5th Meal

Side Dishes and Shopping Part 1

“Huh? Onii-san!”

“Hmm…? Oh, It’s you.”

Today’s holiday, I was shopping for groceries at the local supermarket when I heard a voice behind me, so I turned around.

Standing there was the high school girl next door. It had been a week since she had brought me a rather expensive-looking cookie as a thank-you gift, and I was impressed that she remembered my face so well.

Incidentally, I was never good at remembering people’s faces. Even now, to the point where I didn’t know who she was for a moment. Rather, if she hadn’t called me “Onii-san,” it might have taken me a few seconds to remember.

“Hello! Are you shopping too, brother?”

“Yes, I’m doing my weekly shopping. What about you…?”

“I’m here to buy my food for the day too!”

“…Looks like it…”

With a carefree smile, I looked at the shopping basket she held up and saw several side dishes in plastic containers and a few sweet breads thrown inside. Apparently, she is still eating as usual…

“…It’s lunchtime now, but what are your plans for dinner?”

“Heh? Here it is.”

(Your dinner is just sweet bread!?)

That’s not even nutritious, is it?

Also, this side dish is her lunch? She doesn’t have a microwave oven in her house, so she can’t eat commercially packaged rice.

Fried chicken, potato salad, and pork cutlet…That’s more luxurious than mine, but eating only these without staple foods would be tasteless in a sense.

While I was thinking about that, the high school girl was cheerfully talking that the bread she is holding is super delicious. The fact that she doesn’t see that diet as a problem is more of a concern than anything else….

(I don’t think it’s a good idea to get too involved in other people’s business….)

After much deliberation, I made my decision and told her,

“Hey, Can I ask you to come over to my place for a bit after this…?”

“Eh?”

The high school girl tilted her head with a puzzled expression plastered on her face.

　★

“Hmmm~~!”

A nervous high school girl came to my residence, Utatane Heights Room 206, on her way home from the supermarket. I mercilessly fed her a bowl of freshly cooked white rice.

With my chopsticks, I picked up some leftover stir-fried vegetables, or rather, stir-fried bean sprouts, while smiling at the high school girl who was eating the rice as if it were the finest dessert.

“Freshly cooked rice is the best!”

“I’m glad to hear that. I’ve got some more for you, so don’t hesitate to eat a lot.”

“Thank you very much!”

At first, she refused while saying that this is wrong but when she was served freshly cooked rice on an empty stomach, she couldn’t take it anymore. The easygoing high school girl easily fell into my trap and emptied the bowl of rice that I offered her with her wonderful appetite.

“Onii-san! This fried chicken is so delicious! Would you like one?”

“Eh? No, it’s yours so yo–”

“If you say so then the food I’m eating right now belongs to you, Besides, it’s better to share good food!”

“I-Is that so?”

I was persuaded by the high school girl who was leaning forward to get one of the fried chicken. It was like a “Warashibe Chōja” because two bowls of rice turned into a bowl of fried chicken. (Tired: Warashibe Chōja – Straw Millionaire – Japanese folk tale)

Depending on the store, side dishes from supermarkets are usually tasty. It is only natural, of course, since they are made to be popular with the masses. Moreover, she had bought them freshly fried at lunchtime, so they were still hot inside without having to be reheated.

“Mghn…it’s really tasty…”

“Right~~~? It goes really well with rice~”

Since I started cooking for myself, I rarely buy side dishes and fry my own food. I tried to make my own potato chips once when I had just started cooking and failed miserably.

But eating delicious fried food like this makes me wish I could learn to make it myself. I’ll look up how to make it next time…

“Onii-san! Try this Pork Cutlet!”

“Don’t drag me into the path of fried food too much. Eat more vegetables.”

“I’m eating potato salad~ Where are yours?

“I eat fried bean sprouts every day.”

“Oh, that’s great~!”

“Why do you look so envious?”

While exchanging such casual conversation, I was caught by a high school girl mood who was eating rice with such relish that I unusually had to have two more servings of white rice.