Ore wo Suki nano wa Omae dake ka yo - Chapter 2 Part 2

Chapter 2 Part 2

 

Lunch break. Himawari, Tsubaki and I went to the library together.

 

Like usual, Sun-chan would be fighting a war over at the cafeteria, so he wasn’t with us. But, he’d be coming in a bit.

 

When we entered the library, I noticed that Pansy wasn’t at the reception desk. Maybe she had already gone to the reading area with Cosmos?

 

“Hello, Joro-kun, Himawari, Yoki-san.”

 

Turned out my guess was correct. When I entered the reading area, Pansy was already there, and when she saw us, she greeted us.

 

“H-Heya, Joro-kun! Himawari-san! Yoki-san!”

 

Following that, Cosmos also greeted us, albeit with a stutter.

 

Pansy was in her usual braided glasses mode, but this girl over here somehow already entered her maiden-in-love mode.

 

“Yo, sorry for the wait! Today’s battle was even more intense than usual! In fact, if it wasn’t because of my catching skills, I wouldn’t win anything today!”

 

After everyone sat down in their seat, Sun-chan walked in with a triumphant look.

 

There was a bag of bread in his hand and a handgrip in his other hand. The latter should be the thing that he regularly used to train his catching. No idea how it correlated to him buying lunch, though.

 

“Himawari, the lunch lady gave me this when I bought the bread. Do you want it?”

“Is that a cream bun?! You sure you want to give it to me?!”

“Of course! Don’t you love cream buns?”

“Yay! Thank you, Sun-chan!”

 

Ah, that was lucky of her.

 

As Sun-chan said, she LOVED cream buns. Look at her, she was practically beaming after receiving that bun.

 

“That isn’t it, Himawari. The showdown is still ongoing, so the right thing you should do is to give that bun to Joro.”

 

The f**k did she just say? Wipe that smug off your face, Tsubaki!

 

Himawari, don’t listen to her! You loved that bun so much, so just eat it yourself!

 

“Hah, you still have a long way to go, Tsubaki! Joro is the type of person who’d be content to see Himawari eating her favorite bread from the side!”

“Ugh! I-I see…that was a point loss for me then…”

 

Yeah, that was right, Sun-chan! But next time don’t just blurt that out all of a sudden! People would look at you weirdly!

 

“…Alright, I’m doing it! I’ll tell Joro-kun about it properly this time!”

 

That was Cosmos who said that. What was up with her? From the sound of it, it sounded like she had decided on something big.

 

“U-Um, J-Joro-kun, can I talk with you for a bit?”

“Yes? What’s wrong?”

“In truth, I made a mistake and ended up making too much for today’s lunch… T-That’s why! I-I would be honored if Kisaragi-dono is willing to take some of them!”

 

So that was what you wanted to tell me, Akino-dono. Understood. The fact that your samurai accent came up meant…that…right?

 

You had something you wanted to tell me about, maybe trying to show your gratitude or something, but you were too embarrassed to say the truth. That was why you covered it with this kind of theatrics. I got it, thank you for going out of your way to do this.

 

Also, it was nice of you to make me some lunch when I happened to not bring my own! What a pleasant coincidence, wasn’t it? …Of course not.

 

While I didn’t bring my lunch with me, I could always buy some before I got here. But, I couldn’t do that today because of a certain someone…

 

Yes. That certain someone was literally staring at me right now.

 

“Um, actually, Tsubaki already promised to make me some lunch today…”

“Such a thing! You aren’t trying to lie to me, are you?”
“Unfortunately.”

“Is that so…? Understood, then I will proceed to eat the meal on my own. A-Ah, please, don’t fret about the matter too much. I will be okay, my boom will fast by.” (T/N: Okay, this is just a hard sentence to translate. Basically she’s speaking nonsense, she used マイブーム here, which is a slang for something that you currently likes, and 断食 which means fast, as in fasting, not quick. What she is trying to say is she’ll get over it quickly, but she made a different level of wordplay of translating 断食 to English. Does that make sense?)

 

Please use the proper terms! Don’t use hiragana for the word that was supposed to be written in katakana! Also, did that sentence even make any sense?! (T/N: マイブーム in the previous dialogue was written in hiragana.)

 

Why would someone who was fasting eat two lunch boxes at once?!

 

“Ugg… This Akino Sakura will be stuck in this state of confusion for the rest of her life—!”

 

Still, it wouldn’t be right to just turn her down like that, especially when she looked this depressed…

 

Ugh, it can’t be helped then. I actually planned to make some room in my stomach for snacks after lunch, but whatever…! Let’s do this!

 

“Actually, Prez. I’ll be indulging myself in your kindness.”

“Such a thing! You aren’t trying to lie to me, are you?”

 

Why were you repeating that line?

 

“I am not. In truth, even two people’s worth of food won’t be enough to satisfy my appetite!”

 

As I said so, I raised my index finger and middle finger while smiling.

 

Honestly, I doubt I could last eating this much, but I was raised to always accept the affection of beautiful women, so I’d do my best to live up to that!

 

Besides, Cosmos never made a bad lunch, so I was actually looking forward to it.

 

“If you say so, then, here’s the meal that I’ve prepared for you! Hinata-dono had told me your preferences, so I did my best to try and match them all!”

 

Young Samurai, you needed to remember what you had just said earlier! Why did you contradict your own script?!

 

Wait, what was with that lunch box?! It was way too big, wasn’t it? The box design was cute, but its size clearly wasn’t!

 

I really needed to brace myself for this, didn’t I?

 

“Joro, this is the lunch I promised you.”

“Ah, thank you.”

 

Thankfully the one that Tsubaki gave me was a normal-sized one.

 

If I had to deal with two of that monstrous lunch box…ugh, I didn’t even want to think about it…

 

“Phew! I did it! I managed to say it properly!”

 

Somehow, our dear Student Council President had changed her mode back to the maiden-in-love again. Well, at least she seemed happy.

 

“Cosmos-san, since this is the perfect occasion for this, what about we hold a little match between us?”

“A match? What kind of…ah, I see, I understand what you’re trying to say.”

 

That was quick! She switched back to normal again! No more samurai or maiden-in-love mode! But, what was with that smug look of hers?

 

“Yes. So, Cosmos-san, you made this lunch for Joro, right?”

“You have a good eye, I’m impressed…as you have said, I put all my heart and efforts into giving this exquisite meal to Joro-kun.”

 

I see, got it. You didn’t want to bother to hide it anymore, huh, Student Council President? 

 

“Mm, then let’s ask Joro which one that he thinks is the tastiest one, mine or yours, Cosmos-san.”

“Good idea, let’s do that!”

 

Agreed with Cosmos here. Earlier in the morning, I was reluctant to go on with their antics because they were clearly out to hurt me, but this time it wasn’t the case. I’d only need to eat and decide which among their food tasted better.

 

“Alright, Joro, do you want to eat them now?”

“You don’t need to worry about anything, Joro-kun. Just say which one of these tastes better, okay?”

“Alright, then…”

 

Now, let’s talk about serious business. Based on experience, their cooking was both great.

 

With all the lunches that she shared with me, she had never missed even once.

 

In Tsubaki’s case, though I didn’t know what she was going to give me, her kushikatsu was just on a different level compared to the others.

 

Since that was the case, there was a good chance that whatever it was that she made, it would also be as tasty as that.

 

Alright, since Tsubaki was the one who offered me lunch first, let’s start with hers! Open!

 

“Huh, shrimp pilaf? Looks good.”

“I thought about making kushikatsu, but I don’t want you to think that I can only make kushikatsu, so I made something else. It’s tasty, I’ve taste-tested it.

 

Tsubaki smiled, the corner of her lips were raised a little.

 

She placed a hand on her nonexistent chest, seemingly confident. Hopefully it was as good as she said…

 

Anyway, enough hoping! Time to dig in!

 

“Oh, this is tasty!”

“I told you~ Well, I used our family’s special sauce to make it.”

“Huh, I see!”

 

I wasn’t a gourmet, so I couldn’t tell you what made it tasty, but it was tasty.

 

Well, it would be better if she added more seasoning into it, but this was still okay.

 

“…Not bad…Tsubaki-san…”

“Hehe, this much is nothing.”

 

Cosmos’ voice was tinged with nervousness, while Tsubaki’s was coated with pride.

 

The former’s eyebrows were twitching nonstop.

 

Also, Cosmos, you were staring way too intently at the shrimp pilaf!

 

“Hmm, I see, you’re using Japonica Rice, huh? Using the ingredients that are mainly used in Turkey, pilaf’s place of origin, is quite the clever move from you…”

 

Thanks to Cospedia, I knew what kind of rice Tsubaki used.

 

For some reason, after flaunting her wisdom, she showed me a smug look. I mean, it wasn’t really a big deal, but if that made you happy, sure.

 

“Ugh, that…! Alright, I’m not the only one who has something to say about the food! Do you know that a shrimp’s tail has the same composition as a cockroach’s wings?”

 

Why the hell did you choose to tell me that, Tsubapedia?! You knew that I was eating, right?!

 

“That’s a bit of an exaggeration, Tsubaki-san. Yes, both of those have chitin, but that’s the same component that you’d find in rhinoceros beetles and dragonflies too.” (T/N: Just know that chitin exists in insects’ and crustaceans’ exoskeletons.)

 

Stop, I didn’t need to know that! All I could take from your trivia talks was that I was eating bugs!

 

Also, I thought you two wanted to compare your cooking, not your trivia knowledge?!

“Fine, what about this one then! Do you know that the black line at the back of the shrimp has part of its excrement in it? I’ve removed them properly though, so you can rest assured!”

 

This Tsubapedia had gone off the rails…

 

Look, I get it. Yes, you wanted to beat Cospedia, I totally get it! But, why did you have to feed me with this kind of trivia?!

 

No matter how tasty the food was, when you heard this kind of thing…

 

“Shrimps are amazing, aren’t they? Even though they are pretty much the same as cockroaches and there is excrement all over their bodies, they’re still so tasty to eat! …Huh? What’s wrong, Joro? Why do you stop eating?”

“Well, I figured that I should eat some of Prez’ lunch too.”

 

…So when she got competitive, she’d say outrageous things like that, huh? Noted.

 

“Hehe, I knew it. You like my shrimp pilaf don’t you, Joro?”

 

Yes. I liked it at first. Not anymore, though. 

 

“You still have a long way to go, Tsubaki.”

“How so, Sun-chan?”
“That pilaf isn’t salty enough. Joro loves it when his food has a strong flavor, so next time you shoulda add another teaspoon of salt, that would make it perfect!”

“Ugh–! I see, I’ll keep that in mind…”

 

Sunpedia was also trying to show off his trivia knowledge now. Well, his trivia revolved around me for some reason, though…

 

Also, how the hell did he find out that it isn’t salty enough? He hadn’t even eaten any of it!

 

“A-Anyway, Joro-kun! I-It’s time for…mine…”

 

When I turned my gaze at her, the maiden-in-love Cosmos gave me an anticipating look.

 

A sophisticated technique that allowed her to tell me that she wanted me to eat her cooking with her eyes.

 

“Yeah, alright, I’ll dig in now!”

 

Okay, time to neutralize the bullsh*t from earlier with Cosmos’ lunch!

We all knew that she was a great cook, and now she said that she made me my favorite foods today.

 

Alright, let’s see what she had in store for me— H-Huh?

 

“U-Uh… Prez? What is this…?”

 

In my astonishment, I called out to her.

 

There was a single sentence that came to mind when I saw the content of her box. A whole a*s forest!

 

Everything was green!

Why the hell…?

 

“Those are broccolis! Himawari-san said that you never get tired of eating broccoli no matter how much you eat!’

 

Himawari, what the f**k?!

Look, I didn’t mind eating broccoli, but it wasn’t my favorite by a long shot!

 

“Yes! The last time we went out together, he enjoyed the broccoli more than the fried shrimp!”

 

You got that information from that time?! Back when I thought you’d confess to me?!

 

Back then I only ate the broccoli because you stole all my fried shrimps!

 

I never said that I loved eating them! Seriously, what were you on about?!

 

“W-What a bad turn of events for me… I never woulda guessed that he prefers broccoli more than shrimp…”

 

Get that shocked face away from my face, Tsubaki!

 

I liked shrimp more than broccoli, okay?! Just get rid of the tail and the back first!

 

“Today, I did my best to please you, Joro-kun! This one here is steamed broccoli, this one is sauteed broccoli, and this one is ohitashi broccoli!”

 

Look at her, getting carried away like that! Amazing! Even though everything was just wrong!

 

 

Even if I actually loved broccoli, there was still a limit!

 

You shouldn’t just go all in with variations of a single thing, you ditzy Student Council President!

 

“…I’m digging in.”

 

Then again, it wasn’t like I could just complain directly to her face like that, so I decided to just eat it quietly.

 

Despite how she looked, Cosmos got depressed easily.

 

The moment I told her the truth, her mood would change in a blink of an eye and she’d enter a spiral of depression and wouldn’t get out of it for a good while.

 

…Anyway, time to deal with this…forest…let’s start with this ohitashi…

 

“How is it? Is it good?”

“…Yes, it’s really good…”

 

I wasn’t lying when I said that. The taste was never the problem, just the quantity…also, the look I guess, it looked unappetizing…

 

“Yay! It was worth staying up all night to do all that research!”

 

Cosmos-san, that information you just let out was too heavy for me. Not only for my stomach, but also my heart…

 

“Um, Cosmos-san…if you want to make something for me, can you tell me in advance first? I don’t want you to push yourself like this again…”

“H-Huh?! D-Does that mean you want me to make something for you again?!”

 

That was what you got from my words?! No, no, I was happy that you were so ecstatic about it, but still!

 

I wanted you to focus on the other part!

 

“U-Uh, I appreciate that, b-but can you please tell me in advance—”

“W-What should I do? N-Next time, w-what should I make next? I-I know Joro-kun’s other favorite food, but I can’t decide!”

 

Stop flipping that note of yours, we were still eating! Also, just hear me out, you wouldn’t need to decide on anything!

 

“Anyway, I’ll be in your care.”

“Y-Yes! L-Likewise!”

 

Whatever, she wouldn’t listen to me anyway.

 

I’d just tell Himawari later that I liked variations in my lunch box. Just pray that she’d tell Cosmos about it.

 

“So that’s what you came up with, huh, Cosmos-san? Still, don’t you think this is a little too much? Joro can’t eat this much, so maybe you should reduce it by around…hmm…92 grams should be okay, yes, 92 grams, reduce it by that much later.”

“I-I see, I didn’t know that! A-Alright, I’ll write it down!”

 

Let alone you, I didn’t even know that myself! Sun-chan, how the hell did you know that stuff?!

 

He knew about myself better than me!

 

Anyway, generally speaking, it wasn’t the amount of the food which was the problem here, but the amount of broccoli used!

 

“So, Joro-kun, which one of them do you like the most?”

 

At that moment, Pansy uttered the words that instantly changed the mood around us.

 

“A-Ah, right…u-uh…both of them are good, so I’m having trouble to pick one…”

 

Actually, both of them disgusted me, so I could just say that both of them lost.

 

At any rate, now I knew that both Tsubaki and Cosmos would go off the rails whenever they got carried away.

 

Why couldn’t they just act normally all the time…?

 

“That was a close one… Next time, I won’t lose, Cosmos-san…”

“Fuu… I’m still not good enough. Let’s have another good one later, Tsubaki-san.”

 

Wipe off those smug looks, you two! Both of you messed up!

 

Anyway, I finished all the shrimp pilaf and all the broccoli that they made for me.

 

It was a considerable amount, so my stomach was filled to the brim.

 

“Alright, I’ll prepare the tea and the sweets next. What about you, Joro-kun? Do you want some or are you too full to eat?”

“…I can take more.”

 

Like they said, there was a separate stomach for sweets! Time to cover up all those horrible memories with Pansy’s sweets! Do your best, me!

 

“Oh my, how rare of you to say something nice about me.”

 

After that, I received the sweets from Pansy, who was in a good mood, and ate them. Gotta say that they were three times tastier than usual.

 

TL: Iyo

ED: Iyo

 

 

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