“You can’t just toss food on the street, Akane. You have to finish it all. Otherwise, crows, stray dogs, or even Saito-kun might come after it,” admonished Himari.
“…I’m sorry,” Akane apologized, looking utterly deflated.
That’s not the problem here, Saito wanted to protest loudly, but since the topic of them going to school together had been conveniently evaded, he decided to let it slide.
Thanks to both of their efforts, Akane and Saito’s life together had improved significantly. In addition to shopping together and sharing household chores, spending leisure time with one another helped diffuse the tension between them. Though their quarrels remained frequent, the fatal conflicts that once plagued them had decreased, and, surprisingly, they even found themselves enjoying each other’s company.
And as time passed, some things became clear to Saito—things that had been muffled, obscured by the chaos of war and the roar of gunfire. Akane’s emotions, her thoughts, and her strengths, once impossible to see, gradually came into clear view.
Chief among those things was her hardworking nature.
Whenever Akane came to the bedroom after midnight, she was almost always working in her private study room. In the past, that room had been strictly off-limits, but tonight, the door was slightly ajar, and light from inside spilled into the hallway.
“Hey, Akane. It’s pretty late. What are you up to?”
Saito peeked inside. When they first moved in, the room had the same wood smell as the rest of the house, but at some point, Akane’s private space had instead become filled with a sweet, girlish scent. Thick encyclopedias and reference books lined her study desk, and stuffed animals were neatly arranged around the room. Akane, who had been facing her desk, turned around.
“Studying. There’s a quiz coming up soon, so I want to memorize everything in the assigned section.”
Saito shrugged his shoulders.
“A quiz isn’t that important so long as you get good scores on the main exams,” said Saito.
“You say that, but you got a perfect score on the last quiz, didn’t you?” said Akane.
“I just did the test as usual and ended up with a perfect score. I didn’t study for that quiz specifically,” Saito replied.
“Ugh… Then how did you still get a perfect score?” Akane said, clenching her fists in frustration.
“Honestly, I can remember things just by listening to lectures in class. Forgetting them is harder,” answered Saito.
“Are you trying to be annoying? Are you calling me an idiot for working this hard?”
“No, that’s not what I meant at all… I just meant it must be tough for you.”
Saito had meant to offer her some sympathy, but it had totally backfired.
“Just get out and stop bothering me!”
Akane threw a stuffed animal at Saito, forcing him out of the room. Realizing the extent of his error, Saito left, full of regret. Lately, their relationship had been going relatively smoothly. Maybe that had made him a bit careless. He still had no idea where Akane’s emotional land mines were buried.
The door to her private room shut firmly, followed by the sound of the lock clicking into place. At this rate, tomorrow’s breakfast would probably be mired in an awkward, tense atmosphere. If only there were a way I could help fix Akane’s mood…
Saito thought hard. If he knew how to do something like that, the war between the two of them wouldn’t have dragged on for over two years in the first place. Understanding Akane’s emotions was a far more daunting task for Saito than studying was.
Remembering the fact that they had bought strawberries earlier, Saito headed to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and checked inside. Akane must have been saving them—her beloved strawberries were untouched. He thought of serving them to her as they were, but there would be a high chance she’d just say, “When I want one, I’ll prepare them myself.” Saito thought it’d be better if he put in a little effort. Akane loved strawberry shortcake, so if he could whip up something with a similar texture and taste, she’d probably enjoy it.
There was a stockpile of sandwich bread in the cupboard. Saito considered making strawberry whipped cream sandwiches with it, but when he checked the refrigerator, there was no whipped cream to be found.
An idea suddenly struck Saito—if I shake the protein powder thoroughly, maybe it could work as a substitute for the whipped cream. However, in his mind, he instantly heard Akane yell, “No way!”
With that, he quietly put the protein powder back into the cupboard. Come to think of it, Saito thought, protein tends to clump up, so it’d be a tough ask to replicate the smooth texture of the whipped cream.
When Saito opened the refrigerator once again, he spotted a container of plain yogurt inside. Its color and texture seemed close enough to whipped cream; this could work. After all, sour cream was just heavy cream fermented using lactic acid bacteria.
He scooped the yogurt into a bowl, added a generous amount of sugar, and whisked the mixture until it became smooth and creamy. Next, he trimmed the crusts off the sandwich bread, spread the sweetened yogurt on it, and layered in slices of strawberries. Stacking the finished strawberry sandwiches neatly on a plate, he reached for a mint leaf to place on top—only to realize there was no mint to be found. In fact, there was no appropriate fancy garnish like that anywhere.
The closest thing he could find was parsley. Out of options, Saito placed a sprig of parsley on top of the strawberry sandwiches. The green of the parsley, the white of the bread and yogurt, and the red of the strawberries actually made for a visually appealing contrast.
Satisfied with his creation, Saito picked up the plate and headed toward Akane’s room.
The wooden door, adorned with a cute nameplate that read Akane’s Room, was shut firmly, and exuded an aura so intimidating that it seemed like a demon lord had been sealed away on the other side. Saito held his breath and knocked.
“What do you want?” Akane’s voice was sharp—her anger hadn’t subsided one bit.
“I made a late-night snack. Thought it might help with your studying,” said Saito.
“A late-night snack?”
The door opened a crack, and Akane peeked out. Saito was taking a risk here—she could very well reject it outright, saying something like “This is a waste of perfectly good strawberries.” If something like that were to happen, things would only get worse. Tense, Saito held out the plate.
“Strawberry sandwiches?”
Akane’s eyes sparkled like stars.
Ah, good. Looks like she might enjoy them. Saito was relieved.
“Why would you make something like this for me? What are you plotting, Saito?”
“I’m not plotting anything,” said Saito.
“You must be. There’s no way you’d do something this nice right after a fight unless you have some kind of ulterior motive.”
Akane suddenly gasped, as if the truth had just struck her.
“Of course. You put sleeping pills in these, didn’t you? You’re trying to sabotage my studying and make me fail the test with a zero!”
“Not at all. Hey, by the way, if not studying for a quiz is enough to get you a zero, maybe you should reconsider your approach to class lectures,” quipped Saito.
Akane narrowed her eyes and scanned the sandwich with deep suspicion.
“Then, what is it…? Did you swap the strawberries with fake ones, so the moment I take a big bite, my teeth will break…? Are you planning to shatter not just my heart, which was so excited for my favorite strawberries, but my teeth too…?”
“I wouldn’t go through that much trouble. It’s just a normal strawberry sandwich. Eat up,” replied Saito.
“Ah—!”
As Saito practically tossed the plate at her, Akane caught it in a panic. No matter how suspicious she may have been, it wasn’t in Akane to waste food—that much was clear. She was earnest to her core.
“Listen, if you don’t want it, just throw it away.”
“Hey, Saito! Don’t just leave it here and walk off!”
Ignoring her complaints, Saito turned on his heel and left.
With the nuisance finally gone, Akane returned to her studying. She copied down the notes covering the likely quiz material, then reorganized them in an effort to commit the information to memory. There was no room for compromise when it came to academics. She had to completely crush that infuriatingly unflappable Saito, who didn’t even bother to study.
But somehow, she found herself unable to focus.
The strawberry sandwich, which she had not thrown away and instead placed on the side table, kept catching her attention. Her gaze kept drifting toward it, pulling her thoughts away from her notes.
It looks delicious… Akane swallowed hard.
Something didn’t feel right to her still—she had treated Saito coldly, yet he still brought her a late-night snack. There was no way he would do something so kind. Doubt swirled in her mind, but at the same time, a craving was gnawing at her.
Her favorite food had been placed right next to her—there was no way she could resist for much longer. If Saito had planned this far ahead, he was a more devious schemer than Akane had given him credit for.
Just a small taste should be fine, right…? Akane hesitantly picked up one of the sandwiches to take a cautious bite.
Refreshing cream with a tangy kick. Juicy strawberries bursting with flavor. Soft, chewy bread that provided a satisfying texture as it slid down her throat.