[22/4/2026: Chapter re-translated.]
Melonbooks Special
Leave the Attendant Duties to Me
One sunny day after school.
Yumeko Shikiya and Tiara Basori were at the Tsuwabuki High School archery range.
Tiara gave a precise 30-degree bow to a female club member in a hakama who had come to greet them.
"Excuse me, I am Basori from the student council. We have an appointment. Is the club president, Tone-san, present?"
"Ah, yes. Prez! Someone from the student council is here!"
When the club member with a short ponytail called out, a single girl appeared from the back of the archery range.
A flashy appearance with long blonde hair, and a standing posture with a perfectly straight back.
Next to Tiara, who was unintentionally fascinated by her, Shikiya lightly tilted her head.
"Tone-chan... pleased to work with you..."
"Oh, it's Yumeko. Was our meeting today again?"
Tiara looked surprised as she watched the two casually clap their hands together.
"So the president is your friend, Shikiya-senpai? In that case, allow me to begin explaining right away."
Tiara cleared her throat and began reading from the printout in her hand.
"A club experience session is scheduled at the high school tour next month. It will be split into two 45-minute blocks, and we ask that you accommodate 15 participants per block. Does that work for you?"
Tone, who had been playing with Shikiya's nails, formed an "OK" sign with her thumb and index finger.
"Sure thing, leave it to me, Basoricchi!"
"Baso... A-Anyway, regarding the specific flow, first we'll have you explain the club and show them a practice session, and finally leave time for Q&A-"
Shikiya rested both hands on Tiara's right shoulder as she continued speaking, leaning her weight against her limply.
"Tiara-chan... you're so stiff... in so many ways..."
"Excuse me? But if I don't explain this properly, it will affect the schedule on the day-"
This time, Tone rested her elbow on the opposite shoulder of the frowning Tiara.
"I would rather skip the stiff stuff, too. I mean, since they are coming all this way, we want them to experience the cool parts of archery, right? Even if they can't draw the bow, they can at least hold it and strike a cool pose."
Being leaned on from both sides, Tiara let out an exasperated sigh.
"So we'll have them participate in practice. I'll make sure the participants bring their gym clothes."
"Gym clothes are fine, but I really want them to experience it properly, outfits and all. Wearing an archery uniform gets you pumped up, doesn't it?"
"I get it... hakama... are so cute…"
Caught between this incomprehensible mutual understanding, Tiara maintained a calm facade and continued speaking.
"I don't mind that, but we'll need a lot of archery uniforms."
"We have some in the club, and we can just borrow from the alumni if that's not enough. Ah, but dressing them might be a bit of a hassle. Basoricchi, will you help out?"
Tone and Shikiya casually exchanged glances over the nape of Tiara's neck.
Completely oblivious to their wicked gazes, Tiara blinked in confusion.
"Me? I only know how to dress someone in a yukata, though."
"Ah, not that part. I meant more like a practice dummy for dressing them, or, like, a dress-up doll?"
"...Doll?"
As Tiara was distracted by the unfamiliar word, Shikiya's fingers gently stroked her back.
"Hyaa!? Shikiya-senpai, did you just unhook my bra!?"
"I practiced... so I could unhook it through your jacket..."
Shikiya nodded, looking somewhat proud of herself.
"That doesn't mean you have to show it off right here, right now!? And in front of someone else, no less!?"
"So it's fine... if we're in the Student Council Room?"
"No, it is not fine!"
Tone wrapped an arm around the shoulders of Tiara, who was clutching her chest with both hands.
"Eh? Uh, Prez Tone?"
"Basoricchi, if you're going to fix your underwear, wanna use the changing room? You can be our dressing practice dummy while you're at it."
"R-Right. Um, what exactly do you mean by practice dummy-"
Shikiya hugged Tiara from behind just as she started to speak.
"Hurry up... let's go... not wearing a bra in public... is indecent..."
"And whose fault is that!? Eh, wait, please don't push me, both of you!"
Dragged along by the Shikiya and Tone gal duo, Tiara disappeared into the changing room.
The club members who had been watching the scene from a distance resumed their practice… with an expression of having given up on something.
Animate Special
Sing, Losing Heroine
Early afternoon on a day off.
I was taking a seminar from Yanami in the karaoke room.
In front of me, as I earnestly took notes on my phone, Yanami tossed an onion ring into her mouth and proudly tapped the screen of the karaoke remote.
"What you really have to be most careful about is song selection. In fact, you could even say it's everything."
"Song selection? Shouldn't you just sing whatever you like?"
Yanami shrugged her shoulders in exasperation at my casual question.
"How naive. Karaoke is a battlefield, Nukumizu-kun."
"Am I on a battlefield right now?"
She nodded with a very serious look.
"Exactly. Imagine this: right when everyone is super hyped up, a minor ballad you put in starts playing. What happens? Everyone starts getting up to go to the bathroom just enough to not be rude, or starts queuing up songs on the remote. If you end up one-on-one with someone because of bad timing, it's absolute hell, you know? They want to mess with their phones, but they reluctantly tap along to the rhythm for your sake. Nobody ends up happy."
Ehh… do you really have to be that considerate at karaoke?
As someone experiencing it for the first time, I couldn't imagine it, but Yanami must have gone through a lot of bitter experiences.
The person sitting across from me was a battle-hardened veteran. I instinctively straightened my posture.
"Then how do you choose what to sing?"
"There's a ranking, right? You sing those in order from the top."
It was a much cheaper method than I expected.
"...Is that really okay? What about your pride as a veteran?"
"Nukumizu-kun, I'm not talking about what's good or bad. You need a common language to share time and space with people who have different tastes and hobbies. That's why ballads and anime songs are strictly forbidden for beginners."
"But Yanami-san, didn't you sing a <Frozen> duet with Himemiya-san and Hakamada around summer-"
I realized my mistake mid-sentence.
A killer's glare from Yanami interrupted my words.
"...The ones who sang were Sousuke and Karen-chan, though?"
Seeing me fall silent in fear, Yanami softened her expression as if she had given up.
"Disney is OK, and Ghibli is OK, depending on the vibe. Even normal-sounding songs might actually be used in openings and trigger anime visuals, so don't forget to check them beforehand."
Why does she hate anime songs so much? Did the <Frozen> incident in July really break Yanami's heart that badly...?
Ignoring my concern, Yanami picked up the very last onion ring.
"Come to think of it, Nukumizu-kun, aren't you going to eat? These are really good."
I feel like they were all gone before I could even eat one.
Yanami, who had her mouth wide open, looked at my face and grinned.
"What, you should have just said so if you wanted some. Here, say 'ahh'."
"...Huh?"
Along with a line I felt like I had heard somewhere before, Yanami held out the onion ring to me.
Even though no one was watching, I looked around before opening my mouth.
...The taste of oil and salt spread across my tongue.
"Is it good? How's my 'ahh'?"
"Well, I mean, it's just normally delicious."
I looked away to hide my embarrassment, only for Yanami to pop her face into my line of sight with a mischievous smile.
"...So, how much are you gonna pay for that? I'll give you a discount."
Seibunkan Special
Please Refrain from Calling Out Inside the Store
Seibunkan Bookstore Shiotabashi Branch.
This store is off my usual route to school, but there's a specific reason I came here on my way home.
I heard a rumor that they still had limited editions of the romcom I've been into lately, <How About a Girl Who Lost to Her Stepmother?>.
As I headed toward the light novel section while humming a tune, the back of a petite Tsuwabuki High School girl browsing the magazine section caught my eye.
That short hair was tied up in a small bunch on one side of her head… is that Komari?
Komari is a first-year in the Literature Club as well. Aside from being a bit of a fujoshi, socially awkward, and excessively harsh only to me, she's an inconspicuous, ordinary student. Come to think of it, this store is on her way home.
The section Komari was in was for beauty and fashion magazines.
Her hair is always a mess, and she doesn't wear any makeup, but I guess she's actually interested in that stuff.
...No, wait, this is Komari we're talking about. She's definitely looking for reference material for writing a novel or something.
I stopped as I was about to walk past her and stealthily peeked at the book Komari was reading.
I might ask my little sister to get me a copy if the book is good enough.
Let's see, it looks like an article on makeup. Step up to absolutely undetectable angel skin...?
"Undetectable"? Isn't the whole point of makeup to show it off to people?
Curious about the contents, I leaned forward, causing Komari to jolt as she noticed my presence.
"Una!? H-How long have you been there!?"
"I just got here. You were reading so intently, I figured you must have found a good book to use as reference material for your novel."
"R-Right! R-Reference!"
Komari hid the book behind her back as she said this.
I see. Writing a story about noble ladies probably requires some knowledge of makeup, too.
Komari glared at me as I nodded in admiration.
"W-What about you? W-Why are you here? T-This isn't on your way home."
"I heard they still have the limited edition of a light novel I'm looking for. I went out of my way to walk all the way here."
"I-I see, good for you. H-Hurry up and go b-before it sells out."
"Eh? Hey, Komari."
Komari forcefully shoved me from behind.
She's as incomprehensible as ever. I decided not to resist and just do as she said.
...But as I was leaving, I caught a glimpse of the cover of the book she was holding.
The title is…
<How to Transform Unnoticed Even With Plain Features: A 60-Day Makeup Lesson>
This… might not have been reference material for her novel after all.
Filled with guilt for seeing something I wasn't supposed to, I quickly hurried away.
Sanyodo Special
The Two Are Family-Approved
Winter break, as the end of the year was fast approaching. I was at the Sanyodo Bookstore Toyokawa Branch just after it opened.
We stopped at this bookstore near the Toyokawa Interchange while on our way out of the prefecture for a family trip.
The Nukumizu family rule dictates that I get to buy one book whenever we go on an overnight trip, but today I was standing in front of the stationery section. This store also has a good selection of stationery.
I picked up a ballpoint pen displayed in a specialized box.
"A slightly expensive ballpoint pen... not a bad idea."
Spending money on stationery I don't usually use feels kind of cool somehow.
As I stared at the yellow pen, the faint scent of dirt and the sun tickled my nose.
"...Huh, it's Nukkun. What are you doing in a place like this?"
Someone gave me a heavy bump with a familiar voice.
When I turned around nervously, standing there was Lemon Yakishio, a Literature Club member who was also in the Track and Field Club.
"I was just looking at ballpoint pens. What about you, Yakishio? Why are you here?"
"I forgot track practice was canceled and went to school. Since I had free time, I went to visit Toyokawa Inari and I thought I would pay a visit, so I ran all the way here."
Ran all the way… It's easily 10 kms from school to here.
"Even so, Toyokawa Inari is way too far. Yoshida Shrine would have been fine."
"I hadn't done my thanksgiving visit for passing the high school entrance exam yet. I figured I would get it done before the New Year's visit."
"You barely made it in time before the end of the year. So you're on your way back from the shrine, then?"
Yakishio took the ballpoint pen from my hand and smoothly drew a flower on the test paper.
"Nope, I haven't gone yet. I forgot I ran out of mechanical pencil lead. I saw Sanyodo, so I figured coming here instead was fine."
"...This is neither a temple nor a shrine, though."
"This store is close to Toyokawa Inari, right? If I shop here, isn't it the same as visiting Toyokawa Inari?"
I don't think so.
"You should really go do your thanksgiving visit properly. It would be awkward when you go for your New Year's visit if you miss it, wouldn't it?"
"Awkward...? I guess you could think of it that way."
Yakishio nodded in admiration, and then she slapped me on the back. It hurts.
"Then let's go visit the shrine together, Nukkun. You're free anyway, right?"
"I'm going to a memorial service with my family now, so I can't."
"Your family is here! Is it that mister over there by any chance? Hellooo!"
"Wait, that's just some unrelated guy. No, it's not that person over there either, so stop waving your hand."
This is bad. Yakishio looks like she's about to talk to every single customer in here. Having your parents seen by a girl classmate is an event any adolescent boy definitely wants to avoid.
As I frantically tried to stop Yakishio, I noticed Kaju and my parents hurrying out of the store.
...Alright, I'm saved. Now I just need to meet up with them without Yakishio noticing.
I took out my phone to contact Kaju, only to receive a barrage of messages.
<You can do it, onii-sama.> <Show her what you're made of as a man.> <Prepare yourself.>
...I thought it was just Kaju, but what are my parents doing? Wait, that means-
With a bad feeling, I looked outside the store, just in time to see a familiar car driving out of the parking lot.
Eh!? They left me behind? Seriously?
Peeking at my phone from the side, Yakishio flashed a bright smile.
"Your family left you behind, Nukkun. Perfect timing, let's go together."
"That is not perfect timing at all!? No, more importantly, I'm leaving now!"
Yakishio's strong hand grabbed my arm as I tried to leave the scene.
"Come on, it's fine. Let's go to the shrine and then run all the way home together. Man, telling you to 'show them what you're made of as a man'. It's so nice to have such an understanding family. My mom's always telling me to stop running everywhere-"
"Don't pull me. As I said, I have to go after my family."
"Use your common sense, you can't outrun a car. Now, brace yourself!"
Ehh… to think I would be lectured on common sense by Yakishio.
Overcome by an indescribable sense of defeat, I left the store, letting her drag me along…
*This time's store: Sanyodo Bookstore Toyokawa Branch
Located near Toyokawa Inari, it is rumored in the Makeine world that shopping here brings divine blessings. It is also close to the Toyokawa Interchange, making it the perfect place to choose a book to accompany you on your travels.
Bookwalker Special
The Age of Rounding Off
Late November, early Sunday afternoon.
Kaju looked up at me with tears in her eyes at the front entrance of our house.
"...Onii-sama, Kaju is leaving now."
"Yeah, take care then. Don't stay out too late."
A younger sister heading out on a day off, and her older brother seeing her off.
Despite it being a completely ordinary scene, a single tear eventually rolled down Kaju's cheek.
"Won't you be lonely all by yourself, onii-sama? Will you be alright with no one sitting in your lap?"
I don't need anyone sitting on it, and I would rather be alone if possible.
I gently patted Kaju on the head.
"I'll be fine, so you go and have fun, Kaju. Come on, you'll be late to meet your friends."
That's right. Kaju was just going out shopping with her friends.
"But, but... Mom and Dad suddenly went out too, so the dazzlingly sweet time for just you and Kaju is-"
"I'm cutting back on sweets lately. Now, off you go."
"Meow~"
I locked the door after forcefully pushing Kaju outside.
...Well then, now I have the house all to myself.
I gave a big stretch and went over my plan for watching anime in my head.
As expected, I should use this chance to binge <The Firefighters of the Elf Forest>, the provisional number one on the <Anime I Can't Show My Family> ranking, on the big screen in the living room-
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang, as if to completely wipe away my excitement.
Did Kaju forget something?
I casually opened the door, only to find someone I never expected to see standing there.
"Ah, you're a lifesaver. Nukumizu-kun, let me in-"
Slam. I closed the door.
+
...Why is Yanami here?
That's right. Standing outside the front door was Yanami in a jersey, dripping with sweat.
Ah, come to think of it, I need to lock the door.
The door was forcefully pulled open the moment I reached for the lock.
"Hey, Nukumizu-kun, you closed the door right after seeing my face, didn't you!?"
"Well, it's just that you were completely drenched in sweat."
My highly persuasive explanation didn't work.
Yanami leaned in, fuming with anger.
"I didn't come here to hang out or anything! I have an unavoidable reason-"
"Hey, could you not stick your foot in the door?"
"How about you just stop trying to close the door!?"
I mean, you are trying to force your way inside.
Yanami shoved her arm into the house. This is bad, I have to stop her from invading any further.
Whoa, she's ridiculously strong-
And so, the preliminary skirmish at the front door ended in my complete defeat.
*
Yanami flopped down onto a chair in the living room and downed a glass of oolong tea in one gulp.
"Phew, I'm back from the dead. I went out for a walk without my wallet, thinking my phone would be enough."
"And then your battery died, is that it?"
"I couldn't contact anyone, and I couldn't even buy a drink. Ah, can I get another glass?"
When I poured her a refill, Yanami emptied the glass in a single breath again.
"Isn't your house pretty far from here, Yanami-san? You sure walked a lot."
"My mom dropped me off at the entrance of Toyohashi Park in her car, so it wasn't that far. But then I immediately realized my battery was dead. Taking a gamble and coming to your house was the right choice, Nukumizu-kun."
It's like a 10-minute walk from Toyohashi Park to my house.
She was way too sweaty for just that... I wonder why…
Yanami fanned her face with her hand as she looked around the living room.
"I haven't been to your house since summer vacation, right? Imouto-chan is out, huh."
"She went shopping with her friends. So, when are you going home, Yanami-san?"
Yanami glared at me displeasedly.
"Nukumizu-kun, aren't you always trying to send me home early?"
That's true, but that's not the only reason today.
While I was hesitating whether to say it, Yanami pressed the power button on the TV remote.
"I can't go home until my phone finishes charging. Oh, there's a tuna fishing show on. This is the one I missed during New Year's."
She put her elbows on the table, her attention completely drawn to the screen.
...This is a problem. She's seriously starting to make herself at home.
I glanced sideways at the calendar on the wall, restlessly crossing and uncrossing my legs.
I really hadn't expected to see her today, so I wasn't mentally prepared…
"I'll be at home, so why don't you go for a walk while it's charging?"
"Rest is important too, Nukumizu-kun. Look at the TV! It says it's the biggest bluefin tuna of the season!"
Drawn in by her excitement, I followed her gaze to the screen, just in time to see a plump, round tuna being hauled up.
"It says it's over 100 kg. That's amazing, it's more than two of me."
Huh, more than two Yanamis-
"...Wait, aren't you fudging those numbers?"
"I'm not fudging anything!? Nukumizu-kun, do you know what rounding off is?!"
Yanami shoved her glass toward me, fuming. I silently poured her some oolong tea.
"I'll have you know I succeed at my diets every time. They call me the demon of maintaining my ideal weight, you know."
I see, it's like my uncle who quits smoking every day.
"So you were walking for your diet today, too."
"It's not like I got fat or anything. But for some reason, the clothes I bought the other day didn't fit, so I figured I would walk a bit."
"That means you got fat-"
"Eh, doesn't that mean you got fat-"
Glare. Yanami's sharp look made me swallow my words.
"I did not get fat. The standards probably changed. The metric system or something around there."
That's a big deal.
"No, that wouldn't change. It's meters, you know?"
"But it fit perfectly when I tried it on last month!"
"Even if the standards changed, the actual size of the clothes wouldn't change. So you definitely got fat-"
Yanami glared at me again.
"...The metric system changed, huh. Yeah."
"Glad you understand."
Nodding importantly, Yanami set her glass down on the table with a clink.
"Today, if anything, I was planning on getting hungry in preparation for the night. After all, I'm going to eat yakiniku for dinner. The expensive kind, not all-you-can-eat."
Expensive yakiniku for dinner...? Alright, I can bring it up with this flow.
"Ah, come to think of it, today is-"
"Exactly!"
Interrupting my words, Yanami gave a thumbs-up with a smile.
"It's November 29th, Good Meat Day! I won't get yelled at for eating rice with stone-roasted bibimbap as a side dish just for today." [TL: 11 looks like "ii", 2 is "ni", 9 is "ku", so ii (good) niku (meat).]
Where did the meat go?
"Uh, more importantly than that, today's your-"
"I even skipped lunch, so I'm serious today. I'm going to order every cut of beef. Maybe I'll conquer the offal first."
Yanami began air-grilling yakiniku with a beaming smile.
It would simply be uncouth to ruin that smile.
"Oh, did you start to say something, Nukumizu-kun?"
"...No, it's nothing. More importantly, I've heard that eating a little bit beforehand gets your stomach working so you can eat more."
Yanami tilted her head slightly.
"Is that so? Then maybe I should eat something like a cheese beef bowl beforehand."
Didn't I say "a little bit"?
"A rice ball would be enough, right? It's just to get your stomach working."
"Nukumizu-kun, one rice ball is… just a margin of error, right?"
A margin of error. Has everything I've eaten up until now just been a margin of error?
"Besides, if it's just carbs, you'll get fat, right? You have to eat it together with vegetables or something."
Wait, Yanami suddenly started saying sensible things.
Could she be feeling sick because she's too hungry...?
"Yanami-san, should I make something light? We have vegetables in the fridge."
Yanami looked surprised when I said that out of concern.
"Nukumizu-kun, you can cook? Imouto-chan usually does it, right?"
"I wouldn't say 'can cook', but just simple rice bowls or curry."
"I see, so-called men's cooking."
She nodded repeatedly while crossing her arms.
"But men's cooking is basically brown, right? It's like the enemy of a diet."
"Yanami-san, you like brown food, don't you?"
"Yeah, I love it!"
...She confessed.
Well, it can't be helped if she confessed. I stood up while recalling the contents of the fridge.
"Then I'll try making something with lots of vegetables and low in calories."
"Let's see what you can do, Nukumizu-kun."
Yanami said that while resting one elbow on the table.
Why is she acting so high and mighty...?
*
I placed a steaming plate in front of Yanami about 20 minutes later.
"Thanks for waiting. Go ahead before it gets cold."
Men's cooking, Nukumizu's style. Yakisoba with a vegetable-packed thick sauce.
Also known as the All-Hands-On-Deck Fridge Leftovers Special.
Muttering a small "ohh", Yanami picked up her chopsticks… and stopped moving.
"Wait, this looks pretty authentic. Are the calories okay?"
"I halved the amount of noodles and bulked it up with the vegetable sauce. Let's see, it's probably under 300, I think."
"300?"
Yanami twitched her eyebrows up.
"Even a single cup noodle has 400 kilocalories, you know? Care to explain what kind of math you did?"
...She's so lenient with herself, yet so strict with others.
"Well, I made the sauce mainly with napa cabbage, along with low-calorie wood ear mushrooms, shimeji mushrooms, and baby corn. I added protein with finely shredded chicken breast and quail eggs, and gave it some color with snow peas and carrots. Also, I steamed the ingredients in the microwave, so I didn't use any oil."
I placed a bowl of seaweed soup next to the plate after the explanation.
"If you're worried about the portion, you don't have to finish it."
Yanami, who had been staring intently at the plate for a while-
"...It's about the taste."
She muttered in a low voice.
"What?"
"Cooking is all about the taste. We won't know who won until I try it."
When did this turn into a competition? Yanami carried the yakisoba to her mouth.
Munch, munch, munch.
After emptying about half the plate, Yanami suddenly set her chopsticks down with a clack.
"What's wrong, Yanami-san?"
"...Aren't you pretty mean?"
"Huh? Why?"
Yanami looked up at me with a flat stare.
"The bento I made in the first term. Nukumizu-kun, if you could cook this well, you were probably thinking of my bento as one of 'those', right?"
...Yeah, I was.
But I'm an adult too. I clearly shook my head.
"That's not true. Bentos require a lot of care, like preservation and making sure they taste good even when cold, right? You also have to think about the presentation."
Setting aside the appearance of her bento, that is.
Perhaps my desperate excuse got through to her. Yanami picked up her chopsticks again with a triumphant expression.
"As long as you understand, it's fine. Making a bento is hard work, after all."
Against a humored Yanami, half a serving of yakisoba was obliterated in an instant.
After eating the yakisoba completely clean down to the sauce, she clapped her hands together.
"Thanks for the meal! It was delicious!"
"It was nothing. Here, I'll set some tea down for you. It's hot, so be careful."
As I cleared the plate and headed to the sink, I heard a voice from behind say, "Hot!"
...I literally just told her to be careful.
*
When I finished putting away the dishes and returned, Yanami was reading the newspaper while sipping her tea.
Somehow, there's a Showa-era vibe drifting exclusively around her…
"Hmm, apparently the yen is doing something compared to the dollar. That's rough."
"Yeah, that's rough."
Taking off my apron and sitting in a chair, I restlessly checked the calendar on my phone.
Just as Yanami said, today is Good Meat Day. But more than that, it's also a slightly more special day.
Because today is-
When I sent a quick glance her way, Yanami was humming while turning the pages of the newspaper.
"Uhh, today's the 29th, right?"
When I said that deliberately, Yanami nodded with her eyes still on the newspaper.
"Yeah. I just said that, didn't I?"
"So, you know. It's... that. So… here."
I held out a paper package containing a book while averting my eyes.
"Huh? What's this?"
"Um, today is, well, your birthday, so…"
Yanami blinked in surprise as she accepted the paper package.
"So you mean it's a present? Nukumizu-kun, you know my birthday."
I was so embarrassed that I just nodded repeatedly while looking down.
Then, Yanami let out a cheer as she opened the package.
"No way!? I've been looking for this!? It was sold out everywhere!"
The title of the book Yanami held up with sparkling eyes was <The Encyclopedia of Meat>.
From livestock to wild game, it's an irresistible masterpiece for meat lovers that covers all the meat distributed domestically.
"I just happened to find it. So, I figured I might as well…"
I didn't even know if she was listening to me. Yanami pointed at a page in the book with glittering eyes.
"Look, Nukumizu-kun, an explanation on cow stomachs! Now I won't mix up abomasum and rumen!"
"Uh, I see. Do you really have that many opportunities to mix them up?"
"Opportunities are things you make, Nukumizu-kun. Isn't the omasum super gross-looking?"
"Don't bring the book so close if you think so."
A high school boy and girl alone in a house, looking at pictures of raw meat… What are we even doing?
...Perhaps satisfied after a while, Yanami closed the book and hugged it tightly to her chest.
"Thank you so much, Nukumizu-kun. I'm really happy."
"Eh... no, it's nothing much."
It throws me off when she gets so genuinely happy about it…
"And so, I have something to talk to you about, or rather, a favor to ask, Nukumizu-kun."
Talk? With this timing, it made me wonder what she wanted to say.
Yanami started speaking bashfully while playing with her bangs while I was bewildered.
"...About that yakisoba from earlier, you used half the noodles, right?"
"Huh? Yeah, I did."
"Which means the other half is still left over. In other words, I thought it might be a hassle for you to have leftover ingredients just sitting around…"
Fidget, fidget. The sight of Yanami playing with her hair was exactly like a maiden in love.
I picked up the folded apron once again and stood up.
"...Yanami-san, do you want seconds?"
"Yeah, I do!"
Her bursting smile bloomed once again.
I couldn't help but let a smile form on my lips.
A high school girl in love not with a boy, but with thick-sauced yakisoba.
November 29th, Good Meat Day.
Today is Anna Yanami's 16th birthday.
It looks like the day she gets a boyfriend is still a long way off…
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