The Most Beautiful Girl in School Has Become a Mother - Chapter 41: Video Call Cooking Class

After returning home, I put the groceries I bought into the refrigerator.

Today is not the day when Miori comes over to cook dinner for us──she has to make dinner at her own house too──so as soon as Shuri gets home, she sulks and reads a picture book by herself.

The days when Miori comes to our house are the weekends and other days when she doesn’t cook dinner at her place. It usually adds up to about three days a week, and I worry it might be a burden for her, but she says, “Not at all.”

Although she says that, she also drives me to and from school in the morning and evening, and spends her weekends with me. I’m worried that her burden will become too heavy and she’ll get tired eventually, but when I mention it, she says, “Isn’t it true that you did it all by yourself for a long time, Isaki-kun?” and I can’t say anything back. I’m doing it out of obligation, not because I want to, but she doesn’t understand that difference.

Of course, I’ve told her not to push herself too hard, but she just replies, “I’m not pushing myself too hard,” so in the end, I have no choice but to keep quiet.

While preparing dinner, I waited for my smartphone to ring. As promised, it rang exactly at seven o’clock.

When I tapped the receiver button, I heard her hesitant voice.

“Uh, um… It’s Imiya.”

“Yes, it’s Sanada.”

For some reason, we suddenly become distant. 

“Are you already in the kitchen?”

“Yeah, I’m ready.” 

“Then I’ll switch to a video call.”

Miori said that and switched the call mode to video call. At that moment, I also switched to video call mode.

Inside the rectangular LCD screen, Miori was changed into casual clothes and was wearing an apron. 

Her hairstyle was the same as when she cooked at home, a ponytail. 

“Oh, I can see it. This is kind of embarrassing, isn’t it?”

“Indeed…” 

We both stared at each other through the small rectangular LCD screen, our faces turning red.

“Hmm… I’m thinking of placing the camera around here. Can you see the kitchen properly?”

“Yeah, uh-huh. I can see it well.”

She set up her smartphone in a slightly elevated position, using the front camera to capture the kitchen workspace.

By the way, when Miori turned her back to her smartphone at that location, her nape was fully visible. The nape and her back, which occasionally peeked out from the collar of her clothes. The glimpses were very provocative.

I involuntarily swallowed hard and propped my smartphone up in front of the kitchen.

The reason this happened was that, as usual, we went to pick up Shuri together, and the interaction at the supermarket on the way back was the trigger.

Today, ground meat was unusually cheap, so Miori suggested making lasagna tonight.

Today, she can’t come over because she has to make dinner at her own house. That means I have to make everything myself… Of course, I’ve never made something as sophisticated as lasagna. When I said I don’t have the confidence to make something so advanced,

“Oh, then I’ll join you on the same menu today. Shall we make it together?”

She suggested. 

I was puzzled at first, but it turns out she would guide me through a video call. 

And that’s how we got to this point. 

“Okay, first… chop the onion and carrot finely.”

Miori said on the other side of the smartphone as she skillfully chopped the onion and carrot.

“Wait, wait a minute. I can’t do it that fast, so just wait a bit.”

“I know, I know. Just be careful not to cut your hands.”

Miori turned to the camera and giggled.

I felt bad making her wait too long, so I hurriedly chopped the vegetables. They ended up being quite uneven, but I’ll ask for her understanding on that. I hope Shuri will forgive me.

Then, just like Miori did, I put onions and carrots in the frying pan, and when the carrots started to soften, I added salt.

Then, heat another frying pan over high heat and add the ground meat. Add a little wine and let the alcohol evaporate over high heat. At this point, I’m just imitating her actions.

“Are you okay? Are you keeping up?”

“Yeah, just barely okay.” 

After that, I just follow her instructions──though I’m just mimicking her actions on the screen──and put it in the oven. All that’s left is to wait for fifteen minutes. 

“See, it’s done, right?”

“I had a really hard time. I was so overwhelmed just trying to keep up that I don’t even remember how to make it anymore.” 

“Oh, but I went through the trouble of teaching you.”

The girl on the other end of the phone giggled and held her smartphone.

Holding her smartphone facing each other, we exchanged glances. The meal was almost ready, so there was no need to continue the call, yet neither of us suggested hanging up. She was adjusting her bangs while looking at her reflection in the front camera.

“Oh, right. How’s Shuri-chan doing?”

Miori said as if she had just remembered. 

Maybe she wanted to talk to Shuri? 

“If it’s Shuri, she’s sulking and reading a picture book. Want me to switch with her?” 

“Hmm… maybe I should pass. It probably wouldn’t be a good time for a meal.”

“Hmm, that’s true.”

It’s about Shuri. She’ll definitely start crying and say, “I want to see Mom.” 

“I want to see her too. Besides, since Isaki-kun made lasagna, I want her to enjoy that today.”

If that’s the case, then why is she still on the call with me?

Can I take it that she wants to talk to me instead of Shuri? Or is she just looking for someone to talk to until the oven timer goes off? 

“I hope Shuri is satisfied with me.”

I leaned against the refrigerator and forced a smile. If I were told it was “bad” again, I wouldn’t be able to recover.

“It’s okay. You followed the same steps as me, right?”

“Yeah, but I’m a bit anxious. I mean…” 

“Yeah? What is it?”

“…I want to try the original lasagna too.”

What am I saying? 

If Miori were right in front of me, I could never say something like this. Yet, for some reason, I naturally voiced my desires. 

But even so, I don’t really think I want to eat her lasagna that badly.

But──I wanted to eat the food she made. 

“…I think the taste won’t change, right?”

After a brief pause, a reply comes. The redness in her face is probably not just because of the cooking. 

“Even so, I want to eat it.”

The phone is strange. Words come out that I would never say face-to-face. Even I am astonished at how confidently I am saying these things. 

Perhaps it was amusing to see me acting differently than usual, as Miori laughed and said, “You’re being a bit more pushy than usual.”

“Then, I guess there’s no helping it… Fine. But next time, make sure to remember how to make it properly, okay?”

And the kind Miori agrees to that as well. Perhaps she is weak to pressure. 

I wondered what she would say if I replied that I didn’t want to learn because I wanted her to make it for me over and over again?

I thought about it for a moment, but that would be too selfish. I reluctantly replied, “Alright.”

“Hey, how about we have a late-night call next time?”

After a brief silence, with the sound of the oven fan still echoing beside us, Miori suddenly said something like that. 

“Huh? A late-night call? Isn’t it going to be difficult since Shuri falls asleep right away?”

When I answered like that, I heard a sigh from the other end of the phone. 

“That’s not it. You shouldn’t let Shuri stay up late.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Not understanding what she was saying, I peered into the screen. 

Then, she shyly glanced at me──it was the screen──and hesitantly said.

“Not Shuri-chan… but Isaki-kun.”

“Huh, me!? I don’t mind… at all but…”

I was surprised to receive a request from me instead of Shuri. 

I wonder what it is. Maybe she has something to discuss, or something like that. 

“So, should we do it before the next day off? The one who falls asleep first loses, alright?”

“What kind of competition is this?” 

“What should the loser’s punishment be?”

“Is it already decided what we’re doing?”

While continuing such silly talk, the oven chimed to signal that the baking was done. Miori’s oven chimed almost at the same time. 

“Then, all that’s left is plating.”

“I’ll do my best not to mess it up. Thank you.” 

“No problem, it was refreshing and fun. See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, see you.”

And so, the call ends. 

It was certainly a bit refreshing, and if I can keep watching Miori like this, I might even start to think the cooking isn’t so bad.

──Still, a late-night call? I never even considered something like that.

As always, I couldn’t quite understand Miori’s intentions. But if I could talk with her at night, it would surely be enjoyable. That was my intuition. 

As a side note, the lasagna she guided me in making was very delicious and well-received by Shuri as well.