After explaining to Shiina Mashiro what she needed to do, Mashiro just nodded her head in a half-understanding response.
But one look at her clear eyes and you could tell she hadn't understood at all.
However, Miyauchi Hikage didn't expect her to figure these things out.
It was enough for her to know that these things were happening so that when she was asked by the other girls, she could say a word or two and not arouse their suspicion.
The rest would still be basically handled by Miyauchi Hikage, borrowing Shiina Mashiro's identity.
After whispering with Shiina Mashiro for over ten minutes, Shiina Mahiru knocked on the door to let them know it was time to eat.
When she came to remind them, she also cautiously and carefully checked the situation inside the room.
After all, leaving two teenagers, a boy and a girl, alone in a room—especially when her own cousin looked like a natural airhead who was ready to throw herself at him—made it really hard for her to feel at ease.
Fortunately, although her cousin was quite worrying, Miyauchi Hikage's character was at least very good.
If her nice words back when they met in Akihabara were purely to cater to her cousin and Miyauchi Hikari, now she was genuinely starting to feel that Miyauchi Hikage was a trustworthy and very capable person.
In another year or two, perhaps she could feel at ease completely entrusting Shiina Mashiro to Miyauchi Hikage.
At the Shiina family's dining table.
The preserved egg and lean pork congee that Shiina Mahiru cooked tasted quite good.
In any case, seeing the way Hikari was slurping down bowl after bowl, one could tell that Mahiru's cooking was very much to her liking.
As for Miyauchi Hikage, after thanking her for the hospitality on behalf of his ill-mannered older sister, he thought for a moment and then said to Shiina Mahiru:
"I remember there are a few cookbooks passed down from China in my family's storehouse. When I come back after the holidays, I'll bring them over for you to take a look."
"Those cookbooks were probably written by some Super-Grade Chef a century or two ago. It's just that not many people in my family have a talent for cooking, and some of the recipes in there have some exaggerated techniques, but it should still be somewhat helpful for your culinary skills to use them as a reference."
Miyauchi Hikari, who was drinking her congee on the side, gave her younger brother a slightly puzzled look.
We have cookbooks in our storehouse?
How come I don't know anything about it?
Didn't we go through our family's storehouses together when we were kids?
The Miyauchi family had been settled in Asahigaoka for one or two hundred years. Although they weren't great landowners, they were considered standard wealthy farmers. Naturally, the family had accumulated many things over the years.
Then, she saw Miyauchi Hikage roll his eyes at her.
"Of course you don't know. You still don't like to read. Back then, the moment you saw those books full of Chinese characters, you said you got dizzy just looking at them. I only read a little bit when I was a kid too. I only found the rest when I was bored this summer vacation."
"Just like those training methods. It was that kind samurai, or rather, swordsman, who helped our Miyauchi ancestors that I told you about before who taught them to our family."
With Miyauchi Hikage's explanation, Miyauchi Hikari instantly felt it was reasonable.
Those tattered books were dirty and old, and you had to be careful just to turn a page. After almost damaging a few books and getting scolded by their parents a couple of times, she had completely lost interest in that stuff.
Only Miyauchi Hikage, the sole male heir of the Miyauchi family, would be interested in these things.
So she quickly nodded towards Shiina Mahiru.
She didn't know what a Super-Grade Chef was, but it sounded amazing just by the name.
Shiina Mahiru's cooking was already so delicious now. If she could learn the recipes from that cookbook, wouldn't she be able to feast to her heart's content every day for the next three years?
"I'll remember to remind Hikage then, too! I'll definitely help you bring that cookbook over!"
Seeing Miyauchi Hikari's reaction, Miyauchi Hikage nodded to himself.
As expected, besides his accomplice Shiina Mashiro, his other great assistant was his older sister, who knew nothing about their family's situation.
His family did have many old books. Before he obtained the diary, he had already found some fragments about the Demon Slayer Corps in these ancient texts.
And it was only through his own investigation afterward that he confirmed the story of Demon Slayer should have ended a hundred years ago.
Thinking back to how the world was in a period of mysterious accelerated decline a hundred years ago, the Muzan of this world was probably forced into a corner, which was why he took the initiative to seek a final showdown with the Demon Slayer Corps.
In any case, besides these rumors related to the Demon Slayer Corps, the rest were mostly family trees and local records of the Asahigaoka area. There was nothing of particular value—if the Miyauchi family had really collected such precious ancient texts, they wouldn't have been farmers in Asahigaoka for over a hundred years.
The cookbook he mentioned was, naturally, a reward he had obtained from the diary.
Liu Maoxing's Cooking Notes.
It enhances the holder's culinary skills, and when cooking according to the recipes in the notes, there is an extremely low probability of creating the legendary glowing cuisine.
This item might be a treasure for a modern chef, but for Miyauchi Hikage, it was a bit useless.
After all, although his own cooking skills were passable, he was usually too lazy to cook. In his hands, these cooking notes could only be a collector's item.
He wasn't short on money, and he would never sell these notes, which were a part of his childhood memories, to others.
So, after thinking about it, since he didn't know any characters from Shokugeki no Soma right now and had no need to get involved in their troubles, he might as well just temporarily lend these notes to Shiina Mahiru, a girl with whom he had a good relationship and who also had great culinary talent.
As for glowing cuisine, Miyauchi Hikage felt that even the people at Totsuki Academy couldn't achieve it right now.
He had investigated. Although the "God's Tongue" and other "special abilities" from Shokugeki no Soma existed, their effects were not as heaven-defying as depicted in the manga.
As for clothes bursting and ripping just because the food was delicious, Miyauchi Hikage had not heard of such a thing happening anywhere at present.
Overall, the current Totsuki Academy just looked like an elite chef training school with very strict admission standards.
If one wanted to see the borderline ecchi clothes-bursting scenes from the original work, it would probably only be possible after spiritual energy had further revived.
Or, perhaps the culinary world had actually already awakened similar powers, but they had to be hidden due to the rules of the hidden world?
Miyauchi Hikage guessed in his heart.
He estimated that it would only be after the full revival of spiritual energy and a few more supernatural events that would gradually bring supernatural powers into the public eye, that stories from superpower sports series like Prince of Tennis and Kuroko's Basketball would begin to appear in this world.
Thinking of a certain Seishun Academy that also existed in this world, and the increasingly absurd, life-threatening tennis skills that appeared later in Prince of Tennis, those world-class tennis players could probably reach the level of a Special Grade Sorcerer.
Gigantification, black holes, time loops, different dimensions, Asura's Path.
Forget the sorcerers; even Sukuna would probably have an existential crisis if he showed up.
But to be honest, Miyauchi Hikage was quite looking forward to such a world.
Compared to constantly trying to rule or destroy the world, wasn't it more fun for everyone to "happily" use superpowers to play tennis and basketball?
Pondering this in his heart, Miyauchi Hikage finished his breakfast in a pleasant mood.
But after arriving at school, this pleasant mood did not last long.
Because that woman, Kasumigaoka Utaha, was actually waiting for them at the school gate early in the morning.
After seeing the Miyauchi siblings attending school together with Shiina Mashiro, she even gave them a rather "friendly" greeting.
"Coming to school together again today? It seems you all have a good relationship. However, I have a little something I'd like to talk to Mashiro about. Could I borrow her for a moment?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha also seemed to know that her current reputation in school was a bit delicate.
Therefore, before the crowd of onlookers grew larger, she pointed to the flowerbed next to the school building.
Not many people passed by there, and it was a public area, so there was no need to worry about her doing anything special to Shiina Mashiro.
Although Kasumigaoka Utaha looked quite normal right now, feeling her gaze sweep past him for a moment, Miyauchi Hikage couldn't help but feel a little creeped out.
A woman who already had some yandere tendencies was indeed not to be trifled with.
The Old Hag Kasumi before him already seemed a bit obsessed with obtaining Reading Value points faster.
Miyauchi Hikage looked at Shiina Mashiro.
Shiina Mashiro also looked at Miyauchi Hikage with an inquisitive gaze, as if asking if she should go with Kasumigaoka Utaha.
"Since Kasumigaoka-senpai has something to discuss with you, you should go with her. I'll be watching from the side," Miyauchi Hikage said with a smile, nodding at Shiina Mashiro.
He had already instructed Shiina Mashiro; he believed she could handle it well.
Hearing Miyauchi Hikage's answer, only then did Shiina Mashiro nod expressionlessly at Kasumigaoka Utaha.
To Miyauchi Hikari's somewhat gossipy gaze, the two girls walked towards the flowerbed on the side.
Miyauchi Hikage followed them from a short distance behind.
During this process, Miyauchi Hikari urged him more than once to quickly snatch Mashiro back from that ill-intentioned, black-stockinged demon king, lest the pure Mashiro be tainted by that woman.
Miyauchi Hikage looked at his older sister with some helplessness.
Do you even know what she's trying to do right now?
The one she wants to taint isn't Mashiro, but your dear younger brother!
Thinking of her request, which was most likely related to him, Miyauchi Hikage couldn't help but wipe his forehead.
"Ahem, don't talk nonsense. I think Kasumigaoka-senpai really does have something to discuss with Mashiro. Even if she did want to do something, Mashiro wouldn't possibly be bullied."
Miyauchi Hikage reminded her.
Only then did Miyauchi Hikari remember that although Shiina Mashiro usually looked dazed and frail, her training in that strange breathing method had already entered the second stage.
Forget using all her strength; if Shiina Mashiro were to arm-wrestle with her now, she could probably crush her with just one finger.
Thinking this, Miyauchi Hikari also felt much more at ease.
She was even looking forward to a scene where if Kasumigaoka Utaha tried to do something to Mashiro, she would be directly counter-killed by Shiina Mashiro.
Beside the flowerbed, Kasumigaoka Utaha glanced at the Miyauchi siblings maintaining a safe distance behind her, a flash of helplessness in her eyes.
If it weren't for the Mysterious Person, how would her reputation at school have become so awkward?
She took a deep breath and then asked Shiina Mashiro about her request situation.
Shiina Mashiro naturally wouldn't mention the request she had received yesterday. She blinked her eyes and told her about the two new requests that had refreshed today.
Hearing that her second request was to have that Miyauchi Hikage choose her clothes every day, Kasumigaoka Utaha's expression couldn't help but become a bit strange.
That guy, the Mysterious Person, really has some perverted tastes. Is it because Shiina Mashiro is rather naive that he arranges this type of request for her?
However, that Miyauchi Hikage was, after all, a background male character in a light yur-ish work who would almost never add scenes for himself. She probably didn't need to worry about him making any excessive demands.
"If you get any more outrageous requests in the future, remember not to just accept them casually."
"This request too. If that Miyauchi-kun ever picks out some weird clothes for you, you have to remember to refuse, understand?" Kasumigaoka Utaha reminded Shiina Mashiro.
But Shiina Mashiro just nodded absently.
Seeing Shiina Mashiro's appearance, Kasumigaoka Utaha knew that her words were most likely said in vain.
This girl was just too naive, completely without any self-awareness as a diary holder.
The Mysterious Person has already joked in the diary that you and your sister might become his harem. How can you have no reaction at all?
Is this boy, Miyauchi Hikage, really that charming?
Kasumigaoka Utaha sighed helplessly.
But thinking of her own request, she could only continue speaking to Shiina Mashiro.
"About the manga debut, do you need my help? I happen to know a few manga editors with good reputations in the industry. I should be able to help quite a bit."
Hearing this topic, Shiina Mashiro's attention finally became much more focused.
However, after hearing her out, she still shook her head slightly and softly indicated that Miyauchi Hikage had already arranged things for her and she didn't need any more help.
Seeing Shiina Mashiro being so unreceptive, with every other sentence being about Miyauchi Hikage, Kasumigaoka Utaha also felt a bit of a headache.
But she cursed the Mysterious Person in her heart, muttering that this was all the Mysterious Person's fault, and steeled herself to tell Shiina Mashiro about the request she had received.
"I know this request is most likely something the Mysterious Person came up with to create a conflict between us, but it's precisely to avoid such a thing from happening that I took the initiative to come and ask for your opinion."
"If you're not willing, I'll reject this request right now."