Chapter 41: It’s not fair to take me by surprise
We couldn’t finish all of the tasteless scones and had to take the rest home. If we overdo it, we’ll have to miss out on dinner. We were told that today it was fish and tomorrow it would be meat. It’s not every day you get to eat such a fancy dinner, so it was natural to be excited.
“I wish we could have had meat on both days! I would have loved to eat a thick cut of steak!”
“I agree. I would have liked some meat, even if it was roast beef or something…”
We returned to the cottage and spent some time in the living room before dinner. Motegi and Sakaguchi had asked for meat both days. Surprisingly, Shinji nodded in agreement. Don’t you get tired of eating meat every day? Even fish tastes good when it’s fatty, don’t you think?
“No, Yuya. In your case, regardless of whether it’s meat or fish, Hitotsuba-san’s cooking is the best, right? I’m sure you’re thinking that you’d rather have Hitotsuba-san cook for you than the food here.”
I’m sure I haven’t said it or let it show on my face, but how do you know what I’m thinking? I’m sure the food Kaede had ever cooked just for me was the best food ever.
“I’m sure it is. Yuya is the kind of guy who says embarrassing things like that as if they’re nothing. I’m sorry, I was stupid to ask.”
Hey, don’t shrug your shoulders and sigh. It’s not like I said anything funny, right? Fine, it would be a bit strange to compare a high school girl’s cooking with a professional’s and declare that Kaede’s was better.
But it can’t be helped. While I’m eating, she’ll look anxious, and when I tell her ‘it’s delicious’, her cute smile blossoms. I can’t tell you how much I love that face. It’s the best.
“You’d better learn that unconscious flirtation can kill others, Yuya. Look at those two over there. Their faces are dead.”
How is that possible? They both have girlfriends, the junior high school student and the strong childhood friend who’s in another school, right? It’s not a big deal for me to say something like that, is it?
“Hey, Sakaguchi. Can you easily say that your girlfriend’s cooking is the best above all? I can’t.”
“I can’t do it either, Motegi. No matter how good the food is, it can’t be as good as the professionals… Yoshizumi is amazing…”
The two men turned white and looked up to the sky. You haven’t even fought, and you’re burnt out! No way, am I crazy after all?
“You’re not crazy. But Yuya, you always say it so naturally that I don’t think I can win. It’s not that we’re shy or don’t act it out, it’s just that you say it as easily and naturally as you would say ‘1+1 is 2’. You know, I’m one of them.”
You know, Shinji. How could I not be ashamed? I’m embarrassed when I say it too, you know? But if you don’t say it, you won’t be able to express your gratitude, will you? I think it’s not very convincing to say that I haven’t told Kaede that I love her yet.
“I don’t know why you can’t say “I love you”, even I could say it. Why don’t you just tell her?”
“… Shut up.”
I snickered and turned my head away. I don’t need you to tell me that.
＊＊＊＊＊
The dinner was delicious. The full course included salad, appetizer, soup, main course fish, and dessert. The food was also a feast for the senses. It was such a shame to finish it. I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s steak.
“Huh… I’m so tired…”
I stretched out on the sofa, leaning back. When I turned my neck around, I heard a cracking sound. The long hours on the road and the baking had left me more tired than I thought I’d be. Normally I would take a relaxing soak in the bathroom, but sadly there weren’t any large bathrooms in this establishment. You can’t get rid of your tiredness in an installed bathroom.
“I can’t wait to go home and have a bath…”
By the way, right now I was the only one in this cottage for some reason. Shinji had left, saying he was going to talk to Otsuki-san and flirt with her, while Motegi and Sakaguchi went to another boy’s cottage to play. I wanted to see Kaede and talk to her too, but she seemed to have something she wanted to do. So I was left alone in the house.
“In any case…, tomorrow is the day…”
The decisive battle was a whole day away. The stargazing would take place after dinner. That was when our fates would be sealed. Shinji told me, ‘What are you scared of in a battle that you’ve already won?’ But I’m still nervous. It would be the first time I’ve ever confessed my feelings to a girl face to face.
“Haha… I don’t think I can sleep…”
“— Do you feel lonely and unable to sleep without me then?”
Yeah, I guess so. If Kaede is next to me, I can probably have a comfortable sleep. If possible, it would be awesome to have a hug pillow or something.
“Without Yuya-kun, I’m also… lonely and can’t sleep, you know?”
Who am I talking to? Just as I was wondering, I felt a soft, seductive touch and a fluffy, citrus scent envelop me from behind. When I looked up, I saw that it was none other than Kaede.
“Whaa!? What’s going on!? Why is Kaede here!?”
“Fufufu. Is it no good? I came here to see you, Yuya-kun.”
I’m happy. I’m very happy because I’ve been wanting to see you. But isn’t it a foul thing to come find me in the cottage? I mean, it’s not fair to sneak up on me and hug me from behind, is it?
“Is it bad? I can’t sleep tonight while squeezing Yuya-kun, so I wanted to replenish my daily Yuya-kun doses while I can.”
Kaede’s embrace became even stronger. I gently touched her arm and surrendered to the sweetness of her touch. That’s because I wanted to hug her, too.
“I feel so relaxed. After all, the day won’t end without giving Yuya-kun a hug.”
“Ah… that’s right. I also like… that… to be hugged by Kaede.”
What is this situation!? Why is my heart fluttering!? Isn’t a surprise back hug supposed to be done by a man! I wanted to wrap myself around Kaede from behind, so why am I being wrapped around her!? It feels good to be hit in so many ways, but!
“T, thank you… I like… I like hugging Yuya-kun too, you know? Ahaha, I get embarrassed whenever I’m aware of it.”
Don’t say that with your face all red, Kaede! It’s so embarrassing, isn’t it!? While saying so, there was no sign of her letting go, and if anything, she hugged me even tighter. Nonetheless, it wasn’t painful, but comfortable.
“Hey, Yuya-kun. You were mumbling earlier, are you going to do something tomorrow?”
Kaede asked me, putting her face close to my ear. Her eyes were soft, but the corners of her mouth were lifted up like a little devil smiling. You mean you’ve been listening to me talk to myself earlier!?
“Tomorrow we’re going stargazing, aren’t we? Are you going to surprise me with something then?”
“Well, you’ll have to wait until… tomorrow to find out…”
I replied bluntly, turning my head away. There was no way I could say that. Tomorrow night, under the stars, I planned to confess my love to you.
“Fufufu. I understand. Then I’ll look forward to your surprise tomorrow.”
Then, she kissed me on the cheek and let go of my body. In addition with the regret of the loss of warmth, the soft touch on the cheek caused a mild panic in my head.
“Okay! My daily dose of Yuya-kun has been replenished! It’s full! I’ll sleep well now. Thank you, Yuya-kun!”
Your surprise kiss is making me so nervous I can’t sleep, though, you know!?
“Ehehe. I’ll be back soon. I’m looking forward – to skiing tomorrow! Well, good night!”
“Ah, yeah… good night, Kaede.”
Kaede left the cottage like the wind. I sank down on the sofa, rubbing my cheek where she had kissed me.
“It’s not fair to take me by surprise, Kaede.”
Chapter 41: It’s not fair to take me by surprise
We couldn’t finish all of the tasteless scones and had to take the rest home. If we overdo it, we’ll have to miss out on dinner. We were told that today it was fish and tomorrow it would be meat. It’s not every day you get to eat such a fancy dinner, so it was natural to be excited.
“I wish we could have had meat on both days! I would have loved to eat a thick cut of steak!”
“I agree. I would have liked some meat, even if it was roast beef or something…”
We returned to the cottage and spent some time in the living room before dinner. Motegi and Sakaguchi had asked for meat both days. Surprisingly, Shinji nodded in agreement. Don’t you get tired of eating meat every day? Even fish tastes good when it’s fatty, don’t you think?
“No, Yuya. In your case, regardless of whether it’s meat or fish, Hitotsuba-san’s cooking is the best, right? I’m sure you’re thinking that you’d rather have Hitotsuba-san cook for you than the food here.”
I’m sure I haven’t said it or let it show on my face, but how do you know what I’m thinking? I’m sure the food Kaede had ever cooked just for me was the best food ever.
“I’m sure it is. Yuya is the kind of guy who says embarrassing things like that as if they’re nothing. I’m sorry, I was stupid to ask.”
Hey, don’t shrug your shoulders and sigh. It’s not like I said anything funny, right? Fine, it would be a bit strange to compare a high school girl’s cooking with a professional’s and declare that Kaede’s was better.
But it can’t be helped. While I’m eating, she’ll look anxious, and when I tell her ‘it’s delicious’, her cute smile blossoms. I can’t tell you how much I love that face. It’s the best.
“You’d better learn that unconscious flirtation can kill others, Yuya. Look at those two over there. Their faces are dead.”
How is that possible? They both have girlfriends, the junior high school student and the strong childhood friend who’s in another school, right? It’s not a big deal for me to say something like that, is it?
“Hey, Sakaguchi. Can you easily say that your girlfriend’s cooking is the best above all? I can’t.”
“I can’t do it either, Motegi. No matter how good the food is, it can’t be as good as the professionals… Yoshizumi is amazing…”
The two men turned white and looked up to the sky. You haven’t even fought, and you’re burnt out! No way, am I crazy after all?
“You’re not crazy. But Yuya, you always say it so naturally that I don’t think I can win. It’s not that we’re shy or don’t act it out, it’s just that you say it as easily and naturally as you would say ‘1+1 is 2’. You know, I’m one of them.”
You know, Shinji. How could I not be ashamed? I’m embarrassed when I say it too, you know? But if you don’t say it, you won’t be able to express your gratitude, will you? I think it’s not very convincing to say that I haven’t told Kaede that I love her yet.
“I don’t know why you can’t say “I love you”, even I could say it. Why don’t you just tell her?”
“… Shut up.”
I snickered and turned my head away. I don’t need you to tell me that.
＊＊＊＊＊
The dinner was delicious. The full course included salad, appetizer, soup, main course fish, and dessert. The food was also a feast for the senses. It was such a shame to finish it. I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s steak.
“Huh… I’m so tired…”
I stretched out on the sofa, leaning back. When I turned my neck around, I heard a cracking sound. The long hours on the road and the baking had left me more tired than I thought I’d be. Normally I would take a relaxing soak in the bathroom, but sadly there weren’t any large bathrooms in this establishment. You can’t get rid of your tiredness in an installed bathroom.
“I can’t wait to go home and have a bath…”
By the way, right now I was the only one in this cottage for some reason. Shinji had left, saying he was going to talk to Otsuki-san and flirt with her, while Motegi and Sakaguchi went to another boy’s cottage to play. I wanted to see Kaede and talk to her too, but she seemed to have something she wanted to do. So I was left alone in the house.
“In any case…, tomorrow is the day…”
The decisive battle was a whole day away. The stargazing would take place after dinner. That was when our fates would be sealed. Shinji told me, ‘What are you scared of in a battle that you’ve already won?’ But I’m still nervous. It would be the first time I’ve ever confessed my feelings to a girl face to face.
“Haha… I don’t think I can sleep…”
“— Do you feel lonely and unable to sleep without me then?”
Yeah, I guess so. If Kaede is next to me, I can probably have a comfortable sleep. If possible, it would be awesome to have a hug pillow or something.
“Without Yuya-kun, I’m also… lonely and can’t sleep, you know?”
Who am I talking to? Just as I was wondering, I felt a soft, seductive touch and a fluffy, citrus scent envelop me from behind. When I looked up, I saw that it was none other than Kaede.
“Whaa!? What’s going on!? Why is Kaede here!?”
“Fufufu. Is it no good? I came here to see you, Yuya-kun.”
I’m happy. I’m very happy because I’ve been wanting to see you. But isn’t it a foul thing to come find me in the cottage? I mean, it’s not fair to sneak up on me and hug me from behind, is it?
“Is it bad? I can’t sleep tonight while squeezing Yuya-kun, so I wanted to replenish my daily Yuya-kun doses while I can.”
Kaede’s embrace became even stronger. I gently touched her arm and surrendered to the sweetness of her touch. That’s because I wanted to hug her, too.
“I feel so relaxed. After all, the day won’t end without giving Yuya-kun a hug.”
“Ah… that’s right. I also like… that… to be hugged by Kaede.”
What is this situation!? Why is my heart fluttering!? Isn’t a surprise back hug supposed to be done by a man! I wanted to wrap myself around Kaede from behind, so why am I being wrapped around her!? It feels good to be hit in so many ways, but!
“T, thank you… I like… I like hugging Yuya-kun too, you know? Ahaha, I get embarrassed whenever I’m aware of it.”
Don’t say that with your face all red, Kaede! It’s so embarrassing, isn’t it!? While saying so, there was no sign of her letting go, and if anything, she hugged me even tighter. Nonetheless, it wasn’t painful, but comfortable.
“Hey, Yuya-kun. You were mumbling earlier, are you going to do something tomorrow?”
Kaede asked me, putting her face close to my ear. Her eyes were soft, but the corners of her mouth were lifted up like a little devil smiling. You mean you’ve been listening to me talk to myself earlier!?
“Tomorrow we’re going stargazing, aren’t we? Are you going to surprise me with something then?”
“Well, you’ll have to wait until… tomorrow to find out…”
I replied bluntly, turning my head away. There was no way I could say that. Tomorrow night, under the stars, I planned to confess my love to you.
“Fufufu. I understand. Then I’ll look forward to your surprise tomorrow.”
Then, she kissed me on the cheek and let go of my body. In addition with the regret of the loss of warmth, the soft touch on the cheek caused a mild panic in my head.
“Okay! My daily dose of Yuya-kun has been replenished! It’s full! I’ll sleep well now. Thank you, Yuya-kun!”
Your surprise kiss is making me so nervous I can’t sleep, though, you know!?
“Ehehe. I’ll be back soon. I’m looking forward – to skiing tomorrow! Well, good night!”
“Ah, yeah… good night, Kaede.”
Kaede left the cottage like the wind. I sank down on the sofa, rubbing my cheek where she had kissed me.
“It’s not fair to take me by surprise, Kaede.”
