Volume 1 - CH 48

—Piiiiiiiiiiiiii

The sound of boiling water rings out from the kettle just as it is about to boil.

The kettle disarmed me from my frozen state of motion.

Nice timing, kettle. Himekawa hurriedly turns off the stove.

I regained my composure and re-gripped the knife. Then I slowly peeked at Himekawa with a sideways glance.

Himekawa was seriously looking at the cake.

Ahead of her eyes were strawberries. Probably a huge strawberry was reflected on the cake.

If you like strawberries, should I put them all on Himekawa’s side?

If you like strawberries that much, you can have them all.

I don’t like strawberries that much. But I would like to have chestnuts.

“Is that okay?

“Oh, you like strawberries, don’t you?　Give me chestnuts in exchange.”

We had a deal. We both get what we want. It’s a win-win situation.

We work well together, we’re the best of partners.

We did it, chestnuts, they’re so sweet and delicious.

When I cut the shortcake, I cut a little more for Himekawa and put a big strawberry on top as it is.

I cut the Mont Blanc in half, but put all the chestnuts on mine and cut the cheese in half.

I put them on each plate.

Yes, it looks a bit like a dessert plate.

The tea Himekawa made and the cake I cut on the plate.

It’s a little celebration. It turned out nice.

“Well, let’s celebrate Himekawa’s first part-time job, shall we?”

“Well, that’ s kind of embarrassing…”

However, contrary to her words

She already has a fork in her hand and is ready for battle.

She is ready to go out at any moment.

Her face is smiling, but her eyes are those of a wolf aiming at strawberries.

“”Itadakimasu!””

I reach for the tea first and take a sip.

The tea smells as good as ever. I’ve been mostly drinking coffee when I’m alone, so the tea Himekawa makes for me tastes good.

I’m sure this is the cup Himekawa used when she brought it back from the apartment.

Is it okay if I use it?

“Hey, wasn’t this cup a very important cup?”

Himekawa’s shortcake is already half gone, with a little white cream on the edge of her lips.

Has she noticed? She probably hasn’t noticed, has she?

“Yes, it is. It’s my precious cup.”

“You don’t mind if I use it?”

“It’s okay. Today is an anniversary. I’m sure my mother will be happy if you use it.”

With such things being said, we both chew on our cakes.

Himekawa, however, has not yet eaten the strawberry on top of the shortcake.

I bet she eats her favorite food last.

By the way, I am also a person who eats them last. I eat the chestnuts on the Mont Blanc last.

Himekawa, who has run out of the shortcake itself, finally points the fork in her hand at the strawberries.

Then, she quickly splits the strawberry in half lengthwise.

She decides that it would be a waste to eat the rather large strawberry in one bite, so she stabs the halved strawberry with her fork.

“This strawberry is quite large, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is. And they are red and look sweet.”

I don’t buy shortcake very often, but the big strawberries certainly look sweet.

Staring at the strawberry stuck in the fork, Himekawa became silent and began to think about something.

Then, she holds out the fork in her hand directly to my mouth.

A halved strawberry appears in front of me.

What do you want?

“What is this?”

“It’s half. And half of the strawberries for Tendo.”

“Don’t you want them?”

“I like strawberries. But I want to share the same things with you, both delicious things and fun things.”

Are you going to give me your favorite strawberries?

It would be easy to say no here, but I want to respect Himekawa’s wishes.

I want to share fun and delicious things with you.

I can understand that feeling.

“I see. Then, I’ll take it gratefully.”

I take a bite of the strawberry from the fork offered by Himekawa.

They are sweet. And my heart beats a little faster. I should give it to her too, right?

Perhaps Himekawa wanted to eat chestnuts too? Was that her intention?

I halved the chestnut of my favorite Mont Blanc and presented it to Himekawa’s mouth in the same way.

“Here, I return the favor. Feel free to take a bite.”

I am sure that among cakes, I especially love Mont Blanc with big chestnuts on top.

Ever since I was a child, when I think of cake, I think of Mont Blanc. When I think of Mont Blanc, I think of cake. Is that natural I wonder?

That’s how much I loved Mont Blanc and the chestnuts sitting on top of the cake.

I “love” sweet chestnuts.

I gave half to Himekawa and shared the deliciousness with her.

Is this okay?

Himekawa puts the tip of the fork in her mouth.

She moves her mouth as she does and moves away the fork.

Himekawa looks a little like a squirrel as she chews on the chestnut.

Her cheeks are puffed up and her appearance is cute. Next, Himekawa’s cheeks turn a little red.

“Don’t you also like them?”

Hm? You mean, do I like chestnuts?

Of course I do!

“Oh, I like them. I’d like to eat them every day.”

Would I gain weight if I ate Mont Blanc every day?

But you wouldn’t mind a small Mont Blanc, would you?

I’d really like to eat it every day.

“Wow, me too, every day, but I don’t mind… These chestnuts are so sweet.”

You want to eat strawberries every day too, Himekawa? I know how you feel.

I feel the same way. I think I’ll go to the shopping district soon and get some strawberries.

“The strawberries over here are sweet too.”

We exchange what we like with each other.

It is never about forcing our own likes on each other.

It is important to understand each other’s likes.

I will be involved with many people in the future.

At that time, it is important for us to understand each other, not to force our own ideas on each other.

—

The cake plate and cup of tea were empty, and the little celebration came to an end.

I get ready for the bath, and Himekawa is going in first again today.

My mental capacity is reaching its maximum value day by day, and I’m starting to feel more relaxed.

I am confident that I won’t be upset by anything that happens.

“Then, I’ll take a bath first.”

“Okay.”

While Himekawa is gone, I check the stock of ingredients and leftover seasonings in the refrigerator.

The cabbage still fills half of the vegetable room. What should I do with it?…

While I was thinking about this, I heard Himekawa’s voice from the bathroom.

“’C’aaaaaaah!”

What’s going on? What happened!

Was there an incident, an accident, or something I shouldn’t have seen!

I shut the refrigerator door vigorously and ran toward the bathroom.