My Beautiful Childhood Friend Is Working in a Maid Cafe For Some Reason - Chapter 29

Yukina’s eyes sparkled as she sat in front of the curry rice I had made.

“Just so you know, I can’t guarantee the taste. No one’s ever tried my cooking before.”

“So, that means I’m the first?”

“Yeah, that’s right. So, don’t complain if it tastes bad.”

I didn’t think it was bad since I made it to my own satisfaction, but I wanted to be safe.

“It’s okay. Since you made it, Yusuke, I’ll eat it all without leaving any behind.”

With that, Yukina took a spoonful of curry rice and brought it to her mouth. I couldn’t tell how she felt about the taste, but her cheeks seemed to relax.

“It’s delicious. Really delicious!”

It seemed she was satisfied. I felt relieved and started eating my own curry rice.

Every time Yukina took a bite, she kept saying it was delicious. Hearing that right in front of me didn’t make me feel bad at all. It made me genuinely happy.

“Is it really that good?”

“It is!”

Yukina replied with a blissful expression. When I tasted it, I didn’t think it was bad, but I didn’t find it as extraordinary as she did. I thought my mom’s cooking was better. But Yukina kept saying it was delicious… Maybe her taste buds are a bit off from eating too much frozen food and convenience store meals. It’s definitely not because I made it.

“There’s more if you want seconds.”

“I’ll have some more.”

Without hesitation, Yukina held out her empty plate. I served her another portion, and she happily continued eating.

She’s eating way too much…

In the end, Yukina kept asking for more until the curry was all gone. The curry I had made to last for a few days was gone, and now I was washing the empty pot.

“Ah, that was delicious. I’m so satisfied.”

Yukina, who was sitting in the chair, looked very pleased with herself. I had pitied her usual poor diet, so I thought I’d let her eat as much as she wanted today. But that was a mistake. She should have shown some restraint.

“Hey, do you have any cola? I’m thirsty.”

As I was doing the dishes, Yukina started rummaging through my fridge as if it were her own.

She’s way too comfortable!

“No, I don’t.”

“You’re not very considerate.”

Her comment made me feel a silent wave of irritation.

“If you want something to drink, go buy it yourself.”

“It’s fine. Oh, there’s cider here. I’ll settle for this.”

Yukina took an unopened bottle of cider from the fridge, opened it, and drank it with obvious enjoyment.

“Ahh, so good!”

Is this really my apartment?

Seeing Yukina make herself at home made me question if this was actually my place.

“Hey, can’t you act more like you do at school?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, like how you’re quiet and well-behaved at school.”

Yukina is popular. She’s cute, quiet, and treats everyone kindly and with a smile. She’s good at both sports and studies—a perfect heroine straight out of some story. That’s why she’s so popular.

But I know that Yukina is an illusion.

In reality, she has a sharp tongue, isn’t quiet or well-behaved, and can be selfish and rude. This is the real Yukina.

When we were younger, she used to treat me like she does at school. I liked that Yukina.

But now, she only acts differently around me. I don’t know why, but I wish she’d treat me like everyone else.

“No way. That’s too much work. Besides, the me at school isn’t the real me.”

“Then why don’t you just act freely at school too?”

“I can’t do that either.”

“Why not?”

“Because… because there’s someone there.”

“Someone?”

“Nothing, forget it.”

Oh, right. It’s because Yukina has someone she likes. Of course, a girl would want to look cute in front of the person she likes.

“Besides, it’s too late to act differently around you, Yusuke. You’ve already seen this side of me.”

“Yeah, I guess. But it might be dangerous to wander around outside dressed like that. You never know who might be watching.”

“I don’t care about what others think. I can wear whatever I want. Why should I have to put on an act on my days off too?”

Yukina’s words had a point. People tend to unconsciously project their ideals onto others. They want them to be cute, kind, strong, and to like them back…

But they don’t realize that this can be a burden for the other person.

“But isn’t there someone you like? Are you okay with them seeing you like this?”

“I… I don’t not have someone, but they’ve already seen me like this…”

That’s unfortunate. So, something like that happened while I wasn’t aware. Too bad for him.

“Hey, just to confirm—this is just a confirmation, so don’t take it the wrong way—but which version of me do you like the most, Yusuke? The one at school? The one at the maid cafe? Or the one right now?”

Suddenly, Yukina became meek and asked me a question that didn’t really make sense.

Which version, huh…

The Yukina I liked was the one from the past, not the one now. But if I had to choose—

“I guess, the Yukina right now.”

It would be weird if she suddenly started acting like she does at school.

“I see, this Yukina, huh… I see.”

“But, I do wish you’d be a bit nicer to me.”

That last part was just a small hope.

I’d like her to treat me a bit more kindly, like she does with everyone else.

“Yeah, I’ll think about it. But don’t get your hopes up!”

“Yeah, yeah, got it.”

I knew it would turn out like this.

As Yukina drank her cider with a satisfied look, I finished washing the dishes.