{The Two’s Pride 2}

Then I washed my hands and sat down at the dining table with her.

We sat facing each other at the table, clasping our hands together before the plates of curry.

“Let’s eat.”

“Let’s eat!”

Just like when she makes beef stew, her curry had large, hearty pieces of ingredients. In her family, the tradition was to use cubed pork for curry. The roux was the store-bought mild kind, so it wasn’t very spicy. But I’m not particularly crazy about super spicy food, so it was perfectly enjoyable for me.

I scooped up some curry and rice with my spoon and eagerly took a bite. Watching me begin to eat, Miyu paused and looked at me intently.

“Is it… tasty?”

It was rare for her to ask me how it was before I could give my thoughts, so I quickly answered.

“It’s really delicious. Even more so than usual.”

“Really? I’m glad…”

Miyu let out a small sigh of relief.

“I made it all by myself today, so I was worried it wouldn’t turn out right.”

“You always cook well. I barely help at all.”

When she makes dinner, I usually only give minimal assistance. I thought she should feel confident in her cooking, but it seemed like she had put a lot of effort and care into making tonight’s curry.

“Of course, I want to make it tasty if I’m going to cook.”

She said this with a serious expression.

“And I wanted to make sure the curry was extra delicious since I knew you’d be coming home hungry. Plus, when I come home late, you always make something really delicious for me, so I wanted to show my appreciation.”

One of the rules we set when we started living together was that whoever got home earlier would make dinner. Usually, I get home first, and even on weekends, I’m the one who tends to cook more often, but that’s just because I’m used to it.

Still, she always compliments me and shows her gratitude for even these routine things.

I want to do the same—praise and thank her, too.

“Today’s curry is the best you’ve made yet.”

So, I said that, and then I added:

“I couldn’t make something like this. The depth of flavor is amazing. It’s really good.”

“Stop, you’re flattering me too much…”

Miyu blushed and fidgeted, almost as if she’d forgotten her own earlier compliments.

She looked so cute being flustered that I even thought about teasing her a little more.

“Thanks for the delicious meal, Miyu.”

When I bowed my head to show my gratitude, she became even more flustered.

“Oh, don’t thank me… it’s me who should be thanking you. You always work harder than I do.”

“I didn’t do anything today.”

“No, you did.”

Even though I was being humble, Miyu shook her head firmly.

“You came all the way to meet me near the store.”

“I did that because I wanted to.”

“But the people at the store were all saying how kind and thoughtful you were for coming to meet me. They said you were so sweet…”

Then, as if she suddenly remembered something, she lowered her gaze.

With a shy smile on her lips and a quieter voice, she mumbled,

“So… I said I’m proud of you.”

“Proud? Of what?”

“Of you, Atsushi. You’re my pride.”

“Pride in what?”

When I pressed her a little more, Miyu stiffened and raised her head.

Blushing deeply, she mumbled with a flustered expression,

“Well, you know… I mean, you’re… my proud… um, curry… I mean, that’s what I meant!”

I guess the people at the store had teased her a lot about it.

I know this side of her is cute too, but since she’s my proud girlfriend, I’d prefer if they didn’t tease her too much.

After all, I want to keep seeing this cute, embarrassed face of hers all to myself if I can.