Chapter 42: Onigiri, Barely

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“I’m hungry…”

In a situation like this, nothing I say will come out right.

Since I had planned to mooch off Jones-san, I didn’t have any proper lunch preparations. But my stomach was growling, and changing the subject to food seemed like the safest move.

“Oh, in that case, I’ll cook something for you, Onii-chan. I want to show off my cooking skills.”

Ange responded confidently. This felt like a setup for something disastrous.

“Hold on. Even if you want to show off your skills, there aren’t any decent ingredients in this house. I do have some rice, though.”

“Wow, you really are broke, Onii-chan. I guess that means I can only make rice balls.”

“Sorry about that. To make matters worse, there’s barely any nori left for the rice balls.”

“…”

Ange was at a loss for words. Sorry for being such an inadequate brother.

But don’t underestimate being broke. Even buying a can of juice takes serious courage.

“Here, Onii-chan. I’ll return the money I borrowed from you. You can buy something with this, right?”

“Yeah, I can at least get some nori for the rice balls.”

“…”

Huh? Ange, who had been so cheerful and proud just moments ago, suddenly looked upset. The mysterious heart of a girl on the verge of adulthood… 

“Alright then, please go buy some nori.”

“I have enough nori for one person.”

“What about Ange and the others?”

“…”

Right. It’s almost lunchtime, and they’re probably hungry too.

“Aw, I was hoping to show off my newly improved cooking skills.”

Ange clearly hadn’t learned her lesson or grown at all.

Despite being a terrible cook, she always tried to make elaborate dishes but ended up failing.

“I’d love to try your rice balls again, Ange.”

Rice balls are simple enough that even if she messes up a bit, I can still eat them. As long as she doesn’t mix up sugar and salt, it should be fine.

…

Wait a minute. There was that one time she mixed up MSG with salt and made the most umami-packed rice balls ever.

But this time, we only have plain salt at home, so it should be okay.

“Alright… If you’re requesting it, I guess I have no choice. I’ll make you some rice balls, but make sure to buy the nori.”

“Got it. I’ll get the nori.”

Phew, I dodged a culinary disaster.

Meanwhile, Kurebayashi-san, who had been silent all this time…

“…”

She remained quiet.

If Kurebayashi-san were cooked, it would probably be edible. But after refusing her bento and knowing she’s feeling guilty about herself, asking her to cook would be cruel.

Besides, if it’s rice balls, I’ll only eat the ones Ange makes.

Alright, let’s get going and buy that nori.

***

“…Huh? Where’s Ange?”

When I returned to my cramped apartment after buying some seaweed from the nearby dollar store, Ange was nowhere to be seen. Only Kurebayashi-san was there, looking uneasy and fidgeting nervously.

Hmm, her chin seems a bit pointed.

“Uh, Ange-chan is… there.”

“Oh, I see.”

Kurebayashi-san timidly pointed towards the bathroom door, indicating where Ange was.

Right, I remember Ange mentioning she got her period. It’s her second day, so it must be heavy.

Well, it’s best not to mention it. Sensitivity is important.

I turned my attention to the table, where there were two rice balls wrapped in seaweed and some plain white rice balls.

On closer inspection, the rice balls were either perfectly triangular or extremely misshapen.

So, despite her big talk, Ange’s cooking skills hadn’t improved.

“Did you make some of these rice balls too, Kurebayashi-san?”

“Eep! I-I’m sorry! I’m sorry for making rice balls with my dirty hands!”

“…”

I noticed that the hand sanitizer from the entrance had been moved to the kitchen.

… Well, saying anything now might just make Kurebayashi-san more anxious. It’s easy to imagine that Ange couldn’t make the rice balls properly and asked Kurebayashi-san to make decent ones for her to eat. 

As evidence, there were only two misshapen rice balls, and the rest were perfectly shaped.

“… Sorry about that, Kurebayashi-san. Ange probably asked you to make them, right?”

“I-I’m so sorry!”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Even though the rice balls were a bit… no, very misshapen, I could only eat the ones Ange made for me. If she made them with me in mind, it’s my duty as her brother to enjoy them.

“…I’m hungry. I’ll have one.”

As the host, I have that right, don’t I? Without waiting for Ange to come out of the bathroom, I picked up one of the misshapen rice balls and took a bite.

“Oh… oh no…”

“Huh? What’s wrong, Kurebayashi-san?”

“I-I mean, isn’t it… dirty?”

“What?”

Her words were so offensive that I almost snapped.

“That’s a rude thing to say. You don’t have the right to insult a rice ball made for me. Even if it’s misshaped, it’s made with care. The saltiness is just right, and it’s delicious. It’s definitely not dirty. Take that back.”

“W-What?”

“Take it back. Say it’s not dirty. This delicious rice ball.”

It’s understandable if my tone became harsh.

After I said that, Kurebayashi-san was stunned for a while before saying,

“Oh…i-i-it’s…not dirty? It’s….delicious. Oh..Ahhh…”

She said this in a choked voice, which made me even more confused.

I don’t get it.