Chapter 2: The Omen of a Storm

Sudo looked around my room, puzzled, and asked,

“This room has no TV, no manga, no entertainment at all… Sagara, why are you so disciplined?”

“Well, I’m just not interested…”

When I answered, Sudo gave me a pitiful look. Maybe she was thinking, “What does this guy find fun in life?” It made me feel a bit pathetic for being such a boring person.

At that moment, Hojo, who had spread out the eco-bag he brought, said, “Oh no, I forgot to buy paper plates. Sorry, Sagara, can we use your plates?”

“Huh? I don’t have enough for five people.”

A single guy living alone wouldn’t have that many dishes. I was troubled, but Nanase came to the rescue.

“Then, should I go get some from my place? Just wait a bit.”

Nanase said, leaving my room. In no time at all, she returned with plates, cheerfully saying, “Sorry for the wait~,” making Sudo raise an eyebrow.

“…Haru-chan, where did you get those from?”

“Huh? From my room…”

“…Wait, Haru-chan lives in the same apartment as Sagara!?”

Sudo’s voice went high-pitched as Nanase tilted her head, “I didn’t mention it…?” From Sudo’s reaction, it seemed she hadn’t.

“I didn’t know! Let me come over later! I want to see Haru-chan’s room!”

“N-No, not today! I didn’t clean up! Maybe another time!”

“Actually, I’ll stay over next time. Let’s have a pajama party!”

“A pajama party!? I’ve always wanted to do that!”

“Let’s do it! Get some cute pajamas!”

“Alright, I’m in too!”

I silently smacked the back of Kinami’s head, who had raised his hand enthusiastically. He’s the last person I’d let into Nanase’s room.

“What the heck. I was joking.”

“It doesn’t sound like a joke coming from you.”

I glared at him lightly, and Kinami draped his arm over my shoulder with a grin.

“Having your girlfriend live in the same apartment must be awesome. You can do whatever you want.”

I inwardly flinched. In this context, “do whatever you want” from Kinami could only mean one thing. For most college couples living alone, it’s probably natural to engage in those activities.

“Do whatever we want… what exactly?”

Nanase, not understanding Kinami’s intentions, looked at me with clear, innocent eyes. I reflexively avoided her gaze.

…I mean, it’s not that I don’t want to, but with such a pure girlfriend, I can’t just make a move so easily.

“Okay, okay! Stop talking nonsense. Let’s start cooking, so help out!”

As I was struggling to respond, Sudo placed the takoyaki maker on the table, as if saving

me from heaven. It seemed she brought it with her. My family didn’t have a takoyaki maker, so it was my first time seeing one. It looked like a hot plate with strange shapes.

Hojo oiled the takoyaki maker, poured in half the batter, and added octopus, green onions, tempura bits, and other ingredients. Then, he added more batter and flipped the takoyaki as they cooked. He seemed quite skilled at it, perhaps a unique talent of someone from Osaka.

“Wow! You’re good at this, Hojo-kun.”

Nanase watched excitedly as the takoyaki cooked, expressing her admiration.

Placing the cooked takoyaki on a plate, adding sauce and mayonnaise, and sprinkling aonori and bonito flakes on top, they were ready.

“Sagara, what do you want to drink? Beer?”

“I’m not twenty yet. Oolong tea.”

“Haru-chan, do you want something to drink too?”

“Hmm… I’ll have oolong tea too.”

Come to think of it, I’ve never seen Nanase drink alcohol. She’s twenty now, so there’s no issue with her drinking.

“Alright, to thank Sagara for stepping up, cheers!”

Hojo raised a can of beer with a very casual thank-you. Though I felt a bit discontented, I bit into the takoyaki. It was my first time eating homemade takoyaki, and it was surprisingly good. Anything with sauce and pickled ginger tends to taste good.

It was inevitable, but the takoyaki maker could only cook eighteen at a time. With five people eating, they disappeared in an instant. Basically, we had to keep cooking while eating.

“Okay, I’ll try making the next batch!”

Nanase said, carefully pouring batter into the takoyaki maker. She was so cautious that I couldn’t help but comment.

“Nanase, you can pour it more freely.”

“R-Really? Sorry, Sagara-kun, can you add the octopus?”

Following her instructions, I added the ingredients. As I was throwing them in randomly, she pointed out, “Sagara-kun! There’s no octopus in this one!”

“It’s fine, just one…”

“No, it’s not! A takoyaki without octopus isn’t a takoyaki!”

Nanase is meticulous. Indeed, a takoyaki needs octopus, but I didn’t think she needed to be so strict about it.

With a serious expression, Nanase gently turned the takoyaki with a bamboo skewer. Some were a bit burnt, but they were still good.

“Ugh, I couldn’t do it as well as Hojo-kun…”

“No, they’re fine. Let’s eat!”

“By the way, I was wondering.”

Holding a can of beer, Kinami pointed at us with his index finger.

“Why do Nanase and Sagara call each other by their last names? Why not first names?”

“…Huh?”

Nanase and I glanced at each other.

Since we started dating, we never talked about changing how we addressed each other. Unlike Hojo and Sudo, maybe typical couples do call each other by their first names. I wanted to call her by her first name too, but changing it now felt really embarrassing.

Am I making too big of a deal about calling her by her first name? Do normal couples switch easily? Maybe I’m not good enough as a boyfriend.

As I brooded over it, Kinami exclaimed, “Wait, I just realized everyone here is a couple except me! Awkward!”

“Heh, didn’t know you could feel awkward. I thought you didn’t care.”

“If you felt awkward, you could have brought your girlfriend. She’s a first-year in the literature department, right?”

“Yeah, she’s adorable. By the way, she’s friends with someone in Hojo’s club.”

“Oh, Yuina?”