Fuming, Nagito walked away from Hajime, tugging at his gloves.

If the brunet decided to be so rude, then Nagito would just leave him be. He needed to meet another person anyway.

The party was in approximately an hour, so he had to make this meeting quick. It was just a quick check-up in the kitchens. It shouldn't take more than fifteen minutes unless something bad happened.

The royal kitchens were located on the west wing, near the ballroom. The head chef of the food and delicacies for the gala was none other than TeruTeru himself. He was known widely for his delicious meals and infamously for his perverted thoughts, which eventually led him to Hell.

Candles cast long shadows across the velvet walls of the corridors as Nagito walked to the kitchen, his hand meeting the cold handle of the doors.

Spices and seasonings wafted through the doors upon his entry, along with the sweet smell of desserts and hors d'oeuvres.

"Hanamura? Are you in?" Nagito yelled within the chaos of clanging plates and utensils.

A short brunet with stylish hair popped out from behind a cart of trays, a smile widening on his face as he saw the Grim Reaper.

"Ah, Nagito! You're here for the inspection, I'm assuming." He clapped his hands together gleefully.

Nagito nodded, and the chef beckoned the albino to follow him.

"Here we have the appetizers, tempura and gyoza with soy sauce, a simple dish." He gestured to the deep frying stations. "Want to try one?"

"I'm fine," Nagito responded, his urge to get this over with increasing per second.

"Next, we have the main course, Tuna Sashimi with Daikon and Ginger, accompanied by a small Katsudon."

Trays filled with fancy bowls and freshly cut sashimi lined in a neat circle sat on multiple carts, ready to be served upon order.

"Lastly, tonight's desert will be mochi and daifuku served on dorayaki." He finished, turning toward Nagito.

"So what do you think?"

The Grim Reaper didn't really have an opinion since the gala was held every two years and he was quite sick of it already. Too much socialization. Too many... people.

Plus, he never had anyone to take until this year, and well... that person decided to bail on him.

"It's well planned," he forced the comment out. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll leave now."

The albino was about to turn around and return to the corridor when TeruTeru stopped him abruptly with a tug on his sleeve.

"Hey!" Nagito growled, yanking himself backward, away from the small brunet.

"Ah, sorry." The chef scratched the back of his head.

"What do you want?" Nagito said in exasperation. He needed to arrive early to the gala or Her Majesty would have his head. He was her favorite after all, and his presence was the most essential thing.

"Would you fancy a cup of coffee before you leave?" He offered, leaving Nagito to his office. "You look really tired."

The white-haired boy narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"What are you trying to do?"

"Nothing," TeruTeru answered innocently (as if he had any left). "I just thought it would be a kind offer."

"Okay. Fine. Just one cup and I'll leave."

TeruTeru grinned like a Cheshire cat and hopped over to the coffee machine sitting upon his desk.

"Black or vanilla?" He asked, pouring water into the dispenser.

"Vanilla."

The machine rumbled to life as the chef plugged the machine into the outlet, the 'on' button turning red.

Steam wafted out of the coffee maker as hot water fell into the cup placed beneath it.

Nagito closed his eyes, tired from arguing with Hajime and running around the castle on errands.

Suddenly, a deafening hissing sound came from the coffee maker, plums of white steam pouring out of the top.

"TeruTeru, what the hell did you do?!" Nagito said sharply, kicking back his chair and standing up at lightning speed.

"Nothing! I don't know how to use it! I think it broke..." He trailed off, hastily unplugging the cord from the outlet.

"TERUTERU, WA-" The Grim Reaper was cut short when electrical sparks flew from the outlet in a blue flash and dropped onto the papers piled up on the desk.

They instantly caught into flames, and soon enough, a raging fire was blowing through the room, eating up everything in its way.

Nagito cursed colorfully, rushing over to the mini sink, taking handfuls of water and throwing it at the fire.

This wasn't working, he thought. Handfuls of water weren't enough to calm the heat.

Rushing over to the corner of the room (currently where TeruTeru was cowering in), he grabbed the trash can and emptied its contents before rushing over to the sink. The faucet was turned all the way up, filling the makeshift bucket all the way up to the brim.

Heaving it with all the strength he had left, Nagito doused the flames with cold water, smoke drifting into the enclosed space.

The Grim Reaper coughed, the smoke evidently affecting his lungs.

"Are you trying to delay me?" Nagito yelled, grabbing TeruTeru by the collar of his shirt.

"N-no! Why would you suggest something like that?" He laughed nervously.

"I know you're jealous of my position, and you will do anything to take it since I'm Her Majesty's 'favorite'," he growled. "But news flash, I. Don't. Care."

"What do you mean, you don't care?"

"I really don't care if you pull your dirty tricks on me to attempt to get Her Majesty's favor, but I don't intend to lose my spot either." Nagito shoved him backward, his level of stress accumulating.

With a harsh shove backward, Nagito threw open the blackened office door, shooting a glare in TeruTeru's direction.

"You better learn your lesson, or I'll slit your throat the next time," he threatened.

Nagito was done with all of this nonsense. Everyone in Hell knew he was Her Majesty's first choice in practically every decision she made, and thus they deemed him her 'favorite'. It disgusted him.

It made Nagito feel like he was some sort of pet, a pet who had sworn an oath to serve her forever.

Pathetic.

They all used him to get to the Queen, all except Hajime.

He was the only one who didn't care about his position or his ranking. He had accepted Nagito the way he was, and never questioned why the Queen preferred him over all others.

Sadly enough, his apprentice was having issues of his own, issues that reflected onto Nagito, piling on the amount of stress he already had.

He just wished he could understand Hajime better, and learn about why he was always so cold and rude at some times, but warm-hearted the next.

Alas, dreams will remain dreams, and wishes will never be answered.

Nagito brushed off his thoughts, tightening his black tie and pulling on the edges of his gloves.

Taking a deep breath, the Grim Reaper put on a poker face and stepped into the festive atmosphere of the ballroom.
_____________________________________________

The coffee machine.

Soooo my friend wanted hot water, and the only thing there was was the coffee machine (we had a microwave but she didn't want radioactive water).

I used the machine, and after it produced the hot water, steam came out of the lid and I sort of panicked since I thought I broke it (I've never used a coffee machine in my life up until now).

This was intended to be crack, but Nagito had become a sad ball of stress and conflicting feelings as implied in the chapter before, so it came out more like so.