A Very Popular Idol Classmate Has Taken a Liking to Me, A Person Who Doesn't Want to Work for My Whole Life
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.Daininki Idol na Classmate ni Natsukareta, Isshou Hatarakitakunai Ore
Src: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n2496gr/132/
Act 4 - The Past of The Shidou Family
36-1 All's Well That Ends Well
"――――So that's all, pretty much everything has been resolved now." (Rintaro)
["Is that so... I'm really glad to hear that."] (Himiko)
I'm on the phone with Yuzuki-sensei, reporting the conclusion of the whole ordeal that began with my reunion with Tenguuji.
Since I had consulted Yuzuki-sensei about the pretend girlfriend plan, I had caused quite a bit of worry at the time. So I had decided to report the outcome to her no matter how things turned out.
["Still... I can’t believe you managed to soften up that hard-headed man..."] (Himiko)
By “hard-headed”, she's probably referring to my father, Shidou Yuutaro.
And the word “soften up” feels a bit off, but... well, I guess it isn’t exactly wrong either.
["Rintaro, maybe you've got a knack for business?"] (Himiko)
"Please don’t say that..." (Rintaro)
["Ahaha, sorry! But you’re still gonna work as my assistant forever, right?"] (Himiko)
"...Huh?" (Rintaro)
["Huh?"] (Himiko)
Yuzuki-sensei suddenly says something strange.
Did the stress of deadlines finally make her lose it?
["…Sorry, I got carried away."] (Himiko)
"Well, I still owe you a lot, so it’s kinda hard for me to hit you with a harsh retort right now. I'd appreciate it if you understood that." (Rintaro)
["That’s such a sincere response... But really, I’m glad it all worked out. I’ve always been hoping things would get better so you wouldn’t have to keep suffering."] (Himiko)
Even over the phone, I can feel Yuzuki-sensei’s kindness.
Maybe this is the moment when my father and I finally become a real family. But this person—she has already treated me like family long before that.
To me, she’s like an older sister—someone I can rely on when it really matters. A very dependable big sis.
"Anyway, I think I’m finally free to move around again, so... is it okay if I come back to work?" (Rintaro)
["Really!? That’d be a great help...! Things were about to go full-on chaos mode, and I really needed extra help."] (Himiko)
"Hearing the word 'chaos' kinda makes me not want to go back though..." (Rintaro)
How many people in the world actually want to head into battle knowing they’re going to die?
At the very least, there probably aren’t many of those in modern-day Japan.
"Well, I’ve got plans after this, so I’ll leave it here for today. I’ll send in my schedule later." (Rintaro)
["Plans?"] (Himiko)
"It’s kind of like a celebration now that everything’s over... I’m organizing a little thank-you party for everyone who helped me." (Rintaro)
["A thank-you party!? I wanna go too!"] (Himiko)
"Are you sure you can meet your deadlines, Sensei?" (Rintaro)
["…Just for today, I’ll let it slide."] (Himiko)
So, no, she’s not okay...
"If it’s seriously dire and you really need help, I’ll come, though." (Rintaro)
["Ahh, no worries. Time’s tight, but we’ve got enough hands for now! So, don't worry about it and just enjoy your party today. If I ever need to lean on you, I’ll reach out without hesitation!"] (Himiko)
"...Alright then, I’ll take you up on that." (Rintaro)
After chatting for a while longer, I end the call.
From here on out, I really want to live in a way that doesn’t make Yuzuki-sensei worry.
She’s already swamped with work. So I don’t want to burden her with unnecessary stress.
"Alright then..." (Rintaro)
With those words, I roll up my sleeves.
And then I look around the kitchen in this house—in the Shidou family kitchen.
"I've expected much... But, this place really hasn’t been used at all, huh." (Rintaro)
As I mutter to myself, I stare at the sparkling stovetop.
Yes, this is the Shidou house, where I lived when I was a child.
It's a fine home, on par with Rei’s.
I don’t really want to remember my mother, but being here makes her presence flicker through my mind whether I like it or not.
Still, it isn’t like it brings my mood down or makes me feel sick.
I had been worried about whether I had truly moved on from the past, but it seems like I had.
As for why I'm cooking here today—well, it's because this house is going to be the venue for today’s party. Simple as that.
The guests are the three girls of MilleSta and my best friend, Yukio.
I've caused them a great deal of worry during everything that happened, so I suggested holding this gathering as a way to properly thank them.
As for choosing this house as the venue, it was just on a whim, really.
If I have to give a reason―――― maybe I just wanted to prove that I have finally left the past behind.
“He never cook, yet the place is stocked with a ridiculous amount of cookware…” (Rintaro)
I grumble as I open various cabinets.
Knowing him, he probably just asked some manufacturer to throw together a full set without much thought.
Sure enough, all the cookware here is from the same brand.
Man... this place even has more variety than my own kitchen.
“Alright, let’s do this.” (Rintaro)
I take ingredients out of the fridge and start lining up the ones I’ll be using today.
By the way, even the fridge is high-end.
Seriously, I want one. I wonder if he’ll give it to me if I ask?
“Guess I’ll start with the meat…” (Rintaro)
I pick up the spare ribs and wipe off the moisture with a paper towel.
After seasoning them lightly with salt and pepper, I sear them in a frying pan until they brown.
And from here, time for the real hero of the kitchen to come in――――
“...Damn, I want this one too.” (Rintaro)
I mutter again, eyeing the pressure cooker I’ve placed on the stove.
Pressure cookers are seriously amazing tools.
At first, I had no idea what “applying pressure” even meant, but after using one, I couldn’t imagine cooking without it.
Talking about the biggest benefit of it? It saves a ridiculous amount of time.
Of course, it depends on the dish, but meals that usually take hours to simmer can be done in just tens of minutes.
With spare ribs, they need to be tender and fall-apart soft.
Sure, I can get them tender in just a frying pan, but I don’t want to compromise on this kind of detail.
Put in soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and grated garlic.
Then I pour sake to eliminate the smell, and a bit of ginger. I add all that to the pressure cooker with the spare ribs.
After that, put the lid on and set it to medium heat for a while.
Once the pressure builds, the cooker takes over—you can just leave it for a few dozen minutes.
So convenient.
“In the meantime…” (Rintaro)
While the ribs are being cooked under pressure, I grab some chicken thighs to make a second dish.
With the ribs and all, the menu is becoming seriously meat-heavy—but still, the guests were growing idols with healthy appetites.
Yukio’s a guy, so I’m sure he can eat his fair share.
Since this party isn’t going to have carbs like rice or bread, each individual dish needs to be hearty enough on its own
So, I have no intention of holding back on this chicken.
I cut it into bite-sized pieces along with mushrooms to make it easier to eat.
Then I add salad oil and garlic to a frying pan, letting the garlic infuse the oil with aroma before searing the chicken skin-side down until golden.
After taking the chicken out, I sautée the mushrooms with butter in the same pan and splash in some white wine.
By the way, that wine was already here in the house—not something I bought myself, just to be clear.
Once the alcohol has evaporated, I add heavy cream and consommé soup stock, simmering it all down until it thickens.
Finally, I season it with grated cheese and pepper, and complete—but it still needs time to simmer, so I have to wait a bit.
The dish is called "Chicken Fricassée".
Apparently, “fricassée” means “white stew.” So basically, it’s a dish similar to cream stew.
Since both dishes need to simmer for another twenty minutes or so, I find myself with some free time――――
“Hmm?” (Rintaro)
At that moment, the doorbell rings――ding-dong.
Looks like they’ve arrived.
~"(This is a Translation Content of pemudatunawisata[dot]my[dot]id. so, read only on there, kay~)"~
[End of Chapter]
Cya~!
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