Episode 4 – The Tale of My Friend’s Little Sister Serving Food

“Well then, I will start making dinner now!”

“You sure are hyped.”

“The ingredients are…Ta-da~!　I’m going to cook with these!”

“What?　Are you speaking to a camera or something?”

In a modest kitchen suitable for a single person’s room, Akari-chan proceeded to prepare the food very happily.

Lined up on the cutting board were carrots, potatoes, onions, and pork. Even looking at this, I can roughly guess what she’s going to cook.

“Yes, senpai. What do you think I’ll make now?”

“Curry?”

“Ding-dong, ding-dong!”

“Ooh!”

Akari-chan smiled with her hands wide open.

I was not sure how to react to that, so I just clapped my hands.

“As expected of Senpai. You understand me so well, don’t you?”

“No, it’s because you were buying roux.”

“Fufu, senpai. It’s not always the case that you make a curry just because you bought a curry roux.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, for example…”

She put her hand on her chin and looked at the air for a few seconds.

“Now then!　Then let’s start cooking right away!”

“You covered it up!”

“Senpai, men who worry too much about small things are unattractive.”

“Is it a small thing…?”

“So from now on keep worrying about details and become less and less popular!”

“Why!?”

The little sister of a friend who wants her brother’s friend to be unhappy.

I thought she was friendly to me even though we had never spoken, but maybe not.

“Ah. It’s a trade secret from here on out, so please don’t worry about it and just relax.”

“But I don’t want to just wait around, so I’ll help you.”

“Helping me…?　It’s an alluring offer, but it can be dangerous if the hand goes out of control because of nervousness…”

Akari-chan said coyly as she covered her face with her hands.

Her ears, which she couldn’t hide, were blushing slightly.

“And also… I’m embarrassed to be seen cooking. I just want senpai to say it tastes good. That’s all that matters…”

“…I see. Well, I’ll look forward to it.”

“…Yes!　I’m going to blow away your brains!”

“Haha… Take it easy on me.”

It seems that organs are destined to be targeted.

“Ta-da!　It’s Akari-chan’s special tomato curry with lots of love!”

“Ooh…!”

I couldn’t help but let out a squeal of admiration at the slightly reddish curry and rice on a plate that hadn’t been used in a while.

Not to mention the glistening rice cooked by a rice cooker that hadn’t been in operation for a while, the reddish curry roux on top of it smelled… ah, so good…

“It looks delicious, to say the least…”

“Ehehe~…Come on Senpai. Please don’t let it get cold.”

I nodded to Akari-chan, who urged me to proceed with an embarrassed grin, scooped up a spoonful of curry and rice as if I were making small curry rice on the spoon, and put it in my mouth.

“Hmm!?”

Instantly, the spiciness of the spices, the flavor of the melted meat, and the acidity of the tomatoes spread in my mouth!

It’s delicious. There’s no other way to describe it, it’s so good!

“It’s insanely delicious!”

“R-really?　I’m kind of getting embarrassed…”

She beamed happily, took a bite herself, and nodded as if pleased with her success.

“Maybe it’s because I’ve been eating a lot of stuff I’ve bought from the store. I feel kind of warm.”

“Ehehe… I told you, didn’t I, senpai? I told you that a man who lives alone needs a girl’s home cooking.”

“Oh, so that line is still alive.”

“That’s obvious.”

Akari-chan was proud of herself.

At first, she seemed like a solid person but ever since she came here, her childish gestures have increased. It’s appropriate for her age, though.

Despite our conversation, my hands never stopped, and the plate was soon empty.

“Ah, it was delicious.”

“It’s really not a big deal, you know? – It’s not like I put any special effort into it.”

“Oh, really? Even though it’s so delicious?”

“Cooking is just a hobby for me… and I’ve been practicing home-cooked meals that I can make in my daily life without any trouble.”

“Oh…But I think I would be happy if I could eat such delicious food every day.”

“Ooh!?”

With a clatter, the dining table shook.

She didn’t seem to feel any pain, but her eyes were shining brightly.

“What’s wrong, senpai?　You suddenly threw me a big one… Huh!?　Don’t tell me that I’ve already captured your stomach!?　Did it pierce your heart!?　Did I blow your brains away!?”

“It’s okay. I didn’t get hit anywhere.”

“Uwa. Dry…”

Akari-chan’s shoulders slumped in disappointment – but it was only for a moment, and she quickly straightened up again.

“But, senpai!　You said that you would be happy if you could eat such delicious food every day! What do you mean by that?”

“Eh?　It means exactly what it says…”

“Let’s take that statement and make it more …concrete, let’s make it more relevant to our daily lives!”

While I was slightly taken aback by the glowing eyes of Akari-chan, I honestly thought about what she said and one word came to mind.

“Um… You would make a good bride or something?　No, but that sounds a little like sexual harassment–“

“Bride!!　There’s a power word, right here! A good feeling, it’s a good feeling, isn’t it, senpai!　What the heck?　Isn’t it just like head over heels!”

“You look like you’re having fun.”

“Fun is a totally different emotion, but I do feel it rising!”

Akari-chan leaned forward as if she was excited – well, she was completely excited.

I mean, she’s leaning so far forward that I could almost see her bra from her neck…!

“Why are you looking away, senpai?”

“Nn?　Ah, no… It’s something like neck exercises after dinner. See, I used my esophagus too much…”

“Hmm…?　Well, it’s fine. I’m ready to accept senpai however you are.”

Ah, I think I’ve been lightly identified as a weirdo, haven’t I?

No, but it’s better than being thought of as a sexually awkward man who is conscious of his friend’s little sister’s underwear… Is it though?

“So, senpai. I’ll be able to be a good bride, right?　Now that we have a good word, let’s go a little deeper! Let’s step into the core!”

“Step into the core..?”

“Yes, please step into it!　Dig a little deeper!　Make it more and more personal!”

What does it mean to make it more personal…?

Yeah, but it started with the fact that the food was good, right? Tying that in with living… I get it!!

“Even though Akari-chan called it home cooking, I think this level is enough to open a restaurant!”

How about that?　The compliment that is not amateur, but at a professional level – I think that’s pretty good. In fact, it tasted so good that I would have paid for it.

Well, I’m paying for all the ingredients. Akari-chan’s portion is zero. I don’t know the exact breakdown.

“…”

Akari-chan’s response to my answer was an incredible “nothing” from the happy look she had just given me.

As if she was rewinding, Akari-chan relaxed her leaning forward and settled deeply in her seat, then let out a deep sigh as if she was dumbfounded.

“No, that’s not it… Why did your thought process go that way…?”

“I’m sorry, did I say something wrong…?”

“No, I understand that you gave me the best compliment you could. That’s why I can’t help it… But it’s fine! This is just the beginning!”

She’s a lively girl, after all, getting depressed and energetic at the same time. The quiet, solitary life I had been living until yesterday seemed like a lie.

“Senpai, I’ll do my best..!!”

“Eh?　Yeah, do your best.”

I don’t know what she’s talking about, but I nodded my head for now. I felt that I was not allowed to do anything else.

“Ah, Akari-chan.”

“Yes?”

“Thanks for the food. I know I’m repeating myself, but it was really delicious.” (TN: He is saying ‘Gochisōsama’ which basically means thanks for the food/it was a feast)

“Huh..!!”

Akari-chan turned her head away. Eh, did I do something weird?

“That smile is foul, and ‘Thanks for the food‘ is one of the top ten lines I’d like to be told..!”

“Akari-chan?”

“W-washroom !　No, I mean I’m going to go pick some flowers!　Because I’m about to cry!!”

“Why!?”

“It’s a maiden’s secret!!”

It’s not a very big place, but Akari-chan walked out of the room like she was running away – oh, she came back.

She half peeked out from the doorway with her cheeks being slightly red.

“Glad you liked it. Ehehe…” (TN: she is replying with ‘Osomatsusamadesu’ which actually translates to Apologies for the crude food. But I am going with the Food wars translation :p )

This time, she ran into the washroom with a smile that made me smile.

Thinking that she might be just like her brother in this noisy way, I started to clean up the remaining dishes.

TN: Honestly, doing this series is a bit of a pain… But it’s fun… so it’s not that bad once in a while. I guess my side project choices are destined to be like that… *distant eyes…*