The rice cooker in the kitchen was running, the pressure cooker was steaming, and there were a few chunks of frozen pork in the fridge's freezer. Yuji defrosted them without hesitation and fried up some pork slices.
"Fridge, frozen meat, rice, flour, oil, and a few extra clothes…"
With lunch prep basically finished, Yuji used his spare time to start listing the supplies that needed to be checked later that afternoon.
"Also, we'll need to bring some electronic equipment too…"
There was still some fuel stored in the village's underground warehouse for the tea oil generator, but it wasn't much. Yuji couldn't afford to wait until it ran dry before buying more diesel.
There were five rooms on the first floor. One was used for storing a freezer and daily necessities, two were for food and water storage, and another was kept as a backup...
To ensure safety—and considering the amount of frozen food that needed to be stored—Yuji decided to bring two freezers today. Over the next three days, he'd try to bring two more.
They would be placed in the neighboring house in the village.
"Two rooms on the second floor are used as living spaces. Of the other two, one is for clothes storage, and the other is temporarily unused…"
"As for the basement…"
There were two rooms downstairs—one was the generator room, specifically housing the diesel generator, and the other was currently empty.
Yuji planned to renovate it next month.
---
After spending a week in Japan, Yuji had experienced a devastating earthquake and the eruption of Mount Fuji—events that cast a heavy shadow over his view of natural disasters in this world.
He had no choice but to make some early preparations for future possible disasters.
When Kasumigaoka Utaha came down from the second floor, she caught a whiff of meat cooking on the stairs.
She hadn't had a proper meal in nearly a week.
The smell of food instantly awakened her appetite, and she unconsciously picked up her pace down the stairs.
"You're frying meat…"
"Yeah. I pretty much finished up the first floor. There were still some ingredients in the kitchen fridge, so I made something with what I had..."
Looking toward the kitchen, Kasumigaoka noticed the rice cooker was still running.
Fresh rice and fried pork made for a pretty great combo.
"I'm heading out this afternoon to look for some necessary supplies. I'll need your help."
Surprised by Yuji's straightforward request, Kasumigaoka Utaha was unexpectedly pleased.
"No problem. I just want to head out and find some clothes to change into. I hope you can spare a little time to take me to Wuhua City's shopping district…"
For one, she couldn't drive, and for another, she didn't know her way around Wuhua City—she had no clue where the shopping district even was.
"That's not a problem. But I hope we won't spend too much time…"
"You think I'm the type to waste time picking clothes?"
She gave a small snort, clearly unimpressed with Yuji's comment.
"I just choose what I like. If I see something that suits me, I'll buy it. It doesn't take long."
"Fair enough."
Yuji let out a breath of relief. A few extra minutes wouldn't be an issue—but if it dragged on for one or two hours, it would mess with his entire afternoon plan.
"By the way, why exactly do you need me?"
"I need to bring two freezers. They're a bit heavy, and it's not convenient to do it alone. So I need your help."
The kind of weight that made Yuji ask for help was clearly beyond what Kasumigaoka had expected.
She pursed her lips slightly.
It looked like her thin arms were going to need some training.
"Can't do it?"
Seeing she hadn't answered right away, Yuji asked again.
He didn't absolutely need a second person, but it would be a lot easier with one.
"When did I say I couldn't? This isn't just your problem. We're living together now. If you need help, I'll do my best."
"Hmm…"
"It's the least I can do."
The rice cooker switched to its "keep warm" mode.
Yuji noticed the girl's eyes drifting toward the kitchen now and then. He smiled inwardly and stood up.
"Go wash your hands. Let's have lunch…"
It was a simple lunch: one dish, one soup, and a bowl of rice—but both of them ate heartily.
Sitting across from Yuji, Kasumigaoka ate slowly and properly, her manners graceful. Yuji, too, didn't eat with the hurried pace he'd adopted toward the end of his previous life. He didn't finish in under a minute.
Here, there was no need to rush.
Even meals were a rare moment to rest and calm the mind.
"Thanks for the meal…"
Putting down her chopsticks gently and wiping the corners of her mouth with a tissue, Kasumigaoka spoke softly.
"No problem."
But he noticed her gaze was still fixed on him.
Was watching him eat really that interesting? No—that wasn't it.
"Is there something you want to say?"
"I want to talk about our meals and cleaning arrangements going forward."
"Got it. I'll be in charge of the cleaning…"
"…Huh?"
That was completely against what she'd expected. But then she noticed the fleeting smile on Yuji's face—and realized he was teasing her on purpose.
Her pride—and her refusal to lose—kicked in.
"Fine. Then I'll take care of dinner!"
That, unexpectedly, caught Yuji off guard.
He hadn't thought Kasumigaoka Utaha would agree so readily.
Well, that was great! Leaving dinner to her gave him a little more free time.
"Then it's settled. We leave in thirty minutes. You can take a short break."
Yuji got up to wash the dishes.
Seeing this, Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't say anything.
Let her do the cooking. No big deal.
That afternoon, Yuji experienced firsthand what Kasumigaoka meant when she said she wouldn't take long choosing clothes.
When a woman starts shopping, she turns into an addict—unable to stop.
"Kasumigaoka, isn't this enough?"
"I gave you a legitimate reason to enter a women's clothing store, and you're still complaining? Aren't you at least a little curious about all this sexy lingerie?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't even glance at Yuji, who stood a short distance away, as her eyes wandered over the various styles of underwear on display.
"If I really wanted to, I could come any time. It's just a matter of when…"
"You're the one who made me push and pull that heavy thing just now. My arms are sore."
She gently massaged her right arm with her left hand, giving Yuji a pointed look and flashing a mischievous smile.
The biggest problem with this guy—he couldn't stand being teased.
"I'll give you five more minutes." At least, back when they were moving the freezer, she had clearly done her best. Yuji couldn't deny that.
"Hmm…"
It was only at dinner that Yuji realized something important about the woman named Kasumigaoka Utaha:
She couldn't cook. At all.
He had taken one bite of the scorched dish she made—and immediately gave up on it.
So, he naturally took over cooking again.
...