Chapter 407: Prepare for the Unexpected
The previous two days he had made curry chicken wings, so naturally, he couldn't make them again today. Therefore, Kaede chose to make cola chicken wings, using up a bottle of cola that Eriri had originally intended to drink.
"Wuu... My cola..."
Watching Kaede pour the cola into the pot with abandon, Eriri glumly tugged on his clothes and said, "Kaede-kun, there's no more cola! I wanted to drink it!"
"If you want to drink it, go buy some."
"..."
Not hearing Eriri's reply, Kaede shifted his gaze away from the pot and saw Eriri staring at him with wide, adorable eyes.
Alright, he understood completely.
"Mmm~~~~~"
Tilting his head, Kaede smiled and pointed to his lips; the meaning was self-evident.
Since they were practically an old married couple, Eriri naturally wasn't shy about something like this. She immediately smiled, stood on her tiptoes, and gave him a quick kiss: "Satisfied?"
"Not enough."
Saying that, he wrapped his arms around Eriri and kissed her until he was content. If he hadn't been in the middle of cooking, he would have kissed her for even longer.
Setting down the blushing Eriri, Kaede said, "Then I'll go buy drinks. You can handle the chicken wings next, right?"
"Of course, I can handle it! It's not like I don't know how to cook!"
Taking the apron Kaede untied and handed to her, Eriri reminded him, "Kaede-kun, buy several bottles, and get some Oolong tea and soda water too!"
"Okay~~~~"
Grabbing his jacket, Kaede left the apartment.
Pressing the elevator button, and waiting for the elevator to arrive, Kaede saw Aisaka Taiga standing inside. Her hair was still slightly damp, and her cheeks were naturally flushed; it was clear she had just stepped out after a shower.
Without needing to guess, she was definitely heading down to the Takasu Family Home for dinner.
Aisaka Taiga was also surprised to see Kaede leaving at this hour.
"Why are you going out?"
"I was making cola chicken wings just now and used up the remaining cola, so Eriri dispatched me to buy drinks."
"Cola chicken wings..."
Aisaka Taiga had eaten Kaede's cola chicken wings once before, and since it was currently dinner time, she couldn't help but swallow.
Seeing Aisaka Taiga's reaction, Kaede knew she was craving it. He smiled and said, "Let's skip today. We only have enough chicken wings for Eriri and me. When you go over, tell Takasu that you should come over for dinner on the weekend, and I'll make cola chicken wings then."
"Hehe, that's thoughtful of you!"
Aisaka Taiga happily patted Kaede's shoulder and said, "Don't worry, we won't just freeload. We'll bring ingredients and snacks too!"
As she spoke, the elevator reached the ground floor.
Stepping out of the elevator, with only a few steps left to walk, Kaede thought for a moment. Instead of being direct, he approached the topic from a different angle: "Taiga, did you know? Now that over a year has passed, Takasu's reputation at school has improved. The first-year students aren't afraid of him anymore, and it seems like his popularity has gone up."
"Eh? Is that true?"
"Of course," Kaede explained. "Aren't there first-year students next door to the Art Club? You've met Nibutani Shinka and Togashi Yuuta. I heard it from them. Apparently, there are even girls who really like Takasu's type."
Leaving it at that, Kaede stopped speaking: "Never mind that for now. Takasu is probably waiting for you. I'm going to go buy things. Don't forget to mention coming over for dinner this weekend. See you tomorrow."
"Oh... oh, see you tomorrow."
Waving his hand, Aisaka Taiga, wearing a somewhat cryptic expression, glanced at the front door of the Takasu Family Home, and then walked toward it.
After Aisaka Taiga went inside, Kaede, who hadn't walked far, turned his head for a look, then muttered to himself, "Hmm... I wasn't lying. That's definitely happening, it's just that for now, only I've heard about it from Togashi Yuuta and the others. I just wonder if bringing it up will act as a catalyst. Those two are really dragging their feet."
But then, Kaede shook his head with a sigh: "How did I become so gossipy too? It reminds me of how my parents acted toward me when I first started high school, even though I hadn't reached that age yet."
After going to the nearest convenience store, buying a large pile of drinks, and restocking some bedroom-specific supplies along the way, Kaede returned home carrying two large bags.
"I'm home~~~ Eriri, help me set these down, I need to use the restroom."
"Okay~~ I'm coming right away!"
Turning down the heat, Eriri immediately ran over and took the bags from Kaede's hands.
After Kaede went to the bathroom, Eriri placed the drinks into the refrigerator bottle by bottle, and at the same time, she noticed two small boxes in the bag.
Although she hadn't expected Kaede to buy these as well, as the saying goes, it's better to be safe than sorry. Eriri wasn't embarrassed at all and simply put the items away in the nightstand in the bedroom.
When she came out of the bedroom, Kaede had just emerged from the restroom.
Eriri immediately grabbed Kaede's arm and said, "Kaede-kun, you didn't even tell me you bought those! I was wondering what you had bought at first!"
"Hm? Oh, those."
Kaede paused for a moment. Seeing Eriri coming out of the bedroom, he understood what she meant.
"Well, I happened to see them, so I bought a few. It's not a problem to keep them around. Besides, these are daily consumables, so it's always good to buy extra. Aren't we going to use them tonight anyway?"
Saying this, Kaede wrapped his arm around Eriri's slender waist and pulled her tightly into his embrace.
"Wuu... You just love to bully me!"
After cuddling affectionately by the bedroom door for a while, the two finally remembered the dinner cooking in the kitchen and quickly rushed over. Fortunately, it hadn't burned dry, or dinner would have only consisted of chicken wings, with no beef to eat.
Quickly turning off the heat and scooping the beef out of the pot, Eriri said to Kaede beside her, "Kaede-kun, we almost lost an entire dish!"
"It's fine, though. It didn't burn dry, did it?"
Kaede helped carry the dishes to the dining table and then said, "Even if that dish was gone, it wouldn't matter. I could just eat Eriri."
"Stop saying things like that!!!"
After dinner, Eriri originally wanted to lie down on Kaede's lap, but since they had just finished eating, Kaede didn't agree. She could only pull him downstairs for a walk instead.
"Now that I think about it, we don't have enough snacks at home either. Let's go to the supermarket! I also want milk tea!"
Listening to Eriri's declaration, Kaede helplessly said, "We just restocked a pile of drinks at home, so maybe skip the milk tea? How about we make our own when we get back?"
"Hmm~~~ That works too, but we definitely have to buy snacks!"
In short, her mouth couldn't stop moving.