Uneasy daily life

Hachiman Hikigaya shut up, skillfully comforting himself.

"A foolish human who can't even handle a mere oven dares to dream of venturing into the cruel world of blades, flames, and seasonings?! There's no place for you here!"

A loud shout came from the kitchen from a white figure.

Yui Yuigahama was blasted out of the highest sanctuary.

The three people in the living room looked towards the kitchen doorway and met Yui Yuigahama's gaze.

They immediately and considerately turned their gaze away, pretending nothing had happened.

Isn't this even more awkward?!

Yui Yuigahama's smile became forced.

"Yuhihama, we'll have dessert later, you'll definitely, um, you'll definitely be able to do it."

Yukino Yukino peeked out and offered a word of encouragement before returning to the kitchen to continue her work.

"Xiaoxue..."

Your words of comfort are a little hurtful.

The three leisurely people in the living room +1.

Yui Yuigahama stared at the ceiling, too exhausted to even try to liven things up.

"Here's a cookie," Hachiman Hikigaya offered a token consolation.

"Th-thank you..." Yui Yuigahama listlessly took a bite of the cookie, feeling the sweetness spreading across her taste buds, and couldn't help but let out a dejected laugh, "Ha... that's true, I can't even make cookies well, going to the kitchen would only make things worse..."

Hachiman Hikigaya scratched his head and said, "Hmm...it's normal for some people not to cook. Right, Oreki?"

Houtarou Oreki: "Hmm."

"Even a novice can cook, and he's actually quite good at it. That Mapo Tofu that could kill people last time was just a matter of personal taste..."

Yui Yuigahama turned pale: "Girl power? I can't even beat Shiro?"

"Wow! I didn't expect Chitanda-neechan to be so good at cooking, and she can even accept the strange ingredients that Shiro-nii-san chose. She's amazing—wait, what's wrong with Yui-hama-neechan?"

Hikigaya Komachi wiped her hands, took off her apron, and walked out of the kitchen.

Hachiman Hikigaya: "He probably has gender dysphoria."

Snapped!

Komachi Hikigaya chopped her older brother in the neck with a chop: "What weird stuff are you saying now, brother? I'll hit you."

"Why is Komachi out here?" Hachiman Hikigaya felt a subtle sense of familiarity with that chop to the neck. "Are you done in the kitchen?"

Komachi Hikigaya shook her head and said, "Most of the dishes are indeed prepared, but Brother Shiro still has a few dishes to cook. He was heating oil just now, and Sister Yukinoshita told me to come out first to avoid getting splashed. I don't know what Brother Shiro is heating oil for; it looks scary..."

Stab-! ! !

Firecrackers boomed and drums resounded.

Everyone instinctively looked towards the kitchen—had the white figure set off a bomb there?!

A light mist carrying a strong odor drifted out from the kitchen.

"Cough cough—Achoo—!"

"Niece, step back! This is not a realm you can reach!"

"I...I'm going out first—Achoo!"

Chitanda Eru sneezed and coughed every now and then, then ran out of the kitchen with a scrunched-up face.

Yui Yuigahama asked curiously, "Chihiro, what are they doing in there?"

“I’ve heard my uncle say that Chinese cuisine, especially the strong-flavored dishes, is very noisy when it’s made. He sometimes does that when he makes grilled skewers…” Chitanda Eru said regretfully, “I still can’t get used to it, but it’s quite delicious and has a completely different flavor.”

Oreki Houtarou asked curiously, "Yukinoshita-kun seems to still be in the kitchen?"

“Yes, before Uncle Bai even put the food in the pot, Yukinoshita opened the window to ventilate the room and let Komachi leave the kitchen. She was so prescient and thoughtful,” Chitanda Eru said admiringly.

"Cough cough cough—Achoo!"

Suddenly, Yukino Yukinoshita sneezed from the kitchen. She then stepped out of the kitchen, closed the kitchen door behind her, and looked like she couldn't stand it anymore and had run out as well.

For some reason, everyone felt that the sneezing and coughing sounds were somewhat perfectly timed, somewhat opportune, and somewhat plastic-like...

It must be an illusion!

Hachiman Hikigaya kept his eyes focused on his nose, his nose on his mouth, and his mouth on his heart, displaying a dignified and solemn appearance, and dared not speak recklessly.

Chapter Seventy-Eight: The Birth of a Hater

The table was laden with food, and thankfully there was a matching table that was big enough for eight people to sit around and eat.

Yukino Yukinoshita was in charge of the Japanese cuisine, which included pan-fried fish, boiled meatballs, and even high-class plating with ice cubes, piled with sashimi and soy sauce dipping sauce.

The dishes that Bai Ying is in charge of are easily recognizable at a glance—the ones with darker colors, more heat, and stronger aromas are definitely the ones Bai Ying is in charge of.

This time, the dishes weren't quite as intense as usual. Apart from a pot of questionable braised pork intestines, the other dishes were mainly made of fish and chicken. There were sauerkraut fish slices with a sour and salty flavor, hand-shredded chicken with a spicy and numbing flavor, and of course, a pot of slow-cooked, fragrant chicken soup.

It was so lavish that I felt like we should hit the road as soon as we finished eating...

"I thought to myself," Hachiman Hikigaya.

Wishing you the best of luck in the voting for school trip destinations!

Chitanda Eru poured drinks for everyone, raised her glass and thanked them, saying, "Thank you all so much for your help!"

Let’s eat!

"Hmm..." Houtarou Oreki picked up something with a puzzled look. "What is this? It looks familiar."

"Pork intestines, I guess," Chitanda Eru said with a smile. "Didn't your uncle trick you into eating them once before?"

Oh... Chitanda's uncle, whose tastes are no longer Japanese at all, did indeed get tricked into eating a skewer by her and thought it tasted alright—until he later found out what it was.

Houtarou Oreki awkwardly placed the fatty intestines into the bowl; he couldn't very well put them back.

Chitanda Eru naturally took a bite, swallowed it, and savored the taste: "It definitely tastes different from grilled food... Huh? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

"Chitanda-san...can you accept this?"

Yukinoshita Yukino asked.

“My uncle made it before, and it was actually quite delicious.” Chitanda Eru felt there was nothing wrong with it. “At first, I was also quite curious, but then I became curious about what it tasted like and why my uncle enjoyed it so much. After trying it a few times, I was able to accept it.”

Your curiosity is truly remarkable...

Yukino Yukinoshita hesitated for a moment, then resolutely picked up a piece with her chopsticks.

"Xiaoxue?!"

Yukino Yukinoshita's expression was subtle: "...It's alright."

"Where does this unfounded competitiveness of yours come from?" Bai Ying chuckled, then tried to sell to Yui Yuigahama, "Don't just eat Yukinoshita's food, come and try mine. It's been modified to suit local tastes, absolutely non-toxic and harmless!"

Yui Yuigahama asked hesitantly, "Shiro, why is all the food you make so...greasy? Won't it make me fat?"

Bai Ying asked curiously, "Gain weight? I don't see a single girl here who doesn't like desserts. If we're talking about calories and weight gain, what food is better than sweets?"

As expected of a minister, he easily uttered remarks that were devastating to girls.

As Hachiman Hikigaya was feeling sentimental, he suddenly noticed a familiar, dark brown food in his bowl. He silently looked at his beloved sister.

"Brother, try it! It's delicious!" Komachi Hachiman's face lit up with the joy of discovering a new world. "Compared to the Mapo Tofu that Brother Bai made last time, this is definitely more palatable. It's fragrant and chewy..."

Bai Ying was delighted: "To get rid of the odor of your internal organs, which you probably aren't used to, I washed myself in several basins of water. The fact that you can accept it so naturally shows that you have the ability to inherit my mantle—call me Master!"

"Let's wait until my brother gets used to it before we talk about it. When we cook at home, we should prioritize his taste."

Hmph! The minister thinks he can seduce my goddess Komachi? What a pipe dream!

It's really strange, since they grew up eating at the same restaurant, why does Komachi have such a high acceptance of all of the minister's dishes?

Could it be that Dad has a secret cross-cultural romance?!

If that's the case, does that mean Komachi and I aren't related by blood? No, no, we are still related, aren't we...?

Snapped!

Komachi delivers a hand chop to her brother!

"Brother, what silly thing are you thinking about?"

"No, Komachi-sama—also, I'd like to ask, why a hand chop?"

"Brother Bai said that tapping a person's neck can quickly help them focus, break free from their fantasies, and return to reality. He also taught me four ways to tap with a hand chop, which seems to be very effective for my brother."

What brand of blue pills are these?

Damn it! I must find a chance to betray him... cough cough, I mean, prove my loyalty to the minister!

……

……

After a hearty meal and drinks, what might a group of teenagers, in the throes of adolescence and unsupervised by adults, do in a spacious living room?

The answer is self-evident.

Learn.

Didn't bring a pen? Didn't bring a book? No test paper?

No problem, Bai Ying thoughtfully prepared in advance to ensure that everyone can digest the food and make full use of their free time and the energy from the meal after the gathering.

Quickly say thank you, Bai Ying.

Hikigaya Komachi even received a set of junior high school exam papers!

This is enough to reveal the minister's sinister intentions and premeditated plan!

As Hikigaya Hachiman faced the math problem, his facial features almost contorted in shock.

"Komachi is in the second year of junior high school now, right? What are your aspirations for the future?"

"Hehe, I want to apply to Soubu High School. Even though my brother will be a senior in high school then, we can still spend a whole year together at school."

"Very good, very ambitious, but the General Martial Arts Academy is the key point—show some enthusiasm!"

"oh--!"

"Very energetic! Oh—!"

Listening to the conversation over there, Hachiman Hikigaya's facial features were becoming increasingly distorted.

Why... why do my younger sister and the minister get along so well?!

No, this isn't a case of affinity! It must be a manipulative, evil villain trying to bewitch the goddess Komachi to threaten innocent villager A!

"Everyone, the cupcakes are ready."

Yukino Yukinoshita, Yui Yuigahama, and Eru Chitanda brought out several plates of steaming hot, fluffy-looking cupcakes.

Yukino Yukinoshita gave Hakuei a smug look—this guy's cooking skills are indeed amazing. If he doesn't use any fancy tricks or strange ingredients, the dishes he makes are very delicious. But he can't make desserts at all, and he's completely clueless about pastry making.

I finally managed to entertain a friend I liked and who I felt a connection with; how could I let him outdo me!

As for holding a study session after the dinner, that would be excellent.

"Let's have some dessert before we continue."

The aroma of the small cakes temporarily dispelled the devastation that civilized reason inflicts on consciousness.

"Excellent, excellent, clearly top-quality!"

The white figure reached out, ready to take one.

Yukino Yukinoshita said casually, "This is the dessert we put all our effort into."

us?

Bai Ying abruptly withdrew her hand and leaned back on the sofa: "Yubihama! You want to assassinate the king?! Quickly summon Hua Tuo!"

Yui Yuigahama stomped her foot: "Shiro! I really tried my best this time!"