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 63-64

Chapter 63: Dinner Table

“Mmm~♪ It’s so delicious.”

“You really enjoy your food, don’t you, Touka?”

“I’m still not convinced why we’re all eating together like it’s totally normal! Right, Takeru-kun?”

“……”

Since Kurose-san started coming to our house, she’s already blended in quite well.

For some reason, Chika has been spoiling her.

“If you have time to complain about me, Manoka-nee-sama, wouldn’t it be better to enjoy Motobu-san’s cooking?”

“I enjoy it every day, three meals a day~. I can feel the love~.”

“Then even though I’m an outsider, I’m being invited here too. So I’m loved as well, as a future bride.”

“Takeru-kun’s bride will be me!”

Currently, Kurose-san pays 3000 yen per month for groceries.

Well, it’s like a meal plan.

I’m a stay-at-home husband, and that’s all I am.

Manoka-san is the one who earns money, so I have to request at least the bare minimum for living expenses.

Calculating for 30 days a month, that’s about 100 yen per meal.

It’s definitely cheaper than buying a convenience store bento or cooking for one person.

“Kurose-san, this isn’t what you think, okay? Naoto-san asked me to take care of you, and once your taste disorder is cured, the contract ends.”

“Mmm… If it comes to this, I’ll just have to get pregnant…”

Kurose-san mumbled something under her breath, but I decided to pretend I didn’t hear it.

I can only see a future full of hardships for her…

“Still, Miu-san, Touka-san, and even Manoka-nee are all candidates for becoming Takeru’s bride. My big brother’s harem plan is…”

“That doesn’t exist.”

“Miu-chan was certainly cute… But I won’t lose!”

“Having a strong rival in the same class is going to make this a tough fight. I’m not afraid of a bloody battle if it comes to that.”

A relationship with an angel is just a dream within a dream.

I’m only teaching her how to cook.

Nothing more, nothing less.

“By the way, have you been in touch with Yuri-nee recently? I got a message yesterday saying she hasn’t received any replies from you.”

“Yurina-chan, right? Wasn’t it Kiyan Yurina? She didn’t go back to Okinawa last year, and the last time I saw her was when she was little. I remember she was a cute kid.”

“I’ve erased all my old contacts.”

Currently, I have fewer than ten people in my contacts list.

Only the absolute essentials.

I haven’t had a single contact from when I lived in Okinawa.

Apart from Chika, Manoka-san, Naoto-san, and Hinata-san, the rest of my contacts are people I met after I started high school.

Anyway, I only used my phone for family communication, so it hasn’t been inconvenient.

“Yuri-nee said she’s feeling lonely.”

“Chika-san, what exactly is Yurina-san’s relationship with Motobu-san?! Is she a new rival?!”

“Yuri-nee is my brother’s childhood friend. From when he lived in Okinawa.”

“A c-childhood friend… Oh, but childhood friends are known to lose in love, so it’s fine.”

“Hehehe. Touka-chan, you’re also a losing heroine, so it’s no problem. You should get along with the other losing heroines. If you get the chance.”

I couldn’t go back to Okinawa last year because I had to take my high school entrance exams, but this year, I want to visit the graves, so I need to go.

Maybe I’ll go back during summer break.

“This year, I’ll go back.”

“I should take paid leave for summer vacation too. And bring a swimsuit…”

“M-Motobu-san… Are you really going to Okinawa? …C-Can I come too?”

“Wait, what about the travel expenses?”

“I’ll get a part-time job!”

“Well, if Manoka-san says—” “Absolutely not.”

“Grr…”

There’s no obligation for us to cover Kurose-san’s travel expenses when she’s not even my girlfriend.

It’s already a lot of work feeding her; I can’t take care of everything else.

If she follows us on her own, I won’t say anything more…

—

Chapter 64: Rainy Season

“Rainy season, huh…”

“Yeah, it’s the rainy season.”

On the way home from school, as usual, we stopped by the supermarket. I hate going out during this time of year.

“I dislike the rainy season, but since the supermarket’s groceries are relatively untouched, it forces me to go shopping.”

“That’s a good deal, isn’t it?”

While I feel down, Amatsuka walks beside me, happily twirling her colorful umbrella.

When someone as cute as Amatsuka is around, even the gloomy weather brightens up.

“I like the rainy season. I can use my favorite umbrella as much as I want.”

“Well, if you cherish it, then I suppose it’s a good thing.”

Umbrellas are meant to be stolen.

People steal them without a shred of guilt.

“I used to have a favorite umbrella too.”

“Even you, Motobu-kun? That’s kind of a cute story.”

“But that umbrella got stolen, and ever since, I’ve stopped caring about umbrellas.”

“A sad story after all.”

The stolen umbrella was later returned to me in a miserable condition, placed on my desk.

Just a mindless act of bullying without any remorse.

Like stepping on a tiny ant for fun.

“That’s why cheap plastic umbrellas are the best value. No worries if they get stolen.”

“You’re a true penny-pincher!”

If it’s cheap, I can just buy another one.

Sometimes, it’s important to think that way.

Amatsuka probably wouldn’t experience such things, and even if she did, people like Miaki-san wouldn’t stay quiet about it.

“But still, having your favorite umbrella stolen is pretty sad.”

“Yes, it is.”

I stopped bringing anything I cared about to school.

I made sure to erase every bit of my “individuality.”

I even fixed my Okinawan accent.

I got rid of my likes and dislikes.

As a background character, I decided to live quietly without standing out.

No enemies, no allies.

That was the most peaceful way to live.

“Ah!!”

“A-Amatsuka-san?!”

Amatsuka slipped on the wet tiles of the sidewalk, almost falling, but I managed to catch her just in time.

“Th-that scared me~.”

“It scared me too…”

“Loafers are really slippery, you know.”

“Please be careful.”

“Thank you, Motobu-kun.”

Instinctively, I grabbed Amatsuka by her shoulder.

I felt the softness of her skin and the delicate frame unique to girls.

It made me realize, even more, that Amatsuka is indeed a “girl.”

Well, of course, she’s a girl, but it made me overly conscious of it.

“My heart… skipped a beat.”

“…That was probably just the suspension bridge effect.”

Amatsuka tilted her head and looked at me as if peering into my face.

I wish she wouldn’t look at me like that; it makes me accidentally fall for her.

As she almost slipped, droplets from her umbrella splashed onto her, tracing down her golden hair and cheeks.

She looked stunning with the water dripping from her.

“There’s no suspension bridge here, though.”

“That’s just nitpicking.”

The angel is called Amatsuka.

For some reason, I’m teaching her how to cook.

I couldn’t have imagined this back in middle school.

Maybe it’s okay if it’s just an unrequited crush.

If a background character falls in love with an angel, surely no one would mind.

If it’s an impossible love, no one gets hurt.

I can just keep watching from the audience.

“Wow! Look, look, Motobu-kun!”

“What’s wrong?”

“A rainbow!!”

Amatsuka pointed to the ground for some reason.

When I looked, I saw a rainbow reflected in a puddle.

“You can find rainbows even when you’re looking down, huh?”

“It’s lucky to see one during a break in the rainy season.”

Looking up from the puddle, I searched the sky for the actual rainbow.

Where we were standing, it was still raining, but the area where the rainbow appeared was bright, despite the cloudy sky.

“Today might be a good day.”

“Yes, we might find some great bargains.”

“Come on, say something a bit more romantic~.”

“I’m a stay-at-home husband, after all.”

We talked like that as we walked together.

Five minutes later, Amatsuka slipped and fell again.

…She was wearing black lace.