A deep voice echoed in the room. Kato Yusuke sat on the edge of the bed, holding an English textbook in his hand and reciting the vocabulary word for word.
"Gulu...Gulu...Gulu"
"Zizzi...zizi...zizi"
Steam from the fat rises from the pot.
Her long brown hair was tied back into a bun, her delicate ears exposed, and Sayu, wearing an apron, was busy in the kitchen.
The young man reads and the young girl cooks.
The atmosphere inside the house is quiet and peaceful, and everything looks so beautiful.
The first ray of sunshine in the morning shines through. The silk-like sunshine passes through the morning light and spreads with clear and moving light.
It's 7:30 a.m. Tokyo time.
Kato Yusuke closed the book, closed his eyes and recalled the vocabulary he had memorized before, and kept chanting silently.
One of the straight legs is bent and the other is straightened, the head is leaning back on the bed at a 45-degree angle, the elbows are resting on the edge of the bed, and the English textbook is held between the index and middle fingers of the right hand.
He looks lazy and casual, but his expression is very serious.
Two completely opposite temperaments appeared in him at the same time, which gave him a different kind of charm.
"good."
Kato Yusuke exhaled softly, then opened his eyes suddenly and put a check mark on today's schedule.
"The tasks set in Article 2 are completed."
He stood up and started packing his things.
Textbooks, notebooks, question banks, stationery.
He put the things that the school would use today into his schoolbag one by one. Then he turned his head, looked at the kitchen, thought for a while and said.
"I'm sorry that you couldn't have a good rest because of me. You don't have to prepare breakfast tomorrow, and lunch boxes too. And there is also a cafeteria in the school, so you don't have to work too hard..."
Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted.
"That's not possible."
Sayu said in a gentle yet firm tone, and then walked out from behind the kitchen counter, carrying a lunch box wrapped in black velvet.
"Here, lunch~"
The drawn-out sentence sounds very cute, just like the girl herself.
"You have to finish eating well."
Sayu instructed, with his hands behind his back and looking at Kato Yusuke with a smile.
"……knew."
Kato Yusuke nodded in agreement, put the lunch box into his schoolbag, then picked up his schoolbag and walked towards the entrance, with Sayu following closely behind.
"Speaking of which, I received last month's wages yesterday."
Kato Yusuke said while changing his shoes.
"Um?"
Sayu looked at Kato Yusuke with some confusion, wondering why he suddenly mentioned this.
But this question will soon be answered.
Kato Yusuke stood up, knocked the leather shoes on his feet gently on the ground, and said in a casual tone.
"...In the envelope on the table is the 30,000 yen I took out yesterday. Please put that away."
After saying that, he paused and continued without waiting for Sayu to speak.
"This money is at your disposal to buy the ingredients you need every day, because I will probably be busy until next month and may not be able to allocate time to do these."
"You can use the rest as pocket money."
(Actually, I originally wanted to use it as pocket money, but she would definitely refuse, so let’s start little by little.)
Kato Yusuke couldn't help but think of this.
really--
"Huh……"
Sayu's face showed confusion.
"No, I'll buy the ingredients. If it's pocket money, forget it."
She waved her hands repeatedly and said.
Kato Yusuke couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"But you don't have any money, right? In such an empty home, it's hard to live without entertainment every day, isn't it?"
"It's enough that you are willing to let me live here."
Sayu said politely.
"Is that so?" Kato Yusuke pondered for a moment, and then said thoughtfully: "Then save the change. We can also go out to eat once in a while."
"Eh?"
Sayu was stunned for a moment, looked at Kato Yusuke and said with some trouble: "Is this okay...?"
It was mixed with a little excitement and expectation, but more of it was still apprehension, a very vivid feeling.
Kato Yusuke couldn't help but smile, looking at Sayu with the corners of his mouth raised.
"What's okay? You obviously look very happy."
There was a hint of ridicule in his tone.
Sayu's face turned red with embarrassment, she pursed her lips tightly and said coyly.
"If Yusuke can..."
After finishing speaking, without waiting for Kato Yusuke to say anything else, Sayu put her hands on Kato Yusuke's shoulders and kept urging her.
"Okay, okay, Yusuke, hurry up and go out, otherwise you will be late for school."
Then Kato Yusuke was pushed out of the room by her.
Although the temperature has begun to warm up in April, it is still a bit cool in the morning.
At this time, a cold wind blew, and Kato Yusuke, who was standing outside the door, couldn't help but shiver.
He tightened the collar of his clothes and raised his hand to knock on the door.
"What--?"
Sayu's voice came from the other side, but the door was not opened.
(This should be my home, right?)
Kato Yusuke couldn't help but thought a little speechlessly, but he still had the patience to say something inside.
"...It's nothing. Remember to pay attention to safety when you go out, and..."
he added.
"I am leaving."
Then he walked downstairs to the apartment, the sound of footsteps getting farther and farther away.
Inside the door.
Sayu sat down slowly with his back against the door of the room, with a smile that seemed to make him feel reassured. He placed his hands on his chest and responded softly.
"Be careful on the road..."
…
School.
After studying hard all morning, it was finally time for lunch break.
The students left the classroom one after another and gathered in small groups, either going to the cafeteria or the canteen to prepare for lunch.
Of course, many people choose to stay in the classroom to eat lunch, and Kato Yusuke is one of them.
"...I don't like natto."
This was his first sentence after opening the lunch box.
"In that case, let me help you solve it. As a reward, please give me two pieces, no, a piece of fried chicken!"
"Ah——! I want that too!"
It's still a familiar recipe, it's still a familiar taste, and... it's still the familiar duo.
Yamaguchi Takashi and Takei Ichiro.
The two of them were snickering while staring at the bento in front of Kato Yusuke - fried chicken + rice balls + fried vegetables.
He was still holding the chopsticks that he had conjured up from nowhere in his hand, and was gradually approaching Kato Yusuke's food box.
But he dodged it nimbly.
Kato Yusuke held a bento with one hand, looked at Yamaguchi and Takei thoughtfully, and asked.
"...You really want to eat?"
The two of them nodded wildly, and their eyes exuded a deep desire called appetite.
"Really……"
Kato Yusuke nodded, placed the lunch on the table, then took a deep breath and said sternly.