Murae sat with My Sister-in-Law Falls in Love with Me in his left hand and a yakisoba bread in his right.
Beside him, Nanao Akane shyly lifted a rice ball to his lips. He leaned forward, took a small bite, and chewed.
"Well? How is it?" Akane asked, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Murae tilted his head, as if carefully weighing his judgment. The first bite caught him off guard. Though it looked like an ordinary onigiri, the rice was soft yet firm, the texture balanced perfectly. And then—
A sudden burst of sweet and sour flavor.
Umeboshi. She put dried plum inside.
He glanced at Akane's hopeful gaze, then deliberately curved his lips into a gentle smile.
"…It's very ordinary."
Inwardly, he added, It only tastes good because I've been living off instant ramen lately.
"W-what!? That can't be true. Even Ryouka used to say my cooking was delicious…" Akane puffed her cheeks into a sulky pout, round like a hamster.
"Maybe it's just a difference in taste," Murae said, turning his eyes back to the book in his hand. He took another bite of the yakisoba bread—only to realize, to his dismay, that it suddenly felt flavorless.
"Hmph. Then… how about this one?" Akane picked up a tiny octopus-shaped sausage with her chopsticks, wiggling it teasingly in the air.
Murae's eyes flicked toward it. Its pinkish-red body and perfectly curled edges gleamed invitingly, as if it had been fried to crisp perfection.
He looked at the yakisoba bread in his hand. Then back at the little sausage, whose decorative eyes seemed to sparkle at him as though whispering—
"Eat me~ Go on, eat me~"
"If you insist," Hayato said flatly.
"Then… ah—" Nanao Akane leaned forward, guiding him to open his mouth like she was feeding a child. Hayato obediently parted his lips with a deadpan "ah."
Just as Akane was about to proudly press the sausage against his lips with her chopsticks, she suddenly froze.
Wait… the tip… it's still wet with my saliva…
Her cheeks flushed instantly, deepening from faint pink to the bright red of a ripe apple. She yanked the chopsticks back in a panic.
Hayato blinked. "…?"
"N-Not yet," Akane stammered, lowering her gaze. "…At least, wait until I…"
"Ah?" Hayato tilted his head. The wind whistling in his ears, his expression clearly read, I have no idea what you're mumbling about.
"Y-You can just take it yourself!" Akane thrust the lunch box into his hands, retreating as though cornered.
"Then I'll use my hands." Hayato shrugged, carefully plucking one piece and popping it into his mouth without hesitation.
He chewed. His face stiffened.
Damn it… yakisoba bread is still impossible to eat.
Even so, Hayato's pride would never allow him to admit Akane's cooking was better.
"Mm." A nonchalant grunt escaped his throat as he picked up his book again.
"…Hmph." Akane puffed her cheeks and sulked, nibbling her own rice ball in tiny bites. It's delicious, right? It has to be delicious…
Her gaze drifted toward the book in his hands.
Hayato's appearance—or rather, his aura—wasn't like those bright, sporty types who glowed in the sun. His atmosphere leaned darker, more subdued.
And yet, the sight of him quietly reading fit so naturally, it lent him a strangely refined, almost artistic air.
Of course, when he faced Dong Gang or that subway idiot, those same eyes turned razor-sharp, cruel enough to cut.
Akane squinted. Then she noticed the title printed across the book cover.
"My Sister-in-Law Fell in Love with Me."
"…Huh? W-wait."
Sister-in-law… fell in love with me? Is it… fell in love with me? Or fell 'in love' with me?
Her brain short-circuited. The phrasing alone unleashed a flood of very adult interpretations she had no business entertaining.
Her gaze flicked to Hayato, still calmly flipping pages. His face was cool, unchanging. His black pupils were steady as ink.
Then, almost reflexively, Akane's eyes drifted lower—below his waist.
…No reaction. He's not even standing up down there.
It couldn't be an erotic novel… right?
But—sister-in-law. A forbidden love trope.
So he liked older women?
But they were classmates, same age…?
"You… what month is your birthday?" Akane blurted.
Hayato raised his eyes. "August. Why?"
August!?
Her heart jolted. She leaned forward anxiously. "What day in August!?"
Her own birthday was in August too.
"The thirtieth."
"…Haaah." Akane exhaled deeply, relief flooding her face. Thank goodness… at least I keep my 'older woman' status…
"What?" Hayato asked blandly, gnawing on his yakisoba bread like it was cardboard.
"Then you're younger than me," Akane declared proudly. She tapped her nose with a slender finger, grinning: "So call me onee-san~~"
Hayato, who'd been slouching slightly as he read, suddenly straightened his spine. His seated height instantly rose half a head above hers.
He looked down on her, lips curling with open disdain.
"Trash," he said coldly.
Want him to call her onee-san? It was two thousand years too early.
Akane froze. Then, instead of anger, a sharp pang bloomed in her chest. She turned her head away, shrinking slightly, hand pressing against her pounding heart.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
That look—those words—
So cool…!
It pierced her completely, blowing apart something deep inside her heart.
"T-thank you for the treat," Akane whispered without thinking.
"Ah?" Hayato raised an eyebrow.
"…N-no, I mean I'm full." She quickly pressed her palms together in mock prayer.
There's an old saying: beauty can fill the stomach. And Nanao Akane finally understood its meaning.
Hayato eyed the lunchbox. "You're not eating these?"
"I'm not."
"Then give them to me."
"What are you going to do?"
"…Eat them."
He tossed aside the yakisoba bread, grabbed a rice ball, and bit in. "Don't waste food."
The sour-sweet tang of umeboshi spread across his tongue.
It's not delicious, he told himself firmly. It's just that the yakisoba bread was too horrible to swallow.
But the speed with which he devoured her bento betrayed him.
"See?" Akane leaned in, smiling mischievously. "You do think it's delicious."
"No."
"Then why are you eating so fast? You ate everything!"
"…Don't waste food." Hayato calmly picked up the sausage. "Every grain of rice comes from hard work."
"Hmph! Just admit it's tasty already. People should be honest!"
"…No. I just don't want it wasted."
"Then I'll bring you another bento tomorrow?"
"That's so… cough—no need. I just don't want to see you wasting food."
Even while saying that, Hayato polished off the last bite, sat up straight, and gazed into the distance.
"W-what is it?" Akane asked nervously.
"Uh."
"Eh?"
"Uh…"
"…W-wait. You're… hiccuping!?"
"Uh, uh…"
"You're choking!?"
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
There should be... around 20+ advanced chapters?
[email protected]/Kazenova
If you guys wanna check it out.