The Handsome Girl Who Stole My Girlfriend Seems to Be After Me Now - Chapter 18: Homemade Carbonara – With a Dash of Slyness

Chapter 18: Homemade Carbonara – With a Dash of Slyness

After going back to my room to change, I sat down at the living room table for a late breakfast.

I don’t know what she found so amusing, but Mizushima sat across the table, watching me with a big smile.

“Um… it’s hard to eat when you’re staring like that.”

Feeling distracted, I ended up putting my half-eaten toast back on the plate.

“Don’t worry about me. Take your time eating. I’ve already had my breakfast, so I’m just happy watching you here.”

“It’s hard to eat when someone’s watching, I said.”

Mizushima seemed to ignore my protest completely. It’s like the word ‘restraint’ doesn’t exist in her dictionary.

“Fine… So, what are we doing next? There’s not much to do at my place except for games or movies.”

“Games? What kind do you have?”

“Well, the usual stuff like racing or fighting games.”

“Oh? Do you have that one? You know, the territory battle type shooting game?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Great, let’s start with that.”

So, after finishing breakfast, I ended up playing a fighting game with Mizushima. We set up the game on the large TV in the living room after clearing the dishes.

I could have played on my room’s TV, but this kind of competitive game is usually played here since my sister also plays it occasionally.

Well, I also didn’t really want to bring Mizushima into my room, to be honest.

※　※　※　※

“Bufu～… I somehow managed to win.”

“Ah, so close. I was just a bit away from winning.”

After that, we played various titles, competing in action games.

I’m not bragging, but I thought I was pretty good at games. I’ve scored decently in online matches, after all.

But Mizushima barely kept up with my playing. Despite claiming to be almost a newbie with no gaming consoles at home, she turned out to be quite a match.

“Are you sure you were a beginner until just now? You’ve improved a lot in just an hour or two.”

“Really? Hmm, I was just playing normally. And after all, I hardly won against you, Souta.”

Mizushima humbly said, but honestly, there were many close calls. If I had slacked off even a little, I would have been the one losing by now.

Dang, good-looking, talented in both arts and sports, and now high gaming skills too? What on earth does fate intend to give her next? It’s just not fair.

“But I’m really tired now. Let’s take a break.”

“Yeah… Oh, it’s already half past one.”

Glancing at the living room clock, I unconsciously rubbed my stomach.

Even though breakfast was late, I’m starting to get hungry.

“Souta, are you hungry?”

“Yeah, kind of.”

I got up from the sofa in front of the TV and headed to the kitchen.

There should be some cup noodles left in the cupboard.

“I’m going to have some cup noodles, you want some too?”

Feeling a bit awkward about preparing food just for myself, I asked Mizushima if she wanted some. However, Mizushima pouted, looking dissatisfied.

“Ehh, you’re going with that?”

“What’s the problem? If you don’t want it, that’s fine… but yeah, offering cup noodles to a working model might be a bit off.”

“No, not that. Since it’s our ‘home date’, why don’t we make something together?”

Before I knew it, Mizushima had joined me in the kitchen.

“Make something? Like what? Just so you know, I’m not that great at cooking.”

“It’s fine if it’s something simple. It’s the act of making it together that counts.”

Saying so, Mizushima began to look through the fridge and the pantry.

“Is it okay to use whatever’s here?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, feel free to use whatever.”

“Okay. Let’s see, we have eggs and bacon… oh, there’s Parmesan too. How about we make carbonara?”

Mizushima quickly gathered the necessary ingredients and started the prep work with practiced ease. It was clear she was used to cooking.

“Okay, I’ll handle the sauce, so Souta, can you boil the pasta?”

“Uh, sure. Got it.”

Following Mizushima’s instructions, I filled a pot with water and set it to boil. Once it was boiling, I added the pasta for two and some salt, making sure it didn’t boil over as I cooked it.

“How long should the pasta boil?”

“Wait a sec. Uh, the package says ‘standard boiling time 8 minutes.'”

“Then you can turn off the heat after about 7 minutes.”

“Isn’t that too soon?”

“We’ll warm it up with the sauce in the frying pan afterward. It’s okay if it’s a bit early.”

“Got it.”

Nodding, I suddenly came to my senses.

When I think about it, why am I cooking side by side in my kitchen with the person who stole my girlfriend? This would normally be an unimaginable situation.

Am I getting too used to being around her without realizing it?

I took my eyes off the bubbling pot to sneak a peek at Mizushima next to me.

“Hmm-hmm-hmm♪”

Mizushima was humming while cutting the bacon, quickly mixing eggs, cheese, and pepper in a bowl. Today, she was dressed in a ribbed long-sleeve knit top and a comfortable long skirt.

Her usual boyish vibe, and the high school girl look she showed off on our date yesterday, were different today. She had more of a “beautiful and kind lady from the neighborhood” feel. The red nail polish added an adult allure.

Come to think of it… the casual clothes Ena-chan wore on her days off were similar. They suited her clean look and were really cute.

“What’s up, Souta? Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Huh? No, nothing. Just thinking you’re good at this…”

Damn, I found myself staring without realizing it. I quickly looked away, trying to cover it up, but it was too late. Mizushima seemed to see right through me.

“You’re lying. Souta, you were thinking about Ena-chan just now, weren’t you?”

“Eh!? How did you…”

“I knew it. Well, I did dress a bit like Ena-chan today on purpose. But still, it’s not great you’re thinking about another girl while on a date.”

Before I could retort that she shouldn’t have dressed like that, Mizushima leaned her head on my shoulder.

“If you’re going to look at me,”

She pressed her shoulder against mine and looked up at me from below.

“just think about me.”

She whispered this with a somewhat enchanting smile.

“H-hmph… you’re always so sly.”

I grumbled, unable to look directly at her face.