Youkoso Jitsuryoku Shijou Shugi no Kyoushitsu e - Volume 20.5 - Chapter 5.5

5.5

In the evening, I performed the ceremony of unpacking the products that arrived from my online shopping.

I got my hands on a yogurt maker for 3000 yen.

I skimmed through the thin instruction manual and mastered how to use the machine. It was finally in my possession.

Then, I finished what I needed to do and bought the necessary ingredients—milk and yogurt.

“Alright, let's do this.”

I hadn't thought about it much, but making yogurt was incredibly simple.

First, I took out 100 ml from a one-liter milk carton. I could drink the milk I took out, or use it for cooking. This time, I decided to drink it.

Then I added 100 grams of yogurt to the empty space in the carton.

Now, the milk carton had a ratio of 9:1 milk to yogurt. All I had to do was set it in the yogurt maker.

The timer was set to 9 hours, so once the time was up, all the milk inside the carton would turn into yogurt.

One might argue to just buy yogurt the usual way, but the true value was in doing this for the next batch and in the long run.

The next morning, I'd eat the 1000 grams of yogurt I made, but the important thing was to save 100 grams.

By buying just milk and mixing it in, I could apparently continue ‘planting’ more yogurt.

The power of lactobacilli was amazing.

I could feel it as I started to make it, even though I knew of its function in theory.

But I had only just turned the switch on, so what could I say?

Of course, if I could do this indefinitely, it wouldn't be a hassle.

The milk was fermented by lactobacilli to turn into yogurt, but it was inevitable that the lactobacilli would weaken over time.

As a result, the solidification weakened, so to avoid this, more time was required for fermentation. The strength of the initial bacteria was lost.

I planned to be cautious about hygiene when starting, but there were unavoidable factors such as airborne bacteria, which weakened the work of lactobacilli.

In the end, for a better deal, I should probably finish with three or four batches at most.

I'd just have to gain experience making yogurt and get a feel for it.

That was part of the fun of making my own yogurt.

When I set the timer, it was approaching 9 p.m.

This meant it would be ready at 6 a.m.

“Well then.”

I picked up my phone, which was charging on the bed.

It was about time to contact Kei, or so I thought...

I tried to call Kei from my call history, but my phone rang instead.

I thought for a moment that Kei had gotten impatient and called me, but it didn't seem like it.

“Hello?”

“Errr— H-hi, good evening.”

“It's unusual for you to call, Satō.”

I remembered exchanging contact information with her a long time ago, after last year's sports festival.

“Um, well, there's something I really want to confirm with you.”

“What is it?”

“...It's about Kei-chan.”

As a best friend, I could understand why she’d be worried.

Perhaps she wanted to figure out the emotions I held without telling Kei.

“About Kei? What do you mean?”

On purpose, I decided not to answer directly and instead threw a curveball.

“You've been fighting lately... haven't you?”

“Did you hear that?”

“Well, I guess. It's more like, ‘I figured it out from the flow of the conversation.’”

Instead of saying that she had been explicitly asked for advice, she claimed to have noticed something unnatural while talking with Kei.

“It's almost the end of the year... You're going to make up, right?”

Rather than doubting whether we would meet, she was more concerned about what would happen when we did meet.

Feeling the unease, she must’ve been acting out of concern for Kei's well-being.

She might not have been considering the impact of this phone call on the other party, but for now, I wanted to appreciate the feelings she had for her best friend.

“I was just about to contact Kei just now about the promise.”

“Is that so? That means… you're going to make up with her, right?”

“Of course, that's the plan. Unless Kei has other plans and can't make it.”

Even though we had made a prior appointment, she hadn't confirmed it at all.

It was only natural that you couldn’t force a meeting by imposing only your convenience.

Of course, since I hadn't received any information stating otherwise, I believed that there should be no problem fulfilling the promise.

On the other side of the phone, Satō gulped. A soundless voice faintly reached my ears.

“I'm glad! Yeah, that's good! I'm getting in the way, so I'll hang up now!”

Deciding that any further conversation would just make Kei more anxious, she tried to hang up.

“Wait a minute. There's something I want to tell you.”

“What is it?”

Satō became cheerful after knowing I would contact Kei later.

Being able to support someone whilst putting their feelings and themselves second was a sign of a genuinely strong heart.

That was why I could delve a little deeper into the matter.

“Of course, as a boyfriend, I'm supposed to protect Kei. But that's not enough.”

“What do you mean?”

“You never know when, or where, or what kind of problems will come. It's not just about love, is it? Troubles can arise from tangled friendships, and there's a risk of expulsion due to the school's unique rules. Just like how you felt uneasy about Kei and me, human relationships can break down at any time, and any place. Even if you feel absolutely secure, it can change to insecurity the moment a crack appears.”

“That's—”

For Satō as well, it would be an undeniable fact.

When Satō acknowledged the relationship between Kei and me, she must’ve felt relieved at the same time.

Ayanokōji would protect Kei and cherish her—she must have had that kind of baseless confidence.

However, she panicked at one unexpected situation and felt anxious.

That was why, despite the risks, she made this phone call.

“You had to support her as a friend—no, as a best friend. Of course, this was based on the premise that you acknowledged Kei as such.”

“That's obvious!”

Without a moment's delay, Satō declared that she would protect Kei.

“Then that's fine. But in return, I’ll guarantee the opposite as well.”

“...The opposite?”

“If you can't protect Kei, I will protect Kei.”

“Can I trust you…? Is that okay?”

“Of course.”

Our true intentions, essence, and real feelings didn't matter.

It was better to make Satō think that way—to make an invisible contract.

Even if I abandoned Kei, the chances of Satō devotedly continuing her help would increase.

If Satō were to be expelled or something, there would be no way for her to know if I would continue to protect Kei afterward. There would be no grudge even if I went back on my promise.

However, Kei currently had an important role to play in maintaining Horikita's class.

“Today, I was told by Kei that she wanted to meet with you. She wanted to say thank you.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Thank you.”

“No, no need to thank me. If you two get along well, that's all I need.”

“Alright. Then please hear tomorrow's report from Kei.”

“I'll prepare myself for the lovey-dovey story.”

After finishing the call, I felt a subtle change in my emotions within the empty room.

Manipulating others with my own words.

That is, for me, classified as 'fun' behavior.

It didn't matter if the words were true or false.

The fact that I even found the other’s attempts to manipulate me 'fun.'

I even wanted to welcome being deceived unknowingly.

To know and learn about people. To be taught.

Many more people—or perhaps, bigger and unknown, giant opponents.

If I could control and master such people, I couldn't help but think it would be even more enjoyable.

But still, Satō had improved her skills little by little.

Even in just one phone call, I could see her growth.

“Well—”

I was a little late for our promised time, but I decided to call Kei.