Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330655556357602/episodes/16817330656365696675
“…..I can’t sleep.”
After Juri senpai left the room, I changed into my jersey and immediately sank into bed.
I felt kind of dreadfully tired and decided to go to bed early today.
However, I couldn’t sleep at all because my eyes were completely wide awake.
Perhaps it was because I fell asleep before taking a bath, perhaps it was because of the trouble I encountered in the bath, or perhaps it was because I was conscious of the fact that Juri senpai had been lying on this bed earlier.
And so, before I knew it, it was around 1:00 a.m.
Before I knew it, the sound of conversation coming from Hanabi’s room had died down, and I was enveloped in silence.
I tossed and turned several times, trying to get back to sleep, but I was completely awakened when suddenly I heard a rumbling in my stomach.
I need to eat something or I’m not going to be able to sleep very well.
Maybe it’s because I ate dinner early today because Hanabi’s friends are coming to stay over, and I’m getting hungry at this hour.
I made more curry than I thought I would, but I didn’t expect three people to stay over, so I was starting to wonder if it was enough for the four of us.
I left the room and went downstairs with a faint hope that there might be some curry left over.
When I entered the living room and came toward the kitchen, I found the pots and pans in which I had made the curry had been washed and were propped up on the draining rack.
I didn’t expect it to be gone before the second day…….
Looking around the kitchen, there was no sign that anything else had been made, so maybe there was enough for all four of us.
I went through the cupboards to do something about my hunger.
But I couldn’t find a single cup of noodles.
They must have just run out.
I looked in the refrigerator and saw eggs, green onions, and bacon.
Making sure there was some white rice left in the rice cooker, I took my cutting board and started chopping up the green onions.
Chop chop chop….
The small sound of a knife hitting the cutting board echoes through the kitchen.
I put the chopped leeks in a bowl, added soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and a tube of ginger, and stirred it all together.
Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming from the hallway and turned around to see someone, who had medium black hair with light grayish pigment tied up in pigtails and was wearing cool pajamas decorated with flutters, it was Natsume Nagisa senpai.
Nagisa senpai peeked through the doorway of the living room toward the kitchen where the light was on.
“Asahi san? Are you cooking at this hour?”
“Ah, I’m sorry. Was it too noisy?”
“No, it’s fine. I saw a light from the hallway and was curious.”
“I’m sorry, I got hungry and thought I’d make some fried rice. Is there something wrong, Nagisa senpai?”
“Erm, I couldn’t sleep…….”
Nagisa senpai said while looking down.
Well, it’s common to find it hard to fall asleep when staying over at someone’s house for the first time.
“Nagisa senpai, if you don’t mind, would you eat…..no, my bad.”
Come to think of it, there’s no reason to eat at this time.
I was a little short on consideration for women……
As I was reflecting lightly, Nagisa senpai suddenly walked towards the kitchen.
While standing next to me, she whispered softly.
“Um, can I have a little too…?”
“O-of course.”
It’s hard to tell because she usually doesn’t have a lot of facial expressions, but she looks a little embarrassed.
Maybe the curry for dinner wasn’t enough for the four of us.
I quickly scooped the rice into a bowl and added about 80% of the sauce I had just made to the rice and stirred it in.
When the rice was loosened up nicely, I drizzled oil in the frying pan and cracked an egg.
I stirred the egg on the pan and dropped the rice dressed with the sauce on top of it.
After a while of frying over high heat, the good aroma of sesame oil wafted through the air.
“Um, this is kind of late, but……is there anything I can help you with?”
“No–“
I was about to decline, saying that it was okay…..suddenly, I came to the conclusion that in such a case, on the contrary, it would be better to get some help so that I wouldn’t have to worry about it.
I entrusted Nagisa senpai with the handle of the frying pan.
“Then, would you like me to stir-fry the fried rice?”
“Yes, I understand.”
While Nagisa senpai was stir-frying the fried rice, I took out a stainless steel pot and started to make Chinese soup with the leftover green onions.
It’s a little extravagant for a late-night snack.
“Okay…..hm……?”
Suddenly, I hear the sound of frying pans clattering and scraping from beside me and turn my gaze to see Nagisa senpai struggling to shake the frying pan with both hands.
I took in too much rice and the frying pan was heavy.
“I’ll do it.”
‘Ah…….”
I said, grabbing the handles from behind Nagisa senpai and shaking the frying pan.
The fried rice fluttered on the frying pan.
“How is it? I’m good at it.”
I looked down at Nagisa senpai’s face with a bit of pride, and for some reason she shrank back and her face turned red.
When I saw that situation, I realized that before I knew it, I was in a position to hug Nagisa senpai from behind.
The floral scent of shampoo tickled my nostrils.
It’s a familiar shampoo that I always use at home, but for some reason it smells so good when Nagisa senpai uses it.
I felt my heartbeat accelerate.
I was finally brought back to myself by Nagisa snepai’s sudden small twitching in my arms.
“Ah, s-sorry……!”
I rushed away from Nagisa senpai.
“N-no, i-it’s okay……”
Nagisa senpai took a few deep breaths and looked up.
There, the usual expressionless face is stuck on it.
She coughed lightly and shifted her gaze toward the cupboard as if nothing had happened.
“Can you take out the plate?”
“Y-yes…….”
I did as I was told, took a plate from the cupboard, and put a round piece of fried rice on it.
We finished the meal by pouring the remaining sauce over the fried rice and preparing the soup.
We move from the kitchen to the dining room table and lay out the plates.
We sat down on chairs facing each other and clasped hands simultaneously at the dining table, which was dimly lit by the kitchen light.
[ [Let’s eat.] ]
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