Tanaka-san Is Cuter Than the Main Heroine - Chapter 34: Tanaka-san Looks Cutest in an Apron

Chapter 34: Tanaka-san Looks Cutest in an Apron

Let me hit you with a sudden question:

When do girls start thinking more highly of a guy?

Maybe when they find out he’s super athletic?

Or when he’s actually good at studying?

There are plenty of moments like that—but after watching countless romcoms, dramas, movies, and even real-life love stories…

There’s one moment that always earns a guy bonus points with the ladies.

And that moment is—

—When they find out he can cook.

These days, it’s pretty common for both parents to work, so more and more dads and sons are stepping into the kitchen.

Even so, cooking still tends to be seen as more of a “girl thing.”

Which is exactly why, when a guy suddenly turns out to be a total culinary wizard, it hits different.

That gap between expectations and reality?

Massive.

The surprise, the praise—it all hits at once.

And girls just can’t help but react positively.

In other words—

[Oh yeah, we’ve got cooking class tomorrow.]

‘Yup-nya~’ [Cat Sticker]

‘Looking forward to it-nya~ 🐱’ [Cat Sticker]

—Tomorrow’s cooking class is the perfect chance to score some points with Tanaka-san.

“Alright! Let’s do this!”

“If you’re done messing with your phone, go wash your hands already.”

“Yes, Mom~”

So while I was texting back and forth with Tanaka-san,

I was also in the kitchen, practicing how to make hamburg steak with my mom.

Since she basically handles all our meals solo, her cooking tips were super clear and easy to follow.

Thanks to her, I pretty much got the hang of it.

Buuut… there was one major problem.

“Guhh… the on-ions… they buuurn…”

Yep.

Cutting onions.

That stupid sulfur-y chemical or whatever—sulfur allyl something—went straight into my eyes and turned me into a blubbering mess every single time.

I tried all the hacks—chilling the onion, using a wet knife, chewing gum—

But for some reason, this version of me had zero resistance to onion-induced suffering.

Okay, fine. I lied.

There was one method that worked.

But there was no way—no way—I was ever gonna accept it.

“You’re ridiculously sensitive to onions. Just give it up and bring goggles tomorrow.”

“Nope. No way. That’s like, ultra-level uncool!”

Seriously—who the heck wears goggles in home ec!?

If it were gym class and I wore glasses, maybe I could pull it off…

But goggles? For cooking?

Instant. Social. Death.

People would never let me live it down.

I’d get laughed out of the room—and that’d be the tragic end of my entire high school life.

Even worse, Tanaka-san might never speak to me again.

And I’m not letting that happen!

But still… I can’t let her see me bawling my eyes out over onions either.

What do I do!?

I’m doomed either way!!

“I’ll just slice them with my eyes closed.”

“Are you trying to die!? Stop that right now, you idiot son!!”

In the end, I couldn’t come up with a single good solution before we ran out of onions.

So I went to bed with puffy eyes and a completely defeated soul.

◇

“As we discussed in our last class, today you’ll be making hamburg steaks. We’ll be using knives and fire, so make sure to stay alert and cook safely.”

““Yesss.””

And just like that—cooking class day had arrived.

Even that morning, I kept racking my brain for some kind of last-minute onion counter…

But came up totally empty.

So yeah—I was feeling a little emotionally fragile.

I glanced down at the tray on our station… and there it was.

That cursed brown vegetable, just sitting there, mocking me.

And then—boom. I went blind.

(AAAAAHHHH—Tanaka-san in an apron is TOO CUTE I CAN’T TAKE IT—!)

Okay yeah, I’d imagined what she might look like in one before.

But the real thing? Next level.

It was just her regular uniform with an apron over it.

And yet… she had this gentle, elegant housewife vibe going on—massive wifey energy.

And her hair?

She had her long, fluffy hair tied back in a ponytail, showing off that slender neck of hers.

Dead.

I was absolutely dead.

That look?

Straight-up lethal weapon.

Just catching a glimpse of her made my nose leak a little blood.

And mind you—I’ve been around Tanaka-san enough that I’ve built up some resistance.

If I’m reacting like this, then surely the rest of the class must be bleeding out too, right?

I peeked down, half-expecting a crimson sea to be spreading across the floor…

But nope.

Just regular old white tiles.

“Dude, Haruno-san looks so cute in that apron.”

“Nah, nah, Fuyusara-san’s got her beat easy!”

Even with Tanaka-san standing right there, these clowns had the nerve to act like she didn’t even exist—totally losing their minds over Haruno and the others.

Unbelievable.

How could they not see it?

Tanaka-san is, like, a billion times cuter than anyone else here—and they’re just too blind to notice!?

I swear, the guys at this school have zero taste.

Sure, I get it. The main heroines have that overwhelming leading-lady aura.

But to completely overlook a literal goddess like Tanaka-san?

Nope.

Unforgivable.

Typical trend-chasing Japanese dudes.

Go ahead, ignore her now.

But one day, when you finally realize how amazing she is—and find out I’m already her boyfriend?

Prepare for your mental systems to crash and burn.

Heh. Serves you right.

“Nakayama-kun? Can you peel the onions for us?”

“O-Oh, yeah! On it.”

Guess I got a little too fired up on my own, ‘cause I didn’t even notice cooking class had already started.

One of the girls in my group gave me a light poke and passed the task over.

Nodding, I reached out toward the brown demon sitting there on the tray.

There’s this weird kind of tension that comes from having to evolve your enemy from harmless base form into final boss with your own two hands.

But with everyone around me watching, I couldn’t hesitate.

I started peeling the skins off—each one making these loud, dramatic crackles.

(Crap… this is totally gonna lead to me having to slice them too, isn’t it? What do I do!?)

As cold sweat formed on my back and my brain scrambled for a way out of my onion fate—

Someone suddenly snatched the peeled onion from right beside me.

“Nakayama-kun, could you pass me the onions once you’re done peeling them? I’ll handle the chopping.”

Tanaka-san said it with a soft, gentle smile.

And I swear, in that moment—no exaggeration—she looked like an actual goddess.

“O-Okay! Thanks, seriously!”

(Yep. Tanaka-san is the GOAT!)

While mentally beating myself up for ever thinking I could flex my totally non-existent cooking skills,

I also felt nothing but pure, overwhelming gratitude toward Tanaka-san—

Who had just bravely volunteered to take on the dreaded onion-chopping duty in my place.

Thank you.

You beautiful, beautiful lifesaver.

Author’s Note:

Next week I’ll probably either make the chapters a bit longer or drop another one.

So keep an eye out~!