Chaoskouji

Arc 4 Chapter 7 - Checkmate

"Ah, Ayanokouji-kun. You made it."

"Shiina. I'm glad you could meet me."

The silver-haired angel gave me a smile and gestured to the chair opposite her in the breakfast restaurant.

"Please, take a seat. I was happy you invited me out to breakfast."

I sat down facing her, and discretely took a look around the room. Out of every restaurant I had been to on this ship, this was by far the emptiest, which was surprising considering it was breakfast. There was only one other person around: Ishizaki, one of Ryuuen's cronies. I suspected he had been sent to keep an eye on us, since he had been blatantly staring directly at me from his menu since I walked in. Not the most competent spy, but I could understand Ryuuen not trusting me.

I had no idea whether Shiina had any idea why he was here. She was a kind soul, and saw the best in everyone, so it was likely she didn't assume he had any suspicious intentions, but I wouldn't put it past her. Kind but sharp was a way to describe her, although a better word would be refined.

"So, was there any particular reason you chose this place?" A little probing couldn't hurt.

"Hmm, it's quiet, I suppose. Makes it easier to read and eat. Also, I'm not particularly fond of foreign food. I'm much more comfortable with our native breakfasts, rather than some of the greasy burgers I've seen my classmates consume in the mornings."

Another reason this restaurant was rather empty. On this ship there was an unusually large number of foreign places, and this was one of the only two places that you could get traditional Japanese meals. It seemed most of the year was experimenting, and taking this chance to try exotic foods, something I could completely understand.

"That's understandable. I've been trying new foods all week, so this is a nice break."

She smiled at me again, before ordering the basic breakfast meal from the waiter. It didn't consist of much, just some Miso soup, a rice bowl and some fish, but at the very least I was glad to be away from Kikyou and her waffles for a morning.

Shiina wasn't one to engage in pointless conversation. She would remain polite at all times, I had found, doing her best to not offend, but any gossip or meaningless conversation was wasted on her. True to that nature, she reached down into the bag she was always carrying, before pulling out her copy of Ender's Game.

"We were discussing the work of Orson Scott Card at the last meeting, were we not?"

"Yes, in fact that's why I called you here. You never did explain your problem with that particular story. If only we had more time at the meetings."

She laughed at my joke, a beautiful smile on her face, and I felt a stab of guilt at the deception.

"It's entirely your fault that we have so much time. Though it is nice to finally meet someone who likes books."

"There aren't enough people who enjoy them."

"That's true enough."

Our meals arrived, and I watched as Shiina wielded her chopsticks with an impressive amount of grace. We had been delivered a teapot with our meals, and I watched as she handled it with ease, masterfully filling both our cups with some Green Tea in an impeccable manner.

"If you don't mind me asking, do you practice Tea Ceremonies?"

She looked surprised for a second, before blushing and confirming my suspicion. Apparently, it was a slightly embarrassing hobby of hers, but I saw no shame in it. It was a refined skill, something I myself had learned well, and she handled our breakfast with ease.