Chapter 14

Chapter 14 - Toujou Ayaka's Feelings (4)

When I went on an errand for my mom near a nearby supermarket, I happened to spot Ootsuki-kun by chance.

Seeing Ootsuki-kun outside of his role as a housekeeper made my heart race, and I instinctively hid behind a shelf.

Wh-what should I do? Should I call out to him? 

He's been to the house twice before, so maybe we're on friendly enough terms to exchange greetings when we run into each other... I hope? But what if he still doesn't think of me that way and just goes, "What's with this girl? She's acting way too familiar."

Ugh... I really don't want that to happen...

But, Ootsuki-kun isn't like that, right? He's kind and I'm sure he'll return the greeting with a smile.

Cautiously peeking out from behind the shelf, I observed Ootsuki-kun. For a while now, he had been staring at the products on the display with a somewhat troubled expression.

Maybe he'll notice me first and say something? I briefly entertained that thought, but given his current expression, that possibility seemed unlikely.

...So, he can make such a face, too.

When he's working as a housekeeper, he always wears a calm expression. But now, he's fixated on something with a stern look. I guess discovering a side of Ootsuki-kun I didn't know is kind of making me happy.

Lost in my thoughts, I covertly watched him from behind the shelf. Suddenly, he pulled out his smartphone and began calling someone as if his life depended on it. And then, with a very disappointed expression, he ended the call and picked up a product.

Is that... sesame oil? Why would he pick it up looking so sad?

While I was still pondering, Ootsuki-kun, his back radiating a sense of melancholy, walked away with slow steps.

I wonder what happened? Why does he seem so sad? Is it because of the sesame oil?

Questions kept popping up, one after another. It's really making me super curious.

"Ootsuki-kun?"

Unable to hold in my curiosity, I emerged from my hiding spot behind the shelves and unconsciously called out to him.

Aah! What have I done? I blurted it out. I'm not mentally prepared yet...

Nervously, I started considering various greetings to engage in a natural conversation with Ootsuki-kun.

"Today's weather sure is nice…" No, that's a bit off. "Hello, Ootsuki-kun..." Is that too normal? "What are you doing here?" ... Since we're at the supermarket, it's obvious he's shopping, isn't it? "Meeting you here is such a fateful encounter!" ... Definitely not that! What's gotten into me!?

Amidst my chaotic thoughts, Ootsuki-kun suddenly spoke something that further added to my confusion.

"Aaah! Toujou-san! You are my goddess!"

"Fueeeh!?"

My voice just now definitely sounded weird!

Or rather, Eeeh!? A goddess? Me? To Ootsuki-kun?

I don't understand. What does that even mean? Like in those ancient paintings where they stand inside seashells or hold the national flag at the forefront of the masses?

"Toujou-san! There's something I want to ask you!"

"Y-yes..."

Ootsuki-kun is looking at me with an intense gaze. What should I do? I feel like my heart is beating faster.

...Huh! Wait! Could it be... Is he going to confess!?

Hold on, hold on, hold on! Is this... Is this actually happening? In the supermarket's condiments aisle? Confessing with a bottle of sesame oil!?

What should I do... It's too original, my thoughts are all over the place.

B-b-b-b-but, if he confesses, I'll have to decline for now. Yeah, I'll refuse. And then, I'll ask him to start with being friends or something.

"Toujou-san! Can you please help me buy sesame oil?"

"Ah, yes! Please take care of me!"

You're such an idiot, me! I had decided to decline his confession, but... Wait, sesame oil? What does that even mean?

"Really!? Maaaan~, thank you so much! It really helps me a lot."

"Ah, uh, you're welcome?"

Huh? Eh? What? What's he saying? Help him buy sesame oil? Is this like a couple's first joint task? Could it possibly be a sesame oil proposal?

In the height of my confusion, Ootsuki-kun pointed at a line written on an advertisement paper affixed to the sesame oil shelf, grinning.

"This sesame oil is limited to one item per person. I was trying to ask a friend to buy two, but they couldn't come, so I was about to give up and settle for one."

"Ah! So that's what you meant! ...Yeah, that makes sense. Limited to one item per person... Yes, I see. So, I just have to buy another one for you, Ootsuki-kun?"

"Yes, I'll pay you back later."

"Okay, got it. I'll buy it then."

I said that and picked up the discounted sesame oil and placed it in the basket.

...SOOOOO embarrassing!!

I've completely misunderstood, haven't I?! What's with the 'sesame oil proposal'!? There's no such thing! I'm such an idiot! Idiot! Idiot!

Aah... I think I might develop a PTSD from sesame oil.

I'm sure my face is bright red from embarrassment right now. I really don't want Ootsuki-kun to see me like this.

I averted my face to avoid Ootsuki-kun's gaze.

"Still, sesame oil discounted to 78 yen? I wonder how many times in my lifetime I'll be able to buy it at this price. Maybe once every 80 years."

"Sesame oil for 78 yen sounds really cheap."

So, sesame oil sales are as rare as a comet's appearance? Really?

Pretending to look at the sesame oil on the shelf, I turned my face away from Ootsuki-kun to carry on the conversation.

"At this price, it's practically a miracle. It's a shoe-in for the Good Sesame Oil Award this year."

"Good Sesame Oil... Haha, what's with that, is there even such a thing?"

His joke made me burst into laughter uncontrollably.

So even Ootsuki-kun cracks jokes like that.

As I thought about it, I became curious about his expression, so I sneakily glanced at him out of the corner of my eye.

Ootsuki-kun had an incredibly happy and joyful expression. Somehow, it reminded me of Ryouta when he's full of innocent happiness.

So cute...

Normally, Ootsuki-kun has a mature demeanor, but his innocent smile unconsciously brought a smile to my face.

...Wait, isn't it rude to call a male classmate cute?

Ootsuki-kun would probably be uncomfortable if he knew I thought he was "cute." I suppressed the emotions that welled up within me.

"By the way, what did you come here to buy, Toujou-san?"

"Huh? Ah, mom asked me to buy some wasabi."

"Just wasabi?"

"Yeah."

"If that's the case, you could've asked me later, I would've bought it for you."

As soon as Ootsuki-kun said that, I immediately shook my head.

"You see, dad wanted you to focus on cooking dinner tonight."

"...? Does that mean there's a special request for dinner tonight?"

"Yeah, actually, dad went fishing today, and he wants you to fillet the fishes he caught."

Dad occasionally goes fishing for a hobby. But usually, he finds it too bothersome to clean the fishes at home, so he usually gives them away to his fishing buddies. But this time, since Ootsuki-kun is here, he's eager to bring all the fish he caught back home.

"Can you fillet fishes, Ootsuki-kun?"

Dad got so excited that he forgot to ask, but if by any chance Otsuki-kun couldn't handle filleting the fishes, it could turn into quite a disaster. Well, I'm sure Ootsuki-kun would be fine, but there are people who don't like touching fish. He might be one of them.

Ootsuki-kun fumbling around with a lively fish on the cutting board... yeah, that'd be cute. I kind of want to see that.

"I guess. Still, it depends on the type of fish, but I know the basics of filleting, so I think I should be okay. By the way, do you know what kind of fish were caught?"

"Ah, yeah. Wait a second, it should be written in the message from Dad."

I realized I was about to smile in my delusion, hurriedly composed myself, and opened the messaging app to check my conversation with Dad.

"Let's see, it's yellowtail and sea bream, and... how do you pronounce this?"

I tilted my head at the unfamiliar characters.

Fish with 'spring'? Hmmm, feels like I've seen it before, but haven't?

As I struggled with the characters, Ootsuki-kun, sitting beside me, called out.

"Could you show me the screen for a moment?"

"Sure."

I nodded, and Ootsuki-kun leaned over, extending his neck to peer at my phone.

"Ah~, this is Spanish mackerel."

"Really? 'Fish with spring' is pronounced as 'Spanish mackerel'?"

"This fish comes closer to the shore to spawn in spring, and it becomes more commonly seen. That's why older people started calling it 'fish heralding spring,' and that's how it came to be written as 鰆 in kanji." [T/N: 魚に春 = 魚+春 = 鰆]

"I see. Calling it a fish heralding spring sounds lovely."

In my mind, the fancy depiction of the fish turned into an image of it elegantly swimming in a sea of dancing cherry blossoms.

"But this fish has sharp teeth and easily bites through fishing lines, so fishermen often call it 'spanish mackerel cutter.'"

"Hahaha," I laughed while he spoke, and my image of the spanish mackerel transformed from an adorable fish to a ferocious creature like a piranha.

"Are spanish mackerels scary fishes?"

"It's a large carnivorous fish, after all. But its taste is amazing. Not just sashimi, but dishes like saikyo-yaki are also excellent. The flesh is tender, has a velvety texture, and is rich in flavor. You'll surely get hooked."

"Hmm, Ootsuki-kun, you're quite knowledgeable."

I said that while turning to face Ootsuki-kun.

Then, I hurriedly averted my gaze back to my phone's screen.

O-our faces are close! Ootsuki-kun's face is literally right there!

Since we were both looking at the same phone screen, our faces were at point-blank range.

What should I do...

But if I panic and move away, he might think I'm conscious of it... Does Ootsuki-kun not feel anything about this distance?

Right now, Ootsuki-kun and I are so close that our shoulders could almost touch. We're well within each other's personal space.

Now, I'll slowly turn my gaze towards Ootsuki-kun and cautiously look at him without getting caught.

Ah, Ootsuki-kun has pretty long eyelashes. Somehow, looking at his face gives me a strange sensation, like I'm being drawn in...

"By the way, Toujou-san, do you have a blowtorch at home?"

"Wha—?! Ah, eh? Blowtorch? I-I'm not sure? We probably… don't have one."

T-that surprised me! I was staring at Ootsuki-kun's side profile, and suddenly he turned toward me to speak. My heart almost stopped.

"Is a blowtorch necessary for filleting fish?"

He didn't notice I was looking at his side profile, did he?

With a slightly nervous feeling, I asked Ootsuki-kun.

"You need a blowtorch for the mackerel's sashimi."

"H-heeh~, is that so?"

I guess I'm in the clear. He doesn't seem to have caught on that I was peeking at him.

"Since the home center next to this supermarket sells them, I'll go buy a blowtorch from there."

"Ah, right. Can I come along too?"

Oh no! I just reflexively said I want to go with him.

"To the home center?"

"Yeah, I haven't been to that kind of store much..."

I said that, but my true intentions are a bit different.

I actually wanted to spend more time with Ootsuki-kun. Even though he's not working, I still want to get to know him better.

If I'm thinking like this so much, then that means that I… I see Ootsuki-kun that wa—

No, wait! It's too early to jump to conclusions. Maybe I just want to get along well with Ootsuki-kun as friends, or maybe I'm just getting carried away because he's the first guy I can interact with normally.

Certainly, looking back on my interactions with Ootsuki-kun, there were moments when my heart skipped a beat, but I still don't have any solid evidence that I'm in love with him yet... Hm?

Come to think of it, when Ootsuki-kun said, "Please help me buy sesame oil," I misunderstood it as a confession earlier, and I replied, "Yes, Please take care of me," did that mean that… If, by any chance, Ootsuki-kun was really confessing at that moment, does that mean I would have accepted it? Wait, does this mean that? What should I do? Eh? What should I do! Eh? What should I do!?

I still don't understand… my feelings for Ootsuki-kun! I don't understand! I don't even know what I'm feeling anymore!

Despite my inner turmoil, Ootsuki-kun continued to smile at me without mercy.

"Well then, shall we go to the home center together?"

"Y-Yes. Please take care of me."

My emotions were all over the place, and I couldn't bring myself to look at Ootsuki-kun's face. I looked down and replied in a small voice.

————————————————————————

Ayaka's impression of Haruto: I don't know anymore!