The two lovebirds ultimately decided not to go to university that morning.
After Akira and Sajuna finished making breakfast together, they skipped preparing lunch bento boxes and simply ate breakfast at the living room table.
Sajuna sent a message to Shinju, telling her to make her own lunch bento and take it to school.
As for herself, Akira would take care of her.
The sky outside was gloomy, and Sajuna, uncharacteristically, did not worry too much about her younger sister. Instead, she happily curled up on the sofa, hugging her knees as she watched TV.
"Aki-Kun, let's watch TV together," Sajuna said, pouting slightly at Akira.
"Alright, alright."
The two of them watched the program with their bodies pressed close together.
Akira, who did not usually watch TV, felt that the style of the program was a bit unsuitable for him. However, seeing Sajuna next to him completely engrossed, he simply stayed and accompanied her.
After watching several nonsensical variety shows and interviews with unfamiliar voice actors, Sajuna finally switched to a Japanese drama channel.
This time, even Akira found himself drawn in, and the two of them watched the plot intently.
Being affectionate, they watched TV while engaging in little couple-like gestures, and time quietly passed until noon.
Akira stood up, leaving Sajuna on the sofa, and went to prepare lunch.
"What does Sajuna want to eat?"
He opened the refrigerator. The saury bought yesterday had not been eaten yet, and seeing some vegetables nearby, he decided to make a simple meal.
Akira took out the saury to thaw, then picked up a kitchen knife and cut the remaining radish into pieces, lightly pickling them.
He steamed two portions of rice in the rice cooker and set water to boil on the gas stove for miso soup.
The steps seemed complicated and simultaneous, but Akira carried them out in an orderly and elegant manner.
"Time to eat!" Akira called.
Sajuna walked from the living room into the kitchen, her eyes lighting up when she saw the salt-grilled saury he had prepared.
"Aki-Kun, that's amazing!"
"I hope Sajuna can praise me for other things being amazing too."
Akira, uncharacteristically, made a bad joke, then immediately looked embarrassed and a little ashamed.
"Just pretend Sajuna didn't hear that."
Sajuna's face reddened slightly as she understood the meaning behind his words.
Although she had never seriously thought about such things, she often heard girls her age discussing similar topics.
Some particularly uninhibited classmates would even secretly compare their boyfriends' abilities.
Even though she was already an adult, it still felt like something quite distant to her.
After collecting her thoughts, Sajuna carried the salt-grilled saury and pickled radish out of the kitchen.
Akira followed with the pot of miso soup, and finally, the two of them carried their bowls of rice out together.
After all, bringing all the pots to the living room would look rather messy.
Looking at the salt-grilled saury, pickled radish, and steaming miso soup laid out before her, Sajuna took a bite of rice from her small bowl and felt a sense of homey satisfaction.
After the two of them shared their feelings, the lingering sense of unease in her heart seemed to have disappeared.
It was just a simple lunch for two, yet it radiated the warmth of a home.
"Sajuna, is today's meal to your liking?" Akira asked as he ate the salt-grilled saury.
"It's delicious," Sajuna replied.
Aki-Kun made lunch, yet he was still so considerate of her feelings.
Even if it had tasted terrible, she would have said it was delicious, but it truly was.
Sajuna could not help thinking that Aki-Kun was really amazing.
She lifted the nearby bowl and took a sip of miso soup. The green scallions and rich broth flowed into her mouth, lingered briefly, and then slid down her throat.
The flavor still remained on her tongue.
It felt as though she had been completely captivated by the soup.
Sajuna extended her chopsticks and gently picked a piece of meat from the fish's belly, placing it into her mouth. The tender flesh slowly fell apart, carrying with it a salty taste reminiscent of the sea.
Although it was salt-grilled saury, it was not overly salty. Instead, the flavor of the fish itself was fully brought out.
The crispy fish skin carried the fragrance of roasting, and when she gently tore off a piece and tasted it, it felt as though the essence of the fish was concentrated there.
Compared to the meat, Sajuna realized she preferred the crispy grilled skin even more.
Meeting Akira's expectant gaze, she smiled brightly as she praised him.
"I really love it, especially the fish skin."
Akira smiled in satisfaction and gently stroked Sajuna's hair.
"As long as you like it."
He then picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of fish from the belly, and placed it into Sajuna's bowl.
"Aki-Kun, eat your own," Sajuna protested, puffing out her cheeks.
Akira finally served himself, tasting the food he had made. He felt it was indeed better than what many restaurant owners produced.
Since he had only recently learned to cook, he always tasted his own dishes to check the results.
Still, it felt like the food tasted better now than it had right after cooking.
It must be psychological.
Akira thought this as he continued eating, especially after Sajuna had praised him.
"By the way, Sajuna, is it really okay for you not to go to school this morning?" Akira asked.
"It's fine. I already had Kyoko ask for leave for me," Sajuna replied casually.
Universities were not that strict about attendance anyway.
"Huh? What reason did you use?" Akira asked quickly.
He had skipped class without notifying anyone, and it was almost miraculous that his teacher had not called yet.
Sajuna's chopsticks paused for a moment before she answered shyly, "I told Kyoko to say my period started and that I was too uncomfortable to go to school."
It was the first time Sajuna had mentioned something like this to Aki-Kun.
If he had bad intentions, he would probably be very disappointed to hear it.
Instead, Akira looked worried. "So your period really started?"
Sajuna's face flushed slightly as she answered awkwardly, "Y-yes, it did."
"Are you feeling alright?" Akira asked with concern.
Sajuna relaxed, her eyes narrowing slightly as a gentle smile appeared on her face.
"I'm fine. My period usually isn't a problem. Aki-Kun doesn't need to worry."
Aki-Kun is actually worried about my body.
Seeing her reaction, Akira finally relaxed and let out a quiet sigh of relief.
It seemed Sajuna was not one of those girls who suffered greatly during her period.
He had heard that some girls experienced severe pain, and the thought of that made his chest ache.
Suddenly, Akira realized something.
Could Sajuna's unusual behavior today be caused by emotional fluctuations from her period?
If that were the case, he felt he would need to comfort her often in the future.
It seemed physical pain might be avoided, but emotional reassurance was unavoidable.