“Shida-san!” Yamada Ryosuke knocked onto Shida Mirai and Shida Miyu’s shared bedroom’s door for the nth time, yet he still accepted no response from inside.

He heard Mr. Shida shouted from the first floor for him to hurry up. He looked at the lunch box in his hold, considering to just put it in on the floor before the door. However, he was worried if it was put on the floor and Shida Mirai didn’t pick it up immediately then the food would be stole by ants or the stray cat which often sneaked into the restaurant. So, after much thought, he dared himself to opened the door. Well, since it was still early spring and last night was cold, he assumed the oldest daughter would wear a complete sleeping gear to bed, so he did not to worry about walking in when she was not in modest state. He convinced himself and stepped into the room.

Once inside, he swept his gaze around and found the girl comfortably tucked herself under a thick blanket on one of the two beds in the room. Miyu said Mirai had stayed awake all night to finish her assignment, and had asked to be woken up at 8 in the morning, which was still half an hour later.

“Shida-san!” he called out rather loudly, but she only groaned and pulled her blanket over her head.

He had to hold in his amused chuckle. She looked rather cute when sleeping. He slapped his own cheek immediately. Stop thinking improperly, you brat! He scolded himself.

“Shida-san!” this time he deliberately shook her over her blanket.

She groaned but appeared from behind her blanket while rubbing her eyes.

“What’s it Mih-yuh?” she asked while yawning.

“Shida-san, it’s Yamada, not Miyu-chan.”

She abruptly sat up and wrapped her blanket tightly around her once his words settled in. Her eyes were wide, glaring at him.

“What are you doing here?!” her voice hollered inside the room.

“Calm down, please!” he said nervously, taking a few steps back to show that he didn’t mean harm.

“CALM DOWN?! SERIOUSLY! DIDN’T YOUR PARENTS TEACH YOU THAT  YOU SHOULDN’T ENTER SOMEONE ELSE’S ROOM WITHOUT PERMISSION? MOREOEVER A GIRL’S BEDROOM!”

His body stilled for a moment at her words but he quickly regained his composure.

“I have knocked many times but you didn’t answer,” he defended his innocence. “I just wanted to give you this,” he put the lunch box on the night stand beside the bed. “And your father asked me to tell you that he and I will be going to pick up some ingredients in the market. Your mother has left with Miyu-chan for the parent-visit in Miyu-chan’s school. So, there would be no one to wake you up at eight later.”

He spoke quickly so that she wouldn’t interupt his explanantion, and it seemed his plan worked. She looked calmer.

“That’s all. I’m really sorry,” he ended his sentence.

She didn’t look at him, but with softer tone told him, “Please get out of my room.”

He didn’t need to be told twice. He immediately strode towards the door, but he remembered something. He halted at the door then turned around once again.She narrowed her eyes as though asking why he had not left yet.

He mustered a smile, but a little pain still present inside, “About what you said before, my parents indeed never taught me about it, but it’s not because they didn’t want to. They just didn’t have the chance since Kami-sama loved them too much. So, it’s purely myself to be blamed. I’m sorry, Shida-san.”

He bowed slightly to emphasize his apology and then left without any more words.

**********

Mirai was in one of her college gazebos, sitting alone on a stone bench. Umika had to go to the library to pick up some books, and Mirai was waiting for her. As she waited, she took out her saving record from her bag.She had been saving since highschool from her allowance and part-time job payment, and a part of her scholarship fund. Aside to have financial back up should unexpected thing happen, she intended to use her saving for Miyu’s high school and college fund so that her parents would not have to be burdened with that.

She sighed.

She remembered how she recklessly cried in front of Yamada Ryosuke last night. However, she reasoned to herself that it couldn’t be helped. She was frustated not being able to be reliable enough for her parents to confide in her about their financial problems. A few months ago, she found out from accidentally hearing her parents’ talk, that her parents had a loan they should pay back by the end of the semester.Unfortunately, her parents got the loan from the notorius loanshark from their neighborhood. The amount of loan had been tripled of the initial amount since the interest was so high. If they failed to pay the loan back, their house would be confiscated as the consequence. However, her parent hid that fact from either her and Miyu. She knew they didn’t want her to worry, thus she didn’t confront her parents directly about it. Yesterday, when she walked home then heard from her neighbor about thugs coming to her house and threatened her parents, she couldn’t hold her disappointment in, and ended up embarrassing herself by crying in front of Yamada Ryosuke.

She stared at her saving record while shaking her embarrassment off.

She had sneaked into her parents room when they were not home, and found the copy of the deal they made with the loanshark. Ten million yen. It was such a big amount. Her saving was only a million yen, and it was her five years saving. How could she get the rest 9 millions in just two months?

“I’ll bring that for you,” a familiar manly voice was heard from behind her, and she immediately hid her saving record in between the page of her thick textbook.

A brief moment later, Umika sat down beside her, and Umika’s boyfriend, Chinen Yuri, put Umika’s books down the stone table before the bench then sit himself across them.

“Hi, Mirai,” Chinen Yuri waved at her.

“Hi, Chinen-kun. It’s a rare chance to see you in the college lately,” she smiled.

“Nah, my schedule in the hospital was so crazy,” he shrugged.

Chinen Yuri was three years above Mirai and Umika, so he was pretty much their senior. Chinen Yuri was soon-to-be-doctor. He was in his final semester, so his schedule was packed with field practice or co-assisting senior doctors in an appointed hospital. He and Umika had been together for about two years, practically since the beginning of Umika entered the college.Umika’s mom was one of security system programmers in Chinen’s family company, so they’ve known each other since long through their parents, but only got into a real romantic relationship two years ago.The reason was because Umika was chosen as the prettiest new student that year, and she got many gifts from her admirer. Chinen felt jealous and declared thatUmika was his girlfriend even before he properly confessed to the maiden. Then well, she thought, perhaps for the couple being orthodox didn’t suit them. Umika got angry, but when Chinen said that he was serious, Umika’s anger melted right away, and ever since then, they became the infamous couple in the college.

“Would it also be impossible for you to come with us to Yoriko-san’s farewell party next week?” Umika asked.

Kaname Yoriko-san was one of young and favorite lecturers in the college, and the advisor of their student union. Yoriko-san was leaving to USA due to her husband’s work. So the student union, in which Mirai and Umika were members, decided to hold a farewell party.

“I don’t know yet. Sometimes, the schedule is altered at the last minutes,” Yuri answered.

Umika pouted, “Fine then, dr. Busy.”

Yuri only laughed at that, then offered, “How about I take you guys for lunch. I still have several hours before my shift in the hospital.”

When lunch being mentioned,Mirai remembered the lunch box in her bag. “Ah, actually I bring lunch. Do you guys want to taste it?”

Yuri and Umika narrowed their eyes suspiciously at Mirai, asking in sync, “You cooked?”

Mirai pursed her lips. She knew she wasn’t good in cooking, but shouldn’t her friend at least pretend to be happy assuming she cooked? Sighing, she took out the lunch box, putting on the table then opening it.

“Wow!” it’s their reaction, the tree of them.

Mirai didn’t expect the lunch would be so well arranged and contained rich ingredients. Yuri took a slice of roasted potato and took a bite.

“It’s delicious,” he munched.

Umika followed his example and gave the same remark.

“Woah, since when you became so good in cooking, Mirai-chan?” Yuri asked, picking another piece of cooked vegetable.

“It... it’s not me,” Mirai reluctantly admitted. “It’s that guy.”

“That guy? Who?” Yuri was clueless.

Umika smirked though, “Ah, I knew it!”

“You knew the guy?” Yuri’s eyes glinted with sheer jealousy.

“Well, it’s the one I told you before, Yuri. The guy whom Mirai saved and been staying at her house. Yamada Ryosuke,” Umika answered.

“Yeah,” Mirai confirmed.

“Ah! I really want to meet that guy. He seems interesting,”Yuri expressed his interest, and when he was about to pick another piece of fried shrimp, Umika hit his hand.

“Ouch!” Yuri rubbed his pained hand, glaring at Umika, “Why did you hit me?”

“I know you like to eat, but this is a special lunch made for Mirai,” with that Umika drew the lunch box closer to Mirai then winked. “Here, Mirai-chan. Your prince has cooked it for you. You should at least appreciate it.”

Mirai rolled her eyes in annoyance. Umika surely found it amusing to tease Mirai with mentioning Yamada Ryosuke. Mirai pushed the lunch box back to Yuri’s side.

“It’s okay if you want it. I could just buy lunch in cafeteria,” Mirai smiled sincerely.

Yuri glanced at Umika, and upon finding his girlfriend fiercely glaring at him, he cowered, “Ah, no. Umika is right. It’s not proper if I eat the lunch specially prepared for you.” He grinned.

Mirai had long known that those two friends of hers were such a mischievous couple. They would not be light in punishing people who had wronged them. That’s another reason why those two became the most feared couple in the college. Sometimes, she felt so grateful to be in their good side.

She eventually yielded and started eating her lunch. She knew her friends would not stop teasing her if she didn’t.

“Anyway, you girls don’t have any more class for today, right?”

“No, why?” Umika asked, munching a piece of fish steak Mirai shoved into since Mirai didn’t want to eat alone.

“Then let’s go,” Yuri gestured to the parking lot where his car was. “We’ll drive Mirai home. It’s been a while I didn’t get to eat Auntie’s cooking. I miss her miso soup.”

Mirai smiled happily at this. Despite being rich, Yuri and Umika never hesitated nor embarrassed to eat in a small restaurant like her family’s. They really were good persons and good friends. She was really grateful to them.

When they arrived at Mirai’s house,they were surprised to see the restaurants were crowded with customers, and most of them were school girls. Seeing their uniforms, Mirai recognized they were from nearby highschool.

Mirai led her two friends squeeze their way inside her house, catching sight of her father on the other side of the restaurant serving customers. When they reached the kitchen, they met Mrs. Shida who was still busy placing some orders in Yamada Ryosuke’s waiting tray.

“Mom, I’m home,” Mirai announced her arrival.

Mrs. Shida look