"Let's go. It's better to be cautious when making friends in the future. Some unnecessary social interactions are better off avoided, especially this kind. It's somewhat abstract."
Looking at Yuigahama, who was hanging her head and opening her mouth a few times, unsure what to say, Hoshino Sora sighed softly. This change was too sudden, did this girl offend that other girl before?
Or is this kind of situation common among girls now? Have girls' cliques in Neon started becoming complicated since middle school, or did it begin in elementary school?
His heart was filled with the urge to complain. When he came to his senses, he had already pulled Yui Yuigahama to the bottom of the teaching building. At this moment, she looked distraught, and he didn't know what she was thinking.
The bustling noise around them couldn't stir her. She just stood there rigidly, lost in herself.
Indeed, encountering such a thing first thing in the morning was quite unlucky.
"Hoshino-kun, I'm sorry for making you see a joke."
"This isn't a joke, and it's not your fault. It just goes to show that you can know a person's face but not their heart. I don't agree with those flaws she mentioned. I think little Yui is a very excellent girl."
"But everything she said was true. I really do have that many flaws, and I'm a very bad girl."
Slightly biting her lower lip, the more familiar a person is, the more they know how to hurt you. She and Yamaguchi Kurika were once inseparable best friends in their second year of middle school, but later broke up because of a boy.
Simply put, that boy liked Yuigahama, and Kurika liked that boy, but Yuigahama didn't like him.
After Yuigahama rejected his confession, that boy got together with Kurika, and their relationship also developed deep cracks due to that boy's instigation.
However, later, because that boy was identified as a scumbag, the two slowly became familiar again, but they could never go back to how things were. Their relationship was neither good nor bad, limited to just exchanging greetings when they met.
But because of their previous close relationship, both knew many of each other's flaws, and also knew some small secrets about each other that outsiders didn't know, so they naturally knew how to say things that would hurt the most.
"Open your arms."
Looking at Yui Yuigahama's dejected appearance, Hoshino Sora didn't know how to comfort her for a moment, so he told her to open her arms, his tone uncharacteristically taking on a commanding tone.
"It's okay now. I'm here for everything."
Sometimes, no matter how many comforting words are spoken, they cannot compare to a hug. Gently patting Yui Yuigahama's back, the two of them hugged for five minutes downstairs from the teaching building, next to the small grove.
"Thank you, Hoshino-kun."
Feeling the warmth of the chest in front of her and listening to Hoshino Sora's gentle voice, her wounded heart was healed at that moment. Yui Yuigahama expressed her heartfelt gratitude, her eyes revealing a faint touch of emotion.
"In the future, whenever you encounter sad things, you can always come to me. My embrace is always open for you. Talk to others more, and don't keep things bottled up inside, as that can easily make you sick."
"Mm!"
Hearing Hoshino Sora's words, Yui Yuigahama nodded seriously. Although his words were plain, she could feel the young man's concern in them.
Those words were not polite formalities, but came from his genuine sincerity. Hoshino Sora truly thought that way, which is why he said it, and the girl was quite moved upon realizing this.
She felt very important.
"I'm fine now. Next, let me show you around my school. This afternoon's play is the classic Romeo and Juliet."
"Romeo and Juliet, huh? They were also keen on performing that when I was in middle school. At that time, it even led to quite a few Romeos and Juliets from the play getting together."
Looking at the recovered Yui Yuigahama, Hoshino Sora took over the conversation, a gentle smile on his face. Emotional plays like Romeo and Juliet are most likely to foster subtle feelings between boys and girls.
"It's the same here. After every culture festival, many couples emerge, popping up like mushrooms after a rain."
"It's already a common tradition. Don't some schools even have rumors of bonfire parties where if you dance together at night, you'll end up together? All sorts of activities are dazzling.
What are they doing over there? So many people are queuing."
Upon reaching the teaching building and seeing a group of girls queuing in a classroom ahead, Hoshino Sora looked at Yuigahama and asked curiously.
"A fortune-telling booth. My friend told me it's quite accurate. She even recommended I go see it yesterday, though her smile was strange when she said that. Do you want to go take a look?"
Seeing Hoshino Sora interested in this, Yui Yuigahama frowned slightly and thought hard for two seconds. Then, as if remembering something, she spoke with a joyful expression.
"It's not impossible. Let's go queue together then."
Having fun is the most important thing when going out. Looking at Yui Yuigahama, whose face was full of interest, Hoshino Sora gladly accepted her invitation and then queued with her.
Seeing this, several girls in the front of the line cast their gaze over, their eyes filled with strangeness when looking at the two, but not a single person spoke.
The waiting time wasn't long. The two chatted about their experiences during this time while in the queue, and when they came to their senses, they were already standing at the entrance of the fortune-telling booth.
"Next, hmm?"
"Is something wrong?"
"Nothing, please come this way."
Looking at Hoshino Sora and Yui Yuigahama, who were in a pair, the female fortune teller at the reception was clearly stunned for a moment, but quickly changed her attitude, smiling and extending her hand to invite the two in.
"..."
Hoshino Sora and Yui Yuigahama were very confused by this. They had been standing there for so long, and they could see the strangeness in the eyes of the people around them.
Especially Hoshino Sora, his feeling was the most obvious, because from just now until now, he was the only boy in the queue.
This was undoubtedly abnormal.
Entering the fortune-telling booth, the first thing that caught their eye was a peacock statue. The overall style was grotesque, with purple as the decorative color. In the center of the room sat a young witch, wearing a witch hat and glasses. In front of the witch was a table, and on the table was a crystal ball. Candles were lit on both sides of the crystal ball, creating a full atmosphere.
"Welcome, hmm? You two..."
Upon seeing guests arrive, the witch, who was stroking the crystal ball, clearly showed confusion on her face, and her hand movements subtly stiffened for a moment, but quickly returned to normal.
"What's wrong? Everyone is looking at us strangely."
Sitting on a stool inside the fortune-telling booth, Yui Yuigahama couldn't help but ask her question. From the moment they started queuing, the way people around them looked at them began to feel off.
"Don't you two know what this place is?"
"Isn't this a fortune-telling booth?"
Hoshino Sora retorted, "Isn't the layout of this room a fortune-telling booth? Is it a cosplay club?"
"This is indeed a fortune-telling booth, but this is a fortune-telling booth for when you will meet your true love. We only accept this one type of fortune-telling. Are you two not a couple?"
Now it was the witch's turn to be surprised, because the two's behavior was intimate, especially Yui Yuigahama, whose body seemed to want to stick to Hoshino Sora, occasionally rubbing against him with her movements.
She had been observing them for the few minutes they had been inside. The two gave her the impression of a young couple in the honeymoon phase. They must have stumbled in by mistake, right? Helping such young couples with tests could easily mess things up, and it was simply too troublesome.
"We are not a couple."
"Oh? You're not? Then we can do the test, but before we do, I need to ask a few questions. You can choose whether or not to answer. The more you answer, the more accurate the information you'll receive."
"Then let's begin."
----------
It was already ten minutes later when they emerged from the fortune-telling booth. Looking at the slip of paper with the answer in her hand, Yui Yuigahama counted on her fingers, calculating the time of their encounter.
"The time to meet your destined one is three months ago, but the time of marriage is not explicitly stated.
In terms of emotions, if you are tolerant, it will be smooth sailing. If you are calculative, there will be continuous setbacks, but ultimately, you will still achieve a positive outcome.
Does this mean I need to be more lenient? Hoshino-kun, what's written on your slip?"
After reading the content on the slip of paper, Yui Yuigahama nodded thoughtfully, then leaned her head over, wanting to see what was written on Hoshino Sora's slip.
At this moment, she looked very excited, because within the past three months, the only boy she had close contact with was Hoshino Sora.
If her destined one was someone she met within these three months, then it was undoubtedly Hoshino Sora. How could she not be excited knowing this?
"It's a secret."
Seeing Yui Yuigahama's gaze, Hoshino Sora folded the slip of paper with one hand and put it into his clothes, then quickened his pace.
"Ugh, you know mine already, how cunning!"
"You were the one who wanted to tell me."
After that, the two played around for a while, had lunch, then went to a haunted house, and watched a play. Along the way, they met many acquaintances, and Yuigahama greeted everyone warmly each time.
Unlike the girl they first encountered, these people were quite friendly towards Yuigahama. Seeing Hoshino Sora, a handsome guy, by her side, they had nothing but envy and blessings.
This shows that girls like Yamaguchi Kurika are extremely rare cases in the entire school.
When they came to their senses, the sky had already turned a beautiful golden yellow, and the two had explored the entire campus. The air was filled with the aroma of food, and when they left the campus, the stalls on both sides attracted many people.
"I'm so hungry..."
"Let's find a restaurant outside. Is there anything Yuigahama wants to eat?"
Because he didn't want to hastily deal with dinner, Hoshino Sora chose not to eat on campus. He thought that since they hadn't seen each other for a long time, he wanted to treat Yuigahama to a big meal.
"I want to eat Master Chef's cooking. It's been too long, and I miss that taste a bit."
Hearing Hoshino Sora's words, Yui Yuigahama's eyes immediately lit up as she spoke.
"Aren't you making things difficult for me? Where is there a place here where I can cook?"
Hoshino Sora said with a bitter smile, even if he was willing to cook for her, without a stove or ingredients, no matter how skilled he was, he couldn't display his abilities. Even a clever housewife cannot cook without rice.
"Alright, then let's go..."
"Forget it, I'll go ask if I can borrow their kitchen. Come with me."
Seeing Yui Yuigahama's expression change rapidly from excitement to disappointment, Hoshino Sora pouted and finally sighed. As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed her wrist, a good place coming to mind.
"Eh..."
Hearing Hoshino Sora's words, Yui Yuigahama became surprised. Her feet first moved forward as he pulled her, and then she began to follow him actively.
"Is there a good place?"
"A small restaurant in an alley. I know the Master Chef there. It just depends on whether she's willing to lend me the kitchen. If not, I'll go get the equipment I used when I sold street food; it can barely be used."
Borrowing a kitchen is not a big deal, but it's not small either. Going to a restaurant to borrow a kitchen sounds like crashing the place. He just hoped the other party wouldn't get angry.
"Won't that be a bit bad? Actually, it's fine if I don't eat..."
Hearing Hoshino Sora's solution, Yui Yuigahama couldn't help but worry a little.
"It's fine. At worst, I'll just get scolded."
Hoshino Sora interrupted Yuigahama's words. He had already anticipated the worst outcome: at most, he would be scolded, and getting scolded wouldn't make him lose a piece of flesh. If he succeeded, it would be a huge profit!
How did that saying go? Oh right, the bridge will be there when you get to the river.
----------
"Excuse me."
"Welcome, two guests? Oh, it's you, Hoshino-kun, and this person is..."
Hearing the movement at the door, Xiang Ling, who was wiping tables, looked over, instinctively saying words of welcome, and only after a few seconds did she realize it was an acquaintance.
"Yui Yuigahama, my friend."
"What would you like to order today? We have everything in the kitchen! We just got a new batch of shrimp at noon; they're still lively and full of energy. They'd be great for dry pot shrimp."
"Sorry, I'm not here to eat today. Um... to be precise, I'd like to borrow the kitchen. My friend hasn't eaten my cooking in too long, and she misses it a bit.
Of course, for any dishes I make, I will pay you the meal cost according to the prices on the menu. Is that okay?"
His voice was gentle with caution. This kind of matter was indeed difficult to handle. Instead of beating around the bush, it was better to state his purpose from the beginning. Yes or no.
"Please!"
Seeing Hoshino Sora's performance, Yui Yuigahama also spoke from the side, her eyes filled with pleading.
"Ah? This is a little difficult..."
"Just ten minutes will be enough. My cooking is very..."
"Let him do it. There are no customers right now anyway. But I'll tell you upfront, you can use any ingredients in the kitchen, and you don't have to pay for them, just make two extra portions. But if you can't make a dish that satisfies me, then don't ever come to my little shop again."
Watching Xiang Ling wrinkle her brows in thought, Hoshino Sora spoke persistently, but before he could finish, the old man's voice came from the kitchen, and then Mao Jinyu appeared at the kitchen door, holding an old-fashioned pipe in his hand.
"Okay, I'll do my best."
Hearing Mao Jinyu's words, Hoshino Sora was first startled, then nodded seriously. For some reason, he felt a faint seriousness in the other's voice. This situation… why did it feel so much like an exam!?
Facing a Master Chef even stronger than the Far Moon graduates, Hoshino Sora couldn't help but be nervous. His outward appearance showed excessive restraint. Why did he just want to cook for someone close to him, and it suddenly turned into an exam?
Seeing the rather surprised expression on Xiang Ling's face beside him, Hoshino Sora understood that this kind of thing didn't happen often.
Thinking about it, it's true, how could there be so many Master Chefs coming to borrow the kitchen!
"Hoshino-ge..."
Seeing that Hoshino Sora's complexion wasn't very good, Yui Yuigahama put her hand to her chest and called out softly, a faint worry in her eyes. How did things suddenly escalate to this?
"It's fine, what do you want to eat?"
"Anything is fine with me."
Yui Yuigahama had no desire to eat now. To be honest, she didn't even understand the situation at this moment. Why did the assessment suddenly begin? It was too sudden...
Hoshino-ge got into the zone so quickly.
"Alright, since there are shrimp in the kitchen, I'll make a Dry Pot Shrimp."
"Dry Pot Shrimp is not an easy dish. Let's see your performance."
Thinking of the dish Xiang Ling had just mentioned, Hoshino Sora decided to make Dry Pot Shrimp, which was relatively less difficult.
Of course, the main reason was that the kitchen had the ingredients for Dry Pot Shrimp; otherwise, Xiang Ling wouldn't have asked him if he wanted Dry Pot Shrimp. This could be considered a clever move, but challenging Sichuan Cuisine in front of a Sichuan Cuisine Master, he couldn't show any timidity later.
Thinking this, Hoshino Sora came to the kitchen and saw the live shrimp Xiang Ling had mentioned. They were all large, and the taste for Dry Pot Shrimp would definitely be good!
Thinking of this, Hoshino Sora took a deep breath, picked up the Master Chef knife on the cutting board, and casually gestured a few times in the air to get a feel for it, while his other hand reached into the water to get the shrimp.
With a swift movement of the knife, he crushed the shrimp's head, then butterflied it and removed the vein.
He processed enough for four servings, put them into a basin, then added sliced green onion, sliced ginger, a little cooking wine, and a pinch of salt, mixed them well, and marinated for ten minutes.
Unbeknownst to him, Mao Jinyu appeared not far behind Hoshino Sora, looking at the young man's back with a nostalgic gaze, smoking his old-fashioned pipe intermittently.
"Grandpa, don't smoke so much, it stinks, right, Guoba?"
"Gulu gu."
Standing at Xiang Ling's feet and barking twice, Guoba expressed strong agreement.
"Alright, alright, I won't smoke, I won't smoke."
Hearing Xiang Ling's disgusted words, Mao Jinyu said with a sheepish smile, then emptied the tobacco from the pipe in his hand and focused all his attention on Hoshino Sora's hands.
More precisely, on his cutting board.
Hoshino Sora's knife work was sharp. He peeled and sliced potatoes and lotus roots, cut red and green peppers into diamond shapes, slit celery down the middle and cut it into sections, cut millet peppers into sections, chopped green onions, sliced ginger, and halved garlic cloves, placing them all on a plate for preparation.
His movements were skilled, showing that he usually put a lot of effort into his knife skills.
Knife skills are fundamental to cooking. Seeing Hoshino Sora's knife skills, Mao Jinyu nodded inwardly.
Heat oil in the wok, remove the green onion, ginger, and garlic from the basin, then pat in two spoonfuls of cornstarch and mix well. This is key for crispy shrimp shells.
He held his hand over the wok to feel the temperature. When it reached five or six parts hot, he added the marinated large shrimp. From this point on, he needed to constantly pay attention to the heat. When the skin turned golden, he scooped them out with a slotted spoon. After tasting one, the shrimp shell was crispy and the shrimp meat was firm, indicating it had met the standard.
After that, he deep-fried the potato and lotus root slices until cooked.
"Use this, it tastes better."
Leaving some bottom oil in the wok, he added green onion, ginger, and garlic to stir-fry until fragrant. However, just as Hoshino Sora was about to add bean paste, Mao Jinyu walked over with two jars containing secret dry pot seasoning and red oil. The moment they were added to the wok, a rich, spicy aroma instantly filled the kitchen.
"Good."
He nodded, looked at the red oil in the wok, poured in the previously prepared dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorns, stir-fried them with two or three tosses until fragrant, then added millet peppers and light soy sauce, and all the prepared side dishes. He stir-fried them over high heat until fragrant, and finally added the large shrimp.
What Hoshino Sora didn't notice was that the versatile food spirit residing in his right hand, upon smelling the aroma, rolled into the wok, absorbing the dish's essence while enhancing its flavor and texture.
It hadn't appeared for a long time because it looked down on low-grade dishes. As it absorbed more high-grade dishes, the versatile food spirit had evolved to a certain extent and was no longer as indiscriminate about dishes as it was at first.
Only when Hoshino Sora cooked a dish with all his might would it appear to enhance it.
"Out of the pot."
Noticing the huge plate the old man brought him, Hoshino Sora held the wok and poured the entire pot of Dry Pot Shrimp onto it. The rich, spicy aroma was re-stimulated the moment the Dry Pot Shrimp and the plate collided. He sprinkled chopped cilantro and white sesame seeds, and the dish was complete.
"Well done. Is this your first time making Dry Pot Shrimp?"
"Yes, I've memorized the recipe before, but today is indeed my first attempt."
"Let's talk about the shortcomings first. The cornstarch coating was slightly too thick, and the heat was a bit too strong, causing too much aroma to dissipate instead of being locked inside the shrimp. The oil was also a little too much. However, for a first attempt, this is already very good, kid."
He picked up a shrimp and put it into his mouth. The crispy shrimp shell and firm, springy shrimp meat, with a rich, spicy aroma blooming in his mouth. The vegetables absorbed the excess spicy oil very well, but there was still a harmless residue.
Even so, this dish was a rare delicacy, exceeding his expectations.
"I want to eat too!"
"Gulu."
Hearing Mao Jinyu's evaluation, Xiang Ling, who had been watching from the kitchen door, ran in, grabbing her chopsticks and reaching into the plate. Guoba, at her feet, couldn't reach, so he jumped vigorously, looking incredibly cute.
"Is that a raccoon?"
Yui Yuigahama, at the door, felt a sense of relief when she heard Hoshino Sora passed the assessment. Then she noticed the small raccoon next to Xiang Ling, and with a surprised look, she stepped forward to pet it.
"Lulu."
Being petted on the head, Guoba let out a comfortable purring sound. Seeing this, Yui Yuigahama petted him even harder.
"Ah, Guoba, you're so happy being petted by others. I'll join in too."
"I remember Totsuki Academy's classes start in the afternoon, right? Starting tomorrow morning, come to me to learn Sichuan Cuisine. Are you willing?"
Mao Jinyu glanced at Yui Yuigahama and Xiang Ling, who were playing with Guoba, then looked at Hoshino Sora's eyes and said seriously.
"I am willing! Then, what should I call you from now on?"
Hoshino Sora's tone was a bit excited. Had he found a powerful backer?!
"Just call me Uncle Mao."
Mao Jinyu said indifferently.
-------------------------------
I've pre-posted chapters on Patreon!
If you like, please come check out the latest chapters first.
Here's the link:
[[email protected]/TripleCrown07]
Thank you so much for your support!!!