Episode 4 - The Beautiful Girl In Charge Of Cooking Wants To Be Next To Me

“I made lunch. Do you want some?"

"Uhm… Ayaka do you perhaps like me?"

　

    Ayaka's face became expressionless after those words fell out of my mouth.

　Lunch break. A few days after the first time I received a lunch box from Ayaka, I received one again.

*

"Who forgot to bring their lunch today?"

　I asked teasingly as I put away the things on my desk.

　It was very obvious that she made lunch for me, so my mouth was slightly loose from happiness.

　Ayaka looked away and deliberately said.

“No one forgot. I just made too many lunches, so don't get me wrong”

“Isn’t that a typical tsundere phrase? So you do like me after all?”

"Yes."

　The question I asked as a joke came back with an answer I didn't expect, which made my heart skipped a beat. Consciously, I can feel my face turning red.

　As a human being, my heart would not stop beating. I am confident in that.

    When I looked into Ayaka's face… she giggled and shrugged her shoulders.

“I love the way Yuzu smiles when you eat. He’s smiling like he's happy."

“I knew that wasn't meant to be romantic, but… I'm still embarrassed, okay? Why are you laughing that much?”

　It's true that I enjoy it when I get a really good meal, but... am I that expressive when it comes to food?

    As she touched her own face while tilting her head, Ayaka's mouth turned up to the corners in a mischievous manner.

“Then can I make you a meal that will make Yuzu cry?"

“I'm not sure what you mean by that. I mean, if it's a meal so delicious that it makes you cry, I'll ask you to make it for me"

“Okay then, someday”

“Yeah, someday”

　The conversation stopped. So, 'someday' meant… this relationship has been promised till ‘someday’... Is that what she was implying?

　My mind started to fantasize.

　Of course, Ayaka was able to hear that.

“Baka”

“What? That's not fair. I have my own thoughts to myself, you know.”

“That’s not it. It would be troublesome if my heart was pounding by every single thing you take for granted. It’s making me itchy because it's leaking out”

　 

　While saying this, Ayaka scratched her neck. 

　In other words, I looked like the bad guy, huh?

“That’s not it. Your implication isn't wrong, but it's just embarrassing and itchy"

    My consciousness is being eaten away because she didn't deny that implication. 

“Oh, I'm sorry. Anyway, ittadakimasu"

　I apologized for my words and open my lunch box.

　The bento was filled with tsukudani and edamame… the same as last time.

    I’m not sure if it’s a sign of love and care that went into making the bento, like the fact it's packed with a lot of okazu that I like… 

    Or there’s no such sign in the first place… now I feel downhearted even though I'm the one who received it.

    Ayaka then muttered "nutritional balance" shortly with a blank expression on her face.

　I felt guilty about what she read in my mind, so I talked about something else.

“Hey, I was wondering last time, did you make these yourself?”

“'Because my mom's busy, so I'm the one who makes breakfast and lunch on weekdays. While my sister does the laundry and my other sister does the cleaning”

"Wow, two sisters. So you always get up early, don't you?

“I get up at six. But I go to bed at ten”

“That's admirable. By the way, the tsukudani is delicious”

“Thanks”

　As I was eating my lunch with this conversation, the rice disappeared in the blink of an eye.

　I left a piece of edamame in the corner of my bento because I was afraid that if I finish eating it, the conversation will be cut short.

　Then Ayaka smiled happily.

　Oh right, everything I’m thinking is exposed.

　Ayaka-san changed her smile into a mischievous one and opened her mouth.

“I love that you're so attentive to details like that”

“Please stop getting my hopes up, okay?”

“But I like that part of you. So it’s okay even if you finish it all”

"...thanks for the food, it was delicious."

    I threw the last of the edamame into my mouth and put the lid on my bento, then she stuck out her hand. I was about to say that I would at least wash the lunch box, but Ayaka said as if to precede me.

“I'll make more tomorrow. Does that bother you?"

“I’ll glad but also embarrassed to hear that. But I want to give something in return. Is there anything you want?”

“Keep eating in front of me, your smile when you eat makes me happy”

“No, I’ll do that anyway, so what about other things like money for the food or…”

　No matter how close I am to Ayaka, it’s bad manners to not to repay to her. Even if giving money sounds exaggerated, I would feel bad if I didn't do something like that.

　Perhaps hearing my thoughts, Ayaka said to me as if she had given up.

“I understand, then lend me a book”

“What?”

"I have two sisters, so I don't have a lot of money in my allowance to buy books. So lend me a book that you recommend. I like any novels”

"Okay, then…”

　Maybe a light novel isn’t a wise choice because sometimes I hear stories about how people have been turned away from them because of moe illustrations when they were lent. 

    So I've never bought a single light novel.

　I only read literary novels, so I'm sure things won't get awkward because of what I would lend her.

“Actually, I read sci-fi and fantasy light novels”

"Oh, really?"

“I'm more interested in light novels”

“I see, then I’ll look for some if they have a reasonable price. Do you have any recommended genres?”

　Even after we'd finished eating our lunches and cleaned off our desks, we were still sitting across from each other, chatting.

　*

“I was wondering if Ayaka and I returned home at different times. Did Ayaka come home at a later time?"

“Yuzu, you were always in front of me”

“You should have called out to me”

“I was on my phone, so it was hard to talk to you."

　I walked alongside Ayaka, who was scowling at me. We went through the ticket gate and up the stairs.

    The skirt that was fluttering in front of me was poisonous for my eyes.

　Even without looking backwards, she could still read my mind, because she turned around, glared at me, and made me walk in front.

　We boarded the train that had just arrived.

　There was one empty seat right next to the door. Next to it was occupied, but next to that one was empty. So I led Ayaka to that seat and the person sitting there shifted one seat to the side.

I gave over the seat and urged Ayaka to seat in the corner, but she grabbed my arm and made me sit there then she sat next to me.

As a young man, it’s normal to feel nervous when someone grabs your arm.

Ayaka looked annoyed, but her cheeks were slightly red.

''What's wrong?

“Yuzu is next to me, not next to anyone else. I’m the only one who knows where Yuzu is, because you’re next to me, only me"

　Those words, that were said rapidly, I had no way of understanding without knowing context, made my brain slow down and freeze for a few seconds.

　After realizing what she meant, my heart began to pound.

“...I don’t know anymore”

　My heart would not stop pounding, even if she was joking.

　All I could do was stare my lap silently while clenching my fists.