Chapter 18: Today, should be my lucky day?
Shishio entered the kitchen then looked around, wondering whether he could see other tenants, but it seemed there was none.
Shishio then walked toward the boy's fridge that was located on the opposite side of the kitchen. It was a plain white fridge with double doors. From the appearance alone, it seemed that the fridge was new and there was no strange smell at all after he opened it. He could tell that it was often being cleaned, but he felt that it was normal since this place was a place where people kept their food and ingredients were, so it needed to be cleaned regularly.
Shishio put some of the ingredients in his compartment inside the fridge and left some of them on the kitchen table since he was about to cook his dinner.
Shishio had received "Japanese Cooking Mastery" so he would cook Japanese food for his dinner. He took rice, thinly sliced beef, onion, carrot, potato, snow peas, dashi, mirin, soy sauce, sake, and sugar. The thing which he would cook today was a very simple dish which was known as nikujaga.
It was said that whether someone could become a good wife or not would be determined by how delicious their nikujaga was cooked.
If his nikujaga was good, then should he be qualified as a wife too?
Shishio didn't think that he would become a wife nor he would become a household-husband in the future, but he hoped that his wife would be good at cooking so he could enjoy a warm meal every time he went back from home.
Washing clean the ingredients, he started to cut the ingredients so it would be cooked faster and it could absorb the seasoning better.
In truth, Shishio knew that Japanese food was very simple.
Unlike some countries' food that was full of spices as a seasoning, the seasoning of Japanese food was very simple and there were only five main seasonings which were soy sauce, dashi, sake, salt, and sugar.
With those five seasonings, it could easily cook any Japanese food.
Well, there was also MSG that could umami taste on the food, but he wouldn't use it for his dinner since it was unhealthy. Even though there wouldn't be any problem with consuming a small amount of MSG, after mastering "Japanese Cooking Mastery" he felt disdain toward an artificial seasoning so he didn't use it, but he had to admit that MSG was a great invention since, with just a small amount of it, anything could become delicious.
It could be said that Japanese food was very simple, but because it was simple it was also difficult.
The key of Japanese food was to retain the original taste of the ingredients as much as possible, and it was also the reason why the food in the Kansai region was quite light.
If someone hadn't gotten used to the taste of the Kansai region food, then they would think that its food was tasteless, but in truth, it was very delicate taste and full of complexity.
However, enough of the explanation since after he cut down the ingredients, he put all of them into the pot, according to the instinct that was given by "Japanese Cooking Mastery". He felt with this ability, there was a voice that told him how to make his nikujaga become even more delicious than ever.
After he was done with the nikujaga, he quickly washed the rice and cooked it on the rice cooker. After his physical ability was doubled, his food intake also increased so the amount of food that he cooked was quite large.
Shishio was waiting for the food to be done and when he knew that it was the time, he opened the lid of the pot where he cooked the nikujaga, however...
"....."
Shishio was stupified after he saw a golden light appear from his nikujaga.
"What?"
Shishio wiped his eyes and the golden light disappeared. He raised his eyebrow and wondered whether it was an illusion, however...
'The smell is very good...'
The smell of the nikujaga was very delicate, but it was delicious and it permeated through the kitchen.
Shishio could smell the smell of beef, potato, carrot, onion, seasonings from his nikujaga, and somehow, he suddenly felt that he was standing on the beautiful farm where he raised cattle and planted various vegetables.
Shishio was wondering why he suddenly felt that he had become the player in the "H*rvest M**n" game.
"Let me taste it."
Shishio then took a small bowl to do a taste check by putting a small amount of nikujaga on the small bowl.
*Ding!*
Shishio knew that the rice was ready so he put down his bowl to check his rice. He opened the rice cooker and he was welcomed by steam. He caught a whiff of the smell of the freshly cooked rice and it made his appetite unbearable. In his mind, he wanted to eat the nikujaga and the rice together as soon as possible.
However, when Shishio was about to take the small bowl that he had prepared before, a small hand stretched out from under the other side of the kitchen counter, toward his small bowl.
Shishio wanted to stop that hand, but...
"Wait...!"
"Ah! Hot, hot!"
Shishio knew that the nikujaga was very hot and he wanted to stop the person who stole his nikujaga, but it was too late.
Shishio looked at the girl who jumped out from under the kitchen counter. She was dressed in the uniform of the Suimei University of the Arts affiliated high school. She had short brown hair and a bust that exceeded the standards of the female high school students.
Looking at this girl, Shishio somehow had an idea who this girl was.
"It's hot, hot! But wow, it is very delicious! Hot, hot! How did you make this, Kouhai-kun?"
Seeing the girl in front of him yelling and screaming, she just stuffed the nikujaga on the small bowl into her little mouth and looked at him as if she had found a treasure.
"Hello, my name is Misaki Kamiigusa, a third-year student! Kouhai-kun, I have just met, Chihiro-nee before and I have heard of you from her, um, it is delicious!"
"..."
Looking at Misaki, Shishio realized that this place was full of troublesome people, but at least, this girl was more pleasing to the eyes rather than Shirosaki Shizuru that he met before.
"Hello, Kamiigusa-senpai, I am Shishio Oga. I have just moved from Sakurasou, so please take care of me, and can I ask you a question, Kamiigusa-senpai?" Shishio knew that he needed to be polite to the upperclassman, even though he felt that he didn't need to do so.
"What is it? Um, I have eaten all the nikujaga, can I ask more, Kouhai-kun?"
The nikujaga was located on the pot and even though Misaki was a very hyperactive girl and seemed a bit stupid, she wasn't stupid and she knew if she directly took the nikujaga from the pot then her hand would be burnt.
"Please don't call me Kouhai-kun. My name is Shishio Oga and I have a lot of nikujaga so I can share some with you, but before that, can you wash your hands?" Shishio was afraid this girl might have a stomach after eating using her hands.
"..."
"Um, Kouhai-kun."
"It's Shishio Oga."
Shishio felt a bit tired, but he corrected her mistake.
Misaki didn't care, her face was full of excitement, and she quickly said, "Let's get married!"
"...."
Shishio wanted to say something but...
"....."