Suzuki Yuu leaned against the sink, taking a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart.
The kitchen was quiet, with only the sound of rain pouring outside and the soft hum of the kettle.
“Calm down, Suzuki Yuu, calm down.” He admonished himself inwardly, “She’s Manager Shiraishi’s daughter, your good friend, you shouldn’t be having any indecent thoughts.”
He forced himself to focus on making tea, taking out the canister from the cupboard and carefully measuring some calming chamomile, moving with utmost precision as if this was a task that demanded complete concentration.
But his focus didn’t last long.
“Damn! How could I not have indecent thoughts when such a cute girl is staying with me overnight!”
He slammed his fist on the table, ignoring the pain as a loud bang echoed through the kitchen.
He even startled Shiraishi Ayaha, who was outside.
“What happened?” The girl called loudly from the living room.
“No, it’s nothing, don’t worry.”
Suzuki Yuu hurriedly responded, then went back to what he was doing.
When he carried two steaming cups of tea back to the living room, Shiraishi Ayaha was hugging her knees, curled up in the corner of the sofa like a little animal seeking security. Her hair had been blow-dried until it was half dry and fluffy, draped over her shoulders, making her delicate face look even more pitiful.
It was just… her outfit was so conspicuous that it kept making his thoughts wander.
If only he had kept some women’s clothes at home in advance.
Suzuki Yuu thought to himself. Just then, a flash of lightning lit up the window, followed by a thunderous roar.
“Ah… the rain is really heavy.”
Shiraishi Ayaha stared blankly at the window, her gaze vacant.
Suzuki Yuu cleared his throat, pulling her back to reality:
“Um, let’s not think about that for now. Do you want to do some tutoring tonight?”
He tried to find something he could focus on.
“Yeah! There’s a lot I don’t understand this week that I wanted to ask you, especially math.”
“Alright.”
Suzuki Yuu agreed, and they quickly got started on their study session.
Time ticked by, second by second, until Suzuki Yuu’s stomach rumbled loudly, making him laugh awkwardly and pause.
“Are you hungry?” Shiraishi Ayaha asked.
“A little.”
“Then I’ll make you something to eat.”
Shiraishi Ayaha said, standing up.
“Um, I don’t think there’s much in the fridge…”
“It’s fine, I’ll make you omurice. I just learned it a few days ago.”
“Oh? Then I’m looking forward to it.”
Suzuki Yuu replied, then got up to follow her into the kitchen, helping out where he could.
Very soon, two plates of steaming omurice, topped with ketchup and drawn with cute smiling faces, were placed on the small table in the living room.
“Itadakimasu.” The two said in unison, then laughed as they picked up their chopsticks and started eating quietly.
At that moment, the sound of raindrops outside the window felt like background music.
“By the way, there’s something I’ve always wanted to know, Suzuki—what university do you want to go to in the future?”
Just then, Shiraishi Ayaha looked at Suzuki Yuu with her big eyes, asking her question in a soft voice.
“I haven’t decided. Maybe Tokyo University, or maybe abroad. I’ll see how things go.”
“So amazing…” Shiraishi Ayaha looked a little downcast, though she didn’t show it.
“What about you? Where do you want to go?” Suzuki Yuu asked.
“Me? I’ll go wherever I get accepted, I guess. Maybe I’ll just end up back at my family’s little café.” Shiraishi Ayaha said playfully.
“Eh, going around in a circle just to end up back home?”
“Yeah, I don’t really have any big ambitions. I want to go to university just to broaden my horizons a bit. I can’t really compare to you.” At this, Shiraishi Ayaha’s tone sounded a little self-conscious.
“That’s a pretty normal way to think about it. Being content with what you have is a blessing, and being able to live a happy life is more important than anything else.”
Suzuki Yuu said.
The omurice was quickly finished, and Suzuki Yuu felt quite satisfied. While he wasn’t paying attention, Shiraishi Ayaha took the plates and went to wash them.
After a while, they resumed their study session.
Suzuki Yuu reviewed Shiraishi Ayaha’s weak points, then brought up a few sets of practice problems on the computer for her to work on.
Just then, his phone chimed with a message—it was from Hasegawa Aoi.
[Senpai, have you practiced?]
Oh right, he still needed to practice cello. That was a great way to take his mind off things.
With that, he picked up his cello case, planning to go practice in the bedroom so he wouldn’t disturb her.
“I’ll go to the bedroom for a while. Let me check your work after you’re done.”
Suzuki Yuu said quietly, but Shiraishi Ayaha stared at his cello case for a long time.
“Huh? You… can play the cello?”
Her clear eyes were full of surprise.
“Sort of. I only started recently.” Suzuki Yuu scratched his head a little embarrassedly. “The club’s doing a performance, and the president roped me into it.”
“Performance?” Shiraishi Ayaha’s eyes lit up with curiosity. “Can I hear it? Just a little bit!”
Her voice was so full of anticipation that Suzuki Yuu couldn’t refuse.
“It’ll sound terrible,” he warned. “It’s basically the same as sawing wood.”
“It’s fine, I want to hear it.” Shiraishi Ayaha hugged her knees and sat more upright on the sofa, like a little audience member waiting for the show to start.
Seeing her like this, Suzuki Yuu smiled helplessly. He opened the cello case and carefully took out the instrument.
He sat down, holding the cello between his knees and adjusting the bow. Taking a deep breath, he recalled the pointers Hasegawa Aoi had given him, and then the cozy apartment filled with a gentle melody.
He played the simplest section of “Canon,” the part he’d been practicing over and over. The sound was just average, with plenty of mistakes mixed in.
As he played, Suzuki Yuu couldn’t help but shake his head, mentally noting down each mistake for improvement next time.
But Shiraishi Ayaha listened with rapt attention. She didn’t laugh, nor did she look impatient; she simply watched him, her gaze fixed on his focused profile, his clumsy yet earnest fingers.
When the final note faded, Suzuki Yuu let out a breath of relief, about to say something to save face.
“That was amazing…”
Shiraishi Ayaha spoke first, her voice full of genuine admiration.
“Eh?” Suzuki Yuu was stunned. “That… counts as amazing?”
“Yeah!” She nodded vigorously, her eyes shining. “Suzuki, you’re good at everything. It feels like you’re always moving forward, ready to go someplace far away.”
As she said this, there was a trace of hidden disappointment in her voice that she herself didn’t notice.
Suzuki Yuu didn’t pick up on it. He just smiled and accepted the praise, then chatted a little more before following his original plan to go train in the bedroom.
Time slipped by again, and soon it was time for bed.
But at that moment, contrary to what they had agreed upon earlier, Shiraishi Ayaha refused to let him sleep on the floor.
“Suzuki, will you sleep in the bed with me? I’m a little scared of the thunder.”
She didn’t get down; instead, she directly invited him.
She’d actually looked this up online—when sharing a room, it was best to sleep together.
Hmm, just sleeping should be fine.
But for Suzuki Yuu, this was a huge problem.
“No… there’s no way I could even consider something like that.”
“If you don’t get in the bed, I’ll roll down to find you in the middle of the night. Even if you go to the sofa, I’ll run over and squeeze in with you.”
Shiraishi Ayaha puffed out her cheeks, showing a rare firmness about something.
Seeing her like this, Suzuki Yuu knew he wouldn’t get any sleep tonight no matter what. He sighed, and finally gave in to her wishes.
Well, in a way, he wasn’t really losing out.
As long as he didn’t do anything, it’d be fine.
However, it didn’t take long for him to regret that thought.
Because in the middle of the night, Shiraishi Ayaha, already fast asleep, couldn’t settle down. She kept trying to cuddle Suzuki Yuu, pressing her soft skin against his, and her restless little hands unconsciously wandered over his stomach.
Once again, he found himself locked in a fierce battle with his thoughts.