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After school.

Sayu came to someone's house.

When I saw Kato Yusuke wearing an apron appeared in front of me, he said "yo" and raised his hand to greet her.

Sayu couldn't help but be silent for a while, then tilted his head slightly and asked: "What are you doing...?"

"Fried chicken nuggets and miso soup."

"so……"

"Since you're here, come and help me. My skills are not as good as yours."

"……Huh?"

Kato Yusuke smiled, ignored her dazed state, directly reached out to hold her wrist, took her into the room, and closed the door with a bang.

The girl was like a puppet on strings. Under his guidance, the girl took off her shoes and came to the kitchen counter together.

The induction cooker was buzzing, with a frying pan filled with half the volume of oil placed on it, and next to it were quick-frozen fried chicken pieces bought from the supermarket.

There was also a large plastic bag with a supermarket logo printed on it, which contained miso paste and some other ingredients.

The small kitchen counter was crowded, giving people a messy and disorganized feeling.

"Are you alone today? Where is Yuko?" Kato Yusuke asked, naturally helping her take off her backpack from her shoulders and hang it on the back of the chair.

"Yuko said she had something to do, so she went back today... No! Why did you put the apron on me?"

"Didn't I just say that? Come and help make dinner, and we'll eat together."

"I don't remember ever agreeing to such a thing...!" Sayu stared at him intently, her eyebrows on both sides lowered to the middle in displeasure.

"Although I can make it, it won't taste as good as yours."

"I'm not talking about this, I have something to say to you."

Kato Yusuke smiled and said, "Let's do it first, and then slowly tell me what happened in school."

"...!"

"Why are you looking at me like that? How do you think you can hide that low mood from me?"

Sayu's eyes suddenly became complicated, and he had mixed feelings in his heart. Then he opened his red lips lightly and said, "This kind of thing about you sometimes makes me feel very annoying."

Yusuke tilted his head slightly and said with a smile: "Your tone is not convincing, I will pretend not to notice it."

The girl silently withdrew her gaze, suppressed all the thoughts in her heart, and put her hands behind her back, ready to tie the apron string.

Kato Yusuke then said: "Don't move, I'll help you."

As he spoke, he walked up behind the other party, picked up two ties from a pair of hands, tied a bow on the back of his graceful waist, and praised in a low voice.

"suitable for you."

"..."

Sayu remained silent, her small and delicate ears glowing with a light red color like peach blossoms. She didn't look back at him, just picked up the long chopsticks and dropped the chicken pieces into the frying pan.

Crack, crackle.

Come on, come on.

The chicken pieces are tumbling in the golden hot oil, and gradually turn from white to golden yellow as time goes by.

Feeling that time was almost up, Sayu picked up the chicken pieces with chopsticks and drained the oil. Kato Yusuke took a plate covered with oil-absorbing paper and placed it in a convenient place for her.

Put all the fried chicken pieces into the plate.

The two began to prepare miso soup.

While the girl was frying chicken nuggets, Kato Yusuke had already prepared all the ingredients in advance, and all that was left was cooking and seasoning.

Sayu changed a new pot to collect water and placed it on the induction cooker.

After about 5 or 6 minutes, the water temperature in the pot is close to boiling, but it has not yet boiled.

Just as Sayu was about to ask for ingredients, a plate with chopped onions and potatoes was handed over.

This made her slightly startled, but she didn't say anything. She quietly put the ingredients into the pot and returned the plate.

There was a gap of several beats.

Sayu's eyes began to look for pork and wakame.

And these two things appeared in front of her before she spoke.

Although some people cook the pork first and then the wakame at this step, her habit is to cook the two together.

Sayu frowned slightly suspiciously and glanced at someone. What came into his eyes was a quietly smiling face. The gaze falling on her was very strange, as if he was looking at her and through her.

Looking at something else.

She pursed her lips and put the sliced ​​pork and wakame into the pot.

Immediately afterwards.

Spoons, chopsticks, and miso paste were also handed over.

Sayu took it in her hand with a delay and took an appropriate amount of miso paste on the spoon.

While stirring the soup in the pot with long chopsticks, he observed someone with his peripheral vision.

A strange emotion couldn't help but arise in my heart.

Just like her behavior patterns are seen through by others, the other party can always know what she wants beforehand and will give it to her at the right time.

It was not a deliberate observation, but more like a habit developed in life, a kind of silent understanding.

This gave her the illusion that the two of them had been living together for a long time...

The summer breeze blows slowly into the room.

The aroma of food overflows from the pot, intertwining with the fragrance in the air.

A leisurely and comfortable atmosphere quietly filled the room.

Gurgling, gurgling, gurgling.

The harmonious melody lingered in his ears, and Sayu's heart gradually became calm.

"...Is there any rice?"

she asked softly.

"Yes, I'll serve the rice."

Kato Yusuke nodded, took out two sets of bowls and chopsticks from the cupboard, and filled the rice cooker with rice for the two of them.

"...Miso soup, would you like it saltier or lighter?"

"No matter what, if you are unhappy today, it doesn't matter if you get a little salty."

"oh……"

Sayu responded and reached out to turn off the power of the induction cooker.

This was the first communication between the two since cooking, but it was very natural.

Serve rice, miso soup, and fried chicken pieces in sequence.

Kato Yusuke put the kimchi bought from the supermarket into a small dish and took two bottles of oolong tea.

"Is it okay for you to drink this?"

"Can."

Shado nodded in agreement.

Although it was different from her original purpose, and Yuko was not around, in the current atmosphere, she didn't mind having dinner with someone.

The two sat down facing each other.

""I'm gonna start now.""

Kato Yusuke was the first to pick up the soup bowl and sip the soup. The rich salty taste filled his mouth, which made his mouth feel hot and nostalgic.

"It still tastes good." He let out a sigh of relief and couldn't help but sigh.

"Or?" Sayu raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Just keep making miso soup for me from now on."

"...Are you teasing me on purpose?"

Kato Yusuke raised the corner of his mouth with a hint of meaning, brought up the topic, and asked: "So what happened at the school?"

Sayu paused for a moment, then responded softly: "Shibata-sensei asked Saito to come to class, I couldn't stop it, I'm sorry..."

She lowered her gaze and stared at the table, feeling a little sad.

The room fell silent for a moment.

"so."

"...I tried telling the teacher about you, but he told me to leave it alone and said that you can only return to school after the punishment is over."

"Um."

"Obviously it shouldn't be like this, I can't help you, I'm sorry..."

The girl's voice became softer and softer, and there was a sense of depression in her listless words.
To be continued...