As Kiriha had finished preparing the tea, Shizuka also finished preparing dinner while Sanae and Yurika finished watching their anime. They were now all gathered around the tea table.
“Ah, it's rice crackers today”
“Let's eat!”
Sanae's eyes sparkled. Yurika suddenly grabbed a rice cracker and began eating it before she had even received her tea.
“Don't be so greedy, geez...”
“Yurika, wait!”
Koutarou stopped Yurika with strict words. She was just about to bite into the rice cracker and she glared at Koutarou as her mouth was wide open.
“Eeeeehhh~~~”
“Are you sure you should have such a defiant attitude, Yurika? I don't really care, but is that fine with you?”
“Woof”
Yurika's body started to tremble from Koutarou's words as she returned the rice cracker.
Yurika had used a portion of her food budget for this week to buy a shoujo manga, so now she was dependent on Koutarou's help. Because of that, Koutarou's position was now far, far above Yurika.
“Good girl. Just stay quiet for a while”
“Woof!”
Yurika stared at the rice cracker while sitting up straight as Kiriha was placing tea cups out on the table. By the way, there were two cups placed in front of Koutarou. One was his own, and the other was for Sanae when she clung onto his back.
“Paw”
“Woof!”
“You may eat”
“Woof Woof!”
Waiting for everyone to get their tea, Koutarou gave Yurika permission to eat her rice cracker. In response, Yurika swiftly grabbed a rice cracker and opened her mouth wide to begin eating.
As Yurika bit on the rice cracker, Koutarou disappointedly dropped his shoulders.
“...Can't you be a little bit more proper, Yurika”
Lately, it had become Koutarou's job to improve Yurika's manners. He had negligent parts of his own, but he simply couldn't stay quiet as he looked at Yurika.
“You'll be a second year soon, you'll get juniors, you know?”
“Haff fooo hee?”
“Swallow the rice cracker before you speak”
“Hokahy”
Yurika picked up her cup and began drinking tea.
“Hwoa!?”
However, as she did, her expression changed.
“Fhaaah!! Hhot hhot hhot!!”
Since the tea had just been poured, it was still piping hot. It burned her delicate esophagus as it passed down her throat. As a result, she spat out some of the tea and began struggling.
“H-Hey, it's tight enough here, quit kicking about, Yurika!!”
“T-Thahts behcause hiths hhot!!”
“Oh geez...”
Koutarou forcibly lifted Yurika and held her in his arms while he headed towards the kitchen. There, he made her drink water to cool down her body from the hot tea.
“Haaah~... I thought I was going to die~~~”
Having drunk the water, Yurika spoke in a carefree way.
“Yurika... why are you always like that?”
But Koutarou spoke in a sorrowful tone.
Yurika could keep it together in an emergency, but when it came to everyday life, she continued to fail wherever possible. Koutarou began to worry for her future. His instinctive preaching was a result of that worry.
“Even if you say that, that right now was Satomi-san's fault”
“Why was it my fault?”
“It's because you rushed me to drink it. It was not my fault”
“It was your fault!”
“Oh? Are you done carrying me? Let's return like this~”
“Walk there yourself!”
“Kyaaaa!?”
Koutarou returned to the inner room in a bad mood. Yurika followed behind him, with both of her hands pressing down on her forehead and her eyes tearing up.
“...Satomi-kun”
“Yes?”
Waiting for Koutarou to sit back down, Shizuka began talking.
“Please continue to forever look after Yurika-chan”
“Me!?”
”Yes. I don't think anyone else could manage her”