Chapter 36
Vita wanted to smack himself on the lips.
It was just that, after saying it, he realized he'd made a mistake.
‘What was I…?’
Wasn't he saying something ridiculous, as if he wanted to keep Carlisle there?
Carlisle had been about to leave without a fuss, and Vita could simply have let him go, but he'd said something pointless.
Still, seeing that idiot Carlisle's foolish expression was kind of funny.
“What, you hate it?”
“Ah, no.”
He even stammered. He brushed a hand over his face. At a glance, the corner of his mouth seemed to be forming a smile.
“I was thirsty, so I won't refuse.”
By this point, Vita definitely regretted what he'd said.
“No, I refuse!”
He was worried that, once again, he'd done something pointless.
In Vita's experience so far, whenever Carlisle wore an expression like that, something always happened. In other words, it had never once been harmless.
“I don't like that, though.”
However, Carlisle soon shed his foolish-looking demeanor. The two bickered pointlessly for a while before following the established procedure.
Bang-
Anyway, they entered the room together.
“So what should we eat first? I am hungry, though.”
Vita was dumbfounded by Carlisle's words.
Oh, look at him.
Didn't he look perfectly at ease, as if this were his own house? Come to think of it, Carlisle had already been here a couple of times.
“I said have something to drink before you go. I don't think I ever said I'd feed you dinner too.”
Vita argued back, but Carlisle suddenly approached.
“Are you really just going to drink and leave?”
His gaze was straight and unwavering. For some reason, Vita found it difficult to withstand that gaze, and his face gradually grew warmer.
“Th-then…”
You're stating the obvious.
But he couldn't bring himself to say what came after that.
Well, I mean.
Having been escorted home, telling him to drink only water and leave did feel rather heartless.
That definitely seemed to be the case. It absolutely wasn't that Vita was reluctant to see the guy go.
‘Unlike certain people, I have a very generous heart.’
Unlike that narrow-minded bastard who had sulked for days over one slip of the tongue, wasn't it time to show off his manly generosity?
While Vita kept deliberating, Carlisle watched that expression from directly in front of him.
‘Cute, as always.’
Every emotion on Bianca Shamal's face was plainly visible in its constantly shifting expressions.
In the end, after thinking it over, Vita revised his initial offer.
“Then stay through dinner. Just eat and go, all right?”
“Got it. I will.”
Perhaps there was one thing they both already knew. Whether they would truly keep their promise was highly uncertain, but they pretended not to know.
After that, Vita and Carlisle amicably set down their respective bags, washed their hands, and came back out.
He opened the refrigerator for now.
“Is there anything to eat…?”
As Vita looked around, Carlisle came up beside him.
“Want me to make you some porridge?”
“What do you mean, porridge?”
Vita recalled that time and made an incredulous face.
Remembering the porridge Carlisle Schultz had come and made when Vita was having his period…
Did he think dumping random ingredients into a pot and boiling them furiously would turn them into porridge? It was simply absurd.
“Please. You. Just stay still.”
At Vita's reaction, Carlisle chuckled.
He clearly knew that himself, and was laughing like that on purpose.
“It tasted awful.”
But after saying that, Vita remembered something and fell silent for a moment.
That's right, back then. When Carlisle had come to nurse him.
He hadn't thanked him.
It wasn't easy to suddenly thank him now, either. But this time, Vita summoned a little courage.
“Back then, thank…”
It was difficult after all, and the words stuck in his throat.
“Thank… what?”
“Th-th…”
But he'd already started saying it out loud.
“I said thanks for back then!”
When Vita blurted it out, Carlisle was blank for a moment before bursting into laughter.
“You could've just said it. Why make it so difficult?”
Of course, Vita's face turned tomato-red and he responded only by ignoring him, but strangely, as he listened to Carlisle laugh, the corners of his mouth gradually relaxed.
He felt a little relieved.
“Anyway. I'll make it today, so you stay put.”
Carlisle nodded, and Vita began busily rummaging through the refrigerator.
***
Who was Vita Shamal, anyway?
He was fairly confident in his cooking, believe it or not.
‘I'll show you. I'm nothing like you.’
With that thought, Vita found some suitable ingredients.
Since he was doing it anyway, he might as well make something amazing enough to astonish that guy.
Then Vita suddenly thought of a suitable dish.
‘How about I try making risotto?’
This was, well…
It seemed like a pretty good opportunity.
Risotto might look similar to porridge, but it was an entirely different dish.
‘But to Carlisle, it'll definitely look like porridge… Will he realize the difference?’
In other words, this was the perfect chance to flaunt his superiority!
Vita put on an apron.
[Be sure to wear an apron!]
His mother had taught him that whenever he cooked, he should always wear an apron in case food splashed onto his clothes.
Humming merrily, he turned on the burner.
He buttered the pan and sautéed all sorts of ingredients, bringing out a savory aroma.
When it came to risotto, slowly adding the broth was the key to everything.
He poured in a little stock at a time and stirred very slowly.
Then Vita suddenly realized that Carlisle had become strangely quiet.
‘What is it, all of a sudden…?’
Sure enough, when he turned around, Carlisle was sitting at the table with a strange expression.
He was just sitting there blankly, wearing an expression Vita couldn't make head or tail of.
“What is it? What?”
When Vita spoke curtly, it felt as if a soul finally returned to Carlisle's golden eyes.
“You're completely a natural-born housewife.”
At those sudden words, Vita was utterly flustered.
“W-what…?!”
What kind of ridiculous thing was that to say—why say it all of a sudden after being so quiet?
But it hit a little too close to home, and his voice faded.
“I-I mean, a man… can cook too.”
Carlisle Schultz's expression changed slightly.
“A man—you?”
Vita realized he'd slipped up. He'd made a verbal blunder, but fortunately Carlisle didn't suspect his true identity.
He merely shook his head as though he'd heard the most absurd thing in the world.
“You're a strange one, that's for sure.”
His expression was amused, as if he truly found Vita interesting.
Anyway, Vita inexplicably looked down at his apron.
‘Ah…’
Then he realized. Since it had belonged to his mother, the apron was pink.
So that was why Carlisle had been spouting such nonsense.
But Carlisle's nonsense didn't end there.
“You'd make a perfectly good bride.”
A little while later, while Vita continued cooking, Carlisle started again.
Hoo—hoo—
As Vita made the risotto, blowing on it in little puffs, his face reddened. Purely because he was irritated.
‘…But that really is…’
He whipped around to see Carlisle laughing.
“All right, I'll stop.”
He was teasing Vita. Even knowing that, Vita couldn't help feeling strange.
Surely it was because it reminded him of the bizarre dream he'd had when Carlisle had come to nurse him.
Vita waiting at home and cooking for Carlisle. Vita running to embrace Carlisle the moment he came home.
‘What is that supposed to…’
His appetite vanished in an instant.
It was absurd. He couldn't even imagine it.
For a moment, Vita considered kicking Carlisle out right then, but by then it was already too late.
Vita wasn't fundamentally a harsh person.
And the risotto's savory aroma meant it was finally finished, so Vita set it down on the table with a thunk.
“Here, try it.”
At any rate, the chance to flaunt his superiority to Carlisle to the fullest had finally arrived.
“…It's my first time having something like this.”
Carlisle lifted his spoon with a somewhat strange expression.
“Of course it is.”
Vita was triumphant, with both hands on his hips and his chin raised.
It must be his first time eating such delicious risotto.
“You may consider it an honor.”
Would he, though?
Soon, Carlisle put a spoonful of risotto into his mouth.
For some reason, Vita grew more nervous than ever.
‘W-well…?!’
Delicious enough to die for, right? If he said it wasn't good, Vita would beat him black and blue.
Fortunately, Carlisle paused, then gave a positive response.
“It's pretty good.”
“It's on a completely different level from your pathetic skills, isn't it?”
“Yeah, I admit it.”
Vita got a little excited.
See? I told you I'm good at cooking!
But Vita didn't know what he looked like from Carlisle Schultz's perspective at that moment.
“But, you know.”
While they ate dinner, Vita asked Carlisle about what had been on his mind all along.
“Is it really true?”
“Hmm? What's true?”
“That you were trying to get close to me…”
Well, I mean.
“…you said you watched anime.”
For some reason, he felt strangely embarrassed. He didn't know why, either.
He was just genuinely curious.
Nod—
When Carlisle nodded in agreement, Vita was startled.
‘That was really true…?’
An alpha male among alpha males had entered the world of anime. Somehow it was a little amazing, even admirable.
“Th-that's amazing…”
So Vita said it, the corners of his mouth faintly smiling while he slightly avoided Carlisle's gaze.
“Someone like you watches anime?”
“Am I not allowed to?”
Though he didn't know why, Carlisle felt as though he'd seized an opportunity.
Just as he'd expected. Vita was reacting positively.
“Want to watch some together?”
He'd found an excuse to stay even longer. He drove the point home to his flustered companion.
“You're the senior when it comes to anime. Teach me a little.”
Vita could say this much with absolute certainty.
It was the best decision Carlisle Schultz had ever made in his life.
***
‘I'm… a senior.’
Vita felt pleased.
It was true, wasn't it?
He'd seen a whole lot more than this beginner.
‘I am a senior—!’
He had originally planned to send Carlisle home after dinner.
But Carlisle's admirable attitude changed his mind a little.
Carlisle had instantly been upgraded to an admirable guy in Vita's estimation.
And so Carlisle and Vita decided to watch anime. Together, just the two of them.
To be completely honest,
Vita himself felt a little sorry to see it end.
‘…He could've eaten a little more slowly.’
He was feeling dissatisfied.
Vita had gone to all the trouble of making it, and it was an incredibly delicious dish.
He'd wolfed it down without even knowing how to savor it. Considering the care Vita had put into making it, he shouldn't have done that.
In any case, Carlisle's suggestion wasn't too bad.
Compared to those awkward days when they hadn't exchanged even a single word, it was nice that the awkward atmosphere had disappeared.
Thus, Vita's face had relaxed into a happy expression.
What anime would be the best choice to watch? Vita agonized over it, then asked Carlisle.
“Do you have a favorite genre? Something you usually like.”
“Anything is fine with me.”
Vita tilted his head at the vague answer. His suspicion steadily grew.
To a true otaku like Vita, “fake otakus” were something he particularly disliked.
“Have you actually watched any?”
“Of course I have.”
“Then what did you watch?”
“The one you like best. It was more enjoyable than I expected.”
Vita's body stiffened at the unexpected answer.
“The one I like…? How did you know?”
“I asked that pink-haired underclassman of yours once.”
There was one person who came to mind when he heard “pink-haired.”
‘Ru, you bastard. What the hell did you tell him…?’
Vita hadn't gone around specifically announcing which anime he liked best.
‘Of course I like it, but…’
A magical-girl series wasn't very manly. It was an anime featuring cute and pretty magical girls.
[Cute, Vita!]
[I thought you were a girl!]
‘Ugh… no…’
That was an old complex of his.
So unless he was really close to someone, Vita tended to keep this fact to himself.
But Carlisle was looking at him with a strange expression.
“Well, to begin with, you showed how much you liked it when we went to Wisney Park.”
“…Oh, did I?”
He definitely remembered that, too.
Vita reflected on it a little.
‘For some reason, around this guy…’
He let his guard down.
He never quite understood why he felt comfortable around Carlisle, yet was sometimes uncomfortably conscious of him.
Still, he couldn't quite believe that Carlisle had watched a magical-girl series, either. So when Vita gave him a highly skeptical look, Carlisle suddenly said,
“Want me to prove it?”
He gave a small, amused laugh.
“Sure, go ahead.”
Vita thought for a moment, then asked a question.
“What do the names of the protagonists in the series mean?”
“Isn't it just symbolism? Eve symbolizes the moon, and Rosaline symbolizes a rose. Those two emblems are on the magical wand, too.”
Astonishingly, that was the correct answer.
Vita's mouth fell open.
‘Is this guy actually…?’
It was something that only appeared around the middle of the story and would be hard to know without watching the whole thing.
Apparently he really had watched it, so Vita was satisfied for now.
“Th-then…”
Carlisle had proved that he'd watched it, and said it was more enjoyable than expected, which gave Vita a little courage.
“Have you seen this one?”
Vita's favorite magical-girl Eve movie.
“Magical Girl Eve Rosaline and the Counterattack of the Galactic Empire…?”
Vita's face grew hot, and he gave a slight nod.
“The title sounds childish, but this is a true masterpiece.”
“I haven't seen it yet.”
The decision was made immediately.
“Okay, perfect.”
They grabbed some snacks, sat side by side on the sofa, and watched an anime movie.
It had a simple plot.
Alien forces invaded, and one day all the adults suddenly transformed. Then the children, led by Eve, joined forces to turn those adults back to normal.
‘But it has some meaningful emotion to it.’
Then came the highlight: a powerful scene in which Eve's father reminisced about his childhood. In fact, it was a masterpiece because of this scene.
It was the kind of iconic scene where an adult goes to see it with a child and comes out in tears.
‘…This is life.’
That's what Vita thought. This really was life. He became immersed in it, feeling that his own parents had been like that, and that one day he, too, would surely live a life like that.
It was a scene he'd seen many times, yet tears welled up every time.
It absolutely wasn't some pathetic, unmanly feeling! No, he was a real man—that was why he was crying. That was a man's life.
Every now and then, Vita checked Carlisle's expression.
He wondered whether Carlisle was enjoying it, or whether he found it boring.
That was what he was thinking.
Fortunately, contrary to Vita's worries, Carlisle also looked quite absorbed.
And then, at some point, Vita froze.
‘…?’
At some point, Carlisle's hand silently came to rest over Vita's.
Vita was startled.
But the situation wasn't conducive to pulling his hand away.
He was absorbed in the movie—Carlisle Schultz was absorbed in the anime Vita had shown him.
Vita couldn't pull his hand away for that reason alone: he was afraid it might break Carlisle's concentration.
Really, that was all.
Eventually, the movie ended on a somewhat happy note. The two sat in silence for a while, lost in the afterglow.
Vita turned his head to ask whether Carlisle had enjoyed it. At that exact moment, Carlisle did the same, and their gazes met.
“……”
For some reason.
Suddenly, neither of them could speak. A very subtle tension began to linger between them.
A tension that made the fine hairs all over their bodies stand on end, known only to the two people involved.
The tension between a man and a woman.
There was no reason for it. No context at all.
It was simply that the night had grown late, and both of them had become rather sentimental.
“Mm… wha…”
Without anything being said, Carlisle Schultz was, of course, the first to move, and before long, their lips lightly met.