I Reincarnated as the Villain of an NTR Game, But I Don't Want to Make the Main Heroine Unhappy so I'll Live Earnestly - Chapter 135-136

Chapter 135: Going to Shopping Mall With Family

The next day, Saturday.

Since today was Ayako’s day off, the three of us had planned to go to the shopping mall at the neighboring station. It felt like it had been a long time since the three of us went out together as a family.

So, we arrived at the shopping mall around noon and first started eating lunch at the food court. Afterward, we had fun visiting the aquarium and the arcade within the mall.

And now…

“Mom! Over here, over here!”

“I got it, Yuuna.”

Yuuna happily grabbed her mother Ayako’s hand and hurried through the shopping mall.

I followed them slowly, warmly watching the two from behind.

“Yuuna, I understand you’re really happy to be with Ayako, but don’t pull on her arm too much, okay?”

“Huh? Oh… I’m sorry, Mom… Did it hurt?”

“No, not at all! I’m actually pretty tough, you know! But it’s a bit lonely that your other hand is empty, isn’t it? So how about holding your big brother’s hand too?”

“Huh? N-no, that’s a little embarrassing—”

“Oh, okay! I want to hold your hand too, big brother! Here, give me your hand!”

“Uh… alright. Here you go.”

“Yeah!”

—Squeeze…

And so, the three of us walked hand in hand through the shopping mall.

As a high school student, it was a bit embarrassing… but seeing how happy Yuuna was, it didn’t really matter.

“Oh, right. So, what are you going to get as a reward for your test, Yuuna? Have you decided what you want?”

I asked Yuuna, who was smiling happily.

As I mentioned earlier, Yuuna scored a perfect score on her elementary school test. When she told Ayako, Ayako was overjoyed and promised to buy her anything she wanted as a reward.

So today, we weren’t just here to have fun but also to buy Yuuna’s reward.

“Yeah, I asked Mom for the new game that just came out! It’s a cooperative game, so let’s play together, big brother! And of course, Saeki-neesan too!”

“Oh, really? Alright. Then next time, let’s invite Yukimura and have a fun game night together, okay?”

“Yeah!”

Laughing together, we headed to the toy store in the shopping mall.

◇◇◇◇

And an hour later…

“Here you go. Make sure to take good care of it, Yuuna.”

“Yeah, thank you, Mom!”

Ayako handed Yuuna the plastic bag with the game after paying at the toy store.

Yuuna, with a big smile, expressed her gratitude to Ayako.

“Ahaha, no problem at all. This is your reward for working hard on your test, after all. So keep studying hard, okay, Yuuna?”

“Yeah, I will!”

Ayako gently patted Yuuna’s head as she spoke, and Yuuna accepted the gesture with a very happy expression.

“Fufu, so… what about you, Masato? What would you like as a reward for your midterms?”

“Huh? Are you going to buy me something too?”

“Of course! I’ve seen how hard you’ve been studying lately. It’s a parent’s job to reward their kids for working hard, right?”

Ayako said this to me with a bright smile.

“I see… I’m glad to hear that from you, Ayako. But I don’t really want anything right now, so I’ll think about it for next time. So, how about we keep going out together as a family like this?”

“Huh…?”

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I made this suggestion to Ayako.

Ayako seemed surprised for a moment, but then she smiled broadly and said,

“Fufu, of course! Yeah, let’s keep going out as a family whenever we have time!”

“Really!? I want to keep going out together too! Promise me, Mom!”

“Of course! It’s a promise, Yuuna.”

“Yeah, promise!”

Ayako and Yuuna exchanged happy smiles as they spoke.

“Alright, we’ll decide on Masato’s reward later… So, what should we do now? We’ve finished all our plans for today, but it’s still early for dinner.”

“Hmm? Yeah, it’s still a bit early for that.”

I checked the time on my phone. It was just before 4 PM. Definitely too early for dinner.

“Hmm, yeah, it’s too early to eat at the food court now… Oh, how about we go to the grocery section and buy some delicious side dishes or bento to take home?”

“Yeah, that sounds good… Oh, wait.”

“Huh? What’s wrong, Masato?”

As I was about to agree with Ayako’s suggestion, something suddenly came to mind.

(Come to think of it… I’ve never cooked a meal for Ayako before…)

The reason I had never cooked for Ayako was obvious—she was always incredibly busy.

Because of her work schedule, Ayako usually came home past midnight, so we never had dinner together.

But today, Ayako had the entire day off, so for the first time in a while, we could have dinner together…

“Hey, so… I have a suggestion.”

“A suggestion? Sure, what is it?”

“Well, if it’s okay with you… how about I cook dinner tonight?”

“Oh, I see… You’re cooking dinner… wait, huh!? M-Masato’s going to cook…!? W-What do you mean by that…?”

“It means exactly what I said. I want to cook dinner.”

“Wh-What!? You… really!?”

When I made that suggestion, Ayako was visibly shocked and raised her voice in surprise.

—

Chapter 136: Having Dinner Together as a Family

That night…

After we returned home from the shopping mall, I quickly started preparing dinner.

“Alright, dinner will be ready soon.”

“Okay, got it! I’ll wipe the table while we wait.”

“I’ll help wipe the table too!”

“Thanks, Yuuna.”

When I said that, Ayako and Yuuna, who were in the living room, began wiping the table together. It seemed like they were both looking forward to dinner.

“Wow! I can smell the delicious aroma of the food from the kitchen even from here! I bet this is going to be a tasty meal.”

“Yeah, Mom! All of Nii-chan’s cooking is super delicious!”

“Really? That makes me really excited! It’s been a while since I last had something cooked by Masato.”

“Huh? Have I ever made you something to eat before, Ayako?”

When Ayako nostalgically mentioned that, I asked her while serving rice into bowls.

(I don’t recall ever cooking anything for Ayako before, though.)

“Haha, well, you’ve made me something many times, right? Like pouring hot water into cup noodles or heating up frozen food in the microwave?”

“Oh, that’s what you meant. But anyone can do that. Besides, that’s not really cooking.”

“No, it’s not like that. When you were in elementary school, I was so busy trying to adjust to work that I couldn’t even manage to do something as simple as that. You always helped me out back then, Masato, so I’m really grateful.”

“… I see. Well, I’m glad I could be of help to you, Ayako.”

Ayako said that with a smile, so I smiled back at her as I responded.

“Alright, dinner’s ready. Yuuna, could you help me carry the dishes to the living room?”

“Sure, I got it!”

When I asked Yuuna to help, she immediately came to the kitchen. Together, we brought the dishes I made and neatly arranged them on the table in the living room.

Tonight’s dinner consisted of ginger pork, spinach ohitashi, miso soup, and tamagoyaki.

Even though it was the first time I made dinner for Ayako, I didn’t go for anything fancy; I just made my usual, simple dishes.

“… Hehe.”

“Hm? What’s up?”

As Yuuna and I were carrying the dishes to the table, Ayako, who had finished wiping the table, looked at us and smiled gently.

“Well, it’s just… I was thinking how close you two seem as siblings.”

“Of course we are. It’s only natural for siblings to get along, right? Isn’t that right, Yuuna?”

“Yep, that’s right! My brother and I have always been super close since we were born!”

“Hehe, I see. I’m glad to hear that!”

Watching our exchange, Ayako said that with a delighted expression.

“Alright, now that everything’s set, let’s eat while it’s still warm.”

“Yeah! I’m starving, so let’s dig in!”

“Okay! On the count of three…”

And so, we all sat at the table, joined our hands together, and…

“Itadakimasu!”

With that, we began eating dinner. Ayako started with the main dish, the ginger pork.

“Nom, nom… Hm!? This is amazing! Did you make all of this, Masato? It’s really all homemade and not store-bought?”

“Yeah, it’s completely homemade. I’m glad it suits your taste, Ayako.”

“Yeah! It’s totally to my taste! I can’t believe you made such delicious ginger pork! And the miso soup is great too… It’s all really delicious…”

“Uh, Ayako? Are you okay?”

Ayako said that with a big smile, but her expression gradually turned a bit melancholic.

“Well, it’s just that… Your cooking, Masato, has such a comforting, homey taste.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“You see, I haven’t been in contact with my real parents for about eighteen years, and even when I was a child, I rarely got to eat the meals they made… So, it feels like I’m tasting a truly home-cooked meal for the first time in my life.”

“Ayako…”

Ayako said that with a slightly sorrowful tone. But then, she quickly brightened up and said to me,

“That’s why… Eating the food you made makes me feel so relaxed. Thank you so much for making such delicious meals, Masato.”

“… Haha, what are you talking about? I’ll always cook homey meals for you, Ayako. So, don’t say anything so sad anymore, okay? If you ever want to eat my cooking, just let me know, and I’ll make it anytime.”

I said that to Ayako with a smile, and she laughed heartily before continuing.

“Really!? Then, from now on, I’d love it if you could always make this delicious miso soup for me!”

“Of course! But asking me to make miso soup for you… Haha, it sounds almost like a proposal, doesn’t it?”

“Hehe, isn’t it? After all, any guy would be happy to be proposed to by such a young, beautiful, and elegant woman, right?”

“Well, I admit that you’re beautiful, Ayako… But I don’t think people our age use the word ‘berabou’ anymore.”

“Huh… Wait, really!? No way! Is ‘berabou’ an outdated word?”

“What does ‘berabou’ mean?”

“Wait, Yuuna, you don’t know it either!?”

“Haha, I guess it’s obvious that there’s more than a decade of age difference between us.”

“Hey! Cut it out… Geez… Hehe.”

And so, we continued our lively conversation, enjoying a cheerful and warm dinner together as a family.