Chapter 294: Have a Taste
The four entered the entryway one after another.
Tsunade was the first to remove her shoes.
She barely glanced at the apartment before walking straight to the dark-gray fabric sofa in the living room and settling comfortably against it.
Her legs crossed naturally, two pale calves extending from beneath the hem of her shorts.
Her posture was completely familiar. She didn’t treat herself as an outsider in the slightest, almost as though she were the true owner of the apartment.
Mei entered second.
Watching Tsunade behave as though the place already belonged to her immediately irritated Mei.
Once inside the living room, she deliberately avoided the main sofa.
Instead, she chose the single chair closest to the kitchen.
It sat directly beside the route Kaede would have to take whenever he poured water or fetched anything.
As long as he moved around, he would inevitably pass right in front of her.
Pakura came in last.
She looked at the two women who had already chosen their seats.
One had occupied the position of the rightful wife. The other had guarded the route the man of the house would have to take.
Without saying a word, Pakura walked to the single chair near the window and sat down.
Three women.
Three deliberately separated positions.
No one spoke.
Kaede hurried into the kitchen and quickly put away the bags of groceries.
He turned, took out three glasses, and began pouring water.
Listening to the complete silence in the living room, he felt his scalp prickling.
Carrying three cups of warm water, he returned and placed them one by one on the coffee table.
"Drink some water first."
The moment he finished speaking, Tsunade stood.
She didn’t even look at the glass in front of her.
She raised both hands behind her head, threaded her fingers through her pale-gold hair, and skillfully tied it into a bun with a hair band.
"Kaede, forget the water. Let’s go cook. We shouldn’t leave the guests sitting around waiting."
"Let’s."
"Guests."
Mei’s hand, which had just lifted her glass, froze halfway.
She took a slow breath and set it back on the table with a crisp clink.
Tsunade ignored her and headed for the kitchen.
Kaede swallowed and forced two dry laughs toward the other two women.
"You two sit and rest. It won’t take long."
Then he turned and hurried after Tsunade.
His back looked suspiciously like someone fleeing for his life.
The kitchen had a semi-open design.
A large transparent sliding-glass door separated it from the living room.
Whatever happened inside was completely visible from outside.
Tsunade reached the sink and turned on the faucet.
From the corner of her eye, she glanced through the glass door.
She could feel Mei’s gaze fixed on her back.
Without turning around, Tsunade picked up the vegetables they’d bought and placed them in a basin to wash.
Kaede entered the kitchen and looked at the ingredients covering the counter, momentarily unsure where to begin.
Tsunade drained the vegetables she’d washed and handed them over.
"Cut these into sections. Not too small."
Kaede accepted them, picked up the kitchen knife, and began chopping with practiced movements.
The two stood side by side at the counter.
The kitchen wasn’t large, and there was only so much room around the cutting board.
Whenever Tsunade handled the beef, her elbow naturally brushed Kaede’s arm.
A little later, when she needed the seasoning container, she leaned across behind Kaede and stretched out a hand.
Her entire body practically rested against his back.
Kaede’s chopping paused for a moment.
Tsunade retrieved the seasoning, straightened, and continued marinating the beef as though the intimate contact hadn’t meant anything at all.
One moved quickly, the other at a slower rhythm. Their coordination was remarkably smooth.
Occasionally, Tsunade would turn and quietly tell him something about the heat, and Kaede would immediately nod.
In the living room, Mei watched the two through the glass door as they worked and talked together.
Dinner hadn’t even started, yet she already felt full.
Full of anger.
She couldn’t allow Tsunade to continue like this.
Mei’s mind raced.
If she barged into the kitchen and separated them by force, she would look like a shrew.
The only solution was to replace Kaede in the kitchen and send him out.
But if Mei went in alone and Kaede returned to the living room, wouldn’t she simply be creating an opportunity for Pakura to be alone with him?
She would never do something so stupid as working hard to benefit someone else.
If she was going in, she had to drag Pakura in too.
Mei turned her head and lowered her voice toward Pakura by the window.
"How do you feel watching the two of them in there like that?"
Pakura looked through the glass door.
Kaede had just turned toward Tsunade and smiled.
That smile was real. Relaxed.
A tightness formed in Pakura’s chest.
Hearing Mei, she withdrew her gaze.
"I don’t feel anything."
Mei let out a soft laugh.
"Stop pretending. I know you’re still angry that I used you as a shield downstairs."
She leaned slightly forward and made her voice sincere.
"Pakura-neesan, we’re ’allies,’ aren’t we? Besides, I’m the one who brought you into the apartment."
Pakura frowned slightly.
When she didn’t argue, Mei immediately offered the bait.
"I’ll make an excuse in a moment. Don’t you want to personally cook something for Kaede?"
Pakura looked again at the busy figure in the kitchen.
She did want to do something for him.
Even if it was only one dish.
After a moment, she gave a small nod.
The instant Mei received her agreement, she stood.
She crossed the room, pulled open the sliding door, and instantly switched into a gentle, considerate expression.
"Kaede."
She walked to his side, her tone full of concern.
"You don’t look very well. You used Wood Release to build four allied encampments in one day. You must have exhausted a lot of chakra, right?"
Kaede had just finished chopping some vegetables. Holding the knife, he turned toward her.
"I’m fine—"
Before he could finish, Mei had already turned toward Tsunade with an exceptionally sincere smile.
"Tsunade-sama has also spent the entire day dealing with hospital matters. She must be exhausted."
Mei stepped forward, positioning herself neatly between the two of them.
"Since we’re guests, we can’t allow the hosts to serve us the entire time."
"Pakura-neesan and I can handle the simple work like washing and cutting vegetables."
After saying that, she turned and caught Pakura, who had reached the doorway, by the arm.
She pulled Pakura into the kitchen.
Using the motion as cover, Mei leaned her shoulder sideways.
Kaede was physically squeezed out of the work area, and the knife was smoothly removed from his hand in the same motion.
The entire sequence flowed seamlessly.
Kaede’s hand was still half-curled when he realized he was already standing outside the glass door.
He stared blankly as Mei slid it shut behind him.
The scene in the kitchen became extraordinarily strange.
Tsunade stood in the middle, studying the two newcomers with a half-smile.
Mei wore a sweet expression while rolling up her sleeves.
Pakura said nothing. She simply picked up the basin by the sink and began washing the next batch of vegetables.
Cold sweat appeared on Kaede’s forehead.
He barely dared breathe.
He was afraid one loud breath might be enough to make the three women inside blow the entire apartment building into rubble.
But the explosion he expected never came.
After watching them for a moment, Tsunade turned back toward the counter and continued cutting beef.
Only now, the knife struck the cutting board several times harder than before.
Mei moved to the sink, took the vegetables Pakura had washed, and calmly picked through the leaves.
Pakura set down the basin, picked up a peeler, and began working on the potatoes.
Aside from running water, chopping, and the hiss of ingredients hitting a hot pan, not a single person spoke.
The three women each occupied a corner of the kitchen.
Preparing ingredients. Heating oil. Stir-frying. Simmering soup.
Kaede remained outside, not daring to go anywhere.
He could only watch as the battlefield inside the kitchen continued to ferment.
Half an hour later, the sliding door finally opened.
Tsunade emerged first, carrying the steamed sea bream.
The fragrance of scallion oil mixed with the rising steam and filled the room.
Mei followed with a beautifully prepared plate of beef stir-fried with green peppers.
Pakura came last, holding a steaming bowl of fresh mushroom and tofu soup in both hands.
The three women approached the dining table one after another.
In almost perfect unison, they placed their dishes down.
The already modest table became completely full.
Even the positions were suspiciously calculated.
The fish occupied the center. The beef sat on the left. The soup sat on the right.
Together, the dishes formed a perfect encirclement around Kaede’s usual seat.
Kaede swallowed and carefully sat down at the head of the table.
The three women pulled out their chairs and sat across from him and at either side.
Kaede looked at the three dishes in front of him, each carrying a completely different meaning.
He desperately needed a safe topic to break the current atmosphere.
He had barely opened his mouth when Mei extended a pair of chopsticks in front of him.
She looked directly into his eyes without the slightest attempt to hide her intent.
"Kaede."
"Taste all three dishes."
"Whose cooking do you think is the best?"