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Soutarou’s house is about 20 minutes’ walk away from mine. Although it’s not that far, it’s my first time going to his house.
Soutarou’s house is a 2-storey detached residence and there’s a garage in the garden. It’s relatively big.
“I’ll start preparing dinner. You can watch the television as you wait, Mako.”
“Righto. Soutarou, you look good with the apron.”
“Eh, really? This is my mum’s.”
Translated at nakimushitl.wordpress.com and hosted at moonbunnycafe
Soutarou has a pink checkered apron with embroidered kittens on. I thought a pink apron would be too cute for him because of his muscular build but it suited him more than expected. Maybe it suits Soutarou because his motherliness is so strong.
Unsure of what to do as Soutarou cooks, I sit on the sofa and offhandedly turn on the television. You may think me rather brazen for someone who came over for the first time but just take it as me feeling relaxed around Soutarou and forgive me.
It’s exactly 7pm. I’m usually cooking or doing the laundry at this time, in place of Mitsuki who’s busy with club activities. Mitsuki does everything, such as cleaning, laundry and cooking on days without club, but I do the cooking and laundry on days there’s club. Honestly, I don’t want to do them but the cute Mitsuki’s working hard so I have to put in effort too.
“Mako, will omelette rice do?”
Please read at the translator’s site.
“I like omelette rice!”
“Can you eat bell peppers?”
Half-smiling, I reply the question that was asked with a half-smile.
“Why not? I eat them. It’s not like I’m a kid.”
“I know right. Mako always eats with relish, don’t you.”
Fundamentally, I’m not a picky eater.
As one would expect, outlandish foods are beyond me but I can eat the general sort. Isn’t it rude to complain that this won’t do or that won’t do when someone cooks for you?
There isn’t anything I want to watch so, without looking at the screen, I randomly pick a variety show and leave it on. Following that, I open my textbook in an attempt to prep for the English lesson but I can’t concentrate because I get curious about the back of the cooking Soutarou.
Soutarou’s so focused in his cooking that he doesn’t realise he’s being watched.
His back sure is wide. His waist looks thin but that’s not the case. It only looks comparatively thin because his back is wide but it’s actually built.
His face too. Although he looks tender because of those downturned eyes, he’s intrepid and it’s nice in a different way from Prince’s glorious beauty. It’s beginning to slip my mind but Soutarou’s also an otome game’s capturable target after all. Of course he’s popular and cool.
Doesn’t it sound like a joke that someone like that likes me? It’s still a big deal even if it’s platonic. One won’t receive many ‘You’re my important friend’ statements in one’s life.
Please read at the translator’s site.
“Is the English prep so difficult this time?”
Soutarou had finished cooking before I knew it and is peeking at my notebook with plates in both hands.
“Ah, well, not really. Done with dinner already?”
“Yup. It doesn’t take long to cook omelette rice. The seaweed soup and dessert were made in advance.”
“Wow, awesome. It looks great.”
Placed on the plate that’s on the table, is omelette rice with fluffy egg. A rabbit is drawn on the fluffy egg with ketchup.
“Rabbit
”
“Eh?! Ah, it was by force of habit! My younger sister likes stuff like this! I can make a new one if you don’t like it.”
“Nah, it’s cute. I like stuff like this so it’s fine. It feels kind of a waste to eat it.”
Please read at the translator’s site.
The accompanying soup is seaweed. The dessert is almond tofu. I unconsciously exclaim in admiration at the spread that looks like a family restaurant meal set.
After Soutarou sits in the seat opposite me, I place my hands together.
“Bon appĂ©tit!”
“Please do. I hope it suits your taste.”
There wasn’t any of Soutarou’s cooking that didn’t suit my taste. His boxed lunches were tasty and so were his pastries.
I scoop the omelette rice with a spoon and take the first mouthful. The omelette that wraps the ketchup rice is fluffy and gooey, like what’s served in restaurants.
“Delish! Sure enough, Soutarou’s food is super delicious.”
“Really? That’s great.”
“Soutarou’s food is my fave. Ah, Mitsuki’s food is naturally super delicious too though.”
Mitsuki’s food is also transcendingly delicious but it can’t beat Soutarou’s. I don’t know what’s the difference but somehow Soutarou’s food suits my taste more.
Needless to say, as a matter of course, Mitsuki’s handmade food are masterpieces. Yes, my younger sister is cute, healing, a good cook and has a great figure. She’s a wonderful girl.
“It’s worthwhile cooking it if it makes you so happy.”
Please read at the translator’s site.
Soutarou laughs in a shy manner.
Having finished the meal, I take a breath and drink coffee. Soutarou even brought out handmade cookies. Apparently Soutarou made them because his younger sister grumbled about wanting to eat panda-shaped cookies. Is it so easy to make panda-shaped cookies? I, with low specs in cooking, can’t tell.
Rummaging, I stuff myself with tasty cookies while sipping coffee. What a blissful time.
By the way, Soutarou’s washing the dishes. Kaname joked about Soutarou being a wife or mother but he may not be entirely wrong about that, huh. Soutarou’s too good of a wife even though he’s a high school boy. My atom-sized girl power is getting overshadowed.
“Mako, the bath’s ready. For a change of clothes, you can make do with mine, right?”
“Eh, I’ll be going home.”
“Tomorrow’s a weekend, right? Stay over. No one will be home today so you don’t have to be reserved.”
Translated at nakimushitl.wordpress.com and hosted at moonbunnycafe
No, that’s why I’ve to go, I smile vaguely without saying that.
I may be overly-conscious, hopefully that’s the case but if I stay over with him alone, my chastity will definitely be exposed to danger. I can’t help but feel that something will definitely happen.
The recent Soutarou is an existence more dangerous than Prince and Junya after all. I can almost picture woofwoof kyunkyun gabuu! developments. Guys like him should be the cabbage roll type[1].
“I’m going home. My bad.”
“Ehh, are you really going, Mako
”
Please read at the translator’s site.
I mustn’t look at his face now. It’s that. The ‘kyun, kyun’ face. He must be using the expression of an abandoned dog and looking at me with upturned eyes.
I’ll end up agreeing to stay over if I look at the expression of an abandoned dog. This is a repeat but I’m indulgent to Mitsuki and Soutarou. I’m weak to cuteness that reaches the level of being sly.
“Mitsuki’s waiting for me.”
“Liar. I heard that Sakurai-san is staying over at Hasumi’s place. Actually, they talked about it right in front of us, didn’t they?”
“Ahh, yeah
 I have incoming parcels”
Soutarou grabs my arm. Unthinkingly I raise my head and end up seeing Soutarou’s face.
The bone of the arm he grabbed creaks. Soutarou pouts sulkily as he looks at me with half-lidded eyes. It wasn’t the expression of an abandoned dog that I imagined.
“Why did you lie like that. Do you hate me now?”
“No! 
 That’s not it but”
“Is it because I do things like hugging and pushing you down? Did you think I might be gay?”
I instinctively remain silent when he hit the bull’s eye.
“If so, you’re wrong.”
Please read at the translator’s site.
My heart feels a pricking pain at Soutarou whose brows furrow as though he’s about to cry.
At the same time I begin to hate myself for causing him to make that face, a feeling of wanting to reject him immediately surfaces.
I apologise for being overly wary but it’s just stupidity if I comply, stay over and get pushed down. Isn’t this simply lying through one’s teeth?
After all, you were definitely planning to push me down right? If I stayed over without any objections you were going to settle the debt and snatch my chastity, weren’t you?
I’ve learned over this half-year. I’m not the same Sakurai Makoto I was.
If the me before was shown this face and told such a line, I’d have apologised earnestly. However, a calm me resides in a corner of my head now.
“
 Sorry for suspecting you.”
A part of me is still unconvinced but I can only trust him when he was so assertive.
However, it’s honestly a pain if I have to worry like this every time I’m alone with Soutarou. It’s not like we’re of the opposite sex and have to maintain some distance. Soutarou and I are both guys, y’know. Well, mentally, we’re of the opposite sex and have to maintain some distance though.
As I look at Soutarou with sceptical eyes, he caresses my cheek. Crap, on Soutarou’s face ―― raises a masculine smile. The corners of his mouth suddenly tilts up and his gentle downturned eyes narrow and sharpen.
“After all, if I really wanted to do something to Mako, weren’t there a number of chances so far?”
I reflexively stiffen at Soutarou’s bomb-like statement. Unable to endure, I laugh.
No more. Even if hugging and biting one’s nape cross the boundaries of friendship, it doesn’t matter if I insist that we are friends. I don’t know how much longer Soutarou and I can remain together so rather than spending time with my messy thoughts, I should cherish each moment like this.
“I know right. Yeah, my bad, seriously. I’ll enter the bath.”
Please read at the translator’s site.
“Mako!!”
“Shuddap. Don’t call my name so loudly.”
Carrying the shirt, sweatpants and bath towel that Soutarou prepared, I stand up to enter the bath.
Thus I’m staying over at Soutarou’s house. At the same time, I’ve given up and accepted various things. Isn’t it fine to be hugged? Isn’t it fine to joke around? We’re friends after all.
“I did say I’d stay over but why did it become like this!”
“‘Cause I’m happy that Mako’s staying over.”
We’re in the state whereby I’m sitting between the legs of Soutarou who has his knees up. Soutarou’s hugging me from behind as he rubs his cheek against my head, a broad smile on his face. My back is so hot it feels like blood is rushing to my head.
I’m reading the manga in Soutarou’s room. It’s about the Volleyball Club of a high school in the Miyagi Prefecture aiming for the Spring Interhigh volleyball championship[2]. To think I’d find a volleyball book in the house of a basketball player. It should be RƍkyĆ« not HaikyĆ«[3] for you, right?
Well now that I understand this is the distance he keeps with his friends, I can accept it as long as he doesn’t do anything sexual. If you want to cling to me, feel free to do so.
“Soutarouuu, I’m hungry.”
“Ah, there’s chocolates. It’s just what my father received from his company though.”
“Gimme chocolates!”
Heave-ho, Soutarou reaches out for the chocolate on the table.
He even opens the wrapper and carries it to my mouth. It’s the so-called ‘aa~n’.
“Soutarou, I’m thirsty.”
“Will barley tea do?”
He pours barley tea into my empty glass.
“Soutarou, chocolate.”
“Un.”
Please read at the translator’s site.
“Soutarou, I’m sleepy.”
I lean against Soutarou’s chest, that’s substituting as a backrest. As expected of Soutarou who possesses a muscular body. The sense of stability when I lean against him is nice.
“Mako, it will hurt when you wake up if you sleep here you know?”
“Mm
”
“Mako
? I’ll tickle you if you’re sleeping?”
Soutarou’s palm caresses my side.
I can feel Soutarou’s hand briskly entering from my t-shirt sleeve.
“Oi, don’t do anything erotic. This is called attacking someone in their sleep y’know.”
“But Mako’s clothing is baggy and easy for a hand to enter so I unconsciously”
“I’m wearing your clothes so of course it’s baggy. I’m shorter and have less muscles after all.”
Soutarou’s face peeks from my right shoulder. His breath touches my ear and it’s ticklish.
His left hand loops around my waist while his right caresses my side.
“Where are you going tomorrow?”
“Ya seriously want to be with me tomorrow too? Let’s go to a butler cafĂ© then.”
“Butler cafĂ©?! When we’re both guys?”
I suggested it because we’ll be doing a butler&maid cafĂ© for the cultural festival and I thought I should experience it at least once. However, I laugh when Soutarou is more surprised than I expected.
“Are you so against it?”
“It’s not like I’m against it but, isn’t two guys going to a butler cafĂ© too high of a hurdle?”
Translated at nakimushitl.wordpress.com and hosted at moonbunnycafe
I don’t know if there’s a butler cafĂ© in Tachibana City and I don’t know how far away is Ikebukuro, where there definitely are butler cafĂ©s. In the first place, is there an Ikebukuro in this world? Actually, what prefecture is Tachibana City in? If Tachibana City is in West Japan, we can take the Shinkansen to Ikebukuro. As I was thinking such, Soutarou groans as he begins to bury his face against my nape.
“Let’s go to a maid cafĂ© then.”
“Eh, it’s impossible for me. I’ll be nervous.”
“I think the girls will brighten up if you go to a maid cafĂ©. Because an ikemen came.”
It’s fun to languidly mould plans for tomorrow like this.
So much so that I think it’d be nice if I can always spend uneventful days like this. Tomorrow, the following day, and the day after that too.
Translated at nakimushitl.wordpress.com and hosted at moonbunnycafe
Please read at the translator’s site.
[1] Cabbage roll type: Looks herbivorous on the outside but is carnivorous on the inside. The outside of this dish is cabbage while the inside is ground meat.
[2] Reference to Haikyuu!!.
[3] RƍkyĆ« and HaikyĆ« are just another way to say basketball and volleyball respectively. Author used kanji in this instance but otherwise she used katakana ăƒăƒŹăƒŒăƒœăƒŒăƒ« (bareibƍru) and バă‚čケ (basuke).