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 14: Loner, P.E., Pair

Physical education class.

For someone like me, who’s always alone, it’s a dreadful time.

“I’m, I’m really sorry, Motobu-kun… for pairing with someone like me.”

“It’s fine. I was left without a partner too.”

So, I ended up pairing with another loner, Kaori Momohara, for the gymnastics exercise.

His bangs are so long you can barely see his eyes. He’s small, a bit hunched over, and his skin is pale, lacking any sign of masculinity. Kaori is timid, constantly nervous, and reminds me of a small animal.

His voice is soft and far from manly, with a somewhat androgynous quality. In a way, he feels similar to Naoto-san.

“…I’m exhausted…”

“We’ve only just finished warming up, though.”

“This is just exercise to maintain health, but for someone like me… a semi-recluse, it’s tough…”

His hands are small, delicate, and weak-looking, almost like a girl’s. During the exercises, there were times when we had to touch, and Kaori even had a faint, sweet scent.

“Soccer is like a hellish sport for someone like me… The physical education teacher must really hate me…”

“Team sports can be rough for those who don’t usually engage with others.”

The two of us sat on the stairs near the field, watching the boys in our class enjoy soccer. I’d always thought I had low self-esteem, but I never imagined there’d be someone in my class with even lower self-esteem than me.

“…So, Motobu-kun, you’re good at cooking, right?”

Kaori finally spoke, unable to endure the silence of just watching our classmates.

“I’m not sure about being good… but I do all the housework, and I make my own lunch every day.”

“That’s amazing. I can’t cook at all…”

Despite being shy and introverted, Kaori seemed interested in cooking and tried to keep the conversation going, though clumsily. Feeling a bit strange, I decided to continue the conversation.

“Are you interested in cooking, Momohara-san?”

“N-no! … If I try, the house might burn down…”

“I-I see…”

The way he said “the house might burn down” instead of “might” gave me a sense of something… as if he’d actually done it before, or at least had a close call.

It’s like I can see the hidden landmines already. Conversations can be scary…

“…I can only make sweets…”

“Well, I’m not good at making sweets, so I think that’s impressive.”

“…N-not really…”

This feels like one of those awkward arranged marriage conversations you see in dramas.

Lately, I’ve been talking a lot more, but now that I think about it, it was mostly Amatsuka-san who did most of the talking. Throwing words into a void and not getting much back is more exhausting than I thought.

“Well, cooking often involves managing heat, and making sweets is like chemistry.”

“Exactly! That’s right, Motobu-kun!!”

Suddenly, Kaori grabbed my hand and, with his hidden eyes sparkling, began talking excitedly, a complete change from before.

“Even with eggs! The proteins in the yolk and white are different, so they trap air differently! The humidity can also affect how things bake; it’s difficult but so much fun!!”

He was speaking fast and with enthusiasm, like a typical enthusiast when talking about something they love. He probably doesn’t get to talk about this with others much. I can relate to that feeling.

Somehow, I felt a bit of a connection with him.

“Come to think of it, when I make omelets, I mix them carefully without whisking, but I didn’t know the protein types were different. That’s good to know.”

Making sweets really is a deep art. You can get away with shortcuts in cooking, but with sweets, if you cut corners, it usually doesn’t turn out well.

I remember when Chika made cookies back in elementary school. They turned out like charcoal, and I wondered if she was trying alchemy or something.

“Ah… S-sorry… I talked too much… It’s weird, right? A guy talking about making sweets…”

“No, not at all.”

Realizing he had been talking too much, Kaori suddenly looked down, shrinking back and growing quiet again.

“Um, if it’s okay, could you teach me how to make sweets sometime? I’d like to make some for my sister and cousin who’ve been helping me a lot.”

“Eh… Ah… Y-yes! I’d love to!!”

Kaori’s face lit up with a pure smile, like that of a child. I couldn’t help but think he looked cute, even though he’s a guy…

“I’ve never made sweets with someone else before, so I’m looking forward to it!”

After that, Kaori was in a great mood. He eagerly shared tips about what sweets we could make and the best ones for beginners.

“Motobu-san, Momohara-san.”

“Eep?!”

Later, Kurose, the class’s vice president, suddenly called out to us from behind. She gathered all our classmates into the gymnasium, bringing the physical education class to an end.

I won’t tell anyone that I found Kaori’s startled voice adorable.

—

Chapter 15: Amatsuka-san in the Bathroom

“So warm~♪”

Today, I cooked with Amatsuka-kun again, ate dinner with Mom, and little by little, I’m getting better at things.

“I wonder what we’ll make tomorrow.”

My voice echoed softly in the warm, steamy bathroom.

“My skin, smooth from the bath salts, or the omelet Amatsuka-kun made, which one has better texture…?”

It hasn’t been long since I started learning to cook, but omelets are now my specialty. Still, I can’t compete with the ones Amatsuka-kun makes.

“My master really is amazing~”

It’s hard to believe we’re both just first-year high school students.

“Am I not enjoying cooking yet?”

I don’t think that’s true. It’s challenging and awkward at times, but being able to make something delicious is really fun.

“Hmm. He’s just really good at it~ my master.”

I watched the video on my phone again, the one of my master making an omelet. Even though it was his first time using an induction cooker, he worked so efficiently.

“…Hehe. Amatsuka-kun looks like he’s having fun when he’s cooking.”

Amatsuka-kun doesn’t smile much or show a lot of different expressions. Sometimes he laughs at me, but usually, he keeps a neutral face.

But after watching him over and over again in the video, I’ve started to notice the little changes in his expressions.

“Like here.”

When he flips the omelet, he looks a bit worried. And when it turns out perfectly, you can see a tiny bit of relief on his face. It’s such a small thing that you wouldn’t notice unless you were really paying attention.

“He must be serious about every single step.”

As he places the finished omelet on the plate, his mouth curls into a slight smile. He looks happy.

“Yet, he acts like it’s nothing, with that ‘I just made it normally’ kind of face.”

Well, I was a little nervous too when I was making the omelet with my master by my side, so I understand how he feels. Knowing someone is watching you makes you a bit tense.

It’s not like it’s a test or anything, so there’s no reason to be nervous, but still.

“‘Let’s eat!! Yum, sooo good~'”

Oh… My vocabulary in that first reaction…

Ah, I did give a proper food review afterward. But still, it was really delicious.

“Oh…”

I didn’t notice while I was eating the omelet or even when I was repeatedly watching the cooking parts, but Amatsuka-kun had this look on his face. It was such a gentle expression. Maybe the biggest smile I’ve ever seen from him.

“Wait, I’ve stayed in the bath too long. I’m starting to feel dizzy—this is really bad!!”

Somehow, my whole body is warm, and even my face feels a bit flushed.

For some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to look in the mirror.