Even with chuunibyou, let's learn together!

Page 345

The three of them went into the house together. As soon as they entered, Mimi and Doma looked around, like wild animals entering unfamiliar territory looking for danger. After a long while, they said with satisfaction, "It's still so clean. That's the only thing that's been well maintained."

"Are you two the hygiene representatives for your grade at Ichinose Academy?" Hayakawa said expressionlessly, then urged, "Hurry up and come to the kitchen. If you cook now, it'll be ready for dinner."

"Okay okay."

Upon hearing this, Ayame Kominami immediately transformed into a cook, pushing Hayakawa into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

As soon as they reached the stove, Liu Ba, Liu Lengshi, Xiao Meilang, and Ai Cheng's expressions immediately turned serious. First, they carefully checked the kitchen utensils, then they put clean aprons on themselves and Hayakawa, and then... they started helping Hayakawa.

This is only natural, since it's Hayakawa's house, so Hayakawa is naturally the head chef and Minami Aisumi can only assist. In fact, in terms of cooking skills alone, Hayakawa is much better than Minami.

Aimi's culinary skills mainly come from two aspects. One is her experience working in a maid café, where she provides in-home housekeeping services and helps out in the kitchen when needed, making things like omelets and rice. However, as everyone knows, the focus of a maid café is the maids, not the "coffee," and the target customers are mostly otaku (die-hard fans of anime, manga, and video games). Their purpose in coming there is not to eat, but...

Because of the delicious magic cast by the cute maid and the "master" she calls out, Xiao Meilang's main job every day is to deal with these people, and she rarely participates in kitchen work.

The second point is her experience cooking while living in a rented apartment. However, during that time, she was already exhausted from studying and working every day, so she didn't have the energy to put into cooking. It was good enough to just fill her stomach.

All things considered, her cooking skills are only average, which is only because she has a lot of natural talent.

Chapter 546 Pineapple Beef

In comparison, Hayakawa was slightly better. Although he always felt it was a waste of time to learn cooking, he had no choice but to learn a little bit because people always came over to eat and drink for free. He even went so far as to ask Nino, who was good at cooking, to teach him a little when he was tutoring the five sisters at the Nakano family. As a result, Minami Aisumi could only work as Hayakawa's assistant.

"Tch, just you wait, I'll watch more cooking videos, and you'll be the one preparing the ingredients for me from now on."

Although Ayame Kominami accepted this reality, she was clearly somewhat unwilling. As a senior student, she was now working as a cooking assistant for a junior, and she had lost all her authority.

"You can't improve your cooking skills just by watching cooking videos; you need time to practice."

Hayakawa glanced down at her and said, "You should focus more on your studies."

"I see…"

Xiao Meilang Aicheng said something in an annoyed tone, then lowered her head and focused on chopping vegetables.

Hayakawa withdrew his gaze from her, his brows furrowing slightly.

Since I saw Ayame Omi today, I've felt that she seems preoccupied, as if she's troubled by something.

Her college entrance exams are in the middle of next year, and Hayakawa doesn't want her to be distracted by trivial matters.

Let's ask her alone after we finish eating.

Hayakawa thought.

……

I cut the geoduck I bought into small pieces, blanched them, and then stewed them with various vegetables in a soup. This is what Hayakawa made online.

Hayakawa took out enough meat and vegetables for three people and made pineapple beef stew, a stir-fry of various vegetables, hand-rolled tuna sushi, steamed rice, miso soup, and cold dishes such as tofu salad. They were basically typical Japanese home-style dishes, without anything fancy, since Hayakawa's cooking skills weren't that great.

Hayakawa handled most of the cooking process, while Minami Aizami assisted a little. As for Umaru, she knew nothing about cooking and only helped a little when setting the table and serving the dishes.

"Pineapple, beef?"

After it was served, Xiaomai looked curiously at the large clay pot in the center and couldn't help but ask, "So these two can be eaten together? Won't they taste bad too quickly?"

"No, it'll be fine as long as it's seasoned properly."

Hayakawa thought for a moment and then offered a brief explanation: "Beef is tougher than other meats, so it's difficult to tenderize it with ordinary stewing. That's why we add pineapple peel juice and baking soda during marinating to soften the meat's texture, making it easier for it to absorb flavor. And once cooked, the meat is tender and more palatable."

Umaru blinked: "Is that how it is?"

She thought that just throwing it into a pot and cooking it would be enough; if the meat was tough, it meant the heat wasn't high enough.

"There really are many intricacies to cooking,"

Umaru sighed with emotion, "It's so hard on my brother to cook all kinds of dishes every day. I thought it was so easy for him, but it seems I can't underestimate him anymore."

“…囷硫栮拌泗扒拔思…”

I discovered a heartless younger sister.

After the three of them served the rice, they sat around the table and began to eat.

"Young man, your stir-fried vegetable dish tastes very good."

After taking a bite, Aimi Nami smiled slightly and said, "It goes really well with rice."

"Really? Then I'll have a bite." Upon hearing this, Xiaomai quickly picked up a bite herself, her eyes brightening slightly as she said, "Indeed, the saltiness is just right."

Hayakawa smiled without saying a word. He was already very familiar with the tastes of these two girls. The flavors were a little milder than normal people's, which was just right for the girls.

"And since they're vegetables, it's okay to eat more of them."

Xiao Meilang Aicheng buried her head in her bowl and kept eating, saying, "I'm not afraid of gaining weight at all."

“Senior, you don’t understand this,” Xiao Meilang Aicheng laughed upon hearing this: “Even if you only eat vegetarian food, you will still gain weight if you eat so much rice, because consuming staple food is the main reason why people gain weight.”

Komi Nami looked up and said, "I know, but there's nothing I can do. How can Japanese people live without rice? Even if you ask me to eat less, I just can't do it!"

"That seems true, after all, it's the most common staple food in East Asia,"

Doma Umaru was speechless: "I can give up other staple foods, but rice... I can't imagine a day without rice."

"Yes Yes."

The two girls suddenly realized they shared the same view; clearly, both were proponents of the "rice is supreme" theory.

Hayakawa remained silent, because he preferred noodles to rice, as they were faster to eat; he could slurp them down and be full in just over ten minutes.

"I'll go home and get some Coke!"

"You'll gain more weight than the staple food... Never mind, just bring it over here."

"Ok."

……

The meal lasted a full hour, leaving the two girls so full they could barely move.

That's just how people are. When they want to eat, they can finish a meal in ten minutes or even a few minutes, but when they want to have a big meal, one or two hours are not enough, and even social engagements where they eat while chatting can take up an entire afternoon.

The girls all seemed a bit languid at this moment. Minami Aizami was still able to maintain a sitting posture, while Umaru simply lay half-reclined on the sofa, clutching her stomach and not moving at all.

Compared to the two women, Hayakawa was much more presentable. He was the only one who still had the energy to clear the table and wash the dishes, though he just tossed them into the dishwasher.

After cleaning up the kitchen, Hayakawa returned to the living room and heard the two people groaning.

"Ugh... my stomach is so bloated."

It seemed that Ayame Kominami couldn't sit still any longer, so she simply leaned against the sofa like Umaru, saying, "I ate too much."

"Yes, I should have eaten less."

Xiaomai nodded in deep agreement. She was also unable to move, clutching her abdomen as if enduring pain.

The two girls faced each other from a short distance apart, each occupying a corner of the sofa, each vying for attention.

"..."

Hayakawa glanced expressionlessly at Umaru's miserable expression, his gaze settling on her slightly protruding belly.

Actually, she didn't eat much, but she drank a lot of cola. She finished one of the two big bottles of cola she brought, and the remaining bottle was only drunk by Mimi Aizawa, not Hayakawa. There's still more than half a bottle left.

Hayakawa felt that if he picked up Umaru and shook her right now, he would definitely hear the sound of cola flowing inside.

Everyone knows that carbonated drinks are practically calorie bombs, and Umaru drank a whole bottle of cola, which is practically like swallowing a bomb. No wonder she had a stomachache.

As for Ayame Kominami, Hayakawa had nothing to say; she simply ate too much.

"Who told you to eat so much?"

Hayakawa shook his head helplessly as he looked at the two women who were unable to move: "I'll go find you some medicine to aid digestion."

Chapter 547 Repeating a Year

"Does the family still have this, younger generation?"

The little girl senior, who had been groaning and struggling to even turn over, suddenly brightened up with her eyes like light bulbs upon hearing this: "You're so well prepared!"

Hayakawa replied calmly, "It's just a regular medicine; we always have some at home."

"Hurry up and bring it over... or I'll die."

"On the verge of death," the authentic Qi Lin Si Liu gVIII said, then covered his mouth as if he wanted to vomit.

"..."

I know many ways to die, but this is the first time I've heard of someone dying from drinking cola.

"Don't worry."

Hayakawa said something, then went to his room to find some medicine to help with digestion, and then took two disposable paper cups, filled them with water, and brought them to the two women.

"Ah, thanks."

After taking the medicine, Ayame and Umaru both felt their abdominal discomfort was better, whether it was a placebo effect or something else. At least they didn't feel nauseous when lying flat.

Still playing games?

Hayakawa looked at the two of them lying lazily on the sofa, unwilling to move, and tentatively asked from the side.

"Let's not play the game for now."

Xiaomei and Xiaomai exchanged a glance and shook their heads without hesitation.

I'm in such a state now that I can't even sit down at the computer, let alone play games. Playing games is supposed to bring joy, not add to one's burden.

"OK, all right."

Hayakawa was immediately satisfied; everything was going according to his plan.

He had anticipated that the two girls would most likely play games after dinner, which would prevent them from studying that night and would waste an astronomical amount of time. So he deliberately cooked extra food and went to great lengths to prepare a dinner that perfectly suited their tastes. As expected, the two girls ate until they were stuffed.

Hayakawa looked at the two women lying there, unable to move, their clothes disheveled and at the mercy of others, and a slow smile appeared on his face.

I can finally study.

"You all rest."

Hayakawa turned around and went back to her room, where she began her enjoyable study time.

……

Hayakawa, engrossed in solving problems, seemed to lose track of time. He didn't know how much time had passed or how many pages of problems he had completed when suddenly there was a knock at the door.

"Junior, are you sleeping?"

Aimi Nami's voice came from the doorway: "May I come in?"

"No."

Hayakawa was still unconscious, but his body reacted and replied, "Come in."

Kominami Aizumi cautiously entered the room and was immediately stunned to see Hayakawa sitting at his desk with paper, pens, and exercise books on it: "So you were secretly studying in the room! No wonder I couldn't hear you make a sound for so long, I thought you were asleep."

"Any questions?"

Hayakawa said expressionlessly, completely unaware of how abnormal he was.

“This is a big problem. Today is the first day of the holiday, and you've already started studying.”

Xiao Meilang Aicheng said with a subtle expression, "I've heard that there are two kinds of ruthless students. The first kind is those who pile up all their holiday homework and do it on the last day. The second kind is like you, who starts doing holiday homework on the first day of the holiday. Isn't that a bit abnormal?"

"Shouldn't holiday homework be finished beforehand?"

Hayakawa was puzzled, then his expression turned serious: "If you can't finish your homework in the first few days of the holiday, then you won't have enough time to do other practice problems later, and your plans to go to tutoring classes will be affected. You also won't be able to preview the material for next semester."

Xiao Meilang Aicheng: "..."

"Junior..."

After a long silence, the cute senior student said softly, "With your hair all curled up like that every day, you probably don't have any friends at school, right?"

"No, I'm very popular at school."

Xiao Meilang Aicheng: "..."

that's true.

Hayakawa is good-looking, academically excellent, and comes from a good family. It would be strange if someone like that wasn't popular at school. He openly loves learning, unlike those who secretly study but pretend to be studious. He achieves top grades through his own ability and hard work. What do others have to be jealous of? They're already high school students. Perhaps some people are secretly jealous of Hayakawa, but most students should admire him. Only students themselves know best how hard it is to study every day.

But no matter what, this is ridiculous. Starting to do holiday homework on the first day of vacation, is the purpose to have more time to catch up on lessons later? Anyone who hears this reason would say it's really weird.

This might give some parents another excuse to torment their children.

"How's Umaru doing?"