Side Story: The Married Couple
One day.
That day, unusually, it was just me and Lefi standing in the kitchen.
Not that there was anything going on…it was just the timing of things.
“Lefi.”“Mm.”
Lefi handed me the condiments I had asked for.
“Yuki.”
“Oh.”
I took the bowl she handed me and in turn handed her the frying pan to start cooking.
“Lefi.”
“Leave it to me.”Lefi did the necessary cooking next to me, whose hands were occupied.
“Yuki.”
“Ui.”
I handed her one of the seasonings that I had left near my hand.
We continued to cook in silence, and then we noticed that Nell, Lyuu, and Layla were all looking at us from the kitchen doorway.
I asked in surprise, “…? What are you guys doing?”
Lefi followed suit, “Oh, it’s you guys, what’s up? We’re not done cooking yet.”
“Well… we were just shown what a true husband and wife are like. We have to work hard to be good partners, too!” (Lyuu)
“Yes, you two are showing us exactly what everyone should be aiming for… you two can tell in one word what each other needs. Is it because you two have been observing each other for a while now?” (Nell)
“It seems to be quite difficult….I could probably do the same thing with a little confirmation, but those two were reacting in a perfect 2-way relationship. To reach that realm, I’ll have to observe Yuki more, I guess…” (Layla)
“I think it’s also important to observe Lefi’s side! Lefi knows exactly what Oni-san is looking for. I’m sure there will be hints there to help us understand what Onii-san is asking for.” (Nell)
“We will have to ask her to share that information at the wives’ meeting later, right?” (Lyuu)
“…You guys, you’re starting to distract us. You can go away now.” (Lefi)
“Yes, yes. If you watch us for too long, I’ll prepare a separate pot of chili peppers for you guys and serve it to you.” (Yuki)
“Oh, I like spicy food, so I don’t mind.” (Nell)
“Eh, no, I don’t like spicy food. Please don’t make it spicy. Layla, can you help me?” (Lyuu)
“Don’t worry, I’ll neutralize the taste if that happens.” (Layla)
“Layla, it’s against the rules for you to tamper with it!” (Yuki)
Then all the other wives, except Lefi, laughed happily and left, while chatting about what to do.
“…”
“…”
Lefi and I looked at each other once, but quickly turned our faces away from each other out of embarrassment.
Things became a bit awkward in the end, but it couldn’t be helped…
