Anime Heart

"Oh, I see! I thought we saw you first."

"Hey, Kaori Miyazono, can I call you Kaori-chan?" Ryota Watari asked somewhat eagerly. "Also, you two only met yesterday, yet you're already so close that you can call each other by our first names. You seem to get along very well!"

"If you're not afraid that Keiko will come after you later, you can call me whatever you want," Kaori Miyazono teased, recalling the amusing scene from earlier.

Seeing that Ryota Watari was a little embarrassed, Kaori Miyazono continued, "Well, actually I don't know what's going on. We only met yesterday, but it feels like we've known each other for a long time. But we really get along well."

"Ha! I know, I know!" Tsubaki Sawabe shouted, "That's called love at first sight! I bet Hitoshi feels the same way."

"Wow! How romantic! The person I fell in love with at first sight also fell in love with me at first sight. This kind of thing that only exists in romance novels actually happened to me! Wow! I wish other people could know about this!!"

As she spoke, Tsubaki Sawabe looked at Kaori Miyazono with shining eyes, wanting her permission.

Chapter 48 Ryota Watari's Persuasion

Kaori Miyazono didn't intend to hide it; she did indeed have some feelings for Arima Kento, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it love at first sight.

Moreover, she has now given herself another task: to have a proper relationship with Arima Kento in the final stage of her life, at least to give away her first love.

Perhaps heaven doesn't accept those who still have their first love!

"It's okay, it's nothing shameful, Tsubaki, you can say whatever you want!" Kaori Miyazono said with a smile, "But the most important thing right now is to eat, right? I can't wait to see Hito's cooking!"

After she finished speaking, she looked expectantly at the kitchen with her eyes sparkling.

“That’s true, let’s quickly tidy up the table first!” Sawabe Tsubaki agreed, and then she took Miyazono Kaoru’s hand and walked towards the table next to the kitchen.

"Oh, right, you two shouldn't come over and make things worse. Clean up all the trash in the living room, then go wash your hands. Dinner's almost ready!"

When Arima Kousei and Watari Ryota were about to get up and help, they were stopped by Sawabe Tsubaki, who gave them a disgusted look and sent them off to do something else.

Ryota Watari shrugged, completely unconcerned. He was the kind of person who only knew how to eat; cleaning up trash was his limit, which suited him perfectly.

Looking around, preparing to find a broom to sweep a little, Watari Ryota looked up, wanting to ask Arima Kousei where the dustpan and broom were.

Then he saw a sullen face; Arima Kousei practically had "I'm unhappy, very unhappy!" written on his face with an exclamation mark.

"Sigh," the clever Watari Ryo understood all too well the source of Kousei's distress. Everyone was happy while chatting just now, except for Kousei Arima.

The girl named Kaori Miyazono talked endlessly about Arima Kenjiro, and she looked hopeful. If he wasn't an "actress", then she really liked Arima Kenjiro.

Arima Kosei's chances are very slim, unless Arima Kento voluntarily steps aside.

But to ask him to persuade Arima Sento to give his girlfriend to his brother?! Are you out of your mind?! He might get beaten to death for doing that, and besides, he couldn't bring himself to do such a thing.

Love is selfish and blind. For someone to give up another person they love is definitely a case of 'the hatred of having one's wife stolen'.

Even though they've only known each other for two days and spent time together for two days, what I just witnessed was definitely something that would happen when two people are mutually attracted to each other.

Other possibilities are not impossible, but it's hard for Watari Ryota to think of them.

Faced with his friend's situation, all he could do was try his best to comfort him and advise him not to persist, otherwise it would definitely not end well.

The two brothers could even become enemies because of this.

"Kousei, stop standing there and hurry up and pack your things, or Tsubaki will yell at you again," Watari Ryota called out. "Hurry up and we can get ready to eat; I'm getting hungry!"

Arima Kousei gave a muffled reply, then silently began packing his things.

This won't do! Ryota Watari simply put down what he was doing, grabbed Kousei Arima's hand, and ran out of the living room, then went straight through the entryway and out the front door.

"Ayumu, what's wrong? Why did you have to drag me out?" After leaving the house, Kousei Arima realized that he had been dragged out by Ryota Watari, and that he hadn't even changed his shoes.

Seeing that Kousei Arima was about to go back to change his shoes, Ryota Watari quickly grabbed him and said, "Kousei, don't rush, I have something to tell you!" (I have a bold idea, wouldn't it be exciting to have my best friend confess to me? {manual sarcasm})

"You must have feelings for Kaori Miyazono!" Ryota Watari cut straight to the point. Their relationship was such that there was no need for any reservations, because they both knew that the other would not hurt them.

"Phew~~" Kousei Arima let out a deep breath and said, "How could that be? Kaori Miyazono likes Hitoshi! How could I possibly have feelings for her?"

Snapped!

Arima Kousei covered his head, looking at Watari Ryota with dissatisfaction. Although he had been hit, his previous gloom seemed to have been dispelled by his friend.

"You're still putting on an act in front of me. I heard from Tsubaki about what happened yesterday. Even I would have developed feelings for her, let alone you. Of course, that's assuming I don't have Keiko."

Ryota Watari said slowly, "No matter what her purpose is, she definitely doesn't have any bad intentions, and anyone can see that. Moreover, I believe that Hito is not stupid; if he notices something amiss, he will definitely realize it."

"Among you twins, your emotional intelligence and other aspects are lower than Xian Dong's, that's undeniable."

Arima Kousei was speechless for a moment. He thought his best friend was coming to comfort and care about him, but he found out that he was just going to be mocked. However, he was still very good-natured. "Then I'll admit it. I do have feelings for Miyazono Kaori."

"But what good is having feelings for someone? She was still paying attention to me yesterday, but today it's a completely different feeling."

"What does it feel like? What's different?" Watari Ryota asked, somewhat curious.

Arima Kousei responded to his friend's words, saying, "Yesterday, when she looked at me, it was as if she had known me for a long time, and she had a different feeling towards me."

"But when she looked at me today, it seemed like I was just someone who was very far away from her. Even if we could get closer, it would only be as friends."

"I don't know if that's really the case, but that's how I feel."

Ryota Watari blinked, looking at Kousei Arima with some surprise. "Oh, I take back what I said earlier. It seems your emotional intelligence isn't low, Kousei!"

“Now that you know how the other person feels about you, it seems there’s no need for me to offer any advice,” Watari Ryota said, spreading his hands.

"As the saying goes, 'There are plenty of fish in the sea, why be hung up on just one?' Choosing to withdraw at this point is the wisest and best decision. Also, let me remind you, sometimes you should look around you; perhaps there's a flower willing to bloom for you!"

"Would any girl really like me?" Arima Kousei asked uncertainly.

Ryota Watari put his hand on Kousei Arima's shoulder and said, "Of course, I've seen Kousei play the piano more than once. Girls absolutely adore it. Haven't you noticed how excited Tsubaki always looks with stars in her eyes when you play the piano?"

"You are working hard to overcome your difficulties now, and we are all willing to help you. As long as you are willing to be positive, you will definitely be able to pick up the piano again."

"By then, with the renowned pianist Ma Kosei's name, won't there be an endless supply of girls?"

"That's not why!"

Chapter 49 can be considered a dinner party!

"Hey, what are you two doing out here?! Come in and eat right now!" Just as Arima Kousei and Watari Ryota finished speaking, the door opened, and Sawabe Tsubaki poked her head out and shouted.

"Okay, okay!" the two readily agreed.

In any case, after some persuasion from his friend, Arima Kousei's condition has indeed improved a lot, at least he is no longer as silent and gloomy as before.

Because there were six people, Keiko and Arima Kento prepared a table full of dishes, including Japanese sushi, special omelet rice, thick omelet, sashimi (raw fish), and miso soup, all of which Keiko made by herself.

It's hard to imagine that a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl could make such exquisite food. Upon further inquiry, it was discovered that Keiko's family actually runs a restaurant, which explained her lifelong interest in it.

Interest is the best teacher, and this is once again demonstrated.

In contrast to Keiko's cooking, Arima Kento's dishes were purely Chinese. Since the other party had made so many delicious dishes, he couldn't just make something casual this time; he had to show his true skills.

Arima Kento cooked one of his more difficult dishes: braised pork belly. Keiko tasted a little of it right after it came out of the pot.

In her words, the sweet and savory flavor was just right with a bowl of white rice, and every bite was incredibly satisfying! It was because of this dish that Keiko began to admire Arima Kento's culinary skills.

At the same time, Keiko was also considering whether to add some Chinese dishes to her restaurant.

It is said that "the highest respect for a pot of braised pork is to finish it with a bowl of white rice." Keiko's words indeed pleased Arima Kento, and he developed a considerable liking for this virtuous girl.

Of course, this is just friendly affection, and Arima Kento wouldn't want to steal someone else's love.

Hmm... Kousei and Kaoru's relationship doesn't count, because Kaoru's feelings for Kousei aren't the kind of feelings she has right now, so that doesn't apply.

Besides braised pork belly, there are other dishes, such as shredded pork with green peppers, sweet and sour pork, and stir-fried pork. These dishes all have meat in them and are very delicious.

Why make so many meat dishes? Because Arima Kento felt that Miyazono Kaori's body was too weak, so she needed to be properly nourished.

But he doesn't know how to make those so-called medicinal dishes or nourishing food combinations, so he can only make dishes that are high in energy and delicious.

When all the food was served, we ate Japanese dishes first, because these dishes are most delicious when eaten fresh.

After the empty plates were taken away, the delicious and visually appealing dishes prepared by Ma Xiandong were served.

One characteristic of Japanese cuisine is that it is exquisite but served in small portions, so everyone was barely full, at most about 50% full.

At this point, Arima Kento's food came in handy.

"Wow! That's amazing!" Kaori Miyazono exclaimed as she looked at the dishes on the table. "I never knew you were such a good cook, Xian Dong!"

"Hmph, that's for sure, but my athlete's foot is really bad! It stinks like hell!"

Arima Kento hadn't forgotten what Miyazono Kaori had just said, and deliberately teased her.

Kaori Miyazono pouted, blinked her big eyes, and looked pitifully at Arima Kento, saying, "I know I was wrong, I shouldn't have said that to you!"

The six of them sat around the table. Next to Arima Kento was Miyazono Kaori, Watari Ryota and Keiko sat together, and Arima Kousei and Sawabe Tsubaki sat together.

Seeing the girl's expression, Arima Kento pursed his lips and didn't continue to tease her. Instead, he said, "Okay! Hurry up and eat! It won't taste as good if it gets cold."

Upon hearing this, everyone picked up their chopsticks.

Because he had sneaked a bite right after it was made, Arima Kento wasn't very hungry, so he took the time to help Miyazono Kaoru by serving her food.

Kaori Miyazono glanced at him, said nothing, and continued eating.

"Mmm~~ This meat is so delicious! It looks greasy, but it's not greasy at all! I could finish this bowl of rice!"

"Wow! This long, red, sweet and sour meat looks delicious too. What's it called?"

Kaori Miyazono stuffed food into her mouth without stopping, completely disregarding the table manners that people in Japan usually observe.

Fortunately, everyone was around the same age and didn't pay much attention to these things.

Upon hearing Kaori Miyazono's question, Arima Kento introduced the names of the dishes he had made, as well as the ingredients and cooking methods.

Keiko listened attentively. She planned to talk to her father when she got back and ask him to add some new dishes to the restaurant's menu.

It's so delicious!!

After dinner, Arima Kousei volunteered to wash the dishes, and Sawabe Tsubaki, not wanting to see him do it alone, chose to help him so that it would be faster.

After tidying everything up, they checked their watches and saw that it was just past eight o'clock. There were still two hours until ten o'clock, the time they had agreed to take Kaori Miyazono's parents home. Kaori Miyazono didn't want to go back right now, so the group started playing games together.

Everyone had a great time playing games like "Who's the Spy," "Landlord," and "Werewolf."

Even Arima Kousei, who was initially somewhat emotional, laughed heartily for the first time in a long time. Seeing this, Arima Kento finally felt relieved.

He actually felt somewhat guilty towards his brother, but some things were simply unyielding, no matter who the other party was.

Seeing that his brother is alright, he feels a little better. He will definitely make it up to his brother in other ways in the future.

After playing games for a long time, Kaori Miyazono yawned. Due to her health condition, she had developed the habit of going to bed early.