"Thank you~" she said as she carefully took the knife. She had cut herself enough to know how not to handle one at least. Holding the first pepper firmly, making sure her fingers were safe, Fuuka slowly sliced off it's top. As the knife hit the counter with a soft thunk, she let out the breath she had been holding.

The next four were just as easy, and pulling out the seeds was even easier. Rinsing them out a second time--just to be thorough--she lined them neatly on the counter. Now came the hard part; boiling. As she looked for a pot, she recalled how everyone always told her it was easy to boil water. But she still had visions of the water boiling over and sloshing all over her.

'Not today,' she thought, encouraging herself as she pulled out a large pot, 'Not today.'