Volume 1 - CH 3.2

Shimizu-san’s Bentō 2

I sighed in my mind and started to explain to Ai.

“Well, you mean Kei wants to show off her cooking skills to the boy who took care of her? And for that purpose, she wants to make a bentō and give it to him.”

“That’s about it in a nutshell.”

After a few minutes of explanation, I succeeded in conveying my purpose while hiding Hondō’s name and some of the past events.

“That’s okay, isn’t it? Why don’t you give it a try? “

“Didn’t you say [why all of a sudden?] earlier?”

“You said it was because you suddenly got a bentō from a boy, right? It would have a very different meaning if Kei had told me something like this earlier.”

“What’s the difference?”

“A handmade bentō from a girl is a boy’s dream! It’s the kind of thing they want to get at any cost! “

“Is that so?”

I think Matsuoka said something like that, but I can’t quite figure it out why.

“Yes, that’s right. And it would be a waste if Kei wanted to do it, but she doesn’t try! Let’s run through our once-in-a-lifetime youth event at full speed! “

“Err, yes…”

I can’t hide my bewilderment at Ai’s vigor. I don’t know why Ai is more motivated than I am, but I am glad to hear her positive attitude. However, I still have some concerns.

“Even if I make it, won’t it be hard to give it to him without a reason? “

“You could say it’s a thank you for helping you in the previous cooking class.”

I see. That’s an idea I hadn’t thought of.

“So, do you already know what you want to cook?”

“No, I haven’t decided yet.”

I would like to include ginger pork, which Hondō said he would be happy to see in the bentō, but the other dish are still undecided.

“Then we’ll have to start from there. I’m starting to look forward to it.”

“What’s that?”

“Eh? Of course I’m going to help Kei make her bentō.”

Ai looked at me as if to express it’s obvious.

“I can make the bentō by myself.”

“Hey-hey, have you forgotten the story of how you had to depend on that guy during the cooking class? “

“Ughh…”

It brings back memories of Hondō teaching me how to use a knife many times during cooking class.

“I’m the only one who can help you in the mornings because Mom is probably busy. My support isn’t free of charge, but this time, onē-chan is offering a special service! “

“Don’t talk like a mail-order salesman.”

“My bad, I just couldn’t resist. Anyway, I think your success rate will be totally different with or without my support, don’t you think, Kei? I make sweets in my spare time, I’m sure I can be of some help. “

Ai may be joking around, but she has much more experience in cooking than I do. If I want to give Hondō a high-quality bentō, I think I have no choice but to rely on her.

“….can you get up early in the morning? “

“That’s no big deal for a sister like this Ai. If Kei says [Please, sis. (Onegai onē-chan)], I’ll help you for days.”

“Who would say such a thing?!”

I don’t remember ever saying something like that in my life.

“Ehh～. One word, just one word! Please!”

Ai rubs her hands together. Maybe she won’t stop until I say it.

“…please, sis… There you go.”

“So cute~! All right, this Onē-chan will go all out for you!”

I want to disappear. I want to leave here as soon as possible…

Then even though my motivation has been severely sapped from the get-go, I start preparing to make a bentō with Ai.

* * *

“Hey, isn’t Shimizu-san in an even worse mood today? “

“You think so too? I heard a rumor that she got into a fight with someone from another school and hurt her hand.”

“Ah, maybe you’re right. Shimizu-san dyed her hair black and never skipped class, so I thought she had become more serious, but she was still the same as before.”

My classmates are whispering about me, but I don’t have the energy to look at them. It’s all because of my homemade bentō.

(This is the worst.)

The bentō is ready. Ai, who helped me, lost her trademark smile, but it was complete. The problem was the quality.

The egg omelet turned out to be a mysterious blackened entity, which anyone could not tell whether it was the soy sauce or the burn, and Hondō’s favorite ginger pork turned out to be a blackened entity as well.

This time, despite Ai’s support, I cut my fingers several times with a knife, and although the wounds were shallow, I made Ai worry about me a lot.

The finished bentō was not something that I could give to others.

At first, I wanted to eat the homemade bentō by myself, but Ai, feeling responsible for me, suggested that we split it in half. Thanks to her suggestion, I was able to finish the bentō, but my stomach got a bit queasy.

[To tell the truth, Kei’s cooking skills were more than I had expected.]

Ai said to me afterward with dead eyes.

“Good morning, Shimizu-san.”

“Morning.”

As I recalled today’s morning incident, Hondō sat next to me before I knew it.

I know that Hondō is innocent, but I feel my brow subconsciously wrinkled because of my bentō failure this morning.

“Um, Shimizu-san. Did I do something wrong? “

Perhaps seeing my face, Hondō made a troubled smile at me.

“You didn’t do anything wrong.”

In fact, Hondō did not do anything to make me angry. I’m angry because of my own problem.

“If that’s the case, did you have any trouble? If you don’t mind, I’ll listen to you?”

” …there’s no problem.”

Of course I can’t tell him I’m depressed because I made a homemade bentō for him and it didn’t work out.

“Well, okay… Hm? Shimizu-san, you hurt your hand, are you okay? “

I quickly hid my hand, but it was too late. I was completely careless. I’ll have to think of an excuse…

“…I’ve been going through some stuff. It’s not a deep cut, so don’t worry about it.”

“I see. But please take care of yourself.”

It was a poor excuse, but Hondō seemed to accept it. I felt relieved, but then, I began to feel sleepy perhaps as a reaction to having woken up earlier than usual.

“I’m going to sleep now, so don’t wake me up.”

“Yes, I’ll only wake you up when Sensei almost comes.”

“I told you, you don’t have to wake me up… “

Usually, we would argue about whether or not to wake me up, but I guess I was mentally exhausted after making bentō from early in the morning, and I let go of my consciousness early today.