Meeting Granny Again
Reiji and Haruna each carried a bag with a container filled with their leftovers, leisurely walking towards her house. On the way they bickered back and forth, exchanging light jokes and talking more in depth about the grueling test they just went through.
"...And then, when I was cutting my potatoes my hand slipped a little and I almost cut myself," Haruna laughed, recounting her nervousness during the round.
But Reiji frowned and responded with a slightly frustrated voice, "You should be more careful, those knives are way sharper than what you'd usually find in a household kitchen. A small slip and you might even cut off your finger before you realize it."
Haruna just listened quietly to his worried lecture, smiling the entire time they walked back.
The sun was also just starting to set, casting bright orange hues across the darkening sky.
The atmosphere was nice and quiet since Haruna didn't live near the mains streets, and she couldn't help but feel the immense satisfaction and calmness in her heart.
It had been a long time since she had felt like this, especially with all of the worries she had with her personal life.
So she closed her eyes slowly, and breathed in heavily.
As she let out the exhale, Reiji was still talking to her about different methods she could practice to reduce the risks of getting cut by knives while doing prep work.
"...so if you angle the knife this way it'll be fairly difficult to get hurt unless you make a significant movement," he rambled on while gesturing a holding technique.
"Reiji-tan, you're so weird," she giggled.
"Wha-? Where did that come from?"
"Being taught how to handle a knife by a Yakuza..... I wonder what people would think," Haruna smirked and gave him a playful nudge.
"That's... Wow It does seem crazy, doesn't it," Reiji reflected on the movements he was making with his hand.
If people didn't know better, it was certainly a creepy sight.
Such similar conversations kept happening until they finally arrived at her apartment, stopping in front of the door which still had those drawings on them.
Reiji couldn't help but tease her by saying, "I wonder which adorable creature made this wonderful artwork."
Haruna blushed, just now realizing that Reiji had not only seen these drawings before, but also all the decorations and carvings inside the house.
He was the first friend from school that had seen where she lived, for obvious reasons, and she burrowed her face into her hands in sheer embarrassment.
Reiji laughed and knocked on the door, since she was too preoccupied in her shame. He heard light footsteps approaching, and the door swung open to reveal the slim hunched old lady who had the same pissed off look on her face.
"You could've just ope-...." She faltered in her words when she noticed the tall young man grinning at her.
Her eyes lit up for a brief second with happiness, but it quickly morphed into feigned distaste.
"What are you doing here you brat? Came to bother this frail woman again?" she snapped with her hands on her hips.
"Oh my, so feisty! I brought some delicious chicken and pork belly that I cooked, but it seems like that might be a 'bother' so I'll just take it home," Reiji retorted and tightly grasped the food containers, pretending to step away.
Granny's eyes widened, and she finally noticed the mouth-watering aroma coming from his bag. She quickly pulled him back by the scruff of his neck, barely reaching his collar, and shoved him into the house.
"On second thoughts, I'll allow you to treat me," she snickered, reaching to close the door.
But Haruna was still outside, amused by their interaction. Her jaw dropped in disbelief and she yelled out, "GRANNY, I'M HERE TOO!!??"
"Eh? Haruna? When did you get here?"
The blonde girl was about to throw a tantrum when she noticed the teasing look on Granny's face.
"...Granny, you meanie."
***
"I was so scared towards the end, because only Reiji-tan had passed and two people had gotten eliminated already! I was sure that I was going to fail too, but thankfully they liked it!"
Haruna recounted everything that happened during the test excitedly, while Reiji and Granny kept eating the food that had been distributed.
Though they had already eaten at the club, it was just a little taste so now they were having a proper feast with what was left over.
"Of course you would pass, it was my recipe after all," Granny replied smugly.
"...That's why the flavor is so outdated," Reiji muttered as he took a bite of the Nikujaga.
"Get lost you little shit!" the old woman hissed, slapping his wide open back with immense force.
"AGGHHH FUCCKKKKKK!"
While Reiji rolled around on the sofa and rubbed his back, Granny took a bite out of the karaage and pork belly.
She took her glasses off in satisfaction, enjoying the different tastes and textures.
The chicken had gotten a little soggy by now, but it was still delicious.
"Why are you even part of the Yakuza? Just quit and open a resturant," she commented.
Reiji glared at her, still clutching at his back.
"You think I don't want to? I really am considering becoming a chef, but my shitty Dad might not let that happen," he complained, stabbing his fork at another piece of meat.
"What do you mean?" Haruna asked with a worried expression, and even Granny frowned a little.
"...Nothing, just leave it."
'Dumbass, why would you even say that??' he rebuked himself internally.
The two women exchanged glances, communicating with their eyes. After a few seconds, the old woman raised her hand and made a threatening expression.
"Do you want another one or will you tell us quietly?"
"....You're a psychopath. Don't meet my Dad under any circumstances or he'll try to recruit you!"
"Blah Blah, start talking!"
Reiji sighed as he looked at the worry in their eyes, and a sweet feeling bloomed in his heart.
"...It's nothing major, I was just exaggerating. I already talked to my Dad and he said I can step away from all of this after graduating," Reiji chuckled, downplaying his situation.
The women knew that he wasn't being completely truthful, but they also understood that if they wanted him to open up then forcing it might not be the best choice.
Well, Haruna looked like she wanted to keep interrogating him, but she shut her mouth after Granny glared at her.
The three of them silently went back to eating, eventually lightening the mood with light banter.
***
"Don't hesitate to bring food whenever you make some," Granny patted his shoulder, as if it should be his honor to be able to feed her.
Reiji rolled his eyes and put on his shoes.
"Hmph, shouldn't you just be eating porridge at your age? Can your dentures even handle it?"
"I STILL HAVE TEETH, YOU BRAT!"
"Sure, sure!" Reiji scoffed and walked out.
"See you at school Reiji-tan!" Haruna yelled as he reached the stairs.
"YEP! BYE!"
***
Reiji plopped down on his sofa at home and took out his phone. He had delayed it long enough and was a little worried about what had happened at the Reading Club.
As he opened Chatly, he saw over 25 messages from Yui's account, making him wince.
'Shit, I'm so cooked...'
He sent her a couple of quick messages and decided to talk to her later about this.
He reached for either Greeny or Airi's account before he suddenly paused.
'Wait.... Why don't I just make a group chat? More convenient plus more fun,' he thought internally.
Reiji navigated to the settings and made a group chat, adding his two friends to it. After a brief moment of contemplation, he named it 'Rooftop Gluttons' and saved it.
Maybe it would change later, but this was fine for now.
He sent in the first message and waited for a response.
***
~ROOFTOP GLUTTONS~
Chefalicious: Hellooo! I made a group chat!
MrGreeny: This is awesome! Thanks Reiji-kun! \^o^/
IndigoFlower: WOOHOOOO! I wanted to do this for a while but wasn't sure if you guys would mind!
Chefalicious: No problem, it's more convenient
IndigoFlower: What's with the name though? It has absolutely nothing to do with us? ƪ(˘⌣˘)ʃ
Chefalicious: ಠ_ಠ
IndigoFlower: What? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
MrGreeny: You really do eat a lot Airi-san.....
IndigoFlower: FUCK YOU! SO DO YOU!????
MrGreeny: Lying isn't healthy
IndigoFlower: Hahahaha, alright let's have this same conversation tomorrow! Face-to-face!
MrGreeny: I think I might be sick tomorrow. That's what my horoscope says....
Chefalicious: Lol, now that Greeny can chat without stuttering, he's got real jokes
IndigoFlower: Hmph, he just has no balls to say it to my face!
MrGreeny: Yeah, you have more balls than me....
IndigoFlower: WHAT THE FUCK DOES THAT MEAN?????
Chefalicious: Ok, ok, calm down both of you! Before we go off on a tangent, can you tell me how it went with Sakuraba first?
IndigoFlower: .....Fine. But I haven't forgotten this grudge Greeny ಠ╭╮ಠ
IndigoFlower: It was.....interesting. It was going fine at first, we managed to get her to hang out with us but then.....
MrGreeny: I might have messed things up Reiji-kun (T_T)
Chefalicious: .....Huh?
***
Reiji stared in confusion at his screen, and as Airi and Greeny continued to explain what happened.... His forehead furrowed in disbelief.
'That's....not good.'
***
AUTHOR'S NOTE
~IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT~
Hello Everyone,
Thank you so much for reading and supporting my story so far, it truly means everything!
This is to inform you that instead of contracting with Webnovel, I decided to open a Patreon instead.
The link is:
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There are a bunch of features and fun extras to be found here
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Once again, thank you for everything, and I hope you keep reading my novel.
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- Ares_00
