Back at the apartment building, Shirou paused before unlocking his door and turned to Yukino. "So, should we set a time?"
Yukino nodded, checked her phone, and said, "It's 4:30 now. How about 5:30? You can come over once you've finished cooking. I'll take care of the rice."
"No problem. Two dishes in an hour—plenty of time."
With that, Shirou entered his apartment and got to work.
He stored the rest of the ingredients in the fridge, keeping only the chicken wings, pork tenderloin, and lettuce out.
As he prepped the chicken wings, a faint smile played on his lips. "Hmm, seems like Yukino isn't resisting me. That makes things easier going forward. Though, compared to when she was little, she really does smile a lot less now. I've only caught a glimpse of it a few times, and even then, it was faint."
He placed the chicken wings in a pot of cold water to blanch them. Taking advantage of the downtime, Shirou called his parents—he had nearly forgotten about this.
The call connected quickly, and his father's voice came through.
"Shirou, school's out? Did you see Yukino?"
"Yeah, I did," Shirou replied with a nod. "I'm back at the apartment now, making dinner. I'll be eating with Yukino later."
"Hahaha, that's great. Even though you two haven't seen each other in years, Yukino's just as outstanding as you are—and she's grown even more beautiful. Don't do anything to make her angry, alright? Here, your mom wants to talk to you."
The phone passed from his father to his mother, and Shirou endured several minutes of her nagging—mostly about taking good care of Yukino and stabilizing their relationship.
It was strange, really. He was only 17, yet they had already arranged an engagement for him. Were they worried he wouldn't be able to find a wife?
Shirou didn't think so. More likely, his parents were just extremely satisfied with Yukino.
After all, even though he hadn't been to Japan in the past few years, his parents had visited several times a year for business. They must have seen Yukino during those trips.
If they hadn't approved of her, they definitely wouldn't have chosen her.
Once his mother finished her lecture, Shirou asked, "Mom, back when you and Uncle and Auntie arranged the engagement between me and Yukino, did she object? With her personality, she wouldn't like her family making such decisions for her, right?"
"Generally speaking, they would probably object, but isn't the person involved you?" Mom said with a laugh. "Although she was a bit resistant at first, she agreed in the end. But the decision to have you two as neighbors was something I arranged secretly. Yukino wasn't angry, was she?"
"No, not at all. Just a bit surprised."
"That's good then. Let's leave it at that for now. Your dad and I still have some work to do. Remember to visit Yukino's home in a couple of days."
"Mm, I know. Talk to you later then."
After hanging up, Shirou scratched his head in surprise. "Because it's me, so they didn't object? That's going to make me a little full of myself."
Regardless, he'd just take things step by step in building their relationship.
An hour passed quickly, and Shirou finished cooking two dishes—cola chicken wings and stir-fried pork with lettuce—before carrying them next door to Yukino's place.
Unlike his newly moved-in apartment, Yukino had been living here for a year, and traces of her personal touch were everywhere.
The TV stand and sofa were adorned with various plushies and cushions she had bought, adding a girlish charm to the space.
After a quick glance around, Shirou set the two dishes on the dining table. Yukino brought out her own cooking as well—tempura shrimp, mixed vegetables, and a bowl of miso soup.
Looking at the spread, Shirou smiled. "You were being modest, Yukino. Your cooking skills are really good."
"Not at all. I've just been doing it for a while, so I'm used to it."
As she spoke, Yukino turned to the kitchen to serve the rice.
In a place Shirou couldn't see, her ears were already turning red.
Once the rice was ready, the two sat at opposite ends of the table and began their dinner.
Taking a bite of the chicken wing, Yukino was surprised—Shirou's cooking was much better than she had expected.
Shirou, on the other hand, had always trusted Yukino's culinary skills, so he was already digging in heartily.
Between bites, Shirou remembered the lunchbox matter and asked, "Yukino, when do you usually make the lunchboxes? In the morning?"
Yukino nodded. "Yes, in the morning."
"Hmm... Is there a microwave at school? I'd rather not eat cold food."
"There's one in the cafeteria, but it gets crowded, so you'd have to wait in line. If you don't want to make your own, you could always eat at the cafeteria."
"I see." Taking a bite of the tempura shrimp, Shirou said, "Then let's get a thermal lunchbox. We can buy one when we have time. Oh, by the way, I'm planning to visit your home in a couple of days. Do you want to come along?"
Visit my home?
Yukino thought for a moment before replying, "Mm, let's go together then."
She wasn't worried about Shirou himself, but if her sister happened to be home, things might get a little tricky. It'd be better if she went with him.
The four dishes weren't made in large portions, and with Shirou's hearty appetite, they managed to finish everything.
After loading the dishes into the dishwasher, Yukino made a cup of tea for Shirou.
"Thanks."
Taking the teacup, Shirou sat on the sofa and glanced at the nearby cushions. With a smile, he asked, "Did you buy these yourself, Yukino?"
Sitting down at the other end of the sofa, Yukino said, "After all, we'll be living here for three years of high school. Leaving it completely empty would feel too bare, so I bought a few things to decorate a bit."
Picking up a cat-shaped pillow nearby, Shirou nodded. "Hmm, it definitely suits your taste, Yukino. It's really nice."
Setting down her teacup, Yukino turned to glance at Shirou. "Are you planning to stay here for all two years of high school?"
"Yeah, I've already decided. And barring any surprises, I can take university entrance exams here too. For me, it doesn't matter where I go to university—as long as I can learn what I want. Besides, my family has some business here. Once my life and studies settle down, my dad said he'd try to get me involved in handling some of it. Sort of like early training."
As for the matter of superpowers, it wasn't the right time to tell Yukino yet. He'd wait a little longer.
After finishing his tea, Shirou prepared to leave.
At the entrance, as he changed into his shoes, he turned to Yukino, who had followed him. "How about we go to school together tomorrow morning? I'll prepare breakfast. What do you think?"
Yukino paused for a moment, meeting Shirou's gaze before giving a slight nod.