A Trip to Saizeriya

"Sssss... Ow, ow, ow..."

On the living room sofa, Ueda Shun let out a painful groan as he rubbed a large ice pack against the crown of his head. He had worried a massive bump might be forming, but feeling the area, it was thankfully smooth. He had escaped that particular disaster. His father must have pulled his punch with exquisite precision at the very last second.

"Honestly, thank goodness it was just a misunderstanding. I understand in my head that nothing bad actually happened," Himari said from the opposite sofa, her arms crossed as she adopted a stern tone. "But still, how could you make Raon so uncomfortable on her very first day? You need to be more careful."

"Ugh... I didn't have even a single gram of intention to do that in the first place..." Shun grumbled, his lips pouting in protest, but his mother's retort was swift and merciless.

"In this world, results matter more than intentions, son. Raon only just arrived at our house today. If an unsavory accident like this happens on day one, how am I supposed to look her parents in the eye? They trusted me enough to send their precious daughter here."

"...I'm sorry."

It was the absolute truth. Every single word she said was undeniably correct. Shun could only shut his mouth like a mute who had swallowed honey. In the end, it was indeed his carelessness that had caused the incident, so he had no right to complain.

Fidgeting with the ice pack, Shun turned his head toward Raon, who was sitting demurely in the corner of the sofa with her knees pressed together.

"Um... I'm really sorry again, Raon. I hate that I can only offer excuses, but I swear I didn't mean anything bad by it... You must have been so shocked, right?"

His voice trailed off into a sheepish mumble. Raon, looking slightly embarrassed with a faint blush on her cheeks, waved her hands in dismissal.

"O-Oh, no, please don't be. I was just so flustered at first... Come to think of it, when you fell from the ladder, Ueda-kun, I tried to catch you even though it was impossible, which is why we both fell... Yes, so it's partly my fault too."

Raon offered a small, gentle smile. Instead of blaming him for his mistake, she was actually defending him. To have a face as beautiful as a princess and a heart of pure gold...

Is she... an angel?

Thump!

Suddenly, a warm, fuzzy feeling swelled in his chest. A strange, sudden thud echoed from deep within his ribs. Fearing his face might turn ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠red, Shun hastily cleared his throat to change the subject.

"Ahem! B-By the way... where is Dad? He isn't still holding that giant wooden mallet, is he?"

"Your father? He went out for a bit to meet with one of his ingredient suppliers. Why?"

"Ah, well..." Shun glanced up at the clock on the wall. It was already creeping toward dinner time. "Actually, I promised to meet Suzuki and the guys at the Saizeriya in front of the station. Things were so chaotic today that I completely lost track of time, but I think I should head out now."

Hearing this, Himari's eyes sparkled. "Oh?"

Clap! Himari clapped her hands together cheerfully. "Suzuki-kun is your classmate, right? Perfect! In that case, you should take our Raon along with you!"

"...What?" Shun's eyes widened so much they looked ready to pop out of his skull. "Wait, Mom? That's a bit..."

"What is it, Shun?" Himari's eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me you're going to make some tacky, old-fashioned excuse about how it's annoying to have a girl tag along when boys are hanging out?"

"No, it's not that at all..." Shun waved his hands defensively. He understood his mother's intention to give Raon a chance to make friends, but the situation wasn't that simple. "If Raon comes with me, we'll naturally end up talking about how we're living together. And... I just don't have the confidence to explain that to those idiots without some blood being shed."

Neither Suzuki nor Kenji were bad guys. They were just hot-blooded high school boys. According to the sacred laws of Shonen Jump romcoms... he would likely be branded a traitor and subjected to a relentless barrage of attacks.

However, Himari simply let out a small sigh and smacked her son's back.

"Shun, don't be ridiculous."

"Ow!"

"Everyone at school is going to find out eventually anyway. It's much better to be upfront from the start and say, 'She's my cousin, and she's staying at our house due to certain circumstances.'"

Himari lifted her teacup from the table and added calmly, "Imagine if you tried to hide it and got caught later. That's when truly bizarre rumors would start spreading, and it would only make things harder for Raon."

"...Mmm."

Shun fell silent. She had a point. Actually, it wasn't just a point—she was entirely correct. For him, the worst-case scenario was getting beaten up and cursed out by his friends as a traitor. But what if they hid it, and later a rumor like 'Ueda ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and the transfer student are secretly living together!' spread like wildfire through the school? Himari wasn't saying this for no reason. The fallout of such a rumor would land squarely on Raon.

Glancing at Raon, Shun carefully asked for her opinion. "Raon, would you be okay with that? Suzuki and Kenji... they can be total idiots sometimes, but they're definitely not bad guys. Still, it might be uncomfortable for you since it's just a bunch of guys..."

Shun asked with as much consideration as he could muster. Raon shook her head, replying in her characteristically shy, gentle voice.

"I-I don't mind at all. If they are your friends, Ueda-kun, I'm sure they are wonderful people. Besides..."

Raon offered a clear, eye-smiling grin as she added, "At the very least, I'm sure they won't touch my chest. So I feel quite safe."

"Pffft—!!"

Shun choked, spraying a fountain of tea straight out of his mouth.

Drip, drip.

"..."

Tea dripped steadily from Himari's bangs. With her eyes closed and a serene, terrifying smile plastered on her face, she slowly reached into her pocket, pulled out a handkerchief, and wiped her face.

"Shun...?"

"I-I'm so sorry!"

"Ah! O-Oh dear, I'm sorry, Ueda-kun...!" Realizing the devastating impact of her words a second too late, Raon frantically waved her hands in a panic. "I-I mean! I didn't say that to be sarcastic or to tease you! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry...!"

"Urgh...! I-I know... I know, *cough*, Raon..."

Still smiling ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠serenely, Himari locked her hands around Shun's neck in a vice-like chokehold. Shun thrashed about, clawing at her terrifyingly strong grip. Though she was starting to get used to the chaotic household atmosphere, Raon still asked in a fluster, "B-By the way, what are you meeting Suzuki-kun and the others for at Saizeriya...?"

With the color rapidly draining from his face, Shun gasped out an answer. "Ah, *cough*, well, you see..."

"WH-WHAT DID YOU SAAAAY?!"

Inside the Saizeriya in front of the station, Suzuki's shrill scream pierced through the ambient noise of the family restaurant, echoing loudly.

"Hey. You're causing a scene."

"Ah, sorry. I just felt like that was the required reaction."

As Suzuki quickly sat back down, Kenji, sitting across from him, stirred his melon soda with a straw and muttered with a sour expression, "Are you for real...?"

"See! I told you I heard a girl's voice earlier!"

"No, anyone who actually believed you would be the weird one."

Sakurai Kenji. With his unbuttoned shirt collar and wild, waxed hair, he looked like a textbook delinquent—a wild stallion type. But contrary to his appearance, his personality was actually quite calm. Taking a sip of his soda as if to wash away the bitter taste in his mouth, Kenji looked at Shun with a serious expression. "Ueda. Have you been reading too many romcom manga lately? Has your brain finally rotted?"

"As if! She's really my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cousin."

"True. This isn't a setup your pathetic imagination could ever come up with. And..." Kenji nodded slightly, accepting the explanation, before turning his body toward Raon. Scratching the back of his head with a slightly awkward expression, he gave a polite nod. "Nice to meet you. Well, I saw you briefly in the staff room this morning, so I guess it's not technically the first time... I'm Sakurai Kenji. Class 3."

"Ah, yes! I'm Lee Raon... And since we're the same age, you can speak casually with me."

"Oh, really? Thanks."

"Wow, you guys dropped the formalities fast," Shun muttered.

"Shut up," Kenji shot back.

Ignoring Shun's grumbling, Kenji turned back to Raon and added seriously, "Anyway, Raon. If Ueda ever tries anything weird, just let me know. I'll beat him to a pulp for you."

"Yeah, yeah! This guy is absolute trash who plays with girls' hearts, so you've got to watch out!" Suzuki chimed in eagerly.

Unable to take it anymore, Shun pressed a hand to his forehead and intervened. "You guys... how much of my reputation are you planning to destroy on day one...?"

"But you have a track record."

"Plus, the fact that you're an annoying ikemen makes your crimes even worse," Kenji added as he pressed the call button at the edge of the table.

Soon, a server approached, placing menus and order slips down for everyone. Saizeriya was a restaurant chain where you could enjoy Italian dishes at incredibly cheap prices. It used a unique system where you wrote down your desired menu items on an order slip with a pen. Of course, given the low prices, the taste wasn't exactly gourmet, but it did the job.

"We only ordered from the drink bar so far, so we're a bit hungry. Order whatever you want, Raon," Kenji said.

"Ah, yes. Thank you."

Raon opened the menu with both hands and began to study it intently. Milano-style Doria. Margherita pizza. Cheese-stuffed hamburger steak...

She's so cute.

She's gorgeous.

Gorgeous and cute.

However, even after a minute, then two, Raon's eyes continued to wander aimlessly across the menu without her looking up. Finally, blushing with embarrassment, she peeked out from behind the top of the menu, only her eyes showing.

"Um, I'm sorry..."

"Yeah?"

"I can speak well enough... but I'm still not very good at reading Japanese Kanji or Katakana."

Only then did Shun realize his oversight. "Ah, that was inconsiderate of me. Sorry. Let's see, I'll read it for you."

Without thinking, Shun slid closer to Raon. Their shoulders brushed, practically pressed together. Holding the menu up with her, Shun naturally began to read the items aloud.

"This side is the pizzas. And over here, number one is the most popular item, the Milano-style Doria. If you want something a bit spicy..."

His voice was gentle and low. Unlike Shun, whose eyes were glued to the menu, the two friends sitting across from them were locked in an intense, silent exchange of glances.

Suzuki's mouth moved silently.

Belatedly noticing their intense stares, Shun looked up. "...What, you bastards? If you have something to say, say it."

Kenji let out a chuckle, clinking the ice in his melon soda. "Nothing. It's just... feels like we're watching a live melodrama unfold right in front of us."

"Exactly, Ueda! You acted so indifferent this morning, but look at you now—you're living a full-blown youth romance!"

At their blatant teasing, the tips of Raon's ears flushed a bright crimson. Seeing this, Shun let out a small sigh and furrowed his brow.

"Ah, sorry, Raon. Don't mind them. These idiots are just talking nonsense."

"...Okay."

While being teased by his guy friends was a daily occurrence for him, he didn't want his cousin, who had just arrived in Japan, to feel uncomfortable because of their jokes. Shun spoke to his two friends in a half-exasperated tone.

"Look, you guys. It's fine if you tease me, but when there's a girl around, at least show some basic sense of boundaries."