Although Yukino said she had only made an extra portion because it would have been a waste to make just one serving...
Kotomi Izumi looked at the pale blue bento box with a little penguin printed on it and couldn't help thinking, Did she really make an extra portion by accident? Why do I keep feeling like she made this especially for me?
The more Kotomi Izumi thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. This bento might really have been made especially for her by Yukino, who was simply too embarrassed to admit it and had deliberately claimed that she had accidentally cracked two extra eggs and thought it would be too wasteful to make only one portion.
Little Yukino really is as tsundere as ever. That tsundere personality of hers is honestly adorable... Kotomi Izumi thought with a smile.
Even though she had already figured out that Yukino was being tsundere, Kotomi Izumi thoughtfully chose not to expose her. She knew perfectly well that if she actually called Yukino Yukinoshita out on her tsundere excuse, then at least for a while, she could forget about eating another bento Yukino made for her personally.
"Wow~ In that case, it'd be rude of me to refuse! I was just worrying about what I'd eat for lunch today. Yukino, thank you!"
Kotomi Izumi said happily. The brilliant smile on her face was reflected in Yukino Yukinoshita's eyes, making Yukino feel both that getting up early today to make Kotomi a bento was completely worth it and a shy sense of joy in her heart.
Even if I did make this bento especially for Kotomi, I only wanted her to try the omurice I made! It definitely isn't some loving wife's bento! Mm, definitely not!
Even though Kotomi Izumi hadn't said anything about it being a loving wife's bento, Yukino Yukinoshita had already started "defending" herself against the accusation in her own mind.
Her emotions were running high inside, but outwardly, Yukino Yukinoshita still did her best to maintain the cool demeanor of an icy beauty as she said evenly:
"It's just an ordinary bento I accidentally made too much of, so you don't need to think too much about it. I only know that you don't like chopped scallions, green peppers, and carrots. I don't know what else you dislike, so I'm not very confident about the side dishes. If you think there's anything that needs improving, make sure you tell me."
What Yukino Yukinoshita had originally intended to convey with those words was: I really didn't make this bento especially for you. I just accidentally made too much, so don't misunderstand! I'm only making a bento for you this once. There's no way I'll make one for you again in the future! After all, the relationship between us is still just friendship right now...
Unless you let the relationship between us take another step forward...
However, the more Yukino Yukinoshita continued speaking, the more it sounded like she was saying: This is my first time making you a bento, so I don't know whether it suits your tastes. If there's anything that needs improving, make sure you tell me. That way, when I make you another bento next time, I'll be able to do an even better job!!!
Or rather, that was the truest implied meaning behind Yukino Yukinoshita's words.
Kotomi Izumi listened with a smile. She felt herself liking Yukino's little tsundere personality more and more. Every time Yukino showed that side of herself, Kotomi Izumi couldn't help feeling the urge to bully and tease her.
Still, after thinking about it, Kotomi Izumi decided not to tease Yukino for now. Yukino was thin-skinned, after all, and if Kotomi genuinely embarrassed her too much, Yukino might very well become angry out of humiliation.
If that happened, then the next time Kotomi Izumi wanted to eat a bento personally made by Yukino, she'd have to put quite a bit of effort into coaxing her.
"I'm really not that picky with food." Kotomi Izumi chuckled, then opened the lid of the bento box.
Inside, besides the omurice as the main staple, there was also braised eggplant as a side dish.
Kotomi Izumi's attitude toward eggplant was something that had changed as she grew older.
When she was little, Kotomi hadn't liked eating eggplant, but as she gradually grew up, Kotomi Izumi came to like it. The only kind she didn't particularly enjoy was eggplant stir-fried with the skin still on.
The sliced eggplant had been stir-fried together with pork. The glossy slices of pork and the slightly browned eggplant looked appetizing enough to make anyone hungry just by looking at them.
Kotomi Izumi swallowed involuntarily.
"Braised eggplant doesn't taste good if you don't add minced garlic when cooking it. I didn't know whether you liked minced garlic, but since you hate chopped scallions, I figured you might dislike minced garlic too. So when I was filling your portion, I deliberately picked out the pieces of eggplant without minced garlic on them, or used my chopsticks to remove the garlic from the eggplant."
After seeing the obvious appetite in Kotomi Izumi's eyes, Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help feeling delighted inside, though she spoke seriously:
"I actually like minced garlic quite a lot. Or rather, I like garlic paste. I can tolerate a little chopped scallion too, so Yukino, you don't have to be so meticulous about picking things out for me next time. I'm not so much of a little kid that I constantly pick at my food."
Kotomi Izumi smiled a little sheepishly before continuing:
"It smells so good. I've heard that truly delicious food can make you feel happy just from smelling it. Yukino, I feel really happy right now~"
Kotomi Izumi had no idea just how much psychological impact those casual words had on Yukino Yukinoshita. The moment she heard them, Yukino felt as if her entire heart were trembling violently.
At that moment, Yukino Yukinoshita wanted nothing more than to cook for Kotomi every single day!
"Y-You liking it is all that matters..." Yukino Yukinoshita lowered her head and murmured, her cheeks slightly red.
The tsundere part of her didn't want Kotomi to see how happy and flushed she looked.
If Kotomi sees me like this, she might tease me again... Yukino Yukinoshita thought.
The cooking method of heating peanut oil and using garlic cloves to release their fragrance made the braised eggplant incredibly delicious, while the added slices of pork perfectly satisfied Kotomi's meat-loving tendencies.
Just the first piece of eggplant made Kotomi Izumi feel a powerful craving for rice.
Fortunately, the staple Yukino Yukinoshita had paired with the bento was omurice. If it had been rice balls, steamed buns, bread, flatbread, or some other staple food, Kotomi Izumi definitely would have been disappointed enough to cry.
Although Kotomi Izumi also liked those other staple foods, plain white rice would forever be her favorite.
Incidentally, mixed-grain rice was unacceptable. Kotomi Izumi was normally not very picky about food, but whenever she was faced with mixed-grain rice, she didn't want to eat even one extra bite.
In Kotomi Izumi's opinion, managing to make rice taste that bad meant mixed-grain rice had accomplished something of a miracle.
"Is it good?"
The question that should originally have come from Yukino Yukinoshita was suddenly asked first by Megumi and Yui.
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