A wonderful day begins with waking up early to prepare a bento.
When the pre-set alarm rang, Ogiso Setsuna turned it off and lazily lay in bed for a while before slowly getting up and putting on slippers. By the time she went downstairs to the kitchen, her drowsy consciousness had completely awakened.
Humming a song, she took out the ingredients for two people that she had prepared the night before from the refrigerator and placed them on the stove, beginning the preparation work before cooking.
Ogiso Setsuna loved singing. The tune she was humming now was the debut song of singer Morikawa Yuki from years ago—White Album.
She loved this song with its gentle melody. Every time she went to karaoke, this song was always on her must-sing list.
Because of her cheerful mood, she sang the originally melancholic lyrics with a lively and positive feeling.
Ogiso Setsuna was planning to make three dishes today: grilled octopus sausage, tamagoyaki, and teriyaki chicken cutlet. These were three types of dishes she had learned from her skilled mother at home.
Her purpose was to make Murakami Yuu think "So Setsuna is so good at making home-cooked meals" when she invited him to eat together, thereby increasing his favorable impression of her.
After practicing for a few simple days and having her family taste-test with positive evaluations, Ogiso Setsuna finally had the confidence to pack these dishes into a bento box and bring them to school.
Actually, there was a simpler and more convenient way, as her younger brother Ogiso Takahiro had said:
"Why go through all that trouble? Just have mom help you make it."
"No way. Mom is already tired enough at home usually. I don't want to trouble her with such simple things."
It was a righteous answer, but only Ogiso Setsuna herself knew her true inner thoughts.
Since this was a bento for someone she cared about to taste, naturally it should be made by her own hands. Being filled with heartfelt intentions was the most important thing—this was a girl's heart that couldn't be shared with outsiders.
Today, while inviting Murakami-kun to eat lunch together, she would also casually extend an invitation to go to karaoke. She'd say she had discount coupons and her friends weren't very interested, so if possible, she hoped he could come help use them up, otherwise she'd have to go all alone.
With such reasoning, she probably wouldn't be rejected, right? After all, Murakami-kun was such a gentle person...
With these little schemes in her heart, Ogiso Setsuna quickly finished making the bento. At this time, her mother also happened to get up to prepare breakfast for the family.
After greeting her with a smile, Ogiso Setsuna went to the bathroom to wash up, then returned to her room and began agonizing over her appearance in front of the mirror.
Since she had to go to school today, there was no way to change the school uniform, but other things could still be chosen, such as simple eyebrow makeup and eyeliner, the color of her hair tie, perhaps she could wear some perfume for the first time in a while, and there was also the style of necklace she could wear under her shirt.
Ogiso Setsuna touched her neck area in front of the mirror—her collarbones were distinct and beautifully pale.
Singing might look like just moving your mouth to make sounds, but in reality it wasn't that simple and relaxed. When vocalizing, the abdomen and throat would be constantly exerting force, so after a long time it was inevitable to feel somewhat hot.
At that time, unbuttoning one or two buttons at the collar would naturally be seen by Murakami-kun...
Imagining the scenario she hoped would happen, Ogiso Setsuna's cheeks heated up as she flopped onto her bed, hugged her pillow, and rolled around. Her delicate bare feet swung up and down in the air while making cute, ambiguous sounds.
Are you an idiot, Ogiso Setsuna! Being so immodest would make Murakami-kun think you're a casual person!
After a period of self-criticism ended, Ogiso Setsuna changed her underwear and sat in front of the vanity again. After much deliberation, she still chose a necklace to wear around her neck. The originally plain accessory indeed elevated her entire aura when she put it on.
After confirming multiple times in the mirror, Ogiso Setsuna showed a satisfied smile.
"Setsuna, time for breakfast!"
"Coming!"
She quickly packed her school bag and went downstairs with light, cheerful steps.
...
"Thank you for the meal. I'm heading out."
Ogiso Setsuna left home energetically carrying her school bag.
"Dear."
Father Ogiso Susumu spoke in a low voice at the dining table.
"What is it?"
His wife Ogiso Akina responded with a gentle smile.
"Do you remember the last time Setsuna wore a necklace and perfume?"
"Oh my, let me see..."
Ogiso Akina held her chin with her finger, thinking back. Her delicate face, identical to Ogiso Setsuna's, showed a confused expression, but compared to her daughter, it had less innocence and more allure.
"I remember now. It was during the last school festival performance."
"Last time was for the school festival performance. What could be the reason this time..."
"Dad, don't you understand? Just looking at how sister has been practicing making bentos these past few days, she obviously has someone she likes.
Today she finally made the bento to bring to school, so she's probably planning to invite that guy to eat together at lunch."
Younger brother Ogiso Takahiro said casually while eating his rice.
Ogiso Susumu's figure gradually turned gray after hearing this explanation.
"Takahiro, have your test results come out yet?"
"They have. I went up about ten places compared to my last results, so I made some progress..."
"This month's allowance will be reduced."
"Eh?! Why?!"
"The improvement is too small. As a man of the Ogiso family, you should improve by at least fifty places!"
"That's completely impossible! My current grades are already around the top forty in my year!"
Ogiso Akina covered her mouth and laughed on the side, her eyes moving with natural charm flowing out, like a full, juicy peach.
...
"The weather feels a bit stuffy today..."
Having just gotten out of his last relationship and not yet finding a new target, Iizuka Takeya came to Murakami Yuu's classroom during lunch break, feeling bored.
Not seeing the familiar figure, he looked around and found a female classmate with a good figure to ask. After some inquiry, he learned that Murakami Yuu had taken leave and hadn't come to school today.
This was somewhat strange. Was he not feeling well...
Somewhat worried, he took out his phone and dialed. It was quickly answered.
"Yuu, it's me."
"Ah, Takeya. What's up?"
"Why did you take leave today? Not feeling well?"
"Not really, just had some things that delayed me."
"Some things? What's the situation?"
"The general situation isn't really appropriate to explain..." (Tachibana Hina: "What what? Is that a friend?")
Iizuka Takeya's mouth curved into a smile. Although the voice was deliberately lowered, he still heard the vague female voice from the other end of the phone.
"I think I roughly know what's going on. Since you're fine, I won't disturb you. Just remember to explain the detailed situation properly when we meet later, you sneaky guy. Bye."
"Hey, it's not what you think. It's because I'm somewhere else and can't get back in time..."
Murakami Yuu's words stopped abruptly because he heard the "beep beep beep" sound of the phone hanging up.
Helplessly putting down his phone, Murakami Yuu picked up his chopsticks again. Before dealing with the food in front of him, he glanced at Tachibana Rui.
"That was Iizuka Takeya."
"Eh? Which one? Your friend?"
Seeing that Murakami Yuu had no intention of explaining to her, Tachibana Hina asked Tachibana Rui with confusion.
"I don't know."
Tachibana Rui lowered her head to eat, but for some reason the corners of her mouth slightly turned up. She suddenly felt in a very good mood.
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