Taking a Break with a Peaceful Romantic Comedy

[Kotaro Nakayama's perspective]

―― It's been about three days since I talked to Kirari on the phone.

After that long day, time seemed to pass surprisingly quickly.

Ryuzaki, Kirari, and ... Azusa, surprisingly, none of them seemed to have changed much, and they appeared to be behaving quietly even at school.

The only exception was Yuzuki, who hadn't come to school.

"It's okay now."

I was worried, but I received a message from Kirari a few days ago.

Since I entrusted her with Ryoma, the message seemed to imply, ‘The problem is solved’.

So, Yuzuki is probably fine.

I shouldn't be the one to save her; I am no longer closely connected to her. Doing nothing is the only thing I can do now.

Even if, by some chance, my involvement could save Yuzuki, it doesn't mean I can make her happy. Offering temporary salvation with irresponsible kindness would be disrespectful to Yuzuki.

So, Ryoma, please, find a way to help her ―― that's my current wish.

Apart from Yuzuki, I had another issue.

"Kotaro-kun, want a snack?"

It was after school.

Despite the cold, she came to my house by her mother's car just to play. Even in the evening, she wanted to give me a snack.

"...But dinner is almost ready."

In my room, she had already made herself at home.

Shiho, sitting on my bed, rummaged through her pockets.

"It's fine, it's bite-sized today!"

Saying so, she took out a small piece of chocolate, wrapped in simple packaging that could be held by Shiho's small fingers. Of course, it wasn't uncovered; it was wrapped in plain paper, so hygiene wasn't an issue.

The size was also easy to eat. Two days ago, she gave me something that looked like a rock, so this was a pleasant surprise.

However, the problem lay in its content – the 'flavor’.

"Did you confuse sugar with salt today?"

"I overcame that issue in the early stages."

"Then, did you mix up milk with Calpis?"

"Of course not. This is, um... a rhetorical question, right? Is using 'gumon... gumon' appropriate? Hmm... well, never mind! Anyway, it's fine!"

"Are you sure you didn't mistake chocolate for curry?"

"Why do you imitate curry roux with chocolate... Thanks to that, I was deceived, and Mom seemed to want to use it for dinner ingredients, so I got scolded a lot."

"You didn't sneak in any secret ingredients, did you?"

"...It's okay! When I tried to add garlic, Mom, who was watching, burst into laughter, so I didn't end up putting it in."

I see. If her cooking-savvy mother was watching, I could rest assured.

Hearing that, I felt relieved. Shiho started bringing homemade chocolate about three days ago, but they were often failures, causing me some concern.

"I had a principle of not tasting, but... my mom told me if I don't taste it, she won't let me in the kitchen."

She seems to think of herself as a genius, so she's confident in whatever she does. So, I thought, 'Cooking should be fine’.

Apparently, she thought so too, and I ended up eating many failed attempts, making me cautious.

But, she seemed to have noticed my subtle reactions and was now working on improvement.

It seems she started seeking help from my mother, so now it should be safe to eat.

―― Valentine's Day is in a few days.

It seems Shiho is determined this time.

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