Rice Cooker Revenge – Chapter 7

RICE COOKER

The kitchen is quiet as the sun rises, kissing the sky outside the window pink first before lighting the ceiling along the stove. I’m glad I got this spot in the kitchen because I can see the door and the window from my perch, never far from the outside world. Keys rattle outside, and The Chef enters the back door before flipping on the lights in the kitchen. He’s in early today, probably to drop off his things before heading over to the fish market. He tosses his keys on his desk and groans, roughing up his face with his big hands.

Staring off into the corner of the room where I’m sitting, his eyes scan every inch of counter tops. I was wrong to tell Ryu not to be particular. The Chef notices if anything is out of place, even a rag or a sponge.

His mobile phone rings and he pulls it from his pocket, swiping across the screen to answer.

“Hello? Yes, this is Nakamoto… Oh really? Good, good. I placed my ad with you almost two months ago and I didn’t hear from you for quite some time.”

He pauses as he grabs a piece of paper from his desk and a pen. He hesitates with his hand over the pen jar, fingers touching each pen. Is he counting them?

“I see… I see… Okay, well, I didn’t realize the school year wasn’t over yet. How many people do you have for me? I’m looking to hire two.”

Oh no. What’s this?

The Chef jots something down on the paper and nods his head.

“Okay. Send them over on Friday. I need to give my current employee a week’s notice… Thank you.”

He hangs up his phone and slips it into his back pocket before humming and grabbing his coat. He leaves the note on the desk, grabs his coat, and, turning off the light, exits the kitchen.

If only I had legs, I would go over there and figure out what’s going on. But my instincts tell me, whatever it is, isn’t good.

Thirty minutes later, the kitchen back door reopens and Ryu enters early for his shift.

“Morning,” he says, hanging up his coat by the door.

I stew for a moment, wishing I was cooking rice and water because doing my job is the only thing that keeps me from being tossed in the trash. It settles me, and I’m unsettled knowing something is about to change Ryu’s life forever.

“I thought I’d come in early instead of staying late. I figured it was better for me to be alert for all of our chat sessions, no? Though I think I’m going to go out for coffee.”

“I think you should look at what’s on the desk first,” I whisper, certain The Chef will be back any moment to catch us having a gossiping session.

“What’s on the desk?” Ryu walks over and scanning all the items on the plywood before he picks up the piece of paper The Chef left behind. “New Trainees… There are two names here.” Ryu’s face pales and he licks his lips. “I’m being replaced.”

“I’m so sorry, Ryu. You may have about a week, so we should work fast in the meantime. I have some ideas for you.”

Ryu stares into space for a long moment, his eyes flicking back and forth over the desk before they focus on The Chef’s double-breasted uniforms hanging neatly to the right of the refrigerator. He snaps up a piece of paper and a pen and strides over to me.

“Go. Tell me everything.”

I start with all the places The Chef buys his ingredients from, thinking they must be the best because otherwise I can’t imagine why people would be fawning over his tempura like it’s food from heaven. He gets so much praise for being such an asshole.

Ryu furiously jots down every place The Chef gets his ingredients from I can think of, every grocer and fish monger who has ever stepped foot inside the kitchen or any place The Chef has mentioned out loud to Yoshinoro or had a conversation with on the phone. I am capable of reading (I’m a “smart” rice cooker, after all) but since I only sit in this one place in the kitchen, I can never look at the invoices. Having no mobility is a definite loss when it comes to spying on my boss.

Ryu is ten items deep on the list when the back door bursts open. Shit! Neither of us heard the door unlatch! With a large box of fish in his hands, The Chef strides in and dumps the box on the stainless steel counter.

“Ryu! What the hell are you doing here? You usually don’t come in for another two hours.”

“I… I…” He tries to subtly put the note in his back pocket, but The Chef’s eyes narrow at the pen in his hand.

“Are you stealing pens from me?” The Chef’s face heats to bright red, a volcano about to blow. “I’ve noticed pens have gone missing.”

“No, sir,” Ryu stammers. “I was only writing down a few things and then I was going to put the pen back on your desk. I swear.”

“What are you writing?” The Chef comes around the counter and reaches for the note still in Ryu’s hand. If only Ryu had managed to get it into his back pocket, maybe The Chef wouldn’t have reached for it.

Too late. The Chef snatches the paper and lifts it in the air.

“It’s just some poetry, Chef-san. I like to come here in the morning when it’s quiet…”

“It is not poetry, you idiot.” His eyes dance over all of Ryu’s notes, and I begin to panic. This is all happening too soon, too soon! I expected to have some time yet with Ryu to build his confidence and encourage him to soldier on with all the information I would give him. He’s so far from being ready to spar with The Chef at his own game. And if Ryu leaves, there’s no guarantee I’ll connect with a new trainee and be able to carry on this mission.

“You have been stealing from me! And not just pens and food, because don’t think I haven’t noticed produce going missing, but information about my business?”

He holds the paper up in the air, waving it around.

“I can’t believe how ungrateful you’ve been, after all I’ve done for you.”

The Chef’s face is the color of pickled beets, sweat beading on his forehead and spit launching from his lips. Ryu shrinks back against the counter next to me, his face pale and arms shaking. I wish he’d stand up for himself! Ryu has every right to eat in a kitchen he works in. No other chef would deny his own workers food. This is outrageous.

“I’m going to call the cops. No one steals from me and gets away with it.”

No! This is way out of hand. I need to save Ryu. What can I do?

The Chef turns away, pulling his phone from his pocket.

“Whatever you do, find me and fix me,” I whisper to Ryu.

Then I hold my breath and concentrate as hard as I can on my inner circuits until…

Pop!

And all goes black.