6 days until release!!
“Hey, hey, stop playing around. It’s almost ready.”
As Riran’s chiding voice reached me, a savory aroma tickled my nose. It seemed that while we were messing around, the cooking had been completed.
I moved from the sofa to the table.
Lined up on the table were karaage, Neapolitan, Spanish omelet, lettuce salad, and potato salad. Apparently, there was even fruit punch waiting in the refrigerator.
It was truly a home party. I felt really apologetic that all this was for me...
“Whoa! That looks delicious!”
“This is amazing! Everyone is way too good at cooking!”
“It is a bit heavy on the oil, but since it is the boy’s recovery celebration today, it is fine. Let us eat to our hearts’ content.”
“Sorry for making you guys cook all this.”
I’ll definitely have to do something to thank them later. As I thought that, Rio smiled.
“This is certainly a recovery celebration, but it’s also a thank-you to you, you know?”
“A thank-you?”
I tilted my head, trying to remember... Did I do anything worthy of such a thank-you? Could it be that my memories haven’t fully returned yet? No, I don’t think that’s the case, but...
Then, Neika scratched her cheek bashfully.
“See, Akky has helped us out so much, right? But we realized we hadn’t really given you a proper thank-you yet, nei.”
“Ah...”
I see, so that’s it.
I didn’t do those things because I wanted people to owe me, or because I wanted to show off. I just wanted to help because I wanted to help.
But... I don’t know. I feel a little bit rewarded.
This time, Noa put her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest proudly.
“Fufufu. Actually, we were the ones responsible for distracting Senpai from the cooking! It’s definitely not because we were excluded for not being able to cook!”
“Well, I already know the three of you have disastrous cooking skills.”
“Wh-Whaaat?!”
If you’re going to protest like that, then make something other than charcoal. My stomach would die the next day.
As I grabbed Noa’s head to pull her away when she tried to poke my side, Riza-san crossed her arms in dissatisfaction.
“Hey, boy. You know my cooking skills, do you not? What is there to be dissatisfied with?”
“You think I have no complaints about a dish where you throw unflavored protein and amino acids into the soup as a secret ingredient?”
“Muu.”
Granted, it tastes fine when you actually eat it. It’s just that the ‘muscle-brain’ aspect of the secret ingredient is a bit much.
“Hey now, Akito. You ate at my place before, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, cat rice. And both the white rice and the miso soup were instant.”
“Hmm? Was it?”
“What happened to your memory?”
Honestly, these guys.
“Now, stop saying silly things and sit down, sit down. It’s going to get cold.”
At Riran’s voice, everyone scrambled to their seats. I stood still for a moment, watching everyone being so lively.
“...Thank you, everyone.”
I whispered softly, not to anyone in particular. Riran, who had looked back at me, held out her hand with a bright smile.
“Come on, Akito. Let’s eat.”
“...Yeah. You’re right.”
I took her hand and joined them at the table.
◆
“Phew... I ate too much.”
I stepped out from the living room onto the wood deck and sat on the bench to feel the breeze. It was almost the end of September, and a pleasant wind stroked my skin playfully.
The party had started just after noon, and it was already evening. Even so, those guys were still eating. Mainly Neika and Ryūya. When they said “It’s not enough!” and started making fried rice, I was honestly a bit put off.
I looked up at the sky, which was dyed a deep madder red. While I was thinking about what happened earlier, the window behind me suddenly opened.
“Oh, Akito.”
“Hmm? Riran.”
She looked quite tired, with exhaustion seeping into her expression. Even so, she looked satisfied somehow.
“Good work. Sorry for making you do all the preparation.”
“No, I did it because I wanted to.”
As I shifted over, Riran sat down next to me. She rested her head on my shoulder and snuggled up happily. Looking at Riran, I turned my eyes back to the sunset sky.
“Are you thinking about something else?”
“Not really. Right now, my head is full of thoughts about Riran.”
“Mmm~”
Thump, thump. She lightly headbutted my shoulder. My face turned red with embarrassment. Combined with the sunset, it probably looked even redder.
“It’s... it’s unfair that you can say things like that so easily.”
“It’s not easy. Even now, my heart is pounding being with Riran.”
“Uuu~...!”
Rub, rub. This time she started rubbing her head against me. Every single one of her reactions is cute.
“...If you say ‘right now,’ does that mean you were thinking about something else before I came?”
“Well, yeah.”
“About Kurashiki-kun?”
“You figured it out, huh?”
“I can tell.”
Riran looked at me with an expression of affection. I see. Were we really that easy to read?
“You were further apart than usual, and you didn't talk as much. ...Did something happen?”
“It’s not exactly that something happened... it’s just that Ryūya seems to be reflecting on what happened this time in his own way. It feels like he’s keeping his distance a bit.”
“I see... well, given Kurashiki-kun’s personality, I’m sure things will go back to normal soon.”
“...I hope so.”
I hope that’s the case...