While Taking Care of My Shut-In Little Sister, I Somehow Ended Up Ejaculating Inside a Beautiful Girl - Chapter 84: Just for Fun (4)

Chapter 84: Just for Fun (4)

We arrived at Yakko-chan’s house and immediately started to relax. It was already 5 p.m.—time to start preparing dinner if it’s something that takes a while.

“Tsuki-chan, I’m checking the fridge, okay?”

“Go ahead~”

With Yakko-chan’s permission, Yuu got up from the sofa and headed to the kitchen.

She began rummaging through the fridge, checking its contents. She’s probably planning to cook something… Normally, we’d stop by a supermarket as a group, but the mood earlier wasn’t quite right for that. Hopefully, there’s enough ingredients for Yuu to work with.

Yakko-chan and I stayed on the sofa, idle. It’s partly to avoid getting in Yuu’s way, but I wondered if I should offer to help.

“Dinner already? I’m not really hungry yet…”

“We did eat lunch a bit late.”

Yakko-chan rubbed her stomach, signaling she wasn’t hungry, and I nodded in understanding.

But as we sat there zoning out—or rather, as I absentmindedly watched her rub her stomach—she flashed a mischievous grin.

“Ren-kun, I got pregnant with your baby!♡”

““—!?””

Her outrageous joke startled both me and Yuu in the kitchen.

Yuu’s reaction was especially intense—a loud clatter and thud came from the kitchen, like she’d knocked something over or dropped it. Is she okay…?

I quickly threw Yuu a follow-up.

“Yuu? That was just Yakko-chan’s joke, okay?”

“I-I know, of course I know… something like that…”

Yuu said she understood, but she seemed shaken for a moment.

Oh, she’s grabbing a dish towel to wipe something up. She must’ve spilled something…

“Yakko-chan, cut it out with those jokes in front of Yuu.”

“They don’t land?”

“Come on…”

“Haha!♪”

Yakko-chan giggled playfully, but my mind flashed to the times I’ve… well, been intimate with Yuu, making me uneasy.

Then, at perfect timing, Yuu turned from the kitchen and asked:

“Ren-chan, you hungry?”

“Yakko-chan’s not too hungry yet, and I’m fine waiting a bit too.”

“Got it.”

Yuu spun back to the fridge, rummaging again. She’d cleaned up the spill and seemed to be checking ingredients.

“Tsuki-chan, you don’t have any cherry tomatoes.”

Peering into the vegetable drawer, Yuu noticed their absence and voiced her confusion.

“Oh, yeah, I ate them all this morning as a snack…”

““…””

It’s not like we’d complain about Yakko-chan eating her own cherry tomatoes, but… I got worried about her diet.

Yuu gave her a skeptical look too.

Feeling embarrassed, Yakko-chan picked up the large bear plush—her arcade prize—from the floor and hugged it tightly.

“That’s a pretty sparse diet. Is that normal for you?”

“Not really…”

On the sofa, Yakko-chan sat in a girlish pose, her white dress hem folded, fiddling with the plush’s belly like someone checking their own fat.

““…””

“I-I eat properly, okay?”

Unable to stand our silent stares, she started to fluster.

“I’ve even been practicing cooking lately, so this morning was just me slacking off a bit—”

She said that, but… I was more shocked that someone could treat cherry tomatoes as breakfast.

Cherry tomatoes.

Mini tomatoes.

They don’t exactly scream “filling meal.”

Was she just being lazy, or is she in a situation where she has to rely on such a sparse diet? Money’s not an issue for her, so that’s unlikely.

“No need to worry, Ren-chan.”

“Hm?”

Yuu, still rummaging through the fridge, spoke disinterestedly.

“Depending on the variety, cherry tomatoes have about 1.5 to 2 times the nutrients of regular tomatoes.”

“Really…?”

“Really?”

News to me. And apparently to Yakko-chan too.

I’d always thought it was the opposite.

A quick Google search on my phone revealed that cherry tomatoes have less water, are smaller, or are harvested earlier—various reasons, but it makes sense that their nutrients are more concentrated.

So, per unit, cherry tomatoes have higher nutritional value than regular ones.

“Wow, Yuu-chan, so knowledgeable~☆”

Yakko-chan teased with a grin, but Yuu shot her a suspicious look.

“…Listen, cooking itself is just a task. If you’re practicing, you need to study nutrients too. Just making food isn’t enough.”

“Yes, ma’am…”

“(Yes, ma’am…)”

Yuu’s lecture hit me hard too, so I quietly chimed in.

She’s right—cooking’s just a task.

Knowing what nutrients you need, want, and can get from limited ingredients gives cooking real meaning.

Being great at cooking or making tasty food doesn’t matter if it leads to lifestyle diseases.

…Exactly.

Getting good at cooking is just a step.

Cooking’s just a means.

What’s the goal of getting better at cooking?

Imagining and aiming for what comes next is what matters.

…Says the guy who can’t cook anything decent.

My words might ring hollow…

“…Tsuki-chan, what do you want to do by getting good at cooking?”

“Huh?”

Oh…?

Yuu suddenly got philosophical. I thought about jumping into their conversation, but…

“Tsuki-chan, are you really serious?”

“…Um… well…”

Wait, huh…?

The atmosphere between them shifted.

Abruptly.

Suddenly.

The room felt a bit colder.

…Or is that because Yuu left the fridge open?

I don’t know, but…

“Lately, you’ve been making some pretty bold moves on Ren-chan.”

Yuu closed the fridge door with a snap and looked at us in the living room.

“Suddenly practicing cooking to get someone’s attention.”

She glanced at me briefly before focusing back on Yakko-chan.

“Tsuki-chan, what are you really after?”

“…”

That’s a pretty direct question.

I couldn’t read Yakko-chan’s feelings as she fell silent, but what am I supposed to do, caught in the middle of this?

Should I step out for a bit…?

Maybe hit the bathroom or something…

“…”

“Tsuki-chan, you know staying silent here isn’t an option, right?”

Yuu didn’t let up.

Cuu.

I could see Yakko-chan’s arms tighten around the plush.

…She just went through that aggressive pickup at the arcade. Yuu’s words must feel harsh right now. Should I stop her?

“Wait, Yuu. Now’s not the time—”

But.

“Sorry, Yuu-chan.”

Cutting off my attempt to intervene, Yakko-chan spoke up.

“The truth is… I still like Ren-kun.”

“What?”

“Huh!?”

Yuu and I gasped in unison.

“W-Wait!? Tsuki-chan—!?”

Yuu, flustered, her long black hair trailing like a tail, stormed over from the kitchen.

As her footsteps echoed, Yakko-chan continued.

“Hey, Ren-kun—”

She glanced at the plush she was clutching, tightened her grip, and looked back at me.

What? What’s she saying?

“Can I keep liking you, Ren-kun?”

“…”

Honestly, I didn’t know how to respond.

Shock hit me first.

Where did I go wrong?

With this emotionally unstable, slender, blonde, two-side-up-haired beauty.

Yakko-chan and I might’ve had a bit of an unusual meeting in middle school.

We became friends who understood each other’s struggles.

Lately, I thought she’d toned down her bad habits—lying to get by, showing off, or messing with people.

…But.

To think our relationship would get this complicated.

…Maybe because it started as mutual wound-licking?

“Don’t mess around!!”

Yuu’s furious shout rang through the living room like a scream.

“Ren-kun. Is that okay…?”

Sitting fragilely on the sofa, Yakko-chan gave a lonely smile, tilting her head as she asked.