Tokyo: Oreimo

Ryosuke opened the back of the truck and bent down to pick up a cardboard box. The box was labeled "Clothing (Winter)," and it wasn't too heavy.

Saori also picked up a box and followed behind him.

“I’m talking about Shi Yuze.” She put the suitcase in the back compartment and wiped the fine sweat from her forehead with her wrist. “Although moving takes some physical effort, moving to your building means we’ll be closer, and at least we can see each other after get off work.”

Ryosuke nodded.

This is good, as it makes exchanging works more convenient, eliminating the need for constant texting or phone calls.

The two chatted as they moved the boxes, and it took almost an hour for all the cardboard boxes and suitcases to be loaded onto the car.

Saori closed the rear door and dusted off her hands.

"There's another box upstairs, and I can't carry it down by myself."

What is so heavy?

"You'll know once you go up and see." Saori pushed him toward the elevator.

The elevator reached the sixth floor, and Saori opened the apartment door.

The apartment was simpler than Ryosuke had imagined. There wasn't much furniture, but every piece was clearly carefully chosen. The curtains in the living room were a calm, smoky gray, and on the coffee table were several computer magazines and a half-read project proposal.

“Here.” Saori led him into the study.

Next to the desk was a cardboard box about sixty centimeters square, which was not sealed.

Ryosuke leaned closer for a look.

Inside were handwritten notebooks, printed draft plans, and script revisions covered with annotations. On the cover of the top notebook, the words "FSN Initial Concept" were written in large characters with a marker.

“Those are…” Ryosuke turned to look at Saori.

“I’ve kept all the drafts of the works you gave me over the years.” Saori leaned against the door frame of the study, her arms crossed. “These are my most precious things.”

She tilted her head.

"I don't trust the moving company to handle these things, so you'll have to move them yourself."

Ryosuke squatted down and opened the top book. The paper was a little yellowed and the ink was slightly smudged at the edges, but every word was intact.

He really didn't expect that the other party would have such a collection.

Saori didn't say anything, but just smiled and winked at him.

"Let's go." Ryosuke bent down to pick up the cardboard box; it was really heavy, in a physical sense.

"Be careful not to strain your back."

"This weight is acceptable."

The two walked out of the apartment one after the other. In the elevator, Saori pressed the button for the first floor, then leaned on Ryosuke's shoulder very naturally and closed her eyes.

"tired?"

“A little.” Her voice revealed a rare weariness. “I was tidying up these things until 3 a.m. last night, and then I was thinking about how I would have to rearrange things when I moved to the new place. I was so excited that I couldn’t fall asleep.”

The elevator floor numbers jumped down one by one.

"Oh, right."

"Ok?"

“Ling Nai sent me a message last night.”

“…”

Saori looked up at Ryosuke, her eyes crinkling with a smile.

"She officially declared war on me, saying she's coming to steal it and I should be careful."

Ryosuke's fingers tightened slightly as he held the cardboard box.

"Did she message you?"

"Yeah, it was probably around 3 a.m.," Saori said, covering her mouth and laughing, showing no sign of displeasure. "She said she didn't want to hide anymore and wanted to tell me openly that she liked you."

When the elevator reached the first floor, Ryosuke stepped out first, followed by Saori.

"What did you reply?"

“I said ‘I’m available anytime.’” Saori watched as Ryosuke placed the cardboard box on the back seat of the car. “Then she said, ‘You’ll regret it.’”

Ryosuke remained silent for a few seconds.

"You're not angry?"

"Why should I be angry?" Saori turned her head to look at his profile. "I set the rules myself, and she played by them. I have nothing to say, and besides—"

She paused for a moment.

"She was braver than I imagined, and that deserves respect."

The two got into the car.

Ryosuke stepped on the gas, the car started moving, and the car was quiet for a moment, with only the navigation system broadcasting the route ahead.

“However,” Saori suddenly spoke, her tone carrying a deeper meaning, “since she dared to send that text message, something must have happened last night. Shi Yuze, is there anything you want to tell me?”

Ryosuke's ears instantly burned.

"...She was not happy after she came back from school last night. She came to see me in the evening and said a few things."

"and then?"

"Then she said she would no longer use siblings as an excuse."

Saori stared at him for three seconds, then suddenly burst out laughing.

“You can’t even lie properly.” She pointed a finger at Ryosuke’s reddened ear. “This color is definitely more than just ‘saying some things’.”

Ryosuke's ear was so hot under her fingertips that it could be used to fry an egg.

"Did you kiss?" Saori asked casually.

"..."

That's excessively perceptive.

“As expected.” Saori withdrew her fingers, leaned back in her chair, and spoke with a knowing tone that said, “Just as I thought.” “What else did she do?”

Ryosuke gripped the steering wheel, unsure how to respond.

"that's it."

"That's it?" Saori said with a half-smile. "I don't believe you only kissed me once, judging from your reaction."

"...It really was just a kiss."

Saori didn't ask any further questions.

She looked at the road stretching ahead, the afternoon sun of June shining through the car window onto her knees, and she tapped them lightly with her fingertips.

"Shi Yuze".

"Ok?"

Are you planning to continue like this?

Ryosuke didn't answer. It wasn't that he didn't want to answer, but rather that he genuinely had no answer.

Saori didn't press him; she simply took her hand off the cardboard box, placed it on his knee, and patted it gently.

"I know this is a difficult question, but that's okay. I'll let you think about it slowly. Anyway, I've already moved downstairs from you, so I have plenty of time."

She spoke very softly, as if she were talking to herself.

"However, it's a promise. No matter what you choose in the end, you're mine now."

.......

The new apartment is on the second floor of the building where Ryosuke and Ayano live. It's a bit larger than their third-floor apartment, but the price is great. It also has a two-bedroom, one-living room layout plus a separate study.

When Ryosuke carried the last box into the study, Saori was standing on the balcony, holding onto the railing and looking out.

"The view here is slightly better than upstairs; you can see the hydrangeas below."

She turned her head, took out the hairpin from her hand and put it back in, then tied her long curly hair into a loose bun at the back of her head. "I've almost finished moving everything, and I'm all sweaty. I'm going to take a shower first."

"I'm going to the convenience store downstairs to buy something."

Ryosuke picked up his coat.

"Bring up a bottle of iced barley tea," Saori said without turning her head.

When Ryosuke went downstairs and pushed open the convenience store door, he was immediately greeted by the sound of air conditioning and the automatic doorbell.

He wandered around the shelves, grabbed shower gel and two bottles of barley tea, and also picked up a few packets of bath salts before heading to the checkout counter to queue.

The person standing in front was wearing a Buffet rabbit pattern T-shirt and had her golden ponytail tied high.

That's right, it's already four or five in the afternoon, time for school to end.

Ryosuke paused for a moment.

Hearing the noise behind her, Ling Nai turned around, holding a box of eggs and a bunch of scallions.

Their eyes met in mid-air.

"...Buying groceries?" Ryosuke spoke first.

"Yeah, we ran out of eggs in the fridge." Ling Nai's tone was unusually calm, neither angry nor sarcastic. "Did you finish helping the Giantess move them?"

"She just moved and is tidying up at home."

"Oh."

Ling Nai turned back, placed the eggs and scallions on the cashier's counter, took out a few coins from her wallet, picked up the plastic bag, and stopped at the entrance of the convenience store.

"Oh, right." Without turning around, she said, "We're having oyako-don tonight."

Ryosuke was taken aback.

"what?"

"Didn't I tell you, cooking is your job from now on? I've already bought the ingredients. You don't actually know how to cook, do you?"

"Yes, I can."