Naoya and Koyuki’s relationship had deepened.
They spoke about all sorts of things and went to all sorts of places together. The more Naoya came to know her, the more he liked her. It was only a matter of time before they reached a particularly important juncture in their relationship.
“So my parents aren’t home today...” Koyuki mentioned as they made their way to school.
With those simple words, Naoya stopped dead in his tracks, stone faced—it was like a colossal hammer had just fallen to earth. “Come again?” he blurted out.
Koyuki continued walking for a moment before she realized Naoya wasn’t alongside her. She whipped around and quickly added, “Ah! Whoa, hold on a minute! Sakuya and Gizzard are gonna be there, okay?!”
“O-Oh. Oh yeah. They would be, wouldn’t they? Wouldn’t they...”
“Ew, he said it twice,” Koyuki muttered in disgust.
Naoya thought for a moment about how he had misunderstood what she’d said—a rare occasion for him. Very interesting. “I guess Shirogane’s airheadedness is rubbing off on me,” he thought out loud.
“Airheaded? Excuse you,” Koyuki pouted. “You’re the one who’s always staring off into space. Don’t blame it on me. And I’m not airheaded.”
“Do non-airheads burn their cookies to ash and then serve them to their guests?”
“Hey! The oven’s timer was brok—anyway! You said they were delicious!”
“Well, yeah. You made them for me. I’d happily eat anything made by you, even if it’s charcoal.”
“I wouldn’t recommend disclosing that with me, to be honest,” Koyuki grumbled before relenting.
Naoya’s visit to the Shirogane residence had gone incredibly well, all things considered.
He’d eaten vaguely cookie-shaped cinders, ingratiated himself with Koyuki’s parents, and stayed for dinner. In the end, he was seen off with the promise that he was welcome back any time.
Unfortunately, because Naoya and Koyuki had been in her living room the entire time, there hadn’t been any opportunity for any flirtation or any developments like that. Although this had disappointed Naoya, he had to begrudgingly acknowledge that they weren’t exactly going out yet. Maybe. Kind of.
The amount of distance they had between them was comfortable, in a sense; he didn’t exactly have to do anything major, but he still got to be with Koyuki all the time. It was also precisely because he knew this, however, that he felt like he had to shake things up soon. But what exactly would he do? And how—not to mention when and where—would he do it?
He was well aware he’d gotten carried away at the crepe shop. When he had confessed to her back then, she had—quite literally—run away from him. He knew that if the timing or setting was off, the same thing would only repeat itself. He quietly mulled these ideas over while he resumed walking.
Koyuki carried on as if she hadn’t realized he’d stopped. “Anyway, as I was saying—my parents are staying with some relatives tonight, so me and Sakuya are looking after the house. So, um, yeah. My parents suggested that we invite you over to cook dinner for us.”
“Whoa, they’re already treating me like a son. Awesome,” Naoya commented with a serious expression.
Koyuki saw this and appeared to get the wrong idea, replying with palpable disappointment, “Oh, okay then. Yeah, asking you to come over out of the blue isn’t fair. It’s fine. You don’t have to come.”
“What? There’s literally no problem at all, though,” Naoya said incredulously. “I don’t have work today, and we’re all off tomorrow. I’d love to come over and flex my househusband skills.”
“Really?” Koyuki’s face lit up. It seemed that she wasn’t exactly comfortable with the idea of her and her sister being alone in the house. Her gait grew lighter, and as she skipped along, she added confidently, “Okay, so we’ll go shopping on the way home. I’ve already made a budget, just so you know.”
“Got it. Since this is such a special occasion, I’m willing to take requests if you have any.”
“Hmm...” Koyuki thought for a moment, then fixed her hair absentmindedly and struck a refined pose. “Well, the last time I took a trip to France, I had a delightful foie gras dish that was accompanied by truffles. It was absolutely exquisite.”
“Don’t lie, Shirogane,” he cut in. “You probably want something like curry, hamburger, or spaghetti and meatballs, right?”
“How do you have me figured out this much?! We’ve never even had curry together!” she protested, apparently having forgotten that she’d happily announced, “I had curry last night!” just a few days ago. “That’s so embarrassing. Those are all kiddy meals...”
“I mean, who cares?” Naoya said.
“Really?”
“Yeah,” he assured her with a pat on the head. “You can like plushies, curry, or anything else as much as you want, because that’s who Koyuki Shirogane is. Not being yourself would be a waste.”
“Maybe...” Koyuki demurred with a downtrodden expression. Suddenly, she seemed to realize what was happening and quickly batted Naoya’s hand away in irritation. “Hey! I don’t need your recognition! Who do you think you are?! Still... do you like curry, Sasahara?”
“Of course. It’s easier to make than the elaborate, fancy dishes people love to post on social media or whatever,” Naoya responded. Then, with a gentle smile, he added, “So yeah, let’s go with curry tonight. Will Sakuya be fine with that?”
Koyuki couldn’t help but think that Naoya really did resemble a mom at times. “She loves curry too. I doubt she’ll object.”
“Nice. Let’s do it.”
“Um...” Koyuki faltered, stopping to grip the edge of Naoya’s sleeve. “I wasn’t really able to help out last time, so I’m gonna do my best today.”
“Th-Thanks. I’ll be counting on you,” Naoya replied awkwardly, his heart beating loudly in his chest.
Koyuki decided to change the subject and began talking about curry. She enjoyed the type you ate with naan, but her favorite was vegetable curry. As she was mentioning that she wasn’t too good with the spicy versions, Naoya looked at her face in profile. He noticed that, in that moment, she was truly at ease and was finally being herself.
I’m glad we get along better now than we did, he noted with appreciation. They talked all the time, he’d already been to her house, and they were able to relax around each other. He could tell that Koyuki trusted him. Naoya cleared his throat, steeled his resolve, and called out, “Shirogane.”
“What’s up?” she asked.
“I really like—”
“Wha?!” Koyuki screamed over him, then patted her chest several times as though to calm herself down. “Oh, I know—you were gonna say you like curry, right? Hahaha...”
Her face was beet red as she laughed nervously. She didn’t know what to do. Still, Naoya could spot traces of happiness amidst her embarrassment. He could tell that she’d been hoping he’d been talking about her. His feelings had gotten through to her, even if only slightly. Naoya recalled telling her he’d confess when he felt the timing was right, when she felt receptive to his advances. Well, the time had finally come.
“Shirogane.”
“Wh-What’s up?” Koyuki asked again, looking up at Naoya anxiously.
He took her hand and gripped it tightly, trying to get his feelings across as earnestly as possible. “I’m going to do my best from now on, too. And when it’s time, I want you to accept it fully.”
“Wow, this curry sounds like it’s gonna be complex,” Koyuki said, more puzzled than before.