Chapter 8: Iron pot fried rice

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“Is it around here?”

Ginji stretched widely and rotated his neck. The alarm clock showed 6:30 PM. It was already quite late.

“I feel like we just passed on some of Aika-chan’s tasks.”

On the notebook placed before the two of them, there was a breakdown of the work Aika had assigned to them within the school and her upcoming schedule.

“If we do it together, it'll be easy. Have dinner with us.”

“Uh, I feel bad, you've already done so much for me.”

Sora shrugged and Ginji slapped him on the back, laughing.

“If you think that, then keep relying on me. You've done your best until now, and today, you’ve had a tough time.”

“…Well, in that case, I'll accept. But what about your parents?”

“My mom is on a business trip. My dad's going with her.”

“Really? Isn't that kind of unusual?”

“In our house, Mom's the breadwinner. Come on, let's go to the living room. You can watch TV or something.”

“Hey, don't push me!”

When they entered the living room, Ginji's younger brother, Tetsuya, was sitting at a desk with a shogi board, solving a tsumeshogi (a type of chess problem).

“Hey, finished your talk?”

“Yeah, sorry about that. I'll make dinner right away.”

“It's fine. Take your time, I'm still stuck on this.”

Ginji walked toward the kitchen and put on an apron. Sora, like a chick following, walked behind him.

“…Sit down.”

“I'll help. Believe it or not, I'm good at cooking.”

Ginji made a face as if saying “I'm not sure about this.”

“I'm good at it too. You're the guest, so I'm the host here. Just relax.”

“I am not a guest… We're friends, right?”

Sora looked up at Ginji with a questioning glance. For once, Ginji seemed a bit taken aback.

“You're bold, huh? But if you're in the way, I'll kick you out of the kitchen.”

“I'm not in the way!”

“Then take off your school uniform. You'll get oil on it.”

“…Right. Can I borrow an apron?”

Sora turned around and awkwardly put on the apron. Then, he turned back and rolled up his sleeves.

“What's on the menu?”

“Fried rice and egg soup.”

Ginji pulled out a wok with a handle.

“Huh, a cast-iron pan. That's a tough one to take care of.”

“It's better that way. As long as you maintain it, you can use it for years.”

After setting the iron pan, Ginji started preparing the ingredients, and Sora followed suit.

“I get the green onions, but are we really adding cabbage? Won't it make the dish too watery?”

“We're adding all the vegetables that might spoil. If we cook it on high heat, it'll be fine. You seem pretty good at this.”

Sora chopped the green onions skillfully.

“I like cooking. The problem is, I can't eat much, so the quantity is what I struggle with.”

“Then I'll eat it for you.”

“Really? Well, maybe I'll try making some dishes with big ingredients next time.”

As they chatted, they finished preparing the ingredients. Once everything was in place, Ginji expertly poured oil into the wok, added the eggs, and immediately followed with the cold rice. He stirred everything quickly and added the vegetables.

“Alright, chicken stock, some MSG, and a little soy sauce.”

Sora poured in the seasonings as Ginji stirred the wok.

“Done. The soup just needs a little more time.”

Looking at the wok, a quiet moment settled between them. Sora spoke up.

“By the way, why did you decide to help me, Ginji?”

“…Help you? I just want people who are working hard to be happy.”

“…Huh. That's strange.”

“I get told that a lot.”

In the small kitchen, standing close enough for their shoulders to touch while they cooked, it was strangely not cramped.

The eggs solidified, and with a drop of chili oil, the soup was ready.

“Tetsu, dinner's ready, come get it.”

“I'm coming.”

Tetsuya, silently observing them, of course had a blank expression.

“Oh, you were here. You could've said something.”

“…Well, saying something might be hard for me.”

“Hmm?” “Yeah?”

While the two of them tilted their heads, Tetsuya took the food to the table.

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