Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/2912051597934651646/episodes/2912051598617624047
A short while later, the intercom rang, and two steaming bowls of katsu don were delivered.
The moment they lifted the lids, the aroma of sweet-and-salty broth and the intense scent of pork cutlet smothered in egg filled the room.
The two sat facing each other at the low table and snapped their chopsticks in half.
“I think this might be my first time eating takeout like this.”
“Is that so?”
Houtarou, who was just about to take his first bite, blinked in slight surprise.
“Oh, yeah. My mom loves to cook. We always ate at home. She taught me everything—how to make it and all.”
Chewing on the crispy cutlet, Seika replied in a cheerful voice.
But Houtarou must have noticed the subtle unease lurking in her words.
She used to love cooking. She used to eat at home. She was taught.
Everything was in the past tense, and there was no sign of her mother—or even her father—in this room.
For an ordinary person, this would be the kind of thing that would make them curious enough to pry.
But Houtarou simply chewed his katsu-don quietly and replied with a brief, “I see.”
He didn’t rudely barge into areas where others didn’t want to be intruded upon.
Seika’s heart warmed at that exquisite sense of distance and his clumsy kindness.
(He’s so kind. I like him.)
She murmured quietly to herself, happily wagging her invisible tail.
The rice soaked in broth tasted much sweeter than usual.
“This katsu don is delicious, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it is.”
“Yum!”
After they finished their meal side by side, Houtarou stacked the empty plastic containers and stood up.
He headed straight for the kitchen in Seika’s room.
Watching him turn on the water with a rush and start rinsing the containers at the sink, Seika jumped to her feet.
“W-wait, I’ll wash them!”
“No, it’s fine. You just sit down.”
“But—”
She couldn’t possibly let him make her do the dishes after he’d treated her to a meal.
Seika’s 530,000-IQ brain clicked into gear and came up with the perfect solution.
“Then let’s do it together!”
Seika trotted over to the kitchen and stood right next to Houtarou.
She lathered the sponge with dish soap and scrubbed the dishes he’d rinsed, making a squeaky-clean sound.
They were so close their shoulders almost touched. The faint scent of his mint-scented shampoo mingled with the lemon-scented dish soap.
“It kind of feels like we’re newlyweds, doesn’t it?”
Carried away by her giddy mood, Seika let the words slip out.
Immediately afterward, she realized how dangerous her comment was, and her face burst into flames.
(Gyah! Saying ‘newlyweds’ when we’re not even dating—that’s definitely gross!)
She’d messed up. He must think she’s a clingy girl again.
Just as Seika was about to collapse to her knees in despair, Houtarou’s calm voice reached her ears.
“From an outsider’s perspective, sure.”
He didn’t act disgusted or tease her in any strange way; he simply accepted it as a fact.
Seika’s hand, holding the sponge, froze in mid-air.
(Ugh. He’s way too kind—this is dangerous!)
No matter what curveball I throw, he catches it straight on with those calm eyes.
Seika’s heart was completely melted into a gooey mess by that bottomless capacity for acceptance.
After finishing the dishes, Houtarou headed for the front door.
“See ya.”
“Yeah, see you later.”
Just as she was about to watch his back as he reached for the doorknob, Seika suddenly realized something.
“Oh, wait! The money! For my katsu donburi!”
As Seika hurried to grab her wallet, Houtarou quietly stopped her.
“It’s fine. It’s my fault the curry went bad anyway.”
“Huh?”
“Let’s call it even.”
With those words, Houtarou slammed the door shut and went back to his room.
Left alone in the entryway, Seika clenched her fists tightly in front of her chest.
To begin with, she’d made the curry on a whim, for her own convenience.
It was her own mistake that caused her to trip, lose her balance, and ruin the curry.
Yet Houtarou didn’t blame anyone else; he took the blame, saying it was his own carelessness.
To protect Seika’s pride and her feelings for him, he had smoothed everything over.
“I really like him…”
The honest words that slipped out melted into the quiet room, carrying a sweet warmth.
The girl, who had been hurt by the cruel rumor that she would sleep with anyone, had become so deeply entangled with her overly kind yet aloof neighbor that there was no turning back.
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