Dinner

Before the atmosphere could grow any more intimate, the train finally arrived at their stop. As the doors opened, Kiyoko immediately let go of Hayato's shirt hem like a startled little animal, then turned away so no one would see how red her cheeks already were. Having never been this close to a boy before, Kiyoko was completely flustered; she did not even know when she had grabbed Hayato's shirt in the first place.

The two walked out of the station in silence. On the way home, Kiyoko spoke first.

"Hayato, did you prepare anything for dinner? Do you want to come eat at my house?"

Realizing that Kiyoko was trying to shift the subject and escape the awkwardness from earlier, Hayato went along with it.

"I brought some things that are easy to prepare. There are also some instant noodles at home."

"That won't do. Volleyball Club training takes a lot out of you. The vegetable shop should still be open, so let's buy you some groceries first. You can cook them later. Oh, and Hayato, can you cook?"

"I can make some simple dishes."

Hearing that, Kiyoko forgot about what had just happened and hurriedly dragged Hayato to the shopping street near their homes, where they bought a great many things. Before long, Hayato was carrying two bulging plastic bags.

Only then did Kiyoko feel more at ease. Looking at the two bags, she thought for a moment before walking up to Hayato and reaching for one of them. But before she could touch it, Hayato noticed.

"How could I let you carry it, Kiyoko-senpai? It's heavy. Leave it to me."

"But I can't let you carry everything."

They both had a point. In the end, Hayato compromised and let Kiyoko take one side of the plastic bag in his left hand, turning it into the two of them carrying one bag together.

With the way they carried their groceries like a newlywed couple, combined with their Karasuno uniforms, the pedestrians and shop owners on the shopping street all wore gentle smiles. The two noticed it as well, but changing how they carried the bag now would only seem deliberate. So they could only brace themselves under the gazes of the adults and walk home.

What neither of them knew was that, not long afterward, gossip spread through the shopping street that Kiyoko from the Shimizu family had gotten herself a boyfriend.

Finally back at Hayato's house, the two of them let out a sigh of relief at the entryway. Those looks had not been malicious, but anyone would feel uneasy being watched like that.

After setting their removed school shoes neatly in place, Kiyoko watched Hayato carry the two large bags of ingredients into the kitchen. Then she looked at herself, crouched in the entryway as she lined up their two pairs of shoes side by side, and remembered the fish shop owner smiling as he asked whether Kiyoko-chan was shopping for groceries with her boyfriend.

Kiyoko, already reserved and shy by nature, felt her face redden again. Fortunately, Hayato's question came at just the right time.

"Kiyoko-senpai! Which shelf of the refrigerator should I put the meat on?"

Gently patting her cheeks and refusing to think any further, Kiyoko calmed herself down, stood, and headed for the kitchen.

After informing her family, Kiyoko stayed at Hayato's house to make dinner with him. They had brought back some unfinished rice when moving, so after washing it and putting it into the rice cooker, that part was done.

To Kiyoko's surprise, Hayato was far more skilled than he had claimed. He used the kitchen knife to cut up all the ingredients, then calmly went through the cooking steps in perfect order. Kiyoko, who had intended to help, found herself with nothing to do.

As dried chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, ginger slices, and scallion segments hit the wok, the aromatics released their fragrance. He added the oil-fried diced chicken breast, and a not-quite-authentic spicy diced chicken was complete.

There was nothing he could do about it. Hayato had not yet grown accustomed to Japanese food, but the seasonings needed to make authentic Yanhuang dishes were not all available here, so he had to settle for the next best thing.

Smelling the wonderfully fragrant spicy diced chicken, Hayato had been about to take a bite first, but he noticed a trace of anticipation on Kiyoko-senpai's face as she filled bowls with rice beside him. He turned off the heat, picked up a piece of chicken, supported it with his hand, and offered it to Kiyoko.

"Kiyoko-senpai, would you like to try my cooking?"

Perhaps she was hungry as well. Kiyoko did not refuse out of embarrassment. She set down the bowl, tucked the hair by her temple behind her ear with one hand, revealing her signature beauty mark, then opened her small mouth and ate the chicken Hayato was holding out in one bite.

It was Hayato who became flustered instead. Watching Kiyoko tuck back her hair, open her cherry-red lips, and naturally eat the food he had fed her, he found the motion utterly bewitching. He quickly shook his head and drove the thought away.

Covering her lips with her slender white fingers, Kiyoko chewed a few times before swallowing the chicken.

"This is really delicious, but it's a little spicy."

She first gave the dish a glowing review, but as the lingering heat surged up afterward, Kiyoko hurriedly poured herself a glass of water and drank it down. Then, rather ungracefully, she fanned her mouth with her hand while sticking out her pink tongue and blowing on it, trying to ease the numbness from the spice.

That sight made the hot-blooded Hayato stare wide-eyed. It was not as if he had never had a girlfriend in his previous life, but perhaps because this body was still that of a teenager, he simply could not handle a beautiful girl like Kiyoko making such a gesture.

He quickly turned around and plated the spicy diced chicken from the wok, telling Kiyoko to drink more water and bring the rice to the table. Kiyoko did not notice anything unusual about him. After drinking another glass of water, she brought the rice over.

After asking about Kiyoko's tastes, Hayato made another dish—sweet tomato-and-egg stir-fry. Once everything was on the table, they both picked up their chopsticks after saying, "Let's eat." The difference was that Hayato ate the spicy diced chicken, while Kiyoko ate the tomato-and-egg stir-fry.

"This is delicious too. Hayato, you're far too modest. Isn't this wonderfully made?"

Resting her free left hand against her cheek, Kiyoko wore a blissful expression. She had not expected her childhood friend to be so talented not just at volleyball, but at cooking too.

If the Kiyoko Guard duo saw her like this, they would probably ascend straight to heaven.

Watching Kiyoko happily eat the food he had made, Hayato thought to himself that while the dishes were delicious, Kiyoko could only eat so much. Once she was full, she could only watch as Hayato finished all the remaining food and added another bowl of rice piled as high as a small mountain.

"Whew, I'm full."

After taking the glass Kiyoko handed him and drinking all the water inside, Hayato let out a satisfied sigh. Kiyoko rested her chin on her hand, looked at his face, and softly said that he had worked hard.

Then she gathered all the tableware and placed it in the sink, preparing to wash it. Seeing Kiyoko tie on an apron, Hayato was just about to tell her to leave it and let him handle it when she turned back and gave him a wink.

"You've worked hard enough with training and cooking. Leave this little thing to your big sister."

Struck down by her adorable wink, Hayato did not refuse. He walked over to the sofa, lay down, and turned on the television to pass the time.

Hearing the sounds behind her, Kiyoko smiled faintly as she washed the dishes. Somehow, this felt no different from being a newlywed couple. Then she blushed and hurriedly shook away the strange thought. It was all Hayato's fault for insisting on carrying the bag with her, making so many people misunderstand.

Puffing out her cheeks, Kiyoko threw a little tantrum no one had ever seen before.

Soon, she had finished washing the dishes and was ready to head home. Hayato sent her out while yawning, and seeing him like that, Kiyoko flicked his nose again.

"Don't go to sleep yet. Final exams are coming up. You heard it too, right? Anyone who fails won't be able to go to training camp."

More alert after being flicked, Hayato confidently flashed a V-sign.

"Don't worry, Kiyoko-senpai. I'm not bragging, but my grades have always been near the top."

Hayato was not making that up. In his memories, Hayato's grades had always been steadily within the top ten of their year and top three in his class, leaving no room for concern academically. And all the memories related to what he had learned were now firmly lodged in Hayato's mind, so he was not worried about the exams.

"Is that so? That's good, then. Get some proper rest. I'm going home, so you don't need to walk me out."

Although Kiyoko said there was no need to see her off, Hayato still walked her to the entryway. He stood at his own front door until Kiyoko entered hers. As she opened the door, Kiyoko turned to look at Hayato, and he smiled and waved at her. Once she went inside, he returned to his own home as well.

After turning off the living room light, Hayato went upstairs to his room and stretched with his hands clasped together.

"Even so, I should review a little, just in case."

He opened his textbooks, sat down at his desk, and began studying.