Once Akira and Sajuna had finished making dinner, everyone who had been discussing in the living room came running over.
"Wow! Akira-kun is amazing!"
"Juju-sama is so great too!"
The continuous praises filled Sajuna's cheeks with smiles, and she felt her entire spine straighten a bit.
Everyone helped to carry the prepared dishes to the study table.
The study materials currently in use were neatly organized and placed next to the cushions, to be continued after dinner.
"Everyone, see if it suits your taste."
Akira looked at the expectant eyes around the table; it seemed everyone was very satisfied with his cooking.
Seeing that there were no objections or dietary restrictions, Akira invited everyone to start their dinner.
He clasped his hands together, softly murmured, "Itadakimasu," then picked up his chopsticks and put a piece of stewed pork tenderloin into his mouth.
It somehow tasted better than usual.
His cooking skills had almost reached their peak, so they usually didn't improve much anymore.
But the quality of this meal today was clearly better than usual.
Why was that?
Akira fell into thought.
Beside him, Sajuna looked at Akira's blissful expression, feeling that this lively atmosphere had a sense of home.
It was a completely different experience from just the two of them being together as usual.
After eating for about half an hour, everyone showed satisfied expressions.
Akira chewed the food in his mouth, finished the last of the rice in his bowl, looked around, and said, "Is everyone finished?"
"Finished, finished."
Akira nodded, "Then let's clean up."
Shiki saw that Akira and Sajuna looked like they were about to get up and quickly voiced his opinion.
"Akira-kun, please rest for a while, after all, you still have to tutor us later."
"We'll take care of the after-dinner cleanup."
Shiki looked around, and everyone nodded.
Although this might sound a bit like being generous with other people's efforts, in this situation, it was clearly impossible for Akira-kun to keep working.
"We feel a little bad for just eating."
Sugaya Nowa stood up, "It's time for us to do some chores and show our value!"
"Akira-kun, please prepare for what's next."
Shiki also stood up and replied.
So, after cleaning up, they, as expected, entered the rigorous teaching session.
The study session ended in a flurry of activity.
Towards the end, Akira called out to Wakana and Marin, asking them to stay a bit longer before heading home.
"What's wrong, Akira-kun?"
Wakana asked curiously, and Marin next to him also looked puzzled.
"Wakana and Kitagawa-san, do you have time tomorrow?" Akira asked, "Sajuna and I have confirmed the location of the studio, and we plan to go scout it out tomorrow. I wanted to see if you two have time to come along."
Akira explained, "After all, this is my and your first time participating in a studio shoot, so I think it's better to confirm things beforehand."
"Eh! We can go tomorrow already! I thought it would take a while longer!" Marin exclaimed excitedly, "I want to go, I want to go! Absolutely, definitely, we all have to go!"
She turned to Wakana and said, "Gojo-kun, let's go together."
Akira couldn't help but think that Marin's "we" didn't seem to include him and Sajuna; even though he and Sajuna were sweeter, he still couldn't avoid being fed dog food by Wakana and Marin.
This damned sweetness of love.
"As for the meeting place, let's set it at the studio itself." Akira took out his phone and looked at the saved address: "The address is Shinryo Station."
Wakana raised his hand, "Akira-kun, is there anything we need to pay attention to for our first visit?"
Akira thought for a moment, feeling that Sajuna hadn't told him anything to pay attention to.
"No."
"Then I'll see you in the afternoon."
Akira said finally.
-------------------------------------
"Achoo!"
Akira, stepping out, was hit by the cool afternoon breeze and couldn't help but sneeze.
It looked like the weather wasn't very good!
Akira looked up at the sky, where grey, gloomy clouds drifted, with no sign of the sun.
He turned back inside, took out a clear umbrella, preparing to use it if it rained later.
It felt like the air was damp again.
Akira didn't like this kind of weather; this humid weather, like stuffy hot weather, only made one's body sticky with sweat that was hard to get rid of.
After waking up in the morning, he showered and then sat in front of the computer, writing the content for the second volume, and now he was feeling a bit numb.
He walked to the entrance of Shinryo Station, swiped his card to enter, and stepped into a sparsely populated train.
Akira carried his umbrella and didn't bother to sit in the empty seat beside him.
The rumbling sound of the train and the wind before the rain, which sounded like a repeated hallucination in his ears, echoed together in Akira's ears.
Was this kind of weather already unsuitable for going?
Akira hadn't contacted Sajuna to cancel the scouting plan, but he still felt a lazy reluctance to do anything.
He just had such a thought in his mind.
In this kind of weather, one should cling tightly to the person they love, staying together until they're sick of each other.
Stepping out of the station, he heard the wind more distinctly, mixed with the roaring noise of distant vehicles passing by.
He gently pressed the doorbell at Sajuna's house, and less than five seconds later, he heard the sound of the door opening.
Unlike her usual lively and cute style, Sajuna had chosen a simple grey dress this time. Far from making her look gloomy, it gave her a cool, mature aura.
This outfit, in this scene, represents Sajuna's fear of the dark, which doesn't fit the context of the text.
"Aki-Kun."
Sajuna stood at the door, shyly looking at Akira.
This was her first time trying this kind of outfit, and she wondered if Aki-Kun would like this look.
After all, whether it was what she used to wear, or the clothes Aki-Kun bought for her.
None of them seemed to include this simple grey attire she was wearing now.
But it looked quite fitting with the gloomy weather outside!
Sajuna thought this, also because Aki-Kun had said many times that he liked her in all sorts of ways, which encouraged her to try different styles.
After all, Aki-Kun was the one who wrote about a bunny girl senpai in his light novel.
Whether it was a bunny girl or a senpai!
Sajuna had to achieve all of it herself.