She speared a piece of takoyaki with a toothpick and popped it into her mouth. “Mm!” Her eyes sparkled with delight as she chewed.
Seeing how much she was enjoying her food only made the rest of us hungrier, and we all followed suit.
I scooped up some fried rice with my spoon and took a bite. I could taste the chicken bouillon—exactly what I’d been hoping for. It was a bit greasier than I’d expected, but I was so hungry from all the exercise that it only enhanced the flavor.
“Mm! Now that hits the spot!” Sousuke said as he slurped up his yakisoba with satisfaction.
It seemed like the cabana food was precisely what each of us had been looking for, and that was kind of fun in and of itself. It wasn’t out of this world delicious, but it was exactly what we’d expected, and that made it especially satisfying.
Kaoru slurped down her ramen with an unreadable expression.
“You even eat ramen at the beach, huh, Kaoru?” I said with a laugh.
“…Well, ramen is the universe,” she said sulkily.
“Right.”
Our little exchange made me feel nostalgic, and I found myself smiling, which made Kaoru start to smile, too.
Sousuke looked puzzled. “The universe?” he asked, but Kaoru just gave him a look and didn’t answer. He shrugged and didn’t press any further. “Hey, can I have a bite?” he asked me.
“Sure,” I said.
I held the plate closer to him, and he skillfully picked up a bite with his chopsticks. Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he placed his plastic container of yakisoba in front of me. My fried rice had only come with a spoon, so he handed me his chopsticks. Since we were both guys, it didn’t seem like a big deal. I took them, picked up a bite of yakisoba along with a bit of pickled ginger, and slurped it down. My reaction was the same as Sousuke’s—it really hit the spot.
“That’s really good,” I said.
He nodded and chewed his bite of fried rice. After he was done, he passed my plate back to me. “The fried rice is delicious, too. It’s richer than I thought, though.”
“Yeah, but it’s nice after all that exercise.”
“For sure,” he agreed.
Ai watched our exchange closely, obviously jealous. “Kaoru, can I have a bite?” she asked innocently. Sousuke chuckled.
Kaoru nodded quietly and slid her bowl of ramen over toward Ai, who eagerly picked up the chopsticks and took a bite. “It’s good! But it’s a little soggy. Thanks!”
After the unnecessary comment about the noodles’ texture, she returned the bowl to Kaoru. Kaoru didn’t seem to mind and continued to slurp away at her noodles.
Then, Ai looked at me. I knew what was coming, so I moved my plate toward her. “Go ahead,” I said.
“Tee-hee. Thanks!” She picked up my spoon and took a bite of fried rice. I yelped inwardly. Kaoru and Sousuke also looked at Ai in shock. “It’s greasy, but it’s yummy!” Ai declared, smiling and ignoring all the stares. “Thanks again!” She then pushed the plate and spoon back to me.
I couldn’t bring myself to start eating again with the same spoon right away, so I took a sip of water to distract myself.
“D-do you want a bite of my yakisoba…?” Sousuke asked her hesitantly.
Ai stared at his food for a few seconds, pondering. “Hmm…” Then, she smiled sheepishly and said, “I’d like to, but it’d be like an indirect kiss.”
All three of us were speechless.
Kaoru and Sousuke looked over at me as if to say, “She ate your fried rice, though!”
No one commented on the fact that she’d also eaten Kaoru’s ramen. Although some people might care about sharing food with the same gender, Ai clearly didn’t. And she had even used my spoon to eat the fried rice without a hint of hesitation.
I understood what they were all getting at, but I didn’t know what to say.
Ai looked around curiously for a moment and then suddenly exclaimed, “Oh! I don’t mind Yuzuru, though.”
I felt my stomach twist. I was happy to hear her say that. Really happy, and my heart was racing, but…
“Well, in that case, I guess it’s fine…,” said Sousuke with a bittersweet smile.
It hurt to see him like that. We might like the same girl, but I didn’t enjoy seeing him get rejected. He might be my rival for her affections, but he was also a friend I respected.
“Man, I wish I could have an indirect kiss with a cute girl, too. Hey, Odajima. Can I have a bite?” Sousuke said, brushing off the awkward atmosphere with a joke. He seemed to have recovered already.
“No way, idiot,” she said firmly. She sounded exasperated, but she was smiling.
Even now, Sousuke was trying to be considerate toward me.
I grabbed my spoon and shoved a big bite of fried rice into my mouth. I chewed and swallowed, then said, “Delicious,” all while looking straight at Sousuke.
He blinked, then a wicked grin spread across his face. He knew exactly what I meant.
“Hey, that’s not fair!” he said.
“Ah-ha-ha! Sucks to be you!”
“You piss me off!”
I figured if he planned to laugh it off, the best thing I could do was play along. I didn’t want him to feel like he was walking on eggshells around me.
There would be plenty of chances for heartbreak and bittersweetness in the future, but right now, I just wanted us all to have fun. I wanted to stay friends with Sousuke for a long time, too.
“You guys sure are close.” Ai giggled as she watched the two of us, seemingly oblivious to the fact she’d caused the whole commotion.
Next to her, Kaoru was staring intently at my fried rice. Suddenly, she looked up and made eye contact with me. “Can I have a bite, too?”
“Huh?”
Before I could say anything else, she scooped up some fried rice with my spoon and ate it.
“Ramen tastes better,” she said frankly, then tossed the spoon back on top of my plate.
“Really? Aren’t the noodles all soggy by now?!” Ai said, cutting in awkwardly.
Kaoru shook her head. “There’s nothing wrong with soggy noodles. You’re just not mature enough to understand.”
“Huh? No way! Lemme have another bite to see if it’s good or not.”
“Nope.”
“I’ll give you a takoyaki if you give me one more bite!”
“I don’t want any takoyaki.”
As the girls bickered back and forth, Sousuke shot me a meaningful grin.
Don’t make that face at me, I thought and glared at him. But he just shrugged and slurped his yakisoba.
Apparently, Kaoru was taking a more direct approach. We had both agreed not to hold back when it came to our feelings, and she was upholding her end of the bargain. She was no longer hiding her romantic feelings for me, and I was trying to determine how I felt about her in return while maintaining our friendship.
To be honest, the moment she put her lips on my spoon, my heart skipped a beat, and I found myself staring at her mouth for a few seconds.
“……”
I momentarily wondered if it was okay to keep using my spoon. But it seemed rude to go get another one…
I awkwardly picked at my fried rice while my mind raced.
This might have been the most nerve-wracking meal I’d ever had in my life.