The Assassin Girl Who Stayed by My Side in Another World… Somehow Followed Me Back to Modern Japan - Chapter 27: Being a Good Little Brother

Chapter 27: Being a Good Little Brother

Thanks to me forgetting the chopsticks, Aira and I had to share mine again for lunch.

But after that—school wrapped up without any drama, and now we were finally back home.

Originally, I was planning to stop somewhere and grab food for Aira before heading back.

Y’know, just to make sure she had dinner covered.

But in the end, I walked straight home without making any detours.

Why? Simple.

I decided I’d cook dinner tonight.

Partly because I wanted to do something nice for Nee-san… sort of like a little brotherly “thanks for everything” meal.

And also—when I asked Aira if she’d want to eat my cooking, her eyes lit up and she immediately went, “I want to!”

So yeah.

You could say it was fifty-fifty—one part for Nee-san, one part for Aira.

They’re both incredibly important to me, after all.

After we washed our hands and rinsed our mouths together, like our usual little routine, I stepped into the kitchen and had a small realization.

…Wait.

Is it actually okay for me to just start using the ingredients here?

I mean, I really can’t imagine Nee-san getting mad about something like that…

But maybe I should’ve at least texted her a quick heads-up instead of going full surprise chef mode?

Even if I messaged her now, she probably wouldn’t see it until work’s over.

Hmm… maybe I should’ve just picked up some ingredients myself on the way home…

Well… too late now.

Besides, no point getting all negative about it.

Nee-san’s been coming home tired from work and still cooking dinner for us every night.

She never complains, but obviously, that’s gotta be exhausting.

So if I step in and take care of it for once, I doubt she’ll see it as a problem.

Hopefully.

…That said, it does feel a little early to start cooking.

But since Aira’s here with me, I can time it out just right.

Something I can prep ahead and adjust easily… like rice, miso soup, and hamburger steak.

Maybe toss in some random veggies on the side, too.

Hamburger steaks are great—I can shape them now and pop them in the fridge.

Then once I notice Nee-san’s about to get home, I start grilling them.

Perfect timing.

Not a bad plan.

Pretty sure Aira likes them too.

…Miso soup, though—she’s never had that before.

They didn’t have miso in the other world, so I never got around to making it for her.

If she doesn’t like it, I’ll just eat hers. Simple fix.

…Still, maybe I should look up a recipe real quick.

I think I’ve got the basics down, but I’ve never actually made it before—even in the other world.

Rice is easy enough. Just rinse it and toss it in the rice cooker.

“I’ll help too.”

“Nice. Then I’ll leave the hamburger shaping to you. I’ll handle the rice and miso soup.”

Set the rice cooker to quick-cook…

Alright, that should do it.

Even if I haven’t done much cooking in this world, stuff like this is simple enough.

After peacefully cooking dinner with Aira, I started setting the dishes out so she could eat first.

Yep—this was one of the reasons I needed to get her meal done early.

…Because once she finishes, I’ve gotta wash and dry every single dish right away.

If Nee-san spots a plate she doesn’t remember using, that’d definitely raise some eyebrows.

“Aira, you can go ahead and eat.”

“Mm. Thanks for the food.”

Aira started eating her dinner.

She was using my chopsticks.

…The clean ones, obviously.

But still—she specifically said that was the pair she wanted to use.

…Not gonna lie, I had some thoughts about it, but what other choice did I have?

Letting her use Nee-san’s chopsticks was out of the question.

And disposable ones? If Nee-san saw them, I’d need some excuse for that too.

So yeah. It’s fine. Probably.

“How is it?”

“It’s delicious. Thank you, Hiroto.”

“Glad it suits your taste.”

While we had that little exchange, I reached for my phone to kill some time while she ate…

But ended up putting it down.

No real reason. Just a feeling.

…Honestly, watching my daughter happily munch away like this?

Not a bad way to spend the time.

Of course, if Aira looked even the slightest bit uncomfortable, I’d stop right away.

But for now, she didn’t seem to mind at all.