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 20: What Is Youth?

I wander around Sunflower, the general store, casually browsing through items.

It’s one of my ways to relieve stress.

I can’t seem to enjoy cooking no matter how much I try.

At times like this, it’s fun to buy new small items or cooking utensils and use them.

“Takeru-kun, is something wrong?”

While elegantly sipping tea and reading a magazine, the store manager, Hinata-san, asks me that.

“Not really,” I reply as I continue looking at the items.

I don’t have anything specific I want.

I’m just searching for something because I feel like searching.

I don’t want to cook when I’m dragging around bad feelings.

“Hmm! In Hokkaido, they have cherry blossom viewing during Golden Week! I should persuade Naoto-kun to go…”

Hinata-san seems as cheerful as ever.

It’s heartwarming to see.

Ignoring Hinata-san’s mutterings, I continue browsing.

I pick up a few plates I like and head to the register where Hinata-san is waiting.

“Look, look, Takeru-kun! Cherry blossoms!”

“They’re beautiful.”

“I want Naoto-kun to cook for me while we slowly enjoy some sake.”

“That depends on Naoto-san’s schedule.”

“Alright, I’ll have to persuade Naoto-kun and Chinatsu-chan later to secure the schedule.”

“Before securing that, could you please check me out first?”

Chinatsu-san is Naoto-san’s editor and also his childhood friend.

I haven’t met her often, but watching Naoto-san and his editor battle it out before deadlines is never boring.

“Oh, these plates! You’ve got a good eye, customer.”

“I’m a full-time househusband.”

Hinata-san’s merchant-like remark made me feel warm inside.

“Just earlier, Miu-chan came by and bought some cute chopsticks. She said she was going to make dashimaki tamago.”

“Dashimaki tamago is a classic for bento.”

“But she seemed down, saying she couldn’t ask her master to teach her because she upset him…”

“It’s not like I’m mad at her.”

Hearing this story through Hinata-san made me feel a bit apologetic.

She’s probably worried about when I said, “I won’t teach you how to cook.”

I only said that if she forcibly invites me to the class group, but maybe my tone was too strong.

“Oh, is this what youth is?”

“Naoto-kun, it is!”

“Is this what you call youth?”

Naoto-san, who had just come downstairs yawning, looked at us and said that right away.

It seems he had just finished writing, as his eyes looked dead.

He’s usually in casual clothes with black hair.

Since he doesn’t have a shift, he’s not wearing his cross-dressing makeup, of course.

When did he start listening? I didn’t hear his footsteps.

“Youth, huh? Sounds nice. I’m in my forties, so it’s quite nostalgic.”

“Naoto-kun, your youth was full of ups and downs.”

“Yeah, it was. My old wounds still hurt.”

What kind of youth leaves old wounds aching?

Can you really call that youth?

Was he some kind of mercenary?

I’ve gently asked about it, but I’ve never heard the details.

“Well, Takeru-kun, you’re a bit twisted, kind of like me.”

“…Am I twisted?”

“Yeah. You’re a bit like how Naoto-kun was back then.”

“It’s like seeing the old me. Yeah.”

“If I’m twisted like Naoto-san, does that mean I’ll start cross-dressing too?”

“No, it doesn’t. Usually.”

Apparently, I’m twisted.

I never thought of myself that way.

I thought I was normal.

“Well, people like me and Takeru-kun, who observe from the outside, don’t match well with someone like Amatsuka-san. Or rather, it’s more accurate to say our values are different.”

“Are our values really that different?”

“They are. But I don’t think it’s such a bad thing. Naoto-kun and I are different too.”

It’s subjective, but when you say there’s a gap in values between the top caste of the class and a background character like me, it might indeed be true.

“Rather than Naoto-kun and me, I think Naoto-kun is the one who’s really different.”

“I’m… well, yeah. I’ve been through a lot.”

“Hehe. But Takeru-kun, if you face things properly, you’ll be fine.”

“Face things…?”

We’re just in a relationship where I teach cooking, and she learns.

What else should I be facing?

“Don’t worry about it, Takeru-kun.”

Seeing Hinata-san’s gentle smile, I somehow felt calm.

I thought it was an angelic smile.

“Thank you,” I said as I left the store.

—

Chapter 21: Frustrating

On the way back from the Sunflower General Store, I saw an angel. She was standing nearby, so I assumed it was Hinata.

What did she mean by “taking it slow”?

And when did we exchange contact information?

“A- um, Motobu-kun…”

“Didn’t you say you were going to make rolled omelets?”

“Oh, uh, yeah… I did, but…”

Amatsuka, looking downcast, stood small and quiet. I realized that I had said something terrible to her, more than I had intended. I hadn’t meant to make her look like this, and I never imagined my words would cause such a reaction.

“I’m sorry, really.”

Amatsuka smiled painfully.

We’ve only known each other for about a month.

I never thought I’d feel so unsure, seeing a face like hers.

What should I say?

“…”

What should I say?

My words probably won’t reach her.

We live in different worlds.

That’s why this has already happened.

“…Amatsuka-san.”

“Yes?”

“…It seems I’m a bit twisted.”

“…Haha.”

Amatsuka, who had momentarily frozen, laughed.

No, she was laughing at me.

“I know.”

“I see…”

“Well, I only realized recently.”

“Yeah, I was just told a little while ago too.”

The dark atmosphere from earlier had faded into the twilight.

Now, we were just smiling at each other.

I probably should apologize.

I tried to communicate, but my message didn’t get through.

So, what exactly should I apologize for?

“…If I made you misunderstand, I’m sorry.”

“Yeah. I also thought I might have misunderstood something, so I was thinking about you, Motobu-kun.”

“In the first place… I feel more at ease alone, and I don’t like being in groups, so I’m not good with gatherings like social events.”

“Yeah.”

I started to feel like our conversation was no longer aligning.

My words were getting lost as I searched for what I wanted to convey.

If this is the “youth” Naoto-san talked about, it’s so frustrating.

“So, that’s the only reason I didn’t want to go.”

“I’m sorry. I just, you know… I’m the type who enjoys being with everyone, and I thought it would be fun if you were there too, Motobu-kun, so I ended up being selfish. I’m sorry.”

Amatsuka apologized to me again.

This time, though, she had a slight smile.

We probably won’t be able to truly understand each other’s essence.

Amatsuka and I are different.

But it seems like we can at least acknowledge each other.

“…I don’t mean to be rude, but you’re quite peculiar for thinking it would be fun with me there.”

“I don’t think so at all!”

“No, no, you’re definitely peculiar.”

Something inside me was changing rapidly.

I’m still not sure what has changed, though.

“Well, for such a peculiar angel, you’re having trouble with rolled omelets, right? I’ll teach you.”

“I’m really not happy about being labeled as peculiar, but yes, I am struggling.”