Episode 7: I’m a bit hungry

[Eh!? Was there such a place——!?]

[Yes, that’s right. The facilities are not that great, but the shape of the open-air bath here is like it’s almost connected to the ocean, so after you warm up in the water, you can stride a bit in the bath, dive into the ocean——and then after you’ve cooled off a little, you can enter the bath again, and do other things as well.]

[What the heck? What a luxury!]

[Isn’t it!? The view is literally the ocean spreading out in front of you, and the feeling of freedom is so great, that after entering once, you’ll never forget it.]

[Yeah, yeah! Ahh that sounds amazing! I really want to go in!]

[Yeah, it's worth a visit! ——Ah, but.]

[Ehh, what, what's wrong?]

[No, I was just wondering if there was a women's bath there…]

[He-hey! I'm not going to let you get away with that after you've built up people's expectations so high!]

[No, err, I’m sure… Ah, there was. There was one I think.]

[Really!? I’ll get angry if I go there and it’s there you know!?]

[Perhaps…No, perhaps.]

[jeez, which one is it!?]

Since he had cut off the conversation, Daiki had changed the subject and started talking about hot springs, which Reika also seemed to like, and both got more excited than they thought they would.

They talked mainly about the amazing hot springs they had been to in the past, what they thought about them, and now Daiki was just talking about the hot springs he had been to when the company he worked for was still white.

Then, Reika looked annoyed, picked up the coffee cup and was about to bring it to her mouth, when she looked down at the cup.

[Ara, it’s already finished. I was so absorbed in our conversation that I didn’t notice. Sorry, yours must be empty as well right?]

When she said that, Daiki noticed that his cup was empty as well.

[Yes, mine is empty too.]

[Right. I'll make a fresh pot of coffee. Or would you like some tea? If you want it cold, I can serve it right away.]

[Ah, anything will be fine.]

After saying that, Daiki remembered.

(Well, I was going to leave after finishing the coffee——but it's already past three o'clock.]

He looked at his watch and realized that a lot of time had passed. It was because they got excited while talking about the hot springs.

Reika was a good listener as well as a good conversationalist, probably because she was the president of a company, and he enjoyed talking with her, losing track of time.

(Well, it's not like I have a reason to go home early…)

While Daiki was pondering, Reika entered the kitchen and called out to him.

[Hey, aren’t you hungry? I have some ice cream, so why don’t you have that? It’s just past three o'clock after all.]

[Ah, I’ll have some.]

[OK, I guess we can have coffee or black tea with it… Hey, which would you like?]

[Coffee.]

It's not that he doesn't like tea, but he chose coffee.

[Haha, so after all, Yanagi-kun is a coffee person too.]

[What about you, Kisaragi-san? Will you have black tea?]

[Honestly I only have it once in a while. I prefer coffee.]

[I see.]

[It’s vanilla ice cream. Is that okay?]

[It’s fine.]

[Hmm, wait a bit, I'll put it on a plate.]

Reika took out a large two-liter box of commercial ice cream from the freezer, and then took out some hardware from a drawer.

[Here, look at this.]

She smiled impishly and showed off what she had in her hand with a click-clack sound.

[Oh, isn’t that a scoop? As expected, you have confidence in your cooking utensils.]

The thing that Reika showed was the thing that ice cream shops used to serve ice cream.

Daiki said it with admiration, and Reika frowned in suspicion.

[Um, what is this. It feels like you’re making fun of me…]

[No, you’re just being paranoid…though I wasn’t thinking that for a bit.]

[I see…Hmm? Wait so you did think that for a bit didn’t you!?]

[Haha, I’m kidding. Just kidding.]

[Haa…You have a good personality, really.]

Daiki smiled wryly as he watched Reika shake her head in disbelief.

[I can’t dig into it until it melts a little, so in the meantime I‘ll brew some coffee.]

Daiki pondered for a moment as he watched Reika making her signature coffee.

[Kisaragi-san, are you thinking of eating the ice cream straight from the box as it is?]

[Eh? Yes, but…?]

While Reika was looking at him blankly, Daiki stared at the remaining bread,and murmured, “Hmm…” while nodding.

[Ice cream is delicious as it is, but if possible, why not tamper with it a little?]

When Daiki playfully suggested a proposal, Reika’s puzzled expression gradually changed as her eyes glittered.

[Are you going to make something delicious with it?]

[Haha, it’s not that big of a deal… Can I use the leftover bread?]

[Sure!]

An immediate answer. Daiki chuckled.

[And then… oh yeah, do you have honey or maple syrup?]

[Let me see… I have both!]

[Then…let’s go with maple syrup. Can you bring it out?]

[All right!]

At the same time as Reika was moving, Daiki also entered the kitchen.

First, he took the remaining slice of bread, and put them in the toaster to toast them normally.

[Ah, you're going to toast them?]

[Yes. In the meantime, the butter…]

And when it was done, he spread a thin layer of butter on it.

[…Ah, right. Do you like cinnamon?]

[Hmm, I don't think I like it that much. Ah, I have some however.]

[You don't like it, but you have it…?]

It was probably inevitable that he would be taken aback.

[W-what? I'll tell you now, I didn't buy it, it was a gift!]

[Ah, so that's why…then, if you don't like it, it's fine.]

[Eh? Is it?]

[Yeah. You don’t have to mix in things you don't like. Kisaragi-san will eat it too after all. I don't really like it that much either.]

[…I see.]

[Yes——Well then.]

Daiki cut a piece of buttered bread into a dice shape, no more than three centimeters on each side.

He then placed it on a plate so that it would maintain the shape of the bread.

[The bread is toasted, the butter has been spread, it’s been cut…mm-hmm.]

Maybe the reason Reika had been watching so intently was because she was thinking of doing it herself when Daiki wasn't around.

(I didn’t really do anything that great though…)

With a wry smile, Daiki scooped up the vanilla ice cream that had melted nicely onto the bread with the scoop and placed it on top.

[Ah! I know what you're making!]

[As expected of Kisaragi-san. You figured it out here.]

[Fufuuun~]

[……]

Daiki said it in a teasing manner as if to mean that she was late in realizing it, but Reika took it as if he had been praising her for realizing it early, acting proud of it, and so Daiki felt a sense of disappointment as his teasing went in vain.

[… Well, it’s fine. And for the finisher, pour the maple syrup——Here, your order is ready.]

[Ah~, it looks delicious. And also it’s really simple!]

Reika's eyes sparkled, and Daiki couldn't help but chuckle.

[Well then, I'll take it to the table.]

[OK, I'm done making coffee too!]

The two of them carried their parts to the table and sat down.

[As you can see, this is honey toast——not technically honey because of the maple syrup, but it's the same thing. It's kind of an easy honey toast.]

[I don't care what it is, as long as it tastes good.]

[Me too. Well then——]

Daiki and Reika, who seemed to be in a good mood, put their hands together.

[Thank you for the meal——!]

Daiki and Reika scooped up a bite with their spoons.

The vanilla ice cream, which had already started to melt because it was placed on top of the toast, had melted even more, and was now completely tender. And it was nicely entwined with the diced bread underneath.

The ice cream had melted like soup, then they placed the remaining solid part of the ice cream, and the bread properly on a spoon and brought it to their mouths.

The first taste they sensed was still the vanilla from the ice cream. And then, the aroma of maple syrup spread.

While you feel the coldness of the ice cream in your mouth, the warmth of the toasted bread comes to your tongue, gently loosening the cold sweetness and aroma. When you bite into it, the flavor of the butter on the bread also comes into play. Not to mention, the combination of all these flavors increased the richness of the dish——

[Yum, it's delicious. The bread is sliced, so it's easy to eat.]

Reika put her hand on her cheek and smiled happily.

[Yes, this ice cream is pretty good, too, isn't it?]

[Isn’t it? I bought it at some kind of overseas business group's supermarket.]

[I see.]

[I like it so much that I buy it regularly.]

[And you've always just eaten it like it is?]

[Ugh… Yes. When I saw how easy it was for Yanagi-kun to make, I felt like I was missing out on a lot by being able to enjoy it like this.]

[Hmm? But that may not be the case all the time.]

[What do you mean?]

[If you eat like this every time, you'll gain weight.]

[…That's an important point.]

Reika nodded, showing the most serious face of the day.

[Haha. But I think just putting it on toasted bread is tasty enough. I'm sure you won't gain that much weight if you do…Above all, bread and ice cream is a very dangerous combo.]

[Yep, very dangerous.]

Daiki sipped his coffee as a palate cleanser, feeling satisfied with Reika's smiling face as she crunched away.

The sweetness in his mouth was washed away by the coffee, leaving a slight bitterness. The remaining bitterness also made his mouth feel sweeter and sweeter. Ice cream and coffee also go well together.

Reika was also drinking a cup of coffee to cleanse her palate.

[Even so, that’s it. I thought about it when I was eating lunch, you eat the food as it’s very delicious.]

When Daiki said this, Reika blinked her eyes curiously.

[Eh? I mean, it is delicious isn’t it? Is there something weird about it?]

[No, how do I say this… Kisaragi-san is rich, right? If so, do you still think so after eating much more first class food than something made by me?]

When he said that, Reika nodded as if she understood what Daiki was trying to say, put her finger on her chin and said, "Hmmm," after a bit of agonizing before answering.

[H-how do I say it. I do surely go out to expensive restaurants for socializing and eat delicious food right?]

[Yes.]

[But I think there's a difference between eating food outside dressed in formal clothing and eating good food at home.]

[Huh…]

Daiki couldn’t really understand, and Reika smiled wryly, not knowing how to explain properly.

[Well, is it easier if I put it this way? There's something special about a good meal eaten carefree at home, dressed comfortably.]

He got a bit shocked when she told him that with a wink, but he didn't show it on his face.

[Hmm…Well, this isn’t lunch but rather dessert. An after-meal snack but…]

[I don’t like it~, people who try to trip me up like that.]

[, sorry. I'm sorry, but I think I understand what you're saying.]

[Really? Well, that's good, but——Ah, and also.]

[What is it?]

[I think the excitement of being able to make something so delicious out of the meager ingredients in my house plays a role in the taste. The process of making something so vivid in front of my eyes. That's why today's lunch was really delicious.]

These words, spoken with a straightforward smile, brought Daiki a sense of satisfaction and contentment that he hadn't felt in a while, and at the same time reminded him of the joy and happiness of cooking.

[…If so, i’m glad.[

[Yeah. Ah, and of course, this snack, too!]

[Haha, I know.]

[…Hey, did I really look like I was eating something very delicious?]

[Yes, you did. To the extent that I was suspicious of my own cooking.]

[Eeh? Then, should I be a little more reserved? Would that be better?]

[No, that's fine. Please stay as you are.]

[…If you say it like that, then I won't know what kind of face to make when I eat it…]

Daiki almost burst into laughter when Reika said that with a grave look on her face.

[Hey, why are you laughing!?]

[No, it’s just that I've never seen anyone worry about what face to make when they eat something delicious, haha.]

[What’s with that, wasn’t it because Yanagi-kun asked me!?]

[That's right, I'm sorry.]

[Muu, I don't like it when you apologize like that…]

[What do ya want me to do?] {TLN: dialects to EN be impossible.}

When Daiki unconsciously replied in his fake Kansai dialect, Reika looked amazed.

[A Kansai dialect came out!? And the pronunciation is weird!]

[It's not strange.]

[It came out again!? And the pronunciation is still weird!]

When Reika cackled, Daiki joined in and laughed out loud.

And so the snack time was just as lively as it was before it.