Chapter 17: The Love Birds Are At It As Always

“Hey, Asahi! Is it true that you cooked for Chi-kun the other day?”

The fourth period class was over, and I was just about to eat my lunch when I heard a cheerful voice calling out to me.

It was not unusual for Hinami to come over during lunch break, but most of the time her business was with her boyfriend.

As soon as Asahi heard his name being called, he immediately had a bad feeling about it.

“Yeah, but…Is there something wrong with that?”

“Of course it’s wrong! What are you thinking, you idiot!”

My premonition came true and I was called an idiot without any explanation, which made me feel unpleasant.

In times like this, it would be best to leave it to experts. Asahi then sent silent pressure towards Chiaki while nonchalantly opening his lunch box.

“I heard that she was going to make lunch for me on the day of the ball game.”

“Are you sure you’re not just bragging? Anyway, I don’t see any reason why I should be blamed at all.”

“Sheesh, you still don’t understand women’s minds, Asahi. She doesn’t like it to have her cooking compared to other people’s.”

“…Aren’t you just talking about ex-girlfriends or mothers?”

“That’s what you are to me. Man, that beef stew was great. I’m drooling just thinking about it.”

It’s great that you’re praising me, but when it comes to this situation, why would you add fuel to the fire?

If you look at Hinami, you would see her cheeks puffed up like a balloon with a disgruntled look in her eyes.

There were many things I wanted to say, but summarizing the story it was all a mess.

“Being a son of a chef and a pastry chef is a cheat. You probably think my homemade food is on the level of extinguished charcoal anyway.”

“Hey! I’m not a toxic person. I don’t think that at all.”

“After showing off a homemade lunch of that quality…?”

“No, it’s just yesterday’s leftovers. Besides, a bento wouldn’t make that much of a difference. Come on, try it. It’s a common taste you can find anywhere.”

I didn’t know why I was trying so hard to cheer up on the person who called me an idiot, but I couldn’t help it since Hinami was now in tears.

“Here,” he said, as he placed the leftover stir-fried meat and vegetables on the lid of his lunch box and presented it to Hinami.

Asahi was hesitant to offer his chopsticks, so he left that to Chiaki, her boyfriend.

As for Asahi, he doesn’t think anything of it because it was a familiar sight, but honestly, he wanted it to be over quickly because his classmates were looking at him like crazy.

The combination of Chiaki and Hinami, who had very neat faces even without looking at them in a favorable light, inevitably attracted quite a bit of attention.

Because of the depth of their love that they didn’t hide, combined with the fact that it was a well-known fact that they were dating, the boys were leaking jealousy and resentment, meanwhile the girls were looking at them with envy and even squealing.

“What do you think?”

“It’s delicious but…”

“It’s ordinary, right?”

“Yep, it’s just plain delicious.”

“That’s what I’m talking about. Hinami overestimates my cooking skills.”

Really, the image Hinami had of Asahi as a good cook was well overrated.

This was mainly due to Chiaki’s overly exaggerated praise of Asahi’s cooking, but also due to Hinami’s innocence.

Since he had never invited anyone over to his house for a meal, and only knowing that both of his parents were cooks, before she knew it, Hinami had come to believe that he was as good as a professional at cooking.

I don’t even want to remember how many times I’ve been involved in troublesome entanglements because of this misunderstanding.

However, such problems were easily solved once they were fed lunch.

Of course, cooking in the kitchen was a different story, but the good thing about Hinami was that she didn’t care about such details, or rather, didn’t notice them.

“Hey, Chi-kun. Can I make lunch for the ball game?”

“Of course. Rather, Can I ask you to make one?”

“R-really…? I can’t cook as well as Asahi, you know?”

“Oh, that’s fine. I did say that Asahi’s cooking was good, but for me, Hina’s cooking is always the best.”

At the end, Hinami hugs Chiaki tightly without hesitation after saying, “The most important thing in cooking is not the taste, but the love.”

I was tempted to ask him what he knew about cooking, but he wasn’t saying anything wrong, so I kept my mouth shut.

In the first place, they were already in their own world, and I didn’t feel like I could intervene.

In the end, they settled for making out, which was very much like a couple, and Asahi naturally sighed in dismay.

In the end, they settled by flirting around, which was very much like a couple of lovebirds, and Asahi naturally sighed in dismay.

In addition to being treated like a bad person, I was even called an idiot and the fact that I was completely used as a stepping stone for flirting and yet I didn’t feel any frustration at all was proof that I’ve gotten used to these two.

However, just because I am used to it doesn’t mean I can go through everything by being a saint.

“Asahi, I’m sorry for being selfish.”

“It’s good. I don’t mind. Anyway, Chiaki. You used me as an excuse to say that last line, didn’t you?”

“W-what are you talking about..?”

“There’s no point in playing dumb. I’m not going to make anything more for you.”

“That’s…bad! I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Chef Asahi. Please be so generous!”

Asahi and Hinami both laughed out loud at this sudden switch of attitude.

—

“..Sorry but, can you repeat that one more time?”

“I’m saying that I want to make a bento.”

The intercom rang exactly at the appointed time, and I welcomed Fuyuka in her casual clothes, still feeling unaccustomed and uncomfortable.

While I was cooking dinner in the kitchen, a very timely topic came out of her mouth.