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 134: Head Chef

“Omelette rice is ready!”

“Thanks, Head Chef!”

“Honbu-kun, is the curry done yet?!”

“It’s ready.”

“Thanks!”

The classmates dressed as maids are busily moving between the classroom and the home economics room.

Although I’m technically the Head Chef, my role is mainly to help out during busy times.

I also have to check in with the student council, but the school festival has just started, and there are so many customers that I can’t afford to leave the scene.

“Kanamori-san, the Tororin Pachi Pachi Parfait is ready!”

“Thanks, Momo-chan!”

“P-please stop calling me Momo-chan—it’s embarrassing!”

Even though Momohara is dressed as a maid, she’s officially the pastry chef. However, her nickname “Momo-chan” has become widely recognized among classmates, leaving her with little authority. Honestly, she’s adorable.

“Carpaccio and seafood pasta for Table 1 are ready!”

“Chef Tomitsugu! I’ll take these!”

“Got it.”

In the home economics room, there are students from other classes and grades, but Tomiru-senpai often glares at me for some reason.

Her stare is so intense it feels like she might kill me, but I know it’s just her competitive spirit. So, I deliberately act as though I don’t notice and continue cooking.

“Three omelette rice and one curry for Table 6, Honbu-san.”

“Understood.”

This time, Kurose-san is stationed in the home economics room. She’s been assigned to manage orders and assist with cooking as an excuse to keep her away from interacting with customers.

Given the recent spread of underground jobs and crimes, we have to be cautious not only with her parents but also with other customers.

These shady gigs are particularly troublesome since they require minimal skill and can pay even small rewards.

For all we know, there could be a job ad like, “Easy work☆ Just eat and drink at a maid café during the school festival!”

If someone were to plant a hidden camera in their chest pocket, Kurose-san’s every move could be exposed.

“The dishes for Table 6 are ready.”

“Understood.”

For the curry, we’re serving pre-cooked portions that have been divided into plastic containers, frozen, and reheated.

Unlike omelette rice, curry is risky to prepare in large batches because storing it at room temperature encourages bacterial growth.

That’s why we portion out exact servings into containers for storage. At the festival, we simply microwave the frozen curry, plate it, and serve it immediately.

Freshly made curry doesn’t allow the flavors to permeate the ingredients properly, which diminishes its appeal.

The charm of curry and stews comes from the richness of flavors that develop as they cool and the ingredients absorb the seasoning.

“…Looks so delicious… drool…”

“Kurose-san, no snacking, okay? These are products for sale.”

Well, it’s not like I’m unhappy seeing her face light up.

Watching Kurose-san eye the bear-shaped curry with such longing is something that warms a cook’s heart.

Amidst all the work and the concerns about Kurose-san, hearing someone say that the food looks delicious, even for a trivial reason, is incredibly gratifying.

“I’ll treat you to some during your break.”

“I’ll do my best!”

To be honest, I had wanted Kurose-san to skip the school festival altogether.

But with her gradually getting used to the class, I hesitated to say that to her.

Naoto-san had initially suggested not involving her at all, which meant encouraging her to skip the festival. I understood that it was a reasonable option.

“Head Chef Honbu, please taste this.”

“Perfect.”

“Yes!”

Still, I wanted Kurose-san to experience the school festival in a way that felt like she was living a “normal high school life.”

So, I forced Naoto-san to cooperate and convinced him to let her participate.

As a result, I barely have any breathing room myself.

“Honbu-san, it seems things are starting to settle down.”

“Really? In that case, I’ll step out to check in with the student council. I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“Leave it to me!”

I entrust the remaining tasks to my classmates working as kitchen staff and leave the home economics room.

There’s so much to do and so much that needs to get done.

I just hope nothing happens.

—

Chapter 135: A Good Man

“Before heading to the student council room, I should check on my class first.”

The school was bustling with activity.

Laughter and joy echoed everywhere as people enjoyed themselves.

I looked at it all without any sentimental feelings.

Back in middle school, how was the cultural festival?

I was so busy hiding myself and maintaining appearances, desperately trying not to slip up, that I barely remember those days.

Compared to fifth or sixth grade, it wasn’t as hard, but I don’t have any happy memories either.

“Oh! It’s Head Chef Honbu!”

“…Amatsuka-san, please don’t call me that. It’s embarrassing.”

Amatsuka-san, who must have had a brief break from serving customers, noticed me and ran over.

Her maid uniform added to the scene, making it hard for me to look directly at her.

…Like a shy middle school boy, I reacted awkwardly. I wanted to die from embarrassment.

“Things seem to be going well.”

“Totally!”

She winked cheerfully and gave me a thumbs-up.

Watching her carefree demeanor, I felt a bit of the tension in my own heart ease.

“So, how’s it been? Any troublesome customers?”

“Not really. Though a few girls have been hit on.”

“Maybe we should put up a ‘No Touching’ sign.”

“So far, no one’s actually tried anything.”

Difficult customers are manageable.

The real problem is anyone targeting Kurose-san.

I’ve hidden a camera in the maid café decorations just in case.

I’ll have to review the footage after the first day.

“Huh? Honbu? What’s a background character like you doing here?”

As I was talking with Amatsuka-san, an unpleasant voice called out from behind.

Memories I didn’t want to recall started bubbling up.

“Your class is running a maid café? Are you going to wear a maid outfit, Mob-Tarou?”

“I’m in charge of cooking.”

“Like I’d ever eat food made by you!”

“Let’s go. Even if there are maids, bad food would ruin it.”

“Yeah, and I don’t want his loser aura rubbing off on me.”

“That’s rude to Honbu-kun, you know.”

Laughing cruelly, my former elementary school classmates turned to leave.

Just like during the summer festival, being insulted in front of Amatsuka-san was humiliating.

Worse yet, letting her defend me made me feel pathetic.

She’s someone I admire and care for deeply.

Being ridiculed in front of her stung my pride as a man and made me question if I even deserved to have pride in the first place.

It was frustrating.

I hated myself for not being able to say anything back.

“Takeru-kun, Nao-neesan is here for you.”

“Na-Nao-san?!”

As usual, Naoto-san showed up in his cross-dressed guise without reading the room, dragging me into the conversation.

We weren’t supposed to meet up until later—why was he here now?

“Oh, are these Takeru-kun’s friends?”

“Ah, uh, they’re former classmates from elementary school.”

…Those guys were clearly ogling Nao-san.

Well, anyone seeing the appearance of a woman in her twenties for the first time would probably react like that.

“Takeru-kun, I didn’t know your nickname was ‘Mob.’”

“Wha—?! Nao-san?!”

Smiling mischievously, Nao-san sidled up to me.

While Amatsuka-san looked surprised, Nao-san’s hand sensually brushed against my chest.

“I don’t care much for men who put others down to feel better about themselves.”

With those words, Nao-san smiled slyly and approached one of the boys.

She gently grasped his chin between her fingers and thumb, smiling seductively.

“Mocking and stepping on others might feel good and reassure you that you’re above them, but the faces people make when they’re treated like that aren’t very pleasant.”

Her hand slowly slid from his chin to his stomach as she stared into his eyes.

“Out of humanity’s three basic desires—sleep, sex, and food…”

…Nao-san was completely toying with them.

She really has such a wicked personality.

“You said Takeru-kun’s cooking is bad, but I love his food. Capturing someone’s heart through their stomach is a truly powerful thing.”

Nao-san caressed his stomach seductively and pressed her fingers lightly against him.

The boy froze in place.

“Instead of being the kind of man who steps on others to laugh, strive to be a good man who improves himself. That’s the kind of person I prefer.”

“Y-yes!”

I started to pity them.

They were being completely played by a cross-dressing man.

Though, considering Nao-san’s age, calling him a “man” feels strange—his age almost feels irrelevant.