— — — — — —
Kawasaki's reaction caught Oikawa off guard.
Usually, she would have just smiled calmly and gone along with Keika's teasing.
But today… Kawasaki was surprisingly assertive.
Oikawa studied her from where he stood, his gaze falling on Kawasaki as she sat on a small stool, carefully pulling the veins from the shrimp.
She was dressed in a gray coat today, with a low-cut sweater underneath that left her figure on full display.
And from this angle…
Well. His imagination was definitely wandering.
Kawasaki seemed to notice the shameless way he was staring. A faint blush crept onto her face, but instead of covering up or moving away, she only shot him a light glare.
While the two of them exchanged looks full of unspoken meaning, Keika-chan, still clinging to Oikawa's neck, had finally had enough.
Puffing out her cheeks, she pointed at Kawasaki. "Y-You're not allowed to steal Oikawa-nii from me!"
"Steal him?" Kawasaki replied flatly. "How am I stealing him? Your Oikawa-nii already said he'll always choose me."
Her voice was calm, but every word hit like a blade.
Keika's lips trembled, looking like she was about to cry.
With teary eyes, she turned to Oikawa, pitiful and wronged. "Oikawa-nii… you'll choose me, right?"
Oikawa glanced at Kawasaki. Seeing her give a tiny nod, he ruffled Keika's hair and smiled. "Of course I'll choose Keika-chan. When you grow up, you'll definitely be super gentle. Unlike some people who look all scary."
"See? Oikawa-nii said he'd choose me in the future!" Keika instantly perked up, all traces of tears gone. She lifted her chin proudly and shot Kawasaki a smug look.
Kawasaki lowered her head and ignored her.
"Alright, go play with Yuki for now. I'm gonna help your sister cook." Oikawa set her down.
Then, to his surprise, Keika leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before grinning. "Oikawa-nii, when I grow up, I'll definitely be prettier than Saki-nee!"
Then she ran off happily with a dog toy, dragging Yuki along to play.
Oikawa walked over to Kawasaki and looked down at her.
Mm. This angle… Very nice. Very big.
"..."
Kawasaki looked up and glared at him, lightly biting her lip.
She'd thought he'd stop after staring for a bit. Clearly, she'd underestimated just how shameless he could be.
"Go away."
Her voice was as calm as she could make it.
"Go where?" Oikawa asked, lifting his head.
Not that he really wanted to. But looking people in the eye when talking to them was basic manners.
"...Where do you think?"
"And how should I know?"
Back and forth they went until Kawasaki finally shot him a fierce glare, picked up the bowl of shrimp, and headed for the kitchen.
"Hey! Why're you walking so fast? Wait for me!" Oikawa chased after her with a grin.
A man had to know when to drop his pride. Besides, as a man of culture, he had to... 'study' her a little more.
Once inside the kitchen, Oikawa looked over the lunch spread.
Besides the shrimp, there were cubes of marinated beef, probably for stir-fried beef bites, one of Kawasaki's signature dishes by now.
There was also salmon marinating, along with a variety of seafood Chiba was known for.
"What's the occasion? This is a feast." He scratched his head, confused.
It wasn't New Year's yet, so why the sudden luxury?
"We don't need a special occasion to eat something good." Kawasaki smiled brightly.
Her smile felt like spring sunlight shining down on him, warm and soft.
She slipped off her coat, folded it neatly, and set it aside. Then she put on the kitchen apron.
"Help me tie it."
She lifted her hair and turned her back to him.
"Sure," Oikawa answered, wrapping an arm around her waist as he searched for the apron strings.
He searched for a while.
Didn't find them.
So naturally, his hands started wandering.
But Kawasaki wasn't indulging him this time. She smacked his hand away.
"Stop messing around." Then her voice dropped lower. "Taishi and Keika are still here."
"We're basically a married couple already. What's there to be scared of?" Oikawa said casually.
Still, he didn't push it further.
"Alright, tied." Looking at her long hair, he asked, "Your hair… want me to tie it up too?"
"You know how?" Kawasaki asked, genuine surprise in her voice.
Oikawa answered with actions. He grabbed a chopstick from the side and pressed it against her hair, twisting once before wrapping her hair around it four times. Then he slid the chopstick through to hold it all in place.
Finally, he tucked the coiled strands neatly against the tip.
A simple hairpin bun was done.
"Saki," he said with a grin, "you look even prettier now."
He took out his phone, snapped a picture, and showed it to her. "Looks good, right?"
Kawasaki zoomed in on the photo.
A genuine smile spread across her face, bright and unguarded, and she nodded. "Yeah. It does."
She then turned back around and kept working on the shrimp.
But after a while, she unconsciously reached up to touch her hair. Her eyes curved into crescents as she smiled to herself.
"Need a hand?" Oikawa asked.
"No." Kawasaki shook her head. "But if you've got time, go talk to Taishi. He's been feeling down lately because his grades aren't improving as fast as he wants."
She paused, then added, "He really looks up to you. If you talk to him, it might actually help."
"Got it."
Oikawa nodded, then grinned, "If you need my help later, just call me hubby. Now off I go, gotta have a talk with my brother-in-law."
The second the words left his mouth, he bolted.
"Idiot," Kawasaki muttered under her breath as she watched him leave.
But when her eyes caught her reflection in the kitchen glass, a smile spread across her face again.
Her hair. It really did look nice.
...
..
Talking people through their problems wasn't exactly Oikawa's strong suit. So after thinking it over, he decided he'd just start with casual conversation and work his way into the real topic.
When he stepped outside, Taishi was still there, holding his vocabulary book behind his back, brow furrowed as he struggled to memorize the words.
"It's break. Why are you still studying so hard?" Oikawa walked over, laughing as he patted Taishi's shoulder and snatched the vocab book away. "And what's with all the food today? What's the occasion?"
"It's my sister's birthday." Taishi blinked. "But she's acting kind of weird this year. Usually when we say we want to celebrate, she just says to wait and do it together during New Year's. But this time she's been super into it. She started preparing yesterday."
"Anyway, Oikawa-nii, the exams at Sobu High are so hard. How am I supposed to—"
After hearing 'my sister's birthday', Oikawa didn't catch another word.
His thoughts had come to a complete stop the moment Taishi mentioned it.
Kawasaki's birthday?
Oikawa froze. Then guilt hit him.
'I didn't even know it was her birthday today... And that panda toy... damn it, what was I thinking?'
'No. It's still not too late.'
Oikawa finally snapped out of it and turned to Taishi. "Taishi, if your sister asks where I went, tell her I had to go back to school to grab something."
"Got it." Taishi nodded, then looked up. "But where are you goi—"
Before he could finish, Oikawa was already gone.
Taishi scratched his head in confusion, then opened his vocab book again.
…
..
About half an hour later, Oikawa returned to the daycare, acting like nothing had happened.
"You're back?" Kawasaki asked. "Taishi said you left something at school. What was it?"
By the time he came back, several dishes were already on the table, and the whole room smelled amazing.
Stir-fried beef cubes. Fried egg rolls. Pan-fried fish. Boiled sea snails. Steamed crab.
"Nothing important."
Oikawa brushed the question aside and looked toward the kitchen. "Smells incredible. What's in the pot?"
"Kabab Halla." Kawasaki looked at him, eyes shining. "You told me before it was one of your favorites. I looked up how to make it."
She wore a faint smile, her expression practically screaming, 'Go on. Praise me.'
"Well done. You are the best." Oikawa reached out and rubbed her head fondly.
Kawasaki flushed.
A little embarrassed. A little annoyed, too.
It felt like she was getting the same treatment as Keika.
But that tiny bit of dissatisfaction disappeared almost instantly.
She went back to the stove, tending to the simmering Kabab Halla.
Before long, the rich smell filled the whole room.
Oikawa stayed beside her, quietly helping where he could. Not that there was much to do.
Kawasaki kept telling him to go sit and eat first. But Oikawa liked standing here more, close enough to feel her warmth.
A few beads of sweat formed on Kawasaki's forehead.
Oikawa grabbed a wet towel nearby and gently wiped them away.
Then he reached into his pocket and pulled something out.
A Japanese hairpin. A simple kanzashi of polished dark sandalwood, tipped with a small silver plum blossom and a pale moonstone at its center. Elegant, understated, and quietly expensive.
Oikawa smiled, "Birthday present. Happy birthday."
"Taishi told you?" Kawasaki's tone carried a trace of complaint. "I told him not to."
"Why wouldn't you tell me?" Oikawa pulled the chopstick out of her hair, stepped behind her, and took out a comb he'd bought.
He began brushing through her hair carefully.
"It's just a birthday," Kawasaki said quietly. "Not that big of a deal."
"For other people, maybe." Oikawa's voice softened. "But you're different."
Kawasaki lowered her gaze. "How am I different?"
"Because you're the woman I love."
Her face turned bright red.
Beautiful.
The blush on her cheeks looked like the evening sunset over Chiba, warm and glowing.
Oikawa combed through her hair and asked, "Do you know what it means when a guy combs a girl's hair?"
Kawasaki blinked. "What?"
"It means he's confessing."
Her cheeks burned even hotter. After a moment, she asked softly, "Is this the first time you've ever combed a girl's hair?"
"Of course." Oikawa lifted a brow.
Kawasaki's lips curved into a shy smile. "I'm honored. That your first time… was with me."
Oikawa chuckled. "And besides that?"
Kawasaki lowered her head even more. "I... I want you to keep combing my hair."
Her voice was almost a whisper, "For the rest of my life."
Oikawa's hand paused for a moment.
Then he smiled happily. "Alright. For life."
He picked up the hairpin and repeated the same motions as before, gathering her hair up and pinning it neatly into place.
…
..
After dinner, Kawasaki packed up all the leftovers and made Oikawa take them home.
On the way back, Oikawa and Kawasaki walked side by side, while Taishi and Keika ran ahead of them.
The two of them were close. Close enough that their fingers brushed now and then.
Oikawa had never been the indecisive type.
The moment his fingers caught hers, he laced their hands together and leaned in close to whisper by her ear. "Want to stay over at my place tonight?"
Kawasaki's whole face heated up. "No! Why is that all you ever think about?!"
"What do you mean, that?" Oikawa asked with a sly smile.
"You know exactly what!" She shot him a look, too embarrassed to say it out loud.
"But what is it?" Oikawa pressed, grinning. "If you won't say it, how am I supposed to know?"
Kawasaki stopped responding altogether.
Still, with her walking beside him, Oikawa didn't feel lonely at all on the way home.
As they walked, his eyes drifted to her lips.
They were still a little shiny with oil, probably from dinner. She must not have wiped them clean.
Oikawa leaned in.
Taking advantage of the fact that Taishi and Keika weren't looking, he very "helpfully" wiped her lips for her.... with his mouth.
Kawasaki's eyes flew wide.
She hadn't expected him to be this bold.
Her hands pushed lightly against his shoulder, trying to make him stop.
But Oikawa ignored her completely.
Only when Keika looked like she was about to turn around did he finally let her go.
"Sis, what's wrong? Your face is super red." Keika looked at her big sister worriedly.
"I-It's nothing…"
Kawasaki tried to pull her hand free from Oikawa's grip, but failed.
And somehow, that made her feel a little wronged.
This jerk. He only ever bullied her when people were around.
She glared fiercely at him, swearing to herself she'd ignore him from now on.
But the second she saw the smile on his face, that resolve scattered into the wind.
Without even realizing it, Kawasaki's tolerance for Oikawa's antics had gotten higher and higher.
At the beginning... she'd fought him hard. She'd even bitten his lip until it bled.
But now? At most, she just glared at him.
Sometimes she didn't even bother doing that.
What was wrong with her?
Saki Kawasaki thought about it for a long time, but couldn't find an answer.
The bus arrived at the stop before long.
Oikawa still hadn't let go of her hand, leading her onto the bus one step after another.
Under the envious gazes of the other passengers, they took seats in the back.
Kawasaki felt like her face was burning alive.
So many people had seen their hands clasped together.
It made her happy. And embarrassed.
That strange mix of emotions stayed with her all the way until Oikawa walked her home.
...
"Saki, you're back?"
When Kawasaki stepped into the house, her mother looked up at her with a smile.
"Weren't you celebrating your birthday with friends? Why are you home so early?" As she spoke, her eyes fell on the hairpin in Kawasaki's hair. "And where did this hairpin come from? It's so pretty. Don't tell me some boy gave it to you?"
"N-No! It's not like that!" Kawasaki panicked. "I-I'm going upstairs. I still have studying to do."
She hurried up to her room, shut the door, and pulled the curtains closed, throwing the room into darkness.
Then she flopped onto her bed, burying her face in the blanket.
Without thinking, she murmured the name that had been filling her thoughts over and over lately.
And right after that, she felt so embarrassed she almost wanted to cry.
"Saki, you idiot! You're a girl! How can you just let that jerk kiss you whenever he wants?!"
"He's definitely going to think you're easy now…"
And as she muttered to herself, another memory surfaced.
That day. In the bathroom.
That time... She'd been the one who kissed him first.
The realization made her face burn even hotter.
She buried herself deeper under the blanket and rolled around on the bed.
Too embarrassing.
Way too embarrassing.
Just then, her phone buzzed in her pocket.
She grabbed it instantly.
A message. From the person she'd been thinking about.
『Oikawa』: Happy birthday.
『Oikawa』: I hope next year I'll still be the one combing your hair for you. And every year after that too.
A sweet smile spread across Kawasaki's face.
It felt like a cool, sugary breeze had blown straight through her heart, making her want to smile without even trying.
She replied with a single word, "Mm."
And then she waited, looking forward to Oikawa's reply.
But before it came, there was a knock at her door.
Her mother stepped inside, looked at her for a moment, then said gently, "Saki, I'm not against you dating. So when you have time, bring him home so I can meet him."
Kawasaki froze.
It took her a while before she managed to explain, "Mom, no. I'm not dating anyone."
Her mother smiled, the knowing smile of someone who'd been there before.
"If you say so."
She gave Kawasaki one long, meaningful look before leaving the room.
What Kawasaki didn't know was that her mother had already gotten some information from her little brother, Taishi. And Taishi, who had long since accepted Oikawa as his future brother-in-law, had praised him to the skies.
"..."
After her mother left, Kawasaki bit her lip lightly.
Looking down at her phone, at the still-unanswered chat with Oikawa, she muttered through gritted teeth, "Jerk. Total jerk."
.
.
.