're egg-cursed!"
"Is this a shrine thing?"
"Absolutely."
She picked up the piece from the floor and tossed it at him. He dodged, laughing harder.
Eventually, she sat back down with a heavy sigh, wiping her brow dramatically. "Fine. Truce. We both failed. The spirits will go hungry today."
He slid a slightly burned rice ball toward her. "They'll forgive us."
She took it, smiling faintly. "Maybe."
The kitchen was a mess. Something was still bubbling that shouldn't be. But the air felt light, like something cracked open and laughter had finally gotten through.