My bad feelings were confirmed, and I was called out to a café by Kaburagi. It might be closer to a coffee shop. The interior was decorated with antiques, and I could only hear the bubbling from the siphon, a quiet, calming shop.

"This is a nice place."

"Isn't it? It's a favorite of mine."

I like fashionable cafés, but stores that are hidden away like this are relaxing, too. I ordered the coffee of the day like Kaburagi. I wanted iced coffee, but specialized shops like this might look down on that.

"Just coffee? The cheese cake here is good."

"Is it? But I have dinner when I get back…"

"Then ask for a small slice. The cheesecake here is a masterpiece, rich in flavor and smooth in texture."

"…If you say that much, I must try a piece." If that gourmand, Kaburagi, praises it that much, I have to order a slice.

Now, down to business. I press Kaburagi to tell me what he couldn't over the phone. "So you were saying Takamichi-san's cookies were delicious?"

Kaburagi nodded. "Right. Takamichi was good at cooking, and not just making snacks. And when I mentioned how good the eggs and other sides looked, she offered to make me lunch starting tomorrow."

"Huh!?" Wakaba-chan promised to make him lunch!? He skipped a few steps to get there!

Kaburagi declared, "I was correct in going to the same summer classes," in satisfaction. "I'm looking forward to tomorrow."

"Oh. I see…" Oh? But… "Kaburagi-sama, did you not dislike handmade food?" At Zuiran, handmade chocolates were avoided, and the luxury chocolates were preferred, but Kaburagi was famous for not accepting anything handmade.

"Yeah. I don't like it."

"Can you eat handmade lunches then?"

"I'm fine. The main reason I dislike handmade is for sanitary reasons and flavor. Takamichi is okay."

"Oh." Flavor. Kaburagi does seem picky.

"And handmade seems too pushy."

"Pushy?"

"Right. Like how people went to a culinary class and spent hours making it just for me, so please have some." That is pushy... "And if I turn them down, they call me terrible and start crying."

"Oh… that must be troublesome…"

"Isn't it? And I can see how some cry to guilt me into accepting it. Really cunning."

"I see. But aren't there girls who are truly hurt by being rejected?"

"Don't care. Their fault from bringing me something unasked for thinking I'd accept it." As he says, but cutting them down…

"Another words, you dislike the intentions behind the handmade goods."

"Yeah."

Huh? But didn't Kaburagi give Yurie-sama handmade accessories? The permanence of the accessories seem worse than the handmade food… But Kaburagi's rant on handmade goods continues.

"Besides, I never asked for it, so attacking me for not eating it? Where's the logic? As I said, I worry about sanitation. I don't eat anything not made by someone who clips their fingernails short. Do they realize how many germs there are on nails? If I ate something kneeded with long fingernails plastered with garbage, I'd have food poisoning! And there'll be a rhinestone that fell off from them!"

"Oh. Is that so…?" He must have had a problem in the past. He was awfully specific. Maybe he ate something from a girl with long decorated nails before. Well, I don't like that either. I keep my nails short for the tea ceremony and such, and don't put anything on them, though I do keep them maintained at a nail salon.

"I understand your feelings, but can't you accept them and take care of it later?"

"I don't want to be two-faced. And I don't care about the girl who made it, but I pity the food that gets thrown away without being eaten. It's disrespectful to those who grew it. I don't like wasting food."

"I see…" He's earnest. Well, I don't dislike how he thinks about food, but it must be difficult to be so serious.

"At my kindergarden…"

"Yes?" Why kindergarden!?

"Inside school grounds, we had a vegetable garden. I grew some as part of their effort to educate good sense. Well, an adult did most of the work, and all we did was to plant and water. Even so, I was happy when they grew and sad when a typhoon spoiled it."

"Yes."

"So I can't have food be thrown away without being eaten after all that effort. I definitely don't want to eat anything disgusting that I don't trust. You understand? This dilemma. It's really troubling. Forcing handmade food on me. Forcing handmade food to somebody who's declared that they won't accept it. What are they thinking?"

"Hmm…" Trying to show that they can cook, maybe? "But you can eat Takamichi-san's snacks, even worrying about sanitation."

"She's from a home where they handle food in a shop, and Takamichi keeps her nails short, and their cakes are good. And I have no resistance to Takamichi's cooking. I wonder why? Also Yurie. I've always been able to eat Yurie's cooking."

Another words, if it was made by someone you like, you can eat it. It's just a matter of how he feels. "By the way, what if I brought handmade snacks for you?" I threw both my hands in front of him showing him my short nails.

"Oh, sorry. I'm vegan so I have a strict diet."

…This is the first I've heard of that… You just had eggs at lunch that Wakaba-chan made. You call yourself vegan?!

"Oh, I learned something new. I've seen you consume junk food with meat many times. You also had grilled chicken with me."

"…My survival instinct is screaming at me not to."

What's that? It's insulting. My nails are short, so he thinks that he'll get food poisoning for a reason other than sanitation? Are you calling my cooking bad? I'm learning cooking from Akemi-san. She even said that I'm improving quickly. How insulting.

It doesn't matter, because I don't feel like making any effort to cook for Kaburagi! This is for my future boyfriend of husband!

When I get married in the future, I'm going to pack lunches full of love. He'll accept it at the door saying, 'Thank you. I can work hard after having Reika's lunch.' Ooh! Work hard, dear!

And on our anniversary, the lunch will be white rice with sakura denbu (pink colored mashed and seasoned fish) shaped in a big heart. Will his colleagues make fun of him? Ufu. ….this is sad…

The coffee and cheesecake was brought to us.

"Oh, this cheesecake really is good."

"Isn't it?"

I don't normally drink much coffee, but it matches the sweet cheesecake well.

"Maybe I should order cheesecake, too."

"Cheesecake contains dairy, so the vegan Kaburagi-sama can't."

"…"

The vegan can keep drinking black coffee without milk.

"That reminds me, I talked about the morning glory fair with Takamichi." What!? I looked up from my cheesecake. "She became interested, and wanted to go."

"I see. Which one will you attend?"

"The one Shuusuke mentioned that lasts into the night. We can go after cram school." Okay. I'll avoid that one. "It's going to be a good summer."

"Is that so…" After replying, I asked if I could buy some coffee for the coffee-loving Oniisama, and father, just because.