I've always been the tall and tough man of our class, I am taller than most students of my grade and more athletic than them.
When my classmates are still little midgets sucking their thumbs, I already hit puberty. I have no one to talk or relate with. My classmates avoid me. They do not dare to approach me, or if they did, they won't look at my face and stand in front of me with drooping shoulders and a head down. Why? I don't get it at the time.
So I started hanging out with the older kids, at least I could talk with them. "Hey, how about you pull that guy's pants?" Sure I'll do that. "Bro, how about you get your classmate's lunch, he seems to be rich, look at his food..." Sure I'll do that.
Do this, that, and so on. Sure. I don't feel anything with these people anyway, I have no connection with them. It started like that and escalated on and on.
I got used to it and still is, it is my racket, I earned from it. Don't give me your money? I'll beat the shit out of you, you fight back? I'll beat you anyway and will not hesitate to do it again every other day. Starting from 4th grade and I finally became a 10th grade and it never stopped.
I finally joined a gang, was exposed to drugs, tried it but didn't like it, but booze? I like it, I love feeling drunk. It gave me peace.
I started cutting classes. I've been into a brawl. I've been in a turf war. I also got stabbed once. I also witness a murder first-hand.
Poor mom to have such an unfilial son, I will not forget her face when she came out from the principal office and learned about my doings. The disappointments.
I just want to drink, being drunk is the best, it feels good, it made me feel light, it made me feel peace.
And one day I woke up in an unfamiliar place.
---
'Maybe this place is not that bad after all.'
Getting out from my daze, I sneak a glance at the still blushing girl beside me.
She is a fair-skinned girl with average height, physique in a more skinny-side, a shoulder-length dark-brown hair that has one long strand of hair which she keeps combed neatly to the left side of her face and chocolate brown eyes.
She wears her uniform which consists of a light navy blue v-neck dress with short sleeves that have a small red trim on the end. The collar of the dress also has the same small red trimming. She wears a small round hat, a long white apron that reaches the end of her dress, and light black stockings.
'Onodera is so cute with her shop girl outfit! And you are telling me he didn't end up with this girl? Truly a Japanese "Harem" genre moment if you ask me.'
---
While the other is admiring her cuteness, Onodera on the other hand is desperately thinking about something to say to break the ice.
'I'll start teaching Ichijou-kun about the basic dishes! Yes! I'll do just that! You can do it, me!' With renewed confidence, she's about to step first in breaking the ice!
The both of them never spoke a word ever since her mother left them alone together in this kitchen.
'R-Right. Alone together... I-I'm alone together with Ichijou-kun?!' And her progress of breaking the ice, gone.
Fortunately, she doesn't need to break the ice anymore.
"Hey, Onodera." She jolted, of course, she recognized this voice.
"Y-Yes?" She replied as she slowly turned her face to him.
Seeing his serious face, his kind deep-blue eyes, and his smile that is driving her nuts, having a staring contest with your crush in silence on its own makes her lose her mind.
"I'm honored being a son-in-law of your family." He said.
"Eh? Ehhhh?!" She can feel the skin of her face and her ears getting hot. She thinks that she is flushed right now. The more she thought about she became more embarrassed.
'E-Embarrassing! Ichijou-kun is seeing me like this!!!' Her head then tried to process what had just come out of his mouth. 'H-Honored being what?! I-I...'
She then heard a chuckle. Looking at his smiling look.
"I need to say something to break the ice, you know?" He said with a smile.
'I-Ichijou-kun is teasing me!!!' This is the first time this happened. Now, she just wants to bury herself in a hole like a mole.
---
Looking at Onodera who is blushing, something is awakening inside. 'I want to bully her more. I mean tease. Yep tease I'm a filial son, I promised my mom I won't bully anymore!'
Well, at least I did break the ice and resumed our task. Her mother– no, mother-in-law asked her to teach me some dishes. Yep, that sounds better.
"T-This way then..." She said while avoiding my eyes and then hurried away.
'Cute.' I can't help but smile. Declaration of love, confession, and so on could wait. Her mom is expecting me to do finish this task, I'll not just finish it, I'll execute it beautifully and perfectly!
Following Onodera's lead, she showed me the in and out of the kitchen. I already know it, but let her do her thing anyway.
She continued to tell me about the functions of the kitchen and so on, and we then proceed to make the real stuff!
"Oh, that looks amazing!" Looking at the confection she made on her hands, it looks delicious. I'm not kidding, her presentation is without a doubt, top-notch!
"Hehe~" Ondera giggled with a silly smile.
'It seems that my praise has some effects.' I thought after hearing her cute giggle. The previous awkwardness is gone, we have now grown comfortable with each other's presence.
Or at least she just forgot my teasing earlier and will later remember it conveniently, if that's how it will turn out, that's so anime-logic.
"Hm, ~ Let me take a taste it," I added without much thinking about it.
"NO!"
'Hm? such a strong response.' Now it got me curious. There's just something here, why does she not want me to taste her own made food?
"Even a little taste?" I asked once more. Onodera is avoiding my gaze again. She seems sad that I'll eat her food. Is she hungry? Ah, not that.
"N-No... I-I'm no good at cooking at all. It'll taste bad." She seems to be wavering now.
"Onodera," I called her name with a stern tone. She raised her head and our eyes met, and with determination, I continued saying it: "Let me taste it."
"Y-Yes." She finally surrendered depressingly.
'Old habits die hard.' I sighed as I held the confection she made.
'I just made my crush forcefully give her food to me. I need to get my sh*t together.' I can't help but grimace.
Now that I think about she is unsurprisingly submissive, just makes me more want to tease her.
Welp, time to taste it!
...
'What the f*ck did I just put in my mouth?' I visibly frown for a little, I then glanced to Onodera who is gazing at me with an expectant look.
'Oh I remember now, it is a running gag in the manga that she's so bad at cooking, It's almost a miracle.' Forcefully swallowing the abomination I turned my look to her and said: "Wow, that tastes bad."
Of course, she lowered her head and became more visibly depressed but I'm not done yet. "But..."
She raised her head after hearing me.
"But this is Onodera's hard work, after all, you taste mine earlier. Good or bad, it doesn't matter. I'll give you 11/10 for your decoration." I smiled genuinely. Even the food, or everything that I have cooked or Raku's dishes, all of them is unmatched to Onodera's food presentation.
And with that, she let out a beautiful smile. "Thank you!"
---
Hearing Ichijou-kun says that her food tastes bad kinda hurt but is not a big deal, she knew it herself, that's she doesn't want him to taste it in the first place. Almost every one of her family and customers of their shop knows her cooking skill.
But hearing Ichijou-kun's praise of her decoration skills, just reaffirmed the praise of those people around her, obviously she valued Raku's word more than anyone. 'Hehe, ~ Ichijou-kun praised me again!~'
"And cooking is a skill, and skills can be learned if you put your whole mind on the thing you want to master, maybe you'll be better than me in no time." He chuckled.
"T-That's impossible, I'll never be better than Ichijou-kun when it comes to cooking skills!" Onodera hurriedly reply.
"Hm? Onodera." He looked at her. "If it's you, then I think you can do it. I'm sure!"
Hearing his words, Onodera could feel butterflies in her stomach. 'I-Ichijou-kun believes in me!' The more she thought about it, unbeknownst to her, her ears is becoming red for all his crush to see. If she knew it right now, she'll most likely faint.
Being able to work with her Ichijou-kun together in a kitchen is pure bliss. 'I hope we'll be together cooking till forever.' She thought innocently.
"You focus on the taste and if I handle the shape I think we can make some good candies." She smiled, she decided that they must continue their work now and else her mom will be angry and since she is only good with design, then let Raku handle the taste!
"?" She looked at Raku who is now frozenly looking at her after she said her words earlier.
"What's the matter Ichijou-kun?" She asked rather innocently. In the manga, she also said the same thing on which Raku took it as if she's proposing to him to be her groom.
"I think that's a great idea!" Raku said with a big smile and she was clueless on why his mood lifted a bit.
They resumed their work quite enthusiastically, making candies together with the person you like since middle school — uh no she liked him since childhood!
Onodera can't help but think from time to time how embarrassingly daring she is to even invite the person she liked into their home. 'M-Mom is right. What am I thinking?!'
"Kosaki!" She heard her mom's call.
"Y-Yes?"
"I'm going to step out a bit, can you watch the store for me?"
"Okayyy." It means that she's out from the kitchen to serve the customers. A bad timing, Onodera wants to be with her Ichijou-kun more.
.
.
"Your change is 615 yen." Raku gave the old man, right they are now together running the store while her mom goes out to get something important.
"Thank you for your patronage!" Onodera added and the customer walked out of the store.
Now together in front of the store. They already made enough candies, so there's no need to make more. And conveniently on this quiet moment, she decided to speak.
"Ichijou-kun..." She glanced to Raku.
She remembered when he saw Raku get the photograph of Chitoge. It made her confused, she thought they are pretending to be dating. (Not knowing that Raku got that photograph because it included Onodera in the process of changing her clothes on the back.)*
"Hm?"
"Are you still going on dates with Chitoge-chan?"
*[This refers to the episodes/chapters when they go on a school trip and in the end before summer they got some photographs from the trip.]