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 - 35

Chapter 35: Rather Than Eating Alone

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After Shizuku had returned to her usual self, I handed her the plastic bag I had received from Miura.

“Ah, right. This is from Miura and the others. They said… Eat this and cheer up.”

“Huh? What is it? What is it?”

Inside the bag were various snacks like chocolates and chips, along with nutritional jelly drinks and calorie bars. These were meant to be meal substitutes in case Shizuku didn’t have the energy to prepare food for herself. 

“Whoa! This is amazing! I’m so, so grateful! I didn’t have anything for dinner, so this is really a lifesaver! I’ll make sure to thank Sawa and the others later!”

Watching her smile so brightly, I suddenly remembered something.

“…Ah, now that I think about it, your home situation is similar to mine, right?”

“Similar to yours?”

“Yeah. Your parents are often away from home. I remember you mentioned that when we ate lunch together.”

“Oh, yeah, I think I did. I mean… Yeah, I definitely said that.”

Shizuku nodded to herself, seemingly trying to check in with her own memory before she went on to explain her family situation in more detail to me. Apparently, her mother’s work required her to travel all over the world. Shizuku had been living with just her father for as long as she could remember. However, when the started high school, her father was assigned to a long-term work transfer in a rural area. Hence why, she had been living alone since then. This explained the lack of lived-in feel in her apartment despite how big her apartment was. 

“…I see. So what do you usually do when you need to eat at home?”

“Well, I mostly just rely on convenience store food or ready-made dishes from the supermarket. I don’t have the energy to cook for myself in the morning or at night. Though, I can at least manage to put something together for lunch… Of course, I can only cook the basic stuff. I can’t make anything complicated.”

She said while giving a sheepish smile. I decided to probe further.

“…So that means, you’ve got some ingredients at home at least, right?”

“Yeah, I guess. I’ve got a few basic things, but… Wait. Suou-kun, don’t tell me—”

Shizuku’s eyes widened in surprise. Well, with how the conversation was going, it wasn’t hard for her to guess what I was about to say next. 

“Yeah.  If you’re okay with it, I could make dinner—”

“YES!! Absolutely!! Please!! I’m begging you!!”

But before I could finish speaking, Shizuku bowed deeply while exclaiming her positive answer. 

“—!! Geez…! I told you to stop shouting out of nowhere like that!”

“Ahahaha!~ Sorry, sorry… I just got so excited to think I could eat Suou-kun’s homemade cooking again…”

We already had similar exchanges plenty of times over calls, but hearing her shouting out of the blue in person like this still made my heart jump. 

Seriously, how many more times are we going to go through this? Is this a running gag between us? I’m starting to get tired of this…

Exasperated, I sighed in my mind. 

But still, it looked like Shizuku was finally back to her usual self. This realization filled me with relief and before I knew it, I was already smiling in front of Shizuku.

“Ah, but. I’m sorry. You’re my guest, but you need to cook dinner for me…”

“It’s fine. I’m doing it because I want to, so you don’t need to worry about it. Ah, right. There’s one more thing I’d like to suggest, or to be precise, ask.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“It’s… I will pay the ingredient cost for my part of the food, so could I join you for dinner?”

I mustered the courage to say it and Shizuku froze. She stared at me with her eyes wide open in surprise. 

“Umm, so…”

“You know, eating alone isn’t bad or anything, but I thought it might be nice to sit on a table to eat a meal with someone once in a while. Of course, that’s only if you’re  okay with it—”

My words came out faster than usual due to how flustered I was, but Shizuku shook her head lightly.

“No, it’s not that I’m against it. I’d never say no to that. In fact, I’d love to eat dinner together with you, Suou-kun. Please, join me for dinner.”

This time, her voice sounded so soft. She smiled, narrowing her eyes slowly. Drawn in by her smile, face also broke into a soft smile. 

“…Thanks. Okay, I will borrow your kitchen for a bit then.”

Before I started cooking, I let my older sister know that I’d be home late and told her the reason why. Of course, my older sister immediately teased me about it. Then, I scanned the kitchen, checking the layout of the kitchen to know where the tools were and then, I checked the remaining stock in the fridge to come up with an appropriate menu for dinner. That said, aside from rice, the only ingredients that I could use freely were eggs, onions and bacon. My options were pretty limited… Oh, but she had a lot of seasonings and many of them were from brand-name labels. In that case—

“How about risotto?”

“Whoa, that sounds super fancy! Yes, please!”

“How much do you want? I’ll match the portion to your appetite right now.”

“The portion, huh… Hmm… I wonder…”

After taking a few seconds, Shizuku finally came to an answer. 

“Then… A mountain of risotto, please.”

She said sheepishly. 

“Understood. I will start cooking right away.”

After grinning at Shizuku, I immediately began cooking.

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An hour later. 

“Here you go.”

I placed a large plate piled high with white risotto and a big bowl of onion soup made with the leftover ingredients on the table. Shizuku’s eyes lit up as she exclaimed,”Oooh!”

“A generous helping of cheese risotto, carbonara-style. I fried the finely chopped bacon until it was nice and crispy, then I mixed half of it into the risotto and saved the other half as a topping along with an egg yolk.”

“Wow, it looks amazing…! And the parsley really adds a nice touch of color! This is incredible, Suou-kun! You’re like, a real god! No, but, I didn’t know you can make Italian food too? That’s insane! You’re way too overpowered!”

“I mean, I simplified the original recipe a lot…. Anyway, let’s eat before it gets cold.”

I urged and just like usual, Shizuku clasped her hand together and said, “Itadakimasu,” before using her spoon to take a bite out of her risotto.

“Mmh! So good! Suou-kun, this is super delicious! The amount of pepper is just perfect and the bacon tastes amazing too! It tastes so much better when it’s crispy like this!”

“I’m glad to know the meal suits your palate.”

Watching Shizuku devouring a mountain of risotto so happily like that filled my heart with joy. I felt warm when I saw her beaming smile. It made me realize once again just how much I enjoy seeing her eat the food I made. And so… I gathered my courage to ask her another question. 

Slowly, I started eating my own risotto. My own plate was filled to the brim with risotto, just like Shizuku’s. Then…

“Hey, Shizuku.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“Would you like to have dinner at my place from now on?”

“—Huh!?”

I asked Shizuku that question and she froze right here and there. Undeterred, I continued on. 

“I just thought eating together would be better than eating alone. Not to mention, my older sister and Ichika will be very happy to have you join us for dinner. Of course, I’m not trying to force you or anything. You don’t even need to give me an answer now. So… Could you just think about it?”

I said it as neutrally as I could and then, after a moment of silence, Shizuku then..

“…Okay. I will think about it.”

She only gave me that short answer.

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T/N: You know what, MC is a wife material. I want MC to become my waifu.