Once again? | Inoo Kei

Chapter 6 - Cherry Love

-Nanami's POV-

Sounds of birds chirping ran through my ears. I woke up just in time for grocery shopping aka doing my duty as a daughter since it's summer break.

I got dressed in an outfit and headed out.

"Hmm..there isn't a lot on the list today. Strawberries, milk and carrots" I mumbled to myself.

I arrived at the supermarket, browsing through all the different sections. I'll always buy some cherry tomatoes back home since they're really delicious! So pretty in shape and vibrant in colour. After I got everything that are on the list, I went to the section with cherry tomatoes.

"Uwahhh..." I was amazed by the variety. There seemed to be more this time!

I was about to take one box of cherry tomatoes when suddenly, someone's hand touched mine.

I look up and realised it's Kei's Mom! That took me by surprise as this is my first time seeing her here.

"Oh, it's you, Nanami-chan!" Her face glowed up.

"Good morning!" I greeted her.

"You're here to buy cherry tomatoes..for Kei..ah I mean Inoo-chan?" I asked curiously.

"Yes that's right. You still remember that he loves cherry tomatoes? By the way, I know how close you two have gotten so feel free to call him Kei in front of me." She giggled.

My eyes widened in disbelief at her words. My face heats up a little when the polaroid picture flashed in my mind.

"Oh yeah, so he still loves cherry tomatoes." I smiled knowing that something didn't change. But...I thought of what happened last week. Sigh, I'm still not over it. I don't know why do I still feel so bitter over a girl confessing to him.

I reached for one box of cherry tomatoes and placed in the shopping basket I was holding onto.

"Hope to see you again!" I was about to make my way to the cashier.

"Wait! Nanami-chan, are you free? I need your help." She called out to me.

"Yeah sure~ what is it?" I turned back to answer her question.

"Well, you see Kei is not at home right now and I'll need to bake 70 cupcakes for an event in my hometown tonight."

I blinked my eyes for a couple of seconds.
Wait what? Did she just invited me to her house which is also KEI'S HOUSE? I would love to help Kei's Mom with baking but I really hope I won't have an awkward time facing Kei if he comes home while I'm still there. Ahhhh all these thoughts are messing my mind up. But again, I can't bear to not help her when she has so many cupcakes to make. I'll feel so guilty if I lie to her.

"Y..Yeah sure. I'd be glad to help you." I quickly ditch all my thoughts about Kei and smiled pleasantly.

"Thank you so much, Nanami-chan!"

"I'll need to go home first to deliver these items to my Mom. I'll see you later!" With that, I hurriedly made my way back home.

-Kei's POV-

Yawns. It's early in the morning and Dai-chan dragged me out for breakfast. He called me yesterday and told me all about this newly opened cafe near our school which looks amazing and he wants to try it out.

We arrived at the cafe and there's a pretty cool glass case showcasing the freshly baked breads and cakes. The aromatic smell of the brewing coffee surrounded the whole cafe.
We ordered our selected items and settled down on a table.

"Delicious!" Dai-chan exclaims. I took a bite of my sandwich and indeed it's really delicious. I was feeling sleepy but now I'm pretty much awakened by the mouthwatering breakfast.

Maybe I should bring Nanami here one day. Why do I always think of Nanami when it comes to things like this? It's been long since I saw her though. I don't know why but I kind of feel like she has been avoiding me or maybe it's just me. I actually miss hanging out with her...

"Inoo-chan?? What are you thinking of?" Dai-chan waved his hand in front of my face. I woke up from my deep thoughts. Totally didn't realised I stopped eating for a moment.

"Dai-chan, what would you do if you miss someone but you think she's avoiding you?"

"I don't think I'll get an answer if I don't approach her so maybe you should talk to her directly. Just be yourself. I'm sure you'll do fine!"

"Thanks Dai-chan."

"Wait, seems like you really care about that person...Do you like her?" Dai-chan's eyes widened.

"No, no!" I tried to protest.

"Actually I don't know..."

Dai-chan gasped.

"Who who who who is it?" He asked with a pair of excited eyes filled with curiosity staring at me.

"I'll tell you when the time comes." I chuckled.

"Fineeeee." Dai-chan pouted.

We continued to enjoy our breakfast as we chat about other things that are happening in our lives.

"Thanks for the advice."

"Remember to tell me more!" He waved excitedly as we parted ways.

-Nanami's POV-

"Nanami-chan, pass me the flour~"

As the time goes by, we finally managed to make 70 cupcakes. We spent quite a lot of time on baking. The kitchen was in a mess due the amount of mixing and whisking we had to do.

We were really relieved that we got the job done though.

"Phew." I sat down on the chair and shut my eyes.

"Nanami-chan, here's some snacks for you~ Thank you for helping me with the cupcakes!" She placed them on the dining table.

"Oh thank you!" I started enjoying the delicious and cute looking cookies. It's filled with chocolate chips and it's tasty and sweet.

Moments later, I heard noises in the kitchen.
I walked in to find Kei's Mom packing the cupcakes into nice and decorative boxes speedily.

"Yabai, I'm actually running late!" She looked at her watch and panicked.

"I'll help you." Of course, two pairs of hands work faster than one. We finished packing the cupcakes within minutes and she lets out a sigh of relief.

Looking around the kitchen, I realised it's still in a mess but since she is running late,
I decided to volunteer to help her clean the kitchen.

"Don't worry! I'll get it done."

"Sorry to trouble you again Nanami-chan!"

"It's okay~ I have nothing else to do anyway." I smiled cheerfully.

"Alright, I'll be going now~"

With that, I'm left with the silent house alone and I started cleaning and washing all the dishes.

Suddenly, I heard tappings on the window.