第39話 氷の令嬢と聖なる夜の帰り道
アミューズ、オードブル、スープ、ポワソン、ソルベ、アントレ、デセール、カフェ・ブティフール――全八品からなるコース料理は、まさに絶品の一言だった。
一口食べれば違いが分かる。
それ程までに、全てが洗練されていた。
「美味しかった......」
「そうだな、それ以外の言葉が見つからん」
を後にした朝陽と冬華の会話は自然と今日の夕食の話題に限られた。
食事中はもちろん、七色に輝く繁華街を歩いている時も、ガタンゴトンと電車に揺られている間もずっと。
最寄り駅に着き、マンションへと向かう最後の帰り道でも、それは変わらなかった。
「あの料理、朝陽くんにも作れますか?」
「無理」
「俺は素人に毛が生えた程度の腕しかないからな。プロと同じレベルで作ろうなんておこがましい」
普段の様子からは想像が付きにくいが、和明と透子はそれぞれ超一流の料理人だ。それこそ、プロの中でのトップクラス。
頑張れば見た目や味が近い料理を作ることはできるが、それはせいぜい模倣品止まり。
完成度では到底足元に及ばないだろう。
「料理上手の朝陽くんが無理なら、私には絶対に作れませんね」
「何か作りたい料理でもあったのか?」
「い、いえ、そういうわけでは......」
「卵スープだろ」
「......何故その事を......」
「顔に書いてあった」
どうやら朝陽の指摘は図星だったらしく、冬華は目を丸くして、それからすぐに小さな顔を両手で覆った。
顔に書いてある、という言葉を真に受け取ったのだろうか。
それが比喩表現である事を当然冬華は知っているはずだが、それでも朝陽の視線を物理的に遮ろうとする姿は子供らしく可愛らしい。
「何を笑っているのですか......」
つい笑みがこぼれたのを指の隙間越しに睨まれてしまい、朝陽はゴホンと咳払いをして話を誤魔化す。
「本当に、卵料理が好きなんだな」
「それはもう、とっても好きです」
「何か理由でもあるのか?」
「理由、ですか?」
「そう、理由......って、好物に具体的な理由求められても困るか」
好きな食べ物は、という問いは答えやすい。
誰しも一つは思い浮かぶ物があるはずだ。
ただ、好きな食べ物を好きな理由というのは、案外答えにくかったりする。
それは、味覚の好き嫌いが先天的だったり、好みの定着が幼少期に偏る事が多いため、いつの間にか好きになっているケースが多いからだ。
つまり、多くの場合は――
「......お母さんの得意料理だったから、ですね。小さい頃、よく作ってくれたんですよ。きっと、私はその味が大好きなんです」
少し時間を置いて呟かれた冬華の言葉に、朝陽はなるほどと小さく相槌を返す。
朝陽もいくつか思い浮かぶ好物のうち、そのほとんどは両親に由来する物だ。
今日も絶品料理の数々に舌鼓を打ちながら、少しの懐かしさを覚えていた。
冬華もまた、母の味に思いを馳せているのだろうか。
自然と緩んだ頬が作り出す淡い微笑みは、とても優しく穏やかで――どこか、憂いと悲しみを帯びているように思えた。
(小さい頃、か......)
朝陽の中で、今まで無意識に避けていた仮説が浮かび上がった。
その瞬間、ビュンと音を立てて北風が吹き荒れる。
冬華は時々、微笑みの中に暗い影を見せる。
それは決まって家族の話をする時で、その話は決まって遠い過去を差していた。
「朝陽くん......?」
「......ん、ああ、悪い」
思わず立ち止まってしまった朝陽に、冬華が振り返って首を傾げる。
「さっきは無理って言ったが、スープなら作れないこともない」
一瞬だけ凍てついた身と心の動揺を隠し、朝陽は話を戻して気丈に振る舞った。
のスープは、和明と透子が初めて二人で作り上げた料理で、朝陽が初めて教わった料理でもある。
完璧再現は望めなくとも、限りなく近いものなら朝陽にも作ることができる。
「今度、作り方教えるよ」
「ほ、本当ですか!?」
「あ、ああ......あのスープの作り方は一通り教え込まれてるからな」
顔を隠したと思えば、鋭く睨まれ、暗い顔を見せたと思いきや、今度はパッと表情が明るくなる。
二時間前に同席していた透子と比べても、昔の冬華は遜色ないほど無表情で無感情だったが、今となっては見る影もない。
コロコロと変わる表情は喜怒哀楽に富んでいるし、言葉数が増えて弾む会話は冷気ではなく熱気を伴っている。
だからこそ、冬華が時々浮かべる暗い表情に引っかかりを覚えるようになったのだ。
そして、今も少しだけ、隣を歩く冬華に小さな違和感があった。
「......どうかしたのか?」
「あっ、えっと......。朝陽くんが私に料理を教えて、私が朝陽くんに勉強を教えるのって期末試験までだったな、と思いまして......」
言われてみれば、今日まで当然のように夕食を共にしていたが、それは互いの利益に応じた相互扶助関係だ。
朝陽は期末テストの成績を上げたい。
冬華は料理の基本を学びたい。
前者は目標以上の成果を達成できたし、後者もギリギリ及第点と言ったところか。
今日が終われば、いよいよ冬休みに入る。
試験も料理も特に問題はないと言えるだろう。
つまり、互いに毎日顔を合わせる必要はどこにもないのだ。
そこまで冷静に考えて、朝陽は胸の底から靄がかかるのを感じた。
自然に襟元のブローチに手が伸びる。
思えば、この関係が正式に始まったのも、ブローチを受け取ったのも同じ日だ。
「なあ――」
目の前に見えるマンションの明かりがそうさせたのか、朝陽と冬華が口を開いたのは全く同時だった。
足音が止まり、風の音だけが耳に触れる。
「......良ければ、もう少しだけ私に料理を教えてくれませんか? その......無理にとは言わないのですが......」
閑静な住宅街に冬華の透き通った声だけが響いた。
目を伏せて、俯きがちに呟かれた言葉への答えは朝陽の中で既に決まっている。
「......まだ、俺は美味しいって言ってないからな。それに、スープのことだってあるだろ」
「そ、それでは......」
「冬華が満足するまで、料理ならいくらでも教えてやるよ」
何故か、上から目線の言葉になったが、言いたい事は余さずに言えた。
朝陽もまた、同じことを提案しようとしていたのだ。
冬華からの申し出を断る選択肢は全くなかった。
――いつか、あなたに美味しいと言ってもらえるように頑張りますね。
あの時、冬華が浮かべた微笑みを朝陽は鮮明に覚えている。
「......ありがとうございます」
ゆっくりと顔を上げた冬華は、淡く微笑みながら感謝の言葉を口にした。
その表情はもう見慣れているはずなのに、何故か朝陽の胸がドキリと跳ねる。
いつの間にか、綺麗さっぱり靄は晴れ、代わりにじんわりと温かい熱が身体中を支配した。
「早速、明日からお邪魔してもいいですか?」
「俺は構わないけど......クリスマスだし、少し豪華にするか」
「いいですね、今からとても楽しみになります」
「あまり期待するなよ? 今日と比べたら数段階クオリティ低いからな」
「それでも楽しみですよ。......私、朝陽くんの料理が好きですから」
「ええ、大好きです」
朝陽が短く言葉を返すと、冬華はニコリと桜色の唇をたゆませる。
その笑顔がとても可愛らしく、朝陽は目を背けるついでに止めていた足を進めようとした。
しかし、それよりも先に冬華が一歩前へと歩み出る。
「明日からまた、よろしくお願いしますね」
それだけ言い残すと、冬華はエントランスへと小走りで駆けて行った。
見間違いでなければ、その頬と耳が真っ赤に染まっていたような。
その真偽は、既に冬華が視界から消えてしまったので確かめようがない。
(俺も顔、赤くなってないよな......)
突然の解散には驚いたが、朝陽は内心で安堵していた。
これ以上、冬華と一緒に居ると、心が乱されて敵わない。
一人、夜道に取り残された朝陽は今日の自分がいつになく――行きは特に――ぶっきらぼうで、無口だった理由を察した。
きっと、どうしようもなく意識してしまっていたのだ。
いつも以上に整っている冬華の外見に。
かつてとは違い、様々な姿を見せる冬華の内面に。
聖なる夜という特別な一日である事も相まって、冬華を意識していた。
この鳴りやまない胸の鼓動の正体はいったい何なのか。
一つだけ、思い当たるものがあったが、首を横に振って否定した。
そんなはずはないと、自分自身に言い聞かせるように。
冷たい夜風が無防備な頬に刺さる。
不思議と寒いとは感じなかった。
Ch 39
The eight-course meal consisting of appetizer, hors d'oeuvre, soup, fish, sorbet, entree, dessert, and petit four was truly exquisite.
One bite and you could tell the difference.
That was how sophisticated everything felt.
"It was delicious..."
"Yeah, I can't find any other words to describe it."
After leaving Soleil Levant, the conversation between Asahi and Fuyuka was limited to today's dinner.
Not only while they were eating, but also while they were walking through the seven-colored downtown area swaying under the rumbling of the train.
It was no different even during the walk back to the apartment after they arrived at the nearest station.
"Can you also make that dish, Asahi-kun?"
"Can't."
"I'm only an amateur, so it's impossible for me to make something on the same level as a professional."
It was hard to imagine from their usual appearance, but Kazuaki and Touko were both top-notch chefs.
If one tries hard enough, one could make a dish that would look and taste similar, but it would be a copy at best.
In terms of completeness, it would be hard to stand a chance.
"If you, who is a good cook, can't make it, then I definitely won't be able to."
"Was there something you wanted to cook?"
"No, no, it's nothing like that..."
"It's egg soup, right?"
"...Why do you know that...?"
"It's written on your face."
Apparently, Asahi's point was right on the money, and Fuyuka rolled her eyes, then quickly covered her small face with her hands.
Did she really take the words "it's written on your face" literally?
Fuyuka should know that it was a metaphor, but it was still childishly adorable to see her trying to physically block Asahi's gaze.
"What are you laughing at...?"
Asahi couldn't help but smile, and he cleared his throat to cover up his mistake as the girl stared at him through the gap between her fingers.
"You really like egg dishes that much, huh?"
"I love it so much."
"Is there a particular reason?"
"A reason, is it?"
"Yeah, a reason... Well, if it's hard to answer, you don't have to."
The question, "What is your favorite food?" was easy to answer.
Everyone has at least one thing that would come to their mind.
However, the reason why they liked their favorite food was sometimes harder to answer than one might think.
This was because what they liked or disliked were often inborn, or because the preferences were often established at an early age, so in many cases, they liked it before they knew it.
Which means, in many cases--
"It was my mother's specialty dish. She used to make it for me when I was little. I'm sure I love the way it tastes."
Fuyuka spoke after a short pause, and Asahi replied with a nod.
Of the few favorite dishes that would come to Asahi's mind, most of them originate from his parents.
As he remembered a variety of excellent dishes, he felt a bit nostalgic.
Asahi wondered if Fuyuka was thinking about the taste of her mother's dish.
The faint smile created by her naturally relaxed cheeks was very gentle and calm, but somehow seemed to be tinged with melancholy and sadness.
'When she was little, huh?'
In his mind, a hypothesis emerged that he had unconsciously avoided until now.
At that moment, a north wind blew in with a whoosh.
Fuyuka sometimes showed a dark shadow beneath her smile.
It was always when she was talking about family, and the stories were always about the distant past.
"Asahi-kun...?"
"...Oh, my bad."
Fuyuka turned and tilted her head at Asahi, who had stopped dead in his tracks.
"I know I said I couldn't, but I can make the soup."
Hiding the agitation in his frozen body and mind for a moment, Asahi returned to his story and acted stoutly.
The soup that was served at Soleil Levant was the first dish that Kazuaki and Touko created together, and it was also the first dish that Asahi learned.
Even though it would be impossible to perfectly recreate it, he could make something as close to it as possible.
"I'll teach you how to make it sometime."
"Really?!"
"Y-yeah, I've been taught how to make that soup."
Just when he thought she would hide her face and give him a sharp glare, her expression immediately lit up.
The old Fuyuka was as expressionless and emotionless as the old Touko who had been present two hours earlier, but now there was no trace of such expression.
The expressions on her face were full of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, and the conversation that they had was not cold but warm.
That was why he began to feel uncomfortable with the dark expression that Fuyuka made sometimes.
And even now, he felt a small discomfort from Fuyuka who was walking next to him.
"...What's wrong?"
"Uhm... I thought it was only until the final exam that you would teach me how to cook and I would teach you how to study..."
Thinking about it, to this day they had been having dinner together like it was natural, but it was just a relationship of mutual support which was beneficial to both of them.
Asahi wanted to improve his grade on the final exam.
Fuyuka wanted to learn the basics of cooking.
They were able to achieve more than the goal for the former, and the latter was barely passable.
After today, their winter vacation will finally start.
There were no more problems regarding the exam or cooking.
In other words, there would be no need to see each other every day.
Thinking about it calmly, Asahi felt a haze rise from the bottom of his chest.
His hand involuntarily reaches for the brooch on his lapel.
Looking back, it was the same day that this relationship officially began and when he received the brooch.
"Hey--"
Perhaps it was due to the light of the apartment building in front of them that made them do so, but Asahi and Fuyuka opened their mouths at the exact same time.
The sound of footsteps stopped and only the sound of the wind touched their ears.
"If you don't mind... Could you teach me how to cook for a little while longer? I'm... not forcing you to, but..."
Fuyuka's clear voice was the only sound which echoed in the quiet residential area.
The answer to the words spoken was already confirmed in Asahi's mind.
"...I haven't said that 'it's delicious' yet. Besides, there's also the soup thing."
"W-well, then."
"I'll teach you how to cook as much as you want until you're satisfied."
For some reason, the words came off as arrogant, but he was able to say what he wanted to say.
Asahi was also about to suggest the same thing.
There was absolutely no option to refuse Fuyuka's offer.
--I'll try my best to make you say that it tastes good someday.
Asahi vividly remembered the smile that Fuyuka had put on her face at that time.
"...Thank you very much."
Fuyuka slowly raised her head and faintly smiled.
The expression on her face should have been familiar to him by now, but for some reason, Asahi's heart jumped in his chest.
Before he knew it, the haze had cleared away completely, and instead a warm feeling took over his body.
"Can I come visit you tomorrow at once?"
"I don't mind, but since it's... Christmas, so let's make it a little fancy."
"That sounds nice, it makes me very excited."
"Don't expect too much, okay? The quality is a few steps lower compared to today."
"I'm still looking forward to it... Because I like your cooking, Asahi-kun."
"Yes, I love it."
Fuyuka's cherry-red lips curled up in a smile as Asahi replied.
The smile on her face was so cute that Asahi tried to move forward with his feet, which had stopped while turning away.
But before that, Fuyuka took a step forward.
"Please take care of me tomorrow."
After saying that, Fuyuka ran towards the entrance.
It seems her cheeks and ears had turned bright red.
There was no way to confirm this, since Fuyuka had already disappeared from sight.
'I'm not turning red too, right?'
Although surprised by the sudden disassemble, Asahi was inwardly relieved.
If he stayed with Fuyuka any longer, his mind would be too disturbed.
Left alone on the street at night, Asahi realized why he had been unusually blunt and quiet today, especially on the way there.
He was conscious about it.
About Fuyuka's appearance, that was even better than usual.
She displayed many different sides of herself, which differed from what it used to be.
Coupled with the fact that it was the holy night, a special day, he was conscious of Fuyuka.
What was the true nature of the constant beating of his heart?
There was one thing that came to mind, but he shook his head and denied it.
It can't be, he told himself.
The cold night wind stung his cheeks.
Strangely enough, he didn't felt cold.
How To Melt the Ice Lady
【コミカライズ連載中】氷の令嬢の溶かし方　～クールで素っ気ないお隣さんがデレるとめちゃくちゃ可愛い件～
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/how-to-melt-the-ice-lady/
Comedy Romance School Life Slice of Life
Adapted to Manga Beautiful Female Lead Caring Protagonist Cooking Cute Story Famous Parents Kind Love Interests Kuudere Male Protagonist Modern Day Popular Love Interests
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n2567fv/
高峰 翔