[Warning 15+]
Author's Notes:
Meow!
Meow!
Part Five
――Even If, I Can't Treat You with That Same Energy Anymore
Chapter 167
The Daily Life That's Changin'
――Even If, I Can't Treat You with That Same Energy Anymore
Chapter 167
The Daily Life That's Changin'
Hayato was floatin' around inside a hazy, fluffy consciousness that felt just like a cloud.
While Hayato was lettin' himself drift in that super calm, cozy space, a slow-*ss, dragging sound started creeping in: Tan, tan, tan. It was a sound that sparked a strange-*ss sense of nostalgia.
Then, almost like that sound was beckonin' Hayato, he started rememberin' a dream from when he was a little kid.
Way back.
When Hayato didn't know a d*mn thing, innocently believin' those days would just keep on goin' forever.
Hayato's dream back then was to become a cowboy.
Some ridiculous-*ss (kid-like) fantasy about ridin' on the back of a big-*ss dog and chasin' after a herd of sheep.
Just like in that old dream, a huge dog was carryin' little Hayato through his dream, racin' along the dirt paths of Tsukinose.
Tea plantations, chicken farms, lumber mills. All kinds of scenery were flowin' by. Back then, Hayato felt like he could become a cowboy, or anythin' else he wanted to be.
Suddenly, the dog in Hayato's dream went PiPiPi (woof!).
And just like that, the ground gave way, and Hayato started fallin' straight down to the bottom of the Earth (reality).
Then, as if Hayato was strugglin' to grab onto somethin', he reached out his hand―
"―!"
Like a toy springin' to life, Hayato bolted upright, throwin' his whole upper body forward.
Hayato was sweatin', and his heart was thumpin' like crazy.
The early fall sunlight, which was finally startin' to soften up a bit, was leakin' through the edge of the curtains.
Hayato glanced at the alarm clock blarin' on his desk—it was his usual wake-up time.
Raking his fingers through his messy, bed-headed hair, Hayato k*lled the alarm and let out a long sigh.
That was when Hayato heard it again: That tan, tan, tan sound comin' from the other side of the door.
What the heck was goin' on?
With his brow furrowed and his brain still half-asleep, Hayato stuck his head into the livin' room and immediately froze, his eyes buggin' out.
"Oh, hey there, mornin', Hayato~"
"Mornin', Big Bro~"
"Haruki… …and Saki-san?"
For some godd*mn reason, Hayato's childhood buddy and his little sis' bestie were standin' there in his kitchen.
Haruki was pullin' out plates like she owned the place.
Saki had the sleeves of her long-sleeved sailor uniform rolled up, and she was busy slicin' up some pickles on a cuttin' board.
A soft, comfortin' scent of dashi broth was floatin' through the room.
It was obvious as heck what they were doin', but Hayato just stood there, blinkin' like an idiot.
Then, drawn in by the smell, Himeko appeared from behind, lettin' out a massive yawn—"Fuwa~"—along with the sound of her stomach rumbling: Kuu.
Himeko was a total mess in her crumpled pajamas with her hair exploding everywhere—a complete opposite to the two childhood buddies, who were dressed perfectly in their crisp uniforms.
"Mornin'~, Big Bro, smells so good, I'm starv—wait, Haru-chan and Saki-chan!?"
Himeko's eyes went wide as saucers, and she let out a screech: "Ugya!" Before boltin' for the restroom like a chaotic wreck, crashin' and bangin' all the way. A moment later, the loud, steady drone of a hair dryer started blastin'.
The three of them left behind just looked at each other and giggled.
"So."
"So?"
"Haruki, what exactly is this all about? You even dragged Saki-san into this, what are you two plottin'?"
"Plottin'? That's mean!"
"W-Well, things have calmed down a bit lately, and since we've been nothing but trouble for you, Haruki-san suggested makin' breakfast as a surprise."
Hayato grilled Haruki with a suspicious glare, and she just pouted, looking totally offended.
Saki watched their little back-and-forth, givin' a wry smile, before chimin' in with a voice that had just a hint of envy.
"I see. Thanks, Saki-san."
"I-It's okay…"
"Hey, Hayato, how come your reaction to her is so different from your reaction to me!?"
"Haruki, you probably just wanted to play out the whole 'Make breakfast and wake someone up' scenario, right?"
"You figured it out!?"
"Obviously!"
"A-Ahaha…"
It was an interaction that felt just like the old days, yet somehow, it felt a little bit different.
In the meantime, the breakfast preparations kept moving along.
As Hayato stood there, hesitatin' whether or not to help out, Haruki, who had been poutin' just a moment ago, suddenly flashed him a soft, gentle smile.
"Hayato, we've got this covered, so why don't you go get changed?"
"…I'll take you up on that."
"And fix your bed-head, too. The part that's stickin' up is in the exact same spot as Hime-chan's."
"Eh!?"
Hayato bolted toward his room, clutchin' his head in a hurry.
From behind Hayato, he could hear the sound of soft, amused giggles.
◇◇◇
"Whoa, that's amazin'!"
Looking at the breakfast spread across the dinin' table, Himeko let out a sound of genuine awe.
Steamed rice, miso soup, grilled salmon, grated daikon radish, natto, pickled eggplant and cucumber, and a side of stewed hijiki seaweed and soybeans. One look was all it took to know that a lot of effort went into this.
Hayato let out a sigh, but when he locked eyes with Haruki, who was sportin' a smug, self-satisfied grin, he immediately cleared his throat to hide his reaction.
Haruki furrowed her brows in annoyance. Saki just gave a wry smile.
Sittin' down in the seat right next to them, Himeko started fidgetin' and urged the other three to dig in.
""""Let's dig in.""""
Four voices rang out in unison at the table.
For the Kirishima Household, where bread was the standard mornin' meal, a purely traditional Japanese breakfast like this was rare and refreshin'.
And for Hayato, havin' someone else cook breakfast for him was somethin' he hadn't experienced in a very long time. As he narrowed his eyes and gazed at the spread with deep emotion, Haruki, puzzled, spoke up.
"Hayato, aren't you gonna eat?"
"!! O-Oh no, it's just… …hmm? What's this stuff in your miso soup…?"
Floatin' in the bowl, alongside the deep-fried tofu, was somethin' white and wobbly.
It was an ingredient Hayato'd never seen before. He couldn't help but tilt his head in confusion.
"It's a poached egg. It's a staple at the Murao Household (my place), but…"
"Heh, is that so?"
"Yeah, yeah! I've had it often at Saki-chan's place in Tsukinose, too. It's always a struggle decidin' whether to break the yolk or just slurp it down in one bite, isn't it~"
Little things like this that were different from his usual home life only made the feelin' that someone else had cooked for Hayato stand out even more, makin' his heart flutter.
Still, it wasn't a bad feeling at all; In fact, Hayato was eatin' faster than usual.
As Hayato was savorin' his meal, Himeko, sittin' across from him, suddenly let out a "Whoah!"
Hayato followed Himeko's gaze to the TV that had been left runnin' in the livin' room.
"The hot season isn't over yet! Shine Spirit City, 70% OFF swimsuits and yukata—the final clearance sale of the summer!"
Along with the narrator, the screen showed a group of gorgeous girls dressed in all sorts of swimsuits and yukata. One of them had a face Hayato recognized.
Satō Airi.
Airi's an up-and-comin' model and Kazuki's ex-girlfriend.
Airi's apparently popular enough to be appearin' in TV commercials.
While Himeko's eyes sparkled, Hayato felt an ominous vibe driftin' in from the side of his head.
"Look, look Saki-chan, Haru-chan! It's Airi, Airi, y'know! Y'know, that Airi we saw live at the City Event the other day! Whoa, MOMO is in it too!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't tell me it's that one!? Hime-chan, you're amazing~, you've actually met someone who's on TV."
"Yeah, yeah! I entered the app lottery, and even though I lost, I was right up close! Airi's figure was great, and in person… …wait, are those frilly, lacey yukatas!?"
"Gothic lolita yukata!? Whoa, the city really has all sorts of things, huh~"
"…Y'know, Saki-chan, you might actually look good in somethin' like that?"
"U-Um!? That's only because Airi's a model!"
"You think so? But I'd love to see Airi wearin' somethin' like that in person."
"Yeah, yeah. I want to see a celebrity in the flesh once too~"
"Why don't you ask Hayato then? I don't know how, but it seems like he's actually pretty close with this Airi girl?"
""…Eh?""
"H-Haruki!"
Both Himeko and Saki, who had been hyped up just a second ago, froze solid.
With a creaking sound, they slowly turned their necks from the TV toward Hayato. The irises in their rounded eyes seemed to vanish, and their widened pupils looked as dark as an abyss.
Hayato felt a chill run down his spine.
Meanwhile, Haruki next to Hayato acted completely unbothered, turnin' her head away as she stuffed her face with rice, cheeks puffed out.
"Big Bro! Since when did you get to know Airi and those models!?"
"B-B-B-B-Big Bro!?"
"I-I mean, 'know' is a strong word, she's just a buddy of a buddy, it's a really distant connection…"
"Hmm. So you hug a girl who's just a buddy of a buddy while she's in a swimsuit?"
""H-Hugged that girl!?""
"I-I just slipped at the pool back then!"
"Big Bro, I want you to explain that in detail."
"Big Bro, you didn't do anything... ...bad, did you…?"
"Himeko!? Saki-san!?"
"Hmph."
Hayato was gettin' cornered by his little sis and her bestie, who had already put down their chopsticks. They looked determined not to let him escape.
Hayato looked up at the ceilin', just wishin' they'd give him a break.
Just then, the livin' room door clicked open.
"Yawn... ...somethin' smells great—wait, Haruki-chan and Saki-chan!?"
""!?""
While stiflin' a yawn, a middle-aged guy in pajamas stepped out, lookin' a bit like both Hayato and Himeko. It was their Dad, Kazuyoshi. Maybe it was the shock, but his bedhead—right in the same spot as both Hayato and Himeko's—popped right up.
Author's Notes:
Part 5 starts now.
Also, today's the day for the manga adaptation update, so definitely go check that out too.
I've dropped the link in my Activity Report.
Meow.
I've been spendin' a lot of time just watchin' the "Meows" at the local home center.
My heart's leanin' toward a Norwegian Forest Cat, but the American Shorthairs and Siberians are so cute I feel like I'm gonna die of cuteness overload...
TL: Reeze27
ED: Reeze27
PR: Reeze27
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