Chapter 18
Today, as usual, my mother came home late.
It was supposed to be my turn to cook on such days, but...
"Today, I will make the meal."
Lily volunteered to be in charge of cooking today.
Lily's cooking skills are improving day by day.
But until now, she had always cooked with the help of my mother or me.
Lily has never cooked alone.
However, there's a first time for everything.
"Then, I'll leave it to you."
"I will show you the results of my bride training!"
Lily said this as she clenched her fist tightly.
...Maybe it's about time I taught her the real meaning of "bride training."
We immediately stopped by the supermarket on our way home from school.
Lily picked up each food item one by one and placed them in the basket.
I just watched over Lily.
Just watched.
I didn't say a word.
"Got everything?"
"Yes... The menu is a secret."
Lily said this with a smug look on her face.
Although, looking at the ingredients she bought, I could guess what she was trying to make...
"Yeah, sure. I'm looking forward to it."
I'm not so childish as to say that out loud.
After we got home, Lily put on an apron.
"Please sit and wait."
Then she ordered me to stand by.
As told, I sat down at the dining table—a spot where I could see Lily cooking in the kitchen.
"Let's see, first..."
Lily went to the kitchen and started fiddling with her phone.
It seemed like she was checking the recipe.
"...Alright!"
She clenched her fist tightly again and began chopping the ingredients.
Her knife skills were awkward.
Especially when she was mincing, it was nerve-wracking to watch... but she managed to finish cutting the ingredients safely.
She took out the seasonings, spread oil in the frying pan, and turned on the heat.
She stir-fried the ingredients with an unusually tense expression.
And then the cooking process moved to the final stage...
"Ah..."
A small voice came out.
It seemed like she made a mistake.
Lily glanced back at me once, then hid the finished dish behind her shadow.
She started fiddling with the dish using chopsticks.
"...Alright."
She let out a sigh of relief.
It seemed like she managed to fix it.
"Is it ready?"
"It's still in progress."
It seemed like the mistake was with her own portion.
Taking into account the previous mistake, she started cooking again with more careful movements.
"...Alright."
It seemed like she succeeded this time.
With the dish plated, Lily made a small victory pose.
Finally, using ketchup, she drew something on top of the dish...
Lily walked over with two plates in hand.
She placed one at her seat and the other at mine.
"It's ready."
Lily said this with a proud expression.
I had already guessed it when she was picking out ingredients at the supermarket, but what Lily made was an omurice.
On top of the yellow egg, there was a heart mark drawn with ketchup.
The shape was quite beautiful.
"It looks good. It seems delicious."
When I praised her, Lily beamed with pride.
"Of course."
Then Lily held out a spoon to me.
"Come on, Sota. Eat my chest (oppai)."
"Ah... huh?"
...Eat oppai?
I inadvertently looked up from Lily's chest to her face.
Lily looked puzzled.
"What is it?"
"...Eat a lot (ippai), please?"
She meant to say "ippai ," not "oppai," right?
When I pointed that out, Lily looked embarrassed.
"I made a mistake."
Her proud face quickly turned into a sullen one.
She seemed displeased.
"Everyone makes mistakes. Don't nitpick."
It seemed like she thought I was picking on her.
Mixing up "i" and "o" isn't a big mistake, and the meaning gets across, so there's no need to point it out...
But this mistake wasn't a good one.
"Ah, well, I'm not trying to nitpick, but... 'ippai' and 'oppai' have very different meanings..."
"...Does 'oppai' have a different meaning?"
"Yes, it does."
"What does it mean?"
Should I really tell her?
I feel like she might get unreasonably angry.
I hesitated for a moment, but for the future, I should tell her.
It should be memorable enough not to make the same mistake.
What's 'oppai' in English again?
Oppai is 'chest,' but that's not the nuance...
"Tits, maybe?"
When I answered, Lily froze.
Slowly, her fair skin turned red.
Then Lily covered her chest with both hands.
"You can't eat that! Sota, you pervert!"
"You're the one who said it..."