"Oh, I see... So this is what she was talking about, huh?" I muttered to myself. My inbox was flooded with her messages, and to my surprise, I had 67 missed calls! "What the?... Ah, so my phone is in silent mode, ha-haha," I chuckled, realizing why I hadn't noticed them earlier. But well, let's just see what she texted me.
I opened my inbox and saw a series of messages from her:
[Matsuki-kun, Where are you? Answer your phone, Dummy!]
[You're okay, right?]
[Answer me, please!]
[You didn't get in trouble again, right?]
[You're at your house, right?]
[I'll go to your house, what's your address?]
[No response?]
[Matsuki-kun! Dummy! Dummy! Dummy! Dummy! I'm worried, where are you? Answer your phone!]
"Hehehe... So many text messages, is she serious?"
As I read through her messages, a perplexed and smirking expression formed on my face. Lost in my thoughts, I failed to notice that some time had passed since Kira went to the kitchen. Suddenly, I heard her voice"Kyaaahh!!" It startled me, causing me to drop my phone. Without hesitation, I rushed towards the kitchen, wondering what could have happened.
"What the hell is she doing?" I muttered under my breath as I entered the kitchen. An unpleasant odor filled the air, and I could see a chaotic scene before me. Smoke engulfed the room, and ingredients and liquids were spilled all over the floor. "What happened?" I asked
Kira looked at me with a mixture of sorrow and fear in her eyes. "S-sorry, it wasn't supposed to be like this," she apologized, but my attention was drawn away from her as I noticed something about to fall onto her head.
"Shit! Watch out!" I shouted, my instincts kicking in. I quickly ran towards her, pulling her away just in time. As I did, I felt a clank sound, and I realized that the knife had fallen onto the ground.
Clank*
"That was close," I sighed in relief, holding Kira tightly. Fortunately, I managed to prevent the knife from harming her, but it grazed my shoulder, leaving a painful scrape.
"Shit! That hurts!" I cursed, feeling the sting on my shoulder.
"Are you okay?" I asked, my concern evident in my voice as I loosened my grip on Kira. She lowered her head and clenched her fists on the floor, apologizing profusely. "S-sorry, M-matsuki-kun, I'm sorry! I'm sorry," she stammered. "I'm sorry... you probably hate me now. I always make mistakes, and even though I practiced and tried my best, I still made some mistakes..."
She held onto my clothes tightly, like a child who was sorry for the mess she had made. Tears welled up in her eyes as she continued, "I'm sorry for being clumsy! I'm sorry. I tried to cook something, but th-the..."
I interrupted her by pulling her into a hug. "It's fine! Don't worry about it," I reassured her, my voice gentle.
"B-but I-I..." she tried to protest.
"I told you it's fine!" I yelled, my emotions getting the better of me. I tightened my embrace, not knowing why I was reacting this way. In that moment, my trembling hand brushed against her hair, unintentionally reminding me of the painful experienced. The memories of my aunt beating me to death.
I don't know why I am doing this but, This...This.. It's reminding me of that time. I only tried to cook something for my aunt back then because she seems to be having a hard time with her work.
I had hoped to surprise her and receive her praise when she got home. But instead, I had made a huge mess, and... she... she...
"Uwoahg," I gasped, my hand instinctively covering my mouth as I tried to suppress the overwhelming urge to vomit. The memories were too much to bear, and the emotions that accompanied them threatened to consume me.
...
"What am I doing? Am I being sympathetic here, or am I doing this because I understand what she's feeling right now?" I questioned myself, feeling conflicted. "Shit!" Why am I acting like this? Aren't I supposed to be mean to girls and make them suffer? What now, Matsuki?!
But deep down, I knew that what I was trying to do here was something I had desired before. I wanted someone to accept my mistakes and provide comfort. When I looked at her, it felt like she was a reflection of myself. But no, I scolded myself mentally. Don't be an idiot! You're not the same! She's different! She's totally different from you!
"Shit!" I clenched my fist, frustration building up inside me. I gently pushed her away from me and stared at her face, noticing the dirt and scratches. Sighing, I wondered what she had done to end up in such a state. I picked up the knife and carefully placed it beneath the shelf, ensuring it wouldn't fall again like it did today.
"I'll clean this up and cook something. Just wait in my room and behave there," I said firmly, trying to take calm myself.
"N-no, I'm... I'm the one who made this mess," she murmured, biting her lip.
"I... I should at least clean this up, and then after that, I'll prepare a meal," she declared, standing up and starting to pick up the spilled ingredients from the floor.
I didn't particularly enjoy this turn of events, but I stood up and spoke firmly, "It's fine, just wait for me in my room!" gently wiping the dirt off her face and lightly pinched her soft cheeks. "You should be more careful next time."
"B-but..." she tried to say something, but I quickly covered her mouth with my hand, feeling her warm breath against my palm. "Just do what I said, idiot!" I scolded her, flicking her forehead harshly.
"Ehh!" She reacted with a confused expression, her face turning red. It brought a small smile to my face, but I quickly suppressed it and glared at her, trying to maintain a serious demeanor. "I'll get angry if you stay here!"
"O-okay," she stammered, her voice quiet.
Kira became quiet, and I couldn't tell if she was scared or frustrated about not being able to cook. After pinching her thumb, she left the kitchen. As for me, I started cleaning and made everything neat and tidy..
Why did this even happen? Isn't Kira supposed to be good at everything? I guess everyone has their own weakness and clumsiness.
Although I remember her saying that it's her first time cooking the food she fed to me before, I didn't expect her to make a mess like this. I felt like I just cleaned a place that is used to be a battlefield. "Hahaha.. Stupid! You still don't have any progress, I still have it..This shitty feeling... sighed, this is making me sick.
I remembered that the knife had grazed my shoulder, but when I looked at it, I noticed a diagonal scrape with dried blood on the blade. "Looks like it's fine," I muttered to myself, relieved that my shoulder hadn't sustained much damage. It was just a scratch that would likely heal in a couple of days.
Taking a deep breath, I asked myself, "What now?" I sighed, realizing that dwelling on the past wouldn't do me any good. I needed to focus on the present. "Let's just cook something to calm my mind," I decided.
***
"Kira, I'm finally done cooking. Let's eat in the living room," I called out as I entered my room. To my surprise, I found Kira sitting on my bed, looking intensely at something. Did she not hear me?
"Kira!" I called out again, and she jolted, quickly turning to face me. I noticed her hiding something behind her back. "Let's eat in the living room."
"E-eh!... M-matsuki-kun, I... I'm sorry about earlier," she stammered, lowering her head and trembling. I couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. It's not like I was going to beat her or anything, so I wished she would stop being so scared.
"M-more importantly, Matsuki-kun," she continued, her face turning beet red. She seemed to be searching for something behind her back, and then she brought out a book and held it in front of me.
"M-matsuki-kun, w-what is this?" Kira asked, her voice filled with embarrassment. I was a bit taken aback by what she dangled in front of me. It was a doujinshi volume, to be more accurate, a hentai manga. It was one of my collections, but why was she holding that thing?
"That, huh? Don't tell me you don't know what kind of book is that?"
"O-of course I know!" She stammered.
"But why do you have this?... She averted her eyes and pointed her index finger at the page that has a s*x scene.
Heh, Don't be embarrassed as if you're a saint! If I remember correctly, I was looking at that book two weeks ago and my collections is in a private place, Sigh, Did I forgot to hide it? Well, I guess I don't have a reason to hide it because I'm the only one who live here.
"Matsuki! Be collected and answer her!" I mentally told myself, trying to gather my thoughts.
"Why? Is it strange to have something like that?" I replied, trying to maintain my composure.
"W-well, I guess you're at that age now, I-I guess," she stammered, her face turning even redder. She quickly folded the book and restlessly put it in her bag. I couldn't help but feel puzzled by her actions.
"Oh, so you also like those kinds of books, huh?" I teased.
"No! I don't!" she protested, her voice filled with embarrassment.
"Then why are you taking that?"
"I-it's because having this kind of book will lead you to become a pervert! A-and it's still too early for us to be making babies!" she exclaimed, her words coming out in a rush. I was taken aback by her response. What did she mean by that? I wasn't interested in those things.
"Well, if you want more, just say it, and I'll give you mine. I still have more or less ten volumes."
"W-what?" Kira stared at me, her face turning even redder. Surprise and disbelief were evident in her expression. Then she exclaimed, "Wh-where is that?!" in a loud voice.
I couldn't help but wonder about her reaction. Whatever it was, I didn't really care.
"There," I pointed towards a sky blue small drawer near my manga and novel book collection shelf. "You can have it if you want. I don't read them anymore. I just saved them because the artwork is amazing." so I guess it's fine to give them to someone.
"I-I'll take those with me," she said and walked towards the drawer.
"Fine, you really are a lewd girl!" I smirked and teased her playfully.
"No, I-I'll only take this home because it's not good for you. And I don't want you to lust after other women!"
"Huh?" I raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised by her statement. "Fine, fine, whatever. Do what you want. I don't really care about that."
A smile formed on my face. Why, you ask? Well, it was because I didn't have to throw those things away anymore. I had been considering removing them from my shelf, as they were quite old.
"Still not finished?" I asked indifferently, not really invested in the situation.
She had indeed done what she said, managing to fit all the books into her bag. "Wow, Kira. Amazing. You're dexterous," I applauded, leaning closer to her until we were just a few centimeters apart. I whispered in her ear, "Good luck."
Her ear turned red, and she turned to face me, confused, she asked:"Good luck at what?"
Heh? She didn't understand? Sigh. "You're going to masturbate tonight, right?" I said bluntly, unable to resist teasing her further.
"Eh!! No, I'm not!" she objected, pushing me away while blushing furiously. Her reaction was priceless, and I couldn't help but laugh.
"It's a normal thing to do, you know," I remarked, standing beside the door with my arms crossed. "Don't be embarrassed!"
"I don't do that kind of thing!" she exclaimed, denying my teasing.
"Really?" I raised an eyebrow, skeptical of her response.
She nodded instantly, confirming her statement.
"..." I fell silent, feeling a mix of disappointment.
The room was filled with an awkward silence for a moment. Realizing that I had crossed a line, I decided to stop teasing her. However, before I could break the tension, the doorbell rang.
Ding-dong Ding-dong*
"Huh? Who's that?" I wondered aloud. Someone was ringing my doorbell again. I hadn't ordered anything, so I hoped it wasn't someone troublesome.
"Then I'll go and check who it is. Come to the living room, we're going to eat there," I told Kira as I left my room and walked towards the entrance door.
As soon as I opened the door, A figure of a woman hugged me with such enthusiasm.
"Matsuki!"