Ch 1 part 2

 The next morning, I woke up earlier than usual to prepare breakfast.

Since I started living alone, I often skipped breakfast because I thought it was a hassle. But now that I had decided to live together with Sotome, I couldn't use that excuse to avoid making breakfast.

Leaving myself aside, it would be too pitiful if even Sotome didn't have breakfast.

"I've forgotten how long it's been since I last had breakfast."

I muttered to myself and tasted the miso soup with a spoon.

I didn't know if Sotome was used to having bread or rice for breakfast, so today, I decided to make rice. The side dishes were miso soup, a sunny-side-up egg, shredded burdock root stir-fry made a few days ago, and some pickles I bought. Although they were all simple dishes, I convinced myself that breakfast should be kept simple.

I placed the breakfast on the table and waited for Sotome to wake up, but she didn't appear even after a long while.

"Hasn't Sotome woken up yet?"

I glanced at the clock in the living room; it was just past 7 o'clock.

Although there was still plenty of time, I had no idea when she would wake up.

"...I hope everything is alright."

...

"Maybe something's wrong."

At that moment, a bad premonition flashed through my mind.

Could it be that she caught a cold and can't get up?

I didn't know how long she had stayed in the park yesterday, but from her completely drenched appearance, she must have been caught in the rain for a long time. Even though she took a bath to warm herself later, it wouldn't be surprising if she had a fever now.

I felt worried, so I walked to Sotome's room to check on her.

There was no sound coming from inside.

"Sotome?"

I gently knocked on the door and called out from outside, but there was no response.

I thought it might not be good to disturb her sleep, but I decided to open the door slowly and check on her.

Sotome was still sound asleep in her bed.

I wanted to make sure she was okay, so I approached and observed her complexion. To my relief, she seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Her face looked fine, not sweaty, and she appeared comfortable.

"That's a relief..."

I let out a sigh of relief, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders.

By the way, as I looked at her face from up close like this, I realized that her features were very well-proportioned.

Her small face had perfectly balanced features. Her long eyelashes were more pronounced with her eyes closed, and her lips were slightly tinted red. Her fair skin was flawless.

Contrasted with her damaged golden hair, it created a strikingly beautiful image.

This might be the first time I've observed a girl's face from such a close distance.

I couldn't help but stare at Sotome's sleeping face, thinking to myself, "From her sleeping face alone, she doesn't look like the typical 'hot girl' type."

"Hmm...?"

"──!?"

Just as I was staring blankly, Sotome suddenly woke up.

Uh-oh──If she mistakenly thinks I was peeking at her while she was sleeping, that would be terrible. I wanted to quickly hide, but it was probably too late for that.

"...Where am I?"

Sotome sat up, rubbing her sleepy eyes as she looked around the room in confusion.

She blinked blankly for a while before noticing my presence.

"Akamori-san... Oh right, I remember. I think I'm staying at Akamori-san's house."

"Y-yeah, do you remember now?"

"Yeah, good morning..."

"Y-you too, good morning."

Although she said that, Sotome settled back into bed, apparently wanting to go back to sleep..

In a daze, she closed her eyes, wanting to return to the world of dreams.

"Breakfast is ready. I'll be waiting for you in the living room. You should wash your face first." I said to her, not letting her go back to sleep.

"Yeah, sure..."

Sotome got up from the bed sleepily and was about to leave the room.

"Ouch."

She hit her head on the door, crying out in pain.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

After replying with this, Sotome rubbed her forehead and went into the bathroom to freshen up.

I see, so Sotome is the type who can't get up in the morning.

After a while, Sotome, still with sleepy eyes, came to the living room.

Seeing a girl dressed in male clothes was truly a feast for my eyes. She looked really cute in men's clothing.

"Good morning. Let's have our meal."

"Yeah, thank you."

We sat face to face, just like last night, with our hands together.

"I'll start."

"I'll start too."

Sotome picked up her chopsticks and started with the miso soup.

"I don't know if you prefer bread or rice in the morning, so I prepared rice for you today."

"I prefer rice."

"Is that so? That's good then."

After exchanging just a few words, the dining table fell into silence.

"............"

What should I do...? This is so awkward!

No matter if she's a beautiful girl or not, it's just really awkward!

Yesterday, when I brought her home, we could have a normal conversation, but now, sitting face to face again, it's still quite awkward. Sotome seemed to feel the same way; we silently ate our breakfast without exchanging words.

There's nothing we can do about it.

Although we know each other, we only started talking for the first time yesterday.

 Since last night, I've been constantly asking myself, 'Is this really okay?' By the way, Sotome is using my sister's room, and of course, she's sleeping in my sister's bed.

In my daydreams, I might imagine scenarios of sharing a bed with a girl, but I want to tell all the high school boys with the same daydreams one thing: reality is not that simple!

To be honest, I don't have the courage to invite a girl to share a bed. If I had that kind of courage, maybe I would have had a girlfriend by now. It's quite sad.

But let's put that aside for now. When my family moved, they said they would periodically come to check on me, so they left all the beds and basic supplies at home.

I didn't expect them to come in handy now.

"I'm full. Akamori-san, aren't you eating?"

"Ah, no, I am. I am."

I spent too much energy on foolish daydreams, and I even forgot to eat. I quickly put the breakfast in my mouth, but I couldn't taste anything because of the guilt.

"After breakfast, let's get ready to go to school. It's not good to go to school together, so I'll leave early. Sotome-san, you can take your time."

"But my uniform... It got wet in the rain yesterday."

"I already washed it for you last night and dried it in the dryer."

I pointed to a corner of the living room where Sotome's uniform, which had been washed, was hanging.

"Thank you... Akamori-san, it seems like nothing can faze you."

"It's just that the circumstances forced me to learn. Before living alone, I had never done any household chores. So, when I started living alone, I went through a lot of hardships. But once humans are cornered, they figure out solutions on their own. So, Sotome-san, you don't need to worry too much about the future; things will naturally work out."

"Yeah, I hope so."

To lighten the heavy atmosphere, I tried to smile at her.

Sotome's expression was somewhat stiff, but she still responded with a faint smile.

"Also, here's this for you."

I placed a set of keys with a keychain on the table.

"What's this for?"

"These are spare keys to my house."

"You're giving them to me?"

"If you're temporarily staying here, you'll need keys, right? I can't stay at home all the time to open the door for you. So when you go to school today, please lock the door. "

"Okay, I understand."

Handing over keys like this gave a sense of reality to our cohabitation.

"Also, I have a suggestion. Can we stop using surnames to address each other?"

"Huh?"

"Since we're going to live together from now on, it would be strange to be so formal like guests, right? It might take some getting used to at first, but I think using our names to address each other is better. So, you can call me Akira."

"Sure, I understand. Then you can call me Aoi."

To get closer, starting with the form of address is essential.

That way, after finishing breakfast, we began to prepare to go to school.

*

The high school we attend is only about a fifteen-minute walk from home.

When I was choosing a high school, proximity to home was one of my criteria.

This was because I had been transferred to various schools due to my father's frequent job relocations, and each time I saw him troubled by the commute.

In Tokyo, he had to take a crowded train for over an hour to work, and outside of Tokyo, it would take thirty minutes by car to get to work. In some places, he had to walk and then take a bus to work. All of these commuting methods seemed very difficult to me.

Seeing my father commuting so hard from a young age made me genuinely feel that spending so much time on the move was just wasting time.

So I chose a high school near my home without any hesitation.

Those who are high school students like me would probably understand the joy of sleeping until the last minute in the morning.

Even so, now that I'm going to live with Aoi, I can't do that anymore.

"Akira, good morning."

When I arrived at school and sat down at my desk, someone patted my shoulder and greeted me.

When I turned around, I saw a familiar male student.

"Oh, good morning, Eishi."

He exuded a calm and composed aura, making him seem like a reliable young man.

This guy's name is Eishi Kukitsu, and he's the only person I've known since middle school and knows all about my past.

Even though we only became friends in middle school, he knows all about my past, which might raise some questions.

As mentioned before, due to my father's job transfers, I used to live in this city for a short time during kindergarten.

At that time, Eishi and I attended the same kindergarten, and we got along well, playing together often.

In the middle of the first year of middle school, I returned to this city, and after several years, we met again. However, Eishi had grown up to become quite handsome, and until he approached me, I didn't even notice him.

"Huh? Why aren't you with Izumi today?"

"Of course, we came together. She went to the office because she has some student council duties."

Izumi is the class representative and Eishi's girlfriend.

They have been dating since middle school and are often seen affectionately going to school together.

They were a well-known couple even in middle school and didn't care about the gazes of other students. Even in high school, they were recognized as a famous couple.

I always felt pressured by their close relationship and hoped they would consider me more.

And speaking of Eishi's girlfriend, Izumi, what kind of girl is she?

"Hello, Eishi~♪"

A lively voice came from behind, and at the same time, a girl tightly hugged Eishi.

She had natural light brown short hair and cute big eyes with droopy corners. She was the type of cute girl who easily catches people's attention. The girl who appeared before me, full of youthful energy, cuteness, and charm, was Izumi Asamiya, Eishi's girlfriend.

"Welcome back. Did you work hard as the class rep?"

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