The day after signing a fixed-term contract with the Toujou family for housekeeping services.
In the early hours of a midsummer morning, when the sky was just beginning to lighten, Haruto sat by the window, feeling the gentle breeze while he spread his reference books on the desk and let his pen run across the notebook.
Even amidst the scorching days of midsummer when the sun blazed mercilessly, these early hours still retained a hint of coolness. Since the air conditioning in his room was malfunctioning, Haruto often found himself studying during this time.
Under the tranquil dawn sky, he earnestly immersed himself in his studies, his gaze fixed on his work. However, he suddenly turned his attention to the window outside upon hearing the chirping of a single bird.
"I signed a fixed-term contract..."
Suddenly, memories of the events at the Toujou residence from the previous day crossed his mind.
Ikue's delight upon seeing the clean house after the cleaning. Shuuichi and Ryouta enjoying the food he prepared. And Ayaka, with a slightly embarrassed but pleased expression, saying, "I'll be in your care, Ootsuki-kun." Remembering the satisfied expressions on the faces of the Toujou family members due to his housekeeping, Haruto's lips formed a natural smile.
"Housekeeping... it's surprisingly worth it."
Haruto muttered to himself as he looked out the window at the sky where the night's curtain was being lifted by the light of the horizon.
After studying for a while, Haruto sensed movements from downstairs. He paused his pen, which had been moving quickly, and closed the reference book.
"Has Grandma woken up? I guess I should start preparing breakfast."
Putting down the pen he held and letting out a big stretch, "Uurgh," Haruto left his room and headed downstairs to the kitchen.
"Good morning, Haruto."
"Good morning, Grandma."
In the kitchen, his grandmother was already making rolled omelette. Haruto stood beside her, heating the dashi stock that he had set aside the day before.
"My? We're running out of natto already."
His grandmother finished making the rolled omelette and peered into the refrigerator.
"I'll go buy some. I plan to go to the dojo after having breakfast today. I'll pick some up on my way back."
"Is that so, dear? Well then, please do."
"Roger that."
While responding to his grandmother, Haruto added chopped green onions into the dashi. Then, he opened the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator.
"Grandma, can I use this spinach?"
"Sure, dear."
With his grandmother's approval, Haruto took out two bunches of spinach from the vegetable drawer along with some tofu. While waiting for the electric kettle to boil water, Haruto cut the tofu, added it to the dashi, and lightly boiled it. Once it began to simmer, he dissolved miso into the mixture.
"Speaking of which, Haruto dear, how's your part-time job going? Are you managing well?"
"I'm managing perfectly thanks to your teachings all this time, Grandma."
"I see, I see. That's good to hear."
While smiling, his grandmother transferred the boiling water from the kettle into a pot on the stove and lightly boiled the spinach.
"On the first day of my part-time job, I made your secret hamburg steak recipe. Everyone praised them as if they were from a high-end restaurant."
Haruto filled a rice bowl with freshly cooked rice from the rice cooker and said with a hint of pride.
"My, my, that's wonderful."
"Everything is thanks to you, Grandma. Thank you. Ah, let me cool down the spinach instead."
Haruto transferred the nicely colored spinach from the pot to a strainer and cooled it under cold water. Meanwhile, his grandmother poured the finished miso soup into bowls and placed the rice and side dishes onto a tray, which she carried to the living room table.
Haruto also squeezed excess water from the spinach, cut it up with a knife, lightly seasoned it with white dashi, and topped it with bonito flakes and ground sesame seeds.
"Alright, breakfast is ready," Haruto said, transferring the ohitashi (boiled spinach) onto a small plate and carrying it to the living room table, where he sat down.
"Shall we eat now, dear?"
"Yeah, thank you for the food."
They clasped their hands together and began their breakfast. Haruto reached for the omelette his grandmother had made.
"Your omelette is so delicious, Grandma. Why is it so incredibly tasty? How is mine different?"
"Your omelette is plenty delicious as well, Haruto dear."
"No, my omelette is still nowhere near as good as yours, Grandma..."
Haruto contemplated, staring fixedly at the piece of omelette he had taken a bite of. Seeing her grandson like that, Haruto's grandmother's eyes softened as a gentle smile graced her lips.
"By the way, Haruto dear, do you still not have a girlfriend?"
"Uh, yeah... I guess."
Taken aback by his grandmother's sudden question, Haruto almost dropped the piece of omelette he held with his chopsticks.
"I see. Haruto dear, you're already a second-year in high school, right? Isn't it normal to have a girlfriend or something by now?"
"No, no, no! That's not normal at all. In my school, there are way more guys without girlfriends than with them, you know?"
"Is that how it is?"
Upon hearing Haruto's response, his grandmother wore a slightly worried expression. The sight of her expression caused a hint of sadness to tug at Haruto's heart.
His grandmother had started asking whether he had a girlfriend after her lower back had started getting worse. She seemed concerned about his relationship status. Haruto understood the underlying reason for her concern and, despite feeling a bit overwhelmed, he managed to suppress those feelings and put on a smile.
"It's just the way things are! Times have changed a lot since your generation, Grandma."
With a deliberate effort to sound cheerful, Haruto continued.
"Besides, even if I were to have a girlfriend now, it doesn't mean I'll marry her, right? I'm only 17."
"Well, that's true."
"That's right! ...So, well, don't worry about it, Grandma. Someday, I'll definitely introduce you to an incredibly cute girlfriend!"
Haruto declared confidently to his one and only family, his grandmother.
"My, is that so? I'll be looking forward to it then."
In response to her grandson's declaration, his grandmother's smile warmed in an amicable manner.
―…―…―…―…―…―…―…―…―…―
The sun began to rise, hinting at another scorching day ahead. Despite the anticipation of sweltering heat, the morning still offered a pleasant temperature, prompting health-conscious individuals to engage in morning runs. Haruto walked through the quiet residential area with a leisurely pace, casting a sideways glance at those who were devoted to maintaining their health through exercise.
"A girlfriend, huh..."
Haruto recalled his conversation with his grandmother during breakfast.
Considering his grandmother's age and the length of her remaining years, it was natural for her to worry about various things concerning her grandson. Thinking about such things, Haruto let out a small sigh.
(I bet if I introduced a girlfriend, Grandma would be so happy, wouldn't she?)
He did want to see his grandmother's delighted expression and reassure her.
(But... a girlfriend, huh?)
At the moment, Haruto couldn't quite picture what having a girlfriend would be like in his daily life.
"I don't really have time to try and get a girlfriend with all these studying and working part-time."
He murmured these thoughts, and suddenly, the smile of a certain girl came to mind. The smile of the girl known as the cutest in his school.
"No way, no way, that's impossible. If I were to get close to Toujou-san even a little, I wouldn't be able to graduate high school alive."
Shaking his head, Haruto dispelled the image of the girl who seemed to be smiling at him in his mind.
While he was lost in thought, Haruto reached his destination. In front of him stood a gate with a polished thick wooden board that read "Doujima Dojo - Kyokushin Karate."
Haruto passed through the traditional Japanese gate with its signboard, entering the dojo.
On the wooden-floored interior, scrolls bearing teachings such as "Mind, Technique, Body" and "Start with courtesy, end with courtesy" were displayed on the walls. Haruto took a deep breath, and amid the scent of wood, he could faintly detect the odor of sweat. A smile spread across his face.
Thanks to his grandfather's educational policy, Haruto had been attending this dojo since childhood. It was a place he could call his second home.
"Good morning!"
Upon entering the dojo and bowing in greeting, Haruto was greeted by a large man.
"Oh, Haruto! Good morning! You showed up today, huh? It's boring without you for sparring practice!"
"Good morning, Kazu-senpai."
The man Haruto greeted was of imposing stature, likely close to 2 meters tall. His hair was cropped short with three shaved lines on the sides. His gaze was sharp, and his thin eyebrows emphasized his intense stare. What's more, a scar ran from around his temple to his mouth.
For anyone who didn't know, 10 out 10 people would mistake this man for an underworld figure; seeing the scar on his face, one might shudder at the thought of the countless battles he had endured, and unconsciously check if the man's pinky finger was still intact.
However, Haruto knew better.
His hobby was making sweets, and the fearsome scar on his face was the result of playing with a stray cat. Recently, his concern was that he loved kids but would make them cry just by making eye contact.
Haruto had spent nearly an hour comforting him during one of his deeply depressed moments caused by this concern.
"Everyone just avoids sparring with me in karate."
"I mean, Kazuaki Ishigura's notorious reputation is known throughout this town."
"Hey, you! Don't turn my name into something notorious on your own!"
Caught in a headlock with Ishigura, Haruto repeated words of apology, saying, "I'm sorry, I apologize," yet a smile played on his lips.
Ishigura, who had him in the headlock, also seemed to be having fun as he pressed his fist against the top of Haruto's head.
From a young age, Haruto and Ishigura, who was a year older, trained together in the same dojo. Ishigura was like a reliable older brother figure to Haruto, while Haruto was an adorable little brother figure to Ishigura. Both of them served as assistant instructors at this dojo and were also rivals with nearly equal skills, constantly pushing each other to improve.
As they playfully interacted at the dojo's entrance, a voice devoid of intonation called out from behind them.
"Kazu-senpai, Haru-senpai. Please don't fool around at the entrance. You're being a disturbance."
Upon hearing the voice, both of them turned their faces to find a girl with an emotionless expression standing at the entrance of the dojo.
"Oh, hey, what's up, Shizuku? Are you jealous that your beloved Haru-senpai is being taken away?"
Ishigura spoke to the girl in a teasing manner, as if provoking her.
"Yes. I'm jealous. So please, separate from him quickly."
The girl, as expressionless as ever, calmly retorted while glaring at Ishigura. In response to her piercing gaze, Ishigura raised his hands and deliberately shook his body as if shivering, all while moving away from Haruto.
"Oh, scary. As expected of the only daughter of Doujima Dojo. You have an air of authority."
"Having an air of authority sounds old-fashioned, which I dislike. I'm a fresh and lively high school girl, just so you know."
To the girl who spoke nonsense with a serious (expressionless) face, Haruto said in an exasperated tone, "How do you feel describing yourself as 'fresh and lively'?"
Haruto couldn't help but make a tsukkomi. Hearing this, girl turned her gaze towards him.
"Then, Haru-senpai, how would you describe my flawless beauty?"
"I mean, it's a bit strange for you to call yourself a flawless beauty, but... Well, let's see. Since your cuteness leans more towards traditional Japanese style, I guess... you're like a 'Yamato Nadeshiko'?"
Haruto briefly glanced at the girl's appearance before speaking.
The girl who had been saying such ridiculous things with a lack of expression was Doujima Shizuku, the only daughter of the dojo's Shihan.
Haruto, Ishigura, and Shizuku had been training companions since childhood. Shizuku was also Haruto's junior at the same high school.
At the high school Haruto attends, the one who held an overwhelming and absolute popularity among the boys is Toujou Ayaka, his classmate, and someone he recently started interacting with through his part-time job. However, the girl right in front of him, Doujima Shizuku, also enjoyed considerable popularity among the boys, especially among the freshmen.
In response to Haruto's words describing her as a "Yamato Nadeshiko," Shizuku, the beautiful girl with long black hair, raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Describing me like that means you're trying to woo me, right, Haru-senpai? Sigh... There's nothing I can do, I suppose. I'll reluctantly let you woo me. Please be grateful."
"No, I haven't been trying to woo you even a millimeter. Also, when you make such jokes, could you at least stop looking so emotionless?"
Haruto let out a sigh mixed with exasperation as he spoke to his junior who was still fooling around with an expressionless face. In response, Shizuku maintained her expressionless face and merely pursed her lips slightly.
"Haru-senpai, you're such a flirt~"
"I told you to stop looking so emotionless."
"Hahaha! Shizuku, that weird face is the best!"
Haruto sighed and rubbed his head in response to his junior, who had always been fond of making jokes. Observing the interaction between the two, Ishigura bursted into laughter.
In the unchanging dynamic between the three, the sense of melancholy that had briefly surfaced in Haruto's mind earlier that morning had completely disappeared.
Oh... he's a chick magnet outside the school~
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