While I was helping Sumire peel some vegetables in the kitchen, the front door suddenly made a "click" sound and opened.
A female voice came from the living room: "Sumire, I'm back—"
Before I could turn around, a girl walked into the kitchen. She had long hair, a face somewhat similar to Sumire's, but with a taller frame, fair skin, and a more mature expression.
Her gaze landed on me standing next to her younger sister, and then her lips curved into a half-genuine, half-teasing smile.
"Oh, so this is Hiro, the guy Sumire's been talking about these past few days?"
"C-Chi-chan!" Sumire blushed and took a half-step back, her voice rising noticeably. "I only said he was coming to help with cleaning!"
I chuckled lightly at her cute reaction and then bowed slightly to greet the newcomer. "Hello, I'm Hiro Sasaki. It's nice to meet you."
The girl smiled graciously and nodded in return. "I'm Sumia Shirasaki, Sumire's older sister. I'm in my third year of college."
The atmosphere in the kitchen became livelier and more pleasant. Sumia brought in a bag of food and some cooking ingredients, then suggested joining us to prepare dinner. So, the three of us became a temporary cooking team in the small kitchen, and it seemed Sumire's face was still a little flushed.
Dinner went on in a cozy and relaxed atmosphere.
We sat around the small dining table with simple but delicious dishes: miso soup, rolled omelette, braised meat, and some stir-fried vegetables, which Sumire and I had prepared together. Sumia also brought a box of sushi she bought, making the table look even more plentiful.
"I didn't expect Hiro to be good at cooking," Sumia said, picking up a piece of omelette. "I thought all high school boys these days lived off instant noodles."
I laughed. "I used to be like that, but recently… if you want to eat well, you have to learn."
Although I only helped Sumire a little.
Sumire quietly listened, gently stirring her bowl of soup, her eyes softening. Perhaps it was because we had spent quite a bit of time together today, she seemed more relaxed than usual.
"Thanks for helping me," she said softly, her voice sincere. "If I was alone, it would have taken me three days to finish cleaning, and my sister would be out having fun."
"It's no problem," I replied. "Actually, today was a pretty pleasant day."
Sumia raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Oh… pleasant because you were with my little sister, huh?"
Sumire almost dropped her chopsticks, and I didn't know how to respond except to laugh awkwardly.
Throughout the meal, the three of us chatted about all sorts of things: school, books, and a few funny stories about Sumire's household. Sumia had a knack for storytelling, often teasing her younger sister, leaving Sumire only able to defend herself with a red face.
At the end of the meal, Sumia stood up to clear the dishes, still throwing in a playful comment. "Sumire, keep an eye on this guy. Seems like he knows how to care."
"Shut up, sis!"
I said my goodbyes to Sumire and her sister and headed home.
On the way back, my mind kept circling around Sumire's gentle smile, her soft voice when inviting me to stay for dinner. The more I interacted with her, the more I found myself liking her.
When I got home, I changed clothes, took a shower, and then quickly finished up the homework I had left before heading to bed.
---
The next morning.
It was Monday, and I woke up earlier than usual. Why? Of course, to go for my morning run. Lucy had this habit for a long time, and she once texted me saying she'd like to have someone to run with.
I changed into my workout clothes, did a quick warm-up, and started running along the path by the park near my house.
After a while, I heard footsteps growing closer behind me. When I turned around, I saw a familiar figure getting closer, it was Lucy.
"Good morning," she said, breathing evenly even though she was running.
"Good morning," I replied with a small smile.
"You also run in the mornings?" she glanced at me, slightly raising an eyebrow.
"I… suddenly wanted to improve my health," I replied, half-joking. "By the way, do you live around here?"
"Yeah, I moved into a condo right by this park," she nodded. "It's convenient for training."
"Then…" I said, "how about we run together?"
Lucy smiled slightly. "Alright then."
And so, the two of us ran side by side, the sound of our footsteps in sync under the soft morning sun.
After running for quite a while, we decided to stop and rest on a bench in the park. I quickly ran to a nearby vending machine, bought two bottles of water, and handed one to Lucy.
She took it, nodding her thanks. We both sat on the bench, keeping a reasonable distance, not too close, but not far either.
I started the conversation. "So, are you officially transferring to school today?"
"Yeah," she nodded, taking a sip of her water. "I'll be in Class A. You're in that class too, right?"
"That's right," I nodded. "So from now on, we'll be seeing each other more often."
Lucy leaned back against the bench, her eyes following a few leaves falling from the trees above.
"That Ren guy hasn't changed much. The other day, after he took me home, we sat for a bit at my place, and then he left, saying he needed to read. Back when we were five, I remember him hugging comic books all day, and now he's really a bookworm."
I laughed. "Haha, that's Ren for you. He has a very… scholarly vibe."
"Scholarly?" Lucy narrowed her eyes. "That sounds like a description of a character from a romance novel."
"I think it suits him," I shrugged.
Lucy shook her head lightly, but her lips curled up. "I can't remember a time when he talked without mentioning books…"
"I think," I smiled, "maybe books are the way he understands and feels the world. Everyone has a place to escape when they're tired. For Ren, it's probably between the pages of a book."
She was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked softly, "What about you, Hiro? Where do you hide when you don't want anyone to find you?"
The question caught me off guard. I turned to look at Lucy's face, tilted slightly to the side under the gentle sunlight, her golden hair swaying lightly in the breeze.
I answered quietly, "I guess… I'm still looking for that place."
She didn't say anything, just nodded, her gaze distant as she looked out toward the row of trees in front of us.
We continued chatting, mostly about small things like school, the new class Lucy was joining, and some funny comparisons between the teachers I had. At times, she laughed out loud, her laughter a little haughty but still familiar, as if we had once been very close.
The morning air was so fresh, and I realized… this morning run turned out to bring me more peace than I expected.