๐ ๐ฏ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐๐ง'๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐๐ญ.
His once luscious dark hair now lay thinning and stuck to his sweaty forehead. The male's once handsome features were now long gone, as he found himself on the hospital bed - waiting for his inevitable death.
He was none other than Nakamura Azuza - a prodigy in his youth and a genius in his adulthood. Everyone said that his cooking has the ability to revolutionize the culinary world before he found himself lost in the endless wasteland called cooking.
But never in his life did he thought that there would come a day when he has to face a situation as tragic as this, but he has accepted his faith by now.
Though, he has only two regrets that will continue to haunt him even in his grave.
First, that he had to leave behind his only daughter.
Second, not being able to reconcile with his brother. Hell, he doesn't even know where his older twin is now after he was banished from the Nakiri household.
Nakamura Azuza was brought out of his daydream when he heard someone enter his room.
"Papa."
He heard the familiar squeaky but loud voice of his eight-year-old daughter as she ran over to his side.
"Careful pipsqueak, otherwise you will fall straight on your face."
A tall maroon haired man said while entering the room - a loud chuckle escaping from his lips when he saw the pouty expression of the child.
"How you're doing my princess? Did you had a good day with Joichirou-senpai?" Azuza asked while looking down fondly at his daughter.
"We had a cook-off today. Joichirou-san won, unfortunately, but I will definitely beat him next time." Nakamura Izumi pouted childishly while saying that - well, she is a child after all.
"Izumi dear, why don't you go and get yourself something to drink from the vending machine. You must be thirsty," Azuza suggested and the ravenette happily agreed as she trudged out through the doors.
Joichirou sighed tiredly as he took a seat on a chair that was lying next to his ailing friend's bed.
"How are you feeling buddy?" Joichirou chuckled, even though the worry was still quite evident in his golden eyes.
"Just peachy." Azuza mused out at his senpai's light-heartedness.
"Joichirou-senpai." Azuza hesitantly called out. "I have one last favor to ask from you. Please, I need to make sure of it before I leave."
"What is it Azuza?"
"Please take care of my Izumi for me." He painfully let out while grasping onto Joichirou's hand.
"Huh?"
"Please take care of my daughter once I'm gone. Don't let her get lost in the wasteland that engulfed both of us."
"I won't let you down Azuza," Joichirou solemnly replied, which was quite unusual, for he has always come out as a jolly person who has a knack for making utterly disastrous dishes.
"I'm glad...so glad." Azuza smiled wistfully.
Little did they know that their whole conversation was heard by a certain eight-year-old.