About the Cool Beauty in My Class Declaring She Won’t Eat Anything Except My Bento - 7

Chapter 7: There’s a Cool Beauty at My Home

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

“Freshly made food…”

“Ye-Yeah… Just wait a little longer.”

There was a “Cool Beauty” in my house.

After that, I had swallowed Ayano’s proposal in the heat of the moment, and as things progressed rapidly, it ended up being decided that “in that case, instead of giving it to you in Tupperware, you should just eat at my place.” Seriously, why?

And now, Ayano, sitting in the living room, was staring intently at me in the kitchen. I could understand the desire to watch the cooking process, but more than that, it was extremely uncomfortable…

However, Ayano’s eyes were sparkling at the prospect of eating my freshly made food for the first time, and she seemed unaware of the awkwardness of the situation. If she was doing this because she trusted me, I really wanted her to stop. It was tough on me in various ways.

Still…

In the space where I usually eat, do homework, and relax all by myself, the “Cool Beauty” of the class was sitting quietly. That alone made it feel like this wasn’t my own home. On the other hand, I was slightly happy to be trusted to this extent.

Well, even so, I thought it probably wasn’t a very good idea. I had no intention of doing anything, but I wanted her to understand that I was still a high school boy.

After a while, having finished cooking, I headed to the living room carrying two plates.

“Fried rice… It really feels like a high school boy’s lunch on a day off.”

“Is that a problem?”

“I’m starting to get hungry.”

(Do the people at school really call someone who speaks this honestly “curt”?)

“Itadakimasu,” Ayano said as she started eating. She blew “foo-foo” on the steaming fried rice she scooped up with her spoon to cool it down. Leaning forward slightly, she supported her drooping side-locks with her left hand as she carried the spoon to her small mouth.

“O-Oh, it’s delicious…!”

Ayano had a melting look on her face as she looked up. That alone filled me up with a sense of satisfaction and happiness.

(They say it’s the greatest reward for a cook to be told directly that their food is delicious, but this is a happiness that can’t be described by such words.)

The corners of my mouth turned up naturally. It felt like watching a child. It stirred up feelings of endearment and a desire to protect her.

The time was just before 1:00 PM. We had a promise that she would eat dinner at my place today, too.

(…Will I be able to endure this?)

After that, we studied with great focus for about two or three hours. I didn’t like studying as much as Ayano did, but since it was a rare opportunity, I did some advanced learning while being taught by her.

Suddenly raising my eyes, I noticed Ayano’s hand had stopped as well.

“Want to take a break?”

Ayano gave a small, embarrassed nod. Perhaps the thought of sweets had been flickering in the back of her mind the whole time. That was what it looked like to me, at least. I headed to the kitchen, took out the cookies I had baked in the morning, and transferred them to a plate.

“Can you drink coffee?”

“I can. Thank you for going to the trouble.”

Since I was at it, I also took out some coffee and chocolate treats. Food was better when shared with someone rather than eating alone, after all.

“Here.”

“Thank you. It feels like I’m always receiving things from you.”

“I like sweets too, you know. If you don’t eat them fast, I’ll eat them all.”

“I… don’t want that.”

“I’m joking.”

Ayano had tried to stop me with momentum, but she managed to feign composure. It was clearly forced, but I didn’t say anything.

Looking at things like this, I thought the “Cool Beauty” was also just an ordinary girl. Sitting on the floor mat at the table, Ayano first picked up a handmade cookie. She held it with both hands, brought it to her mouth, and crunched into it. I had made them an easy-to-eat size, but they didn’t seem to fit in Ayano’s small mouth in one bite.

“Ah… This is very delicious.”

“Oh, really? I didn’t know what kind you liked, so I finished them with a butter flavor. You know what they say, simple is best, my lady.”

“Please stop with the ‘my lady.’ It’s embarrassing enough just being called things like ‘Cool Beauty’…”

“You knew about that.”

“I’ve never been told to my face, but, well.”

Ayano laughed as if troubled. Well, if there were that many rumors, they were bound to reach her ears.

“As long as it’s not an insult, I don’t care what I’m called behind my back, but it is a bit embarrassing, you know?”

“It can’t be helped.”

“Are you on that side too, Kirihara-san?”

“Both ‘Cool’ and ‘Beauty’ are accurate descriptions. There’s no one else these two words suit so well, so just do your best to accept it.”

“…Why are you like this, Kirihara-san… No, it’s nothing.”

“What is it?”

“It’s nothing!”

Since she said it with an angry face, I worried for a moment if she hated me, but as she ate my cookies like she was stress-eating, it seemed that worry was unnecessary.

(Is she easy to read or hard to read… It’s difficult.)

We resumed studying after the break. We continued until it got dark, and for dinner, the two of us ate a Japanese-style meal of white rice, miso soup, and grilled fish. With fried rice and cookies earlier, I had thought Ayano might be a little concerned about calories, so I chose this menu. But since she said “Thank you,” perhaps she had figured out my intention.

“T-This is no good.”

“What’s wrong?”

Just as we folded our hands and said “Thank you for the meal,” Ayano let out a somewhat troubled voice.

“I’ve been eating your cooking all day today, so I don’t have the confidence that I can go back to just the nighttime Tupperware starting tomorrow.”

“…!”

Ayano traced her mouth with her left hand, narrowing her eyes sadly. She looked down while blushing, her eyes hidden by her drooping bangs. To Ayano, who looked both childish and enchanting at the same time, I felt my own cheeks grow hot.

“S-Sorry. There I go again, saying selfish things…”

Ayano apologized with a startled look, realizing what she had said. However, I couldn’t simply ignore her feelings after she had liked my cooking this much.

“Then… how about this? I will give you a bento for lunch and for dinner, I guess you can eat dinner at my house?”

That was why I made the proposal without thinking about the consequences.nThere was no problem in terms of effort. The time didn’t change much just by increasing the amount of food I cooked. If anything, I wouldn’t have to use Tupperware anymore.

“A-Are you sure…?”

“It doesn’t matter to me. If you say you want to eat, I’ll just meet those expectations. So, well, that means I won’t do anything unless I’m asked.”

“…Did you just become a little mean?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You are truly kind… Kirihara-san. In that case… Starting tomorrow, I want to eat your bentos and dinners. May I ask that of you?”

Had Ayano’s excessive “Coolness” gradually softened thanks to the warm food? I felt that her expressions, words, and thoughts had all become slightly gentler. I found that version of Ayano a little dear to me.

Our relationship was strictly about her teaching me in exchange for making meals. It had just progressed a little. The fact that I was aware of this made me feel like I was trying to convince myself otherwise.

…No. This must be just a temporary lapse in judgment.

“Yeah, of course.”

And that was how things ended up the way they did during that lunch break.

“Hey, what’s the meaning of this?!”

“Kirihara-kun?! You’re awake, aren’t you, Kirihara-kun?!”

“Hey, defendant! Don’t sleep during the trial!”

“Wait, wait, what kind of relationship is it?!”

“WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY AYANO-SAN??!! AAAAGHHH!!!”

(Now… How should I get through this?)

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー