Reason

They finally had a rare dinner time together today.

For an unknown reason, Shika got a day off from work. He finally realized why Yuki would do all housework when she was alone at home. She was bored, and so was he. He did accomplish everything, except… the meals.

He always grabbed some food until he overly starved himself, so it was unnecessary for him to learn cooking. Not to mention that Yuki always prepared his when she was cooking. If he were still living alone, at least he got a chance to practice making eggs or dumplings, but now, he didn’t see the necessity.

That was why Yuki sighed and laughed at him when she saw him lifelessly laying on the sofa because of starvation and the lack of ingredients for simple sandwiches. She teased him that this was the result if he didn’t learn how to cook. He slightly opened his eyes but didn’t get offended by the joke. That was nothing to be offended. It was the truth.

He sat at the table and looked at how fluently Yuki put the rice into the cooker, cut the vegetable, and saute. It was weird for him to have cooked vegetables when they just started a life together. However, he gradually got used to it because of Yuki. He would even look for it on the menu when they dined out.

Dishes were served one by one, and there was only the rice left.

Before the rice was cooked, Yuki kept entering and leaving the kitchen. Shika was wondering why but kept silent.

“SHIKA! THANK YOU VERY MUCH!” Yuki’s surprising and happy voice entered the kitchen first, then her delightful face showed up. As for him, he was confused.

“All chores are done.” After having a glass of water, Yuki declared it gratefully and added, “I hope you don’t need to work every day.”

“Then the rent will remain unpaid,” Shika said it calmly while appreciating Yuki’s beaming face.

“I am…” Just when Yuki wanted to talk back, the notification from the cooker caught her attention. She entered the kitchen and returned with two bowls of cooked rice.

When everything was served, Yuki couldn’t wait anymore. She gobbled the food up until she noticed Shika was looking at her. She stopped eating and looked at him with all her attention. Noticing her action, Shika hurried her to continue to finish the meal.

“Why do you like me?” Right after Yuki said that he was not eating, he suddenly asked.

Yuki was too shocked to continue eating. And about a second passed, She started to laugh. She laughed so hard that there were tears hanging in her eyes.

She wiped them off and said, “What kind of the question this is? Hahahaha. Isn’t this usually asked by girls?”

And when Shika thought he would never get the answer from her, she answered, “ Because you are cool.”

Shika’s facial expression didn’t change a bit, but Yuki knew him too well. Shika knew she was joking, but he would only ask it when he was extremely curious about it.

Yuki put down the bowl and her spoon and looked at him with a genuine smile. She said firmly, “You always say how mean you are. You are quiet, not good at interacting with people, and you hate crowded places. But in the meantime, you are the loneliest person I’ve ever known. Even so, you would hear me vent when I was sad or angry; even though you are not a hugger, you would embrace me when I couldn’t help wailing. For me, you are the best. I like you because I know how kind, nice, and gentle you are.”

Something showed up and disappeared in Shika’s eyes as quick as a flash, and Yuki didn’t get it. She only saw him finally grab his fork and spoon and start to eat. He chewed in silence, and Yuki continue her part. Some occasional eye contacts warmed up the moment.

If there were a definition of happiness, it might be described as a moment like now. The thought came to Yuki’s mind. She looked at the person who was willing to do everything for her, had the meal, and cherished the moment once in a blue moon. She might never know why Shika loved her, but she at least let him know how much she loved him.

Maybe in other people’s eyes, Yuki was the person who always seek for security and love and always want to stay by Shika’s side, but she knew that Shika was looking for the same thing. The difference was that he would never say it. He would keep his distance from her as if he was preventing himself from getting seriously hurt after the break-up with her.

“I like you. You are my favorite person in the world who I trust the most.” After saying that, Yuki left with her empty bowls and tableware.

“I love you, too.” Making sure Yuki wouldn’t hear him, he looked at her for a while and said quietly. If Yuki heard it, she would know how deeply she was loved by Shika and how many emotions were deeply hidden in the sentence.

He didn’t want to leave her alone, either.

The end. 2020.08.29