Ch. 73.2 - Everything Is Relative Pt2
……
Rumble.
Kitchen , Sizzling
The range hood hummed on high, sucking up the white steam rising from the pan. Harutaki stirred tomatoes and eggs together with a wooden spatula, then scooped a little sugar from a nearby jar to sprinkle into the dish.
“Didn’t expect you to know how to cook…”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”
Chouko poked his side.
“Feels like we’re a young couple in a drama. But usually it’s the wife in the kitchen.”
“If we’re following TV dramas, shouldn’t you be hugging me from behind right now?”
He teased, and then, unbelievably, he actually felt it: something soft and springy pressing into his back, and a pair of pale slender arms sliding around his waist.
“I'm in the middle of cooking, don’t… don’t mess around.”
“Ehehe. Too bad you’re too tall, Hoshikawa-kun. I can’t rest my chin on your shoulder like they do in dramas.”
As if nothing had just happened, she leaned over curiously from the side, peeking past him to the pan sizzling with oil.
“What’s this?”
“Hoshikawa Midnight Diner’s specialty Chinese cuisine: tomato scrambled eggs.”
Calling it a specialty was a stretch, it was just the dish he always made whenever he got hungry late at night. Easy to cook, warm, comforting, and great with rice thanks to that sweet-tart sauce.
Ding.
The microwave chimed from across the kitchen. Her attention was instantly stolen. She released him and trotted over, opening the door and lifting out a plate covered with plastic wrap.
And just like that, the human statue manning the stovetop finally loosened his shoulders. For a second, he’d thought he’d burn the food from nerves.
Maybe it was just his imagination, but it really felt like Shihou had lowered her guard around him a lot… enough to let her natural mischievous, lively self out, nothing like the graceful, elegant “young lady of the Shihou family” she usually played.
“Hmm? Curry meatballs?”
Two big meatballs soaking in orange broth, cold from the fridge, reheated in the microwave, still looked ridiculously appetizing. Steam drifted from the holes poked in the plastic wrap, carrying a sweet smell that made her fingers itch.
“Coconut braised meatballs. The rice has been kept warm in the cooker. Serve yourself.”
“Oh…”
Kept warm in the rice cooker…
Shihou glanced at the glowing green light of the keep warm indicator and bit her lip lightly,
Before karaoke, Hoshikawa had bought her a rice ball and pudding so she wouldn’t go hungry.
When she collapsed after drinking the drugged juice, he still remembered to save food for her. And earlier he had even muttered something like “A midnight meal needs a hot dish…” before putting on an apron and cooking for her himself.
Not just thoughtful, he was doing the kind of work she was taught only women should handle. Something she was supposed to do once she married the Shihou family’s chosen son-in-law.
Sure, things were changing, Twitter and the news said more and more men cooked nowadays, but basically…
She suddenly remembered the time Onii took her to his tiny rented apartment and cooked for her himself.
Store-bought curry blocks. Onions, potatoes, and carrots chopped into uneven chunks. Beef stewed too long, turning stiff and chewy,
Even though it was filled with sincerity and his affection, the… technical level was…
And later, when she casually asked what he usually ate, he admitted he mostly survived off half-price supermarket bentos.
She scooped rice into a bowl and sat down at the table. Holding her chopsticks with both hands, she whispered:
“I’m digging in.”
But as soon as she lifted a small clump of rice, she hesitated and put it back.
“Hoshikawa-kun, you’re just gonna sit there and watch me eat?”
“This meal was made specifically for you. Of course I’m watching.”
That’s not what I meant!!
And also, how could he say something so outrageous!? Specifically made for her…
She almost wanted to whack his forehead with her chopsticks.
He was absolutely messing with her again, wanting to see her squirm.
What a terrible personality. A total scumbag.
Still… the more she thought about it, cooking for someone and watching them eat…
Ugh!! That’s exactly how it goes in TV dramas!!
An overworked husband comes home late, welcomed by his wife’s warm embrace. Then he sees hot dinner waiting at the table.
“You’re not eating?”
“I already ate. This one is specially for you~”
The wife props her elbows on the table, cheeks in her hands, smiling at him.
And when he takes the first bite of her lovingly made dish, all the fatigue melts away,
Aaaaah, why does this feel so familiar!?
She forced herself to ignore the boy sitting across from her and focused entirely on the food.
Even if Hoshikawa was the worst… the food itself was innocent.
The peeled, pan-fried tomatoes burst with rich juice. With just a bit of sugar added, the acidity wasn’t too sharp. The soft, silky eggs practically melted with a gentle press of the tongue. Perfectly cooked.
Especially that thin sauce, when scooped over rice, the sweet-tart flavor was dangerously addictive.
The coconut braised meatballs were just as good.
The meatball had a springy bite, mixed with crunchy onion bits. Each chew released savory meat juices and a faint spicy sweetness from the onion. Paired with a rich coconut-based sweet-spicy sauce…
One spoonful of meatball + just the right amount of sauce = instant awakening.
“This is way too much…”
“Not to your taste? Is the sauce too spicy?”
“The problem is YOU, Hoshikawa-kun.”
Chouko glared at him with all the resentment of a girl wronged by the universe.
“Hey, I’m cooking for you in the middle of the night. How is that a problem?”
“It just IS!”
Handsome, smart, athletic, funny… and now he even cooked better than the Shihou family’s perfectly trained young lady.
And on top of that, he was unfairly kind and gentle to girls.
What was she supposed to do with a guy like this!?
This wasn’t the shallow, cliché “gentleness” people talk about. Not some half-hearted concern or accidental kindness.
No… no, no, Onii was different, Onii was special. Only he played with her, only he knew how to take care of her, only he scolded her when she misbehaved,
Chouko shook her head and ignored Harutaki completely, focusing on stuffing herself.
…
Maybe that patience from earlier hadn’t been wasted after all.
Watching her devour the food, Harutaki felt the corner of his mouth tug upward.
From stiff politeness, to smiling at his jokes, to now, practically defenseless around him,
When it came to pursuing girls, he refused to take advantage of someone vulnerable. He didn’t want cheap tricks, either.
In a fair fight, whether it was charm or skill, he had absolute confidence in himself.
Of course… if someone planned to bring dirty tricks into it, then he’d respond in kind, double the dose.
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