Episode 36 – Love counseling re-started 3

Source
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n5018if/36/

Quite simply, Operation Crepe was a success.

Putting aside the fact that Asahina-san had ordered a large crepe, causing a lot of damage to Reo’s wallet, I and Asahina-san made arrangements for Reo and Otsuki-san to talk together as much as possible.

Thanks to this, by the time we ate the crepes, Otsuki-san began to smile during her conversation with Reo.

From the side, they seemed to have good chemistry, and Asahina-san didn’t say anything, so …… Reo and Otsuki-san’s love plan was OK’d in a full-fledged way.

Another day at lunchtime.

We pulled out all sorts of tricks to make this happen. The next step was Operation Lunch.

I and Otsuki-san would make lunch boxes for each other’s best friends, and at the right moment, we would let Reo eat Otsuki-san’s lunch box.

The courtyard outside the school building.

Most of the students eat in the cafeteria or classrooms, so not many people eat here.

Only the occasional couple in a relationship would come here.

The four of us were going to have dinner together on a sheet in the courtyard. What a high face deviation!

Asahina san, who is called the most beautiful girl in school, and Reo, who is the most popular boy in school.

Otsuki-san actually has the second or third prettiest face in the class,

I, an ordinary person, was slightly uncomfortable in the room.

“Here you go.”

Otsuki-san’s bento is a two-tiered box lunch box.

It is quite a large lunch box for the daredevil Asahina-san.

When I opened the lid, I found a lot of ingredients, just like a jewelry box.

“Amazing. Isn’t Otsuki’s cooking professional level?”

“Eh~, no, it’s not like that. I don’t think so.”

“Shizuku’s cooking is the best in Japan! They are really delicious.”

But how can they do such a large amount of food in the morning?

The most of them are probably prepared during the night, but it would take hours to prepare them, and you would have to be very fond of preparation.

Also, maybe she doesn’t like to settle for anything less than what she can afford. And she also seems to be serious about gardening.

I open my humble lunch box and hand it to Reo. I honestly make separate lunches for myself and Reo

My main goal is for Otsuki-san’s to make a lunch box, so my lunch box only needs to look good.

Of course, I have confidence in the taste. If I can arrange for Reo to eat Otsuki san’s lunch box, then I can make …… it happen.

“Sweet and spicy meatballs that even I, who doesn’t like spicy food, can eat.”

Na-, boiled rice with enhanced nutritional value, and a rich sauced pork cutlet with cheese inside!

Asahina-san begins her food report.

Then she gobbled up Otsuki san’s bento and digested more and more of the ingredients. Reo’s share will run out.

“Otsuki’s bento looks good.”

“……. Do you want to try it, Hirasawa kun? Hey Arisa, can you lend me a stack of boxes?”

“Eh, ……?”

Not that. I’m sure this person has forgotten the original purpose.

Asahina-san cried and handed the heavy box to Otsuki-san.

I thought she would hand it over immediately, but she started rearranging the dishes in the stacked boxes and wiping off the dirt with a napkin.

After that, Otsuki-san takes out a paper plate and new disposable chopsticks and gently hands them to Reo.

You really have a mom character, ……. I can respect you in this area.

Otsuki-san placed the stacked box in front of Reo

“Here you go.”

“Thank you. Then, I’ll have it.”

He cracked open a pair of disposable chopsticks and took a bite of the meatballs. At that moment, Reo’s expression turned into a big smile.

“They are so good! Not only does it look great, it tastes great too!”

“T-thank you. I’m kind of embarrassed when a boy says that to me.”

Otsuki-san’s face turned red and she was happy to hear Reo’s compliments.

She really appreciate his honest words.

Reo picks up the whip and eats his lunch. Reo is also a big man and has a big appetite.

He has no likes or dislikes because I corrected them when he was a child. He can eat any kind of food with relish.

“I envy Asahina. She eats Otsuki’s cooking every day.”

“It’s good, isn’t it? Shizuku’s cooking is the best.”

“Isn’t it hard to cook every day?”

“Well, I like to cook, so maybe not that much. Making bento is my hobby.”

“I wish I could eat it, too.”

Otsuki san’s eyes twinkled at Reo’s blurted out words.

“You have lunch in the cafeteria every day, don’t you, Hirasawa-kun? I thought your parents work all the time.’

“They’re overseas. They send me money for my living expenses, so I don’t have any problems living here.”

“But It’s not good. I can make lunch for you if you want.”

“Eh! No, that would be too much work.”

“I usually make it quickly, and I make one for Arisa and one for myself, so it won’t be any different for two or three people.”

“If you can make it for me, I’d love to. …… Oh, and of course I’ll pay for your lunch.”

“Hirasawa kun is in the sports club too, right? It’s better to eat something better than the cafeteria.”

“Shizuku has always been very picky about food. She wants you to eat a lot of good food.”

“You’re like a grandmother.”

“What did you say, Kogure-kun?”

“Nothing……”

I felt Otsuki-san staring at me, so I turned my face away as if to run away.

At that time, Asahina-san suddenly stood up as if she was waiting for something.

“I want to eat Kogure-kun’s lunch, too!”

“Hee?”

My bento? My bento is the one I prepared for this bento party, and it is not that elaborate.

I like cooking too, but I am not that motivated to make lunch in the morning.

To be honest, I like to sleep late, and there is no way I would get up early in the morning to do something like Otsuki-san does. So, like Reo, I often have lunch at the cafeteria.

“Compared to Otsuki-san’s lunchboxes,…… it’s no big deal.”

“It’s okay! That’s what I’m here for.”

I really don’t understand what Asahina-san is talking about these days. Well, if you’re demanding it, there was no way I could not give it to you.

“Hnnn delicious! The curry from that time was delicious, but this is delicious too.”

But I’m honestly happy that she is happy. I’m starting to want to eat other people’s lunch boxes, too.

“May I have one of the ingredients from Otsuki-san’s lunch box?”

I took a pinch of the fried bean curd from the box and enjoyed the taste.

“Yes, I think it’s delicious. It’s as good as I expected.”

“Thanks.”

“However,……, if I can say something, I think it would be better to add a little more time to the soy sauce base for my taste. I guess that’s about it.”

“Ha?”

As a cook, I gave my honest opinion, but in contrast to the gentle voice that I had just heard, a thick voice came out. Otsuki san picks up the lunch box from Asahina san who is eating briskly.

She then ate one of the omelettes.

“Yes, it’s delicious. Kogure-kun is a good cook too.”

“Ha. Haa”

“This omelet is also sweet and tasty. But I don’t think I would make it this sweet. I’m also concerned about the unevenness of the browning. I wouldn’t have done it this way.”

“Ha?”

This woman. She is definitely provoking me.

I respect Otsuki-san. She has a wealth of knowledge about gardening and other things, and I enjoy talking with her. But since cooking is one of our mutual specialties,……, we find ourselves mounting each other.

So I smiled.

“I understand. I’ll be careful next time. So? Can you make a bento for me too?”

“Hahaha ……”

Otsuki-san’s face turned serious.

“Of course not. What are you talking about?”

As Reo and Otsuki-san grow closer, before I know it, the relationship between me and Otsuki-san has become a bit strained.

I’ve been thinking lately what a strange relationship this is.

I wonder if this is the same phenomenon as Reo and Asahina-san not getting along well.

Is it a kind of family hatred?

We eat lunch together and go home together in the evening. Little by little, Reo and Otsuki-san grew closer.

There were times when Asahina-san and I were so concerned about them that we let them go home alone together.

We talked about taking the next step. At night, I talked with Asahina-san on my phone in my private room.