The three of them walked out of the wooded area.
Originally, they had planned to head straight out and find a place to eat lunch, but circumstances had changed.
All of them looked a bit worse for wear now.
"So… where do we go next?"
Jahy carefully tucked the magic stone into her bag and looked at the other two as she asked.
Her objective for this trip had been perfectly accomplished—what happened next was up to them.
Tanaka Masao turned to Yukinoshita Yukino.
"What do you think, Yukinoshita-san? Go back, or find a restaurant for lunch?"
Yukinoshita Yukino looked at Tanaka Masao's rather pitiful state and spoke up.
"Let's go back first. Clean up properly, and check carefully for any injuries."
"Then let's head back."
…
Following the path they had taken earlier, the three of them soon returned home.
"Yukinoshita-san, are you going to take a bath?"
Tanaka Masao asked.
Yukinoshita Yukino shook her head.
"No need. I'll just rinse off a bit."
She wasn't that dirty—there was no need for a full bath.
"Tanaka-kun, you should take one though. And change your clothes while you're at it—what you're wearing can't really be used anymore."
"Alright. You rest for a bit then."
Tanaka Masao nodded. He'd been thinking the same thing.
He grabbed a change of clothes and headed into the bathroom.
After cleaning himself thoroughly, he looked at the shirt he'd taken off—torn slightly at the back—and decided not to bother washing it.
Even if he did, it would probably just fall apart even more. There was no saving it.
…
When Tanaka Masao came out of the bathroom, he noticed movement in the kitchen and went to check.
"Yukinoshita-san? Why are you in the kitchen?"
Yukinoshita Yukino was wearing an apron, busy cooking.
Her twin ponytails had gotten a bit messy earlier, so for convenience she'd casually tied her hair up into a bun.
That look made her seem noticeably more mature—and more domestic.
Like a newlywed wife.
Hearing him, Yukinoshita Yukino turned around.
"You're done bathing? I'm preparing lunch—it'll be ready soon."
"N-No, that's not what I meant. I'm asking why you are the one making lunch."
Tanaka Masao was completely thrown off by Yukinoshita Yukino's sudden ideal wife mode.
[Yukinoshita-san, do you have any idea how lethal your usual self already is to teenage boys?
Someone's not surviving this gentle, homemaker version of you.]
"You mean that? Jahy said she was hungry, and it's already pretty late. If we went out to eat, it'd take too much time."
"We didn't study at all this morning, so we need to make up for it this afternoon. That's why I decided to prepare lunch myself."
Tanaka Masao smiled, sounding genuinely expectant.
"I've never had food made by Yukinoshita-san before. I'm kind of looking forward to how it tastes."
Seeing his anticipation, the corners of Yukinoshita Yukino's mouth curved slightly.
Of course, it wasn't a gentle, domestic smile—there was a hint of mischief and something darker mixed in.
"If I remember correctly, Tanaka-kin only gets one cheat meal per week."
"And you already used it yesterday."
"But don't worry, Tanaka-kin. I'll prepare a special meal just for you—boiled chicken breast and broccoli. How does that sound?"
The anticipation vanished from Tanaka Masao's face instantly as he stared at her in disbelief.
"Yukinoshita-san… this is a rare opportunity. How can you be so cruel? Please, just let me off this once."
Faced with Tanaka Masao's wailing, Yukinoshita Yukino smiled in satisfaction.
Earlier, in the small grove, he'd seen everything—and even hugged her.
Even if it had been an accident, and she didn't blame him, it still left her feeling a bit uncomfortable.
Now that she'd successfully gotten back at him, her mood improved noticeably—as if she'd reclaimed lost ground.
Yukinoshita Yukino turned back to her cooking.
"Alright, stop standing around here. The three of us are eating the same lunch. I'm not going out of my way to make a separate meal for you."
"That's great!"
Knowing he'd get to eat Yukinoshita Yukino's cooking, Tanaka Masao was delighted—but he had no intention of leaving.
"I'll help by preparing some fruit."
"Okay."
Yukinoshita Yukino shifted slightly to the side, giving him space at the sink.
Tanaka Masao washed a dozen or so strawberries carefully and placed them into a transparent glass bowl.
After looking at it, he felt it was a bit plain, so he checked the fridge and found a box of lychees.
What was Tanaka Masao supposed to do with lychees…?
Obviously, wash them and peel them.
Seven or eight plump, white lychees went into the bowl, instantly making it look much more abundant.
Tanaka Masao nodded, satisfied with his work, and set the fruit aside.
With nothing else to do, he looked at Yukinoshita Yukino again.
"Is there anything else I can help with?"
Focused on cooking, Yukinoshita Yukino shook her head.
"I can handle it myself. You can go prepare the tableware and check on the rice cooker."
She usually cooked alone at home and had her own rhythm.
Having someone help might actually get in the way.
Seeing how everything was already running smoothly, Tanaka Masao didn't insist.
The kitchen wasn't that big anyway—forcing himself in there would probably just be a nuisance.
He set out the bowls and chopsticks nearby, then quietly waited for the rice to finish cooking.
As he waited, Tanaka Masao watched Yukinoshita Yukino cook.
There was a kind of beauty to the way she moved—each step precise and rhythmic—reminding him of those immersive cooking videos from his past life.
[This would be perfect with a slowed-down, exotic remix of Faded playing in the background.
Peak elegance. Absolute bliss.]
…
In less than half an hour, Yukinoshita Yukino had lunch ready.
She divided the food into three portions and arranged them on trays.
On one plate were two pan-fried meat cutlets, two rolled omelets, and a bed of lettuce.
A small bowl held bean sprouts, and another contained miso soup.
Once Tanaka Masao added the bowls of rice, a simple lunch of four dishes and one soup was complete.
The three of them sat around the table, pressed their hands together, and said in unison,
"Itadakimasu."
Tanaka Masao took the first sip of miso soup and spoke up.
"Yukinoshita-san, isn't there a classic line I'm supposed to say at a moment like this?"
"What line?"
Yukinoshita Yukino looked at him, momentarily confused.
"The one where I say… I want to drink your miso soup every day from now on."
Hearing that, Yukinoshita Yukino narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Tanaka-kin, if you say something like that, can I interpret it as a confession?"
"If that's the case… then please allow me to reject you."