The Correct Japanese Terms of Homestay Seems to Be Marriage - Chapter 10

No Chopsticks Allowed

“…Hey, is this really okay? It must be tough to put so much effort into cooking every day like this. With this quality, even if you cooked twice a week, I’d be more than satisfied. Heck, even once would suffice.”

The array of sophisticated dishes, clearly prepared with meticulous care from the prep work onwards, was something Keitaro desperately wanted to enjoy every day. However, the thought of receiving such daily culinary delights unconditionally was almost too much to bear.

Even the usually lazy Keitaro felt it was far too presumptuous to demand six days of labor, such was the deliciousness of Sophia’s cooking.

It was so delicious that Keitaro, forgetting himself, ended up hugging Sophia tightly.

“It’s okay! I’ll cook every day! Seeing Keitaro enjoying the food makes me happy! That’s why I want to do it!”

Sophia firmly refused Keitaro’s suggestion.

However, Keitaro couldn’t just back down so easily.

Then, it had to be a trade-off. He had to do something for Sophia in return.

“Then, isn’t there something I can do for you? Anything.”

“…Anything…? Really anything?”

“Yes, anything. Just say it.”

When Sophia asked with upturned eyes, Keitaro met her gaze with determination and nodded deeply.

“Then, then… Can I feed Keitaro?”

“Is that really okay with you?”

“Yes, it’s okay!”

Keitaro, who was bracing himself for something as significant as giving up an arm, was caught off guard by Sophia’s request.

“Really, is something so simple okay?” Keitaro wondered, tilting his head in confusion as Sophia nodded emphatically, picking up the chopsticks.

“Here goes, Keitaro, open up.”

“Ahh… mmm…”

Sophia carefully placed a piece of potato into Keitaro’s mouth with her chopsticks.

It felt even warmer and more comforting than before, seemingly increasing in deliciousness. It appeared that being fed by someone else made the food taste even better, love acting as a spice.

“…Somehow, it tastes better than when I eat it myself.”

After thoroughly chewing and savoring the flavor-infused potato, Keitaro honestly shared his thoughts on the difference between feeding himself and being fed by Sophia.

“Really? Then from now on, I’ll feed you like this every day!”

“I might forget how to use chopsticks at this rate.”

Having Sophia feed him every day might make the food taste even better, and while it seems like a good deal, for a seventeen-year-old high school boy, it’s a bit much.

However, since it was a trade-off, Keitaro had no choice but to accept it, even though it felt very comforting.

“Of course, I’ll also make you a lunchbox, so I can feed you at school too!”

“…No, that’s definitely too much. There’s a cafeteria at school, and I can’t burden on you that much.”

Keitaro felt a bead of sweat trickle down his cheek.

The image that instantly formed in his mind was of him, boldly being fed a homemade lunch by Sophia in the center of the classroom, drawing the attention of other students even in his imagination. Given Sophia’s beauty and the novelty of her being a transfer student, the reality would likely be even more intense.

A chill ran down Keitaro’s spine. That was something he absolutely needed to avoid.

“…You don’t want my lunchbox?”

When Sophia looked at him with puppy-dog eyes and a sad voice, Keitaro nearly agreed on the spot but managed to hold back his response.

“Of course not. I don’t dislike it.”

How could he dislike it? He wanted to eat Sophia’s lunchbox. Desperately. It was that enticing.

Still, he had to be firm and refuse. Whether he was fed or not, refusing was the only option he had.

“But I want you to spend as much time with others as possible at school. Always being together at home and school, it wouldn’t be any different from before, right? The cafeteria food is not as good as yours, but it’s still tasty. More importantly, meals are a great opportunity for communication. For you, who’s just transferred, the cafeteria is the perfect place to make friends.”

Eihou Academy has an extremely high cafeteria usage rate among students. Very few bring their own lunch, as the cafeteria is free, which naturally leads to this outcome.

Therefore, if Sophia were to spend her time efficiently building relationships, eating with other students in the cafeteria would be best. For Keitaro, the idea of Sophia eating lunch alone with him, especially as a new transfer student, was out of the question.

(Sophia will definitely become popular. If anyone were to see us doing this, jealousy would be inevitable. I don’t want to be looked at with those eyes ever again. To maintain my peaceful life as it has always been, it’s imperative to completely sever any interaction with Sophia at school. Besides… being with someone like me would only lower Sophia’s standing.)

Keitaro wanted Sophia’s high school life in Japan to be fulfilling, different from her elementary school days.

So, choosing to quietly exist in a corner of the classroom himself, spending time with him was undoubtedly the worst move. He didn’t want to drag down Sophia’s youth.

“…Understood. You’re right. I’ll try my best to hold back at school.”

“I thought you’d put up more of a fight.”

Keitaro was somewhat relieved that Sophia agreed more easily than he had anticipated, despite bracing himself for some resistance.

“I wouldn’t. After all, I’ve become capable of making friends, so you don’t have to worry about me. Really, truly, there’s no need to worry. Worry and I are strangers now.”

“Is that so… Sophia has grown.”

Keitaro found Sophia’s insistence on having no worries curious yet felt reassured by her growth. At the same time, he felt somewhat small.

“Yes, I’ve tried very, very hard… Keitaro, do you think you can remember the promise?”

“No, for some reason, that’s the only thing I can’t recall at all.”

“…Mm, looks like it’s going to be a long battle.”

The promise with Sophia was still singularly elusive, like a hole in his memory.

As Keitaro pondered with his hand on his forehead, Sophia pouted in disappointment.

“Hey, was the promise we made really that important?”

“Very important. The most important in the world. It’s so important that nothing else matters as much.”

“That significant, huh. Hmm… I really want to remember it now. It’s too intriguing.”

Keitaro found himself resenting his contrarian brain for forgetting such a critical promise.

The anticipation was frustrating. He wanted to remember quickly.

“That’s right. Please remember soon… Here, open up.”

“Chew… mmm, understood.”

Being fed by Sophia again, Keitaro, while fearing he might become someone who couldn’t even eat on his own, renewed his resolve to remember their promise.