On the way home from the karaoke shop. Haruto and Ayaka walked slowly toward home, their two shadows stretching longer than they used to during summer break. “Karaoke was fun.” “Yeah. Your singing was really good, Ayaka.” Haruto nodded in agreement and praised her. Ayaka blushed slightly and gave a shy “Ehehe.” Even though she had accidentally let it slip that they had played the Hokky Game alone, leading Saki and Shizuku to uncover the whole story and tease her mercilessly, the karaoke session had still been enjoyable for Haruto. “You were cool too, Haruto-kun. I don’t know much about enka, but I thought you were really good. I wanted to hear more.” Seeing her say this with sparkling eyes, Haruto gave a slightly embarrassed smile. “Thanks. My grandpa used to listen to enka a lot when I was little.” Haruto turned his gaze to the madder-red sky and began to speak as if recalling the past. “And when I sang enka, he would listen so happily. I wanted to make him even happier, so I listened to enka constantly and practiced.” “That’s so sweet of you, Haruto-kun.” “Hahaha, that was back when I was in lower elementary school, though.” “I see. I wish I could have seen little Haruto-kun singing enka with all his might to make his grandfather happy.” Saying this, Ayaka looked up at the sunset sky just like Haruto and murmured with a smile, “I bet you were super cute.” Feeling bashful at her reaction, Haruto scratched his head with one hand to cover it up and changed the subject. “By the way, you got over eighty on all subjects on your tests, right?” “Yeah! Not just over eighty, actually, these might be my best results ever!” Ayaka nodded with a beaming smile. “I’m going to brag to Mom when we get home.” Seeing her walk with such happy, innocent, bouncy steps, a warm feeling of joy spread through Haruto’s heart as well.
“Anyway, since you successfully achieved your goal of getting over eighty on all subjects, what would you like as a reward from me?” “About that. Do you have any plans for tomorrow, Saturday, Harutokun?” “Tomorrow? Nothing in particular.” Currently, his routine was to spend Fridays and Saturdays at the Tōjō residence. So, he had been planning to help his grandmother, play with Ryōta, and maybe squeeze in some study time in between. When Haruto replied, Ayaka paused for a moment before speaking. “Then, let’s go on a date tomorrow?” “A date?” “Yeah. I realized we haven’t gone on a date since we became a real couple.” “That’s true.” Haruto nodded at Ayaka’s words. During summer break, they had started with a movie date, gone to the Animal Forest park, explored the town looking for limited-edition ice cream, and even went camping. However, since becoming an official couple, they hadn’t been on a proper date even once. “Alright then, let’s go on a date tomorrow. Is there anywhere you want to go, Ayaka?” When Haruto asked, Ayaka took out her smartphone. “It’s a little far, but I’ve wanted to go here for a while. What do you think?” Saying that, she showed Haruto her smartphone screen. Displayed on it was an ocean-themed theme park that combined an aquarium with attraction facilities. “Ah, this place. Yeah, we could definitely spend the whole day playing here.” “Do you agree, Haruto-kun?” “Yeah. Then tomorrow, it’s an aquarium date.” “Yay!! I can’t wait!” Ayaka broke into a smile so wide it looked like it might spill over, and Haruto couldn’t help but smile too. After that, the two discussed their plans for tomorrow’s date until they reached the Tōjō residence’s front door. When Haruto and Ayaka arrived home and entered the living room saying “I’m home,” they found Kiyoko and Ryōta playing Othello.
Kiyoko, who had been watching Ryōta stare at the board with a troubled expression with fond eyes, turned her gaze to Haruto and Ayaka as they entered. “Welcome home, Haruto. Welcome home, Ayaka-san.” “I’m home, Grandma.” “I’m home, Kiyoko-san.” The two replied in turn. Haruto approached Ryōta, who was still groaning “Hmm…” with a difficult look on his face. “Think you can win, Ryōta-kun?” “Onii-chan, listen. I want to put a white piece here, but if I do, Grandma takes the corner. But if I put it here, I only flip one black piece…” Ryōta explained the current state of the battle to Haruto, who was looking at the board from behind him, without changing his troubled expression. “I see, this is the turning point of the match.” Haruto nodded, putting on a serious face to empathize with Ryōta. Just then, Ayaka opened her mouth to offer advice to her brother. “Ryōta, if you put it here—” “Aaaah!! No, Onee-chan!” Ryōta shouted loudly, cutting off Ayaka’s advice mid-sentence. “Hints are cheating! This is a serious match between me and Grandma! You can’t give me hints, Onee-chan!!” “O-Oh, is that so. Sorry, sorry.” Ayaka hurriedly withdrew the hand she had been about to point at the board with, faced with Ryōta’s serious expression. Kiyoko smiled warmly at the exchange between the Tōjō siblings. “Ryōta-kun really is a good boy.” “I want to play fair and beat Grandma.” Saying that, Ryōta began to groan “Hmm…” with a serious expression again. Haruto and Ayaka quietly watched over Ryōta as he thought desperately. Eventually, after a long deliberation, he played his decisive move. The match continued into the endgame, and the result was Ryōta’s victory by a margin of two pieces. “Yay!! I won!!”
Ryōta threw both hands up in the air in triumph. “I lost. Ryōta-kun is strong.” “Ehehe.” Ryōta smiled shyly at Kiyoko’s praise. Seeing that smile, Haruto realized it was exactly like Ayaka’s smile when he had praised her singing on the way home earlier. Impressed by how much they really were siblings, Haruto watched as Kiyoko looked at the wall clock and stood up with a “heave-ho.” “I should start getting dinner ready soon.” “Ah, then I’ll help too. What’s for dinner tonight?” “Eggplants were cheap at the supermarket, so today is mabo eggplant.” “Wow, I’m looking forward to your mabo eggplant, Kiyoko-san!” Ayaka’s face lit up at the mention of tonight’s dinner. “The prep work is already done, so it’ll be ready soon. Haruto, could you make the soup?” “Roger.” Saying that, the two headed for the kitchen. With Kiyoko starting dinner preparations, Ayaka took over playing with Ryōta. “Alright, this time I’ll play Othello with you.” “Okay. I won’t lose to you either, Onee-chan.” “I won’t lose either, you know?” Listening to the siblings’ conversation, Haruto stood in the kitchen alongside his grandmother. “Grandma, since it’s mabo eggplant, Chinese soup should be fine, right?” “Yes. And could I ask you to make a salad too?” Kiyoko asked Haruto as she placed a frying pan on the stove. “No problem. I think there was okra and bean sprouts in the fridge, right? I’ll use those to make a Chinese salad.” Saying this, he took the ingredients out of the refrigerator. Having stood in the Tōjō family kitchen since summer break for his parttime housekeeping job, Haruto already knew the locations of ingredients, seasonings, cooking utensils, and dishes as well as he did in his own kitchen. Haruto skillfully prepared dinner alongside Kiyoko. Just as the delicious smell of mabo eggplant began to waft from the kitchen, Shūichi and Ikue arrived home from work together. “I’m home. Mmm, something smells good.”
“I’m home. Oh, it’s mabo eggplant today. That looks delicious.” The Tōjō couple beamed at the aroma of dinner. “Welcome home. It will be ready in just a moment.” As Kiyoko politely looked up, Ryōta, hearing her words, abandoned his Othello match with Ayaka and ran to the kitchen. “Daddy, Mommy, welcome home! Grandma! I’ll help carry the dishes!” “Thank you, Ryōta-kun, that’s a big help. Here, could you carry these plates?” “Yeah!” Ryōta took the plates from Kiyoko and lined them up on the table. After that, Shūichi and Ikue returned after changing clothes, and everyone gathered around the dining table to begin eating dinner. “Mmm, Kiyoko-san. Today’s meal is delicious too.” “Thank you very much.” Shūichi smacked his lips in satisfaction, and Kiyoko smiled and bowed. “Onii-chan, this soup is yummy too.” “Thanks, Ryōta-kun. Try this salad too.” “Yeah!” When Haruto served the salad for Ryōta, the boy happily stuffed his cheeks and smiled, saying “Yummy!” As always, the Tōjō family dinner table was wrapped in a bright and lively atmosphere. Amidst this, Ayaka spoke to Ikue about tomorrow. “Mom? About tomorrow, I’m going on a date with Haruto-kun.” “Oh, really? That’s nice. Where are you planning to go?” At her daughter’s report, Ikue smiled pleasantly and cast a glance at Ayaka and Haruto. Receiving her look, Haruto told her about the theme park Ayaka had suggested on the way home. “It’s a little far, so Ayaka-san and I are talking about leaving early in the morning.” “My, how wonderful! You know, I went there on a date when I was still dating Shūichi-san.” “Heeh, so Mom and Dad dated at this theme park too.” Ayaka showed interest in Ikue’s words. “Though that was about twenty years ago now. This man, even though he didn’t have a change of clothes, watched the dolphin show from the front row and got soaking wet. And yet he was laughing his head off.”
“Ahahaha, yeah, that happened, didn’t it.” Shūichi laughed out loud, then looked at Haruto and Ayaka with deep emotion. “Still, seeing your own daughter go on a date to the same place you once did… it really hits you right here.” Saying this, he turned his whole body toward Haruto. “Take care of my daughter tomorrow, Haruto-kun.” “Yes.” Ayaka gave a wry smile at the two men exchanging such words and bowing to each other. “Geez, Dad, you’re exaggerating.” As Ayaka shrugged her shoulders at the ever-dramatic Shūichi, Ryōta tilted his head and asked. “Onii-chan. Are you going to the aquarium with Onee-chan tomorrow?” “Yeah… ah… you want to go too, right, Ryōta-kun?” Haruto asked, guessing Ryōta’s feelings. However, contrary to his expectation, Ryōta shook his head. “Nope, I’m staying home. You have to go on a date with Onee-chan and nurture your love, Onii-chan, so I won’t get in the way.” “Ah, thanks, Ryōta-kun.” “Yeah. Do your best on your date, Onii-chan!” Receiving Ryōta’s encouragement, Haruto replied, “Y-Yeah. I’ll do my best,” and struck a guts pose for him. ※ ※ ※ The day after karaoke. Haruto felt the soft morning light through the curtains and slowly lifted his eyelids. He felt he had somewhat gotten used to life at the Tōjō house, which had started after summer break. Sitting up and giving a big stretch, Haruto got out of bed and left his room. He washed his face and brushed his teeth at the first-floor washbasin, then returned to his room to start his daily routine of early morning study. The Tōjō house was wrapped in silence, as no one else was awake yet. The sound of turning textbook pages and the scratching of a pen on a notebook echoed faintly in the room.
After about an hour of concentrating on his studies, Haruto stopped his pen and stretched. “Nnngh… alright. I think that’s enough for today.” He tidied up his desk and headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. His grandmother, Kiyoko, was already there, starting to make breakfast for the six of them, including themselves. “Good morning, Grandma.” “Good morning, Haruto.” Haruto exchanged greetings with Kiyoko, then stood next to her and smashed the cucumbers sitting beside the cutting board with the flat of a knife. Having stood next to his grandmother cooking for many years, Haruto could usually guess what she was planning to make just by looking at the ingredients and seasonings laid out. He added plum meat and seasonings to the smashed cucumbers, transferred them to a bag, and kneaded them. “Grandma, what ingredients are we using for the miso soup today?” “I’m thinking of making nameko mushroom miso soup today,” said Kiyoko as she sautéed the eggplants left over from yesterday’s mabo eggplant in plenty of oil. “Ikue-san told me that Ryōta-kun likes nameko mushroom miso soup.” “That’s news to me. I didn’t know Ryōta-kun liked nameko mushrooms.” Haruto thought he had grasped the food preferences of everyone in the Tōjō family through his part-time housekeeping job, but it seemed he still had things to learn. For the record, Shūichi preferred strong flavors that would go well with alcohol, while Ikue liked sour dishes using vinegar or lemon juice, as well as spicy flavors. Ayaka basically ate anything with a sparkling expression saying “Delicious!”, but among those, if he made dishes like simmered fish a little sweeter, he could see a truly happy look on her face. “Then I guess I’ll make the nameko miso soup.” Just as Haruto was about to take over making the miso soup while Kiyoko made the simmered eggplant, the living room door opened and Ayaka came in. “Ah, good morning, Haruto-kun. Good morning to you too, Kiyoko-san.” “Good morning, Ayaka-san.”
“Good morning, Ayaka. You’re up early today,” Haruto said, holding the pot of dashi stock he had prepared. “Yeah. Um… if it’s okay, I was thinking I’d like to help with the cooking from now on too. I feel bad leaving it all to you every time, Kiyoko-san…” Ayaka replied a little shyly. “Oh my, Ayaka-san, you don’t need to worry about that, you know?” His grandmother looked up from checking the eggplants and smiled warmly at Ayaka. “I’m very grateful just to be allowed to work here, so please don’t worry and just relax.” “U-Um… actually, well… there’s another reason I want to help with the cooking…” Ayaka fidgeted with her hands, glancing at Haruto for a split second. Then, her cheeks blushing slightly, she said, “I want to learn the taste of your cooking too, Kiyoko-san… And, I was hoping that someday, I could have Haruto-kun eat the food I make.” Kiyoko’s eyes widened in emotion at Ayaka’s shy but devoted words. “My! My! Haruto! Did you hear that!! What a wonderful girlfriend Ayakasan is!!” “G-Grandma, calm down. Getting too excited isn’t good for you.” Haruto tried to calm down the heavily breathing, excited Kiyoko with both hands. “Ayaka-san! If that’s the case, then by all means, let me teach you how to cook!” Kiyoko went up to Ayaka, took her hands, and bowed her head as if she were the one asking for a favor. Ayaka hurriedly bowed her head in return. “Please, I’m the one asking! I’ll do my best to get even a little closer to your taste, Kiyoko-san!” Ayaka and Kiyoko exchanged a firm handshake, then immediately started making the simmered eggplant together. Kiyoko explained the tricks of cooking and the key points of seasoning with great care. Ayaka listened with a very serious expression, nodding and sometimes trying it herself, learning to cook from Kiyoko. As Haruto glanced at Ayaka while making the nameko miso soup, his eyes met hers as she looked up with a serious gaze. Instantly, Ayaka showed a soft, gentle smile. “Just wait, Haruto-kun. Someday I’m going to win your stomach.”
“Nn… I’m looking forward to it.” Haruto’s heart pounded loudly at Ayaka’s somewhat surprising words. He desperately suppressed the grin threatening to spread across his face as he made the nameko miso soup. Having had his heart rate raised by Ayaka first thing in the morning, Haruto took several deep breaths to maintain a calm exterior while making breakfast. Eventually, the others woke up and came to the living room. Then, the six members of the Tōjō and Ōtsuki families gathered around the dining table. Shūichi took a bite of the simmered eggplant and nodded deeply. “Eating delicious food in the morning really fills you with vitality.” Kiyoko smiled at his words. “Ayaka-san helped make that simmered eggplant.” “Really, is that so! It’s very delicious, Ayaka.” “Thanks. But I only helped a tiny bit, Kiyoko-san made most of it,” Ayaka replied bashfully to Shūichi’s praise. Seeing her daughter like that, Ikue broke into a grin. “Learning cooking from Kiyoko-san… does Ayaka want to grab her future husband’s stomach?” “Th-That’s… I’ll probably get married someday too… and it’s better to know how to cook then, right?” Though her face turned red, her daughter retorted. Ikue pulled back her teasing expression a little and spoke fondly. “That’s true. Cooking is very important for a harmonious married life. Right, dear?” “That’s right. Well, I’m terrible at cooking, so I caused your mother a lot of trouble in that regard.” “I was surprised when I thought you made squid ink pasta, only to find out it was just burnt Neapolitan.” “Ahahaha, yeah, that happened too.” Shūichi laughed loudly at the episode of his past failure. Ayaka looked at her father with an exasperated expression. “Dad… isn’t that failing a bit too hard?” “Well, the apartment we lived in back then had a gas stove, you see. High heat is a man’s romance, isn’t it? Haruto-kun understands this feeling, right?” Suddenly addressed, Haruto looked troubled for a moment but quickly covered it with a smile.
“I suppose so. Watching cooking videos of Chinese cuisine and such does look cool.” “Yes! Exactly! Iron pans moving violently amidst rising pillars of fire! Ingredients dancing in the air! That is truly a man’s romance!” “Pillars of fire and iron pans… but you were making Neapolitan, Dad…” Ayaka sighed “good grief” again with an exasperated expression. Watching the exchange between father and daughter, Ikue smiled “ufufu” and asked Kiyoko. “Kiyoko-san. How is Ayaka’s aptitude for cooking?” “Ayaka-san is efficient and a quick learner, so I think she’ll improve in no time,” Kiyoko replied, her face softening as she listened to the cheerful Tōjō family conversation. “That’s good, Ayaka. You didn’t inherit your father’s terrible cooking skills.” “No, Dad’s cooking isn’t terrible so much as he keeps chasing some weird romance in it, right?” “Ayaka, a man’s romance is essential in cooking, you know?” “That’s exactly the problem, Dad.” Haruto couldn’t help but chuckle at Ayaka and her parents’ conversation, then looked at Ryōta next to him, who was blowing “foo-foo” on his nameko miso soup to cool it down. “You really like nameko miso soup, don’t you, Ryōta-kun?” “Yeah, I like this!” “Does the slight sliminess bother you?” Haruto had arbitrarily assumed that small children didn’t really like nameko mushrooms. However, Ryōta showed a slightly precocious smile at Haruto’s words. “Fuffuffu. Onii-chan, for nameko miso soup, this sliminess is the best part, you know?” Ryōta’s mature phrasing hit Haruto’s funny bone, and he couldn’t help but laugh. “Hahaha, you’re right. Nameko miso soup isn’t right without the slime.” “That’s right, Onii-chan.” Ryōta nodded “uh-huh” and blew on his soup a few more times before drinking it deliciously. Seeing Ryōta’s smile made Haruto feel happy too. You can remove the slime from nameko mushrooms by rubbing them with salt, but that also removes their unique flavor. So he had made the
miso soup leaving the slime in on purpose, and mentally Haruto patted himself on the back for making the right choice. As Haruto drank his miso soup with Ryōta, exchanging smiles and “it’s delicious,” Ikue spoke to him and Ayaka. “By the way, what time will you two be coming home today? Will you eat dinner out?” “No, we plan to be back by dinner. Right, Haruto-kun?” “Yes, we’re thinking of coming back around evening.” Today, Haruto and Ayaka were scheduled to go on a date. Their destination was a theme park with an aquarium and an amusement park, located a little far from the Tōjō house. But hearing the two reply that they would be back by dinner, Kiyoko nodded. “Then, I’ll prepare dinner for six people as usual.” When Kiyoko said that, Shūichi looked at her apologetically. “I’m sorry, Kiyoko-san. Work is running late today, so I won’t need dinner.” “Oh, is that so? In that case, should I save some for you?” “No, no, I don’t know what time I’ll be back, so I’m thinking of eating out today.” “I see… understood. Then dinner tonight will be for five.” “Sorry about that.” As Shūichi bowed to Kiyoko, Ayaka looked at him with concern. “Are you working today too, Dad?” “Yeah, a rather important project is at a critical stage.” Receiving his daughter’s gaze, concerned that her father had been going to the office often even on weekends lately, Shūichi smiled. “If things go well, we’ll reach a milestone today. Then I can relax for a while.” “I see… Good luck with work, Dad.” “Of course!” Shūichi pumped his fist at Ayaka’s words. After that, the six members of the Tōjō and Ōtsuki families enjoyed a cheerful breakfast, interspersing it with occasional laughter.