At Haruka’s call that everything was ready, we all took our seats and said, “Itadakimasu”.
Tonight’s dinner featured saikyo-yaki of splendid alfonsino, lightly pickled summer vegetables, agedashi tofu topped with enoki mushroom sauce, and finally, a bowl of miso soup with clams.
「Mmm, this is delicious!」
「The miso soup is really good too!」
「These pickled bell peppers… they’re not bitter at all…」
「Haruka-chan, you’re amazing!」
「This is seriously so good…」
「Thank you, everyone! The fish and vegetables we had today all looked so tasty that cooking them was a lot of fun!」
「You’ve leveled up since the last time we had your cooking」
「Ehehe… I was practicing the whole time while Yuuki-san and Hikari-san were away on their trip」
「But Haruka, didn’t you mostly cook Western food at home?」
「That’s because Mama used to say, 『I’m going to master Western cuisine and win Shuuji-san’s heart!』 So at home, we had a lot of Western-style meals」
「Ah, right… now that you mention it, Dad always looked kinda fidgety before dinner」
「Oh yeah, Haruka, Touka, and Tomoe-chan, you all went to the hot springs, didn’t you?」
「Thanks for those fun photos, by the way～ Yuuki was super happy about them!」
With that sudden bomb from Hikari, all four of us instantly turned bright red.
「「「「!?!?!?!?!?」」」」
「Wa-wa-wai-wait Hikari! We talked about this!」
「Oh come on, it’s not like anything’s gonna disappear just from talking about it」
「Still, Hikari-onee-san… that’s kinda crossing the line…」
「Right, right, how did everyone like Yuuki’s thing that I sent you all?」
「「「!!!!!」」」
With that, everyone’s faces turned the color of boiling water, red all the way to their ears and necks.
『A deadly weapon… (mutter)』
『Zucchini… (mutter mutter)』
「Hawawawawawa… (eyes spinning)」
「Hikari, what exactly did you send those three? They’re acting real weird…」
「Ufufu♪ Don’t make a maiden say it out loud～」
「Forget it. I get the picture now…」
She probably sent them some super embarrassing picture of me while I was asleep…
「ThIs isn’t the kind of conversation you should be having during dinner」
Mary chimed in with a slightly exasperated look.
「Seriously… how did it even get to this point…」
「Well, Yuuki-san, you are partially to blame」
「Oof! That was harsh!」
「Now eat, please」
「You guys are brutal…」
I may be getting treated like garbage, but at least the food was great…
「Fufu…」
I heard a soft giggle and looked over. Kagurazaka-san had caught my eye, smiling gently.
「Fufufu… it’s just… I don’t know, something about this… it’s really nice」
She laughed as she looked at all of us, and she looked truly happy.
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
Dinner finished, and now we were eating the dessert Tomoe-chan had made.
「Whoa… what is this… it just vanished the moment it hit my tongue…」
「Ojousama has improved her skills once again…」
「This melting sensation… and yet it doesn’t leave a film on the tongue… plus, the roasted green tea brings it all together perfectly…」
「Yes, thIs must be what they call the golden ratio」
「You guys get to eat stuff like this every day… I’m so jealous…」
Kagurazaka-san seemed to be fitting in well, joining in our conversations more actively than before.
「By the way, Yuuki, what made you decide to let Kagurazaka-san stay over at your place?」
Hikari suddenly fired off a question that cut right to the heart of the matter. I glanced at Kagurazaka-san, and she gave a small nod.
「Ah… right, where should I begin…」
I explained to everyone what had happened at Kagurazaka-san’s agency today.
「—So yeah, basically, it’s gotten really hard for her to go back home. You could say she’s kind of run away right now」
「That’s awful…」
「Ugh…」
「……」
「Unforgivable…」
Everyone reacted with clear discomfort.
「Honestly, I’m kind of used to it. My two older sisters have caused problems too, but unlike me, they’re talented, so they’re protected. Nothing gets reported about them. They’re still working at the agency and getting steady jobs」
「I see…」
「Have you ever heard of RINNE and RINRIN?」
「Wait, those two are your sisters, Rinka-chan?」
「Whoa, that’s a surprise. They’re totally different from Rinka-onee-chan!」
「You guys know them? Hikari, Touka」
「Of course we do! RINNE-san won Best Actress at a foreign film festival like two years ago」
Hikari tapped her phone and showed me a photo. It was from that romance-heavy film we’d gone to see together the year before last. It had won a Gold Award at a film festival overseas, and both the lead and supporting actresses had snagged top awards. It was a huge deal.
「And RINRIN-san… look, she’s on the cover of all these magazines around here!」
Touka picked up a stack of magazines from the shared living room. The covers screamed headlines like “20 Winning Summer Outfits for Your Date!” and “This Year’s Must-Haves! 15 Fall Fashion Picks”, and all of them featured the same woman.
「So that’s your sister, Kagurazaka-san… that’s really amazing」
「Yeah. Unlike me, they’re just brimming with talent. Both of them are so full of energy. They’re incredible, and I really do look up to them. I guess you could say they’re blessed by the gods, people who were born to be stars…」
Kagurazaka-san spoke about her sisters with a wistful, yet proud smile.
(She really loves her family…)
「Well, I’ve just proven how totally clueless I am… but what now…?」
We couldn’t let her stay on the run forever.
「For now, how about we give it a week and see how things go?」
「A whole week? Isn’t that kind of long?」
「Hmm… from what I’ve heard, it sounds like Yuuki and Rinka-san’s parents are a terrible match. But if she’s a celebrity, they’re probably busy, so a week’s stay might not be a big deal」
「I think… it’ll be fine. Mama’s currently busy filming a drama, and Papa’s working as her manager too. He’s always on the move supporting her, so they’re both really tied up」
「Then let’s go with a week. We’ll keep an eye on things and take it from there」
As I wrapped things up, Hikari suddenly stood and made a bold proclamation.
「Alright! First things first! Time for a girls’ night!!」
「「「「「Yaaay!!」」」」」
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