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 98-99

Chapter 98: The Cute Girls at the Summer Festival

“Welcome!”

The festival had started, and the venue was suddenly packed with people.

From the beginning, I was grilling yakisoba with sauce, trying to draw in as many customers as possible.

While cooking on two large iron plates at the same time, I handled customer service smoothly.

Sales were good at the beginning.

“Ah, Motobu-kun!”

“Welcome!”

“Hey, Motobu, you’re really getting into it.”

“As expected from the master.”

“Motobu-san, let’s just get married already!”

“Motobu-kun’s work clothes are cool. I should’ve worn something like that too.”

Amatsuka-san, Miaki-san, Miko-san, Kurose-san, and for some reason, Momohara, who was wearing a girl’s yukata, passed by.

“Momohara-kun, no, Momohara-chan, why?”

“I-I didn’t want to either, but Naoto-san, Hinata-san, and the store staff…”

“I see. Be careful.”

“Of what?”

It must have been a joke to make him wear a girl’s yukata, but since he looked cute, there was no problem. Just be careful not to attract any unwanted attention.

“Can we have some yakisoba, please?”

“Coming right up. Sauce? Salt?”

“What should we do? Should we share it?”

“Yeah. Give us one with sauce and one with salt.”

“Got it.”

It’s really hard to serve people you know. Especially Amatsuka-san. I almost got distracted by her, so I focused on the yakisoba.

I never thought just seeing her in a blue yukata would make my heart race so much. Her hair was still down, but it gave her a mature look, which was distracting.

“Looks like Tomitsugu-senpai and the others have a stall over there too.”

“They’re competing. The one with the highest sales at the festival stalls wins a cash prize.”

“Haha. I bet Tomitsugu-senpai is just doing it to compete with you, Motobu-kun.”

“She doesn’t even register with me, but since the prize is non-negotiable, they’re still rivals.”

I put the finished yakisoba into containers and handed them to Amatsuka-san. The cooking, the flavor, and the presentation were all perfect.

“Thank you, Motobu-kun.”

“Thanks for your business.”

Amatsuka-san and the others waved as they walked through the festival grounds. What is with Momohara blending in so normally? There’s absolutely no sense of discomfort.

No one’s going to be jealous, right? Should I even call that a harem?

“Takeru-kun, are you working?”

“This isn’t a pub, Manoka-san.”

“I feel the love in how you still respond, Takeru-kun.”

“You’re already drunk, aren’t you? And are you here alone?”

She must have come to the festival after finishing work and going home. She was in her casual clothes, holding a beer, and seemed to be in a good mood.

“When I invited my friends, they said they couldn’t because they were on dates with their boyfriends, so here I am, drinking alone!”

I take back what I said. She’s a loner…

“Please don’t drink too much…It’ll just make things more troublesome for me.”

“How could you say such a thing…Even you say things like that! Do you even know how lonely I am?!”

“If you’re not going to buy yakisoba, then please step aside.”

“I’ll buy some! I want salted yakisoba!”

“Coming right up.”

Manoka-san is so straightforward when it comes to food. It’s helpful that she’s easy to understand.

“Takeru-kun, those work clothes really suit you. You look handsome.”

“Thank you.”

Manoka-san smiled while waiting for her yakisoba. She was enjoying herself alone, drinking beer.

“Takeru-kun, how long will the stall be open?”

“I’ll stay open until around 9:30 at most. After 10 p.m., we could get in trouble.”

“I see. Then let’s go home together when you’re done.”

“Isn’t that just you expecting me to carry you home after you’ve had too much to drink?”

I have a feeling that I’ll end up carrying the drunken Manoka-san back home like some kind of guardian. This is weird. Manoka-san is supposed to be our guardian.

“No, I mean a princess carry!”

“Then I’ll grab you by the scruff of your neck and drag you home.”

“The plan was for you to hold me like a princess and accidentally touch my chest!”

“Why are you trying to set up a lucky pervert scenario…?”

If it were a situation I was hoping for, I might understand. But why is Manoka-san expecting that? Is that really okay, Manoka-san?

“I’ll be careful not to drink too much, so let’s go home together, okay?”

“Got it. Here’s your order.”

“Wow! It looks delicious!!”

Manoka-san walked off with the yakisoba. She still acts like an older sister, responsible and mature, which feels a bit unfair.

“Welcome!”

After that, the customer service continued.

—

Chapter 99: Reunion

More and more customers arrived to enjoy the festival. Across from us, Tomitsugu-senpai and her team seemed to be doing well, smiling smugly every time our eyes met.

We were already losing in terms of manpower, making this a tough battle. Even though Tomitsugu-senpai’s stall wasn’t very festival-like, she was still making sales. I have to admit, she’s a strong competitor.

“Welcome!”

“Huh, isn’t that Mobtaro?”

“For real! This is hilarious. He’s selling yakisoba now?”

“He’s even wearing a samue and a towel on his head, trying to look cool. Who does he think he is, pretending to be all serious when he’s just Mobtaro?”

“…Welcome.”

“Haha! This is too funny. And his customer service sucks!!”

…This is the worst.

“Hey, give me one yakisoba.”

“…Understood…”

This is the worst. Absolutely the worst.

“…Sorry for the wait.”

“Took you long enough, Mobtaro.”

“Oh no, I dropped it.”

One of my former classmates deliberately dropped the container of yakisoba.

“No way something made by a mob character like you could taste good.”

“This is trash.”

They laughed as they stomped on the fallen yakisoba, crushing it underfoot.

…I should have turned down Naoto-san’s request. “For a mob character”…huh.

They’re completely right. I’ve been getting carried away, enjoying my school life with Amatsuka-san and the others. That’s why I didn’t expect these guys to show up at the festival.

That’s why I got their attention again.

“Motobu…kun. Those people aren’t your friends…right?”

“…Amatsuka-san.”

“Whoa, who’s this? She’s super cute! Oh man, she’s totally my type.”

“Motobu, how does a mob character like you know a girl like her?”

Amatsuka and the others had come back at the worst possible moment. They saw me at my lowest.

“Why are they stepping on the yakisoba?”

Kurose-san asked in a calm voice. This is bad. Really bad. Is Kurose-san getting angry?!

“Amatsuka-san, please get someone from the Gekkagumi! Kurose-san, calm down!”

“It’s fine. I won’t kill them.”

“No, no, no, you can’t use that thing in your hand! You definitely modified that stun gun, right?!”

I felt horrible. Kurose-san was about to snap. Amatsuka-san and the others seemed to understand what had happened from the sight of the trampled yakisoba, and the atmosphere was the worst. Meanwhile, my former classmates were still having a good time.

“Miaki-san, Momohara, please restrain Kurose-san.”

I know how dangerous Kurose-san can be. To her, someone stepping on food that tastes good is unforgivable.

When she gets mad, who knows what she’ll do?

“Hey, don’t touch me!”

“I’ll hand you over to the police.”

My former classmates were quickly restrained by several members of the Gekkagumi festival committee that Amatsuka-san had called, and they were taken away.

“Takeru-kun, what a disaster.”

“Nao-san…”

“Motobu-kun, are you hurt? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Thank you, everyone.”

The commotion settled down for now. I cleaned up the crushed yakisoba and got back to business.

But I couldn’t shake off the feeling of defeat. Tomitsugu-senpai and her team had probably widened the gap in sales.

“Motobu-kun, what should I do?”

“…What are you doing?”

“I’m going to help you.”

Amatsuka-san rolled up her yukata sleeves and skillfully tied them up with a string. It was like how a samurai prepares for a duel in a period drama.

“I’ll take some chopsticks.”

“Wait, um…okay.”

Next, she neatly tied up her beautiful golden hair and used the chopsticks like a hairpin to secure it. Her slender neck and nape were now fully exposed.

“Because of that commotion, your sales dropped, right? Let me help.”

“No, but…”

“If my mentor is in trouble, I can’t just stand by and do nothing.”

“What about Miaki-san and the others?”

“They’ve already gone home. Miko-chan is with them, and Naoto-san is making sure they’re okay. Don’t worry.”

“Amatsuka-san, you’re still here…”

“I’m staying to help you make yakisoba. So I’m staying.”

Amatsuka-san had washed her hands and was fully prepared. I couldn’t understand why she was helping me, and I felt confused.

“I don’t understand why anyone would step on the yakisoba you made. Ugh, it makes me so mad!”

It was the first time I had seen Amatsuka-san so angry. But seeing her like that made me feel relieved.

I never realized how comforting it could be to have someone outside of my family get angry on my behalf.