Haruto responded to Toujou's father's joke with a forced smile, all the while carrying on with the dinner preparations. At that moment, Ryouta, who had been playing with his mother, came rushing over to him.
"Hey, Onii-chan, you'll eat with us today, right?"
"Eh!? Well…"
Haruto was at loss in response to Ryouta's words.
(Come to think of it, we did promise to eat together next time.)
Back then, Haruto had thought that he wouldn't come back to the Toujou residence again. However, now that he had been hired once more, going back on his promise with Ryouta was causing him emotional distress. As Haruto struggled to decide how to respond, Toujou's father, who had been listening to the conversation, spoke up.
"That's a good idea! What do you think, Ootsuki-kun? If it's not too much trouble, would you like to join us for dinner too?"
"I don't think it's too much trouble at all, but I'm more or less here on a job, so..."
As Haruto hesitated with his response, Ikue also chimed in with a smile.
"Ara, you're so stiff, Ootsuki-kun, as I said earlier, you're Ayaka's classmate, so please feel more at ease."
"But, um... won't it be too awkward for you, Toujou-san?"
"It's absolutely fine!"
"I'm okay with it."
In response to Haruto's words, both the father and daughter reacted simultaneously. It was only natural, considering they both shared the name "Toujou."
After their voices overlapped, both father and daughter exchanged looks before they synced with a, "Hahaha."
"Ootsuki-kun, your way of addressing makes it hard to know who you're talking with. After all, everyone here is a 'Toujou-san.'"
Toujou's father playfully said with a slightly mischievous expression.
"By the way, my name is Shuuichi. 'Toujou-san' might get confusing, so from now on, please call me by my name."
Despite feeling perplexed by his words, Haruto complied with Shuuichi's request.
"Err, I understand, Shuuichi-san."
Satisfied with Haruto's reply, Shuuichi nodded.
"Then... is it okay if I joined you for dinner, Shuuichi-san?"
"Of course it is!"
Haruto couldn't help but give a wry smile at Shuuichi's immediate response.
"Toujou-sa–... uh... I mean... is it okay for you too, Ayaka-san?"
Haruto was about to address Ayaka as "Toujou-san," but seeing Shuuichi raise an eyebrow with a, "Hm?" He immediately switched to using her name.
"Y-yeah. I'm fine with it too."
Perhaps not used to a guy addressing her by her first name, Ayaka responded with a slightly flushed face. Certainly, at school, she's usually surrounded by girls, and Haruto had hardly witnessed her interacting with guys, if ever. And if she did, it was probably just for class-related matters. In that context, no guys at Haruto's school would likely dare to use Ayaka's name.
Yet, here Haruto is, having been granted the privilege of addressing her by name, almost as if officially approved by her parents. For an average guy, this would call for celebrating with cheers and dances of joy that last for three days and three nights. However, in Haruto's case, despite it being a part-time job, he found himself wondering if it was appropriate to eat a meal at the client's house. He couldn't help but mull over such serious matters. But even as he wrestled with these thoughts, Ryouta's pure and innocent smile dispelled them.
"Onii-chan can eat with us today, right?"
From the flow of the conversation so far, Ryouta had somehow judged that he can have dinner together with Haruto. As the latter stood in the kitchen, Ryouta tugged lightly at the hem of his apron and asked with a beaming smile. Succumbing to Ryouta's infectious smile, Haruto crouched down and affectionately ruffled his hair while saying, "Right. Today, we'll have dinner together, Ryouta-kun."
"Yayyy!"
"Alright, we still have a little more time until dinner is ready, so please wait a bit."
"Okay!"
Ryouta nodded enthusiastically at Haruto's words before returning to his mother in the living room.
Cured by Ryouta's smile, Haruto mustered his determination to provide the best dinner experience at the Toujou residence. The evening's meal consisted of lemon-flavored cream pasta, chilled potage, and caprese salad. Even on a hot summer night, these dishes were light and refreshing.
Haruto skillfully chopped the pumpkin for the potage and placed it in the microwave. Meanwhile, he prepped the asparagus for the pasta, salt-rubbed the ingredients, and sliced tomatoes for the Caprese salad. All the while, Shuuichi observed his cooking with admiration.
"By the way, Ootsuki-kun, who taught you how to cook?"
"I learned from my grandmother. Everything from cooking to cleaning and laundry, it's all based on her teachings."
"I see. Your grandmother must be an incredible person."
"Thank you very much."
Haruto bowed his head in response to Shuuichi's words.
For Haruto, his grandmother was a master in all household-related matters, and receiving praise for her felt uplifting, causing a smile to naturally grace his lips.
After a while, Haruto finished all the preparations, and a dinner for five was set on the dining table.
"My, it's like being at an Italian restaurant!"
Seeing the dishes on the table, Ikue's face brightened.
"Thank you, Ootsuki-kun. Well then, shall we all eat?"
At Shuuichi's invitation, the members of the Toujou family took their seats around the table. Haruto also joined them, although in a somewhat hesitant manner.
"All right, thank you for the food."
After Shuuichi, everyone followed with a chorus of "Thank you for the food," as they put their hands together.
Afterwards, Ryouta quickly gripped his fork and began to devour the cream pasta, winding it around his fork with incredible speed.
"It's yummy! Onii-chan, this is really yummy!"
"My, my, Ryouta. Eat more calmly, or you'll choke." [T/N: ive had enough of ara ara so im using the english equivalent from now on]
Ryouta's lightning-fast consumption of the cream pasta resembled downing a beverage. Ikue tried reprimanding him, but her words couldn't seem to reach Ryouta's ears as he was so focused on his pasta that his plate quickly became almost empty.
Despite only having started eating three minutes ago, Ryouta was already on track to finish his meal in record time. Haruto, who made the meal, smiled at this sight.
"Ryouta-kun, there's more if you want seconds, that's why, eat slowly, okay?"
"Really!? I want seconds!"
At Haruto's words, Ryouta's eyes sparkled.
This made Ayaka, who saw her little brother's plate, scold him.
"You can't, Ryouta. If you want seconds, make sure you finish everything on your plate first."
"Oh, okay!"
Heeding his sister's instruction, Ryouta hurriedly scooped up the remaining pasta with his fork, determined not to leave any behind. As Haruto watched this with a smile, a hesitant voice came from the seat next to him.
"Ootsuki-kun, uh...can I also have seconds?"
Haruto looked towards the source of the voice, and then he saw Shuuichi, who was holding an already empty plate. It seemed that Shuuichi finished his meal even faster than Ryouta did.
"Yes, of course."
"Great! Then I guess I'll have more."
"Ah! Dad, that's not fair! I want seconds too!"
Following his sister's instructions, Ryouta finished his meal cleanly without any leftovers. He then held a plate in his hand and extended it towards Haruto, determined not to lose to his father. Seeing the pleading gestures of the father and son duo, Haruto accepted the plate with a wry smile and headed to the kitchen. Grateful that he had prepared extra, considering Ryouta's appetite, Haruto scooped up seconds for both of them onto the plate.
As Haruto brought seconds for Ryouta and Shuuichi, both of them lit up with sparkling expressions. Indeed, as father and son, their reactions were strikingly similar. Watching them react in unison, he couldn't help but imagine them as somewhat reminiscent to dogs. Haruto thought that Shuuichi resembled a Golden Retriever while Ryouta had the air of a Shiba Inu. Seeing both of them, Haruto fought back a grin, envisioning them both eagerly wagging their tails as they sat before a delicious meal.
"Ufufu, you're just as eager as him. I guess you can't help it, huh?"
Amused by the men's reactions, Ikue chuckled.
"This taste is something you won't easily find even at a high-end restaurant. Isn't that right, Ikue?"
"Yes, indeed. This potage is incredibly smooth, perfectly seasoned, and delicious."
"Thank you very much. I'm glad you like it."
Seeing Haruto express his gratitude so politely, Ikue asked with an intrigued expression.
"Hey, hey, Ootsuki-kun. What's your specialty dish?"
Both Shuuichi and Ayaka also showed interest in Ikue's question as they looked at him. Only Ryouta seemed to have tuned out everyone's voices, completely engrossed in his meal.
"Um, let's see... The hamburg steaks I made the other day are also one of my specialties, I guess…"
When it comes to cooking, Haruto can handle a variety of cuisines including Japanese, Western, and Chinese. However, due to his grandmother being a master of Japanese cuisine, many of Haruto's specialties lean towards Japanese dishes naturally.
"I think I'm pretty good at Japanese dishes like nikujaga and chikuzenni."
Both of these dishes were frequently cooked by his grandmother when he was young, and they held a special place in his heart.
"I'd like to try your nikujaga sometime, Ootsuki-kun..."
"My, my, Ayaka, did Ootsuki-kun's cooking grab your stomach?"
"Wha–! Mom, stop! Don't say such weird things!"
"Ufufu, I'm sorry."
"Geez..."
Chided by his mother's teasing words, Ayaka pouted.
"But really, Ootsuki-kun, I'd love to try the various dishes you make from now on."
"Right? I also agree with you."
Agreeing with Shuuichi's words, Ikue continued, "Since that's the case, Ootsuki-kun..."
Shuuichi turned towards Haruto and took a piece of paper from a shelf behind the dining table. He placed it on the table where Haruto could see it.
"This is… the leaflet with a fixed-term contract..."
"Indeed, we're very satisfied with your services. Therefore, we'd like to establish a fixed-term contract with you as our designated housekeeper."
Haruto's expression showed surprise at Shuuichi's words.
"Well... uh, thank you very much. I'm really happy."
"No, no! The one who should be thankful is us."
"That's right. We'll be in your care from now on."
With smiles on their faces, Shuuichi and Ikue said.
Haruto turned his gaze slightly towards Ayaka, seemingly trying to gauge her reaction, and she spoke with a slight downward glance while looking at him.
"I'll be in your care, Ootsuki-kun."
"S-same here."
Haruto bowed in a slightly bewildered manner.
He never imagined that he would secure a fixed-term contract through his part-time job as a housekeeper in such a short time. He had started the housekeeping service job with the intention of earning some extra money for university expenses. However, he never anticipated being favored by the family of the school's idol and becoming a regular presence at their home during summer vacation.
The unexpected turn of events left Haruto in a bit of disbelief. He absentmindedly wiped away the potage mustache from Ryouta's lips, who was busy eating, as if trying to escape from reality.
They found a new family member(bound to contract[temp])~
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