Dumped by One, Chased by Another? My Ex's Sister Is a Gal and She's Coming for Me - Chapter 83

Well, naturally—this goes without saying, really—

Just serving chicken steak isn’t exactly nutritionally balanced.

After all, this is a children’s cafeteria. It’s a place meant for kids, and it also carries the role of teaching them about proper nutrition.

So, aside from the main dish, we also need to prepare a side.

That said it’s really just a salad.

Slice the cucumbers, cut the tomatoes, and tear up the lettuce before putting it all together.

“You’re really good at this, Kengorou-san.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah, definitely. You’re really great at cooking.”

“Haha, thanks.”

Honestly, I’m not so sure myself.

But I’ve been cooking for a long time.

It wasn’t out of passion—it was out of necessity.

My parents were often away from home, so I either had to buy food or cook it myself.

I think what first pushed me to start cooking was hearing that frozen meals and packaged sweets weren’t good for your health.

I still remember feeling vaguely guilty whenever I ate them, like I was doing something wrong.

“I’ve been cooking since I was a kid. Not just cooking—I’ve learned to handle all the housework.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

I didn’t have a choice—I had to do everything on my own.

When I said that, Haruki looked a little apologetic, almost like she was disappointed in herself.

But there was no reason for her to feel that way.

Not at all.

“It’s okay. I’m really not bothered by it anymore.”

Lately, I’ve started talking more with my parents.

We even made a RINE group chat for the three of us.

Looking back, I’m surprised I hadn’t done that before—or even thought about doing it.

Some people might think that’s strange.

They might say that no amount of chatting can fill the emptiness left from childhood.

But even so—I choose to say this:

That I’m not worried about it anymore.

Because Haruki saved me, in more ways than she probably realizes.

“You brought us back together, Haruki. That alone is more than enough for me.”

“And hey, being good at cooking is a plus, right? I’d love for you to try my food sometime.”

“Yeah! Let’s cook something together!”

“Sounds great. Maybe we’ll grill some chicken again?”

We were already planning to visit the Ayase family for Christmas, so the timing was perfect.

I doubt Setsuko-san would say no, either.

“You two really are such a sweet pair.”

“Guh!” (in unison)

Oe-san, who was making miso soup, gave us both a wide smile.

Haruki and I turned our faces away in embarrassment.

She looked to the right, I turned to the left—and our eyes met.

“……”

Her eyes, her eyelashes, her slender nose, the soft curve of her lips.

She looked so beautiful.

And for just a moment, we couldn’t look away from each other.

Then, realizing Oe-san was still right there, we quickly broke eye contact and returned to cooking.