第23話 氷の令嬢とご褒美タイム
球技大会を終えた後、朝陽は千昭と日菜美から夕食に誘われた。
何でも、敗者を慰める会なるものを開催するつもりだったらしい。
ただ、夕食には既に先約が入っていたため、朝陽は丁重に断ることにした。
あちらが敗者を慰める会なら、こちらは勝者を称える会とでも名付けるべきだろうか。
「良い匂い......」
一人暮らし故に少し小さめのダイニングテーブルに黄金色に輝くオムライスが二つ並ぶ。
そして、そのまま視線を前に向ければスプーン片手にじっ、と好物に見入っている冬華の姿があった。
「なんだよ、早く食べないと冷めるぞ」
「......本当にいただいていいのですか?」
「それは今更だろ。優勝したら高級オムライスを振る舞うって提案したのは俺だ」
本当に、時間が経って冷静になった頭で考えても、一体何を提案しているんだといった感じだ。
そして、まさか冬華が乗ってくるとは思わなかった。
更に言えば、決勝戦後半からの冬華の無双っぷりも、発破をかけておきながら全くの予想外だった。
「......いただきます」
「ん、召し上がってくれ。MVP様専用の特製高級オムライスだ」
「その呼び方はやめてください......」
表彰台に上がった時は氷の令嬢らしい凛とした表情を浮かべていたものの、面と向かって言われると恥ずかしいのか、球技大会での活躍ぶりをもてはやせば冬華は分かりやすく頬を染めた。
決勝戦の最終スコアは四十五対四十四。
スリーポイント六本を始めとする冬華の鬼神の如き活躍で、日菜美が率いるバスケ部主体のクラスから逆転勝利を収めた形だ。
途中から冬華には二人のマークマンが付いたが、その勢いは少しも止まらず、隣で日菜美を応援していた千昭は思わず笑ってしまっていた。
もう本当に、笑うしかない圧倒的強さで劣勢から勝利を収めた冬華が文句なしのMVPを受賞した球技大会は幕を閉じた。
(相葉には少し悪いことをしたかもな......)
朝陽にブローチを上げる、と息巻いていた日菜美の落ち込み様は見ていられず、冬華無双の後押しをしてしまった張本人という事もあって罪悪感に苛まれる。
面倒臭いことにならなくて良かったと思う反面、日菜美はあくまで自分の為に頑張ってくれていたのだから申し訳ない。
今度、約束通り家に招く時は何でもリクエストに応えてやろうと心に決めつつ、朝陽はようやくオムライスを一口食べた冬華に視線を向けた。
「......美味しい......凄く美味しいです」
「口に合って何よりだ。いつもより奮発した甲斐があったよ」
目の錯覚か、それとも気のせいか、冬華の美貌の中心にある大きな瞳が琥珀色を思わせるほどキラキラとしている。
普段通り言葉数は少ないが、食事中は表情が少しばかり緩むようで、冬華は本当に美味しそうにオムライスを次々と口に運んだ。
その様子は普段のクールな美しさとは一線を画し、今朝の微笑みの様な年相応の可愛らしさと愛らしさが姿を現している。
(少しは気を許してくれてるのかね......)
氷の令嬢が笑ったとか、微笑んだとか、そういった類の噂はまだ聞いたことがない。
誰かと普通に話している、といった噂さえもまだ一度も流れたことはないはずだ。
そもそも、笑みを浮かべた、誰かと会話した、レベルの些細な事で噂になることがおかしい。
ただ、その可能性が十分にある程、本来氷の令嬢は他人を拒絶し、心を閉ざしていた。
「良い食べっぷりだな。おかわりいるか?」
「......私がそんなに大食いに見えますか?」
「いや、そういうわけじゃないけど......」
ハードな試合を終えてお腹が減っているだろうと気を遣っての提案だったが、どうやら冬華は別の意味に捉えたらしく、ぷいっと顔を背けられてしまった。
こんな風に、ちょっとした掛け合いをしたり、普段は絶対に見られない表情を見れたりするのが自分だけだと思うと、少しこそばゆい思いがする。
こうやって夕飯時に食卓を囲んでいる事も氷の令嬢からは到底考えられない事だ。
それに、今日は手を怪我して安静が必要だとか、心配によるお節介が過ぎたとか、互いの距離を無視したやむを得ない理由が存在しない。
球技大会で優勝したから、ご褒美に手料理を振る舞う。
そんな冗談めかした提案の上で、今この空間は成り立っている。
「......さっきから何をぼーっとしてるのですか。あなたこそ早く食べないと冷めてしまいますよ」
「あ、ああ......ちょっと考え事してた」
「食事を忘れる程の考え事とはよっぽどですね......」
距離が縮まったと考えてもいいのだろうか、などと本人に聞けるはずがなく、朝陽は適当に会話を切り上げてまだ手付かずの綺麗な黄色い膜へと手を伸ばした。
一個二百円の卵にいつもよりワングレード上の鶏肉、牛乳やバターといった下味をつける材料にも拘った。
高級、といえど朝陽基準によるものだが、自信作であるのは間違いない。
早速スプーンいっぱいにオムライスを取って口に運べば、直ぐに卵由来のまろやかな甘みが広がった。
具材たっぷりのケチャップライスは高い食材を使ったからか数段美味しく思えるし、周りを包む卵のふわふわ感と噛んだ後のとろとろ感は自分で作っておきながら満点をあげたくなる。
「そうでしょう? 熱いうちに食べないと勿体無いです」
まるで自分が作ったかのような言いようの冬華は既にオムライスの半分近くを口にしていた。
いつもより大分食べるペースが早い――そこまで考えて、朝陽はほんの僅かに口角を上げた。
何も、冬華の食事のペースに笑ってしまったわけではない。
と考えるほど、冬華と食卓を囲んでいることにどうしようもなく笑みが込み上げたのだ。
ただ、一週間続いたこの光景も遂に今日で終わりを迎える。
その事実が、口いっぱいに頬張ったオムライスの甘みを少し控えめにさせ、今度は朝陽の表情に苦笑いが浮かんだ。
Ch 23
After the ball game, Asahi was invited to dinner by Chiaki and Hinami.
Apparently, they were planning to hold a consolation party for the losers.
However, since he already had a prior engagement for dinner, Asahi decided to politely decline.
If that other side was a consolation party for the losers, then should we call this one a celebration for the winners?
"It smells so good..."
In the small dining table which was enough for a person living alone, there were two omurice lined up on the table.
And when I turned my gaze forward, I saw Fuyuka staring at her favorite food with a spoon in her hand.
"What's wrong? Eat quickly or it'll get cold."
"...Can I really?"
"That's a little late for that. I'm the one who suggested it anyway."
Really, when I thought about it calmly after some time, I wondered what the heck was I suggesting.
And I didn't expect Fuyuka to be on board.
Furthermore, even though I had her fired up, her unstoppable performance in the latter half of the final match was also completely unexpected.
"...Itadakimasu." [Thank you for the food.]
"Mhm, please enjoy this special premium omelet made especially for you, MVP."
"Please don't call me that..."
When she was on the podium, she had a dignified expression on her face, and now she was embarrassed to be called the MVP, not befitting that of the "Ice Lady".
The final score of the final game was forty-five to forty-four.
With Fuyuka's flawless performance, their team managed to come back and won the game.
Two people were guarding Fuyuka halfway through, but that didn't stop her momentum in the slightest, and Chiaki, who was cheering for Hinami, couldn't help but laugh.
The match ended with Fuyuka receiving the undisputed MVP award for her overwhelming strength in winning the game from a disadvantageous position.
'I felt like I had done something a little bad to Aiba.'
It was hard to watch Hinami's disappointment, as she had been so excited about giving the brooch to me, and I felt guilty because I was the one who had encouraged Fuyuka.
On the other hand, I was glad it didn't turn out to be troublesome, however, I feel bad for Hinami because she was doing it for me.
Deciding that next time he invited her to his house, he would do whatever she requested, Asahi looked at Fuyuka, who had finally taken a bite of her omurice.
"...It's delicious...It's so delicious..."
"I'm glad you like it. It was worth putting more effort than usual."
Whether it was an optical illusion or just my imagination, the large eyes at the center of Fuyuka's beautiful face were glittering so brightly that they reminded me of amber.
Although she didn't speak much as usual, her expression seemed to relax a bit during the meal, and Fuyuka looked really delighted as she brought the omurice into her mouth one after another.
Her appearance was far from her usual cool beauty, revealing a cute and lovely look appropriate of her age, just like the smile on her face this morning.
'I wonder if she's softening a little bit...'
I had yet to hear any rumors of the "Ice Lady" smiling or laughing or anything of the sort.
I'm pretty sure there hadn't even been a rumor that she was talking to someone else normally.
In the first place, it was strange that something as trivial as a smile or a conversation with someone could become a rumor.
However, it was certainly possible for the "Ice Lady" who actively rejected others and had closed her heart off.
"You're eating well. Want another helping?"
"...Do I look like such a glutton?"
"No, it's nothing like that but..."
I assumed that she might be hungry after a hard game, but Fuyuka seemed to have taken it in a different way and turned her head away.
It made me a little nervous to think that I was the only one who could see these little things such as conversations like this and expressions that you won't normally never get to see.
The fact that we were having dinner together like this was something that I would never have thought of from the "Ice Lady".
Besides, there was no compelling reason that might bypass the distance between us, such as an injured hand that needed rest, or too much meddling due to worry.
She won the ball game, so I was going to treat her to a home-cooked meal as a reward.
It was on the basis of such a joking proposal that this space now stands.
"...What are you daydreaming about for a while now? If you don't eat soon, It will get cold."
"Oh? Yeah... I was just thinking about something..."
"It must have been something big that you have forgotten about your meal..."
There was no way he could ask her if it was okay to think that the distance between them had shortened, so Asahi cut the conversation short and reached for the omurice that was still untouched.
The eggs cost 200 yen each, the chicken was a higher grade than usual, and the ingredients used for seasoning, such as milk and butter, were also carefully selected.
Even though it was a premium by Asahi's standards, it was still definitely a dish that one could be proud of.
As soon as I took a spoon full of omelet and put it in my mouth, the mild sweetness from the omurice immediately spread.
The ketchup rice filled with ingredients seems to be much tastier because of the expensive ingredients used, and the fluffiness of the omelette surrounding the rice and the melting sensation after biting into it made me want to give myself a pat in the back.
"Isn't it? If you don't eat it while it's hot, it would be such a waste."
Fuyuka, who sounded as if she had made it herself, had already eaten almost half of it.
The pace of which she was eating was much faster than usual, and so Asahi raised the corner of his mouth slightly.
He didn't laugh at her eating pace.
The more he thought about it, the more he couldn't help but smile at the thought of having dinner together with Fuyuka.
However, this scene that had been going on for a week would finally come to an end today.
This fact made the sweetness of the omurice that filled his mouth a little less sweet, and this time a bitter smile appeared on Asahi's face.
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