I Ended Up Cross-Dressing, My Secret Relationship with a Handsome Guy (BL) - Chapter 32

The final exams had ended without incident.

I had successfully tackled my weak subjects, and since I was always strong in the humanities, I wasn’t worried about those.

I felt confident about my results as I went to bed last night.

And now—

I was sitting on a bench, a little away from the busy train station, reading a book.

With exams over, it felt like there were more students out and about than usual.

As my breath turned white in the cold air, I flipped a page, letting the surrounding bustle serve as the perfect background noise.

It actually made reading easier.

Maybe coming to a lively district just to read wasn’t such a bad idea.

But, as expected, the air was freezing.

I should have bought a hot drink before sitting down.

Just as I looked up from my book, considering it, I met his gaze.

Kiryu.

His eyes widened in surprise before he hurried toward me.

I simply watched as he approached.

“You’re early…!”

“You are too. Good morning.”

“O-oh… Good morning.”

I tucked my book, spine-first, into my shoulder bag as Kiryu took a seat beside me.

“…It’s 11:30 right now, you know.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“You’re the one who set our meeting time for 12:00.”

His voice sounded almost… disappointed.

Glancing over, I found that his face matched his tone.

“What? Would you rather I kept you waiting?”

“I wanted to see you arrive at the meeting spot.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

Kiryu, who had been sulking, brightened ever so slightly.

It was the first Sunday after exams—our day out.

“Anyway, let’s get lunch first.

Though, honestly, the only place I know around here is McDonald’s, so if you want anything else, I’ll leave it up to you.”

“I don’t mind choosing. Do you have any food preferences?”

“Nothing too spicy, nothing in huge portions.

I’m not a huge fan of yakiniku.

Something light would be nice.

But I’m not really in the mood for Japanese food either.”

“…Picky.”

“Fine, then. Just pick whatever you like.”

We stood up, and Kiryu naturally fell into step beside me.

For a second, I thought he looked like an RPG character following the main player, but then he walked beside me instead, ruining the comparison.

The streets in front of the station were packed with people.

The air was filled with countless overlapping voices, conversations merging into an indistinguishable hum.

Colors blurred together, a sea of motion in every direction.

I wasn’t fond of crowds.

But there was something comforting about disappearing into the flow of nameless people.

“Your food preferences are way too complicated.”

We stopped at a large intersection, waiting for the light to change.

Kiryu frowned at his phone as he scrolled through restaurant options.

I hadn’t really considered how annoying my conditions might be.

Grinning, I teased, “I’m expecting great things.”

Kiryu’s mouth curled into an amused smile.

When the signal turned green, we crossed the street, blending into the wave of pedestrians.

Kiryu led the way toward an area with more restaurants, and the scent of countless different cuisines filled the air.

Just smelling all the food made me feel even hungrier—

And then.

Then.

A certain familiar aroma stopped me in my tracks.

I turned my head.

There, just ahead, was a small restaurant with a noren curtain at the entrance.

A udon shop.

But what caught my attention wasn’t just the shop itself—

It was the menu display outside.

Among the food models, I spotted something.

Something very important.

I rushed after Kiryu and grabbed onto his sleeve.

“! Whoa—what’s up, Yukiho?”

“I want to eat there.”

“…Udon?”

“They have nabe-yaki udon.”

I might be a picky eater.

I don’t eat a lot, I have my share of dislikes, and my cravings change depending on the day.

But—

I love nabe-yaki udon.

“…That’s your favorite?”

“Yeah. My absolute favorite.

I could eat it even in the middle of summer.”

“…That’s kinda crazy.”

Kiryu chuckled, but I didn’t care.

I tugged on his sleeve, pulling him toward the entrance.

A small ‘Open’ sign hung on the door.

I released my grip on his sleeve and slid open the door.

The restaurant was small, with a cozy atmosphere that immediately put me at ease.

A middle-aged man greeted us, and we requested a two-person table.

After taking off our coats, we sat across from each other.

“…This is so weird.

You and a udon shop just don’t match.”

I had gotten so used to Kiryu’s presence that I had almost forgotten—

He was a human spotlight.

He had the kind of face and aura that made him impossible to ignore.

Just sitting there, he somehow radiated energy, like tiny sparks of light followed him wherever he went.

He looked completely out of place in this humble little udon shop.

The contrast made me laugh.

“You think so?”

“Yeah.

Anyway, I already know what I’m ordering, so take your time with the menu.”

“I’ll have the same as you.”

“Oh? Good choice. You do the honors, then.”

Kiryu called a waiter over and ordered two nabe-yaki udon.

The waiting time was part of what made nabe-yaki udon special.

“After this, we’re watching a movie, right?”

“Yeah. It’s not a new release or anything, so it might not be that exciting.”

“As long as I’m with you, I’ll have fun.”

We were surrounded by businessmen on lunch breaks and elderly regulars.

And yet, here he was, casually saying stuff like that.

I wanted to punch him.

Not really, but… kind of.

After a few minutes, our food arrived.

The sight of it alone made my eyes light up.

“Whoa—hold on. Yukiho, I need a picture of that face.”

“No. Absolutely not. I’m eating.”

Clasping my hands together briefly, I picked up my chopsticks and the wooden spoon.

Steam curled upward, carrying the rich, umami scent of the broth.

The ingredients were arranged perfectly, making the dish almost too beautiful to disturb.

But the best part?

The grilled mochi on top.

Its slight charred aroma blended with the broth, infusing the noodles with the perfect hint of smokiness.

I lifted my first bite—

The moment the flavors hit my tongue, I sighed in pure satisfaction.

“…Delicious.”

If there was one downside to eating nabe-yaki udon—

It was that my glasses kept fogging up.

But I was used to it by now.

I quickly took them off and refocused on my meal.

That’s when I heard something from Kiryu’s direction—

Like the sound of someone barely holding something in.

“Sorry, I can’t see anything right now.

Did something happen?”

“…No.

Nothing at all.”

I shrugged off his weirdly strained tone and picked up a piece of tempura shrimp—

One of the few things I could still clearly recognize in my blurred vision.

Biting into it, I found it was perfectly crispy on the outside, with thick, juicy shrimp inside.

I was thrilled.

Meanwhile, Kiryu—who had just taken a bite himself—let out a quiet, satisfied “…Damn, that’s good.”

Even though I hadn’t made the food, I still felt absurdly victorious.

There was something undeniably comforting about eating nabe-yaki udon in winter.

Before I knew it, I had finished everything.

A slight sheen of sweat had formed on my nose.

“ごちそうさまでした。”

After wiping away the sweat with a napkin, I finally put my glasses back on.

The world snapped back into clear focus, and as I glanced at Kiryu—

I could tell, just by looking at him, that he felt just as satisfied as I did.

Which, of course, made me grin triumphantly.

“See? Nabe-yaki udon is amazing.”

“Yeah, I kinda underestimated it.

But if you ate this in summer, you’d basically be doing an extreme challenge.”

“I don’t see how it’s any different from eating curry in summer.”

“…Huh. That’s… actually a fair point?”

The cold water felt incredibly refreshing against my warmed-up body, and I drank it all in one go.

Checking the time, I saw we still had plenty of time before the movie.

A slow walk would probably help with digestion.

Kiryu seemed mildly displeased when I insisted on splitting the bill evenly,

But after firmly enforcing fairness, we thanked the restaurant staff and stepped outside.

The icy winter air immediately bit at my cheeks—

But with the lingering warmth from the meal, it felt pleasant rather than harsh.

Kiryu must have felt the same, because he buried his face in his scarf and laughed.

And then—

That weird sound again.

“…Okay, seriously.

Are you sure you’re alright?

I keep hearing something weird.”

“I’m fine.

Totally fine.”

“…If you say so.

Let’s take our time getting to the theater.

If you see any interesting shops, let me know.

I kinda wanna see what kind of stores you like.”

“……Haaaah.

I swear, I’m gonna explode.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Just… talking to myself.”

Kiryu covered his face with one hand and took a deep breath.

Breathing in this much cold air would normally sting, but he did it again and again.

I didn’t know why, but I couldn’t help but think, Wow. Kiryu’s kind of a beast.