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

8th Meal

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Kotsubaki Hiyori’s Wariness

After leaving school right after school, Mahiru and Hiyori went shopping at the nearest supermarket and then went straight to Room 205 of Utatane Heights, where Mahiru lives.

They left their luggage in the room, took what they needed – just the ingredients since they did not have any cooking utensils – and headed for her neighbor's room 206.

“What's this? There's a nameplate under the room number.
‘Eimori’-san, is it…?”

“Ah, you’re right, I didn't notice it at all.”

“I mean, how did you manage to talk to him without knowing his name?”

“H-Hehehe…I’m just calling him ‘Onii-san’ for a while now…”

When Mahiru rang the intercom in room 206, they heard small footsteps coming from the other side of the door.
Then came the sound of the door being unlocked.

Hiyori, who had never spoken to a college student before, let alone a male classmate, gulped down a mouthful of saliva involuntarily, possibly out of nervousness.

Then standing on the other side of the door that is slowly opening is—

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“Well…come…?”

—A normal guy.
The image Hiyori had formed of him as a “Vicious college student who was after Mahiru” was already crumbling.
(Tired: Normal? Bro looks handsome in the illustration wtf)

(I-I should wait! They say that looks can be deceiving, and there is a possibility that a person with a harmless-looking face could be a real monster on the inside!)

She tighten her guard, which was about to slip, and take another look at the shady college student (Temporary).

He is taller than the average height of the boys in her class due to his age.
His body type is average to slightly thin.
His features are neither well-developed nor unattractive.
If she asked people to rate his appearance on a five-point scale, 80 percent would probably give it a “3.” The remaining 20% would most likely give it a “2” or a “4”.

“Hello, Onii-san! Thank you for your time today!

“Y-Yeah, hello.
Err, who’s that girl over there?”

“This is my friend and classmate—”

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“I-I’m Kotsubaki Hiyori.
I heard that you were taking care of Hima…”

When Hiyori lightly bows and introduces herself, the college student tilts his head and said, “Hima…?”

“Ah, it's my nickname! I'm sorry, I haven't told you my name yet! My name is Asahi Mahiru!”

“Asahi Mahiru…Ahh, I see, that’s why it’s ‘Hima’…Oh, sorry.
Ma name’s Yamori Yu.
I'm sorry I didn't tell you my name before.”

(I see, so his name is ‘Yamori’ and not ‘Eimori’…)

When Hiyori was rudely thinking that his name sounds like a lizard, Yamori Yu, the college student turned to look at her.
(Tired: His name “Yamori” means lizard/gecko/reptile if anyone’s wondering.)

“Then, Is Kotsubaki-san here to accompany Asahi-san?”

“Y-Yes, Hima is a bit careless, so I'm a little worried about her…”

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Of course, it’s just for convenience…Wait no, it’s true that Hima is careless sometimes…

“That’s why, can I join you guys, if you don’t mind? Well, I can go away if it bothers you…”

This is also a trap.
If he were to say that only Mahiru is allowed inside his place, she would immediately pull Mahiru’s hand and run to the next room.
Then, she’s going to make sure that Mahiru would never have anything to do with him again…

“Is that so? But don’t worry, you’re not bothering me.
Sorry about the messy room, but please come in.”

“A-Are you really sure…?”

Hiyori was surprised that the college student gave his permission so easily, and even more surprised that he simply nodded and said, “Yeah,” as if nothing was wrong.

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“I-I’m sorry Onii-san.
I'm sorry we suddenly barged in together…Even though I was supposed to be the only one that you are going to teach…”

“I'm just an amateur, so I can't teach you much about cooking, and if you're going to go to the trouble of making something, why not have your friend there try it?”

“H-Hiyori-chan!? W-What should I do, I'm getting nervous about this…!”

“Eh…Oh, you mean a food tester…?”

“You’re so terrible Hiyori-chan!? And what do you mean by that!?”

“S-Sorry, Sorry~ I just couldn’t resist expressing my opinion.”

“That’s even worse, you know!?”

Hiyori returned her gaze to the college student who had entered the room, having given up on Mahiru's annoyance.
So far, there is no sign of anything suspicious, or rather, the impression is that he seems to be a normal and nice person, just as Mahiru had said…

(…But I'm not sure yet; we'll have to wait and see…)

Following her best friend, who cheerfully stepped through the front door and said, “Sorry for the intrusion!” Hiyori also stepped over the threshold of a college boy's house for the first time.