Chapter 7 - Dinner with Neighbors Part 2
"Wow, your foods is amazingly delicious, you surprised me, you know?"
“Fufu, I'm glad to hear that.”
At least let me help you, after finishing eating, while washing the dishes, I remembered the taste of the food earlier.
The menu consists of fried chicken, salads and stews, all of which are more than enough to satisfy the appetite.
"I didn't expect the fried chicken to be cooked in the microwave."
“It doesn't use oil, so it's healthy. And it's easier because you just put it in the microwave."
"I see. Ah, the soup was really good. Every day I won't be bored if I eat it."
“O-Of course it would be boring to eat that every day. But, the soup just now is leftovers from yesterday's food that I reheated.”
"Well, it's still delicious, really. The slightly soft texture of the potato is also delicious.”
“Ah, just like me. I prefer reheated leftovers to freshly made ones.”
I finished washing the dishes when Misumi sympathized with me.
Now, what should I do...?
It's not good to stay too long, and I may have to leave soon.
As I stood there thinking about this, Misumi, who had been sitting on the sofa, walked towards the kitchen.
Even though she could barely see, this was Misumi's house.
She's only been here a short time, but she seems to have the perfect furniture layout and arrangement in mind, and there's no hesitation in her stride.
"Tsushiro-kun, would you like some tea after meal?"
When I was offered that, Misumi had already prepared the pot.
Of course, in a situation like this, I unhesitatingly replied, “Then I'll gladly accept it,” while patting the back of my head.
“Now, please sit on the sofa first.”
"Okay."
I sat on the left side of the sofa and saw Misumi somehow making tea in the kitchen.
She didn't wear an apron, because she just poured hot water into the pot.
After pouring the hot water, Misumi, who had been observing the pot for a while, placed two cups of tea on the tray and brought it to me.
“Though I would have brought it if you had told me, you know.”
"Because Tsushiro-kun is a guest, so I hope you can relax."
Misumi replied, smiling gently, as she poured the tea into the cup.
The color of the tea that was poured into the cup was clear black, and its fragrant aroma spread throughout the area.
As far as I know, black soybean tea is the only tea with such characteristics.
"You like black soy tea, don't you?"
"Yes. Basically I like any kind of tea, but black soybean tea is my favorite.”
"Hey, I just found out."
"Of course you don't know. We have just met for two days, right?” I'd be scared if Tsushiro-kun found out what I like."
"Oh, that's true."
I had a feeling that we had been friends for a long time, going out of town together and having dinner together, but actually, Misumi and I just met yesterday.
I chuckled to myself, wondering what I was talking about, and took the cup on the table in front of me and took a sip of a cup of black bean tea.
“Wow, it tastes good...”
The aromatic flavor has the subtle sweetness of black soybeans, and a unique aroma hits my nose.
Misumi, who was sitting next to me with a distance between us, also drank the black soybean tea and breathed a sigh of relief.
I don't have a wide circle of friends.
I'm not trying to actively increase the number of friends I have.
It might be nice to live surrounded by lots of people, but I'm more comfortable with a small group of people I'm comfortable with.
And right now I'm quite at home.
We don't know much about each other yet, and we might not even be able to call each other friends.
Therefore, we have some reservations, and we also maintain a certain psychological distance, such as the distance between me and Misumi sitting on the sofa like this.
Is this a different way of socializing from friends?
In other words, we are "neighbors."
That's the best way to describe it.
When we are in trouble, we are there for each other, but we don't dare to go into each other's personal space.
Maybe I'm starting to like this kind of relationship.
"Ah, right, Tsushiro-kun."
"Hmm?"
Misumi put down her cup, then took out her cell phone.
“Uhm, that… will you, exchange contacts with me?”
She held the phone with both hands as if hiding the lower half of her face and turned her big hazel eyes up.
From his expression, it was easy to see that she was anxious about what she would do if the offer was rejected.
I'm sure she's not aware of this, but I feel a bit uncomfortable when she sees me like that.
My heart rate increased a little and I felt my face heat up a little.
I'm not sure if this shame is now showing on my face or not, but either way, Misumi won't see it.
I tried to stay calm and replied, "Of course," and took out the phone that was in my pocket.
“T-Thank goodness...”
"Well, you don't have to worry about that, I told you I wouldn't refuse you."
“S-See, don't you understand?”
Misumi displayed her contact's QR code, I scanned it and added it to my contacts.
"I see, really. If it's Misumi, it's one that won't be rejected.”
“W-What kind of people are they?”
Well, let's see, a pretty girl like this asked if I want to exchange contact information with her. Not many people turned down such a request.
This applies not only to boys, but also to girls, since Misumi has a gentle and kind personality, it will definitely be popular among them.
Of course, there may be some people who don't like it, but it's the same for everyone.
“Even so… somehow I feel weird. In my contacts, it's the first time there's been contact with a boy who went to the same school as me."
“Ah, come to think of it, I also had girl contacts for the first time.”
"Eh, really? I thought you had a lot of girls contacts."
"No, why would you think that?"
“Because Tsushiro-kun is a smart, kind, and reliable man, right? I thought you'd be popular in school… was I wrong?”
“Ah, everything is different.”
“I see… surely the townspeople didn't see what I mentioned earlier.”
She said it himself and chuckled, so maybe it was Misumi's own story, but I didn't have the courage to laugh at it either.
“No, Misumi is overestimating me.”
"I don't think so."
"Well, I'm glad you think so."
“I'll take that as a yes then.”
Misumi smiled faintly and started sipping her teacup again.
With Misumi by my side, I drank some black soybean tea which was still quite warm.
I felt a hot sensation in my chest.
I wonder if black soy tea warms my body.
In peaceful silence, Misumi and I drank a cup of black soybean tea leisurely until it was gone.
Translator: Exxod
Editor: Janaka