socalfunplaces Page 90
Page 90
The apartment's open kitchen meant that his every move was visible to the four women in the living room.
Sayuri watched his skillful movements with great interest, becoming more and more satisfied, nodding from time to time.
Kato Megumi took out her phone and snapped a picture of Yuto's back.
"Kato-kun, what are you doing?" Yuto asked, turning around.
"It's nothing," Kato Megumi said calmly, putting down her phone. "I just thought Itsuka-kun's cooking was very reliable, so I wanted to record it."
Soon, the rice was cooked. Youdou turned on the stove to heat the pan, poured in oil, and the golden egg liquid slid into the pan, quickly expanding and emitting a rich aroma.
Next came the diced ham and rice. The spatula flew up and down in his hands, the rice grains jumping in the pot, mixing evenly with the egg, ham, and chopped green onions.
Before long, several plates of egg fried rice, each grain distinct and golden in color, were ready.
"dinner time."
Four girls sat around a low table, each with a plate of steaming fried rice in front of them.
"I'm gonna start now."
Sayuri was the first to pick up a spoon, took a bite, and her eyes lit up: "Delicious! Yuto-kun, your cooking skills are good enough to open a shop!"
"Thank you."
Eriri also started eating in small bites. Although she didn't say anything, the slightly upturned corners of her mouth and the speed at which she ate revealed her true thoughts.
Kasumigaoka Utaha scooped up a spoonful of rice, savored it carefully, and then slowly said, "Hmm, it tastes even better than last time. It seems that your cooking skills, like your writing ability, are constantly improving."
Her words were both a compliment and a reminder to everyone that she was the one who had tasted Yuto's cooking "last time".
Sure enough, Eriri paused for a moment and silently sped up her eating.
Yuto pretended not to understand the hidden meaning and simply said, "I'm glad everyone likes it."
The meal was finished in this wonderful atmosphere.
Sayuri offered to help wash the dishes, but Yuto politely declined.
He cleaned up the mess in the kitchen by himself, while the girls in the living room started their post-dinner chat.
When he finished tidying up and came out, he found Sayuri holding Kato Megumi's hand, asking her all sorts of questions in a friendly manner, just like a mother-in-law looking at her future daughter-in-law.
Eriri and Kasumigaoka Utaha sat at opposite ends of the sofa, each engrossed in their phones, maintaining a fragile peace.
“It’s getting late,” Yuto glanced at the sky. “I’ll take everyone home.”
"No, no," Sayuri stood up. "I drove here, so I'm just dropping Eriri and Ms. Kasumi off on the way. Where does Kato live, classmate?"
“Auntie, no need to trouble yourself. My home is nearby, it’s a short walk back,” Kato Megumi replied politely.
“I see.” Sayuri nodded, then turned to Yuto with an undeniable smile. “Then, Yuto, could you please see Kato-san off? It’s not safe for a girl to walk alone at night.”
What could Yuto say? He could only nod in agreement.
So, at the entrance, the group began to say goodbye.
"Xiaoyou, thank you for your hospitality today," Xiaobaihe said with a smile. "Come visit Auntie's house sometime, and Auntie will cook you a big meal."
Eriri also thanked her quietly.
“Good 1〗 Cold equipment M Dad? 〡罒』 Standing dead at noon G, Aunt Little Lily.”
Kasumigaoka Utaha walked up to Yuto, leaned slightly, and whispered in his ear in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Consider today's fried rice a thank you gift. But you still owe me a black tea cake, so you'll have to buy it for me yourself next time. Got it, sir?"
A warm breath brushed past his ear, making Yuto feel a little itchy.
"……it is good."
After Sayuri drove away with the two girls, only Yuto and Kato Megumi remained at the apartment entrance.
The summer night breeze carried a hint of coolness, dispelling the daytime heat. The two walked side by side on the quiet street, their shadows stretched long by the streetlights.
"Thank you for your hard work today, Itsuka-kun," Kato Megumi suddenly said.
"Hmm? It's alright." Yuto smiled. "I'm used to it."
"Itsuka-kun, you're really amazing."
"Amazing? How so?"
“Hmm…” Kato Megumi thought for a moment and said in her calm tone, “I think it’s amazing that you can live like this on your own.”
"Fortunately."
Kato Megumi continued, "Aunt Sawamura seems to like you very much."
"It's probably because of our childhood. You know Eriri and I are childhood friends. It was common for me to stay at her house when we were kids."
"Really?" Kato Megumi's tone was ambiguous, revealing neither belief nor disbelief.
She stopped and looked up at Yuto. "However, I think Itsuka-kun doesn't actually need to work so hard to maintain his balance."
"What do you mean?"
“Because neither Eriri nor Kasumigaoka-senpai,” Kato Megumi’s eyes were particularly clear under the streetlights, “they are not unreasonable people. They are just… too concerned about Itsuka-kun.”
After she finished speaking, Asahi Yuto smiled slightly, a very faint but sincere smile.
“I’m home. Thank you for bringing me home today, and thank you for the fried rice.” She pointed to an apartment building next door.
"You're welcome."
"Well then, goodnight, Wu-he』Yue/Yi〆Yi-ling〖Yi-qi-si-wu-jiu-si?VG9?Shua-tong-xue." She deliberately drew out the tone, then turned around and disappeared at the entrance of the apartment building.
Yuto stood there, pondering Kato Megumi's last words.
He suddenly realized that his usually unremarkable deskmate might be the one who saw through everything.
……
……
[P.S.: A person has two lives; the second begins the moment you realize you only have one.]
The same applies to writing. There are two writing sessions a day. Once you realize the first one is over, the second one begins.
Volume 1: Chapter 107: A Plea for Help from Yuzuru Nishimiya
On Sunday morning, Yuto Itsuka woke up from a deep sleep, stretched, and his bones cracked and popped.
After taking Kato Megumi home last night, he fell asleep almost immediately upon hitting the bed. Maintaining the delicate balance among the three girls was far more tiring than writing a 10,000-word novel, not to mention the unexpected visit of Aunt Sayuri.
He rubbed his sleepy eyes, picked up his phone from the bedside table, and saw several unread messages on the screen.
Eriri and Kasumigaoka Utaha started a new round of fighting in the group chat. It started last night when Aunt Sayuri made some "layman's" opinions on Utaha's novel on her way home. This made the very proud Utaha very dissatisfied. Eriri seized the opportunity and used the excuse that "my mother's taste is the taste of the general public" to denounce Utaha's work.
Fortunately, Kato Megumi was there, and the fighting was temporarily quelled.
Yuto smiled, tossed his phone aside, and got up to wash up.
After a simple breakfast, he made himself a cup of coffee and sat down at his computer to start his workday.
However, inspiration seemed to be lingering in bed. He stared blankly at the document for a long time, his mind a complete blank, thinking only about yesterday.
"It really is... never a moment's peace." He shook his head with a self-deprecating laugh.
Just then, the cell phone rang abruptly.
Yuto picked it up and saw that the caller ID showed an unfamiliar number.
He was a little confused, but he still pressed the answer button.
"Hello."
There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a slightly anxious and hesitant girl's voice.
"...Is that Yuto-nii?"
The voice sounded familiar. Yuto searched his memory for a moment before asking uncertainly, "Yuzuru?"
"Yes, it's me." Nishimiya Yuzuru seemed relieved on the other end of the phone. "Sorry for calling you so suddenly."
"It's nothing, what's wrong? Did something happen to Shoko?" Yuto's heart jumped.
He knew Nishimiya Yuzuru's personality very well; this strong-willed girl would not easily ask for help unless she encountered a problem she couldn't solve herself.
"My sister...she's alright for now." Yuzuru's voice sounded somewhat downcast, mixed with barely suppressed anger.
"Nothing's wrong for now? What do you mean?"
"Well, some strange things have been happening lately. I don't know what to do, so I wanted to talk to you about it."
"Don't rush, tell me slowly, what exactly happened?" Yuto continued to ask.
"It's that guy..." Yuzuru's tone turned resentful, "that bastard who used to bully my sister, Ishida Shoya!"
"Ishida Shoya?" Yuto's brows furrowed instantly.
“Hmm.” Yuzuru continued, “Recently, I’ve noticed that every time my sister and I go out, I feel like someone is following us. At first, I thought it was just my imagination, but I felt that gaze several times afterward. Until the day before yesterday, I finally saw it clearly—it was him!”
"He's been following you and Shoko the whole time?"
"Yes! He was acting suspiciously, keeping his distance and not getting close. I got furious and rushed up to him to confront him about what he was up to!"
"That bastard saw me, didn't say a word, and just turned and ran away. I thought I scared him away and he wouldn't come back. But yesterday, he showed up again!" Yuzuru's voice was filled with helplessness.
"I don't know what he's trying to do. He hasn't done anything to us, he just keeps following us. I've warned him and chased him away, but he's like a fly that I can't shake off, it's disgusting!"
Yuto Itsuka's eyes turned cold.
Tracking? Tailing?
This behavior itself carries a morbid paranoia and a potential threat.
If this is the case for an ordinary girl, it is even more so for Shoko, who is almost unable to communicate normally with the outside world. The psychological pressure brought about by this silent spying is immeasurable.
"Have you found glass too?" he asked.
"currently there is not."
"Did you tell Aunt Yaeko about this?"
“I told you,” Yuzuru said, her voice even more dejected. “My mom is angry too, but she said that since that guy didn’t do anything, even if we call the police, they won’t care!”
"Mom said that we can only try to go out less recently, or when we do go out, I must accompany my sister."
"But... this isn't the solution at all! Are we going to hide at home for the rest of our lives because of him? My sister... she's finally become more cheerful, I don't want her to go back to how she was before!"
Listening to Yuzuru's accusations, Yuto could completely understand her feelings.
While Aunt Yaeko's approach was prudent, it was too passive. For a girl like Yuzuru, who considered protecting her older sister her duty, this feeling of helplessness was undoubtedly agonizing.
No wonder she chose to seek help from this guy she had only met once.
“I understand,” Itsuka Yuto said calmly. “Leave this to me.”
“Yuto-nii…”
"Don't worry, I won't let him continue to harass Shoko."
"Yuzuru, where are you now? Let's meet up, it'll be clearer if we talk face to face."
} 引鏾?焐（七）疚6僄#谰“I’m at home…why don’t you come to my house?”
Yuto thought for a moment and said, "Going to your house would be too conspicuous. If that guy is nearby, it will only make him more wary. How about this, isn't there a park near your house? Let's meet there in half an hour."
"Okay!" Yuzuru immediately agreed, his voice filled with renewed hope.
After hanging up the phone, the relaxed expression on Yuto's face disappeared, replaced by indifference.
He changed into some casual clothes that were easy to move in, tidied himself up briefly, and went straight out the door.
Shoya Ishida.
He silently repeated the name in his heart.
I do not go to the mountain, but the mountain comes to me.
'I hadn't even planned to cause you any trouble, but you jumped out first. Good for you.'
……
……
Half an hour later, Yuto Itsuka arrived at the park near the Nishimiya family home on time.