A Story About a Blonde Gal Angel Who Excessively Praises My Cooking. After Asking Me to Teach Her How to Cook, Feelings of Mutual Love Began to Grow - Chapter 104-105

Chapter 104: Nursing Amatsuka (2)

“Takeru-kun, I’ve changed my clothes.”

After wiping Amatsuka-san’s back, I waited outside her room for a while. As a guy, waiting for Amatsuka-san to change out of her sweat-soaked pajamas gave me a lot to think about.

“Would you like some porridge? If you can eat, I can make some.”

“I’ll eat it. Takeru-kun’s porridge~.”

“You seem more energetic than I expected.”

Maybe it’s because she changed her clothes, but she seems relatively lively. Do sweat-soaked pajamas drain that much energy? In a snowstorm, that might be fatal, but…

“Well then, measure your temperature and rest. I’ll wake you when it’s ready.”

“Okaaay.”

Well, she’s staying hydrated, so maybe she’ll be fine. Honestly, this should be a case for an ambulance, but…she’s stubbornly refusing that.

“But, I kind of get how she feels.”

You don’t want to make your parents or guardians worry unnecessarily. I feel the same way. Though, this is a separate matter.

“…I only vaguely remember Amatsuka-san’s room, but I remember exactly where the kitchen stuff is. What does that say about me?”

Casually, like it’s normal, I stand in Amatsuka-san’s kitchen, calmly taking out a pot and starting to cook.

“And now, I’m rummaging through her fridge without permission.”

Please forgive me, it’s an emergency. I won’t let your daughter suffer, I promise.

…Who am I making excuses to? Ah, probably to Amatsuka-san’s dad. Yeah, let’s go with that.

“Porridge, huh…Egg, tofu, green onions…Alright, egg porridge it is.”

I found some frozen rice, so I boiled water and microwaved it. While waiting for the water and rice, I cut the green onions and prepared the tofu and egg.

“For seasoning…Should I use dashi powder? Oh, there’s white dashi. Let’s use that.”

I rinse the microwaved frozen rice to remove the stickiness, then add it to the boiling pot.

Next, I add the tofu, green onions, and pour in the beaten egg.

“Amatsuka-san has a cold, so I’ll make sure the egg isn’t too runny…”

Apparently, semi-cooked eggs help absorb nutrients better. Since nutrition absorption drops significantly when you’re sick, I need to make sure she gets her nutrients efficiently.

“Season with white dashi, a little salt, and some soy sauce for flavor…It should taste fine.”

Frozen rice makes porridge preparation easy. While freezing rice can slightly affect its flavor, it’s incredibly helpful when you’re feeling unwell. No need to cook fresh rice.

I’ve heard that people living alone sometimes struggle with an ever-increasing stockpile of frozen rice, but if you know how to make delicious porridge, you’ll never have a problem with it. Highly recommended.

“Amatsuka-san, it’s ready.”

“That was fast!”

“There was frozen rice.”

“It looks delicious.”

“You have quite the appetite. You seem pretty lively.”

“I-I’m not lively! I have a cold, cough cough.”

“Sure, sure.”

You were just playing on your phone, weren’t you? And you were fussing with your bangs, right? You should be worrying about your health more than your bangs, sick girl.

“It’s egg porridge.”

“It looks tastier than the porridge I make.”

“You’re sick, so it’s all about the taste anyway. Here, eat up.”

“…I’d like you to feed me. Or something like that.”

“…Very well, my lady.”

“Hehe, I’m sick, after all.”

“This sick person is really acting smug…”

Since she nursed me before, I can’t just ignore her. Even though I’ve already repaid the favor, this is a different matter entirely. So, I have no choice.

“I hope it suits your taste.”

Maybe it’s the cooling sheet on her forehead, but for some reason, Amatsuka-san looks more childish than usual. It must be the cooling sheet and pajamas. Yeah.

“Nom…Munch munch. It’s delicious!”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“The rice is smooth.”

“Now that I think about it, I never taught you this, Amatsuka-san. When making porridge or something similar, if you lightly rinse the cooked rice with water, it removes the starch on the surface, making it smoother. …Didn’t I teach this to Miaki-san before?”

Sometimes, when I’m teaching Miaki-san or Amatsuka-san, I forget which one I told what. Even though I remember the dishes we made.

“I haven’t been taught that.”

“It’s just a bit of trivia. You’ll eventually learn things like that on your own, Amatsuka-san.”

“Well, maybe, but still…”

Amatsuka-san eats the egg porridge, looking somewhat dissatisfied. I always think this, but Amatsuka-san sure makes food look delicious when she eats it. As the one who cooks, that makes me very happy.

“It feels like I’m taking care of someone…”

“I took care of you too, Takeru-kun, so we’re even.”

“Is this what they call elderly care?”

“Grandpa Takeru, give me one more bite, please.”

“You don’t need to play the part.”

While joking about caregiving, Amatsuka-san finishes the egg porridge. Good job.

—

Chapter 105: Nursing Amatsuka (3)

“Thank you for the meal.”

“It wasn’t much.”

“My stomach feels warm.”

“Well, it was porridge.”

Amatsuka-san seemed satisfied and let out a lazy yawn. She was calming down quite a bit.

“How’s your fever?”

“A slight fever. 37.8.”

“…That’s borderline to be calling it ‘slight.'”

“No, no, I’m totally fin—cough cough.”

“Please just stay in bed.”

Showing me a weak flex of her muscles isn’t going to reassure me. Even if she seems calmer, she’s still sick. Besides, you can’t even see muscles through pajamas.

“I’m feeling a bit sleepy now.”

“Goodnight.”

As I stood up to go wash the dishes, Amatsuka-san grabbed the sleeve of my shirt.

“…Um, could you stay with me until I fall asleep?”

With her index finger and thumb weakly holding onto my sleeve, Amatsuka-san looked up at me with a slightly apologetic expression. Even though I knew it was a bit calculated, I couldn’t bring myself to refuse.

Amatsuka-san can be so sly.

“…Alright.”

“Thank you.”

“Now, go to sleep quickly.”

“…Maybe you could sleep with me?”

“I’m not doing that!”

“Just kidding.”

What is Amatsuka-san trying to do? Is she trying to kill me?

Seriously, it’s troubling.

“Even if I stay here, I can’t entertain you with hilarious stories or soothe you with a calm, deep voice.”

“That’s fine.”

“Is it? I’ve heard that most women prefer men who entertain them with funny stories and make them feel good.”

“Ah…well, there are people like that, sure.”

I could never handle a mixer. If someone told me to be funny, I’d fail. All I could talk about is cooking.

“But isn’t this the kind of situation where just having someone nearby is comforting?”

“That’s if I were your boyfriend. Having a guy you’re not interested in nearby isn’t exactly healthy.”
“Then let’s say you’re my cooking master.”

“…Take care of your apprentice, huh? Modern masters seem to be quite kind to their apprentices.”

Even though we say “master and apprentice,” it’s really just a title. I’ve thought that many times.

In the first place, I’m not someone who should be by Amatsuka-san’s side. The same was true during the festival.

“Well, to be honest, I’ve pretty much taught you everything I can, Amatsuka-san.”

“…I don’t think that’s true.”

“You’ve already become capable of doing most things. Even during the festival, I thought you were already better at cooking than most housewives.”

At first, she couldn’t even make a decent fried egg, but now she’s come a long way.

“Do you think I can become a good wife?”

“You definitely can. You’ll do great wherever you go. Probably.”

“That ‘probably’ makes it sound like I won’t do well~.”

“It just depends on the household. For the most part, there’s nothing to worry about. Now, it’s just about what you want to do, Amatsuka-san.”

“What I want to do?”

“Like learning more about Japanese cuisine because you like it, or focusing on egg dishes, for example.”

There are also issues like the classic in-law conflict, where one family insists on traditional Japanese meals, or dietary concerns for people with allergies.

The basics are already there. Now, it’s just a matter of what you want to do or need to do going forward.

“So from here on, it’s about you cooking with your own ideas, Amatsuka-san. That’s why I don’t have anything left to teach.”

“…I still want to cook with you, Takeru-kun…”

She was probably getting sleepy. Her words were coming out in fragments, and her eyes were unfocused.

“So take your time and think about it.”

“…Okay…”

Amatsuka-san blinked slowly. In the soothing comfort that was lulling her to sleep, her weakened body couldn’t resist. Not that there was any need to resist.

“Good night.”

“Good night…”

Watching Amatsuka-san sleep somehow felt wrong, so after cleaning up the dishes, I quietly left and returned home.

If I kept staring at her sleeping face, I might have gotten captivated. I wanted to leave her house quickly before I got any strange ideas.

That was for the best. That way, there wouldn’t be any problems.