Chapter 37: Dinner With Kasumi-san

"I'm home," I announced as I walked into our house.

"Oh, welcome back. Did you already grab a bite outside?" asked my step-mother, Kasumi-san.

"Yeah," I replied, glancing around. There was no one else in sight. Thankfully, Yui wasn't here waiting for me. That was a relief.

"Oh, and look at me, I've cooked even more. I thought you'd dine with us at home."

"You cooked?"

Kasumi-san grinned at me, "I had some free time today, so I decided to whip up a meal for the family."

Ah, that explained her wearing an apron today. She was even home early, a rare sight considering her usual late returns from work. Normally, I'd see her coming in wearing office attire, but now, she was in an apron. It was a refreshing change.

Kurogane Kasumi is my step-mother. She's played the role of my mother for the past 11 years, and in my heart, she's become my real mother.

I didn't remember much about my real mother at all. I was just a child when my father separated from her, and the details had blurred with time. My father rarely spoke about her, and I never dared to ask. It was Kasumi-san who had filled that maternal role in my life ever since, and she had done it with such care and dedication that I couldn't have asked for a better mother figure.

"That's a pleasant surprise," I said. "I appreciate the effort."

She chuckled. "Well, don't get used to it. I can't always be a domestic goddess, you know."

I headed to the kitchen.

"In that case, I should definitely have a taste of your cooking. Even though I already had something outside, I'm still hungry. I am a growing young man, after all."

"How about we eat together?"

"You haven't eaten yet?"

"Well, I was waiting for my son to come home so we could have a meal together. You know it's a rare occasion for me to be home early, and when I do and cook something, you're not at the table with me, just like last night. I haven't had the chance to share a meal with you, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity."

Come to think of it, I realized it had been about two months since I last shared a meal with Kasumi-san... She was at home last night, but I was too tired and preoccupied with thoughts of what happened between Yui and me, so I didn't get the chance to eat with her.

"Oh, well, if you insist."

"Wait. Let me get the food ready."

Kasumi-san prepared the dishes and heated them up. Once everything was set, she placed them on the table. As we sat down at the dining table, the aroma of her cooking filled the air.

I put my hands together and said, "Thanks for the meal."

She did the same, and then we started eating. I couldn't help but compliment her on the meal. "This is really delicious, Kasumi-san. Your cooking never disappoints."

She blushed slightly at the praise. "Thank you, Tsubasa-kun. Maybe I'll cook on special occasions more often."

"That sounds like a great idea," I replied. "To be honest, I'm getting a bit tired of tasting Akane's cooking. It's not as bland as a beginner, but everything she cooks ends up being mediocre at best."

Kasumi-san gave me a stern look. "Tsubasa-kun, you shouldn't say something like that about your sister. Akane's been taking on the responsibility of cooking when I'm not home after school. It's not easy for her, you know."

I winced, realizing I might have been a bit too critical. "I didn't mean to sound ungrateful. I appreciate that she's been helping out, but your cooking is just on a different level, Kasumi-san."

"Hehe... Hearing you compliment me really rejuvenates my tired body... But seriously, you shouldn't say things like that to Akane. She's been putting in a lot of effort, you know. I remember when she asked me to teach her how to cook because she was worried you'd get sick from eating nothing but noodles. I can still recall how she looked up to me and said, 'I want Tsubasa-kun to grow up healthy!' with her fists clenched and a determined look in her eyes. I wish you could have seen that."

Did Akane really do that? Well, if it happened when we were younger, I suppose I could believe that she wanted to learn to cook for me. We were still close back then, after all. But now, hearing this was a bit hard to grasp.

"Oh? When did she ask you that?"

"Oh, well, when she was twelve."

So, it was during our second year of middle school. That was the time when I was close to senpai... and that was also when we started to grow apart.

As I chewed on the delicious meal Kasumi-san had prepared, my mind wandered to thoughts of Akane. She was my step-sister, and we used to be so close. I remembered the days when we'd play together, share secrets, and laugh until our stomachs hurt. But somewhere along the way, in the second year of middle school, things changed. We grew apart, and I never quite understood why.

I gazed at the food on my plate. This food, always in this plate, was Akane's cooking. If she really went through all the trouble to learn how to cook for me and ensure I ate healthy, should I be grateful? No... Even if she did, things were different now. I felt like she was cooking for the whole family, not just me...

"Oh, by the way, Yui-chan is looking for you."

The moment Kasumi-san said that, I choked on my food.

"Are you alright?"

I gulped down a glass of water and stammered, "I-I'm fine... Um, what does Yui want from me?"

"I'm not sure. She asked if I knew where you were, and when I told her I didn't, she said that once you got home, she wouldn't let you sleep tonight. I think she's planning to play some pranks on you again, Tsubasa-kun."

She won't let me get any sleep tonight – that sounded pretty ominous. I can assure you, Kasumi-san, this isn't some prank. Yui-sama seemed dead set on doing something to me.

"Um, where is she now?"

"I think she's waiting for you in your room."

I swallowed hard. It seemed I couldn't avoid this showdown with my wicked twin sister. I prayed it wouldn't end up like that twincest nonsense Kaneda mentioned from some dating sim he played – where twin siblings of different genders got a little too close for comfort.

"It's nice to see how close you two are. I hope you'll have the same bond with my daughter. Don't worry, even if Akane acts a bit cold sometimes, she does care about you. I'm sure of that."

"I'll do my best," I replied.

Our conversation wrapped up, or more accurately, I cut it short. My mind was racing as I chewed my food, thinking about the impending showdown with Yui. What would happen in my room? I prayed it wouldn't veer into anything too adult-themed, or even close. I just wanted to maintain the wholesome sibling relationship we'd always had..

As we wrapped up dinner, I accidentally slipped and said, "Thanks for dinner, Kasumi-san."

She promptly chopped me on the head with her chopsticks, not too hard but enough to get my attention. "That's kaa-san for you."

I rubbed my head, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Sorry, Kaa-san. Force of habit."

It had only been three months since she started insisting on being called "Kaa-san." Since I'd been calling her "Kasumi-san" since my dad married her, it had become a habit. Lately, though, I was starting to get used to it.

I insisted on washing the dishes to let Kasumi-san rest. She agreed with a smile and said, "Ara ara, what a nice boy you've grown into." She headed upstairs. After cleaning the plates, I tidied up a bit and then made my way back to my room on the upper floor.

When I reached the second floor, my gaze fixed on my bedroom door. Inside that room was a mischievous troublemaker, lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce on me. I hoped she wouldn't dive right into causing trouble. With sweaty palms, I reached for the doorknob and turned it. There was a click, and the door swung open. As I stepped in, I heard the sound of a video game playing.

I scanned the room and quickly spotted that troublemaker. She was dressed in her sailor uniform, lying on her stomach on my bed, engrossed in her phone game. Her legs were playfully kicking, and she still had those black and white striped knee-high socks on.

As she kicked her legs, her skirt flew up, revealing her white panties. My throat tightened at the sight.

I needed to ask myself why she was in her sailor uniform, but I didn't have time to wonder. She sensed my presence and turned around.

The moment she laid eyes on me, she flashed a mischievous grin. "Oh, Onii-chan. Welcome back!"