At the same time, Shizuka came over carrying the last dish, the miso soup.
When she saw Akuto opening the bento Mariya Hikaru had given him, her steps faltered for just a moment. Her small, delicate nose twitched unconsciously, and then she quietly set the bowl of soup in front of him as if nothing had happened.
"Akuto-oniisan, dinner's ready."
As she spoke, Shizuka untied the apron printed with little bears, revealing the simple white T-shirt and black pleated skirt underneath.
She sat down across from Akuto, her legs together beneath her white knee socks by the edge of the table, fingers unconsciously twisting the edge of her apron like a grade schooler waiting for a teacher to mark her homework.
On the table, the dishes she had painstakingly prepared looked, smelled, and tasted warm and inviting, full of the special comfort unique to homemade food. Set beside them, the exquisitely arranged bento looked like a work of art. The two stood in charming contrast, each beautiful in its own way.
Akuto's gaze swept across the table full of food before finally settling on Shizuka's small face, written all over with expectation and nervousness.
Slowly, he set down his chopsticks, picked up a spoon, and tasted the mapo tofu first.
The silky softness of the tofu and the chew of the minced meat mingled together in his mouth. The numbing spice of the peppercorns and the heat of the chili hit his taste buds in exactly the right balance, while the sauce was rich without being greasy.
"This mapo tofu tastes just as authentic as the food I had in a lot of restaurants during my work trip to Sichuan. When did you learn how to make this, Shizuka?"
He tasted another bite, then added with a faint smile, "And this flavor... this is Auntie's secret recipe, isn't it? As expected of you, Shizuka. You've already reached the point where the student surpasses the teacher."
Every dish received the same kind of precise, lavish praise.
The crispness of the tempura, the flavor soaked deep into the teriyaki chicken, the mellow richness of the miso soup...
Finally, he picked up his bowl and shoveled in a large bite of rice, then let out a satisfied sigh.
"In the end, Shizuka's cooking really does taste the most like home."
Listening to Akuto praise her one dish after another, the tension in Shizuka's little face gradually eased. The corners of her lips could not stop lifting, and her eyes shone as though stars had fallen into them.
The joy of being acknowledged washed away the bitterness she had felt earlier. She was already beginning to think all of her effort had been worth it.
Then Akuto spoke again, and she froze on the spot.
"Shizuka."
He set down his chopsticks and leaned forward slightly, his deep black eyes fixed on her with a level of seriousness she had never seen before. His voice was low and gentle.
"If it's all right with you... would you cook for me for the rest of our lives?"
"Eh?!"
At first Shizuka simply stared. Then her heart lurched hard, as if something had slammed straight into it. A flush rushed over her cheeks in an instant, spreading all the way to her ears.
Akuto spoke on as though he had not noticed her shock, his tone calm, but to Shizuka it was enough to leave her completely numb.
"I mean it. You're so cute, Shizuka, and so capable. You're always thinking about other people, always trying so hard to learn and to live well..."
He looked straight at her.
"I know that someone like you would become a wonderful bride one day."
"But I'm a greedy man. I can't accept the idea of you marrying someone else."
"So, Shizuka, I want to keep you by my side by asking you to cook for me for a lifetime."
His gaze softened.
"Shizuka... I want to put my family name in front of yours."
"R-really?"
Shizuka's voice trembled. Her mind had practically stopped working. Even though she had long since prepared herself to give everything to him, when the confession actually came, it still left her dizzy and reeling.
With her heart pounding harder than ever before, she parted her lips and asked the question she cared about most.
"Akuto-oniisan... do you really like me? Not... not the way someone likes a little sister?"
Gathering up all her courage, she asked what had been buried deepest in her heart, then stared at him with wide, wet eyes, waiting for his answer.
Akuto did not look away. A trace of helplessness entered the warmth of his expression.
"I really do like you. I like you as a man likes a woman. To me, you're one of a kind, Shizuka."
He paused, his eyes growing distant, as if he were looking back into the past.
"I think it started when we were very young. There was one time I had a bad reaction while training and ended up with such a terrible fever I could barely function. You clumsily tried to make porridge for me. It was burned, but you still listened so seriously while I explained schoolwork to you, frowning the whole time... and all I could think was how unbelievably cute you were."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"Whenever I imagined that someone as cute as you might someday marry somebody else, I felt a fierce resistance inside me."
"Shizuka, I like the way your cheeks puff up when you're angry. I like the way your eyes curve like crescents when you're happy. I like the way you fuss over me when you're worried... I like everything about you."
"And now that I have the power to shatter every rule and every old way of thinking, I want you to become my bride openly and proudly."
Akuto's confession was like sudden rain falling over a heart that had been dry with anxiety.
Shizuka had originally meant to ask him about Erica and Yuri and the others. But now there was only Akuto in her head. A nearly reckless emotion surged up inside her.
Forget it. Who cares? As long as Akuto-oniisan says he likes me, and really means it... that's enough. Everything else... I can deal with later.
And so, after barely three seconds of hesitation, Shizuka flung herself into Akuto's arms, wrapping both arms tightly around his waist and burying her face deep against his chest. Her muffled voice was thick with tears, stubbornness, and the desperate resolve of someone who had already thrown caution to the wind.
"You idiot, Akuto-oniisan! You womanizer!... But... I love you the most too! I love you the most, the most! More than anyone!"
Kusanagi Shizuka rubbed at her tears against his chest, the warmth of them soaking into his shirt.
Akuto wrapped his arms around her gently in return, one broad hand lightly patting her back as he felt the slender tremble of the girl in his arms.
"Mm. I know Shizuka likes me too."
He lowered his head and placed a soft kiss on the top of her hair.
Only after a long while did Shizuka finally calm down a little, though she still clung to him and refused to get up, her cheeks as red as ripe apples.
Akuto gave a quiet laugh, then lifted her small chin so her damp eyes met his.
"Shizuka, I gave up Hikaru's bento so I could eat your cooking first. Don't you think I deserve an even better dinner experience?"
"A better... dinner experience?" Shizuka blinked at him, dazed and confused, clearly not understanding what he meant.
Akuto only smiled, then tapped her lightly on the forehead.
"I mean this."
His expression softened again.
"Sit with me. Feed me yourself. Stay by my side tonight."
Shizuka stared at him for a second, and then the meaning sank in.
Her face turned even redder, but this time, instead of panicking, she let out a tiny breath and nodded.
"All right... if that's what will make you happy, Akuto-oniisan."
Though she was still so shy she looked like she wanted to disappear into the floor, she moved from her seat and came around to his side.
Akuto picked up his chopsticks again and took another bite of the teriyaki chicken.
"Mm. The teriyaki sauce is perfect. The flavor has gone all the way through."
Hearing him praise her cooking again, Shizuka instinctively smiled.
Then she carefully picked up some food herself and offered it to him by hand, trying her best to steady her trembling fingers.
Akuto accepted it naturally.
"The mapo tofu is excellent too," he said. "You can really tell how much care Shizuka put into it."
Each time he praised another dish, Shizuka's embarrassment gradually faded, replaced by a swelling warmth in her chest.
For a girl like Shizuka, someone who treasured family more than anything, being needed by the person she loved brought with it an almost overwhelming sense of fulfillment.
Ever since Akuto had returned, aside from preparing this meal, there had hardly been any chance for her to take care of him at all. If anything, she had only been the one receiving his care again and again.
So being able to make him happy like this, even in such a simple way, filled her with a profound sense of happiness.
(End of Chapter)
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