When the last rays of dusk fell upon the sports ground, the school's street lamps flickered on, casting a faint glow.
In a certain room of the student dormitory, two girls lay on a bed, skin glistening with sweat.
Horikita's gaze was somewhat vacant. She had only loosely draped the quilt over herself, just enough to cover her body.
Feeling parched, she thought about getting up to fetch a glass of water. But the moment she moved, a sharp pain made her frown.
Seems we went a bit overboard this time.
"If you want water, I'll get it for you, Suzune? But you have to give me a kiss~"
Amane's breezy voice came from beside her. Then, Horikita found herself looking into that all-too-familiar face.
Her strong pride and sense of shame made her reluctant to admit she couldn't even get out of bed. But practical need left her no choice but to compromise.
With a resigned sigh, Horikita lifted her head and gave Amane a light peck on the cheek, then buried her face back into the pillow, as if too embarrassed to show herself.
Amane, however, cheerfully hopped off the bed, poured a glass of water, and brought it over.
Before Horikita could say a word, Amane scooped her up with one arm and held the cup to her lips.
Blushing, Horikita took a few sips. The tearing pain in her throat eased slightly.
"Thank you," Horikita said, her voice hoarse.
Of course, it wasn't because she was sick or anything—she'd just been a little too loud earlier, straining her voice.
Luckily, Horikita's room was right next to the elevator. The usual noise from its operation helped cover things up. The room on the other side was also Amane's empty one. Otherwise, Amane would've been seriously worried about someone reporting them for… suspicious activities.
"Why so polite between us?" Amane's hands began to wander.
"No."
"Suzune…"
"Really, no."
"Just once?"
"I really can't take any more."
Horikita flusteredly tried to explain.
Amane looked a little disappointed.
"Alright, fine. We'll stop for today. Want to take a bath together?"
Horikita tried moving again, then shook her head.
"You go first. I need a moment."
"Then I'll go ahead~"
Amane shot her a suggestive look, grabbed some clothes, and headed into the bathroom.
As soon as the sound of running water came from the bathroom, Horikita's calm expression twisted slightly.
Is that girl an ox or something?
She used to be as soft and easy to bully as a body pillow. But this time, I let my guard down, and she turned the tables on me—completely crushed me.
Horikita's worst-case scenario had been losing in the second half. She never expected her defenses to collapse within ten minutes of the start.
Amane's stamina seemed endless. To preserve her dignity in front of Amane, Horikita had fought back for three rounds.
The result? She was practically broken. Now, even rolling over made her wonder if half her body had gone numb.
'This has to be a fluke. I need to step up my training—how can I let Amane outdo me?'
What Horikita found hardest to accept was the role reversal—the shift in who was on top, literally and figuratively. It was the first time Amane had dominated her so thoroughly.
It felt good, sure, but the cost was too heavy.
Chalking the defeat up to her recent lack of exercise, Horikita mentally drafted a new training plan. Only then could she grudgingly accept this unfavorable outcome.
By the time Horikita had cleaned up, it was around 8 p.m. She sat by the desk, hair still damp, drying it with a hairdryer.
From the kitchen came Amane's cheerful humming—she was practically one line away from singing about "turning the tables"…
Horikita felt a little sour about it, but with her own performance being so lacking, she couldn't really complain. After all, she used to be the one teasing Amane. This time, their positions were just reversed.
Soon, Amane brought out a few simple-looking dishes.
"The chicken soup is here~"
When Amane, wearing oven mitts, carried over a small pot of steaming chicken soup, Horikita was stunned.
"Where did you get a pot like that?"
Horikita eyed the black, jar-like container with curiosity.
"I bought it at the start of the semester, meant for making soup. But it takes so long, I hardly ever use it."
Amane grinned, then dashed back to the kitchen to get the stir-fried dishes.
Horikita served herself a small bowl of goji berry and black chicken soup. She carefully scooped a spoonful and tasted it slowly.
It was quite good. Maybe a little undercooked, but the flavor was nice.
If that was just the appetizer, the following dishes left Horikita even more baffled.
Next, Amane brought out leek with eggs and steamed oysters—pre-frozen ones that didn't need a pressure cooker, just reheating.
Horikita wondered if today was some special occasion. But after thinking it over, she couldn't come up with anything worth celebrating.
With their points so tight, such a lavish meal seemed a bit… Oh, right—Amane's points are in the six figures? Never mind, then.
Another strange thing: Amane didn't seem to plan on eating with her. As soon as the food was ready, she urged Horikita to start eating while she busied herself in the kitchen.
Eating alone felt a bit improper, but under Amane's insistence, Horikita began eating slowly.
A short while later, a plate of beef was brought out.
It looked completely unseasoned.
Horikita found it odd.
"Doesn't the beef need any seasoning? Do you need help?"
Thinking Amane was overwhelmed, Horikita stood to assist, but Amane pressed her back down.
"Plain boiled beef is very nourishing, Suzune! You just need to eat it up, big mouthfuls!"
After saying that, Amane pecked her on the cheek, then skipped back into the kitchen.
Lastly, there was a porridge that only needed minimal preparation. With this, dinner was complete.
When Amane finally emerged with the porridge, Horikita breathed a sigh of relief. If Amane kept adding dishes, she'd have wondered if they were eating for the next two days.
But when she saw the porridge, she was taken aback.
It looked like red bean porridge, but the color was unusually dark—almost as if soy sauce had been added. Could this really taste good?
Horikita lifted the bowl and took a small sip.
"So sweet!"
An intensely sweet and cloying flavor spread rapidly across her taste buds. This level of sweetness was just strange! Red bean porridge is usually a little sweet, but this was over the top.
"What did you add to this?"
"Brown sugar."
Brown sugar… in red bean porridge? What kind of combination is that?
The whole meal tonight felt a bit odd.
Just as Horikita was pondering why Amane had suddenly decided to cook such strange dishes, she began to feel a growing warmth spreading through her body.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.