Beside the sink, Kōyū handed the washed bowl to Ai, then turned to look at Rin and Kazuha, who seemed to be discussing something.

He wrinkled his nose slightly and pretended to sniff.

"What's wrong with you?" Ai wiped the bowl that Kousuke handed her clean, and just as she put the bowl down, she saw Kousuke sniff the air, as if there was some kind of smell in the air.

"It's nothing." Kōyū looked away, continued washing the dishes, and handed them to Ai, explaining, "I just feel like something fun is going to happen."

"Oh." Ai wasn't really interested in these things; she was just curious why Kousuke would do that.

Without pressing for details, Ai responded and took the bowl from Kousuke's hand, wiped it clean, and put it aside.

"Ai, I feel like we're getting more and more in sync."

Perhaps to prove what Kousuke said, he was just about to hand the washed bowl to Ai when Ai took it from him.

"Don't...you're not happy about it?" Ai asked in a slightly light tone, her head lowered, her hair obscuring the smile on her lips.

"How could that be?" Kōyū understood the meaning behind Ai's words, smiled, and deliberately lowered his voice because Ran and Kazuha were also in the kitchen.

He glanced at Xiaolan and Heye out of the corner of his eye, and seeing that they were still discussing, he felt relieved and said, "I'm overjoyed, how could I not be happy?"

"That's good then." Ai actually really liked the atmosphere when the two of them were together.

Just like now, he's washing the dishes, and I'm helping him wipe them down.

During this process, the two can also chat, talking about things they thought the other didn't know, or things they both wanted to talk about.

Even if the other person already knew what they were talking about, they both understood that the other person would definitely act as if they were finding out for the first time.

They would all smile and agree with each other.

Among those of similar age, some wanted to make a name for themselves in the outside world.

Perhaps it's to prove their own worth.

Or perhaps it's for some reason that they want to change their lives.

...

And they...

Perhaps it was their past experiences that caused a change in their mindset.

This quiet and peaceful life is what the two of them wanted.

It's not that they don't want to work hard, it's just that they don't value it as much anymore.

"It's really good." Guangyou paused for a moment after hearing this, then smiled and nodded.

What he originally wanted to say was, "Ai, I've noticed that we're starting to resemble an old married couple more and more."

But after thinking about it, he realized he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Because he hadn't gone through that most important step yet, Guangyou felt something was off.

That's why it was later changed to the line: "Ai, I feel like we're getting more and more in sync."

However, it's not bad either.

“But I’m not satisfied with just tacit understanding.” Kōyū handed the washed dishes to Ai, then put his hands on his hips and exhaled.

This is the last bowl.

Taking the bowl from Guangyou, wiping it clean and placing it aside, Ai wiped the glistening water droplets from her hands with a towel and said softly, "Then it depends on your performance. There's still plenty of time."

Although the tone sounded somewhat indifferent at first glance, it seemed to conceal a hint of longing for the future.

"You'll definitely be satisfied," Guangyou said with a smile, patting his chest.

Although he was smiling, Ai could hear the determination in his voice.

"Okay, I'll trust you this once." Ai nodded, washed the towel and hung it up, and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Let's go, we're almost done here." Guangyou's gaze swept over Xiaolan and Heye, who seemed to have finished their discussion.

He was holding a rag, doing the final finishing touches.

There were more people coming tonight, so cleaning the kitchen was a bit more of a hassle.

However, the group worked together to clean up, so it wasn't too tiring. In fact, for various reasons, the atmosphere in the kitchen was quite cheerful.

"Sister Xiaolan, Sister Ye, we'll go out and rest first."

"Um."

After saying goodbye to Ran and Ai, Kousuke and Ai left the kitchen.

The two walked to the living room window, pulled back the curtains covering the window, and looked outside.

The fine rain, like smoke and mist, falls silently from the night sky, eventually settling in every corner of the city, nourishing the greenery and washing away the invisible dust in the air.

In the distance, the streetlights along the road shone brightly. A person carrying an umbrella walked past under the streetlights, walking hurriedly, and carrying a briefcase in their hand.

Glancing at the rain outside and then at the time, Kōyū turned his head, his eyes reflecting Ai's delicate profile, and said, "Ai, it seems like this rain isn't going to stop anytime soon."

"It's okay, you have an umbrella, don't you?" Ai understood Kousuke's implied meaning, but still pretended not to know anything and said this.

"It seems quite late." Kōyū moved closer to Ai, but Ai didn't move away...

Part of the reason is that there was nowhere else for her to move.

Another reason is that she didn't care about Kwang-yu's approach.

After all, it was him who got close...

"It's late, it's fine." Ai, still pretending not to understand, turned her head to meet Kousuke's eyes and said in a calm tone, "You'll take me home, right?"

“…Definitely.” Guangyou hesitated for a moment before nodding in response.

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