After preparing all the ingredients for the pork soup, Akira slowly sliced the pork, stir-fried it in the pot, and then added the prepared ingredients and broth.
While waiting for the ingredients to soften, he took out a bag of rice from under the cabinet, turned on the rice cooker, and steamed enough for about three people.
Sajuna stood at the kitchen doorway, watching Akira move busily inside. Her face was expressionless, lost in thought.
Akira wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, looked at the message that popped up in the system, and couldn't help but smile.
When he turned his head, he saw Sajuna toss her hair and leave the doorway, heading to the living room to look after her sister.
Akira thought to himself, This can't be tsundere, can it?
Then again, tsundere was also very cute.
Before long, both the pork soup and rice were ready.
Akira took out bowls and chopsticks from the cabinet and called out, "Sajuna, dinner's ready."
Making too much by himself wasn't good; it would make people think he had ulterior motives. Most importantly, he needed to get Sajuna used to doing things with him.
Sajuna came into the kitchen and helped Akira serve the food. Seeing that he had prepared enough for two people, she was about to leave but hesitated before saying, "You should eat here too."
After saying that, she seemed to gather immense courage, as if she had found a reasonable excuse. "You must be tired from working until now, and you even helped us cook. You should eat here with us too!"
As she spoke, she looked at Akira, her earlobes slightly warm and her head a little dizzy.
Akira heard her and wanted to gently pat her head. Instead, he smiled and said, "Alright, thank you for the treat, Sajuna."
"Thank you for your help, Aizawa-ge," Shinju said, sitting up straight from the sofa.
She straightened her body, and to Akira's surprise, she wasn't much shorter than him when he stood up.
Shinju's developing too fast, Akira thought. Whether judged by male or female standards, her figure and height already surpassed those of many university students. She was in a league of her own.
Sajuna, on the other hand, was like a smaller replica of Shinju. Even though she was a year older, she still looked adorably cute — endearing to anyone who saw her.
They were all adults now, just like him.
"It's nothing, just cooking for you. It benefits me too," Akira said. Whether his reason was to get closer to Sajuna or to gain cooking experience, he couldn't say it out loud.
Together, Akira and Sajuna moved a small dining table, brought the dishes from the kitchen, and served two bowls of rice from the rice cooker.
"Didn't I say you should eat with us?" Sajuna said coldly.
"You two eat first; I'll eat later. After all, you're girls. If I eat too much and you don't get enough, that'd be bad. If you're afraid I'll do anything bad, I'm willing to prove I won't," Akira replied.
"Shinju-chan, dinner's ready," Akira called out, sounding even more affectionate than Sajuna.
Shinju glanced at her sister, then nodded slightly. "I'll dig in."
The two sisters picked up their small bowls — together holding less than half of Akira's portion — and began eating.
"Oishii! Brother Akira's cooking is so delicious!" Shinju exclaimed in surprise. Even though she'd been prepared, Akira's exceptional skill still shocked her.
This level of cooking was completely beyond what she expected from a university student!
Moreover, the chef himself was a boy her sister's age. Compared to him, wouldn't her sister seem…?
Shinju thought so and sneaked a glance at Sajuna, only to find her sister glaring back with a flushed face.
"Shinju, no talking," Sajuna snapped. She knew her sister too well and could easily read her thoughts.
Losing to a boy my age in cooking isn't shameful! Sajuna told herself, comforting her pride. He works at a restaurant — of course he's learned more. It's just experience, nothing impressive!
Akira watched the sisters' faces turn red. He didn't know what they were thinking, but he found them both rather cute — especially Sajuna, whose tsundere expression as she ate made him want to tease her.
"Sajuna, how do you find the taste of the food?" he asked playfully.
Her face turned bright red, and the hand holding her bowl froze. After five long seconds, she managed to say softly, "It's very delicious. Thank you for your hospitality."
Seeing her reaction, Akira decided not to push it further. It would be bad if he overdid it and made her dislike him.
He just needed Sajuna to gradually accept his presence — naturally.
Just like how he now sat naturally at her dining table, naturally watched her eat from her small bowl, naturally washed the dishes with her afterward, naturally shared these small moments…
Adult love should be like this — supporting each other through thick and thin.
After everything was tidied up, Akira put on his backpack, ready to go home.
Shinju had already been sent to her room by Sajuna to rest. In the living room, only Akira with his backpack and Sajuna in her loungewear remained.
"Sajuna-chan, can we exchange contact information? If there's a next time, I hope I can help you make a late-night snack again," Akira said with a smile that made the request seem natural.
Sajuna stared at his face for two seconds before taking out her phone. "There won't be a next time."
Akira also took out his phone, added her on LINE, and replied, "Still, I hope to help Inui-san however I can."
"Well then, see you later?" Akira asked, raising his phone slightly.
"See you later."
Akira nodded, opened the door without lingering, and stepped out.
Outside, the night was pitch-black. A crow flew by, adding a touch of life to the silence — and a strange hint of unease.
Sajuna stood at the doorway, gripping the door frame as she watched Akira walk away. Her lips parted slightly, but she didn't call out.
She sighed with faint regret, closed the door slowly, and turned back inside.
Shinju stood at her bedroom door, watching her sister. Sajuna looked back at her, puzzled. "Shinju, what's wrong?"
Shinju asked cautiously, "Sister… you didn't want Brother Akira to leave, did you?"
Sajuna froze. "How could you think that? I've only met him twice! What you're saying is impossible."
"But Sister," Shinju said softly, "you already brought him home, and he called you Sajuna — you didn't object."
Sajuna paused, then turned away. "Of course not. He's just being persistent."
Then, regaining a bit of confidence, she added, "Maybe he's just faking it. You might be getting tricked, Shinju. Go to sleep!"
She hurried into her bedroom and shut the door tight, muttering to herself with a burning face, "No way, no way! You're kidding, right? We've only met a few times!"
Then, quieter: "That guy doesn't seem like the type to lie, though…"
Shy Sajuna-->