XXX Day

"I'm home."

"Welcome back."

When I came home, Airi gave me a suspicious look.

Not only her eyes but her expression was also mushy, so she might be in a really bad mood.

"What's wrong with you? You suddenly said you wanted to cook dinner."

"I told you. I want to make dinner myself once in a while."

I was not going to tell her the reason because Airi hid it from me. If I say it, It would be sexual harassment.

I tried to fool her somehow, but she looked at me even more suspiciously. It wasn't her usual cold eye, but it might be the most unpleasant eye I had ever seen.

"But you used to let me cook for you even when you were off work."

"I'm in the mood to make dinner, it's just a coincidence. And thank you for always cooking for me."

I usually describe how the food tasted and I also always say thank you. I couldn't say much else, only that it was delicious and a thank you.

I was not sure what she misunderstood when I thanked her again, but Airi looked like she was about to cry.

It was undoubtedly my heartfelt intentions, but perhaps it was a bad idea to say it in such an abrupt way.

"I'm sorry, that was the wrong time to say thank you."

"By any chance… Did you say that because you were unhappy with the dinner I cooked?"

"What's wrong with you? I didn't say that. In fact, I've always been grateful for your delicious food."

"But, Kujo-senpai, you suddenly said you would make it. There's something wrong after all."

She was totally misunderstanding me, and her voice was starting to sound teary. I thought she might start crying soon.

When I was still dealing with the fact that Airi was about to cry, she suddenly came towards me. Her face was so close.

Even at this time of the year, the clear icy blue eyes seemed to absorb me, and I thought they were still very beautiful.

"I'm sorry, if there's something wrong, please let me know. I'll fix it!"

"No, there's nothing wrong at all."

"Then why did you suddenly insist on making dinner tonight?"

I really didn't have any complaints against Airi. But she was completely distraught, and at this rate, it seemed like there was no point in hiding it from her.

It was terribly embarrassing for me to have to say it. This would be a public execution.

Normally, one would get angry.

"... Okay, I'll tell you. I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't get mad at me."

"You have your reasons, don't you? I'll accept it, so please tell me.

When I let out a sigh, tears welled up in her beautiful blue eyes. If she looked at me like that, I would have no choice but to tell her.

In addition, from the way Airi talked about it, Airi had concluded that I was withholding something from her.

I wanted her to understand in the most far-fetched way possible.

"Men don't have it, but women have times when they get sick, like once a month, right?"

"What are you talking about? That doesn't make any sense. Didn't you promise you'd tell me?"

I knew I couldn't say it.

I had checked on my phone what to say in such a situation, but I didn't know if it was correct and I didn't think I would actually have to say it.

In the case of Momose, she said it straightforwardly herself, so there was no need to worry about it.

As I thought that I didn't have any other choice, I finally said,

"Ninomiya, it's your period today, right?"

"…What?"

"I said, isn't today your period?"

"...."

When I told Airi, she completely stopped responding.

In an instant, her face turned expressionless, and then, it immediately turned as red as an apple.

The teary-eyed look had not changed, but the change in expression from tearful, to expressionless, to bright red in such a short time was amazing.

"Ehh, why? How did you know?"

She was too flustered to speak properly.

As Airi was panicking, I kept my calmness and explained the reason.

"You seemed to be sluggish all morning. You didn't tell me that you weren't feeling well. You were just observing at PE today. I made my assumption based on all of the above."

There was no way she could say to me, a man, that she was having her period.

On top of that, there was only one reason for the girls to be worried about Airi, who was only observing PE.

"Um, well, I…"

"Okay, okay, just calm down. And stay away from me for the time being."

"What?"

Finally noticing that her face was close to mine, Airi, who was red up to her ears, ran away to the corner of the living room at a very fast pace.

She covered her face with a cushion as if she didn't want to be seen. She was wearing a skirt with her knees up, so I could almost see her underwear depending on the angle.

Of course, I had no intention of peeking, so I called out to her while keeping Airi out of my sight.

"So, do you mind if I make dinner for tonight?"

"Please…"

She answered in a muffled voice as her head was buried in the cushion.

I could only think in my mind that such a gesture was adorable.

I left Airi unattended in the corner of the living room and made dinner. I had asked her to cook rice, so it was already ready.

I made chicken porridge. When I made the porridge, I added some minced chicken and salt. Compared to Airi's usual dinner, it took almost no effort at all.

You can add ginger or sesame oil when you eat it for your taste and make it more delicious.

"Itadakimasu."

"Itadakimasu."

I cooked breakfast, but Airi had been cooking dinner for the both of us every day since she arrived.

It was the first time that she would be eating my dinner, and although I was worried about it, from what I had tasted, I didn't think I had made any mistakes.

"How is it? Can you eat it?"

"…It's delicious."

I was relieved to get good feedback, it seemed to have suited her palate.

By the way, Airi's face was still slightly red. It seemed that the embarrassment of being told off by me was not going to go away so easily.

"Good, I was honestly worried because of what I had found online."

"It's delicious. It's really delicious. It's really good."

She ate with a sense of excitement.

I hoped she didn't say it too much since it made me embarrassed.

I pretended not to notice that I was getting a little teary-eyed.

"I didn't think you'd say that. It's just chicken porridge, okay?"

"Please don't say that. This is the best porridge I've ever eaten."

"Is that so? Compared to Ninomiya's usual cooking, it didn't take much effort at all."

If she's so grateful for this, then I should give more feedback than I usually did. I resent my poor vocabulary.

"Even so, it's still delicious."

"Shall I say something like you just said from now on? Like the rice tastes very flavorful or so."

"I don't need such details. I'm happy with your usual impressions."

When I said it half-jokingly, she giggled and refrained. I was going to do my best to think about what I would have to comment about her dinner if she had asked me to.

After that, Airi ate it really well.

"Thank you for dinner. Honestly, it's been a tough day for me."

As I finished eating and exhaled, Airi raised her eyebrows apologetically and bowed to me.

"You're welcome. Well, you couldn't tell me, so I'm glad I noticed. So, is it always like today?"

Airi would be embarrassed, but I had to ask her about this situation.

Today was actually pretty hard for her, so I couldn't let her push herself too hard.

"It's not usually this bad. It happens once a month or so."

"Really?"

She shook her head in denial, but I asked her again.

It would be better to ask her properly. Just as she tried to make dinner, she would likely be overwhelmed by everything else.

"I'm not going to lie in this situation. I feel bad for Kujo-senpai who is worried about me."

"That's good then. Next time, just tell me. I'll make dinner then."

This was non-negotiable. It was not just enough to thank her for everything she usually did, I wanted to repay her at least this much.

She smiled bitterly as if she was really sorry, so she probably meant it.

"I understand. Please take care of me from now on. And, thank you for noticing."

"It was really just a coincidence… You're not mad at me, are you?"

She asked me to tell her so I did, but I did it in a way that showed no delicacy at all, so I was prepared for her to get angry at me.

"I wouldn't be angry with someone who was worried about me."

"I honestly thought you were going to slap me."

"No, I wouldn't. It was very embarrassing, though."

"I'm sorry."

"It was my own fault, so really, don't worry about it. And once again, thank you very much."

At the sight of Airi's smile which was half mixed with bashfulness and half with embarrassment, my heart started to beat faster.