CH 20

Chapter 20 – Battle of the Maidens

When I came home from Moriyama-kun’s house, all I could think about was Moriyama-kun…

Moriyama-kun’s history of avoiding people must have been traumatic.

He had something well-meaning to a childhood friend he liked, and she rejected him as annoying… It is as if not only the act but also his love for her had been directly rejected by her.

Moriyama-kun, who is a serious and strong-minded person, must have been shocked to the extent that his previous values and outlook on life were shattered.

If Moriyama-kun said to me now, for example, “I hate violent women who do karate because they are barbaric,” I would become a recluse who refuses to go to school.

With a sense of hopelessness in my heart, I thought about what I should do.

One is to become a unique presence for Moriyama-kun.

No matter what happens, I will not deny or betray Moriyama-kun’s character.

I want Moriyama-kun to believe in that, too, and I’m an existence that he can rely on.

To do this, I need to spend more time with Moriyama-kun and get to know him better.

And one more thing.

Protecting Moriyama-kun from his enemies.

Of particular note is Moriyama-kun’s childhood friend.

Even today, she was watching Moriyama-kun chatting in front of the house with a curious expression. I need to be on the lookout for her.

Let’s cooperate with Haruko-chan around that.

I immediately talked to Haruko-chan about these two things on the chat app.

As soon as it was read, I got the GO sign saying, “I’ll take care of the neighbor. Spend more time with my brother, do as much as you want.”

◇◆◇

Monday, the usual routine begins.

Moriyama-kun and I greeted each other with just a glance and chatted via email.

The topic of conversation between the two of us at the moment is sweets.

We started with a story about the shocking taste of a high-quality dorayaki, then we talked about what kind of desserts we like, what kind of cakes we like… Moriyama-kun likes chocolate cake and I like Mont Blanc.

Then, I heard that there’s a good Mont Blanc shop in Moriyama-kun’s neighborhood, and he will buy it for me when he comes to visit my house.

From the flow of such chit-chat… PING! It hit me.

Moriyama-kun says he eats lunch alone on the emergency stairwell.

He has got to be there for lunch! The idea hit me!

I can prepare a homemade lunch for him too.

I usually have Mama make my lunch, but if I want Moriyama-kun to eat it, I’ll put my skills to the test and make it myself!

So, I immediately made a proposal to Moriyama-kun, but he just kept on rambling with difficult words and refused to accept the idea.

I kept on being rejected, and when Moriyama-kun called me “clumsy,” I let out a bit of murderous intent.

I thought that what I had done was another blunder against Moriyama-kun… But I was able to put things together and it worked out.

I see, Moriyama-kun, you can be a bit cynical and troublesome at times, but from now on, I can use this technique… Added to my memo!

That day, when I got home, I talked with Mama and came up with a menu of dishes for the lunchbox.

Just to be sure, I also emailed Moriyama-kun to check if there was anything he didn’t like, and he said he would eat anything.

I wanted to include this and that, but I couldn’t quite decide what to include, and as a result, it ended up being quite voluminous.

Chirashi-sushi with soy beans and hijiki, fried chicken, omelet, boiled broccoli and carrots, octopus sausage, asparagus bacon.

I focused on nutritional balance.

Also, it’s hard to cook everything in the morning, so I just started the prep work in the evening.

The chicken was marinated and seasoned, just needed to fry in the morning.

The omelet is made into a dashimaki roll, which is also good in the morning.

I peeled off the skin of the vegetables in hot water and cut them into pieces.

I cut the sausages to make the octopus shape as well.

The asparagus bacon was made by pre-cooking and I peeled the asparagus.

Finally, the ingredients for chirashi-zushi were boiled, the rice was washed and set in the rice cooker, and that’s it for today.

The next morning, I got up an hour earlier than usual, fried, sauteed, and boiled everything in turn, and packed them in my matching bento box to complete my lunch box of love!

At lunchtime, Moriyama-kun didn’t want to leave the classroom with me, so we met up at the emergency stairwell.

I’ve never been to the emergency stairwell before, but it’s very narrow.

Moriyama-kun sat on the stairs and I sat next to him.

Moriyama-kun tried to run away, saying the space was too cramped, but I stopped him and made him quiet down with a glance.

Here, I’m Himeka Urushibara, the martial artist.

And starting from here, I’m Himeka Urushibara, the maiden who has feelings for Moriyama-kun! (T/N: SO CUTE!)

The battle of the maidens begins now!

In maiden mode, I appealed to him that I was the one who made the lunchbox while handing it over.

When Moriyama-kun received his lunch box, he immediately opened the lid and looked a little surprised.

W-What kind of reaction is this???

Does it look good to him???

Or he finds it horrible???

I was more nervous than before a match…

While I was anxious, he took a bite of the dashimaki omelet.

I stared at Moriyama-kun’s lips as he smothered them.

When I thought that he had a surprised expression again, this time he ate a piece of fried chicken.

Moriyama-kun called me after he swallowed it with a gulp of his mouth.

“Urushibara-san.”

I couldn’t help but ask him what he thought.

“W-W-W-What…d-d-d-do you think? D-D-Do you…l-l-like it?”

Oh, God! I’ve had it again!

“Excellent. The omelet and the fried chicken are perfectly seasoned. I can tell that a lot of effort has gone into them. This is truly wonderful. The taste is the result of Urushibara-san’s cooking skills and love. It’s excellent.”

Regardless of my attitude, Moriyama-kun praised me!

That said, that’s too much praise!

I was so embarrassed that I could feel my face getting hot, but I could see Moriyama-kun eating my bento with such a wonderful smile on his face, and my heart was filled with joy.

Doki doki kyun kyun, as my heart was pounding, Moriyama-kun finished his meal in a flash!

“Thank you for the food. I honestly underestimated you, Urushibara-san. I didn’t expect such a delicious lunch.”

“Ehehe, i-is that so?”

I-I’m so embarrassed.

“Yes, I’m sure Urushibara-san will make a good wife.”

“W-Wife!?!?!?”

EHHHHHHHH!?!?!?

Getting married over a single bento is way too soon! Moriyama-kun!

But…i-It’s…not that…I don’t want to…

“Shhh! You’re being too loud! What if others find out we’re here!?”

“I-It’s Moriyama-kun’s fault! You suddenly started saying you want to make me your wife!”

“I didn’t say that! Are your ears rotten, Urushibara-san? I was just giving you my objective opinion that you would make a good wife!”

Ah, my hasty mistake.

I thought I won the battle of the maidens today, but at the end I felt defeated…