As a literary girl, Shiina Hiyori had of course allowed herself to imagine, more than once, what it might be like — the moment she and the person she loved finally crossed that line and became something more.
Would it happen on a Ferris wheel, suspended at its highest point, the rooftops of the city spread out beneath them like a painting?
Or in the soft, deep-blue light of an aquarium, while schools of fish drifted past like slow-moving dreams?
Or perhaps on a park bench at dusk, the last light of the setting sun spilling warm and golden across both their shoulders?
Or maybe in the snow of Christmas Eve, white flakes swirling down from the dark sky — or in the gentle, flickering warmth of birthday candles...
But...
In all those countless romantic scenes she had woven together in her imagination, Shiina Hiyori had never once pictured this.
That the moment would arrive like this — after an evening that looked, from the outside, almost exactly like any other. Ordinary, even.
No flowers. No balloons. No carefully arranged surprise waiting to be unveiled.
Only the faint, lingering fragrance of tamagoyaki still drifting through the air.
Compared to all those grand, luminous scenes she had dreamed up, this one was, admittedly, a little short on spectacle.
But...
If it was Shikime Natsu.
If it was the person she had chosen — looking at her with those gentle, steady eyes, and saying those words to her himself.
Then, for Shiina Hiyori, this was more romantic than any of those other versions. More deeply, permanently engraved.
Only now, in this moment, did she truly understand.
What she had been longing for, deep in her heart — it was never the romantic trappings. Never the picturesque scenery from the pages of a book.
All she had ever needed was for Shikime Natsu to like her.
That was all.
She couldn't say exactly when it had started. Perhaps it was that first accidental exchange of glances in the library. Perhaps it was somewhere in the middle of some unremarkable conversation.
But somewhere along the way, her gaze had stopped being able to leave him. She simply couldn't look away anymore.
She had been quietly, privately hoping — for so long — that someday, she might be able to cross that invisible line and stand beside him.
And now.
All of it had come true, like something out of a miracle.
There was no happier moment in the world than this one. There couldn't be.
Shiina Hiyori rose to her feet, and a smile spread across her face — a real one, rising from somewhere deep inside her.
She looked at Shikime Natsu. Those violet eyes of hers were bright and shining.
"Oh, that's right," she said. "Natsu just made tamagoyaki for me — my favourite. So... please, let me prepare something for Natsu in return."
The only food on the table right now was the dish Shikime Natsu had made for her. There was nothing in front of him — he had only prepared her portion, and hadn't made anything for himself yet.
He might have been planning to make something for himself later. But Shiina Hiyori wanted — on this very first day of their relationship — to be the one to prepare food for him. It was the most immediate, most tangible way she could think of to express what she felt.
"Sure."
Shikime Natsu didn't turn her down. He smiled, looking genuinely pleased by the idea.
"Then I'll look forward to Hiyori's cooking."
Permission granted.
Shiina Hiyori gave a small nod.
First, she raised her hands and deftly gathered her long, silky silver-white hair into a clean, high ponytail, baring the slender pale column of her neck.
Then she reached for the apron hanging nearby — Shikime Natsu's apron, the one he used every day. Under normal circumstances, she would never have dared to simply take it and put it on so openly. But now — now that they were boyfriend and girlfriend — using something like this was perfectly fine, wasn't it? Shiina Hiyori gently tied the apron around herself.
The moment it settled into place, a strange, warm sense of ease washed over her. Sweet, and oddly reassuring.
She walked into the kitchen.
Opened the refrigerator.
Shikime Natsu's fridge was, as always, packed full of a rich variety of fresh ingredients.
It was something Shiina Hiyori had always quietly admired about him.
She still had no idea how he managed it. Did he actually go out and restock the vegetables every single day? The ingredients themselves weren't terribly expensive in terms of points, but keeping things this consistently fresh required a level of dedication that was genuinely impressive.
Then again — this was Shikime Natsu. Of course he took his ingredients seriously. He was meticulous about freshness, about quality, about every little detail. A true cook, through and through.
But none of that mattered right now.
What mattered was that she was going to cook for him.
She hadn't visited his room to practise cooking these past few days — her low mood had kept her away.
But...
Back in her own room, she had been practising in secret. Quietly working on the flavours and dishes she knew Shikime Natsu liked. All along, she had been holding onto a quiet hope: that someday, she would be able to set a dish in front of him that would satisfy him — and satisfy herself.
Last time, he had complimented her cooking.
But in Shiina Hiyori's own eyes, it hadn't been good enough. There was still room to grow.
And besides...
This time was completely different from the last.
Last time, she had been cooking as a friend, as a guest — food prepared to welcome and entertain.
But this time.
She was cooking as Shikime Natsu's girlfriend. Making food for her boyfriend with her own hands.
Even if, back then, her feelings for him had already been quietly stirring inside her — the title changed everything. The way she felt about it now was utterly different.
This dish deserved a different name. This was a girlfriend's homemade meal, made with love, for her boyfriend.
Her heart was full to overflowing. She felt light, and bright, and boundlessly happy.
As for that bittersweet sting she'd felt earlier — when Shikime Natsu told her he was already dating Kamuro Masumi, and then Sakura Airi too — that feeling had been entirely swept away. Because now, she was also Shikime Natsu's girlfriend.
The kitchen filled with the bright, cheerful sounds of chopping and the clatter of a spatula against the pan.
Before long.
A steaming, fragrant cream stew was finished — rich with the warm, milky scent of butter and cream.
Shiina Hiyori carried the bowl with both hands, carefully, and set it down in front of Shikime Natsu.
"Please, go ahead."
She folded her hands in front of her, those violet eyes glittering with anticipation, watching him without blinking.
"Try it quickly... has it improved since last time?"
Shikime Natsu picked up a spoon, scooped up a mouthful of the rich broth, and brought it to his lips.
He tasted it carefully.
Then he set the spoon down, raised his head, and met the girl's nervous, expectant gaze with a verdict of high praise.
"It's delicious, Hiyori."
"The flavour is incredibly deep, and the heat was controlled just right."
"You've improved a lot since last time."
"R-really?"
Shiina Hiyori's eyes lit up instantly, joy spilling across her face before she could even try to contain it.
"Of course."
Shikime Natsu smiled and nodded, then patted the chair beside him.
"Don't just stand there — sit down and eat with me."
"Mm."
Shiina Hiyori sat down obediently, just as he said.
And the moment she had just settled into her seat —
Shikime Natsu suddenly raised his spoon, scooped up a piece of vegetable that had been simmered until it was perfectly soft and tender — and instead of bringing it to his own mouth, he held it out, naturally and without hesitation, right in front of Shiina Hiyori's lips.
"Here — say 'ah.'"
"..."
Staring at the spoon hovering so close to her face. Staring at Shikime Natsu's smiling eyes.
Shiina Hiyori felt warmth rise unbidden to her cheeks.
She hadn't expected this...
They hadn't even been together for an hour, and he was already doing the hand-feeding thing?
She was a little shy about it.
But as his girlfriend, there was absolutely no way she was going to refuse this kind of sweet, close moment.
And so.
Shiina Hiyori parted her lips just slightly, and accepted the offering from her boyfriend with good grace.
"Mm..."
She chewed softly, feeling the warmth slide down her throat and settle into her stomach.
It really was...
Even better than she had expected.
And...
She couldn't tell if it was just her imagination, but it tasted sweeter than it should have. Sweet in a way that wasn't cloying — just a gentle sweetness that went all the way down to her heart.
It was right at that moment.
Shiina Hiyori suddenly realised something.
That spoon...
Was the one Shikime Natsu had just been using.
Which meant...
The two of them had just... in a manner of speaking... shared an indirect kiss.
The instant that thought crossed her mind.
The tips of Shiina Hiyori's ears, already faintly pink, bloomed into a far more vivid shade — like ripe cherries, impossibly inviting.
To hide her embarrassment.
Her gaze darted about in mild panic before landing on the plate still sitting on the table — the one with a few remaining pieces of tamagoyaki.
She thought about it for a moment.
Then, gathering her courage, she picked up her chopsticks, pinched one golden piece of tamagoyaki, and — mirroring exactly what Shikime Natsu had just done — held it out to him.
"Then... Natsu should try some of his own cooking too."
Her voice came out soft and a little muffled — but it sounded lovely, somehow.
Shikime Natsu looked at her. The warmth in his eyes deepened.
"Sure."
"Don't mind if I do."
He tilted his head forward slightly and bit down on the piece of tamagoyaki.
He chewed, swallowed — and then spoke, with the tone of someone who had just noticed something puzzling.
"Strange..."
"This tamagoyaki... somehow tastes much better than when I made it myself before."
"?"
Shiina Hiyori blinked, genuinely at a loss.
From where she stood, Shikime Natsu's cooking had always been at its absolute peak. And besides — it wasn't as if she hadn't tasted this tamagoyaki before. It tasted exactly the same as the last time he'd made it. Just as delicious.
Before she could puzzle it out.
Shikime Natsu leaned in a little closer, meeting her eyes, and said with quiet, meaningful deliberateness:
"Maybe it's..."
"Because it was Hiyori who fed it to me."
The moment those words landed.
Shiina Hiyori felt something go off inside her — like a switch flipping. Her cheeks went scorching hot in an instant. She felt like she was about to combust entirely.
She genuinely hadn't seen it coming.
That Shikime Natsu would just say something that sickeningly sweet, that directly, with absolutely no warning whatsoever.
For a girl who had spent most of her life immersed in the world of books.
A point-blank attack like that, in real life, was simply devastating.
Especially for a literary girl like her.
The romantic writing she had absorbed over the years — it had almost always been restrained. Graceful. Rich with imagery and suggestion.
But something like this...
This was almost offensively direct. The kind of line that gave you goosebumps — and yet hit somewhere painfully, precisely right.
Shiina Hiyori had never once read a line quite like it. And she had certainly never experienced one firsthand.
But.
It was Shikime Natsu who had said it.
It had come from the mouth of the boy she liked.
And so...
It was still sweet. Impossibly sweet, even.
Perhaps a little too sweet, if she was being honest.
At the very least, Shiina Hiyori didn't mind. If anything, some quiet, secret part of her hoped he would say more things like that to her. Many more.
She took a moment to collect herself.
Shiina Hiyori forcibly pushed aside all the flustered, heart-fluttering thoughts crowding her mind and looked up at him.
Something had just come to her, and she asked:
"That's right, Natsu."
"You mentioned earlier... that you'd already been thinking about designs for new bookmarks."
"So... what will the next one you make for me look like?"
Shikime Natsu seemed to have already given it some thought. He looked at her — still wearing his apron — and said with a quiet smile:
"Hmm... one of them, I think..."
"I want to draw Hiyori in an apron, cooking seriously in the kitchen."
"That would definitely be very cute."
"?"
Shiina Hiyori blinked, then instinctively looked down at the apron still wrapped around her.
Cooking, hm?
That didn't sound bad at all. And if he was going to capture a memory in a bookmark — today's memory would certainly be one worth preserving.
The two of them talked, and ate, and the evening's meal was finished.
After they had cleared away the dishes.
Shiina Hiyori stood in the living room, looking at Shikime Natsu with a careful, slightly hesitant expression. She wavered for a moment, then finally asked:
"Um... Natsu."
"Is it alright if I... stay a little longer?"
After all...
She understood perfectly well by now that she wasn't Shikime Natsu's only girlfriend.
What if he already had plans with Kamuro Masumi, or with Sakura Airi?
Even though today was the first day of their relationship.
As the one who had come into the picture later, Shiina Hiyori didn't want to disrupt his existing arrangements just because she had suddenly arrived. She didn't want to cause him trouble.
And besides...
Today's confession — today's relationship — had come as a complete surprise to her. It hadn't been part of any plan.
If he had somewhere to be, she should take her leave.
Shikime Natsu looked at her expression and shook his head with a smile.
"Of course you can, Hiyori."
"Hiyori staying won't be any trouble at all."
Hearing that.
Shiina Hiyori felt the quiet tension in her chest ease away, and a happy smile spread across her face.
In that case...
Her gaze drifted over to the bookshelf, lined with its many volumes. Then she turned back to Shikime Natsu and extended a small invitation.
"Then... shall we read together?"
Just like we used to.
"Sure."
Shikime Natsu agreed without hesitation.
And yet.
In the very middle of that warm and peaceful moment —
Click.
Without warning.
From the entryway came the distinct sound of a lock being turned. And then the front door swung open.
____
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