Chapter 5 - At the Takanishi House

“Manami! Kouki-kun! It’s time for you to come down!”

“Okay!!!”

“Hey! Don’t go until you’ve finished…..”

Well, two hours of concentration is probably enough.

I’ve been tutoring Manami for a while now, and although she doesn’t stay focused for long, I’ve found that once she starts, she’s usually able to exceed the average score.

The reason why she’s currently hovering around the failing score is probably because she doesn’t know where to focus or where to start.

I followed Manami downstairs and accepted the invitation to dinner by my aunt.

“I’ve already contacted Kouki-kun’s mother, and so you’ll have to eat here.”

“I’d be glad to.”

Well, that decision wasn’t vetoed.

Naturally, I would have to share a table with her.

“What?”

“No, there’s nothing…”

Scary…..

I wonder if I really did something wrong….. Maybe I should ask Manami about it next time.

No, but Manami is Manami, so she’ll say something about being “lonely” that I don’t understand, which means I can’t rely on her.

“Fufu….. It’s been a while since you’ve eaten here, Kouki-kun.”

It’s been a really long time. I was quite surprised to see that the table that had once seemed so high is now so low.

On the flip side, even though it had been a long time since I had been here, I came here enough times so that I could still remember the house.

“Because Kouki-kun is coming for the first in a while, Aisa is so excited.”

“Eh?”

“Hey! Hey, Okaa-san!”

I don’t know what I’ve gotten myself into, but I think I saw the real Aisa for the first time in a long time.

Though at school, I’m a quiet character, I actually used to watch this kind of scene a lot. It’s kinda nostalgic.

“Come on, just go!”

Aisa blushes and hurries her aunt. Aisa herself was working quickly to set out the dishes and to make preparations.

Manami, on the other hand, was slumped against the back of her chair, her body bent over as much as it could bend. While compared to Aisa, she had a modest chest, but even hers stand out when she’s in that position, so please stop doing it.

“It’s hopeless. I’m stuck!”

“Oh my. It’s a sign that Kouki-kun is making you study hard.”

“Well, that’s…..”

When I was able to show that I was working Manami into she went limp, I left the table to see if I could help.

“Uh, I need something, too.”

“You can sit down.”

“Okay…..”

Aisa’s cold words came without a pause. I can feel her strong will to not let me do as I pleased in her house.

“Ahaha. Kouki-nii, useless~”

“I don’t want to hear that from Manami, who’s not even trying to do anything.”

“That’s right. Manami, serve the rice.”

“Eh~. So it was a grave~”

While saying so, Manami got up. Manami is still a good girl.

They are a good family.

Soon after the food was ready and the four of us started eating, my aunt started talking to me.

“So, Kouki-kun.”

I looked up from my food and saw my aunt holding chopsticks and smiling happily.

“When Aisa found out that Kouki-kun was going to eat at our house today, she got really excited.”

“!?”

It seemed to be a continuation of our earlier conversation.

Aisa couldn’t stop us because she had fried chicken in her mouth, and so she alternated between looking at my aunt and I. Then, she glared at me.

This time, however, she had a dumb look on her face, as she had fried chicken in her mouth. So no matter how sharp her eyes were, she didn’t look scary. In fact, it was actually kind of cute. Her face was red, too.

“You know, this is Kouki-kun’s favorite fried chicken.”

“Okaa-san! I’ll get mad!”

“Oh, my.”

Aisa’s face turns red and she goes wild. She seems to have swallowed the food too hastily and is now reaching for the water.

“What?”

She got mad at me for watching this situation play out. Scary.

“No, it’s just that….. It’s delicious.”

When I complimented her cooking, her face turned even redder and she looked away.

It’s as if there’s nothing I can talk about with her.

However, if Aisa had gone through the trouble of making it, I wanted to at least thank her.

“Thanks.”

“You are welcome!”

Although it was awkward, it was the first time in a long time that a conversation had been established between us.

After that, I felt a little uncomfortable as I ate my dinner while being watched and glanced at by Aisa, but her look seemed softer than usual.