A few days had passed since the group went out to town, and Mizuha still remembered the day they spent together.
I hope we get to do something like that again, Mizuha thought.
After class ended, the teacher asked for two volunteers to fetch printouts from the teacher’s room.
Mizuha raised her hand immediately. Eri raised hers a moment later, slowly and carefully.
The teacher assigned the task to them, telling them to bring the printouts back to class.
The girls walked to the teacher’s room, collected the printouts, and headed back with the stack split between them.
"Umm, Eri-chan, are you okay carrying that? If it's too heavy, just give me some of it."
"Thanks, but don’t worry, I can carry this myself. It's not too heavy for me," Eri replied.
"Really...? Tell me if you start struggling, okay?" Mizuha asked.
While walking back to their classroom, Mizuha asked,
"Umm, Eri-chan, are you free this evening?"
"Yes, I'm free. What is it?" Eri replied.
"Then, can you come to my house this evening? I need you to teach me how to make Tamagoyaki like you did before," Mizuha asked.
"Sure, I'm glad you're asking me to do that," she replied. "I'll come over later."
"Really? Thank you so much!" she said.
Mizuha was happy that Eri agreed to help her. In her excitement, she suddenly dropped the stack of papers.
"Oh, no! The papers! What am I doing?"
"Mizuha-chan, are you okay?" Eri said.
"I'm okay! It's just... I got too excited, and it made me lose my grip—haha!" Mizuha chuckled.
Both of them started gathering the papers on the floor, before another girl passing by stopped and approached them.
"Let me help," she said.
With her help, they quickly gathered the scattered papers. She handed her stack to Mizuha and said, "Here."
Feeling grateful for her help, Mizuha bowed her head and said, "Thank you so much."
"It's no problem," the girl replied, smiling at Mizuha.
Then she turned to Eri, who was standing next to her.
She looked surprised at first, then excited. "Eh, Sakamoto-san! It's been a while. Are you doing well?"457Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡigHR3nbbYq
Eri stammered, "Umm, I'm... okay... doing... thank you."
She chuckled. "You're still as shy as before, huh?"
Glancing at her watch, she said,
"Okay, I need to return to my class. Please be careful, you two." Then she walked away.
As she left, Mizuha turned to Eri and asked,
"Umm, do you know her?"
Eri nodded. "Yes, I know her. She was Takamiya-kun's classmate in 1B. We went to the same middle school. We were in the same class last year, along with Zul and Takamiya-kun.
"Oh, I see. So, she went to the same school as you guys. She seems really nice, and she's pretty too." Mizuha added.
Eri's expression suddenly changed, and her face paled. "Umm, actually..."
"Um, nothing happened," she mumbled, her voice fading.
Mizuha was taken aback. Eri-chan... she thought, unsure of what to say.
Eri caught herself and quickly tried to change the subject.
"Umm, forget about that. Anyway, let's return to our class."
"Yeah, let's go" Mizuha replied.
Walking back to the classroom, Mizuha found herself lost in thought.
What happened with Eri-chan earlier? She seemed unable to finish her words. Is something wrong with that girl?
Meanwhile, the same girl who had helped Mizuha earlier returned to her class and was walking to her seat when she saw Hikaru, lost in thought and staring out the window.
Hikaru was still thinking about how he had suddenly asked Mizuha to hang out, just the two of them, and felt embarrassed about it.
His thoughts were interrupted by Akemi, who called out to him.
"Hikaru-kun? Are you here? Hey!" Akemi said.
Hikaru jerked in surprise and turned to her.
"Huh, Akemi!? Don't startle me like that. By the way, welcome back."
"What are you doing? Spacing out like that?" Akemi asked.
"Oh, it's nothing, just my thoughts. Don't worry," Hikaru said, too embarrassed to tell Akemi about what was really on his mind.
"Really? Then there's nothing I can do," Akemi replied.
"Oh, yeah, while I was on the way here, I met Sakamoto-san and that girl you always hang out with at break. Um, Yuki-san, right? The new transfer student from Class 1F," Akemi continued.
"Huh, you met them? Did something happen?" Hikaru asked, suddenly interested.
"Umm, they had printouts scattered in the corridor. I happened to see them, so I just lent a hand," Akemi explained.
"Oh, I see. Thanks for helping them, Akemi," said Hikaru, smiling at her.
"Well, it couldn't be helped. I can't just ignore them and leave," Akemi muttered, her tsundere side showing.
At the same time, Mizuha and Eri returned to their classroom after collecting the printouts.
They put the papers on the teacher's desk and waited for the teacher to arrive.
Eri returned to her seat, while Mizuha approached Shimizu.
"Shimizu, this evening, Eri-chan is coming to my house to teach me how to make Tamagoyaki. Do you want to join us?" Mizuha asked.
Shimizu looked apologetic.
"Ah sorry, I can't join you guys this evening. I have a meeting with my editor," Shimizu said.
"Oh, I see, it's about your novel," Mizuha replied, nodding.
"I'm really sorry," Shimizu said.
"Don't worry about it," Mizuha replied. "I'll let you taste the result of my Tamagoyaki tomorrow."
"Oh, I can't wait to taste it! You'd better make it taste good," Shimizu said with a grin.
Mizuha nodded determinedly. "I will! Just you wait and see."
School continued until it ended for the day.
Since Mizuha had to stop by the supermarket to buy groceries for making Tamagoyaki, Hikaru was walking alone today.
Suddenly, Akemi called out to Hikaru. "Hikaru-kun!" Turning around, Hikaru saw her running towards him.
"Oh, Akemi! What's up?" Hikaru said.
"It's nothing, I just happened to see you walking ahead of me earlier, that's why I called out to you."
"By the way, where's Yuki-san? She usually walks back with you, right?"
Hikaru explained that Mizuha had to stop somewhere for errands. Akemi realized he was walking alone today.
Good, she's not here. This is my chance, Akemi thought to herself.
"Umm, can I walk with you instead of her today?" Akemi asked.
"Sure, why not?" Hikaru replied.
"Oh yes, lucky me!!" Akemi cheered, then clung to Hikaru's arm.
"It's been a while since we've walked together like this," Akemi said.
"Yes, you're right, I think the last time was last year, right? After we got our entrance exam results?" Hikaru said.
"Oh, you still remember it? I'm glad to hear that," Akemi said.
"Well, it was just two months ago, it's not that long," Hikaru said.
Suddenly, Akemi asked, "Umm, do you still think about her?"
"Who, Mizuha...?" Hikaru asked, looking confused.
"No, no, not her. I mean your ex...Misaka," Akemi replied.
Hikaru's expression changed, and he looked uncomfortable.
"Umm, Akemi, please don't mention that person again. It makes me uncomfortable," he said.
"Umm, sorry, I didn't mean to bring that up," Akemi mumbled.
At that moment, Akemi's stomach growled. She looked embarrassed and tried to hide her face.
Hikaru couldn't help but laugh. "Haha, what was that growl? Are you hungry?"
"That's so mean to say!" Akemi said, pouting.
"How about we stop by that family restaurant? I'll treat you today," Hikaru suggested, pointing to the nearby establishment.
"You'll treat me? Yeah, let's go!" Akemi exclaimed, smiling at Hikaru's offer.
As Hikaru and Akemi entered the family restaurant, they picked a table near the window.
Across the room, Shimizu was sitting with her editor, going over her manuscript. She noticed them coming in and quickly covered her face with her manuscript paper.
She tried to redirect her attention to the editor, but couldn't help feeling curious about Hikaru's unexpected appearance with the unfamiliar girl.
She felt relieved that they hadn't spotted her.
While Shimizu was distracted by Hikaru and Akemi's arrival, her editor was trying to get her attention.
"Mizuno-sensei, hey, are you hearing me, Mizuno-sensei?" the editor asked.
"What are you looking at? I tried calling you so many times, but you weren't paying attention to me," her editor added, a bit upset.
Realizing she had lost focus on the meeting, Shimizu said,
"Ah, sorry, I lost my focus. Can you repeat what you said earlier?"
"Like I said...," her editor began.
At the same time that Hikaru and Akemi were at the restaurant, Mizuha had finished her shopping and returned home with the groceries needed to make Tamagoyaki.
Alright, everything's prepared. Now I just need to wait for Eri-chan to arrive, she thought.
Mizuha put the groceries away and waited. Soon, her doorbell rang.
Mizuha welcomed Eri inside. Eri apologized for disturbing her and noticed Mizuha was wearing her glasses again. Mizuha said she could wear them since Shimizu wasn't there to tease her.
"Umm, you're alone here?" Eri asked, looking around.
"Well, both my parents are working and they'll return late today," Mizuha said.
Then she added enthusiastically,
"Since you're already here, let's start making Tamagoyaki!"
"I'm counting on you, Eri-sensei," Mizuha said playfully.
Eri blushed at the nickname. "Please don't call me that, Mizuha-chan," she murmured, embarrassed but pleased.
As Mizuha and Eri began making Tamagoyaki, they worked together smoothly in the kitchen.
Mizuha looked at the ingredients spread out on the kitchen counter.
"Wow, Eri-chan, there's more to this than I thought!" Mizuha said.
Eri smiled softly. "Don't worry, Mizuha-chan. We'll go through it step by step."
Mizuha nodded enthusiastically. "Okay! What should we do first?"
Eri showed Mizuha how to prepare the eggs—the first step. Mizuha handed her the bowl and watched carefully as Eri demonstrated each step.
The two girls continued cooking, Eri guiding Mizuha through each step as she followed along attentively.
They finished making the tamagoyaki. Mizuha was impressed with how good it looked compared to her previous failed attempts that always came out burnt or soggy.
"Oh, I see," Eri said with a sympathetic smile.
"Why don't you taste it now, Mizuha-chan? Let's see how it tastes," Eri suggested.
"You're right, I think I'll taste it first," Mizuha said, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness.
Mizuha took a spoon and carefully cut a small slice of the tamagoyaki. She brought it to her mouth, full of anticipation
"So, how does it taste, Mizuha-chan?" Eri said eagerly, watching her friend's reaction.
"Umm... it's so delicious!" Mizuha said excitedly.
"That's it! It tastes just like the tamagoyaki you made before!"
Thrilled with the result, Mizuha turned to her friend. "Taste it too, Eri-chan!"
"Well, if you insist," Eri said, taking a small piece for herself.
After tasting it, Eri smiled. "Umm, delicious! It's just like how I make it. I'm glad you were able to do it," she said, clearly happy for Mizuha's success.
"Really!? I'm glad it turned out well," said Mizuha, happy to hear Eri’s compliment.
"I glad for you too Mizuha-chan" Eri said.
"Umm, why did you suddenly ask me to teach you this today?" Eri asked.
"Well, actually, it's nothing special, but I want to let you guys taste my cooking tomorrow. I've never cooked something like this before," Mizuha said.
Then, with a slight blush, she added, "Also, I want him to taste my cooking too."
"I see, it's for all of us. Thank you, Mizuha-chan," Eri said, smiling warmly.
Eri suggested they make another one for more practice. Mizuha agreed enthusiastically.
The two girls continued making tamagoyaki together, giving Mizuha more practice to improve her cooking skills.
After about 20 minutes, Mizuha's mother unexpectedly returned home.
Hmm, we have a guest!? she thought, noticing the smell.
What's this smell? It's so good. Is Mizuha cooking?
As her mother entered the house, she called out, "Mizuha, I'm home!"
"Oh, mom, welcome home," Mizuha said.
Sorry for disturbing you," Eri said politely.
"Oh, Mizuha's friend... Eri-chan, right? From the other day," her mother asked.
"So, you're the only one here? Where's the other one with the red hair?"
"Oh, Shimizu-chan! She's busy today, so she couldn't come," Eri said.
"I see… So, what are you girls cooking? I smelled something good from outside earlier," her mom said.
"We're actually making tamagoyaki. I asked Eri-chan to teach me," Mizuha said.
"We just finished. Here, mom, have a taste," Mizuha said.
Her mother tried the tamagoyaki. She looked surprised at how good it tasted. Mizuha waited anxiously for her reaction, then felt relieved when her mother praised the cooking.
"It's all thanks to Eri for teaching me," Mizuha said gratefully.
"Well, I just taught her what I know," Eri said, blushing.
"Wow, that's great. Thank you, Eri-chan, for teaching her," her mother said appreciatively. "Oh, since you're already here, why don't you join us for dinner today? I'm going to make something special for you girls."
Mizuha asked if Eri was okay with staying for dinner. Eri agreed but said she needed to tell her parents first. Mizuha understood.
"Umm, I can help you cook," Eri said.
"Don't worry about it, you're a guest today. Just leave it to me," Mizuha's mother insisted. "Why don't you two wait in Mizuha's room first? I'll call you when I'm done cooking."
After dinner, Eri prepared to return home.
"It's already dark. Do you need me to walk you home?" Mizuha said.
"I'm fine, thanks," Eri replied.
"Umm, thank you for having me for dinner. The cooking was delicious," Eri said to Mizuha's mother.
"Don't worry about it. Please come again if you'd like," Mizuha's mother replied warmly.
"Thanks, Eri-chan, for teaching me today. Tomorrow I'll bring the tamagoyaki for the others to taste," Mizuha said.
"I'm looking forward to it. I can't wait to see their reactions," Eri said.
"Well, I need to go now. Please excuse me," Eri said.
As Mizuha lay down that night, her mind wandered to the next day. She felt a mixture of anticipation and nerves about sharing her tamagoyaki at school.
What will Hikaru think of my cooking? she wondered. The brief, strange interaction with Eri in the hallway earlier that day also lingered in her thoughts, especially how Eri had seemed unable to finish her sentence about Akemi.
With these thoughts swirling in her mind, Mizuha eventually drifted off to sleep, the events of the day fading as she prepared for what tomorrow might bring.
457Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDhJ8oIYaKw
457Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNA82w0b7j
然後按「加至主畫面」