I Was Cheated on by My Girlfriend but My Devilish Junior Now Yearns for Me - Chapter 69

Chapter 69   How I Feel Now

“Too delicious.”

The moment I took a bite, a voice of admiration slipped out involuntarily.

With the next bite, a sense of happiness welled up from deep inside.

The dish Ayaka had prepared was gratin.

I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d had homemade gratin. As a kid, my lunch box often had gratin in it, but that was always frozen food. Frozen gratin was delicious in its own way, despite requiring little effort, but Ayaka’s homemade version was in a whole different league.

The only advantage frozen gratin has over this is that it gives you a fortune at the end.

I took another spoonful, but I couldn’t suppress the smile forming at my mouth, so I put the spoon down for a moment.

“This is just… way too delicious. I need more words for this.”

“I’m not expecting a gourmet review from you, anyway.”

Despite her words, Ayaka’s expression was delighted.

“So? Have I earned your respect?”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

When I looked puzzled, Ayaka pointed the tip of her spoon at me and spoke.

“It’s been forever since you last ate my cooking, right?”

Just as I’d thought earlier, it really had been since high school that I’d tasted Ayaka’s cooking. It was also my first time getting to enjoy a freshly made dish from her like this.

Not that I ever underestimated her skills, though.

The lunch dishes she shared with me in high school were delicious, and even the nikujaga she made for our home economics class had guys fighting over it.

“I was looking forward to it from the start, but this is even better than I’d hoped.”

Hearing my response, Ayaka gave me a half-lidded, annoyed look.

“That response is so perfect, it’s irritating.”

“Isn’t that a bit unfair?!”

Ayaka hovered her spoon in front of me, seeming unsure where to direct it, before finally scooping up a bite of her own gratin.

Chewing, she nodded slowly.

“Mm-hmm. I’d say it turned out pretty well.”

“A good result, then?”

“I made the white sauce from scratch, so it’s definitely to my taste. I’m glad it suits yours too.”

I recalled how, when Ayaka started cooking, she’d added butter to the pan. Then she’d put in something else—I guess she was making the white sauce. Honestly, I had no idea what she was doing back then; it was a field beyond my understanding.

“You put a lot into this, huh.”

“Of course. I wanted you to have something delicious.”

Her words made my spoon pause on my plate.

I lowered the spoon that was on its way to my mouth and looked at Ayaka intently. Realizing what she’d just said, she blinked a few times, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

“There’s no hidden meaning behind it, okay?”

“No hidden meaning?”

“N-no! None at all!”

“Aww, really? Thought maybe you were trying to say something.”

“…Just for the record, what would that be?”

Ayaka looked at me with a mixed expression, trying to figure me out.

Still savoring the gratin, I answered.

“‘Wanted you to have something delicious’… kinda sounds like a pun, doesn’t it?”

“There’s no way! You idiot!”

“My shrimp!”

Ayaka scooped up the last of the shrimp from my plate and started eating at a pace that would make even Shinohara impressed.

Not sure what misunderstanding she’d gotten herself into, I figured it was best not to provoke her further, so I continued eating slowly.

Even without the shrimp, the gratin was still delicious. The creamy flavor spread through my mouth, warming me from the inside out.

When Ayaka went to the fridge to refill our tea, I snuck a few of the shrimp she’d taken back onto my plate and quickly ate them. No evidence left behind.

“Hey, want a drink?”

“Yeah, I’m in!”

Nodding at my response, Ayaka grabbed two cans of beer from the fridge. She popped one open, then clinked her can against mine.

“Cheers—”

But I cut myself off, realizing something important.

“What’s up?” she asked.

“We can’t drink. We drove here today, remember?”

Ayaka’s eyes widened, as if it just dawned on her too. “Oh, right!” She quickly took the can out of my hands.

“Sorry, sorry! I totally forgot since we’re just hanging out like usual.”

“Man, I was so looking forward to it…”

Alongside the homemade gratin, Ayaka had prepared a salad and a large platter with store-bought sashimi. I sighed, imagining how much better this meal would’ve been with some alcohol.

“Well, next time, then.”

Ayaka put the beers back in the fridge. Since she’d already opened one, it looked like she’d be drinking it alone.

“Next time? Who knows when that’ll be,” I muttered.

We’d known each other forever, but this was actually the first time I’d come over to her place for a meal. Even today felt like a spontaneous invitation. Who knows when the next time might be—it would depend on her mood. Feeling disappointed, I let out a little sigh.

“If you just give me a heads-up, you can come over whenever you want.”

To my surprise, Ayaka said that casually.

“Wait, anytime?”

“As long as you let me know in advance, sure.”

“Wait… seriously? Why?”

“Why are you so suspicious about it?”

Ayaka gave a wry smile and sat back down. She served the sashimi and salad onto small plates, passing one to me.

As I poured soy sauce over my sashimi, I answered her question.

“It’s just… I’d never been over to your place before, and now you’re telling me I can come whenever. It’s kind of surprising—not that I doubt you.”

“But you’re here now, right? Now is what matters. So, how do you feel now?”

“Well—”

I’d like to come back.

Who wouldn’t want that after being treated to such hospitality? The thing holding me back was the fear that coming over more often might somehow shift the balance of my relationship with Ayaka.

It’s a conflict I sometimes feel. I’m satisfied with things as they are, and that makes me hesitant. Change in our relationship might not necessarily be for the better.

My bond with Ayaka is something I couldn’t weigh against anything else, which is why it’s hard to make a decision. So, I keep defaulting to the idea of keeping things as they are.

But when I think about it more, that seems a bit rigid. If I truly didn’t want to change anything about my relationship with Ayaka, I would’ve turned down the hot springs trip.

The fact that I accepted that invitation is proof enough that, deep down, I’m open to positive change.

I don’t know exactly what a good relationship means for us. But I do know one thing for sure: if I decide to visit Ayaka’s place more often, spending more time together would only be a good thing.

With that, the answer is simple.

As Ayaka said, what matters is how I feel now.

“Well then, I’ll come by for dinner now and then. Thanks for having me.”

I want to spend more good times with Ayaka Mino. To make the most of the short time we have left before becoming adults.

That’s how I feel now, and it’s what I should focus on.

“Living honestly makes life better, doesn’t it? Seconds on the gratin, please! And tomorrow, I’d like croquettes!”

“That’s a bit much, don’t you think?”

Ayaka gave my shoulder a playful smack.

But despite her reaction, her expression looked softer than usual. When our eyes met, I suddenly felt embarrassed and quickly stuffed a mouthful of salad to cover it up.