Lunch time in the Nijigasaki idol clubroom was usually a delight. Everyone would pass around plenty of hot or cold drinks, sandwiches, pastries...
and Setsuna's famous mystery Purple stew.
It was by no means a secret that Setsuna's cooking skills... could be enhanced a small bit. Scarcely anyone, even the extremely kind-hearted Emma, dared to touch the bubbly Purple broth that stirred in the pot.
Of course to not upset poor Setsuna, several members bravely took whatever amount they could into their bowls and slurped it down as fast as they could. Lanzhu and Yu succeeded and expressed seemingly genuine love for the concoction while Kasumi struggled to show the same, lest she break her girlfriend's heart.
They had kept this up for several days, even a few weeks, until Setsuna asked the damn question: "Hey guys, don't you guys enjoy my 'Purple Adventure Stew'? Everyone froze in place.
"It's just, you guys have been eating it less and less these days. Does it taste bad or something? Be honest with me." Setsuna had eyes that no one was prepared to deal with.
"Oh nonono! Heaven's no, Setsuna!" Emma spoke up, trying to think of something. "It's just... ummmmmm..."
"We like your stew but it's all we've had that you've made." Rina came in clutch for Emma. "Don't you wanna cook something else for us?" Everyone fought the urge to glare daggers at Rina, except Mia.
"Well, the thing is, I kinda only know how to make that stew and nothing else." Setsuna said sheepishly.
Everyone started feeling bad for Setsuna.
"Oh. W-well..." Now it was Kasumi's turn to speak up. "I-if you want, I could teach you to make some Kasumi-class Kopepan! If ya want..."
Setsuna's face began lighting up with pure joy. "Wha- REALLY?! KASUMI YOU'RE THE BEST!" Setsuna lunged at Kasumi and hugged her, pecking at her cheek like a chicken eating seed.
"Hey hey hey! Enough!" Kasumi tried getting free of Setsuna. "If you wanna start, be at my later at 6!" Setsuna nodded enthusiastically before returning to the table. Kasumi looked over at Karin who shot her a look. Raising an eyebrow and half smirking, Kasumi could swear she could hear Karin thinking 'Good luck Kasumi, you're gonna need it'.
Kasumi rolled her eyes. Sure, Setsuna might need more help than usual if she were to learn how to make Kopepans but she had faith in her, like a good girlfriend would.
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Setsuna arrived at Kasumi's house right on time. Kasumi welcomed her in with a hug and a quick kiss before taking her to the kitchen.
"W-wow Kasumi! This kitchen is so huge! And pretty! And so state of the !" Setsuna was taking in how amazing the kitchen looked as she stood in the center of it all. It was painted marble White, there were so many jars of ingredients lined along the counter leading to the fridge, and the oven looked big enough to bake several loaves of bread.
Kasumi began feeling a bit smug about how much praise her family's kitchen was getting, folding her arms and smirking.
"Hmph! Well naturally! How else do you think my Kopepan is normally as delicious as it is? Hm? Hey what are you doing?" Kasumi was so absorbed by the praise she was receiving that she didn't notice Setsuna pulling out a pen and notepad from her backpack.
Setsuna looked back at her with a determined look in her eyes. "You're the most skilled at making all these yummy breads and I wanna make absolutely sure that I'll be able to make em as good as you can!"
Kasumi thought it was adorable how much Setsuna wanted to master this but also couldn't resist the urge to be braggadocious again. "Ha! I AM the undisputed best bread maker in all of Nijigasaki High School after all! So don't expect to get on my level any time soon, if ever!" She stopped when she saw Setsuna's smile shrink a small bit, deciding she should probably reign it in. "*Ahem* B-but, under my guidance, you'll certainly be able to keep up! So let's get to it!"
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Cooking had actually gone far smoother than Kasumi had expected. Eat your heart out Karin! Setsuna and I are gonna bake the yummiest Kopepans you fools have ever tasted! Kasumi thought with a devilish smile on her face. "So how's the bread coming along Setsuna?" Kasumi expected to have Setsuna call out for oven mitts or something small, but was surprised, and even a bit proud, to see Setsuna cooling off the bread by fanning it with said oven mitt.
"I think it's coming along nicely! Wanna try some of the bread?"
"Eh, I don't see why not!" Kasumi reached out for one of the cool loaves and took a bite.
"Oh by the way I hope you don't mind as much but I used a slight bit more salt and butter in the bread. Hope you like it!"
Kasumi was surprised to hear this, and rather pensive, but decided to try it out of curiosity. So she did. And was blown away.
"Gooh gah Sheshuna! Dish ish fahntashtih!" Kasumi was so blown away she forgot to finish chewing and swallowing the piece of bread still in her mouth.
"Heh, I'm glad you liked it! After all, I did learn from the best!"
"Hmph! Well of course you did! I taught you only the most important of lessons after all!" Kasumi looked over to see Setsuna admiring her handy work. She sighed. "But, I still have one more lesson to teach you as your master."
"Oh? What is it?" Setsuna quickly grabbed her notebook. Kasumi chuckled at the quick glance she was able to steal at the notebook. It was full of underlined and bolded words, arrows pointing to important notes, and cute little bread themed doodles. It was stupidly adorable.
"The last lesson you should learn here..." She paused impressively. "Is to take pride when you learn to master something on your own." She patted Setsuna on the shoulder. "Sure, I taught you basically everything important when it comes to making something so yummy, but you got experimental and created something that was also super yummy!"
"K-Kasumi, a-are you saying..."
"The student has become the master." Kasumi finished proudly.
"Just like Naruto!"
"Pffft. Sure, just like Naruto."
Setsuna was on top of the world. Her girlfriend had taught her an important skill and had expressed so much pride in her. Than and there, she gained another idea.
"H-hey Kasumi! Can you help me make some instant ramen? I just had an idea for a super awesome curry ramen Kopepan!"
"Sure! But, this will require more intense lessons from yours truly so be prepared!"
"You got it Kasumi-Sensei!"
Kasumi fangirled internally. This was the best day ever for her.