January 7, 2015 — Wednesday, 6:37 AM
While Kaede was asleep, he found himself in a strange dream. It felt like a replay of something that happened before he returned to the past. In the middle of it, he heard the voice of the same mysterious girl—the one with glitchy, distorted words he couldn't understand.
"Don't... do... the... same... m__t_k_... ag_in..."
the woman's voice echoed.
Suddenly—
"Wakee! Uppp! Kaedeeee!" Yumi screamed, trying to wake him up. She dropped a stainless steel bowl on the ground, creating a loud, clanging noise loud enough to jolt Kaede awake.
Kaede screamed in shock, his body jerking upright and tumbling off the bed. He landed on the floor and stared at Yumi blankly, his mind struggling to process what had just happened.
Yumi picked up the bowl she had dropped, then turned toward him and called out, "Breakfast's ready!" She left the room to set the table.
Kaede groaned as he got up, rubbing the back of his head.
It's been a long time since I've experienced that torture. She always does that every time she sleeps here, he thought.
He glanced over at the clock—it wasn't working. No wonder his alarm hadn't gone off. The battery must have died.
Kaede stepped out of the room and made his way to the dining table. He sat down and looked at Yumi, who was preparing the food. He noticed some odd smoke rising from the pot and couldn't help but grimace at the sight, his face contorting in unease.
Yumi cheerfully set the food on the table. She smiled brightly at Kaede, her eyes glowing with excitement.
Kaede looked down at the dishes laid before him, eyes dull with dread. He gulped.
How could I forget? Yumi used to make random weird dishes that never looked edible. I remember the time she cooked that fish-looking lizard thing she bought from the exotic animal store. It actually turned out good... but not all her food is like that. Some of it tastes absolutely disgusting, Kaede thought as he slowly scooped some of the odd-looking food onto his plate.
"Is this edible… right?" Kaede asked, his face trembling and his hands shaking as he raised the spoon to his mouth.
"Hey! What's with that face?! Of course, it's edible! I'm not going to poison you or anything!" Yumi pouted.
Kaede closed his eyes in fear and finally took a bite.
The moment the food touched his tongue, his eyes flew open in surprise.
"Ohhhhh! This is delicious! What is this??" Kaede asked in amazement.
"Oh, that's just some meat I bought at the convenience store. I added a lot of ingredients to make it taste good," Yumi replied proudly.
Suddenly, Kaede felt even hungrier. He began eating a lot more, and Yumi joined him. As they ate together, she watched Kaede with a happy expression on her face, feeling warmth in her heart.
It's been a long time since I've eaten real food like this. I always buy cup noodles and ready-made meals from the convenience store. I never had the chance to cook for myself. I'm so happy to eat like this again, Kaede thought, continuing to devour the meal.
"Thank you for making this delicious food, Yumi. But… maybe next time, try to make it *look* a little more edible," Kaede said softly, smiling at her.
Yumi pouted again at his comment, but deep inside, she was glowing. She was confused yet thrilled—this was the first time Kaede had ever complimented her cooking.
He never praised my food before… she thought joyfully.
"Well, I guess I'll practice making it look more edible," Yumi muttered in a voice so low it was barely audible.
"Hm? What was that?" Kaede asked, not hearing her clearly.
"Nothing!" Yumi replied quickly, her heart sparkling with happiness.
She headed to the bathroom to take a bath, while Kaede waited for his turn.
As he waited, Kaede wandered around his apartment, looking at everything in silence. He scratched his head.
This apartment hasn't changed in ten years… It still looks the same. I never had the time to organize it or make it look nice, he thought.
After a while, Yumi finished her bath, and it was Kaede's turn.
Once he was done, the two of them stepped outside together. Kaede locked the door behind them as they left for school.