The Correct Japanese Terms of Homestay Seems to Be Marriage - Chapter 24

Sophia’s Homemade Hamburger Steak

It smells wonderful.

The distinctive aroma that wafts towards you when you open the door of a Western-style restaurant.

It was the rich scent of demi-glace sauce.

“Keitaro, please wait just a little longer.”

Wearing a brand-new, pale-colored apron, Sophia peeked out from the kitchen to address Keitaro, who was slumped on the sofa.

Though Keitaro’s gaze was ostensibly on the TV, his attention had, in fact, been directed towards the kitchen long before Sophia called out to him.

Feeling somewhat guilty for zoning out, Keitaro continued to feel a strong sense of apology.

“Still, just waiting here makes me feel guilty… Isn’t there something I can do to help?”

Unable to stand the guilt any longer, Keitaro offered to help, but

“The kitchen is a battlefield. Having a beginner around would only result in casualties.”

His offer was promptly rejected.

Indeed, Keitaro realized that trying to help with his nonexistent cooking skills would only add to the chaos,

“I guess a big, clumsy devil’s tongue tree in the way isn’t wanted, then…”

“Not at all! I didn’t mean it like that! It’s about finding the right role for everyone!!”

Sophia raised her voice in a rush, responding to Keitaro’s self-deprecating murmur with a distressed look.

“Alright, I’ll just sit tight and wait.”

“Please do, make sure you’re nice and hungry.”

Resigning himself to his fate, Keitaro sank further into the couch, shifting his attention away from the TV to solely watch Sophia cooking.

In that moment, Keitaro began to reflect.

(Sophia is wearing the apron I chose, cooking for me. It kind of feels like I’m superior… Wait, isn’t my personality just the worst?)

The undeniable fact that Sophia was making a sophisticated dish just for him inflated Keitaro’s ego.

However, he also felt quite sad, realizing how shallow and bad-natured he could be.

(…Spring break ends in five days. Sophia will be attending the same school from the new term. Commuting is the main worry right now. We can’t stagger our times on the train, and I don’t like the idea of her going alone. But if we go to school together, we’ll definitely stand out, and I can’t avoid being bombarded with questions. Moreover, I’m in the lowest class, D, while Sophia will surely be in A. It’s like comparing the moon to a sea cucumber.)

Even if school interactions are severed, commuting together or separately poses a challenge. Unlike in the city, the trains aren’t packed, but Keitaro can’t bear the thought of Sophia riding alone, so he feels the need to be nearby.

That said. If they were seen commuting together happily, it would quickly become known that they live under the same roof.

In that case, Keitaro would undoubtedly be marked as a public enemy by all male students. That’s definitely something he wants to avoid.

Keitaro ponders. How can he ensure Sophia’s safety while keeping himself out of the spotlight?

(Should I ask Tsubaki for help? No, a guy wouldn’t work. It could start rumors and trouble both Sophia and Tsubaki. It has to be a girl from class A. I do have one contact… but our last interaction was back in middle school for committee matters…)

He has two contacts from class A.

One is his friend Tsubaki, and the other is just an acquaintance.

Their last contact was two years ago.

(Yeah, let’s not. Too risky. I don’t think she’s the type to gossip, but it’s better not to take unnecessary risks.)

Keitaro gives up and averts his gaze from reality.

Surely, he’ll come up with some solution by the day it matters.

Keitaro entrusts, or rather, imposes his fate on his future self.

“Keitaro, it’s ready! My homemade hamburger steak, made with love and care!”

Just as he reaches a conclusion, Sophia places the plate on the dining table at the perfect timing.

The dish is ready, steam wafting from it.

Keitaro immediately stands up and heads to the table, and upon seeing the finished dish,

“Wow… This wouldn’t be out of place in a restaurant. Just by the looks and smell, I could eat three bowls of rice.”

He couldn’t help but amazed.

The rounded hamburger steak with a nice sear, covered in homemade demi-glace sauce, looked incredibly appetizing.

Potatoes, carrots, and broccoli were served alongside, adding color to the dish. It was a warm, homely masterpiece… a true delicacy.

Even without tasting, it warranted three stars. No, perhaps even a hundred.

“Please eat lots and lots.”

As Keitaro took his seat, Sophia quickly sat next to him.

As Keitaro was about to express his gratitude before eating, he caught a glimpse of Sophia slicing into the hamburger steak.

Despite having no knife, it cut smoothly to the center, and the meat juice flowed out generously. The aroma that filled the room instantly was enough to make one’s mouth water.

With a prayerful bow,

“Let’s eat.”

He expressed his gratitude to both the holy mother, Sophia, and the ingredients.

Immediately after, a bite-sized piece of the juicy hamburger steak approached his mouth.

“Here you go.”

“Right… mmm… delicious… too delicious…”

The hamburger steak easily yielded to his bite, offering no resistance, much like how easily Sophia had fed him.

With each chew, a burst of flavor filled his mouth. The aroma and taste spread, setting Keitaro’s standard for hamburger steaks apart from any he had known.

“Does it taste alright?”

“Alright? It’s so perfect that anything else will feel lacking now…”

What he had eaten before wasn’t a hamburger steak. That was just a ‘ham’. This is a hamburger steak.

Knowing this, Keitaro would likely never order a hamburger steak when dining out again. He was on the verge of becoming a gourmet.

“Ehehe, I’m glad my hard work paid off. Here, have another bite.”

“That should be on the cheek.”

Sophia’s chopsticks, supposedly aiming for his mouth, lightly touched Keitaro’s cheek instead.

It was clearly intentional, aiming for the cheek from the start.

“Keitaro, you’ve got sauce on your cheek. Really, you’re such a handful.”

“That’s blatantly setting the stage for yourself.”

Suddenly, Sophia was wiping his cheek with a napkin she apparently had ready. It was an outright self-staged act.

Sophia seemed determined to take care of Keitaro.

“Alright, once more, here you go.”

“… Mmm, yum… too delicious…”

This time, the hamburger steak made it properly into Keitaro’s mouth. The second bite was just as moving as the first.

All Keitaro could do was savor Sophia’s handmade, kneaded hamburger steak.

(… This is bad. It’s only the second day, and I can’t imagine living without Sophia anymore. What will I become in two years…?)

Keitaro realized his stomach was completely captivated by Sophia and was terrified at the thought of being so utterly submerged in this excessively blissful lifestyle two years down the line.

If Sophia were to get a boyfriend, he, a useless man, would be discarded. Just imagining such a future filled Keitaro with dread.

Well, such days are unlikely to ever come.