Actually, the Hungry Gyaru Who Eats a Lot Was Being Cheated On, so I Decided to Win Her Heart (And Stomach) From Her Jerk Boyfriend - 18

Chapter 18: The Hungry Gyaru and Dinner With the Family

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Four servings of food were laid out on the dining table about an hour later. 

“Whoa… Amazing! Did you make all of this, Suou-kun?”

“I didn’t make everything from scratch, but yeah.”

Dinner consisted of three dishes: omelet rice, consommé soup, and sweet pickles. The consommé soup was made by mixing the leftover ingredients I had with consommé powder. The sweet pickles were taken from the batch I had made beforehand and kept in the fridge. I only planned on making enough food for three people at first, but thanks to Kushina and Ichika’s pleas, I decided to make an extra serving for my older sister too. I had to end my food strike against my older sister earlier than planned, but well, it was worth it since I got to witness the amusing scene of my older sister choking up in tears by the two of them. 

“Ichika-chan, look at this omelet! If you slice through it with a knife, it gets all fluffy and runny, just like the ones at restaurants!”

“Fufu~ Amazing, right? This is the kind of omelet that Gaku-nii always makes for us.”

“Darn… I already knew it, but Suou-kun… You’re a genius! This is seriously god-tier!”

“You’re exaggerating. Anyone could make this with a little practice.”

At that, Kushina let out a dramatic sigh and gave me an exasperated look.

“Ugh… here we go again, the words of someone who’s naturally gifted in cooking. Suou-kun, you really shouldn’t underestimate just how badly people can mess up their cooking!”

“That’s right! Tell her, Shizuku-chan!”

“Big Sis, why are you agreeing with her…”

Besides, you’re not someone who can’t cook… Though, you’re always too lazy to cook, even for yourself.

“Geez. Stop joking around and eat your food before it gets cold.”

As I sat in the chair, the three of them also took their seats. Kushina sat next to me while my older sister sat across from me and Ichika sat diagonally across from me. I hadn’t told her whose seat was whose, but Kushina just sat down next to me without any hesitation.

Well, it was pretty obvious whose seat was whose, just by looking at the plates, though. The omelet rice placed in front of Kushina was nearly three times the size of the ones across from her. That amount of food was clearly way too much for a normal high school girl to finish. Even my older sister couldn’t help but smile awkwardly at the sight. 

“I’ve heard about your appetite, but Shizuku-chan, can you really eat all of that?”

“Yes! It’ll be fine! I can totally finish this!”

Kushina answered gleefully before she stared dreamily at her plate. 

“But, wow… This looks seriously delicious.”

“It doesn’t just look good, it really tastes amazing too.”

I said jokingly and Kushina nodded. 

“Yeah, I know. After all, Suou-kun was the one who made it.”

Her carefree smile made me look away instinctively.

“…Yeah.”

I had intended to play a little joke. I didn’t expect she’d give me such an honest reaction. I was starting to feel embarrassed and I could feel my older sister’s gaze even without looking at her. I endured the piercing gaze as I started eating the food I had made. 

After I started eating, Kushina put her hands together politely. 

“…Thank you for the food.”

The three of them continued to chat casually while eating. I, on the other hand, just continued eating my meal silently.

While Kushina was chatting happily with my sisters, she would occasionally gush over the food as she ate by saying things like, “Delish!” Her reaction was pretty amusing to watch and at the same time, it made me feel happy. I could easily tell whether she truly liked the food or not just from her expression alone. Hearing her smiling genuinely while saying how delicious my food was made me feel proud of myself.

And maybe, that was the reason why…

“Gaku, you… Turns out you can make that kind of face even to someone who’s not Ichika, huh?”

My older sister suddenly said. Her eyes widened in genuine surprise.

“…What are you talking about?”

“Uwah… Don’t tell me, you were doing it unconsciously? Man, turns out you’re a natural at charming someone, huh?”

My older sister said while glancing at Kushina and sighed dramatically. Following her gaze, I saw Kushina’s cheeks adorned with a slight blush, seemingly embarrassed at something. 

“Suou-kun, it’s a bit embarrassing to see you staring at me so passionately like that…”

“…So-Sorry.”

“In fact, that time… The time before that too… Suou-kun, do you really like me that much?~”

For a moment, I thought about denying it, but…

“…Well, I guess I do.”

But it felt a bit useless to deny it now. Hence why I decided to admit it honestly. After all, I really liked Kushina and I wasn’t talking about her appearance alone. 

Upon hearing my words, Kushina’s face turned bright red. Her snow-white skin flushed all the way up to her neck.

“Huh? What do you…”

“Just to make it clear to avoid any misunderstandings, what I like is the way you eat. Kushina, your way of eating is so beautiful and you look so genuinely happy when you eat. It’s pleasant to watch.”

“…I-I see!~ Ahahaha! Don’t surprise me like that!”

Kushina slapped my back hard as she said so. It actually hurt quite a bit. She really didn’t hold back at all. However, I felt like it was better not to point that out for some reason. So, I decided to stay quiet. Then, my older sister stared at me. Her eyes were full of suspicion. 

“By the way, Gaku. How long are you going to keep calling Shizuku-chan by her last name?”

“…What’s with that question? So out of the blue. Besides, isn’t it fine? I don’t see why I can’t call her by her last name.”

“No. It’s not fine. Not at all. Ichika and I will feel awkward calling her by her first name if you keep calling her by her last name.”

“You two have been calling her by her first name without hesitation, so why are you suddenly feeling awkward about it?”

I didn’t even know my older sister was the type to worry about that. It was an unnecessary worry anyway.

“Ummm… I don’t really mind either way. You can call me whichever feels more comfortable for you, whether it’s my last name or first name.”

“See? Kushina herself said it’s fine, so it’s fine, right?”

My older sister looked really dissatisfied with it, but since Kushina herself said it was okay, she really didn’t need to push this issue any further. 

Well, to be honest, my older sister actually had a point there. However, I felt like it would be better to keep the status quo for now. I felt the need to be considerate of her after all the things she had gone through. As a guy, it just didn’t feel right for me to call her by her first name. At least, for now.

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T/N: Even I would blush if someone said that to me like that (>/////< ” )