Chapter 255: Boys' Matters, Boys Solve
After more than ten minutes, the club president, Uchimaki Subaru, Kitamura Yusaku, Usami, and Utaha also arrived. All the invited people were present.
After entering, Utaha said in surprise, "It's much cleaner than I imagined. I originally thought Taiga, living alone, wouldn't be good at cleaning."
Hearing Utaha say this, Aisaka Taiga proudly said, "Hmph hmph hmph! Don't underestimate me! It's just cleaning, right?"
However, she got a bit too carried away, and Takasu Ryuji immediately said, "Don't claim credit for things you didn't do, alright? If I remember correctly, I've helped you tidy up the living room several times myself. I still remember when I first came over, the living room was piled with trash, and the kitchen sink was almost growing strange organisms."
"No no no no noisy!!!"
Aisaka Taiga's face turned red, she yelled, and her small frame bounced repeatedly, trying to kick Takasu Ryuji, while also saying, "I said it is, so it is! Ryuji, you better not talk back to me!!!"
Seeing their interaction, Utaha raised an eyebrow, leaned closer to Eriri, and whispered, "I somehow feel like these two have something going on, but isn't Takasu in love with..."
Eriri nodded, also whispering, "I'm not exactly sure, let's just watch for now. Neither of us should show anything."
"Don't worry, I'm best at this kind of thing."
Gossip is a girl's nature. This time, she discovered something interesting, and Utaha had known about it from the beginning. Now that there was new progress, she would definitely follow up. Maybe she could even put it into love metronome as new material!
Compared to Kaede and Eriri's home, there wasn't much to see at Aisaka Taiga's place. Only the princess bed in her bedroom surprised everyone.
When Usami saw it, her eyes sparkled: "A princess bed! I also dreamed of having a bed like that when I was little, but unfortunately, it never came true."
As she spoke, she nudged Eriri's shoulder: "Eriri, when you bought furniture for your new house, why didn't you choose something like this?"
Shaking her head, Eriri chuckled and said, "I used to think about it, but then I gradually lost interest. My mom and Reiko-auntie handled the furniture shopping at the time, and they did ask us what kind of furniture we wanted, but we didn't have any very specific opinions. As for beds, as long as they're comfortable to sleep on, it's fine. Besides, the beds in our house aren't cheaper than Taiga's."
When she had nothing to do, Eriri would also browse various furniture online and had seen products similar to Aisaka Taiga's bed. The price was indeed a bit cheaper than the bed they currently used at home.
"Oh!!! So that's how it is."
Usami suddenly understood. No wonder Eriri hadn't shown any special expression when she saw it.
Utaha on the other side also said, "Although this bed looks great in every way, unless I move out and live alone in the future, my room at home can't fit it."
It wasn't just her; most people were similar. Japanese houses were inherently small. Unless they were mansions, like these luxury apartments with such large spaces, the prices were by no means low, and ordinary people couldn't afford them.
To this, Aisaka Taiga said calmly, "Actually, it's just like this, it's just a place to sleep."
Although that was the correct meaning, it somehow felt like Aisaka Taiga was trying to provoke envy when she said it... After touring Aisaka Taiga's house, everyone returned to the living room, and Takasu Ryuji was about to prepare lunch.
Looking at Takasu Ryuji busy in the kitchen, Kaede asked with a smile, "Are you sure you don't need our help?"
"No need, I can handle it myself."
Takasu Ryuji said with a smile, "It's nothing complicated. You can't expect her to cook, can you? You go play cards with them, I'll be done soon."
Kaede nodded, walked over and patted Takasu Ryuji's shoulder, and quietly asked, "I've had a question since I saw you arrive, and I've been wanting to ask you for a while."
Seeing Kaede's cautious manner, Takasu Ryuji asked in confusion, "Uh... what?"
Glancing at the people in the living room who were playing cards with paper strips on their faces as stakes, Kaede lowered his voice and said, "It's October already. Are you still in love with Kushieda Minori? From your various behaviors over the past month or two, I have very sufficient reasons to prove that you've fallen for someone else."
"...Huh?"
Takasu Ryuji froze, staring blankly at Kaede.
Seeing his expression, Kaede knew he had completely forgotten to consider this question.
Slapping his forehead, Kaede shook his head helplessly, then patted his shoulder again and said, "I probably shouldn't have brought this up now, I'm being a bit too talkative. You should go cook first, and if you have any questions, think about them carefully after you go home."
After speaking, he ignored Takasu Ryuji's reaction and went to sit beside Eriri.
Having just won a round and pasted a few paper strips on Aisaka Taiga's face, Eriri saw Kaede return to her side and curiously glanced at Takasu Ryuji, who was cooking in the back, giving Kaede a meaningful look.
Kaede shook his head and shrugged.
The two of them had already developed a strong understanding. Eriri immediately knew what Kaede meant, nodded in realization, and continued playing cards.
Boys' matters, let the boys discuss and resolve them themselves.
More than an hour later, lunch was ready, and everyone sat around the dining table.
Looking at the table full of dishes, Aisaka Taiga, surprisingly, said proudly, "Hmph hmph, although I didn't make them, I paid for the groceries!"
After she spoke, Kushieda Minori patted her head and said, "Taiga, you should really thank Takasu-kun for something like this. Why are you taking credit for it?"
"Ugh... I was just kidding!"
Aisaka Taiga, covering her head, looked gloomy. She regretted speaking up.
Takasu Ryuji's craftsmanship was, of course, excellent. After working in a restaurant, he had improved even further, subtly showing the demeanor of a master chef.
After a satisfying lunch and a short break, it was finally time for the main purpose of today's visit: making cakes.
Taking out a pile of purchased ingredients, Aisaka Taiga said proudly, "I've learned it! It's not that hard at all. Let's all make them together and see whose is better!"
Then, at Aisaka Taiga's suggestion, everyone split into groups.
Kaede, Eriri, Kasumigaoka-senpai, and Kitamura Yusaku formed one group of four. The club president, Usami, Uchimaki Subaru, and Takasu Ryuji formed another. The remaining two, Aisaka Taiga and Kushieda Minori, formed the last group.
Although Aisaka Taiga's house had an oven, it didn't seem to be enough, so when baking, they would also use the large oven at Kaede's house, which should be sufficient.
With the groups finalized, they could finally begin.