CH 31

Chp 31

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As I was reading at Saito’s house like usual, I noticed the smell of coffee.

[I brewed one for you too]

[Oh, thank you]

When she called out to me, I looked up and saw her placing a steamy cup on the desk.

Apparently, she had brought me a cup of coffee.

Grateful that she always made me a drink, I was about to reach for my cup, but I spotted something on my desk that I wasn’t familiar with.

[What’s with the cake?]

There were two kinds of cake on the table.

One cake was covered in green tea cream and chocolate frosting, and the other was coated with red berry chocolate and topped with strawberries.

Usually Saito brought sweets alongside the drinks, but there had never been a cake.

[In case you’re wondering, it’s Christmas eve]

[Oh, I see]

I wasn’t aware of it at all, but now that she said it, it was indeed Christmas eve.

Today was the 24th, Christmas Eve, a day when couples, men and women got along.

I was so absorbed in my book that I completely forgot about it, but it must have been a pretty special day for some people.

[I’m sorry. I’m sorry you had to spend such an important day with me]

[No, not at all. I just wanted to eat this cake because it’s a special occasions]

It was only recently that she seemed to open up a bit to me, but with such an attitude, there was no way I couldn’t misunderstand if she liked me.

I couldn’t help but smile when she didn’t seem to be aware of me as a man at all.

[Can I have it?]

[Yes, if you’re worried about money, consider it as a Christmas present]

The cake was reasonably pricey, so getting it for free made me have some complicated feelings. I was followed up as if she knew what I thought.

[Well, I’ll take the one you don’t choose]

[Are you sure?]

[You bought it in the first place. That’s the least I could do]

It was already unbearable to have a girl buy me a cake, let alone allowing me to choose which one to eat.

That wasn’t good, not as a man, but as a person.

[Thank you]

When I told her she could choose, her face lit up and she started thinking about which one she wanted.

She seemed to like both of them since she bought them according to her preference.

Her eyes moved back and forth between both cakes.

She pondered for a while, then said, [I’ve decided] and picked the green tea cake.

[Then, Itadakimasu]

[Nn, Itadakimasu]

(TN: for the off chance that you don’t know what it means, it’s an appreciation for the food)

She clasped her hands together to express her thanks for the meal, and cut the cakes carefully into bite sized pieces and ate them.

The moment the cake came into her mouth, she rolled her eyes and her expression relaxed slightly.

She smiled softly and her eyes narrowed in happiness.

[…What’s wrong?]

[I was just thinking, you’re enjoying it a lot]

I’ve gotten used to her soft smile lately.

Even so, the smile that appeared once in a while was still attractive and eye-catching every time.

I was a little happy to see the soft expression on her face, which was incomparable to her usual expressionless face, and I felt like it was something that only I knew.

[Of course. Because it’s delicious… Would you like a bite?]

[Yes?]

As I unconsciously gazed at her bright smile, she scooped a bite of the cake and offered it to me.

It’s what is commonly known as the “aaahn-” event, and I froze. (TN: Haha lol)

I couldn’t hide my surprise at her unexpected behaviour.

When I looked at her, she didn’t seem to be thinking about anything in particular, and she nonchalantly offered me a piece of cake on her fork.

From her perspective, she just wanted to share the delicacy of the matcha cake.

It might have been a great blessing to be fed by a beautiful girl, but my shame outweighed my desire as a man.

[No… As expected, that’s…]

I managed to squeeze out a few words of resistance to her, hiding the embarrassment that was rising in me.

Even though I usually try not to think of her as a member of the opposite gender, I have to admit I’m very conscious of the “aaahn-” event.

When she heard me, she seemed to realize what she was doing, and her eyes wandered around, her cheeks turning rosy.

[W-Wow, I didn’t mean to…]

She pulled back her fork and placed it on her plate, and turned her head. She glanced at me and lowered her eyes again.

Today, I could see that even the nape of her neck was bright red due to her hair being tied up.

I guess she did this because she didn’t recognize me as a member of the opposite gender, but just as someone she trusted.

Was this a problem because she felt somewhat familiar with me and treated me as a friend?

[I know. Don’t worry, I won’t take a bite of the cake]

I was grateful that she trusted me, but I couldn’t stand the thought of her doing something like that to me without consent.

I’m a man, after all. I didn’t want her to forget that.

I let out a small sigh when I saw that she was red up to her ears.