Comics, daily stories

Nomiyama tilted his head to look at her and chuckled, "Do you want to learn? I can teach you. I've improved the processing a bit, and it will taste even better than hers."

Hiratsuka Shizuka tasted the sake, tilting her head: "Does 'tastier' mean making the flavor more like fruit juice?"

Nomiyama propped his chin up with one hand: "But the burning sensation of the liquor and the rich aroma of the ingredients are still there. It's refreshing when you first drink it, but it's scalding hot after you finish. This is a high-proof liquor that even a child can easily drink. Don't you find this contrast interesting?"

Hiratsuka rolled her eyes at him: "That will only make the kids think they drank a strange juice, and then they'll faint on the spot. Then you'll be the weird uncle who tricked the kids into drinking, and you'll be arrested by the police."

Nomiyama manipulated the drink into the glass, leaning back against the side of the sofa, still propping his chin up: "There won't be such an opportunity. I'm not interested in other people's children. The three at home are already interesting and cute enough."

Hiratsuka Shizuka thought about the three children, pondered for a moment, and then said seriously, "I will teach the three of them."

"No." The refusal came quickly.

Hiratsuka Shizuka didn't say anything, she just looked at him and waited for his answer.

Nomiyama shook his head: "It really won't work. It's not that I'm unwilling, it's that they're unwilling. You can't persuade either of them. Believe me, if you dare to bring that up, it'll... lead to a fight..."

Hiratsuka Shizuka reached out and rubbed her forehead: "But their education is too biased. I'm not criticizing them for doing anything wrong. It's good to follow your heart and pursue what you like and live that kind of life; but I think it needs to be balanced, otherwise it's easy to develop into an extreme personality."

Nomiyama didn't take it seriously: "With Hoshino watching over them, the two of them will be fine. Hoshino is very precocious, and you can see this kind of precocity as a gift from heaven. Since Ziwan and Shuang are her two younger sisters, she will take good care of everything."

Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at him and thought he was somewhat optimistic. Of the three, the most unusual one wasn't the naturally unruly Hoshino, nor the one who was always looking to stir up trouble, but rather the quiet one who seemed the most timid...

I don't know how her family raised her, but at only four years old, she has already begun to silently observe the thoughts of those around her and start weaving a web for her future.

After thinking for a while, she began to scoop out the wine.

Haha, that's great. Spoil them. Wait until they grow up, then you'll be in for a world of hurt.

"Anything interesting happening lately? I heard when I went out that Xuewan took the two of them to the mountain to play chess." Nomiyama took the initiative to ask, he was a little curious about the outcome.

"They're still playing. Yukihan has expanded the game a bit and is currently playing against Yukino. Every move they make is burning through a lot of brain cells." Hiratsuka Shizuka chuckled as she drank.

"Didn't you say it was one against two?" Nomiyama raised an eyebrow.

“It was originally supposed to be one against two, but Yukino refused to accept it, thinking she was enough on her own. Now it’s turned out like this, with the two of them wasting their time by the lake, competing in computing power.” Hiratsuka Shizuka laughed even more gleefully.

"It has a comic book feel to it? Two unparalleled chess players playing against each other, and nothing can disturb them, by a lake surrounded by flowers, green grass, and fallen leaves." Nomiyama conjured up the image in his mind.

"What a terrible comic book feel. It's just two stubborn people who refuse to lose torturing themselves both on and off the chessboard," Hiratsuka Shizuka commented.

"Huh? That's a novel perspective." Nomiyama looked at her with some surprise. "If we disregard the added value of achievement and effort, it seems that competition is just about forcing yourself to keep going because you refuse to lose?"

“But it’s impossible to ignore achievements, because winning against others is itself a sense of accomplishment,” Hiratsuka Shizuka added.

"Then what nonsense are you spouting..." Nomiyama picked up his wine glass, ready to take a sip.

Hiratsuka Shizuka grinned, threw down her wine glass, and pounced on him.

"Because I refuse to lose, you bastard! Get back to lying down and rolling your eyes!"

......

Nomiyama had never actually experienced rolling his eyes; he had only seen it.

He threw back the covers, got up, put on a bathrobe, then gently kissed her forehead, turned around, and walked into the kitchen with practiced ease to start preparing breakfast.

There are always some noodles on hand because he's very good at cooking them.

However, unusually, today he didn't choose the process that everyone prefers, but instead took out some meat and started doing something else.

Toast, cucumber, tomato, lettuce, bacon, and eggs are fried together. Minced meat is mixed with scallions and fried into a pancake. Finally, it is served with some chopped chili sauce and filtered soy milk.

For breakfast, sandwiches are also a good option.

Before I could even wake her up, she was already in her bathrobe, rubbing her eyes as she walked into the dining room.

Hiratsuka Shizuka was clearly not very happy: "You bastard, you sleep whenever you want to be lazy, but every time someone else wants to be lazy, you yell at them to get up. Your personality is so awful that it's hard not to teach you a lesson from a young age."

Nomiyama looked at her, who had gotten up on her own without needing to be called, and chewed, "It's already noon, you drunkard."

Hiratsuka Shizuka took her sandwich, took a big bite, and kicked him, saying, "I was too tired last night, I can sleep until the afternoon!"

Nomiyama calmly dodged her, glanced at her, and walked towards the refrigerator: "I've never slept until the afternoon at home. I definitely have to listen to Megumi to get up at noon. How come you can sleep until the afternoon?"

Hiratsuka Shizuka chewed the sandwich with gusto, as if she were chewing him up, and swallowed it. She sneered, "That's why I said you have a terrible personality and can't stand seeing others living more comfortably than you."

Nomiyama rejected this slander: "Nonsense, I just prefer talking to you more rather than sleeping together forever."

"Although it sounds nice, it's just something you say without thinking, so it's not very touching. Try harder next time."

Hiratsuka Shizuka drank the soy milk, watched him rummage through the refrigerator, and finally pulled out some milk and gulped it down, suppressing a laugh: "If you don't like it, why make soy milk in the first place?"

Nomiyama put down the bucket of milk and looked back at her: "I don't dislike soy milk, I just prefer regular milk."

Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at him for a moment, then beckoned, "Come here."

Nomiyama was puzzled, but he still closed the refrigerator and walked towards her.

Holding a sandwich in one hand, Hiratsuka Shizuka approached him until they were close enough, then stood on tiptoe and lightly licked the milk that had dripped from the corners of her mouth.

She stepped back and smiled, "It's not that I particularly like soy milk, but I'll take it as proof that you do. Remember, whenever I'm around, there must be soy milk for breakfast."

Nomiyama nodded: "I've got it."

Hiratsuka Shizuka turned and headed towards the soy milk maker, trying to hide her flushed cheeks.

What a blunder! Making such a move and saying such things in a moment of impulse was a huge mistake. What will he think? Will he think his actions and words were inexplicable? Probably not. After all, he likes to say things that are unbearable for no reason. Someone like me shouldn't be taken seriously at all.

"Black beans or soybeans? You seem to like both."

Hiratsuka Shizuka turned around, looked at him who seemed a little conflicted, and laughed.

That's right. Compared to all sorts of other ideas, his first thought is the request he made.

"Either is fine, you decide for yourself."

"Let's prepare both. Black beans nourish the blood and improve complexion, while soybeans clear heat and detoxify."

He pondered for a moment, then opened the refrigerator and reached for the milk.

......

"Going home to sleep tonight?"

Nomiyama glanced at the person yawning beside him, then took out his phone and looked at it for a moment.

"It's been a long time since I've soaked in a hot spring. I'll go home and soak in one. Besides, didn't Xuewan bring some flowing water into the pool from somewhere recently? They said it's good for your health." Hiratsuka Shizuka raised her hand and started to stretch.

“There’s a Milky Way in the sky, which Bai Yujing usually uses to water her fruit trees. She diverted some of it to her home, which will probably make her skin smoother,” Nomiyama explained.

"Wow, it's actually true! You should have told me sooner, I would have soaked in it more often." Hiratsuka Shizuka paused in her stretch.

"You don't know about this kind of thing? You're always hanging out with her." Nomiyama picked a cherry blossom and spun it around in his palm.

"That bastard is always pulling out all sorts of liquor and telling me he's brewed something amazing," Hiratsuka Shizuka gritted her teeth.

"Then you started living a life of debauchery with her, forgetting everything else." Nomiyama exposed the blind spot.

"Ahem, let's not talk about that. Why don't you go see them? They're still playing chess on the mountain." Hiratsuka Shizuka asked curiously.

“I won’t go. If I go, they’ll ask who will win, and I’ll answer that whoever wins will get beaten.” Nomiyama was keenly aware of the risks on that mountain.

"Alright, whatever you want. By the way, where did you get that cat you got for Yukino? Get me one too." Hiratsuka Shizuka suddenly remembered something.

"Mischievous cat?" Nomiyama thought of the pink cat that was as tall as Yukinoshita. "The fishing rod once broke through the world that produces Palkia. I was a little curious, so I tore open space to take a look and caught a few dozen. If you want one, just ask Yukinoshita for one."

"She'll give it to me?" Hiratsuka Shizuka thought of the girl who changed her appearance when she saw the big pink cat.

"Well, that depends on your methods." Nomiyama had no intention of getting involved in this matter.

"Damn it, couldn't you go catch another one?" Hiratsuka Shizuka's fist made a whooshing sound.

Nomiyama twisted his body to dodge, took a few steps back, and coughed twice, feeling embarrassed.

"Things can always be unexpected; there are no more mischievous cats on that continent."

"You killed all the other mischievous cats?" Hiratsuka Shizuka's eyes widened.

"What are you talking about? I'm not a butcher. I am. When I went there, that space couldn't withstand my presence. Most of the Palu were instantly killed by the space. The few dozen that were there were just me who caught them quickly." Nomiyama defended himself.

"Didn't you still die because of you?" Hiratsuka Shizuka retorted.

“I’m not taking the blame.” He said this with some joy. “Actually, the mischievous cats are quite interesting. They even grow vegetables and smash rocks with pickaxes, producing some strange ores. Once, I was a little curious, so I threw all those dozens of mischievous cats onto a rocky mountain. They dug for ten days and ten nights. When I went over, there were many blue stones on the ground.”

"Yeah, it's pretty strange, they can even cry."

Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at him strangely, and after a long while said, "You weren't beaten to death by that cat-crazy guy?"

Nomiyama recalled that day when the snow-covered woman followed him with red eyes, then chased him with a sword all day, remaining silent.

A moment later, he pouted and said, "How could she possibly bear to hit me?"

Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at his defiant act and smiled expressionlessly: "Heh."

Nomiyama turned his head away: "Alright, you go home, I'll go this way."

Hiratsuka Shizuka was somewhat surprised: "Aren't you coming back with me?"

Nomiyama took out his phone and glanced at it: "My senior called me. I'll go talk to her first."

Hiratsuka Shizuka sneered and continued walking forward: "When she comes down the mountain, I'll watch you get chopped to pieces."

Nomiyama waved his hand from the spot: "Be careful on the road."

Hiratsuka Shizuka ignored those words and quietly walked forward.

Nomiyama watched her leave until she was about to turn a corner, at which point he turned to go to another street.

"Go home and have dinner early."

The sound came from the other end of the street.

Nomiyama turned his head to look, but the person who liked to show off was gone.

291 We shall love one another in our sobriety.

Years later, when facing his gentle wife who loved to read in the sunlight, Nomi Yamazaki would always unconsciously recall that distant morning when he first met her.

The wind was slightly cool that day, and her black hair was lifted by the wind, the ends of which shone with light. The bright color shone on her, and her eyes were as red as roses, blooming brilliantly.

"You're too slow, junior. If this were a date, you'd lose 50 points in the very first stage."

The girl closed the book, clearly not intending to be polite.

Nomiyama caught a cherry blossom petal that had fallen onto her hair, feeling a little embarrassed: "Xiaojing wanted to go home, so I walked her part of the way."

He glanced at the senior's clothes: a white lace-trimmed sundress with a sky-blue ribbon cinching her waist, paired with black stockings and small leather shoes.

He shifted his gaze from the low-lying collarbone area and exclaimed, "You look beautiful as always, senior."

Then he asked, "What's the grading system today?"

When Kasumigaoka Utaha heard him say he would take Shizuka home, her fingers tightened slightly. When she noticed where his gaze lingered, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly. After hearing his praise, she composed herself, stood up naturally, and finally smiled when he asked her a question.

"1000 points."

Nomiyama nodded affirmatively: "There are still many points to deduct today."

Kasumigaoka Utaha took the lead: "950 points is passing."

"That's so unfair."

Nomiyama muttered to himself, glancing around at his surroundings.

"No, Mai is at home today, discussing how to stew fish with Megumi. They're debating whether it's better with tofu or pickled cabbage," Kasumigaoka Utaha explained.

"Both are delicious. Megumi prefers the tofu, while Mai prefers the pickled cabbage," Nomiyama answered, following her senior who had stopped to wait for her.

"Hmm, as a boyfriend, you're certainly up to par in some details." Kasumigaoka Utaha said calmly as she took a step forward. "So, junior, can you tell me what my friend likes and dislikes?"

"Senior doesn't like stewed fish at all; she prefers steamed fish." Nomiyama reached out and took the book she handed him.

Kasumigaoka Utaha's steps were a little lighter.

"It's still 'The Little Prince,' huh? Senior really loves this book." Nomiyama opened the title page, where a sentence was written by his senior, which he had read several times.

I am fascinated by the universe, the stars, and the vast galaxy. Planets orbit and depend on each other; the Little Prince grows roses, astronauts search for water, and aliens use the moon as a lamp. Enveloped in all this mystery, I feel relaxed and at peace, because I know that there will always be stars that shine for me, twinkling for me, traveling countless light-years to say they love me.

"Besides the Bible, this is the best-selling book in the world, but I think it's foolish to compare it with a group of people who believe in God. So in my heart, The Little Prince is number one. How could I not like the number one in my heart?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha walked in the spring sunshine with her hands behind her back, the wind she stirred up clearing away the cherry blossoms' disturbance, her voice as light as her footsteps.

Nomiyama looked at her, closed the book and held it in his hand: "Senior, you seem to be having a great time today."

Kasumigaoka Utaha nodded: "People always feel a strange kind of pleasure at some point in time."