Chapter 53

Yugen and Airisa finished their game early and headed to a nearby supermarket.

They bought a few necessary ingredients.

On their way back—

"Hmm? ... Is it raining?"

A cold drop touched his skin, and Yugen couldn't help but look up at the sky. Dark, gloomy clouds covered it.

"Should we hurry a bit?"

"Yes, we should."

Yugen and Airisa quickened their pace toward the apartment. Fortunately, they managed to get back before the rain really started—

"This doesn't look like it's going to stop anytime soon."

Yugen said, looking out the balcony window. Five minutes after they rushed into the room, it had already turned into a heavy downpour.

"I hope the trains don't stop or get delayed..."

"Maybe we should be a bit more cautious."

Of course, in the worst case, they could call a taxi. Yugen could pay for it. Airisa might feel bad about it, but since he had invited her over, it was his duty to make sure she got home safely.

"Then, Yugen, just wait as usual."

"...I've helped my mom a bit before. Maybe I can do something?"

When he suggested this, Airisa shook her head.

"I really appreciate it, but I have my own way of doing things. Besides—"

"Besides?"

"If Yugen's cooking skills improve, I'll be in trouble. I'll lose my position."

Airisa said this half-jokingly. While the comment about Yugen's cooking was a joke, the part about losing her position seemed genuine.

"Got it. I'll just wait, then."

Since trying to help would only get in Airisa's way, Yugen decided to back off. As usual, he would just help with the dishes.

Time passed...

It was 6:00 PM. The dishes featuring matsutake mushrooms were ready.

The menu was as follows:

- Matsutake rice

- Matsutake soup

- Matsutake and shrimp tempura

- Matsutake foil bake

- Matsutake chawanmushi

- Grilled whole matsutake

- Matsutake teppanyaki

- Stir-fried matsutake and spinach

The menu was designed with matsutake as the main ingredient, considering both color and nutritional balance.

"Today's menu is really luxurious."

"I'm sorry. I got a bit carried away and made too much."

Airisa scratched her cheek, having gotten a bit too enthusiastic with the high-end ingredient.

"Well, we can eat the leftovers tomorrow. It's a shame to waste your cooking."

"I'm glad you said that."

They clasped their hands together. Yugen reached for the soup first.

It had a faint but pleasant aroma of katsuobushi and matsutake.

"Your miso soup is delicious, but this is good too. It has a delicate and refined taste."

"Thank you."

When Yugen complimented the cooking, Airisa responded calmly, but her eyes were soft and her mouth was slightly relaxed, and her cheeks were a bit flushed. She was clearly blushing.

Next, he tried the matsutake rice. The main ingredient was matsutake, but it also included other mushrooms like shiitake and maitake. When he took a bite, the strong aroma of matsutake filled his mouth.

Next, he tried the tempura. He sprinkled some salt on the matsutake tempura and took a bite.

"...To be honest, Yugen—"

Airisa, who had also eaten the matsutake, said with a wry smile.

"Matsutake doesn't really taste good, does it?"

"Well... the aroma is the main thing."

So, he moved on to a dish that could better enjoy the aroma: teppanyaki.

It would have been better with a small sake cup, but unfortunately, Yugen didn't have one, so he poured the broth into a teacup.

"Hmm... This is good."

The shrimp broth and the aroma of matsutake went well together. Squeezing a bit of kabosu juice before drinking it changed the flavor slightly, making it even more delicious.

He opened the lid. Inside were shrimp, matsutake, and carrots. He used chopsticks to transfer them to a plate and then took a bite.

"This is delicious. The texture of the matsutake is different from the soup."

"Yes. ...Actually, I thought the teppanyaki would overlap with the soup, but they're quite different."

Of course, the soup used katsuobushi broth, while the teppanyaki used shrimp broth, so the difference in flavor was to be expected.

After a series of rich dishes, he decided to try the grilled whole matsutake. This was a very luxurious dish, with a large matsutake grilled on a wire rack.

"Hmm..."

"...It's a mushroom."

"Well, it's a mushroom."

Yugen and Airisa looked at each other and smiled wryly.

Next, they tried the foil bake.

"This is better than the grilled one."

"Yes. It's definitely better with some seasoning like alcohol."

Next, the stir-fried matsutake and spinach. Airisa made this because she wanted some green in the meal.

"Butter and matsutake go well together."

"Yes... But I think the butter flavor was a bit too strong. That's something to improve on."

Finally, the chawanmushi. He cooled it with a spoon before taking a bite.

"This is... delicious."

The rich flavor of shrimp and katsuobushi, combined with the delicate aroma of matsutake, filled his mouth.

The texture was also very good.

"This might be my favorite among these."

"I'm glad you said that. ...I'm good at chawanmushi."

Airisa seemed confident. She smiled happily.

After that, they prioritized eating the dishes that wouldn't keep well or would taste bad when cold. They covered and refrigerated the soup and other dishes that could be reheated.

Finally, they did the dishes together.

Then... Yugen looked out the window. The rain and wind had intensified, and it didn't look like they could go home anytime soon.

"This is a problem. ...Should we call a taxi? I can pay if you're short."

"That would be too much. Yugen, you're not exactly flush with cash..."

At that moment, a flash of light appeared outside the window.

Then, a thunderous sound echoed through the sky.

And...

"Kyaa!!"

"Whoa!"

Yugen screamed as Airisa tackled him to the ground.

Thunder: "Phew... Good job, I did."

So, next time, the hardworking Thunder will do a good job.

If you think "Good, do more!" please bookmark the story and give it a five-star rating (change the ☆☆☆☆☆ to ★★★★★). This will help Thunder set the mood.

Also, please check out the Kakuyomu version.

Thanks to everyone's support, we've become the number one in the genre for the year.

Thank you.

It's been exactly two months since the serial started, and we're number one in the genre. I think that's a pretty good start.

I hope you continue to support us.