Is the scene unfolding before my eyes right now… actually real?
I pinch my cheek as hard as I can.
The pain tells me that what I’m seeing is reality. Yeah, it hurts. But it still doesn’t feel real.
“Your house is pretty well-equipped with cooking tools, Youshin. Well, I guess that’s obvious since you don’t live alone. Does your mom usually cook?”
“Ah… yeah. Either my mom or dad… whoever gets home first makes dinner…”
“Your dad cooks too? That’s amazing. My dad can’t cook at all. The most he can make is fried rice.”
“I don’t cook at all, so I think that’s already impressive… I can’t even properly cook a hamburger steak, and I’m not even sure I could make fried rice.”
“Then next time, I’ll teach you how to cook. Guys who can cook score major points. Mostly with me, though.”
Right in front of me, Nanami-san stands in my kitchen wearing one of our aprons, cooking.
She’s just cooking… and yet the impact of this scene is stronger than the movie we watched today.
The best visuals are playing out right in front of me in real time.
Is it really okay to watch something like this for free? Even movies aren’t free… Shouldn’t I be paying for this somehow…? Ah… well, I guess I already kind of did…
No, calm down. Just calm down.
How did things end up like this…? Let’s rewind just a little. Just a little.
The moment Nanami-san said, “Today, I’m going to your house and cook you dinner!!”, she grabbed my hand before I could say anything and dragged me to the grocery section of the shopping mall.
There was no stopping her excitement… and before I knew it, we had arrived at the food section.
“By the way, what were you planning to eat tonight?”
“Honestly, I hadn’t thought about it at all. There’s a gyoza chain nearby, so I figured I’d just grab a set meal there…”
“Gyoza, huh… I’d prefer to let the filling rest, but… yeah, let’s make gyoza. Will you help me wrap them?”
“Ah, yeah. If it’s something I can do…”
Overwhelmed, I ended up agreeing to help cook something I’ve never done before. Well, I figured wrapping gyoza couldn’t be that hard at the time.
“Alright, let’s go shopping—ah, wait a second.”
She stopped mid-step, took out her phone, and started messaging someone.
I just watched quietly… and after muttering “Okay,” she put her phone away with slightly flushed cheeks.
“Nanami-san, what’s up?”
“Hm? I told my mom I’m having dinner with Hatsumi and the others today, so she doesn’t need to make anything. And I messaged them too…”
She stuck out her tongue playfully, like a mischievous child. …Did I just make her lie to her parents…? I feel kind of bad about that.
“Alright then, let’s shop. Do you know what we need for gyoza?”
“Ah, yeah. I mean, at least that much…”
I answered a bit stubbornly at her teasing smile…
But yeah, I have no idea. Ground meat and chives… maybe garlic?
Meanwhile, she skillfully filled the basket with ingredients. So cabbage goes into gyoza too…? What about the seaweed, tomatoes, and other stuff…?
“Oh, this? Gyoza alone isn’t enough vegetables, so I thought I’d make salad and wakame soup too. You’ll help, right?”
“I’ll… do my best…”
And just like that, we bought everything we needed.
Of course, I paid for everything. She insisted on splitting the bill until the very end, but I had extra money and convinced her it wouldn’t be right to make her cook and still split costs.
…Dad, Mom… you didn’t give me extra money expecting this, right?
Then, on the way back home… her words still echo in my head.
“Buying ingredients and going home together… doesn’t this feel like… newlyweds?”
With just that one line, she nearly killed me from embarrassment.
I couldn’t say anything back at all.
She was in a great mood all the way home, while I was anything but calm… but I was happy. And it was fun.
And that brings us to now…
Right now, I’m wrapping gyoza filling into skins as she instructed. She showed me how to do the first few, and now I’m doing the rest on my own.
…Even after seeing her example, it’s no surprise I can’t match her skill.
Nanami-san is currently preparing the soup, salad, and side dishes.
I’ve never really watched my mom cook carefully, but… she’s incredibly efficient.
Like a newlywed wife.
…No, stop. That word is too powerful.
Right now, I am a gyoza-wrapping machine. Focus.
Eventually, she finishes cooking and sits across from me, starting to wrap gyoza together.
She’s twice as fast as me… no, maybe three times.
And her shapes are perfect. Compared to mine, it’s like heaven and earth.
“Nanami-san, yours look really nice.”
“Eh…? W-What?! That was sudden!”
…Looks like I didn’t phrase that well. One gyoza skin tore in the process.
“I mean, compared to mine, there’s a huge difference. You’re really good at cooking.”
“Oh… that’s what you meant… but you’re doing well too, especially for your first time. My dad stuffs them too full and tears them all the time.”
As we kept talking, the pile of gyoza grew bigger and bigger.
…This is…
“We made too much.”
“Yeah… definitely.”
Looking at the mountain of gyoza, we both laughed. This was enough for five people… or more.
“It’s hard to cook for just two people… and… I got carried away thinking it was for you…”
She said that, her cheeks slightly red, hands clasped together.
“Nanami-san, why don’t you take the leftovers home? You can use them for tomorrow’s lunch.”
Also… I have no idea how I’d explain this to my parents.
“Hmm… maybe I’ll just tell them I had a gyoza party at Hatsumi’s place.”
She has reliable friends to cover for her… unlike me.
After that, she cooked the gyoza one batch after another.
I helped with small things—setting plates, wiping the table…
…This really feels like we’re married.
What she made were perfectly crispy pan-fried gyoza, golden brown and fragrant.
Alongside that was wakame and glass noodle soup, a fresh salad, and… grated daikon?
“At my house, we mix grated daikon into the sauce. It makes it lighter and easier to eat.”
“Oh, I’ve never tried that before.”
We sat facing each other with our rice served.
Somehow… it really felt like we were newlyweds.
“I-Itadakimasu…”
“Here, enjoy.”
Eating together like this… I never imagined it would happen again today.
The food she made was delicious… and we laughed as we ate.
Even without my parents around, I felt so happy. It was my first time experiencing something like this… I almost teared up, but managed to hold it back.
But when I tried to refill my rice and she stood up to do it for me… that was dangerous.
I wanted to hug her so badly. Somehow, I held myself back.
After finishing, she taught me how to wash dishes, and we cleaned up together.
…I never knew cleaning could be this fun.
But time flies when you’re having fun. Before I knew it, it was already late.
“Nanami-san, I’ll walk you home.”
“Eh… that’s too much trouble…”
“After what happened yesterday, I’d be worried. I can’t let you go home alone at night.”
“…Then… I’ll take you up on that.”
We left together, hand in hand.
We talked about everything—the day, future plans, cooking together again…
And before we knew it, we had arrived near her house.
“Nanami-san, see you tomorrow.”
“Yeah… Youshin… thank you for today. I had so much fun.”
“Yeah… me too…”
Just as we smiled at each other—
A large man suddenly appeared behind her.
Instinctively, I stepped in front of her.
He looked intimidating… angry even.
“Nanami… who is that boy?”
“D-Dad… why are you here?”
…Dad?
Dad?!
Dad?!
I turned back to look at Nanami-san, then at the man she had just called her father. …No offense, but they don’t look alike at all.
Then… that man gave me a smile that felt more like a warning than anything else.
…Looks like my day still isn’t over yet.
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