After they arrived home, Arashi showed Ayane her room. "Here, this one's yours," he said with a gentle smile. Then, he gave her a short tour of the rest of the house — showing her around the living room, kitchen, and balcony.
When they returned, Arashi turned on the TV for her.
Ayane blinked in surprise. "Wait… didn't you say the internet wasn't working? That you still had to pay the bill?"
Arashi scratched his head with a small grin. "Yeah, about that… I kind of lied."
"Lied?" she asked softly, her eyes widening.
He nodded lightly. "I just wanted you to come with us today — that's all."
Ayane froze for a moment, her face instantly turning red. She quickly turned her head to the side so he couldn't see her blush. "R-really…?"
"Yeah," Arashi said, a bit awkwardly.
As she sat there blushing, her heart started beating faster — while on the other side, Arashi was confused that did he said something wrong.
Trying to change the subject, he said, "Anyway, what do you want to eat? I'm not really an expert, but I can make something after checking online."
Ayane shook her head gently. "No, it's okay. I'm full."
"Well," Arashi replied with a faint smirk, "if you won't tell me, then I'll just make something myself."
He opened his phone, scrolled for a bit, and began following a recipe online — making Chicken Teriyaki Donburi, a simple Japanese rice bowl dish.
After that, Arashi began cooking by following the tutorial video — but it didn't go as smoothly as he expected. Sometimes the knife would slip from his hand, other times he couldn't find the ingredients, and once he even dropped a knife on the floor that almost hit his feet.
Ayane watched all of it quietly from the side, hiding a small smile as she saw him struggling yet still trying his best.
After a while, the dish was finally ready. Arashi placed it gently in front of her. "Sorry," he said with a shy laugh, "I'm not really good at cooking. But I'm learning little by little. It's not that great, but… it's edible. You can try it."
Ayane shook her head softly. "No, don't say that. You should give yourself a little more credit. Thank you… for doing all this."
Arashi smiled faintly. "Alright then, let's eat."
The moment Ayane took her first bite, her eyes widened slightly. It looked simple, nothing fancy — but the taste surprised her. It was actually really good.
"This is… delicious," she said with a gentle smile. "I didn't expect it to taste this nice."
Arashi looked a bit embarrassed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Really? Guess I got lucky this time."
After dinner, they put on a movie to relax. The room grew quiet except for the soft sound of the TV — the glow reflecting gently on their faces.
Halfway through, Ayane's eyelids grew heavy. The calm music, the warmth of the room, and the long day had tired her out. Her head slowly tilted to the side until she drifted off on the couch, her breathing steady and soft.
Arashi glanced at her.
He stood up quietly, careful not to wake her, and walked to his room. A moment later, he returned with a soft blanket. As he gently placed it over her, a few strands of her hair brushed against his hand. He froze for a second — before stepping back and whispering, "Goodnight."
Then he picked up the empty plates, cleaned the table, turned off the lights, and finally headed to his room to sleep.
But Ayane wasn't really asleep.
The moment she heard his footsteps fade away, she slowly opened her eyes. The blanket was warm — warmer than she expected — and it carried the faint scent of him. Her chest tightened in a way she couldn't quite explain.
She looked toward the hallway where he had disappeared and whispered softly, "You didn't have to do all that…"
Her fingers gripped the edge of the blanket as her heart began to race again. Every little thing he did — the awkward cooking, the quiet care, the gentle way he smiled — all of it replayed in her mind like scenes from a dream.
"He noticed… like he always does," she thought, her lips curving slightly.
For a moment, she felt the urge to get up — to walk to his room, knock on the door, and just tell him everything. Tell him how his kindness made her chest ache, how being with him made her feel alive in a way she hadn't felt before.
But when she stood up halfway… something inside her stopped her.
A strange fear — quiet but heavy — held her still. Maybe it was doubt. Maybe it was the thought that things might change if she said it aloud.
Her eyes softened. She slowly sat back down, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders. "Not yet," she whispered to herself. "Just… not yet."
She looked at the dark hallway one last time, her heart beating fast, then closed her eyes — this time truly falling asleep, with a small, tender smile still on her lips.