Wash the ingredients, peel the potatoes, cut them into small pieces, and soak them in cold water to prevent oxidation.
After processing the carrots, add them to the water with the potatoes and simmer until boiling.
Add the curry cubes and adjust the consistency with water in the right proportion.
Finally, add the meat, let it blend with the curry, and cook over medium heat.
Skim the soup, remove it from the pot, and serve it with rice.
In less than an hour, you'll have curry rice that'll make the neighborhood kids cry with envy.
If you want a ceremonial touch, decorate the dish with pepper, cumin, or two pickled plums on the rice.
Not only does it look elegant—it also works as an appetizer. Two birds with one stone.
Ding…
The dry chime rang.
Natsukawa Kanade sighed silently.
Did the greedy neighbor boy get lured by the aroma?
Opening the door, he saw the angel standing outside.
Shiina Mahiru held a pot of steaming miso soup.
The aroma was fragrant, the taste undoubtedly delicious.
With Mahiru's skills, you didn't need to taste it to know.
"This is…"
"You definitely didn't make soup, right?
Drinking coffee all the time isn't good for you, so I… I…"
Her usual scolding tone softened gradually.
"Anyway, please let me in quickly. Holding this is exhausting."
"Oh, sorry, please come in…"
Kanade realized he'd left her waiting at the door.
"Why so sudden? What made you come today?"
Since things ended with Kaguya, he no longer avoided contact with other girls.
Especially Mahiru, whom he already liked.
He was willing to be close—even just as friends.
But getting close again was hard.
He feared misunderstandings.
Feared having unnecessary thoughts again.
"…"
Mahiru opened her mouth but said nothing.
In truth, she'd seen him earlier that afternoon.
Kanade was chatting and laughing with another girl, unaware Mahiru was hiding nearby.
She was jealous.
Why could that girl talk to him so intimately?
She wanted that too.
Wanted Kanade to go shopping with her.
Wanted to walk home together.
Wanted to hear him say cheerful things.
Wanted to see him smile at her.
They were things she used to have easily.
Now, they always felt out of reach.
If she didn't act, she'd lose him forever.
Days without Kanade were painful.
So she decided to be honest: she liked him.
She liked that idiot who smiled goofily, acted cool around her, made her feel special.
Saying it wasn't enough.
She had to show it.
Just like he did for her at the beginning.
"I want… I want to stay with you. Is… is that okay?"
Mahiru's face was flushed.
Her eyes wandered.
She was nervous.
Say it, say it!
It was the first time she'd expressed her feelings so openly.
She wondered what he'd think.
Mahiru looked at him.
Kanade was stunned, but quickly responded.
He smiled gently.
"Shall we be together then?"
"Yes."
Mahiru breathed a sigh of relief.
Kanade seemed in good spirits.
He was willing to accept her request.
If he'd rejected her like before, she would've been sad for a long time.
"What did you cook today?"
"Beef curry. Want to try my cooking?"
"Since you offered…"
Mahiru seemed calm, but inside she was blooming with joy.
One reason she brought the soup was that she wanted to have dinner with him.
She'd emptied her stomach for it.
Even if a "gurgle" escaped, it was a worthy sacrifice if it made Kanade feel tenderness toward her.
She knew he was disciplined now.
That he cooked well.
And she wanted to taste his food.
If it tasted good, great.
If not, she'd eat it anyway.
She wouldn't waste anything.
Even if he lied and didn't eat well, it didn't matter.
She'd scold him and cook for him.
She didn't see it as a problem.
She was willing to do it for him for the rest of her life.
"If it doesn't taste good, I'll scold you severely."
"No problem, Master. I appreciate your feedback."
"Master?"
"Well, because I stole your skills."
"Eh? But I don't remember ever teaching you…"
"They say I'm stealing your skills because I've been secretly watching you from the side."
"I can't believe it! You learned just by watching?"
Mahiru covered her mouth, surprised.
"Of course not. I've tried many times. I made mistakes at first, but gradually got the hang of it."
Kanade wasn't a genius.
Not like Kaguya, who learned everything quickly.
He just worked hard.
Because he wanted the girl he liked to feel his love.
The process was tough.
But thinking about the reward kept him going.
"Then I must taste it carefully!
If I don't approve it, I won't let you graduate!"
Mahiru was thrilled.
She felt her connection with Kanade had deepened.
"Alright, Master."
Kanade smiled.
Mahiru liked roleplay, and he was willing to play along.
If it eased her loneliness, all the better.
In his view, Mahiru came because she felt alone.
She wanted comfort.
And he was her only friend.
She's someone who lacks love.
Kanade understood that deeply.
Mahiru longs to be loved, but she also fears it.
And even more, she fears losing love once she has it.
She's a contradictory person.
And that contradiction pains Kanade.
Even though he knows she sees him as a panacea—something to discard after use—he doesn't mind.
As long as he can truly help her.
After all, that's what he exists for.
---
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