Chapter 73: That one tastes better.

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Translator: Soafp

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After eating the cutlets, the two of them headed to the cake shop.

“Sold out, huh…”

There was a sign on the door saying that the ice crepes were sold out.

“Ahaha, too bad. Must be really popular.”

“They’re needlessly particular about them. We’ll come back another time.”

The two laughed together and began walking.

“Well then, since we're already here, let's buy some groceries in the shopping street. What do you feel like eating today?”

“Hmm… talking about crepes made me crave something with flour.”

“Isn't that kind of a leap from crepes? But I like it. I'll have you know, I'm a master of solo takoyaki parties.”

Sora puffed out her chest with pride, but Ginji, imagining the food-light Sora holding a lonely takoyaki party by herself, couldn't help but feel a little conflicted.

“…R-Right.”

“I'm a loner anyway!”

Sora, now in cat mode, hissed and flared up.

“You're the one who brought it up!”

“Whatever, I've got Ginji now! Let's have a takoyaki party today!”

Sora clung to Ginji's arm and puffed her cheeks slightly in protest. Ginji gave a wry smile and accepted it.

“Why not? If we're calling it a party, we should get Tetsu involved too. Let's change plans and do it at my place. Just so you know, I've got strong opinions when it comes to takoyaki.”

“Oh, you have a takoyaki maker?”

“I've got the full setup. As you might know, our family only uses bottled sauce.”

“I make my own custom blend, though?”

“…”

“…”

They exchanged glances and smirked.

“It's a showdown.”

And so, they gathered ingredients from the shopping street, even detouring to Sora's house to retrieve her homemade sauce, before starting their takoyaki party at Ginji's home.

“To keep things fair, Tetsu will be the judge. He's not the type to play favorites.”

Suddenly appointed as the judge, Tetsuya was made to wear a “Judge” sash from a 100-yen store and was seated formally in the living room with a blank expression.

“…Well, I'll do it.”

He had a lot to comment on, but seeing his older brother and his brother's crush enjoying themselves, Tetsuya accepted without complaint—truly a good younger brother.

“Flour, kombu tea powder… baking powder… I should've brought my food processor too.”

Wearing an apron from Ginji's house, Sora carefully measured and started making takoyaki batter from scratch. Meanwhile, Ginji, having changed into his loungewear, began preparing his own batter in the small kitchen beside her.

“You're starting from that? I'm going with store-bought mix. It's good stuff, you know.”

“Heh, naive, Ginji. The difference is already clear at the flour stage.”

As Sora boasted triumphantly, Ginji held up his secret weapon.

“Don't get cocky just yet!”

“Grated yam… no way!”

Sora stepped back as Ginji smirked villainously.

“That's the advantage of reliable store-bought mix—you can customize it however you like.”

“Not bad. But the real difference shows in the grilling.”

“Big talk. I'll show you what I've got!”

They cooperated to cut the ingredients, and soon, in the living room where Tetsuya had set up the electric takoyaki maker, ingredients and batter were laid out in rows.

“We'll decide the match with the classic: octopus. After that, anything goes—free toppings allowed.”

“It's a takoyaki party, after all. More flavors, more fun.”

Watching the two excitedly set up, Tetsuya nodded silently and expressionlessly.

A round of rock-paper-scissors determined Sora would go first. She brushed plenty of oil onto the griddle, poured in the batter with practiced hands, added the octopus, then a bit of green onion and chopped ginger. After sprinkling in tempura scraps, she used a skewer to flip the batter balls, brushing them with oil again afterward to get the surface crispy. She even adjusted placement to account for uneven heat, showing great attention to detail.

“Now, a finishing touch of my custom-made sauce… enjoy!”

Freshly made, the takoyaki was plated carefully on a boat-shaped tray and placed before Ginji and Tetsuya.

The toppings included lots of sauce, just a bit of mayo, a hint of aonori, and a generous amount of bonito flakes.

“Ugh… it's good! I like that rich flavor!”

“Tasty. A little spicy, huh?”

The reactions were overwhelmingly positive, and Sora looked quite proud.

Now it was Ginji's turn. He brushed on plenty of oil like Sora, but started by placing the octopus in first to avoid forgetting it.

He then poured in the batter, scattered extra green onions, and added just a touch of ginger. After the tempura scraps, he skewered the balls slightly early to control the doneness, constantly adjusting with the skewer to keep a perfect shape.

He topped it off with the Momoi family's beloved bottled sauce, a bit more mayo than Sora's, aonori, and bonito flakes before serving.

“Here you go.”

“Thanks. Huff… hot! The sauce is mellow… and the inside's perfectly gooey. Delicious.”

“…Mild, for you, Aniki. I can taste the dashi—it's well seasoned.”

With both entries presented, it was time for the results. But before Tetsuya could speak, Ginji held up a hand.

“Wait, Tetsu. We already know. …I lost. Sora's takoyaki was insanely good. I'll take the loss like a man.”

Hearing this, Sora shook her head.

“Don't go easy on me. I could tell from the taste—yours was clearly better.”

Ginji insisted Sora's were better, and Sora said Ginji's were better.

“No way, yours were—”

“Absolutely not, yours—”

Watching the disagreement go nowhere, Tetsuya clapped his hands to calm them.

“I am the judge, so here's the result… It's a tie.”

Both of them pouted in protest, but Tetsuya spoke flatly, expression unchanged.

“I've got a real reason, okay? These takoyaki—Sora-senpai made hers to match my brother's tastes, and my brother made his to suit Sora-senpai's. Of course you think each other's is better. That's why it's a tie.”

“Huh?”

“What?”

Ginji and Sora blinked, dumbfounded. Watching them, Tetsuya couldn’t help feeling strange—were they really unaware? They were already each other's focal point without even realizing it. How were they not dating yet? Was his sense of romance off?

In front of him, the two looked into each other's eyes and smiled, bashfully.

“Well… if Tetsu says so, I guess it's a tie. Right, Sora?”

“Ehehe, yeah. Let's try different ingredients next time. Say ahh~”

And so, the two started feeding each other in front of the younger brother. But as long as they were happy, it was fine. The good little brother helped himself to seconds of takoyaki.