Chapter 56: Cooking Made Simple

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In a street of Shinjuku Ward, the neighborhood was quite old, belonging to the outskirts of Tokyo’s suburbs. Most people who settled here did so because housing prices in Tokyo were too high; they were white-collar workers, corporate slaves, forced to crowd onto subways and trains each day for their commute.

A black, elongated Toyota was parked by the roadside, starkly out of place amid its surroundings. The interior was lavishly appointed. A silver-haired girl sat gracefully in a luxurious leather seat, eyes closed in repose. Her long lashes quivered lightly; her exquisite face seemed to be a masterpiece, unreal in its beauty, as if carved from marble—a delicate porcelain doll.

A closer look revealed a faint resemblance between her brows and Megumi Kiyoshi. Alas, when God opens a window for you, He shuts a door as well—her figure was disappointingly ordinary. Ordinary—indeed.

Yet her long legs were quite striking, slender and smooth, crossed neatly together. Black mid-length socks hugged her calves, their shape nearly perfect. She wore a red-and-white school uniform skirt, topped with an artistically charming beret, emanating an ineffable air of elegance and nobility.

“Miss, the young lady has been staying at Haruhi Harano’s house lately. As instructed, we have not shown ourselves,” reported a woman in a black professional suit, respectful and precise—like a machine devoid of emotion.

At the mention of Megumi Kiyoshi’s name, the silver-haired girl slowly opened her eyes; her gaze held a celestial glimmer, mysteriously captivating.

She sighed, as if resigned. “My foolish sister—why has she been out playing for so long this time? She has not spent a single yen, nor used the card Father gave her.”

“What about the company president?” the woman in the black suit ventured tentatively.

“I’ll speak to Father myself. Truly a headache, those two—both stubborn as mules.”

At this, Yukino Kiyoshi rubbed the corner of her eye.

“By the way, is there any issue with Haruhi Harano?”

“No, according to our data, he's just an ordinary geek from the countryside. He doesn’t have the nerve to do anything to the young lady, and, and...”

At this, Mika Eguchi hesitated.

“And what?” Yukino Kiyoshi asked, curious.

“And, the young lady seems to be having a very happy time lately...”

Upon hearing this, the usually impassive silver-haired beauty showed rare surprise.

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“Show me Haruhi Harano’s file...”

Ah, my foolish older sister! Truly enviable—to be able to enjoy life so carelessly, wherever she goes, always doing as she pleases.

Her cool gaze drifted through the window, watching students return home from school, laughing and playing, freely expressing their youth. Perhaps their only worry was that, after tonight’s episode of their favorite anime, they’d have to wait another day...

Such happiness and life must be wonderful...

...

“First, marinate with soy sauce and salt for ten minutes, kneading evenly by hand...”

Megumi Kiyoshi watched a short cooking video while carefully coating chicken wings with sauce. She dared not take her eyes off her phone, fearing she might miss a crucial step.

Only when her dish looked more or less like the photo in the video did Megumi finally withdraw her hand in satisfaction.

Now, all that remained was to fry them!

She eyed her new apron, resisting the urge to wipe her hands on it, instead turning to wash up in the sink.

Strange—why do I always feel compelled to wipe my hands on my apron?

Megumi shook her head, fixing her gaze once more on the marinating chicken wings in the bowl. Watching the sauce coat the wings, tears slipped unbidden from the corners of her mouth.

She felt certain she would succeed this time, having followed the video step by step. There was no reason for failure!

Heh, cooking is really nothing for me!

When Haruhi Harano returned, she was determined to impress him.

She glanced at the plate beside her, pushing it aside along with its unidentified contents, hiding it away.

That doesn’t count—it was just for practice! This time, these chicken wings would be the most delicious in the world!

...

“Here’s your order. Please visit again,”

Haruhi Harano smiled as he handed a packaged bag to a high school girl.

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The girl blushed, taking the bag and turning away with her head lowered, unable to meet Haruhi’s eyes. Suddenly, she realized the shop clerk was handsome.

Checking the time—it was already past seven. The sky outside had grown dim; night had fallen, with sparse stars scattered above.

Yet the neon-lit nights of Tokyo made the already rare stars appear even more elusive.

Equally elusive was Yoshimi Uehara, affixing discount labels.

Mrs. Uehara was still in the pale green dress she’d worn that afternoon, bending over to label rows of rice balls. Her posture revealed a glimpse of fair calf—her curves particularly alluring.

So dangerous, Mrs. Uehara—this pose was pure torment for a young, impetuous high schooler.

With another glance at the time and the scenery outside, Haruhi Harano rose to hang the “Closed” sign at the convenience store entrance.

Poor Uehara Convenience Store, closing so early tonight.

Having finished, he clapped his hands in satisfaction and walked over to Mrs. Uehara to help “label” together.

...

“Hm hm hm...” Megumi Kiyoshi hummed some unknown tune in the kitchen as she fried chicken wings.

A few were still somewhat burnt, but overall, much better than her first attempt with fish. At least now, only part was burnt—the rest was edible.

She attributed all this remarkable progress to her “innate talent.”

Cooking! So simple!

Let that big oaf Haruhi dare be so arrogant again in the future! Hmph!