V1C2 Part2

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◇◇◇

“Alright! Then I’ll start preparing the food right away!”

As soon as she returned from the supermarket, Akari-chan put on her apron and immediately went to the kitchen.

It was a long way back from the supermarket, but she was still surprisingly energetic, even though we walked carrying such heavy baggage.

“By the way, Senpai, what do you think I’ll make?”

“……Curry?”

“Ping-pong, ping-pong, you’re correct! I never expected you to guess that right! Senpai, perhaps, you can read what I’m thinking? Or are our hearts linked together among other things…..!? Aaaah!”

“No, it’s because I bought the curry.”

I paid for the food expenses out of my own wallet, so of course, I would know.

The other things I bought were carrots, onions, potatoes, and pork, so it was a pretty obvious announcement that you’d be making something like curry.

I also bought some rice, 5 kilos. It was extremely heavy.

“But, Senpai. Just because you bought curry roux doesn’t mean you’re only restricted to making curry, right?”

“Huh, is that so?”

“Yes, for example……………….”

I placed my hand on my chin as I looked into the air for a few seconds.

“Yes! Then let’s start cooking right away!”

“That’s cheating!?”

Akari-chan forcefully wrapped up the conversation that she had unfolded herself. Well, a moment ago, she said it herself that it was the correct answer.

“It’s not like I’m particularly trying to dodge the question or anything. Senpai, men who worry too much about small details aren’t popular, you know?”

“Small details….?”

“Oh, but if that’s the case, it might be better if you paid attention to a lot of details and didn’t make yourself popular……?”

“No, I don’t think that’s very good.”

At present, I’m not popular, and I have no desire to be popular at all, but, even so, when I’m told that you shouldn’t be popular, I want to deny it.

However, in the end, me not being popular was a fact, so denying it would only make me feel empty.

“Well, Senpai. I’ll start the preparations, so please don’t worry about it, just relax and wait.”

“Huh, just waiting is bad. I’ll help.”

“H-Help…!? That’s the so-called collaborative work….w-why, while that offer is very attractive, um, if you do that, my hands may go crazy from all the nervousness, so it’ll be dangerous…”

Akari-chan was muttering to herself along the way, her hands covering her face in order to hide her flustered appearance.

“A-Also, um…to be seen cooking, it’s embarrassing. That being the case, I just want Senpai to say it’s delicious. That’s all I need.”

“……I see. Well, I’ll look forward to it.”

“Ha, yes! I’m going to knock your socks off, Senpai!”

“Ahaha…please go easy on me…”

Following the stomach, it’s the liver…just as I thought, it seems that she’s decided to target my internal organs.

All jokes aside, I decided to entrust the rest of the cooking to Akari-chan.

While this is indeed my house and Akari-chan is a guest, I don’t have to think twice about who’s more suitable to be in the kitchen.

All I can do now is hope that it’s easy for her.

◇◇◇

“Ta-dah! It’s Akari-chan’s deluxe tomato curry!”

“Ooh….!”

I waited for about an hour.

I couldn’t help but marvel at the slightly reddish curry, and rice served on a plate that hadn’t been used for a while.

Not to mention the glistening rice cooked by a rice cooker that hadn’t been in operation for a while, in addition, the reddish curry roux on top of it smelled…ah, so good…!

“It looks delicious, to say the least…”

“Ehehe…now, Senpai, please dig in before it gets cold!”

I nodded to Akari-chan, who urged me to do so with an embarrassed grin, scooping up a small spoonful of curry and rice, and brought it to my mouth.

“Hnngh!?”

Instantly, the pungency of the spices, the flavour of the meat, and the acidity of the tomatoes spread in my mouth!

Delicious. There’s no other way to describe it. It’s just that good!

This was probably the best food experience I’ve had in a while. Thinking about it, from the time I woke up in the morning until now till the sun was setting, I’ve only ever consumed drinks…

Thanks to the fact that I didn’t get bored talking with Akari-chan, I didn’t feel extremely hungry, but still, as they say, “Hunger is the best spice,” and it was delicious.

Of course, even if you take that out of the equation, it’s still pretty damn good.

“This is insanely delicious!”

It was so good that I only had grade level impressions to offer.

“O-Oh, really? That’s good…but I’m kind of embarrassed…..”

Akari-chan smiled happily, took a bite herself, and relaxed her cheeks in satisfaction.

When you eat something delicious, you represent it by saying, “My cheeks are falling off.”, but in Akari-chan’s case, her cheeks actually looked like it was about to fall off, which was slightly amusing.

“Hey, Senpai, aren’t you smiling at me?”

“Really?”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s a little awkward, after all…”

Akari-chan hung her head down and whispered to herself.

It’s funny to see her like that, but that’s not the only thing.

“It’s a strange feeling. I never thought there’d come a day where I’ll be eating alone with Akari-chan.”

I’m not saying it’s strange, but it’s something I never imagined.

I was a close friend of her older brother in high school. Even now, we mostly continue to hang out together, but never with his sister, Akari-chan.

But strangely enough, I don’t feel too awkward. I don’t know if it’s because she’s Subaru’s sister or if it’s because of her own temperament.

Even when we talk, even when silence dominates the place, we feel comfortable.

“It’s not strange at all.”

Akari-chan muttered, embarrassed yet a little sulky, as she fumbled around with her curry rice on her spoon.

“After all, it’s always been……”

The voice that followed after was even quieter, and I couldn’t hear it even if I listened carefully──

Suddenly, Akari-chan raised her gaze and looked me straight in the eye.

A little afraid to say anything, I just stared back at her as if I were being drawn in.

There was nothing, time just simply went on, and eventually──

“U-Um…”

Akari-chan’s face gradually turned red, and she showed a bashful smile.

“W-Well, you see, Senpai. A man living alone needs a girl’s home cooking!”

“Oh, so it’s still alive.”

“Of course it is!”

Akari-chan puffed out her chest as if she was proud. But when she turned away, her ears and even the nape of her neck were a deep red.

A strong atmosphere that contrasted her pure and childish behaviour…the image of Miyamae Akari was completely different from the attractive girl I had imagined, very much so that I was convinced that guy Subaru would fall madly in love with her.

“Ah, it was delicious. Thank you very much for the food, Akari-chan.”

“It’s nothing. But it’s really not a big deal, you know? It’s not like I put any special effort into it.”

Because she prepared the meal, I offered to wash up the dishes, but she bluntly refused me, resulting in me lying dishevelled on the floor.

Well, she’s probably seen through me that the number one reason I don’t cook for myself is that I can’t be bothered to clean up….it’s really embarrassing.

“Cooking is simply a hobby for me as far as it goes…um, it’s just my usual way of life, so that I can practice making home-cooked meals without any worry, so it’s nothing more than that.”

Akari-chan washes the dishes in the kitchen while she talks to me in her spare time. She really is a good girl.

“Really…but, I’d certainly be happy if I were able to eat such delicious meals every day.”

“What!?”

The sound of tableware collapsing. But before that, I think I heard Akari-chan’s surprised voice…..?

“Are you okay!?”

“I-I-I’m o-o-okay!!!!!!!!”

If she were injured, I’d feel terrible.

I thought about it and ran into the kitchen in a panic, the plate didn’t seem to be broken, and Akari-chan didn’t seem to be hurt either…no, I can’t relax yet.

“Show me your hands. Are you bleeding anywhere?”

While saying so, I grabbed her hand.

Even though it was wet, her hand was smooth and soft…no. This isn’t the time to check how it feels.

With little force, I carefully held her hands while confirming for any injuries.

………Good. I don’t feel anything much in particular. But if I had to say something, it’s hot to the touch….

“Erm, u-uh, uhm..”

“Ah!? I-I’m sorry!?”

It wasn’t just hot. When I grabbed Akari-chan’s hand, her face became as red as a boiled octopus; moreover, her eyes were filled with tears, and her body was trembling.

That’s right. Suddenly grasping someone’s hands will get one or two rejections.

“I-I’m on the verge of panicking….!”

“T-That’s right! I’m sorry!!”

“I-It’s not like Senpai’s a bad person or anything; this is just my problem──No, in the end, this is clearly Senpai’s fault!”

Akari-chan turns her back to me as she says this.

And then, she took several deep breaths repeatedly and once again looked at me──her face still a deep red.

“W-What’s wrong with you all of a sudden, Senpai….!? Doing such a thing so aggressively…huh!? Perhaps I stroke a hole in Senpai’s stomach with my first blow!?”

“No, I don’t think it’s very empty……?”

Akari-chan showed a wry smile, looking somewhat disappointed. Did you want to open a hole in my stomach that badly?

“But, Senpai said it himself! That the food is so good, and he wants to eat it every day!”

“Well, yeah. I’d want to eat it, or rather, I think I’d be happy if I did.”

At the supermarket, Akari-chan said that her future dream was to be a bride, and she said this because she felt that her future husband would be happy. However, saying you want to eat it every day is nuance, changing the meaning.

“I see! Well, I guess that’s true!”

Even though it was the same “Is that so.”, Akari-chan’s cheeks relaxed in a very happy way, in complete contrast to the other day.

“If that’s the case, I’ll make Senpai a very fortunate person from now on. I’ll properly prepare three meals for you every day!”

“Ahaha…thank you.”

I didn’t know whether I should honestly be happy or not, so I just smiled awkwardly, which was all I knew how to do.

However, in any case, Akari-chan seemed to be having fun. No, not only that, but she was equally excited.

Well, Akari-chan said that a girl’s home-cooked meal is a necessity for a man living alone, but just as I never had the opportunity to get one until now, maybe girls don’t get the chance to make home-cooked meals for themselves.

It’s hard to understand why Akari-chan would want to be the collateral for a debt, but, from her point of view, it’s probably just a rehearsal for the day when she’ll be cooking for her one true love.

If that’s the case, then she should just say so.

Subaru must be aware of my nature to a certain extent since he sent out his beloved Akari-chan to me, so he should’ve just told me his intentions from the start. Besides, I’m willing to cooperate──though it’s just that, after thinking about it exceedingly, food expenses will cost two times as much, which is a disadvantage as far as I’m concerned.

“Senpai?”

“Huh?”

“What’s wrong? You look like your in a daze…”

“No, I just thought that…Akari-chan will undoubtedly make a great wife…no; this might sound a bit like sexual harassment──”

I tried to gloss over the fact that I ended up in a daze, literally adding a few words to my sentence.

No matter how much I heard about her dream, what I’m saying now would just sound like I’m teasing her.

I knew that and immediately tried to apologize, but──

“Ah…”

Akari-chan’s eyes widened, with tears gradually welling up in her eyes.

“──!!”

Ah, now I’ve done it.

I can’t believe I made a girl younger than me cry!

The words I had prepared to apologize for the unexpected situation were blown away, and my mind went blank.

(I have to apologize, tears, handkerchief…..Oh, how I want to run away, but that’s not possible, and this is my house!)

My thoughts were in disarray as I tried to arrange them in order, and as a result, Akari-chan was wiping her tears away with her own hand.

“Oh, haha. I’m sorry for crying all of a sudden…I hope it didn’t bother you…”

“No way, in fact…I’m sorry for saying such a strange thing out of the blue…”

“N-No! It’s not Senpai’s fault at all…um, if anything, it felt like a dream.”

Akari-chan smiles as she says this.

The site where she rubbed her tears was already slightly red and swollen.

“I’m glad I’m alive…..”

“Huh, you’re talking about that!?”

“That’s right. After all, long ago, I…..”

As she said this, Akari-chan began to cry again.

Lying face down, her hands covered her eyes as her shoulders trembled, even if my words did not give her a mental shock, I really didn’t know what I should do──

“If it were my brother at this moment, he would stroke me on the head…..”

….I heard a voice right before me. It was a slightly tearful voice, however.

No, but, yeah. That’s because it’s Subaru you’re talking about. I’m not Akari-chan’s brother, so I can’t stroke her head like that…um…

“L-Let me see, is it like this…?”

I was a little confused, but since she urged me to do so, I decided to obey and placed my hand on her head in a roundabout way.

Akari-chan’s hair was awfully smooth, and it felt surprisingly good to touch……wait, why am I taking pleasure in doing this!?

“Uhehe~…”

I couldn’t see her face, but I could hear her somewhat listless laugh.

By no means was I her older brother. However, it apparently seemed to be working, even if it was only a little.

“Are you a little calm now?”

“Y-Ye──no, not yet! I’m sorry, just a little more!”

Akari-chan raised her head up for a moment as if she recalled something, but she instantly, once more, turned her head down.

“O-Oh, my tears are flowing out more and more. W-What should I do?”

“That sounds a little blatant, like you’re reading aloud in a monotone…?”

[Tl notes: As in, Akari-chan is saying the above speech in a monotonous tone]

“Oh, that’s right. Onii-chan used to comfort me and kiss me in moments like these.”

“What?”

He kissed and comforted her?

Subaru? To his own sister, Akari-chan?

…..What’s that guy doing?

“O-Oh, I see. Kiss….right? Heh, heh….”

There were no other words that I could say.

If I had anything to say about it, then I’d probably end up cursing at that bastard Siscon.

However, it probably isn’t a good idea to speak ill of Subaru in front of Akari-chan. Since they share a relationship where he kisses her when she feels down…

“….Huh?”

Then, with quite nearly no thoughts at all floating around in my mind, I stopped stroking her head, and Akari-chan looked up at me as if she had seen through me.

And,

“Ah.”

As if she guessed something, Akari-chan’s facial expression tightened.

“Um, Senpai.”

“What?”

“That was a lie.”

“Eh?”

“I said some strange things. Like I was kissed by my brother. That was a lie.”

“O-Oh, right….heh…”

As Akari-chan just bluntly exclaimed in a way that seemed devoid of emotion, I merely let out a vague remark.

“Senpai, I’m really joking! You don’t believe me!?”

“It’s okay. Everyone has their own form of brother and sister.”

“Hey!? Please believe me! I just got slightly carried away! I was just hoping for the best……ah, jeez, I’m such an idiot!”

Her tears seemed to have receded, but this time, she held her head in her hands.

“Aaaah! What are you doing….floating around, getting carried away, he’ll think I’m a difficult girl if I keep doing this….! You have to stay strong. I have to seriously make Senpai see the real me….!”

Akari-chan was muttering for some reason, and suddenly, with great vigour, she stood up, and then she looked straight at me.

“Senpai!!”

“Hah!”

“I’m just a normal sibling to my brother! The opposite side may be a siscon, but I’m not a brocon at all in the slightest! Truly! Not even a little! There’s no doubt about it!”

“Y-Yes.”

I could only nod my head as she rambled on and on with a tremendous swagger.

Seeing how angry she sounded, I knew she wasn’t lying.

But if she didn’t have any feelings for her brother, why would she take the trouble to come all the way here for the sake of her brother’s debt…?

“I’ll do my best!”

“Y-Yes, good luck.”

I didn’t know what to do but nod.

Well, in all fairness, it seems unlikely that I’ll be able to do anything but nod, given the atmosphere.

“T-Then the restroom…I’ll be borrowing the restroom!”

“O-Oh, yeah, by all means.”

Declaring half-heartedly in desperation, Akari-chan went into the bathroom.

I was left behind, for the time being, I’ll take over where Akari-chan left off washing the dishes, but──

“Oh, um~, Senpai?”

“Eh?”

While half-opening the bathroom door, Akari-chan half peeked out into the hallway, waving her hand.

“Um, I’m a little embarrassed. Can I play some music or something……?”

“Embarrassed──Oh yeah, of course.”

For a moment, I wondered what she was talking about, but that’s right, she’s a girl.

“Oh, thank you. I’m sorry if it’s noisy. I’m going to wash the dishes, so please make yourself at home. Ehehe…..”

Akari-chan laughed in embarrassment and closed the bathroom door once again.

And then, even though it was faint, I heard some J-Pop that I thought I heard on a TV commercial or something recently.

“In the meantime, I guess I’ll just be quiet like you said…..”

I went back to the living room, laid down on the bed, and took out my phone.

However, the information on the opposite side of the screen barely entered my mind, and I kept thinking about Akari-chan.

“Aside from the bathroom, if you’re staying here, you have to take a bath and sleep in this room…….”

To be honest, I’m worried about how much I can keep my reasoning towards Akari-chan, who often laughs, cries, and relentlessly strikes her charm.

But I was still very resistant to having such feelings for the sister of someone I knew well. No matter what I do, I always see the grinning face of Subaru behind Akari-chan…what’s this. A curse?

But, if she wasn’t Subaru’s sister, would she have used an excuse such as collateral to come here to train as a bride──no, an intern?….for instance, if she didn’t turn up, would that be considered a perk?

Either way, I don’t know how long this will last, but it’s certainly changed the colour of my life.

From a lonely and free life on my own to a life living with my friend’s younger sister, furthermore, with many unexpected dangers of living together with a beautiful girl.

Ah, what am I truly supposed to do in this situation…!?

TL notes:

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