Date Her Instead Vol. 7 (Final Volume)

Chapter Five: Remembering

The next morning was a little chaotic for Michi, to say the least. Before she had even gotten out of bed, she heard a knock at her door. Naturally, when she answered it, the person standing on the other side was Chiyo. "Mornin' Mi-chan!" she said happily. "...Why are you here already?" Michi groaned, still trying to wake up. "Hey Mi-chan, your hair's like, all other the place," Chiyo commented as she look all around at the wild head of hair. "That's because I haven't brushed it yet..." Michi said. "Whatever. Just get in here before you annoy the neighbors."

"Y'know, every time I'm here Mi-chan, I can't help but feel like your place is like, really dreary," Chiyo said as she looked around after walking in. "Shut up. I don't need your decorating advice," Michi huffed, though even she understood how plain it looked. After all, the walls hardly had anything on them, and the furniture was simplistic as well. Off-white walls, a brown couch and a table of the same color in front of it. Ahead of that, a TV, and besides that, a small table with two chairs that served to create a dining space. It wasn't much, and never had been, but it had always been good enough for Michi. Although, with how much more time she had been spending at her own apartment lately, she was beginning to feel the emptiness (in more ways than one).

However, this particular morning wasn't empty as all, as the boisterous gal kept buzzing around through the apartment. At first, Michi was going to stop her, but then she decided it'd be pointless and went to get ready for school instead. Combing her hair, tying it up and making sure her uniform was on right were all par for the course, but the constant banging she kept hearing was definitely out of the norm.

"Chiyo! What the hell are you... doing?" Stomping out into the living room, Michi turned toward the source of the noise and the kitchen, only to stop in her tracks. Now that she was out there, she could smell the fragrant scent of miso soup and the hear the sizzling of meat. Walking over, she saw Chiyo standing there over the stove, humming away as she cooked.

"Oh, are ya ready Mi-chan?" Chiyo said as she glanced back. "I borrowed your kitchen. Hope ya don't mind~." "What are you making?" Michi asked, getting closer to the stove. "Oh, just some Western stuff. Sausages, eggs, y'know, real American," Chiyo said. "Miso soup is American...?" Michi said, staring at the bubbling pot next to the two fry pans. "Ah, well, I kinda like to have it with breakfast sometimes, so..." Chiyo said, trailing off with a little laugh. "It may not match all together perfectly, but I know it'll be good!"

Looking at Chiyo, Michi also noticed she was wearing an apron. It wasn't anything fancy (just a basic white), but Michi had to admit, it looked good on the gal. "Hm? What'cha starin' at Mi-chan?" Chiyo said with a wry grin. "N-Nothing," Michi said, then quickly retreated to the dining table. "She looks good in it? What the hell am I thinking...?" Michi sighed to herself.

A little bit later, breakfast was ready, and Chiyo placed everything on the table. Michi grabbed a bit of everything, then gave her thanks. "I hope ya like it," Chiyo said softly, taking the seat across from Michi. Trying a bit of the eggs, Michi put them in her mouth. "Mm! They're so fluffy..." she said after swallowing. "How'd you do that?" "It's a trick my big sis taught me," Chiyo said. "I'll show ya sometime."

The two of them continued eating, and as they did, Michi couldn't help but think back to the thought she had had recently about what it would be like if Chiyo were around more. The way things were playing out was a little different than what she had imagined, but overall, it was... pleasant. Chiyo kept talking about random things, and honestly, the whole moment was nothing special, but... Michi couldn't help but smile. "This is nice," she thought.

Not long after, it was time for them to go. They walked out of the apartment, down the stairs and reached the sidewalk. Michi was about to continue walking when she noticed Chiyo had stopped. "Hey, um," she said, sounding a little nervous. "Aren't you... forgetting something?"