Episode 27: He Brings the Flour, She Brings the Eggs
The rumors about people last for seventy-five days, as they say, but sometimes they’re forgotten even sooner than that.
In fact, the unsavory rumors about Ichinose Ayano had disappeared from their ears in less than two weeks.
This was partly thanks to her friends, including Akimoto Fuyuki and Mizuhara Kaori, who spoke out to those around them, but mostly because they flaunted how close they were.
Anyone who saw them thought, “If they’re such a loving couple, the rumors must have been just rumors.”
Rather, the story of “Kamijou Yuuto protecting Ichinose Ayano from Mikado Kouki at the shopping mall” had spread before anyone knew it, making him a kind of “man of the hour” at school.
And so, on a Saturday about three weeks after they first heard the rumors, around noon:
“Hey, what should we do for lunch? I’m not that hungry, but if we’re eating, I’ll make something?”
It started when Ayano called out to Yuuto through the window while they were each relaxing in their own rooms.
“Hmm, me neither. I don’t really want a full meal, maybe just some bread.”
“Bread sounds good to me too. Do you have any bread over there?”
“I have some sandwich bread—no, sorry, I don’t. I ate it this morning.”
“I don’t have any either… Should we go to the convenience store?”
“Ah!”
“What? You scared me!”
“Come to think of it, I have some pancake mix left. I should use it. Ugh, but I don’t have any eggs!”
“What about milk?”
“I have some. I opened it this morning, so I want to use it soon.”
“I have extra eggs at my house.”
“Ayano…”
“What?”
“I love you.”
“Don’t whisper sweet nothings just because you want pancake ingredients.”
“If you bring the eggs, I’ll cook today, okay?”
“Yuto…”
“What is it?”
“I love you.”
“Don’t declare your love just because you want hotcakes…!”
They both laughed, trying to stifle their voices, and got caught up in it for a while.
“Coming over soon?”
“Yeah—I’m going!”
She decided to visit her boyfriend’s house.
◇
“…Oh, this might actually be good.”
Ichinose Ayano, who had changed into the boyfriend bait outfit (no padding) she bought on their first date, muttered as she looked at Kamijou Yuuto in an apron in the kitchen.
“What might?”
“Hmm? Oh, nothing really—? Here, I only have two, but will that be enough?”
She laughed it off and handed him the eggs.
“Thanks. It’s just for the two of us, so it’s plenty.”
“Need any help?”
“Nah, I’m good. It’s just mixing and cooking.”
Yuuto skillfully mixed the ingredients in a bowl. The key was to add the milk in portions so it wouldn’t clump.
Ayano couldn’t help but think that the way he cracked the eggs with one hand was kind of cool.
“Yuto, do you ever cook?”
“Nah, not really. But we used to make sweets together at your place, remember? Besides, I can handle this much.”
“That’s right. We did.”
Ayano remembered when she was a child and had regained her energy, she had been taught how to make sweets by Yuuto’s Mother, and she had made him join in.
“I’m sorry about that time. I just wanted to do everything together.”
Yuuto shrugged slightly at Ayano’s wry smile.
“Don’t worry about it. I was the one who said we’d always be together back then.”
“You remember…”
Ayano was a little surprised, but Yuuto grinned as he mixed the batter.
“I told you the other day that I remembered the old days, right? Man, that was rough. Ayano couldn’t do anything without me, not even take a bath or go to the bathroom alone.”
“Ah! Ah! I can’t hear you! I can’t hear anything!”
Ayano recalled the time when she was at her worst and covered her ears, shouting exaggeratedly.
When she was a child, although there were circumstances, they had “taken baths together” and “he had to wait in front of the door every time she went to the bathroom.”
It was like a younger sister being taken care of by her older brother, but now they were lovers. She couldn’t stand it when he brought up those times, it was too embarrassing.
“Alright then! Hotcakes need maple syrup, right!? I’m gonna pour a ton on!”
Ayano forcefully opened someone else’s refrigerator.
Yuuto laughed out loud as he prepared the frying pan, amused by her flustered state.
“Huh? Hey, Yuto, there’s no syrup.”
“Hmm? Isn’t it on the door-side shelf? Where the tube wasabi is?”
“…? It’s not there. I have ketchup and mayonnaise, though.”
“Ketchup and mayo wouldn’t be bad, like on a corn dog.”
“Right now, I want something sweet…”
Yuuto chuckled at her obvious disappointment.
“Then I’ll go buy some right away. It would be helpful if you could start cooking.”
“Then I’ll go. You’re already wearing an apron, so you should cook.”
“No, but Ayano, you have preparations to make, right? That—equipping your additional armor…”
Ayano covered her chest with her arms at Yuuto’s gaze.
“Don’t talk about your girlfriend like she’s a humanoid mobile weapon… You sound like you’re making fun of me, even though you’re trying to be considerate!”
She sighed once,
“It’s just the convenience store right there, and I probably won’t run into anyone I know, right? I’ll just pop over and come back.”
Ayano pouted,
“Well, I’m going now, so make sure you cook them well, okay?”
She immediately put on a smile.