"Man, I am so hungry," I said out loud as I made my way to the kitchen to scavenge through it and find something to eat. As I walked by the main hall, I saw Ais through the window, sitting on a bench, her shoulder drooping, a small frown on her forehead.
Seeing her like that, I changed my route and made my way towards the garden. Before long, I was in front of her.
"Did something happen, Ais?" I asked, taking a seat beside her. Ais looked up from the ground and met my eyes.
"Arin?... I want to eat Jagamarukun…" She responded. I tilted my head in confusion.
"Was the stall not open today?" Ais's shoulder visibly dropped at my words.
"No, it was opened, but all of jagamakun were sold out." Oh… I guess the stall owner didn't expect the sudden influx of visitors coming to Orario because of the festival.
I thought and looked at Ais. Her shoulders were sunken, her lips forming a pout.
She looks so cute…
No no! I should think about how to lighten her mood, even if she looks cute right now, I don't want to see her being sad like that.
But what to do…
Oh Right!
"You want to eat Jagamarukun that badly?" Ais looked up at me and nodded.
"Then let's make it." At my declaration, Ais' golden eyes widened.
"Make it?" She asked back.
"Yup!" I grabbed her hands and started pulling her. "Let's make it!"
Ais was pulled helplessly by me as we made our way to the kitchen. Though I am not a professional chef, I know my way around the kitchen and can make some simple dishes. Living alone is not easy after all.
I got into the kitchen, dragging Ais with me. There was no one present since it was late afternoon and all the familia members were busy doing one thing or another.
"Yosh! Ais, let's get to work." Ais seemed dumbfounded for a moment before, but seeing that I was not just joking about making it, she gave a small smile.
"Um," she nodded, "I never made food before, but I will do my best to help you, Arin."
"That's the spirit!" I picked up a pair of clean aprons, handing one over to Ais, and started wearing one myself, and started to gather all the ingredients we would need, which were not that much, just some good-looking potatoes.
This one seems handsome… You are getting cooked!
This one seems cute… I will spare it.
Oh, this one piss me off! You are definitely getting cooked, Mr.Potato!
I think at this point my own hunger was getting to me, as I chose one potato and spared the other.
"What should I do, Arin?" I put all the chosen ones on the table and looked back towards Ais.
And there she was in a pink apron, her white top went well with the Pink apron, she had put her blonde hair in a high ponytail, all in all, she looked really beautiful and homely.
"Arin?... is something wrong?" she asked, her cheeks turning pink and her golden eyes looking to the side.
Crap! I stared too long.
"No, you just looked so beautiful and different from usual," I replied, "
"Th-Thank you," she said, "So how can I help?" she asked again.
"Yes, can you wash these potatoes?" I gave her the bowl filled with potatoes, which she took and went to wash them up.
Meanwhile, I started making other preparations, filling a pressure cooker with water and putting it on a stove, checking and gathering all the seasoning we would need.
"Here, Arin." Ais handed me the washed potatoes. I took them and one by one dropped them in the cooker. Ais observed everything closely, and at last I closed the lid and turned the stove on.
"Now we let the potatoes boil for some time."
"Oh, oh," she replied, nodding her head repeatedly.
And while the potatoes were being boiled, we started chatting like usual.
"...So Tiona is with Ardee, huh?" I repeated what she told me when I asked why she was roaming around alone, when usually Tiona or Lefiya is with her.
"Um, they were discussing reading a hero story book that you gave to Ardee," Ais explained further.
"Guess their shared interest in hero stories is the main reason they get along so well." Both Tiona and Ardee are hardcore fans of heroes after all.
"That and they are both very…Cheerful," added Ais. During the Great Conflict, Ais naturally became close with other girls her age, and since Tiona and Ardee had become close friends, it was also natural that they would drag Ais around a lot. But I think that's better than Ais being alone and simply thinking about revenge.
SHEEEEEEEE!!!
The sound of the pressure cooker going off interrupted our conversation.
That was the fourth one. It should be ready by now.
I closed the stove off and opened the lid of the cooker, and my timing was right, the potato seemed properly boiled. I emptied the water out of the cooker and put the boiled potato on a separate plate.
"Now we have to peel them and mash them," I called to Ais, still observing closely.
"Peel and mash them?" She asked, tilting her cute head to the side, her ponytail falling on her shoulder.
"Yup, let's start with peeling them. Just follow my example, okay?" Ais nodded again. I picked up a potato and started peeling the skin with Ais, followed by my example, also picked up a potato and started peeling it as well.
It would have felt really hot for a normal person, but for us, who were 4 and 5, this much heat was nothing. We worked in silence, putting the potato on a separate plate. And before long, all the potatoes were peeled.
"Now we mash them," I picked up a potato showing Ais how to do that, "Don't try to use too much strength or it will spill everywhere,"
"Okay…" She replied in a low voice.
Ais carefully picked up her potato and began mashing it, her tongue poking out slightly in concentration. The sight was so endearing that I almost forgot to work on my own.
"Like this?" she asked, looking up at me with those golden eyes.
"Yup, you are doing good," I said and went back to work on my own. In a short while, the work was complete.
"Now we add the seasonings," I said, sprinkling salt and pepper into the mashed potatoes. "We need to mix everything evenly."
I demonstrated the mixing motion, and Ais watched intently before trying to copy me. However, she was being so gentle that barely anything was mixing.
"Here, let me help," I said, moving behind her and placing my hands over hers on the mixing spoon. "You can be a bit firmer with it."
Together, we stirred the mixture, my hands guiding hers. I could feel her tense up initially, but then she relaxed against me slightly.
"I can feel it getting smoother," she said softly.
"That's the idea," I replied, trying to ignore how nice she smelled—like a gentle spring breeze. Although I did that without intending to, being so close to her made my heart beat so fast I could feel it against my ribcage, and I doubt she felt it as well.
I tried to keep calm and finish the process as fast as possible. Just when the process was complete, I went back to my original place.
"Now comes the fun part—shaping them into balls," I said, taking some of the mixture in my hands.
Ais attempted to copy me, but her first jagamarukun came out more like a lumpy oval.
"It's... not round," she observed with a slight frown.
"It doesn't have to be perfect," I assured her. "Besides, it'll taste just as good."
She looked at my evenly shaped ball, then at her misshapen one, and her shoulders dropped a little.
"Here, watch carefully," I said, taking some mixture. "Roll it gently in your palms... like this."
I demonstrated slowly, then watched as she tried again. This time it was better, though still not quite round.
"Better!" I encouraged. "You're getting the hang of it."
A small, proud smile appeared on her lips. "Um…It is better."
After that, I put a big pan on the stove and poured oil into it. We waited until the oil was sufficiently hot, and I put one of the jagamarukun in it.
While the jagamarukun fried in the oil, we stood side by side watching them turn golden brown.
"They smell good," Ais commented, leaning slightly closer to get a better look.
"They will taste good as well," I replied.
When it was ready, I brought it out of the pan, putting it on a paper towel to absorb the excessive oil.
"Careful, they're hot," I warned as I handed Ais her first homemade jagamarukun.
She nodded and took a small, cautious bite. I watched curiously as she chewed, her expression unreadable.
"Well? How is it?"
Instead of answering, she took another bite, then another, her eyes widening slightly.
"Ais?"
She looked up at me with the brightest smile I'd ever seen from her. "Delicious."
"Really? As good as the stall one?" I asked.
"No," she replied, "Better." She explained further, "Because we made them together."
"I am happy to hear that."
Then she surprised me by holding out her jagamarukun toward me. "Try some."
I leaned forward and took a bite. The potato was warm and perfectly seasoned.
"It is good," I agreed.
"We did well," she said, then added more quietly, "Thank you, Arin."
"For what?"
"For making me feel... happy." She paused, looking down at the remaining jagamarukun in her hand. "I didn't know cooking could be so enjoyable."
"Maybe we can cook together more often," I suggested.
She looked up at me with hope shining in her golden eyes. "I would like that very much."
"Ah! Ais-san!" A voice interrupted our alone time.
Fu*k! Why now!
I muttered under my breath, without turning to look back, I know who this voice belongs to.
And as she came closer, she noticed me as well.
"AHH! Yo-You pervert, what are you doing to Ais-san!" she cried. I really don't know how her mind works, accusing me of being a pervert every time we see each other.
Meh, Whatever. I already enjoyed my time with Ais more than enough today.
"Nothing, do you want some jagamarukun, Lefiya?" I asked as I put the rest of the potatoes in the pan.
"Eh?" Lefiya let out a confused voice, "Oh, yes, I would like some…" She seems hungry as well.
To be honest, with how many times she interrupts my time with the girls, I still don't hate Lefiya. I find her more annoying than anything. If she works on her habit of shouting every time she sees me with any girl, we could be good friends.
"Oh! Something smells good!" I heard Tiona's voice and looked up to see her and Ardee walking into the mess hall. Fortunately, I made enough to fill all our stomachs. All of us sat down at the table and spent some time together.
By the end of everything, Ais was no longer pouting but smiling. I also felt happy to see her smile like that.
All of us chatted for some time until late in the evening and then went our separate ways.