Chapter Seven

Impulse

Naoya and Koyuki’s relationship had deepened.

They spoke about all sorts of things and went to all sorts of places together. The more Naoya came to know her, the more he liked her. It was only a matter of time before they reached a particularly important juncture in their relationship.

“So my parents aren’t home today...” Koyuki mentioned as they made their way to school.

With those simple words, Naoya stopped dead in his tracks, stone faced—it was like a colossal hammer had just fallen to earth. “Come again?” he blurted out.

Koyuki continued walking for a moment before she realized Naoya wasn’t alongside her. She whipped around and quickly added, “Ah! Whoa, hold on a minute! Sakuya and Gizzard are gonna be there, okay?!”

“O-Oh. Oh yeah. They would be, wouldn’t they? Wouldn’t they...”

“Ew, he said it twice,” Koyuki muttered in disgust.

Naoya thought for a moment about how he had misunderstood what she’d said—a rare occasion for him. Very interesting. “I guess Shirogane’s airheadedness is rubbing off on me,” he thought out loud.

“Airheaded? Excuse you,” Koyuki pouted. “You’re the one who’s always staring off into space. Don’t blame it on me. And I’m not airheaded.”

“Do non-airheads burn their cookies to ash and then serve them to their guests?”

“Hey! The oven’s timer was brok—anyway! You said they were delicious!”

“Well, yeah. You made them for me. I’d happily eat anything made by you, even if it’s charcoal.”

“I wouldn’t recommend disclosing that with me, to be honest,” Koyuki grumbled before relenting.

Naoya’s visit to the Shirogane residence had gone incredibly well, all things considered.

He’d eaten vaguely cookie-shaped cinders, ingratiated himself with Koyuki’s parents, and stayed for dinner. In the end, he was seen off with the promise that he was welcome back any time.

Unfortunately, because Naoya and Koyuki had been in her living room the entire time, there hadn’t been any opportunity for any flirtation or any developments like that. Although this had disappointed Naoya, he had to begrudgingly acknowledge that they weren’t exactly going out yet. Maybe. Kind of.

The amount of distance they had between them was comfortable, in a sense; he didn’t exactly have to do anything major, but he still got to be with Koyuki all the time. It was also precisely because he knew this, however, that he felt like he had to shake things up soon. But what exactly would he do? And how—not to mention when and where—would he do it?

He was well aware he’d gotten carried away at the crepe shop. When he had confessed to her back then, she had—quite literally—run away from him. He knew that if the timing or setting was off, the same thing would only repeat itself. He quietly mulled these ideas over while he resumed walking.

Koyuki carried on as if she hadn’t realized he’d stopped. “Anyway, as I was saying—my parents are staying with some relatives tonight, so me and Sakuya are looking after the house. So, um, yeah. My parents suggested that we invite you over to cook dinner for us.”

“Whoa, they’re already treating me like a son. Awesome,” Naoya commented with a serious expression.

Koyuki saw this and appeared to get the wrong idea, replying with palpable disappointment, “Oh, okay then. Yeah, asking you to come over out of the blue isn’t fair. It’s fine. You don’t have to come.”

“What? There’s literally no problem at all, though,” Naoya said incredulously. “I don’t have work today, and we’re all off tomorrow. I’d love to come over and flex my househusband skills.”

“Really?” Koyuki’s face lit up. It seemed that she wasn’t exactly comfortable with the idea of her and her sister being alone in the house. Her gait grew lighter, and as she skipped along, she added confidently, “Okay, so we’ll go shopping on the way home. I’ve already made a budget, just so you know.”

“Got it. Since this is such a special occasion, I’m willing to take requests if you have any.”

“Hmm...” Koyuki thought for a moment, then fixed her hair absentmindedly and struck a refined pose. “Well, the last time I took a trip to France, I had a delightful foie gras dish that was accompanied by truffles. It was absolutely exquisite.”

“Don’t lie, Shirogane,” he cut in. “You probably want something like curry, hamburger, or spaghetti and meatballs, right?”

“How do you have me figured out this much?! We’ve never even had curry together!” she protested, apparently having forgotten that she’d happily announced, “I had curry last night!” just a few days ago. “That’s so embarrassing. Those are all kiddy meals...”

“I mean, who cares?” Naoya said.

“Really?”

“Yeah,” he assured her with a pat on the head. “You can like plushies, curry, or anything else as much as you want, because that’s who Koyuki Shirogane is. Not being yourself would be a waste.”

“Maybe...” Koyuki demurred with a downtrodden expression. Suddenly, she seemed to realize what was happening and quickly batted Naoya’s hand away in irritation. “Hey! I don’t need your recognition! Who do you think you are?! Still... do you like curry, Sasahara?”

“Of course. It’s easier to make than the elaborate, fancy dishes people love to post on social media or whatever,” Naoya responded. Then, with a gentle smile, he added, “So yeah, let’s go with curry tonight. Will Sakuya be fine with that?”

Koyuki couldn’t help but think that Naoya really did resemble a mom at times. “She loves curry too. I doubt she’ll object.”

“Nice. Let’s do it.”

“Um...” Koyuki faltered, stopping to grip the edge of Naoya’s sleeve. “I wasn’t really able to help out last time, so I’m gonna do my best today.”

“Th-Thanks. I’ll be counting on you,” Naoya replied awkwardly, his heart beating loudly in his chest.

Koyuki decided to change the subject and began talking about curry. She enjoyed the type you ate with naan, but her favorite was vegetable curry. As she was mentioning that she wasn’t too good with the spicy versions, Naoya looked at her face in profile. He noticed that, in that moment, she was truly at ease and was finally being herself.

I’m glad we get along better now than we did, he noted with appreciation. They talked all the time, he’d already been to her house, and they were able to relax around each other. He could tell that Koyuki trusted him. Naoya cleared his throat, steeled his resolve, and called out, “Shirogane.”

“What’s up?” she asked.

“I really like—”

“Wha?!” Koyuki screamed over him, then patted her chest several times as though to calm herself down. “Oh, I know—you were gonna say you like curry, right? Hahaha...”

Her face was beet red as she laughed nervously. She didn’t know what to do. Still, Naoya could spot traces of happiness amidst her embarrassment. He could tell that she’d been hoping he’d been talking about her. His feelings had gotten through to her, even if only slightly. Naoya recalled telling her he’d confess when he felt the timing was right, when she felt receptive to his advances. Well, the time had finally come.

“Shirogane.”

“Wh-What’s up?” Koyuki asked again, looking up at Naoya anxiously.

He took her hand and gripped it tightly, trying to get his feelings across as earnestly as possible. “I’m going to do my best from now on, too. And when it’s time, I want you to accept it fully.”

“Wow, this curry sounds like it’s gonna be complex,” Koyuki said, more puzzled than before.

※※※

After school, the two headed to the shopping mall they’d visited on their previous date. It was packed with housewives trying to take advantage of limited-time sales—a veritable battleground of bargains.

Koyuki and Naoya armed themselves with a cart and prepared for battle.

“We should probably buy vegetables first, right?” Koyuki spoke up. She was in charge of pushing the cart, and her excitement for the night's curry put a childish spring in her step.

“Yeah...” Naoya added absentmindedly.

Unlike his love interest, he was somewhere else mentally. So I’m going to confess to her. But how? That incident in the crepe store was still fresh in his mind. He knew that if he came on too strong, he’d just end up pushing her away. He needed to come up with something nicer, something gentler. He’d never confessed to anyone in his life, and he could tell Koyuki was a bit of a romantic. Naoya felt his lack of experience like a knife to his ribs. The more he thought about it, the more he spiralled into useless worrying. Maybe I should wait till the evening when we have a view of the city or something... Or maybe I should give her a present. Would a plushie work? Nah, not the right occasion.

Before he’d realized it, they had reached the vegetable corner.

Koyuki put a finger to her chin and pondered, “So for curry, we’ll probably need onions, carrots, and... potatoes.” With that, she began to search for the ingredients and placed whatever she came across in the cart.

That made Naoya snap back to reality. “Wait.”

“What is it?” Koyuki stopped, a large bag of potatoes in hand.

“Those potatoes are Irish Cobblers. You’ve gotta use May Queens when you’re making curry,” he informed her.

“May Queen?! We’re gonna put a cat in the curry?!”

“That’s Maine Coon. May Queens are a type of potato that don’t fall apart as easily. They’re perfect for curry.”

Koyuki obediently placed the rounder potatoes back and picked up the lengthier, oblong May Queens that were next to them. She was clearly impressed by his breadth of potato knowledge. “Whoa, I didn’t realize there was such a big difference between them. Is that something your mom taught you?”

“Maybe... I might’ve looked it up myself, though,” he replied. There was a pause in their conversation as they added garlic and ginger to the cart—used to add depth to the curry as well as to mask the smell of meat in it—before he continued, “I learned most of what I know just from trial and error.”

“I guess experience is the most important thing, after all,” Koyuki noted.

“Exactly. That’s why you shouldn’t worry about the ash cookies from the other day—that was something to learn from,” he reaffirmed.

Koyuki’s shoulders dropped at having been reminded of her failure. “Still, if you mess up, it’s just a waste of ingredients. I’d hate that.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll eat anything you make. Literally anything.”

“O-Okay then...” she faltered, but his statement actually seemed to boost her confidence. “If you end up dying prematurely because of my food, then I’m sorry, but it’s all in the name of improving my cooking abilities.”

“Got it. Let’s see what you’ve got today, then.”

“Hahaha, I’m already a pro when it comes to peeling vegetables,” she boasted.

They bantered back and forth while they added the rest of their ingredients to the cart. They selected meat, roux, and fukujinzuke—pickled vegetables in a sweet soy sauce mixture—for good measure.

“We missing anything?” Naoya asked.

“Hm... Ah!” Koyuki exclaimed, then immediately grew sheepish. “Um, Mom and Dad said I could buy some candy if I wanted...”

“Oh. Sure then. We’ll go get whatever you want.”

“Okay! Let’s go!” Koyuki exclaimed, all smiles as she rushed over to the candy section with Naoya in tow. She quickly found what she was searching for: a box of sweets that Naoya remembered eating a lot as a kid. “These, these! The animal biscuits! I love how they draw the rabbits and the bears on them! They’re so cute! Oh, but I do feel a bit bad when I eat them... But then they’re so delicious that I can’t stop. And—are you okay, Sasahara?”

“N-Nah, it’s nothing. Nothing at all,” he replied as nonchalantly as possible.

“If you want something too, just tell me, okay?”

Somehow, Naoya managed to make it through the shopping trip without dying from cuteness overload.

※※※

They arrived at the Shirogane residence around 6:00PM.

It took them about an hour to make the curry, and before they knew it, dinner was ready. Everyone stood and marveled at the steaming dishes of curry. Even Gizzard, whom Sakuya was holding, let out a meow of approval.

“This looks amazing,” Sakuya murmured.

“Jeez, Sakuya, you could’ve helped us a little bit. Me and Sasahara ended up doing everything ourselves. Those who didn’t pitch in don’t deserve to eat,” Koyuki complained with a pout while she set the table.

“I just didn’t want to intrude on your private time, that’s all.”

“You just wanted to laze around! And you’re always getting away with it just ‘cause you’re the youngest!” Koyuki protested, adding some half-hearted grumbles under her breath.

Sakuya didn’t reply; instead, she waited for Naoya to come out of the kitchen, turned to him, and asked, “Naoya, could you translate what she just said, please?”

“‘Good job, Sakuya! He taught me to use a knife, and it was just the two of us alone together! I’ll definitely be giving you a cat biscuit later!’ Or something like that, I guess,” Naoya explained in a mock falsetto.

“Hey! No translation at the table!” Koyuki protested.

The banter continued until the table was set.

Koyuki looked dubiously at the large slices of carrots floating in the roux and said in a disappointed tone, “I guess we did cut them too big, after all.”

“It’s fine. I like them this way,” Naoya quickly added to cover for her. He had peeled the vegetables, but had then handed them over to her to cut up. She’d managed to make it through the prep without cutting herself, which he was grateful for. Even chopping the vegetables without incident was plenty of work for a new cook, and so he’d handled the rest.

His praise seemed to have been effective, because she proudly exclaimed, “Hah! I guess I don’t even have to try to be perfect!”

Naoya stopped them as they were about to sit at the table. “I actually have something for you, Shirogane.”

“Really?”

“Yep. Consider it thanks for helping me out. Here,” Naoya said. He placed some cheese he had cut out on Koyuki’s plate.

“Whoa! It’s a cat-shaped cheese topping!” she cried happily.

“What do I have to do to get one of those?” Sakuya asked.

“Make one yourself,” Naoya replied.

“Yeah, Sakuya—only the helper gets theirs made for them. Hehe.”

“Lame...” Sakuya grumbled.

The scene was a happy one, filled with warmth and friendly bickering. Finally, they all sat down.

“Shall we get started?”

“Let’s do it.”

“Let’s gooo.”

And with that, they all dug in.

Koyuki’s eyes went wide upon taking her first bite. “This... This really is curry...” she murmured approvingly.

“What did you think we were making back there?” Naoya asked with a hint of sarcasm.

“No, no. That’s not what I meant. It’s just that I’ve never cooked before, so it’s kind of amazing to actually have something I made on a plate in front of me. I guess I’m not as airheaded as you think, huh?”

“But, Koyuki—if we were alone, we would’ve just bought a ready-made meal from the store,” Sakuya added.

“There’s nothing wrong with that... but cooking something for yourself is pretty nice too, right?” Naoya added to placate the sisters. It had been a long time since he’d had a meal at such a lively table. Sometimes he ate with Kirihiko at work, but most nights, he ate alone. Sharing a meal with someone else had become something of a novelty to him. The taste of curry he had grown so accustomed to suddenly took on a completely new flavor. The fact that it’s with the girl I like is just the cherry on top.

“We made a lot, so help yourself to seconds if you want more. If there are leftovers, you can use it to make curry udon, or dry curry, or something,” he mentioned.

“Would we even be able to do that?” Koyuki asked skeptically.

“I’ll write up a recipe for you. I’ll make it simple enough that you and Sakuya can work through it,” he replied.

“Okay then, sounds good. You’ll help me tomorrow, right, Sakuya? ... Sakuya?”

“Hmm...” Sakuya murmured. She was staring ahead with a troubled expression. Did she not like the curry? She was still digging into her dinner despite her absentmindedness, so that likely wasn’t the case. Finally, she turned to Naoya and asked, “You call me ‘Sakuya,’ don’t you?”

“Yeah? What about it?” Naoya asked.

“So you call me by my first name, but you still refer to Koyuki as ‘Shirogane.’ I just thought that was weird is all,” she answered.

“Y-Yeah, I guess I do,'' he admitted. If he were to be honest, this wasn’t his first time considering the same thing. He had started by calling her “Shirogane,” but figured the chance to change it had passed—they had accidentally grown closer before referring to each other by their first names.

He looked in Koyuki’s direction and said, “Is it all right if I call you by your first name, like I do with Sakuya?”

“Um, I don’t really care about that! Do whatever you want!” Koyuki blurted out. She took a quick sip of her water to hide her embarrassment, her hand trembling the entire time.

Naoya examined her. What she had really meant to say was, “If you call me by my first name, I might just die of happiness and embarrassment!” It struck him as a good opportunity. He repeated the name in his head—the two syllables he’d been dying to say out loud—a few times over. Then he turned to her and slowly declared, “Koyuki.”

“Pfffttt!” Koyuki coughed, spraying a large mouthful of water all over the table.

Naoya rushed over and patted her on the back. “Sorry! It’s definitely way too early for this. We’ll take it slow. Don't worry.”

“Nuh!” she choked out.

“Nuh?” he echoed.

“No w—!” Koyuki struggled to speak through her coughs. Naoya tried to decipher her words and quickly braced himself for what was to come. “No way! I can’t handle it when it’s you!”

“Yeah, I figured as such,” he replied simply. He had been too hasty. While it was true that she’d become a lot more honest and comfortable with herself lately, he had rushed things in this respect.

“N-No, I just mean... Uh, that’s not what I wanted to say,” Koyuki faltered.

“It’s fine, really. Hey, we worked hard on this curry, so let’s just dig in,” he said, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

I should wait a bit before I start calling her by her name. Same goes for the confession, too, he reminded himself mentally. Their relationship still had a long way to go.

Sakuya stared across the table at Naoya’s deflated figure, and Gizzard rubbed against his leg and meowed like he was trying to console him. “Thank you for blessing me with this great ship content today,” Sakuya stated. “I’d love nothing more than to watch you two all day, but I suppose it’s time I head back to my room. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. You want seconds?” Naoya asked.

“I’ll have some. I’ll eat it here, so perhaps you two could head to Koyuki’s room?”

“We’re not going to do anything of the sort, Sakuya!” Koyuki shouted across the table. In between her words, she took quick, awkward bites of her curry. She seemed to be back to her usual self.

Naoya sighed. He went to return to his seat when Koyuki spoke up. “Oh,” she muttered, mostly to herself, as she stared blankly at the roof of the living room. “I forgot...”

Naoya was intrigued.

※※※

Dinner ended without incident. Sakuya ended up devouring three helpings, while Koyuki neatly polished off two.

Naoya was busy washing the plates. I wonder what’s up there... She totally remembered something.

After Koyuki had finished eating, she silently left her seat and headed upstairs, leaving Naoya, Sakuya, and Gizzard in the living room. Sakuya was speaking to Gizzard while Naoya busied himself in the kitchen. Despite the loud rushing of water in the sink, Naoya could still make her voice out clearly.

“What kind of ceremony do you think would suit them, Gizzard?”

“Meow?”

“I like this chapel. It’s so new and beautiful. Apparently, their food is amazing, as well.”

“Meow... Mrrp.”

“You’d prefer the more traditional Japanese style?”

“Mrooow.”

Naoya popped his head into the room and spotted Sakuya obsessing over something on her tablet screen. Is she planning my wedding in there? Naoya pondered to himself while he looked up at the living room ceiling.

The Shirogane family’s bedrooms were probably on the floor above them, as Naoya could hear the scuffle of footsteps and furniture moving above him from time to time. He wondered if she was looking for something. No, it was more likely that she was just cleaning—her footsteps weren’t wandering around, and they sounded slightly hurried.

Is she gonna invite me up to her room? The sudden thought caused Naoya’s hands to falter, and soap flew around the sink. Between her meaningful look at dinner, her rush upstairs afterward, and the frantic cleaning, it was the only natural conclusion.

“No. No way. Get a hold of yourself, Naoya,” he berated himself out loud. She couldn’t even bring herself to call him by his first name. What were the odds that she was going to invite him to her room? Fat chance.

“Sasahara?” a voice called out behind him.

“Agh!” He yelped, nearly dropping the plate in his hand. He turned around and saw Koyuki standing there. She must have snuck up on him while he was absorbed in thought. “Wh-What’s up?”

“Well, um...” Koyuki said hesitantly, pressing the tips of her fingers together and avoiding eye contact. “Um, come this way, okay? Don’t let Sakuya see. She’ll only make fun of us.”

“Huh?”

“This way,” she repeated before heading toward a staircase behind the kitchen.

“Wait, does this go to the second floor? Am I really allowed up there?”

“Never mind that. Just hurry up,” she stressed, lightly nudging his back.

“Okay, I got it,” he relented and timidly headed up the stairs.

As with the ground floor, the ceilings practically spanned to the heavens. A row of doors littered the hallway, and Koyuki headed directly for the farthest one. Her unwavering gaze commanded Naoya to follow.

As he followed meekly behind her, Naoya’s impure thoughts began to rear their ugly head once more. His mind raced, firing on all cylinders at once. No way, there’s no way... She’s just gonna ask me to carry some heavy stuff or something like that.

Before he knew it, he was viewing what was most certainly a girl’s room.

The room was colored in soft pastels, and it was adorned in various cat plushies. The furniture—a desk, a set of drawers, a plush bed, a bookcase, and a small chest—were all tasteful and matched the colors of the room. The walls were also decorated with tasteful stickers and the like. And, of course, the room itself smelled amazing.

“Th-This isn’t your room, is it?” Naoya gulped.

“Yeah, it is. What about it?” she answered somewhat defiantly.

At her sudden admittance, Naoya lost his ability to speak. What the hell is happening?! He was so blindsided that his normally handy intuition became completely useless—he had no idea what Koyuki was thinking. There was one thing he was certain of, though. “Shirogane, a girl mustn’t invite a guy to her room so casually. You remember what happened when we were alone together at Kirihiko’s place, right?”

“I do, but I had no other choice,” Koyuki answered uneasily as she gazed at the floor, then nodded. “Y-You made dinner for us today, so... I-I wanted to thank you.”

“Th-Thank me?” he stuttered.

“But I’d be too embarrassed if Sakuya saw us, so that’s why I led you here.”

“Embarrassed?” Naoya’s mind, which was still racing with wild thoughts, was quickly honing in on a single conclusion. “Sh-Shirogane, I think we’re moving too fas—”

“Here,” Koyuki said, holding out a small box wrapped in pink paper with both hands. He accepted it silently. “You’re always helping me so much. That’s why I decided to get you something. I bought it when we were out shopping.”

“Oh, so that’s where you snuck off to,” he mumbled, recalling that she had snuck off earlier that day while they were at the mall. I’m kind of a moron today, aren’t I? he mentally scolded himself, and his face became downcast.

Koyuki saw his expression and worriedly added, “O-Oh, I’m sorry. I was worried a present would just end up being a bother. I’m sorry...”

“What?! No, no, no! It’s not that at all! I’m super happy, actually!” he quickly cut in.

“I’ve never really given people presents before, so, uh, I hope you like it.”

“I’d be happy with anything you gave me. I’m the kind of guy who eats charcoal without a second thought, remember?”

“I-I guess you’re right.”

“Um, i-is it all right if I open it now?” he asked.

“Sure, go ahead.”

After an awkward exchange, Naoya eagerly removed the lid and looked inside. He looked puzzled at its contents. “A handkerchief?”

The gift in question was light blue and adorned with snowflakes. To be honest, Naoya wondered if it was a bit too cute for him.

“Yeah... I thought something you’d actually use would work well,” Koyuki hesitantly explained. “I got it from a girl’s store, so I was a bit worried about whether or not you’d like it. But I knew this was the one when I saw it. I just went with my gut.”

“Hah...” he exhaled.

“Wh-What? Is something wrong?”

“No, not at all,” he assured her, forcing the words through his dry lips. She’d given him a handkerchief with snowflakes on it. Considering her name, which meant “light snow,” this wasn’t far from a confession—even if it had been an unconscious one.

Should I do it now? he pondered. The setting was almost perfect, and he’d spent so long worrying and agonizing about it that he really didn’t care anymore. Naoya’s feelings came gushing forth, practically overflowing out of his body.

He quickly grasped Koyuki’s hands and declared, “Shirogane!”

“Eek!” Koyuki shrieked and jumped back slightly. As a result, she ended up losing her balance and pulled Naoya down with her.

When they both came to their senses, they found themselves lying on Koyuki’s bed with Naoya on top of her, practically pinning her down. Koyuki’s eyes were as wide as saucers, racing every which way except for Naoya’s direction. Tears began to well up in her eyes.

Shit, Naoya cursed himself. He could tell that he’d crossed a line, and Koyuki was no longer ready—or in the mood—to receive an impromptu confession. He knew all of this, and yet he couldn’t stop the words from leaving his mouth. “Shirogane! I like you!”

For a long moment, time stopped within Koyuki’s room. There was complete silence.

Then, as the seconds crept by, Koyuki snapped back to her senses. “Eeeek!” she screamed, kicking Naoya off her and reaching for random objects to throw in his general direction.

Naoya was forced out of the room, and the door slammed shut behind him. The last thing he saw was Koyuki, sitting on her bed while crying with a beet red face.

Naoya collapsed on his back in the hallway and stared blankly up at the ceiling. Silence reigned.

After a moment, Sakuya arrived with Gizzard in her arms. Her face was as emotionless as ever, but her eyes held a glacial edge they didn’t normally display. “What did you do, Naoya?”

“It’s all my fault. I made a mistake,” he confessed gloomily.

“Mrow!” Gizzard growled. He leapt free of Sakuya’s grip and bestowed Naoya with a formidable scratch on his forehead.

No matter what anyone said, Koyuki refused to leave her room for the rest of the night. Naoya ended up having to leave without getting a chance to apologize.