Mandarin Orange, Kotatsu, And A Found Cat - Chapter 58

Chapter 58 Lunch With The Cat

After we finished buying Mashiro’s glasses, we decided to have lunch as it was almost lunchtime.
We went into the food court a short walk away from the optician’s, and while being overwhelmed by the number of people, I secured two seats in the corner and sat down facing Mashiro.

Incidentally, I bought a hamburger from a major chain restaurant for lunch. I didn’t have a particular preference, but Mashiro made a rare request.
She had never had this kind of food before and had been curious about it ever since she saw it advertised on TV or her phone.
Mashiro was perfect when it comes to cooking and housework, but it was interesting to see her naive side like this.

We put our hands together as if we were eating at home, and I chewed my hamburger with gusto before she did.
The rough taste of this fast food spreads in my mouth.
The fact that it was roughly seasoned doesn’t mean that it had a negative effect, but it filled my mouth with an indescribable sense of satisfaction and happiness.

After observing me, Mashiro fearlessly put the hamburger in her mouth.
She didn’t take a big bite, thanks to her small mouth and her elegant manner of eating, but her expression changed as I watched.

“I-It’s delicious…”
“That’s great.”

Mashiro was usually calm, but she does have a cat side to her that was curious about everything.
Her first experience with a hamburger seemed to be a success, and she proceeded to eat it, still a little clumsily but looking delicious.
Seeing such a happy Mashiro made me feel like eating more.

For a while, the two of us just ate our burgers in silence without many conversations, but then my eyes suddenly fell on her mouth.
Perhaps it was because she was eating in an unaccustomed way, or perhaps it was because Mashiro’s mouth was too small, but it seemed that some of the ingredients had leaked out. She had ketchup all over her mouth.

Normally, Mashiro would have noticed and wiped it off immediately, but she seemed to be completely absorbed in her new food and continued to eat.

“Mashiro, don’t move a bit.”

“Eh?”

I put one hand on her cheek to stop her face from moving and reached my other hand to her mouth.
Mashiro seemed flustered by the suddenness of the action, but when my hand touched her lips, she squeezed her eyes shut.

“Mmm…”
“Yes, I got it.”

After gently wiping off the ketchup, I show it to Mashiro, who tilted her head even after opening her eyes, unable to read the situation.
She seemed to understand the situation, and her cheeks began to turn red.

“I-I’m sorry, I…
“I know it’s delicious, but you have to calm down because you don’t want to choke on it.”

This was something she always said to me when I eat Mashiro’s cooking, but I never thought the day would come when I would say it to her.
Mashiro replied, “Y-Yes…” but she stopped eating and wouldn’t look at me, probably out of embarrassment.
I wondered if I had gone a little too far, even though we had been spending a lot of time together.

“…Am I being too familiar?”
“N-No, not at all…”
“Is that so? That’s fine then.”

As usual, Mashiro didn’t make much eye contact with me, but she did answer my questions.
I’ve been around for almost 20 years, but I’ve yet to develop the ability to understand the feelings of a girl my age.

I thought I had acquired some of this through my life with Mashiro, but maybe it’s my lack of sense or maybe it’s because she’s so mature. I still can’t say that I’m flattered by the level of care she gave me.

Vaguely thinking about this, I lick the ketchup off my fingers.
As the spicy flavor spread to my mouth, my appetite was whetted again, and I chewed on the hamburger…

“—!”

At that moment, I noticed that Mashiro’s eyes were wide open as she looked at me. Her face was even redder than before, and even her ears were dyed the same color.

“W-What’s wrong.”
“…I-It’s nothing…”

Mashiro turned her face away from me. I don’t think it can be nothing, but she won’t answer me.
It seems that I’m not experienced enough yet to understand the feelings of girls. Hmmm…they are quite difficult.

It was indeed heartbreaking that she wouldn’t talk to me, so I apologized anyway, but she raised her eyebrows and said she wasn’t mad at me.
No, you’re angry…

In the end, her mood didn’t improve until she finished her meal, but I was relieved to see that she seemed to enjoy it despite her dissatisfied face.

“…Gochisosama.”
“Gochisosama. I’m glad it suited your palate.”
“Yes, it was very delicious. Thank you.”

I didn’t do anything to be thanked, but Mashiro bowed to me.
It may not have been the content of a moody lunch, considering that it was an outing for two people of the opposite sex, a date in the eyes of the public.
However, Mashiro was interested in such an unspecial dish, said it was delicious and was happy.

That made me happy more than anything, and I couldn’t help but reach up to her head and stroke her silky hair.

“Satou-san…W-What’s wrong?”
“Thank you, too.”
“…?”

Touching a girl’s hair casually was probably something that should be kept to a minimum, but I kept stroking it. I couldn’t find any other way to express my feelings to Mashiro.
She looked at me strangely, but she accepted without hesitation. This also lifted my heart and accelerated my hand stroking her head.