Sleepy

After putting on my jacket, I immediately felt much better. The jacket itself was grey and pretty thin for a winter jacket. It had a fur trim hood, which I didn't put on, but the tiny furs still brushed against my cheeks. They felt nice and tickled a little bit.

When I walked back to the kitchen, Natsuki just flipped the switch of a toaster. The lights were on now, making me shield my eyes.

Natsuki turned to me and rubbed one of her eyes with a finger.

"Good, you have your jacket on. Now go sit at the table and wait for the toast."

I nodded hurriedly.

"O-Ok!"

After I pulled out a seat to sit down, Natsuki did the same. She rested her elbows on the table and held her face with both hands.

"What were you even doing?"

I lightly pressed my fingers together.

"I-I don't know!"

Natsuki yawned.

"What do you mean you don't know?"

I placed a hand onto the back of my head.

"I was having a dream until you shook me!"

Natsuki moved her head up and rested her chin in her palm.

"You walked all the way downstairs, opened the fridge, and opened a bag of bread all while dreaming?"

An awkward smile emerged on my face.

"Ehehe..."

Natsuki sighed helplessly.

"Did you not eat much for dinner? How did you get so hungry that you even walked down to the fridge to get something to eat?"

My eyes flew open.

"Wah! Now that I think about it, I forgot to eat dinner!"

Natsuki's expression shifted from sleepy to stern.

"You should always eat properly if you can! Look at what happened because you didn't."

I averted my gaze and tapped the tips of my index fingers together.

"S-Sorry!"

Natsuki's expression softened.

"Haah... you really are forgetful. I will get something ready for you."

She stood up from the chair and yawned again. Then, Natsuki walked over to the stove and pulled out a frying pan. She took out some eggs from the fridge and cracked them.

As I watched Natsuki cook, I lowered my head. A small pout formed on my face.

"Sorry for making you do all this."

Natsuki took a deep breath and rolled her eyes.

"Stop caring about it so much. Plus, you already apologized enough. I don't want to hear another apology tonight, alright?"

I looked up to Natsuki. A smile formed on my face.

"Alright."

Sizzling sounds filled the air along with the smell of food. The longer I spent waiting, the less sleepy I felt. As my thoughts became clearer, I realized how strange it all was.

First, I somehow walked down to the first floor while sleeping to get some food. Then, Natsuki was somehow here in the middle of the night.

I hesitated for a second, but had to ask Natsuki.

"Um, why are you here? Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

Natsuki visibly jolted.

She pouted angrily and placed both hands on her hips.

"I just had trouble sleeping, so I came here to bake early. Look, I have my school uniform on and everything."

Natsuki pulled on the side of her collar.

I opened my mouth ever so slightly.

"Ah, that makes sense."

There were a few moments of silence between us.

I broke the silence with an awkward cough.

"So... will you be sleeping with me or going back home?"

Natsuki immediately blushed fiercely. She grit her teeth and crossed her arms before averting her gaze.

"Of course I will be going back home! There isn't even a couch in your home, so where will I sleep?"

I giggled mischievously.

"But there's plenty of room for two people in my bed!"

Natsuki stamped her feet on the floor.

"S-Stop saying stupid things, i-idiot!"

I clasped my hands together and rested my head on one side.

"But you look so sleepy! Are you sureeee?"

Natsuki's face twitched.

"You-"

The chime from the toaster rang out. Natsuki gasped.

"Ah!"

She hurriedly turned off the stove and moved the frying pan to the side. Then, Natsuki pulled out a plate. She slid the egg on and put the piece of toast next to it.

Warmth spread through my body as I watched her. It felt like her care was overflowing from her tiny figure. A smile uncontrollably appeared on my face.

"Thank you, Natsuki."

With a sigh, Natsuki set down the plate in front of me with a fork. The toast was a little deformed because I pinched it earlier.

"No need to thank me, I'm just doing this so you don't catch a cold and get me sick too when we walk to school!"

I giggled.

"Ok, ok!"

I gingerly picked up the fork and picked up the fried egg.

As for Natsuki, she sat back down on the opposite side. She put her arms on the table and rested her head on top in a way that let her look at me.

Soft chewing sounds filled the air. The egg and toast weren't anything special, but they made me feel extra fluffy because Natsuki was the one that made them.

When I was halfway through my really late dinner, Natsuki abruptly spoke up.

"Hey, Sayori."

I looked up to her with a mouthful of egg still in my mouth.

"Yesh?"

Natsuki pressed her lips together and looked down at the table.

"Did I... did I do something that hurt you?"

I immediately swallowed the egg and stood up from the chair.

"No!"

Natsuki looked up at me with a little bit of surprise.

"R-Really?"

I smiled brightly.

"Natsuki, you've already done so much for me. If anything, I should be the one asking if I hurt you. ...I've yet to pay you back for everything."

Natsuki smiled softly.

"You really think that way?"

I nodded enthusiastically.

"Yup!"

Natsuki closed her eyes.

"That's... good. But I really don't feel like you have to pay me back. If anything, it should be the other way around."

My eyes widened.

"Eh? But-"

Natsuki yawned once more, cutting me off.

"I'm just going to rest my head a little, ok? Then I'll be off..."

She rested her head sideways onto her arms. Before I could say anything else, cute snoring sounds filled the room.

...A mischievous thought came into my mind. Natsuki would probably yell at me for it later.

But that never stopped me before.