Nijika, who had just finished class, took out her phone and saw a message in the group chat. It was from Lucas Amaki.
She unlocked her phone and opened LINE.
Nijika was stunned when she read the message from Lucas.
Bocchi is sick?!
"Ryo, Ryo!"
Nijika immediately called out to Ryo Yamada, who was walking beside her.
"Don't shout, I'm right here," Ryo said flatly.
"Bocchi's sick."
"…Oh… huh?"
"Lucas just sent a message saying that Bocchi-chan is sick and can't perform tomorrow."
Nijika sounded defeated as she spoke the word "performance."
She had been practicing hard at home for this event, wanting to give it her all on stage.
But…
"If we can't perform tomorrow, we'll have to wait until next week."
"But since Bocchi's not feeling well, there's no helping it. We'll have to postpone again," Nijika said quietly.
[Nijika Ijichi: @LucasAmaki If that's the case, please take good care of Bocchi. We'll wait until next time.]
After sending the message, Nijika turned off her phone.
Looking out the window, the breeze gently rustled the trees, and a bird passed by, wings ready to soar high.
Someday, they would all spread their wings and chase their dreams.
Meanwhile, Lucas Amaki was preparing to buy a carp to make fish soup for Hitori Gotoh to help her recover.
"Aunt, I'm heading out to buy some fish," Lucas said to Gotoh's mother, who was in the kitchen.
"No need, Lucas. We've got fish here," Gotoh's mother replied immediately.
"No, Aunt , I think fresh fish is better. The soup made from it is more nourishing," Lucas said sincerely.
"Well, okay. Just come back soon."
Lucas nodded, then turned and waved to Gotoh's mother again before heading out.
Before he could leave, Gotoh's mother called out, "Lucas, thanks for taking care of her."
He smiled in return and left.
The market was nearby, so Lucas arrived quickly.
He scanned the stalls — many of the fish were already cut into fillets, but that wasn't what he wanted.
After a moment, he spotted what he was looking for: a plump, live carp.
"Excuse me, how much is this carp?" Lucas asked the vendor.
"Young man, that one's already weighed — 200 yen," the vendor replied.
"Got it. Could you please scale it for me?" Lucas asked.
"No problem."
As the vendor began scraping the scales, he looked up. "Do you want it filleted too?"
"No, I'm making soup to help someone recover," Lucas replied.
"Oh? Is it for your girlfriend?"
"…Yeah."
Lucas noticed how people always asked that when he bought things like this.
"She's a lucky girl to have a boyfriend like you," the vendor said, smiling.
"Thank you."
The vendor packed the fish into a plastic bag and handed it to Lucas.
"Thanks, boss. Here's 200 yen."
Lucas paid and quickly left the market.
Less than thirty minutes later, he was back at the Gotoh household.
"Aunt, I'll leave the fish here for now. I'll cook the soup later," he called out as he set the bag on the counter.
"Okay," she answered from the kitchen.
Lucas ran upstairs, breathing slightly heavy.
"Futari, how's Hitori doing?" he asked.
"She woke up a while ago. Her fever's gone down," Futari said, walking toward him.
"That's good," Lucas said with relief.
"Go ahead and check her."
He nodded and stepped softly into the room.
"Gotoh-san, are you feeling better?" he asked gently.
"Lucas-san… I'm sorry…" Hitori said in a tiny voice, as if the whole thing were her fault.
Which, in her mind, it probably was.
"It's okay. Just… don't push yourself so hard next time, okay?" Lucas said softly.
"…Okay…" she whispered.
"Then rest for now. I'll make some nourishing fish soup for you."
"Okay."
***
"Auntie, leave the rest to me,"
Lucas Amaki said as he walked into the kitchen.
"Alright,"
Aunt Gotoh took off her apron and stepped out of the kitchen.
Lucas took the carp out of the bag and placed it on the cutting board. Then, one by one, he prepared the necessary ingredients. He filled a pot halfway with water and set it to boil.
Once the water started bubbling, Lucas placed the fish into a hot oiled pan. After frying it until it was slightly cooked—just half-done—he transferred it to the pot of boiling water.
When the soup began to turn rich and opaque, he added in the prepped ingredients and let it continue to simmer.
He waited another half hour.
Once the soup was thoroughly cooked, Lucas poured it into a bowl and brought it upstairs.
Entering the room, Lucas set the bowl of fish soup down on the table.
"Gotoh-san, Gotoh-san, wake up."
He walked over and gently nudged Gotoh Hitori, who was sleeping.
"Ama—Amaki-san, I'm sorry… I fell asleep."
Hitori slowly opened her eyes, sensing someone beside her.
"It's alright. Come have some fish soup to help you recover,"
Lucas smiled gently and scooped up a spoonful of soup.
"No… it's okay. I can do it myself."
Hitori weakly waved her hand. She didn't want to trouble Lucas any more than she already had.
Even though she'd already caused him so much worry by getting sick.
"It's fine. You haven't regained your strength yet. If you try to hold the bowl, you might spill it."
Lucas said calmly.
"But… but…"
"No buts,"
Lucas replied softly, but firmly.
"Be good. Open your mouth."
He gently blew on the soup—it was still hot—and brought the spoon to her lips.
Hitori slowly opened her mouth and sipped the soup in one gulp.
Meanwhile, this whole scene was being watched in real time by Aunt Gotoh and Lucas's mother, through a video call.
"Sister, did you see that? These two kids are getting along so well now,"
Lucas' mother said, eyes beaming as she watched through her phone.
The more she looked at her future daughter-in-law, the more she liked her.
Not to mention—Hitori was so cute!
"Yes! If their relationship keeps going this well, I might shamelessly ask you for a marriage proposal,"
Aunt Gotoh said with a laugh.
"You took the words right out of my mouth!"
"Haha, then it's settled. When I return to Japan, we'll talk about their engagement seriously."
After hanging up the call, Lucas' mother sent a message to her son:
[Is your living allowance enough? If not, I'll send you more.]
While Lucas was feeding Hitori, the phone in his pocket buzzed.
But he chose to ignore it for now. There were only two spoonfuls left, anyway.
Once she finished the last bit, Lucas set the spoon down into the empty bowl.
"Gotoh-san, get some more rest. I'll go wash the dishes,"
he said, picking up the bowl.
"Thank you, Ama… Amaki-san."
Hitori said softly.
"No need to thank me. We're basically a couple, right?"
Well, not officially a couple…
But definitely more than just friends.
Lucas left the room and went downstairs.
Hitori lay quietly in bed, thinking about how gently Lucas had fed her the soup.
A pink blush crept across her cheeks.
Amaki-san… is really gentle.
Back in the kitchen, Lucas set down the bowl and pulled out his phone.
He blinked when he saw his mother's message. It was the first time she'd ever asked if his allowance was enough.
He opened PayPay to check his balance—56,392 yen.
[Lucas Amaki: It's enough.]
[I don't think it is. I'm sending you 65,431 yen just in case.]
(Your friend has transferred 65,431 yen to your account.)
(Your current balance is 121,823 yen.)
Lucas stared at the screen, stunned.
He had no idea why his mom was being so nice today.
He really didn't get it.
Then again… he was probably going to be spending a lot in the next few days.
***
Think of this chapter as a flash back, dumb author messed up the order and I don't have the energy to fix it