Chapter 162: Honami Ichinose's Cooking Skills, Ai Morishita's Surprise Attack (Combined 5k) (Patreon)

In the café.

After Honami Ichinose said, "Sakayanagi might act against you," Hikaru Naruse, to be honest, was quite touched.

He had actually figured it out a moment ago: Honami Ichinose must have learned some intelligence. From Class B's standpoint, she shouldn't have been able to say those words.

But she had said them anyway.

That meant it came from personal feeling. It was her own stance, and a risky one, since she would have to bear the pressure of the class competition.

After a while, Hikaru Naruse smiled and nodded.

"I see. Thank you for the warning, Ichinose."

The boy's voice was gentle, and he spoke to Honami Ichinose with sincerity.

"I know you're doing this because you're worried about me, but I think... you can relax a little."

Honami Ichinose froze for a moment, then said without thinking, "Naruse-san... could it be that you already knew something?"

Hikaru Naruse smiled faintly, his tone still soft.

"Not exactly. I just predicted a few things from some information. Call it a simple guess."

"Besides, I already talked with Sakayanagi during gym class yesterday, and that confirmed what you said today, Ichinose."

"So it seems someone really does plan to try something on me."

"Then, Naruse-san..." Honami Ichinose bit her lip, clearly still worried.

"Hehe, Ichinose, you really don't need to worry so much. Sakayanagi isn't someone who takes orders from other people."

"She mostly wants to watch the show. I've already come to an understanding with her."

"Really?"

"Mm."

Hikaru Naruse could tell she was a little anxious, so he gave her a firm answer.

In truth, there was no understanding at all. He had already warned Arisu Sakayanagi that if she dared to play any tricks, he would simply deal with her in kind.

"That's a relief. I've really been worried this whole time."

"No need. I'm not a kid. I've got countermeasures ready, so I'm not worried about anyone targeting me."

After smiling, Hikaru Naruse let a mischievous curl tug at the corner of his mouth.

"Looking at you like this, Ichinose... could it be that I'm important to you?"

He paused, then kept teasing her.

"Otherwise, why would you care about me so much?"

"Uh..."

At those words, Honami Ichinose's pretty face flushed red at once. She really did care about Hikaru Naruse, but having it pointed out by the person himself still made her bashful.

Yet before long the girl nodded firmly, her eyes fixed straight on him.

"Yes. You really do mean a lot to me, Naruse-san. I care about you."

She said it so resolutely that Hikaru Naruse felt the weight of it settle on him.

"And, making a decision like this..."

Hearing Honami Ichinose go on, Hikaru Naruse realized at once where this was heading. To keep her from wearing herself down, he cut in.

"That's great. I'm happy to be cared about by you, Ichinose."

He gave his view in the same gentle tone and steered the topic to a close at just the right moment.

"Ichinose, what you said today really touched me."

"I wanted to ask, do you have any other plans for lunch today?"

"Um... I don't think so."

At his question, a flicker of anticipation rose in Honami Ichinose.

"Then would you like to come to my dorm?"

Hikaru Naruse's smile was warm and easy as he invited her directly.

"To thank you, I'd like to treat you to a meal. Not at a restaurant, though. I'll cook it myself. What do you think?"

"Consider it my sincerity."

"Is that all right?"

Honami Ichinose was tempted right away, but another thought struck her quickly, and she suggested with a bright smile.

"Naruse-san, cooking is a lot of work. I'd feel bad making you do it alone. Why don't we make lunch together?"

"Sure."

"Then shall we go grocery shopping together? I'd like to know what flavors you usually like, Naruse-san."

"Sure. I can restock the fridge while I'm at it."

Hikaru Naruse laughed and said in a teasing tone, "But Ichinose, my cooking is barely passable. If it doesn't taste good, please don't get mad."

"It's okay, Naruse-san. I'm actually pretty confident in my cooking, you know."

"Is that so?"

"Mm-hm. I promise I won't let you down, Naruse-san~"

After leaving the café, the two went shopping for groceries together.

As they wandered through the fresh-food supermarket, Hikaru Naruse came to appreciate Honami Ichinose's character even more.

She really was an excellent girl.

Gentle and graceful, she even knew plenty of little tricks for picking out ingredients.

Because of all that, the girl gave off an aura of quiet, capable domesticity.

On top of that, she kept asking for Hikaru Naruse's opinion.

"Naruse-san, do you think miso soup or clear soup is better today?"

"Clear soup is fine."

"Soft tofu or firm?"

"I like soft."

Honami Ichinose asked as she chose, and every question was earnest, as if she were conducting an investigation.

Seeing how serious she was, Hikaru Naruse naturally held nothing back.

*

While the two shopped, they never noticed what was going on at the other side of the supermarket.

A girl with long golden hair pushed a silver cart along slowly. Ryoko Nishikawa, as her best friend, had planned to practice cooking with her today.

Just then, both of them spotted Hikaru Naruse and Honami Ichinose not far away, walking side by side, the mood between them looking very good.

"That's... Ichinose from first-year Class B, isn't it?"

A truly remarkable expression crossed Ryoko Nishikawa's face, and she muttered to herself on purpose.

"Why is she shopping for groceries with Naruse-san?"

Asuka Shiraishi stayed calm on the surface after hearing this, but her eyes trembled slightly.

"Maybe they just ran into each other," she said casually, her tone still gentle.

"Hehe."

Ryoko Nishikawa understood her best friend's feelings perfectly. She smiled, pulled out her phone, and snapped a photo of the backs of Hikaru Naruse and Honami Ichinose.

"...?"

Asuka Shiraishi froze, not understanding what her friend was doing.

"Ryoko, what are you doing?"

Ryoko Nishikawa smiled, putting on an air of mystery.

"Asuka, you're curious about what's going on today too, aren't you?"

"Why would Ichinose from first-year Class B be shopping for groceries with Naruse-san?"

"I've come up with a good way to find out the answer."

Ryoko Nishikawa studied Asuka Shiraishi's lovely face and slowly explained her idea.

"First of all, Naruse-san doesn't like being disturbed. If we just walked up and asked, he'd definitely be annoyed."

"Mm."

Asuka Shiraishi nodded in agreement.

"If we want to know why, all we have to do is send this photo to someone else. Then we'll find out the truth easily."

Asuka Shiraishi already had an answer in her head after hearing this, but she asked anyway.

"Who are you going to send it to?"

"To her, of course~"

Ryoko Nishikawa grinned and held her phone up in front of Asuka Shiraishi's eyes. A chat window was on the screen.

She had sent the photo straight to Ai Morishita without a single word, and on the other end Morishita had replied with a nodding-penguin sticker that looked goofy and adorable.

Asuka Shiraishi thought about it and couldn't help laughing.

The girl's smile was gentle, like blooming spring asters, and she radiated an ethereal air.

"You know, aren't you afraid Morishita will just tell Naruse-san?"

"Not at all. If I tell Morishita, she'll definitely thank me. She won't sell me out."

"Is that so?"

"Mm-hm. Let's just wait for Morishita's reply."

Ryoko Nishikawa said this, but she knew exactly what Ai Morishita would do.

She had little schemes of her own, too.

It was just that she couldn't tell Asuka Shiraishi yet.

*

Around 11 o'clock, after Hikaru Naruse and Honami Ichinose finished shopping, they went back to the boy's dorm together.

Honami Ichinose was fairly familiar with Hikaru Naruse's dorm by now. She quickly carried the groceries over to the fridge and began carefully sorting out what to use for lunch.

Hikaru Naruse tossed his uniform jacket onto the sofa, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and went over to help. But the moment he got close, Honami Ichinose suddenly changed her tune.

The girl stood by the stove, hands on her hips, and smiled at him.

"Naruse-san, I just had a new idea."

"What idea?"

"Why don't I make lunch for you today? You don't have to lift a finger, and you can get a taste of my cooking."

"...?"

Before Hikaru Naruse could work out what she meant, the girl went on.

"Next time you can cook for me, Naruse-san. Today, just rest. It won't take long, I'm quick."

"Well..."

Hikaru Naruse didn't insist. He only eyed Honami Ichinose with amusement and said with a smile, "You're sly, Ichinose. You're not afraid I'll steal your techniques, are you?"

Honami Ichinose blinked at him with a smile, a playful gesture, the kind of youthful energy that was so typically her.

"That's right. Cooking techniques are a girl's secret. They can't be shown to anyone else."

"Go rest on the sofa or in the bedroom, Naruse-san. I'll call you when lunch is ready."

"All right, then."

Seeing that Honami Ichinose had already claimed the stove, Hikaru Naruse naturally didn't push.

He leaned back on the sofa, pulled out his phone, and started browsing the school forum.

What the boy didn't notice was that, since a moment ago, Honami Ichinose had been quietly studying how the fridge was stocked and the details around the stove.

How much of each ingredient there was and how fast it got used up, where the seasonings were placed, and so on.

Honami Ichinose took note of all of it. She was working out Hikaru Naruse's tastes from these details.

Honami Ichinose was a truly skilled cook. She had been making meals for her younger sister since she was little, whenever their mother worked late, and after so many years of practice she was very confident in her cooking.

Today, she would definitely give Naruse-san a big surprise~

*

While Honami Ichinose was busy at the stove, about a dozen minutes in, the doorbell of Hikaru Naruse's dorm suddenly rang.

The ring was urgent, one press after another, and it made Hikaru Naruse, who had been lounging on the sofa with his phone, sit straight up.

"What's going on?"

He set the phone down and got up to go see.

At the stove, Honami Ichinose was puzzled too, and her knife paused for a moment.

Hikaru Naruse reassured her with a word, then said he would go see who it was.

At the door, he looked through the peephole and found, to his surprise, Ai Morishita standing outside.

The girl with deep blue hair stood there. It was the weekend, so she wore simple casual clothes, and she stared toward the door with no expression at all.

"Why are you here?"

Hikaru Naruse blinked, then opened the door. Outside, Ai Morishita stood with her arms folded and greeted him flatly.

"Naruse, good afternoon."

"Good afternoon."

Hikaru Naruse nodded, then asked in confusion, "Why did you come at this hour? Today isn't..."

What he had meant to say was that today wasn't supposed to be her turn, but Ai Morishita remained perfectly calm.

The girl paid no attention to Hikaru Naruse at all. She simply walked into the dorm on her own, without a trace of hesitation.

The entryway led straight to the kitchen, where the stove came into view the moment you turned, so she saw the pink-haired girl standing there right away.

When Honami Ichinose saw Ai Morishita, her expression stayed calm. She lowered her head and went back to preparing the ingredients, not the least bit flustered.

Noticing this, Ai Morishita didn't flare up. Instead she spoke first.

"Naruse, why is she here?"

Honami Ichinose was standing close enough that she turned around on her own, a carrot in her hand, and took up the question with a smile.

"I'm here to make lunch for Naruse-san."

Honami Ichinose's gaze swept over Ai Morishita, and she explained in earnest.

"He's helped me so many times before, so I thought I'd thank him this way."

"Good afternoon, Morishita."

Honami Ichinose's reply was composed and carried no hint of offense. She even greeted Ai Morishita first.

"I see."

After hearing Honami Ichinose's explanation, Ai Morishita turned her head and locked her gaze on Hikaru Naruse beside her once more.

"Naruse, do you like girls who are good at cooking?"

The question was blunt enough to make even Honami Ichinose glance over. Having gotten used to Ai Morishita's straightforward way of speaking, Hikaru Naruse stayed unruffled.

"Sure. Isn't that a good thing?"

He shrugged, turned toward the sofa, and joked as he walked.

"I'm a lazy guy. If someone wants to feed me for free, of course I'm happy."

"By that logic, yes, I'd definitely like a girl who's good at cooking."

This made Honami Ichinose very happy. She turned back to the ingredients and called out, "Please wait a little longer, Naruse-san. Lunch needs about twenty more minutes."

"Mm, got it."

Watching the interaction between the two, Ai Morishita pulled another fruit knife out of the utensil case beside the stove.

The blade was long and slender, and a cold glint flashed across it with a whisper.

"Naruse, I want to learn to cook too."

Ai Morishita gripped the fruit knife and stared straight at the boy on the sofa.

"Go ahead and learn. I don't object."

"Good. Ichinose, I'll be your assistant."

Ai Morishita's attitude was forceful. She squeezed in right beside Honami Ichinose and stared expressionlessly at the leftover ingredients on the counter.

Since she held the knife in a reverse grip, her aura was less that of a lovely chef and more that of a dangerous character.

Honami Ichinose stayed easygoing. Even though her chance to be alone with Hikaru Naruse had been interrupted, she found Ai Morishita an interesting person, and it felt fresh to her.

On the other hand, she assumed Ai Morishita was just a female classmate on good terms with Hikaru Naruse, so she naturally gave off the air of the lady of the house.

If the one barging in had been Kei Karuizawa, Honami Ichinose would never have reacted this way.

"Of course. Come help me prepare lunch, Morishita."

Honami Ichinose gave a gentle smile and shifted aside, letting Ai Morishita join in the prep work.

Two beautiful girls standing at the same stove made an undeniably lovely sight.

*

Just as Hikaru Naruse smiled and was about to look away, his phone suddenly received a new text message.

He opened it and found, of all people, Ryoko Nishikawa had sent it.

"Naruse-san, Asuka and I just saw you grocery shopping with Ichinose from first-year Class B."

"What are you two up to?"

Though she had told Asuka Shiraishi it wouldn't do to disturb Hikaru Naruse, what Ryoko Nishikawa was actually doing was something else entirely.

"Since you saw us, it shouldn't be hard to understand, right?"

Hikaru Naruse typed his reply.

"We just bought groceries and now we're making lunch. What are you getting at?"

"I just think Naruse-san is amazing."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you know girls from Class C too? Don't tell me Naruse-san wants to collect them all?"

"..."

What kind of mesugaki is this?