May 18th, Friday.
Akira finished his shift at the restaurant, changed into his university uniform, put on his backpack, and headed home, turning to bid his boss farewell.
"Goodbye, boss."
"See you Monday, Akira-kun!" The boss and his wife stood at the shop entrance, waving.
Having worked as a restaurant helper for nearly half a month, Akira had grown accustomed to this routine, interspersed with small tasks.
He opened his skill panel.
[Cooking Lv5: 86/100]
[Slightly Accomplished: Your achievements can still go higher!]
[Reading Lv5: 67/100]
[Slightly Accomplished: Keep striving, climb the peak of knowledge.]
[Social Lv3: 25/100]
[Beginner: Good interpersonal skills are a prerequisite for interaction.]
The skill panel looked much better than when he first arrived. Cooking, thanks to the guidance of his boss, Kota, was temporarily growing much faster than Reading.
However, because of next week's exams, he had been reviewing the test material, so he had deliberately slowed down his Reading progress.
After his Cooking level reached 'Slightly Accomplished', Akira found that, based on his observations of his boss cooking, he could now replicate most of his boss's dishes one-to-one.
Of course, there was still a noticeable difference in taste when it came to his boss's signature dishes.
As for the matter of Sajuna talking to him, it was probably because the first approach was too abrupt, and Sajuna seemed a bit resistant. Akira didn't press the issue afterward, and Sajuna only avoided him for a day or two. Later, when she came to the family restaurant again, she no longer deliberately avoided Akira.
Thinking this over, Akira realized the number of times he met Sajuna at the family restaurant had increased. After all, Sajuna had more opportunities to observe him, and he was always very serious about serving customers.
He hoped to leave a good impression on Sajuna's mind.
Caught up in thoughts about his time management, Akira didn't notice the approaching car until it honked. He hurriedly dodged the oncoming vehicle.
Looking up, he realized he had unconsciously walked to the entrance of a convenience store. Upon closer consideration, there weren't many vegetables left at home.
Akira had no choice but to go inside, planning to buy some vegetables for a late-night snack. As for the main grocery shopping, he'd wait until the weekend.
He walked in, bought two wrapped cabbages and some seasonings, packed them in a plastic bag, and prepared to head to the cashier.
He turned his head and saw a petite pink figure wandering near the supermarket shelves. Akira walked over and realized it was indeed Sajuna, dressed in casual clothes.
Sajuna was simply wearing a white T-shirt, denim shorts, her legs bare, and cute leather shoes beneath brown ankle socks.
Her usual twin tails were also loose, giving her a different kind of beauty.
Akira hesitated for a moment but still walked over and smiled, "Juju-sama, what a coincidence!"
"Are you here to buy something?"
"You are?" Sajuna asked, clearly confused.
"The person who works at the family restaurant?"
"I apologize for leaving a bad impression the first time. I shouldn't have greeted you like that."
Sajuna's eyes were still full of caution, and she replied curtly, "Mm."
"Are you looking for something in particular?" Akira asked, turning to look at the shelves Sajuna was near.
The shelves were filled with semi-finished ingredients, the kind that could be made into a bento without much effort.
Of course, the taste wouldn't be very good.
"Juju-sama, are you going to have a late-night snack?"
"Mm, my sister is hungry, and I want to make her something to eat," Sajuna replied.
Since they had met many times at the family restaurant, Sajuna's guard wasn't as high as before.
"Mm, if it's convenient, I can help," Akira hesitated for a moment, then quickly firmed his resolve.
Although it was a bit abrupt, the timid starve, and the bold thrive.
Getting to know each other through repeated encounters and then developing a relationship would be more torturous than when he used to read manga.
Especially since both of them were already adults—there was nothing to be discreet about.
"Help me?" Sajuna's face showed no expression, but he could see her body tense up slightly.
"What I mean is, I've worked at the restaurant for quite some time, and I think my cooking skills are pretty good. I can help you make a late-night snack."
Akira added, "If that's alright."
"No." Sajuna replied.
Before Sajuna could finish speaking, Akira quickly continued, "Actually, I came to the convenience store just to buy ingredients. I wasn't following you."
He held up the plastic bag he was carrying, showing it to Sajuna.
Sajuna's mood changed slightly then, and she seemed to believe what Akira said.
"If you trust me, please let me help. At worst, you can always call the police," Akira requested.
"Won't it be a bother for you?" Sajuna was tempted but still hesitated.
"It's no trouble at all," Akira said definitively.
"Alright then, I'll call the police," Sajuna said with hesitation.
Although she shouldn't trust this boy who had flirted with her before, the boy in front of her always wore a smile, giving her a feeling of closeness.
Though this feeling of closeness was mixed with a hint of ulterior motives.
"Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Akira, a first-year student at Saitama Prefecture University, 18 years old. I enjoy cooking and reading, and I hope to become friends with you, Juju-sama."
"Sajuna Inui, a second-year student at Sakuramiya University," Sajuna replied concisely, "Nineteen years old."
"So Juju-sama's name is Sajuna, huh? Can I call you Sajuna?" Akira asked with a smile.
"No." Sajuna directly refused Akira's request.
"Then, Sajuna, let's choose some ingredients first."
"I told you not to call me Sajuna! Besides, I'm older than you, shouldn't you call me senpai?" Sajuna said, puffing out her cheeks.
"Juju-sama is so cute, it's really hard to call you senpai," Akira said with emotion.
Sajuna's face flushed even more. She felt she should have just turned around and left earlier.
"By the way, Inui-san, you should have cooking ingredients at home, right?" Akira turned to ask Sajuna, who was following him through the aisles.
Sajuna stiffened for a moment, then said with a red face, "No."
"Alright, let me think about what to cook." Akira pondered, "How about pork soup?"
"Mm."
Akira, carrying the chosen ingredients, followed Sajuna to an apartment building. The housing was clearly a bit better than his own.
Sajuna opened the door with a key, squatted to put down the vegetables, and took out a pair of men's slippers from the side, handing them to Akira.
"Excuse me for intruding," Akira nodded in acknowledgement.
"Big sister~~, you're back," her younger sister Shinju's voice sounded weak.
Sajuna led Akira to the living room. Shinju was lying listlessly on the sofa. Seeing her sister leading a man in, her entire body tensed up.
Before she could say anything, she slumped down again, looking dispirited. Sajuna quickly rushed over and gently hugged her.
"If you're sick, go back to your room and rest. Don't wait for me here."
"I, I was worried something might happen to Big Sister. I'm fine," Shinju replied.
Then she saw Akira standing by, waiting, and said, "It's the older brother who greeted us at the restaurant before."
"Hello! I'm here to help Inui-san cook," Akira replied.
"This is my younger sister, Shinju," Sajuna introduced, then explained, "She's a bit sick, so she didn't eat much dinner."
"Mm, Inui-san, I'll go check the kitchen." With that, Akira carried the vegetables into the kitchen.
It really wasn't good to stay there at a time like this; it was better to make a late-night snack for the two sisters first.
Akira took out the vegetables and pork one by one. As he was washing the vegetables, he saw Sajuna also put on an apron, ready to help.
Akira waved his hand, cutting carrots into chunks while estimating the amount for the pork soup.
"Sajuna, you should take care of your sister first. I've got the kitchen covered!"