"...Ah, morning."
After delivering the specially requested oatmeal to his future mother-in-law, Chisato returned to the room and saw Kazusa sitting at the edge of the bed, lazily stretching her arms.
Seeing that she showed no signs of rejecting or resenting his presence, he took it as tacit approval and boldly sat down beside her.
"About last night..."
"What about last night?"
"Uh… Why are you glaring at me?"
"I just want to remind you not to say anything weird."
"..."
What do you think I was going to say?
Chisato leaned back, supporting himself with both hands, and gazed at the ceiling.
"I wasn't planning to say anything weird. I was just thinking… Kazusa, you're finally able to sit down and talk to me calmly now."
"So what you're saying is that, in your eyes, I've always been that kind of spoiled and unreasonable girl, right?"
"I would never say that!"
There was no way he could accept such an accusation.
Seeing how Chisato immediately straightened up, looking visibly flustered over her words, Kazusa smirked smugly.
"I have no interest in responding to your pointless probing. Right now, I'm hungry and want to eat."
"Then go ahead and eat… Uh…"
Chisato hesitated as he noticed Kazusa suddenly shooting him a sharp glare. He pointed at himself and asked,
"You mean you want me to make breakfast?"
"What do you think?"
"…Got it."
"If you don't want to, don't force yourself."
"I'm not forcing myself at all. In fact, I'd consider it an honor. What would you like to eat?"
"Anything."
"Understood. I'll go prepare it now."
Chisato stood up and gave a mock salute, placing his hand at his forehead.
When he caught a glimpse of Kazusa's lips curving into a faint smile, his mood instantly brightened, just like the clear sky outside.
The heavy clouds that had been weighing on his heart disappeared in an instant.
It had been so long since he'd felt this lighthearted.
Tying an apron around his waist in the kitchen, Chisato thought about Kazusa's reaction.
While she still appeared somewhat annoyed, there was no denying that she no longer rejected his presence.
This was a clear sign of improvement.
Since she didn't want to talk about the rift between them over the past few days, he decided to follow her lead—pretend as if everything was already behind them and not bring up anything unpleasant.
That was probably what she wanted.
With these complicated thoughts swirling in his mind, Chisato finished preparing breakfast.
When he knocked on Youko's door to call her for breakfast, there was no response.
She had probably fallen back asleep after drinking her oatmeal. If that was the case, there was no need to bother her anymore.
As for Kazusa, she had taken the time while Chisato was busy to throw his clothes from last night into the washer-dryer for a quick clean and had even placed a brand-new cup and toothbrush for him on the sink.
Although her words and expressions remained sharp as ever, her actions were undeniably warm.
Not to mention, when Chisato finished getting dressed and washing up, he came to the dining table to find Kazusa idly scrolling through her phone, yet she hadn't touched her food.
The rice bowl next to hers was already filled.
She was obviously waiting for him.
"…Thanks."
Chisato sat down at the table.
"..."
Kazusa's lips twitched slightly, but she didn't respond to his gratitude. Instead, she simply picked up her chopsticks and started eating on her own.
"Are you going to school with me today?"
"...Not today. Maybe next week."
"Got it. I'll be coming over again tomorrow morning, so try to keep your schedule free."
"You never used to visit me this often. Is this your way of making amends for what happened before?"
"'Making amends' sounds way too heavy. I just want to spend as much time as possible with my adorable girlfriend, that's all."
"Heh, I just hope your other adorable girlfriends won't take out their jealousy on me."
"Uh… That won't happen."
"Hmph."
It seemed that, at best, the sharpest edge of her hostility had only been slightly dulled. The real issue between them still hadn't been resolved.
When it came to Kazusa, there was still a long road ahead.
Taking a big bite of the fried shrimp, Chisato shoveled three huge spoonfuls of rice into his mouth.
Still, the ingredients in Kazusa's fridge were top-tier. Eating high-quality food like this every day, no wonder she looked so good and had such a perfect figure.
…
After school, Utaha sat on a bench in the school courtyard, holding a copy of I Am a Cat by Natsume Sōseki. She ignored the noisy surroundings and quietly immersed herself in the book.
She waited for about twenty minutes before Eriri finally arrived, breathless and slightly disheveled.
The small rise and fall of her chest indicated just how much she had exerted herself running here.
With her hands on her knees, she took several deep breaths to steady her rapid heartbeat.
"You're too slow."
Utaha glanced at her, calmly placed a bookmark in her novel, and put the book into her bag.
"I told you the drawing for the bulletin board would take some time. I even told you to wait for me at the café by the school entrance."
Eriri walked beside her as they headed off campus together. Utaha's response was simple and direct:
"I didn't want to."
"You really are something…"
Passing by a convenience store, Eriri asked Utaha to wait and went inside. A moment later, she came out and handed Utaha a bottle of coffee.
"Here."
"Thanks, I won't hold back."
Eriri glanced at her and took a sip of her fruit juice.
"You've had that gloomy expression since this morning. You're still thinking about Chisato, aren't you?"
Utaha didn't bother pretending otherwise and nodded frankly.
"Of course. How could I not? He didn't come home all night—he was at Kazusa's place. Who knows what happened between them?"
"I think I understand what you're worried about, but there's really no need to overthink it."
"And why is that?"
"Even if Chisato and Kazusa made up completely, it's not like they'd jump straight into that right after reconciling. There's got to be a process, don't you think?"
"That's your reasoning?"
Utaha scoffed, unimpressed.
Eriri sighed and looked at her with resignation.
"Is that not good enough?"
"That's just speculation."
"It's an educated guess."
"You don't seem to care about Kazusa at all."
"If I didn't care, I wouldn't have told you to go see her in the first place. I just have a good mindset."
"What's that saying? If you can't resist, you might as well enjoy it. We've done what we can. If it still doesn't work out, then there's nothing we can do."
"You… You're starting to sound more and more like some old woman who's seen through life's hardships. What the hell? Are you a forty- or fifty-year-old auntie?"
"Call it wisdom, not old age. You need to relax a little instead of being so wound up all the time. You'd be surprised how beautiful life can be if you loosen up."
"More practically, though, you don't even know what actually happened yet. Worrying now won't accomplish anything—it's just a waste of brainpower."
"If you really want to do something, just wait until tonight and hear what Chisato has to say when he gets home. Then you can decide what to do."
"…"
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"…Nothing. Just, please take care of me from now on."
In an oddly formal gesture, Utaha stopped in her tracks and suddenly grabbed Eriri's hand for a firm shake.
Then, leaving Eriri standing there with a head full of question marks, Utaha walked straight into a fruit shop.
"Hey, why are you going into a fruit shop?"
"If I'm visiting your house, I should at least bring a small gift. I can't just show up empty-handed."
Since Chisato hadn't come home last night, Eriri decided she would spend another night at the apartment today.
But if her parents kept hearing from Utaha over the phone that she was "studying at a friend's house," they'd start getting suspicious.
So today, they had planned it out in advance: they'd go to Eriri's house first for dinner. Then afterward, they'd leave together, saying they were going to a friend's place to study.
Since her parents had seen her spending a lot of time with Utaha lately, they would probably be somewhat reassured.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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