Episode 42 – Shuraba ⑥

Suzu visited yesterday, but this was the first time Shizuka and Aki had been up to a house where male lives alone.

Therefore, they proceeded somewhat restlessly, glancing around even in the corridor.
When they went through the door at the end of the hallway, they found themselves in a 1K room.

The room is dimly lit with curtains closed.

“The power is..this one”

And shortly after entering the room, Suzu found the light switch and turned on the room light.

(It’s tidier than I thought…..)

Shizuka, who had assumed that boys’ rooms were more cluttered, had this impression.

The reason for this is simply that Youta cleaned up the mess yesterday because Aoi was coming.

“Ara, he’s sleeping.”

Suzu said as she quickly found Youta collapsed and sleeping on the bed at the end of the room.

“I can’t believe he didn’t notice us coming. He must have been very tired.”
“He said he didn’t sleep well. What did he do yesterday?”

Both Aki and Shizuka had heard from Youta that he was having trouble sleeping, but they had not been told the reason why.

“Hmph. it’s becaus—no. He was probably up late anyway.”
“”………?’’
“I-It’s nothing”

She almost let slip that Aoi was staying at this house yesterday, and she hurried to cover it up.
Even Suzu did not reveal the fact that they were dating without permission.

“So, you came in here without permission, what are you going to do? Youta is sleeping, right? Shouldn’t we leave?”
“T-That’s right. I’m kind of sorry……”
“Hmph. Then you two can go home as soon as you can. I’ll stay here and wait for Youta to wake up. Okay, bye bye.”

Their faces clouded in front of Suzu, who said such a thing easily.

“”………………””

The relationship between Yota and Suzu is unknown, but there is no reason to leave them alone together.

“I’ll stay.”
“Me too”

In the end, they too decided to remain there.

“What are you doing without his permission?”

When they looked away for a moment, Suzu was going through the refrigerator.
Aki notices this and sighs.

“Hmph. Since I’m here, I thought I’d make dinner for Youta. I’ll catch Youta’s stomach with this.”
“Then so would I!”
“….Then me too”

And so began the battle between the three of them to determine whose food was the best for Youta.

◆

It started with …… not that……!!
What do you mean! It’s a normal trespassing!

It seems that the three of them went shopping after deciding to cook.
There were three supermarket bags filled with ingredients.

The kitchen, which was used by Ichikawa san yesterday, is now occupied by three girls.
It is a bizarre sight.

Frankly, I want them to go home. I’m still sleepy.

But still, I can kind of understand Suzu, but what about the other two……?

No, Sakino san, too?
She told me I was nice and gave me gifts …… I didn’t expect her to be so aggressive.

Of all people, she is Ichikawa san’s best friend.
I should either keep my distance or honestly confess my relationship with Ichikawa san, but doing so on my own, now that she is not around, could cause a rift in her relationship with Ichikawa san.

I guess we will have to accept this trend for now.

And so the most mysterious is Aki.
Why are you at home after we disbanded earlier, promising to run tomorrow?
…..I don’t understand.

“Get out of the way!”
“Hey, don’t you see? I’m using this stove over here. Why don’t you wait your turn for a minute?”
“If you two are going to fight, get out of there! I want to use it too!”

What a thought, the three of them are struggling in the kitchen.
They say that if three women come together, it’s called adultery……. I’d appreciate it if you could give me a break from the neighborhood for a bit.

Then, after paying attention and waiting a few more moments, Aki, who had finished cooking the first dish, brought the plate to me.

“Youta, thanks for waiting”
“Ah, yeahh..”

The dish placed on the table was an omelet rice.
And the other two are making the same omelet rice.

They decided that if they were going to have a showdown, it would be easier to understand if they were to be served the same dish, so that’s what they did.

…… Now I’m going to eat three omelets ……

The omelette that Aki made for me is simple looking and beautifully shaped.
And above all, the eggs shine.

On top of it was a heart mark in ketchup.

“…………”

Girls tend to wear heart marks, don’t they?
There would be no deeper meaning to this.
…..and I don’t mean to be rude, but she’s a surprisingly good cook.

“Than, Itadakimasu”
“G-go ahead”

Aki looked at me nervously.
It’s hard to eat if you see too much…….

I break the egg with a spoon and put it in my mouth with the ketchup rice inside.

“…..!! Delicious !!”
“Yes !!”

Aki couldn’t help but show her guts at my impression.

“The ketchup rice tastes really good, the eggs are smooth, and I can’t say enough about it.”
“Fufu, Thanks. I had confidence in this one.”

Aki smiles with her best smile.

“Ugh, next, me !”

And so it was Sakino san who brought it next.
Sakino san’s omelet rice was covered with a demi-glace sauce, which was different from Aki’s.

This also looks delicious.

“Itadakimasu”

I could hear Sakino san’s throat slurping next to me as I tossed the sauce with a spoon.

“O-ohhh, this one is good too!”

The mushrooms in the sauce had a nice texture, and the butter rice inside was not mushy and matched the sauce.

“Yes !! Hehe, In fact, I even made the sauce by hand! I only had two stoves, so it took me a while to make it.”

Sakino san breathed a sigh of relief.

The only thing left is ……suzu, but she is still struggling in the kitchen.

It was then another fifteen minutes before Suzu brought the food.

“It’s done! If you eat this, you won’t be able to live without me!”

What kind of food is that?
I have an endless bad feeling about this.

“You never disappoint me. ……”

I frowned when I saw what looked like food placed in front of me.

“Ugh……”
“Et-to…..”

Aki and Sakino san both held their noses lightly and backed away slightly.

Don’t go. I know how you feel. ……
It kind of smells very burnt.

And it looks black. The egg is ……. Isn’t this one unwrapped?
and the ketchup rice that’s sticking out is too red?

“Hmph ! What do you think? It’s pretty good for a first time cook, isn’t it? Well, I made a few mistakes, but I followed the instructions on the cookie pad, so I think it tasted alright!”
“By the way, have you tasted it?”
“I’m not going to do it. You’re going to eat it all.”
“…………..”
“Come on, eat up!”

Suzu is waiting for me now with a twinkle in her eye.

What is this pressure? Where do you get this confidence?
Why are you okay with it?

With these questions in mind, I grabbed a spoon and scooped up a bite of it.

“……………”

The hand holding the spoon trembles.
I’ve never seen my hand go this far before.
If I eat this, I might be …….

No, let’s not think about that. She went to the trouble of making it. Maybe something miraculous will happen and it will be different from what we imagined.

I took it to my mouth with force.

All kinds of strange sounds and textures mix in the mouth.

“……………….!!!!”

Then suddenly a terrible pain struck.

…… I woke up an hour later.

◆

“I’m pleased to announce who had the best taste. The most delicious was ……”

Gulping. I heard all three of them gasp.
Oh, no, two of them.
Hey, Suzu, why are you so confident?

“The best one is Aki’s omelet rice!”

When I made my announcement, Aki looked relieved, yet happy.
Sakino san, on the other hand, looked a little depressed, saying, [Oh, no].
I feel kind of sorry.

I don’t have to tell you about suzu.

“Why did you pick mine?”
“Ah~. After all, Aki’s and Sakino san’s were both incredibly beautiful looking, but I think the most important thing was that it was a simple omelette.”
“Eh….”
“Of course, the demi-glace was delicious, but I prefer the old-fashioned ketchup rice.”

It was the same way my mom used to make it for me when she was alive.
I mean, the common one is still ketchup.

“Well then, I guess I didn’t do enough research. …… I guess I screwed up.”
“I don’t think so. Sakino san’s was very good too!”
“Ugh. T-Thanks!”

Sakino san thanked me a little shyly.

“Fiuh. So it was simply a matter of the type of food rather than the quality of the food. ……what a shame.”
“That’s part of it, but it’s not the only part.”
“……? What does that mean?”

Aki tilts her head.

“It tasted familiar.”
“Taste familiar?”
“Yes. It tastes just like the ones my mom used to make. So I am grateful to Aki for giving me this nostalgic taste.”
“……I-I see. You’re welcome”

Aki, who was a little embarrassed, was very girly.

“Hey, what about mine!”
“……..Good luck”
“Huh! What’s that! Just tell me what you think of it!”

The three then left before it was too late.

Suzu squeaked to the end, but Sakino san and Aki forced her to go with them.

(TL/N : I really miss this kind of scenario in harem……)