November Sun 10
“…I’m tired.”
He muttered to himself, acknowledging something he had long been aware of and abandoning any further thought.
After quickly washing up, he dried off with a bath towel in the dressing room, got dressed, and stepped into the hallway, where Chika’s father, with a stern expression, was waiting.
“Good evening. Um, thank you for letting me use the bathroom.”
“Come with me.”
He hastily bowed and greeted him, but Chika’s father ignored it and led him to a room beside the stairs.
It was a Japanese-style room with tatami mats and nothing else but shoji windows and what appeared to be sliding doors for a closet. It was extremely simple, likely a guest room.
As Sōma looked around the room he had entered for the first time, Chika’s father pointed to the sliding doors and said,
“There are futons for guests in the closet. You must be tired from being led around by my daughter, and it’s dark outside already. It wouldn’t be good if you went home groggy and got into an accident, so stay the night.”
“Is that really okay?”
He was so tired he could collapse right there, so the offer was incredibly welcome, but he had never expected Chika’s father to say such a thing.
“It’s fine. Besides, there will likely be more opportunities like this in the future, so consider this your room. Our house rarely has visitors, so feel free to use it as you like.”
He was taken aback by the unexpected offer.
This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.
“I thought you didn’t like me.”
“Of course I don’t like you. There’s no father who would like a boy getting close to his precious only daughter.”
Chika’s father stated this firmly but then furrowed his brow in a complex expression.
“On the other hand, as a young man aspiring to be a patissier, I have high hopes for you. I definitely want you to do your best. Moreover, it’s a fact that my daughter is more lively and seems to be growing when she’s with you. It’s something that neither my wife nor I, nor her friends from before, could achieve. For that, I am also very grateful.”
He was surprised by these words.
He had never imagined receiving such words from this man. But being somewhat appreciated and thanked by someone he thought disliked him wasn’t a bad feeling.
“Uh, I’ve also been greatly helped by Chika. Thanks to her, I’ve been able to study and have good experiences. So, I hope we can continue to support each other in the future.”
“Hmm, it’s good for the two of you to support each other like that. I’m counting on you to look after my daughter.”
“Likewise, please take care of me.”
As Chika’s father bowed deeply, Sōma returned the bow.
“――It’s like a groom and the bride’s father at a wedding, isn’t it?”
As the two men bowed to each other, Chika’s mother, who had come down the hallway, said this cheerfully.
” “A wedding!?” “
The surprised voices of the men overlapped perfectly.
“Mom, that’s a huge misunderstanding. I have no such intention.”
“But you two reminded me of you and my father, Yoshiaki. It reminded me of the past. Back then, you and my father kept your heads down so long that the priest and I ended up exchanging awkward glances.”
“A wedding, huh? That’s a memory from a long time ago. But I still clearly remember your appearance in your wedding dress, Chizuru-senpai. You are truly beautiful.”
“Oh, that’s nice to hear. You looked quite good in your tuxedo too. It was just a shame you were too nervous. I never thought I’d actually see someone’s right hand and right foot move at the same time.”
“Well, at that moment, I was just overwhelmed by the fact that such a wonderful person was becoming my wife…”
In the hallway, the Satomi couple nostalgically reminisced and started to sweet-talk each other.
“…I’m extremely tired, so I’ll go ahead and rest. Good night.”
Completely left out of the conversation, Sōma bowed and closed the door.
“My room, huh.”
A room of his own had been made in his classmate’s house.
It was a bizarre situation, something that normally wouldn’t happen. But there was a part of him that thought it was fine.
――Together forever――
The words Chika had said earlier came back to him.
At least while they were in high school, it seemed he would have many opportunities to be with her.
With a wry smile, Sōma collapsed onto the futon he had pulled out of the closet.
§§§§§§§§§§
“I wonder what Sōma-san will do for dinner?”
Thinking this, Chika quietly peeked into the guest room and saw him fast asleep, face down on the futon.
It seemed he had run out of energy while laying out the futon, as the blanket wasn’t even on him.
“You’ll catch a cold like that.”
Carefully, she pulled a blanket from the closet and gently draped it over him.
“…you’re so cute.”
She thought fondly as she watched his sleeping face.
Sōma always seemed somewhat cheeky when he was awake, but with his mask removed in sleep, he showed a charming, childlike innocence.
She felt like she could watch him for hours.
She wanted to record this adorable sleeping face. Last time it was a photo, so this time she wanted to make a video.
Driven by that desire, she briefly poised her smartphone.
But then she lowered it again.
“…It would be a shame to wake him, maybe I should wait until morning.”
It would be bad to disturb his sleep with a flash of light.
After making sure not to make any noise, she quietly leave the guest room.
“Oh right, breakfast.”
She clapped her hands as she reached the hallway.
Chika had tried her hand at making bento and dinner before, but she had never prepared breakfast.
This was a perfect opportunity to make breakfast for Sōma for the first time.
“Should I go with rice? Or maybe bread?”
Being with Sōma always inspired her to try new things.
Despite being exhausted from the swimming practice at the pool, the idea of researching breakfast ideas made her feel energized.
“Mom, about tomorrow’s breakfast, could you let me make it?”
Chika burst into the kitchen to make this request to her mother.