The Gal Next to Me Is Trying Too Hard to Make Me Fall in Love With Her
I hate to say it myself, but I think I’m a pretty capable person.
I’m good at studying, and I’m pretty decent at sports too. I can get along with anyone right away, and I’m liked more often than disliked.
But even someone like me has a fatal flaw.
—I can’t do housework.
Strictly speaking, it’s not that I can’t do it. I handle the bare minimum myself on a daily basis, and I can actually manage enough to keep my life functioning.
But I’m just clumsy, so I can’t handle everything efficiently and at a high standard like Saeki does.
Cooking is especially tough for me. Before he started making meals for me, my daily meals were utterly bland.
Honestly, honestly, he’s been helping me out so much.
But I won’t keep taking advantage of his kindness forever. Today, I’m going to win Saeki over with an absolutely delicious meal!
“Looks like the rice is cooked, but what are you making for the main dish?”
“Curry! Mom’s special recipe, Amagi Curry!”
Curry. One of those home-cooked meals every Japanese person knows.
You might think, “Isn’t that too simple for ‘winning someone over through their stomach’?” Nah, nah, you’re being naive. That’s as sweet as kid’s curry.
Like I said before, I’m not stupid.
Rather than forcing myself to make some complicated dish and failing, it’s definitely better to make something easy and guaranteed to be delicious. Saeki will be happier that way too.
“I saw my mom the other day. I asked her to make it for me since I was craving it after so long. My mom’s curry is seriously delicious!”
“Sounds great. Curry really shows a family’s style, so I love trying other people’s versions. How do you make it at your place, Amagi?”
“We put in tons of onions! Finely chopped, heaps of them!”
Instead of the usual four, Mom uses double—eight onions.
The only other ingredients are potatoes and chicken wings.
It’s simple and incredibly tasty.
Alright, first up: the onions.
Once these are done, you could say 80% of the work is complete.
Peel them, rinse them, and transfer them to a bowl. All eight peeled, and now… I grip the knife.
Thinking back, the last time I held a knife was when I made that chicken rice dish called “omurice” for Saeki. Feels like it’s been ages, and I’m getting nervous.
It’s okay, it’s okay…
It’s just chopping them finely, after all.
I looked up the cutting method beforehand. I remember every word, every detail, perfectly.
Relying on that, I cut each one in half first. Split all eight into two pieces… Phew, this is where it gets tricky.
Place them flat side down and make fine vertical cuts from the edge.
Like a cat’s paw, slowly… Yeah, that’s it!
I’m actually pretty good at this!
“Huh?! Whoa, my eyes…!”
“A-Are you okay, Amagi-san!?”
“I’m fine! It’s nothing!”
Cutting onions makes your eyes sting—I’d forgotten that obvious fact, staring intently at my hands to avoid cutting myself.
…Oh no, the tears won’t stop.
It hurts so much… but I have to keep going.
Because today, I’m Saeki’s wife!
“Amagi san, please put down the knife. I’ll do it for you.”
“Huh, Saeki!? No, you can’t! Just sit down!”
Before I knew it, he was standing beside me.
He gently placed his hand over mine, the one holding the knife, urging me to let go.
“I told you, today I’m the wife! It’s part of the plan to make him fall for me, so you have to follow my lead!”
“No, but…”
“No buts about it! Or are you saying you’re too scared to eat anything I make!?”
The moment I said it, I regretted it.
Saeki definitely wasn’t thinking that at all. He was probably just trying to help out of kindness because he saw me struggling with the onions…
“…I-I’m sorry. I just said something awful…”
Through my tear-filled eyes, I couldn’t see clearly, but I thought he smiled at me.
He rustled around, took something out, and opened the freezer. As I wondered what he was doing, he handed me what looked like a towel.
“It’s wrapped around an ice pack. Place it over your eyelids to cool them down. It should ease the pain.”
“Huh… Oh, thank you…”
Before I could finish speaking, the knife was already in Saeki’s hand.
He began chopping with a light, rhythmic tapping. It was a pleasant rhythm, completely different from mine.
“I apologize for interrupting you, Amagi-san.”
He murmured this as he transferred the chopped onion into a bowl.
“But this is just playing house, right? If that’s the case, just sitting around watching my troubled wife is impossible for me. It doesn’t suit my nature. If we were to become a couple, I want us to be the kind who tackle problems together and support each other.”
He looked at me and smiled.
“…Whoa, that sounded kinda cheesy coming from me. Forget what I just said…!”
Embarrassed… yet with unwavering resolve.
…Aaah.
Auuu~…!
Nnngh~!! Noooooooooooooooooo~!!
I love you!! Love love love love love you!!
What the hell is wrong with this guy?!
Always, always, always! How many times do you have to make my heart flutter before you’re satisfied?!
This is bad… bad, bad, bad, super bad!! I want to hug him!!
I want to squeeze him tight right now and kiss him♡ But I can’t because I’m cooking, and it’s so frustrating♡
Ugiiiiii~~~
Hold it in, meeeeeee~~
“Amagi-san?”
“H-hold on a sec! I’m fighting right now! Fighting the part of me that wants to devour Saeki!”
“…Huh?”
It’s been three months since I met Saeki.
I’m sure I’ll keep discovering more and more things I love about him, for the rest of my life, until I die. I don’t know anything about the future, but I’m certain of that.
Maiban