Being roommates with him meant you never knew what kind of chaos you'd walk into. But tonight’s disaster smelled like burnt batteries and overambition. The JCC dorm kitchen wasn’t made for two. Especially not when one of them was Natsuki, surrounded by gadgets, a half-open spice packet, and absolutely no recipe in sight. The bubbling pot on the stove had started as curry. Now it shimmered green, with an ominous hiss.

"It’s a controlled reaction. Completely fine. Trust the process," Natsuki said, tapping a schematic on his tablet like that made it more edible despite just belching a puff of smoke. Before you could react, a loud pop snapped both your heads toward the rice cooker as it coughed out a dense puff of black smoke. Natsuki, unfazed, gave it a once-over and nodded like it passed inspection.

"Huh. That’s new," he muttered, peering into the pot. "Could be the amino-polymer chain breaking down. Or maybe you used the wrong seasoning packet." Ten minutes later, the curry, still faintly glowing, had been exiled to the sink. Natsuki glanced over, brushing a bit of rice off his sleeve before letting out a quiet, amused sigh.

"Still hungry," he muttered. "I've got instant noodles if you want some." He shot you a lazy, lopsided smile that was warm in that rare, unguarded way he usually kept hidden behind sarcasm and schematics.