The Classmate Who Is Adored by Everyone Smiles Teasingly Only at Me-Chapter 3Volume 2 . - Ponytail and Protein Bars

Ponytail and Protein Bars 3

“It’s my turn now, but it won’t taste good if it gets warm, so let’s eat the tiramisu first.”

“Sounds good. Let’s do that.”

Chika carefully portioned the tiramisu from a large container onto small plates.

“I’m curious about the taste, so you go ahead and eat first, Chika.”

“Is that okay? Then, I won’t hold back.”

After bringing her palms together and saying ‘itadakimasu’, she took a bite of the tiramisu.

“Let’s see… the aroma of coffee is pleasant. The moment it enters your mouth, the scent of well-roasted coffee spreads softly. It’s likely that this was made in a factory and then thawed here, but the fact that it can still emit such a fragrance is impressive. However, it’s too sweet. I can hardly taste the bitterness of the coffee or the richness of the cheese. To put it negatively, it seems like they’re trying to cover up the other shortcomings with just the aroma of coffee.”

Chika’s assessment didn’t seem too favorable.

“So, it’s a failing grade?”

“How you interpret it depends. For instance, it would be unacceptable if this were served in a cafe or restaurant. But this is a karaoke place, and the price is reasonable. With that in mind, it might pass. But considering that karaoke places have been putting quite an effort into their desserts and advertising this much lately, I think they could do a bit better—that’s my opinion.”

“I see. So, you eat it with the karaoke place in mind.”

While listening to Chika’s thoughts, he reached for a spoon to try it himself.

“Ah, wait a moment, please.”

Chika stopped him, then trotted around the table and snatched the spoon away.

“Here, ahhh.”

“I knew you would that.”

As it was a usual occurrence, he didn’t hesitate much and opened his mouth to be fed the tiramisu.

“Yeah… you’re right, Chika. The coffee aroma is good, but the rest is lackluster.”

At the very least, he didn’t feel compelled to visit this karaoke place again just for the tiramisu.

“It’s not that it’s not delicious, but maybe we just set our expectations too high.”

“It’s a karaoke place, after all.”

Comparing it to the tiramisu served in cafes or restaurants was fundamentally misguided.

They continued to share their thoughts as Chika fed him.

“Aren’t you going to eat, Chika?”

“I want to eat a lot of the honey toast. It’s dripping with honey and so delicious.”

“Save some for me too.”

“Of course.”

Chika seemed to find joy in feeding Sōma, so she kept bringing spoonfuls of tiramisu to his mouth without singing any songs.

After being fed nearly half of it, Chika stopped.

“You’ve got some around your mouth.”

“Really?”

“Cocoa powder got on you. Oh, let me do it.”

As he was about to wipe it off with the back of his hand, Chika unfolded an oshibori (wet towel) with a smile.

“I can do that myself.”

“I’m always on the receiving end, so I’ve never done it. Please let me.”

It was indeed embarrassing, but it was hard to refuse when she asked like that. Besides, they were in a private room. There was no worry of being seen by anyone else.

“Alright, go ahead.”

“Yay, just stay still, okay?”

As if instructing a small child, she gently began to wipe around Sōma’s mouth.

――Click.

“Excuse me. I’ve brought your honey toast.”

While Chika was diligently moving the oshibori, a part-time employee brought over a honey toast, letting out a sweet steam.

Their eyes met.

『Ah, yes, yes. Another high school couple getting all lovey-dovey. What are you even doing at karaoke? You should be singing. Seriously, high schoolers always try to use this place as a cheap love hotel. Have some common sense for once.』

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The employee said nothing. Their expression remained unchanged. But their cold eyes spoke volumes.

“N-no, we’re just…!”

“Ah, Sōma-san, don’t move.”

He tried to make excuses, but he ended up just flailing about due to Chika’s oshibori.

“Come on, be a good kid and stay still.”

Chika moved even closer while scolding him.

The employee’s gaze then turned even colder.

Being watched with such a detached look by a nameless employee while not singing in the karaoke room and having a girl wipe his mouth was tough. Very tough.

It was mortifying.

His face turned bright red, and he wanted to flee the room immediately.

“Thank you very much. You can leave it there.”

Meanwhile, Chika didn’t stop wiping his mouth while nodding politely.

What’s with this girl’s mental fortitude?

He was both amazed and dumbfounded.

After placing the honey toast on the table, the employee gave Sōma one more cold look and left the room without a word.

“Okay, you’re all clean now! Now then, let’s enjoy the honey toast before it gets cold… Huh? Sōma-san, isn’t your face a bit red? Is the air conditioning not working properly?”

“No, it’s not because of that. Don’t worry about it.”

It felt pointless to explain to Chika, who seemed so oblivious.

***

Chika had been so excited during karaoke, but her demeanor had changed drastically a few days later.

She used to always be clamoring about wanting to go places and try new things, but that had suddenly stopped.

Conversely, she would refuse even when Sōma suggested trying something.

“There’s a new autumn cake at the cake shop in front of the station. Would you like to try it with me?”

“Sorry, I have some errands to run today.”

“How about tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow’s a bit…”

And it went on like that.

Sōma thought maybe it was a reaction and reflection from getting overly excited after the tests, but it didn’t seem to be the case.

He asked if there was a reason, but she just dodged the question without giving a straight answer.

He wondered if he had done something to upset her, but nothing came to mind.

All he could do was watch her go and scratch his head in confusion as Chika declined the invitation and hurried off.