Life As Hikigaya Hachiman

Chapter 584: Erina, Hold It In

"I was talking about cooking! Who would want to do that with you, you pervert!"

Erina's face turned bright red as she glared at Hachiman, her embarrassment mingled with anger.

"What? So that's all it was?"

Hearing her words, Hachiman's expression showed a hint of disappointment.

He had thought Erina might have finally been ready for something more. But then again, knowing her personality, it was unlikely she'd choose to have her first time in the kitchen of all places.

Yeah, probably not…

Seeing the disappointment on Hachiman's face, Erina grew even angrier.

This shameless pervert! All he ever thought about was that.

Even if she were ready, how could it possibly happen in a kitchen? It's cold, hard, and completely unsuitable. What if it left her with some sort of traumatic memory?

"Hurry up and help me with the cooking!"

Noticing that Hachiman was still standing there like a fool, Erina called out to him with irritation.

Eventually, the two began cooking together. Well, sort of—Erina did most of the work, while Hachiman stood to the side, occasionally offering advice.

"Here, try this," she said, placing a freshly made dish in front of him, her voice filled with anticipation.

Hachiman looked down at the steaming dish, its enticing aroma wafting into the air. He picked up his chopsticks and took a bite.

The moment the food touched his tongue, an explosion of flavors filled his mouth and surged through his mind.

As Hachiman had anticipated, Erina's culinary skills had reached the pinnacle of the fourth tier.

She was now on par with—or perhaps even surpassing—renowned alumni like Hinako Inui and Fuyumi Mizuhara.

"How is it?" Erina asked, her tone carrying a hint of nervousness.

"It's delicious. Erina, you should try some too," Hachiman replied with a smile. He picked up a piece with his chopsticks and held it out toward her.

Though they had done this kind of feeding act several times before, Erina's face still flushed a light shade of pink at his gesture.

Despite her embarrassment, she opened her mouth and accepted the food.

As the dish melted on her tongue, her "God Tongue" activated, elevating the experience.

Thanks to Hachiman's long-term "guidance," her once overly critical palate now enhanced the enjoyment of delicious flavors rather than just magnifying flaws.

"Hmm, not bad at all. As expected of me," Erina thought to herself, nodding subtly as she savored the dish.

The dish was something she had only recently mastered, so it wasn't perfect yet.

However, with her God Tongue, she could clearly identify all its flaws. Next time, she would simply address those issues to make it flawless.

"Let's move on to the next dish," Erina said, preparing to return to the stove.

But just as she was about to resume cooking, something caught her eye.

She noticed that some sauce had unknowingly dripped onto Hachiman's finger.

This particular dish was quite saucy, so it must have happened when he had been feeding her earlier.

"Wait, let me get a napkin," Erina said hurriedly, turning to fetch one.

Hachiman, noticing the sauce on his finger, suddenly smirked as an idea came to mind.

A moment later, Erina returned and handed him a napkin.

"Here, wipe it off," she said.

However, instead of taking the napkin, Hachiman extended his finger toward her mouth, the sauce still glistening on it.

"Erina, lick it off."

"What?!"

Erina was so shocked that the napkin slipped from her hand.

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Obviously, I'm telling you to lick the sauce off my finger," Hachiman replied nonchalantly, meeting her stunned gaze.

After confirming she hadn't misheard him, Erina's face turned red, whether from embarrassment or anger, she couldn't tell.

"Are you an idiot? There's no way I'd do something like that!"

What kind of absurd request was this? Asking her to lick his finger—he had to be dreaming!

But Hachiman's smirk only deepened.

"That's not going to work, Erina. Don't forget—you promised me one favor earlier."

"H-Huh?!"

Erina's eyes widened in disbelief as she recalled the incident from earlier in the car.

She couldn't believe Hachiman would use that favor for something so ridiculous.

Thinking of this, Erina's expression softened, revealing a hint of pleading.

"Could… could you ask for something else instead?"

The idea of licking his finger was simply too embarrassing for her to bear.

Seeing her look so much like a small, helpless animal, Hachiman couldn't help but find it amusing.

"Alright, Erina, what would you rather do instead?" he asked, a teasing smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"How about… I kiss you instead?" Erina suggested hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Hearing this, Hachiman raised an eyebrow.

A rare opportunity for such an embarrassing "play," and she wanted to trade it for just a kiss? She was really underestimating him.

"One kiss isn't enough, Erina," Hachiman said, shaking his head.

"Then… how about two? No, three!"

Erina timidly held up three fingers, trying to negotiate.

But Hachiman still shook his head. "Still not enough."

Before she could protest, he leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on her cherry-pink lips.

"See? If I want to kiss you, I can do it anytime. I don't need to make a trade for that," Hachiman teased with a smirk.

Hearing his words, Erina pouted in dissatisfaction.

"What's that supposed to mean? Are you saying my kisses are cheap?"

"Not at all," Hachiman replied, his smile softening.

"To me, Erina, you're an irreplaceable treasure. Besides, I'm confident that if I wanted to kiss you, you wouldn't refuse, right?"

Erina felt like her heart had just been hit directly.

Hearing such sweet words, her irritation melted away, replaced by a warmth that filled her entire chest.

Though she was indeed the esteemed young lady of the Nakiri family, her romantic experience was practically nonexistent. Her knowledge of love came solely from romantic manga, where she could only fantasize about such things.

So when Hachiman spoke to her like this, she was completely defenseless.

In fact, she often read scenes in manga where one character would suck on the other's finger to stop a cut from bleeding.

Now that she thought about it, wasn't this situation quite similar to those romantic moments?

Her cheeks flushed a light shade of pink at the thought.

Erina glanced at the reddish-brown sauce on Hachiman's finger, a thought flickering in her mind.

Should she… give it a try?

On Hachiman's side, noticing her hesitation, a sly smile appeared on his lips.

"Erina, come on, just lick it," he said, extending his finger toward her.

This time, Erina didn't immediately refuse. Her gaze wandered uneasily, and she mumbled softly, "L-Lick it…"

This was promising.

"Go on, it's fine," Hachiman encouraged again, his tone calm and teasing.

Hearing his words, Erina hesitated for a moment.

Maybe… maybe she should try it. Not because she wanted to, of course. It was all because this guy was using their earlier agreement to pressure her. As the young lady of the Nakiri family, she couldn't back out on her word, right?

With this thought in mind, Erina's face turned a deep shade of red. A mix of shyness, nervousness, and even a tiny hint of excitement showed in her expression as she slowly opened her mouth.

"Ah… ahm!"

She gently wrapped her lips around Hachiman's finger.