Amane putting a few meters between himself and Mahiru seemed to have done the trick in calming his racing heart. He began plating the dishes he had prepared in advance and setting them on the dining table.
Since Mahiru most likely had a vague idea of what he was making from the smell, there would be little surprise or novelty in his choice of dish. However, since this was meant to celebrate and honor Mahiru, a familiar taste would probably be the way to go.
Focusing on Japanese cuisine with a hint of Western seasoning was a choice made specifically because Mahiru was one to prefer milder, less extravagant flavors in her food.
“You put so much effort into preparing delicious food for my birthday, so now it’s my turn,” Amane declared. He smiled at Mahiru as she took her usual seat at the table before doing the same.
Although his skills were still a far cry from Mahiru’s, he had done his best to prepare a meal crammed with her favorite dishes, hoping to please her as much as he could.
Mahiru was by no means a picky eater, but while she could eat any kind of food, she did have a preference for certain flavors. Generally, she preferred dishes with gentle and refined seasoning, leaning more toward those that brought out the natural taste of the ingredients and the flavor of the broth using a minimal amount of salt. Bringing out those flavors proved to be more challenging than preparing dishes with strong flavors.
Strong flavors could often be adjusted and, in the worst case, masked with seasonings. However, with milder flavors, that wasn’t an option. Making the most of the natural taste of the ingredients and actually enjoying the taste of the ingredients themselves were two different things, and each required distinct cooking methods and seasonings.
Therefore, mastering the style of seasoning that Mahiru preferred was a long and challenging journey.
Even so, I want to master the art in the future.
Not being able to make the favorite dishes of the person he loved made Amane feel ashamed as a boyfriend, and this feeling only grew due to the fact that Mahiru could prepare dishes tailored to his own tastes perfectly.
Though he believed the food turned out well, Amane quietly felt ashamed of his own incompetence, thinking that he still had a lot of room to improve. Mahiru intently observed his expression.
“…It’s delicious,” she said. Mahiru gracefully brought the bowl to her lips and quietly sipped the soup. A gentle smile spread across her face, and then she let out a soft sigh.
Even the broth was intricately prepared from scratch, following the method Mahiru had thoroughly taught him, so it should have been seasoned exactly to her liking.
His expectations were not disappointed, for Mahiru continued to eat her meal with a gentle expression on her face.
“I’m glad it suits your taste. Honestly, I was really nervous.”
“I have critiqued your cooking before, but I have never had any complaints.”
“Yeah, you aren’t wrong, but like, worrying about whether you’ll enjoy it or not is a different thing entirely, don’t you think?” As he muttered this while breaking apart his simmered daikon radish filled with shrimp paste with his chopsticks, he heard a somewhat troubled voice respond from across the table.
“That’s true, but… You know, Amane-kun, your cooking skills have improved at a remarkable pace, haven’t they?”
“As for my skills, it’s just that they went from the negatives to around fifty points. Your skills would be more like one or two hundred points. I could never catch up.”
“I would be at a loss if you managed to catch up so easily.”
“I doubt I could even if I spent my whole life trying. To begin with, your cooking will always be number one for me, so it doesn’t matter how good my cooking becomes. But that aside, I’ll keep working hard to make the best dishes for you that I can.”
“…There you go again.”
“Geez.”
That “Geez” was meant not to reprimand him but was rather a sign that she acknowledged it was just part of Amane’s nature. It also implied that she was not at all displeased—in fact, it meant that she was quite pleased. This was something he had come to understand well over their time together.
Amane flashed her a broad grin, prompting Mahiru to widen her eyes in surprise. She quickly looked away with a dazzled expression, and with a wriggle of her lips, muttered, “Honestly, Amane-kun…” under her breath.
✧ ₊ ✦ ₊ ✧
“Thank you for the meal.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
They quickly finished their modestly portioned dinner in no time at all.
Mahiru wasn’t exactly a super light eater, but considering what awaited them next, it was clear that she wouldn’t be able to finish everything if he served her too much too early. So, without her noticing, he had prepared a slightly smaller portion for her.
Amane had decided to make a Japanese meal partly because it was Mahiru’s favorite cuisine, but also because the traditionally small bowls and colorful presentation helped him adjust the overall impression of the meal and have smaller portion sizes. However, it seemed that Mahiru hadn’t caught on.
“…I never thought you would do so much for me,” Mahiru admitted.
After insisting that he would handle all the cleanup, Amane guided the guest of honor—Mahiru—to the sofa. She had seemed a bit displeased by it, likely wanting to offer her help, but when Amane returned from washing the dishes, she murmured these words with a deep sense of emotion.
“Well, you pour your heart and soul into something for your lover too, don’t you, Mahiru?”
“Hmph. Th-That may be true, but…”
“If anything, you could say that I’ve done all this because I wanted to, not so much just for your sake.”
In the end, everything he did was driven solely by his own self-satisfaction. This made him hesitant to use such a convenient and perfect-sounding phrase as “for Mahiru’s sake.”
“So yeah, this is something I’m doing on my own initiative.”
“…You really do have a habit of doing that, Amane-kun.”
As if to chide him, Mahiru playfully slapped Amane’s upper arm. Upon realizing that he still wouldn’t yield, she then showed him a complicated smile—one that perfectly reflected her feelings of helplessness, resignation, and happiness.
“…But, today, you’ve made me really happy. Everything is just so…”
“Ah, sorry. Could you just wait a moment?”
“Huh?” Mahiru’s eyes widened at being interrupted, but this was something he couldn’t turn a blind eye to.
“It feels like I’m about to wrap things up, but this isn’t all I have planned. Your birthday isn’t quite over yet, is it now?”
Mahiru blurted out a confused “Huh?” but for Amane, this was just the start of today’s main event. He wouldn’t have spent nearly a month preparing just for the decorations, bouquet, and a homemade dinner. He wanted to make Mahiru happy, and had been running around with the help of the kind people around him. He had yet to show her the true fruits of his labor.
As Mahiru was quite a modest person, she already looked completely satisfied. But today, Amane wanted to bring her so much joy that even that modesty of hers would be blown out of the water.
“Could you close your eyes one more time?”
Since the surprise would be spoiled if she kept her eyes open, Amane made this request for the second time today. Mahiru tightly shut her eyes and lifted her face upward. It was less that she was obediently complying, and more that she was anticipating something special to happen. Tension lingered in the air.
Mahiru, undoubtedly expecting something, looked so incredibly adorable that Amane inadvertently covered his mouth with his hand in an effort to hide his grin. Even though she still couldn’t see him, he felt the urge to hide it nonetheless. The sight of his girlfriend waiting for him expectantly was just too endearing to bear.
“…Sorry, this time I wasn’t going in for a kiss.” Not wanting to shatter her expectations in their entirety, he whispered this softly in her ear.
Mahiru’s caramel-colored eyes flew open, focusing only on Amane. Then, her face turned a striking shade of red as she pouted cutely, murmuring “You. Big. Dum. My,” in a rhythm that matched the light thumps she also subjected to his chest.
Being treated like some kind of drum, Amane almost started grinning again at just how cute she was acting. However, he knew that if he showed it on his face, Mahiru’s playful hits might become stronger, so he bit the inside of his cheek to hold back his smile.
“Ow, ow, ow. I’m sorry… I still have something else I want to show you, so I needed you to close your eyes again.”
“…You should have said that sooner.”
“Again, I am sorry.”
Now pouting even more than before, Mahiru turned away and closed her eyes again. Taking the opportunity, Amane leaned in and lightly pressed his lips against the slightly flushed, tasty peach-like cheek offered in front of him.
Mahiru seemed to recognize the touch and warmth of his body, having experienced it several times before. She opened her eyes and immediately froze in place. Amane laughed softly and said, “Keep your eyes closed, okay?” Her slender throat trembled, and a soft growl of frustration escaped her lips.
“That was another surprise.” Satisfied with the impromptu surprise he had added, Amane headed to the kitchen, feeling pleased with himself.
Amane preparing their entire dinner and insisting on doing all the cleanup himself, despite Mahiru wanting to help, was all part of his plan to keep her away from the refrigerator. He retrieved the culmination of his weeks of preparation from the fridge, carefully taking the box out and holding the plate carefully with both hands.
Amane carefully carried the plate to the table, taking his time. He saw Mahiru’s face turn towards him, sensing through the sound and his presence that he had returned.
Silently, he smiled to himself.
I can’t wait to see her reaction when she opens her eyes.
“Keep them closed a bit longer for me, okay?”
As Amane wasn’t quite ready yet, he had whispered that to her while carefully pressing birthday candles that he had hidden into the white cream base. The candles he used were thinner and more colorful than the typical candles.
One… Two… As he silently inserted the candles one by one, he began to feel that seventeen of them just might have been a bit too many. The cake was now dominated by the pastel colors of the candles. Reflecting on his miscalculation, Amane lit the candles with a lighter, deciding to simply roll with it despite the cake becoming a lot more colorful than he had imagined.
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