They wrapped up their game early, and Yuzuru and Arisa headed to a nearby supermarket.
After picking up the necessary ingredients, they started back towards the flat—
On the way home—
“Hm? …Rain?”
A cold drop touched his skin, and Yuzuru instinctively looked up.
The sky was covered in heavy, dim clouds.
“Let’s hurry a bit.”
“Agreed.”
They quickened their pace towards the flat.
Fortunately, they made it back before the rain truly started—
But…
“This doesn’t look like it’ll stop anytime soon.”
Yuzuru gazed outside through the balcony window.
Within five minutes of them getting inside, it had already turned into a downpour.
“I hope the trains don’t stop or get delayed…”
“Yeah… we should keep that in mind.”
In the worst case, they could call a taxi.
Yuzuru could cover the cost.
Arisa would probably object, but since he’d invited her over, it was his responsibility to make sure she got home safely.
“Well then, Yuzuru-san, please wait quietly as usual.”
“…I’ve helped my mum cook a bit before. I might be able to do something, you know?”
He tried suggesting it, but Arisa shook her head.
“I really appreciate the thought. But I have my own way of doing things. And besides…”
“Besides?”
“If your cooking skills improve, I’ll be in trouble. I’d lose my place.”
She said it half-jokingly.
The part about his cooking skills was clearly a joke—
But the idea of losing her role seemed genuine.
“Alright. I’ll behave and wait, then.”
Trying to help would probably just get in her way, so Yuzuru backed off.
As usual, helping with the washing up later would be enough.
And so time passed—
By six o’clock, the meal—lavishly featuring matsutake—was complete.
The menu was as follows—
Matsutake rice.
Matsutake clear soup.
Matsutake and prawn tempura.
Foil-grilled matsutake.
Matsutake chawanmushi.
Whole grilled matsutake.
Matsutake dobin-mushi.
Stir-fried matsutake and spinach.
Each dish showcased matsutake while also considering colour and nutritional balance.
“This is… incredibly luxurious.”
“I’m sorry… I got a bit carried away and made too much.”
Arisa scratched her cheek sheepishly.
Faced with such a high-end ingredient, she’d apparently gone a little overboard.
“Well, I can finish the leftovers tomorrow. It’d be a waste not to eat what you made.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
They pressed their hands together and began eating.
Yuzuru first reached for the clear soup.
A gentle aroma of bonito broth and matsutake rose from it.
“The usual miso soup is great, but this is nice too. It’s delicate and refined.”
“Thank you.”
Her voice was calm as always, but her eyes had softened, her lips slightly slack, and her cheeks faintly flushed.
She was clearly embarrassed.
Next, he tried the matsutake rice.
Though matsutake was the star, other mushrooms like shimeji and maitake were mixed in.
The moment he took a bite, the strong fragrance of matsutake filled his mouth.
Then he moved on to the tempura.
For now, he sprinkled a bit of salt on a piece of matsutake tempura and took a bite.
“…I hope you don’t mind me saying this, Yuzuru-san.”
Arisa spoke with a wry smile as she ate.
“Matsutake… isn’t actually that tasty, is it?”
“Well… it’s more about the aroma.”
With that, they shifted to dishes that emphasised fragrance—starting with dobin-mushi.
Ideally, it would be served in small sake cups, but Yuzuru didn’t have any, so they poured the broth into teacups instead.
“Mm… this is good.”
The prawn broth paired beautifully with the matsutake’s aroma.
Adding a squeeze of kabosu changed the flavour slightly—making it even better.
He then lifted the lid.
Inside were prawns, matsutake, carrots, and more.
He transferred them to a plate with chopsticks and took a bite.
“This is excellent. The texture of the matsutake is different from the soup.”
“Indeed… To be honest, I thought making this after the clear soup might have been a mistake, but they’re completely different.”
Of course, the clear soup used bonito broth, while this used prawn broth, so the difference in taste was only natural.
After several richer dishes, he decided to try the whole grilled matsutake.
A large mushroom, simply grilled—luxurious in its simplicity.
“Mm…”
“…It’s a mushroom.”
“Well… it’s definitely a mushroom.”
That was their verdict.
They could only exchange awkward smiles.
Next, they tried the foil-grilled version.
“This is better than the whole grilled one.”
“Yes, seasoning it with things like sake really helps.”
Then came the stir-fried matsutake and spinach—
A dish Arisa had made simply because she “wanted something green.”
“Butter and matsutake go surprisingly well together.”
“They do… though I think the butter might be a bit too strong. Something to improve next time.”
Finally, the chawanmushi.
He cooled it slightly with a spoon before taking a bite.
“This is… really good.”
Rich flavours of prawn and bonito broth spread through his mouth, accompanied by the elegant aroma of matsutake.
The texture was silky smooth.
“This might be my favourite.”
“I’m glad… I’m quite confident in my chawanmushi.”
Arisa smiled happily.
After that, they prioritised eating the dishes that wouldn’t keep well or would taste worse when cold.
Things like the soup, which could be reheated, were wrapped and stored in the fridge.
Finally, they worked together to wash the dishes.
Then—
Yuzuru looked out the window.
The rain and wind had only grown stronger. It didn’t look like she could head home at all.
“This is a problem… Should we call a taxi? If money’s tight, I can cover it.”
“I couldn’t possibly… and it’s not like you’re exactly flush with cash either, Yuzuru-san—”
At that moment—
The sky flashed.
A thunderous crack split the air.
And then—
“Kyaa!!”
“Whoa—!”
Arisa screamed—
And knocked Yuzuru flat to the floor.
