Earth to Maehara ~ You still sleeping?'
Morning.
The couch was unexpectedly uncomfortable. It took me an hour before I managed to finally fall asleep. The next thing I knew, a sweet voice managed to rouse my consciousness back.
I woke up feeling extremely groggy, probably because I only got a light sleep last night. I would love to go back to sleep, but I felt like I'd get cramps if I were to sleep any longer, so I chose to get up.
"Mmm… Morning, Asanagi… What time is it now?"
"Morning, Maehara, it's not seven yet, I think."
It seemed like Asanagi woke up earlier than me. She had already changed back into her uniform.
She dressed like an honor student. Her uniform was fully buttoned up, and her skirt was of the appropriate length. It's too bad her personality didn't match her appearance.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Mhm, thanks to you… You didn't seem to be enjoying your sleep though."
"Well, I learned the hard way that even though the couch is great for napping, it doesn't come close to a real bed when it comes to sleeping."
"Haha. Well, if you're still sleepy, just go back to your bed. I just woke up, so my scent, warmth, and everything should still be there for you to enjoy."
"Has anyone ever told you that you're a creep?"
…If anything, it would be harder for me to sleep in that kind of situation.
"By the way, where's my mom?"
"She was still sleeping when I walked past her room."
"Ah, let her be then… Anyway, have you eaten? If you haven't, I'll make something for you."
"Eh? It's fine, I don't want to bother you any more than this."
"I'm making breakfast for my mom anyway, so making an extra portion isn't really a bother."
"Well, if you insist…"
"Mhm."
As soon as Asanagi sat down, I went to the kitchen.
"Do you want bread or rice?"
"Rice, please."
"Alright…"
I opened the fridge and took out the ingredients that I needed.
"Can I help? I can't help you cook, but I can help with the side dishes and cleaning."
"Then, leave the cooking to me."
We proceeded to make our breakfasts, I did the cooking and Asanagi did the rest. Since we were using leftover rice, the only things I had to cook were fried eggs and grilled salmon.
"Maehara, I'm done here– Wait, are you going to make miso too?"
"Ahh, yeah, I prepared the stock yesterday, so I only need to add the tofu and the dried seaweed."
The stock was sloppily made, I just threw some iriko into the pot and let it boil for a few hours. It's simple, but I got a good amount of it, so who cares. (T/N: I don't know, iriko means a lot of different ingredients, including and not limited to rice flour and dried sardine, the author wrote this one in katakana so I don't know which one he referred to.)
While the miso soup was simmering, I cooked an egg on the other stove and grilled the salmon. Everything should be done in around ten minutes if I multitask like so.
"…And done. How much rice do you want, Asanagi?"
"Normally I eat a lot in the morning, but I'll hold back, so just give me a bowl, chef. If I'm still hungry, I can just ask for more."
"Are you implying that I'm gonna give you a refill? This isn't a family restaurant, you know? Well, I made a lot of rice, so just eat as much as you'd like."
Asanagi and I set the table and dug right in.
"Mm… Woah, the omelet tastes better than your egg rolls from the other day."
"Well the egg rolls were cold. Nothing beats a freshly cooked egg. Glad you enjoyed it though."
"I see. Seconds, please."
"You finished it that quickly?!"
Well, not that I mind. She must have liked the food to have inhaled it that quickly.
I decided to have another serving too.
I was used to eating alone, but now that I was eating with someone else, I found it quite enjoyable.
"Haah… Thanks for the food! Sorry, Maehara, I ended up eating a lot."
"It's alright. I should be the one apologizing, I only made you simple dishes like these."
"No, no, don't apologize. They were delicious, so thank you."
In the end, we ate half of the rice that I previously cooked. Sure, we are high school students and still in our growth period, but I think we might have eaten a little too much for breakfast.
"Alright, I think it's about time for me to go home… I'll help you clean up first though. Also, I'll call you later, but can you deliver my gratitude to your mom?"
"Sure, but… Didn't my mom give her phone number to you?"
"Mhm. She said, 'if Maki bullies you, I'll beat him up for you.'"
"…Why though?…"
If anything, she would be the one who bullies me… But, I wonder what kind of talk they had last night?
I'm curious, but I can't just ask her about it.
"Maehara, do you want some coffee? It wouldn't be enough to thank you for your cooking, but I'll do my best for you. You like your coffee with sugar, right?"
"Yeah."
"Mhm, leave it to me– Ah wait, that's my phone, maybe it's my mom."
I watched Asanagi's back as she left the room.
She wore an apron over her uniform. I'd never imagined that I would see her dressed like this outside of Home Economics class.
And I never would've expected that this girl would slowly become an indispensable part of my life.
I really cherish what we have, not because she's my first friend, but just because she is who she is. I guess the best way to put it would be that I cherish this friend named Asanagi Umi. I haven't understood the nature of that weird feeling from last night, however.
"…I'm back…"
"Welcome back… You took your time, did something happen?"
"Ah… Uh… I tried my best to stop this, but it didn't work…"
Asanagi returned with a complicated expression on her face.
I got a bad feeling about this…
"Uhh… what happened?"
"Umm… That's… Uhh…"
Asanagi glanced at my face, looking apologetic.
"My mom told me to bring you to my home… right now."
Oh, God.