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 77

“Meat~♪”

“Here, please pass me your plate.”

“Mmm~♪ Looks delicious~.”

Hinata, who had been beaten down in the flat-chest incident, is now happily stuffing her face with meat and is in a good mood.

“Miko, is it tasty?”

“It’s delicious.”

Miaki-san and Miko are sitting together, enjoying their meal in harmony as sisters. Out of everyone here, this is the most heartwarming sight. Everyone getting along—it’s important.

“Motobu-kun, should I help too?”

“Please don’t grill anything. I want to live.”

“I’m not going to grill anything!”

If I let Momohara handle the grilling, she might burn down the house. Well, I’ve never actually seen that happen before… not yet, at least.

“Motobu, give me the meat.”

“President Takakuchi, don’t be so greedy while your mouth is already full.”

“Suzu-chan wants to grow up, right? I hope you grow up soon.”

“It might be faster for me to rip off Keito’s chest than to grow up.”

“Can your tiny hands even grab my chest? It’s okay to stay small, Suzu-chan.”

“I’ll bite them off!”

“Eek! Help! I’m being attacked by a little girl~.”

“Wait, you!”

Vice President Nakamichi is completely teasing her for fun. Just when I thought things were finally calming down…

“Takeru-kun, I want some yakisoba too!”

“Onii-chan, I want some too~.”

“Sure.”

I handed the yakisoba, which I had been preparing on the other griddle, to Chika and Manoka-san. Although the meat grilling was the main event, I thought it would be nice to have yakisoba too, so I made some.

“Motobu, give me some too.”

“Here you go, Tomitsugu-senpai.”

Tomitsugu-senpai had sulked because she couldn’t get the fire going, but the smell of meat and yakisoba brought her over. She struggled with the charcoal cooking, so it ended up like this.

“Hmph.”

She’s not someone who’s easy to treat…

“…Oh, it’s delicious…”

Maybe not. Is this what they call a gap moe…?

“Takeru-kun, why not grill some seafood too? Hic…”

“Naoto-san, you’re weak with alcohol, aren’t you?”

“That’s not true…”

“Naoto-kun, you’re drinking too much. Here, drink some water.”

“Hina-tan, let me drink~.”

Well, at least Naoto-san is happy, holding onto his Orion Beer. Normally, Naoto-san is the reliable one, but in situations like this, Hinata seems more like the older sister. I mean, Naoto-san is really weak with alcohol. Well, I wouldn’t know since I don’t drink, but still.

“Motobu-kun, are you eating? Should I take over?”

“No, I’m fine. By the way, I haven’t seen Kurose-san for a while. Do you know where she is?”

“Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen her either.”

“Could you find her and bring her some food?”

“Okay, got it.”

It’s strange not to see Kurose-san hovering near me like usual. Normally, that would be the way things should be. I mean, being stalked is rare in itself.

I thought Naoto-san would firmly hold onto the stalker’s leash, but he’s totally drunk. Hinata, who is usually close to Kurose-san, is busy taking care of her husband.

Maybe “reform” is too strong of a word, but I do need to help her become more normal. Otherwise, if I mess up, I could die. At the very least, if her mental state deteriorates any further, she might definitely stab me.

“Well, everyone seems to be having fun.”

Standing alone at the griddle, grilling meat while watching everyone eat happily and laugh isn’t so bad.

“It’s the privilege of the grill master.”

Grilling meat gives off the impression that I’m working, so I don’t have to mingle with everyone. Being alone, my role allows me to continue breathing. Truly, work is a noble thing.

“Takeru-kun, how about steaming some food?”

“Does steaming food with beer that’s only 5% alcohol even have any effect?”

“It’s Orion Beer, so it should be fine, right?”

“Since you’re slurring your words, I’m rejecting Naoto-san’s suggestion.”

What kind of drunkenness is it when even the consonants disappear? An adult man, no less.

“Come on now~. Anyway, Takeru-kun, aren’t you going to flirt with someone?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t have anyone to flirt with.”

“Yes, you do. Miaki, Amatsuka-san, or maybe Miaki-san? Isn’t she one of them too?”

Despite being a wreck a moment ago, now Naoto-san doesn’t even smell of alcohol. It’s as if his earlier drunkenness was a lie.

“When we first met, there was no one around you. But now it’s different. You’ve got plenty of options, don’t you?”

“Yes, you’re right. Both Chika and I have advanced in our studies, and things have settled down a bit at home, so the burden on our guardian has lessened, and we can make delicious salads.”

“Nicely said.”

“The only thing that’s good is the food.”

Naoto-san sometimes says things that seem to reach deep into your soul. It’s unsettling. It feels like he can see right through you. He can instantly see things even you don’t understand about yourself. But he won’t easily reveal them to the person in question.

That’s why he’s scary sometimes.

“Well… Drunk me got handled skillfully. But an old guy like me shouldn’t be saying too much. Just forget about it.”

“I’d rather remember English vocabulary than what a drunk person says, so I’ll gladly forget.”

“That’s the spirit of a true student. Ahh, I drank too much… Well, I suppose it’s fine. Watching things mature over time isn’t so bad either…”

Naoto-san is reliable and smart. He’s also a kind person. However, there’s a darkness within him that someone as inexperienced as me can’t begin to understand. Naoto-san, who wears many faces—just what kind of person is he?

“Oh no, it’s burnt…”

I forced myself to chew on the charred meat and washed it down with tea.