35 Comfor

(Jesse's POV)

Ms. Layne: "And remember, class, finish whatever assignments you have left!"

It was another end to a monotonous school day. I should spend the rest of the day in bed since I don't have to work at the bakery today.

Cynthia: "Hey, Jesse, could I ask you for a favor?"

Just as I finished packing my bag and walk home, Cynthia stops me from getting up in my seat. She was always the type to ask for favors and not repay them back, so I tried to not pay her any mind. Though, that didn't really go well for her and starts tugging at my sleeves when I ignored her.

Jesse: "Ahh, what do you need, Cynthia? I'm busy."

Cynthia: "Please? I need your help with something."

She leans in very close to me and whispers into my ear.

Cynthia: "It's for Kanna."

Jesse: "Then did you need to whisper in my ear for that? What does Kanna want anyway?"

Kanna the Nekomata. She's been dealt a very bad hand in life and now the one guy that gave her attention is gone! Kidnapped or probably dead! Poor cat, she doesn't deserve any of this.

Cynthia: "Oh, come on, please? She's really depressed."

Jesse: "I'm sorry to hear that, but there isn't anything I can do about it."

Cynthia: "But there is, I can explain on the way out."

We walk together out of the building, the Academy, and finally down the road. Cynthia starts going on about how Kanna misses Steven's cooking, and so, I've been involuntarily elected as a stand-in chef. Apparently, Cynthia believes that her friend would feel a little better if she has something Steven would make.

Of course, it didn't seem like too much of a hassle to cook a meal for someone, but I know better. I'm a baker, not an actual chef! When we arrived, I noted that the sign reads "Yuuna's Elixirs". It clicked almost instantly in my head. Sister shopped here once and was impressed with their selection despite their unusually high price.

Jesse: "So, Kanna lives in a shop? Isn't she nobility?"

Cynthia: "Yeah, but family politics, you know?"

The smell of fresh herbs and plants filled the air of the shop when we entered. Everything was labeled, organized neatly, and fully stocked. I know for a fact that you have to love your job to be operating a store this neat. It was a very professional, far more than I was expecting. Maybe the prices weren't so exaggerated after all?

While I was looking around the shop, another Elven man appears from the curtains separating the shop from the rest of the home. A lot of the townhouses from here to the town square were pretty similar in design, so I'm somewhat familiar with them.

Elven Man: "Miss Cynthia, welcome back."

He had an entire noble-guard aura surrounding him, like most veterans from the Royal Knights tend to have.

Cynthia: "I brought Jesse like I said I would."

Jesse: "I'll… do the best I can, sir."

The living room was lively. A couple more new faces were here. Apart from Esmond and Cynthia, there was a really old Nekomata man that was resting by the fireplace and a beautiful mature Nekomata woman sitting with an ice pack on her head. The room was warm and probably would also feel relaxed if it wasn't so burdened with sadness.

Elder: "It's only a fever, but he did worry me when he described your symptoms, Yuuna."

Yuuna: "I knew he was worried but didn't expect him to actually post a letter to you."

Elder: "He obviously cares."

Yuuna: "I just hope he's alright."

Esmond: "I apologize for interrupting, Lady Hisakawa, but Miss Cynthia is here with a friend."

Yuuna: "Hello, I'm Yuuna Hisakawa. You're Jesse, the one Cynthia mentioned?"

She smiles sweetly.

There isn't a doubt that she is Kanna's mother. I dare say that smile of hers is almost identical to Kanna's.

Jesse: "Yes, I am, ma'am."

Yuuna: "My daughter is depressed, Cynthia believes you could cook?"

Jesse: "I'll do what I can, ma'am."

Yuuna: "I believe in you, the kitchen is in the back. Go ahead and do your best."

She points to the back of the house, where the kitchen is.

Elder: "Are all youth so well-mannered?"

Yuuna: "Very, it reminds me of Takeo. I never loved him, but I sure do miss him."

Elder: "You loved him in a different way."

I was being guided to the kitchen by Cynthia. Who aided me by grabbing all the utensils I needed. She moved with precision as if she lives in the kitchen. This kitchen isn't too different from mine and it's really stocked up with dry goods, so I shouldn't have any trouble unless I'm making something with meats and such.

Jesse: "Do you know the kitchen so well?"

Cynthia: "I've been friends with Kanna since we were little."

Jesse: "Alright, so what should we make?"

Cynthia: "There's a cookbook behind you."

I turned around and find several cookbooks, not just one. All titled and uniquely themed. It ranged from wealthy Elven courses from around the country to Oki delights.

Jesse: "This doesn't help, Cynthia. I don't know what to choose from here."

Cynthia: "Damnit Jesse, flip the pages and go with whatever."

Going through a cookbook, I randomly landed on "Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Garlic \u0026 Chive Aioli". What in the world is Aioli? Flipping the pages a second time, I now end up on a recipe called "Garlic Noodles". It looked relatively simple to make and it could be done in less than an hour.

Jesse: "How about this?"

She leans in for a better look.

Cynthia: "Oh, that! I remember him doing that before. It should do it!"

Jesse: "Is it good?"

Cynthia: "You have no idea. What are the ingredients? I'll help."

Jesse: "So, err, we need 8 ounces of spaghetti, 12 ounces of peeled and deveined shrimp, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms, a red bell pepper, 2 diced zucchinis, a grated carrot, 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro leaves."

Cynthia: "Alright, one at a time, we got this. Anything else?"

Jesse: "Uhh, it says for the sauce, a third cup of soy sauce…"

This is already sounding expensive, but soy sauce? My sister will have my head if I made this.

Jesse: "3 minced garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons of packed brown sugar, a tablespoon of sambal oelek, oyster sauce, and a teaspoon of sesame oil."

Cynthia: "Here you go, but we have to make do without shrimp… and you're measuring everything."

Of course, she offers to help but it all ultimately is up to me.

Jesse: "Did he ever cook it with shrimp before?"

Cynthia: "Hmm, I don't think so… Aunt Yuuna hates shrimp."

After Cynthia grabbed all the ingredients from the pantry, I got to work on the sauce first. In a small bowl and with a whisk in hand, I mixed together with the soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar, the sambal oelek, oyster sauce, and sesame oil before setting it aside. It was fairly easy and turned out to be pretty similar to baking despite what I've been constantly told.

Grabbing a large pot and filling it with water, Cynthia used her hands and fire magic to get the water boiling to continue cooking the noodles and then draining it well. This was cumbersome and would've been easier if there was a stove top. I could feel Cynthia's hand emitting heat like a fireplace.

Using another, but smaller pot, Cynthia heated the olive oil as I continued to add in 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce mixture, and continued to cook it, stirring occasionally, until pink, for 3 minutes. Then adding in the mushrooms, bell pepper, zucchinis, and the carrot to the pot, frequently stirring until it became tender. The end of the recipe came when we added the spaghetti, and remaining soy sauce mixture until well combined for another 2 minutes.

Jesse: "And that's it… it's done."

Cynthia: "Finally! I can really melt lead with my hands!"

Jesse: "Please, don't. I don't want my sister yelling at me when the guard takes me home explaining that a classmate's hands had melted off."

Cynthia: "I'll go and get Kanna, just prepare a plate."

There are at least 4 servings here and I don't expect Kanna to be eating a single serving either. It can be pretty hard to keep an appetite when you're sad. But, I decided to stay honest to the recipe and set out a plate for Kanna, garnishing it with cilantro. I feel prideful in my work and confident enough that Kanna has to at least feel some kind of happiness.

I prepared the rest of the plates, just in case, and waited a couple of minutes for Cynthia to come out with Kanna. I was nervously shuffling around in the kitchen when they came and Kanna looked worse for wear. Her eyes are red, has dark bags under them, and her everyday smile is nothing more than a frown.

Jesse: "Hello."

She doesn't even acknowledge me.

Cynthia: "Uhm, we made you something to eat, Kanna."

Cynthia sits her down passes a plate to her with a fork. Unenthusiastically, Kanna stirs the noodles and slowly proceeds to eat a small forkful. It was painful just to watch, it felt like we were forcing her to eat. You can almost see the different waves of emotion going through her and, out of nowhere, begins to silently sob as she chewed.

Cynthia: "K-Kanna?"

We might've just made things worse by having her remember. I couldn't bear to look at her and decide to leave.

Jesse: "I, uh, should get going."

I grab my bag and head back out to the living room. Yuuna was now leaning sideways, letting her arm dangle off the armrest. Esmond spots me and proceeds to ask me questions about Kanna.

Esmond: "How did it go?"

Jesse: "I honestly don't know…"

Yuuna: "Uu, she's going to kill me with worry."

Esmond continued to show me out and bang my head against my palm for the rest of the way. I'm not sure what they're going to do, but wherever he is, if he's still alive, he should hurry back home. Something like this can only continue for so long.

Other than that, what I do know for sure is that I won't be cooking again for anyone else anytime soon…