84 - Guess the Flavor Game

RAW

Haruto felt an array of emotions—joy, affection, embarrassment, and a touch of frustration—all at once in response to the whispered words from Ayaka in his arms.

"...Th-thank you," he stammered, feeling his face flush as he looked into Ayaka’s slightly teary eyes gazing up at him.

While he wanted to reciprocate her words with an "I love you," he couldn’t bring himself to say it. To Haruto, those words were far too meaningful to utter lightly. His deep affection for Ayaka made it impossible to trivialize them.

Ayaka, still nestled against him, rubbed her cheek against his chest with a blissful smile. Haruto gently stroked her hair and asked, "What do you want to start with from the festival food?"

Easing his hold on her, he pulled back slightly, allowing her to look at the assortment of food spread out on the living room table.

"Hmm… I want to eat omusoba first!"

"Alright, let’s start with that."

The two of them sat side by side on the sofa. Ayaka picked up a plastic container of omusoba with a cheerful expression.

"These little containers make it feel so much more like festival food," she said, pulling off the rubber band holding the lid.

"Right? Add the disposable chopsticks, and it’s perfect," Haruto replied as he split a pair of chopsticks.

"Ah, oops. These didn’t split right," he muttered, holding up a pair that had broken unevenly.

Ayaka chuckled. "That’s a bad split for sure."

"Ugh, this is going to be tricky to use," Haruto lamented, but Ayaka, grinning mischievously, picked up a piece of omusoba with her chopsticks and brought it to his mouth.

"Here, I’ll feed you. Say ahh," she said playfully.

Though Haruto had experienced her "practice" feeding during their fake relationship days, he still couldn’t entirely suppress his embarrassment. Blushing slightly, he accepted the bite of omusoba.

"Is it good?" she asked.

"Yeah… but I mean, I made it," he replied, averting his gaze shyly.

The two enjoyed the rest of their feast, moving on to fried chicken skewers, French fries, and even candied apples.

"Did you really make these candied apples at home?" Ayaka asked, taking a bite.

"Yeah, it’s pretty easy. Just melted sugar on fruit. If I’d used food coloring, they’d look even fancier."

Ayaka nodded in awe as Haruto crunched into a pickled cucumber. "Hmm, this could’ve used more time to pickle. The flavor’s a bit weak."

"I think it tastes refreshing! I like it," Ayaka reassured him.

After sampling all the food, Haruto asked, "Still got room?"

"I’m pretty full, but I could definitely handle dessert," she said with a smile.

Haruto stood and headed to the kitchen. Ayaka trailed after him curiously.

"What are you making?"

Pulling a cup labeled Ice, he smiled. "You can’t have a summer festival without shaved ice."

"True!" Ayaka agreed enthusiastically as Haruto retrieved a shaved ice machine from the cabinet.

He quickly prepared a towering mound of shaved ice, asking, "Which syrup do you want—strawberry, melon, or blue Hawaii?"

"Ugh, tough choice. I want strawberry, but melon sounds good too… and it’s been ages since I had blue Hawaii."

"How about we try all three? A little of each for variety," Haruto suggested.

"Yes! Let’s do that!"

The two sat down with their shaved ice, alternating between flavors. When they tried the blue Hawaii syrup, Ayaka suddenly spoke up.

"Hey, I heard all shaved ice syrups actually taste the same. Is that true?"

"I’ve heard that too," Haruto replied.

Ayaka’s eyes sparkled with excitement. "Let’s play a game! We’ll take turns guessing the flavor while blindfolded."

"Sounds fun. Let’s do it," Haruto agreed, smirking.

"And the loser has to say three things they love about the winner," Ayaka added mischievously.

"Guess I’ll get to hear Ayaka say she loves me," Haruto teased.

"You’re so cocky!"

The game began with Ayaka blindfolded. Haruto carefully drizzled melon syrup on the ice and offered her a bite.

"Hmm… is it… melon?" she guessed confidently.

"Are you sure?" Haruto asked, feigning surprise.

Ayaka wavered. "Wait… maybe it’s strawberry? No—blue Hawaii!"

Haruto chuckled as she switched between guesses, finally announcing the truth: "It was melon!"

Her jaw dropped in mock outrage. "I said melon first!"

"First impressions matter," Haruto teased, dodging her playful punches.

When it was Haruto’s turn, Ayaka whispered, "I’ll make it a little harder for you."

"Sure," he said, thinking she might mix two syrups. But instead of a spoonful of ice, something soft and warm pressed against his lips.

Eyes snapping open, he found Ayaka inches away, her face bright red but full of determination.

"So, what flavor was it?" she murmured.

Haruto’s voice caught. "…That’s too hard."

"Then I’ll give you another taste," she whispered, leaning in again.

The sweetness lingered long after the game ended, but Haruto wasn’t sure whether he’d truly won or lost.