Shiina Hiyori stood up and walked lightly to the refrigerator. She pulled the door open and looked back at Shikime Natsu.
"Natsu, would you like something to drink?"
"Then I'll trouble you," Shikime Natsu replied while wiping the washed dishes.
"Well then..." Shiina Hiyori tapped her chin lightly with her finger, her gaze sweeping over the drinks in the fridge.
"What kind of juice would Natsu like to drink? Apple juice or orange juice? Or perhaps milk?"
Shikime Natsu turned around, his gaze following Shiina Hiyori's finger.
In the refrigerator's cooling compartment, three large bottles of beverages were arranged neatly: orange juice, apple juice, and a carton of milk.
Looking at this familiar lineup, Shikime Natsu couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
These three drinks...
Why were they the exact same types he had prepared when hosting Shiina Hiyori in his dorm before?
Furthermore, looking closely, the seals on these three drinks were completely intact. It was obvious they had been bought recently, perhaps even specially prepared for tonight.
Could it be...
Seemingly noticing Shikime Natsu's thoughtful gaze, Shiina Hiyori, who had been relatively calm, instantly felt a flush of redness fly onto her cheeks again.
"T-That..." She waved her hands somewhat flusteredly, hastily opening her mouth to explain. "Because... I wasn't quite sure exactly what flavor of drink Natsu likes to drink..."
"So I thought, if it's the drinks Natsu often prepares to host guests, then maybe there's one that Natsu himself likes to drink too, right?"
"If you don't like them... I also have tea and plain water here..."
Looking at the girl's nervous appearance, as if she were terrified he wouldn't like them, Shikime Natsu couldn't help but chuckle softly.
"No need to be so nervous," he said gently, a trace of joy in his eyes. "I like them very much. I'd like to drink orange juice, please."
He sighed in admiration inwardly.
As expected of a literary girl who likes reading mystery and suspense novels. This level of observation, along with this level of thoughtfulness, is truly quite delicate.
Just through the types of drinks he prepared in his dorm, she was able to deduce his preferences and prepare them in advance.
Being treated so carefully really was deeply moving.
"Phew..." Hearing Shikime Natsu's answer, Shiina Hiyori let out a long sigh of relief, a smile reappearing on her face.
"That's good."
She took out the bottle of orange juice, unscrewed the cap, and slowly poured the juice into two transparent glass cups.
By the time Shikime Natsu had neatly stacked the washed dishes on the draining rack, dried his hands, and returned to sit at the small table, that cup of orange juice was already sitting there quietly.
"Please enjoy."
"Thank you."
Shikime Natsu picked up the cup and took a gentle sip.
The perfectly balanced sweet and sour taste melted on the tip of his tongue, and the ice-cold liquid slid down his throat, washing away a trace of heat.
Although the current weather couldn't be considered hot yet, after eating a piping hot stew, drinking a glass of ice-cold orange juice was indeed a very cozy enjoyment.
Neither of them spoke again. The room returned to that unique tranquility.
This feeling... was somewhat like when the two of them read together in the library.
There was no need to deliberately search for topics, no need to rack their brains to avoid awkward silences.
Just sitting face-to-face like this, each holding a cup of drink, staying together quietly—it made one's heart feel incomparably calm and comfortable.
After a while.
Shiina Hiyori put down the cup in her hand, stood up, walked to the desk, and picked up the book she had just been reading.
She casually flipped it open.
That exquisite bookmark tucked between the pages, depicting a chibi version of herself, immediately caught her eye.
Looking at her tranquil, smiling self on the bookmark, the corners of Shiina Hiyori's mouth unconsciously curled into a soft arc.
No matter how many times she looked at it, a surge of warmth would well up in her heart.
"It's really cute..."
She gently stroked the bookmark, turned her head to look at Shikime Natsu, and spoke with sincere eyes. "I really, really love this gift Natsu gave me."
"This is... one of the most meaningful gifts I have ever received."
"Hehe, that's good," Shikime Natsu responded with a smile. Even if it was just 'one of', that was already very good. After all, there probably weren't many gifts that could earn the appraisal of 'most meaningful' in this beautiful girl's heart; most of them were likely gifts from her parents.
Shikime Natsu didn't think that a single bookmark he gave could easily triumph over the value of the gifts the girl's parents had given her in her heart.
Right at this moment.
As if suddenly thinking of something, Shiina Hiyori's fingers curled slightly. She looked at Shikime Natsu with some hesitation, her eyes flickering a few times, seemingly psyching herself up.
After several seconds passed, she finally mustered up her courage and asked, pretending to be casual, "By the way... speaking of which, I still don't know when Natsu's birthday is?"
Having asked this sentence, her heartbeat couldn't help but speed up a few beats.
Although on the surface it just looked like a casual question, only she herself knew how much courage she had spent to ask it.
After all... asking for someone of the opposite sex's birthday inherently carried a somewhat intimate implication.
To prevent Shikime Natsu from misunderstanding anything (although she definitely did have a little something in her heart), she hastily added an explanation.
"Um... because Natsu gave me such a precious bookmark, I also want to prepare a return gift for Natsu..."
"If I don't know your birthday, I'll miss the timing to give the gift."
Looking at the girl's cute appearance, trying hard to hide her nervousness yet only making it more obvious, the smile in Shikime Natsu's eyes deepened.
He didn't expose the girl's little thoughts, but answered generously. "My birthday is April 1st."
"April 1st?" Shiina Hiyori froze for a moment, then blinked. "April Fools' Day?"
"Yeah." Shikime Natsu shrugged, his tone relaxed. "Isn't it a very special day? It feels like a joke."
"No, I think it's very interesting," Shiina Hiyori shook her head and said seriously. "That way, it will definitely leave a deep impression on people."
"Well then..." Shikime Natsu took the opportunity to ask in return. "When is Hiyori's birthday?"
"Since you know my birthday, as an exchange, it's only fair that I know Hiyori's birthday too, right?"
"My birthday?" Shiina Hiyori pursed her lips into a smile, her voice soft. "It's on January 21st."
"January 21st..."
Shikime Natsu nodded, silently memorizing this date in his heart.
"I've memorized it," he looked at Shiina Hiyori and promised. "When Hiyori's birthday comes, I will prepare a gift for you."
"Mhm! Then I will also remember Natsu's birthday!" Shiina Hiyori responded happily.
However...
While being happy, a tiny hint of regret couldn't help but well up in her heart.
April 1st...
At that time, she hadn't even met Shikime Natsu yet.
This year's birthday had already passed. If she wanted to celebrate Shikime Natsu's birthday, she would have to wait until April 1st of next year.
She still had to wait for a long, long time...
If only...
If only she could have met Shikime Natsu a little earlier.
The girl sighed softly in her heart.
But, regret aside, the future was still worth looking forward to.
Although next year's birthday was still very far away, but...
A flash of inspiration suddenly struck Shiina Hiyori's mind.
If birthdays weren't counted...
Compared to the distant April of next year, the closest holiday to now should be... Christmas, right?
Although it was only just early summer now, and there was still more than half a year until winter.
But for a delicate-minded girl, starting to think about a gift for someone she wanted to give a present to half a year in advance wasn't a strange thing at all.
What kind of gift would be best to give?
Shiina Hiyori fell into deep thought.
Although she usually got along very happily with Shikime Natsu and they had many common topics, thinking back carefully, she actually didn't know much about Shikime Natsu's personal information.
She only knew that he also liked reading, was good at cooking, and had excellent drawing skills...
Besides these, what else did he like?
If she gave a book... she usually recommended books for Shikime Natsu to read anyway, so giving a book wouldn't have much meaning, unless it was the one written by her father, but she had already given that to him.
If she gave painting supplies... she wasn't entirely sure if Shikime Natsu, who was good at drawing, already had a complete set of professional painting tools. Shiina Hiyori didn't want the gift she gave to just end up gathering dust.
As for kitchenware... Shiina Hiyori had also seen the kitchenware Shikime Natsu used in his own kitchen. It was very expensive; at the very least, an average student basically wouldn't use such pricey kitchenware. If she really had to give a better one, Shiina Hiyori felt she simply couldn't do it.
The girl was thinking with a serious face, her fingers gently twirling the strands of hair by her ear. The single ponytail she had tied up for cooking hadn't been let down, revealing her fair neck, looking exceptionally beautiful.
It had to be said, the so-called beautiful girl was someone who, just by simply sitting there, could form a stunning scenic view on her own.
Well... besides the single ponytail not being let down, the girl's apron hadn't been untied either. She was a bit scatterbrained. Shikime Natsu also wanted to see when Shiina Hiyori would finally notice that she was still wearing an apron.
Shiina Hiyori noticed Shikime Natsu's gaze, looking at him with some confusion in her purple eyes.
"Natsu, is something wrong?"
"I was wondering when Hiyori planned to take off the apron," Shikime Natsu said with a light chuckle.
"Eh?"
Prompted by Shikime Natsu's words, Shiina Hiyori slightly lowered her head and saw the apron still worn on her body. So... she had been wearing this apron the entire time they were eating just now? How truly embarrassing! Shikime Natsu was really mean too, clearly knowing she hadn't taken it off but not saying anything to her the whole time.
And he had even praised her keen observation skills! To think she would actually be so scatterbrained at a time like this. When she brought out the dishes, Shiina Hiyori had been solely thinking about what evaluation Shikime Natsu would give her cooking, so she completely didn't notice she was still wearing the apron. Shiina Hiyori's face flushed red; she had embarrassed herself, and right in front of Shikime Natsu to boot.
Shiina Hiyori hurriedly reached her hands behind her back, wanting to untie the knot at her waist as quickly as possible. Because she was a bit anxious, the girl's careless tugging actually turned the slipknot into a dead knot. Great, now she had really thoroughly embarrassed herself.
She had clearly wanted to behave quite generously and properly in front of Shikime Natsu, yet because of this kind of small matter, she had shown off a slightly clumsy side of herself. For the girl, this was truly dreadful.
The girl's hands were somewhat anxious, fumbling around behind her back. Because of her movements, the curves on her front became much more pronounced.
Shikime Natsu stood up and walked behind Shiina Hiyori.
"Hiyori, let me help you."
Hearing these words, Shiina Hiyori nodded in agreement, then stood up and lowered the two small hands that were originally placed behind her back.
"Mhm, then I'll trouble you, Natsu."
Shikime Natsu came behind Shiina Hiyori. Without any deliberate effort, the clear fragrance belonging to the girl naturally entered Shikime Natsu's nose.
And Shiina Hiyori was also quite nervous at this time. Shikime Natsu was standing right behind her. She felt a warm breath from behind; even though Shikime Natsu wasn't touching her, Shiina Hiyori could still feel it.
At this moment, those small hands didn't know where to rest, occasionally opening, and then clenching tightly again.
Shikime Natsu carefully looked at the knot and quickly noticed that Shiina Hiyori's waist was quite slender, easily grasped in one hand. Because the apron was tied a bit tightly right now, compared to when she wore the school uniform, the girl's figure appeared even more slender.
Of course, without taking too much time, Shikime Natsu quickly untied the knot; he didn't want to make Shiina Hiyori too embarrassed either.
"All done."
Shikime Natsu straightened up and then walked back to the front of Shiina Hiyori.
"Mhm, thank you." Shiina Hiyori nodded, taking off the apron, her small face still flushed red. After hanging the apron up properly, she returned to her seat and picked up the ice-cold orange juice to cool down, cool down.
"Hiyori, I haven't finished reading this book yet, can I borrow it for now?" Shikime Natsu picked up the book he had just been reading.
"Of course, no problem." Shiina Hiyori nodded gently, but she felt a slight sense of peculiarity in her heart. He's leaving already? ...It's a bit regrettable.
"Then thank you very much, I'll get going first, Hiyori, goodbye." Shikime Natsu picked up the book in his hand and smiled at Shiina Hiyori.
"Mhm, bye-bye. Also... good luck on your midterm exams, Natsu." A faint smile once again hung on Shiina Hiyori's face.
"Mhm, you too."
Shikime Natsu nodded, then walked to the door. Shiina Hiyori put down the orange juice in her hand and followed behind Shikime Natsu all the way to the dorm entrance, just standing at the door to watch him leave.
"By the way, if Hiyori likes the bookmarks I made, next time I will make another set for you," Shikime Natsu said with a soft chuckle, looking at the girl who wore a smile but appeared slightly lonely.
"Mhm!"
Shiina Hiyori nodded, a glimmer of light flashing in her purple eyes.
After watching Shikime Natsu's back disappear down the corridor, Shiina Hiyori finally returned to her room. When would the 'next time' Shikime Natsu mentioned be? Would it be tomorrow? Or the day after? Or... their agreed-upon Wednesday every week?
Shiina Hiyori's gaze fell on that glass cup on the table; it was the orange juice Shikime Natsu had drunk, and now only the empty glass remained.
____
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