Chapter 16: Shopping with an Angel

It’s Saturday today—which means it’s the day I make hamburg steak for Murakumo-kun and have him eat it.

It’s only been a week, but I’ve been practicing, making at least three every day.

Honestly, the taste is nowhere near my mom’s, and the shape is uneven, with visible charring.

Barely passable, according to Mom. She said, “Just barely above failing,” but also told me, “Even so, go ahead and serve it.”

To be honest, I’m embarrassed to serve something like this, but since I’ve decided to, I need to give it my all today more than ever and apply everything I’ve learned! I pump myself up.

Alright, I think I’ll change my hairstyle today too, just to set the tone.

Something that won’t get in the way while I’m cooking… what comes to mind is a ponytail.

So I adjust the height of the ponytail to get it just the way I like it.

Next, my outfit. I want to wear something that Murakumo-kun might like.

Which, in short, means clothes that show a lot of skin.

Let’s see… I’ll go with bare shoulders and a bare belly.

As for the skirt… well, a mini-skirt is the standard.

Wait, I bought this many mini pleated skirts?

I mean, I like them too. …Wearing them is a different matter entirely, though.

Trying on an off-shoulder top that shows the belly feels… well, very insecure.

It barely feels like I’m wearing clothes—more like something just draped over me? Like it might slip off any second.

And I’m going to cook in this? …Well, I’ll be wearing an apron, so I guess it’s fine.

Alright, appearance complete! Bring it on, anytime!

Ding-dong.

The doorbell rang, and I rushed to the entrance.

I opened the door and saw Murakumo-kun’s face.

“Good morning, Murakumo-kun!”

“Good morning.”

As usual, his sharp eyes and seemingly expressionless face.

But I can tell—he’s a little happy right now, isn’t he? I get it, because I am too.

“Come on in! …Is what I’d like to say, but first, let’s go shopping!”

“?”

He looked like he was thinking, What are you talking about all of a sudden?

The truth is, yesterday evening, when I went grocery shopping with Mom, she told me:

“Go buy the ingredients together tomorrow.”

Apparently, showing the process of buying the ingredients leaves a better impression than just making the dish.

Showing my domestic side would leave a good impression.

Yeah, I get it. As someone who used to be a guy, I totally get it.

Even with all the shifts in the times and everything, for a guy, a girl who’s good at home stuff is just… appealing.

Like, coming home to the three choices: bath, dinner, or me.

Microwaving leftovers and eating alone? Screw that.

Even when Dad comes home late, Mom always reheats the food, and even if he doesn’t eat, she sits at the table and they have a conversation as a couple.

So, having totally bought into that reasoning, I decided to go with this strategy.

Besides… going shopping together as a date doesn’t sound bad at all.

“Mom! We’re heading out for a bit!”

“Hold up.”

“Hm? What’s up?”

“You’re especially cute today.”

!?

You—! You bastard!! You never say things like that!!

That was a dirty sneak attack!!

My cheeks turned red in an instant, and my head flushed with heat.

“—Th-thanks.”

Unable to look Murakumo-kun in the eye, I turned my face away and fiddled with my hair to hide myself as I managed to squeeze out just those words.

And then Murakumo-kun hugged me.

It caught me by surprise, but I wrapped my arms around his back too, burying my face in his big chest.

“L-let’s go!!”

After taking in a good whiff of Murakumo-kun’s scent, I pulled away and stepped outside.

Still holding his hand, I led him straight to the supermarket for our shopping trip.

“What are we buying?”

“Ingredients for hamburger steak.”

“I see.”

Hand in hand, we walked around the store.

I picked out the ingredients while Murakumo-kun held the basket, looking kind of lost.

It felt like I was leading around a child who might wander off at any moment.

So even Murakumo-kun gets like this in places he’s not used to, huh.

He’s starting to look kind of cute like this.

“You seem pretty used to this.”

“Well, yeah. I’ve been coming here pretty much every day lately.”

“You practiced that much?”

“Ah—yeah.”

I felt a bit embarrassed.

But honestly, even with that much practice, I’m still nowhere near good enough.

Just as I was thinking that, Murakumo-kun started putting snacks into the basket.

Hey! Don’t just toss stuff in like that.

Wait—juice too? Hey!!

“I’ll pay for it.”

There he goes again.

I’d feel bad if I kept letting him pay for everything.

“Listen—”

“It’d be weird if I didn’t do anything.”

“…Ugh.”

He probably figures that since I’m the one picking out the ingredients and cooking the hamburger steak, the least he can do is cover the cost of the ingredients.

And by throwing in snacks and juice, he’s trying to soften the guilt I might feel about him paying. I think that’s what he’s doing.

…Maybe I’m overthinking it. Maybe I’m just seeing Murakumo-kun in too good a light.

Well, whatever. It’s still way better than assuming the worst.

“…Thanks, Murakumo-kun.”

I said that with a smile.

The moment I did, I realized my mistake.

Usually, this is when he hugs me.

But here? While we’re waiting in line at the register? That’s definitely not okay.

But Murakumo-kun didn’t go that far. He just shifted his grip into an interlocking hold—like a couple—and didn’t do anything else.

Phew…

Looks like even he realized this wasn’t the place and held himself back. That’s a relief.

Or so I thought… but as soon as we finished paying and stepped out of the store—

“Can I now?”

With that, he pulled me into a hug.

Murakumo-kun, what exactly is your sense of judgment? There are still a lot of people around here, you know?

But, well… better than doing it inside, I guess. You held it in well.

Thinking that, I patted Murakumo-kun’s head while he hugged me.

Naturally, doing this in this kind of place drew a lot of attention.

When it was over, we slipped away quickly, almost fleeing the scene.

Now that I think about it, I’ve been coming to this supermarket almost every day lately, and it’s close to my house. I’ll definitely be coming back.

Ugh… I messed up.

How am I supposed to show my face here from now on?

“…Sorry.”

On the way home, he apologized again.

Not much I can do about it now. But… I guess I’ll let it slide.

“You’re hopeless. Fine, I forgive you.”

“I’m home~”

Saying that, I peeked into the living room.

“Welcome back.”

Came my mom’s reply.

“Alright, I’ll get started right away, so Murakumo-kun, wait in the living room, okay?”

Saying that, I headed into the kitchen.

“…"

As I laid out the ingredients and tied on my apron, I felt someone’s gaze.

I figured maybe Mom was checking in on me out of worry, but when I looked that way—it was Murakumo-kun.

“Something wrong?”

“You look cute in an apron too.”

!?

This guy—!!

What’s with you today?! You never say stuff like that normally!!

And you’re in the way! Get out of the kitchen!!

“Thanks!! But you’re in the way, so go wait in the living room!”

“I won’t get in the way. I just want to watch you cook.”

Are you a kid or what!?

Ugh… Well, the truth is, it’s not that he’s actually in the way. It’s just… embarrassing.

And besides, I might mess up if someone’s watching me.

As I was thinking that, Mom came to my rescue.

“No, Murakumo-kun, that’s no good. What if she gets nervous and makes a mistake?”

“Even if it’s burnt to a crisp, I’ll still eat it.”

“That’s not the point. What if Haru-chan cuts her hand with a knife? …So no, out.”

“…That’s… I see. Haru, sorry for getting in the way.”

Thanks to Mom’s firm persuasion, he finally went back to the living room.

As he left, Mom gave me a wink.

So cool… I want to be an adult like that someday.

But seriously, thank goodness he didn’t say something like, “Then I’ll lick it better.”

Because with Murakumo-kun, he might actually say that…

Alright then, time to focus and get cooking.

Making the hamburger steak turned out to be harder than I imagined.

The reason? It was both thicker and bigger than the ones I usually make.

When the thickness changes, naturally the way it cooks does too, and I had no idea how to adjust for it.

And, well, as an inevitable result, I ended up with a hamburger that was a little more on the charred side.

I couldn’t help it—if I tried too hard to avoid burning it, there was a chance the inside wouldn’t be fully cooked. That’s even more dangerous. I couldn’t serve something like that.

The problem is, I never make them this size to begin with. No one in my family could eat a portion this big, so I had no chance to practice. What am I supposed to do…

Well, anyway—for now, I’ll set that aside. It’s done. Barely, but it’s done.

What Mom once called just barely not a failing grade, I think this time it definitely fails with room to spare.

Seriously… am I really going to serve this?

I really don’t want to. But I don’t have enough ingredients left to make another one.

Can’t be helped.

He did say he’d eat it even if it’s totally burnt, so I guess I’ll just have to go with it.

Letting out a deep sigh, I placed the hamburger on a plate with some carrots and broccoli, poured sauce over it, and it was done.

“It’s ready!”

I called out toward the living room, and Murakumo-kun came immediately.

He must’ve been looking forward to it… Sorry it turned out like this.

It’s an embarrassing disaster of a hamburger, but I know Murakumo-kun will eat it. Not because it’s good, but because he likes me.

It’s definitely not because it tastes good. I really have to get better.

“…Here.”

Nervously, I handed him the plate with the hamburger on it.

The burn marks were obvious at a glance. It wasn’t the kind of thing you could serve at a restaurant—or even in a typical household, really.

I was full of embarrassment and disappointment.

“Thank you.”

But Murakumo-kun didn’t make a single unpleasant face. In fact, he looked happy. Not in that subtle, I can tell he’s happy even if he’s expressionless kind of way, but in a way that clearly showed on his face.

He took the plate, brought it to the dining table, and stared at it with joy.

The rest of the dishes and the rice were brought over by me and Mom.

“Everything else is okay, I suppose. But that… well, no need to say it.”

That was Mom’s verdict.

Normally I’d be thrilled to hear even an okay from her for the first time—but it didn’t make me happy at all.

Because that dish was the one I’d poured all my effort into.

“Haru-chan, it’s only been a week. If you’d already surpassed me, I wouldn’t have anything left to brag about. So it’s okay that it turned out like that. But you really should be grateful to Murakumo-kun for eating it.”

“…Yeah.”

Saying that, Mom gently pulled me into a hug.

“You know, I’m really happy that Haru-chan became a girl. Back then, if I tried hugging you like this, you’d push me away.”

“Mom…”

“Now, Murakumo-kun’s waiting. Let’s go.”

“Yeah!”

With Mom’s comforting words warming my heart, the two of us headed over to where Murakumo-kun was waiting in the dining room.