I Was Reincarnated as a Mob, and After I Kept Listening to the Losing Childhood-Friend Heroine’s Complaints, I Somehow Maxed Out Her Affection Rating - 7

Chapter 7: Her Smile Was Sweet

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Yuuta’s POV

During lunch break, my phone vibrated. When I looked at the screen, there was a single message from Kaede.

『Meet me at the old school building.』

…Oh, come on.

Last time it was behind the gym, and now it was the old school building. At this point, I felt like I was on some kind of sneaking mission. I let out a sigh, replied only with 『OK』picked up the plastic grocery bag, and headed to the old school building. The old building at noon was so quiet it felt as if time had stopped. The only things that echoed were the smell of dust and the creaking of the floorboards.

In one corner of the classroom, Kaede sat at a desk with her lunchbox, puffing out her cheeks.

“…You came.”

“Y-yeah. Thanks for having me. Uh, why the old school building?”

“Because nobody comes here. I wanted to talk calmly today.”

As she said that, Kaede stabbed her fork into the stuffed cabbage like she was skewering an enemy soldier. No, that was no longer cooking. That was battlefield treatment.

“Uh… Kaede-san? Does that stuffed cabbage have some kind of grudge against you?”

“No. Shouma does, though.”

“What! Why!?”

“Yesterday, I ran into him at the supermarket, and when Shouma said, ‘I wanna eat stuffed cabbage!’ I made it. …But this morning when I brought it to school, he told me, ‘I forgot about that.’ And on top of that, he went and asked Mio to make something for him.”

“…You’ve gotta be kidding.”

“I’m not. Seriously, that guy has always been forgetful. Back in elementary school, he only brought home the communication notebook every three days. In middle school, he stayed behind after class all the time because he forgot to turn in paperwork. And to top it off, one Valentine’s Day, he said he ‘left the chocolates in the fridge and they went bad’…!”

Kaede, unusually enough, raised her voice. Kaede normally didn’t show this much emotion.

…Yeah, she was really pissed. While I listened to her complaints, I suddenly remembered. Shouma was notoriously forgetful, and the online comment sections used to say, “He’s definitely going to cause an incident one day.” While I was silently agreeing with the internet, Kaede finished airing her grievances, let out a long breath, and pushed a Tupperware container placed at her side toward me.

“…Here. Take it.”

“Huh?”

“It’s for you, Yuuta-kun. It’s cold now, but you said yesterday you wanted to try it, right? So eat it, eat it.”

“Thanks. Uh… Somehow this feels like compensation and I’m scared.”

She said that and gave a slightly soft smile. A moment ago she had been an embodiment of irritation, but at times like this she showed such a gentle expression. It was unfair. When I opened the Tupperware lid, warmth drifted faintly from the stuffed cabbage. The pale-colored cabbage sinking in the broth looked strangely pretty, and I could tell just by looking that this was properly made.

I took a bite—and was shocked.

“…It’s good even cold.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. The flavor soaked all the way into the center. …Actually, you might be better at this than my mom.”

“Yes! I win.”

Kaede smiled softly. The difference in temperature between her moods was so intense it felt like a heater.

“Yuuta-kun always eats my cooking so happily. Way more than Shouma. It makes me really happy.”

…That smile…It had more destructive power than sunlight. Yeah, my heart’s simmering time just got extended.

“R-really? I mean, it’s genuinely delicious. If you turned this into ready-made food and sold it… I think it would go viral.”

“Fufu, thanks. Yuuta-kun, you’re so sweet, you know?”

Hearing her say that, I could barely move my chopsticks. My face heated up, and the taste flew out of my mind. She really was adorable…

In the end, I chewed my way through the final bite of stuffed cabbage with full appreciation. 

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Kaede’s POV

After leaving the old school building, I found myself smiling without meaning to. Just remembering Yuuta-kun eating the stuffed cabbage—nope, I was done.

“Fufu… He really eats it like he’s genuinely happy.”

I pressed my cheeks, but the grin wouldn’t stop. Was this what it meant for your face to loosen on its own? I felt like the protagonist of some otome game, and I wanted to tease myself for it.

“I’m really glad I made it.”

I muttered without thinking. Because today was the first time someone had told me “It’s delicious even cold.” Shouma always said, “Yeah, it’s good,” with just words, right? That was definitely the kind of reaction that meant he was not actually tasting it.

On my way back to the classroom from the old building, I happened to look out the window. The courtyard in the afternoon. There were two shadows on a bench.

“…Huh?”

In my line of sight were Shouma and Mio-chan. Sitting side by side, talking happily. And on top of that…

“Wait—she’s feeding him!?”

And it was stuffed cabbage. I almost smacked my forehead into the window glass. It turned out having your vision turn bright red from anger was actually a real thing. But the next moment…

“…Pfft. Ahahaha.”

I couldn’t hold back. Because Mio-chan’s stuffed cabbage was a total disaster. The filling was spilling out, the wrapping was a mess. And before it could even reach Shouma’s mouth, it crumbled apart.

“Fufu… She failed the ‘aahhhn’ feeding. That’s basically soup at this point.”

I couldn’t stop laughing. Yeah, I was frustrated, but I felt a little relieved too. Cooking didn’t lie. If you put real time and effort into it, it showed. That made me happy, and a tiny bit proud.

“…Well, whatever. Yuuta-kun was really honest today. Nobody else says things like ‘It’s delicious even cold.’”

Every time I remembered, my cheeks loosened again. I think I already understood…Who I wanted to cook for… Whose “It’s good” I wanted the most.

“From now on I’ll have Yuuta-kun eat it.”

Something warm lit up softly in my chest. Saying that, I started walking toward the classroom and a small smile flickered deep inside my heart.

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