A Man Who Cooks For Himself And A High School Girl (WN)

43rd Meal

Pest Control and Clean-Up Part 3

“Still, this is an awful sight…”

“U-Uuuu….”

The room of Mahiru, with the lights on, was a mess at a level that made even I, who am not a meticulous person, wonder how they could have left it like this until now.

The main cause of the flooring being obscured is the large amounts of clothing.
Only the uniform was hung on a hanger, but other than that, the T-shirts and skirts were thrown out here and there, although I don't know whether they are recently used or not folded after washing.

The only furniture in the room was a bed and a slightly larger table, on which were piles of what appeared to be school materials.
And in the corner of the room, PET bottles of commercially available natural water were lined up in rows, as if to avoid cats.

Fortunately, she eats most of her meals in my room, so there aren't many food scraps or empty juice cans to attract insects…However, with such a messy room, I wouldn't notice a “C” or two even if they were there.

“…S-So where is this ‘C’ you were talking about?”

“U-Uhh, it was crawling on the wall there just now…”

Saying so, Mahiru points to the wall of the apartment, but when I look around and check the ceiling and ceiling light covers, there’s no sign of the creepy black bug.

“Which means it’s probably hiding in one of these piles of clothes…”

“HIIiii!!? Please don’t say that, Onii-san! Just imagining it makes me sick!”

“Even if you say that, it’s still your fault that this happened, right?”

I sigh as I say this to the high school girl who is gingerly embracing my body, but I understand exactly how she feels.
It's difficult to put into words how bad it feels when an insect you recognize goes missing in your room.
And every time I heard a single noise in the room, I wondered if that thing showed up.
A girl like Mahiru would not even be able to sleep.

“…I don't have a choice.
It's troublesome, but we’ll just have to sort it out one by one.
I'm afraid I'm going to accidentally step on it while we’re walking around looking for the “C” in this state.”

“Ugyah!! I-I definitely don't like that! I’ll clean it up immediately!!!”

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As soon as she said this, Mahiru quickly reached for the nearest T-shirt.

First, she swiftly checked the surface of the garment to make sure there was no “C” stuck to it.

Next, she peeked cautiously into the cuffs and hem of the garment.
The fact that she’s looking at it with her eyes glazed over may be a precautionary measure to keep “C” out of sight, in case it is there.

And finally, she turned her face away and patted and shook her clothes to make sure she wasn't clinging to something she couldn't see—then she let out a sigh of relief.

“A-All right! This one is safe!”

“Stop, it'll get dark before we finish.”

If we had to check this pile of clothes in such detail, there wouldn't be enough time, no matter how many hours we had.

“B-But~!” When I said so, Mahiru replied and glance at me teary-eyed with a pitiful look on her face.

“I-Is Onii-san bad with bugs…?”

“Eh? No, but I’m not good at them either.”

“T-T-Then can you please check it for, Onii-san!? I'll be in charge of folding clothes!”

“Ehh…”

“P-Please!!!” As I raise my voice in reluctance, Mahiru asks me desperately.

No, don't get me wrong.
I, too, would like to do Mahiru's request, but I don't think it's a good idea to have a situation where a male college student looks at the clothes of a female high school student.
Even if I had a good reason, I would look like a pervert if only that part was cut out.
If someone were to encounter such a scene, they would definitely report it.

“I mean, don’t you hate it if I was going to touch your clothes?”

“…? No, I don’t mind it at all.”

(Why tho?)

That should be normal.
I don't think it's about her trust in me or anything like that.
I think she simply doesn't think about it.

I have always thought that Mahiru’s a bit on the defenseless side.
It's the same now, and it was the same on the day we met.
Just the other day, perhaps because it was nearing summer, she came to my room once wearing thin clothes, and because of it, I had to warn her immediately to stop that.

Perhaps it’s this part of her that Kotsubaki-san is worried about.
I’m also a sensible adult.
Purity is her virtue, but I should still correct her where she needs to be corrected.

“Just so you know.
Mahiru.
you are a girl and you should be a little more cautious, even at me.”

“Why?”

“‘Why?’…L-Listen here, they said men are wolves right? So, if you're not careful, you can be in danger.
Especially Mahieu, who’s a pretty gir—”

“HUH!?”

“‘Huh?’”

Suddenly her face turned red, and I stopped my preachy words and tilted my head.

“I-I-I-It’s nothing!!!” She said so as she waved her hands in front of her chest in a clear funny way.

“…I-I see…I understand.
I-I'll try to do my best!”

“Eh? Y-Yeah…”

I don't know why, but apparently, she got my point.
Maybe it's because I've been teaching her how to cook on a regular basis that I've been able to hone my ability to communicate better than before.

I don't know why her ears are so red, though.