I Thought I Was Dead After Getting Stabbed While Protecting a Girl From a Random Attacker, but a Goddess Gave Me a Special Reward and Brought Me Back to Life in My Original Body—Now, All These Girls Are Coming on to Me!?

Chapter 17: Study Session

“Come on in!”

“Excuse us.”

“Just sit on the sofa and wait. I’ll get some drinks ready.”

Time passed, and it was the weekend.

The test period started, and today was the last Sunday before the final exams.

Today was the day for the study session we planned earlier.

Since I’m the only one living alone among the three of us, we gathered at my house to cram for the tests.

“By the way, Ryu-kun, you’re really neat, huh? Your room is super clean.”

“Yeah, it’s less about being neat and more about health management. Dust piling up can mess with my condition and affect baseball. My dad always nagged me growing up, ‘At least keep things clean!’”

“I see… that’s disciplined…”

“I get it since I have allergies. Dust or mites can trigger them, and it’s surprisingly tough.”

“I don’t have allergies, so I don’t really get it…”

“It’s better not to understand. Here, tea.”

“Thanks, Ryu-kun!”

“Thank you.”

“Alright, shall we start studying?”

“Okay! Ask me anything about humanities subjects!”

“Leave the sciences to me.”

“I’m relying on you two today, so please help me out.”

Alright, let’s focus and get to it!

—

Kanade handled math and science.

“Use this formula here. The other method takes longer.”

“Oh, I see… it makes the calculations easier too!”

“Memorize this theorem too. You’ll combine it with others later.”

“Got it.”

Makoto took care of English and classical literature.

“For this grammar, it’s better to translate it this way. This word’s meaning is tricky, but…”

“So it means something like this?”

“Exactly! Nice job! Now try a similar problem.”

Thanks to them thoroughly teaching my weak areas, I gained a lot of confidence before the tests.

As we studied well, I glanced at the clock and saw it was already past noon.

“Oh, it’s already this late?”

I hadn’t noticed because we were so focused, but I felt pretty hungry.

“I was just thinking I’m hungry,” Kanade muttered, rubbing her stomach. Seems she thought the same.

“Shall we have lunch? Should we order something?”

“Hmm, since we’re at Ryu-kun’s house, ordering takeout feels a bit bland…”

“Then how about we cook something?”

“You cook, Kanade?”

“Both Makoto and I will make something.”

“…That’s great! They say to win a boyfriend’s heart, you grab his stomach first!”

Their homemade cooking…

I can’t help it, I’m already drooling.

But there’s a big problem…

“My fridge is empty…”

“Really? Can we check?”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

They opened the fridge in the kitchen.

“There’s eggs, protein… and pasta.”

“Also tea and milk… Ryu, what do you usually eat?”

“I usually have more stuff, okay? I grilled fish yesterday… I just ran out today. It’s not an excuse!”

I actually cook a lot, considering nutrition.

My dad sometimes demands food photos out of the blue, so I can’t slack off…

“Well, sitting and studying all day is tiring. Wanna go shopping for a change?”

“That sounds good. My legs hurt from sitting so long. It’ll be a good stretch.”

“Then let’s head to the nearby supermarket.”

This feels nice. Shopping with my girlfriends feels kind of like we’re newlyweds or something.

With those thoughts, we headed to the nearby supermarket.

—

“So, what are we making?”

At the supermarket’s vegetable section, I realized we hadn’t decided what to cook and asked them.

“Hmm, I was thinking something simple like stir-fried veggies…”

“Since it’s Ryu’s first time eating our cooking, I want to make something a bit special.”

“I appreciate the thought, but don’t overdo it. I’ll enjoy anything you two make.”

“…That’s why we love you.”

“Seriously, Ryu, you’re our personal gigolo.”

“That’s harsh!”

We chatted like that while browsing the food aisles. They thought hard about what to make, and while looking at the meat section, they seemed to get an idea.

“Kanade, let’s make that.”

“Hmm, but that’s a double-edged sword. One mistake, and it’ll be compared to home cooking and flop…”

“But from now on, our cooking will be his home cooking, so we can’t shy away, right?”

“…If you say so, Makoto, fine. I’ll help as much as I can.”

“Let’s make something delicious together…!”

“Yeah! We’ll make Ryu say it’s delicious…!”

Uh, why do they sound like shonen manga protagonists heading into a final battle? Is cooking supposed to feel like facing a life-or-death situation?

They looked intense, like their faces got sharper, but they got the ingredients and we returned home.

—

“So, today we’re making this!”

“Ta-da, nikujaga!”

Kanade, could you at least match Makoto’s enthusiasm?

The energy gap is so big it’s like catching a cold from the temperature swing.

Nikujaga, huh.

It’s the ultimate home-cooked dish. Is there anyone in Japan who hasn’t eaten nikujaga?

But every region and household has its own flavors and ingredients, making it a deep dish. I’m really looking forward to their nikujaga!

“…I feel Ryu-kun’s intense expectations.”

“Such pressure… as expected from Ryu…!”

I thought about helping, but they said,

“This is a trial we need to become Ryu-kun’s future wives!”

“Dear husband, just sit and wait. We’ll make delicious nikujaga.”

So they wouldn’t let me in the kitchen.

At least let me cook the rice.

After waiting an hour, it appeared before me.

“Whoa…!”

The beautiful golden broth, potatoes, onions, and carrots clearly soaked with flavor, and beef with fat floating generously.

“It looks so delicious.”

“I hate to say it myself, but it’s kind of a critical hit!”

“Yeah. The seasoning’s perfect; we tasted it.”

“I’m super hungry, so let’s plate the rice and eat.”

“Yeah! Let’s eat!”

“My stomach’s sticking to my back. This is bad.”

Before Kanade’s organs disappear, I quickly prepared the meal.

Let me say this: it was insanely delicious.

The vegetables absorbed the flavor perfectly without falling apart, keeping their natural taste.

The meat, even though it wasn’t expensive, had great fat flavor and was delicious.

Above all, the broth. The sweet-salty, bold seasoning made the rice disappear fast.

This is definitely the best nikujaga I’ve ever had.

It’s restaurant-level, seriously.

“I’m speechless… it’s too delicious…”

“Hehe… I’m happy you think so.”

“It was worth the effort.”

“Seriously, having such beautiful, cute girlfriends who cook this well… I’m the luckiest guy…”

“…Ehehe.”

“Mmph. You should brag more.”

After eating such delicious nikujaga, I have to tackle the afternoon study session with even more energy…!

—

“Mmm, we did a lot.”

“My neck and back are done.”

“We stayed in the same position too long. But we made good progress, right?”

After lunch, we studied hard for four hours.

I’m amazed we kept our focus. It’s probably because they were with me.

“Shall we head home?”

“Yeah… my mom’s got dinner ready…”

“Same. They didn’t allow me to stay over.”

“Well, obviously.”

We’ve only been dating for a week or so; staying over would be wild for their families.

Thinking back, this was the first time we spent a whole day together from morning. No wonder parting feels harder than usual. It might be dramatic, but it’s like losing half of myself.

They probably feel the same. Their happy expressions turned lonely.

Even if it’s a study session, I don’t want our first home date to end on such a somber note.

As the guy, I need to step up.

I made up my mind and spoke.

“…Can you both come closer?”

“…? What’s up?”

“Something wrong?”

They came to my sides.

I wrapped my arms around them in a hug.

“Ryu-kun…!?”

“…!”

They stiffened in surprise at first but soon relaxed.