"No taste?"
Before Yuu could respond, Yuigahama had already scooped a spoonful of porridge with a look of disbelief. After blowing on it a few times, she put it in her mouth and exhaled sharply.
"H-hot… But delicious! It looks like nothing special was added, but the flavor is so rich! Truly Yuu-kun with his super high joshi-ryoku!"
"Hu hu hu~" Haruno quickly took half a bowl of porridge and ate it bit by bit.
Her eyes gradually narrowed into crescent moons. A satisfied smile spread across her face.
(He has cooking skills like this but never told me or made anything for me. Fine, another debt to note…)
Meanwhile, Yukino, after blowing on a small spoonful of porridge for nearly a minute, carefully put it in her mouth. Her serious expression softened. Her mouth exhaled shallow steam, and she nodded slightly.
"The flavors of beef, seafood, vegetables, and traditional Chinese herbs blend perfectly. I can't imagine what techniques were used to process the ingredients. The doneness and moisture of the rice are flawless, impeccable. It makes you want to eat more and more… Even a high-end restaurant in central Tokyo wouldn't serve food of this caliber. Someone with dull taste buds would never say it has no taste."
As she spoke, she swatted away Haruno's hand, which was sneakily trying to take the entire pot of porridge. After shooting a sharp glance at her sister, she turned her puzzled gaze to Masuzu.
"Is your tongue okay? I mean, could it be a taste disorder due to health issues?"
"…Maybe." Masuzu tasted it again. She shook her head calmly. "It really has no taste at all… But I can tell the rice-to-water ratio is good. It's not too watery and very easy to swallow."
"Want to see a doctor?" Yuigahama asked with concern, unable to resist scooping a few more spoonfuls into her bowl.
The porridge in the pot dwindled quickly under the girls' onslaught. Except for Masuzu, the three were practically in a frenzy, barely maintaining their composure but unable to stop eating.
"Later. I don't really like eating anyway. It doesn't matter if it has taste or not."
Masuzu didn't seem too panicked. She just lowered her eyes, accepting the fact that her sense of taste had suddenly vanished.
Observing her expression closely, Yuu turned his head before their eyes could meet. He grabbed his jacket and school bag hanging nearby.
"Well then, that's it. If there's nothing else, I'm heading home. I'll leave Hiratsuka-sensei's matters to the club president."
"Fine, our work here is almost done too." Yukino reluctantly put down her spoon and stood up, speaking calmly. "I'll walk you downstairs."
"Oh, I'll come too!"
Originally planning to go home with Yuu and stop by somewhere for a date, Yuigahama didn't care about the white porridge smudge at the corner of her mouth. She hurriedly packed her things.
Before standing, she couldn't help glancing at Haruno again.
Unlike the others preparing to leave, the college student lounged casually on the sofa. She ate the remaining porridge in the clay pot with a calm air, as if it were a dinner Yuu had made especially for her.
Sensing the gaze on her, Haruno winked innocently, pursing her glossy, red lips.
After a moment's thought, she placed her palm beside her face and wagged her index finger playfully.
"Be careful on the way, bye-bye~"
Then she continued licking the sparse remnants of the porridge.
"…"
As if watching a relative embarrass themselves in public, Yukino reluctantly averted her gaze and sighed.
"Sorry, Natsukawa-san. You can kick this selfish person out anytime. If she objects, I'll ask Mother to drag her home."
Hearing those words, Haruno immediately looked displeased.
"Yukino-chan, you're breaking the rules~ How can we involve our parents in our issues?"
Yukino was even more displeased. "Then please act normally! It doesn't matter how embarrassing you are privately…"
"Sorry, I want to rest."
Not letting the sisters finish their argument, Masuzu stood from the sofa. She walked toward her room as if it were none of her business.
"Put the bowls in the sink. The last person to leave, please close the door for me. The electronic lock will secure itself automatically."
"Suzu-chan, are you really okay?" Seeing her back, Yuigahama, who had planned to leave with Yuu, hesitated and put down her school bag. She asked anxiously, "How about I stay and take care of you? I just need to tell my mom, and it's no problem. We can go to school together tomorrow!"
"Don't worry. I don't have a fever or illness. At most, my mood's affecting my body. I can take care of myself."
Before closing her bedroom door, Masuzu turned and gave her an elusive, lonely smile.
"I'll try to go to school tomorrow. See you, Dango-chan… and Yukinoshita, Tenkuji-kun."
"See you tomorrow."
Yuu nodded, avoiding her eyes. He pushed the door open and left.
The verbal bullet he'd planted that day seemed to have backfired.
Unlike the others, the lingering effects of Masuzu's amnesia seemed to have broken her entirely. Let alone achieving the beautiful future that had been altered, she was even more pitiful than her antisocial, distorted past self.
As for her inexplicably good relationship with Yuigahama, though unexpected, it made sense… After all, residual feelings still lingered, like Haruno's attachment to him or Asuna's vague sense that something was wrong.
For Masuzu, this might be a silver lining in her misfortune.
Even so, she showed no significant reaction after eating his porridge. Whether her taste buds had suddenly failed or the system had erased her memories too thoroughly, it allowed Yuu to let go of unnecessary worries, no longer fearing his actions would trigger a chain reaction.
At the same time, it completely extinguished the naive hope that his cooking alone could rekindle their memories.
He slipped a piece of paper with the Chiffon Porridge recipe into her mailbox, thinking only:
(At most, this is all I can do to face the past.)
The closer he got to her now, the more she seemed to suffer.
So, the only reasonable thing to do was to keep his distance from his ex-girlfriend again.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
After being escorted out of the luxury apartment by Yukino, Yuu had to cancel his plans to stop by the shopping street because Sora called midway, asking him to come home quickly and cook dinner.
After safely seeing Yuigahama home, Yuu walked alone through the dimly lit streets under the quiet night, illuminated by streetlights. In his mind, he still pondered the question the girl had casually asked as they parted:
"If Haruno-san suddenly confessed her love to you, whether joking or not, what would Yuu-kun say?"
"Sorry, I already have a girlfriend."
Back then, he'd answered without hesitation. But if he truly faced that situation, could he really remain completely unshaken?
A girl who could fall for him again and again, even with her memories erased… If someone like that confessed to him, Yuu knew he couldn't be heartless. He might only be able to force himself to stay calm with a clear, composed heart.
And at that moment, what would be the right answer?
"Do you have time? How about we talk in the car?"
Looking up, Yuu saw the mature woman leaning against the car door, gazing at him in front of a red brick wall adorned with graffiti and scattered posters.
Her beauty had a youthful agility and charm, not older than twenty. Her fashionable clothes hugged her beautiful curves. Her delicate face, bathed in moonlight, looked even more captivating and gentle.
Her eyes winked at him mischievously. Her gaze was clear, like sunlight on snow—pure, warm, and pleasant.
Her name was Yukinoshita Haruno.
The ex-girlfriend he no longer loved, the first to forget their past.