Sajuna froze there, uncharacteristically unresponsive.
Akira must have confessed to her!
He must have confessed!
What should she do? Why wasn't she ready yet?
Could she not agree just yet?
Akira-kun was progressing too quickly, wasn't he?
If she rejected him, Akira-kun would surely be disheartened, right?
Would Akira-kun then avoid her, or even deliberately hide from her?
Sajuna's head was spinning, her brain overloaded for a moment, and she stammered to the dazed Akira in front of her, "Too fast, it's still too fast."
Akira was momentarily stunned. What was too fast?
Could it be that Sajuna had interpreted his previous words as a veiled confession?
It was possible. His earlier words had been quite direct, and the affection they contained was obvious to anyone with a brain.
In such a situation, no one would genuinely interpret his words about 'being friends' as simply meaning 'being friends.'
It clearly meant he wanted to be in a relationship!
But Sajuna's reaction was really so cute!
It seemed she had already mentally prepared herself to accept him, and her words sounded like she was getting ready to accept.
"Too fast" probably meant that they hadn't known each other long enough, hadn't experienced enough together, and she still felt a bit resistant.
However, that was fine too; only by understanding each other could they have a better relationship.
Adult love always looked further ahead, and Akira was aiming for marriage with Sajuna.
Akira also didn't press his advantage or pester her.
In his view, at this stage, victory was in sight. He had the advantage, and his favorability was almost maxed out, so there was no need to worry about the relationship going south.
He felt like he was nurturing a sapling; the more meticulously he cared for it, the taller and stronger it would grow in the future.
His current efforts of watering and fertilizing were all for a better harvest in the future.
Thinking this, Akira raised the bowl in his hand, as if he hadn't heard Sajuna's words, and extended the spoon.
"Sajuna-chan, ah! Finish the porridge in the bowl first."
Sajuna looked up at Akira. His bright eyes showed no fluctuation because of her earlier words; he was as gentle as if he hadn't heard anything.
She slowly opened her mouth, but her eyes didn't leave Akira. After observing him for a while, she slowly lowered her head.
Akira-kun didn't pay attention to what I said.
A little joy suddenly bloomed in her heart, but she also felt a bit embarrassed to blame Akira.
She had been so proactive; shouldn't Akira-kun have shown some response?
Even a simple acknowledgment would have been nice.
But she couldn't bring herself to blame him. After all, Akira-kun had also not responded to her words out of consideration for her feelings.
Two completely different thoughts cycled through Sajuna's mind.
That's how teenage girls are: if their lover is too enthusiastic, they find it abrupt; if their lover is reserved, they feel their charm isn't enough.
Even adult girls can't escape this rule.
Girls are such cute and wonderful creatures.
The two silently finished the last of the porridge in the bowl. Akira placed the bowl back on the table, gently laid Sajuna flat on the bed, and carefully pulled up the blanket. He held the corner of the blanket and tugged gently, ensuring Sajuna was well covered, then softly said, "Sleep a bit more. When you wake up, your cold will be better."
"Mm." Sajuna nodded inside the covers, but her eyes didn't close; instead, she watched the busy Akira.
Akira turned around and looked at the quiet Sajuna. "If you don't sleep, I'll have to punish you."
Sajuna then obediently closed her eyes and soon fell into a deep sleep.
Only then did Akira stand up, tidy the bowl, gently open the bedroom door, and walk out.
He tidied up in the kitchen, then returned to the living room, picked up the half-read book, and continued reading.
As dusk approached, the sky turned a pale pinkish-yellow. The distant buildings shimmered with dazzling golden light under the sun's rays.
Crows flew by outside, and the sounds of passing vehicles and people talking on the street grew louder.
The sound of a key unlocking the door came from the entrance. Akira looked up at the window.
It was already evening; Shinju must be home from school.
Walking to the door, Shinju had just opened it and walked in. Seeing a stranger, she recoiled half a step, almost wanting to scream.
Akira quickly took two steps, came in front of her, and made a "shhh" gesture.
Only then did Shinju clearly see the person in front of her. She had thought someone had broken into their home with ill intentions.
Her sister was sick; it would be terrible if she were murdered.
Akira quickly explained in a low voice, "I'm here to take care of Sajuna."
Shinju's defensive posture lessened slightly, but she still didn't believe the young man who had suddenly appeared in her home.
"Your sister had some porridge and is now sleeping in her room," Akira said.
He then took the bag from Shinju's hand. "If you're worried, you can go check now."
"You're Akira-ge?" Shinju asked.
"That's right. I heard Inui-san was sick, so I came to take care of her," Akira admitted. He not only had to earn favorability with the older sister but also with the younger sister!
"Then, how is Older Sister now?" Shinju asked worriedly.
"Much better than at noon. She's a bit more energetic than before," Akira replied.
He estimated that Sajuna's cold should improve in less than three days, as cold medicine doesn't directly cure a cold but rather helps the body's immune system fight it.
"How long did Inui-san usually take to recover from a cold before?" Akira asked.
"Older Sister usually took about less than a week to recover from a cold," Shinju thought for a moment before answering. "Thank you for taking care of her, Akira-ge. It's all my fault for infecting Older Sister, and I couldn't even take care of her all the time."
"It's nothing, Inui-san and I are friends, after all," Akira said nonchalantly.
"Shinju, what do you want for dinner?"
"Eh?!"
"Because I cooked porridge for Inui-san after noon, dinner hasn't been prepared yet. Shinju, is there anything you'd like to eat?"
Akira asked.
"I, I can eat anything," Shinju said shyly, vaguely feeling like she had become a guest in her own home.
The Akira in front of her was the true master of the house, entertaining her, an uninvited guest, while the mistress of the house was ill.
"Can I help you in the kitchen?" Shinju asked.
"Shinju, just take care of Older Sister! I'll handle the kitchen!" Akira walked into the kitchen, put on an apron, and said to Shinju.
"Thank you, Akira-ge!" Shinju bowed, then tiptoed off to check on her sister.
Akira stood in the kitchen, thinking for a while, and finally decided to skip work today. He pulled out his phone and sent a message to his boss asking for leave.
First, focus on taking care of Sajuna, Akira encouraged himself.
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