After several minutes of avoiding crowded areas, I finally made it home.
With some difficulty, I pulled the key from my pocket and managed to get the door open.
Once inside, I switched on the lights and set Kawasaki down on the couch in my living room.
"Well, here I am at home with a tired and slightly beaten-up girl. No matter how you look at it, this feels like a crime…" I sighed.
I'm innocent—just a good member of society helping out an acquaintance. Not that this excuse would hold up in court…
Leaving Kawasaki to rest and regain some strength, I turned my attention to the feline creature—my cat—watching her from the stairs.
"You're far too territorial," I said, petting Kuro.
Since he used to be a stray, he was extremely cautious around strangers. The good thing is, he learns quickly.
Kuro answered my strokes with a purr, then padded up the stairs a few seconds later.
A cat's life basically comes down to eating and sleeping. And since it was time for the latter, he went straight to my bed.
Am I spoiling him too much?
That's what my parents always say. But honestly, they're not much different in how they treat Kuro. That bag of premium cat food my mom bought speaks louder than any words.
Now that my self-centered cat was off to sleep for the next twelve hours, I headed into the kitchen to make dinner.
I'd thought about going out for ramen, but I couldn't just leave Kawasaki here alone while I ate, so I decided to cook for myself instead.
My cooking skills are about as good as the number of tutorials I've watched online.
I opened the fridge, looking for the main ingredient—whatever I found would determine what I'd make.
"Hmm… a donburi could work."
After checking that I had everything I needed, I pulled out my phone to look up a recipe.
"Alright, time for everyone's favorite show: Cooking with Raiden!"
First, I got the rice started. Then I sliced the pork into thin pieces, seasoned them to my liking, and coated each piece in flour, beaten egg, and breadcrumbs.
With the large pan heating oil over medium flame, I fried the breaded pork until golden and crispy on both sides. Once they were done, I placed them on a paper towel–lined plate to soak up the excess oil.
With the main part ready, I moved on to chopping vegetables for the side: onion, carrot, lettuce, and bell peppers. Normally I'd use broccoli instead of peppers, but thanks to memories from my previous life, I'm one of the rare people who actually prefer peppers over broccoli.
Using some of the sliced onion, I tossed it into the same pan I'd used for the pork, sautéing until it turned translucent. Then I added dashi broth, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar, letting it all simmer until the sauce started to boil.
Once the sauce was ready, I added the breaded pork back in, covering it with onion and sauce. I lowered the heat and let it simmer gently, making sure the pork was cooked all the way through.
With everything done, I scooped the rice into a large bowl, placed the pork cutlets with the sauce on top, and arranged the vegetables I'd chopped earlier around the sides, giving the dish a halfway decent presentation.
"All set. If you followed along, your homemade donburi should be ready too."
Putting aside my little act of pretending to be a TV chef, I carried my meal to the dining table. After taking out my chopsticks, I began to eat.
"Itadakimasu."
Some habits are easy to pick up after being reborn.
Just as I was about to take a bite of breaded pork, I heard Kawasaki start to get up.
Oh well, delicious.
I wasn't about to stand up without tasting the food first.
After confirming I had gotten a perfect 10/10 result, I left the dining table and walked over to Kawasaki, who looked a bit disoriented, trying to figure out where she was.
"You're a heavy sleeper, huh?"
She rubbed her eyes.
"Wha—Tsurumi!?"
"That's right, that's me," I replied calmly.
"W-Where am I!?"
"You're at my place. I carried you here—unless you'd rather I had left you in that alley. But hey, I don't judge your preferences."
Kawasaki quickly looked around, as if to confirm my words, then glanced down at herself.
"You didn't do anything weird to me, did you!?"
"I'm pretty sure the first thing you should do is say thank you, but I'll let it slide," I shook my head. "Can you walk?"
Kawasaki narrowed her eyes at me, but after a few seconds she just nodded.
"My whole body hurts… but I think I can move." She stretched lightly, wincing as she did.
"If you can move already, come to the table. Dinner's served," I said in my usual tone.
I went back to the kitchen, served another bowl of donburi, and set it on the table.
Kawasaki, still hesitant, followed me and sat down across from me.
Are you seriously looking at me like I slipped something into the food? Do I seem that untrustworthy?
I ignored her stare and kept eating. After a few seconds, she started eating too.
Her cautious, guarded expression shifted to one of surprise.
"Delicious…"
Without questioning it anymore, she began to eat like she hadn't had a proper meal in a long time.
The human body needs a certain amount of energy, and after everything that happened, Kawasaki's must have been depleted. That would also explain why she collapsed and fell asleep.
We both ate in silence until we finished. There was no need to talk during dinner, especially after all that had happened. That could wait.
Once we were done, I took the dishes to the sink and started washing them, along with the utensils I had used.
"Is it that strange to see me doing this?" I asked while drying the plates, noticing Kawasaki's eyes hadn't left me.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Well, usually after dinner, it's normal to wash the dishes. It shows some manners…"
"That's not what I mean! Are you an idiot or something!?"
"Who knows."
After drying the plates, I went back to the table and sat down.
"So, Kawasaki, what's your question?"
For some reason, in her eyes, I'm suspicious.
"What I know about you doesn't match your actions at all."
"Is that a compliment?"
"Huh!?"
Right, looks like she's not in the mood for more jokes.
"If you're wondering about me, or why I did all this, you should thank your brother."
"Taishi?"
When I went out to buy a drink, a familiar voice called out to me—it was Kawasaki's younger brother.
"Since there weren't any classes today, I went to grab something to drink. That's when I ran into your brother, who was also out buying a few things."
Having someone expect something from you isn't unusual, but when it comes from outside your own family, it feels strange.
"So we just chatted about random stuff on the way, and that's when Taishi thanked me for being your friend. According to him, his big sister hasn't looked that cheerful or full of energy in quite a while."
"Tch! What's Taishi thinking, telling people that?" She turned her gaze away.
"When we said goodbye, he asked me to look after his sister. He said she can be clumsy, but she's a good person—always trying to handle things on her own instead of asking for help."
Talking with Taishi helped me understand Kawasaki better, making sense of her actions ever since the day I started walking her home.
"So, being the good Aniki I am, I found it suspicious that you went to class today when supposedly everyone got the message that there wouldn't be any."
Yesterday, I found their behavior pretty strange, but I didn't think too much about it. Turns out, I was right.
"And since I wasn't in any rush to head back home, I went to the academy, where I found the three of you. The rest, you already know."
If I hadn't run into Taishi, and he hadn't placed that innocent trust in me, I don't think I would've gone. Even so, I'm sure she would've found a way to handle things on her own.
It might seem convenient that I was there, but you could also call it one of those moments where you just happen to be in the right place at the right time.
Kawasaki kept a thoughtful look on her face as she listened to me.
"So… you weren't siding with those two?"
Kawasaki explained briefly how they had mentioned me, as if I were their accomplice.
"You really think that little of me?" I sighed inwardly. "I've got no reason to go against you. As for those two… well, I don't even know what to say. Maybe they've got screws loose."
Their insecurity, and their need to be acknowledged, drove them to that point.
"I see… I'm sorry." Kawasaki bowed her head. "I thought you were with them, so I attacked without thinking."
The moment I showed up, Kawasaki attacked me without hesitation.
"Don't worry about it. It'd be weird not to suspect me—I would've done the same. So don't give it too much thought."
It's always good to be cautious: keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.
"Either way, thanks for helping me." For some reason, Kawasaki's tone—and the way she said it—sounded genuinely sincere.
"Thank your brother. He's the one who indirectly led me to help you."
"Maybe you're right…"
With an exhausted, pensive look, Kawasaki turned her eyes away.
Now that this issue was settled, another one remained—though it wasn't really mine, but hers.
"So, what will you do now?"
"What do you mean?"
My words pulled her out of her thoughts.
"It's already night. You'll have to go home, and in your condition, there'll be more questions than answers."
Kawasaki's state was pitiful. She didn't have any obvious life-threatening injuries, but she was covered in bruises and scrapes. Her face was dirty, and blood stained her lip from a cut.
Her endurance was overwhelming.
"I hadn't thought about that…"
I guess being a bit of an idiot is one of her traits—or maybe it was just how everything had unfolded.
"In the shape you're in now, barely able to move, your siblings will definitely worry. Saying you just trained too hard wouldn't explain these kinds of injuries. Still, thanks to your ridiculous endurance, a long rest might be all you need to recover."
"What do you mean by ridiculous?" She glared at me.
"It was more of a compliment." I nodded.
"Honestly…" She shook her head. "But you're right, I don't think I can go back home in my current state…"
She started weighing her options—after all, as an older sister, the last thing you want is to worry your younger siblings. Speaking from experience.
Well, she should be able to figure something out to avoid trouble. I don't want to get involved in some case about a girl being attacked.
"Anyway, I'm heading to my room to read. Lock up when you leave." I got up, ready to relax in my room.
I'd already done my good deed of the month, so I had nothing else left to do.
"Hey, you're just going to walk away like this isn't your problem?"
"Technically, it isn't my problem. In fact, I've already done plenty—bringing you here, letting you rest until you woke up, and you even had dinner. That's way more than I'd normally do."
There's no deep connection between us that would justify doing more. Helping her and bringing her here was already more than enough.
Kawasaki let out a long sigh, but for some strange reason, she had a smile on her face.
"Weren't you the one who said you should take responsibility for your actions?"
"I did say that, but none of this is my fault."
It's not like I planned to attack Kawasaki—nothing could be further from the truth.
"But you dragged me to your house without asking. However you put it, that's kidnapping!"
"Huh!?"
Oi, oi, this is serious. I don't want to be treated like some kidnapper. And what if we had run into a cop on the way here…
It probably wouldn't escalate that far, but it'd definitely be troublesome.
"And above all, you claimed you were a good aniki, so you wouldn't just abandon Taishi's big sister, right?" She looked at me like I was the idiot here.
"Tch, don't use my own words against me!" This girl's a real headache. She reminded me of someone else I know—both equally troublesome in their own way.
She smirked at my reaction.
"A man who can't even live up to his own words is pathetic."
"Alright, alright, I get it."
I went back to the dining table and sat down across from her.
This is what I get for helping people…
"So, Tsurumi, what have you come up with?"
"Don't dump all the work on me!"
I cursed under my breath. I just wanted today to be quiet and laid-back.
"I've got to admit, I'm not really good at thinking through complicated stuff."
"That's obvious at first glance."
"You said something!?"
I averted my eyes, pretending not to hear.
I guess… since I'm already at the party, I might as well dance.