...⸝⸝ ᷇࿀ ᷆⸝⸝
Saiki brought home the things he bought, put them in the fridge, and started preparing dinner.
(I really didn't expect to run into a kid like that.)
Thinking back to the strange kid Nohara Shinnosuke he met today—Saiki hadn't recognized him at first glance. It was only much later that he realized: wasn't this his old idol from way back?
But seeing him on screen was one thing. Actually encountering him brought a surprising amount of trouble.
...
After finishing dinner, Saiki sat on the sofa, checked his phone, and saw the time was just about right.
[10… 9… 8… 3… 2… 1]
"Click."
The door to Saiki's room opened. Shiina Mahiru, her hair slightly messy from sleep, poked her head out, saw Saiki, and walked over.
When he left earlier, he had felt it wasn't right to just leave her on the sofa, so he carried her to the bed instead. Anyone who wants to misunderstand that—go face the wall and reflect.
Face-the-wall room →
[Shiina-san, you're awake. The porridge is on the table. Just eat it. I've already had dinner.]
Shiina Mahiru walked to the dining table, touched the still-warm porridge, then said a little embarrassedly to Saiki:
"Sorry, Saiki-kun. I was supposed to make dinner, but I fell asleep. And somehow I slept all the way until evening."
[That's because your cold flared up again. It's fine. Sleeping more when you're sick helps you recover faster. This is normal.]
Saiki wasn't about to admit he was the one who caused it. When you're sick, you should rest properly.
After finishing the porridge, Shiina Mahiru washed the bowl, put it away, and sat next to Saiki. "I'm really sorry, Saiki-kun. Tomorrow I'll prepare breakfast and a bento for you."
Saiki raised an eyebrow. [Shiina-san, you're serious about this.]
Shiina Mahiru clenched her small fists: "Of course I'm serious! Did you think I was joking today? I would never do that."
[Oh, really? Then how long do you plan to keep this up? You can't cook for me your whole life.]
"That's not… let me think."
Shiina Mahiru pondered for a moment: "So Saiki-kun, how long do you plan to live in this apartment?"
[You're not seriously planning to cook for me for as long as I live here, are you?]
Shiina Mahiru said: "Is that not okay? Then… how about for the three years of high school?"
[No way! No matter what…]
Shiina Mahiru listened to Saiki's lecture that sounded exactly like something a nagging mom would say. At first it was fine, but afterward she had no idea what Saiki was even talking about anymore.
Here, several tens of thousands of words are omitted…
All she remembered afterward was one line from him: "Shiina-san, you wouldn't want…"
After that, Saiki didn't say much more. It was mostly Shiina Mahiru talking.
Thirty minutes later, Shiina Mahiru stood in the kitchen holding a kitchen knife, her cheeks flushed, and asked:
"Saiki-kun, do you have any foods you don't eat?"
[I eat everything. No preferences.]
"Saiki-kun, is there anything you especially like to eat?"
[Nothing in particular.]
"Then that whole row of coffee jelly in the fridge is…"
Before Shiina Mahiru left, Saiki handed her a few pills.
[These are cold medicine. They'll make you drowsy. You slept so long today, but I'm worried you won't sleep tonight. Take these and you'll sleep well. As long as you don't do anything too strenuous tomorrow or anything that could harm your body, you should be fine the day after.]
"Thank you."
Shiina Mahiru took the medicine, turned, and left.
Her face still looked a little pained—whether from the cold or something else, it wasn't clear.
Shiina Mahiru [Geez, what am I doing? I agreed to everything. This is the greatest courage I've ever mustered in my life. Persuading Saiki-kun like that… so embarrassing, so embarrassing ꉂ(ˊᗜˋ*)]
The next day, Saiki woke up to sounds coming from the kitchen. He put on his pajamas, intending to brush his teeth and wash his face, when he saw Shiina Mahiru wearing an apron and frying eggs and bacon in the kitchen.
"Good morning, Saiki-kun. You're up right on time. It feels like you're timing it perfectly for school."
[Good morning!]
After saying that, Saiki went to brush his teeth and wash his face.
As for why Shiina Mahiru was in his house—no explanation needed. How she got in—Saiki didn't want to explain either.
If neither of them says anything, and someone is willingly cooking for him for free, then whatever. It's fine.
After omitting tens of thousands of words, Shiina Mahiru still completed her repayment.
[Don't worry about it, don't worry about it.]
Saiki sat at the dining table and started eating breakfast. Shiina Mahiru placed a bento box next to him: "Saiki-kun, this is your bento for today. Make sure to eat it all. Don't leave any."
[Thanks. Got it.]
(She's acting exactly like a mom.)
...
Saiki left the house and arrived at school, where he saw Sakamoto Yuuji.
[Sakamoto, how was Saturday?]
Sakamoto Yuuji looked up: "Don't even ask. I was asleep or passed out the entire time until it ended…"
[That sounds rough.]
"You really get me, Saiki." ᕦ༼༎ຶ_༎ຶ༽ᕗ
The two walked to the shoe lockers and saw Yoshii Akihisa taking a letter out of his locker. He looked shocked and terrified as it fell to the ground—along with a photo of Akihisa dressed as a maid.
Saiki and Sakamoto Yuuji walked over.
"What's wrong, Akihisa? Who sent you that letter?"
At that moment, somewhere else, a blue-haired guy with glasses was rummaging through his bag: "No no, where did my letter go? Whatever, it didn't even have a name on it anyway."
Back with Saiki and Sakamoto, the two picked up the letter and read its contents:
"To Yoshii-kun"
"I'm sure you're very surprised to suddenly receive this letter…"
"But I really wanted to express my feelings, so I picked up my pen and wrote this letter…"
[What? It's just a love letter.]
Sakamoto Yuuji: "What's so scary about that, Akihisa?"
At this point, the two still didn't realize how serious it was and kept reading. The letter continued:
"Every time I see the bright and cheerful figure of Yoshii-kun, my heart feels healed. Finally, I realized my own feelings."
"I've made up my mind to confess to you. Please accept my feelings…"
"To my beloved (♂) Yoshii-kun"
Saiki: ?
Sakamoto: ?
[I (♂)?]
"I (♂)?"
Sakamoto laughed and said to Akihisa: "This is from a guy, Akihisa."
Akihisa shook Sakamoto's shoulders: "You're still laughing! Quick, tell me this is fake!!!"
Sakamoto: "It's real."
"Ahhhhhhh!!!!"
[Hey! Calm down. This might just be a prank.]
Author's note: Another late update today. Family drama at home. My older sister who works out of town came back and got asked about her boyfriend. She told our parents that things aren't going well with him and she doesn't want him to pay any bride price—not even one yen. Then she argued with Mom and Dad.
Our aunts tried to persuade her, saying things like "Back then bride prices were 100,000, and even in those days it was 100,000. Now 100,000 isn't too much, right?" Even Dad, who usually spoils her the most, said "Just take 70 or 80,000, whatever. It's all going to be yours two anyway." After that she hid in her room again and plans to go back to her apartment tomorrow.
I don't know what to say. I'm the youngest at 18, so I have no say and haven't even met her boyfriend. How am I supposed to comment? What do you all think? Which side should I try to persuade?