Dinner With A Vampire

-----Yui's POV

Thankfully, Kaede never came up to my room as she was too busy helping mom. But now with my dad calling out my name for dinner, I guess it's about time I face her once again. Although I feel quite calm now after burying my face into a pillow for a good five minutes, the nerves are steadily coming back to me with every step.

Walking down the stairs, I could smell the dinner wafting through the air as I'm drawn in closer and closer, until finally, I arrived at the table where Kaede and my parents are already seated, waiting for me. There's a variety of different foods on the table, almost like a buffet in a way. My parents did do this after my first day of high school, but to do it again this early is a bit too much I think. But looking at my mom's face, I can tell she went all out just for Kaede, with a massive smile across her face.

Mom: "Hehehe~ Don't just stare, come sit down."

Yui: "Right."

I take my seat next to Kaede as my dad and mom sit on the other side smiling away at us. And looking at Kaede to my side, she's no longer wearing the mask as she shoots me a smile that pierces my heart.

Mom: "Kaede helped with making the curry and the tempura."

Kaede: "I could've helped with the others too."

Mom: "Hehe, but then there's nothing for me to cook."

Dad: "Well it all looks delicious, so thank you, Kaede."

Kaede: "It's my pleasure."

Yui: "Uh, yeah! It looks amazing."

Kaede: "Fufu."

Too amazing if you ask me. The tempura looks perfect, even the presentation with the vegetables just makes it all the more appealing. But the curry is the obvious main course as it's where the majority of the smell is coming from. And better yet, Kaede also made it!

Mom: "Alright! Dig in!"

Yui/Kaede/Dad: "Thank you for the food!"

I waste no time to begin eating the curry. Just from looking at it, I can tell that a lot of care was put into it as the potatoes are cut evenly to match the size of the chicken, which are also evenly cut across the board. But upon eating, I was expecting a mild flavor of spices, so it came as a surprise when I recoiled from the heat, especially with how creamy it looked.

Kaede: "Ah! Was the spices too much?"

Yui: "N-no! Was just a surprise, haha."

Mom: "Hehe. She was a bit stressed out about it, so we added more cream to it in hopes to drown out some of the spice."

Dad: "I think it's perfect, Kaede!"

Kaede: "Th-thank you!"

My dad has always been a fan of spicy food, so I already knew that he'd love this. This much spice isn't too bad, but it does make eating it a bit slower. Thankfully the rice is helping to also settle the spices down.

But when it came to Kaede's tempura, there was almost no complaints from me. The prawns had a nice golden color to it as it crunched crisply in my mouth as I ate it. The greasiness lubricating my lips made for quite the enjoyable sensation, but I guess that's normal when eating food like this. I guess I can eat the tempura when I need a break from this spicy curry.

...

Dad: "Hah!~ That was delicious."

Yui: "Mm!"

Mom: "Hehe."

Kaede: "Thank you."

We all ended up finishing our plates, not even leaving a single grain of rice as mom already began to start cleaning up, which was the signal for dad and I to also help. However, it seemed like Kaede also wanted to help as well as she began taking plates over to where mom is, to the sink.

Mom: "It's been a while since I had a cooking partner. It was a lot of fun."

Kaede: "Mhmm! I enjoying cooking with you as well."

Dad and I watch the two of them smile with one another as they wash the dishes. I can't help but get the impression that Kaede also seems to know mom, especially with how casual she's being. When Shin first met my parents, he was afraid for a few days before eventually loosening up. But Kaede's acting like she's known them for years.

Dad: "You should bring Kaede here more often, haha."

Yui: "Eh?"

Dad: "I mean look at her. She looks like an angel."

Yui: "Hey, are you saying mom isn't an angel either?"

Dad: "Of course not! I thought that would be a given."

Yui: "Pfft, haha."

But now that dad points it out, I guess Kaede does look like an angel as we watch from behind them. Her long white hair flowing down her back in angelic in and of itself. But even with what she can do is also amazing. She can beat me in running, cooking, and even fighting from what I heard that time after Kaede bruised my arm. And to top it all off, her looks are also out of this world. I mean, I don't think I've ever seen someone with scarlet red eyes before.

Yui: "I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Kaede said she's an angel."

Dad: "Right?"

Mom: "Right right, no slacking off dear~"

Dad: "Yes!"

Getting caught by mom, we quickly continue working at cleaning up the table before helping out with the dishes.

...

After dinner, I honestly thought that Kaede would be staying the night, and I wouldn't even mind it. In fact I think I wanted her to. But-

Dad: "Alright, take care."

Kaede: "Mhmm."

Mom: "You're welcome here anytime."

Kaede: "Thank you, hehe."

It seems like Kaede's leaving anyways. She also has put back on her mask which I feel to be quite criminal. See her smiling face while eating at the table was beautiful enough to make it hard to focus on eating. But now to hide away behind the mask... I'm a bit disappointed.

Kaede: "Bye bye~"

Yui: "Ah, wait!"

Kaede: "Hmm?"

Yui: "Did you want to walk to school together tomorrow?"

Kaede: "Mhmm, of course."

Yui: "Hah~"

Thank goodness. I was afraid to be denied, but with how fast she responded, all of my worries quickly vanished.

Dad: "And while you're at it, bring her back after school!"

Yui: "Dad~"

Kaede: "Fufufu~ I was actually planning on doing just that. That's of course if I'm not a bother."

Mom: "Of course you're not a bother. Oh! But that reminds me. Mhmm! Yui, do make sure to bring Kaede with you tomorrow."

Ah, is this the plan for the cake? Mom couldn't make it due to Kaede being here on such short notice.

Yui: "Okay."

Kaede: "I'm looking forward to it."

And with a final wave, Kaede leaves along the foot path as I see her off until she disappears from sight. But now that I can no longer see her, I feel a sudden emptiness begin accumulating inside me. As if all the delicious food inside me has just disappeared.

Yui: "..."

Dad: "Aww~ You missing your angel already?"

Yui: "...Maybe."

Mom: "Mmmm. Yeah, she is a bit of an angel. Ahh~ I can't wait to make that cake!"

Yui: "So it was the cake I was thinking about."

Mom: "Hehe. Ah! Do you know if she has any particular cake she likes?"

Yui: "I don't think so, no. But I do remember hearing her say that she liked coffee flavored food."

Mom: "Hmmm~ I'll think of something then."

Now that I'm thinking about the café again, I can't help but wonder again if that was meant to be a date. Now that I know she actually is into girls, it's entirely possible. But then again, she still harbors feelings for her old girlfriend... And just thinking about her girlfriend is painful. But I guess this is what happens when you start crushing on someone.

After taking my shower and moving into my room, I end up taking a look at myself in the mirror. Maybe if I start paying attention to my appearance, maybe Kaede will look my way?

(Kaede: "...I bet you'd look even prettier if you grew it out.")

I end up inspecting my hair as I remember that day when Kaede came to check up on me. Looking back on it, I think that's when I started catching feelings a little, feeling that maybe it would be nice to be taken care of by her like this another time. But she prefers girls with longer hair... I could try and use hair extensions, but maybe that'd be too obvious? It'd also make me seem a bit "fake" which I don't really like either.

Yui: "...Grow faster."

Which leaves me with just a single plea, hoping that my hair will grow fast throughout the year. It'll be annoying when running, but I guess I can always put my hair up in a pony tail or something.