Episode 268: The Day of the Cooking Class

Once the homeroom session ended, my classmates started getting ready as if they’d been waiting for this exact moment.

They gathered their things and, as soon as they were set, started racing each other toward the home economics room.

Normally, I’d want to be the first one there, but I’ve got the job of borrowing the key, so I’m on my own for a bit.

I’m supposed to meet Sara-san in front of the staff room anyway, so I don’t really mind.

Now then… I don’t want to keep Sara-san waiting, so I’d better hurry to the staff room.

I stuff my things into my bag and stand up with it in one hand.

I should probably say something to Hanako-san, who’s getting ready next to me.

「Hanako-san, I’m heading out to borrow the key.」

「Got it. I’ll go on ahead and wait. Don’t be late just because you’re flirting with Wife.」

Hanako-san smirked with a mischievous look on her face.

I know she’s joking, obviously, but I’m not about to start flirting in front of the staff room, of all places. If you asked me about other locations… no, no, I’m not that shameless. So, that’s just a needless worry.

…I should stop thinking about stupid stuff and just go.

As I approached the staff room, Sara-san came into view, waiting for me in the hallway.

She seemed to be staring out the window, and the sight of her was as beautiful as a painting in an art gallery… to be honest, I could’ve just stood there and watched her for a while.

Passing students, both guys and girls, paused for a second as if they were captivated.

I really wanted to keep staring a bit longer. But unfortunately, the schedule for today is packed tight. I don’t have time to leisurely enjoy the view, and if I’m late, Hanako-san might actually start making accusations.

Just as I was about to call out to her, Sara-san noticed me.

「Good work today, Kazunari-san.」

Sara-san’s aura shifted instantly as she welcomed me with a gentle, soft smile. It was the usual Sara-san I love so much.

「Good work, Sara-san. Sorry to keep you waiting.」

「No, I only just arrived myself, so it is quite alright. Please do not worry about it.」

It feels a bit like… a classic date exchange. Normally, the guy and girl would be reversed, but considering I’m usually the one being led by Sara-san… wait, what am I even thinking.

「A-Anyway, it’s a waste of time, so let’s go borrow the key quickly.」

「Yes.」

I don’t get many chances to enter the staff room, so I’m a little nervous.

I secretly steel myself in front of the door, then knock and pull it open.

Knock, knock…

Rattle, rattle…

「Excuse me.」

「Excuse me.」

Sara-san followed me into the staff room with her own greeting.

Come to think of it, since I’m just borrowing a key, maybe I should’ve had her wait in the hallway?

Well, it doesn’t really matter.

「Yes, yes, what is it… Oh, what a rare combination… actually, maybe not. What brings the President and Vice President here together?」

The teacher sitting closest to the door handled us immediately.

I’ve never spoken to this teacher before, but it seems they remember us by our student council positions.

「Um, the key for the home economics room…」

「Sorry, Kuramochi-sensei. Takanashi, over here.」

My homeroom teacher noticed me too, and when I looked over, he was beckoning me.

Good, that saves me the trouble of explaining.

As I walked over to where my teacher was sitting, I noticed a key on his desk. It looked like he had it ready for me already.

But my teacher seemed more interested in Sara-san behind me than in me, his gaze staying fixed on her.

「What, Satsukawa, you came along too?」

「Yes. Thank you for always taking care of Kazunari-san.」

Pfft!

Seriously, you’re going to do that even to my homeroom teacher!?

Sara-san has a habit of dropping that「Thank you for taking care of him」greeting the first time she meets someone related to me. Of course, I know she doesn’t mean anything by it, but I didn’t think she’d go that far with my teacher.

From the teacher’s perspective, since he doesn’t know the circumstances, this exchange must be nothing but bizarr… wait, why is he giving a wry smile?

「Haha, I never thought the day would come when a student would greet me like that. Oh, don’t make such a puzzled face, Takanashi. I know about you two.」

!?

H-How does he know that!?

Did someone in class leak it!?

No, no, it’s too early to panic. Even if that’s the case, we haven’t done anything wrong. Besides, only our best friends know about the cohabitation, so we should be fine.

「…You were aware?」

That was clearly unexpected for Sara-san too, as her eyes went wide in surprise.

But I felt the same way. Why would the homeroom teacher…

「Only a few teachers, including myself, know. I don’t know the details, but for some reason, the Principal told me directly. I was told to let him know if anything happened to Takanashi… wait, well, that doesn’t matter. Anyway, the point is, I know about you two.」

The Principal?

Why would the Principal suddenly say something like that?

Obviously, I have no acquaintance with the Principal at all, and I’ve never spoken to him. So why would he care about such a personal… no, wait. I feel like I heard the word「Principal」somewhere recently…

I casually looked at Sara-san, and our eyes met perfectly as she was looking at me. She gave me a small nod. What does that mean?

「I see… this is Mother’s doing.」

「Mayumi-san? …Ah!?」

Right, I remember now!

I’m pretty sure during the parent-teacher observation, Mayumi-san said she’d asked the Principal. I’d interpreted that as her asking the Principal for permission to sneak into the observation, but it wouldn’t be strange if there was more to the conversation than that.

In fact, it would be weirder if she didn’t explain her relationship to Sara-san and me while explaining why she was sneaking into my classroom.

Which means, naturally, I should assume they’ve discussed it.

But since I don’t know how much has been said, I’d better make sure not to give away any extra info.

「Hmm? Satsukawa’s parent is involved?」

「Most likely…」

「I see, that makes sense then. That explains why I was told such a thing…」

Is there something else?

The teacher nodded as if he’d realized something beyond our current talk. Then he noticed me staring and gave that same wry smile.

「This is a matter for our side, so you don’t need to worry about it. It’s not a bad thing.」

「Is that so?」

Being told that, I can’t really push any further. I can tell from his phrasing that he has no intention of saying more.

「If you ever have any trouble, feel free to consult me. Especially regarding your future path, don’t hesitate.」

「Y-Yes. Understood?」

He’s being strangely kind… I feel bad saying this, but considering how he usually is, it’s almost creepy. He’s my homeroom teacher, so I know he isn’t saying anything wrong. But I can’t help but feel like there’s an ulterior motive, or a reason beyond just that, which makes it hard for me to just nod and agree.

Well, it’s not bad news, so I’ll just accept it for now. I can always ask Mayumi-san if the chance arises.

「Takanashi, are you close with Satsukawa’s parents?」

「Yes, well…」

「Both my Father and Mother think of Kazunari-san as their own son. Mother is especially intense.」

「Intense?」

「Yes. It would be no exaggeration to say she dotes on him to an extreme.」

Sara-san explained for me, but she looked a bit displeased, probably because of Mayumi-san’s「behavior.」

Personally, I’m really happy that Sara-san’s mother has accepted me that much. But she does go a bit overboard, and since Mayumi-san loves pranks, her habit of teasing me is a bit of a double-edged sword.

「I, is that right?」

「It is abnormal.」

Yikes, calling it「abnormal」… Sara-san must be really fed up with it.

I feel like I should probably say something to Mayumi-san too… though if I do…

「Sniff… Does Kazunari-kun hate getting along with his Mother-in-law? I’m going to cry…」

I can almost hear her saying that.

Wait, I actually felt like I heard her voice even though she isn’t here… terrifying.

Of course, Sara-san is my top priority in everything, but I’m just weak against Mayumi-san. I can’t win…

「That much? Well… that means things are secure, then… Anyway, if you have any problems, don’t hesitate to speak up.」

「Yes, thank you very much.」

What does he mean by「secure」?

It sounds so meaningful… but looking at him, I don’t think he’ll answer even if I ask.

He’s definitely saying something helpful, so I guess I should just thank him honestly.

「Kazunari-san, we should probably…」

「Ah, right.」

That’s right, the class is waiting, and if I’m late, Hanako-san will definitely suspect we were flirting. We should hurry.

「Sorry for the extra talk. Here, take the key.」

「Thank you very much.」

I take the key he holds out and give my thanks.

I only came here for this, but I ended up losing time in an unexpected way.

There was a lot of curious talk, but for now, I need to rush to the home economics room.

The area in front of the home economics room was already a mob of waiting classmates.

Even though we lost time at the staff room, it wasn’t like we were that late, so it should be fine.

As we approached, the classmates noticed and all eyes turned our way.

But naturally, those eyes were focused on Sara-san behind me, not me.

Well, I guess that’s to be expected.

「Sorry to keep you waiting.」

「Thank you for waiting.」

「We weren’t waiting at all!!」

「Satsukawa-senpai, hello!!」

「Thank you so much for today!」

The girls started swarming around as soon as I spoke. It was a scene that clearly showed Sara-san’s popularity isn’t limited by gender.

「…Haa… nothing but sighs here.」

「…A Goddess… she really is a Goddess.」

「…Just looking at her makes me happy.」

「…A cooking class by the Goddess, seriously, how lucky are we?」

Since it’s already come to this, the best I can do is keep an eye out to make sure Sara-san isn’t directly bothered. I’ll just have to accept that much small talk as a given.

「Good work, Kazunari. You were a bit late. Did you flirt with Wife?」

I knew she’d say it, and sure enough, she did…

But since Hanako-san is smirking, I know she’s just teasing me.

「No, I was talking to a teacher in the staff room.」

「Hanako-san, we shall save those things for when we can relax later. Right, Kazunari-san?」

「Eh!? Y-Yes, I guess so…」

「KYAAAAAA!!」

「Whoa, whoa, it’s already started!!」

「Satsukawa-senpai really becomes a different person when Takanashi-kun is involved, doesn’t she…」

「Which one is the real Satsukawa-senpai?」

「Ughhhhh.」

「I, I knew it, but the reality is still harsh…」

「Envious… so envious… so envious…」

「I see. So this is what Hanasaki-san was talking about.」

Kawamura muttered that to himself while witnessing the scene with the boys.

Ugh, I don’t like how he’s understanding this…

Or rather, I probably shouldn’t talk, but Sara-san has a habit of unconsciously scattering hints herself.

Wait? Does that mean our chances of messing up are doubled?

That makes it even harder to argue against Hanako-san’s point…

Anyway, setting that aside, we’re going to run out of time, so let’s get into the home economics room.

This is definitely not because I’m trying to dodge the subject or anything. Definitely not.

We entered the home economics room and sat at our tables in our pre-assigned groups.

Each group is responsible for a specific dish, so the goal for today is to learn that dish and take the knowledge home. That’s the sole focus of this cooking class.

It’s impossible to learn a full set of recipes in a short time if you aren’t experienced, so the plan is for each group to learn one and then teach each other later. That’s the method we decided on.

The only drawback is that it increases the burden on Sara-san. That’s the one thing weighing on my mind, and I feel truly sorry for it.

I hope I can do something for her as a small thank-you once we get home tonight…

Sara-san will probably refuse, but I’m thinking of being forceful if it comes to that.

But to be honest, I want to avoid being forceful regardless of the reason.

Sara-san basically won’t say no if I speak firmly. That’s exactly why I don’t want to be firm unless it’s something I absolutely can’t back down on.

「Alright, let us begin immediately.」

Having finished her preparations, Sara-san stood in front of the small teacher’s table.

For the record, Sara-san’s look for today involves an up-do hairstyle so it doesn’t get in the way of cooking, and her favorite cat apron (a gift from me).

Looks like she brought it from home…

「Since we do not have much time, I shall explain the key points at each table. First, as a general instruction, I will demonstrate how to use a knife once more, so please gather around here.」

At Sara-san’s instruction, everyone gathered to surround one table.

With a knife, a cutting board, and a daikon radish prepared, Sara-san began cutting it slowly while carefully explaining how to hold the knife and the ingredients.

I’m sure I did this in home ec class before, but for some reason, it feels like I’m seeing it for the first time.

「At first, please cut carefully like this, even if it is slowly. Increasing your speed just for show leads to injuries, so you must never be reckless.」

Sara-san’s choice of words was polite, but I could feel a bit of strictness in them. Because she has such a passion and deep emotional connection to cooking, her feelings might be leaking out unconsciously.

I’ve already told her to treat me like everyone else today, so I have to be serious so I can live up to her expectations.

「Excuse me, this is just out of curiosity, but how fast do you usually cut, Satsukawa-senpai?」

Exactly as I expected, that question came up.

It’s common knowledge that Sara-san’s cooking skills are incredible, so I knew someone would be curious.

I know the answer, of course, but I think she could easily hold her own against professional chefs on TV.

「Let me see. Normally…」

Tchop-tchop-tchop-tchop-tchop-tchop-tchop

Yeah, same as always: she isn’t just fast, it’s insane.

The daikon on the cutting board is getting smaller by the second. And if you look closely, the slices are all perfectly uniform in thickness.

As usual, even as someone who can’t cook at all, I’m amazed by it. So from the perspective of someone who actually cooks…

「S-So fast!?」

「Whoa, that’s incredible!?」

「Hieee, she makes my mom look slow…」

「H-Hey, is she even better than the home ec teacher…?」

「Whoa, t-that’s crazy…」

「So the rumors of her being an all-rounder in home ec are true…」

「Must be nice… she’s the ideal…」

Yeah, it ends up like this.

The difference in the level of shock probably depends on how much each person actually cooks… naturally, the boys’ comments are irrelevant.

「No way… damn, she’s this good…」

The person letting out a somewhat anime-style cry of shock was Hanako-san, watching from beside me.

Since I’ve heard she’s practicing cooking at home, it seems she’s shocked by Sara-san’s high level.

When we talked about this this morning, she mentioned her pride as a Big sister… I guess I can only tell her to do her best.

「Since when have you been studying cooking, Satsukawa-senpai?」

「…I wonder? Before I knew it, I was being made to help, or rather, I should say I was helping…」

I’ve never asked about that in detail, but judging by her statement, it can be interpreted as「I’ve been practicing since I was too young to remember.」Mayumi-san did mention she’d trained her since she was little, so it might be like a gifted education of sorts…

「From that long ago…」

「Mother did tell me once that it was part of my bridal training. At the time, I simply laughed it off, though.」

「Eh, why?」

「Because I loathed men back then. I thought it would be useless if it was for the sake of bridal training.」

The fact that Sara-san holds the worst possible feelings toward men hasn’t really changed much even now. I’ve heard from Sara-san herself and Natsumi-senpai that it was even worse before I met her. So, it makes sense that she’d laugh and think there’d be no chance for it to be useful if it was labeled as bridal training.

And then the girls suddenly started smirking and giggling the moment they heard Sara-san’s statement.

That’s a nasty way to laugh… what’s with them all of a sudden?

「Satsukawa-senpai!」

「You just said that you used to think that, didn’t you!?」

「Which means you don’t think so now, right!?」

The girls started bombarding Sara-san with questions in their excitement. And at the same time, their eyes all turned toward me. Ugh, I have a bad feeling…

「Yes. Looking back now, I am grateful to Mother.」

「T-That means!」

「Is it because Takanashi-kun is here now!?」

「It’s because you made a promise to marry him, isn’t it!?」

I knew the flow would head this way…

The reason they were smirking and watching us must have been because they were hoping for this development. Girls really do love this kind of talk… they’re biting on the topic way too hard.

「Yes. Because now I can do everything I have studied for Kazunari-san’s sake.」

Being asked about me, Sara-san wore a full, happy smile.

Seeing her look that happy makes me happy too… I am, but right now this is ba…

「「「 KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!! 」」」

「The lovey-dovey stuff is here!!」

「Thanks for the feast!!!!」

「「「 Ughhhhh………… 」」」

Ah… yeah, that’s how it goes.

The girls are in high spirits and making a scene, while the boys are having a wake.

This is weird. It’s supposed to be a cooking class. Why is it turning into a discussion about our relationship?

「B-By the way, do you still do things for Takanashi-kun now?」

!?

T-This is bad!?

This flow is way too dangerous!!!

At this rate, she’s going to talk about doing housework at home… which might lead to the cohabitation talk!?

「I wouldn’t say ‘something,’ as I have been entrusted with all the housework.」

「…Eh?」

「…Um?」

「…Hmm?」

「S-Sara-san!! It’s about time we—」

「Wife! We’re going to run out of time, so you should keep moving. Kazunari is troubled.」

Cutting through the flow, Hanako-san shouted with a rare loudness. Sara-san stopped talking and looked my way, appearing flustered.

「I-I am sorry, Kazunari-san.」

「…Did she really call her Wife!?」

「…I’m curious about the relationship between these three too!」

「…I mean, to act like that toward Satsukawa-senpai… Hanasaki-san is quite a mystery.」

Phew… that was a close one…

They bit on Hanako-san’s「Wife」comment, so the talk shifted in a completely different direction.

That was heading in a really bad direction just now, so I was legitimately panicked.

I owe Hanako-san one…

「No, it’s fine. But it’s true that we’re short on time…」

「Yes. Then, let us return to the demonstration.」

Seeing my expression, Sara-san looked relieved.

She steeled her expression again and returned her gaze to the table.

I guess we’re okay now for the time being.

「Honestly, that is a bad habit of Wife’s.」

Hanako-san, next to me, muttered that in a voice only I could hear.

It’s true that Hanako-san saved me this time, so I should thank her.

「Thanks, Hanako-san.」

「I’m your Big sister, after all.」

That’s basically become her signature line.

Flicking her gaze toward me for a split second, Hanako-san wore a tiny smile.

To be honest, I want to quip that Hanako-san has a habit of dropping bombshells too. But setting that aside, she really does back me up like this when it counts.

In that sense, she really is a reliable Big sister… I guess.