“Now, it’s ready!”
“O-Ohhh!”
So this is Riran’s home cooking...!
Fragrant-smelling karaage. Garnished with parsley and lemon.
A vibrant potato salad, accompanied by a fresh vegetable salad of lettuce and cherry tomatoes.
And glossy rice served in a bowl.
My stomach has been growling for a while now, demanding to be fed.
It’s a great combination that stimulates my primal appetite...!
“It’s a bit oily, is that okay? Akito, are you on a diet or something...?”
“No, it’s fine. I’m going to Riza-san’s place tomorrow anyway, so it’s no problem if I just exercise to burn it off.”
More than that, I’m just incredibly hungry right now.
I take my seat, and Riran sits across from me.
Then, as if we had planned it, we pressed our hands together at the same time.
““Itadakimasu.””
Now then, what should I eat first?
It’s definitely the meat. Yeah, meat. It has to be the meat!
I pick up a piece of karaage with a nice coating and pop it into my mouth.
Immediately, the trapped meat juices and the savory flavor of the broth spread throughout my mouth.
It’s hot. Since it’s freshly made, it’s hot enough to almost burn my mouth.
But it’s so juicy and delicious that I don't even care.
This might be the first time I’ve ever eaten such tender karaage...!
While the karaage is still in my mouth, I shovel in some rice.
The flavors of the rice and the karaage harmonize, further boosting my appetite.
To put it mildly, it’s the best. To put it dramatically, it’s a devilish feat. To put it simply.
“Mmmmmmm-so good...!”
“Whew... I’m glad it’s to your liking.”
“No, seriously, this is amazing. I didn’t know you could cook this well, Riran.”
“Fufufu. I practiced for today... No, it’s nothing.”
...Practiced? Did she just say practiced?
“Could it be that you started studying cooking because we were going to start living together...?”
“Ugh... Y-Yeah, so what? I didn’t think we’d end up living together this soon either, so it's not like I hadn't practiced... I just hurriedly went to a cooking class and stuff.”
Wait. It was only a week ago that it was decided we’d be living together, right?
And yet, to make such a delicious meal after only a week of practice...
“Are you a genius or something?”
“Y-You won’t get anything even if you praise me that much! ...We have pudding for dessert, so let’s eat that later.”
“Something did come out—the pudding.”
“Akito is bullying me...”
“I’m not bullying you.”
Riran puffed out her cheeks.
Yeah, she’s cute. I could easily eat three bowls of rice just watching this.
Stuffing my face with karaage, I look at today’s menu again.
Honestly, I don’t cook much myself so I don’t know for sure... but both karaage and potato salad seem like dishes that take a lot of effort.
I think it would be fine to just use store-bought potato salad or something, but knowing Riran, she’ll probably be dutiful and make everything by hand from now on without buying anything pre-made.
“Hey, Riran. If cooking is too much trouble, you can just use pre-made side dishes to save time, you know?”
“I thought so too, but handmade food has more affection in it, right? I want to let Akito eat home-cooked meals.”
See? She’s the type who won’t budge when she says something like that.
I personally wouldn’t mind store-bought food, and I think it’s fine as long as it reduces Riran’s burden.
...I guess I really need to start studying cooking seriously too.
............
“Hmm? Affection?”
“Ah.”
She must have said it unconsciously, as she didn't seem to notice at all.
Realizing she had let the word slip due to my comment, her face turned bright red in an instant.
“Ah! N-No, that’s not it! I-It’s not like I’m putting in something as uncertain as affection... That's not the case at all!”
“Yeah, yeah. That’s right, of course not. (Grin)”
“D-Don’t grin at me. Hmph!”
Man, seeing this kind of tsundere-like reaction for the first time in a while makes me half-happy and half-nostalgic.
“Well, putting the handmade stuff aside, if it gets too hard or tiring, store-bought side dishes are fine. I’ll learn how to cook too and support you as much as I can.”
“...It’s not going to be salad chicken, is it?”
“Yeah. I can also make grilled chicken thigh charred-to-a-crisp style.”
“What’s that?”
“You use the grill and keep roasting the chicken thigh until it’s all dried up.”
“Rejected.”
“Why!?”
“Rather, why did you think that proposal would pass!?”
Eh, but the charred-to-a-crisp style is delicious though.
“The only other thing I can make is curry.”
“Well, curry is just simmering things. Why are you so extreme?”
“When my Dad and Mom were busy, it felt like we just gulped down curry. Curry is high in nutritional value, after all.”
“What kind of household embodies the 'curry is a drink' saying?”
She looked completely exasperated. I don't get it.
“Well, don't worry. Since I started learning, I’ve begun to understand the joy of cooking.”
“...If you say so, Riran, then I won’t pester you about it.”
But leaving everything to Riran alone makes me feel like less of a man, or rather...
I feel kind of uneasy.
In that case, I have no choice but to excel in things other than cooking.
I’m going to show Riran that I can handle housework too.