Be careful with the laid-back beauty who took a liking to me. Otherwise, it will be too late! - Chapter 51: Dinner with Saya\'s Father

Chapter 51: Dinner with Saya’s Father

It was winter. The cold made me want to get home quickly rather than linger around, but today I was going to the café “Sakura” with Saya, as we had promised earlier.

Saya had said this morning that it was too cold and suggested we skip it, but when I mentioned the delicious custard, she quickly changed her mind and insisted on going despite the cold.

At café “Sakura,” they offered petit choux, which came in flavors like matcha, strawberry, custard, and even a limited-time sweet potato flavor.

As we neared the café, Saya was deep in thought about what to order. I assumed she would go for custard without hesitation, but today was different.

“It’s been a while since we had a date after school and got to enjoy custard sweets together,” she said.

“You haven’t had custard in a while, huh?”

It was a prejudiced assumption, but I thought she usually ate at least one custard dessert a day.

“We’re almost there,” she said.

She picked up her pace slightly, and I followed suit, holding her hand. I found myself feeling a little jealous of her love for custard—how could I be envious of a dessert? I couldn’t quite understand it myself.

As we passed the train station and headed to the café, someone suddenly tapped me on the shoulder from behind.

Curious, I turned around to find Saya’s father, Souma-san, in a suit, probably coming home from work.

I had come to an abrupt stop, which made Saya halt too, looking back at me.

“…Dad?” she asked, surprised.

“I knew it was you and Kawai-kun. I recognized your silhouettes. Are you two on your way home from school?” he said.

“Y-yes… Is work over for you?”

Saya asked, still holding my hand, her voice tinged with unease.

“I’m just coming home from work. How about we go out for dinner together, the three of us? I’d like to talk to Kawai-kun about a few things. If you have other plans, feel free to decline.”

We had intended to go to café “Sakura.” I glanced at Saya, and she looked back at me.

“Saya, what do you think about dinner?”

“……Is it okay?”

I wondered if she would be okay with skipping custard after looking forward to it for so long. She seemed hesitant about spending time with her dad, too.

Her question surprised me a little, but the decision was ultimately hers.

“I’m okay with it. I want to have dinner with you, Hinata,” she said.

“…Okay, then.”

Since my parents were coming home late tonight, I had planned to eat alone.

“Great, then. We’ll stop at the supermarket to get ingredients for three,” Souma-san said.

“The supermarket? Um, are you going to cook for us?” I asked.

Saya asked the question I had in mind. I assumed we’d be going out to eat, but it sounded like Souma-san was going to prepare the meal based on what he just said.

“Yes, I am. I’m good at cooking,” he replied.

“That’s right. I’m looking forward to your cooking,” Saya said, her serious expression finally softening a bit.

After deciding to head to the supermarket, we finished shopping and made our way to Saya’s house.

Upon arriving, Souma-san began cooking while Saya and I relaxed in the living room.

(I never expected Saya’s dad would be making dinner…)

“You’re quite good at cooking, Souma-san,” I said.

“Yes, I used to cook a lot when Saya was little. My specialty is omelets. And the miso soup I make is also very delicious,” he replied.

“Wow, Saya, you’re using formal language…”

“Ah, you’re right… I naturally start using honorifics when my dad is around…”

I didn’t mind her using honorifics with Souma-san, but it felt strange when she spoke to me that way—it created a bit of distance between us.

Saya leaned into me, resting her shoulder against mine.

“Hinata, we can have custard another time…”

“Yeah, we’ll go eat it together later.”

As we waited for dinner to be ready, I chatted with Saya when Souma-san approached us.

“It’s ready, you two, please come eat,” he said.

“Thank you, Dad. It smells great,” she said.

“Wow, it does smell good. Thank you, Souma-san,” I added.

Since the table only had space for two, we decided to eat on the sofa at the center table.

Souma-san had made his specialty, omelet rice, accompanied by corn soup, and for dessert, muffins.

“Um, Dad! Is this muffin… custard-flavored?” Saya asked.

“Yep, it is. I thought Saya would like it since she loves custard,” he replied.

“Yes… I love it, so much,” she said, her excitement rising.

Her enthusiasm caught Souma-san by surprise, but he smiled happily in response.

I was impressed that Souma-san could both cook and bake desserts.

“Well, let’s eat before it gets cold,” he said.

“Thank you for the meal!” we said in unison.

We started with the omelet rice, and as soon as I took a bite, I found myself saying, “This is delicious.”

“I’m glad to hear that. How about you, Kawai-kun?” Souma-san asked.

“It’s delicious,” I said.

“Good. I have a question for you both while we eat,” Souma-san said, placing his spoon down and looking at Saya and me.

Feeling that this was an important question, Saya and I also set our spoons aside, and Souma-san slowly began to speak.

“I want to know if you two intend to continue your relationship.”

I was taken aback by the unexpected question, and Saya opened her mouth to speak but hesitated. Seeing this, I decided to answer for both of us.

“Of course. I’ve decided to be by Saya’s side,” I said.

“Ah! I want to be with Hinata forever, too!” Saya exclaimed.

“Good, I’m glad to hear that. Neither my wife nor I are against it, so if you ever need to discuss anything—like marriage, for example—feel free to talk to me.”

“M-marriage? Isn’t that a bit too soon…?” I stammered.

“That’s an interesting point, Kawai-kun. I’m talking about something that may come up in the near future,” he said with a chuckle.

“I… yes, I understand…”

I felt relieved. I had been anxious about what he might say, worried that he would tell us to break up.

We continued eating and answered various questions about school that Souma-san had for us.

“Thank you for doing the dishes,” Saya said as she passed him the dishes she had washed.

“Not at all…”

Souma-san took the dishes and smiled at Saya, who was washing up.

“The custard muffins were really delicious,” I added.

“I’m glad to hear that. Saya used to eat them often when she was little, so I thought she would still love them,” he replied.

Souma-san had invited us to dinner, asked if we planned to continue dating, and even made those custard muffins for us. Saya was puzzled by her father’s behavior.

“Here, let me help you with the dishes,” I offered.

“I’m fine, Hinata. I’m almost done,” she replied.

“Oh, okay. Souma-san, thank you for the meal. It was delicious,” I said, bowing lightly.

“It was my pleasure. Now, I think it’s time for me to leave since I don’t want to intrude. Saya, I’ll see you again during winter break.”

“Yes…”

After Souma-san left and Saya finished washing the dishes, I asked her, “Is there something going on during winter break?”

“It’s nothing major. Just the usual,” she replied.