Not just any rice,it's good rice, the kind that fills your whole apartment with a warm, comforting smell. Luke opened his eyes slowly, squinting at the morning light coming through his window.
Now Yuki was in his kitchen.
She was humming softly, moving around like she owned the place. Her hair was tied up.And she was wearing one of his oversized t-shirts again, almost hung down to her knews.
"Good morning!" she said brightly when she noticed him awake.
Luke just stared at her.
She walked over with a plate. Sushi. Beautifully arranged. The rice looked perfect, the fish looked fresh, everything was precisely cut and laid out like art.
"I made this for you,"
Yuki said, sitting down next to him on the couch. Her smile was radiant and sweet,just like nothing had happened last night.
"I'm really sorry about yesterday. I was really in a bad mood. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."
She held the plate out to him.
"So .. please forgive me?"
Luke stared at the plate of sushi.
It was beautiful. The rice was perfectly seasoned, glistening slightly. The salmon looked fresh, almost glowing orange-pink in the morning light. Thin slices of cucumber, delicate rolls wrapped in dark green seaweed. Everything arranged with precision and smelled incredible.
After everything that happened last night, a small voice in Luke's head wondered if she'd put something in it. Something she shouldn't have. Poison, maybe,or drugs,or something worse he couldn't even imagine.
But then he looked at her face. That sweet smile and those dark eyes watching him hopefully at this time then he feel happy to be murdered by her.
So he just picked up a piece and ate it directly.
The taste exploded in his mouth.
Yuki's smile got wider. She slowly sank down to her knees in front of him, settling between his legs on the floor,and whispered something.
Luke kept eating the sushi, one piece at a time, his hand trembling slightly. Yuki's hands moved with the same precise.
They were both enjoying their breakfast.
Afterwards, Luke was breathing hard. He cupped her face in his hands, looking into those impossibly dark eyes.
"I'm sorry," he said. "Yesterday was my fault. I should have listened to you."
Yuki smiled and leaned into his touch.
"I know, I forgive you."
Luke had completely forgotten that half an hour ago, she was the one asking for his forgiveness. Now it was completely backwards. But somehow, none of that seemed to matter anymore.
"What do you want to eat from now on? Tell me."
Yuki asked, running her fingers through his hair. "I can make anything for you.ANY THING."
"Anything?"
"My father owned some Japanese restaurants in the Kanto region,"
"some..?"
"yeah ,20, or 30? Can't remember it."
She said with casual tone,"He trained under a master chef in Kyoto for fifteen years before opening his own place. I grew up in those kitchens, started learning knife skills when I was six. By the time I was twelve, I could prep fish for omakase service."
She smiled at the memory. "We had three locations in Tokyo. One in Shibuya, one near Tsukiji Market, one in Ginza. The Ginza one was the flagship. Businessmen would book tables months in advance. My father was very strict about authenticity. No fusion bullshit. No California rolls. Everything totally traditional,and proper technique."
Luke listened, realizing he'd never actually asked about her life before. He knew nothing about her.
"So yeah," Yuki continued, "whatever you want,like ... real ramen, not that instant crap. Proper tonkatsu. Okonomiyaki. Yakitori. Kaiseki if you want to sit through ten courses." She laughed. "I can make it all."
That's when Luke noticed her earrings.
Small, elegant, the interlocking C logo: Chanel.
He didn't know much about luxury brands, but he knew that logo meant expensive. So she wasn't just some random Japanese girl. She came from money, real money, the kind of family that owned multiple high-end restaurants in Tokyo's most expensive districts.
Luke's mind started racing. What if it was yakuza? Like in those anime he used to watch. High-end restaurants , that kind of money, those connections... it wasn't crazy to think organized crime might be involved. Maybe her father wasn't just a chef. Maybe he was connected. Maybe the restaurants were fronts for something else, like money laundering, drug distribution.. Who knows.
And if her family had those kinds of ties, what did that make Yuki? Was she running from something? Hiding? Or worse, was she here on purpose? Some kind of secret mission? No no that was stupid. That was anime logic.
What if she was actually dangerous?
What if her family sent her here for some reason he didn't understand yet?
Luke shook his head. He was being paranoid.It must be watching too much anime. She was just a rich girl who thought slumming it with a YouTube ghost hunter was huge fun. That's all.
Rich people did weird shit all the time.
Luke wanted to ask, but Yuki was already getting up, heading back to the kitchen.
"I'll make you proper breakfast," she called over her shoulder. "You're gonna love it."