Chapter 286: The Story of Izumi Sagiri and Ren
Not long after Ren's footsteps faded into silence, the door to the apartment was pulled open with a swift, practiced motion. Izumi Sagiri, who had been waiting just inside the entrance, snatched the container of food from the doorstep. In one seamless sequence, she shut the door, threw the deadbolt, and slid the security chain into place. The series of clicks echoed with a familiar finality.
Ren, of course, hadn't lingered to watch her retrieve the meal. He had left the moment his words were spoken, knowing full well that Sagiri possessed something akin to a seventh sense—an uncanny awareness that let her feel, with absolute certainty, whether he was truly gone.
Clutching the warm food container, Izumi Sagiri let out a long, slow breath, the tension finally leaving her shoulders. She padded softly back to her room, and only after locking that door behind her did she feel completely, utterly safe in her small sanctuary.
In many ways, Izumi Sagiri was much like Kasugano Sora. Perhaps the only real difference was that Sagiri didn't indulge in all manner of snacks; her palate was far more particular. More, Sagiri never, ever went outside. Physically, she had no significant health issues, though her body was undeniably frail from a life lived indoors.
Both girls, however, were tragically similar in one respect: they had both lost their parents. And while Sora's reasons for avoiding school were complex and varied, Sagiri's were born from a single, crushing source. She didn't just dislike school; she didn't dare go. The trauma it had inflicted upon her was a wound too deep to face.
Izumi Sagiri set the food down on the table next to her electronic drawing tablet. The meal was simple—three humble dishes that, on the surface, almost anyone could prepare.
There was a steaming bowl of tomato and tofu soup, its aroma light and comforting. Beside it sat a portion of Longjing Shrimp, the pearlescent shrimp glistening delicately. A simple vegetable salad and a bowl of perfectly cooked rice completed the set. It was a meal defined by its purity. Perhaps the only part that required any real technique was the delicate process of creating a perfectly layered rolled omelet.
Izumi Sagiri was incredibly particular about her food. She refused to eat anything greasy or heavy, avoided most meats, and preferred dishes with minimal seasoning. This made cooking for her both deeply simple and extraordinarily difficult.
It was simple in that the dishes were mostly plain stir-fries, steamed, or boiled. The very concept of a complex, pan-fried dish was off the table. The preparation seemed easy, but that was only for an ordinary restaurant.
Ren had known Izumi Sagiri for a few years now, and he remembered his initial surprise at the sheer pickiness of her diet. Back then, Sagiri would call in the afternoon or evening, her voice disguised by a modulator and her face hidden behind a mask, to place an order. Most of the time, however, she would just leave the decision up to him.
Initially, Sagiri would specify her order, but that had gradually changed. Now, if she wanted a meal from Ren, she would simply call to let him know he should deliver something that day, and that was that.
For his part, Ren went to great lengths for her. He made sure every meal he delivered was as different as possible from the last. He had to carefully control the portion size, as Sagiri couldn't eat much, while also ensuring a perfect nutritional balance. Protein, healthy fats, vitamins, dietary fiber—all had to be considered, a puzzle that often left Ren deep in thought.
Izumi Sagiri stared at the food before her, her movements pausing. A small, surprised sound escaped her lips. "Wow... Brother Ren made Longjing Shrimp again... Mmm... I'm so conflicted... I feel like I won't be able to finish it all..."
Despite her words, she slowly picked up her chopsticks and began to eat. The moment she tasted a piece of the Longjing Shrimp, her eyes narrowed into blissful crescents. "Mmm~" she whispered to the empty room. "Brother Ren's cooking is still the best... It's just... a little far away..."
That was the truth. Izumi Sagiri didn't order from Ren often precisely because she didn't want him to travel so far just for her, only to have to rush back to his restaurant. She worried he might lose other customers, that the trip would tire him out. She clearly underestimated Ren's stamina.
To him, the distance was nothing more than a brisk walk. Because of her concern, Sagiri would often order from other places—fresh vegetables, fruit, milk, and other groceries. She would wait for the delivery person to leave before taking the items inside to boil them herself. Other times, she would order ready-made takeout. And though she always finished it, the food always left her feeling that something was missing. It was never quite right.
Izumi Sagiri ate her meal in quiet contentment, her small, bare feet swaying back and forth under the table. She hummed a little tune, her mind drifting. Picking up her phone, she handled to her contact list—a sparse collection of only three numbers—and found Ren's name. She typed out a quick message before setting the phone down and returning to her dinner.
Ren, who was already on his way back, felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen. The message was simple.
"Brother Ren, the food is delicious, but it seems like you made too much...."
A faint smile touched Ren's lips. He put his phone away without replying. Their acquaintance was a strange one, born from tragedy. Ren had known Sagiri's mother; she used to pick up food from his restaurant. Then, one day, she and her second husband were killed in a car accident, leaving Izumi Sagiri utterly alone.
He still remembered the day he received that first call from her. He'd been momentarily taken aback by the girl's masked, electronically altered voice. When he arrived at the address, he learned what had happened. Ren had stood outside her door for a long time, offering what comfort he could, but Sagiri refused to come out.
He later found out that Sagiri's mother had told her where the food came from. That was why she had called him. The dish she had ordered that day was the same milk pudding her mother had brought home for her just before the accident.
For a long time after that, Izumi Sagiri ordered that one dish frequently. Each time he came, Ren would offer a few gentle words of comfort, but he never resorted to empty platitudes like "everything will pass." That kind of comfort was cruel; some things never pass.
Instead, Ren would tell her about interesting things that had happened, talk about the new dishes on his menu, and gently urge her to finish all her food. He would always end with a simple, "You can call if anything happens," before taking his leave.
Slowly, Izumi Sagiri grew familiar with him. Her takeout orders, however, shifted from being very frequent to only occasional. This continued for nearly two years, until a few months ago, when she finally took a monumental step forward. She had extended a small cardboard sign through the mail slot to exchange a few written words with him.
'This girl...'Ren sighed internally.'If she could meet Sora, it might be interesting... Sagiri should be a tsundere, right?... But I think she's a junior high student... The tsundere of a junior high school student versus the tsundere of a high school student...'
"Hmm~ That feels very interesting..."
Just as the thought crossed Ren's mind, two girls in two different places felt a sudden, inexplicable chill.
Izumi Sagiri, still enjoying her meal, shivered and glanced behind her at the empty room before turning back to her food.
Miles away, Kasugano Sora, who was playing on her phone, also felt a shiver run down her spine. She instinctively looked over her shoulder before turning back to her friends.
Sister Lucifer noticed the movement and asked with a curious tilt of her head, "Eh? Sora, are you looking back so much because you miss Ren?"
Hearing this, Sakura Hibiki and the others broke into knowing, mischievous smiles. Kasugano Sora's face flushed a delicate pink. "Of course not... I'm already living with Big Brother Ren, so it's not like I won't see him... I just felt a chill all of a sudden, like someone was watching me..."
Gina waved a dismissive hand. "How could that be? There's no one else here. Maybe it's because you haven't exercised in a long time and this was your first day back at it, Sora~"
"Maybe..." Sora murmured, her gaze drifting toward the entrance. "Eh? It seems like a guest has arrived..."
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