The Villainous Uncle in the Adult Game Gets Unusually High Praise from the Heroines - Chapter 12

“Well then, bye-bye~”

After seeing Tomoe-chan off, I started preparing dinner. Today, I’d make simple fried rice. I’d stored some rice in the freezer quite a while ago, so once I thawed that, I should be able to make it quickly.

“Would you like me to help?”

“No, this is more efficient to make alone, so Sakurako-chan can just relax.”

“I understand.”

After watching Sakurako-chan head upstairs, I began making the dish. I loved fried rice. It was my favorite, quick to make and delicious, though I believed it was a recipe where the approach really varied depending on who was making it.

Take the eggs, for instance. Did one make the scrambled eggs beforehand and added them later, or poured them in after the rice instead? Some people even mixed them with the rice before frying. How the meat was cooked depended on the chef as well. 

Some used ham, sausage, char siu pork, or bacon. The seasoning could be Western, Japanese, or Chinese style—it was truly diverse. My point was that fried rice really showed someone’s personality.

The key ingredient in my fried rice was char siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)—technically, it was braised pork. I had some roasted pork marinating in a special sauce in the fridge, planning ahead for future use. 

I chopped it finely and added it to the fried rice, using this sauce in the cooking too. It added depth to the flavoring.

Other ingredients were green onions, cabbage, and onions. I chopped each vegetable finely and stir-fried them. Finally, I added the rice, mixed it all together, and poured in the beaten eggs. 

Yeah, this seemed good! However, I felt like it needed more vegetables, so I quickly chopped some cucumber and lettuce for a salad. 

After plating the sizzling fried rice, I called upstairs, “It’s ready!”

“Coming!” An energetic but modest voice responded. 

With the sound of footsteps, Sakurako-chan came down. Upon looking at the fried rice laid out on the table, she said, “It looks delicious as always…”

“I’m glad you think so.”

We sat down and put our hands together.

“Let’s eat.”

“Yes, let’s eat.”

Breaking apart the mound with my spoon, I scooped some up. Taking a bite of the loose grains and ingredients together, I savored it. 

Yeah, it was good. The umami from the braised pork sauce had really soaked in, making it delicious. That was a man’s opinion, though. Perhaps the flavor might be a bit strong.

“It’s delicious, as always.”

Sakurako-chan seemed to approve.That was good.

We dined quietly after that. Between bites of fried rice, we ate the salad with Caesar dressing. The meal probably didn’t even take 10 minutes. Before we knew it, the plates were empty. We put our hands together again and said, “Thank you for the meal.”

“Yeah, thanks for the meal. Just leave the plates by the sink and I’ll wash them later.”

“…I’d really like to help out sometimes.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. You should just take it easy.”

Saying that lightly while carrying the plates to the kitchen, I prepared some tea leaves for after-dinner tea. I think I heard somewhere that tea should be steeped in water around 97 degrees, but I wasn’t that particular about it. I steeped it in the hot water in the pot and poured it into teacups.

“Come to think of it, you like honey, right?” 

“Yes.”

“Sugar?”

“…No, thank you.”

Nodding, I carried the tea to the dining room.

I had a feeling a peaceful evening was about to begin.