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 59-60

Chapter 59: The Stalker Greets Me

“Welcome home, Motobu-san.”

“…”

“You were a bit late today.”

“…Why are you wearing just an apron again? And why are you in my house? Chika and Manoka-san haven’t come home yet, right?”

“Chika-san gave me a spare key. Oh, and I’m not just wearing an apron! I’m properly wearing a school swimsuit underneath!”

“…”

Please don’t turn around and show your butt.

What the heck are you doing…?

Why on earth did Chika-san give a spare key to someone with stalker tendencies?

And for that matter, our high school doesn’t even have swimming classes.

So, she bought a school swimsuit just for this occasion.

If she’s going to spend money on such a revealing swimsuit, she should spend a little on fashion instead…

“…And what’s that on your head?”

“It’s Motobu-san’s boxer briefs.”

“Why are you wearing them?”

“I was smelling them.”

I buried my face in my hands and collapsed at the entrance, crying.

It’s all just too much.

Everything is.

I asked why she was wearing them, and she just said she was smelling them. The conversation doesn’t even make sense.

But then again, it’s not like our conversations ever made sense. Yeah…

“…I see…”

A stalker wearing a school swimsuit apron and greeting me with my underwear on her head… What even is this?

I don’t even have the energy to make a sarcastic remark anymore.

Still on my knees, I stared at the sunset through the entrance.

Even the crows seemed to be cawing at me in pity.

“…For now, give me back the underwear. And change your clothes.”

“Understo—”

“Motobu-kun! Mom got some snacks for you—?!”

“Amatsuka-san?!”

She saw the worst possible situation…

Kurose-san, who was in her apron, looking like she was naked, and visibly wearing my underwear on her head, greeting me at the door…

“Amatsuka-san, it’s embarrassing to be looked at like that…”

“…”

“…”

Yeah. She’s embarrassed for the wrong reason.

It’s not that she’s ashamed of being seen in a weird outfit; she’s embarrassed because she’s being stared at so intently.

She’s covering her cheek with her hand, and for some reason, she looks shyly happy.

I really don’t get it.

“Oh, um, I see. So, Motobu-kun and Kurose-san are in that kind of relationship, huh? Haha. Sorry, I didn’t know~.”

“Yes, that’s right. I’m going to be Motobu-san’s future wife.”

“Kurose-san, please don’t talk. Everything is just too troublesome now…”

I’m not actually dating anyone.

If someone just looked at the situation, they’d probably think being with Kurose-san would be something to envy.

But that’s completely wrong.

She almost killed me, she’s a stalker, she doesn’t listen to anything I say, and our conversations never make sense. On top of that, she’s overly dependent on me.

“…Amatsuka-san, please come inside. We need to talk about a lot of things now.”

“N-no, I couldn’t. I don’t want to get in the way of you two, you know, your relationship…”

“Oh, that’s not the point. Just come inside for now.”

“O-okay.”

“And Kurose-san, give me back the underwear. Then go sit in the living room in seiza.”

“Eek?! Is Motobu-san mad at me?!”

“Why did you think I wasn’t mad? I’ve clearly been angry this whole time, haven’t I? I’m also exasperated, right?”

What’s exhausting about Kurose-san is that she does these things without any ill intent.

In some ways, she’s similar to Manoka-san, but her abnormal behavior goes far beyond that.

“Amatsuka-san, tea is fine for you, right?”

“Oh, yes… thank you.”

I took back my underwear and made Kurose-san change into her uniform, then had her sit in seiza in the living room.

She looked dejected after getting scolded by me.

Her expression was like that of a child who had just been scolded by their parents.

Even Amatsuka-san, seeing Kurose-san looking downcast for the first time, seemed a bit awkward.

“I’ve been through a lot with Kurose-san…”

“There must’ve been a lot of… ups and downs!!”

“Kurose-san, please be quiet.”

“Yes, sir!”

Honestly, today has been exhausting.

I just wish she would act like she does at school…

As I wished for the impossible, I started explaining the situation.

—

Chapter 60: Distance

In the Motobu family’s living room, Kurose-san sat in seiza, looking small.

Amatsuka-san fidgeted with her teacup awkwardly.

I was at a loss, unsure of what to say.

When it came to Kurose-san, I didn’t know how much I could talk about.

She had something happen in her childhood, which caused her to lose her sense of taste—a delicate subject. And I didn’t even know the past that led to her taste disorder.

I wasn’t sure if I should mention how she almost killed me.

For now, the only thing I was sure of was that Kurose-san needed to stay quiet.

If our conversation went off the rails and she started acting out, it would be more than just a hassle.

“Kurose-san has a taste disorder, and for some reason, she can only taste my cooking. Because of that, she’s been coming to my place every night for meals. The reason she greeted me at the door is probably because Chika gave her a spare key, and she came over earlier.”

“O-oh, I see…”

The sudden mention of a taste disorder.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Amatsuka-san took this as just an excuse I made up to cover for the situation.

Well, it’s not like Amatsuka-san and I are in a relationship. We couldn’t be, anyway.

Even if I desperately try to explain the situation… No, maybe this is exactly the time when I need to make sure she understands.

If Kurose-san gets carried away and tries to tighten her grip on me, it might become too late.

If Kurose-san ever became normal, that would be a good thing.

She’s beautiful and smart, after all. Someone like me wouldn’t deserve her.

But this relationship is too twisted and wrong to accept.

And yeah, I know I shouldn’t be cooking for her in the first place. This is where my kindness becomes a weakness.

“…I can only live by clinging to Motobu-san.”

Unlike her earlier creepy attitude, Kurose-san now looked sad.

Seeing her like this, I almost thought she looked more human than when she was wearing my underwear.

“…Anyway, Amatsuka-san, we don’t have the kind of relationship you’re thinking of.”

“O-okay…”

“But, Amatsuka-san, I won’t give up.”

“…?”

Kurose-san, what are you talking about?

Did we say anything about winning or losing just now?

Oh, it’s probably the usual case of us not being on the same page again.

Yeah. I’m used to this by now.

“Well, anyway, I can’t make dinner for you tonight, Kurose-san, so you’ll have to leave.”

“No way! How unprincipled…”

“Kurose-san, you shouldn’t do things that other people don’t like. You understand that, right?”

I was about to ask her, “Wouldn’t you hate it if I greeted you at the door wearing your underwear?” but then I realized that would just be sexual harassment. Knowing Kurose-san, she’d probably say, “Actually, that would excite me,” so I decided not to bring it up.

It’s really difficult to teach someone like Kurose-san, whose sense of values and feelings are so different from mine.

Kurose-san doesn’t have any parents.

Chika and I don’t have parents either, but we still have guardians and other close people in our lives.

But Kurose-san doesn’t even have that.

It’s hard to teach her common sense.

It’s not easy to recognize and correct something twisted within yourself.

I know that all too well.

“So, please give up for today, Kurose-san.”

“…Food…”

“Even if you can’t taste it, you can still get nutrition, right? Punishment and hunger are spices in life. Take this as a lesson for your future behavior.”

“Ugh… Okay…”

Still sitting in seiza, Kurose-san hunched over even more, looking dejected.

Well, she’ll have to accept this as a lesson too.

After all, I’ve only been cooking for her every night out of kindness.

On the other hand, this is what happens when I’m in a bad mood.

It’s just an informal agreement. In fact, you could say it’s a good thing I haven’t taken advantage of it.

“Well, Motobu-kun, Kurose-san seems to be reflecting on her actions. Right?”

“The time spent reflecting is what matters. If you give someone a reward right after they reflect, all they’ll learn is that they can get a reward by pretending to reflect.”

“Why do I feel like I’m talking to a mom right now, Motobu-kun…”

“Well, I’m basically a stay-at-home husband. So, I have to be strict about these things.”

For now, it seemed like the situation had settled down.

Amatsuka-san was gently patting Kurose-san’s back, who was quietly crying—making me look like the bad guy in the process. But there was nothing else I could do.

Considering that I hadn’t mentioned how Kurose-san almost killed me with a knife disguised as a key, she should be grateful.

I tried to let it go, but the truth won’t disappear.

Even memories we want to erase won’t disappear. They’ll always be there, no matter how much we try to let them go.

I want Kurose-san to understand that.

“Well then, see you, Motobu-kun.”

“I’m sorry, Motobu-san.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

After Kurose-san and Amatsuka-san left, I found myself standing in the kitchen.

“Guess I’ll do my best for Instagram today.”

I muttered as I tied an apron around my waist.

When Chika gets home, I’ll have to give her a lecture.