Romantic Troubles of Duanmu-kun

“I just finished baking these cookies.”

Kaori-san eagerly placed the ceramic plate on the low table between the three of them.

“Please try them! They’re my specialty!”

The Class Rep and Misao sat properly, showing no trace of their earlier near-confrontation. Their expressions were serious, and neither made a move to take any cookies.

Out of caution and concern for his health, he should probably follow their example, but…

“Try them! Come on, try them!”

Kaori-san’s clear eyes beside him kept broadcasting the same message on repeat. She stared at him intently. If he did not reach for a cookie, she probably would not let him off easily.

Hey! Go stare at someone else – like your daughter or her friend sitting right there! The Novelist felt distinctly uncomfortable under the beautiful mature woman’s intense gaze.

…Finally, unable to resist Kaori-san’s sparkling eyes any longer, he sighed and reached toward the ceramic plate. His fingertips felt the residual warmth of the freshly baked cookies. Their aroma wafted to his nose.

Come to think of it, given how each cookie was a different size and shape, they appeared to be animal cookies molded into distinct forms. Moreover, the shapes were not random – one could vaguely see Kaori-san’s determined artistic direction during the baking process.

Picking up one cookie and examining it for a moment, the Novelist asked uncertainly:

“What’s this? It looks like some giant robot standing upon the earth…”

“It’s a puppy,” Kaori-san replied without hesitation.

…Really?

“Um, then I assume this one must be a John Carpenter monster…”

“That’s a kitty!”

“And this Cthulhu-faced eldritch horror?”

“That’s a bunny.”

“…I see!”

If they had merely been poorly made, he would not have been so surprised. But these were not just unlike their intended subjects – the final products were distinctly more complex than their targets, several times more difficult to create. It was truly puzzling.

The Novelist hesitantly put the Cthulhu-faced eldritch ho— er, bunny cookie in his mouth. His tongue faithfully reported back: the cookie was slightly burnt and had a soggy texture like it had absorbed moisture. The taste fell somewhere between regular store-bought animal crackers and dog food.

In short, it was “terrible.”

“Pfft.”

Fujishima Misao noticed the Novelist’s expression and struggled to hold back her laughter. She quickly turned her face aside and began quietly chuckling.

“Well then, dinner’s ready. Why don’t you all come down soon?”

Kaori-san watched contentedly as the Novelist ate the cookies bite by bite.

“S-sure…”

Since both girls maintained rigid expressions, the Novelist had no choice but to answer through a mouthful of cookies.

“Oh my~ Liang-kun, you’re being messy. You’ve got cookie crumbs all over.”

Kaori-san’s expression suddenly changed as if she had discovered something. Her delicate hand reached toward the Novelist’s mouth, her slender fingers brushing away the cookie crumbs from his lips.

It was far too intimate a gesture between an elder and a junior meeting for the first time, but her movements were so natural that the Novelist did not react in time.

Under the gaze of the young man and women, Kaori-san tilted her head, thought silently for a few seconds, then put the crumbs between her rosy lips.

“Eek!”

The girls who had been watching the two could not help but cry out in surprise.

The deduction game that had just started getting lively was forcibly interrupted by Kaori-san’s entrance. The instigator herself had cheerfully hummed a tune as she went downstairs not long ago.

“You know, Fujishima-san, you’ve been glaring at me for almost ten minutes now. Aren’t you tired?”

“Not at all.”

The girl shook her head. Her long ponytail swayed back and forth behind her back. Without raising a hand or uttering insults, she simply observed his every move coldly, maintaining her silence.

“That was not my fault, right? Kaori-san suddenly did that – I was surprised too. Besides, it was not really anything serious…”

“Mm, I know. That’s why I’m not blaming you, Liang-kun. Don’t worry.”

That was precisely what made it so unbearable. This was the Novelist’s first time experiencing such an acute sense of discomfort.

“Um… if we let Kaori-obasan keep working in the kitchen, there might be problems. Maybe we should head down soon,”

The Class Rep tried to persuade her friend, attempting to ease the room’s tense atmosphere.

This seemed to affect Fujishima Misao’s mood. Her expression grew uncertain.

“—!”

A sharp screech cut through the curtain of pouring rain and deep night outside the window. Even across the street, through the trees and distance, it maintained an eardrum-piercing intensity.

“What was that…?”

The Class Rep looked toward the window in surprise.

“Sounds like brakes,”

Fujishima Misao’s expression turned slightly annoyed, probably irritated at the careless driver for interrupting her thoughts.

“It’s raining so hard, yet they’re driving that fast? Do they have a death wish?”

“Should we take a look? The rain’s really heavy. There must be a lot of water on the roads, and it’s night time too. If there was an accident from hydroplaning or something…”

The Class Rep said worriedly.

“Maho-chan, you worry too much. Even if there was an accident, it would be that person’s own fault.”

Despite her words, Fujishima-san grumbled but still obediently walked to the window.

“…Can’t see anything outside right now.”

“What about the binoculars?”

While the girls were talking, the Novelist furrowed his brow, trying hard to recall that sound.

Just now, whether it was his imagination or not, the sound reminded him of an unpleasant memory. That time when he was with Yayoi, being chased—

“Hey, um…”

At this moment, Fujishima-san, who was kneeling by the window peering through the binoculars, began trembling slightly.

“Could you… could you guys come look at this?”

Her voice was hoarse.

“W-what is it?”

The Class Rep approached worriedly.

“That person… what’s going on?”

As if completely absorbed by what she saw through the lens, Fujishima-san took a long time before turning her pale face toward the two behind her.

Seeing her expression, the Novelist felt an ominous premonition rise in his heart.