Chapter 206 – A Few Things About Being a Househusband

Compared to before, the days after the snowfall felt much more humid.

It was Monday, and the weather was still fairly clear.

Tokyo winters were always unpredictable.

In November and December, the air grew cold, but once mid-January came, the temperature would suddenly warm up again… though not always.

Like today, for instance—technically still winter, but the moment you stepped outside, you couldn’t feel even a hint of a cold breeze.

This was the conclusion Aoki had drawn after living in Tokyo for two years—though, counting this one, he had only really experienced two winters.

In any case, it was the second Monday of December.

The first busy day after finalizing the next few days’ schedule—

That morning, after finishing practice on the new song he had exchanged for yesterday, Aoki spent some time at home studying so he wouldn’t fall behind on schoolwork.

In the afternoon, he headed to the livehouse.

After who knows how many times passing by that vending machine, he finally walked downstairs, pushed the door open, and stepped inside.

“Ah! Long time no see! Goooood afternoooon! Good afternoon, Kei-senpai!”

Kita had arrived a little earlier than him.

The moment she heard the door open and saw her senior walk in, she beamed with her usual, overflowing cheer and called out to him.

By this point, Aoki was used to Kita’s endless energy.

But being used to it was one thing—responding with the same kind of bright, over-the-top enthusiasm was another.

That was simply beyond him.

So, he only gave a light nod and opened his mouth to give a simple reply—

But before he could, Seika’s voice cut in.

“Well, if it isn’t Aoki.”

From behind the livehouse counter, Ijichi Seika had noticed him enter after hearing Kita’s loud greeting.

Resting her chin on one hand, she gave him a flat look and teased,

“Aoki-sensei really is such a playboy, huh? After all this time, you finally show up here again. Don’t tell me you’ve found yourself a new band outside?”

Her words were mostly a joke, but not without the faintest hint of resentment.

Especially that word—playboy.

The way it landed in Aoki’s ears left him feeling uneasy.

After all—Seika definitely knew how Nijika felt about him.

After spending so much time with them, she must have also picked up on his hesitation when it came to the girls.

So, coming from her… he couldn’t believe that word didn’t carry any hidden meaning.

Thinking back to Nijika’s gloomy expression from a few days ago, and Seika’s worried tone back then… yeah, her little jab now almost felt inevitable.

Aoki’s expression stiffened, unsure of how to respond.

Because, in the end, it was true—he had been the one hesitating first.

In that awkward moment, Kita didn’t know what to say either.

Bocchi looked completely lost, while Ryo just smirked at the unfolding drama.

Aoki took a deep breath, opened his mouth—

But said nothing.

Fortunately, salvation came from the recording booth, where Nijika peeked her head out.

Her voice was like a melody, like a goddess descending to save him.

“Come on, Sis, don’t say stuff like that! Kei-senpai’s busy writing songs, arranging, handling contracts… He’s got a lot on his plate!”

She jumped in to defend him, puffed her cheeks a little, then turned to meet her sister’s gaze.

But within seconds, under Seika’s pointed ‘My little sister’s grown up and now sides with others’ stare, Nijika wilted in defeat.

She quickly turned away from her sister, ignoring her entirely, and looked back at Kei.

Seeing him awkwardly avert his gaze, she hurried to change the subject.

“Anyway—anyway, let’s not talk about useless stuff… Kei-senpai, didn’t you say in the group chat yesterday that we’d practice the new song today? You… you brought the sheet music, right?”

Back to business.

Last night, after Aoki practiced “Hikoutei” enough to feel somewhat comfortable with it, he had mentioned in the Kessoku Band chat group that it was time to prepare for a new song.

They set a practice time to avoid anyone missing it last minute—though, truthfully, that “anyone” was usually Aoki himself.

Either way, the moment he mentioned a new song, all the girls’ attention snapped toward him.

Even Bocchi, who had been secretly observing everyone’s emotions and telling herself not to believe rumors without proof, lifted her eyes to look at Kei.

His expression returned to calm.

He gave a short cough, pulled out several freshly printed sheets from his bag, and said,

“The new song is called Hikoutei. Unless something changes, it’ll probably go on our album too. PVC’s been pushing me about it nonstop—so yeah, we really need to get the album moving.”

…

With the new song settled, they went through some simple practice.

Nothing out of the ordinary—the afternoon passed by peacefully.

Until around 9 p.m.

After Kita and Bocchi left early, practice wrapped up.

Aoki also made his way out of the livehouse.

But just as he stepped outside, Ryo caught up to him.

The girl slung her backpack over one shoulder, her steps light as she strolled right up beside him.

Balancing on the narrow curb at the side of the road, Ryo stretched her arms out for balance as she walked forward.

Her gaze stayed fixed on her feet as she casually asked, “Suki-san, what’s for dinner tonight? It’s my first day here… are we having a feast?”

Aoki gave her a helpless look and sighed.

This girl sure had some nerve—acting as if it was only natural.

Yesterday, when she asked to stay over, she definitely wasn’t this bold.

But… since he agreed, he had to take responsibility.

“Bento? Or maybe the izakaya near my place? I’m fine with anything—it’s up to you.”

“Eh? You’re letting me decide?” Ryo tilted her head in thought, then turned to face Aoki with a decisive look.

“Then let’s go buy groceries right now. Tonight’s dinner—Suki-san, you’re in charge of cooking.”

Aoki stopped in his tracks and gave her a long, searching look.

He blinked.

Confirmed she wasn’t joking.

Confirmed she hadn’t forgotten his tragic history of failing even at something as simple as grilling meat.

And then—he actually felt moved.

Finally… the strategies he learned from Cooking++ could be put to the test.

Even now, Aoki could clearly recall all the recipes and tips he’d picked up there:

—Should you cook the tomatoes first or the eggs first when making tomato scrambled eggs?

—How do you properly prepare freshwater fish?

—And most importantly, what does “add an appropriate amount” actually mean?

“How about tomato scrambled eggs? Braised pork? And maybe stir-fried pork with green peppers on the side? How’s that?”

“Sounds good.”

Ryo nodded.

She had tasted Kei’s cooking before, and honestly… it wasn’t great.

But he did say on LINE that he’d been practicing seriously lately.

And given how naturally talented he was at most things, she figured—maybe, just maybe, his cooking would turn out better this time.

Besides, from the way he spoke just now, without a shred of hesitation…

“Suki-san, one day you’ll definitely make a fine househusband. I believe in you. You’ll cook, sing, and earn money, while I’ll take care of spending it all—”

“Me? A househusband?”

Aoki started walking again.

Ignoring the second half of her statement, he answered seriously,

“No joke—I’m aiming to be a kitchen god. But as for being a househusband, I do have some thoughts on the subject. Ryo, did you know? Whether or not a man can cook tomato scrambled eggs properly—that’s the ultimate test of his househusband skills.”

“Mhm. I believe you.”

Ryo nodded absentmindedly.

They bought the groceries, then caught the train back to Kei’s apartment.

After settling her in, Aoki strode into the kitchen brimming with confidence.

But as it turned out—even geniuses have things they’re terrible at.

By 9:40 p.m., Ryo was forcing down a mouthful of tomato scrambled eggs that were way too sweet.

To erase the lingering sugary taste on her tongue, she quickly shoveled some rice into her mouth…

Only to find the rice was half-raw.

“…It’s awful.”

Her verdict was blunt, flat, and completely unconcerned about Kei’s feelings.

She glanced at him again, adding matter-of-factly, “Suki-san, you’ll never be a proper househusband like this. So in the future, after you get married… am I supposed to be the one cooking instead?”

Aoki slumped in his sofa, utterly drained.

After a long silence, he finally muttered, changing the subject,

“I’ll clean up later. You go take a bath first.”

Once again—who knows how many times now he seriously considered giving up on his dream of learning to cook.

Standing in the kitchen, he washed dishes quietly, his gaze downcast.

When he finished drying the last pair of chopsticks, another thought suddenly crossed his mind.

Wait a second…

That small backpack Ryo carried—aside from her books, could it really fit a change of clothes?

Second Monday of December.

Ryo’s very first day staying over.

As he stared at the dishes in his hands, Aoki couldn’t help but feel—his life had just gotten a little more chaotic.