Meanwhile...
While Erica and Sayomiya Kaoru were carrying out the purge according to custom, Akuto and Kusanagi Shizuka had already returned to the Kusanagi family's small house.
The Kusanagi home was nowhere near as refined or luxurious as Akuto's upscale apartment, but Shizuka had filled it with a warmth that made it feel unmistakably like home.
After entering high school and earning enough to buy his first high-end apartment, Akuto had moved out of the Kusanagi house so he could better study matters related to fate and carry out his work.
Of course, even after moving out, he had never cut off contact with Shizuka.
In fact, both of them still invited the other out from time to time.
Akuto's excuse was usually that he was helping Shizuka with her studies, while Shizuka had rather more reasons than that: thanking Akuto for tutoring her by inviting him to see a movie or go shopping, asking him to taste and judge new dishes she had learned to make, or worrying about how her brother was living and going over to help clean his room.
Even though Shizuka was still only a middle school girl, there was already a surprising amount of "motherliness" about her.
Obviously, that had a lot to do with the fact that her mother, Kusanagi Mayo, was absent most of the time. With the role of "mother" missing in the household, Shizuka had unconsciously grown into the one filling that place.
Because of that, there were many times when she could be a little fussy in a very housewife-like way.
But ever since learning Akuto's true identity and seeing how much he had changed, she had rarely, almost never, shown that side of herself in front of him again.
All this time, she had always taken care of and worried about Akuto with the mindset that a younger sister ought to look after her older brother. But now the situation had obviously reversed itself.
These days, Akuto was the one taking care of her. She truly liked being cared for by him, because it showed just how much he liked her. But if one were to speak honestly about her own nature, Kusanagi Shizuka was the type who preferred taking care of others.
She wanted... to truly become someone qualified to devote herself completely to taking care of Akuto.
...
"Akuto-oniisan, you can watch TV for a bit, or go wait in your old room. It might take me a while to finish cooking."
Shizuka raised her small hands and tied up her hair, exposing the soft, pale line of her neck.
Akuto's answer was immediate.
"No, that's fine. I'll just stay here and watch you cook. I like watching you when you cook."
As he said that, Akuto casually stretched out on the sofa with practiced ease.
"I... I see..."
A trace of disappointment flashed across Shizuka's face before she turned and walked toward the kitchen.
Akuto naturally caught that fleeting disappointment. After thinking for only a second or two, he spoke again.
"Oh, right, Shizuka. Thank you for keeping my old room so clean."
"Eh?"
Shizuka's feet, wrapped in black knee socks, stopped in place at once.
"Akuto-oniisan, you haven't even gone back into your old room yet. How do you know I've been cleaning it all this time?"
Up until now, Shizuka had always been the one taking the initiative to go over to Akuto's place once a week to cook and clean for him. This time, since Akuto was finally back at the Kusanagi house, she had naturally been planning to let him see just how spotless she had kept his old room.
"Shizuka, did you forget? My perception is very strong. Otherwise, how would I have made it to your side in time?"
Akuto smiled and took a sip of tea.
"Ahhh... so that's it... which means even though Akuto-oniisan didn't actually go look, you already saw what your room looked like..."
"Mm? ...Wait..."
Suddenly, Shizuka caught the problem.
"Akuto-oniisan can see his room from far away? Then... doesn't that mean you can also..."
Her eyes dropped to her own petite frame and her newly developing chest, and she desperately began trying to remember exactly what kind of bra and panties she had put on today.
"Yes, that's right. I can see them. Your white underwear and panties are very cute, Shizuka."
Akuto answered with a smile.
"Akuto-oniisan!!! You're not allowed to use that see-through ability on me anymore!"
Shizuka no longer had the courage to stay in front of him another second. She hurried off on quick little steps and fled back into the kitchen.
And yet even Shizuka herself failed to notice that, after hearing Akuto praise her, the corners of her mouth had started to lift ever so slightly, betraying just how pleased she was with his answer.
"Yes, yes, I know."
Akuto smiled as he lay back again.
"But Shizuka, if you're unhappy with your current style, I can always go shopping with you next time and help you pick something out."
"N-no, that's not necessary!"
Shizuka did not think there was any need for Akuto to make a special trip with her.
After all, he had already given his opinion, and since Akuto was satisfied with the underwear she was wearing now, there was no reason for her to buy new ones.
She had plenty more simple but cute underwear and panties like these.
...
And so, with the lingering happiness of having been praised by Akuto, Kusanagi Shizuka busied herself in the kitchen.
The glow of the setting sun streamed through the kitchen window, gilding her small, bustling figure in warm gold.
Shizuka rose slightly onto her toes, trying to reach the mirin on the upper shelf. The small curve of her ankle, wrapped in black knee socks, slipped in and out of view above the back of her slippers with each movement.
Beneath her black pleated skirt, the smooth line of her legs was outlined clearly through those slightly sheer black socks. Between the hem of her skirt and the tops of her socks, a broad stretch of snowy skin at her thighs gleamed softly in the light, enough to stir wandering thoughts.
Perhaps sensing Akuto's gaze, Shizuka blushed to the tips of her ears and tugged her skirt down while still standing on tiptoe.
Even though Akuto had promised not to use his see-through ability on her again, she still felt intensely shy whenever he looked at her.
In the end, though, her desire to make Akuto a good meal won out over her embarrassment, and she gradually focused all her attention on cooking.
Nearly an hour later...
"Akuto-oniisan, just wait a little longer, okay?"
Shizuka spoke while stirring the bubbling broth in the clay pot of oden.
After working in the kitchen for nearly an hour, fine beads of sweat had already formed at her temples, and a few strands of dark brown hair clung to her cheeks, making her look even more adorably earnest.
The salty umami scent of miso soup and the sweet fragrance of teriyaki chicken drifted through the air, mingling with the faint clean scent that clung to her, like cotton dried in sunlight. It left Akuto feeling thoroughly at ease.
"All right, I know. I've already cleared the table over here."
"Mm. Akuto-oniisan, go wash your hands first. Dinner's almost ready."
Shizuka called back without turning around, though there was a slight tension in her voice she could not quite hide.
While Akuto went to wash his hands, Shizuka's eyes unconsciously drifted to the elegant two-tier bento box sitting on the dining table.
It was the one Mariya Hikaru had given Akuto.
While she had been cooking, Akuto had said something like, "We can eat this too," and then taken out the bento Mariya Hikaru had given him at lunch.
The pink lid decorated with cherry blossoms contained carefully arranged Japanese dishes. Even from a distance, Shizuka could imagine how much effort Hikaru must have put into it.
Mariya Hikaru. Hikaru...
That classmate of hers who always sweetly called him "Akuto-oniisan," with a cuteness and lively personality that rivaled her own.
For the first time in her life, Shizuka felt a genuine sense of threat from someone.
Just as cute. Also a little-sister type. Also liked cooking. And more than that, Hikaru actively acted spoiled with Akuto.
And on top of that, Hikaru had an older sister, Mariya Yuri, a gentle beauty with outstanding grace and looks. Just imagining the combined assault of those two sisters already made Shizuka feel powerless.
After all, Yuri was her senpai in the tea ceremony club. In terms of beauty and bearing, she was famous throughout the entire school.
Before, Shizuka had only thought Yuri and Akuto were fairly close, which was why Yuri invited him to the tea ceremony club for tea every so often.
Later, though, Kaoru had told her the truth.
Their relationship was not merely "fairly close." They were the kind of people who had entrusted their lives to each other.
In short, to the Shizuka of today, that gentle and kind upperclassman Yuri and that bright and adorable classmate Hikaru had both become enormous threats.
Fortunately, she knew Yuri very well. She knew that if Yuri truly had feelings for Akuto that went beyond affection and crossed into the territory of a lover, then Yuri would absolutely look at him with the eyes of a wife looking at her husband.
And from the way Yuri currently looked at Akuto, it was obvious that they were still very far from that stage.
Since that was the case, then Shizuka needed to establish undeniable facts with Akuto first.
Because only then would she have even more reason to take care of Akuto's daily life. Only then could she accept his affection and help with a clearer conscience, and keep herself from becoming a burden to him.
...
Shizuka took a deep breath and sprinkled the freshly chopped green onions over the mapo tofu she had just finished. The tender cubes of red-and-white tofu sat in a glossy, vivid red sauce, steaming hot, and the spicy fragrance instantly seized control of the kitchen.
Beside it sat golden, crispy tempura shrimp, plump glossy white rice, and braised pork ribs she had deliberately learned from her mother because they had been Akuto's favorite dish when he was little. All of it shone with irresistible appeal.
Japanese and Chinese together. Unbeatable.
Shizuka wanted to use her cooking to convey her feelings to Akuto.
Seated at the dining table, Akuto watched her with amused interest as she bustled about like a busy little bee.
His eyes shifted to the bento box set before him, and he lightly tapped the lid with one long finger.
Genesis Burst.
A faint golden shimmer flashed by so subtly it was almost impossible to notice. Any slight changes that might have occurred to the food inside over time were instantly erased.
Every slice of sashimi returned to the crystal-clear freshness it had when first cut. The fried foods regained the crispness of the moment they had left the oil. Even the rice became fluffy again, each grain distinct and steaming, as fresh as if it had just been prepared.
At the same time, Shizuka walked over carrying the final dish: the miso soup.
(End of Chapter)
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