13. A Family Member (1)

Haruki walked out of the school in a daze. This day had felt like the longest day of his life.

He had thought about going to the club, but he felt a bit tired. This whole experience felt unreal.

Haruki decided to head straight home. There was nothing he wanted to do anyway. The only thing that made Haruki hesitate was meeting his 'family'. He had fond memories of them, but they also felt so foreign to him.

"What should I say? No, is there anything I should even say in the first place?"

Haruki contemplated for a while before deciding to forget about it. No amount of preparation would help him in this situation.

Although he thought this, Haruki felt himself growing more nervous the closer he got to the door. Taking a deep breath, Haruki braced himself for the inevitable meeting.

"I'm home."

"Welcome home, onii-chan."

Haruki found this greeting strange. Although he had prepared himself for this, it was still weird for him to suddenly have a little sister.

"Are Mom and Dad home?"

"No, they stayed behind for work."

Haruki walked into the kitchen to see his little sister. She had long brown hair and beautiful amber eyes.

She had a delicate frame and perfectly encapsulated the essence of cuteness. Despite this, she seemed to have a lot more maturity than someone her age should have.

She was in the kitchen, dressed in an apron. She was preparing some food.

"I'm making you some food since I figured you didn't eat much."

Mikan spoke without even turning around. She thought that Yuki hadn't eaten lunch since there was no one to prepare lunch for him.

"Thanks, but I've already eaten today."

"Oh? Did you... "

Mikan turned to see a familiar yet unfamiliar face. She hadn't seen Haruki's full face in ages. His blue eyes looked at her in curiosity and hesitance. It felt so strange and yet surprisingly captivating.

"Why... Why did you tie your hair up?"

"I thought it would look nice. You don't like it?"

"No, it looks good."

"Thanks."

Mikan was a little dazed. Her brother felt different today.

'His smile... "

A blush came over her face as she shook her head in embarrassment. She didn't want to have these kinds of thoughts about her own brother.

"Like I was saying, did you buy lunch?"

"No, I made it."

Haruki said this as if it were natural, but Mikan thought differently.

"You can cook?"

"Yeah?"

"Since when?"

"I don't know. I've just been practising lately."

"Then why do you always let me cook?"

"You've never asked."

Mikan found herself getting annoyed. She practically did every chore in this house, so hearing Haruki say that he could cook was more than just surprising.

To think that he had been hiding his skills all this time.

"So you're saying this is my fault?"

"Of course not. I'm just answering your question."

"How about you make dinner then?"

Haruki found Mikan's little tantrum to be cute. He couldn't help but rub her head as he smiled.

"Fine. This will be your big brother's first time cooking for you, so you better enjoy it."

Mikan felt her heart race as she pushed Haruki's hand away.

"Don't mess up my hair!"

"It's not like anyone is going to see it. Now step out of the kitchen."

Haruki pushed out his flustered sister as he donned an apron. He stood in the kitchen for a while thinking about what to make.

"How about I make curry rice?"

"Are you sure you know how to make it?"

Mikan's voice was laced with undisguised doubt. Haruki chuckled as he pulled out a series of ingredients and cooking utensils.

"Of course I can. It's not like I haven't seen you make it a thousand times. Besides, I've been practising too. Who knows, it might even turn out better than yours."

"We'll see."

Mikan was unconvinced. She didn't say anything as she sat on the kitchen counter, watching Haruki at work.

(Do you guys actually like the long descriptions?)

Haruki gracefully peeled and chopped up carrots, potatoes and onions. He grated a little bit of ginger and garlic and set it aside. He also decided to use an apple, which he also peeled and grated. (I also wasn't sure)

Haruki then added a little oil to a pot before adding in the onions. He stirred them a little before letting them cook.

In the meantime, Haruki chopped up some chicken breasts, seasoning them with black pepper.

Haruki then added the garlic and ginger to the pot and mixed them well. He then added the chicken to the pot, stirring until the chicken was no longer pink.

Next he added some chicken broth, along with the grated apple, some honey, soy sauce, a little chilli sauce and some spices.

He finally added the carrots and potatoes, lowering the heat and letting the food simmer.

"By the way, how was the trip?"

Haruki's words brought Mikan out of her trance. She couldn't believe her eyes.

"I can't believe it..."

"What?"

"You weren't kidding?"

"About? Oh, you mean cooking? Yeah."

Mikan was still shocked. Even though she had watched the entire process, she still couldn't wrap her head around it.