Let us, for now, call this a club activity.

Watching Umire rush to the door to greet him, Jiang Yu swung the door shut with his left hand and reached out to touch Umire’s forehead with his right, speaking in a peculiar tone, “What’s going on today? So attentive?”

“Hmm—hmph!” Umire slapped away Jiang Yu’s hand, pouting in discontent. “What do you mean by that, brother?”

“Heh… Alright, alright, it’s my fault. Thank you, little Umire.” Jiang Yu couldn’t suppress a smile; his left hand, which had just closed the door, now reached up to tousle his sister’s hair.

“Tch—not sincere at all. With that attitude, you’ll never find a girlfriend, brother!” Umire brushed off Jiang Yu’s mischievous hand, teasing him.

Jiang Yu’s lips twitched, feeling a bit helpless and at a loss for words on this topic.

He sighed quietly, his gaze turning somewhat wistful. Umire’s remark reminded him of certain fleeting memories from his previous life, those high school days that ended without resolution.

Smiling wryly as he changed his shoes, Jiang Yu was about to speak when a familiar voice called out, “Hey! Yu, you’re back.”

Turning toward the voice, Jiang Yu smiled, “Even though I said I was worried about the project deadline and you could come over this weekend, I didn’t expect you’d actually come check on me, Runya.”

Runya Aki laughed heartily, “Don’t sweat the details, Yu. You’ve been busy these days, so I wanted to make sure you weren’t overwhelmed…”

Suddenly, another voice—cool and familiar to Jiang Yu—cut in.

“Jiang Yu, should I take these groceries to the kitchen?”

“…Kato, when did you get here? So the girl Umire mentioned was you?”

“Eh—so mean! I came out together with Aki, you know?” Megumi Kato frowned slightly, her usual calm tone laced with mock complaint.

Jiang Yu shot a questioning glance at Runya, who merely shrugged, indicating he hadn’t noticed.

“…,” Umire stared in surprise at Megumi Kato, who had somehow appeared in the entryway. She wondered why she hadn’t spotted the senior when opening the door.

Jiang Yu, a bit embarrassed, looked at Megumi holding the shopping bags and apologized, “Sorry, Kato. Let me carry those.”

“No need. You still need to prepare lunch, right? I’ll take them over,” Megumi replied softly, shaking her head.

Jiang Yu rubbed his brow, conceding with a “thanks for the trouble,” and watched as Megumi carried the not-so-light bags toward the living room.

Runya stepped back from the doorway to make room for Megumi, then followed her and Umire into the living room. Once Jiang Yu had finished arranging his shoes, he too headed to the open kitchen to prepare lunch.

Megumi, Runya, and Umire each settled into their usual spots, returning to their previous idle routines.

That was how things were supposed to go.

…At least, that’s how Jiang Yu had imagined it.

So, when he saw Megumi calmly washing potatoes, his lips twitched and, after a moment’s hesitation, he spoke, “Um… Kato?”

“Yes, what is it?” Megumi’s short ponytail swung gently before Jiang Yu’s eyes, her head turned away.

When did you tie your hair up, Kato? And when did you slip on that apron?

So, as Jiang Yu walked in after a brief delay at the door, he was greeted by the sight of Megumi Kato, her bob tied into a small ponytail, wearing the apron he used for cooking, looking every bit the picture of a gentle, domestic wife.

As expected, she’s quite adorable?

No, no, what am I thinking! Jiang Yu mentally slapped himself.

He’d often seen in anime that long-haired heroines would tie their hair up while cooking, to keep it clean and for convenience.

Wait, what am I thinking!

Trying to compose himself, Jiang Yu exhaled deeply and said, “I can handle the cooking, Kato—why not take a break?”

“Hmm… Do you know how to make curry, Jiang Yu?” Megumi kept washing, considering his question but instead asked her own.

“Uh… Well, I suppose I do?” Though he hadn’t actually made it before…

“Ah, I see. Got it. Then you can help out beside me, okay?” Megumi paused for the first time, turning to face him, her tone slightly casual.

It sounded just like an adult casually indulging a child who failed to meet their goal—comforting them with a promise.

With complicated feelings, Jiang Yu nodded repeatedly under Megumi’s gaze.

Runya, who had been playing on his phone on the sofa, and Umire, who was sitting on the floor finishing her earlier game, both found their attention drawn to the pair.

Runya was hardly surprised at Jiang Yu conceding under Megumi’s inexplicable aura; he simply sighed inwardly and wore a somewhat comical grin—like someone trying to stifle a laugh.

Umire, however, was seeing her brother surrender so quickly for the first time. Based on her understanding of Jiang Yu, he rarely let others help with these tasks—especially if “others” were peers.

But this girl… She seemed unremarkable on the surface, but actually played a super important role, didn’t she?

Unable to figure it out, Umire gave up thinking and immersed herself back in her game.

Thus, under Megumi’s lead and with Jiang Yu assisting, the cooking proceeded quietly. Soon, four servings of curry and a large vegetable salad were placed on the table.

Incidentally, the salad was made by Megumi using leftover ingredients. Had Jiang Yu been in charge, there would likely have been curry alone.

After insisting that Megumi take a seat at the table while he tidied up the kitchen, Jiang Yu emerged to find Umire had turned off her game and was sitting obediently in her chair, while Runya tapped the tabletop in boredom.

Seeing Jiang Yu, Umire’s eyes brightened and she complained, “You’re so slow, brother! Little Umire is really hungry!”

“Ah, sorry, sorry…” Jiang Yu said as he pulled out a chair next to Runya and sat down.

With palms pressed together, the group voiced in unison, “Let’s eat!”—and began their lunch.