“Here, I got you something to drink. I hope you don’t dislike cocoa.”
“Oh, I love cocoa. Thank you very much.”
“My pleasure. By the way, have you eaten breakfast yet?”
“Uh…”
Caught off guard by the question, Alisa hesitated, her eyes darting nervously. The truth was, she hadn’t eaten breakfast yet because she wasn’t able to come up with a good excuse to leave the house early that morning. Claiming she was on cleaning duty today would have been problematic since she was leaving far too early for that, and saying it was student council work wouldn’t hold because her sister was also a member. Therefore, she had no choice but to leave a note for her family saying that she had left early, then slip out the door before anyone woke up. She did, however, stop by a convenience store on the way and had bought a sandwich she was planning to eat sometime later.
But how can I even tell him that? It’s not like I can tell him I came over without even getting my parents’ permission. Should I just leave that part out of my story? Then again…I can’t lie any more and tell him I ate, since I already hesitated. It would be unnatural. Wait. Hold on… Hmm?
Blindsided by the sudden turn of events and reeling from her own blunder, her thoughts churned in useless circles, refusing to settle. But before long, Kyoutarou gently curled his lips and tilted his head, apparently having realized she hadn’t eaten.
“If you haven’t eaten yet, then how about you have breakfast with us? We’re having leftovers from last night if that’s okay…”
“…”
Honestly, it was a somewhat—no, quite—tempting offer. After all, the rich aroma of curry had been wafting through the air for the past few minutes, and the mention of leftovers just now confirmed her suspicions. The Kuze family’s breakfast that morning was definitely homemade curry that had been simmering overnight.
The wonderful smell has absolutely destroyed any interest I had in this sandwich.
Although Alisa’s stomach was fiercely stirred by the strong scent of curry, she lacked the nerve to impose herself on their breakfast.
“Thank you very much for the offer, but don’t worry about me. I ate a little before I left the house this morning.”
Even Alisa was impressed by her own swift, clever lie. She hadn’t exactly eaten breakfast, but she had eaten a little—enough that her hesitation when asked if she’d had breakfast wasn’t suspicious. Plus, it implied that she hadn’t come without her parents’ permission. Simply put, it was a very good lie—one she inwardly congratulated herself for. However, Kyoutarou, being a parent himself, wasn’t so easily convinced.
“You only ate a ‘little’ before you left? That’s no good. You’re a growing young woman. You need to eat.”
“Oh, no. Really, I…”
“Don’t be shy. We’re about to eat, too, and I’d feel terrible making you just sit there waiting while we ate. Besides, the more the merrier, so just eat what you can, okay?”
“Uh…”
There was no way she could bring up that she had bought a sandwich, either, since she had already claimed she’d eaten something, and faced with the overwhelming scent of curry, Alisa’s self-control began to waver…
“Okay… Thank you.”
Before she even realized it, she was nodding, and Kyoutarou smiled with evident satisfaction.
“Don’t worry. We’re having curry, so just scoop up as much or as little as you’d like and enjoy yourself. Oh, are you fine with having curry this early in the morning?”
I knew it was curry, Alisa thought as she nodded.
“Of course. I love curry.”
“I’m glad. Oh, hey.”
Kyoutarou then casually asked:
“Can you eat spicy food?”
Alisa was suddenly engulfed by a dread so overwhelming that her survival instincts began howling in alarm.
Ah, I can feel it. It’s still far…but it’s there.
Ever since she, Masachika, and Yuki had eaten that really spicy ramen together, Alisa had been regularly challenging herself with intensely hot dishes to build up her spice tolerance. And before she knew it, she could sense its presence—the presence of the grim reaper—wielding a crimson scythe and wearing a necklace threaded with countless habaneros as it waited to render her unconscious and steal her soul.
This is bad… Experience tells me that the fact I can already detect its presence means I’m in serious danger…
But no matter how loudly her instincts screamed, Alisa wouldn’t back down—not in front of Masachika. After all, what had she been working so hard for? For moments like this!
“…Yes, I love spicy food,” she replied with a determined smile, her fists tightly clenched in her lap. Kyoutarou smiled back, seemingly relieved.
“Really? I’m relieved because I made the curry a little spicy this time.”
Alisa was also somewhat relieved to hear it was only a “little” spicy, but even then, she needed to make sure just in case.
“Do you love spicy food, too…like Masachika does?”
“Hmm? Oh, no. I’m not particularly fond of spicy food.”
“Really? Interesting.”
Only then did Alisa finally feel true relief, and understandably so. After all, how could Alisa have possibly known of Kyoutarou’s unrefined palate, since this was the first time they had ever met? Unknown to her, his taste preferences were already somewhat peculiar, and his tolerance for sweetness, saltiness, sourness, and bitterness far exceeded the average person’s as well.
Masachika’s father could easily eat obnoxiously sweet desserts with a straight face—desserts that would make even someone with a sweet tooth wince. He could nonchalantly drink tea so bitter that even an entertainer on a travel TV show would involuntarily spit it out. This held true for spicy food, and even foul odors, which would result in him simply commenting, “Oh, wow. That’s really something, huh?” However, this broad tolerance for food was, in a way, an asset for him as a diplomat, enabling him to eat local cuisine without issue.
But that was beside the point, because right now, that unrefined palate of his had become a cruel trap for Alisa.
I guess the grim reaper’s presence was only my imagination… I’m probably being way too sensitive. But, yeah, it makes sense. If it really was super spicy, then Masachika would have said something like he did last time.
Seeing Masachika quietly sipping his cocoa, Alisa further relaxed her guard and brought her own cup to her lips. Unfortunately for her, Masachika was still dwelling on yesterday’s events and was completely distracted. Additionally, he was sleep-deprived, as well as having just woken up, so his mind wasn’t fully processing his surroundings. The fact that his father was offering Alisa curry for breakfast barely even registered.
“Anyway, come on over. Take as much curry and rice as you’d like.”
“Thank you very much. I guess I could eat a little more…”
“You too, Masachika.”
“Hmm? Yeah…”
And so, Alisa stepped into the kitchen with her guard completely down.
Wow, it smells even better close up. It has a slightly distinctive aroma to it that makes me wonder if it’s some sort of authentic, homemade dish that uses a ton of different spices.
Enticed by the appetizing aroma of the curry, Alisa took Kyoutarou up on his offer—still mindful that she had claimed to have “eaten a little” beforehand—and served herself only half a bowl of rice. However, as she lifted the lid of the curry pot, she narrowed her eyes at the rising steam and aroma…
What the…?
She immediately sensed the presence of the grim reaper. This wasn’t her imagination, either, for death was clearly closer than before. Though its scythe was still out of range, she could feel its gaze boring into her as the nape of her neck tingled.
Wait. You’re kidding, right? It looks so delicious…and I don’t see anything red or even dangerous-looking in it?
Inside the pot was something that resembled an extremely thick curry with a slightly dark tint. No obviously dangerous ingredients were visible, but…perhaps they could have seamlessly dissolved into the roux.
“…!!”
A shiver of dread ran down her spine, but it was too late since she had already served herself some rice. Masachika had also just placed the rice paddle down after scooping himself some and was waiting for her. In other words, there was no time for hesitation.
I’ll just take as little as possible…while making sure it doesn’t look unnatural…
Slowly and carefully, she tilted the ladle, pouring the curry onto the plate.
Is this enough…?
When the rice-to-curry ratio was roughly 5:3, she ceased her ladling and swiftly retreated with an air of innocence.
All right, that should do it! I’ve got a ton of rice, so I should be fine!
Satisfied with herself, Alisa waited for the others to join her at the table. Masachika promptly caught up with her and was followed seconds later by Kyoutarou, both carrying their own plates of curry. However…
“Oh, hold on.”
As soon as Kyoutarou placed his plate on the table, he immediately went back to the kitchen and returned with the pot of curry in hand.
…Hmm?
Alisa had a bad feeling in her gut, but Kyoutarou simply smiled.
“There’s still a tiny bit of curry left, so do you think you two could eat a little more?”
The moment he saw Alisa’s plate, his eyes widened in surprise, sending her into a panic. Uh-oh. I’ve been caught, she thought.
“Oh, you hardly got any curry. You don’t have to be polite.”
“Me? No, I’m—”
Though Alisa attempted to decline, Kyoutarou paid her no mind casually ladling the last of the curry onto her plate before serving Masachika as well.
Ah…!
And just like that, she was left with a plate of curry rice with a roughly 3:4 ratio of rice to curry. Her sneaky attempt to reduce how much curry she would eat had spectacularly backfired, leaving her with even more curry than she would have had otherwise. If she had simply gone with a 1:1 ratio, then Kyoutarou probably would have eaten the rest himself.
Ack! It’s getting closer… It’s getting even closer…
She could sense death lurking several meters behind her, but merely detecting its presence was meaningless. All she could do now was brace herself and face the challenge head-on.
I-I’ll be fine. It’s going to take a lot more than a single strike to take me out…as long as I prepare… I have my cocoa for backup, too, just in case.
Although Kyoutarou had brought her some water, it would do little against the overwhelming spiciness. Her half-finished cocoa was the only dependable lifeline she had, making her deeply regret already drinking so much of her only potion.
It’s going to be okay! This is only half a serving of curry, to boot! I can handle half!
Encouraging herself with seemingly logical yet fundamentally flawed reasoning, Alisa fortified her mental defenses while bringing her hands together.
“““Thanks for breakfast.”””
Finally scooping up the curry, she thrust it into her mouth with determination—and was immediately met with the sweet and spicy roux flooding her palate.
Huh? It’s not spicy? If anything, it’s really sweet and delicious…
It was an unexpectedly pleasant taste. In fact, she could sense the grim reaper she had felt lurking behind her turn around and start to leave.