About the Cool Beauty in My Class Declaring She Won’t Eat Anything Except My Bento - 6

Chapter 6: What Kind of Food Do Girls Like?

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“Dishes that girls like?”

Cafe Saika, located just a block off the main street. I was consulting with Suzu Ichinose, a freshman in college who also worked at this privately-owned cafe where I had my part-time job. The time was 2:00 PM—an awkward hour—and there was only one group of customers in the shop. Another part-timer was attending to them.

“Eh, what? A girlfriend?”

“No.”

“Everyone with a girlfriend says that.”

“I’m telling you, it’s not like that.”

“Tch.”

She had a straight hair bob cut that reached her shoulders. Underneath her black-and-gold “pudding” hair, she pouted her lips. Her dark, calm maid uniform and white apron gave off a sense of maturity. Though, because of Suzu-senpai’s short stature and voluptuous build, she looked much more childlike.

I didn’t say it out loud, though, because she gets angry if I tease her about her height.

“Then why the sudden topic of girls… ah, did you find someone you like?”

“Why is your brain filled with nothing but romance?”

“I’m a college girl without a boyfriend, after all.”

“…I see. That’s… How should I put it…”

“Stop pitying me, okay?”

Suzu-senpai, who was at the counter, gave my arm a light punch.

“The thing is… there’s a girl I’ve been cooking for lately. A classmate.”

“You’re living a pretty unique youth, huh.”

“Be quiet.”

“And here I am giving you advice!?”

“So, I thought I’d like to make something she’d actually enjoy.”

“You really did find a girl you like… Big Sis is so sad. But the spirit of trying to grab a girl’s heart through her stomach is wonderful!”

“…Like I said, that’s not it.”

Are all girls like this? Did I pick the wrong person to talk to? Wanting to see the happy face of someone eating something they like is only natural for a person who cooks. Regardless of who I’m giving it to.

“I’m super curious about the status of your relationship with this girl, though.”

“A fri—no, an acquaintance.”

I almost said “friend,” but since it was a relationship I couldn’t quite define, I kept it vague. Acquaintance or neighbor was probably the closest. As we talked, I sat down in the seat across from Suzu-senpai—on the customer side.

“Hmm? Well, I guess I’ll let it slide for now.”

Suzu-senpai smiled faintly while resting her chin in both hands. I felt like I was being teased, so I gave her small head a little slap.

“…You aren’t supposed to hit a girl’s head.”

“I was told that yesterday, too.”

“Look at that, a violent man! An abusive boyfriend!”

“Please don’t spread lies inside the shop.”

She started slapping my shoulder repeatedly while laughing, making me wonder for a second if she was drunk, but I quickly realized this was just her usual self.

“Well, jokes aside…”

“You took a long time to get there.”

“It’s not like all girls have the same food preferences. It’s not a meal, but why not give her something sweet?”

“That’s a bit of a prejudice… Wait, do most people actually like sweets?”

“In my experience, a lot do. And if she hates them, wouldn’t she just tell you ‘I can’t eat sweets’ when you give them to her, Sota-kun?”

“True…”

It was somewhat irritating to be given a logical explanation by Suzu-senpai, who had been fooling around until just a moment ago, but sweets might actually be a good idea.

Since she’s working hard on her studies, I can give them to her as a sugar boost.

“Thank you. That was helpful.”

“Nishishi~ Don’t mention it! You can always rely on Big Sis! Now, tell me some high school love stories!”

“There are none.”

“Good luck with the confession…!”

“Like I said, there isn’t one.”

I felt exasperated by Suzu-senpai, who was giving me a teary-eyed thumbs up, but I also felt deeply that this was a good workplace. Then, the manager called for help, so I headed to the kitchen.

“…I don’t think a girl would eat a meal from a boy she thinks nothing of, and usually they’d hate being touched, but oh well.”

I felt like Suzu-senpai said something, but it was probably just her usual teasing.

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“Things I dislike?”

After work finished, I visited Ayano’s room. She had given me detailed feedback on the lunch I’d handed her, saying things like “It was delicious” or “I liked this seasoning,” but I started to feel embarrassed, so I cut her off with a question.

“Yeah. I heard about your allergies, but I realized I hadn’t asked about things you dislike.”

“I told you, didn’t I? I like everything you make, Kirihara-san.”

“…I see.”

“Why did you get a little cranky just now?”

Ayano puffed out her cheeks in a pout. I was the one who wanted to make that expression… Doing things like that unconsciously was even worse for my heart.

“It’s nothing. More importantly, come over around noon tomorrow. I don’t have work, so anytime is fine, though.”

“That’s… I’d feel bad.”

“What’s your true feeling?”

“Thank you very much.”

“Yeah. I’m happier when you’re that unreserved.”

“Anyone would be happy to eat delicious food. That’s why I’m truly grateful.”

I gave a small smile back to the beaming Ayano. It really did make me happy that she felt it was only natural for her to be treated like this.

“So, do you have any plans tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow? No, not particularly… At most, I’ll just be doing a bit of studying.”

“Then that works out. I’m thinking of making some sweets tomorrow, so please have some at snack time. I thought it’d be a good sugar boost.”

“I-Is that okay!?”

I was surprised by Ayano, whose eyes sparkled with much more interest than I had expected. This was the most the “Cool Beauty” mask had slipped since the first time she gave me her impressions of the food.

“S-sorry. That was unrefined of me…”

“No, it’s totally fine. Do you like sweets?”

“It sounds childish to say I like ‘sweets,’ but… I love sweet things.”

At Ayano’s words, I sent a silent “Thank you” to Suzu-senpai.

“Ah, in that case…”

“Hm?”

Ayano muttered as if she had thought of something. And then—

“Would it be alright if I visited your home starting at lunchtime, Kirihara-san?”

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