Actually, the Hungry Gyaru Who Eats a Lot Was Being Cheated On, so I Decided to Win Her Heart (And Stomach) From Her Jerk Boyfriend - 28

Chapter 28: Reward for All My Efforts

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Through many ups and downs (mostly downs), we somehow managed to prepare plates of curry and salad for five people, along with a few toppings for the curry, and set them on the counter. The hamburg patty that Suzuki had messed up ended up softer than expected because we had to use more binding agents (breadcrumbs) than we had to because of the excess milk, but looking on the bright side, the hamburg patty turned out to be incredibly juicy. Of course, we had to carefully remove the air pocket and grill it with utmost caution to prevent any more mishaps during the cooking process. 

Now that everything had been plated, I could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Then, I noticed astonished gazes coming from those around me. There were also some people whispering about us. Their voices were laced with genuine surprise. 

“Wow, he actually managed to pull it off.”

“And it looks super delicious too…”

“How is it even possible to succeed with all that?”

“Suou-kun is super amazing…”

“No, but, how did he finish faster than us?!”

Umm… Those… Those are compliments, right? Well, whatever.

Ignoring the comments, I plopped down heavily on a nearby stool.

“Ugh… I’m so exhausted…”

“Thanks a ton! No. I’m being serious here. You seriously saved us. Thanks, Suou.”

“I know, right? I know I shouldn’t say this myself, but we totally relied on you for absolutely everything. I finally understand the true meaning of ‘being carried all the way through.'”

“Totally. There’s no way we could go this far without Suou-kun!”

The three gyaru said shamelessly without any hint of remorse in their voice. Hearing this, not only did I let out an exasperated sigh, but even Shizuku, who was sitting next to me, ended up holding her head in her hands. 

“I didn’t expect you three to be this bad at cooking…”

“Hehe, we’re just that amazing!”

“That wasn’t a compliment…!!”

Shizuku retorted, looking completely exasperated at Sasamoto, who was smiling bashfully for some reason. Watching the two of them bicker felt oddly refreshing, a little endearing, even. After resting for a bit, I removed my apron and bandana and turned my attention to the gyarus. 

“Anyway, let’s eat before it gets cold.”

The moment I made that suggestion, the gyarus sitting across from me immediately said,”Itadakimasu,” before digging into the finished food excitedly. I glanced to the side and saw Shizuku clasping her hands together properly as she said,”Itadakimasu,” with full sincerity. After making sure everyone had started eating, I also followed suit. 

I started with the salad. Thanks to Suzuki going overboard with the amount of dressing, the “green salad” had turned into a “raw vegetables swimming in French dressing.” But it didn’t taste bad. To balance out the excess saltiness, I added a hefty amount of black pepper—more than the recipe called for—but fortunately, the dressing didn’t taste that spicy. 

“…Yeah, this actually tastes really good! It’s good! Totally good!”

Shizuku exclaimed while scooping up the salad with her fork. True to her praise, Shizuku was eating the food we had made with gung go. Miura and Sasamoto seemed to share the same opinion too, judging by their similar reactions. On the other side, Suzuki was breathing out a small sigh of relief. 

So she did feel a little guilty about her earlier mishap after all.

I thought to myself as I reached out for the main dish with my spoon. The chicken curry.

“…It’s good.”

I knew I was being narcissistic for praising my own work, but it was so good that I couldn’t stop myself from muttering how good it was. The heat had drawn out the full umami of the tomatoes and the sweetness of the onions. The spices provided the perfect equilibrium between all the ingredients. Then, the slight richness and tanginess from the yogurt further amplified my appetite. We didn’t let the curry simmer for long, so the aroma of the spices was still fully intact and easy to savor. If we could achieve this simply with store-bought curry powder, it was only natural that those curry specialty restaurants could make something even more exceptional by meticulously blending their spices from scratch. 

The chicken thighs, which had been seared in a frying beforehand to provide the perfect crisp to its skin. We added the chicken thighs before the curry started simmering, resulting in tender, juicy bites that released their umami-ness with every bite. Since we didn’t use solid curry roux, the texture of the soup was much thinner compared to the curry we usually had at home, but the natural thickness brought by the onions and the tomatoes (we used canned tomatoes) added a somewhat thickness, enough to ensure the soup didn’t have watery consistency.  And the unsung hero here was… The saffron rice. Its subtle, refined aroma and its vibrant yellow color elevated the curry even more. The curry felt much more authentic with the saffron rice. Sure, white rice would’ve worked just fine, but the fact that Shizuku had specifically brought saffron to make saffron rice added a brilliant touch to the whole dish. 

“Kushina, this rice—”

I started to speak but stopped mid-sentence. When I glanced over to speak with Shizuku, I saw Shizuku enjoying her curry blissfully. A look of utter satisfaction was spread on her face. 

Ah, yeah. Somehow, I feel like I’ve received my reward for all my efforts in cooking this dish. 

I thought so to myself. I genuinely thought so from the deepest part of my heart. The chaotic mess I had been trapped in earlier almost felt like a small price to pay for this smile. My heart felt so warm and the warmth gradually spread all over my body from my chest. 

“Hey, Suou-kun!”

After swallowing the food she had in her mouth, Shizuku turned toward me. 

“This curry tastes really, really…. Delicious…”

But somehow, her words lost their momentum mid-sentence. She shrunk back, hesitating. She then stared at me timidly. 

“What’s wrong?”

“…Nope. Nothing. More importantly, this curry tastes incredibly delicious! As expected from Suou-kun!”

“Well, of course… Is what I’d like to say, but to be honest? I also didn’t expect the whole dish would turn out this well.”

Then, with a bashful, but wry smile on my face, I added. 

“But still, switching to saffron rice was the right choice. Nice job, Kushina.”

At that, Shizuku’s eyebrows dropped slightly. She had a slovenly smile on her face. 

“Ehehehe~ Well, yeah~ I’m just that good at cooking~”

“Yeah. I agree with you there.”

“…What?! You’re supposed to say, ‘No, you’re not!’”

Shizuku retorted, nudging me lightly with her elbow. It was a subtle jab, but it still hurt quite a bit. After that, Shizuku reached for one of the small plates set in the middle of the counter.

“Alright! Time to try the toppings!”

Seeing her placing a topping onto her curry, I decided to follow suit.

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T/N: Saffron??? In this economy??? Shizuku must be LOADED.