Once I finished comforting Nene, who had been wailing her eyes out, I returned to my cooking.
"I’m so sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused..."
As I kept an eye on the boiling pot, Nene’s weak voice drifted over from the living room.
"It wasn't a problem," Yamamoto said.
"Yeah. That’s why I wasn’t talking to you, Yamamoto-kun."
I figured as much. All you did was hover around uselessly while looking flustered. I stole a glance at Yamamoto; he looked completely dejected.
"...Um. Thank you so much," Nene said, turning her attention to me.
"It was nothing," I replied, realizing she was waiting for a response.
"...Hehe." Nene let out a small giggle.
"What’s so funny?"
"Oh! No, sorry, it’s just... it’s been a while since I’ve hung out with friends like this. It feels nice."
"Huh." Yamamoto gave a non-committal grunt, making it impossible to tell if he was actually listening.
"I never dreamed I’d be able to make a friend like you, Hayashi-san."
Wait, what about Yamamoto?
"And what about me?" he interjected.
"You can cook, you’re like a big sister... honestly, I really admire you."
Yamamoto looked at me with a complicated expression. I hesitated for a moment, unsure how to respond to such a direct compliment. However, there was one thing I needed to make clear.
"For the record, I’m not actually your friend."
"Eh?"
"Wait, what?"
Yamamoto stared at me with a look of pure disbelief. Nene’s eyes went wide with shock.
I just wanted to be blunt. To begin with, the only reason I felt like being hospitable to Nene was because she had become Yamamoto’s friend. As I’d mentioned before, since I was living here under his protection, I was obligated to treat his guests well.
In other words! If Nene weren't his friend, I would never—absolutely never—be doing this! In fact...
"Tch."
"Did you just click your tongue!?"
A soft click had escaped my lips before I could stop it. I cleared my throat quickly to cover the slip-up. That was close. I was seconds away from snapping at the new female friend of the person I liked.
Well, not that there would be anything wrong with snapping at her (actually, there would)... but the one thing that absolutely could not happen was Yamamoto finding out how I felt.
Honestly, that man. Going to a mixer out of nowhere, bringing a girl home out of nowhere—I couldn't let my guard down for a single second.
I wondered if he even realized it. The real reason I was serving a home-cooked meal to his new female friend. Sure, there was the part about being hospitable to one of his rare friends, but the primary goal was to show off. I wanted to flaunt my domestic skills to any woman who might be making eyes at him. That was the plan.
But beyond that, there might have been another reason. Perhaps... just perhaps, through this devoted attitude of mine, even Yamamoto might finally realize something?
Well... maybe? No, I knew better. This was Yamamoto. There wasn't a one-in-a-million chance of that happening. If he actually noticed now, it would honestly be creepy. I’d have to pinch his cheeks and ask who he really was. I’d be sticking a cooling sheet on his forehead to see if he had a fever.
That’s what I told myself, but still... Maybe? Just maybe...
"Smells great."
"Tch."
Look at that blank face! What is wrong with him!? What is wrong with that guy!? Does anyone actually exist who could fall for someone like him?
Wait.
"It’s almost ready. Could you help me carry these over?"
"Sure thing." Yamamoto stood up. Nene started to stand up a moment later.
"Ah, Takeshita, you can stay seated. You’re the guest, after all."
"O-Okay..."
I felt a fresh prick of irritation.
"Could you stop trying to score points for five seconds?"
"Huh?"
Ignoring his confused look, I finished serving the food, and we all gathered around the living room table.
"Thanks for the food."
"Thanks for the food."
"T-Thanks for the food..."
With that, we began an early dinner. Conversation was non-existent. Nene looked awkward, Yamamoto looked far too satisfied with the meal, and I sat there in silence, trying my best not to let my quiet hostility toward Nene leak out.
"...Hey."
Yamamoto was the first to break the silence. I felt another surge of annoyance. You’re usually the last person to read the room and speak up! And yet...
"Takeshita, what do you usually do on your days off?"
What are you, some middle manager with zero social skills? You look like a boss who doesn't know how to make small talk and is so terrified of a harassment claim that he can only ask the most generic, harmless questions possible.
"Oh, um... I mostly just sleep."
And what are you, the subordinate who refuses to reveal her private life? The kind who actually has hobbies but hates being judged, so she just claims she was sleeping because she can't think of anything else?
"I see..."
"...Yeah."
"...Right."
I realized it a bit late, but this Nene girl’s communication skills were exactly as bad as Yamamoto’s. And these two became "friends" after just one conversation? Maybe I had jumped to conclusions. There was no way Yamamoto could have made a proper friend that easily.
I see. So that was it. I’d wasted all that energy worrying for nothing.
"Don't you ride your motorcycle?"
"…!"
Wait, what?
"I-I do..."
Yamamoto... he was actually digging for her hobbies!
"T-The other day, I..."
"The other day?"
"I went to Shikoku."
"Shikoku!?"
"Shikoku!?"
I accidentally blurred out the exact same reaction as Yamamoto. Shikoku? We were in Tokyo. Just how long did that take?
"I-It’s not actually that far."
"I-Is that so...?"
"Yes. I managed to make the round trip in about two days."
Nene gave a bashful, proud smile.
"...What kind of route did you take?"
"I did a full loop around the island."
"A full loop!?"
"Yes. It was about ten hours to the Naruto Bridge, twelve hours to circle Shikoku, and another ten hours back."
"Did you even sleep...?"
"Are you an idiot or something?" Yamamoto asked bluntly.
"Eh? Ahaha. For a rider, this is pretty normal, isn't it?"
"Don't try to make your insanity sound like the industry standard," Yamamoto countered, looking completely exasperated.