novelSpringy and Brittle
| ← Ch.375 | Ch.377 → |
Translator: Reflet
Editor: ryunakama
Taiyou was surprised not only at Sakura being there, but at how her apparel had changed. It wasn't strange, lewd, or eccentric by any means. It was actually pretty normal: an apron. Sakura had been wearing that apron when she greeted him in the entrance hall.
"Umm...why are you here?"
Taiyou was so dazed that it took a tremendous amount of effort to ask that.
"I'm just here to visit a relative."
"Relative?"
"The house of my younger sister and her mother-in-law."
Sakura said calmly but with a hint of mischief.
She was referring to her half sister Youran and her half sister Pochi's mother-in-law, Kohaku.
So sure, you could say that this was the house of her relatives. It was a reasonable explanation. Not that Taiyou was the kind of person to accept it head-on. This was Sakura they were talking about. She always enjoyed wordplay and scheming things beneath what she said. Clearly, there was a whole other reason for her coming.
"So what's the actual reason?"
As if she saw Taiyou's flabbergasted face, Youran asked in his place.
"I made a promise."
"To come over?"
"No."
Sakura giggled.
"Something about wanting to make someone gasp in surprise."
"Well then you succeeded."
Youran said as she looked up at Taiyou with blank eyes. As a matter of fact, he did feel that way right now. Who would have expected Sakura to be here, and this quickly? He had not anticipated in the slightest that this would occur. But now that he understood her intentions, he had calmed down a considerable amount.
"I was legitimately surprised."
Taiyou said honestly.
"Yes, as I intended."
"Did you come over here right away after that?"
"Yes, after contacting Azumaya-san."
"Oh, Kohaku-san. Yeah, she would play a prank like that."
"So yeah, here you go."
Sakura said, giving Taiyou slippers. This action was reminiscent of how a resident of this home might treat a guest, but Taiyou paid it no heed, putting the slippers on.
"Hey, what about mine?"
Youran objected, having not been offered any herself.
"Don't worry. I'm sure that you will be just fine, Shingetsu-sama."
"What? How so?"
"Now then, please make your way in."
Ignoring Youran, Sakura invited Taiyou inside. The moment the door was opened, he could smell a lovely aroma. Breakfast was on top of the table: brown toast, sunny-side up fried eggs, and bacon.
"I received some helpful advice in the making of this food. I made sure that the toast was of the puffy variety, with low heat. The fried egg yolk is soft-boiled."
"Did Kohaku-san teach you that?"
"No, the Hayakawa sisters did."
"Yeah, they're more knowledgeable in that regard."
That made sense to Taiyou. When it came to household affairs and anything related to Taiyou, they understood that the most. Heck, they understood that better than Taiyou himself. He didn't even realize until now that he preferred springy toast to crumbly toast.
"So where is everyone?"
"They have gone out. Apparently they went to Miyagi-san's family's house."
"Aoba's?"
"Yes. Apparently her mothers were on some overseas trip and said 'we brought back gifts so come and get some'."
"Hm, that tone sounds a lot like Atsuko-san."
"I'm sure that the one who suggested it was Mio-san."
Youran said, and Taiyou nodded.
Aoba's three mothers: Atsuko, Mio, and Nazuna.
On the surface, Atsuko appeared to be the most assertive one, but when it came to push and shove, Mio was the most adamant one when it came to Aoba. It wasn't difficult at all to imagine that Mio had proposed such a thing.
"In other words, the only ones in this mansion are the three of us."
"Yes, it would appear so."
"Is that right."
Taiyou nodded, reaching the dining table. On the table was breakfast for one- just one. Noticing this, Youran asked,
"Hey, what about my portion?"
"Don't worry. I'm sure that you will be alright, Shingetsu-sama."
"Seriously, how is this alright!?"
Youran raised her voice, and much like earlier, Sakura ignored her. She handed some freshly brewed tea to Taiyou. Of course, there was none for Youran.
"Here you are."
"Thank you very much."
(I wonder if she's plotting something again?) thought Taiyou as he drank black tea and stuffed his face full of toast, bacon, and egg.
"Delicious."
That was his honest opinion.
The breakfast was already perfectly appealing to the eye, but that sense of perfection was also captured in the taste as well.
"This is seriously good, Sakura-san. Super good."
"That is only because the ingredients were good."
"I must say that there are some girls who can cook with good ingredients and make the food taste like garbage."
"Yes, well that is a talent in and of itself."
"To add further, there are also those who make you lose your appetite with how they cook the food."
"Oh? How so?"
"Like cutting cabbage to shreds with a katana. Only takes one second for a perfect finishing touch."
Taiyou said, shrugging his shoulders and smiling.
"I could probably guess who you're talking about."
"By the way, they can also make a sashimi garnish. And that also takes one second."
"Well, I almost want to bring a high-speed camera along with me now."
"Let's do that when the time comes."
Taiyou laughed, asking for seconds.
| ← Ch. 375 | Ch. 377 → |