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 26-27

Chapter 26: Kumako Loves Her Little Sister

The day after my picnic with Amatsuka.

As usual, I’m at the supermarket shopping.

Honestly, I probably come here more often than I go to school.

“The green peppers and bell peppers are cheap.”

Apparently, after that, I ended up sleeping on Amatsuka’s lap for about an hour.

Falling asleep like that is pretty pathetic.

I felt bad for taking advantage of Amatsuka’s kindness, so I apologized.

Amatsuka, as kind as ever, smiled and said, “It’s totally fine.”

But still, I should probably do something to make up for it.

“Chicken is cheap today too. That’s a relief.”

As we were parting, Amatsuka said, “I want to go somewhere with you again.”

Even though I ate a meal, had a snack, and then fell asleep on her, she still wants to hang out again? Why is that?

Is it because I messed up by not spreading butter on the sandwiches?

No, that wasn’t such a big deal.

Maybe it’s more about her wanting to test my cooking skills as her apprentice.

“A can of tomatoes… Chicken with green peppers and bell peppers in tomato sauce sounds good.”

Well, I don’t mind being her apprentice or whatever, but it’s not like I officially agreed to take her on as one.

I’ve been teaching her, but if Amatsuka gets bored, that’s the end of it.

“Hey, Motobu!”

“Good to see you, Miaki-san.”

Just as a medium who’s used to seeing ghosts doesn’t get scared, I’m no longer startled when I see Miaki-san.

“Working during Golden Week must be tough.”

“Yeah, it is. Plus, taking care of my little sister is hard work too.”

Miaki-san, with her sharp eyes, a beauty mark under one of them, and long, shiny silver hair, has it tied up for her job and is wearing her work uniform.

Even at school, where she’s known as the silver-haired gal, she often talks to me about her little sister.

When she does, she turns into a complete siscon.

Sometimes she even shows me photos of them together as her phone’s wallpaper.
How much do you love her, seriously?

“Hey, listen to this, Motobu.”

“What’s up?”

“My little sister Miko is so picky about food.”

Miaki-san’s sister, Miko, is in first grade.

She’s still at that age where she can be quite spoiled.

It’s only natural that she has some dislikes when it comes to food.

“Yeah, little kids often have sensitive taste buds, so it’s not uncommon for them to dislike bitter foods.”

“Exactly!”

Can you please not slack off at your job while getting all mushy?

You’re going to get scolded, and it might make me look bad too.

“Motobu, you’re good at cooking, right? Can’t you teach me something?”

“Cooking for kids feels like it’s on a whole other level though…”

“Please!”

“…Alright.”

I don’t have much experience cooking for little kids.

Can I really make something that even a first-grader like Miko would enjoy?

“But I can’t guarantee that Miko will like the food, okay?”

“That’s fine!”

Doing it for your little sister is kind of sneaky.

“I’m working a day shift today and will be off soon. Can we do it afterward? It’s a bit sudden, though.”

“Alright. I’ll just wander around the store until your shift ends, so let me know when you’re done.”

“Will do!”

With that, Miaki-san cheerfully went back to work.

She’s probably excited to cook for her sister.

She’s quite the siscon.

“Oh, right.”

I remembered there were other things I wanted to buy and started walking off to find them.

“Oh! Sorry!”

“Oh, um… no problem.”

“Oh… uh… Kurose-san.”

“Hello, Motobu-san.”

As I turned a corner, I almost bumped into Kurose-san.

I’m sorry I didn’t recognize her right away.

“Excuse me.”

“Oh, it’s fine.”

Kurose-san bowed slightly and quickly walked away.

I wonder if she was shopping too.

Though, she didn’t seem to have a shopping basket.

“Sorry for the wait, Motobu! I’m done.”

“That was quicker than I expected.”

It seems her shift really was about to end.

As we continued shopping, I couldn’t help but notice how fresh and different she looked in her simple, casual outfit of black skinny jeans and a black hoodie.

—

Chapter 27: I’m Not a Lolicon

“Excuse me for intruding.”

After finishing shopping, I went to Miaki’s house.
Since I also need to go home and prepare dinner, I want to teach her quickly and be done.

“Welcome home, Kuma-chan!”

“I’m back, Miko.”

“Is that person your boyfriend, Kuma-chan?”

“No, he’s just a classmate teaching me how to cook.”

“My name is Takeru Motobu. Pleased to meet you.”

“Motobu… Takeru… So, Kei-chan!”

…What’s with this little girl, giving me a nickname without any ill will upon our first meeting? I might just fall for her, you little rascal.

My dull nickname, “Motobu Mob,” was slightly brightened by this little girl.
If a truck were to hit me right after this, I think I could die without regrets.
That’s how much I was moved by Miko’s social skills.

“Sorry about that, Motobu. She must have watched a scene recently where the main character gives out nicknames, so now she’s been handing them out.”

“…Thank you for the wonderful nickname.”

“Why are there tears in your eyes? Are you okay?”

“Is Kei-chan alright?”

Miko held my hand and looked up at me with concern.
I learned in this spring of my fifteenth year that I cry when I encounter pure kindness after a long time.

“…I’m fine. Miaki-san, let’s start cooking.”

For Miko’s sake, I’ll do my best to teach her.

☆☆☆

“So, what are you going to teach me?”

“Minestrone.”

I make it at home pretty often since it’s easy to tweak, and you can even turn it into a rice porridge.
It’s versatile and convenient.

“Since you’re busy with housework and your part-time job, I’ll make it simple but satisfying with just one dish.”

“That’s a huge help.”

Miaki-san, wearing an apron and full of enthusiasm…

Her apron has a bear on it.

It’s a bit of a contrast. I wonder if Miko picked it out for her.

“I’ll be adapting the minestrone into a rice porridge this time.”

“Okay, first is the rice.”

Miaki-san quickly washed the rice.

She must cook quite often.

And considering she’s become a valuable worker at her part-time job in just a month, she’s got good skills.

“Ideally, you want to cut the vegetables into bite-sized pieces, but since they should be easy for Miko to eat, it’s better to chop them as small as green peas.”

“I’m pretty good at chopping stuff.”

“That’s reassuring.”

…But could you stop showing off with the knife? It’s scary.

Today’s dish includes green peppers, which Miko doesn’t like.

Since Miaki-san has a pressure cooker that she won as a prize, the plan is to simmer the peppers until they’re soft to mask the bitterness.

This way, the nutrients that cause bitterness will also dissolve into the dish, so nothing goes to waste.

“Minestrone is a soup full of ingredients, so you don’t have to do this, but if you’re short on time, you can soften the core of the vegetables by microwaving them first.”

“I like shortcuts, so I’ll do that.”

While the vegetables were in the microwave, I cut the chicken we bought.

“Chicken was cheap today, but sausages work just as well. Actually, since you don’t have to cut them, sausages are easier.”

“Got it!”

I added the vegetables, chicken, and a can of tomatoes to the heated pot.

“I usually add garlic and olive oil for fragrance before putting in the vegetables, but since this is for Miko, I’ll keep the flavors mild with just consommé, salt, and tomato.”

“Alright.”

Miaki-san scooped some of the soup into a small dish and tasted it.

“How’s this?”

I also took a small dish to taste.

The salt brought out the sweetness of the tomato, making it delicious.
I usually make it a bit more robust with pepper since Manoka often drinks it with alcohol, but this milder version seems better for Miko’s palate.

“It’s perfect.”

“Great.”

“Now we just need to let it simmer for a while.”

“That was easy.”

“If you want to take your time, you can use whole tomatoes and cook it with just their juice for a richer flavor.”

“That sounds really good.”

A small figure peeked into the kitchen from the living room, looking curious.

“Dinner will be ready soon.”

“Okay!”

Miko smiled happily.