I Just Want A Single Ending!

After setting up plans with Takamatsu Tomori and exchanging a few more messages, Saku put down his phone and headed upstairs to find Nagasaki Soyo, asking her to help him practice bass.

Since he'd left his bass at her place yesterday, it made sense to go directly to her house.

After an uneventful bass practice at Soyo's, Saku returned home and continued reading his astronomy books.

And soon, morning arrived.

As he poured himself a glass of milk and grabbed a new flavor of bread for breakfast, the doorbell suddenly rang.

He paused, confused.

Who would be dropping by this early?

Standing up, Saku walked over to the door and saw through the monitor that Nagasaki Soyo was standing at his doorstep, smiling.

"Good morning."

Even though he had no idea why she'd come over so early, Saku opened the door and greeted her.

"Good morning."

Instead of coming in, Soyo stood at the entrance with a gentle smile, asking, "I just wanted to check—have you eaten breakfast yet, Saku-kun?"

"Not yet. I was just about to."

Soyo pressed on, "And what were you planning to eat?"

"Milk and bread."

By now, Saku had a pretty good guess as to where this conversation was headed.

Then, he heard Soyo say, "In that case, would you like to join me for breakfast this morning? I accidentally made a bit too much, and I'm worried I won't be able to finish it."

[Sure]

[No, thanks]

Lie! That's definitely a lie!

It took Saku only a moment to see through her excuse.

She'd only asked him yesterday what he usually ate for breakfast. And today, she just happened to "make too much"?

Who would believe that?

Besides, before he'd moved in, she'd been cooking and eating alone for ages.

She must have a solid grasp on how much food she needed.

"Of course."

Still, Saku accepted her invitation.

He wanted to see what Soyo's true intentions were.

If it turned out she liked him and was using this as an excuse to spend more time together, well, that would be a problem.

He'd have to find a way to gently steer her feelings toward something more sibling-like.

But if it really was just a one-time invitation, then no harm done.

[+10 Strength]

"Wonderful!"

Soyo's face lit up with happiness at his acceptance.

But it was hard to tell whether she was happy about not wasting food or happy about sharing breakfast with him.

Saku closed his door and, with a determined look, followed Soyo to her house.

As soon as he saw two identical breakfasts set on the table, he knew for sure—she'd planned this with him in mind.

"Sorry for the little lie," Soyo admitted quickly, noticing the look on his face. "But I thought your daily meals seemed really… unhealthy, so I wanted to see if I could help."

She didn't think her excuse would hold up for long, anyway—she wanted to share breakfast with him regularly, and she couldn't keep saying she'd made "too much."

So she figured it was best to just admit it now.

"...Thank you."

After a pause, Saku nodded in appreciation.

It seemed he'd misjudged her. She was just concerned for him.

"No need to thank me."

With that, Soyo headed into the kitchen.

"Itadakimasu," Saku said, placing his hands together in gratitude before he started eating.

After just a few bites, Soyo returned from the kitchen with a bowl of miso soup, placing it beside him.

Then she served herself a bowl and finally sat down across from him.

"How does it taste?"

With a hint of nervousness, she glanced over at his plate.

Swallowing his mouthful of rice, Saku gave his honest opinion: "It's delicious, and the soup's amazing too."

"I'm glad you like it."

Relaxing at his compliment, Soyo picked up her own chopsticks and started eating.

They soon fell into a comfortable rhythm, chatting about various things in an easy, relaxed atmosphere.

"Would you like another bowl of rice?"

Noticing his empty bowl, Soyo stood up, ready to go back to the kitchen.

Saku quickly waved his hands. "No, I'm full, thank you. That was perfect."

"Alright."

Soyo smiled.

Recalling something he'd mentioned to her before, Saku chuckled at himself. "It's been ages since I had a 'normal' breakfast like this. I almost forgot what it feels like to eat this well."

"You'll get used to it if you eat like this more often."

Soyo set down her chopsticks, looking at him with a warm expression.

"More often?"

Saku caught on to that phrase right away.

"If you don't mind… maybe we could have breakfast together more often," Soyo said, gently suggesting her idea.

"Together?"

"Yes."

[Let's have breakfast together from now on!]

[No way, absolutely not!]

Faced with the system's new options, Saku hesitated.

In his mind, the occasional shared dinner was already enough to strengthen their bond.

But if they added regular breakfasts too… who knew how that might affect their relationship?

"I'm not sure. Wouldn't it be too much trouble for you?"

Not wanting to answer right away, Saku decided to probe her reasoning.

Mainly, he wasn't entirely sure why Soyo was so invested in his well-being.

If she was doing this out of romantic interest, he'd have to turn her down.

But if it was genuine concern, declining might make him miss out on a great way to grow closer. He could even risk hurting her feelings.

This situation was different from the last time she'd invited him to dinner.

Last time, she'd withdrawn the invitation on her own, allowing him to decline with a valid excuse.

But now, she clearly had no intention of taking back her offer, and he didn't have an easy reason to say no.

"It's no trouble. I'd just need to buy a bit more food, and while I'm already cooking for myself, it's easy to make an extra serving for you. Just like with dinner, it doesn't take any extra time."

Since she'd already done this today, Soyo replied smoothly.

After a short silence, Saku finally asked, "Can I ask why you're so concerned about me?"

---

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you spot any mistakes or inconsistencies!

Posture and water check! Remember this is a fan translation!

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