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 13

“Check, please!”

As Amatsuka cheerfully headed toward the register, I started to feel a bit anxious.

Now that I think about it, the plates I usually use on Instagram were purchased here.

“I’m home, Hinata. Oh, welcome, Takeru-kun.”

“Hello, Nao-san.”

“Welcome back, Nao-chan!”

Coming in through the back entrance was Nao-san, Hinata’s husband.

He was wearing a long black wig, a black hoodie, and skinny pants that highlighted his great figure. A simple black choker was around his neck.

At first glance, he looked completely like a woman, and even his gestures and voice were convincingly feminine. But Nao-san is actually a man.

“Were you working today?”

“Yes, for my former boss who tends to be a bit demanding.”

“That must be tough.”

“Oh, what a cute girl! Is she your girlfriend, Takeru-kun?”

“She’s Takeru-kun’s cooking apprentice!” Hinata chimed in, saving me. Considering her earlier blunder, this evens things out. Besides, there’s no way someone like Amatsuka would be my girlfriend.

“And this is the apprentice, Miu Amatsuka.”

“I see. Well, I’m Amamiya Naoto, Hinata’s husband. Nice to meet you.”

“?!”

Nao-san took off his wig as he introduced himself, which made Amatsuka’s already big eyes widen even more.

It’s true what they say—people really do get wide-eyed when they’re surprised.

“Huh?! What?!”

“Naoto-san sometimes cross-dresses for work.”

“What? But his voice was totally like a girl’s?!”

Amatsuka’s brain seemed to have short-circuited. It’s understandable.

“Thank you, angel. Even though I’m 37 this year.”

“!!”

Nao-san said this while putting the wig back on and switching back to a girlish voice. Amatsuka, not quite processing what had been said, blinked rapidly.

“Angel, come back to us.”

“Nao-chan, you’ve still got it!”

Amatsuka was frozen in place. Nao-san smiled gracefully, and Hinata gave her husband an adorable thumbs-up.

Everything was just a chaotic mess.

“By the way, Naoto-san, was it okay to reveal this to Amatsuka when you’ve just met?”

“Yes. After all, she’s with you, Takeru-kun. It should be fine.”

“…So, angel, please don’t mention this to anyone.”

“Uh, um, sure. Okay.”

Amatsuka still didn’t seem to fully understand. Well, it’s not her fault; it took me some time to wrap my head around it, too.

Even in a time where gender equality is becoming more common, Nao-san’s situation is beyond the norm in many ways.

“Hinata, I’m going to remove my makeup, so if the editor arrives, bring them to the study.”

“Got it.”

With that, Nao-san disappeared into the back. He must have a meeting coming up. He’s a busy person.

“Sorry, Miu-chan. My husband is… unique in many ways.”

“Yeah, I get that much, at least.”

If you go out to buy a pepper mill and end up encountering something beyond your understanding, it’s bound to leave an impression.

“But still, it sounds like he’s got a meeting with his editor coming up.”

“Yeah, Naoto-kun’s always been busy. And now that the ‘Cross-Dressing Detective Series’ is being made into a drama, even more so.”

“The ‘Cross-Dressing Detective Series’?!”

“Naoto-san is actually a novelist.”

“……………………”

Uh-oh, Amatsuka’s brain is about to overheat…

“‘Cross-Dressing Detective Series’… so that means he’s Jun Kusunoki… huh?”

Oh no, Amatsuka’s got a silly expression on her face…

“Angel, do you know him?”

“Uh, yeah. I mean, I’m a fan… I thought Jun Kusunoki was a woman… so, yeah.”

Amatsuka finally seemed to be overwhelmed and collapsed to the ground.

“Miu-chan~? Hey~”

Hinata tried poking Amatsuka’s cheeks, but she didn’t respond. She looked like a lifeless shell.

“Naoto-san just knocked her out with the truth.”

“What should we do, Takeru-kun?! Miu-chan’s soul has left her body!”

“…Sorry, but could you let her rest for a bit?”

Amatsuka remained dazed for about five minutes after I helped her into a chair behind the register.

“…Sorry, Motobu-kun. I lost my composure.”

“No, it’s understandable.”

Since we stopped by after school, it was already sunset by the time we headed back.

“It just kind of blew my mind…”

“Well, Naoto-san has a lot going on.”

“If he’s 37, then how old is Hinata-san? Don’t tell me…”

“No, Hinata-san is 20 years old. She’ll be 21 this year.”

Despite looking like she might be a teenager, Hinata-san is definitely 20 years old.

When it comes to appearances, Naoto-san’s age is even more confusing, and according to Hinata-san, she hasn’t changed much since she was 15. I’ve started to think that the concept of age just doesn’t apply to them.

I even wonder if Naoto-san has any kind of past as a regular human. If someone told me they were an alien and don’t age, I might just believe it.

Well, aside from the cross-dressing, he seems pretty normal.

“Oh, really? …Wait, a 17-year age difference?!”

“Naoto-san and Hinata-san have a lot of… complications.”

“…Where am I? Who am I?”

“Sorry, angel. Please come back to us.”

Amatsuka snapped back to reality with a start. If she froze up in the middle of the street, I’d be in trouble. It’s not good to be so overwhelmed that you lose your memory.

“I don’t really get it anymore, but I’ll just focus on cooking!”

“Okay.”

Amatsuka, who had stopped thinking about the situation, finally returned to her usual cheerful self. I guess overthinking things isn’t good for anyone. I learned something today.

“For now, what should we make today?”

“We bought the pepper mill, but we’ll need to get some pepper at the supermarket.”

“Yeah! Motobu-kun! Let’s stop by the supermarket!”

“Got it.”

Amatsuka was eager to use the new pepper mill she had just bought. I think I’ll just let her be for a while…