Cooked rice tonight. White rice, nothing fancy.

Ishikawa from school came over after kendo practice. She’s actually a decent kendoka — way better than most first-years, though she’d get embarrassed if I said it out loud.

We made ochazuke together. She brought green tea bags, I had leftover rice. Used the dashi stock Misato left in the fridge. It came out… okay. Not great, but not terrible either.

Ishikawa said it was the best thing she’s ever had. She’s lying, of course. She’s too nice. But I didn’t tell her that.

After she left, I sat at the table for a while and just stared at the empty bowl. There’s something peaceful about having someone over, even if it’s just one person, even if it’s just for ochazuke.

Might cook more often.

Not that I’d ever admit that out loud. 秘密です。