The next morning, Mizuha opened her eyes as sunlight came through her curtains. She glanced at her clock and realized she had woken up earlier than usual.
She felt excited as she remembered her plan for the day. Quietly, she made her way to the kitchen, careful not to wake her parents. She gathered the ingredients and began preparing tamagoyaki, just as Eri had taught her the day before.
As she cooked, she made extra portions because she wanted to share the tamagoyaki with her friends at school. The eggs sizzled, filling the kitchen with a warm, savory smell.
Mizuha was so focused on her task that she didn’t notice her mother entering the room.
Her mother startled Mizuha slightly. "Oh, you’re up early today."
"Making tamagoyaki?"
Mizuha nodded and smiled. "Good morning, Mom. Yes, I thought I’d try making it myself."
Her mother moved closer. "That’s thoughtful of you. Here, let me help."
She grabbed another pan so they could cook faster.
Together, they worked without talking. The kitchen made the sounds of cooking and the clinking of utensils.
As they finished the last batch, her mother turned to her.
"You go get ready for school. I’ll pack it up for you, okay, honey?"
Mizuha hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Thanks, Mom."
She gave her mother a quick hug before going to her room.
As Mizuha showered and dressed for school, her mother packed the tamagoyaki into her bento box and made separate portions for her friends.
She wrapped everything neatly and thought her daughter was getting better at cooking.
As Mizuha finished getting ready, her mother handed her the bento. "Have a good day at school."
With a quick thank you, Mizuha grabbed her things and headed out the door, feeling excited about what would happen that day.
At school, Mizuha didn’t pay attention during morning classes. She couldn’t wait to share her homemade tamagoyaki with her friends. Finally, the bell rang, and break time started.
Mizuha pulled out her bento and a separate box of tamagoyaki just as Shimizu approached her seat.
"What’s that, Mizuha? It smells good."
Mizuha winked. "It’s a secret. You’ll all get to try it when we get to our spot."
Eri, who already knew about the tamagoyaki, smiled as she watched her close friend go on excitedly about it.
Zul leaned in."Hey, guys, Hikaru just texted me. He’ll be a bit late and told us to go ahead without him."
Shimizu nodded. "Alright, got it. Let’s head to our usual spot."
Meanwhile, Hikaru was rushing to finish his work in his classroom, eager to join Mizuha and the others for lunch on the school rooftop.
Finally done. I need to hurry and catch up with them, Hikaru thought, grabbing his bento box.
Just then, Akemi approached him. "Hikaru-kun, wait!"
"Huh? Akemi? What’s up?"
"Can I join you guys for lunch? I want to meet the friends you always hang out with."
Hikaru hesitated, feeling uneasy about Akemi joining them. "Uh, sure, but..."
"No, it’s fine... Let’s go."
"Great! Thanks, Hikaru-kun!"
Akemi followed behind him to the rooftop to join Mizuha and the others.
Meanwhile, Mizuha and the others started their lunch at their usual spot on the rooftop.
Shimizu was excited. "Quick, Mizuha, show me what you had today!"
Mizuha smiled, opening the box of tamagoyaki. "Here you go."
The tamagoyaki was cut into slices and neatly arranged in the box.
Shimizu leaned in. "Wow, tamagoyaki! Can I taste it now? I can’t wait any longer!"
"Sure, go ahead."
"Mmm, it’s so delicious!"
She was clearly happy with how it tasted.
Mizuha held out the box to Eri and Zul. "Here, you guys too."
Both of them took it and tasted it. "Bon appétit!"
Eri was clearly impressed. "Mmm, so good, Mizuha-chan. You’ve definitely improved since yesterday."
"Yeah, this tastes just like what Eri made before."
"Well, I learned how to make it from Eri yesterday."
Mizuha admitted. She felt proud because Eri had taught her.
Eri blushed slightly from the compliment.
"Don’t say that, Mizuha-chan."
As they continued to eat, Mizuha glanced around. Hikaru still hadn’t arrived.
"Hikaru is a bit late. What happened to him?" she thought.
Just then, Hikaru rushed onto the rooftop, slightly out of breath. "Sorry, you guys, I’m late."
"You’re late! What were you doing?"
Before Hikaru could answer, a voice called out from behind him. "Hikaru-kun! Why are you walking so fast?"
Akemi struggled to catch up to him.
Mizuha and the others were surprised when Akemi appeared behind Hikaru. Both Shimizu and Mizuha were confused. They were thinking the same thing.
"Huh, is she...?" they both murmured, trying to process the unexpected arrival.
Shimizu broke the silence. "Umm, Hikaru, who is that?"
Hikaru turned to face the group. He gestured toward her. "Oh, her? This is Akemi, my classmate."
Akemi gave a polite nod. She was nervous but determined as she stood by Hikaru’s side, waiting for the group’s response.
"Nice to meet you. I’m Akemi."
Mizuha recognized her immediately.
"Ah, you’re from yesterday! Thanks again for helping me earlier."
Shimizu looked at Mizuha. She was curious. "Huh, Mizuha, have you already met her before?"
"Yeah, she helped me yesterday."
"Don’t worry. It was just a small thing."
"So, you’re the famous Yuki-san, right? I’ve always heard about you from Hikaru-kun and my friends too.
And you," she continued, turning to Shimizu, "you’re the famous Shimizu-san, the one who beat up some upperclassmen recently. You don’t seem as bad as they say."
This girl looks nice, but she’s got quite a mouth, she thought, irritation rising.
"Oh, is that what they say? How nice of them."
Then, Akemi pretended to notice Zul. She acted surprised and tried to start a conversation with him. "Huh, is that you, Zul? It’s been a while! I see you’re still as quiet as usual."
Zul remained silent, not reacting to her words, instead focusing on his bento lunch. The lack of response was typical of Zul, who preferred to keep to himself in most social situations.
Sensing the awkwardness, Eri tried to step in. "Umm, Zul’s not—" she began. She was speaking gently to defend him.
But before she could finish, Zul leaned in close to Eri and whispered into her ear, "Eri, just ignore what she said. Her attitude’s always been like that since middle school."
Eri understood and let it go. She wanted to reassure Zul, so she didn’t press the issue.
Why do I feel like I didn’t like her before? She did nothing to me or Zul. Eri wondered, unable to understand why she couldn’t get along with Akemi.
Meanwhile, Mizuha spoke up cheerfully while holding out the box of Tamagoyaki to Hikaru and Akemi. "Oh, since you’re both here, I made some Tamagoyaki today. Please have a taste!"
Hikaru gratefully accepted a piece before taking a bite. "Thanks, Mizuha! I’ve been looking forward to this. This is good!"
Akemi hesitated for a moment. She was unsure, but then reached out and took a piece.
"Thank you."
"Mizuha, this is delicious. Did you make this?"
"Yes, I made it, thanks to Eri-chan for teaching me how to make it."
Akemi was complimenting Eri. "You learned it from Sakamoto-san? Wow, that’s nice! I never knew you had such great cooking skills."
The compliment embarrassed Eri.
Mizuha offered the remaining Tamagoyaki to her friends. "Here, there are still more, you guys."
She then picked up a piece with her chopsticks and suddenly turned towards Hikaru.
"Umm, Hikaru, here... open your mouth."
She was nervous as she held the tamagoyaki in front of him.
What am I doing? Why am I suddenly feeding him? Mizuha wondered while embarrassed.
Hikaru stared at the tamagoyaki, then at Mizuha. He was blushing.
Wait, Mizuha, what are you trying to do? Also, those are your chopsticks! Is this... an indirect kiss? He thought, feeling even more embarrassed.
Despite his surprise, Hikaru went along with it.
Well, I’ll just play along... he thought, opening his mouth slightly. Just as he was about to take a bite, Akemi suddenly leaned in and snatched the Tamagoyaki right off Mizuha’s chopsticks.
Akemi exclaimed, chewing happily. "Aaaa... ummm... so delicious!"
Both Mizuha and Hikaru froze in shock, staring at Akemi in disbelief.
"Ah, sorry, am I interrupting something? Tee-hee."
Mizuha stammered. "Ah, it’s nothing..." She was deeply embarrassed.
Hikaru yelled at Akemi. "Akemi, what are you doing?"
You ruined everything, he thought, feeling frustrated.
Akemi said, her tone more playful than apologetic. "Oops... sorry... sorry."
Suddenly, Shimizu burst out laughing. "Hahaha, what are you guys trying to do?"
Akemi felt happy. "Ah, I feel full, and I feel lucky because I got to taste this delicious tamagoyaki today."
"Thanks, you guys, for letting me join you today. Can I join you again next time?"
Mizuha smiled. "Sure, why not? You’re welcome to join us anytime."
"Also, can we exchange numbers? We’re all friends now, right?"
"Sure, I’m glad you asked me that. Here, this is my phone number."
The bell rang, signaling that break time was over.
"Ah, it’s time already. See you guys later. Let’s go, Akemi."
"Then, see you guys later." Akemi waved and followed Hikaru back to their class.
Shimizu stood up. "I think we should return to our class as well."
"Yeah, let’s go."
After that, Mizuha and the others returned to their class for the next period. Mizuha felt happy that day because not only had she made Tamagoyaki for her friends, but she had also become friends with Akemi.
That girl, Akemi, is nice, but she has a sharp tongue sometimes. I think I’ll get used to it next time. Shimizu thought as she walked back to class.
Shimizu turned to Mizuha. "So, Mizuha, what kind of food will you make for us tomorrow? I can’t wait to taste it."
"Give me a rest, Shimizu, I can’t cook like this every day. Not tomorrow, maybe another time, okay? I still need to study. Why not ask Eri-chan sensei over here? She’s a better cook than me."
"Oh, not again, Mizuha-chan. This is the third time you’ve said that." Eri blushed, poking Mizuha lightly.
The three of them laughed together while Zul followed them back to class.
Mizuha remembered what had happened earlier that day as she got ready for the rest of school.
She felt more hopeful about what lay ahead. Each day could bring something new — new people, new moments, maybe even more food to share.
With that thought, she walked into the classroom, prepared for whatever came next.
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and then Add to home screen.