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 11: A Day in the Amatsuka Family

“I hope Mom gets home soon.”

I finally arrived home and started with the housework.

“Roomba, I’ll leave this to you!” (Roomba is a robot vacuum cleaner)

My hunger had reached its limit. Mom says it’s okay to eat alone, but I still prefer eating together.

“Mom just texted. She’ll be home on time. Got it.”

That means she’ll be home soon. I started the laundry and prepared the meal.

“I love this placemat.”

I bought this cute placemat after being inspired by my favorite Instagrammer, “Background Mobtaro.”

Until I was in the second year of middle school, Mom used to come home on time every day. But as I grew older, Mom got promoted and started working on bigger projects.

She was worried about me when I was small, and the company kept offering her promotions. Now, she’s in a prestigious position.

“Well, it’s reduced the time we spend eating together.”

Roomba seemed to have finished its work and went back to its platform.

“Welcome home, Miu.”

“Welcome home, Mom.”

“Oh, I’m so hungry.”

“I’ll get dinner ready right away.”

“Thanks.”

I reheated the stuffed cabbage rolls and served the meal. Finally, I could eat the rolls I made with Motobu-kun. I was starving.

“Here you go.”

“It looks delicious.”

I put the stuffed cabbage rolls on a small plate and placed it in front of Dad.

“Dad, I made stuffed cabbage rolls with a friend today, so please eat some too.”

I put my hands together in thanks and started eating with Mom.

“Stuffed cabbage rolls, how nostalgic.”

“Nostalgic?”

“The first dish I ever made for Dad was stuffed cabbage rolls.”

“I’ve never heard that before!”

Dad was apparently better at cooking than Mom. As Dad got busier with work and stopped cooking, Mom made stuffed cabbage rolls for him for the first time when they were dating.

“And Dad cried when he ate the stuffed cabbage rolls I made.”

“Why?!”

“He was under a lot of stress at work, and after eating home-cooked food for the first time in a while, he cried because it was so good.”

“Dad is so cute!”

“He was a very responsible person. He probably pushed himself too hard.”

A story about Dad that I didn’t know. If I hadn’t made stuffed cabbage rolls today, I might have heard this story much later, or perhaps never.

Through cooking, I learned about Mom and Dad’s memories. I should thank Motobu-kun again.

“You made stuffed cabbage rolls for the first time, right?”

“Yes. Well, I learned how to make it from a friend.”

“The one you mentioned before?”

“Yes, my teacher.”

“You’re really doing well. Stuffed cabbage rolls need to be wrapped tightly, or they can fall apart. You’re doing a great job.”

“Because my teacher taught me.”

“Hehe, indeed.”

I ended up with a proud expression, but it was fine. After all, Motobu-kun’s cooking is delicious.

“You’ve really been captured by your stomach, haven’t you?”

“Maybe.”

“It was delicious.”

“There’s still some left. Do you want more?”

“I’m full.”

“Then maybe I’ll try a variation of stuffed cabbage rolls tomorrow. My teacher taught me some sauce variations too.”

“That’s something to look forward to tomorrow.”

“Yes! Look forward to it!”

We both smiled and laughed. It was an ordinary day.

But it made me happy.

I’ll do my best again tomorrow.

—

Chapter 12: Goods Store Himawari (1)

“Oh, so this is where Motobu-kun’s favorite goods store is.”

The day after making the stuffed cabbage rolls, I couldn’t wait any longer and urged Motobu-kun to show me the goods store.

I desperately wanted a pepper mill. I wanted to cook with it myself! That grinding feeling is irresistible.

“So, it’s called ‘Goods Store Himawari’.”

“The store manager is a bit of a collector and goes around finding all sorts of items. That’s why they have such a variety of things for sale.”

As Motobu-kun opened the door, a bell chimed lightly. A gentle floral scent wafted through.

“Hello, Hinata-san.”

When we entered the store, a female clerk was sitting at the counter. She had long black hair and blunt bangs. Her white skin was fresh and youthful, and she was very cute. She was small and looked about my age, but from the conversation with Motobu-kun, she seemed older.

“Oh, Takeru-kun, welcome. Oh, you’ve brought your girlfriend today?”

“N-not my girlfriend…”

If Motobu-kun were my boyfriend, I could always enjoy delicious food, and maybe he’d have already captured my heart! I suddenly remembered what Mom had said, and my face felt hot! Embarrassing!

“Unfortunately, she’s not my girlfriend. She’s more like a student.”

“Oh, a student!”

“Y-yes, she’s learning to cook from me.”

“I see.”

The clerk smiled as she spoke. Wow, the lighting made her shiny black hair look like an angel’s halo, but more importantly, this clerk was just too cute…

Amatsukas really do exist. So cute.

“This person is the store manager, Hinata Amamiya.”

“I’m the store manager, Hinata. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Miu Amatsuka. Nice to meet you.”

This is a problem. The Hinata-san cuteness issue has arisen!

Even as a girl, I want to hug her because she’s so cute!

“Feel free to look around, Hinata-san.”

“Let me know if you need anything.”

“Okay.”

Motobu-kun’s voice helped me return to reality. I felt so relaxed.

“I think… the pepper mills should be around here.”

The store had all sorts of things. Along with the kitchen tools I wanted, there were stuffed animals, ornaments, and some items I didn’t even know the use of.

There were unique and mysterious items, too. It was exciting to look at.

“I found the pepper mills, Amatsuka-san.”

“Oh, there are several types.”

There was the electric one, one shaped like a cat’s head, and the same one as my teacher’s.

“The electric one is surprisingly cheap.”

“Yes, I was considering getting an electric one too.”

“Hmm… If it’s just about design, the cat-shaped one is cute. For price, the electric one is good, but still…”

I ended up picking up the same pepper mill as my teacher’s.

“I really like that grinding feeling.”

“Grinding is quite fun, but after physical activities, it can be a bit tiring.”

It was indeed fun when we used it at Motobu-kun’s place, but it does use a fair bit of effort.

“I’m fine! I’ll manage!”