第20話 氷の令嬢の微笑み
ピンポン、とインターホンの電子音が鳴った時、時計の短針は七の少し前を差していた。
この時間に来るように伝えたのは他でもない朝陽なので驚きはないが、代わりに思わず苦笑いがもれてしまう。
これが夕方の六時ならいつも通り――といっても、五日間限定の話――だが、外は大分明るいし、チュンチュンと小鳥のさえずりまで聞こえる。
つまり、今日の集合は朝方の時間だった。
「......おはようございます」
「ん。おはよう」
ドアを開ければ制服姿の冬華がポツリ、と挨拶の言葉を発した。
朝に知り合いと顔を合わせたら「おはよう」と声を掛けるなど当たり前の行為だが、挨拶一つを取っても冬華からされるとなると新鮮な面持ちになる。
そもそも、インターホンを鳴らし、迷い無い足取りで玄関に入ってくるのだからつくづくおかしな光景だ。
「本当に朝から来るとはな」
「......当たり前です」
会話に若干の間があるのは、朝早い時間故にまだ脳が覚醒していないからだろうか。よくよく見れば、身嗜みは完璧に整っているものの、カラメル色の瞳が虚ろになっている。
眠いなら寝とけば良かったのに、と苦笑交じりに思ったが口には出さないでおく。今こうして朝から家に来ている以上、言ったところで冬華が聞き入れるはずがない。
――あなたが早起きしてお弁当を作っている間、私だけ寝ているなんてありえません。
昨夜の夕食中、当然でしょうと言った風にそう言われてしまえば断る理由も術もない。
そうして今日、絶好のスポーツ日和で迎えた球技大会当日の朝っぱらから、朝陽は冬華と顔を合わせることとなった。
「そうだ。言い忘れてたけど、今日はキッチン立ち入り禁止な」
「......何故ですか?」
「弁当ってのは食べる時まで中身が分からないワクワク感がいいんだよ。作ってるところを見られたら、それが無くなっちまうだろ?」
「はあ......そういうものなのですか」
「そういうものなんだよ」
また少しの間があったのは、やはりまだ眠いのか、それとも禁止事項が今一つ腑に落ちないのか。
どちらにせよ、冬華は素直に頷いてキッチンを素通りし、定位置と化したソファーの端っこに移動してくれた。
ここ最近は、朝陽が調理をしながら工程を説明し、冬華がその様子を見つめるお料理教室状態が続いていたが、今日ばかりはそういうわけにもいかない。
冬華がソファーから動く気配が無いのを確認してから、早速お弁当箱を二つ並べて、まずは白米を敷き詰める。
そして、タコさんウィンナーを始めとする冷凍食品を詰め込み、彩りと栄養バランスを考えて、トマトやブロッコリーなどの野菜も添えていく。
途中、卵焼きを作るために菜箸を取り出そうとした時にふと、冬華の右手が目に入った。
包帯やテーピングの類は見られず、色白い綺麗な肌が姿を現している。
「手、治ったみたいだな」
「ええ、お陰様で動かせるようにはなりました」
「お陰様って言っても、飯作っただけだけどな」
「......だけ、ということはないでしょう。ここまで治るのが早かったのは、一番手に負担が掛かる夕食の時間を安静に過ごせたからです」
「......つまり?」
「鈍い人ですね......。あなたのお陰、と言っているんです。謙遜する必要はありません。今日まで私はとても助かりました」
こういう時、どういう反応するべきか分からないでいると、追撃とばかりに「ありがとうございます」と感謝の言葉が聞こえてくる。
これが千昭や日菜美相手なら、適当に返事をして笑い合えるが、冬華相手となるとどうも気恥ずかしい気持ちがしてならない。
普段はクールで素っ気ないのに、時々やけに素直になるので非常にむず痒い。
ただ、一人だけ変に意識しているのもおかしな話なので、朝陽は無心で卵焼きを作りながら平静を装った。
「まあ、何はともあれ間に合って良かったな。優勝狙うんだろ? 応援しとくわ」
「それは、出場するからには一番を狙いますが......あなたは自分のクラスを応援するべきでは?」
「クラスの応援プラスアルファ、それならいいだろ」
「......名指しで叫んだりはしないでくださいね」
「そこまでするつもりは毛頭ないから安心しろ」
もし、全校生徒が集まる中で一人の生徒を集中的に応援していたら、たとえ相手が氷の令嬢でなくとも目立ってしまうだろう。
朝陽としてはもちろん、そこまで熱を上げて応援するつもりはない。
怪我の経過を見守って来た立場としての、あくまで気持ちだけの応援だ。
「ほら、出来たぞ」
「......もうそちらに行っても?」
「ああ、いいぞ。そのまま持っていってくれ」
淡々と言葉を交わしているうちに完成した弁当箱をシンプルな無地の風呂敷に包んでからカウンターに置くと、冬華はまるで割れ物を扱うように慎重に手に取った。
「......温かいですね」
「そりゃ作り立てだからな。それに、保温機能があるから昼まで冷めないと思うぞ」
「そんな高性能なものを借りていいのですか?」
「いや別にそこまで大層な物じゃないから。最近では普通に安価で売ってる」
風呂敷の中身は至って普通のお弁当箱なのだが、冬華にはあまり馴染みがないらしい。何が気になるのか、上下左右から好奇の視線を送っているし、風呂敷の間から中を覗こうとしたりと目の動きが忙しくなっている。
「中身を見るのが楽しみになってくるだろ」
「......そうですね。少しだけですが、火神さんの言っていたことが分かりました」
「それは良かった。って言っても、そこまで大した物は入ってないんだけどな」
「作り手のあなたが言うことですかそれ......」
実際は冬華が食べることを意識して、多少はいつもより豪勢な内容で作ったものの、ここらでハードルを下げておくのが得策だろう。
冬華が隠すことなく呆れ交じりのため息をついて、怪訝な視線を向けてくるが気にしない。
そのまま特に会話はせずに、ようやく弁当をカバンに詰め込んだ冬華を玄関まで見送る。
「お弁当箱は今日中に洗って返しますね」
「ん、分かった。別にそのまま返してくれてもいいけどな」
「いえ、洗って返します。もう手は使えるようになったので、いつまでもあなたに甘えていられません」
ほら、と言わんばかりに右手をぐるりと回して回復ぶりをアピールして来る冬華に苦痛の表情は無い。
これなら普通に日常生活を送れるだろうと素直に安心ができる。
同時に、甘えていられない、という冬華の言葉が朝陽の耳に強く残った。
直接は言葉として伝えられていないものの、朝陽の世話をもう必要としていないと言っているのだろう。
元々、出過ぎたお節介の上に成り立っていた関係だ。
当然、世話を焼く理由が無くなれば、こうして冬華が家に来ることも、夕食を共にすることもなくなる。
「それなら頼むわ。ピカピカにしておいてくれ」
「はい。任せてください」
正直、手が治ったところで冬華を心配する気持ちは消えない。
この数日間で色々と料理の仕方をそれとなく教えたが、健康的な自炊をしてくれるかは怪しい。
洗い物に至っても、前に一度だけ見た限りは任せておけるレベルではなかった。
それでも、ここら辺が潮時だろう。
勝手に心配して、お節介と称して善意を押し付ける真似はこれ以上するべきではない。
だから、朝陽は胸にチクリと刺さった正体不明の痛みを無視して、適度な距離を保ちながら会話を終えようとした。
冬華も、それに応じるようにして玄関の扉を開けた。
「それじゃ、バスケ頑張れよ」
「ありがとうございます。火神さんは......確かサッカーでしたよね」
「そうだけど、よく覚えてたな。一度言っただけなのに」
「記憶力は良い方ですから」
それにしても、些細な会話の一言一句を覚えているわけでないはずなので、少なからず興味を持っていてくれたらしい。
この一週間で世間話をすることが増えたとはいえ、ほとんど冬華の表情に変化は見られなかったので、適当に話を合わせてくれているだけかと思っていたのだが。
「私も......応援していますよ」
バタン、と扉が閉まった後、朝陽の耳に冬華の言葉が遅れて届いた。
(何考えてんだよ俺......)
この生活がもう少し続けばな、と一瞬でも考えてしまった自分が恥ずかしくなり、朝陽は玄関の壁に軽く頭を打ち付けた。
別れ際、冬華が浮かべた穏やかで柔らかい微笑みが目に焼き付いて離れない。
普段の感情が読めない真顔からは考えもつかない、幼さの残るあどけない笑みはそれだけで朝陽の意思を惑わせるだけの破壊力があった。
Ch 20
The time was just past six o'clock when an electronic beep of the intercom rang.
It was Asahi who informed her to come at this time, so he was not surprised, but instead he couldn't help but chuckle.
If it were six o'clock in the evening, it would be the same as usual, however that was only for the past five days, but instead it was much brighter outside, and one could even hear the chirping of birds.
This meant that today's meeting was set in the morning.
"...Good morning."
"Mhm. Good morning."
When I opened the door, Fuyuka who was wearing her school uniform greeted me.
It was a normal thing to say "good morning" to someone you knew in the morning, but it felt fresh to be greeted by her.
In the first place, it was a strange sight to see her ring the intercom and just walk in without hesitation.
"I didn't expect that you would really come in the morning."
"...Of course, I will."
There was a slight pause, perhaps because it was still early in the morning and she might not be completely awake yet, and If you looked closely, you could see that she was perfectly dressed, but her caramel eyes were vacant.
If you're still sleepy, you should have gone to bed, I thought, but I didn't say it. Since she was already here, there was no way she would listen to me even if I told her.
--I can't be the only one sleeping while you wake up early to make a bento.
Last night at dinner, I had no reason or way to decline her if she said that as if it was something natural.
So today, on the day of the ball game, a perfect day for sports, Asahi and Fuyuka arranged to meet up in the morning.
"Right. I forgot to tell you, but you're not allowed in the kitchen today."
"...Why is that?"
"The beauty of a bento is that you don't know what's inside until you eat it. So, if you saw me making it, you'd lose that, wouldn't you?"
"Oh...Is that how it is?"
"That's just how it is."
There was another short pause, either she was still sleepy or because the prohibition wasn't still clear to her.
Either way, Fuyuka nodded obediently and breezed through the kitchen, moving to the end of the sofa where she sat.
For the past few days, they had been in a cooking class where Asahi explained the cooking process while Fuyuka watched, but that was not the case today.
After making sure that she hadn't moved from the sofa, I quickly placed the two lunch boxes and laid out the white rice first.
Then, I filled it with frozen goods, including taco wieners, and garnished it with tomatoes, broccoli, and other vegetables for color and nutritional balance.
On the way, I was about to take out my chopsticks to cook an egg when I suddenly saw Fuyuka's right hand.
There were no bandages or taping of any kind, revealing her beautiful, pale skin.
"Looks like your hand's healed."
"Yes, I'm able to move it now, thanks to you."
"Thanks to me? I just made you meals, you know?"
"There's no way it's 'just'. The reason I healed so quickly was because I was able to rest through the most taxing part of the day, preparing dinner."
"...In other words?"
"You're quite slow on the uptake. What I'm saying is that it's thanks to you. There is no need to be humble. You've been a great help to me."
I don't know how to react in this situation so I just listened as she expressed her gratitude towards me.
If it was with Chiaki or Hinami, I could just reply and laugh, but with Fuyuka, I couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
She was usually cool and blunt, but sometimes she can be quite honest, which was very unsettling.
However, it was strange to be the only one who was weirdly conscious, so Asahi tried to remain calm as he mindlessly cooked tamagoyaki. [TL: A Japanese Rolled Omelette.]
"Well, anyhow, I'm glad that it healed in time. You're going for the win, right? I'll be rooting for you."
"Since I'm going to compete anyway, I want to win. However, shouldn't you be rooting for your class?"
"I'm gonna cheer extra for my class, that's fine, right?'
"...Just please, don't shout my name out loud."
"Don't worry, I have no intention of going that far."
If all the students were in one place and one student was assertively cheering for a person, even if that student was not the "Ice Lady," that student would still stand out.
As for Asahi, of course, he didn't intend to support her with that much enthusiasm.
As a person who had been watching the progress of her injury, I am only cheering for her with my heart.
"Here, it's done."
"...Can I go over there now...?"
"Yeah, it's fine. Just take it with you."
After wrapping the completed bento in a simple and plain furoshiki and placing it on the counter, Fuyuka carefully picked it up as if she were handling a fragile object. [TL: furoshiki, wrapping cloth.]
"...It's quite warm."
"That's because it's freshly made. Besides, it's got a keep-warm feature, so I'm sure it won't get cold until noon."
"Can I borrow something that high-tech?"
"No, it's not that big of a deal. They're usually sold at low prices these days."
The contents of the furoshiki were a perfectly ordinary bento box, but Fuyuka didn't seem to be very familiar with it. What was bothering her? She was looking at it curiously from above, below, right and left, and her eyes were busy trying to peek inside between the furoshiki.
"It's gonna be fun to see what's inside, right?"
"Yes, you're right. It's only a little bit, but I understand what you are talking about, Kagami-san."
"That's good to hear, but there's not that much in there, you know?"
"Is that something you, the one who made it, should say?"
In fact, I made it a little more rich than usual, thinking that Fuyuka would eat it, but I think it would be best to lower the bar here.
Fuyuka sighed in dismay without hiding it, and gave me a suspicious look, but It doesn't bother me.
Without any particular conversation, I saw Fuyuka off to the door after she packed the bento in her bag.
"I'll wash the bento box and return it to you later today."
"Mhm, got it. I don't mind if you just gave it to me without washing it."
"No, I'll wash it and return it. Now that I can use my hands, I can't have you spoil me forever."
She was turning her right hand around as if to say, "Look," to show her recovery, and didn't seem to be in pain.
I could honestly rest assured that she would be able to lead a normal daily life.
At the same time, Fuyuka's words about not wanting to be spoiled left a strong impression on Asahi's ears.
Although it was not directly communicated in words, she was probably saying that she no longer needed Asahi's care.
It was a relationship that was originally built on being too nosy.
Of course, if there was no reason to take care of her, Fuyuka would no longer come to the house or have dinner with him.
"Then I'll count on you. Make it shine, alright?"
"Of course, you can leave it to me."
To be honest, my worries about Fuyuka won't go away even with her already healed.
Over the past few days, I tried to teach her how to cook, but I'm not sure if she would be able to cook food on her own.
Even with cleaning the dishes, from what I saw, it was not something that I could count on her to do.
However, it was probably times up.
We shouldn't worry ourselves and impose our good will any more than we already have.
So, Asahi tried to ignore the unidentified pain that stabbed him in the chest and tried to finish the conversation while keeping a reasonable distance.
Fuyuka then opened the front door.
"Well then, good luck with the basketball."
"Thank you very much. If I'm not mistaken, you're on soccer, right, Kagami-san?"
"Yeah, I'm surprised you remembered it. I only said it once before."
"I have a good memory."
Nevertheless, she seemed little interested, since she can remember our trivial conversation.
Even though we had been making small talk more often in the past week, I could hardly see any change in Fuyuka's expression, so I thought she was just trying to fit in with me.
"I will...also cheer for you."
After the door slammed shut, Fuyuka's words arrived late in Asahi's ears.
'What the h**l was I thinking?'
Feeling ashamed of himself for even thinking for a moment that he wished this time could go on a little longer, Asahi lightly hit his head on the wall of the entrance.
The gentle, soft smile that Fuyuka gave me when we parted was burned into my eyes and I couldn't get rid of it.
The innocent smile, which was inconceivable from her usual straight face, had enough destructive power to confuse Asahi.
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