Volume 2 - CH 17

The next day, Saturday.

As usual, Yuzuru greeted Arisa.

“Please take care of me today as well”

“Oh, Sure. Come on in.”

He urged her to come inside.

Arisa took off her shoes with a natural motion and went into the living room.

Then, as usual, she started to play the game. ……

It seemed to Yuzuru that Arisa lacked concentration more than usual.

Today, he thought, the odds of winning were a little better.

While Yuzuru was relaxed after a bit…… Arisa suddenly asked him.

“Um, Yuzuru-san?”

“What’s up?”

“…… How did you do on yesterday’s mock exam results?”

After all, it seems that Arisa has the disposition to be easily depressed.

She seemed to be reeling from yesterday’s poor results.

Since Yuzuru is in second place and Ayaka is in the first place, Arisa’s ranking in the school is certainly below that.

“I think I did pretty well.”

“Can you show me ……?”

“Well, sure.”

There was no point in hiding it, so Yuzuru handed Arisa a folder with the list of items from his bag.

Then Arisa looked at the resulting chart…….

She sounded very complicated, like a mixture of surprise, joy, and sadness.

“Second place in the school rankings, huh?”

“Well, I guess I did a little better this time.”

“…… By the way, do you know who’s ranked first in the school?

“Ayaka.”

“…… As I thought, it was like that huh”

She had expected it.

Arisa replied in a slightly downcast voice.

Then Arisa silently handed Yugen a copy of the test results she had brought with her.

The scores and average values were ……

Not bad at all.

The school’s ranking is third.

But ……

Third place is not a bad ranking, in fact, it is a very good ranking.

But for Arisa, who had always been in first place in the in-school examinations, it must be very frustrating to be overtaken by two students who were usually behind her in the out-of-school examinations.

“I thought I might lose to Ayaka-san, but I expected to get second place in the school rankings. ……”

With a bit of bitterness, Arisa said.

She didn’t expect to lose to Yuzuru early on, so she was frustrated,……That’s how it was.

But more than that, there was a bit more of a gritty, negative feeling hidden in the air.

“No, Arisa. This is only …….”

It’s just a test.

You’re thinking too much.

That’s what he was going to say. ……

“I, I’m sorry,  there is no use in saying such things to Yuzuru-san, is there?. …… I know I have a bad personality. I know that. I’ve always been the type of person who doesn’t do well on these off-campus mock exams, or …… exams that are broad in scope and require application……… I thought I could beat Yuzuru-san, or maybe that’s not a good way to think like that in the first place. I’m sorry. Really, I’m …… Oh geez, I’m so sorry. There was no point in telling Yuzuru-san something like this.”

It seems that she is stuck in an adverse thought pattern.

However, this didn’t surprise Yuzuru too much, since he knew that Arisa’s mental strength was weak, to begin with.

Yuzuru reached out his hand to Arisa.

Then, perhaps she misunderstood what was going on, she squeezed her hands together and closed her eyes.

He stroked her head as gently as he could.

Her hair is soft and silky to the touch, and he wanted to keep touching it.

“It’s okay, Arisa.”

“…… I’m sorry. It’s my fault. ….”

“Then, I have a favor to ask you, Arisa, if you don’t mind.”

No matter how much he comforts her, she seems to be stuck in a negative loop, so Yuzuru decides to give her a chance to “atone” for her sins.

However, there is no such thing as “atonement” when Arisa has done nothing wrong.

For the intropunitive and self-punishing thought process of Arisa, it would be better for her mental health if she were given some sort of chance to forgive herself.

That was the decision.

“Actually, my mother sent me some food items.”

“…… food items, huh?”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s just that I can’t really cook it, or handle it. I want you to take a look.”

Yuzuru then went to the refrigerator and took out a Styrofoam box.

He put it on the table and opened the lid.

“Wow ……This is amazing”

Arisa widened her eyes in surprise.

Yuzuru was also surprised, so Arisa’s surprise was understandable.

Anyone would be surprised to find a large, well-sized matsutake mushroom.

“Matsutake mushrooms, huh? I’ve cooked matsutake mushrooms before, but never in such quantities.”

Arisa’s voice was somehow buoyant.

This is because such high-quality ingredients are a showcase for the chef’s skills.

But she immediately looked worried.

“I mean, is it okay if I eat it as well?”

“It says here that you have to cook it in the first place. Well, unless my parents are such bad people that they don’t want you to eat it after you’ve cooked it for me.”

“…… Please tell your mother and father that I really appreciate it.”

Arisa said to Yuzuru.

Then she picked up a particularly large matsutake mushroom.

“Hmmm ……, yes. For now, matsutake mushrooms on rice is a must, right?  Charcoal grilling …… is impossible because we don’t have charcoal, but we can make something similar on the stove. Also, soup and such are delicious. If you have a clay pot, I’d like to try steaming it in a clay pot.”

As expected of Arisa.

She seemed to have an idea of how to cook it right away.

…… The results of the test seemed to have flown out of her mind, and Yuzuru was slightly relieved.

If possible, he wanted Arisa to keep smiling.

Ignoring the question of why he felt that way about her, he asked her.

“I think the earthenware jar was stored in the back. So, what do you think?”

” Wait, please……  If you just want to make a matsutake mushroom dish, it’s no problem. But if you only cook matsutake mushrooms, that is not enough, is it? I’m sure you’ll want some meat and fish as well. And it’s not good to have only meat and no vegetables. That’s what I’m thinking about now.”

After saying that, Arisa put her hand on her chin for a while……

She began to think about it.

Then she asked Yuzuru.

“Are you hungry?”

“Yes, of course.”

” Then……Please eat a lot okay. Because I’ll be making you a lot.”

Arisa said and gave him a cute wink.

–For a moment, Yuzuru’s heart leaped.