Ke Xue Lu Ren Wang

Chapter 53 Touching Hands

Yuzuru Tatsumi truly hadn't expected that this young lady would react so strongly to his mere gentle squeeze of her hand.

The usually dignified and elegant Ooka Momiji had slightly red ears, but she still stared at him intently.

Terrible.

The contrast is too great.

"Do you...do you feel anything?"

Ooka Momiji was the first to break the silence, her voice barely audible, like a mosquito's hum.

"Are you asking me?"

"nonsense."

"Hmm... how should I put it?" Yuzuru didn't let go, but instead took advantage of the situation and slowly rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb.

Ooka Momiji's body trembled slightly, and her fingers curled up a little, but she didn't pull them back.

This young lady has very delicate skin, slender fingers, and well-proportioned joints. Whether you rub or pinch her, there is an addictive soft touch.

To be honest, this was the first time he had ever experienced touching a girl's hand so carefully.

Ooka Momiji bit her lower lip, frozen in place, completely motionless.

The sensation from her fingertips was both tingling and itchy, like a faint electric current shooting up her arm and finally reaching her brain, making her thoughts a little sluggish.

She wanted him to stop.

But his body honestly didn't move.

I even... kind of hope he continues.

"Iori Muga will be back soon..."

Ooka Momiji finally managed to utter a sentence, giving herself a way out.

Yuzuru paused for a moment, then looked up at the clock on the wall.

"Does Butler Iori always take exactly thirty minutes to cook?"

Ooka Momiji was taken aback by his sudden change of direction. It took her two seconds to react before she nodded.

"About right. He spends ten minutes cooking dinner for each person, so for the three of us... exactly thirty minutes."

"Why? Obsessive-compulsive disorder?"

"Not really." Ooka Momiji subconsciously withdrew her hand, finally finding a normal rhythm to speak. "Because he hasn't systematically studied cooking, he's always very serious when he cooks."

"Why not hire a professional chef?"

"trouble."

"..."

These two words are quite in line with this young lady's style.

Yuzuru Hanyu can actually cook, though his skills aren't great, but at least the food isn't bad. He occasionally makes a bento box at his apartment and eats lunch at the school cafeteria.

However, compared to Iori Muga's efficiency of "a perfect dinner in ten minutes," he probably falls short.

Just then.

"Knock knock knock—"

There was a rhythmic knocking on the study door.

"Young lady, Mr. Yuzuru, dinner is ready."

Iori Muga's voice came from outside the door, his tone calm and as punctual and efficient as ever.

Yuzuru turned to look at Ooka Momiji and found that she had already subtly withdrawn her hand, placed it on her knee, interlaced her fingers, and made a gesture as if "nothing had happened".

However, those two blushes still lingered on his face, and no matter how you looked at Yuzuru, he seemed a little guilty.

"Let's go."

Ooka Koyo stood up, her tone returning to its usual calm, and pushed open the study door first.

Dinner was arranged the same as before.

Ooka Momiji was having dinner in the living room on the second floor, while Hanyu Tetsuya and Iori Muga were in the dining room on the first floor.

The two sat facing each other, with a small dining table between them.

Today's main dish is thick-cut pork chop rice.

The pork chop was fried to a beautiful golden color, crispy on the outside and plump and juicy inside. Several side dishes and a bowl of white rice were neatly arranged next to it.

Yuzuru picked up a piece of pork chop and put it in his mouth.

The outer coating of dough snapped open with a crack, and the meat juices inside instantly spilled out.

It's really delicious.

This is probably one of the parts he's been most looking forward to since he started tutoring at the Ooka family.

Perhaps he was really hungry, because he didn't say much and just buried his head in his food.

In no time, he devoured the entire pork chop rice.

Iori Muga put down her chopsticks, looked at the empty plate opposite her, and seemed to be thinking about something before speaking after a while.

"Hanyu-kun, what do you think of tonight's dinner?"

Yuzuru looked up and noticed that although Iori Muga's expression was still serious, it vaguely carried a hint of... anticipation?

"It's very good. If it were sold outside, I might suspect that it was made by a five-star chef."

After listening, Iori Muga chuckled softly and shook his head.

"My cooking skills can't compare to those top chefs. But hearing Yuzuru-kun's evaluation makes all the cooking techniques I learned before worthwhile."

No, I'm not just being polite.

Yuzuru put down his chopsticks and seriously held up one finger.

"First, the pork chop was fried just right, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a crunchy batter, which shows that the oil temperature and time were controlled very precisely."

He raised his second finger.

"Secondly, the flavor is just right, neither too salty nor too bland, with no unnecessary seasoning."

The third finger.

"Third, the side dishes are perfectly matched, with alternating sweet and sour flavors, and the balance of refreshing the palate is just right. After eating the whole dish, you won't feel greasy at all."

Iori's expression changed visibly.

The usually stern butler's expression softened considerably at this moment.

"Maybe it's because the ingredients are better," he said modestly.

"Ingredients are only part of the equation; culinary skills are the most important thing for a chef." Yuzuru leaned back in his chair. "And the food you cook, Butler Iori, is just right."

"yes……"

Iori Muga, who had been keeping a straight face, couldn't help but let out a satisfied smile.

It's clear that he's rarely praised so earnestly.

After clearing away the dishes, Iori Muga carried the tray upstairs, presumably to clear away the dishes for Ooka Momiji.

Yuzuru sat alone on the sofa in the living room on the first floor.

There was still some time before evening tutoring, so he had to wait until Ooka Momiji finished eating, changed her clothes, and everything was ready before he could begin.

He took out his phone and casually turned on the screen.

There's a message on Line.

When I opened it, I saw that it was sent by Sonoko Suzuki.

"Hanyu-kun~ This time, Uncle Mori took on a case involving a kidnapping. A businessman's daughter was kidnapped, but it turned out that the little girl had staged the kidnapping herself to get more attention from her father. Hahaha, what a false alarm~"

The message was sent forty minutes ago.

Yuzuru scrolled down one line.

The second message was sent half an hour ago.

"Bad news, the little girl has really been kidnapped!"

Three terrified expressions followed.

“…………”

Yuzuru's expression twitched subtly.

really.

With that bespectacled brat around, cases seem to spring up everywhere. It's true, no matter where he goes, the aura of "Death" is never absent.

He quickly typed a message back.

"be safe."

After sending it, he thought for a moment and added a sentence.

Don't get involved in the fun.

There was no immediate reply after the message was sent.

They're probably busy right now.

Yuzuru put down his phone and leaned back on the sofa, lost in thought for a while.

From that first date with Sonoko Suzuki to today's promise with Momiji Ooka to go to the karuta room together on Saturday.

Although one was pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend and the other was in a tutor-tutor relationship, neither of them were considered a formal date or meeting.

But the number of women around me is indeed increasing.

This gave him a bit of a headache.

First up is Sonoko Suzuki.

The second daughter of the Suzuki Group.

Although she usually seems carefree and nonchalant, her family background makes it hard for him not to overthink things.

Sonoko Suzuki's older sister, Ayako Suzuki, followed a business marriage route.

In other words, the second young lady, Sonoko Suzuki, will most likely become the family's key successor.

Her parents' standards for finding her a partner were definitely not low.

Although Toru Hanyu was relatively confident in his abilities in all aspects, judging from his current state—

A high school student tutor, plus a newly established "popularity value".

It's still far from passing.

Now, let's talk about this Miss Hongye.