After a Heartbreak, My Bitter Childhood Friend is now Sweet Like Sugar - V2 Chapter 6.7

Chapter 6.7

The next morning, I was woken up by humming and went to the kitchen to find Kokoa cooking.

She usually makes breakfast at my house, so I gave her my key. It’s rare for her to start preparing before I wake up, though.

“Oh, good morning, Yu.”

“*Yawn* Good morning…”

There were dark circles around her eyes as she looked at me. I’m pretty sure she didn’t sleep well.

“Hey, hey, are you okay? I mean, did you even sleep?”

“I’m fine. I was just thinking about something and couldn’t sleep.”

She replied while frying something. Fried food in the morning?

“I just kept practicing, and the morning came.”

“Practice?”

“Yes. You can look forward to your lunch.”

“Lunch?”

“Go get ready for school, okay?”

After being chased away, I washed my face and changed my clothes. That lunch, is it mine? Yesterday, I ate it for dinner, but from the conversation I had with her, I had a feeling that she might not make it today. It was because Reika might bring it again.

But apparently, Kokoa had a change of heart. What would I do if Reika brought her lunch box again? Will I have to eat both of the lunches that they prepared?

…

I was full just from thinking about what was to come during lunch break.

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Lunch break soon came. Just like yesterday, Reika came over to us.

“I have no intention of compromising today.”

Kokoa declared as soon as she arrived.

It seems that something has changed from yesterday’s reserved attitude, and whether she is fired up or outright hostile is up for debate.

“Um, what are you talking about?”

Reika-chan asked back, confused.

“Don’t be silly. I’m talking about Yu’s stomach. He’ll be eating my lunch today as well… Eh?”

She looked at the number of lunchboxes in Reika’s hand and wondered. It was probably because she only had enough for herself.

“You didn’t bring Yu’s lunch today?”

“Huh? Because yesterday, he said that Shirayuki-Senpai usually makes it. So I felt like I shouldn’t have.”

“But you said you would come again…”

“I didn’t say I’d bring him lunch, did I?” 

|| “Well, I’d better get back. I’ve got a class next. Senpai, I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Huh? Oh, but for lunch…”

Now that I think about it, Reika-chan certainly walked out of the classroom after that… She didn’t say anything.

Kokoa, who had put a lot of effort into making her lunch, looked at Reika in a daze, her cheeks gradually turning red as usual.

“Fuhe. Ah… Ehh…”

‘Ah… Ehh,’ what?

“Ehh, I may possibly have misunderstood… a little bit. Ah…”

Reika smiled back at Kokoa.

“Did you hear that, Kazamacchi? ‘I have no intention of compromising today’.”

“Haha, Shirayuki is really great at daring people who aren’t fighting with her.”

“Oh my god, please don’t make fun of me. I don’t know what to say. It’s Yu’s fault! The first one who misunderstood was you, wasn’t it!?”

“Is it my fault? I was indeed the one who made the mistake in the first place, but…”

While we were confused, Reika-chan brought a chair and sat down.

“Um, I’m afraid I’ve been kind of a nuisance…”

“No, it’s not your fault, Reika-chan.”

We are the ones who are at fault in this matter.

“Ahhhhhhhhh! Mou, I want to die… It’s so embarrassing…”

“Please don’t die, Kokoa-chan.”

“Uuuh…”

She covered her face with her hands and turned her head to the side.

“Well, well, let’s eat our lunch, shall we?”

Then, I opened the lid of the lunch box she had been working so hard on.

“Wow. It’s such a beautiful and colourful bento.”

“You don’t have to try so hard to make it exciting.”

“No, I meant it.”

Normally, the lunchbox would have white rice, but today, it had omusubi. Next to it were spinach with sesame paste, hijiki tsukudani with edamame mixed in, and kinpira gobo (burdock root), making it a colourful and nutritious dish. [EDN: Omusubi is similar to onigiri, hijiki tsukudani is a brown sea vegetable simmered in soy sauce and mirin.]

“Is this karaage?”

“… Try it.”

When I brought the karaage to my mouth, a rich, deep and luxurious flavour spread in my mouth. The insides, which seemed to fall apart without the need to bite, were nothing like what I had imagined chicken to be. 

“Could the meat inside be salmon?”

“Correct. I thought about how I could make a lunch that would make Yu happy, and I came up with this one.”

That’s how far you think for me.

“Well, it was mostly to compete with Reika-chan…”

Once again, Kokoka’s eyes went blank. I guess her embarrassment has come full circle, and she’s lost all emotion.

“Uwa, this is really good. Deep-frying it seems to bring out the natural flavour of the salmon better than traditional grilled fish, and the secret must be the sauce mixed with the batter! The shoyu flavour of the golden batter permeates the meat inside, similar to that of baked sashimi without losing any of its original flavours. Moreover, since the battered meat is eaten all at once, it is thick and full of rich flavours.”

“You know, you don’t have to force yourself to get excited by saying something like a line from a gourmet comic.”

“I mean it!”

Well, I was deliberately explaining a lot, but my impressions were real.

No, it was insanely delicious. I could tell that Kokoa worked hard on it. If she had really played the bento match with Reika, she would have been proud of herself after seeing my reaction.

The omusubi had salmon flakes in it. She packed many of my favourite things in it so that I wouldn’t get bored. It was a wonderful bento made by Kokoa, who knew me well and was a good cook.

“It was truly delicious. Thank you, Kokoa.”

“… Mmm.”

She seemed to be in a better mood and was a little embarrassed.

“It’s fine. It’s not like anyone lost just because I was embarrassed.”

I guess I’m lucky to have a childhood friend who does so much for me. Whatever the case may be, this bento is delightful and delicious.

And when I looked at Reika-chan’s lunch box, which was not confronted to Kokoa’s, I saw that it was a parade of meat, just like the one I had yesterday.

Sausage, gingerbread, chinjao rosu, diced steak… a blend of Japanese and Western cuisine, meat and more meat packed everywhere. It could only be described as a lunchbox made out of meat. [EDN: Chinjao rosu is Japanese-style pepper steak stir fry.]

“You’re still full of meat, aren’t you, Reika?”

“I love meat.”

But you eat too much of it.

“Well, I usually eat vegetables, too. At home, I can feed myself a lot. So don’t worry about it.”

I question that statement.

“What we eat is very important. I don’t just eat what I feel like eating. I choose what I need at that time. What I eat becomes the flesh and blood that forms me.”

“Rei-chin, are you a poet by any chance?”

“I don’t mean to be pretentious.”

Reika laughed, looking embarrassed.

The way she chooses her words is similar to Senpai.

What you eat becomes your flesh and blood.

If so, the fact that Reika eats so much meat may be a sign of her desire to live a strong life.

And I’m having Kokoa’s lunch every day.

Why do I eat her lunch every day?

No, I didn’t ask for it, but she started making it for me, and since I continue to eat it with pleasure, I guess it’s what I need right now.

Kokoa’s food is delicious and warm.

When I eat it, it’s as if a gap in my heart is filling up.

But rarely, for some reason, I also feel kind of apologetic. I wonder if I’m shying away from the weight of my feelings. Maybe that’s why I’ve started cooking for myself. I was worried that I would continue to be spoiled by her.

I need to be more responsive to her feelings.

That’s what I thought. 

◆ 

EDN: Yes, I like food chapters.