New Year preparations with the angels

　December 31st, New Year's Eve.

　It's the last day of the year, and it's the closing day of the year.

　Basically, it's a busy day spent preparing for next year and doing a lot of cleaning, but--.

"Umm, Mahiru-san."

"what is it?"

"...Do I have to do nothing?"

　Amane was sitting comfortably on the sofa in the living room, looking at Mahiru, who had been standing in the kitchen since morning wearing an apron.

　The reason I'm here in the morning is to make New Year's dishes.

　We decided to spend New Year's Eve together, so naturally we need two servings of osechi.

　I thought that I would buy a store-bought osechi, but it seems that it is handmade. It's surprising that a high school girl like Hana can do such a difficult job even for a housewife.

　I am very impressed with how amazing it is, but Mahiru says,

"In the first place, it's impossible because you need to make a reservation in advance."

　That's what I'm talking about.

　When I heard that, I was convinced that it was true, but I still take my hat off to Mahiru for going out of his way to make osechi.

　Of course, they seem to cut corners when it comes to cutting corners, and black beans take a long time to cook and I can't even use the stove, so I bought store-bought products.

"Zhou-kun, you seem worried that you don't have to do anything, but can you help me?"

"Can not do"

"I guess. It's easier for me to just keep calm than to get in the way."

　Even though I am sitting calmly on the sofa after being admonished by Mahiru, who has a really serious point of view, I still feel uneasy about not doing anything.

　It was never the case that Zhou didn't work at all.

　I finished the general cleaning yesterday, and I've been shopping for a large amount of ingredients, including ingredients for New Year's Eve, so that I don't have to go out for a while.

　It's not like I didn't do anything, but it probably didn't take much effort compared to the current midday.

``Yesterday, I cleaned the furniture thoroughly using electric power, so I'm sure you're tired, so please take your time.''

　Midday, who directed words of concern for Zhou, who was in charge of heavy lifting, continued to cook without looking back.

　By the way, it seems that she had already finished cleaning her house at noon. She said that in the first place, he seems to have been cleaning regularly, so it didn't take much effort.

"Well, I still feel like… it's bad."

"I love cooking, so it's not a problem."

"Nevertheless, come on."

"It's okay, it's fun."

　In the middle of the day when I told him not to do anything and started concentrating on the work, Zhou held his head wondering what was going on.

"Midday, I bought you lunch."

　It would be a pain to prepare lunch for my girlfriend who was already busy with osechi, so I went to a convenience store and bought some food. I don't eat much in the middle of the day, so one bag of sandwiches should be fine.

　I took off my apron even at midday when it seemed that I was about to take a break, so the timing seemed to be just right.

"Thank you for going out of your way. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to do that much."

"No, I'm overwhelmingly sorry about this one when I'm already making New Year's dishes... Hey, let's eat."

　It was lunch that also served as a break, and at noon I obediently returned to the living room.

"Would you like a sandwich and coffee?"

"Yes, thank you."

　I bowed my head and accepted the food that Shuu handed me, and sat down next to Shuu.

"By the way, how much did you do?"

"We use ready-made items to some extent, and we keep the number of items to a minimum, so we're almost done.

"Why did you know?"

"You said you like egg dishes."

　It was a trivial comment, but he seemed to remember it perfectly, and he went out of his way to bake it in the oven for me. I heard the sound of the oven running, so I wondered what they were making, and it turned out to be date rolls.

"You like the slightly sweet taste, don't you?"

"You understand very well."

"As expected, you'll learn your preferences within a few months."

　Mahiru said something that made me happy and took a bite of the ham lettuce sandwich.

　While chewing on the rice balls that Shu had also bought, he looked towards the kitchen and saw the small jubako that Mahiru had brought with him.

　I'll probably pack it in that heavy box.

　As someone who lives alone, I didn't expect to see a jubako, so I was a little surprised when I saw a luxurious-looking jubako with lacquer and gold leaf decorations.

"Really, I'm thankful for that.…For some reason, my eating habits have been more fulfilling in the second half of this year than I could have imagined when I started living alone."

"I think you've lived a good life up until now."

"Hidee. I guess you can get by with convenience stores and commercially available products, right?"

"It's not healthy, is it?"

　Mahiru sighs in exasperation, but the expression on his face is a wry smile, as if to say it can't be helped, and it makes me a little nervous.

"Since I'm here, I won't allow unhealthy eating habits, you know?"

"How are you?"

"It's Zhou-kun's fault for not eating well. Next year, I'll make sure he eats a better diet."

　When I saw Mahiru's slightly enthusiastic appearance and thought that he was planning to be with me again next year, I felt strangely embarrassed and looked away.

　However, Mahiru took this attitude to mean that he wanted to be lazy and looked at Shu with a bit of dissatisfaction, so Shu had to spend some time trying to make excuses that he was different.