When I Started Doing Housework For The Cool Beauty In My Class, She Began Asking Me About The Dinner Menu Every Day. - Chapter 17: Life and Death.

Life and Death.

Although Fujisaki had a slight delay in realizing the indirect kiss, she quickly finished the apology pudding and got her mood back on track.

The X-saki series is starting to become a regular thing in my head, but I should avoid saying it directly to her. Especially “Hopeless-saki”. When I see her fail at something, I’m tempted to say it, but I’ve learned that repeatedly calling her “Hopeless-saki” could lead her from Pout-saki to Pout-pout-saki, and that’s a hassle. I’ll keep that lesson in mind.

However, since I served the apology pudding as a dessert before dinner, the timing of the meal is now tricky. It wasn’t a heavy dessert, but it feels a bit odd to serve dinner right after something sweet.

“Fujisaki, what do you want to do about dinner timing?”

“Ah, right… I already had the pudding, so I’ll wait a little longer.”

“Got it.”

Even though it was just a small dessert, eating it on an empty stomach would’ve been somewhat filling. I didn’t eat much myself, so it wasn’t that satisfying, but Fujisaki, who had almost two servings, might actually be feeling it in her stomach.

Now, we don’t mind waiting, but what should we do to pass the time?

Cleaning… doesn’t seem necessary from what I can see. It’s a relief that the room hasn’t turned into a mess again after just one day.

“Fujisaki, I’m going to use this space to work on some assignments.”

“Oh, I’ll join you!”

To make good use of our free time, I decided to work on the assignment given in today’s class. I took out my writing tools, textbooks, and notes, and spread them out on the table, which also serves as our dining table. Fujisaki, who had been lounging on the sofa, came over as well.

Well, we’re in the same class, so it’s obvious we have the same assignments. But, I have to admit, I had this biased assumption that Fujisaki would procrastinate, scramble to do her homework during the break before class, and end up asking the student sitting next to her to let her copy their notes.

Yeah, that was a pretty harsh assumption.

“I never thought you’d be the type to keep up with your assignments, Fujisaki…”

“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Eh? Oh… did I say that out loud?”

“Yes, you did!”

Whoops.

I thought I was only thinking it in my head, but I ended up saying it out loud by mistake. Just a moment ago, I was trying not to upset Fujisaki’s mood, and now here I am. But since she’s still in Pout-saki form, I can still make up for it.

“Well, considering how the room looked during summer break, I thought you might be the type to put off annoying things until later…”

“…Well, when you put it that way, I can’t really argue with it. But I don’t hate studying, and I know assignments affect grades, so I’ll do them even if they’re a pain.”

“I see.”

After all, whether it’s a delay followed by recovery, it’s important to acknowledge that the impact of things like grades can’t easily be undone once they’re set.

Unlike cleaning, where I can always tidy up and restore things to normal, once grades are finalized, there’s no reversing them. In that sense, Fujisaki—or should I say hopeless-saki—might be just avoiding chores and not thinking about the bigger picture.

“Assignments get factored into grades, so you have to do them properly, right?”

“Yeah, you’re right. I have to keep my grades up too.”

“What happens if your grades drop?”

“Well, if I don’t maintain a certain level, it could affect my living situation. My parents might pull the plug on my independent living.”

“Ah, I see…”

If my grades slip and it affects my ability to study, it could raise concerns about my independent living situation. The excuse that I can’t focus on my studies because living alone is too tough won’t hold water.

In that sense, Fujisaki is impressive. Despite struggling with housework, she hasn’t been sent back home yet. I shouldn’t dwell too much on it, though—wouldn’t want to accidentally say something I shouldn’t.

“Would you have to give up living alone if your grades got bad?”

“Hmmm, maybe not immediately, but if it keeps up, my parents might send me back home. If that happens, our ‘contract’ would be off too.”

“Eh!? Why?!”

“Well, it’d be hard to stop by as easily if I’m living with my parents.”

Right now, since we live nearby, it’s easy to stop by after class. I can fulfill our agreement without much effort, but if I no longer lived on my own, that would change things. My ability to maintain our contract depends on the freedom my parents give me in my current living situation.

“That’s a matter of life and death! I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen, so don’t worry about it, okay?”

A matter of life and death… well, I guess it is for her in a way. I’m glad to know she values my cooking that much, but I’m starting to wonder if she thinks I’m in some serious trouble with my grades.

She’s so desperate to help, holding my hand and assuring me it’s all okay—but I’m not struggling that much academically. And honestly, before she worries about my grades, maybe she should take care of her own personal life.

“I’m not falling behind in my studies yet, but… if I need help, I’ll ask you, okay?”

“Yep! Leave it to me!”

“…Then, can you let go of my hand now?”

“…Huh? Ah… I got carried away… sorry.”

It’s not really something to apologize for, but today, just like when we went shopping, she’s been holding my hand quite a lot, and it’s making my heart race.

Seriously, Blushy-saki. It’s hard to concentrate on assignments with all this happening… but honestly, it looks like Fujisaki’s the one who’s affected more than I am. She was the one who started it, after all.

“Alright, let’s get to work. We can eat once we finish the assignments.”

“Yep! Gotta finish it super fast!”

Is she already that hungry? Alright, I’ll hurry and get these assignments done, then make dinner.

***

“Ah, I’m so full~. Thanks for the meal, as always~.”

“You’re welcome. If there’s anything you think could be improved or if you’d like something different next time, feel free to let me know.”

After finishing dinner, I asked Fujisaki for her thoughts on the meal while she helped wash the dishes. Since she’d been saying everything was delicious, I figured she was satisfied, but I wanted to know about her specific preferences—things like whether she likes a stronger flavor, or if she prefers a lighter taste. It’s the kind of feedback I need to make sure she enjoys the meals even more.

“Well, I think you should be a bit kinder to me.”

“…I asked about the meal, not how you want me to treat you. Complaints about hopeless-saki behavior aren’t part of the survey.”

I assumed her comment was a protest over being called hopeless-saki, but unfortunately, that wasn’t part of the feedback I was requesting. So, it was dismissed as an invalid response.

“Well then, today’s dessert made me feel super happy, so maybe having dessert sometimes would be nice!”

“Dessert, huh. Got it.”

Indeed, dessert has that special feeling to it, doesn’t it? I had made it as a peace offering for tsundere-saki, but I could consider making it occasionally, just to satisfy that craving. Plus, when I want dessert, I can make it here without worrying about the cost, which makes it a win.

While chatting about the survey, we finished cleaning up, and I prepared to head home. With the assignments done, I was looking forward to some relaxation when I got back.

“Thanks for today.”

“Thanks for the meal, again.”

“The leftovers for breakfast are in the fridge. Just heat them up when you’re ready to eat.”

“Thanks! The meat was so good, I’m looking forward to it.”

“Alright, see you tomorrow…?”

“Can’t wait for tomorrow’s meal too!”

I watched Fujisaki wave goodbye until the door closed behind me. Now that she mentioned it, I really had to think about tomorrow’s menu.

“Wait… it’s supposed to rain tomorrow?”

Opening my phone to check the weather, I saw that the forecast predicted rain all day tomorrow. Shopping in the rain wasn’t something I wanted to do, so I’d have to plan a meal based on what Fujisaki already had in her kitchen. Fortunately, she had stocked up on some items during a sale, so it should be manageable.