My anime/manga fandom can't be that lazy.

Kasumigaoka Utaha and Sawamura Eriri stared wide-eyed at Dongfang Bai's knife skills. He had a serious and calm expression, and his deep eyes were fixed on the cutting board. It is said that a serious man is the most handsome. Naturally, his appearance also attracted the attention of the other girls.

"With such good cooking skills, as a girl, I feel a little..."

Ke'er Nayuta sighed slightly. She had originally planned to cook for Dongfang Bai in the future, but seeing the situation, she decided against it. The other party's cooking skills were far superior to hers.

"..."

The black cat's mouth was slightly agape, a hint of frustration creeping in. But it rallied, about to speak, when Kasumigaoka Utaha spoke first, "Hosaka-kun, do you need my help? Like washing the rice or something..."

"No need, thank you Shiyu-senpai."

Dongfang Bai's expression remained unchanged. This was the first time the others had seen this usually smiling boy with such a calm expression. He was really serious when he was cooking.

"Kasumigaoka Utaha, you'd better not embarrass yourself by cooking up there..."

Eriri Sawamura looked at Utaha Kasumigaoka with schadenfreude. Although Utaha was just as bad as Eriri, being completely incapable of cooking, it didn't stop her from mocking her.

This time, Utaha Kasumigaoka was unusually tactless; instead, she pouted and looked sullen, which made Eriri even happier. Finally, she got to see this sharp-tongued girl get her comeuppance.

"Come on, he won't even let me go up and help him."

Yamada Elf propped her chin on her hand, seemingly a little bored. Even though her cooking skills were far superior to Dongfang Bai's, she wanted to help but was refused...

"By the way, Sawamura-kun, has Nishiki-kun always been such a good cook?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha suddenly snapped out of her gloomy mood and asked Sawamura Eriri across from her, who blushed and stammered, "I...how should I know? He never cooked when we were little..."

"Eh, so Kashiwagi-sensei didn't know at all? How can this be considered childhood friends?"

The black cat smirked and said, while Eriri blushed with anger and immediately retorted, "Ugh...you're so long-winded! I've known him since I was little, we're childhood friends!"

"It's been said that childhood sweethearts in various works never end up together."

"That's fiction! In reality, the probability of childhood sweethearts getting married is as high as 70%, okay?!"

Upon hearing Kasumigaoka Utaha's words, Sawamura Eriri immediately shouted angrily. Her voice was so loud that not only the other five girls, but even Dongfang Bai in the kitchen could hear her clearly.

"?" Eriri saw the smiling eyes of the girls around her, and she wasn't stupid, so she immediately realized what was going on.

"Waaaaah!!"

Eriri immediately realized she had said the wrong thing. Her pretty face flushed red, and her fair face instantly became burning hot, the redness spreading from her cheeks to the tips of her ears, showing just how shy she was.

I've actually been tricked?! These two guys teamed up to make a fool of me!!

You two scoundrels schemed against me!

She glared at Gokou Ruri and Kasumigaoka Utaha. It had to be said that the cunning nature of Gokou Ruri was so exaggerated in its ability to control her tsundere personality that she had no way of teasing them back.

"I think the female lead is usually the one who's always by the male lead's side, right?!"

Yamada Elf, not to be outdone, blurted out a remark, while Gokou Ruri countered, "No, generally speaking, the one who gets closest often doesn't end up together; on the contrary, the 'heavenly descendant' heroine is more likely to succeed!"

The "suddenly appearing female lead" trope is way too obvious...

"Huh? I've been reading a lot of light novels lately, and it seems like in quite a few works, the most popular characters don't end up together, while the least likely one actually does... "

Just then, to everyone's surprise, Kato Megumi joined the conversation. Normally, she wouldn't be interested in this kind of topic, so why did she suddenly join in?

Just as the girls were speculating about something, Dongfang Bai came out carrying out dish after dish.

"They're all Chinese dishes: steamed carp, shrimp with jade belt, Mapo tofu, braised pork ribs, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, crab meat lion's head meatballs, Dongpo pork..."

With a smile on his face, Dongfang Bai recited a long list of dishes, leaving everyone dumbfounded. It was hard to imagine that he could prepare so many dishes by himself in just over an hour.

The speed was astonishing, and the dishes on the table were vibrant in color and fragrant; all that was left was to imagine how they tasted.

These dishes represent the eight major cuisines of China: Shandong, Sichuan, Cantonese, Jiangsu, Fujian, Zhejiang, Hunan, and Anhui. His culinary skills were honed from childhood by his cheap old man, whose reasoning was, "How can a Chinese person not know how to cook?"

But I never expected that he would learn so much; his cooking skills are good enough to be a head chef in a five-star hotel in China.

　4.8 “Speaking of which, since you’re from the Celestial Empire, does everyone there know how to cook…?” Kasumigaoka Utaha stared blankly at the large pile of dishes on the round table before asking.

"more or less."

"almost???"

This answer is a bit surprising. What does "almost" mean? Does it mean that everyone in China can cook? That would be terrifying! No wonder it's known as the land of gastronomy...

Anyway, everyone should try it first.

Dongfang Bai blinked and chuckled. His exaggerated cooking skills gave the girls a headache. This guy seemed to be able to do everything—laundry, cooking, cleaning—and if nothing unexpected happened, he could even take care of kids. If they married him, wouldn't they just be a pretty face?

Chapter 85 Our Home Was Raided [Please Subscribe Automatically]

"So...delicious."

Yamada Fairy was shocked. She hadn't expected Dongfang Bai's cooking skills to improve so much in just a few months. What kind of monster was this guy? His progress was just too fast!

But compared to me, you're still a bit lacking, hmph~

Just as Yamada Elf was praising the dish in her heart, the other girls were already in a daze. Just one bite was enough to make them feel as if they could see the countless efforts and hard work behind the creation of this dish.

"Indeed...quite delicious."

Eriri Sawamura gritted her teeth and said, "Although I'm a tsundere, I can't lie and say that the food isn't good. Besides, Chinese cuisine is naturally delicious, much better than the food my family's chef makes."

Even a pampered young lady like her, raised on fine food, couldn't help but marvel at how delicious the food was.

"good to eat."

Kato Megumi took a small bite of Dongpo pork, chewing it with a very ladylike demeanor. She could feel the freshness and unparalleled deliciousness of the meat. Perhaps it was because the ingredients stored in Yamada Fairy's villa were all the freshest and highest quality...

"Wow~ I didn't expect to have a delicious dinner after playing all day. Today was so relaxing~"

Ke'er Nayuta ate heartily, her face full of a satisfied smile. She hadn't been this happy in a long time. It seemed she could write a little bit tonight, otherwise she would be urged to finish her work again.

Seeing the girls around her praising the ribs, Kasumigaoka Utaha, who was not far away, hesitated for a moment before looking at the ribs in her bowl. In the end, she couldn't resist the temptation, brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and put the meat into her mouth.

Uh...

Her body felt a little hot. What the hell was this? It was too delicious! Even a light novel writer was momentarily stunned. She didn't need any words to describe its deliciousness; she could simply say "delicious."

"I'm glad you like it, phew."

Seeing the surprise and satisfaction on everyone's faces, Dongfang Bai breathed a sigh of relief. It was all thanks to his hard work and dedication in cooking today. For a chef, it's enough if the customers think it tastes good.

"very nice."

Ruri Gokou's lips curled up slightly, a gesture that was naturally noticed by Eriri Sawamura, who was closest to her. Eriri laughed and said, "Well~ even though it's with a bunch of terrible members, it's still quite fun."

"Oh, I'm only dissatisfied with one person."

Kasumigaoka Utaha gently put down her chopsticks, stretched lazily with a languid expression, and Eriri, not being stupid, immediately guessed who she was referring to, but unable to refute, she could only grit her teeth and mutter softly, "Damn it..."

No one had the energy to continue arguing, so they focused on the food. In just thirty minutes, they finished all the food, leaving nothing behind. This was the best compliment for Dongfang Bai, who had prepared the dishes.

However, Dongfang Bai was quite surprised. He didn't expect that these girls could eat so much. It must be because the food was so delicious that they could eat so much.

"Alright, alright, I need to get back to drawing. There are less than six months left until the Winter ACG Expo, I have to work really hard!"

Having eaten and drunk her fill, Eriri immediately decided to get to work. After a whole day of fun, including a relaxing hot spring bath and a meal meticulously prepared by Hikaru, she was full of energy.

"Ugh~ I'll just take a short nap. Anyway, I've already finished my manuscript, so I'll leave the rest of the work for tonight."

Kasumigaoka Utaha yawned, a tear welling up in her eye. She leaned back on the sofa and fell asleep within a few breaths.

She's a typical night owl, only at midnight when she's most energetic. After a long day of fun, a relaxing bath, and a good meal, she naturally gets sleepy.

"Then I'll take a nap too..."

"What are you sleeping for? Get up and finish your manuscript! You haven't finished that route report yet, have you?!"

"Eh!? No way..."

Just as Yamada Fairy was about to take a nap like Kasumigaoka Utaha, she was immediately dragged away by an angry Eriri. They were probably going to the studio together to finish their manuscripts.

Kato Megumi sat on the sofa watching TV without moving. Kana Yuta was also quite sleepy and, unusually, didn't cling to Dongfang Bai. She yawned a big yawn and went back to her room to rest.

Dongfang Bai chuckled and walked to the dining table to start clearing the dishes. Since the meal was already cooked, he figured he might as well wash the dishes while he was at it. He was already used to taking care of his two younger sisters at home...

"Senior Dongfang, let me help you."

With a smile, Gokou Ruri went over to help Dongfang Bai clear the dishes. Only after the two of them took the dishes to the kitchen did Dongfang Bai say, "Thank you, Kuroneko. You can leave the rest to me."

"But……"

Ruri Gokou seemed to want to say something more, but seeing the smile on Dongfang Bai's face, she sighed, said goodbye to him, and left, leaving him alone in the kitchen.

"Alright, after you're done washing up, let's go find Sagiri and video chat with Umaru 777..."

Although Umaru had a lot of fun while he was away, as her older brother, he was still a little worried about whether his two silly little sisters had eaten well, so he promised to contact them that evening before he left.

"Bai Jun".

"Ok?"

Just as Dongfang Bai was about to start cleaning, he suddenly noticed that Kato Megumi was standing right next to him without his noticing, with an inscrutable smile on her face.

"Let me help you wash."

"No need, no need, it's just a small matter..."

Before Dongfang Baihua could finish speaking, Kato Megumi extended a slender index finger and placed it in front of his mouth to stop him from saying what he was about to say.

After Dongfang Bai stopped speaking, she gently said, "Bai has already worked so hard to cook for everyone, how can I let you do the dishes alone? Let's do it together."

Kato Megumi's tone changed drastically. Unlike her usual calm and collected tone, her words carried a gentle feeling, and coupled with the smile on her face, Dongfang Bai fully sensed her change.

Hui, you've changed so much...

Moreover, she was as understanding as an angel, which touched Dongfang Bai. After thinking about it, he agreed to help her.

Chapter 86 This is a classic scumbag's statement [Please subscribe automatically]

The two didn't exchange many words; they just stood shoulder to shoulder in the kitchen washing dishes together. To an uninformed person, they looked like an old married couple, working together without needing to say a word.

"Hui, what do you think of this club?"

"Do you mean Eriri and the others?"