Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330665542028014/episodes/16818093073608557594
It was a weekday evening, a few days after a major holiday weekend that was fulfilling in many ways. As a matter of course, Kanna and the others were coming into my house to soak in.
“Jinpei kun, I’m thirsty ! I want some tea !”
Kanna was busy copying notes at my study desk. I know it’s hard for you to work today since you took the day off, but please don’t use me, the houseowner, as if I’m your butler or something.
“Hey, Itsuki. Why don’t you leave Kanna alone and give me a massage? Or rather, why didn’t you come to the clubroom today?”
Asakura is lying on my bed, her lips pouting and her legs flapping. The short skirt of the school uniform is about to be flipped up to reveal the hidden treasure. And don’t occupy it like it’s your own.
“Itsuki…is it okay if mapo tofu is less spicy and less numbing? That’s fine, right? I haven’t heard the answer.”
“Okay, let’s calm down a bit ! I appreciate you making dinner for me, but you’re the only one who can eat it.”
In our small kitchen, Sasatsuki is cooking to rave reviews. The dish on the menu is mapo tofu seasoned with red pepper, which we had shopped together before but could not make due to various reasons. It must be near completion, and the delicious aroma of spices is wafting through the air, whetting our appetites.
It’s good that Sasatsuki is so enthusiastic about this dish, as it is her specialty and favorite food, but the seasoning is too aggressive.
“Fufufu. Unfortunately, it’s already too late. I’ve already sprinkled a lot.”
Sasatsuki stuck out her tongue as she said this, and I involuntarily held my head in my hands. The spiciness comes from the mapo sauce, and the numbness comes from the pepper. I can just picture Kanna and Asakura screaming in agony.
“Haa…next time, do it in moderation, okay?”
“Yeah, if I remember. I’ll be ready soon, so if you could clear off the table, that would be great.”
I nodded and went back to the living room, convinced that this was definitely going to happen again.
It had been a little over a month since I started living in this house. I looked around the room again and saw that the amount of my belongings had tripled since I started living here. You can guess what that means.
“I finished copying all the notebooks ! Asakura san, please move aside. You are in the way of my dive.”
“Good job, Kanna. But I can’t give you the bed until the massage is finished. . I’m sorry, but could you find somewhere else?”
“When does this massage thing start? If you’re just lazing around on the bed with Jinpei kun’s scent all over you, please change place.”
From here on, it’s my turn, declares Kanna. But Asakura put a wry smile on her mouth and sunk her head into my pillow as if to taunt Kanna.
“Aaaaahhhh ! ! ! Get out of there right now, Asakura san ! I’m the one who’s going to bury my face in Jinpei kun’s pillow !”
“Hahaha ! That’s too bad. This is already my territory, so I’ll ask you to refrain from entering. If you insist, you will have to fight me and take it.”
“I see……I understand. If that’s the case, let’s go all out. Let’s see who’s better !”
I sighed heavily as the two beautiful women sparked off a flurry of sparks. I’d like them to stop competing for the pillow in a way that I have no control over.
“Let’s leave it at that, both of you. Dinner will be ready soon, so let’s get ready to eat.”
“What are you talking about, Jinpei kun ! Are you interrupting my attempt to get the pillow back from Asakura san !?
“Give me a massage before dinner, Itsuki. If you do that, this fight will end quickly, okay?”
Ignoring my advice, Kanna and Asakura are saying whatever they want, but it’s time for them to grow up. Otherwise, the chef’s thunder will–
“–How long are you gonna play?”
A low voice that sounds as if it has lost all emotion. In an instant, the room temperature drops and a cold sweat breaks out on my back. I turn around slowly, like a broken spring doll, and there, as I expected, is Sasatsuki standing with her arms crossed, in a rage mode.
“How dare you fight over Itsuki’s pillow while I’m busy cooking. Do you want to skip dinner?”
“I-it’s not my fault ! I was gonna lie down on the bed to reward myself for finishing the copying of the notes, but Asakura san interrupted me !”
“If you’re saying that, I was just asking Itsuki to massage my body that was tired because of club activities ! But Kanna told me to leave the bed…!”
The corners of Sasatsuki’s mouth slowly turn up as she listens to their unseemly excuses. The very fact that her mouth is smiling but not her eyes is exactly what I’m talking about. Kanna and Asakura are like frogs that were staring at the snake, like the sinners awaiting the king’s verdict. I am the bystander who watches with a quiver in my eyes.
“…Yeah, I understand. In other words, neither of you has any intention of repenting, right?”
“I-it’s Asakura san’s fault ! I insist on my innocence !”
“That’s my line ! It’s Kanna’s fault ! I was just lying in bed because I was tired from club activities !”
The two of them were still blaming each other at this point, and it was more than a little disheartening, it was almost pathetic. Why can’t they realize that this will only add fuel to the fire?
“I hereby pronounce a verdict—you two are condemned to be served with super spice mapo tofu. Itsuki, get ready.”
“……Understood.”
The King’s judgment is absolute. No matter how unreasonable and hellish it may be, it must be carried out. I head to the kitchen, listening to the screams of Kanna and Asakura in the background, and put mapo tofu for two on a plate, place it on a tray, and add a bottle of hot chili pepper and Japanese pepper.
“From now on, I’m going to teach you two the most delicious way to eat my special mapo tofu. I won’t let you leave the house, so please take it with you to your grave.”
“Wait a minute, Sasatsuki sani. Are you planning to add anything else to the mapo tofu that already looks delicious?”
“Even at this distance, the aroma is still tantalizing to my nose ! Don’t tell me you’re gonna add more chili peppers !”
“You have good instincts, Asakura. That’s unexpected. Don’t worry, your tongue will be a little numb, but your body will be hot and sweating. And the food will be smooth.”
Sasatsuki smiles as she says so. She looks cute from the side, but probably in her eyes looks like the demon king of the last boss. I can’t find any words to say.
“Come on, it’s time for a fun, fun dinner. Shall we take our seats?”
“Please help me, Jinpei kun ! I’ll fire from my mouth if I eat that thing !”
“It’s okay, Mika. I’m not that good at spicy food. And I think there’s a right amount for everything !”
“Sit down quickly without saying a word. Or do you think you two can’t eat unless Itsuki says yes to you?”
They both let out a groan. Wouldn’t you immediately deny that. Stop hesitating about what to do.
“But no. I tried my best to get Itsuki to say yes, and I made dinner for the four of us. Isn’t that right, Itsuki?”
Sasatsuki asks, moving her face closer to me. It’s against the law to look up at people at this point. I was about to shake my head at her, but I held it back and calmly replied.
“I’d like to thank you for cooking dinner, but unfortunately, I’m too embarrassed to do so, so I won’t even thank Sasatsuki.”
“Then all you have to do is pat me on the head. Isn’t that enough?”
“I’ll give you as much as you want later.”
The moment I answered that without really thinking about it while placing the tray on the table. Both Kanna and Asakura let out voiceless screams, and Sasatsuki smiled triumphantly. Did I make a fatal mistake in my choice?
“Fufufu. Again, I got your word. I’ll leave the washing up to you two over there, and I’ll let you pet me a lot when you’re done eating, Itsuki.”
“What are you doing, Jinpei kun? Don’t you know that it is a common practice in business to force a difficult request on someone and then pass on the real request !?”
“So this is what a genius actress is capable of,……Mika, what a horrible girl you are. I have to learn from you too……”
Kanna grabbed me by the shoulders. Asakura put her hand on her chin and muttered something stupid with a mysterious expression on her face. And the culprit who created this chaos hums as she returns to the kitchen, aside from her portion of mapo tofu.
“Give me a break…….”
My sad mutterings disappear like bubbles.
–
–
If you enjoy our content, feel free to donate, Thank you in advance !