Kanak stepped out of the washroom, gently rubbing her damp hair with a towel. The moment she opened the door, loud voices reached her from the dining area. She rolled her eyes with a small smile and walked towards the noise.

"Every single day, I prepare lunch for this girl, and every single day she has some excuse to leave it behind. I honestly do not understand what I should make for her anymore."

Kashi stood near the table, adjusting the strap of her bag while looking completely innocent. She glanced at her mother who was scolding her and shook her head, already knowing this argument had happened many times before.

"I have already told you, Mom. Please do not make lunch for me. I can eat something at the canteen. There is no need to worry about me every single day."

"Yes, eat anything you find at the canteen, ruin your stomach, and then come home sick and make all of us worry. That sounds like a wonderful plan, Kashi."

Keshav burst into laughter from his chair. Ketki immediately turned towards him with a sharp look, and he quickly placed one finger against his lips, pretending that he had not made a sound.

Kashi looked towards her father and pointed at Ketki with an amused expression. She lowered her voice dramatically, as though she were sharing something extremely serious with him.

"See how terrifying she is? Even the canteen man is scared of her. If he secretly gives me something to eat, she will appear there with that spatula and beat him herself."

Keshav started laughing again, but the moment his eyes met Ketki's, he quickly placed both his fingers against his lips. Kashi covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing while Kanak watched them with growing amusement. She leaned on the wall and enjoyed her sister and mother's argument leisurely.

Ketki picked up the glass of milk and placed it in front of Kashi before putting a hot potato paratha on her plate. She folded her arms and waited, already knowing that her daughter would try every possible excuse.

"Eat this before you leave, or I swear I will beat you myself. You cannot keep leaving the house without eating anything. At least have breakfast properly before you start complaining about feeling weak."

Kashi stood straight in front of her mother and dramatically moved her waist from one side to the other. She looked completely confident despite the warning, making Kanak bite back another laugh.

"I am twenty-one years old, and you are still threatening to beat me. Just wait until I finish my graduation. I will fly away for higher studies, and then you will sit here crying because you miss me."

Ketki placed both hands on the table and looked at her daughter without even blinking. There was no sympathy in her expression, only the satisfaction of winning another small argument.

"That is actually a very good idea. Go ahead. At least one problem in this house will be reduced."

Kanak finally failed to control herself and laughed. Kashi immediately ran towards her and wrapped both arms around her, putting on an exaggerated crying face as though her entire life had just been ruined.

"Kanak, Mom called me a problem. Can you believe how cruel she is? I am her daughter, and she is already waiting for me to leave the house."

Kanak gently shook her head while smiling, placing one hand over Kashi's hair. She knew exactly how much of this drama was real and how much her younger sister enjoyed creating it every morning.

"Why do you keep troubling her first thing in the morning? You know exactly how she will react. Now stop making a scene and eat your food before Mom gets even more annoyed with you."

Kashi immediately smiled and turned towards the plate. She picked up the paratha, tore off a piece, and held the first bite towards Kanak before taking another piece for herself.

"I was waiting for you too. You know what happened yesterday? I spent the whole day in the library, and my stomach felt so strange. It felt like there were balloons moving around inside me."

Kanak laughed while watching her eat. Kashi had already stuffed a large piece into her mouth and was trying to explain something at the same time, making every word impossible to understand.

"Then why do you never eat your lunch on time? You sit in that library for hours and forget that you actually have a stomach that needs food."

Kashi tried answering immediately, but the food in her mouth made her words completely unclear. Kanak gently tapped her cheek and shook her head, trying not to laugh at her sister's impatient nature.

"First finish what is in your mouth, and then talk. I cannot understand a single word when you speak like that."

Kashi nodded obediently and started eating faster. Kanak watched her carefully, occasionally taking a small bite whenever Kashi held one towards her. Their comfortable little routine made the noisy kitchen feel warm and familiar.

Kashi finally finished the last piece on her plate, but before she could celebrate, another hot paratha landed in front of her. Both sisters stared at it for a moment before slowly turning towards the person standing beside them.

Ketki stood there holding the flat spatula she had just used to place the paratha on the plate. She looked between both daughters with complete seriousness, as if there was nothing unusual about adding another paratha.

"Finish it. One person can easily eat at least four parathas in the morning. I have no idea why both of you behave as if I am asking you to finish the entire kitchen."

Kanak and Kashi widened their eyes and looked at each other. Kashi immediately pushed the plate towards Kanak before taking a step backwards, already preparing to escape from the situation.

"You deal with this. I am leaving. I cannot survive this torture anymore. I have plans for my life, and eating four parathas before college is definitely not part of them."

Ketki caught Kashi's hand before she could run away. She placed the lunchbox firmly in her hand and gave her a warning look that immediately stopped the drama.

"Take your lunch with you and make sure you eat it. I am telling you right now, if you bring this box back untouched again, I will not let you enter this house."

Kashi looked at the lunchbox in her hand and sighed dramatically. She adjusted her bag over her shoulder before giving her mother a defeated smile.

"As you command, Guru Maa. I have accepted my fate."

Kashi turned towards the door, but Kanak reached out and gently caught her braid. Kashi stopped immediately and looked back with an annoyed expression while Kanak picked up the glass of milk from the table.

"At least leave the house after eating something properly. Mom spends the entire day worrying about you. How many things do you think she can keep track of at the same time?"

Kanak held the glass to Kashi's lips, and Kashi reluctantly started drinking. She kept looking at her sister while drinking, her eyes clearly saying that one mother was already enough and now Kanak had joined her side too.

Kanak smiled at her expression and gently held the glass until Kashi finished the milk. Behind them, Keshav was still sitting quietly with two fingers pressed against his lips, trying very hard not to laugh.

Ketki watched both daughters with a soft smile. Despite all the arguments and teasing, she was happy to see Kanak making sure that Kashi did not leave the house hungry.

Kashi finished the milk and took a deep breath as if she had just survived something extremely difficult. She placed the empty glass down and looked at her mother with complete seriousness.

"For this torture, I am sure even God will not forgive you."

Before anyone could respond, Kashi grabbed her bag and ran towards the door. Ketki stared after her for a second before looking at Kanak, and both of them burst into laughter.

A muffled laugh came from behind them. Kanak and Ketki turned around together and found Keshav sitting in the same position, both fingers still pressed against his lips while he tried to hide his laughter.

Ketki narrowed her eyes at him, though the smile on her face made it impossible to take her expression seriously. Keshav immediately looked away, pretending he had done nothing.

"You do not need to act so frightened of me. If you remove those fingers from your mouth, I might actually hit you right now for encouraging her nonsense."

Keshav slowly removed his fingers and looked at her with a helpless smile. He leaned back in his chair, completely comfortable despite the warning he had just received.

"What is the guarantee? The way you threaten everyone in this house, I sometimes think you really might do something one day."

Kanak walked over to her father with a soft smile and sat beside him. Keshav immediately looked at her, his expression becoming warmer as he reached for the cup of tea placed near him.

"Come here, Kanak. Your mother has already finished half the morning arguing with Kashi, and I still have not had enough tea to recover from it."

Kanak laughed softly and picked up the cup that Ketki placed in front of her. The breakfast table slowly became quieter as the morning rush settled, leaving the family together for a few peaceful minutes.

Ketki brought another plate of parathas and placed it on the table before sitting down. She continued talking about Kashi's habits while Kanak listened, occasionally laughing and trying to defend her sister.

Keshav and Kanak shared the same plate without thinking twice, just as they often did. Kanak tore a small piece of paratha for herself while Keshav took another, and the simple routine made the morning feel warm and familiar.

Ketki watched them with a smile, occasionally pushing another piece of paratha towards Kanak while continuing her complaints about Kashi. Kanak listened patiently, smiling throughout, because this noisy little house was where she felt most at peace.

For a few minutes, there was no business, no hospital visit worries, no pending work, and no difficult decision waiting for Kanak outside. There was only her family, their laughter, and another ordinary morning that none of them knew would soon change everything.