Upon hearing Nanami’s words, Shion’s lips twitched almost imperceptibly.
“Kazama-san, it hasn’t even been a year since high school started, has it…?” Shion couldn’t help but retort.
‘A “veteran” cooking club member… if memory served, the last time this so-called veteran member tried to make coffee, they scalded their hand just pouring hot water. Shion had even been the one to apply the ointment.’
‘And then, the one time after that, the coffee they’d finally managed to learn to make hadn’t even been put to use.’
Nanami flashed a confident smile. “Of course not! Even before joining the cooking club, I was super good at handling fish, you know! My family runs a fish business, after all!”
Then, Nanami looked around. “Um, which way is the kitchen?”
It was already time for evening dramas. Ayane stretched languidly. Even with Nanami as a guest, she remained casually sprawled on the sofa. Hearing Nanami’s question, she simply pointed in a direction. “Over there.”
“Oh, alrighty then~… Wait a minute, Ayane-san, that’s the bathroom!”
Shion pressed a hand to her forehead. “Please don’t mind her, Kazama-san… Ayane doesn’t really cook much… The kitchen is on the other side.”
“Even if she doesn’t cook much, that’s no reason to point to the bathroom when I ask for the kitchen!”
“Huh?” Ayane lifted her head from her evening drama. “Didn’t Kazama-san just say she was going to the bathroom?”
Nanami walked into the kitchen, turned on the tap to wipe down the cutting board, then picked up a kitchen knife and placed the small tuna she had brought on the board. Her movements appeared remarkably skillful.
‘So that was it. Nanami was indeed highly skilled at preparing fish, but when it came to other types of food, she was likely less adept.’
Under the warm yellow glow of the kitchen light, Nanami’s left hand steadied the tuna by its prominent backbone. The knife in her right hand sliced precisely into the fish’s body. She then adjusted her left hand, drawing the blade along the natural fish line, expertly filleting the tuna to reveal its vibrant orange flesh.
Shion, who had been standing by the doorway watching Nanami’s every move, felt as though tears of joy—the kind that escaped from the corners of her mouth—were welling up the moment the vibrant orange flesh was exposed.
“Shion-san, would you like a taste first?” Nanami asked, noticing Shion standing behind her, eyes gleaming with anticipation, as she peeled back the fish skin.
“Eh? Really?” Shion leaned closer, asking.
Nanami scratched her head. “This tuna was originally meant as a gift to persuade you, Shion-san, to let me use a part of your stall to sell tuna. If you agree, then I’ll prepare this fish for you to eat.”
“Hmm? And if I don’t agree?” Shion asked, her curiosity piqued.
“If not… then I’ll just eat it all by myself! Not that I would, though…” Nanami playfully stuck out her tongue. “There’s no way I could finish it. If I can’t sell it, I could eat it every day, every meal, and still not finish it. Besides… I’m already tired of tuna, you know.”
‘To think she was already tired of it…’
Nanami sliced off a small piece of tuna. Although there was a plate nearby, Nanami seemed to prefer using her hands directly. She delicately picked up the slice of tuna with one hand, using the other to prevent it from falling.
Shion leaned her head forward, allowing the blue-haired girl before her to place the fish into her mouth.
“Ah~”
However, just as Shion was savoring the rich, sweet, and oily texture of the tuna, Nanami suddenly raised her hand slightly, snatching the fish away from the girl’s lips.
Shion watched, dismayed, as the morsel was taken from her. She stood on her tiptoes, yearning for another bite. But seeing that Nanami had no intention of giving it back, Shion’s face immediately fell into a pitiful pout.
“Kazama-san, you’re a bully!” Shion declared, pouting indignantly. She grabbed Nanami’s shoulders, straining on her tiptoes, desperate to reach the slice of tuna in Nanami’s hand.
‘It was only then that Shion realized she might actually be one of the shorter girls… While Nanami wasn’t particularly tall herself, Shion was genuinely a few centimeters shorter than her.’
‘And those few centimeters were precisely what prevented Shion from biting that piece of tuna!’
“Alright, alright, it was just a joke. Good girl, Shion-san~” Nanami ruffled Shion’s hair, much like one might stroke a small puppy’s soft fur. Once Shion quieted down, Nanami finally placed the piece of tuna into her mouth.
“Mmm, delicious~” Shion murmured, chewing the tuna.
The tuna was rich and succulent, with ample fat. It seemed Nanami had put considerable thought into selecting this particular fish. Though it left a slightly oily sensation afterward, the taste was subtly sweet.
“I’ve actually never had tuna before; so this is what it tastes like!” Shion exclaimed, smacking her lips.
“That’s right! The first time you try it, the taste is quite astonishing, isn’t it?” Nanami puffed out her chest proudly. “After all, it’s tuna personally prepared by Kazama Nanami!”
Yet, Nanami added as an afterthought, “But if you eat it often… the moment you catch a whiff of that oily scent, it can be a bit…”
“But it’s so delicious! Kazama-san, just one more bite~” Shion pleaded, her voice laced with a hint of childish coaxing.
“How about you let me stroke your leg again, then?”
Nanami asked, a hopeful smile playing on her lips.
Shion gave her a look that plainly said ‘pervert.’ “Kazama-san, please don’t make such a perverted request with a straight face.”
“I got addicted last time I touched them,” Nanami said, casting another glance at Shion, her teasing utterly unmasked.
“Honestly, Kazama-san! Hurry up and cut the fish!” Shion lightly pushed Nanami’s back. “Anyway, once you’ve finished cooking, all three of us will be eating it!”
“True,” Nanami acknowledged, skillfully continuing to slice the tuna, piece by piece. “But, if you let me stroke your leg, Shion-san, how about I give you a few extra pieces?”
“Weren’t you satisfied with touching them when I bandaged you last time?” Shion lightly stomped her foot, feigning annoyance, and reached out to tap Nanami’s head.
Nanami stuck out her tongue. “After all, Shion-san went to Tokyo with Igarashi-senpai, didn’t she?”
‘She still remembered that, huh!’
“Well, Igarashi-senpai invited me, so I just went with her,” Shion rationalized.
Nanami turned, fixing her gaze on Shion’s eyes. “Then, if I invite you out, Shion-san, would you go?”
Shion answered without a moment’s hesitation, “Of course! If Kazama-san invites me, I’ll go.”
Only then did Nanami nod, seemingly satisfied. “That’s good then. I’ll have to invite you out more often, Shion-san.”
As the two girls chatted, Nanami had already finished arranging the food on the plates.
The blue-haired girl smiled brightly. “Let’s eat together~”