“Since when?”
A voice filled with affection floated through the shimmering silver-white hair.
“…What, what do you mean?”
“You know, about me liking you.”
“Ugh… Umm… Eight years… ago…”
“Wow…”
Rubia’s embrace loosened, revealing a beaming smile wide enough to drop my jaw.
“That long?”
“…Yup.”
I nodded, avoiding her gaze. Suddenly, I felt outrageously embarrassed. It was like my hidden flaws were displayed for all to see…
“Why? Why did you like me?”
“Ugh… why do you ask…”
“Was it because my chest was big?”
“Ugh…! Wh-what kind of thing is that?!”
“Then you’d better tell me quickly. Otherwise, I’ll just jump to my own conclusions.”
“Um…”
Reasons I fell for Rubia…
“First of all, you’re pretty…”
When the Shaman first appeared in the game, I was completely blown away by her beauty. Even I, who skipped all the story, made an exception for her tale.
Of course, being the main character, she was depicted as exceptionally beautiful, but beyond that, she was just stunning.
Her silver hair subtly shading with the background.
Her sapphire eyes shining brightly as if reflecting everything.
Her aloof and regal impression.
Her authoritative tone paired with a soothing voice.
And… C-cup… Ahem.
Anyway, everything about the Shaman was beautiful, and that was great.
“Next… Though she seems prickly on the outside, she’s soft on the inside.”
Her personality was great too. It was both sad and cute that she put up thorns to avoid getting hurt by people… which I liked.
“And also… um…”
She was cool. No matter how many times she got knocked down, she steadfastly moved forward on her own path.
“And also… um…”
Throwing herself to save people, all while secretly knowing that she’d die…
She reminded me of my parents.
Thinking of my parents.
Wanting to be like them.
That’s why I liked her.
But the last reason… I didn’t want to say it out loud.
It seemed pathetic… I just wanted to keep it hidden.
“Anything else? Is there more?”
“The rest is a secret…”
“Uh… A secret. But 8 years, huh…”
With a happy expression, Rubia murmured “8 years,” swaying her hair.
Chuu-
“Ugh…”
She placed a light kiss on my forehead and got up from her spot.
“If we stay this close, I might really pounce, so let’s eat. Hehe.”
The look on Rubia’s face as she wrapped her arms around her head was utterly enchanting.
Seriously… It seemed like she’d steal my liver. Or rather, she’d make me willingly sacrifice my liver.
Did the Rubia I knew ever make such a face?
I have no idea. The expressions I feel would be so detailed.
If she always wore such a face…
I think I’m glad I can’t see.
I have no idea how to escape that look.
I want to throw all my responsibilities away and spend a whole day with Rubia…
“Noah?”
“Y-yes…!”
I shook my head vigorously and got up.
“Why? Do you want me to do it somewhere else?”
“Ugh… Ah, um…”
That’s cheating… Such destructive powers she has…!
I turned my gaze away and dashed into the kitchen.
“Just sit there… I’ll be done soon…”
“Do you need any help? Um… I might not know much, but I can help with cutting.”
“Y-yeah? Then… um…”
Things Rubia could help with… Hmm…
“Oh!”
I went to the little balcony at the back of the kitchen and brought an onion.
“This is an onion. The things you see on the outside are the skins, okay? Can you cut the top and bottom like this and peel the skin to chop it into pieces the size of a fingertip?”
“Onion? Oh… sure, I’ll try.”
With a voice brimming with curiosity, Rubia took the onion and her eyes shone with excitement.
It might make her eyes tear up while cutting it… um… one shouldn’t be too bad.
After I wiped my hands and took out a kitchen knife, I dragged the square step stool beside the fridge and placed it in front of the sink.
Then, I took out some zucchini, potatoes, green onions, tofu, and… cheap brisket… no… better brisket from the fridge.
Sorry, Mom and Dad.
After struggling to place all the ingredients on the sink, I hopped on the step stool and started prepping.
Tap-tap-tap
After a while, I heard a strange sound coming from Rubia, who was peeling the onion in a corner.
“Um…? Oh?”
“What, what happened?”
I stopped chopping and jumped down from the step stool to approach Rubia.
“Noah… This seems strange.”
“Yup…? Is it spoiled…?”
“I peeled off the skin, and this is all that’s left; is this really an onion?”
“Eh…”
In Rubia’s hand, red-eyed and looking at me, was a tiny onion bulb, fitting just one finger.
“Uh… heh heh heh… ha ha ha!”
“What? Why?!”
“N-no… Hehe… I’ll show you again.”
Holding back the giggles that kept escaping, I grabbed another onion.
I also moved the stool beside me…
“I’m… it’s my mistake; I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t know, so it’s okay… It’s fine. Hehe.”
The fact that I got to teach Rubia made my shoulders rise tremendously.
“Now, let me show you…”
With a well-fitting kitchen knife, I started prepping the onion.
Even I felt my movements were incredibly smooth.
If what I was holding wasn’t just a knife, it would have been even cooler.
“This… this is an onion.”
“Not the skin…?”
“Yep! Isn’t it amazing?”
“I see… hehe, I was so foolish not to know that…”
“Whoa! No!”
I snatched Rubia’s hand, which was about to wipe away the tears forming in her eyes.
“What?”
“You have to wash your hands with soap and clean your eyes. If not, it’ll burn a lot.”
“Really…?”
Nodding, I scrubbed Rubia’s hands thoroughly.
“Yep. That white one is really evil… You have to be careful.”
Remembering the time I rubbed my eyes with the hands that had cut onions, I shivered a little.
After that, I continued peeling the green onions, smashing the tofu, and peeling the zucchini like it was fruit…
There were some minor hiccups, but finally, it was completed.
Ta-da…!
“Wow… soybean paste stew…”
The vegetables looked all mixed up and oddly shaped, but it was… bearable.
Instead of putting everything at once, I saved the larger pieces of tofu for decoration, placed some green chili and red chili on top!
Breathing in the rich aroma of the stew, with Rubia sneezing behind me, I set up some side dishes she could eat on the neatly laid table.
And then boiled rice in the rice cooker.
Click-
“Eh…”
I… forgot to make the rice.
*
I was worried that the rice wouldn’t cook properly due to the change in hand size, but it turned out well!
Fluffy, perfectly cooked rice!
And… the stew was sending out a delightful brisket smell!
“Here, eat quickly. Um… no, wait, wait. It’s hot, so let it cool before eating.”
After blowing on the tofu I was about to place on Rubia’s bowl, I finally set it on her spoon.
“Hehe… Yes. I’ll enjoy my meal.”
Lifting the tofu that was wiggling on her spoon, Rubia quickly popped it into her mouth.
And as she chewed and swallowed with a bright smile…
“Wow… It’s delicious.”
“Hehe… It’s even tastier than the tofu.”
I promptly added potatoes, zucchini, and brisket on top one after another.
Rubia, taking each one eagerly without hesitation, looked extremely cute.
Slurp… Ha… “It’s spicy but delicious.”
As she eased the spiciness, Rubia began piling my bowl with food too.
“Noah, don’t just watch; eat.”
“Yup.”
Nodding, I tossed in whatever Rubia added.
It wasn’t as good as what Mom made…
But it was better than what Dad made.
As my bowl gradually emptied, Rubia carefully opened her mouth.
“By the way… do you have coffee?”
“Huh?”
I quickly chewed and swallowed what was in my mouth.
“There is…!”
“Then can I have some after finishing my meal?”
“Of course! I’ll make it for you!”
Rubia’s expression twitched.
“…Why? You don’t want me to make it?”
“Oh, no. Not at all. I love it.”
Rubia, uncharacteristically avoiding eye contact, looked suspicious.
“Does the ‘me’ you know also not know how to make coffee?”
“…Yup. Ahaha…”
“I see…”
After cramming the remaining rice into my mouth, I stood up.
“…I can make it well.”
While that skill is limited by my trials…
Still, right now… I made the soybean paste stew well, didn’t I?
How could I fail with coffee?
“Just sit tight. I’ll make it super tasty.”
After saying that dramatically while looking at Rubia’s dazed expression, I headed straight to the sink.
Stepping on the stool, I opened the cupboard and took out a packet of coffee from the yellow box containing a bunch of them.
The name is… X-nu!
Though it has an X-sim too, Rubia doesn’t fancy sweet things much. And… X-nu is a bit more expensive!
I poured the coffee powder into a small mug.
After boiling water in a pot…
Whoosh- Clang- Clang-
I stirred it well so that the granules wouldn’t clump together and brought it to Rubia.
“Here… Try it. It’s hot, so cool it off.”
Rubia’s eyes widened in surprise at the smell of the coffee.
And she blew a soft breath.
“Hoo…”
“Uh, how is it?!”
“…It’s good.”
“Exhale… right? Hehe…”
Seeing her tension ease made me start cleaning up the dishes.
“Oh, let me help!”
“Unh… Rubia, just sit. I’ll handle it.”
The clattering of dishes and the subtle aroma of the coffee created a peaceful atmosphere, amidst which Rubia’s calm voice emerged.
“Having eaten, shall we head out?”
“…Where to?”
“To get our rings.”
