Since Kashi had already been given a way to back down, she no longer needed to hold back.
She skipped to the pressure cooker, greedily took a deep breath as if to make up for all she had missed, and urged Tanaka, "Masao, quickly scoop a bowl for me to taste."
Under Kashi's expectant gaze, Tanaka Masao put the lid back on the pot, and the aroma in the room immediately became much fainter.
"Oh no~, what are you doing!"
Seeing that Tanaka Masao had actually put the lid back on, Kashi was very displeased.
She had graciously agreed to eat Tanaka Masao's evil food, and Tanaka Masao dared to refuse her? It was simply outrageous.
Tanaka Masao's explanation was also very simple.
"It's not at its best yet; it needs to stew in the pot for a while longer to absorb the flavors."
"I see."
Kashi nodded, as long as it wasn't that she wouldn't get to eat it.
"Then how long does it need to stew?"
"Roughly, less than a year."
"That long!"
"Precisely, thirty minutes."
"Hey, your 'roughly' is a bit too rough, isn't it? What normal person would be so rough?"
Looking at the exasperated Kashi, Tanaka Masao felt pleased again; indeed, teasing little girls was the most enjoyable thing.
While they were bickering in the kitchen, the front door of the Tanaka house opened, and two familiar voices rang out.
"We're home."
"The moment I walked in, I smelled something delicious. What wonderful food has Masao prepared tonight?"
Tanaka Kazumi sniffed the aroma in the air, a little expectant.
At this moment, she felt that entrusting dinner to Tanaka Masao was an absolutely correct choice. It was a good thing his cooking skills had been discovered by her, otherwise it would have been a huge loss.
Bending down to change her shoes, Tanaka Kazumi noticed several extra pairs of shoes in the entryway, one of which she was quite familiar with.
"Oh, has Yukino arrived?"
What puzzled her was whose other ladies' shoes were there besides Yukinoshita Yukino's, and one pair was so small.
[Did Yukino specifically bring her shoes to live here permanently?]
Just as Tanaka Kazumi was wondering, the people from the kitchen came out.
Yukinoshita Yukino greeted them very naturally; because she had been coming to Tanaka Masao's house so often recently, her closeness with Tanaka Kazumi was even greater than with her own mother, and there was almost no sense of distance anymore.
In contrast to Yukinoshita Yukino, who had completely integrated into the Tanaka family, Kawasaki Saki, who was meeting the parents for the first time, was a little nervous.
"Hello, Uncle and Auntie, I am Tanaka's classmate, Kawasaki Saki, and this is my younger sister."
"Hello, I'm Kawasaki Kyouka, Kashi's classmate."
Tanaka Kenji's response was quite simple; he just nodded gently.
Tanaka Kazumi's eyes lit up after just one glance at Kawasaki Saki.
[This girl is also good, I like her too. This Masao boy is quite something.]
She immediately showed a warm smile and welcomed them.
"So, you're Masao and Kashi's classmates. Welcome to our home, please forgive us if our hospitality is lacking."
Just as the atmosphere was harmonious, a figure descended from upstairs.
It was Kasumigaoka Utaha, who had impatiently gone to Tanaka Masao's room to release her inspiration.
Having been stuck for a long time, it was rare for her to write as smoothly as she just had, which left Kasumigaoka Utaha feeling refreshed and comfortable.
However, Writing is quite an energy-consuming activity, so she was a little hungry and wanted to find something to eat and rest for a bit.
"Junior, is there anything to eat?"
Tanaka Kazumi glanced at Kasumigaoka Utaha coming downstairs, and the gentle smile on her face instantly stiffened.
Because at this moment, the excited blush on Kasumigaoka Utaha's face had not completely faded.
And perhaps because she was too hot while Writing, her clothes made her uncomfortable, and two buttons on her shirt were undone, making her overall appearance a bit disheveled.
To Tanaka Kazumi's eyes, this completely changed the meaning. This state, having just come down from upstairs, what kind of intense events had transpired before she returned?
Regarding this, Tanaka Kazumi could only say one thing.
[Masao, well "done".]
But there was already Yukinoshita Yukino and Kawasaki Saki, and now another top-tier beautiful girl had arrived.
Had the Tanaka house become a gathering place for beautiful girls today?
… …
A few minutes later, Tanaka Masao returned to the kitchen to continue preparing dinner, while the others sat around in the living room.
Kasumigaoka Utaha had already tidied her clothes, but recalling what had just happened, she still felt a bit embarrassed, her cheeks slightly flushed, and her fingers unnaturally fiddling with her stockings.
Being seen in such a state by a family member of the opposite sex was truly embarrassing.
Tanaka Kazumi had also finished listening to Kasumigaoka Utaha's explanation and, knowing that the other party was merely Writing in Tanaka Masao's room, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
[Nothing I wanted to see happened, what a pity.]
Although it was a bit strange why Writing would make someone look like that, Tanaka Kazumi was clearly more concerned about another matter.
"Utaha, you're also a novelist, how impressive!"
She looked at the literary girl aura emanating from Kasumigaoka Utaha and felt quite satisfied.
Such a beautiful girl with a literary background was truly suitable to be a daughter-in-law, and someone who could write novels must be a very sensitive person.
Hearing Tanaka Kazumi's praise, Kasumigaoka Utaha felt a little shy.
"It's not that impressive; my novel's performance is actually average, completely incomparable to Junior."
"Incomparable to Masao? Wait, does Masao also write novels!?"
Looking at the surprised Tanaka Kazumi, Kasumigaoka Utaha was a little puzzled.
"Auntie, don't you know?"
"I don't know."
Upon hearing this, Kasumigaoka Utaha frowned. Had Tanaka Masao deliberately hidden his identity as a writer from his family, not wanting them to know?
Then had she, unknowingly, done something that wronged Tanaka Masao?
Kasumigaoka Utaha wondered if it was still not too late to remedy the situation now?
Tanaka Kazumi indicated that it was already too late, because she had already impatiently rushed to the kitchen to ask Tanaka Masao for confirmation.
Kasumigaoka Utaha watched Tanaka Kazumi's retreating back, then looked at Yukinoshita Yukino with a slightly guilty expression, asking in a low voice.
"Um, did I say something wrong?"
Yukinoshita Yukino shook her head and comforted her.
"It's nothing; Auntie just went to confirm. Besides, there's nothing wrong with the novels Tanaka-kin writes, so even if it's known, it shouldn't be a big deal."
"Is that so."
Although Yukinoshita Yukino said that, Kasumigaoka Utaha still felt a little guilty, thinking to herself.
[If there's an opportunity, I should compensate Junior a little.]