Lonely Me And The Lonely Caring Goddess - Chapter 268: The Day of the Cooking Class.

The Day of the Cooking Class.

Once homeroom ended, the classroom erupted into motion, as if everyone had been waiting for the bell with bated breath. Bags were zipped, belongings stuffed inside, and the moment they were ready, classmates surged toward the home economics room like a dam had burst.

I wanted to be first in line more than anyone, but I had the unfortunate duty of picking up the key, so I had to split off alone.

Not that I minded; Sara-san was waiting for me in front of the faculty office.

I didn’t want to keep her waiting any longer than necessary.

Slinging my bag over one shoulder, I rose from my seat.

I turned to Hanako-san, who was still packing beside me.

“Hanako-san, I’m heading to grab the key.”

“Got it. I’ll go on ahead. Try not to get too lovey-dovey with your wife and keep us waiting.”

She flashed a mischievous grin, eyes sparkling with teasing delight.

I knew she was joking, of course, but come on. Flirt in front of the faculty office? Never.

(If she asked whether I’d do it somewhere else… well… no, no, I’m not that shameless. So her worry was completely unfounded.)

…Anyway, better stop overthinking and just go.

……………

………

***

As the faculty office came into view, I spotted Sara-san waiting in the hallway.

She stood by the window, gazing at something outside, her silhouette framed by the afternoon light like a living painting.

To be perfectly honest, I could have stood there admiring her forever.

Every student passing by—boy or girl—faltered for a heartbeat, eyes stolen by the sight.

I wanted to keep watching just a little longer, but our schedule was packed tight. If I dawdled, Hanako-san would absolutely use it as ammunition later.

Just as I opened my mouth to call out, Sara-san noticed me first.

“Kazunari-san, good work today.”

The serene, distant air she’d worn moments ago melted away, replaced by the gentle, melting smile I loved more than anything. My usual Sara-san.

“Sara-san, good work. Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Not at all. I only just arrived myself. Please don’t worry.”

…Somehow this felt like a textbook date greeting—only with the gender roles reversed. Considering Sara-san always takes the lead with me, though… Wait, why am I even thinking about this?

“A-Anyway, we’re wasting time. Let’s hurry and get the key.”

“Yes.”

I rarely entered the faculty office, so my nerves tingled a little.

Taking a quiet breath to steel myself, I knocked and slid the door open.

Knock, knock…

Shhhhrrrr…

“Excuse me—”

“Excuse me.”

Sara-san followed right behind, greeting in perfect unison.

On second thought, I could’ve just had her wait outside since we were only borrowing a key.

Oh well.

“Yes, yes, what can I… Oh, now that’s a rare pair… or not so rare these days. What brings the president and vice-president together?”

The teacher closest to the door looked up and recognized us instantly by our student council titles, even though we’d never spoken before.

“Um, we’re here for the home ec room key…”

“Takanashi, over here.”

Our homeroom teacher noticed me too and beckoned from his desk. Perfect—saved me the explanation.

As I approached, I spotted the key already waiting atop a small pile of papers. He’d prepared it in advance.

His gaze, however, had drifted past me to Sara-san, lingering there.

“So Satsukawa came along too?”

“Yes. Kazunari-san is always in your care.”

Bff—!?

Even to our homeroom teacher!?

Sara-san had this habit—she only did it to people connected to me—of greeting them on the very first meeting with an impeccably polite “Thank you for looking after him.” I knew there was no deeper meaning, but I never expected her to deploy it on our teacher.

To someone unaware of the circumstances, it probably sounded bizarre… Wait, why is he chuckling?

“Hah, never thought the day would come when a student thanked me like that. Don’t make that confused face, Takanashi. I know about you two.”

!?

How does our homeroom teacher know!?

Did someone in class leak it!?

No, calm down. Even if they did, we have nothing to hide. And only our parents and closest friends know about the cohabitation, so we’re safe.

“…You knew?”

Sara-san’s eyes widened in genuine surprise—same as mine. How on earth…

“Only a few teachers, myself included, were told. I don’t know the details, but the principal informed us directly. Something about ‘if anything happens to Takanashi’… well, never mind. Point is, I’m aware.”

The principal?

Why would the principal personally…?

Of course I’d never even met the man. And yet something that personal… Wait.

Recently I’d heard the word “principal” somewhere…

I glanced at Sara-san; our eyes met perfectly. She gave a small nod, as if confirming something.

“So it was Mother’s doing.”

“Mayumi-san…? Oh!”

Right—I remembered!

During the parent observation day, Mayumi-san had mentioned asking a favor of the principal. I’d assumed it was just to let her sneak into my classroom, but it wouldn’t be strange if she’d mentioned other things too.

In fact, to justify barging into my class, she’d practically had to explain our relationship.

So naturally, the relevant information had been passed along.

Still, I had no idea how much had been disclosed, so better not volunteer anything extra.

“Hm? Satsukawa’s parent is involved?”

“Most likely…”

“Ah, that explains it. That’s why I was told all that…”

There’s more?

Our teacher nodded as though something suddenly made sense. Noticing my stare, he gave another wry smile.

“That part’s staff business, so don’t worry about it. It’s nothing bad.”

“…I see.”

When he put it like that, I couldn’t press further. His tone made it clear he wasn’t planning to elaborate.

“If you ever need anything, come straight to me. Especially about future plans—don’t hold back.”

“Y-Yes, sir. Understood?”

He was being unusually kind… almost suspiciously so, considering how he usually acted.

Of course he was our teacher, so it wasn’t wrong, but something felt off—like there was another reason behind it. Still, he said it wasn’t bad news, so I’d just accept it for now. If the chance arose, I could always ask Mayumi-san directly.

“Takanashi, are you close with Satsukawa’s parents?”

“Yes, well…”

“Both Father and Mother treat Kazunari-san like their own son. Mother especially is… extreme.”

“Extreme?”

“Yes. You could call it doting.”

Sara-san answered for me, though her slight grimace told me exactly which “extreme” incidents she was recalling.

I was honestly overjoyed that Sara-san’s mother accepted me so completely, but… Mayumi-san’s playful streak sometimes went a little too far and left me helplessly flustered.

“R-Really?”

“It’s abnormal.”

Whoa, “abnormal”? Sara-san must be pretty fed up herself.

I probably needed to talk to Mayumi-san too… though if I did…

“Sniff… Does Kazunari-kun hate getting along with his mother-in-law? I might cry…”

I could practically hear her voice in my head. Terrifying.

Of course Sara-san was my absolute priority in everything, but for some reason I could never win against Mayumi-san…

“That much, huh… Well then, you’re set for life. Anyway—just come to me if anything comes up.”

“Yes, thank you, sir.”

Set for life…?

That sounded loaded, but judging by his expression, he wasn’t going to explain.

He was being genuinely kind, so I simply bowed my thanks.

“Kazunari-san, we should probably…”

“Ah, right.”

The whole class was waiting. If we took much longer, Hanako-san would definitely accuse us of flirting. Better hurry.

“Sorry for the detour. Here, take the key.”

“Thank you.”

I accepted the key he held out and bowed again.

We’d come for something simple, yet somehow we’d lost a chunk of time.

There were plenty of things I wanted to ask about, but the home ec room came first.

***

The hallway outside the home economics room was already a chaotic sea of classmates.

We hadn’t been that late despite the delay at the faculty office, so it should be fine.

As we approached, eyes turned toward us—though, predictably, they quickly fixed on Sara-san behind me.

Fair enough.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“We apologize for the delay.”

“We weren’t waiting at all!!”

“S-Satsukawa-senpai, hello!!”

“Thank you so much for today!”

The girls swarmed around her instantly, buzzing with excitement. Her popularity truly knew no gender bounds.

“…Sigh… I can only exhale.”

“…A goddess… truly a goddess…”

“…Just looking at her makes me happy.”

“…A cooking class with the goddess… I’m so lucky…”

At this point, all I could do was keep an eye out so things didn’t get too rowdy and bother Sara-san directly. A little chatter like that was inevitable.

“Kazunari, good work. Took you long enough—did you get lovey-dovey with your wife?”

I knew she’d say it…

But Hanako-san was grinning ear to ear, so it was clearly just teasing.

“No, we were talking with the teacher.”

“Hanako-san, we’ll take our time being lovey-dovey later when we’re alone. Right, Kazunari-san?”

“E-Eh!? Y-Yes… exactly…”

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”

“IT’S HERE ALREADY!!”

“When Takanashi-kun’s involved, Satsukawa-senpai turns into a completely different person…”

“Which one is the real her!?”

“Grrrrrrgh…”

“I knew it and it still hurts…”

“Jealous… so jealous…”

“So that’s what Hanasaki-san meant earlier…”

Kawamura muttered beside me, watching the boys writhe.

Yeah… not the most flattering way to be understood.

Though I couldn’t really talk—Sara-san had her own habit of unconsciously dropping bombs left and right.

…Wait.

That meant between the two of us, the chance of public disasters was literally doubled?

No wonder I could never refute Hanako-san…

Anyway—time was slipping away. Into the room, now.

(This had absolutely nothing to do with trying to dodge the subject. Definitely not.)

……………

………

…

Inside the home ec room, we split into our pre-assigned groups and gathered around the tables.

Each group had one dish to master today. That was the entire point of this session.

Obviously no one could learn a full menu in such a short time with zero experience, so the plan was for each group to perfect one dish and teach the others later. That was the strategy we’d settled on.

The only downside was the extra burden it placed on Sara-san. That weighed on me more than anything, and I genuinely felt bad about it.

When we got home tonight, I wanted to do something—anything—to thank her.

She’d probably refuse, but if push came to shove… I’d insist.

Truthfully, though, I hated forcing her into anything.

Sara-san almost never turned me down when I asked seriously, and that was exactly why I only used that card when it truly mattered.

“Alright, everyone—let’s begin.”

Sara-san stepped to the small teacher’s table at the front once preparations were complete.

Today her hair was tied up so it wouldn’t get in the way, and she wore her favorite cat apron (the one I gave her).

She must have brought it from home.

“We don’t have much time, so I’ll explain the key points at each table. First, please gather around here for a quick review of knife skills.”

At her instruction, everyone crowded around a single table.

A cutting board, knife, and large daikon radish were ready. Sara-san carefully demonstrated proper grip—both for the knife and the ingredient—and began slicing slowly.

We’d done this in regular home ec, yet somehow it felt like watching it for the first time.

“At the start, take it slow and focus on precision. Never try to speed up just because you’re feeling confident—that’s how accidents happen. Please be careful.”

Her tone was gentle, but a quiet severity threaded through her words. That was Sara-san’s passion for cooking showing through, even unconsciously.

I’d asked her to treat me the same as everyone else today, so I had to take this seriously too.

“Um, this is just curiosity, but… how fast do you usually cut, Satsukawa-senpai?”

As expected, the question came.

Her cooking prowess was legendary; it was only natural someone would ask.

I already knew the answer—and honestly, it wouldn’t lose to a professional on television.

“Well, normally…”

tototototototototot

Yeah… “fast” didn’t begin to cover it.

The daikon on the board shrank at blinding speed, every slice perfectly uniform.

Even someone as hopeless in the kitchen as me could only stare in awe. To people who actually cooked regularly, this had to be…

“Wha—so fast!?”

“Whoa, that’s insane!?”

“Eek—my mom looks slow in comparison…”

“Wait, isn’t that faster than the home ec teacher…?”

“W-Wow…”

“So the rumors of her being a home ec goddess are true…”

“She’s perfect… the ideal…”

Yep, about what I expected.

The degree of shock seemed proportional to how much cooking experience each person had… though the boys’ reactions were in a league of their own, as usual.

“No way… ugh, she’s that good…?”

Hanako-san, standing beside me, let out a slightly cartoonish gasp of dismay.

She’d mentioned practicing at home, so seeing Sara-san’s level firsthand must have been a blow.

Earlier this morning she’d talked about her pride as big sister… All I could really say was “good luck.”

“Satsukawa-senpai, how long have you been studying cooking?”

“…How long? I was helping—or rather, being made to help—before I can even remember.”

I’d never asked for details, but that phrasing could easily be interpreted as “since I was too young to remember.”

Mayumi-san had mentioned training her from childhood; in a way, it was genuine prodigy-level education.

“That far back…?”

“Mother sometimes called it bridal training. Back then I just laughed it off.”

“Eh, why?”

“Because I despised men. I thought bridal training would never be useful.”

Sara-san’s feelings toward men were still pretty extreme even now. Before she met me, they’d been far worse—I’d heard as much from both her and Natsumi-senpai. Being told to train as a bride in that state? Of course she’d scoff.

The moment the girls heard that, sly grins spread across their faces.

Uh-oh. Those smiles looked dangerous…

“Satsukawa-senpai!”

“You just said ‘back then,’ right!?”

“Which means you don’t think that anymore, right!?”

They pounced with gleeful excitement, eyes flicking toward me.

Yep… here it comes.

“Yes. Looking back, I’m grateful to Mother.”

“S-So it’s because…”

“Because Takanashi-kun is here now!?”

“Because you promised to marry him!?”

Exactly the direction I feared.

They’d been waiting for this moment—that’s why they were grinning so suspiciously. Girls really loved this kind of talk… their enthusiasm was terrifying.

“Yes. Everything I’ve learned, I can finally give to Kazunari-san.”

When asked about us, Sara-san broke into the happiest, most radiant smile imaginable.

Seeing that smile made my chest warm… but right now was absolutely not the time—

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!”

“THE LOVEBIRDS ARE HERE!!”

“ITADAKIMASU!!!”

“GWOOOOHHH…”

Ahh… yep, there it is.

The girls exploded into squealing chaos; the boys looked ready for a funeral.

This was supposed to be a cooking class—how did it turn into a Q&A about our relationship!?

“U-Um, just out of curiosity… do you still do things for Takanashi-kun now?”

!?

Danger! Red alert!

If this kept going, she might reveal that she handles all the housework… which could lead straight to the cohabitation topic!

“Well, when it comes to household chores, he leaves everything to me—”

“…Eh?”

“…Huh?”

“…Wait, what?”

“S-Sara-san!! We should probably—”

“Bride! We’re running out of time—move on! Kazunari’s getting flustered!”

Hanako-san cut in loudly—an unusually bold interruption for her. Sara-san stopped mid-sentence and looked at me in alarm.

“I-I’m so sorry, Kazunari-san…”

“She really just said ‘bride’!?”

“…Now I’m curious about these three’s relationship too…”

“…I mean, going toe-to-toe with Satsukawa-senpai… Hanasaki-san is full of mysteries…”

Phew… saved…

The “bride” bombshell successfully derailed the conversation completely.

That had been heading into seriously dangerous territory. My heart was still racing.

Thank you, Hanako-san…

“No, it’s fine. But we really are short on time…”

“Yes. Let’s continue.”

Relief washed over Sara-san’s face when she saw my expression.

She straightened, refocused on the table.

Safe… for now.

“Good grief, that’s your wife’s bad habit.”

Hanako-san murmured just loud enough for me to hear.

She’d genuinely saved me this time, so I turned to her quietly.

“Hanako-san, thank you.”

“Because I’m your big sister.”

It had practically become her catchphrase.

She glanced at me sidelong and offered the tiniest, gentlest smile.

Honestly, I wanted to point out that she had her own habit of dropping bombs… but still.

She always backed me up like this when it counted.

In that sense, she really was a reliable big sister… wasn’t she?