Mandarin Orange, Kotatsu, And A Found Cat

As I opened the front door, the fragrant smell from inside the room tickled my nostrils.
And as I closed the door, Mashiro’s voice came back with the scent, noticing my return.

“Welcome back, Satou-san.”
“Yes, I’m back. Is that fried rice I smell?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”

When I asked her that as we walked to the kitchen, Mashiro replied in a good mood with a little bit of excitement in her voice.
Using some leftover rice and eggs, today’s menu seemed to be fried rice.
It was an old favorite of mine, and the fact that I was out of the house made me feel hungry all at once.

It would be a shame to let the rice that she had taken the trouble to make go cold, so I decided to report on what I had bought her later.
This was the first lunch that Mashiro had made for me. It was the first time for me to have a one-dish meal like this, since I usually have a well-balanced Japanese diet.

“Mashiro can make anything, can’t she?”
“There is no such thing as everything. There’s no end to cooking.”

Mashiro, who has reached a level of cooking that I can’t even begin to understand, said with a humbled look.
From my point of view, it would be safe to say that she has mastered cooking at this point, but it seems that her hurdle is not that high.

It didn’t take long for lunch to be finished, and while I was washing my hands, there were already two pieces of fried rice on the table.
Mashiro and I gave our thanks and started eating the beautifully arranged fried rice.

The fragrant smell that I had just smelled came directly to me, and it whetted my appetite.
As soon as I put it in my mouth and took a bite, the taste of it was all over my mouth, and I immediately took another bite or two.

“It’s delicious…”
“Thank you.”

The words spilled out of my mouth as if I was breathing.
My mouth was filled with happiness, as the taste of fried rice from convenience stores and restaurants was incomparable.

“You eat it fast, Satou-san?”
“That’s because it’s really delicious.”
“R-Really?”

Mashiro averted her gaze, looking a little embarrassed.
From my point of view, as someone who is fed by her every day, she should have more confidence in herself.
An ordinary man living alone was receiving such delicious food without giving much back.

In addition, I should be able to express her appreciation for the delicious food. It was no exaggeration to say that it was the duty of the eater. That was how I saw it.

I finished the meal without leaving a single grain of rice, gave my thanks to Mashiro after the meal, and washed the dishes as usual.
In the meantime, Mashiro, who had a lot of free time on her hands, was interested in the bag I had bought for her.

“What did you buy today?”
“Ah, umm…that’s right. I bought the ingredients Mashiro asked me to buy.”
“ I see. Thank you very much.”

As Mashiro thanked me, I felt somewhat guilty. No, I didn’t lie, but I somehow felt like I couldn’t say anything about the clothes.
I continued to wash the dishes, wondering how I was going to get through to her. I heard the sound of someone rummaging through a bag behind me.

I quickly turned around to see Mashiro holding up the women’s underwear I had bought her…

“…”

Mashiro was staring at it with a particularly emotionless face.

I never thought it would be the first to be picked up, of all things. In this situation, I can’t say anything else.

“Is this for…your use, Satou-san?”
“Of course not!”

I was about to throw away the plate I was holding when I made a tsukkomi.
Her feline instinct to be curious about everything was tingling, and she began to fish around in the bag without stopping.
I couldn’t help myself anymore, so I stopped washing the dishes and turned towards Mashiro.
[TLN: Tsukkomi]

“I bought these today for you.”
“You bought these…for me?”
“Yeah. See, you always wear only that shirt.”

I put aside her underwear for the moment and handed Mashiro the clothes I had bought.
Mashiro stared at the clothes for a while curiously, and then after a while, she unfolded them and fitted them tightly over her current clothes.

“What do you think?”
“It looks good on you. Mashiro’s cuteness is accentuated.”
“S-Seriously? But is it okay for me to wear…?
“Yeah. Of course.”

When I am able to take Mashiro out one day, I will not let her go out in a shirtless outfit.
Well, the biggest reason was to stabilize my daily mind…

“So this underwear is also for me?”

“…Y-Yeah, something like that.”

Mashiro stared at the underwear in her hands again, and then compared it to my face.
I watched her with a slight sense of embarrassment. I can’t find anything to say to her at a time like this.

“Do Satou-san like me in my underwear better?”
“N-No, that’s not what I meant. I think it makes me feel more at ease…”
“Is that really so?”
“W-Well, yeah…”

To put it bluntly, the idea of being under the same roof with a girl with no pants on was nothing short of unsettling.
I swore to myself that I would never touch Mashiro, but at least my mind was very, very unsettled.

“I understand. If you say so, Satou-san.”
“Thank you…you saved me.”

For a moment I wondered what would happen, but somehow Mashiro seemed to agree.
Now my life with Mashiro will be a little more peaceful.

As I breathed out a sigh of relief, she took the underwear to her feet and…

“Then I’ll put it on now.”
“Hey, wait! Don’t put them on here!”

…It seemed that peaceful days were still kind of far away.