30 Rooting For You

"H-Haruto can you help me set up some of the plates for dinner?" Mahiru slowly called out to him.

Although it was just his first name she still felt a bit shy as it was the first time she had ever called a guy close to her age by their given name.

"Hmm? Sure what do you need help with, setting up or carrying them?" Haruto got up from the table that the two siblings were sitting on and went to the kitchen.

Seeing him approach with a regular face Mahiru felt slightly annoyed, feeling like she was the only one who was making a small fuss on the whole name thing. She gave Haruto a soft smack on the shoulder before telling him what to do.

"??" Haruto gave a confused face by her actions but listened carefully to her instructions on what to do.

"Hah I feel like I'll be full before dinner even comes around." Akane who saw this gave a small sigh but still enjoyed every moment of it.

"Akane you aren't allergic to anything right. Even though I made pasta I wanted to be sure it is something you can have."

"You don't need to worry, I don't have any allergies. I'm pretty excited to eat since the smell that has been coming from the kitchen is amazing." Akane answered Mahiru's question and was trying her best to control her stomach.

"Just wait until you eat her cooking, you will be enlightened."

"Oho? Would I be able to finally recognize Mt. Tai from it?" Akane responded to Haruto who was holding his hands together and followed to do the same gesture. Mahiru looked at their interaction and felt so lost on what they were talking about.

The table was finally set and plates of carbonara were placed in front of them. On the side there was garlic bread, fresh salad, roasted vegetables and situated mushrooms that can be eaten with the pasta.

"""Thank you for the food!"""

All three of them gave a quick thanks and began to eat. Haruto twirled his fork and took his first bite of the pasta. The pasta felt silky and perfectly cooked while the sauce gave a smooth and creamy texture.

The cheese and eggs that made up the sauce created a perfect balance of richness and with the bacon bits with it made the sauce have a hint of saltiness and a smoky flavor. Haruto looked to his side and saw Akane who had stars in her eyes devouring her meal.

Haruto reached for a piece of garlic bread as he wanted to taste everything on the table. He took a piece and dipped it into the sauce, coating it. The garlic bread which soaked up the sauce made the flavor even better.

"Shiina, you made another amazing dinner, thank you." Haruto said gratefully while taking in the taste of the bread. Mahiru just looked at him and smiled but was focusing on a certain part of his sentence.

'Shiina..' Mahiru thought in her head but decided to just focus on the meal in front of her.

"Haruto try the salad I made too. It has a little vinaigrette so it can bring some freshness after eating the strong taste of the pasta." Mahiru passed the bowl and Haruto placed some on his plate.

"Oh? Did we buy vinaigrette from the store, I don't remember seeing it in our bags."

"I just quickly made some. It doesn't take much to make it at home so I felt like buying it would not be worth it."

Haruto and Mahiru started to talk about the meal that Mahiru made, forgetting that someone else was with them as they went into their own world.

'I suddenly feel like a third wheel… my dear plate of pasta please comfort me.' Akane said in her mind as she went back to eating her delicious pasta.

***

"Right, do you guys want me to cut up some of the watermelon that we got today." Mahiru asked the two siblings who just finished eating. They both nodded their heads and Mahiru got up from her chair.

"You bastard. You have been eating this good for dinner the whole time."

"I told you, I feel like I was just super lucky to be neighbors with someone like her."

Haruto signed out loud and truly felt like he was super lucky to have been neighbors with Mahiru. Akane felt envious as she lives in a dorm at Shiratorizawa and although the food isn't terrible at the canteen, it was still miles behind Mahiru's home cooked meals.

"By the way how are you guys preparing for the inter highs coming up." Akane asked Haruto as in a few weeks the inter high will start its first few matches.

"I feel like we have started to get used to each other and are able to play much better compared to when we first started out."

Haruto said as they started to improve in receiving and that small tournament that he, Kageyama and Hinata joined helped them react to situations faster when playing on the court.

"What teams are you facing at inter high?"

"The notable ones are Date Tech, Aoba Johsai and of course Shiratorizawa. Luckily I was able to play against Date Techs blockers a bit so I just need to adjust and anticipate myself to how the blockers will move to get past them."

Haruto explained to Akane who was listening intently. This was something that they did since their childhood where Haruto would talk about volleyball and Akane would just listen quietly.

As they were talking Mahiru came with the sliced watermelon and placed it on the table in front of them. She sat down and also quietly listened to Haruto talk.

"How is Shiratorizawa's team preparing, have you seen them practice at all yet?"

"Our gymnasiums are next to each other so I usually see them when I get to practice. But I just want to say that the person Ushijima that you played against before is way stronger compared to Junior High." Akane said, looking at Haruto's face.

"Of course he would, that guy is not a top 3 ace for no reason. I'm just happy that I can finally challenge him again so that I could win at least once when facing him" Haruto said making him want to go out and practice even more now.

***

"Thank you again Mahiru for the dinner. I really enjoyed it."

"It was no problem, I was glad that you liked it."

Akane was putting on her shoes at the front and thanked Mahiru since she was going home seeing that it was getting dark out.

"Are you sure you don't need me to follow you?"

"Why, worried about your older sister? You don't need to since I called a ride to bring me to my dorm so you don't need to worry." Akane giggled reassuring Haruto. She looked at him and quickly whispered something in his ear.

"Haven't you noticed the different way Mahiru has been calling you. I can bet that she would really enjoy you doing the same thing for her." She said and turned her gaze to Mahiru, going up and also whispering something.

"Keep doing what you're doing and he will eventually fall head over heels for you. I'm rooting for you!" Akane gave a small encouraging gesture making Mahiru slightly flustered by her words.

The door closed and Akane left, leaving the two people to take in what Akane just said to them. Haruto looked at Mahiru and thought back to what she meant and it clinked in his head.

"Shiin- I mean… Mahiru, want to try some snacks that I got from the store.."

Haruto said and looked at Mahiru. She slightly flinched by the way he suddenly addressed her and looked at him. Seeing him try to keep eye contact she blossomed into a smile and replied to him.

"Sure I hope you didn't get any bad ones.. Haruto." Mahiru replied and followed behind him back into the living room still wearing a charming smile.

***

The inter highs are coming up. Sorry if it seemed to take forever to reach that part. Peacu.