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“What? We’re having guests!?”
“Yeah. Two people are coming over tomorrow morning.”
“You should’ve told me earlier! I was planning to go grocery shopping tomorrow, and the fridge is completely empty!”
“It’s just my coworkers, so you don’t need to worry about it.”
“That’s not how this works.”

It was only 8:30 p.m. — the neighborhood supermarket was still barely open.

If they were coming in the morning, they’d likely stay for a while, and it would be rude not to serve anything at all. More than that, these were people who regularly helped Ibuki out. I had to do my best to show them proper hospitality and express my gratitude.

“I’m going to the store!”

I quickly changed into my coat and rushed out of the house. There wasn’t enough time to pick out fancy snacks, so I decided to stock up on ingredients and treat them to a home-cooked meal.

I had studied cooking a lot to make Ibuki happy. I could definitely handle satisfying one or two of her coworkers.

Feeling determined, I finished my preparations and went to bed after getting a head start on the next day’s dishes.

“Welcome!”
“Thanks for having us, Ibuki-senpai!”
“Hope we’re not intruding~”

From the entrance, I heard Ibuki’s voice along with two unfamiliar women. Even though the house was spacious, it would just get crowded if I stood by the door with Ibuki, so I waited in the living room. I had everything ready, but now that the moment had come, I couldn’t help feeling a bit nervous.

“W-Welcome…”

The living room door opened, and I greeted the two women who followed Ibuki inside. I was so tense that I accidentally greeted them like a restaurant employee.

“What’s up with you two?”

The two women froze the moment they saw me. Even as Ibuki, puzzled, tried to check on them, they just stood there, staring at me without moving.

I wasn’t wearing anything outlandish, and nothing seemed particularly strange, so what was wrong? Or maybe I just looked so awkward, forcing a stiff smile through my nerves, that they were trying to hold back laughter?

“Hey, why are you two just frozen like that?”
“Ah, um… Sorry! I kinda lost it for a second.”
“—Oh! I remember now! You’re that super pretty girl from the izakaya!”

Ibuki shook the two of them a bit, and they finally snapped out of it. But… a “super pretty girl from the izakaya”? What was that about?

“This little one’s my junior, Akane. And the tall one who totally freaked out is from the same generation as me, Wakaba.”

Maybe she got tired of dealing with them, but Ibuki came over to my side and introduced her friends.

“And this is Yukino. I talk about her all the time, so you probably already know.”

While Ibuki gave me a super simple introduction, Wakaba suddenly stepped right up to me.

“Um, um! You were drinking with a big group at that izakaya by the station the other day, right? I saw you then and thought, ‘Wow, she’s gorgeous!’ We were talking about it!”
“Oh, was that during the year-end party? Hehe, even if you’re just flattering me, I appreciate it.”
“Wakaba-san, are you cheating on me?”
“What? No way! You said Yukino-san was super pretty too when we got back that day!”
“Well, when you see someone who looks like a model, of course you’re gonna think that. But if you start hitting on her, then yeah, that’s cheating~”

Wakaba and Akane must’ve noticed how nervous I was, so they started joking around to lighten the mood. No wonder they’re popular streamers — their communication skills were leagues ahead of mine.

“Aren’t you guys gonna start setting up for the stream?”
“Oh, right! We’re running a bit late, so let’s get started!”

Ibuki, as laid-back as ever, called out to them while heading to her workspace. They were planning to stream together until around noon, and then I’d make lunch for everyone. Even on a Sunday, they had to work — being a streamer sounded pretty intense.

“Okay, see you later, Yukino.”
“Yeah, good luck!”

I waved them off, though “seeing them off” just meant watching them head into the next room. Once they were out of sight, I went back to the kitchen.

I wanted to make something as delicious as possible for Ibuki, especially since she was working so hard on her stream. Just like always, I gave it my all and made lunch for everyone.

“Good job, everyone. Lunch is ready!”

When I called out to them after they finally emerged from the room, Ibuki’s face immediately lit up. Even with the house’s soundproofing, their voices had carried all the way to the living room — they’d been having a blast. With all that excitement, they were bound to be starving.

“I’m starving! What’s for lunch?”
“Shrimp and avocado Genovese pasta, potato potage, and a prosciutto Caesar salad.”

I carried the dishes over and placed them in front of Ibuki, who had already plopped down in her seat. Her eyes sparkled like a kid’s every time I set down a plate, which made me feel even happier to have cooked for her.

“I’ll help you carry the rest, Yukino-san!”
“Thanks, Akane-chan. The plates are already ready, so can you bring them over from the kitchen?”
“Of course!”

Akane-chan and I quickly brought the rest of the dishes to the table. Ibuki looked like she was about to start vibrating from anticipation, so we picked up the pace a bit.

“Alright, let’s eat!”
“Thanks for the meal!”

The second I spoke, Ibuki immediately reached for her pasta. She ate pretty much anything, but she had a particular weakness for noodles, so she must’ve been struggling to hold back.

“This looks like something out of a fancy restaurant. Mind if I take a picture?”
“Seriously, it’s so high quality I feel like I accidentally walked into an expensive lunch spot. It looks amazing.”
“Go right ahead. I went all out a little bit, so I’m really glad you like it.”

Watching Wakaba-san and Akane-chan snap photos and gush over the food, I finally let out a relieved sigh. I’d wanted to do something to thank the people who always supported Ibuki, so seeing how happy they were made all the effort worth it.

“Yukino, is there more?”
“You already finished?”
“Yeah! It was so good, I want more!”
“Okay, okay. There’s plenty left, so you didn’t have to scarf it down so fast. Look, you’ve got sauce all around your mouth.”

Since she’d been eating so quickly, sauce had ended up smeared around her lips. I wiped it off with my finger, but she immediately started eating again, making my effort completely pointless.

When I licked the bit of sauce off my finger, the fresh basil aroma stood out, and the cheese I’d splurged on added the perfect touch. Honestly, I felt pretty proud of how well it turned out.

“Aren’t you gonna eat, Yukino?”
“I will. Which dish did you like the best?”
“The pasta, definitely! It’s amazing when you get a bite with everything all together. Here, try it!”

She expertly speared a bit of each ingredient onto her fork, twirling the pasta around it, and then held it up to my mouth. The amount she considered “one bite” was way bigger than what I was used to, so I struggled a bit to eat it.

“Mmm. It’s delicious.”
“Right?!”

Ibuki beamed like she’d cooked the meal herself, her smile so contagious that I couldn’t help but grin back.

“…And they’re still not dating?”
“Apparently not. It must be rough when both people are that oblivious.”

I was so focused on watching Ibuki happily eat her food that I completely missed the way Wakaba-san and Akane-chan exchanged exasperated glances.

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