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 96-97

Chapter 96: The Summer Festival Story

“Today’s meal is delicious too, Motobu.”

“Takeru’s cooking is always so good~”

“Touka-nee, lately you’ve been fitting in perfectly…Could it be that you’re actually my long-lost sister?!”

“No, that’s not possible.”

“If you were my long-lost sister, it would be a problem because then I couldn’t marry Motobu.”

“Even though it’s Touka-chan, I’m not giving Takeru up.”

“Bring it on, Manoka.”

“…You two just go ahead and do whatever you want.”

Kurose has now completely settled into the Motobu household.

She’s pretty good at taking care of others, and lately, she’s even been helping Chika with her studies.

…Well, I kind of feel like she’s just hanging around our house under that pretense.

“Takeru, how about this yukata? Is it cute?”

“A yukata, huh? I think it’s nice.”

“Right? It’s cute, isn’t it?”

Manoka was browsing a website for a kimono shop that used to be run by one of Naoto’s former subordinates from the Gekkagumi.

Apparently, the shop owner passed away a few years ago, and Naoto was asked to find someone to take over, so this person ended up inheriting the shop.

She’s a woman in her twenties and is familiar with the internet, so you can browse various kimonos on the homepage.

Ever since our trip to Okinawa, Naoto’s communication skills scare me.

He’s not a social butterfly, so how does he have such strong communication skills?

It doesn’t make any sense.

He was even talking to Tomitsugu-senpai about cooking, and her networking ability is just extraordinary.

“Motobu, are you going to the festival? If you’d like, why don’t we go together?”

“I’m going, but Naoto asked me for help.”

“Oh…Right, he did say he needed more hands.”

I was also asked by Naoto to work part-time as part of the festival staff.

“Hm? Onii-chan, are you running a food stall or something?”

“Yeah, I’ll be making yakisoba.”

“I’ll eat all the yakisoba you make!”

“Don’t buy it all, okay?”

“Then I will!!”

“Manoka, even if you’re an adult, you can’t use your power to buy it all, alright?”

Why are Kurose and Manoka competing with each other?

If you eat that much yakisoba, you’ll gain weight.

Even though it’s delicious.

“I’m going with my friends, so Onii-chan, give us a little extra, okay~?”

“I’ll do my best.”

The festival in this area has been quite popular in recent years.

Apparently, it’s because since Naoto gained authority, the safety and quality of the festival have stabilized.

If you search the internet, you’ll find all sorts of things, like how festival lottery booths don’t have winning tickets.

A streamer who wanted to expose the dark side of festivals ended up capturing a big win on camera, which ruined their plan but became great publicity.

Naoto said he leaked the information on purpose to lure them in.

That guy is seriously crazy…

“Kurose, didn’t Naoto ask you to help with the festival organization?”

Kurose has impressive combat abilities.

On top of that, she’s very beautiful, so I can easily imagine her contributing to the sales.

“He told me to just come as a normal guest this time.”

“Then why not invite Amatsuka-san or Miaki-san to go with you? I’m sure they’d be happy to join.”

“Do you think so…?”

“You seemed to get along with Miu too, didn’t you, Touka-nee?”

During the Okinawa trip, Kurose often chatted with Amatsuka-san, so if she’s going with Amatsuka, I think it’ll be safe.

And Amatsuka is reliable. In a bodyguard kind of way.

“Oh, but Kurose, you can’t bring any weapons with you.”

“Then I’ll bring a stun gun for self-defense.”

“That’s still dangerous…”

“Touka-nee, you’re like an assassin~”

“Well, I’ve never killed anyone, but I have experience with similar things.”

“Touka-chan, you never make any noise when you walk. Sometimes you surprise me.”

Women are sharp.

I’ve been nearly killed before, after all.

There was a time when I even worried that Chika and the others might get caught up in it.

“Touka-nee, you’d look great in a kimono or yukata. I’m jealous. Maybe I should grow my hair out too.”

“Chii-chan, long hair is a hassle to take care of.”

“In my case, I just leave it as it is because it’s too much trouble to get it cut.”

“And you still have that shine without taking care of it?!”

“That’s youth for you, Mano-nee.”

Unable to keep up with the ever-changing conversation between the women, I quietly sipped tea and washed the dishes.

It’s comforting to see Kurose becoming more “normal.”

…Although she still occasionally says words that a high school girl shouldn’t be using.

But even so, it’s a good thing that she’s becoming more peaceful.

The lively conversations continued to echo through our house.

—

Chapter 97: The Executive Committee

“The prep work is done.”

“Takeru-kun, thank you for today.”

“Na…Naoto-san, or should I say Nao-san now? Or is it Tsukimiya Reo?”

“Maybe both?”

On the day of the summer festival, I had been prepping food since early afternoon. Naoto-san had arrived at the venue dressed as a woman.

Outwardly, Naoto-san participates in community activities as a woman. He was originally the leader of a biker gang called “Tsukimiya Reo,” and when dressed as a woman, he goes by the name “Sanmiya Nao,” which can get confusing.

Every time, I wonder what I should call him.

“Motobu, I won’t lose to you today.”

“…Why is Tomitsugu-senpai here?”

“I invited her. She seems to be good at cooking.”

Now that I think about it, Naoto-san did talk to her a lot during our Okinawa trip. So, he invited Tomitsugu-senpai too.

In that case, I’m not really needed, am I?

“You can never have too many attractive people around.”

“It just makes it harder for me, though.”

Tomitsugu-senpai always finds a way to provoke me.

“Besides, officially, it’s also cooperation from the local high school. It’s convenient, isn’t it?”

“Making money and contributing to the community…You’re quite the strategist.”

“You can praise me more if you’d like.”

“No, that was just sarcasm.”

Even if you smile at me with such satisfaction, it’s inconvenient for me. Well, I’ll be fine since I’ll get paid based on the sales.

“Nao-chan!”

“Oh, Hi-chan. You’re already dressed?”

“Yeah, I came early. So, what do you think?! Am I cute?”

“Yes. It suits you well.”

“Yay!! We’re going to explore the festival together, right?”

“I’ll make time.”

“Today, I’m going to buy and eat a ton of stuff!”

Hinata appeared energetically in an orange yukata. Even though the festival hasn’t started yet, she’s full of energy. And she’s cute, like a middle schooler.

“Takeru-kun, you’re looking lively too~. That work uniform suits you.”

“Thank you. Well, it’s a festival after all.”

The temperature today is slightly high. I tried to dress coolly while still keeping the festival spirit. Naoto-san had prepared it for me, so I decided to wear it.

It turned out to be more practical than I expected.

“I hope nothing happens this year, Nao-chan.”

“Yes.”

“Hey, hey, Takeru-kun, did you know? A long time ago, Nao-chan—”

“Hi-chan? Didn’t I say that the story is off-limits? Didn’t I, Hi-chan?”

“Whoa!! Nao-chan is scary!!”

Wait, what? What’s that story about?

What could make Naoto-san so desperate to stop her from talking? Now I’m super curious…

Hinata quickly ran off to someone else, as if escaping the situation. I’ll have to ask her about it later.

“Oh, by the way, there’s a little cash prize for the stall that makes the most sales at the festival, so do your best.”

“I’ll do my best.”

A small bonus.

As a househusband, I must give it my all. I can’t afford to lose to someone like Tomitsugu-senpai. No matter what fancy dishes they serve, I’ve got yakisoba.

There’s no way I’m losing at a festival.

However, Tomitsugu-senpai and her team are participating as part of the cooking club. I’m working alone this time. The odds aren’t in my favor, but I can’t afford to lose.

“It’s almost time for the festival to start. If anything happens, let me know. There are also some Gekkagumi members nearby, so you can ask them for help too.”

“Got it.”

The festival’s security is handled by the executive committee. Many of the members are actually former Gekkagumi members, wearing happi coats with “Executive Committee” printed on the back.

Everyone knows that these guys and girls were once dangerous delinquents or gangsters.

And the fact that Naoto-san was the one who disciplined them is also well-known among the locals.

“…Naoto-san really feels like the local power broker here. It’s seriously confusing.”

The customers started to arrive. Everything was ready.

Alright, let’s do this.

Time to show them what a dedicated househusband’s yakisoba can do.