"No way!" Little Invisible Study Girl stood up, "Shirakawa is sick, how can we let you cook?"
Azusa Stonefield also stood up and said, "That’s right, Shirakawa! We’re here to help you! Leave dinner to us!"
Yuri Hime certainly wasn’t concerned about Shirakawa Sawahei’s health. Honestly, she was hoping Shirakawa Sawahei would stay home a few more days to rest.
The only reason she volunteered to help was to cook with Tachibana!
For her, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be in the kitchen with her beloved treasure girl, wearing aprons, bustling around, occasionally feeding each other soup to taste the flavor—it somehow felt like they were an old married couple!
For this, I can die without regrets today! Shirakawa Sawahei, you better stay in bed until dinner is ready even if you’re lying down!
"...This." Shirakawa Sawahei hesitated for a moment, "Isn’t it a bit too much... after all, you’re guests..."
"We’re guests, but Shirakawa, you are the patient here." Azusa Stonefield quickly persuaded, looking very enthusiastic, with Tachibana nodding beside her.
"Yeah! Shirakawa... leave it to us..."
Since they put it that way, Shirakawa Sawahei had no choice but to sit down, watching Tachibana follow Azusa Stonefield into the kitchen.
"Udon noodles... Tachibana, do you prefer soba or udon?"
"I-I’m okay with anything, but Shirakawa seems to like udon more."
"Is that so, then let’s make soba." Azusa said naturally.
"Well, Tachibana, you probably don’t know, all boys get tired of the same thing. If he keeps eating one kind of noodles, he’ll soon lose interest! So, we need to switch it up!"
In the kitchen, the two girls began whispering. Azusa Stonefield sneakily instilled some strange ideas in Little Invisible, leaving her puzzled.
The house wasn’t big, so Shirakawa Sawahei undoubtedly heard these whispers; he couldn’t help but facepalm, looking helpless.
Azusa Stonefield really didn’t let him down.
She truly has wicked intentions!
"Shirakawa, where are the extra soup ladles?" After a while, Yuri Hime suddenly poked her head out to ask.
"And the small plates?"
"They’re over there too."
"Thanks..." Yuri Hime happily lowered her head to find the soup ladle, preparing to feed her treasure girl, but Tachibana already came out of the kitchen with a small plate.
"Shirakawa... if you don’t mind, would you like to taste it?"
"Ah... thank you." Shirakawa Sawahei took the small plate from Little Invisible’s hand, tasted the soup, and then nodded, "It’s delicious."
Azusa Stonefield stood there holding a small plate and soup ladle, dumbfounded as she looked at the scene before her.
Clearly, I was the first to enter the kitchen...
And Tachibana! What’s with thanking? You’re the one who worked hard to cook! Shirakawa Sawahei should be the one thanking you, the bastard!
The more Yuri Hime looked at Shirakawa Sawahei, the more frustrated she became.
After eating the noodles, Tachibana again went into the kitchen with the dishes, prompting Shirakawa Sawahei to stop her, "No need, I can do it myself."
"Bu-but Shirakawa, you’re still a patient." Tachibana blinked her pure eyes, looking innocent.
"Patients need appropriate activity too," Shirakawa Sawahei said, "unless you don’t want me to recover quickly."
"That’s not true!" Tachibana shook her head urgently and said, "Then I’ll just put these in the sink first..."
After Little Invisible finished tidying up, the two girls were about to leave. Shirakawa Sawahei wanted to see them off but was directly declined by Azusa Stonefield, using his status as a patient as an excuse.
"I hope to see you at school soon," Azusa Stonefield said with a forced smile.
Tachibana gently waved her hand and then, together with Yuri Hime, went down the stairs, gradually disappearing into the night.
The two girls walked slowly along the way, Azusa Stonefield relishing the moment, deliberately slowing down a bit. Occasionally, she would find a topic to talk about, trying to make Tachibana laugh, while Tachibana mostly listened quietly, responding only occasionally.
"Ah, Tachibana, do you know? A boy from our class has been trying to talk to me every day recently. I don’t know what to do, I really want to just reject him outright..."
"Sigh, my sister has started working again recently and hasn’t been home much, so the house feels quite lonely."
At some point, Azusa Stonefield shifted from actively chatting to confiding her worries to Tachibana. It was as if this quiet, cute girl had a special charm that made people want to spill their hearts to her.
In front of such a pure and transparent girl, even pretending felt like guilt.
Though the road was long, it eventually came to an end when Azusa Stonefield and Tachibana reached the train station before heading home separately.
Yuri Hime had been complaining about school and class for so long, and it was only at the train station that she suddenly realized. Looking at Tachibana’s eyes, there seemed to be no sign of displeasure.
She couldn’t help but feel ashamed, "I’m sorry... Tachibana, for making you listen to my complaints about school and home for so long..."
"Actually, I’m not someone who loves to whine, it’s just in front of Tachibana, I feel I can relax a bit..."
"I’ll be more careful in the future!" Yuri Hime, fearing her treasure girl would have any ill feelings toward her, hurriedly said, "I won’t do this again, I promise."
"It’s okay..." Little Invisible’s bright eyes shone in the night as she looked at Yuri Hime, "If you ever need to talk... you can always come to me."
Hearing this, Azusa Stonefield was stunned, feeling her heart suddenly skip a beat before slowly melting.
She slowly turned her head, trying her best not to let Tachibana see her unusual expression, and replied with difficulty, "Okay..."
"Then I’ll be counting on you, Tachibana..."
Not good, I’m about to laugh, Tachibana is just too cute! I really want to hug her and give her a big kiss!
"Yeah! See you tomorrow... Azusa."
Today, I like Tachibana even more.
Watching Little Invisible’s figure waving from the train, Azusa Stonefield silently made a resolved decision in her heart.
Confession! I must find a chance to confess to Tachibana!
Treasure Girl Strategy! Initiated!
Shirakawa Sawahei obviously didn’t know his Little Invisible Study Girl had gained so many favor points with Azusa Stonefield. After seeing off the two girls, he returned home to wash the dishes and tidy up.
The day’s sick leave was quite uneventful; the small episode of Little Invisible Study Girl bringing Yuri Hime over didn’t have much impact, and Shirakawa Sawahei decided to go to the hospital tomorrow to change his dressing, assess his recovery, and then plan accordingly.
He couldn’t go to a regular hospital, as a regular person getting shot would be a big deal. To avoid unnecessary trouble, Shirakawa Sawahei had to go to the Hayakawa family’s private sanatorium.
It’s just as well, Little Arrogant’s head injury probably hasn’t healed yet, so it would be a good opportunity to see her.