Chapter 142: Everyone Arrives, The Feast
Just as Eriri said, not long after she went over, Usami recovered from her huffy state.
The two of them chatted quietly while watching the club president and Uchimaki Subaru play games in front of the TV.
Eriri occasionally poked Usami's arm, subtly gesturing towards Uchimaki Subaru, which once again made Usami blush.
Kaede, who was preparing fried chicken wings, saw the two girls' actions and basically understood why Eriri had angered Usami earlier; it seemed to be related to Uchimaki Subaru.
Just then, the doorbell rang again.
Eriri got up to open the door and saw Kitamura Yusaku standing there, holding a bag.
Seeing that it was Eriri who opened the door, Kitamura Yusaku smiled and greeted her, "Yo! Good morning, Sawamura-san. I seem to be a bit late."
"It's fine, the others just arrived too. Come in quickly, Kitamura-kun."
After entering, Kitamura Yusaku first saw the three Art Club members in the living room. After greeting them, he saw Kaede and Takasu Ryuji busy in the open kitchen and couldn't help but laugh.
"Hahaha, I knew Takasu, you'd be roped into being a coolie if you came."
"Hm?"
Takasu Ryuji paused, then smiled and said, "No, no, or rather, Asakura's seasonings here have given me many new ideas, so I don't mind being a coolie. But Kitamura, you really are lazy. We agreed on 9:30."
"I couldn't help it, I helped out with some things at home, so I was late."
After looking around, Kitamura Yusaku asked, "And it seems I'm not the last one. Kushieda and Oosaka haven't arrived yet."
"Ah, about that, I ran into Kushieda-san when I left this morning."
At this point, Usami raised her hand and said, "She has a newspaper delivery part-time job. I asked her, and she said she might be a bit late because she also has to wake up Oosaka-san."
"I see." Kitamura nodded after hearing that. "Given Kushieda's personality, she usually wouldn't be late, but with Oosaka added in, it's hard to say."
Just as he was speaking, the doorbell rang right after, indicating that the last two people had arrived.
Opening the door, it was indeed Kushieda Minori and Oosaka Taiga.
Kushieda Minori looked at Eriri, who opened the door, and happily said, "Good morning, we're here!"
Oosaka Taiga, beside her, yawned lazily, "Ugh, I'm so sleepy..."
After the two came in, Takasu Ryuji, seeing Kushieda Minori, inevitably became nervous. Kaede gave him a speechless look, patted his shoulder, and said, "Alright, the sauce and the things I needed your help with are all done. Go rest."
"Eh? That's it? Or maybe I can help you again..."
"That's enough, that's enough." Kaede directly pushed Takasu Ryuji out. "You're a guest, after all. I can't really make you work the whole time. Go chat with everyone."
"...Alright then, let me know if you need help."
"My cooking isn't that bad." As he spoke, he saw that the oil in the fryer had reached the right temperature, and he was ready to start frying chicken wings. "Alright, don't bother me here. Go do what you want to do."
Caught red-handed, Takasu Ryuji's old face flushed, and he chuckled awkwardly before leaving.
Since everyone was the same age, and with Kitamura Yusaku, who was good at livening up the atmosphere, and Kushieda Minori, who was always very lively, the atmosphere in the living room remained very active.
After chatting for a while, Eriri also came to the kitchen and, looking at the freshly fried chicken wings, said, "Kaede-kun, can I start now?"
"You can, all the ingredients are ready."
"Hehe, then I really need to work hard. I can't lose to you, Kaede-kun." Eriri took an apron, put it on, and said with a confident look.
As the two got busy, everyone in the living room, playing games and chatting, looked back, all anticipating today's feast.
Swallowing, Oosaka Taiga, who had only eaten a piece of bread after waking up, looked at the pile of snacks in front of her and whispered, "I'll save it for the feast."
It wasn't until past 12 o'clock that all the dishes were finally ready.
Everyone came and sat at the dining table, with an array of sumptuous dishes laid out, and in the center was a freshly carved large rack of ribs, which looked appetizing.
After pouring the drinks, Kaede and Eriri raised their glasses simultaneously. Kaede said, "Thank you all for coming today. This feast, please enjoy yourselves without reservation. Cheers!"
"Cheers!!!"
After taking a sip of her drink, Oosaka Taiga, who had been impatiently waiting, immediately picked up a piece of pork rib coated in sauce, grabbed it with her small hand, and took a bite.
"Delicious! This meat is so tender, and the sauce is delicious too!"
The others, after tasting it, also had satisfied expressions.
Takasu Ryuji took a bite and said contentedly, "Haha, it seems the sauce I made really worked. It's good to see some results."
Seeing everyone eating so happily, Kaede and Eriri exchanged glances, both breaking into happy smiles.
Everyone was very satisfied with the feast. Except for Takasu Ryuji, who saved a portion for his mother and delivered it early, everything else was eaten clean.
Patting his stomach, Kitamura Yusaku let out a breath and said, "That was satisfying, satisfying. It's rare to eat so well. Asakura, invite us again sometime!"
Kaede heard him and glared at him directly, then smiled and said, "Are you serious? If you bring your own ingredients, I wouldn't mind. For this much food, I had to get up early to prepare."
"Ahaha, then never mind, no forcing it, no forcing it."
Although Kitamura Yusaku's usual pocket money was enough, the cost of the ingredients for today's meal was not cheap at all. Unless he used his savings, he really couldn't afford it.
After eating, the dishes were, as usual, put into the dishwasher, and everyone sat on the living room sofa and carpet to rest.
Among them, Oosaka Taiga's actions were the most amusing, because she had eaten so much that her small body couldn't move smoothly. In the end, Kushieda Minori and Usami had to help her to the sofa.
"So... so uncomfortable..."
Looking at her like that, Kushieda Minori said helplessly, "Taiga, I told you not to eat so much!"
"Ugh... I haven't had good food in days, I couldn't help it."
This child, she lives in a high-class apartment, but her life seems a bit too tragic, doesn't it?
Kaede, who came over with digestive pills, heard her say that and shook his head with a wry smile.