#⸾ ❖︎ ⸾ ( SOCIALIZING / o3: vivian and mizumachi ) ⤹ •• 𝕥𝕙𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕤.

[unladielike]

𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָཐིཋྀ — STARTER CALL ( @fightingthetides ​)

    "So here's a fun conundrum for you, Kenny! If you had to pick either giving up steak, shrimp, ribs, or fried chicken for the rest of your life, which one would you choose?" Vivian asks him, allowing curiosity to lace her tone. Of course, the whole entire time, she prays Mizumachi wouldn't say shrimp, because in the event he did, she would be so offended... and might even just start buying him a lot of delicious dishes with shrimp in it to change his mind.

[unladielike]

    "Huh, yet another lore-relevant NPC I have no prior knowledge of!" Vivian ends up musing aloud. Why, as far as she knew, this was the first time Mizumachi ever brought up 'Kurita-senpai' in conversation, making it more apparent he had a life and social circle before meeting her. Considering she had never met him, however, Vivian couldn't exactly conjure an image of what he might potentially look like inside her own mind... which made her wonder if that might also be the case with Mizumachi every time she mentioned Hayate. Well, regardless, it doesn't take long for her to lift both arms behind her head when next it occurred to her she has yet to elaborate further, meaning she had unintentionally allowed the silence between them to linger for a bit too long.

    "You sure have befriended a lot of people during your finite lifetime, haven't you, Kenny? And alright-y! Since you lack any objections whatsoever, you'll be the first I'll inevitably summon once I manage to lock eyes on another prospective feast," Vivian then adds with yet another nod, only to jolt a little when the cashier by the food truck proceeded to announce their food was ready after depositing all their takeout boxes into a large, brown paper bag and positioning their drinks beside it. By this point, her bespectacled gaze would practically gleam in excitement.

    "Ooh, it's ready! Come, Kenny, let us venture forth into a path of burgatory bliss!" Vivian finally urges, and without another single moment's thought, eagerly rushes forward to procure the Cokes she had purchased not so long ago.

[水]

Mizumachi looked startled for a moment before he laughed a little bit. The ‘Hana yori Dango’ was a pretty popular idiom in Japan, and it just so happened that a manga used the idiom as a title. He didn’t read it himself, but he did hear that it was pretty popular, enough to get some drama or movie adaptions. There were some other countries that adapted the series as well, now that he thinks about it.

“Haha! I thought you were referencing the common saying of Japan. It means to prioritize things of substance over yanno, things like looks. So over flowers, you’d prefer to have dango. What a coincidence!”

Eating things with expired ingredients made sense, because you ran the risk of getting sick, or the food tasting off. He also was pretty careful about eating things that were before the expiration date. There were some things that he may be willing to go past the date if it was the ‘best by’ date, because it just meant that the food wouldn’t taste as fresh, but it hadn’t gone bad. At least, that’s something he learned recently.

“Ha! I can’t eat as much as Kurita-senpai, but I can eat my fill. Food to feed an entire army won’t scare me away from being summoned. I’ll eat like a warrior and die like one.”

By ‘die like one,’ he really meant that he’d eat until he passes out from a food coma, wake up again, and eat some more. A true warrior way. He comment about the loyal henchmen was funny to him, because he was well known for being loyal, and when you thought about a ‘Demon Commander’ like Hiruma… yeah, everyone was like a henchman to him. The horror stories he’s heard from the others- but ya gotta admit, he knows his stuff! He may rule with terror, but he’s still a good guy at the end of it! … Mostly!

[unladielike]

    Upon registering his next query, Vivian had to pause for a bit, because for as much as she loved both manga and anime, shoujo was a genre she actually tried to avoid like the plague... if only because she didn't care to read about girls getting to date the boy of their dreams; after all, girls in shoujo manga were usually much prettier than her and nowhere near relatable. Why, at least with otome games and fanfiction, there was still a degree of self-insertion present, making the romance more digestible for her, but shoujo manga, on the other hand, manages to remind her her love life was practically non-existent, to the point where she refuses to read them.

    Heck, Vivian would rather even roleplay fictional anime boys herself, because despite them not sharing her gender, the ones she had most muse for would still share similarities to her and be a more idealized, masculine version of herself that gets to live out her maledom fantasies. Either way, she'll soon proceed to shift her gaze off towards the side before shaking her head.

    "Nah. To tell you the truth, I haven't read nor touched a single shoujo manga for seven years now, so if my previous over-exaggeration sounds like a Hana Yori reference, I'll have you know it was one made by accidental coincidence," came her eventual admittance. ...Then again, considering how old Hana Yori was, Vivian wouldn't be surprised if her younger self did read or watch it, only to inevitably forget the rest of the plot... the same way she had with Fruit's Basket.

    "And thankfully, I don't have any food allergies. I just simply abhor stuff that's made with expired ingredients..." she then adds. Honestly, the more she recalled the taste of banana bread using overripe bananas, the more she finds herself shuddering, because while she was able to easily swallow it and keep it down, the texture alone was so disgusting, it was enough to make her want to hurl. Vivian, however, doesn't manage to focus on that for long after hearing Mizumachi speak up again.

    "Oh, you don't say? Would you still answer my summons like a loyal henchman, provided there was enough food to, say... feed a whole entire army?" she then questions while stroking her chin with her thumb and adopting a more pensive expression.

[水]

It was a great deal to get all that food for so little, it made you wonder what their cost margins were to sell their food for so cheap compared to other places. Maybe it was the difference of the food being from a food truck rather than an establishment with an actual stationery building that made the price difference make sense, somehow? He didn’t know, he wasn’t all that smart. Mizumachi soon discarded the thoughts when he realized it was going to require too much thought.

“I liked it. It was nice to have in the morning.”

Mizumachi always made it a point to eat all his meals and with that appetite of his, he probably could always eat more if food was offered to him. Nothing wrong with the extra calories when he was confident that he’d burn it all off soon anyways! That’s an athlete’s metabolism for you. It wasn’t often that he had waffles or hot chocolate in the mornings (which really meant he’s never done it before) and it was a fun an interesting new experience!

“Haha! Is that a ‘Hana Yori Dango’ reference? Food is great and it won’t betray you! Unless you’re allergic.”

Food allergies and sensitivities were the only way that food could betray you. Otherwise, it was your friend! Flowers were cool and all and they were nice to look at, but food was something you could enjoy while also sustaining yourself! That’s the best! It tasted good too! All you could do with flowers is enjoy them visually until they wilted and maybe smell them? Food was more practical.

“Just call me up and I’m there! I’ll always be ready to bring my stomach over.”

In the same vein, if he wanted to pig out, he will make a mental note to call her over too! Food always tastes better with good company!

[unladielike]

    Considering the burgers themselves were very much based on Japanese cuisine, Vivian had been excited to see Mizumachi's reaction to the food truck... and just as she had predicted, it seemed he was pretty psyched, causing her to curl both hands into fists she'll subsequently prop up through the air.

    "Right?! I knew you would like it!" came her triumphant proclamation. Why, Japan might be a much cheaper place to live in compared to Vancouver, but it does admittedly have it's charms, which was something she hopes to have sufficiently conveyed to Mizumachi. Though, given how loudly his stomach then proceeded to grumble away, Vivian supposes that was enough of an actual indicator to prove he wasn't currently feeling all that homesick, and with a laugh, she'll hastily trail after him.

    "Hey, relax! It's not as if the food truck would suddenly grow legs and run away, you know?" Vivian playfully teases before settling to an eventual halt beside him. By that point, one other individual happens to be waiting in line ahead of them due to the fact he had gotten there first after the last customer left, meaning on a rather fortunate note, they wouldn't have to tolerate a super long line. "Anyways... you good with me ordering us ten teriyaki cheese burgers?" Vivian goes on to question.

    "Oh, and while we're at it, how about some soda as well, so the salt from all those burgers won't make us dehydrated? Then again, I guess water would do a better job at quenching our future thirst... still, good ol' H20 just doesn't hit the same compared to Coke; therefore, I'm inclined to believe the more appropriate refreshment would be something less healthier. What about you, though, Kenny? Which beverage would you rather pick?"

[水]

"Haha! I know someone who could eat like 20 burgers."

Mizumachi nods his head sagely, in total agreement with her assessment about the fries. He could still eat 5 burgers along with fries on a regular day, but he did try to consume more burgers than he did fries. Eating too many oily foods weren’t good for athletes, but he had to get his source of calories and meat from somewhere!

“That’s a healthy appetite! That’s a good thing!”

He knew a few girls on the cheerleading team who basically ate like rabbits because they cared a lot for their figure, and it was a bit worrying at times. It was good to know that Vivian wasn’t going to be starving herself because she was worried about her image. The teriyaki cheese burgers sounded so good though that he was already salivating at the thought.

Was paying for the meal a manly thing? Yeah, he could see it. In many countries it was socially the norm that the guy pays for the meals if he’s out with a woman, right? Manners and all that?

“Yeah, that makes sense. Do you hang out with guys more than girls, then?”

He asked because she said something about feeling like she was ‘one of the boys,’ and it made him curious about who she normally hung out with. Of course, there was absolutely nothing wrong in his eyes for a girl to have lots of guy friends (what, with most football club managers being girls?), but he did hear some people call that a flag or whatever. Just sounds like insecure dudes to him.

“Wooww! It looks great! Smells great too!”

He was just salivating a little bit before, but now he was at risk of drooling buckets from the smell. His stomach was just as excited if the sound of his stomach grumbling loudly was any indication.

“Let’s go!”

He basically zooms over to the food truck looking for the end of the line to stand at the end. With his long legs, his strides were large and fast. Perks of being tall.

[unladielike]

    Vivian nods away in agreement for to her, having a considerable amount of burgers without any soda didn't seem like something that's really heard of... and yeah, perhaps there were way better palate cleansers to be had than carbonated drinks, but as this was a food truck and not a restaurant, the selection of beverages they could realistically order would understandably be a bit limited.

    "Welp, I wouldn't go as far as to say I necessarily understand 'everything', per say, but yeah, once you manage to live through twenty one years on this planet, you start discovering some pretty basic stuff... like, for instance, how the human body gets thirsty if you consume salty snacks yet do not occasionally bring yourself to drink water throughout regular intervals," Vivian states. Granted, most would consider that to be 'common sense', but as per usual, she frames it more like an academic study than redundant knowledge nobody would truly bother disputing.

    Either way, it doesn't take long for her bespectacled gaze to soon settle on the drinks menu, which was situated to the right side corner of the food truck... and to her delight, Coke was listed as one of the drinks that were available to order, causing her to clasp both hands together.

    "Ooh, what do you know?! They do indeed have Coke! No Fanta to be seen, though... then again, at least we aren't forced to choose Pepsi, which is the mid alternative to Coke," Vivian pipes up. Of course, after the final customer leaves, she'll then finally pull out her wallet before turning to Mizumachi. "Alright, so to summarize super quickly... we want ten teriyaki cheese burgers with two cokes?" Vivian repeats in order to ensure they were on the same page.

[水]

“Bia is so smart! I love it!”

Who knew there was such a place so close by? He hadn’t found the place yet, and who knew how long it would’ve taken before he found it. The food truck  now had a new fan who was bound to visit pretty often any time homesickness struck him- which was surprisingly often if he was left alone with his thoughts.

The jock laughs at the comment that the food truck wasn’t going anywhere. It wouldn’t sprout legs and run away—but it had wheels, didn’t it? Couldn’t it drive off?

“Yeah! A Teriyaki cheese burger sounds great!”

Sometimes, he’d go into restaurants and find that the food was very different compared to his expectations, but if going by the smell alone, he was sure that he was going to like the burgers here. He normally wasn’t that picky when it came to food anyways, but still! It was a kind of betrayal for someone who craved familiar tastes to walk into a restaurant and walk out of it confused over what he’d actually eaten. He learned the hard way that many ‘fusion’ places weren’t… the best. Guess not every fusion was stellar and epic. Sorry Goku and Vegeta.

“You really understand everything, huh? You’re right! If you’re going to be eating a lot of burgers anyways, ya gotta drink something that pairs well with it. Coke is the best! Fanta is also good, though.”

If you were going to be eating your fill of burgers, was there really any real difference if you chose to drink soda over water? The difference was minor at that point, so there was no point in picking straws. Water was his preferred drink for regular hours, but if he was doing rigorous exercise, then he would reach for sports drinks to replenish his electrolytes. Soda was for whenever he was treating himself to some junk food. Might as well go big or go home (and eat healthier).

[unladielike]

    A contemplative hum was quick to slip past her throat as she pores over how best to answer his question. "What my friend, Hayupin, is like? Welp... he reminds me a lot of a cat, really," Vivian finally goes on to admit. Truth be told, it was difficult to sum up Hayate's personality in a single sentence due to the fact he tended to be an unpredictable enigma, to the point where his behaviour or treatment of others really depended on what the other person was like... but generally speaking, he was what most would deem an 'ugly cat boy'.

    "You'd assume he is super mean and unsociable at first glance, but when you get to actually know him, you find out he's truly a lovable grump... especially if you happen to show him any sorta kindness or affection. Despite being surprisingly considerate and generous, though, he can certainly say the most callous things sometimes; in fact, I think the best word to describe Hayupin would be a tsundere, 'cause he would claim he hates people yet can still ironically express interest in others. Even so, I'm sure there are times where he would manage to hurt peoples' feelings without meaning to," Vivian then adds. Why, given how much Hayate loved to complain, she doesn't doubt he had gotten into several arguments over the years.

    "As for brownies..." Upon speaking once more, Vivian soon perches a single curled fist beneath her chin. "The ones that have cream cheese filling are pretty good. Have you ever tried them before? And that's easy! I would give up American food... on account of the fact I happen to be Chinese myself; furthermore, a good Dan Dan noodle bowl just hits way differently compared to your regular ol' Mac n Cheese in my humble opinion. Meanwhile, pasta can be very nice and creamy, so not being able to order Italian food from a White Spot again would be quite unideal."

[水]

It really was an interesting question to ponder over. Some people do form allergies later in life, or so he’s heard, so it wasn’t unheard of that you could suddenly become allergic to seafood or something, but that would really suck. He did like sushi, and Takoyaki! Grilled fish is a staple food that he didn’t think he’d survive life without.

“Really? I guess… I did hear a lot of people don’t like seafood. They say it tastes like fish…”

He couldn’t understand that complaint because… what was fish supposed to taste like if not… fish? Maybe he was just biased because he loved seafood in general, so he didn’t mind if it the fish had a strong fishy taste or otherwise. He loved the fish that didn’t have a strong fishy taste and he loved the ones that did.

“Matcha can be a food! There’s matcha mochi, matcha cakes, matcha chocolates, uh… matcha ice cream! What else is there… matcha bread! I think it can count!”

It was a very versatile thing, used for beverages, food, and he’s seen it advertised in things like makeup or something too. Maybe those face cleansers and toners are a different category as makeup? He logs into the back of his mind that she really liked matcha and tapioca pearls, yanno, for future reference.

“Oh? They sound interesting! What are they like? I like the fudgey brownies with the crumbly tops. You?”

Well, in truth, he liked any kind of brownie, really, but he did like the texture of the fudgey brownies. He liked a lot of his food to have some substance to them, but he would admit he preferred the brownies to have some richness to them as opposed to having a teeth-stinging sweetness.

“Question! Would you be able to choose between Italian, American, Chinese, or Japanese food? I dunno what I’d give up. Maybe Italian.”

[unladielike]

    "Wow, one of my guesses was actually right? Jocks are truly something else..." Vivian exclaims, allowing pleasant surprise to seep through her voice. Honestly, she wonders just how strenuous practice was for Mizumachi to have enough room in his stomach for ten burgers, but regardless, it doesn't take long for a pensive hum to subsequently slip past her throat.

    "As for me... probably 4 or 5? When it comes to McJunior burgers at McDonalds, though, I could eat 7... provided, of course, there aren't any fries to go alongside them! But the food truck I'm taking you has such filling teriyaki cheese burgers, chances are high you'll be full from eating 4 or 5," Vivian then proceeds to point out before letting out a little laugh.

    "And yeah, I guess I kinda take after my mom in the sense I like ensuring my friends are fed! I also prefer being the one to pay, since... I dunno, it manages to make me feel manlier somehow, as if I'm one of the boys. I mean, usually, girls are never expected to pay for stuff whenever guys spend time with them, right? Hence why I get such a sense of empowerment from using what little money I have on my friends..."

    Then again, to most, her logic may sound incredibly silly; after all, it was now the twentieth century, meaning to genderize the concept of footing the bill itself could come across as extremely outdated. Even so, Vivian always subconsciously had the impression it would feel less like a date or would make her seem that much more 'manlier' if she was the one paying, to the point where she could count on one hand how many times she had recently allowed anyone else to treat her... which, for better or worse, remains a bad habit of hers to this very day. Still, with how much she hated being perceived as a normie, she'd rather her wallet become lighter than be forced to confront the reality she was truly a girl at heart.

    Either way, they'll soon reach Wakwak Burger, causing Vivian to come to an eventual halt ahead of him. "Ta-daaaah! What do you think?" she finally turns to flash a grin at Mizumachi just as the last customer strayed off from the front of the food truck.

[水]

She’d be correct in assessing him as a ‘himbo,’ considering that he didn’t always think before he did anything… and even if he did think, it sometimes wasn’t the most logically sound. It was like most of his IQ points went into sports and athleticism. He had this idea that she could pay for his burgers and he’d pay for hers, but realized the errors of his thought process when she spoke.

“Ah! Uh… I meant to say I’ll treat next time!”

Nice save, Mizumachi. Totally believable and sound reasoning. That’ll work, right? She can pay this time around and he can pay for the next time! That way he can return the favor because she also made some breakfast for him that other time. Hm?

“Let’s go! Say, do you like feeding people?”

He keeps pace with her as she walks them to the promised burger land- or rather, truck. If he had a nickle for each time she’d fed him, he’d have two nickles. It wasn’t a lot, but it was interesting how it happened twice already in the time they’ve known each other.

Selling Japanese burgers already would have him sold. Wakwak burger was going to have a new regular customer who was craving a reminiscent taste of home, no doubt. With how hungry he was feeling, somewhere close was definitely for the better, he’ll get to eat sooner!

“Ah… I could eat 5, yeah. Some days I could eat 10. Depends on how hungry I am. I eat a lot after practice.”

Which was to say that he didn’t gorge himself on food before practice, because it would only slow him down if he pigged out on food. It was better for him to make up for the calories lost during practice by eating his fill on food afterwards.

“How about you? 1? 2?”

Seemed like a safe conservative guess for how many burgers she could eat in a single sitting. It seemed pretty fun trying to guess how much she could eat.

[unladielike]

    Of course, Vivian waits for him to finish speaking first before blinking, rather dumbfounded. Ah... were her words somehow lost in translation, she wonders? No sooner does she realize this, she'll then subsequently grimace before letting out a weak chuckle, because when it came down to it, she had completely forgotten Mizumachi happened to be quite the himbo... for better or for worse. Why, if it weren't for the fact Vivian already knew English wasn't his first language, she may find herself growing flustered over having the compliment redirected back at her, but coming from his lips, it did not sound the very least bit sexy.

    "Er... listen, when I say 'treat', I meant I'll be the one footing the entire bill; in other words, your burgers will be paid for by me," Vivian finally clarifies while resisting the urge to add 'Capiche?' at the end. Honestly, the whole entire time, she felt stupid for even having to explain it, but considering this was Mizumachi she's talking about... well, perhaps further simplification was necessary. Regardless, she'll soon turn once she figures out the perfect place to take him.

    "Now, come! We have a food truck to go to," Vivian announces, and upon giving Mizumachi one final peek peek over her shoulder, makes a beckoning motion with her hand before setting off. Naturally, she planned on taking him to Wakwak Burger, a food truck in Vancouver that was known to sell Japanese burgers for the very affordable price of $2.85. Granted, after recently selling off her old Miku figurine on eBay, she could afford to take him someplace fancier, but seeing as though Wakwak Burger was way closer to where they were, Vivian concluded Mizumachi would appreciate her choosing a place within walking distance.

    "Oh yeah, that reminds me! How many burgers can your black hole of a stomach manage, Kenny? 5? 10?" came her eventual query, because sure enough, it finally dawned on her she has no idea how much Mizumachi could actually eat.

[水]

Mizumachi laughs in tandem, as he was always the sort to laugh along with others, even if he didn’t always know what they were laughing at. Just a team player who wants to join in on the fun!

“I guess so! Thinking uses up a lot of calories.”

Brain food, or whatever they call it, yeah? His body needed a lot of calories for his active lifestyle for one, but it also had to work extra hard in thinking a bunch for classes! There was that extra layer of difficulty because he had to attend classes being taught in another language.

“Hmmm… what am I craving…burgers? I’m good with anything though!”

He thinks about it and feels his mouth watering. He can’t help but crave his go-to convenient meal for whenever you’re super hungry. Burgers. A ton of burgers and fries! It’s a technique he learned a while back, but dipping fries into a shake is a God-tier combination!

“I eat a lot you know? Since you’ve been a good girl, that means it’ll be my treat too! Haha!”

Being the simple sort he was, and some nuances not translating over quite as nicely, he didn’t think much of it, being called a ‘good boy.’ As such, he didn’t see an issue with returning the favor by calling her a ‘good girl’ either. Well, even if he did understand, he wouldn’t have been bothered by it anyways. Guys have perverted conversations with each other from time to time, so it wouldn’t have upset him in any way- but he might have been surprised? That would’ve been the extent of it.

[unladielike]

    As soon as Mizumachi admits he's hungry, she's quick to burst out laughing with her hand hovering over her mouth... not in a necessarily mean-spirited way, of course, but the way someone would laugh when a comedian managed to land a very brilliant joke. Honestly, it might not have been the funniest thing he could ever have said in this situation, but there was just something so amusing about how they talked so animatedly about food moments prior, only to just now mention grabbing a bite to eat, that made her cheeks naturally elevate upwards as mirth dances through her bespectacled vision.

    "All that hypothesizing sure stoked your appetite, huh?" Vivian finally brings herself to remark once she finishes laughing and lowering her hand back down against her side. Granted, it was actually her fault for daring to first broach the topic of which protein they'll forsake in the first place, yet at the same time, she couldn't bring herself to express guilt over making Mizumachi suddenly want food. "But sure! Was there anything you've been particularly craving? Of course, since you've been a very good boy, it'll naturally be my treat!" Vivian proclaims.

    Considering this was her, however, she didn't realize right off the bat calling him a 'good boy' had an unfortunately... sexually charged implication; still, she wasn't lying about at least appreciating the fact he had answered her question so earnestly. Why, most probably wouldn't indulge such a chatterbox like her, but Mizumachi didn't seem to mind how loquacious she was, which was definitely what sets him apart from the types she usually disliked engaging with.

[水]

Mizumachi was ever the energetic guy who was full of questions and the energy required to try to make new friends. Even in an unfamiliar place, he’ll quickly acclimate to it and make loads of friends. Nothing could deter him! Well, it did get him in some trouble sometimes, because he didn’t always think before acting… or speaking.

Thinking on it some more, he was starting to feel his head overheat. Does he need to start looking into every food that he likes and then see who originated it? It would be the classic Flan vs Pudding argument again. Or, what about noodles? They were probably first invented by the Chinese (they get the credit for so much stuff, yanno? It’s probably right), so do they get the credit for every noodle dish?

“Ah… it’s too much to think about. I’ll keep all the food. Not like the food police will send me to jail.”

If the answer is too difficult to figure out, either bullshit an answer, or ‘fuck it, moving on!’ is the way to go. Those are his only two options.

“Mnn… I’ll look for it next time when I’m in Japan again!”

It was probably going to be when it was time for the holidays. He probably couldn’t stay in the dorms unless he got special permission to do so, not that he would anyways… he probably had some questions to answer whenever he got back to Japan. It’s easy to just point at Hiruma to explain how he found his way abroad, but hey! He’s the one who goes with the flow! Might as well see what it’s like playing American Football in a country that wasn’t Japan alongside other kinds of athletes. Broadening your horizons or whatever they say.

“Talkin’ about food is making me hungry. Wanna join me?”

It surely wasn’t just his athlete metabolism that was constantly making him a ravenous eating machine. It’s surely because he kept thinking about food that his stomach decided it was hungry.

[unladielike]

    Man, he sure spouted a lot of questions there, didn't he? Honestly, if it weren't for the fact she was actually paying attention and nobody else was talking, Vivian would have had a hard time, keeping track of everything he said. Still, upon taking his queries into further consideration, she'll manage a small, pensive frown as she pushes her glasses further up along the bridge of her nose.

    "To be honest, I have no clue where 'Food It' originated... but yes, brownies were indeed American while Pizza itself is very much an Italian thing other countries imported and made their own," Vivian finally nods before lowering her hand back down and idly drumming her fingertips across the table. By that point, she finds herself shifting her gaze until it settled right over the smooth, oaken surface, for to this day, eye contact was something she had difficulty maintaining.

    "I'm by no means a food historian, though, so the only dish first created from Western civilization that I'm aware of is poutine. Welp, technically speaking, I guess poutine is Canadian, not American, yet even so, that probably doesn't matter too much unless you are very particular about the specifics. Regardless, I'm pretty sure you can find poutine in Japan," Vivian goes on to point out.

    Why, when visiting Tokyo last time, she recalls there being a Canadian establishment called Robson Fries that sold poutine. Granted, over there, it was better known as 'putchin' rather than poutine, yet at the same time, Mizumachi doesn't seem like the type to frequent bars, to the point where she would have no trouble believing he never once tried it before coming to Vancouver. Poutine, however, was definitely an acquired taste, meaning it might not necessarily be the first dish that comes to mind when one mulls over what their favourite food is.

[水]

Brownies and cheesecake all in one sounded delicious! He did like both, so putting them both together seemed like a no-brainer, and yet, he’s never heard of it before until now.

“Is it your friend’s recipe? Sounds like a genius!”

He was curious about how they tasted, but for now, he had important matters to consider—what entire category of food is he willing to say goodbye to for the rest of his life (in a totally made up situation, of course). Considering the pasta dishes were made to be similar to Italian dishes, he’d probably have to say goodbye to them if he wanted to be fair.

“If desserts count, does that change your answer? I could never say goodbye to Anpan, or melonpan. Mochi too. Are brownies American?”

So many foods and desserts originate from somewhere else but are very popular in other nations, just like how crepes were invented… uh… somewhere, but you’ll see crepe stands shops everywhere. When he thought of desserts, he thought of France or Italy primarily. They usually had the most sweets stuff. If sweets were to be added to the equation, it was looking more like he’d have to give up American food for the rest of his life.

But then again…

“Does America have food it invented? Or is the food their famous for from other countries? Pizza is Italian, right?”

Maybe he should switch out America for another country? Maybe... he messed up.

[unladielike]

    Oh, he never tried brownies with cream cheese filling before? By that point, Vivian would pull out her phone to type in 'brownies cream cheese filling' through her search engine, only to realize most contained recipes for brownies with cream cheese frosting; in other words, while it certainly was a thing, the most popular way to apparently utilize cream cheese was to put it on top of the brownie... not inside it, like what Hayate did when he had baked. Either way, she'll soon stash away her her phone before clasping both hands against her cheeks.

    "Trust me, it's extremely delicious! Honestly, if I had to describe the experience, it's like brownies and cheesecake all combined in one... which happens to synchronize very well together, you'd end up getting an explosion of decadent tartness alongside this smooth, creamy texture that envelops your tongue with rich, velvety sweetness," Vivian gushes. By this point, she was practically salivating, to the point where it's rather clear she's already envisioning cream cheese brownies inside her own head.

    The moment Mizumachi started mulling over Italian or American food, however, she's quick to drop her hands to her sides and slurp up her drool. "Welp, it's certainly not authentic Italian cuisine, that's for sure; in fact, I reckon it's more so bastardized Italian food, similarly to how California rolls would be considered bastardized sushi, which was originally made for Western consumption before it became reverse imported to Japan. ...Then again, a Japanese chef is often credited for inventing California rolls to begin with; therefore, it depends on how gatekeep-y you wanna be," Vivian goes on to shrug. "In my opinion, though, desserts definitely count! Heck, you could get full, just eating cake."

[水]

A cat-like person, huh? Mizumachi knew a devil-like person. Also a Chameleon-like person? Or was it a Lizard? There was that one guy that’s basically a robot. There’s all sorts of people out there. It sounded like this ‘Hayupin’ was a cool guy. He must be with such a fun nickname! It was kinda cute! (Fits with the whole cat energy, he thinks)

“Wonder if he hates people, but he likes ‘his people’, yanno what I mean? That’s really cat energy. They only like some people and dislike the rest.”

Some people didn’t like cats for that reason, their capricious attitude, and their aloofness. Some people liked them for that, though. Goes to show how there is always going to be someone out there for you, but you had to search in the right place.

“Oh? Cream cheese filling in a brownie? That sounds very rich and tasty. I’ve never tried it before! I wonder if it’s too sweet?”

He did enjoy sugar, but he didn’t like consuming too much of it all at once. It somehow seemed to hurt his teeth- not because of cavities! His teeth are in great condition! Just something about having something too sugary just hurt his teeth.

“The only Italian I had are what you find in the conbini, like the microwavable carbonara pasta, or the napolitan pasta. That doesn’t count as Italian, does it?”

You could make the case that it should count as they were inspired from Italian cuisine or was some kind of a rendition of the real thing in the case of the carbonara. He couldn’t give up Chinese food or Japanese food. It would have to come down to American food and Italian. He did love his burgers… and it would be hard to say goodbye to his favorite fastfood joints. Though, desserts would fall under food, right?

“If desserts count, then I might have to choose American also. If desserts don’t count, it’ll be hard to choose between burgers and—anything else.”

[unladielike]

    Perhaps she would end up changing her mind if she had a good cut of steak at some point, but for now, Vivian was comfortable choosing steak in this hypothetical scenario she had concocted. "Right? I mean, realistically speaking, there is a very slim chance we'd end up becoming allergic to either shrimp, ribs, steak, or fried chicken later in life, but it's still fun to think about!" With that conclusion reached, it doesn't take long for a smile to slip along her lips as she subsequently shakes her head in response to his next query.

    "And no, I actually saw a 'one has to go forever' meme floating about on my timeline very recently... with most everybody choosing shrimp much to my disbelief, so at some point, I just thought, 'Huh... I wonder what Kenny would choose'!" Vivian then goes on to admit. Naturally, it was on a website formerly called Twitter, but she avoids mentioning she had an account, because Mizumachi potentially asking if she could follow her would mortify her to no end, especially considering it was where she 'horny posted' the most. Regardless, she'll soon let out a pensive hum upon considering which food she could never sacrifice.

    "It's hard to say, really! To be honest, I wanna answer 'matcha'; only, I guess that's not technically food, is it?" Vivian finds herself ruminating. "Let's see... maybe tapioca pearls? 'Cause not being able to have them in my matcha milk tea anymore would devastate me to no end!" she'll sigh melodramatically. By that point, Vivian realized she could then make the dirty joke she enjoyed having balls in her mouth, yet with her being such a closet pervert, it was something she decided to not bring up... no matter how funny it might end up being. "Chocolate is really good as well, though..." Vivian finally brings herself to acknowledge. "In fact, my friend makes the absolutely best homemade brownies, I'm tempted to ask him to just mail some over to Vancouver rather than travel all the way back to Chiba for them."

[水]

Mizumachi didn’t know what she just said, but he assumed it had to be similar to KBBQ. It brought up a whole new factor to think about, and it was fun to mull over it for a bit longer. Vivian decided to sacrifice steak and he had to think on it a bit more. Steak was delicious and it was a large source of protein… but it was also quite expensive.

“Could I say goodbye to kobe beef forever? Hm…”

It was so tender and juicy, it was hard to say goodbye forever, but… there were many more convenient options. Though, a specific cut of ribs wasn’t specified… so that opened the door to a lot of different recipes.

“Chicken, shrimp, and ribs offer the most variety of recipes. I think I’d get bored of having too many steaks.”

He couldn’t easily tire of having shrimp or chicken with the various ways you could consume it. It wasn’t to say you couldn’t do something different with steak, but it was common to just have them as a steak dinner. Ribs could be consumed as bbq, or even in soups!

“I change my mind too! I’m going to sacrifice steak for the other three options. Haha, this is fun! Did you come up with this question yourself?”

Maybe it was one of those weird questions that went viral on social media and she wanted to get his input on it? Either way, it was a fun thought exercise!

“Is there a food you could never sacrifice? I really like chocolate.”

[unladielike]

    Truth be told, she had to pull out her phone and look up Korean BBQ short ribs on Google, because there were many meat dishes that she only knew how to refer to in Cantonese, like how for the longest time, jellyfish salad from Chinese seafood restaurants was just 'Hǎizhē' to her; in fact, she didn't even know the protein she had consumed was jellyfish all along. ...And just as Vivian expected, the images she pulled up looked very familiar.

    "Oh, so they're called spare ribs in English... not gonna lie, I always just referred to those as 'noh jai gwat', because that's what my parents and relatives kept calling them," came her eventual admittance. Why, it was during times like these that Vivian remembered she didn't exactly have the 'ordinary White woman' upbringing and was accustomed to hearing Cantonese or Mandarin while eating out with her Chinese relatives growing up... so she was pretty much today's years old when she learned 'noh jai gwat' also counted as ribs.

    "Hm, with these, though... you have to hold onto the bone if you want to get every last inch of meat off of it, while with steak, you just need to use a fork and knife," she'll muse. "Still, considering I'm already a chronic hand washer, I guess having to wash my hands after eating spare ribs isn't all that bad; therefore, I've reached the official verdict sacrificing steak might not be such an awful choice..."

[水]

The smile on his face widens when she gives him a high five, though a bit reluctant at first. It feels like when a team first starts to form and you slowly build up camaraderie with each other to then become a power house of a unit.

Shrimp was so good in fried rice, and now he was craving some. It's been a while since he's had some restaurant style fried rice. He hasn't found a place that gave him a taste of home yet.

"Oh! I like any sauces on my ebi-fry, and I can also eat them plain. I do really like tokatsu sauce. Soy sauce is a fine if there isn't any."

Convenient foods were really the greatest for someone who just wanted to load up on the calories and the nutrients quickly so they could go back to training- or in Vivian's case, maybe reading?

"Mn, but Korean BBQ short ribs are tasty. They aren't that hard to eat."

Hm... he thinks on it some more. Still, compared to the king of protein, chicken was the best. Convenient, cheaper, and not hard to cook. Steak was more expensive, but a tasty source of protein.

"Maybe i'll reconsider and sacrifice steak... what do you think?"

[unladielike]

    She'll nod, clearly quite pleased Mizumachi manages to get it. Honestly, the more they talked, the more Vivian found herself growing more fond of him... and though she'll hesitate at first, it doesn't take long for her to soon reach out and give his hand a hardy high five. Of course, it didn't feel as good as the hug he gave her before, but the impact it left behind on her palm still manages to be somewhat pleasant.

    "I know, right? They also finish cooking way faster compared to not only ribs, but fish as well... so I like adding them with my fried rice and stir fry whenever I do actually have the spoons to cook!" Vivian excitedly proclaims. Granted, some Chinese restaurants do serve shrimp, unpeeled, in order to keep them juicy and tender, to the point where many may have to peel off the shell, provided they found the outward layer difficult to chew or digest, but at the same time, it was actually edible unlike the bones from chicken wings.

    "Ooh, shrimp tempura and ebi-fry! Not gonna lie, I almost forgot about those... still, I won't deny they're super tasty! Though, speaking of ebi-fry, what sauce do you prefer dipping yours in? 'Cause personally, I enjoy tonkatsu sauce the best!" Vivian admits, only to subsequently let out a laugh upon realizing truly how similar they were. "Haha... it seems we both appreciate dishes that are the most convenient to consume, huh?"

[水]

“They’re small and that’s why you can eat a bunch of em!”

With the different ways you could cook shrimp, there was an endless amount of ways you could consume shrimp and not get tired of it. A decent source of protein. Seeing her excitement, his energy ramps up as well as he holds his hands out for a high-five.

“Shrimp is so good! I am a man of the ocean and can’t forsake my lil tasty buddies.”

Poseidon was the God of the oceans or something, right? Hm? Whatever, anyways! She listed off different ways to have shrimp and he had to agree with her choices. He hadn’t had har gow before, but he bet it was tasty!

“Can’t forget about shrimp tempura either! The classic ebi-fry!”

Who doesn’t like a good ebi-fry, especially when you have udon? A classic combination! He’s had the rest of what she’s listed before, but he didn’t know just how authentic they could be considering he had them in Japan. They probably weren’t the most authentic, but… they were tasty… so that’s justice as far as he’s concerned.

“Mn, yeah, they’re messy and harder to eat quickly. Burgers or small shrimps are really a great protein delivery system.”

The faster and more efficiently he could devour them the better. He’s always been a quick eater, so having to slow down because of the bones getting in the way sounded like a HASSLE.

[unladielike]

    "Yeah, since god created them to be pretty small, they probably don't contain that much protein," Vivian acknowledges with a contemplative hum. Honestly, she was too lazy to check exactly how many grams of protein an average shrimp has on her phone, but given the size, she reckons it wouldn't be a lot. Either way, her expression was quick to brighten once Mizumachi admitted he would probably give up ribs; in fact, she'll soon curl both hands into fists before giving them a small pump through the air.

    "Oh, a very based choice! And I would actually pick ribs as well; after all, I can't live without shrimp, those precious moist bugs that tickle my palate just right!" Vivian excitedly proclaims, only to momentarily pause upon realizing shrimp may not be considered a bug according to insect enthusiasts. "Welp, I guess technically, one might argue they're crustaceans... not bugs, but still, they're versatile in pretty much everything, whether it be fried rice, Vietnamese salad rolls, har gow, pasta, Pad Thai, or paella. Meanwhile, ribs can be so damn messy to eat and you can't really finish them off, using utensils; then again, I don't really have ribs that often nor do I crave them at a barbecue, meaning it's always been an easy pass for me. When done right, though, they can be quite tasty! It simply isn't my most favourite protein."

[水]

Huh... which of the proteins was he willing to forsake for the rest of his life?

"All good sources of protein... though shrimp is probably the least of the options."

Still... he loved the water, and his first football team was the Kyoshin Poseidons, so they had an Ocean theme going on. He did love his seafood, so he couldn't imagine forsaking them for the rest of his life.

"Fried chicken is a staple, and steak is a great cut of meat for protein. Guess I have to go with ribs."

Ribs were tasty, but they were a bit troublesome to eat at times. What a shame to have to say goodbye to them though.

"What would you choose, Bia?"