The moment the dismissal bell rang, Okabara Kyogumichi was packing his notebook when a clear female voice suddenly spoke from the classroom doorway: "Okabara-san, could I come out for a moment?"
He looked up to see Kyoko Hori standing at the door, her brown long hair tied into a neat ponytail, wearing a freshman uniform skirt, with a slightly embarrassed smile on her face.
As a well-known "cheerful beauty" on campus, her appearance immediately drew many gazes in the classroom.
Kyogumichi walked out of the classroom, and the noise in the hallway seemed to quiet down a bit.
"Hori-san, are you looking for me?" He remembered this freshman, not only because she was a campus celebrity, but also because of her mischievous and cute younger brother, Souta Hori.
"Um… I'm really sorry to bother you." Kyoko Hori scratched her head a bit awkwardly, a stark contrast to her usual decisive demeanor in club activities. "Souta heard you fixed his game console last time and has been constantly mentioning that he wants to thank you, and he also said he wants to play with you again…"
At the mention of the little boy with round eyes, Kyogumichi couldn't help but smile: "Ah, Souta. Of course. When is a good time?"
"Really? Thank you so much!" Kyoko Hori's eyes lit up, and she let out a sigh of relief. "How about after school? Come to my house for dinner, as a thank you for your help last time."
"Sounds good, I don't have anything planned for tonight anyway." Kyogumichi readily agreed.
"Great!" Kyoko Hori clenched her fist. Just as she was about to say something, her phone suddenly rang in her pocket.
She glanced at the caller ID, and her brows furrowed instantly, "Excuse me, I need to take this call."
"Hello? Student Council? Now? But I have a prior engagement… Got it, I'll be right there." Hanging up the phone, Kyoko Hori looked apologetic. "Sorry, Okabara-san, the student council has an urgent matter to deal with, so I might be home a little late."
Kyogumichi was about to say it was fine when he saw Kyoko Hori pull out a supermarket flyer and her wallet from her bag.
"Okabara-san, could I ask you for a favor?" She pointed to an area circled in red on the flyer, "This supermarket has special-priced eggs this evening, limited to two cartons. I originally planned to go grab them after school, but now it seems I definitely won't make it."
"Grabbing eggs?" Kyogumichi was a bit surprised.
"Yes, Souta suddenly wanted to eat onsen eggs recently, and we're almost out of eggs at home." Kyoko Hori handed over the flyer and five hundred yen, her eyes pleading, "The supermarket closes at seven, and the special price starts at six. Could you please do me a favor and go for me?"
Seeing her hopeful expression, Kyogumichi couldn't refuse: "No problem, I'll remember to buy them."
"Thank you so much!" Kyoko Hori smiled with relief, revealing two small canine teeth. "My address is… oh, right, you know it. Just go knock on the door, Souta should be home. I'll come back as soon as I'm done with the student council!" With that, she rushed off towards the freshman student council room.
After school, Kyogumichi first went to the supermarket to complete the "egg mission." Sure enough, as Kyoko Hori had said, there was already a long line in the special-priced egg section, and he managed to get two cartons of fresh eggs with great difficulty.
By the time he walked towards Kyoko Hori's house with the eggs, the sun was already setting.
After ringing the doorbell, the door was quickly opened, and Souta Hori, wearing Kuma pajamas, stood at the entrance. His eyes instantly lit up when he saw Kyogumichi: "Big Brother!"
"Long time no see, Souta." Kyogumichi smiled and ruffled his hair. "Your sister had something urgent come up and asked me to come play with you first."
"Great! I've got all the game consoles ready!" Souta pulled Kyogumichi into the living room, his small figure leading the way, "Sister said she'll make us onsen eggs when she gets back."
The Hori family's living room was clean and tidy, with a family photo hanging on the wall and Souta's drawings on the table.
Kyogumichi put the eggs in the kitchen and came out to find Souta had already connected the game console and was holding a controller, waiting for him.
"Let's play a racing game! I just unlocked a new track yesterday!" Souta said excitedly.
"Alright, but no crying if you lose, okay?" Kyogumichi picked up the other controller and sat cross-legged on the carpet.
Soon, game sound effects and Souta's cheers filled the living room.
Kyogumichi deliberately let him win, but then pulled ahead at a crucial moment, making the little guy pout in annoyance, only to immediately dive back into the next round.
The sunlight streamed through the window onto the two of them, creating an exceptionally warm scene.
"Big Brother is amazing!" Souta looked at the "Victory" sign on the screen and said admiringly, "You play so much better than Sister!"
"You'll surpass me once you practice more." Kyogumichi smiled and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Want some snacks? There's milk in the fridge."
Just as the two were sharing cookies and milk, the lock on the door turned.
Kyoko Hori pushed the door open and couldn't help but smile when she saw the scene in the living room: "Looks like you two are having a lot of fun."
She took off her coat, went to the kitchen, and saw the eggs, her eyes curving into crescent moons, "Thank you, Okabara-san. It's a good thing you helped, otherwise, I don't know how long Souta would have fussed."
"You're welcome. Souta is very cute." Kyogumichi stood up, "It's getting late, I should go home."
"Stay for dinner!" Kyoko Hori enthusiastically urged, "We can use the fresh eggs to make onsen eggs, as a thank you for last time."
Souta also tugged at his sleeve, whining, "Okabara-san, stay! Sister's onsen eggs are super delicious!"
Seeing their expectant eyes, Kyogumichi had no choice but to agree.
In the kitchen, Kyoko Hori, wearing an apron, was busy, while Souta excitedly recounted the fun he had playing games.
Kyogumichi sat on the sofa, watching this warm scene.
The sky outside gradually darkened, and the sound of eggs cooking drifted from the kitchen, mixed with the siblings' laughter.
At the dining table, the wobbly onsen eggs rested on the rice, exuding an inviting aroma after being drizzled with soy sauce.
Souta eagerly scooped a large bite, his eyes narrowing in satisfaction.
Kyoko Hori smiled helplessly at her brother's actions and handed Kyogumichi a pair of chopsticks: "Have a taste, don't be shy."
Kyogumichi took a bite; the smooth tenderness of the egg and the sweet fragrance of the rice blended in his mouth, a simple dish carrying the taste of home.
He looked up and met Kyoko Hori's gentle gaze. After a moment of eye contact, both turned their heads away, a little embarrassed.