"The ending of Weathering with You was amazing! I'm so glad Hina was saved!"
"Indeed. It's a good thing Hina was rescued; otherwise, I really would have sent razor blades to the author."
"Do you guys think a good girl like Hina actually exists in reality?"
"Well, anything is possible in your dreams."
"But speaking of which, looking at the final map of Tokyo, it seems like my house was submerged—"
"LMAO, my house got flooded too."
"Mine too."
"Glub glub glub—"
"LOL, that guy above actually drowned."
Akira checked the discussions on the online forums.
.
To his surprise, there didn't seem to be as much controversy surrounding the ending of Weathering with You as he had imagined.
Hmm—
He thought carefully about the reasons and felt it might be because the younger generation, having experienced the burst of the economic bubble and grown up in such an environment, naturally had a weaker sense of collective consciousness.
Compared to the so-called collective, this generation of youth cared more about themselves and the people close to them.
That was probably why they could better understand Hodaka's choice.
In any case, as long as no major trouble arose, all was well.
Thus, he stopped following the online situation. The next afternoon, he and Rin went out together to buy ingredients and prepare for their celebratory dinner that evening.
He had originally wanted to cook a couple of dishes himself, but during the shopping process, he eventually gave up and chose to assist Rin instead.
Because the menu she had prepared was quite elaborate.
As the weather was gradually turning colder, it was the perfect time for hot pot, so Rin started with a Sukiyaki hot pot.
However, that wasn't all; she also prepared things like meat and potato stew, grilled mackerel, cream stew, and beef hamburger steaks—
This pile of dishes alone was already beyond what could be finished in a single meal.
Nevertheless, he confirmed with his own eyes that Rin's culinary skills were indeed excellent.
It had to be said that the sight of her rhythmically busy in the kitchen, wearing an apron, possessed a different kind of charm than usual; it was very attractive.
"—Mochizuki-kun, could I trouble you to peel the potatoes?"
"Ah, okay."
At the same time, looking at Akira helping out in the kitchen while also wearing an apron, Rin felt a very strange sensation.
Although she already knew he could cook, had tasted his food, and had seen him in an apron before.
Doing things together in the kitchen now was a completely different experience.
While her parents were quite affectionate, due to traditional values, her father would at most help with some housework when he was free.
But because her father's work was quite busy, she rarely saw even that.
As for helping out in the kitchen, that concept didn't exist at all.
Thus, watching Akira peeling potatoes, Rin finally couldn't help but ask, "Um, Mochizuki-kun—"
"Do you not mind this at all?"
"Mind? Mind what?"
Akira looked up at her blankly, not knowing what she was suddenly talking about.
"Like helping in the kitchen like this, or cooking at home yourself—"
"Oh, that."
He smiled upon hearing this and asked back, "Rather, why should I mind?"
"?"
Rin was caught off guard by the question, freezing for a moment before hesitating, "For example, because of a man's pride, or the dignity of the head of the household...?"
"Dignity, pride—"
Akira found it a bit amusing.
To be honest, perhaps due to the education and environment he was exposed to in his previous life, he really couldn't understand why such things would involve dignity and pride.
Where he came from in his previous life, men cooking at home was a common sight; in fact, if a man had great culinary skills, it gave him even more 'face' among friends.
It was just a bit tiring every time there was a gathering.
However, he certainly couldn't say that to Rin, so he thought for a moment and smiled, "Maybe for me, being able to cook for myself and helping out when family or friends are cooking is actually quite a cool thing."
"That's actually cool?"
Rin frowned slightly, finding it hard to understand.
However, looking at Akira in front of her, wearing an apron and holding a knife and a potato, she couldn't help but let the corners of her mouth curl up slightly.
Although she didn't think this look was actually 'cool,'—
It seemed particularly charming.
"Cheers!" x2
After a busy afternoon, the sumptuous dinner was successfully finished before the appointed time.
Glass cups filled with Cola and orange juice clinked gently in mid-air. Then, Akira first tasted the beef hamburger steak Rin had made.
Rin asked a bit nervously, "Um, how does it taste?"
—
"Mmhmm (Delicious)!"
Akira gave Rin a thumbs-up without hesitation while devouring the meat patty in front of him!
Seeing this, Rin finally breathed a sigh of relief, showing a smile of relief, and began her meal as well.
At the same time, the One Piece anime appeared on television, and the classic narration followed.
This week, the One Piece anime has reached Episode 4.
In this episode, after Luffy and Zoro defeated Captain Morgan and bid farewell to Koby, while drifting at sea, the content of the first chapter of the manga was inserted.
Namely, the story of young Luffy and Red-Haired Shanks.
And after the flashback ended, the plot seamlessly transitioned to the beginning of the Buggy Arc, making it another high-quality adaptation episode.
The two chatted about the plot on TV while eating; the atmosphere was relaxed and pleasant, certainly much more comfortable than a celebration hosted by the company.
After the One Piece anime finished airing, the two naturally moved on to other topics.
At this point, Akira suddenly thought of something and asked Rin curiously, "By the way, since Shimizu-san's original goal has been tentatively achieved, what are your other plans for the future?"
"
Rin pondered for a moment and said somewhat bashfully, "Since I've become a singer, I want to work hard to do this job well."
"Besides that, I still want to continue composing music for more anime that I like. If I have the chance, I'd also like to compose for anime produced by my father's company."
"And—"
"If Mochizuki-kun's works are adapted into anime in the future, I want to compose the music for them too."
Akira laughed upon hearing this. "That last point, I think, can be considered our common goal."
"At the very least, I also hope my works can have music composed by me, and it would be even better if Shimizu-san is willing to sing them."
>