Question: Which dish should you never eat too authentically?
Answer: Curry.
In Japan, almost every household makes curry.
The ingredients are simple, and it's easy to prepare.
Those who are meticulous will add fresh meat and vegetables.
Those who aren't will just buy a pre-made pack from the supermarket, heat it up, and pour it over white rice.
It's just like adding a flavor packet to instant noodles.
You just need to add a curry block to the ingredients, and a curry dish is done.
It's precisely because it's so simple that the camp's first dinner was curry.
And to make curry, the first thing to do is start a fire.
Hiratsuka Shizuka stacked the charcoal into a tower shape, leaving a gap in the middle.
Then she placed a solid alcohol fire starter inside and used newspaper to light it.
The flame immediately ignited upon contact with the alcohol block.
Normally, the next step would be for the charcoal to start smoking and turning white, until an open flame appeared, signaling the fire-starting was complete.
However, that process was too slow.
Hiratsuka Shizuka directly grabbed a bottle of salad oil and poured it on.
The fire whooshed and grew strong.
After lighting the fire, Hiratsuka Shizuka didn't forget to lift the still-burning newspaper to the cigarette dangling from her lips to light it, taking a deep drag.
She then turned her head and exhaled the smoke.
The whole process was incredibly smooth and cool.
"It's basically like this. Got it?" This was directed at Mori Shinra and the others.
After all, Hiratsuka Shizuka was their teacher.
The elementary schoolers naturally had their own teachers to instruct them.
And the act of using salad oil to start a fire was too dangerous for elementary schoolers... okay, it's not safe for adults either.
"Sensei, you seem really skilled at this," Yuigahama said, watching Hiratsuka Shizuka's seamless operation, which even included the dangerous salad oil method.
"Heh..." Hiratsuka Shizuka chuckled, then seemed to recall something. "When I was in college, I also went out for barbecues with my club. Every time I was busy starting the fire, those couples would be all lovey-dovey right next to me..."
Why is she getting so agitated all of a sudden?
Mori Shinra noticed that the lighter in Hiratsuka Shizuka's hand was beginning to creak under the pressure.
He was genuinely worried it would explode in her hand.
"I'll go help stack the firewood."
"I'll go get the ingredients."
Seeing Hiratsuka Shizuka was in a bad mood, everyone scattered like birds, busying themselves with their own tasks.
Basically, the boys were in charge of starting the fires, while the girls were in charge of preparing the ingredients.
It felt like an ancient tribal gathering.
Mori Shinra was quite interested in building a fire.
In fact, is there any guy who isn't interested in playing with fire?
In Mori Shinra's view, at least half the fun of camping was in starting the fire.
Even though it was a hot summer day, and standing next to the fire felt like being in a sauna, watching the flames lick the firewood, making crackling sounds, just made him feel purified.
Fire, the origin of civilization, was being embodied at this very moment.
If only my next superpower was fire. That way, if I unfortunately get addicted to smoking like Ms. Hiratsuka, I won't have to worry about people stealing my lighter.
A god-tier skill!
Hikigaya, unable to stand the heat, spoke up, "I'm going to get some drinks for everyone."
"I'll go too," Totsuka Saika quickly said.
Tobe, seeing them both go, also tagged along.
After all, the fire was fun, but it was just too hot.
In just that short time, their clothes were already soaked with sweat.
They felt sticky and uncomfortable.
Mori Shinra, on the other hand, was fine.
Perhaps it was a benefit of his high physique.
Other than feeling hot, he wasn't as uncomfortable as he had expected.
Even though he was closest to the fire, he had only broken a light sweat.
At this rate, if his physique gets higher in the future, will he become immune to water and fire?
Hayama did not go with them to get water.
Mori Shinra noticed his hesitant look, and while keeping his eyes on the fire, he casually asked, "What's on your mind?"
"...It's nothing." Hayama shook his head.
He clearly had something to say, but for some reason, he didn't.
"Is it about Yukino?"
"Not her."
"Then it's Haruno-san."
"Not her either."
Mori Shinra looked back at Hayama. "Then who could it be? Miura Yumiko?"
"Uh... I don't know if you noticed a little girl today."
Mori Shinra raised an eyebrow. "Tsurumi Rumi?"
"I knew it. You noticed that child too."
"Well, I saw her on the way. What? Did she remind you of the past?" Mori Shinra fanned the fire, and the wind fanned the flames, making the surrounding air even hotter.
Even Hayama couldn't stand it and had to move back a step.
"Aren't you hot?"
"It's fine. I'm pretty resistant to heat. Don't change the subject."
"Alright. That child is indeed a bit worrying."
"So? What does that have to do with me?" Mori Shinra turned his head to look at Hayama.
Hayama didn't look away, meeting Mori Shinra's gaze directly.
It's a good thing Ebina is off with the kids, otherwise, there's no telling how this scene would have ended.
"I heard your conversation with Hikigaya and Saika earlier."
"Eavesdropping isn't something a 'nice guy' should do."
"On the contrary, you were intentionally letting me hear it, weren't you?" Hayama knew very well that if Mori Shinra hadn't wanted him to know, he wouldn't have discussed it with Hikigaya and Saika right near him.
After all, at that time, the three of them—Hikigaya, Saika, and Mori Shinra—were holding their bentos and talking about it as if no one else was around. Hayama was still busy handing out bentos to the elementary schoolers...
Mori Shinra didn't deny this, but he didn't admit it either.
"So, do you have any thoughts on this?"
"A few," Hayama nodded.
It wasn't that he wanted to interfere, but rather that he wanted to know what Mori Shinra would do.
Back then, when he approached him, he had been very rude. Now that the same problem had fallen on him, Hayama wanted to see how he would handle it. Perhaps Hayama also wanted to get an answer from him.
"Tsurumi Rumi is not Yukinoshita Yukino. Even if the experiences are similar, the result won't mean anything." Although Mori Shinra felt Tsurumi Rumi was a bit like a young Yukino, it didn't mean their situations were identical.
In fact, Tsurumi Rumi's situation was, at most, exclusion.
It hadn't reached the level of bullying yet.
She could still talk to the other kids.
Speaking of which, Japan is really messed up. From what Mori Shinra understood, if your grades are good, you get bullied. If your grades are bad, you get bullied. If you're good-looking, you get bullied. If you're ugly, you get bullied. If you're rich, you get bullied. If you're poor, you get bullied. Even famous celebrities can't escape being bullied in school. The main thing is, as long as you're not in the 'middle', you're bullied.
It's like they're addicted to bullying.
Unbelievable.
Mori Shinra, on the other hand, had not been isolated or bullied.
Or perhaps, he had been unilaterally isolating everyone else?
"I know that much. It's just that, since we've encountered it, I feel we can't just leave it alone," Hayama replied.
He didn't really think Tsurumi Rumi was the elementary-school Yukinoshita.
What he really wanted to see was another possibility for such a situation.
A possibility where everyone can be happy.
"Well, I definitely can't do it alone," Mori Shinra said.
"So I will help too." Hayama offered to be a grunt.
Hey, he asked for it himself. No one forced him.
A small smile played on Mori Shinra's lips.
Honestly, when it came to dealing with those kids, Hikigaya and Totsuka combined probably weren't as useful as Hayama.
The reason was simple: Hayama just exuded too much friendliness.
After being the "nice guy" for so many years, it was seared into his bones.
His every action made people feel the warmth of a spring breeze.
He's very good at blending in with kids.
Hikigaya, on the other hand, is also very good at blending in with kids, just in a physical sense.
"In that case, let's talk about payment," Mori Shinra said, lacing his fingers and resting his chin on them, striking the Gendo Ikari pose.
"There's no need for payment..."
"Who said I was paying you?" Mori Shinra interrupted, then pointed at himself. "You have to pay me."
"Huh?" Hayama was stunned.
"Wait..." Hayama held up his hand, signaling for Mori Shinra to stop. "If I heard correctly, I'm helping you, and I have to pay you?"
"That's right," Mori Shinra nodded. "It's perfectly normal."
Paid internships... as the son of a lawyer, you must have seen plenty of those, right? It doesn't matter if you haven't. Just think of this as practice.
"How is that normal!" Hayama finally couldn't help but retort.
But his 'nice guy' attribute still compelled him to agree.
"Alright, I get it. If you need my help with something, you can just say it. You don't need to go in such a roundabout way."
Mori Shinra smiled and said nothing.
If I don't go in a roundabout way, won't I owe you a favor? Although this way I'll still owe you one, it's definitely less than before. It's the same principle as a legal tax-loophole. Mori Shinra likes to maximize his gains and minimize his costs, all within reasonable limits. Hiss... why do I sound like a natural-born evil capitalist?
"So, what do you need me to do?" Hayama asked.
"Let's talk about it after the matter is resolved," Mori Shinra shook his head. "What you need to do now is get on good terms with those kids and put together a simple relationship map. That should be easy for you, right?"
"That's not difficult." Hayama was extremely sensitive to relationships.
As the core who had long balanced the internal relationships of the popular clique, figuring out everyone's connections was just a basic skill.
"Well, I'll leave it to you for now," Mori Shinra said with a smile.
In fact, Mori Shinra could have done it himself, but dealing with elementary schoolers was just too draining.
If he could outsource it, that was for the best.
After assigning the task, Hikigaya and Totsuka Saika returned with the cold drinks.
The cold soda dissipated the heat from the fire.
The fire no longer needed fanning to grow.
Not long after the flames rose, the girls also returned to the campsite, carrying tonight's ingredients.
Even though they were volunteers, it didn't stop them from enjoying the fun of camping with the elementary schoolers.
The ingredients weren't varied.
There were only four types in total: pork belly, carrots, onions, and potatoes, all common household ingredients.
Mori Shinra preferred chicken in his curry. He preferred his pork belly pan-fried.
"Are we cooking for everyone at once, or are we taking turns at the stove and cooking our own?" Mori Shinra asked.
"We're on a rare trip. Of course, it's only meaningful if we eat curry we've made ourselves!" Tobe answered quickly.
"True." Miura Yumiko nodded.
She also wanted to use this opportunity to show Mori Shinra her feminine skills.
"This sounds like fun!" Yuigahama's eyes sparkled with excitement.
Seeing Yuigahama say this, Mori Shinra, Hikigaya, and Yukinoshita all glanced at each other, looking amused.
Yuigahama noticed their gazes and pouted, "It's just curry! I know how to make it!"
Why does that sound so familiar?
"'It's just peeling pears I can still handle it'" Hikigaya recalled, mimicking her voice.
"Shut-in!"
Look how flustered she is, she's resorting to calling Hikigaya names.
Kawasaki Saki looked at the bickering group, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but lift slightly.
Camping was indeed more fun than she had imagined.
"Saki, do you cook often at home?" Mori Shinra asked.
The smile on Kawasaki Saki's face immediately vanished.
She returned to her usual languid look and replied, "Are you asking about curry? I know five ways to make it."
"Then how many ways do you know how to write the character 'hui'?"
"Huh?"
It seems Kawasaki Saki doesn't know about Kong Yiji.
In the end, by a show of hands, everyone decided to take turns using the stove to make their own curry.
It was specially noted that Yuigahama must operate under the supervision of her guardian, Yukinoshita Yukino, to avoid any unnecessary trouble.
So-called home cooking means that different people will make it with different flavors.
The same was true for home-style curry.
Even with the same ingredients, the curry made by different people would have very distinct tastes.
Take Yukinoshita, for example.
Her curry was extremely delicious, so Mori Shinra shamelessly held out his bowl and asked for a spoonful.
Next was Kawasaki Saki.
Out of respect for her maxed-out child-rearing skills, Mori Shinra brazenly asked her for a spoonful too.
Finally, there was Miura Yumiko.
After seeing both Kawasaki Saki and Yukinoshita Yukino give Mori Shinra a spoonful of their handmade curry, she used the excuse of "helping to taste-test" and gave everyone present a spoonful of her curry, including Hikigaya.
Thus, Mori Shinra achieved the accomplishment of "Finishing Dinner Before Starting to Cook."
Begging for food again, family.jpg