The sunlight streamed through the window above Keith's head, turning the room yellow with its radiant glow. The warmth of the weather made Keith's forehead sweat a little, but he was oblivious to it, thanks to the fact that he was deep in the debts of Dreamland.
His position on the bed was almost laughable: his legs spread out, his arms stretched over his head, a small trail of drool running down his mouth, and his hair an artistic mess.
He snored ever so slightly, his breathing slow and steady. His bedsheets and covers had been knocked to the ground by his two bulldozers. He was in pure bliss, but, unfortunately, good things don't last forever.
Rap! Rap! Rap! Three loud knocks struck the door as if the knocker were deliberately trying to take it off its hinges.
"KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! KEI! WAKE UP!!" Sophia shouted, her voice rumbling.
She knocked again and again until Keith finally awoke, irritation overcoming his features. He sat up and gazed at the door as if he could see the person on the other side.
"What do you want?!" he shouted back, his face frowning and his voice irritable. Then he yawned, closing his eyes as small tears appeared, which he wiped away slowly.
"I'M HUNGRY, KEI! I WANT FOOD, AND I WANT IT NOW!"
"Okay, okay, jeez; will you stop shouting? It's way too early for you to be so loud."
"Did you even look at the time?!"
As she asked that, Keith looked at his analog clock on the wall, its soft tick-tock echoing across the room. The time was 10:57 am—almost 11 o'clock. He frowned yet again, sighed, and swung his legs to the side of the bed. Then, he stood up and walked toward the door.
Keith was one of those people who believed that locking your bedroom door when the front door is already locked is somewhat stupid, so he never locked his door under any circumstances.
As the door swung open, Sophia appeared in his line of sight, wearing indigo pajamas with a pattern of butterflies.
The reason Keith called her the "butterfly princess" was because she was, and still is, obsessed with butterflies—and also because she had forced him to when they were kids.
In her line of sight stood Keith, who wore a black and white shirt where both colors were connected in a diagonal, lightning-like line.
The shirt featured a character wearing stylish crimson red and black medieval fantasy clothing, who held a katana over his shoulder and had a serious look on his face. Meanwhile, the baggy pants Keith wore were designed with multiple black and white squares.
"So you still like anime and manga, huh?" she asked with a condescending look on her face.
"Yeah. Why do you ask?"
"No reason, it was a rhetorical question. Now come on, I'm seriously hungry right now," she demanded as she walked across the hall, leaving Keith standing in his doorway.
You're not the boss of me, you know, Keith thought with another sigh. He followed her, his door closing with a soft click.
She led the way to the kitchen as he asked with what could be described as a judging expression, "Did you wash your face and brush your teeth?"
Sophia stopped and turned around, looking annoyed and ready to throw a tantrum.
"I'm a girl, you idiot. Of course I did!"
Keith laughed a little and said, "Okay, then go wait for me in the kitchen."
Her face gave way to warmth in the humid air of the house as she looked away from him. Her smile was unmistakable, but she tried to hide it from him. She nodded and went to the kitchen while he went to the bathroom.
He washed his face and brushed his teeth, then looked at himself in the mirror and smiled. Now he was in the kitchen, getting ready to make breakfast, even though it was almost noon.
"What do you want to eat?" Keith asked while putting on an apron that read: World's Greatest Cook.
"Anything is fine as long as it's good. You'd better not feed me something that'll give me food poisoning," she said, making a face.
"Yes, my princess, I'll cook a feast that's worthy of your precious palate," Keith said sarcastically as he opened the fridge.
"Are you mocking me?!" Sophia asked with a frown that did nothing to diminish her immaculate beauty.
"Whatever do you mean, my lady? I am just following orders like a good little peasant would," Keith continued his sarcasm while looking for ingredients.
"Jerk!" she said with a pouty expression, folding her arms as she looked away from him.
Keith, on the other hand, grabbed almost every ingredient they had in the house. He placed everything he needed on top of the counter, from rice to miso paste, wakame seaweed, green onions, and other ingredients.
"Hey, Sophia, could you help me out with something?"
"Sure," Sophia replied as she stood up from the chair and walked toward him. "What do you want?"
Keith took off the apron and turned to face her, then handed it to her. "I want you to make breakfast for us."
"Wait, what?" she questioned, staring at him with a surprised look. "But I don't know how to cook."
"I know. That's why I'm going to teach you."
"Really?"
"Yes. It's embarrassing to think that someone who's basically a year older than me can't cook. I don't know how you're not embarrassed. If I were you, I'd be a steaming mess—ouch!"
Sophia punched Keith in the arm as her cheeks turned pink. "Shut up!"
"That hurt, you know."
"You deserved it."
"Why are you so violent? Anyway, today is the day you learn how to cook a traditional Japanese breakfast."
"R-Right."
Keith pointed at the ingredients as he listed all of them for her. "Now, listen carefully and attentively. I've placed all the ingredients right over there, and I'm going to tell you what they are so you'll know what to grab when you're cooking for yourself, alright?"
"Question."
"What's wrong?"
"Do you seriously think I'm capable of remembering all these ingredients on my first try? I'm glad you think so highly of me, but that's not exactly possible—at least not for me."