Does This Love Suit Your Taste? - Volume 1 Chapter 8.7

Riz au Lait 7

“Thanks for taking care of me when I had a fever. Thanks to you, I got better, and the shop somehow managed as well.”

“…Yeah.”

That was about all the conversation I had with Shirahime on the way home.

I didn’t really have anything more to say either. Anyway, even if I did talk, Shirahime would probably just pretend to be okay and wouldn’t tell me anything important.

“…Maison?”

“That’s right. Come in.”

I brought Shirahime to the Maison.

We entered through the entrance that leads to my room, passed through my room, and went down to the Maison.

“Sit at the counter.”

I had Shirahime sit down, and then I, still in my uniform, tied a salon apron around my waist and washed my hands.

“…Alright.”

First, I prepared the vanilla beans. I cut both ends of the pod with a knife, then made a vertical slit in the pod, opened it up, and scraped out the seeds with the back of the knife.

Next, I prepared the cooked rice. I rinsed it in a stainless steel colander to remove the sliminess.

With the sliminess gone and the rice now fluffy, I put it into a small pot, generously sprinkled sugar over it, added the vanilla beans from earlier, soaked it in milk, and simmered it while keeping an eye on the mixture.

It would be ideal to simmer it slowly, but I didn’t want to keep Shirahime waiting, so I turned off the heat after a little more than ten minutes.

For the finishing touch, I place it in a small bowl, prepare a large bowl with ice water, and immerse the dessert still in the small bowl to cool it down.

Once it’s cold, all that’s left is to plate it. Topping it with strawberry jam and a mint leaf was entirely my preference. I added a spoon and it was complete.

With the finished dessert in hand, I return to the counter where Shirahime is waiting.

“…Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“That is…”

Whenever I serve food to someone, I always do it with sincerity.

“——It’s ‘Riz au lait (リオレ)’.”

Shirahime looked curiously back and forth between the dish and me.

“Try it.”

“O-Okay. I’ll have some.”

Shirahime moved her spoon towards the Riz au lait, took a bite, and chewed slowly.

As I watched Shirahime, who was quieter than usual, I began to speak.

“This, I had a chef I mentioned before make it for me a long time ago here.”

As I reminisced about the past, I touched the medallion on my ear.

“…you see, Riz au lait is made with rice and milk. Isn’t it amazing? Rice and milk seem like a terrible combination, but it becomes delicious when you cook it like this. The first time I saw it, it took me a while to eat it because I was told it was made with rice. But it was delicious, so memorable that I still can’t forget it. And then, there were these words the chef said to me at that time.”

Shirahime stopped her hands and listened to the story.

“Cooking can’t be understood just by looking at its surface. You have to taste it and savor it to truly know everything about it. It’s the same with people; you can’t judge someone just by their appearance——that’s what she said. When I first heard it, I thought it was just a matter of appearances not being everything they appear to be, but being with you, I feel like I’ve come to understand the true meaning.”

I leaned on the counter, staring blankly at the Riz au lait I had made.

“I think now that people aren’t just about what you can see. Things like what they’re thinking, the emotions they’re harboring, their deeper essence, those are not something you can understand just by looking at them. You have to talk, interact, and probably won’t understand until you try expressing it——The same goes for you.”

When I looked at Shirahime, she was also looking back at me.

She finally turned towards me, and I couldn’t help but smile.

“You stayed away from me because Ichigo told you to, right? Despite your own family circumstances, you’re too kind.”

“Why did you…”

“I heard it from Ichigo. She came to me and said it herself. The fact that she conveyed it means, maybe deep down, she might have been concerned about you too.”

I walked around from the kitchen side to where Shirahime was sitting and took a seat next to her.

“Hey Shirahime, have another bite of this.”

Following my suggestion, Shirahime took another bite of the Riz au lait.

“Tasty?”

“…Yeah”

“Good. It’s sweet, right?”

“Sweet…”

“That’s it.”

“…?”

“That’s how you feel, Shirahime.”

Shirahime stared at me with a puzzled look again.

“It’s not about why or who you do things for. Just like you think this sweet dish is sweet, I want to know what you’re thinking and what you want. That’s what I want to know.”

As I said this, Shirahime’s eyes welled up with tears.

As if to hide it, Shirahime took another bite of the Riz au lait, swallowed, and then spoke with a trembling voice.

“…I can’t. I’m not someone who should be so selfish. I don’t want to make Toui-kun or Ichigo-chan feel any worse…”

“Shirahime.”

I placed my hand on Shirahime’s cheek and leaned forward.

“Ah——Mmmfh!”

I kissed Shirahime.

It was a clumsy kiss, just pressing my lips against hers.

Perhaps because of the Riz au lait, Shirahime’s lips tasted slightly sweet.