Volume 2 - CH 28

Since Arisa had made it for him, Yuzuru decided to try the pumpkin pudding right away.

He placed the spoon into the cup.

It seemed to be the hard type.

When he put it in his mouth, the rich egg taste and the pumpkin flavor and sweetness spread to his mouth.

It also has a nice texture.

When served with the caramel sauce at the bottom, the bitterness and sweetness become quite different.

“How is it?”

“Yes, it’s good. Like the previous cake, you’re also good at making sweets, aren’t you?”

When Yuzuru praised her, Arisa shook her head in embarrassment.

“Not at all. I certainly make it sometimes with leftover flour, eggs, and milk, so I might be able to do it better than others…….If you follow the  recipe, I think anyone can make it easily.”

“I think that’s because your cooking skills are so good. ……”

One question emerged here for Yuzuru.

Can Arisa make any kind of food?　Is there anything she is not good at?

“Are there any dishes you’re not good at?　I mean, cooking, of course.”

“Yes, there are……. I’m not good at making Chinese food. I find it difficult.”

“…… Come to think of it, I don’t remember eating much of your Chinese food.”

Arisa, who is a good cook, says she’s not good at it. But it seemed to him that she’s generally good at it, though maybe not to the expert level.

However, it seems that she is not very confident, and basically Arisa cooks mostly Japanese food or western food such as croquettes, fried shrimp, and omelets.

Maybe she has never cooked Chinese food before.

“Unlike katsuo dashi and kombu dashi, the Chinese taste must rely on flavor enhancers.” (TN: Katuo and Kombu are dashi types used for flavoring)

“Does Arisa have a negative stance on such things?”

Incidentally, Yuzuru has grown up with his mother’s ” Ajinomoto”, so he doesn’t have any qualms about it.

Of course, he prefers Arisa’s seasoning.

“No way. I also use it in some cases. It’s just that …… I feel defeated if anything. It’s humiliating.”

“…… I see.”

He couldn’t understand it at all.

What is it that makes her feel defeated in the first place?

Is it the culture of Chinese food?

Or is it the taste?

What would Arisa gain by winning?

He wondered but didn’t say it out loud.

“Also, I don’t think I have sufficient heating power. I’ve never been able to make fried rice with a satisfactory flavor.”

“Fried rice. …… Well, that’s a profound one.”

If it is fried rice, Yuzuru has made it a few times.

Peperoncino and fried rice are simple but profound dishes,……, and there is an image of many people who are strangely obsessed with them.

“…… Speaking of Chinese food, Ayaka’s good at it.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. I’ve been treated to Chinese food a few times and it was delicious. Apparently, she learned it from a Chinese chef she knew.”

Ayaka, despite her appearance, is an excellent cook.

She is particularly good at Chinese food and is so obsessed with it that she has bought an iron pot.

“If I ask her……, will she teach me?”

“I’m sure she’d be happy to teach you.”

Surely she will teach her with a smug look on her face.

“I’ll ask her then. …… I’ll do my best to treat you to some delicious Chinese food.”

“I’m looking forward to it. Because your cooking is a weekend pleasure for me.”

“That much, huh?”

“Yeah, I could eat it every day.”

If he could eat Arisa’s cooking every day, he would be very happy.

The people of the Amagi family should be aware that they are the lucky ones.

“…… every day, huh? Then, Should I do it for you?”

“Eh?”

Yuzuru’s eyes widened at Arisa’s suggestion.

It sounded like something he could wish for, and if she could make it every day, so much the better. ……

“You mean you’ll come here every day?”

“As expected, that might be tough….. so I’m going to make you a bento” (TN: Bento – Lunch box)

“Bento!?”

Every day, a cute girl would make his lunch for him.

As a man, this was a very welcome development.

“…… But isn’t that a lot of work?”

“I make my own lunch every morning. The effort is the same. But please pay for the ingredients.”

“Are you sure you want me to just pay for the ingredients?”

Even though the effort is the same, there is more work involved.

Yuzuru felt bad about not paying for Arisa’s “labor costs”, but ……

“Don’t worry. Yuzuru-san has taken care of me in many ways, such as paying for my coat. Besides……., I want to make it for you, Yuzuru-san.”

With a slight blush on her cheeks, Arisa said.

Since she said she wanted to make it, he felt that it would be rude to try to force her to accept the “labor cost”.

“I’ll take your word for it, then. …… I’ll be sure to thank you at some point in the future.”

“There’s no need to thank me or anything ……”

“I want to thank you. If I say so, will you let me?”

When Yuzuru stated that, Arisa chuckled.

Then she gave a small nod.

While they were talking, Yuzuru finished eating the pudding.

He took out the box that he had put in the refrigerator and put it on a plate.

“Here’s something in return for the pudding.”

“Thank you very much.”

Arisa stared at the cake.

Then she looked up at Yuzuru.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, come to think of it,……  I didn’t say Halloween’s traditional phrase.”

Traditional phrase.

In other words, “Give me candy or I’ll play tricks on you”.

“Speaking of tradition, you’re not even wearing a costume…….  So I don’t see the point in doing that.”

Yuzuru said this with a wry smile on his face…..

Arisa took out something from a paper bag.

It was two different types of headbands.

One had cat ears, and the other had dog ears.

“…… Looks like you were prepared already”

“Ayaka-san gave it to me.”

“That makes sense.”

Have a Halloween party with Yuzurun tomorrow.

The image of Ayaka forcing cosplay goods on Arisa came to his mind.

“You’re a dog person, aren’t you, Yuzuru-san? I’ll give you dog ears.”

“……Thank you.”

For the time being, Yuzuru put on his dog ears and showed them to her.

Then he asked Arisa.

“How do you like it?”

“…… fu fu, you look good.”

“Did you just laugh?”

“No, I didn’t.

“…… Well, fine. I put them on, so you should too.”

Yuzuru urged Arisa to put on the cat ears, as she was reluctant to do so.

After a moment of hesitation, Arisa put the headband on her head.

She then asked Yuzuru with her eyes downcast in embarrassment and a slight blush on her cheeks.

“….How is it?”

“It’s cute…….”

Unlike Yuzuru, Arisa looked great with her cat ears.

Considering Arisa’s personality, dog ears would have been more appropriate than cat ears. But even without that, she was adorable.

“I, I see. …… Well, Yuzuru-san.”

Arisa turned to Yuzuru .

She then coughed lightly and bent her wrist as if imitating a cat, while her face turned red.

“If you don’t give me candy ……, I’ll play tricks on you, nyaa.”

“……”

“Oh, um!　Yuzuru-san!　Silence is the most troubling response!”

Arisa grabbed Yuzuru’s shoulders and shook him violently while her face looked like a boiled octopus.

Meanwhile, agonized from the cuteness of Arisa, Yuzuru covered his face with one hand as it began to heat up with excitement, embarrassment, and a feeling of sympathetic shame.

“……I’ll give back the pudding, can’t I play a prank on you?”

“Obviously not!　I mean, how are you going to return it?”

With a whack, Arisa continued to pound Yuzuru’s body with her fists.