Chilly Awakening and Kitchen Chaos
Warm sunlight pierced through the window, seeping into the blanket. It wasn't gentle. The midsummer sun scorching the earth was brutally hot. Sweat beaded on her skin. But that was fine. Heat could be countered with cold, after all. The problem was that the cold was a bit too much. The air conditioning filling the room was so frigid that Rena instinctively pulled the blanket tighter around herself.
"Ugh…."
Rena let out a groan. It wasn't just the air that was cold—the blanket felt like a block of ice too. Tormented by the chill seeping into her bones, she opened her eyes. Freezing. The culprit was obvious without a second thought: Iris. Rena hated the heat as much as anyone, but even she thought Iris's air-conditioning obsession was over the top.
"Iris, seriously, layering two blankets and cranking the AC to 20 degrees is a bit much… Huh?"
She rubbed her eyes, crusty from sleep, intending to poke Iris in the side with a grumble, but instead of Iris's soft chest, she was greeted by an empty bedsheet.
"Iris…?"
Rena blinked. As her blurry vision cleared, she realized Iris had already left the bed.
"What's up with our princess today…."
No wonder the room felt so quiet. The moment she noticed Iris's absence, a wave of emptiness hit her, and she grumbled to herself before the piercing cold sneaking through her outstretched arm drove her back under the covers. The air is cold. Retreat into the blanket. Using her hands and feet, Rena folded and refolded the blanket, sealing off every gap for the chill, then curled up like a hamster inside.
"Crazy bitch. Not her house, wasting electricity like that. If she's not in the room, at least turn off the damn AC…."
Rena muttered under her breath. At the same time, curiosity about where Iris had gone crept in. Iris, the self-proclaimed bed potato who slept like the dead and even after waking would just scroll on her phone without leaving the bed. A heavy sleeper who wouldn't stir even with an alarm right by her head. That was the Iris Rena knew in the mornings.
"Where are you right now…."
She tapped out a message on her smartphone with her dainty fingers.
Rena was dumbfounded.
"Cooking? You?"
She fired back, questioning how a girl who'd never properly gotten her hands wet in the kitchen could even attempt that. The reply was ridiculous.
"Ah."
If Kiriko was involved, that changed things. Rena offered a brief moment of silent respect to the maid who was making a house call to their place first thing in the morning to help with her spoiled young lady's breakfast.
Rena chuckled and threw off the blanket, sitting up. It had been two days since returning from Gunma. Their relationship, which she'd thought might feel awkward, had slipped right back to normal. Maybe even closer than before. Uncharacteristically, Iris had stayed at Rena's house for over two days, and they'd talked a ton every night. It had been a strange two days. Mornings were awkward with barely any conversation, but at night in bed, words flowed naturally. Back-to-back, staring at the wall and window, they'd poured out honest thoughts—things they couldn't say as friends, stuff they'd bottled up. It was fascinating. Adults often needed alcohol to have real talks, she'd mocked them before. Cowards who couldn't confess without booze. But now she couldn't say that anymore.
Rena had spilled her guts under Iris's interrogation, but it was more like a one-sided declaration, not considering her friend at all—just a selfish escape to feel better. Maybe getting drunk and babbling everything would have been better. Ugly or embarrassing, she could blame it all on the alcohol. The other person could laugh it off and pretend nothing happened. Blaming booze instead of the person—nothing less romantic, yet more honest. Sadly, as minors, they couldn't. Couldn't even sneak any. Rena looked like a kid to anyone, and Iris's card statements all went to her family. So they borrowed the power of atmosphere instead. The magic of early morning that heightened emotions. Staring at faint moonlight and barely visible stars, they emptied their hearts. They'd talked so much—nights chattering away, sleeping till lunch. Days and nights flipped, but they moved in sync like it was planned. Eventually, they forgot backs-to-back and glared, blamed, pounded chests, whined, or giggled facing each other. Both Rena and Iris. They hurled insults, but it felt good. Hearing Iris's cries cleared the stuffiness in Rena's chest and throat, leaving her refreshed.
"Did I sweat too much last night…?"
Every night, Iris hugged her tight in sleep, so even with the AC blasting, her clothes were damp. Like sleeping on a leather couch and waking with a sweaty back.
"Gotta wash up…."
Today was officially Rena's first band practice joining them. She turned off the AC that had worked overtime all night and left the room. Heading down the stairs past the hallway, delicious smells wafting from the noisy kitchen teased her nose. Sniffing it, she could tell it was Kiriko's doing, not Iris's. Relieved, Rena perked up her ears toward the kitchen.
"Seriously! I know how to handle a frying pan too!"
"Do you know how many pans you've burned at home, miss!?"
"The pans were too flimsy!"
"Flimsy? What about them is flimsy! Haven't you played any FPS games? Frying pans block bullets!"
"I saw that on YouTube, but it was fake, right?"
YouTube was amazing. It answered every curiosity, so no wonder people got hooked and turned into idiots with biased knowledge. Even Iris had self-taught instruments and singing from it. Bullet-blocking pans were the same.
"Any material frying pan is just thin scrap metal against a gun. Want me to show you proof videos?"
"Ugh…!"
Everything equals before a gun—that was truth. Kiriko flushed as her ignorance was exposed to Iris of all people.
"A-anyway! That's not the point right now!"
"Ah. Dodging."
"It's mostly your fault for cranking the heat too high! That doesn't just ruin the pan—the ingredients burn too!"
"That's why I held it up high. To keep it at a decent heat."
"…."
Too absurd for words, Kiriko snatched the pan from Iris and silently took over the stove. Pushed aside in strength by Kiriko, Iris whined petulantly.
"Nyaaan! Let me do it!"
"If you plan to feed Rena that charred mess, I won't stop you…."
"Ehh. When Kiriko says it like that, I got nothing…."
"Then just watch quietly."
"Boooring…."
"Bored? Want me to chat with you?"
Iris jumped at Rena's voice from above.
"Rena-chaaan!?"
"Morning. Or lunch? Anyway, trying to cook for me?"
"Wh-why…? I figured you'd shower first and…."
She knew Rena was up from the messages, but assumed she'd take her usual thorough wash before coming down.
Rena smirked at Iris's reaction and leaned against the stair railing.
"Got worried and came right out. And Kiriko-san, good job."
"Good too."
They exchanged thumbs-up and smiles. Iris, stuck in the middle, fumed.
"Why are you two getting along!?"
Everyone except Iris laughed.
"Hey, pig. Quit the crap cooking and come wash up with me."
"Re-Rena-chan!? You're suddenly so bold!?"
Iris clutched her chest in shock at the daring suggestion.
"Did you read some forbidden book like Marimite last night or what?"
"What? Your hair's all greasy—you haven't washed yet, right?"
"W-well, yeah, but…."
Caught, Iris fiddled with her ponytail. Unlike Rena's slightly messy bedhead, just a light touch and oil slicked off her straight hair. The downside of straight hair—oily like an oil state after one day.
"Band practice today, right? I'm coming too, so gotta wash early. Scared?"
"Not scared, but you saying it like that makes me wanna get mad."
Iris pouted, then turned serious.
"Should we just tell Shin Tae-il not to come and practice just us?"
With Rena on drums, Ayane on bass, and Iris on guitar, it was a perfect lineup that left little room for Tae-il. The more she thought, the better it seemed—until Rena shot it down.
"Think that'll work? If Shin doesn't come, Gloomy Girl will make excuses and skip too."
"Ah."
A more fatal issue than expected.
"This is why members scouted by looks instead of skill are…!"
"By that logic, aren't I the same?"
"Ah."
Not wrong. Rena's drumming was still total beginner level. Iris slumped.
"Rena-chan, what do we do? I keep getting more pissed at Shin Tae-il…."
"Hate him then."
"So straightforward. Guess I gotta steal you back from Shin Tae-il…."
"Hmm? Girl-led NTR has short-term impact but flops long-term. And yuri on top? What kinda hybrid is that."
"Rena-chan, too harsh! How can you compare my love to some thin doujin!?"
"Deal with it."
"Kiriko! Rena-chan's being cold to me!"
"Gah! Don't cling while I'm cooking! Are you nuts!?"
"Is cooking more important than me!?"
"Someone's gonna get hurt! Back off!"
"Classic Iris. Total nuisance."
"Guh!"
Chaotic. Unlike her usual quiet mornings alone, the house buzzed with lively noise. Rena rather liked the commotion.
Maybe invite Shin and Sakuya over sometime and have them stay a few days like this….
It'd probably be even rowdier. And notably, in Rena's invitation list, Ayane was conspicuously absent—like a ghost.