Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/2912051597934651646/episodes/2912051598395974859
The rich aroma of spices wafts in from the kitchen.
Seika piled white rice high on a large plate and poured piping hot curry over it until it was brimming to the very top.
Carrying two heavy plates, so full that the curry seemed ready to spill over, she set off toward the living room table.
In this perfect situation—serving a home-cooked meal to the person she loved most—Seika’s steps were light and airy.
And that was what led to her biggest slip-up.
The curry, poured to the brim, sloshed about, and as Seika frantically tried to regain her balance, her feet got tangled.
“Here you go, my special curry! Be careful, it’s hot—kyaa!”
Losing her balance, Seika’s body lurches forward.
The two plates slip from her hands and fly through the air.
If this continues, she’ll be drenched in scalding curry—it’ll be a total disaster.
“Watch out!”
With a short cry, Houtarou, who had been sitting at the low table, sprang to his feet as if propelled by a spring.
Instinctively, he reached out and caught Seika’s falling body in a firm embrace.
A dull clatter echoed across the floor as the plates shattered, spilling curry all over the carpet.
Seika herself was safely cradled in Houtarou’s arms, completely unharmed.
However, some of the hot curry that had splashed out had splattered onto Houtarou’s arm and the back of his hand.
“Ah, Achi-kun! You’re burned!”
Seika let out a scream and grabbed his arm.
The back of his hand was already turning slightly red.
In an instant, intense self-loathing squeezed Seika’s chest.
“Don’t worry about it.”
Houtarou didn’t bat an eyelid; he grabbed a nearby tissue and wiped the curry off his hand.
His eyes were as calm as ever, showing not the slightest hint of pain from the burn.
But large tears began to stream down Seika’s face.
“I’m so sorry. I ruined your curry. I’m the worst. I’m really the worst.”
She had gone to all that trouble to dress up. She had wanted to make him happy.
Feeling pathetic for ruining everything, she slumped to her knees right there.
“Don’t cry. There’s no need to cry.”
Houtarou crouched down and gently placed his hand on Seika’s head as she sobbed uncontrollably.
It was a clumsy, yet incredibly gentle touch.
“But… Achi-kun, you’re going to burn yourself!”
“I should have carried it myself. It was my mistake to leave that heavy tray, filled to the brim, all to you.”
Houtarou spoke calmly, as if trying to reassure her.
He didn’t blame himself at all for his own carelessness.
Just then, a sizzling sound came from the kitchen, accompanied by a strong, acrid smell of burning.
“Ah!”
Seika gasped in shock.
She had left the remaining curry in the stockpot on the stove.
She rushed to the kitchen, but it was already too late; thick, black smoke was rising from the completely scorched bottom of the pot.
“Ugh, I burned the curry in the pot too!”
“Well, the curry’s completely ruined now. But hey, I was just planning to piggyback off your meal anyway.”
Houtarou glanced back and forth between the mess on the floor and the smoke billowing from the kitchen, then let out a small sigh.
“Let’s just get takeout from Tenya. It’s on me.”
“U-un.”
Choking back a sob, Seika nodded slightly.
Through her tear-blurred vision, she could see him take out his smartphone and open the food delivery app.
His profile—which, given his parents’ circumstances, should have been world-weary—was warmer than anyone else’s.
(You’re too kind, Houtarou-kun.)
Her chest tightened.
The guilt of having caused him to burn himself mingled with the overwhelming affection she felt for him—a man who, far from being angry, was even ordering takeout for her—and Seika’s heart sank even deeper, melting into a puddle of love for him.
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