During the previous summer vacation, when only the two of them were alone, Chisato had often tasted the black tea and coffee served by Yukino, as well as the handmade cookies she made.
However, today was truly the first time he was eating her homemade food.
While Chisato was in the living room typing on the keyboard, he could constantly smell the increasingly rich aroma.
And when he was called by Yui, excitedly saying "Dinner's ready," he put down his work and came to the dining table with Iroha, which was no surprise to him.
The absolute main dish of the night, sukiyaki, sat at the center of the table.
The ingredients were neatly arranged, and the portable stove beneath the pot flickered with flames, sending steam rising from the boiling broth.
Silky tofu and konnyaku noodles bubbled in the soup, with the floating fat shimmering under the living room's lights, making one's appetite stir.
The high-quality beef brought by Chisato had already been sliced thinly and neatly arranged on a side plate, enough for each person to have at least four or five slices.
It had been a long time since Chisato had eaten hot pot, and he couldn't help but swallow at the sight.
"Thank you, you've worked hard."
"You're welcome. Let's dig in."
The rice, sterilized eggs, and soy sauce were all ready.
After sitting down, Yukino gave a soft "Itadakimasu" and picked up her chopsticks first, after briefly acknowledging Chisato's gratitude.
With her lead, the others stopped holding back.
The atmosphere at the table was harmonious, with no awkwardness or discomfort as Chisato had feared when he joined the group.
This was largely due to Iroha and Yui.
Both of them had outgoing personalities and were skilled at reading the room.
They subtly started a conversation, which prevented the atmosphere from being as dry as it had been when Chisato and Yukino were alone.
Yui spoke cheerfully about funny stories from school and eagerly anticipated the upcoming joint sports festival.
This was a topic that everyone could engage in, and Chisato occasionally chimed in, though most of the time he just listened, much like Yukino.
Even while eating, Yukino maintained perfect posture. If she needed to respond, she would swallow what was in her mouth first, her every movement reflecting her good upbringing.
In this situation, with both of them sitting opposite each other at the table, as they silently listened to the conversation between the other two, their gazes naturally landed on each other's faces.
They exchanged glances several times.
Logically, there was nothing strange about this; after all, they didn't have any special relationship.
But eating dinner together was something usually done only by close friends, which made them both feel a strange, unspoken feeling.
And yet, they didn't feel particularly uncomfortable about it.
Noticing this, Yukino intentionally lowered her gaze to focus on the food in front of her, and even when she occasionally looked up, it was always at the other two girls on the table, avoiding direct eye contact with Chisato.
Chisato, too, had similar thoughts. By the second half of the meal, his attention was almost entirely on the plate of beef.
Perhaps because of concerns about maintaining their figure, the other three showed little interest in the beef, sampling it only briefly, and their bowls of rice were noticeably smaller than his.
It was fortunate that he had come; after all, if the beef wasn't eaten soon after being thawed from the fridge, its flavor would drastically decline.
"By the way, I've always been a fan of Suzumiya-san," Yui suddenly turned the topic to Chisato after their conversation about school was finished, perhaps sensing that he was getting bored.
The other two immediately looked over with attention.
"Really? You're my fan?" Chisato swallowed what was in his mouth and wiped his lips with a napkin.
He wasn't sure what prompted her to bring up this topic, but out of politeness, he had to respond.
"It was that video from the music festival, the one where you performed on stage! It was so amazing!"
Yui had a small habit, one that she wasn't aware of: when talking about things she was excited about, her eyes would widen, and a light seemed to shine from them, creating a somewhat pressured feeling for those watching.
Right now, she had that same expression.
"Actually, after that, I started following the band's official account. They've sung the same songs, but... how should I put it? They just don't have the feeling that Suzumiya-san did."
"It's probably because of the first impression."
"No," Yui shook her head stubbornly.
"Although I'm not confident in my singing, I have a good ear for music. Suzumiya-san just sings with... more emotion."
"More emotion, huh? That's a bit vague, but thanks anyway."
Chisato smiled and accepted Yui's compliment.
"Speaking of which, I've been looking forward to hearing more of your songs since then, but I haven't seen any new works from you.
Is it because you're in the second year and preparing for your entrance exams?"
Chisato nodded.
"That's part of the reason."
Iroha took the opportunity to join in.
"But the main reason is that Senpai has other, more important things to focus on now, right?"
"Hey..."
"Huh? Is it something you can't talk about?"
Chisato stopped her with a stern voice, but Iroha's smug expression immediately turned into one of feigned guilt.
She set her chopsticks down and lowered her head, acting as though she had done something wrong and was awaiting scolding.
Her performance was smooth as ever.
Her act, combined with the curiosity of the two others, made it impossible for Chisato to really scold her.
Moreover, though he kept certain things private, the thought of Yukino and Yui knowing didn't bother him as much as he expected.
Iroha peeked up and saw Chisato's resigned sigh, realizing he had no way to reprimand her, and her expression immediately shifted back to one of pride.
With a smile, she proudly continued, "Senpai is busy because he started his own company, so he doesn't have time for those little things."
"Company? Eh... eh?!"
Yui, reacting a beat too late, looked at Chisato in astonishment.
"So, does that mean... Suzumiya-san is... the president now?"
"Yes, that's right!"
Iroha herself only learned this recently.
Earlier in the living room, Chisato had been overwhelmed by her playful antics, and she had gotten some satisfaction by extracting information he had not shared.
Now, she was even more thrilled to see Yukino and Yui's surprised expressions.
The things Chisato had accomplished, and the recognition he had received, made her feel proud, as she was in some ways closely tied to his success.
This could be considered as her early internal decision to bind herself to him in such a close relationship.
"President... is Suzumiya-kun helping with the family business?"
Yui had heard about Yukino's family background from Hiratsuka Shizuka and knew that Yukino's family was quite influential, so she subconsciously assumed that Chisato's situation might be similar to her friend's.
"No, that's not it."
Iroha answered directly and then realized that she didn't actually know the full details, so she quickly looked at Chisato for confirmation.
"Uh, senpai, it shouldn't be, right?"
"If you don't know, don't answer so decisively."
"Hehe~"
Iroha smiled sheepishly and quickly moved on from the topic.
Then, Chisato nodded gently as they looked at him.
"It has nothing to do with my family. I established the company with the help of a very kind elder."
The "kind elder" naturally referred to Youko, but Chisato left her name unsaid.
How he was doing didn't matter much, but he didn't want to disclose someone else's privacy.
"Wow, that's amazing!"
"Right? I think my senpai is incredible, quietly accomplishing something so impressive. If I hadn't just asked, he wouldn't have planned on telling me, how rude."
"Because it's not really something worth mentioning..."
Chisato's words suddenly faltered as he turned his head to look at Iroha.
She was looking down, taking small bites of her food, not making any particular movements or saying anything special.
Chisato silently took a breath and pulled his feet back slightly under the table.
"But I'm really curious, Suzumiya-kun, is the company you established... is it related to the entertainment or music industry, by any chance?"
"Yeah, that's right. The direction we're considering for future revenue is roughly in line with what Yuigahama-san guessed."
"So, senpai, you might produce some huge stars in the future, right? Maybe you'll even take us to those fancy parties with all the celebrities!"
Iroha's cheeks turned a bit red as she said this.
Chisato knew that it wasn't because the air conditioning was too cold or because of the warmth from the hot pot raising her body temperature.
It was because her feet had been teasingly rubbing against his leg under the table.
Seriously, now that he thought about it, Eriri and Utaha had also done similar things in comparable situations.
Why do girls like doing this?
No one else at the table seemed to have noticed the faint redness on Iroha's face.
The rest of the conversation mostly focused on Chisato, with Yui asking questions and him answering to keep the conversation going until dinner ended.
"Since the two of you helped with the work before dinner, we'll handle the cleaning up afterward."
Saying this, Iroha grabbed Chisato's sleeve and took charge of the post-meal tasks without waiting for him to protest.
She had a bit more domestic skill than Yui, occasionally cooking at home, and her dishes were passable, so washing dishes was an easy task for her.
She and Chisato divided the chores: one would wash the dishes, the other would wipe the plates.
"It really feels like we're a married couple," she muttered under her breath, almost absentmindedly.
"..." Chisato glanced at her but didn't respond.
"Hmph..."
Iroha puffed out her cheeks cutely.
"You're so petty, senpai."
"How am I petty?"
"You're clearly still angry about what happened earlier. I only touched your leg to make a small prank."
Chisato sighed, stopping what he was doing, and gave her a strange look.
"Isshiki."
"Yes?"
"Your toes... they even lifted my pant leg up to my knee."
"Well... I just wanted to see if you'd react in some funny way."
Iroha was still defending herself, but her face was becoming more and more flushed.
She didn't expect that what she had done earlier would be so embarrassing when Chisato put it into words.
"..."
Chisato looked at her, hesitated for a while, and finally started washing the dishes again, choosing not to pursue the matter further.
"Senpai."
"Yes?"
"I have a request."
"Denied."
"You haven't even heard what it is!"
"Fine, tell me."
"Can I go over to your place and stay for a bit afterward?"
"No."
"Hey!"
Facing Iroha's irritated expression, Chisato calmly responded.
"Iroha, you came here to discuss various things regarding the upcoming joint sports festival, right? You don't have time to waste on me."
"Well, that's true, but I have something really important to discuss with you. It's about my future... I'm feeling really lost right now and I want clear direction, so just... just a little while."
"Can't you talk about it at Yukinoshita-san's place?"
"Well... there are things that I don't want the seniors to know, so..."
"..."
Chisato knew it was an excuse.
"I get it."
"Eh, so...?"
"I'll give you half an hour."
"Yes! Thank you!"
He agreed after all.
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Kinda dislikes Chisato and Iroha here. Chisato for being a complete pushover and Iroha for being… well, a fixen?
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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