Chapter 17: Angel’s Hamburg Steak and "Murakumo"

A dining space opposite the kitchen.

There, Murakumo-kun sat quietly at the table, his eyes fixed on the hamburger steak, waiting patiently. Like a loyal dog who had been told to wait.

A big dog too—nearly 190 cm tall. He’d surely make a reliable guard for the house.

...Well, jokes aside, it seemed like I was keeping him waiting.

"Sorry to keep you!"

"Apologies. Well then, shall we eat?"

"Yes!"

Murakumo-kun replied cheerfully.

With the three of us together, we put our hands together and said “Itadakimasu,” beginning our meal.

That said, neither I nor Mom picked up our chopsticks. We were waiting for Murakumo-kun to eat first.

"......"

Murakumo-kun skillfully used his chopsticks to cut a portion from the hamburger steak—charred and unsightly as it was—dipped it in sauce, and brought it to his mouth.

From the look of the cross-section, at least it seemed properly cooked, which was a relief.

"Mmm! It’s delicious!!"

—Yeah, that couldn’t be true.

It was burnt all over, crumbly, and honestly not something you’d praise for its taste.

There was no way it was good.

In fact, even Mom had told me it needed work.

—But Murakumo-kun said it was good to spare my feelings.

Just that alone made me happy. I’d do better next time. I wanted him to genuinely think it was delicious. That’s how I felt.

So I understood how Murakumo-kun felt. He didn’t need to push himself to eat any more.

"Murakumo-kun, thank you. But really, you don’t have to force yourself anymore. I’ll do my best to make it better next time. It’s not a lot, but here—try mine. I made this one too."

Saying that, I offered him my own hamburger steak.

But Murakumo-kun refused it. He wrapped his arms protectively around the large, misshapen, heavily burnt hamburger steak in front of him as if shielding something precious.

"This one is mine. Haru made this with all his heart for me. I’m going to eat every last bite. I won’t give it to anyone. Not even Haru."

"Haru-chan…"

Mom looked at me and shook her head.

Was it really that important to Murakumo-kun?

He took a bite and said it was delicious. That alone made me happy. His feelings had already reached me.

That’s why I wanted him to at least eat something a bit better. The one I offered him was the one Mom had rated as ‘pretty decent.’

I put all my effort into that one too. It was made at the same time as the one he was holding. Still, it wasn’t acceptable?

"Haru. —If it’s a meal you made with all your heart for me, then it’s delicious no matter what. That’s why this hamburger steak has a one-of-a-kind flavor—it’s Haru’s cooking."

"...No matter what kind of meal?"

"Yeah. If it’s something Haru made from the heart for me, then no matter what it is, it’s delicious."

"......"

"When you made this dish, I’m sure you were thinking of me. You wanted me to enjoy it. That’s why, no matter how it turned out, it’s the best tasting thing for me. Even the burnt parts are precious to me. That’s why this hamburger steak is mine—mine alone."

"......"

I had nothing left to say.

There was no way I could say anything after that.

With words like those, I could only fall silent.

All I could do was accept the overwhelming, overflowing affection Murakumo-kun had for me.

But honestly, Murakumo-kun’s a dummy. I told him he didn’t need to force himself to eat it. Seriously, what an idiot.

If he ends up with a stomachache, then what?

...He’d probably say even that’s precious to him or something…

“Haha… Murakumo-kun, you’re such a dummy…”

Before I knew it, tears had started to fall.

The reason was clear. These were tears of joy.

Even if it was just in the moment, for him to say all that—how could I not be happy?

That joy burst through and spilled over as tears.

"Yeah, I’m a total idiot. But if it’s for Haru, I can be the biggest idiot in the world. —Because everything about Haru belongs to me, naturally."

"—Murakumo-kun."

"What?"

"Thank you."

"I should be the one thanking you."

At some point, Mom had wiped away her tears.

After that, Murakumo-kun really did eat every last bite—he even licked the sauce off the plate clean. No, seriously, he actually licked the plate.

Yeah… well… yeah.

That’s just like Murakumo-kun.

Looking back, that was the one time Murakumo-kun spoke so much.

Maybe his emotions had broken through too, and the words just spilled out.

And that—it was incredibly important. Truly meaningful.

—Because through that moment, I realized it clearly. My heart, my feelings, had finally settled.

Dinner was over, and now we were in my room.

The two of us sat side by side next to the round table, our fingers laced together like lovers, leaning slightly into each other.

My heart felt warm and fuzzy, and even without saying a word, I was perfectly content.

Murakumo-kun was right there, our hands joined, his warmth reaching me—and just that alone made my spirits lift.

And honestly, if we were at Murakumo-kun’s place instead of mine, I’d be thinking about all the things we could be doing right now.

…Well, I’ll save that for tomorrow’s date.

For today, let’s keep things wholesome. Yes, wholesome. Let’s just play a game or something.

"Want to play a game? I’m not losing this time."

Saying that, I pulled out the party game we’d played together last week.

"I’m going to win again."

"Nope, no way. I totally remember how to play now—I’m not losing."

And just like that, the game began.

Oh—wait!

"Hold on a sec!!"

When it came time to enter our names, after picking mine as “Haruto,” I snatched Murakumo-kun’s controller.

Then I made his character name “Murakumo.” The character was tall and cool-looking, of course.

"I don’t mind using ‘Kiriya,’ though."

"No way! You’re Murakumo-kun! Here."

I handed the controller back and resumed the game.

"I mean, I am Kiriya Kurakumo."

"I know that. But I like calling you Murakumo-kun… Is that okay?"

"...If you’re fine with it, Haru."

Yes! That was a little underhanded, but I totally played the sweet card and pushed it through.

From my perspective, ‘Kiriya’—as in Kiriya Kurakumo, my best friend—is someone else entirely.

Murakumo-kun is… um… well…

He’s the person I like… and that’s different from just being a friend.

Yeah. I definitely want to make that distinction.

A best friend is a best friend. A boyfriend is a boyfriend.

Just thinking those words—like or boyfriend—is making me blush like crazy!

…A-anyway, a match is a match. I’m not going to lose!

And I loooost!!

With absolutely abysmal dice rolls, the difference between us became hopelessly wide—and the game ended in my crushing defeat.

"Why!!? Your dice luck is totally busted!!"

"Then it’s time for your punishment game."

"Huh!? What?! You never said anything about that!!"

"I just said it now."

Murakumo-kun started rummaging through the games and picked out a co-op action game.

The one with the cute characters where you advance by copying enemy abilities.

"You just said it… That doesn’t count!!"

"Too bad. Punishment game."

Saying that, Murakumo-kun pointed to his crossed legs.

What… what does that mean? No way—don’t tell me…

"...You mean… you want me to sit there?"

I nodded with a small bob of my head.

—He’s so forceful.

But, well… I did lose. I guess it’s fine if it’s just something like this.

I smoothed down my short skirt, then sat down on Murakumo-kun’s crossed legs, stretching my legs out in front of me.

Then Murakumo-kun leaned in from behind, his arms wrapping around in front of my stomach to hold the controller.

It felt like I was being completely enveloped by him.

And… his face was close. Really close—right beside mine.

Hey, wait a sec… isn’t this more of a reward than a punishment?

…No, no. He said it’s a punishment game, so it must be one.

Ahh, what a dilemma. Guess I have no choice but to accept it. I lost, after all—this is a punishment game.

But to me right now, this wasn’t a punishment at all—it was a reward. And with that reward, the game began.

As expected from an action game, Murakumo-kun’s hands moved rapidly, pressing buttons while operating the controller in front of my belly. His hands became more and more active, and eventually, they were pressed firmly against my stomach. The vibrations, the movement—it stirred a strange, ticklish sensation.

And on top of that, from time to time, as if remembering to, he’d gently stroke my belly.

That soft, brushing sensation didn’t feel unpleasant at all—in fact, I found myself wishing he’d touch me more.

I wanted more of those soft, stroking touches… A craving was starting to build.

Because of that, it became really hard to concentrate, and as his touches escalated further, the next thing I knew, he started touching my thighs.

“Hey!? Not today, okay? Today is supposed to be a wholesome day!!”

“Then… how about one punishment for every mistake?”

What do you mean, “then”!?

But fine—if I just win, I can end this whole thing!

“Alright! Let’s count mistakes this stage. Whoever has more by the end loses!!”

And the game resumed.

“Hey! You’re interfering, that’s cheating!”

Exactly. Right when I needed to pull off a crucial move, he blew into my ear—right beside my face—while his hands were still pressed to my stomach, making it nearly impossible to stay focused. He was clearly trying to mess with me.

Thanks to that, I made two mistakes before even reaching the boss.

Murakumo-kun was doing just fine—zero mistakes. Damn it, was this his specialty game? I should’ve picked something else…

And then, I made another mistake during the boss fight—three in total.

What on earth is he going to make me do?

…Honestly, I wouldn’t mind wearing something a little risqué.

…My heartbeat quickened with a mix of nervousness and anticipation. Thump, thump.

“So, what are you gonna make me do?”

“For each miss, ten seconds of no resistance. Three mistakes, that’s thirty seconds.”

“No resistance!? Hey—just so we’re clear—not today! I said today’s a wholesome day!”

“I know.”

The moment he said that, I was pulled into a tight hug from behind.

“Hyah!!”

Then he licked the nape of my neck, and it tickled so much I let out a squeal.

“H-hey…!!”

The hug that started off gentle gradually tightened, to the point where it was almost crushing.

And yet, strangely, even though it felt a little suffocating, it didn’t feel unpleasant at all. In fact, there was even something comforting about it.

I could feel Murakumo-kun’s desire for me—how much he wanted me, how badly he needed to hold me like this. That thought, for some reason, made me kind of… happy.

Had thirty seconds already passed? His grip loosened, shifting into a soft, tender embrace.

—Wait, is it over already?

I felt a pang of loneliness at the loss of that tight pressure.

“Was that too much? Sorry if it hurt.”

“No… it was okay.”

Murakumo-kun apologized, but there was no way I could tell him the truth—how it actually felt good.

And with that, the night came to a close.

We left the room, went down the stairs, and I walked him to the front door.

“Well, see you tomorrow. I’ll be waiting.”

“Yeah. See you then.”

“Mm.”

I waved as I saw Murakumo-kun off.

Yeah. I’ve made up my mind.

My heart’s decided.

Murakumo-kun loves me, and I love Murakumo-kun.

That’s why… I’ve decided to live as Murakumo-kun’s partner—as his girlfriend.

What if he ends up hating me…? …No. I don’t even want to think about that.