Evening. At the Komiya residence, the family of four sat around the dining table.
The beautiful, elegant woman filled bowls with white rice and placed them one by one in front of her husband and children.
Komiya Daisuke took the bowl his wife handed him and looked at the dishes laid out before him.
Spicy fish, soy sauce braised pork ribs, a plate of green vegetables, and a bowl of potato and kelp soup.
On the spicy fish dish, several bright red chilies were neatly arranged on top—just looking at them made it hard to bring one's chopsticks near.
The braised ribs seemed to have way too much soy sauce, dark as charcoal.
The potato and kelp soup was steaming hot, but the potatoes were unevenly yellow and white, clearly undercooked.
Only the green vegetables looked passable.
Komiya Daisuke glanced at the food, then at his wife beside him, then at his adopted daughter already eating. After an internal struggle, as if making a grave decision, he picked up a piece of fish, quickly put it in his mouth, and chewed.
A moment later, Komiya Daisuke calmly poured himself a full glass of water and drank it in one go.
He turned his head and saw his wife still looking at him expectantly, her lovely eyes carrying a girlish softness that didn't match her age.
"Uh… Mika…"
Daisuke coughed twice and swallowed the words that had risen to his throat (it definitely wasn't stomach acid).
"What is it, Daisuke? How does it taste? Does it suit you?"
Komiya Mika asked excitedly, like an elementary school student waiting for her teacher's praise.
"You cooked today's meal?"
Daisuke asked cautiously.
"Mhm! I even asked Masakazu to teach me properly. Seeing my husband and children enjoy the food I made is the happiest thing for a wife and mother."
Komiya Mika smiled at her adopted son and secretly winked at him. Daisuke then shot his son a slightly reproachful look.
After that, he turned back to his lovely wife with a smile.
"Is… is that so? Mika, you really are my wonderful wife—beautiful, charming, and thoughtful."
Daisuke showered her with compliments, but carefully avoided commenting on the actual taste. He knew from experience that careless white lies could lead to serious trouble.
"Stop it, Daisuke. We're not kids anymore, and the children are right here."
Komiya Mika covered her blushing cheeks with both hands and spoke shyly.
Daisuke held his wife's hands and looked at her affectionately.
Mika gazed back at him tenderly.
"Mika, I mean every word. Meeting you was the luckiest thing in my life."
"Mm, Daisuke. You're the perfect husband in my eyes."
"Mika, I love you."
"Daisuke, I love you too."
"Wait for me tonight."
"Mm, I will."
The couple instantly vanished into their own world, their overwhelming atmosphere practically erasing the Komiya siblings from the table.
From the siblings' perspective, their parents had acted like newlyweds ever since getting married—or rather, they were disgustingly lovey-dovey. They would randomly show affection in front of the two, completely ignoring how awkward their children felt, and showed no sign of stopping.
Though both siblings were troubled by this, seeing their father and mother so deeply in love, they could only endure it silently and support them. After all, neither wanted this newly formed family to fall apart. Being a stepchild was hard enough. The two had reached a silent understanding.
Komiya Sawakazu sighed quietly. When Aunt Mika had smiled and waved at him earlier as he went downstairs, his right eyelid had twitched violently, and he'd had a bad feeling.
He'd known she only wanted cooking lessons, but that twitching eyelid had screamed trouble. Yet when Aunt Mika had grabbed his hand tightly and looked at him pleadingly, he'd softened and agreed. He'd done his best to teach her everything he knew, but his eyelid had kept jumping even as he left.
Sure enough, after watching his father drink a whole glass of water after just a few bites, his unease grew.
But seeing his stepsister eating calmly and seemingly enjoying the food, he felt confused. Was it just too spicy? Was his father bad with spicy food? If that was the case, it wasn't so bad—after all, he was one of the few people at school who dared order mapo tofu.
With that thought, Sawakazu confidently picked up a piece of fish and slowly put it in his mouth. He chewed once, then swallowed immediately. Following his father's example, he poured a glass of water and drank it all.
If he'd known how it would taste, he would've made up an excuse and bolted out the door. But then again, that probably would've ended even worse. Right, he should've just stayed over at a friend's house. But it was too late for regrets now.
He looked at his sister beside him and imagined what her life must have been like before. He felt sorry for her. Poor kid must have suffered.
Komiya Chinatsu felt his gaze. She turned her head and saw her stepbrother staring right at her.
Her cheeks flushed slightly, her heart beating faster. She hated how she was reacting.
Chinatsu secretly glanced at the lovey-dovey parents.
Gritting her teeth, she quickly lifted the edge of her skirt, exposing a glimpse of her fair thigh to her stepbrother. It only lasted a moment, but the sight was so striking that Sawakazu, who'd been watching her closely, felt a massive jolt—like a character in a manga about to spray blood from his nose.
"W-What are you doing?!"
Sawakazu hurriedly looked away, flustered by his sister's strange behavior. He didn't want to admit it, but his sister was definitely acting lewd.
When she saw her stepbrother turn bright red and quietly lower his head to eat, Chinatsu smiled in satisfaction.