Not long after Haru, Yukino, and Utaha returned ho, gumi arrived as well.
She carried a small bag filled with notebooks... observations and reflections she had written down during her recent filming work. So were her own thoughts, while others were advice she had gathered from Yukino.
Though gumi often faded quietly into the background, she had been steadily growing stronger without Utaha even realizing it.
For the girls, the ti just before dinner was always the most anticipated part of the day.
Whether standing or sitting quietly, they would all steal glances at Haru as he prepared the al.
Whenever he noticed, he would turn with a smile and ask, "So, what do you feel like eating today?"
"I'm fine with anything," Utaha said. Her tastes had long been spoiled... if Haru made it, she would happily eat it.
"I'd like fish soup," Yukino requested.
And then gumi, watching Haru's back as he searched the fridge, asked softly, "Could you make Chinese food tonight?"
The others blinked in surprise. Only then did they realize it had been a while since they'd had Chinese dishes. And truthfully… they missed it.
"If you want it, I'll make it," Haru said, smiling as he glanced over his shoulder. "I know quite a lot of Chinese dishes, so there's plenty of choice."
gumi tilted her head. "Wait, are you saying you can cook all of Chinese cuisine?"
"Not everything," Haru chuckled. "But I can learn."
The thought itself made him laugh, and his sudden laughter left the three girls a little bewildered.
"Strictly speaking," he explained, "even if I made a different Chinese dish every single day, working through sweet, sour, spicy, mild, one by one… it would still take you years to finish even one round."
"Is it really that many?" Yukino frowned slightly. She knew Chinese cuisine was vast, but to imagine it taking years just by eating she found that hard to believe.
"You're not just bluffing because we don't know much about Chinese food, are you?" Utaha asked suspiciously.
gumi, anwhile, had already pulled out her phone, intending to fact-check. But when she opened the search bar, she froze she had no idea what keywords to even use.
Haru smirked as he closed the fridge. "See? None of you believe . I'll take you to Ikebukuro one day. There are plenty of Chinese restaurants there. Most have adapted their recipes to local tastes, but it's still a good way to start."
None of them objected.
"And once we've toured a few of those," Haru added, "I'll cook you a dish I really like… one you've never tried before."
The girls imdiately perked up, curiosity lighting their eyes.
But no matter how they pressed him, Haru refused to reveal the dish.
Later, while he busied himself in the kitchen, gumi ca quietly to the doorway. She didn't step in, only leaned lightly against the fra.
"That dish you ntioned," she asked, "is it crayfish?"
Haru turned, slightly surprised. "You actually know about that?"
In Japan, crayfish were almost never eaten... people usually kept them as pets.
"I just looked it up," gumi admitted, lifting her phone.
"Smart," Haru said, amused. "But no, that's not it."
gumi frowned, glanced at her phone again, and read aloud: "Then… is it that slly tofu?"
"Stinky tofu?" Haru laughed. "Honestly, I don't think I've ever had the authentic version. The ones I've tried weren't slly at all more like fragrant and spicy."
"…So it's not actually slly?"
"There's a saying: it slls bad, but tastes good. But to , even the sll isn't bad."
The two of them chatted idly for a while, until gumi finally gave up.
Haru eyed her curiously. "Yukino and Senpai didn't put you up to this, did they?"
"…Why would you think that?"
"Because you're usually not the type to go out of your way to press for an answer."
"Is that really how you see ?"
gumi's lips pressed together. Her eyes flickered uncertainly before she said softly, "I just wanted to verify my own guess, that's all."
"Really?" Haru clearly didn't believe her.
gumi didn't answer right away. She glanced toward the living room to make sure no one was near, then lowered her voice. "Just like last ti, when you gave a massage. I used it to confirm my suspicion... that you're into feet."
"…That's nonsense. I don't have a foot fetishist," Haru shot back, his face breaking into reluctant laughter.
It was the kind of laugh that bursts out when words simply fail you.
He'd tried explaining countless tis. Whether it was "foot" or "leg," no one believed him not Yukino, not Utaha, not even Haruno.
All he liked was when girls with beautiful legs wore stockings. That didn't make him a fetishist.
Otherwise, what? If he praised a masked robber in a drama for pulling stockings over their head, would that make him a "head fetishist"?
Just as he thought this, a delicate foot slid gracefully from a slipper into view wrapped snugly in black stockings.
His eyes instinctively followed.
gumi's voice was as soft as silk. "See? Your words say no, but your eyes… very honest."
Haru blinked, dumbfounded. "Since when did you learn entrapnt tactics?"
"Observe more. Think more. Make bold guesses," gumi quoted back her favorite line.
Haru sighed, eting her gaze. "In that case, I have a reason too."
"…What reason?"
"When I look straight ahead instead of at your feet, that's courtesy. But when I turn to look directly… that's being honest with myself."
gumi froze, speechless for a long mont.
The sheer audacity of his explanation left her stunned.
Before she could recover, Haru added casually, "By the way, your skincare products must be running low. I got more split them later."
"…Thanks." gumi's eyes brightened, her earlier composure slipping. That miracle skincare was difficult even for her to resist.
That night, Haru cooked crucian carp tofu soup, along with simple Chinese dishes like braised eggplant and twice-cooked potatoes.
Needless to say, his cooking was flawless. The girls hardly spoke a word at dinner, focused entirely on eating.
And that only made them more curious about the mysterious "dish they'd never tried before."
The days slipped by, and soon March 14 arrived. Haru prepared thoughtful gifts in return for those close to him.
By the day before the holiday, when he planned to take the girls to Ikebukuro for Chinese food, he had also made sure the ingredients for a special dish were "ready."
And by ready, he ant sothing rather unusual. In Japan, he'd never once seen anyone actually eat rabbit. But what he was planning to cook was none other than the famous Sichuan-style rabbit dishes.
Cold Rabbit, Spicy Rabbit Head, Shredded Rabbit... he had spent the past few weeks carefully studying how to make them all.
The thought amused him. Back in elentary school, he and Yukino had raised a rabbit together at school. Imagining her expression when she realized he was about to serve rabbit at made him chuckle. She might even rember those childhood days of feeding the class pet.
That afternoon, after second period, Haru noticed Furukawa and a few of the guys clustered together, talking animatedly. Curious, he walked over.
"What are you all so excited about?" he asked.
"Perfect timing, Haru! We were just debating who the real 'popularity king' of the school is. Personally, I think you're the best candidate," one of them said, waving a slip of paper with Haru's na scribbled on it.
"No way, I think Kasumigaoka-senpai takes the crown. She's definitely the most popular."
"Don't forget Yukinoshita-san. Everyone knows she's top of the class, but now she's also directing short films and they're seriously impressive."
Just then, soone picked up a slip of paper, frowning. "Wait… why is Furukawa's na on this list? Who in the world voted for him?"
~~~~~~~~~~
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