Story of a Rhythm Game Couple

Chapter 10. The rain and the first names

It was raining as hard as it had outside the apartment. Even after completely shutting the doors, one could still hear the downpour pretty audibly.

Due to the sudden shower across the area, Sana decided to hide out at his house until the weather improved. She only planned to stay for a little while, but since the shower didn't show any sign of ceasing, Asahi offered to prepare dinner for her. Instead of doing nothing on the sofa as he brought out food, she wanted to pitch in and lend a hand.

"Umm..."

When Sana called out to Asahi in order to ask how she might be of help, she accidentally addressed him by his name, "Asahi-kun," instead of the regular formal "Noguchi-kun." After realizing this herself, she perplexedly tried to come up with an explanation.

"Sana, can you pass me some tissues on the table?"

Asahi asked Sana to hand him the tissue box with the most composed demeanor he could manage. Despite never having called anyone by their first name before, Asahi decided to refer to Sana by her name. With a tissue packet in her hand, she nervously approached the kitchen tables.

She was rather surprised to hear her name mentioned. Despite having a large social circle, she, too, had never addressed anyone with their first names, opting for their last names instead. It was inevitable that her friends would avoid calling her "Sana" because of it.

Upon hearing her name from Asahi, Sana couldn't help but feel embarrassed, as she avoided looking him in the eye. She didn't want to imagine how red her face had gotten.

"Thank you!"

Asahi took a few tissues from the box, cleaned his hands, and threw them into the bin right next to the sink.

"Calling me Asahi is alright; you don't have to make things harder for yourself."

Asahi turned to Sana with a sincere smile on his face. Her timidity, which she had been carrying for the whole time, was somewhat alleviated.

"Then, A-Asahi-kun..."

For Asahi, that bashful voice of Sana was like a breath of fresh air. It wasn't like his friends hadn't called him "Asahi" before, but hearing a girl call him by his name was a whole new experience. It was a strange feeling, but a wonderful one.

"Sana, umm... can you help me prepare the plates on the table?"

Even though it was Asahi who initiated the first-name basis with Sana, he didn't seem to adjust just yet. He maintained an air of calm composure, making it almost impossible for Sana to tell that his heart was beating just as fast, if not faster than her own. It was a sensation that was beyond description.

But, no matter what it was, Asahi was still making the curry sauce. He needed to focus on the pan so the sauce wouldn't come out terrible. Since Sana preferred the sauce to be a little dense, like in Dining Palace the other day, Asahi had to put in a little more work in the kitchen.

"Sure thing... My, this smells so good. I'm hungry."

After taking two plates from the cupboard and spooning rice from the cooker, Sana quickly set them on the dining table. Asahi then poured the sauce straight from the pan over their rice.

And with that, the dinner was done.

"Thank you for the meal!... Oh my! This tastes amazing!"

This was the first time Sana ever got to taste Asahi's cooking. She had the chance to hear his daily self-catering story and even peek at his lunch box when she saw him in the cafeteria. Now that she got to try his dish by herself, she was even more astonished.