1. A Decision Between Men
“Moguzo, man.”
“Huh?”
It happened while Moguzo was in the middle of scooping some sort of soup into a small dish for taste-testing. His hands stopped moving, and he looked towards Ranta who was near the entrance to the cooking area.
“Wh-What? Ranta-kun...”
“Don’t you think you’ve been getting a bit cocky?”
“C-Cocky...? N-No, I don’t... think so.”
“Nah, man. You’re getting cocky. That’s what’s happening. It’s me saying it, so it must be true. Me, the great Ranta-sama!”
“Wh-What makes you think... that? If you could tell me, I’ll try to fix it.”
“There it is,” Ranta said, pointing at Moguzo’s hands, “There! That’s what I mean when I say you’re acting cocky!”
“Wh-Where...?”
“The way you’re holding it! It shouts, ‘I can cook!’ It’s a total cooking-boy gesture. It’s like, ‘Give me all your affection points!’ That’s what I’m calling cocky!”
“...Uhh. R-Really...? I’m just making food here.”
“‘This is easy for me,’ is it? ‘I’m not like the rest of you’? I can feel that oozing from the way you act, and, frankly, it comes across as spiteful!”
“S-Sorry. I’ll be more careful.”
“Hah! Talk is easy.”
“...I really will be careful. Um, can I keep cooking? I’m not done yet.”
“Why not keep at it? I never said one word about you stopping, you know?”
“Y-Yeah. Well then...”
Moguzo took another ladle of soup, tested the taste, then nodded.
“Keh...” Ranta spat in distaste. “You’ve got this look on your face like you think you’re so special.”
“I do not, okay?”
“You so do. Only reason you don’t realize it is you can’t see your own face.”
“...I-It tasted pretty good, so maybe that’s why?”
“Seriously? That’s it?”
“P-Probably...”
Chop, chop, chop, Moguzo used a knife to dice up something that looked like tea leaves and added them to the soup. There was a smile on his steam-bathed face. Ranta clicked his tongue.
“You did it again!”
“D-Did what...?”
“That, ‘I did good,’ face.”
“Huh? No, it just turned out like I thought, that’s all...”
“Man, aren’t you misunderstanding here?”
“M-Misunderstanding...?”
“Let me tell you, Moguzo, I could do exactly what you’re doing now, okay? I’m just not. You’re always offering to take my shift, so I’m doing you a favor by letting you have it!”
“I-I like cooking, so it’s not hard on me...”
“Wrong! That’s not what’s up with you! There’s more to it! You’re clearly in this to show off how wonderful you are for being able to cook! You want to raise your own value and, if you’re lucky, make girls like you while you’re at it!”
“O-Okay, I won’t take your shift anymore then.”
“You dolt!”
“Wha...”
“Moguzo! Who will take my shift if not you?! Okay, maybe Manato’d do it if I asked him to, but I don’t want to have to go out of my way to ask! You can take my shift! That’s not what this is about!”
“...Wh-What is it about?”
“Cooking!”
Ranta flexed his biceps, and patted the raised lump.
“I’m no less of a cook than you, and I want you to understand that! I can do it if I want to, man! I just don’t!”
“S-Sure... I got it. I’ll remember that. Okay?”
“Yeah. Remember it good.”
Ranta sniffed the air.
He was hungry.
“...Smells nice.”
“D-Do you think? Um... Would you like to try it?”
“If you insist, I don’t mind trying it for you.”
Ranta squared his shoulders as he walked over to stand next to Moguzo. Taking the little dish Moguzo offered him, he took a sip of soup.
His eyes widened.
“Th... This is... This rich scent... The exquisite balance between depth of flavor and a clean aftertaste. The amount of salt is perfect, too. It’s not too much, and yet doesn’t feel insubstantial, either... Moguzo!”
“Wh-What...?”
“Moguzo, man...!”
Ranta threw an arm around Moguzo’s shoulders.
“You really can cook! This is the best! Damn, I want more! I want to drink it all right now! I don’t want to let anyone else have any! I wanna eat all the solid ingredients, too!”
“Ah, haha... Th-That’s a bit much.”
“—Whoa, hold up!”
“Wh-What?”
“Just now, your nostrils flared!”
“No, I don’t think so...” Moguzo hurriedly hid his nose behind his hands.
Ranta smirked. “Now you’ve done it, Moguzo. I saw you! I totally did! I didn’t miss it! That smug, self-satisfied look on your face...!”
“I-I really didn’t mean to...”
“It’s fine, man. Totally fine.”
“Huh...?”
“Moguzo, you’re good at cooking. Where’s the harm in being proud of that? Me, I’m talking how it’s downright indecent the way that, despite that, you act all humble, all modest. It’s fine. Use your talent for cooking to show how wonderful you are! Go for it! Your value will shoot right up! Make women love you! Aim for a harem! That’s what you really want, right? Then don’t hide it! Be honest. Am I right?”
“...You’re wrong.”
“Huh?”
“You’re wrong. I’m not thinking about any of that stuff... I mean it. I just wanted everyone to be able to eat a little bit better. I wanted to see everyone happy...”
“Gappiin!”
“...Gappin?”
“Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
Ranta jumped backwards, reared back, and began dancing.
“Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin!”
“...Huh? Whuh? Wh-What’s going on, Ranta... -kun?”
“Boom! Crash!”
“No, hold on, I don’t unders—”
“Hey, Moguzo, touch me here. Right here.” Ranta stood tall, pointing at his throat.
Moguzo hesitantly poked at Ranta’s neck. “...Here?”
“There! That’s where my scales are...!”
Ranta jumped back again, and jabbed his index finger towards Moguzo.
“You just rubbed them the wrong way! You did...!”
“Whaa... Y-You have scales, Ranta-kun...?”
“You damn well bet I do! You just touched them with your own bare hands! I felt you rubbing them the wrong way!”
“Your... scales?”
“I won’t let you say I don’t have them! Not after you went and touched them all over!”
“I barely even touched—”
“Is that an excuse?! An explanation?! A justification?! Are you seeking vindication?! Or indignation?!”
“I-I have no clue what you’re even talking about now...”
“Don’t worry! Because it doesn’t make any sense to me, either! I know it’s weird for me to be the one to say this, but this stuff happens in life! Am I right?!”
“I-I don’t know how to respond when you say, ‘Am I right?!’ like that...”
“Am I right?!”
“S-Sure...”
“So, anyway! Now that it’s come to this, there’s no way to end this peaceably! Because you literally rubbed me the wrong way! We’ve got to settle this! Face me, Moguzo...!”
“Fa... Face you? At what...?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Ranta shouted as he spread his arms, “In a serious cooking battle! Allez cuisine!”
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login