Chapter 446: Cooking Together
But he did not seem to think anything of it.
He smiled and left after saying that, leaving her completely stunned.
Combined with what he had said earlier about "family," she could not understand what he was thinking at all.
She wondered what she was supposed to do, but for now she simply followed his instructions and mechanically peeled and cut the potatoes.
Occasionally she glanced at her younger sister, who was carefully placing vegetables, meat, and other ingredients onto a strange white base.
Beside her, Qiong Xing was smiling and saying, "It looks delicious."
"Alright. Then Tasha, could you help over here next?"
They thought they were being led straight outside.
"...This stove here will be used to put in what Kira worked hard to arrange earlier, and then we’ll wait a bit. From now on, Tasha, feel free to use it whenever you’re cooking."
From his words, Tasha finally understood that he truly intended for them to do housework.
He had even gone so far as to buy beastman like them just to have them work in his home.
"Once it looks properly baked, take it out... here, go ahead."
When he handed them the freshly finished food, both sisters froze.
It was partly because it was something they had never seen before, but also because, as slaves, it felt wrong for them to touch the food before their master had eaten.
"This is just a taste test. Before serving it to everyone, it’s important to make sure it doesn’t taste strange, right?"
Hearing that, they nervously took a bite.
The cheese on top stretched out in a long, gooey strand, making them panic.
"I-it’s st-sticky..."
Beside her, her younger sister was also struggling with the stretching cheese.
"How is it?"
"...Mm... it’s... delicious. I’ve... never eaten anything like this before."
"I’m glad. That’s thanks to Kira working hard."
Qiong Xing smiled happily as if pleased that they were eating something he had made himself for the first time.
"How was Kira’s handmade cooking?"
"...It was good."
There was no way it could not be good, since her sister had worked so hard.
Even setting that aside, it was genuinely delicious.
"Then could you bake a few more pieces for the others? Be careful not to burn yourself. No need to rush, just make sure you don’t get hurt."
Did she really look that unreliable?
He spoke to her very seriously, emphasizing that she was a girl.
"H-he said it’s because we’re girls. Heh..."
"...Weird guy."
Her sister looked genuinely happy, but Tasha could not be honest about her feelings and only grew more confused.
She could vaguely tell that he was different from the humans she had known before.
But years of harsh slave life made it impossible to trust that so easily.
After baking several more pieces, the children were called over and it became lunchtime.
"Today, Tasha and Kira worked really hard to make this. There are lots of different flavors, so please tell them later which ones were the best, okay?"
"Okay!"
"Okay!"
"Okay!"
"Okay!"
With their energetic replies, the hungry children happily began eating, saying how delicious it was.
Watching them made Tasha and Kira fidget uneasily.
"Everyone looks really happy. These are the potatoes Tasha worked hard to cut. Try some."
They were potatoes she was already very used to eating, but the version that had been fried in oil was fluffy and light, and the salted seasoning matched perfectly, making it surprisingly delicious.
"Pretty good, right? Everyone seems to like it, so please make it again."
"...Yeah."
Overwhelmed by feelings she could not quite understand, she felt like she might cry.
"Big Sister Tasha, I want this one!"
"I want the meat!"
"I’ll take this!"
"The potatoes were good too!"
"Make them again!"
As the children happily told her one after another, she could no longer hold back her tears and began to cry.
Seeing this, they asked if she was okay, which only made her cry even more.
Everyone was so happy because of something she had done.
They said thank you for cooking it, and that they wanted to eat it again.
Those words made her realize she was being seen as a person, not an object, and her tears would not stop for a while.
...
"U-um!"
"Hm? What is it?"
Lunch was over and they were cleaning up with Tasha and the others when Kira, who had been nervously clenching her hands as if she wanted to say something, finally spoke up, so Qiong Xing stopped what he was doing.
"...U-um... I... I want to... try... cooking again..."
At first he did not understand what she meant, but when she explained that she had been happy making food and seeing everyone enjoy it, he smiled warmly and said that was good.
It was still a new environment for her, and she was probably nervous, but if there was even one thing she could enjoy, that was more than enough.
"I’m glad Kira feels that way. Let’s take it one step at a time. Maybe next time we’ll try making sweets. Everyone has been working hard, so something sweet might be nice."
In their self-sufficient lifestyle, there was always plenty to do, but Qiong Xing always made sure the children took breaks regularly.
The difference between taking a five or ten minute break or not made a noticeable impact on both mental and physical fatigue, and when Qiong Xing came to visit, he sometimes brought them sweets.
"I-I’ll do it! I... I want to try!"
"...I... me too."
Tasha spoke in a very small voice, but she also said she wanted to try, so Qiong Xing nodded.
Although it had been Qiong Xing who asked them to do it, it had only been a request.
It had not been something they themselves truly wished for, so seeing them decide on their own to try it brought him relief.
"Kira and Tasha are both very skilled, so I’m sure it will turn out delicious. If you like it, even just sometimes is fine, so please make it for everyone again."