“Alright, now we sauté the finely chopped onions and garlic in oil until they turn a nice amber color.”
“Amber color?”
“Or, you could call it ‘fox color’—sort of a light brown shade.”
“Fox…color? Okay, I’ll give it a try.”
Suzuna was the one holding the frying pan. She spread a thin layer of oil and added the onions she chopped along with the garlic I had prepared. This task has its own risks, but since we’re using an induction stove, it’s still safer than a gas burner.
“Nice job! You’ve got a good technique.”
Wakana leaned over, watching the frying pan, and offered her praise. Being complimented feels good, especially when it’s genuine and not the least bit sarcastic—it’s like a surge of dopamine in the brain.
In that regard, Wakana was a natural. I wanted some praise too, though. When I chopped the garlic, she just gave me a “not bad” without much enthusiasm!
“Alright, that should be good. Now, turn off the heat and put it on a plate for now.”
“Y-Yes.”
“Then, cover it with wrap and let it cool down a bit. You both must be tired, right? Let’s take a break while it cools.”
It’s true we’d been standing and concentrating for a while, which can be tiring, especially when it’s something you’re not used to.
“Eiji-san, are you doing okay?”
While I was thinking this, Wakana looked over, concerned.
“Oh, yeah, totally fine. You’d make a good teacher, you know?”
“I wasn’t talking about me, though. I was talking about you. You looked a bit pale earlier.”
“Ah…so this break was actually for my sake? Even though Suzuna did most of the work.”
“Ever notice how at school events, the moms watching their kids get more exhausted than the students?”
“So I’ve leveled up from ‘big brother’ to ‘mom’ now?”
If you add the years from my past life to my mental age, we’d practically be a parent-child age gap anyway.
“…Well, no need to worry about me. Just focus on watching over Suzuna.”
“I can’t ignore you. Today, I’m both of your teacher, after all. And your response to Suzuna’s injury earlier was top-notch, Eiji-san—well done!”
“Hey! Don’t pat my head; we’re the same age.”
“Oh, come on, it’s fine!”
Wakana cheerfully patted my head with a grin. Given the slight height difference that’s crept up since middle school, she had to reach a bit to do it.
“I kind of expected you to go all out and lick Suzuna’s finger or something, knowing you.”
“That…sounds like harassment, don’t you think?”
“It’s first aid! Apparently, saliva has healing properties for wounds—it’s scientifically proven.”
Even so, licking a girl’s finger out of the blue might not be the best idea. I’d even heard of cases where guys got sued for using an AED on women, although I wasn’t sure how true that was.
(In romance novels or games, the protagonist would’ve done it without hesitation…)
In reality, such an action would probably be off-putting, but for romance or dating sim protagonists, it’s a tried-and-true move. In a cooking scene with Suzuna Kanazaki, there’s even a part where he licks her cut finger to disinfect it.
(Maybe I should’ve done it too…)
If I’d been a bit bolder, it might have made Suzuna happy…or maybe not.
“…I just can’t do it.”
“Huh? Do what?”
Wakana looked at me curiously, tilting her head. If I told her I was seriously contemplating licking Suzuna’s finger, she’d probably be weirded out.
“It’s nothing.”
I shook my head to end the conversation. Getting a weird reaction would be one thing, but if she found out my hesitation was because I couldn’t handle the taste of blood, she’d be even more worried.
(Trauma is such a pain…)
In my day-to-day life, I hadn’t given it much thought, or maybe I was unconsciously avoiding it. It seems I’ve developed an aversion to blood. Meat dishes at dinner or the ground meat we handled today didn’t bother me, but I couldn’t see my own blood in those cases. A small blessing, perhaps.
Then again, cooking has its own risks, as Suzuna’s little accident showed. Even though I planned this cooking event, I’m starting to realize it might not be the best fit for me.
