The Gal Next to Me Is Trying Too Hard to Make Me Fall in Love With Her
“Yummy! Wow, you’re a genius!”
“I want Saeki-kun to come to my house. Actually, should we just move in here?”
“Then let’s stay over tonight!”
Three people on the bed.
“No way. Saeki-kun is in trouble.”
“Saeki, I’m sorry…”
Two people on the floor.
“Not at all… It’s okay…”
My six-tatami-mat room is now filled with nothing but the opposite sex.
When Amagi-san first came to my room, I was moved, but with so many people here, I can’t feel that way anymore, and all I can do is laugh dryly.
“Now that we know Saeki-kun is a good cook, let’s summarize the ideas we’ve come up with so far.”
And so, a serious discussion began.
While listening to the conversation, I washed the dishes, made tea, and served snacks.
“Earning money is the problem, isn’t it?”
“It’s just the guys talking, so why don’t we just ignore it?”
“No, we can’t. If we ignore it, it’ll be Saeki-kun’s responsibility to decide the menu.”
“Oh… you’re right…”
“This is tough! It’s impossible!”
The five of them sighed in unison, and then, as if they had practiced beforehand, they all looked at me at the same time.
Being stared at by all of them at once was quite intimidating, and I flinched slightly.
“By the way, hasn’t Saeki-kun ever come up with any ideas before?”
“Is that right…?”
“Sorry. We might have talked too much!”
“You don’t have to apologize…”
“As a culinary expert, what do you think would be good, Saeki-kun?”
“I’m not an expert…”
This is bad.
I thought the five of them would decide without me saying anything, but now they know I’ve been avoiding the discussion.
I’m really not used to this kind of important responsibility.
But I can’t say no. If I had just said I didn’t want to do it, that would have been the end of it, but I was the one who nodded in agreement.
…Maybe I should come up with one idea.
It probably won’t be accepted, but it’s better than being criticized for not saying anything.
“How about fried bread?”
“Fried bread?”
Their voices harmonized in a pleasant way.
“It’s a sweet treat where you coat fried koppepan bread with sugar, kinako, cocoa powder, or matcha powder. It’s simple and delicious, and there are plenty of interesting ways to customize it. If we buy the koppepan bread in bulk, it should be pretty cheap, so even if we buy oil, flavoring powder, and wrapping paper, we could sell it for around 200 yen and keep the cost ratio to about 30%…”
While listening to their discussion, I listed the ideas I had been vaguely considering.
Something that is easy to prepare, gives a sense of accomplishment, and can generate profit—based on my knowledge, this was the only option that seemed to meet all three conditions.
Well, it probably won’t be adopted.
That’s what I thought, but the five of them looked at each other and nodded, then looked at me again.
Everyone’s eyes were sparkling.
“Isn’t it great? Isn’t it really great?”
“I love fried bread! We had it for lunch at elementary school!”
“Teachers and other visitors will probably buy it because it brings back memories!”
“Saeki-kun, you’re a genius!”
“Don’t be so coy, just tell us already!”
…Eh?
Is that okay? Fried bread…?
It seems the menu has been decided, and they are all praising me and already moving on to the next discussion.
They’re talking about what flavor to use, whether to add ice cream, and what kind of cute wrapping paper to use. The mood has completely shifted from the earlier chaotic meeting, and now everyone is smiling.
“That’s great! We’ve almost got everything sorted out today!”
“Let’s make a prototype tomorrow. We’ll buy everything we need.”
“It’s all thanks to Saeki-kun. I can see why Amagi-san likes him.”
“Unlike the other guys, he really pays attention to details and thinks things through.”
“Make Amagi-san happy, okay?”
“Well, we’re not dating, so…”
After a pause, I continued, “And…”
I felt I absolutely had to say this.
“This is just my imagination, but… I don’t think Amagi san is the type of person who wants someone else to make her happy.”
Her smile and her cheerful posture flashed through my mind, and my mouth curved into a smile.
“She always gives her all to the things she loves, and she does what she has to do, so she’s cool. I don’t think Amagi san would be happy if I tried to make her happy. Instead, I think she’d smile if I supported her as she runs toward happiness.”
Saying that, I suddenly felt embarrassed.
This is bad… I might have talked too much. This makes me sound like a fan of Amagi san.
Does she think I’m creepy? I don’t mind if she thinks that about me, but I don’t want her reputation to suffer.
“Woww…”
“…W-What?”
“…Yeah…”
“It’s embarrassing to listen to this…”
“…You’re married, aren’t you? Just get married already…”
The five of them blushed and grinned.
I was relieved that they didn’t think I was creepy, but I didn’t know how to respond to this. I was so embarrassed that I lowered my head.
“You really care about Amagi san, don’t you?”
Someone said.
Staring at the floor, I blinked several times. I felt like Amagi san called my name, Saeki. Even though it was just a feeling, it made me a little happy, and I nodded without thinking.
…I’m really creepy, aren’t I?
Maiban