In a karaoke box after school, Umina was âboyfriendâ repeatedly as if she were a robot that could only speak the prescribed words.
This is the result of finding out that one of the usual members has a boyfriend, and after being dumped by her boyfriend at the end of January, Umina has become a machine for boyfriends. Umina is a pain in the ass at times like this. After all the boring drama Iâve been through, I donât think itâs going to help me much today.
ăItâs nice, isnât it, that Hazuki is popular?ă
Popular.
Whether those words are true or not is not the issue.
The answer to be uttered is fixed from the beginning, and it is required to bring it to the conclusion thatăUmina is more popularăwithout denying too much or affirming it.
The girls are decorated like cakes with colorful fruits on top of whipped cream but the contents are not always as sweet as the cakes. Sometimes, when I put something in my mouth that looks delicious, it turns out to be poison. So, Iâll lift up Umina while dismissing the word popular to the extent that it doesnât come off as sarcastic.
But Umina, who is in a very bad mood is not convinced.
ăYou know, on Valentineâs Day, Hazuki left on the way home. You went to see someone, right? Iida? Or Sasaki?ă
ăI told you before, it wasnât like that. If I had a boyfriend, I would be the first to tell Umina.ă
Because I was called out of Miyagi on Valentineâs Day and left early, the next day, Umina and other had suspected that I had gone to see my boyfriend. I thought I had cleared up the misunderstanding, but it seemed to be rehashed instead of being taken out on me.
Umina is not a bad girl.
If Iâm down, she worries about me and encourages me. She just have more emotional ups and downs than most people.
But itâs hard to keep in a good mood.
Out of the four members, one was buoyant because she had a boyfriend. The other was a corpse after being chipped by Umina. Then I alone had to fix Uminaâs mood.
Thatâs right, itâs very cumbersome.
At times like this, I wish Miyagi would contact me.
I could leave this place with a proper reason, but it would be easier to get out if I had proper business to attend to.
However, as in the past, I never heard from her, as I have rarely been invited by Miyagi in succession.
In the end, it was not until the following week that I was called by Miyagi, and that day I did her homework and ate a bad dinner together.
So today I went from the bookstore where I saw the callerâs message to the supermarket, bought some chicken, and headed to Miyagiâs house.
The side dishes for bento.
I wondered about other things we can have besides cup noodles and frozen foods that she keep having for dinner.
Besides, I wanted to see the look on Miyagiâs face the moment I did something I was not ordered to do. In the first place, there was no need to be concerned about Miyagi seeing my disgusted face.
Cooking dinner at home is the same as cooking at Miyagiâs house.
Thatâs why I go into Miyagiâs room with the ingredients for dinner.
ăWere you meeting with Ibaraki-san and the others?ă
Miyagi asked me why I was late coming to this room as she was about to give me 5,000 yen.
ăWrong. Here, put this in the fridge.ă
I take the 5,000 yen and push the supermarket bag into Miyagi.
ăWhat is this?ă
ăIngredients for karaage.ă
ăWhy are you bringing this?ă
ăIâm making dinner here.ă
ăI didnât order you to do that.ă
Miyagi was overtly unhappy.
I follow her orders.
Thatâs what I promised, but I did not promise to cook for dinner in this house. I donât think I can be blamed for cooking today, since there is such a rule that I am free to do so until I am ordered to do so.
Miyagi herself knows this, and she doesnât tell me not to cook dinner. She just wrinkles her brow uncomfortably.
I have never wanted to see someoneâs face when they are uncomfortable, but it was amusing to see Miyagi looking at me uncomfortably as I tried to do something she had not ordered me to do.
ăI know you donât, but itâs my way of saying thanks for always treating me for dinner. Besides, I like to eat something decent once in a while.ă
I give a reason why she will not be able to refuse, and tries to hand the supermarket bag to the landlord again, but Miyagi does not accept it.
ăYou put it in yourself.ă
Miyagi said so curtly and left the room, which was warmed up to a hot temperature by the fan heater, and headed to the kitchen. I took off my coat and blazer and followed her. I enter the kitchen with a crinkling supermarket bag and find a very large refrigerator sitting in the kitchen.
I wonder how many people are in this family.
When I opened the square box, which made me want to think about such things, I found that, contrary to its apparent size, it was refreshingly empty inside.
ăThe fridge, is almost empty. Is it bad that there is only juice in the fridge?ă
ăItâs not that bad.ă
A low voice assures me that this was just fine.
Well, I canât complain about the refrigerator in someoneâs house.
I silently stuff the ingredients for dinner into the refrigerator. When the supermarket bag was nearly empty I took out the flour and potato starch I had bought that I wouldnât have in my house anyway, I called out to Miyagi.
ăWhatâs the order today?ă
ăAnything.ă
ăI was thinking of making karaage first. If you donât mind.ă
ăI havenât decided yet, do whatever you want.ă
Miyagi throws down and tries to leave the kitchen.
ăWait. Cut the cabbage.ă
I take a cabbage out of the refrigerator and hands it to Miyagi.
ăMe?ă
ăWho else but Miyagi?ă
ăSendai-san said she would make it, so why donât you do it yourself?ă
ăCanât you cut them into strips, by any chance?ă
I asked as I washed the cutting board and knife, and I heard a low, quiet voice.
ăIâll do it.ă
Can she shred it or not?
Iâm not sure, but Miyagi puts the cabbage on the cutting board.
I grate the ginger next to it and put it in the soy sauce and sake. I donât put garlic in because I donât really like it. The chicken for deep frying, which has already been cut into appropriate sizes, is also thrown into the combined seasonings and rubbed in.
Suddenly, Miyagi became concerned and looked next to me, she was about to cut off her fingers rather than the cabbage. It is an exaggeration to say, but I knew that I had put a knife in the hands of someone who should not have put a knife in their hands.
ăMiyagi, wait a second. There, isnât that dangerous?ă
ăWhere was?ă
ăHand, your hand! Itâs a like a catâs paw.ă
ăWhatâs a catâs paw?ă
ăDidnât they teach you that in culinary class?ă
The left hand holds the object to be rounded and cut.
She must have learned that.
But Miyagi is holding the cabbage with her fingertips, which is scary.
ăI donât remember.ă
Miyagi says and lowers the knife.
And cabbage scattered on the cutting board in widths that were more like chunks than strips.
ăThat way could cut your hand, not the cabbage. And you lifted the knife too high.ă
It would be an exaggeration to say that she was swinging the knife down, but dhe was bringing it down from quite a high place with a zang.
ăSendai-san, youâre making too much noise from the side.ă
ăAhhâugh, Miyagi, go away there.ă
I get chills looking at her.
Iâd rather do this all myself.
But she didnât back down.
ăIâll do it, so leave me alone.ă
The knife chops the cabbage, and thud the cutting board.
I asked for it, and it was a mistake.
No matter how much I regret it, I canât go back to the time before I asked for shredded chicken. Eventually, I would be scared to death, and I would end up covering the chicken with a combination of flour and potato starch.
Thud.
Thud!
After a few sounds that did not sound very much like chopping cabbage, I heard Miyagi moaning softly.
ăWhatâs wrong?ă
No reply.
ăMiyagi?ă
I looked down at her hand and saw a red color mixed with the green of the cabbage.
ăWait, Miyagi. Bloodâs coming out. If you cut yourself, tell me if you did.ă
I rinsed the powder from my hand and grabbed Miyagiâs wrist. When I tried to bring her hand close to the faucet, which was left running, the water was turned off.
ăDonât they lick their cut fingers in these situations?ă
ăYou read too much manga. You should wash it well and put an adhesive bandage on it.ă
ăHow about disinfecting?ă
ăDisinfecting it slows down the healing of wounds. Where is the bandage? If you donât have any, do you want me to bring some?ă
The wound does not appear to be very deep.
Still, the index finger was bleeding to the point of almost dripping.
I washed it under running water and put a bandage on it.
I remove Miyagi from the kitchen.
All of that should have been very easy to do, but Miyagi was not letting me do any of it.
ăLick it and disinfect it.ă
Then she puts her severed finger in front of me.
ăItâs bleeding, and licking wonât disinfect it.ă
ăItâs an order.ă
ăâŠDid you cut yourself on purpose.ă
ăNo way.ă
Miyagiâs fingers remained out in front of me, telling me that her orders were absolute.
Red, red blood flowed out, staining her fingers.
Just looking at it, the taste of iron spreads in my mouth.
ăSendai-san, hurry up.ă
I have licked my own blood, but I have never licked anyone elseâs.
Does other peopleâs blood tastes the same as my own?