"It looks delicious."
Haruka Yuzan said with a smile, unable to suppress the warm glow on his face,
then he closed the thermal container, and the aroma was sealed off.
Thinking about it, ever since Mrs. Onodera moved in, this once empty villa indeed gained the taste of a home, the scent of a family's life.
Every day when he returned home in the afternoon,
he was no longer alone, facing not the gloomy dusk, but dishes served by the beautiful lady on the dining table...
"As long as it tastes good, then I'll continue to make it for you tomorrow."
Reiko Onodera also sat down happily.
Watching the lady across from him nibbling on sandwiches, Haruka Yuzan felt a light and fulfilled sense of ease in his heart.
Bringing your daughter to Tokyo for her birthday?
It doesn't seem like a difficult task; there should be a way.
May 17, it will surely be a joyful and happy day.
After a pleasant and satisfying breakfast.
Late-rising birds perch on the branches, the morning sun rises slowly, and the city stirs awake at this moment.
Today is Monday, and all the students' faces are painted with a look of helplessness and disenchantment.
No holiday ever seems long enough; as soon as school starts, they long for the beautiful and carefree times at home.
At eight o'clock sharp, he took his seat in the classroom right on time.
The scattered classmates all greeted Haruka as they came in.
Being humble, excelling academically, and handsome, Classmate Haruka indeed had a considerable popularity in the class.
The seat in front was empty, the beautiful figure nowhere to be seen; Class President Chiba was still very busy today.
He passed the time by doodling aimlessly with a pencil on paper.
To bring Reiko Onodera's daughter to Tokyo for her birthday, the first challenge he faced was: should he tell Mrs. Onodera about it? If he were to be straightforward, everything would become simple, and Haruka Yuzan would be able to accomplish the task effortlessly.
But... well... that would just be too boring.
There wouldn't be any element of surprise, and Mrs. Onodera might even refuse out of fear of troubling others.
Guilt and gratitude need to be kept within a certain range; beyond some limits, it's not good for the beneficiary.
Too much interference is not good, which is why Haruka never...
So, he must keep the plan secret from Mrs. Onodera. Not necessarily to resort to cliche plotlines, like pretending not to know about the birthday; such an act wouldn't be able to maintain joy throughout the day.
He just needed to conceal from Mrs. Onodera the fact that her daughter would come to Tokyo. That would be the biggest surprise. Just carry on with everything else as usual.
That's how to achieve the best effect.
As he calculated in his mind, his pencil ventured across the white paper,
"Haruka, what are you thinking about?"
Suddenly, a voice beside him interrupted the young man's thoughts.
Haruka Yuzan turned his head to look, it was Heisuke Yonchu, who had triumphed over illness.
"Nothing much, are you feeling better now?"
He truly cared about his good buddy.
"Of course!"
Heisuke Yonchu slapped his arm,
"Such a minor illness is no big deal."
"You should still dress warmer, you're frequently ill," Haruka Yuzan said with a smile.
"Hey, stop it. Being sick is really miserable; I feel like I'm about to awaken a Stand," Heisuke protested, then pulled out a Switch from his bag and waved it in the air,
"Come on, let's play a round. I haven't had much proper fun these past few days."
"Class is about to start, you can corrupt yourself, but don't drag me down with you."
Despite his words, Haruka Yuzan had already pulled out his own Switch from his backpack. As a seasoned gamer, how could his backpack ever be without a Nintendo series game?
With a piece of salmon stuffed in his mouth, Heisuke Yonchu sighed softly,
"Alright, alright, I'm sorry for this time. To make it up to you, I'll send you one of my treasures when we get back," Haruka Yuzan said with a laugh, "You know, the kind for two."
"Really? Fine, I'll forgive you just this once!" Heisuke Yonchu's interest was piqued at the mention, "Which great creator's work is it?"
"You'll find out when the time comes."
"OKOK, now I'm fired up!"
Haruka Yuzan was used to these sudden outbursts of chuunibyou.
"It's just a shame that this morning's bento was still prepared by my aunt."
"Aunt?"
"Yeah, my aunt's been staying at my house these past few days. By the way, want to come over to play video games tonight?"
"Uh... better not, I'm busy tonight," Haruka Yuzan hesitated for a moment but still declined.
He hadn't figured out how to deal with Mrs. Harada yet, so it was probably best not to go.
It shouldn't be a long-term stay, right?
.....
The lush locust trees by the roadside filtered the sunlight down to the ground, and Haruka Yuzan yawned while sitting in the classroom.
The afternoon classes were sleep-inducing, and several students who didn't nap after playing games at lunch were now slumped on their desks.
Drowsiness seemed to be contagious in the silent classroom, with only the teacher's voice audible from the podium.
After taking some notes and committing the math formulas to memory, feeling that he had learned quite a bit in the class, Haruka Yuzan clicked open the system panel,
[Tenant: 003]
[Name: Misaki Saki]
[Tenant Wish List:]
[1. To create a work that shocks the world, and to be respectfully called Misaki-sensei!]
[2. Really want to eat eel rice bowl, hope to have it tonight.]
[3. Hope to get rare materials during today's dungeon run.]
[Completion Reward for Wish List No. 2: 5000 Japanese yen]
[Completion Reward for Wish List No. 3: A set of autographs by Misaki Saki]
Pff!
When Haruka Yuzan saw the reward for wish list number three, he nearly spat out in laughter,
Was this system seriously just messing with him?
What do I need a set of Misaki Saki's autographs for?
Yet the more peculiar it was, the more interested Haruka Yuzan became in this reward.
Based on the reward from last time with Madam, Haruka felt that things wouldn't be so simple.
Why would autographs be measured in sets?
Something's fishy!
The rest of it was nothing special, just the usual combination of a long-term wish with one or two daily wishes.
After school,
Haruka Yuzan bid Heisuke farewell and left.
Despite having joined the student council, Haruka didn't even know how many colleagues he had.
With Miss Otome absent from school today, there was no need for him to go to the club room.
Better to head home early, team up with Misaki Saki, and start farming materials.
The branches and leaves of the locust tree by the roadside swayed in the wind,
It was about as tall as a building.
The sturdy branches intertwined, surrounded by wafts of flower fragrance and the buzz of bees.
A good weather, a good season, a beautiful day.