Chapter 76: The Niihama Familys Dining Table |
When the time had already passed evening, the four of us were having dinner together.
My mom was supposed to be working, but she said, “I really wanted to have dinner with Haruka-san, so I tried my best…” and came out of her room with a triumphant look.
“Oh, sorry, Haruka-san! I ended up making you help even though you’re a guest!”
“No, it’s alright! I just helped because of my own selfishness… Besides, I had a lot of fun!”
“You… Your smile is lovely, and you’re such a good girl. I’m in awe…”
With a sound effect like “pekā” added to her radiant smile, my mom expressed her admiration. Yes, that smile of Shijouin-san, where her inner purity seemed to shine through, felt the most dazzling to adults whose innocence had faded.
“Hehe, I’m glad to hear that from you, Niihama-kun’s mother.”
“M-Mom…! Yes! That sounds really nice!”
While it’s just her usual way of addressing her mother, Shijouin-san calling her “mom” seemed to give my mom a high-class pleasure. Perhaps, fundamentally, it’s the same sensation as being called “Master” or “Big Brother” by a beautiful girl.
Kanako seemed worried as she spoke, and well, I can understand her concern. The menu ended up being like something you’d see at my grandma’s house.
“Oh, yes, I’m really enjoying it. Actually, we have a lot of regular Japanese cuisine like this at home too.”
“Oh, really? I thought the President’s house would be eating French cuisine every day.”
Hey, come on, isn’t that image of a wealthy family a bit outdated? Well, it’s true that it would be more appropriate for the Shijouin family’s grand dining table, but still.
“Ahaha, French cuisine is delicious, of course, but when you eat it every day, you start to crave rice and miso soup. Especially since my father often has business meals with those kinds of dishes and is getting tired of them, so we have a lot of ordinary side dishes like boiled vegetables and simmered dishes at home.”
“Oh, I see! Rice and miso soup are the best, after all!”
“Yes, they are! I’m Japanese, after all!”
Shijouin-san and my sister burst into laughter, and warm excitement filled the dining table. It felt very comforting, and there was only a calm joy present.
(Ahh… It’s nice like this…)
Normally, it’s just the three of us at the Niihama family’s dining table, but having Shijouin-san here makes the atmosphere so much brighter.
I savor that warmth along with the dishes we cooked together.
Even though the ingredients in this miso soup are no different from what I usually make, it tastes much better when I think that someone I like made it for me.
If I were told that it’s a creepy delusion, I wouldn’t have a comeback, but I can’t help but daydream. The idea of Shijouin-san making miso soup for me every day.
If that dream were to come true, I would undoubtedly be the happiest person in the world.
“Come on, Haruka-chan, eat some more! Here, say ‘aah♪’.”
“Oh my… Th-Thank you!”
My sister, who is completely in high spirits, offers me a bacon-wrapped asparagus with her chopsticks, and Shijouin-san, slightly embarrassed, accepts it with her mouth.
That sister of mine has really taken a liking to Shijouin-san…
“Nom… Hehe… It feels a bit strange, but it’s fun as if I’m being fed by my little sister. Um, can I do the same?”
“Of course! I welcome the ‘aah♪’ from a beautiful sister like you!”
“Is that so? Th-Then excuse me… aah♪”
Shijouin-san, seemingly delighted to be called a sister due to being an only child, returns the favor with an ‘aah’ to Kanako.
In response, my sister exclaims, “Mmm, delicious! It tastes different when I’m being fed by a beautiful sister!” with an impression that resembles an old man from a host club.
“Oh, by the way…”
At that moment, Kanako’s voice suddenly carries something devious.
Huh? Why is she opening her mouth and staring at me from the corner of her eye?
“Listen, Haruka-chan! It seems that it’s my brother’s dream to be fed by a girl!”
“Wha…? W-What are you saying? When did I ever…!”
“Huh? My brother said that in middle school, remember? While watching romantic comedy anime, he used to say things like ‘I’d be willing to die if a girl fed me…'”
Eh…?! Oh, well, come to think of it…!
Certainly, when I was in middle school (which is about 15 years ago for me now), I was into various romantic comedy manga and gal games due to being in my adolescence, and I used to enthusiastically mutter things like “I want to kiss a pure-looking girlfriend and make both of us blush…” or “I want a good wife-like girlfriend to make me an obento and feed me, saying ‘aah♪’…” while immersed in delusions…
“Huh? Is such a simple thing really that exciting for you, Niihama-kun?”
“Yeah, yeah, for my brother, it’s a dream that’s almost tear-inducing!”
Shijouin-san reacted intensely to my sister’s nonsense.
And seeing that, Kanako had an evil grin on her face.
This girl…! The exchange of “aah” earlier was a setup for this!
Sure, it’s something she wanted to do herself, but by doing it once with Shijouin-san, she reduces the resistance for the next “aah” and smoothly creates a natural flow in the conversation…
And now, this conversation is going in a bad direction…! If Shijouin-san were an ordinary girl, it would be one thing, but if she were to hear such things…!
“I see, as a girl, I don’t quite understand, but for boys, it’s something that really moves them, huh! In that case, since we’re gathered around the dining table, I humbly request to take on that role!”
Look, it turned out like this, ahhh!
Mufufu! Seeing Shijouin-san filled with enthusiasm, I became extremely flustered.
Shijouin-san is very grateful for the small things I did during the semester, like acting as her tutor for a test and planning an event for her during the cultural festival.
Even though I was invited to the Shijouin family’s house once before and they treated me to a feast as a gesture of gratitude, she still believes it’s not enough and constantly looks for opportunities to repay me.
If I were to have a conversation like this with such a sincere and innocent girl like Shijouin-san, it was expected that she would enthusiastically volunteer for that role.
“But… I said it in the heat of the moment. As Niihama-kun, you would prefer to have a cute girl do it, right? I wouldn’t be satisfied.”
“What?”
In response to the way the girl, blessed with captivating beauty, spoke, my mom and Kanako couldn’t help but let out voices like, “What is this beautiful girl saying?” And as for me, I tended to overreact to such words lacking in self-confidence.
“What are you saying?! There’s no way I would be unsatisfied! If Shijouin-san does it, I would be overflowing with tears of gratitude!”
“Eh…? Th-thank you…”
Shijouin-san blushed, and I also turned red in response to my own statement.
But it can’t be helped. If Shijouin-san were to say something like “I don’t have any charm,” it would inevitably invalidate my existence.
By the way, at this point, Kanako’s excitement was skyrocketing with a feeling that things were going just as she had planned, going, “Fuuoooh…!” My mom, on the other hand, was pressing her lips and trembling, clearly struggling to contain her laughter at the unexpected turn the conversation had taken.
“Well, if that’s not a problem, then let’s get started… Here you go, ahh~”
Shijouin-san, without any shyness in her actions, picked up a piece of tamagoyaki with her chopsticks and gently extended her left hand towards me.
She seemed to lack the recognition that this act was associated with romance, wearing an innocent smile similar to how a mother would feed her child.
She was anticipating my joy with a pure and innocent expression on her face.
However, the impact was overwhelming.
Every guy dreams of having their favorite girl feed them like this, and now it was happening to me in such an unreal situation. The excitement was overwhelming, to the point where my heart felt like it would burst out of my chest.
(B-But it’s so embarrassing…! This would have been great if it were just the two of us, but with my nosy mom and sister watching, what kind of punishment game is this?!)
However, it was out of the question to refuse and make Shijouin-san sad.
With determination, I opened my mouth wide, making sure not to touch Shijouin-san’s chopsticks, and took a bite of the tamagoyaki.
It was sweet.
The taste was even sweeter than when I tried it in the kitchen earlier.
At the same time, a mixture of embarrassment and happiness surged up from the depths of my being, overwhelming my emotions and overflowing in my chest.
“Th-Thank you… I feel so overwhelmed…”
“That’s good to hear! If such a simple thing can make Niihama-kun happy, I’ll do it as many times as you want, so feel free to ask anytime!”
Seeing me with a bright red face, struggling to process my emotions, Shijouin-san said happily. It was probably because she was glad to be able to do something in return for me, even if it was just a little.
“Puh… Haha… Hahahaha! Well, that worked out nicely, Shinichiro…”
“Mmm~! That was quite a show! Oh, big brother, you can fully express your gratitude to Kanako-chan for this fine play!”
My mom, well, she seemed to be enjoying my flustered state, but it annoyed me to no end!
However, in the end, despite everything, the “aah~” from Shijouin-san was incredibly delightful, making it difficult to blame her.
And then…
Well, that’s how dinner time passed.
Even afterwards, being at the dining table with Shijouin-san made me nervous several times, but overall, my mom, Kanako, and Shijouin-san were in high spirits, and the dinner turned out to be quite lively for an impromptu gathering.
And so, that time eventually came to an end, as the night settled in with the sound of rain.
(TLN) Chapters like this are what makes me love this series. Its simple, but classic.