CH 74

“Let’s just settle it over a cooking contest.”

Rin and the others have been having a spat over me, and Rin has suggested that they settle the question of who will take the little sister’s place by having a cooking showdown.

I’m very happy that it’s for me― but I’m not happy about the situation at all.

She’s a very cute little sister to me, and Rin’s Yandere tendencies are scaring me, but I was happy to be called Onii-sama.

So I don’t think there’s any need to bet on which one is the younger sister.

I mean, if you’re talking about the younger sister position, she’s already out.

Because Rin is my cousin, not my younger sister.

…But if I say something like this, Rin will go berserk, so I can’t say it even if I have to.

I’ve just been made to sit on the floor and squeezed hard.

I don’t know where she got it from, but when she pulled out a whip, it chilled me to the bone.

It wasn’t actually me that’s being beaten, just the tatami right next to me, but still it was terrifying.

Thanks to this, the tatami was damaged to pieces and would need to be replaced.

Not wanting to be squeezed by Rin anymore, I decided to point out something else.

“Why do we need to have a cooking contest to decide who will be my younger sister? Aside from being my sister, what does it matter if she can’t cook?”

I decided to ask the part I had been wondering about.

It’s a disadvantage for those who can’t cook.

I know that Rin is a great cook, but to be honest, the odds are not in my favor this time.

After all, Rin has been training to be a bride ever since she was a child with great instructors.

Naturally, her cooking has been thoroughly prepared, and even though I haven’t eaten Rin’s cooking lately, there’s a chance that she’s gotten better.

It would not be worth it for Rin to learn how to cook by inviting a great instructor while she usually studies and cooks on her own.

Well, Rin’s bride training was not forced by Uncle Kenji and the others, but she volunteered to become my wife… [EDN: What?]

Just how much influence do I have on Rin…?

I couldn’t help but hold my head in my hands as I realized that my words and actions were affecting my cousin in many ways.

“What are you talking about, Onii-sama!”

Rin got angry at my question in a loud voice.

Rin looked at me as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Eh, what did I say that made her so angry?

I couldn’t understand why Rin was so angry, so I tilted my head.

Then Rin said,

“In anime, novels and manga, it’s always the younger sister who does the housework! Well, often it’s the older sister or the parents, but when it comes to moe, the younger sister is the mainstream! Even in eroge that Onii-sama loves, it’s often the younger sister who does the housework, right!?”

Sure, you could say that― but what the hell is this person saying in front of everyone?

How dare she expose the fact that I own eroges!

I didn’t even tell Rin that I had an eroge.

How does this person even know!?

“Kaito… let’s have a talk again later.”

Dad put his arm around me so that we were shoulder to shoulder, and said with a smile.

It’s not the same as the look on his face when he found out I slept with Sakura-chan, but it’s the kind of smile he gives when he’s angry.

Why do all the people who are usually kind smile when they are angry?

On the contrary, it’s scary…

“Y-Yes…”

I nodded meekly, knowing that this was not a person for whom I could make a lame excuse.

It is possible that all of… my eroges will be confiscated…

Not only that, but if they find out that I’ve been playing eroge with Sakihime, it’ll be the same thing that happened earlier…

As I thought about what would happen if I got caught with Sakihime, a cold sweat poured from my body.

Dad is very protective of me, but he’s also very protective of Sakihime.

If Sakihime had treated my dad the way he treats me, instead of being a little distant, I’m sure he would have treated her the same way.

Unlike the other two, Sakihime wants to keep her distance, so Dad is only changing the way he treats them, but I’m sure he thinks they’re just as cute as each other.

I’m sure that if he finds out that I’ve been letting Sakihime play eroges, he’ll scold me like he did before.

…Why do I always have to retreat from my family…?

Does everyone actually hate me?

I was almost skeptical, thinking that I was being deliberately tricked by those around me.

“Sakura too, will also join the cooking showdown!”

Sakura stared at me, then announced that she would accept the challenge.

She proceeded to tell me the story, and for the moment, no one mentioned anymore that I had an eroge.

It’s just that this was put on the back burner, and I guess people haven’t forgotten about it…

But for now, I’m relieved to be out of this predicament.

“Then I’ll join too!”

“”Eh!?””

I don’t know why, but Sakihime suddenly said that she would participate in the cooking competition, and Kanae-san was surprised to hear her say that.

“I’m your sister, but I want in on this match!”

“…The bug that hangs out with Onii-sama, whose only claim to fame is her appearance…”

Rin muttered, and looked at Sakihime.

Oi, Rin… that sounds like I’m a piece of filth, doesn’t it?

Or rather, Sakihime is a perfect woman who can do everything at a high level, so she’s your superior.

Rin’s looks may not be as bad as hers, but other than her looks and studies, Sakihime is probably better than you.

I haven’t seen her do any housework since Sakihime is busy, but since Sakihime can do anything, I think I could expect her to cook.

I don’t think it’s the case that she can’t cook as well as other women in manga.

After all, there’s never been a rumor that Sakihime is a terrible cook.

There’s a cooking class at our school, so if she was not good at cooking, it would be immediately rumored because of her fame.

The fact that there are no such rumors means that Sakihime is not a bad cook.

Besides, I myself wanted to try Sakihime’s homemade cooking.

So I said―

“Yeah, it’s kind of sad to be the only one left out, isn’t it?”

―And I encouraged Sakihime to do so.

“Kaito-kun… you’re a brave man…”

Kanae-san muttered something.

But because of the distance between me and her seat, I couldn’t hear what she said.

But the timing was such that she seemed to have said something in response to my comment, so I tried to ask Kanae-san what she had said.

“Umi-kun…! I’ll do my best!”

But my attention was drawn to Sakihime, who seemed to be happy that I had encouraged her, as she grabbed my hand and spoke to me with a twinkle in her eye.

“Ah, yeah… good luck.”

I nodded, confused by Sakihime’s behavior, and forgot what I was going to do.

The three of them discussed and decided on a theme, and then began to cook―.

Part 2

The theme of the cooking this time around was “meat and potatoes”.

[EDN: It’s curry that they’re cooking]

Apparently, meat and potatoes is the most typical dish for a family-oriented woman to make.

I’ve heard that story before, but to be honest, I thought it was old-fashioned.

I wonder how many people of our generation think that meat and potatoes is a typical home-style dish.

However, the three of them were going to have a cooking competition, and I like meat and potatoes, so it was no problem.

“―Here, please enjoy your meal.”

Rin was the first one to finish the dish.

But, soon after, she completed the dish.

Sakihime seemed to be struggling a bit.

This time, the three of us judging the dishes were me, my dad, and Uncle Kenji.

First of all, I extended my chopsticks to Rin’s meat and potatoes, which she had finished first.

“Delicious…”

I muttered to myself as I chewed and swallowed the potatoes.

The potatoes were cut into large pieces, but the flavor soaked into them and they were soft.

Then I ate the carrots, followed by the Shirataki.

Finally, I took a bite of the main course, beef.

All of them were well seasoned and tasted sweet.

As someone who doesn’t like sweets, I would have preferred a little less sweetness, but as a general meat-and-potato dish, this would have been a perfect choice.

My dad and Uncle Kenji also enjoyed it.

“As expected of Rin. It’s really delicious.”

“No, it’s not as good as Onii-sama.”

When I praised her, Rin was humble, but smiled happily.

This kind of Rin is honestly cute and good…

And although Rin was humble enough to say that she wasn’t as good as me, I have a feeling she’s better than me at cooking.

“T-Then, please, try Sakura’s next…!”

Sakura said with a nervous look on her face, and laid out the meat and potatoes in front of us.

The meat and potatoes were neatly arranged and showed the personality of the chef.

I ate the meat and potatoes in the same way I had eaten Rin’s meat and potatoes earlier.

―This is…

After eating the meat and potatoes of Rin, I looked at her.

Then she gave me a cute smile.

Hee~― I see, that’s what you thought.

However, this would be…

I looked at Dad and Uncle Kenji.

Then the two of them are eating well, but they are tilting their heads a little.

I suppose that’s just as well.

Because this is―

“First of all, can you tell me which one was more delicious, mine or the little one’s?”

As we finished our meat and potatoes, Rin asked.

“We haven’t eaten Sakihime’s yet, so why don’t we start then?”

I said, frowning at the timing of Rin’s question.

I guess this bright-eyed girl didn’t miss the change in Dad’s expression.

She’s my cousin, after all, and a cunning one at that.

“I just want to know which one of us cooked better first, since it was a contest between me and this little one to begin with. If you wait for the other to make a decision, you won’t be able to tell which of us was the better cook if she was better than us, right?”

Rin said, even though she didn’t expect to lose to Sakihime.

And even if Sakihime was better, there was no need to give a verdict here, since they could just decide who came in second.

But even if I told Rin that, she would probably start to argue that mixing in a third party’s dish would change our impression of the taste or make our memory inaccurate.

In the end, since Sakihime’s food hadn’t arrived yet, we decided to make a decision first.

As a result― Dad and Uncle Kenji voted for Rin first.

At this point, Rin won two out of the three votes, and her victory was confirmed.

Rin smiled with pride at the result.

“The title of the younger sister is now mine.”

“……”

When Rin said so as if to provoke, she did not show any reaction but stared at my face.

Rin, Dad, and the others also stared at me.

With everyone staring at me― I casted my vote.

“Wha!?”

Rin looked surprised at my decision.

On the contrary, she smiles happily.

“Why is that!? Don’t tell me you did it out of pity!?”

Rin questioned me as if she was unconvinced.

“No, it tasted better. That’s all I’m saying.”

I told Rin exactly what I was thinking.

“It can’t be! In fact, the fathers voted for me! It’s just favoritism that only Onii-sama voted for the little one!”

“What are you talking about…?”

I made a dumbfounded expression at Rin’s comment.

“Eh…?”

“Cooking is something that people like and dislike, right? It’s true that the meat and potatoes you made were delicious. I think it’s a perfect example of the kind of meat and potatoes that people generally like.”

“Then why…?”

“But it was a little sweet for me.”

“―!?”

Rin looked surprised at my words.

That’s true, because I just said that Rin’s cooking was very tasty.

However, there is a reason why I gave Rin’s dish a bad review.

“If it was a normal dish, I wouldn’t have minded, but this was a match. And I felt that Rin’s dish tasted better than mine because it was a little less sweet. That was just right for me. On the other hand, Dad and the others ate Sakura’s food with less sweetness after Rin’s food with more sweetness, so I think they felt the taste was lacking. That’s why you wanted to settle the matter here before Sakihime’s cooking diminished that impression, right? And you, watching Sakihime’s cooking, noticed that she made it less sweet, didn’t you? That’s why you served it first, to make it faster.”

I hadn’t seen her cooking, but from the way Rin served it, I suspected that was the case.

As I expected, Rin’s face clouded over.

Maybe my prediction was right.

“Why did you tell me that…?”

“Because you know that I prefer it less sweet. And yet, you’ve gone ahead and made something that’s a bit too sweet. This may be taken as egotism, but normally you would have made it the way I like it. That’s why I thought you went out of your way to make the dish less impressive.”

“…I knew it, I’m no match for Onii-sama…”

Rin muttered as if she had given up.

However, there’s no prohibition against watching your opponent cook, and it’s an excellent strategy to make your own dish more impressive than theirs.

I don’t like the way it’s done…

But that doesn’t change the fact that she lost.

I honestly feel bad for her.

Because of my preferred flavoring, she lost because it was not the generally preferred flavor.

“…I’ve lost this match.”

Rin muttered in frustration.

“Rin, are you sure?”

I couldn’t help but ask Rin.

I knew how attached she was to me, so I was surprised that she admitted her defeat here, and I didn’t need Rin to admit her defeat.

“I don’t want to give away the younger sister’s title, but I’d rather Onii-sama be disappointed in me now that he knows that I’ve used such cunning moves to win, which is foul play. Besides, this time we’re competing for the title of Onii-sama’s younger sister. If that’s the case, the best dish is the one that Onii-sama says is the best, regardless of the number of votes. But I was so eager to win that I put Onii-sama’s needs second. That’s why I’m the one who lost.”

Well, I was the one who took the liberty of making the three of us the judges, so maybe Rin can’t compromise on that.

If Rin says so, that’s fine.

In the first place, Rin is not my sister…

I hope you will treat me as a normal cousin from now on…

“But… then let’s call it a draw, shall we?”

When I thought I had won by Rin admitting defeat, she suggested a draw.

“The game was supposed to be decided by the three judges. But Sakura just went with Onii-chan’s favorite flavoring, and Rin-chan actually got two votes, so if Rin-chan says she lost, then it’s a draw.”

She said so with a smile like an angel.

This angel must have been paying attention to Rin.

She really is a good girl…

“Didn’t you want to have Onii-sama all to yourself?

“Yeah… I’d like to think that Onii-chan is Sakura’s Onii-chan only… But if Rin-chan has been friends with Onii-chan for a long time, then Sakura would have interfered… So I don’t think it’s a good idea to keep him all to myself…”

She said, looking down with her index finger pointing at her, Rin had an indescribable expression on her face.

But―

“Then it’s certainly a draw this time.”

―I agreed with Rin.

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Rin make a concession in a language other than mine.

I’m hoping that this will help the two of them get along.

“Is she still… black…?”

She stared at Rin’s face and muttered something, but I couldn’t make out what she said.

…Or rather, I think I’m forgetting something…?

“…It’s done…”

As I tried to remember what I was forgetting, Sakihime spoke to me in a somewhat listless voice.

Oh, that’s right.

Sakihime was also participating in the cooking competition.

I forgot all about her because she cooks so slowly, but what… the… heck… is this…?

When I saw what looked like a dish in Sakihime’s hand, a shiver ran through my body.

The object is not in its original form and for some reason the content it has is dyed in purple.

H-huh…?

I don’t think I’ve ever seen meatballs that were also purple.

…Yeah, maybe they do in some countries!

The turn of events was so incomprehensible that I had to escape reality.

First of all, as from the name of the dish, it is a Japanese dish, but I have never heard of purple meat and potatoes in any prefecture.

If only the potatoes were purple, I’d know that they used purple potatoes― but if everything was purple…

This is poison, isn’t it?

“…Onee-chan, you can’t cook…”

When Dad, I, and Uncle Kenji froze as Sakihime laid out the meat and potatoes he had made in front of us, Sakura said so.

Yeah… I wish Sakihime had told me that before she started cooking!

And no matter how bad of a cook you are, how did you manage to make it purple!?

It’s usually burnt black, isn’t it!?

That’s what I’m saying in my mind.

As Sakihime was right in front of me, I couldn’t put it into words.

“U-Umm… I messed up a little…”

Sakihime smiled bitterly and said, “I messed up a little,” in response to this impossible object.

That’s not a bit at all..!

I was tempted to scream, but I swallowed my words, not wanting to hurt Sakihime’s feelings.

But how can she ask us to eat this…?

It would’ve been better if she had just said she couldn’t do it and thrown it away.

―When we didn’t touch the meat and potatoes for a period of time, Sakihime looked down with a sad expression.

…This is because I encouraged Sakihime to make it, right…?

And yet, I made her do it and I didn’t eat it…

I thought about this and glanced at Sakihime.

Then, Sakihime was pouting.

Ahh― Mou, now I’m desperate!

I felt a sense of guilt at Sakihime’s pouting, so I made up my mind and decided to eat it.

But since my body was already rejecting me when I chewed it, and since it was so crushed that it didn’t retain its original form, I threw it all in my mouth as if I were pouring it down the drain.

“””””Ah―!”””””

Everyone in the room, except Sakihime, shouted in surprise at the action I took.

“Ugh―!”

I tried to be as unconscious as possible, but the food kept hitting my tongue, and I somehow managed to eat it all while savoring the inexpressible taste.

“I was a little surprised, but it was good. It’s a shame that it was so misshapen, maybe I should learn to cook with you again next time.”

After I had eaten all of the food, I said in a roundabout way so as not to hurt Sakihime― and also so that she wouldn’t have to cook by herself anymore.

Everyone gave me a look of admiration or respect at my words.

“Really!? You’re going to cook with me!?”

Sakihime looked at me with a happy expression on her face.

I nodded at her with a smile.

Sakihime’s food tasted like crap, but I thought it would be okay since I already had everything in my stomach― but 30 minutes later, I collapsed and fell asleep for two days―.