The Kansai Villain’s Rebirth: I Accidentally Ended Up With a Harem. - Chapter 28: A Kansai Boy Makes His Preparations.

A Kansai Boy Makes His Preparations.

It was decided that on Saturday, I’d be hosting a study session at my house—with Shina-san, Akitani-san, and Fuyuki-san. Honestly, I felt like I’d been spending a lot of time with those three lately.

When I tried to offer Imamiya a drink, though, he shot me down with a single, flat “Don’t need it.” It’s not like I was pitying him or anything; he could’ve just accepted it honestly. When I asked again, “Are you sure?” he just repeated, “I said I don’t need it.”

Man, that guy’s stubborn…

Lately, Imamiya’s been acting really strange. He’s irritable half the time, his reputation’s tanking fast, and he said something to Shina-san the other day that really crossed the line. I think I even heard her mutter “gross” under her breath afterward.

He’s been refusing Akitani-san’s lunch, insulting Fuyuki-san’s hairstyle and glasses… honestly, what’s wrong with this guy?

My “second life goal” is already falling apart. Come on, Imamiya, pull yourself together! Don’t ruin my peaceful school life, please!

“Hey, hey, Daiki-kun! What’re you making for lunch on Saturday?”

“Hmm, good question…”

If it were just guys, I’d make something hearty like a katsudon or oyakodon—or maybe even whip up some ramen. But with three girls coming over, that’d be a no-go. Problem is, in my previous life as a single corporate drone, “stylish lunch” wasn’t even in my vocabulary.

Lunch meant energy drinks and calorie bars. My diet was tragic.

“Tennouji-kun, you cook, don’t you? I’m looking forward to it,” said Akitani-san.

Ah, come on, don’t raise the bar like that! Now even Fuyuki-san’s looking at me expectantly… and Shina-san’s practically sparkling with excitement. At this rate, the bar’s higher than my own height!

Wait—that’s it! The office ladies back at my old job were always going out for pasta lunches. That’s my move!

“How about pasta?” I suggested.

“That sounds lovely,” said Fuyuki-san, smiling faintly. “I can’t eat much, though, so just a small portion, please.”

Right, she always brings those tiny bento boxes. How does she last the whole day on that little food? And she’s tall, too. Though she’s… well, quite slim. Incredibly so.

Her figure’s perfect, really.

“Tennouji-kun,” she said sharply. “Is there something on my face?”

“Ah—no, nothing! Got it, small portion for you!”

“I wanna eat lots of Daiki-kun’s cooking!” said Shina-san, waving her hand.

“Me too,” chimed in Akitani-san.

Okay, that’s quite the range of appetites. And—yep, Fuyuki-san’s fiddling with her hair again, giving me that side-eye… Gah, I need to stop staring, it looks bad. That’s textbook harassment. My old company was strict about sexual harassment—but power harassment? That was practically part of the culture. What a messed-up place.

Anyway, if everyone wants different portions… maybe a buffet-style setup would work.

Yeah! I could make four kinds of sauces, prepare plenty of pasta, and let them take as much as they want with whichever sauce they like. Perfect!

“How about this?” I said. “I’ll make, say, four sauces. You can take some pasta, pour on a sauce, and try different ones as you like.”

“Ehh!? That sounds amazing, Tennouji-kun!”

“We can try all kinds? That’s awesome!”

“Hmm… not a bad idea,” said Fuyuki-san. “I like that I can choose my portion myself.”

Alright! Better reaction than I hoped for! Let’s go with that, then.

“So, it’s decided! A pasta lunch with different sauces. Any requests?”

“I’ll leave it to you, Tennouji-kun,” said Akitani-san.

“Same here!” said Shina-san cheerfully.

“Then I’ll think something up,” I nodded. “How about we meet at the school gate at 11? I’ll lead the way from there.”

“Got it. But don’t overdo it, okay?” Akitani-san said. “Making four sauces sounds tough.”

“It’s fine,” I assured her. “I’m an early riser anyway. I’ll cook after breakfast.”

“I appreciate the hospitality,” Fuyuki-san added, “but don’t let it interfere with studying, all right?”

“Yeah, I know,” I smiled.

…Fuyuki-san’s still playing with her hair, though. Is she mad about something?

“Daiki-kun,” whispered Shina-san, “when Rin-chan’s happy or embarrassed, she messes with her hair like that.”

“Shina!”

“Ah—oops, she heard me!”

“You said that loudly on purpose. And I’m not… doing it for that reason. Honestly…”

Phew. So she’s not angry. That’s a relief. Alright, time to make pasta that’ll really impress them!

After study group that day, I went shopping for ingredients. If I was gonna make this work, I had to practice my sauces.

First up—Carbonara. The all-time favorite. Of course, I couldn’t just use instant sauce. That’d kill the vibe completely. So I made everything from scratch.

By the time I perfected it, I’d been eating pasta for dinner three nights in a row.

“Ugh… I’m gonna get heartburn just from tasting all these sauces… but—ha! Finally! The perfect carbonara!”

When I checked the clock—it was already 9 p.m. I’d used so much cheese it could bankrupt me, but hey, my favorite girls were coming over. No room for half-measures.

“Tennouji-kun? Are you even listening?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah—what’s up?”

Crap. I’d been daydreaming about the next sauce and earned myself a glare from Fuyuki-san.

Still, next up should definitely be tomato sauce… maybe with blue crab? Wait, does the supermarket even have blue crab? That’s gonna cost a fortune… maybe I’ll just study the recipe and wing it on the day.

“Tennouji-kun?” she said again. “Were you listening to anything I just said?”

“Yeah, totally. You were talking about… blue crabs?”

“…You weren’t listening.”

Yikes. That look could kill. Okay, okay—focus. No more sauce talk during class. This period’s classical Japanese, right? Concentrate!

Third sauce—Tarako. Should be easy, right? Just mix and go.
Wrong.

Add butter, and it’s rich. Add lemon, it’s sharp. Add soy sauce, and it’s addictive. Tarako’s a deep rabbit hole, and I’d fallen straight in.

By the end of the night, I’d eaten enough pasta for a small army. Delicious… but deadly.

“Tennouji-kun, what’s with that lunch box full of pasta?” asked Akitani-san.

“Oh, this? I’m testing out the sauce for Saturday. This one’s butter–soy sauce tarako. Try some!”

“Eh? Sure! …Whoa, it’s amazing! Even cold, it’s still good!”

“Oh yeah? Great! Then I’ll go with this for the third one.”

“But if you’re letting people pick, won’t you have to reheat or sauté it every time?”

“Ah… right.”

“Why not make a cream sauce version?”

“That’d overlap with carbonara… but yeah, I could just serve the sauces pre-mixed instead.”

“That’d be easier for you too,” she smiled. “Otherwise, you won’t even get to eat.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Let’s do that.”

“…Tennouji-kun,” she said slowly. “That lunch box full of pasta—don’t tell me… you’ve been eating only pasta for dinner, have you?”

“Uh… actually… breakfast too.”

“Tennouji-kun. We need to talk.”

“Wha—wait, Akitani-san!?”

After that, I got a long, heartfelt lecture about nutrition and calorie balance. I really need to learn moderation… because when I get hooked on something, I don’t stop until it consumes me.