Tokyo: Am I the only male tenant?

The topic suddenly seemed to turn to personifying peppers or something similar to the spiritual level.

"It sounds strange, right? But there are botanical experts who have studied this phenomenon."

“If you allow peppers to dry out or burden them with nutritional deficiencies, their inherent spiciness increases.”

Matsumoto Tomoko sat up straight and answered seriously.

"Ah, so this really exists, so magical..."

Chie Hoshino opened her eyes wide in disbelief. No wonder the taste of the same pot of Shishito peppers could be so different.

“Sometimes the Shishitang I buy from the store may look the same on the outside, but sometimes it can suddenly taste spicy.”

"Is it because I didn't water it enough before? I thought I watered it plenty."

Yincheng took care of the balcony garden for his wife for a few days when she came back to visit her relatives, and thought that this result was caused by his own actions.

"No, no, Sousuke-kun has taken good care of them. This time they are almost reaching their limit."

"limit?"

The three people, including Ginjo, cast questioning looks at the wife.

"Yes, the Lion Tang has produced a lot of fruits in early July, and I have picked a lot of them. Now the life of the potted plant itself should be almost over."

The season is now approaching late October. Summer has long disappeared from the calendar, but have those summer fruits and vegetables left on the balcony finally come to an end?

I don’t know why, but when the lady said this, she felt a sense of loneliness in her chest.

"It's almost time to clean up those summer vegetables, so today I want to make the most of them."

"Is that so? Hmm~"

For sisters Ginjo and Hoshino, they are truly lucky to be able to enjoy the most delicious summer fruits and vegetables during their peak season.

Green peppers and zucchini in stir-fried shrimp, okra in miso soup, and Shishito peppers.

No matter which one it is, it is an ingredient that my wife uses to decorate the table during the summer vacation.

Chie Hoshino imagined vaguely as she looked at the remaining lion-shaped plants in the small pot.

“Does it get spicy when you’re stressed?”

"What if I eat Sousuke during final exam week?"

She suddenly asked as if she was thinking about something.

“As hot as a habanero pepper.”

Ginjo Sousuke answered quickly.

"Is it spicy?"

“Very hot.”

It sounds bad, but if it were Ginjo, she would probably find a way to eat it.

"If it's you, Chie, then there shouldn't be any problem."

At this time, Yincheng turned his head with a smile on his face and looked at her and said.

"Eh? Sosuke is trying to say that I have nothing to do with stress?"

Chie Hoshino vaguely smelled a hint of being teased by Ginjo again.

"Yeah, I think a simple woman like you who only thinks about eating every day shouldn't feel any pressure, haha."

Ginjō's laughter made his wife and Hoshino Chiaki couldn't help but cover their mouths.

"What?! I'm not as superficial as you think, okay?!"

Chie Hoshino clenched her fist in indignation and suddenly punched Ginjō in the side.

"Of course I also have times when I'm stressed out, okay!"

She tried to defend herself, but when she thought about it carefully, there was really no time that could make her feel stressed, whether in school or anywhere else.

She has always been indifferent to homework and exams. As long as she can pass the test, she is happy. She is a firm supporter of passing the exams.

If I really have to talk about what kind of pressure I have recently, it is probably that there are too many girls hanging around Ginjo.

Especially after being invited by Lisa Shiraishi to attend the water polo club's celebration party, this feeling became even stronger.

"Really? Tell me."

Ginjo Sousuke asked her curiously.

"Humph, I won't tell you. Anyway, there are times when I find food very spicy!"

Although Chie Hoshino said this, if the day really comes that Ginjo wants to explore her taste, she promises to make herself smell good.

"Okay, let's not talk about that anymore. Let's just eat the shrimp first."

Tomoko Matsumoto spoke in the most gentle voice, and then gave some of the fried shrimps on the large plate to Chie Hoshino, as compensation for the spiciness she had just experienced.

"You've eaten too many shrimps. Eat some vegetables."

“That’s not enough to eat.”

When Chie Hoshino saw that her bowl was filled with fried shrimps again, she threw away all her unhappiness. She responded to Ginjō casually and immediately started to eat voraciously.

"As long as Chie is here, the amount of all ingredients will be doubled."

Ginjo couldn't help but let out a "tsk". Chiaki Hoshino, who was sitting opposite him, also agreed with his point of view and nodded with a chuckle.

"It's okay, just let Chie eat to her heart's content. She must have been very tired after a week of classes at school."

The wife still dotes on them as always, just as if she treats them as her own children.

"Yeah, what does it matter? Anyway, today is Saturday, and it was Sister Tomoko who invited me here, so there's no need for Sosuke to meddle in other people's business, hehe."

When Chie Hoshino heard her wife say this, she instantly became complacent.

"Even so, you should at least help out in the kitchen, right?"

"Qianqiu has learned a lot from Sister Tomoko and can now stand on her own."

"Since Chie loves it so much, I guess I'll let you cook for the next gathering?"

Ginjo looked at her arrogant look and couldn't help but tease her weakness.

"Well...this..."

Chie Hoshino was speechless.

Be responsible for cooking an entire meal and take full responsibility.

It’s not about making dishes that feel like breakfast, but about making a whole table of dishes that feel like a meal, dishes that wouldn’t look strange even if you were serving them to others.

Although she felt that she could give it a try if she tried hard, the final result would definitely pale in comparison to that of her wife or sister.

Whether in terms of taste, technique, or arrangement of ingredients, she was far behind the other two women at the table.

"My spirit, skills and physical strength are not ready yet... I still have a long way to go before I can advance to the yokozuna level..."

"But this doesn't mean I will give up. One day I will be able to cook a delicious meal like Chiaki and Sister Tomoko."

"I will let Sosuke taste it first, and then we'll see how you can make fun of me!"

After some thought, Chie Hoshino first admitted her shortcomings, but soon showed the side of her character that would never give up.

"Very good, very good. I will wait for that day. I hope to see it within a hundred years."

"Hmph, don't worry, Sousuke. I will make you admire me so much that you will never laugh at me again."

Ginjo clapped his hands as if to encourage her, but in Chie Hoshino's eyes that was undoubtedly a provocation.

However, she was also very clear that if she wanted to stand out from the competition among so many women and occupy a place by Yincheng's side, she must have some skills to rely on.

Although cooking may not seem like a big deal, it is definitely a plus when interacting with boys.

If you want to capture a man's heart, you must first capture his stomach.

There must be a reason why this saying can be spread so widely.

"Yeah, I believe Chie will be fine."

“Quality and technique are not important at all. All you need to do is put your heart and soul into the cooking.”

"A dish made by a beautiful college girl like Chie will definitely be very popular."

Tomoko Matsumoto was used to their bickering and always came out to smooth things over for her at the right time.

"I'm afraid Sosuke is tired of seeing 'beautiful female college students'. Sister Tomoko, you don't know that there are countless beauties in their school."

"A playboy like Sosuke has received countless love letters and been confessed to by countless girls. Am I right?"

As if a keyword was triggered, Chie Hoshino's nerves became excited again, and she poked Ginjō beside her with her arm.

She had only been to Wuyuan for one day during the school anniversary, and she witnessed how terrifying the number of girls there was.

"That's right. Just a few days ago, a girl in my class confessed her love to me."

Ginjo Sousuke answered casually without taking it seriously.

"What? Cough cough cough..."

Chie Hoshino, who was about to drink the okra miso soup, seemed to choke on the soup and started coughing violently.

Matsumoto Tomoko and Hoshino Chiaki also had strange looks in their eyes because of Ginjo's remarks.

"Sosuke is really popular~"

The lady paused for a moment and whispered softly.

To be honest, she was not surprised by this situation, and even felt a little honored that she could share Silver City with these young girls.

"Why are you reacting so strongly, Chie?"

"Eh? What? Is it not okay? Gossiping is a woman's nature!"

Faced with Ginjō's question, Chie Hoshino had no choice but to give such a stubborn answer.

She really likes to listen to other people's love stories, but when the male protagonist is also related to her, the situation becomes not so simple.

"So, so? What kind of girl is she?"

"Just a normal friend."