A Story About a Blonde Gal Angel Who Excessively Praises My Cooking. After Asking Me to Teach Her How to Cook, Feelings of Mutual Love Began to Grow - Chapter 58

“…Cooking, you say?”

Being surrounded by women is nothing short of terrifying for me.

No, actually, just being surrounded is unpleasant enough on its own.

And then, there’s Tomitsugu-senpai, who dragged me into this situation. She stands there with her arms crossed, looking calm as usual.

She seems a bit sulky, but I guess she knew things would turn out like this.

Recruiting new members has already passed its peak.

Given the timing, it was probably clear that they couldn’t recruit new members and were facing a recommendation to disband the club.

That’s why they tried such a forceful recruitment method.

If the last-minute recruited members were only there to make up numbers, this president would probably try to shut down the Cooking Club.

“Tomitsugu-senpai.”

“What?”

“You owe me for this.”

“Shut up.”

I whispered that into Tomitsugu-senpai’s ear.

In this situation, I can easily break my promise.

After all, I have no interest in the Cooking Club.

“Well then…”

Silencing this little president should be easy.

But the vice president with narrow eyes looks like trouble.

In anime and manga, characters with narrow eyes are usually depicted as sharp and cunning (though this might be a biased view).

Even without narrow eyes, the vice president gives off an aura similar to Naoto-san, like someone strong.

“There aren’t many ingredients left.”

“Well, it can’t be helped. This was a surprise inspection, after all. We haven’t even gone shopping yet.”

There aren’t many decent ingredients.

There are already some dishes on the table, so other members must have been required to prove themselves similarly.

It’s typical of the student council to focus on cutting waste rather than encouraging club activities.

“Alright, we’ll use these two ingredients.”

“Frozen rice and eggs. That’s all?”

“No problem.”

“If it tastes bad, I’ll label you a ghost member.”

President Takakuchi glares at me with a stern look.

How badly do they want to disband this club…?

Leaving the judgment up to personal taste doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence.

Tomitsugu-senpai is also glaring at me from the side, adding to the pressure.

Well, President Takakuchi and the others are just doing their job, I suppose.

“Well then, let’s begin.”

I need to finish this quickly and go home to do my chores.

I can’t afford to waste time on this.

I throw the frozen rice into the microwave and, while waiting, whisk the eggs.

“You’re not going to make tamago-kake-gohan (egg over rice), are you?”

Tomitsugu-senpai glares at me up close, her expression fierce.

If I could settle my debts with just tamago-kake-gohan, the world would be a much more peaceful place.

“I don’t think they’d accept tamago-kake-gohan as payment.”

Well, if it were the fancy tamago-kake-gohan I saw on TV the other day, maybe they would, but today I’m going for a different serious approach.

I drizzle sesame oil over the hot rice and mix it thoroughly to ensure it blends well.

I love the smell of sesame oil.

After mixing, I add the beaten eggs, salt, and pepper, then mix it all again.

Up to this point, it’s just like tamago-kake-gohan.

Next, I heat a pre-warmed frying pan with vegetable oil and pour in the egg-rice mixture.

“The dish is fried rice, chaofan.”

“…Even for fried rice, there should be more ingredients. There are still some vegetables left.”

“I personally wanted some chicken, though.”

“…”

I smile at the upperclassmen, who have used up most of the ingredients, and continue cooking.

Being dragged out of nowhere to make something with limited choices is a bit much.

But regardless, a full-time househusband must cook. This is the path of a full-time househusband.

I carve out a hole in the middle of the fried rice, pour in the remaining beaten eggs, and stir them as they cook into a scrambled egg texture.

As the eggs start to firm up, I mix them with the rice, and finally, it begins to resemble the fried rice I envisioned.

“Now for the finishing touch.”

I push the nearly completed fried rice to the upper side of the pan, pour soy sauce into the empty space, and let it slightly burn.

The fragrant aroma of burnt soy sauce fills the home economics room.

Burnt soy sauce is great.

I’m glad I’m Japanese.

I mix the burnt soy sauce into the fried rice, scoop it into a bowl, and then serve it on a plate—perfectly round fried rice.

“It’s done. This is a full-time househusband’s serious, genuine fried rice.”

“…Gulp.”

I present the finished fried rice to President Takakuchi.

She swallows nervously, looking a bit like a dog told to wait in front of food. It’s kind of cute.

“If you think I’ll be satisfied with just fried rice now…”

Despite saying that, she takes a bite.

“…D-delicious.”

“I’ll have some too.”

Vice President Nakamichi elegantly picks up some fried rice and eats.

“It’s so good. Even though it’s made with frozen rice, it’s not dry.”

She places a hand on her cheek, savoring the taste. Vice President Nakamichi eats silently but steadily.

For some reason, President Takakuchi looks like a small animal that continues to nibble on food. It’s oddly soothing.

“I-I’ll have some too.”

Even Tomitsugu-senpai starts eating.

Hey, aren’t you supposed to be on my side? Why are you eating too…?

“How is it so chewy?”

Vice President Nakamichi tilts her head and asks, narrowing her eyes.

“It’s a tip for making frozen rice taste better. By coating the rice with oil beforehand, you can trap the moisture inside the grains.”

What I did here is the same technique Tomitsugu-senpai used the other day when making chicken breast piccata.

It’s like coating it with flour before frying.

But using flour wouldn’t give fried rice that distinct crumbly texture.

“So, President Takakuchi, how was it? Are you satisfied? I don’t think there are many ghost members who can cook something decent with so few ingredients.”

“…You pass.”

Why does she sound a little displeased when she says that?

She ate the rest of the fried rice, though.

…What’s with this little president? She’s kind of cute.

Makes me want to feed her.

“For today, I’ll let you off.”

“Yes, it was delicious.”

Vice President Nakamichi pats President Takakuchi’s head as she gives her feedback.

It’s a heartwarming scene.

“Make sure to keep working hard in your club activities!”

With that, the little president and the big-chested vice president left.

As they walked away, I could hear President Takakuchi say, “It was delicious,” looking satisfied.

They were just here for free food, weren’t they?

“Well then, I’ll be heading home. I need to go home and do my chores.”

“Y-yes. Good job.”

Watching the scene of an older sister and her elementary school-aged little sister eating at a Chinese restaurant, I also headed home.

…Why does Tomitsugu-senpai act so high and mighty when she’s complimenting me? Well, whatever.