While selecting groceries and waiting in line at the cashier, Miyahito received a message from his younger sister.
「Brother, Father agreed! He even said he'll drive me to Tokyo tomorrow (lol).」
Seeing the cute kaomoji, Miyahito smiled as he pictured his adorable younger sister.
His fingers typed out a reply, but right before hitting send, he hesitated and deleted it.
He opened his camera, pointed it at his shopping cart full of items, and took a picture.
「Mhm. Tomorrow, Big Brother will make your favorite lotus leaf steamed chicken.」
「Yay! I love you the most, Brother! Hehehe.」
Feeling her excitement through the text messages, Miyahito's smile grew even more affectionate.
My Ayase really is the cutest!
After exchanging a few more messages and confirming her arrival time for tomorrow, he was about to put his phone away when...
Suddenly, he felt a faint, lingering gaze from behind him.
Instinctively, he turned around.
Huh? She's Kasumigaoka's younger sister.
Glancing at the girl holding a small basket behind him, he thought curiously, 'Just two bags of chips? That's it?' He gave a friendly nod and casually looked away.
But upon further reflection.
Kasumigaoka's younger sister's personality is nothing like Senpai's.
If it weren't for their facial resemblance being about eighty percent, he would never have guessed that this shy girl, who always kept her head down and seemed uncomfortable with eye contact, was the younger sister of that arrogant, aloof Senpai.
'This world really is full of wonders.'
Pondering this, his peripheral vision caught that it was now his turn.
Snapping out of his thoughts, he pushed his shopping cart a few steps forward, stopped, and began placing items from the cart onto the conveyor belt.
"That'll be 9,372 yen."
Upon hearing the total, Miyahito calmly took a 10,000 yen bill from his wallet and handed it to the cashier.
His utterly relaxed demeanor made Utaha, who was standing right behind him, feel a bit unsettled.
Spending nearly 10,000 yen at once, and mostly on fresh meat and vegetables...
Was he the type of house-husband who loved taking care of the home?
Honestly, as much as she hated to admit it...
Having rarely stepped foot in the kitchen as a child, and relying solely on takeout and instant noodles since living alone, Kasumigaoka Utaha felt that, as a woman, she had been thoroughly defeated in certain aspects.
It was practically a crushing defeat.
"Would you like a bag?"
"No, thank you. I'm fine."
"Alright. Here's your change. Please take care."
"Thank you for shopping with us."
Unaware of her own frustrated expression, Utaha watched Aragaki-kun's relaxed back as he carried his cloth bag as if it weighed nothing and walked away.
Her lips puckered slightly in reluctant acceptance. After hurriedly paying, she deftly took her change and chips from the cashier and quickly left the supermarket.
Glancing left and right, Aragaki-kun's back, heading home, caught her eye once again.
For some reason.
Watching Miyahito walk further away, Utaha instinctively followed him.
Like a highly cautious cat.
To avoid being noticed, besides keeping a close enough distance, her slightly 'sneaky' movements kept her along the edge of the sidewalk.
And so, one walked on completely unaware, while the other tailed him in secret.
It wasn't until Miyahito, carrying his large shopping bag, stopped and turned into a detached two-story house with a small yard that Utaha finally stopped from a distance.
So this is where Aragaki-kun lives?
Blinking her elegant crimson eyes, her expression unreadable, she stood silently for a few seconds before turning and leaving.
Meanwhile, inside the Aragaki residence.
"Alright then, time to start prep."
Carrying the groceries into the kitchen and grabbing an apron from the wall, Miyahito observed the ingredients on the counter while mentally planning his first step.
Sukiyaki... hmm, doesn't need any prep. It's for tomorrow's dinner, so no need to rush.
"So, I'll prep the lotus leaf steamed chicken for lunch and a tiramisu cake for afternoon tea?" he muttered. Remembering there were still leftover desserts in the fridge, he turned around.
Opening the refrigerator door, he saw:
"As expected, I made too much cake this morning."
Frowning at the perfectly intact cheesecake inside,
Miyahito hesitated. Should he save it for his sister tomorrow?
Or just throw it out and make a fresh tiramisu for her?
"Hhh... I really should've told the staff to take more."
With a troubled expression as he took the cheesecake out, he was reluctant to throw it away, but feeling conflicted, he ultimately decided to put it back.
Of course, not for his sister to eat.
He had just decided to skip dinner tonight and instead eat the roughly ten-inch cheesecake himself.
With the dessert dilemma resolved, Miyahito rolled up his sleeves and officially began preparing tomorrow's lunch.
However, right after he finished washing the ingredients, wrapping them in plastic, and was about to put them in the fridge...
"Huh? Isn't that the silver-haired girl from the neighboring apartment?"
Looking up, Miyahito saw her through the window, standing at his gate with a somewhat bewildered expression.
Come to think of it, even though he called her a "little girl," judging by her appearance, she was clearly a middle school student.
But that didn't matter.
Instinctively pausing his work, he dried his hands by flicking a dish towel, wiped them on his apron, and walked out of the kitchen.
A moment later, opening the front door, he stood on the porch and called out to the girl at the garden gate:
"Um, is everything alright? Do you need something?"
"Wah!"
The silver-haired girl, clearly not expecting anyone to be home, let out a small startled sound and instinctively took a step back.
Seeing that, Miyahito quickly pushed the door wider, stepped out a few paces, and instinctively softened his voice.
"Ah, sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."
"Are you okay?"
Hearing his voice, the girl blinked, finally realizing her own rudeness.
A faint blush appeared on her cheeks as she immediately bowed, her tone sounding nervous.
"S-Sorry... I... um... I..."
"Eh, um..." Seeing her bewildered expression, Miyahito couldn't help but smile, reminded of Ayase when she was little.
"Take your time, no need to rush."
"Ugh... I'm really sorry..."
However, instead of calming her down, his words only made her more flustered.
With no other choice, Miyahito offered a few reassuring words.
A few minutes later.
"So, you dropped something in my yard and want to retrieve it?"
"Y-Yes, I'm truly sorry."
"It's really no problem at all. Just a small thing."
After saying that, Miyahito pushed open the garden gate and stepped aside to let her in.
"The thing is, I was cooking earlier and my hands got oily."
"I'll have to trouble you to come in and pick it up yourself."
Thinking of something else, he added:
"Oh, I won't be going in with you. I'll just wait here."
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