"Absolutely! It's our first time, so we have to be careful!"

Akemi stood up from her chair, gave a slight bow, and said, "Thank you for your hard work."

Whether it was saving her in the past or protecting Ai now, Mitsuyu deserves her gratitude.

But Guangyou didn't think so. He quickly got up, reached out to help Mingmei, and said with some reproach, "Mingmei, what are you doing?"

Akemi straightened up and smiled at Mitsuyu, saying, "I just wanted to thank you."

Upon hearing this, Guangyou blurted out without thinking, "We're practically family now, so it's too formal to say such things."

Hearing this, Mingmei was stunned for a moment, then chuckled and said, "That's true, but you'll probably have to wait another ten years to become a family. You're not old enough yet."

Guangyou instantly understood what he meant, scratched his head, and laughed, "Pretty much, don't worry about the details."

Neither of them noticed that Ai's face turned bright red after hearing those words.

However, this only lasted for a few seconds before the blush on her face vanished instantly, and she returned to her usual indifferent demeanor. However, the smile on her face was not so easy to suppress.

Her gaze fell on the smiling boy out of the corner of her eye, and she thought to herself, "Family..."

After doing all that, Guangyou returned to his seat, picked up his chopsticks, and said to the two of them, "Let's eat, I'm starving."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ai, who was sitting opposite him, picked up a chicken wing and put it into Guangyou's bowl, saying indifferently, "Then you should eat more."

Seeing this, Guangyou smiled slightly, nodded, and said, "Yes, there are several dishes here prepared for you, so you should eat more."

"Scattered sushi rice, red bean sticky rice, clam soup..."

Akemi looked at the dishes on the table, randomly picked a few, and said, "These are all for Girls' Day, so Shiho, you have to finish them all today."

"Yes, I know."

Ai picked up a bit of the scattered sushi rice from the bowl in front of her with her chopsticks, put it in her mouth, chewed it a few times, and swallowed it, saying, "It's delicious."

After hearing Ai's praise, Kōyū calmed down, picked up his chopsticks, and began to eat, thinking about the stories behind the dishes as he ate.

Of course, this was all told to him by the auntie who was buying groceries.

The ingredients in chirashi sushi rice each have their own meaning, for example:

The shrimp during this period represent health and longevity to the point that one can't even straighten their back.

Lotus root symbolizes that everything you do in the future will go smoothly and without obstacles.

Beans represent health, hard work, and a serious life.

Red bean glutinous rice is much simpler. The main reason is that the red beans inside represent good fortune, just like in China, where red is considered an auspicious color.

After all, this small island nation was essentially China's younger brother at the time, so it's normal for them to have many similarities...

As for the clam soup at the end...

"That aunt's reaction at the time was really..."

Guangyou recalled the aunt's reaction when she introduced the dish, which made him feel embarrassed.

...

The auntie buying groceries couldn't refuse Guangyou's eager-to-learn attitude, but she really couldn't quite articulate the meaning behind the soup.

After thinking for a long time, she explained to Guangyou, "The meaning of this soup is that a girl's most important thing can only be given to one person in her life."

...

He didn't think much of it when he heard it, took the vegetables, and turned around to prepare the ingredients.

On his way back to his apartment, with nothing to do, he remembered what the auntie who was buying groceries had said, so he slowed down and pondered deeply for a long time.

It wasn't until he returned to his apartment that he understood what the woman had meant.

...

"Isn't it just that kind of thing?"

Guangyou took a bite of rice and muttered to himself, "Why not just say you wish the girl a lifetime of faithfulness? Why use the most important thing... Seriously, you have to consider your partner before you drive."

Thinking of this, Guangyou picked up a spoon, scooped up a spoonful of clam broth, and put it in his mouth. As he swallowed, he raised an eyebrow and thought to himself, "Speaking of which, is this kind of symbolism applicable to boys?"

During the meal, Ai and Kouyu would serve each other food, creating a nice atmosphere, though they didn't talk much.

...

The meal lasted for more than an hour before it ended, and Mingmei forcibly took over the task of washing the dishes.

They called it "giving you two some space to be alone."

It really is...

That's great!

Kōyū leaned back on the sofa, crossed his legs, and watched TV comfortably, enjoying the warm sunlight streaming in through the window, occasionally glancing at Ai, who was sitting next to him reading a book.

Life was so pleasant.

"Mingmei, remember to take out the diamond-shaped cakes and peach blossom wine from the refrigerator later."

Guangyou almost forgot about the two ready-made items he bought and put them in the refrigerator; he intended to eat them as snacks.

Diamond-shaped rice cakes are Japanese sweets made by stacking three different colored rice cakes together.

The green cake symbolizes a wish for a long and healthy life for the girl.

The white cake represents the girl's pure and innocent heart.

The pink cake symbolizes the hope that girls will have the ability to ward off evil and bring good fortune.

Peach blossom wine is believed to replenish the body's vital energy, and it is also hoped that it can help girls ward off evil spirits.

"You also bought alcohol?"

Ai looked up at Kousuke, then lowered her head to continue reading, saying, "Drink less; it's bad for your health."

Guangyou chuckled and explained, "This is for you to drink. I even specially bought the non-alcoholic version..."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!