Translator: Haruto.

Rina puts on an apron over her oversized hoodie and gets ready to begin cooking right away.

“What are you going to make?”

“You don’t want it to be a surprise, huh? I guess that’s fine… Ground meat cutlets.”

“Oh!” Those cutlets are pretty good. I freaking love them. Now I’m really looking forward to today’s lunch.

From where I’m sitting, I can see Rina take out of the fridge the ingredients that she appears to have prepared beforehand; they’ve all been either sealed in plastic wrap or packed in zip-lock bags.

She covers the meat with breadcrumbs before dipping it in hot oil, producing a pleasant sizzling sound and a delicious smell that makes my mouth water with hunger, even though it’s still somewhat early to eat.

“What ingredients did you use?”

“Ground meat, onions, and in my family we like to add carrots to the mix so I did just that.”

“What about the sauce?”

“I know most people like to use Worcestershire sauce, but we use ketchup instead.”

“Are you going to pair it with something?”

“Yup, with a bit of shredded cabbage.”  

“Interesting.”

Shoot… I freaking love everything she just said!!

“Rina-san, you really know the way to a man’s heart…”

“What?”

“Ah! I was just referring to that old saying ‘the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach!’ So, would you mind putting the knife down?!”

She can scare the heck out of me sometimes, especially when I remember what happened to Kasashima Yuuji in the game! Honestly, things take a horrifying turn whenever the two sisters get angry or annoyed…

After some time, Rina finishes cooking and—

“Okay, here are your ground meat cutlets. Also, if you want more rice or egg soup, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Ohh!!”

My excitement reaches new heights the moment I lay my eyes on the meal before me: perfectly shaped cutlets with a bit of ketchup and shredded cabbage, served alongside white rice and egg soup… This is going to be great. I’m just sure of it.

“Thanks for the food!”

“You’re welcome.”

I put my hands together in gratitude before digging in.

“Hm!! Delicious!!”

Aaah! I love fried food!!

I can tell just how juicy the meat is the instant my teeth pierce the crunchy crust. And, thanks to the vegetables that Rina used, the meat has also a very nice light taste.

“Hmm! This is incredible!!”

My chopsticks are in constant motion as I wolf down the rice, and gulp down the egg soup. Speaking of which, even though the soup was made with nothing but eggs, it’s super flavorful and kind of soothing as well.  

“You really eat like you’re having the time of your life, Kasashima.”

“I think that when you’re enjoying good food it just naturally shows on your face.”

Delicious meals have the power to make anyone smile.

“I also like how you say thanks before eating and the way you praise the food.”

“Doesn’t everyone do that…?”

I mean, it’s basic manners to express your gratitude for the meal you’re about to consume, and when the food is tasty, praise just effortlessly rolls out of your mouth, right?

“More importantly, though, can I please serve myself more rice and soup?”

Out of the three cutlets I started with, there’s only one and a half left now, so I think this should be the perfect time to go get myself a refill on the rice and soup.

“Ah! I’ll go get them for you.”

“Oh, you will? Thanks!”  

Rina stands from her seat and kindly serves me some more rice and soup.

I probably will have my belly full by the time I’m done, so I should let Hibari know that I’ll be skipping dinner tonight…

“Here you go.”

“Thank you. Hmm! Munch, much…”

I reiterate, this stuff is insane!!  

“Your ‘token of gratitude’ was better than I could have ever imagined.”

“That’s nice…”     

I can’t believe I ended up eating three whole bowls of rice…

After the meal, Rina brings me a nice cup of coffee, and I let out a satisfied sigh.

“Honestly, thanks for the food. It was amazing.”

“I’m glad you liked it.”

Having finished washing the dishes, Rina takes the seat in front of me and begins drinking a cup of tea.

“…”

“…”

We’ve been talking more often lately, but it’s still hard to keep a conversation going with her sometimes…

“Aah, I know… Would you like to talk about Yuito?”

I seriously can’t think of anything else to talk about, so I just decide to bring up Yuito.

“Yui-kun is cool.”

“Oh…”

She bit the bait.

Yuito is adorable! He’s the cutest!

Unlike her sister, Rina thinks Yuito is cool instead of adorable, huh…

“Don’t you think he’s more the adorable type than the cool type?”

“Yui-kun is cool.”

Oh? It looks like she’s a bit stubborn on the matter.

“Why do you think he’s cool?”

“First, he doesn’t judge people by their appearance.”

“If you said ‘first,’ I suppose there are many other reasons, huh. But yeah, I kind of get why you like that about him.”

“Kasashima, don’t tell me you’re really after—”

“That was just my way of expressing admiration for my friend!!”

Why the heck do I even have to explain myself?! This is not that type of rom-com!!

“Hmm… I still have my doubts,” Rina says.

“Please just let it go already.” When Yuito is involved, the two sisters can lose all rationality.

She might actually get angry if we keep talking about that, so let’s just change the topic.

“What do you think of Mahiro-san?”

“My sister… is my romantic rival, but above all, I respect and love her.”

“Your rival… Yeah, that’s kind of obvious at a glance, haha… And you also respect her, huh. That’s understandable. There’s almost nothing she can’t do. She’s like the perfect girl.”

“My sister is not as perfect as you think.”

“She isn’t?”

Rina nods and puts down her cup.

“Her body was very fragile in the past, you see. She couldn’t do any intense exercise, and she even had to take a few breaks from school because of it.”

I can’t even picture it. Also, I’m not entirely sure that the game mentioned it…

“And well, since I was there to witness it all, whenever people call her ‘perfect,’ it feels kind of wrong somehow. It’s like they’re trying to encapsulate her in that one word.”

“I think I get what you’re trying to say. Even that amazing girl we see today has had to go through a lot to get where she is, huh…”

“My sister, Yui-kun… and you. We’ve all had to go through a lot to get where we are today.”

“Yeah… And we’re still pretty young…”

“At least all those experiences should make us stronger for the future.”

“True.”

It sure hasn’t been a walk in the park living in this new world…

“I was pretty different in the past, you know?” I begin. “I adored characters that could be mean but also kind at times. I mean, sure, everyone likes a good-natured girl… but foxy, devilish girls are dope!!”

“What are you even talking about? You pervert.”

“I’m just saying that’s what I was into, okay?”

Rina looks exasperated… and a bit creeped out, but she then clears her throat, and—

“…Fine, I’ll just do it once… Ahem… Uwaa! You’re such a perv, Kasashima!♡ What a little loser!♪”

“That sounded more like you were impersonating a ‘bratty girl,’ but I thank you for trying nonetheless.”  

Although, that wasn’t too bad either… The way she was saying that cheeky stuff with that alluring voice of hers was kind of… nice.

“Phew… Thanks for everything.”

The evening arrived in the blink of an eye. Thankfully, Mahiro still isn’t here.

“I enjoyed the food a lot… Bye now.”

“Bye.”

And with those few words, I leave the sisters’ home.

Once Yuuji leaves, Rina begins preparing dinner as she mumbles to herself, “I don’t know why, but I just end up talking on and on whenever I’m with him…”

Like back at the amusement park and the school camp, she couldn’t stop herself from talking to him about all sorts of things…

Not to mention…

We’re just trying our best to be treated fairly, so don’t get in our fucking waaaaayyyyyyy!!!

She often remembers what he said back then whenever she has a moment to relax.

I know he didn’t say that for my sake alone, and yet I just keep replaying it over and over in my head.

He should just be Yui-kun’s friend to me, and yet…

I should only think of him as someone who’s misjudged by his appearance like me, and yet…

The more time I spend with him, I…

“I think… he has a certain charm about him…”

***

Five minutes after leaving the sisters’ home, I take out my phone and give Hibari a call.

“Ah, Hibari. I’m heading home now.”

“Please allow me to pick you up.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry. I’m close by.”

“Okay, I’ll be waiting for you—”

“Ohh?! Is your master on his way here?! Yaayyy!!”

“?!” That was not Hibari’s voice!

I wait for the unknown person to talk again, but all I hear is some sort of clattering noise.

“…Um, Hibari? Are you okay?”

“Yes, I am. Yuuji-sama… please be careful when you open the door of the apartment.”

“S-Sure?”

And just like that, the call ends.

“What in the world is going on at my home?”

Previous Chapter – Contents – Next Chapter