Shinano Town apartment, Room 501, today's dinner is hamburger steak.

Aonai had an apron tied around her waist, mixing the minced meat in a glass bowl, while Miyuki was chopping onions beside her.

Akiko stood on the other side of the counter doing nothing, just keeping them company to pass the time.

"Where did that Watanabe guy go?" Akiko bit into a cucumber, making a crisp crunching sound. "Is he off having a feast with the young lady?"

"No way." Aonai replied casually.

"Hmm? How do you know?" Akiko mumbled with a mouthful of cucumber.

"If he was going to, he'd definitely tell me first," Aonai said with a smile. "It's not like I wouldn't let him; what's there to hide from me?"

"Blind trust, a woman blinded by love, hopeless." Akiko shook what was left of her cucumber.

"It's natural to trust him just after doing it." Miyuki wiped her knife, brushing off the onion bits.

"Did it?" Akiko's eyes widened as she looked back and forth between the two. "Did what? That?"

Aonai lowered her head, adding breadcrumbs, eggs, nutmeg, and pepper to the minced meat before continuing to mix.

Miyuki poured oil into a frying pan, set it on low heat, and added half of the freshly chopped onions.

After pouring some, she paused, then decided to add a few more pieces into the pan.

"Does this look about half and half? Isn't there a kitchen gadget to measure onion portions?" Miyuki muttered.

Aonai took the other half of the raw onions and mixed them into the minced meat.

"Hey!" Akiko shouted, feeling ignored.

"Besides that, what else could they be doing? An English test?" Miyuki answered casually, starting to stir-fry the onions.

"When?" Akiko asked incredulously, stopping mid-bite with her cucumber. "Aonai's been with us the whole time!"

Miyuki didn't say anything.

Akiko's brain clicked, and she stared intently at the silent Aonai.

"The second night of our trip to Hokkaido." Aonai murmured to Akiko, like a student caught doing something wrong.

"Hokkaido? Just a few days ago? Weren't you sharing a room with Mayi? How did you end up with him... wait a minute, did you sneak out while Mayi was sleeping?! Or did Watanabe sneak into your room at night and take you both...?"

"No, no!" Aonai quickly interrupted Akiko, who was getting more and more imaginative.

"Then what happened?" Akiko demanded. "Tell me clearly!"

"It's just..."

"Just?" Akiko's eyes were wide open, and her ears perked up.

"... It happened."

Since Mayi had gone to Dubian Che's room the night before, she couldn't stand being left behind, so she went the next night—that kind of explanation was impossible to voice.

"Cough, cough, cough." Akiko let out a sobbing cough. "Ooh, it's so painful, so sad."

"What are you sad and in pain about?" Miyuki glanced at her, annoyed.

"Twenty-five—no, twenty-six-year-old virgins, all three of us were, and I barely noticed. Now suddenly one is no longer, and I'm starting to worry, waaah." Akiko took a bite of the remaining piece of cucumber.

"I can help you." Miyuki offered.

"Help me?" Akiko was stunned. "Help me with what?"

"Didn't you say you didn't want to be a virgin anymore? I have some finger cots."

"Finger cots? What do you mean by finger...?" Akiko realized, "You—you—you pervert!"

"As a doctor, having finger cots on hand is completely normal." Miyuki said calmly, "You should visit the proctology department..."

"Miyuki!" Of all of them, Aonai, who had experience, blushed the most.

She shyly and urgently said, "This is the kitchen; stop talking about that!"

Miyuki shrugged.

Akiko glanced at Miyuki, feeling as though she didn't know her friend as well as she thought.

"Aonai." Akiko lowered her voice.

"What's up? Why so suddenly? Need to borrow money?" Aonai smiled at Akiko's cryptic behavior, like an undercover agent exchanging secret codes.

"Borrow money for what?" Akiko was about to continue when she hesitated and added, "Wait a moment."

She tiptoed in her cute plush slippers, pattering into the living room, checking the entrance.

Confirming Dubian Che hadn't returned, she quickly ran back.

"Aonai," she propped her hands on the counter, leaning forward slightly, and whispered, "So how is it?"

"So how is what?" Aonai understood what she meant but couldn't help feigning ignorance out of embarrassment.

"You know, that?"

"Which one?"

"You know..." Akiko, anxious, instead of speaking, used her right index finger to rest between her left thumb and index finger.

Her right index finger seemed to scrub at non-existent grime, or as if she was trying to saw off her thumb with it, moving back and forth.

"Akiko." Aonai looked at her incredulously.

"Hahaha!" Miyuki laughed so hard she almost dropped the spatula.

Akiko wasn't embarrassed at all and asked with concern, "How was it? That?"

"Pretty vivid." Miyuki praised.

"Who's talking about that!" Akiko brushed her off, focusing back on Aonai, "So was it good?"

"..." Aonai looked down without speaking.

"Aonai~~~!" Akiko sprawled her upper body across the counter.

If someone lifted her feet, ever so slightly, she might topple into the counter.

"I'm making dinner." Aonai continued to mix the minced meat.

"Come on, just say it—was it good or not?"

Under Akiko's persistent gaze, Aonai shyly and softly replied, "It's okay... I guess."