When My Younger Brother Stole My Girlfriend, I Began Living Together with My Beautiful Childhood Friend Almost As If We Were Married

Episode 27: I Can Handle Household Chores and Cooking Too

Returning home, I placed the items I bought on the table before bringing in the laundry that was drying.

It still feels a bit embarrassing to touch Reina’s underwear, but I suppose I’ll get used to it eventually.

After folding the laundry and cleaning the bathtub to fill it with hot water, it was finally time to start cooking dinner.

I peeled the potatoes, cut them into suitable sizes, chopped the onions, and tossed them into a heat-resistant container along with sausages. Then, I just had to pop them into the microwave for a while, and voila, German potatoes are easy once you get the hang of it.

While the potatoes were heating up, I decided to make the main dish, yakitori.

I tore open the pack, sprinkled salt and pepper over the entire chicken breast, giving it a light seasoning in advance. At the same time, I preheated the frying pan, which was another step in the right direction.

Once I deemed the chicken thoroughly cooked, I transferred it to the frying pan to sear it.

I sautéed it until both sides had a nice color and then sprinkled a little salt and pepper to taste.

Now, here comes my own twist.

“Just a little bit of mayo and butter make this taste amazing.”

I added a teaspoon of mayo and tossed in small pieces of butter sliced with a teaspoon. This way, it adds a hint of mellowness to the peppery flavor, giving it a well-rounded taste.

Once the savory aroma started wafting, I plated the meat.

Though some time had passed, the potatoes were already done, so I took them out of the microwave and mixed them with the instant powder for German potatoes, and just like that, two dishes were ready.

I arranged the meat and German potatoes on a large plate, added some cabbage from the vegetable compartment, and the main dish was done.

Next, I proceeded to make miso soup.

I dissolved instant dashi granules in hot water, added chopped green onions, let it simmer for a while, then added wakame to dissolve the miso, and finally put in tofu.

And there you have it, miso soup is ready too. Dinner preparations were complete.

Now, all that’s left is to eat together with Reina, so I had some free time for a while.

“Oh right, the bath, the bath!”

I thought it might be nice to take a bath before dinner.

I quickly went to fill the tub with water, checked the temperature, and started filling it up.

While waiting for the tub to fill, I enjoyed watching some anime, and just as the helpful mechanical guy notified me that the bath was ready, I grabbed my change of clothes and headed to the bathroom.

After a quick wash and soak in the comforting warmth of the water, I floated for a while before getting out of the bath.

Once out of the bath, I moved back to the sofa and resumed watching anime from where I left off, passing the time.

I was halfway through the series when I heard the sound of the front door opening, indicating Reina’s return.

“I’m home~. I’m exhausted~.”

Reina had returned.

Since we had a promise, I got up from the sofa and went to greet her at the entrance.

“Welcome back.”

“I’m home~. Thanks for welcoming me back.”

Reina smiled, and I gently hugged her as she took off her shoes.

“Whoa! Hehe… I feel so much better now.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“Oh, by the way, the laundry that was hanging, did you bring it in? Thank you!”

“I have to at least do that much.”

If I didn’t do anything, she’d have every right to be fed up.

With one hand holding a pack of sushi marked with a half-price sticker, Reina headed to the living room.

“By the way, Hayato, what did you eat today?”

“I haven’t eaten anything yet. I waited for you to come back.”

“Eh, really!? Sorry, I’ll make something now!”

“No, no, no, no! I already made dinner. It might not suit your taste though… Oh, but since there’s sushi, do you want it?”

As soon as I said that, Reina hurriedly rushed to the fridge, opened it vigorously, and almost threw the pack of sushi deep into the fridge out of fear that its contents might get crushed. Then she closed the door.

Seeing her little odd behavior, I was taken aback, but she returned and pulled my arm.

“Since Hayato made it for me, it’s more of a treat than half-price sushi!”

“I didn’t make anything that fancy.”

I couldn’t help but think that sushi would be tastier.

But seeing how happy Reina looked, I guess there’s no need to be insensitive.

I reheated the dishes for both of us, set out rice and miso soup, and prepared chopsticks and tea.

“Wow…! Hayato, I didn’t know you could cook this much.”

“If you say that, it sounds like sarcasm.”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it like that…”

“I didn’t mean it that way either…”

I should refrain from self-deprecation.

Reina immediately brought the chicken to her mouth.