Feeling the squeeze from the side, Erina Nakiri let out a sweet cry. At this moment, both she and Alice Nakiri had already changed into their pajamas and slipped into bed together.
"The bed is only so big, and there are two of us. A little squeezing is inevitable!"
"What do you mean 'only so big'? This bed could fit five people without a problem. How could it be so crowded with just two?"
Hearing Alice Nakiri's words, a few dark lines couldn't help but appear on Erina Nakiri's forehead as she glanced at the empty space on the large bed.
"Alright, don't worry about such irrelevant details."
"How did it become an irrelevant detail..."
At this moment, Erina Nakiri was too tired to retort. But Alice Nakiri's strength was too great; after struggling a few times to no avail, she could only let her be.
"So this is how it feels when Dylan-nii holds me. No wonder he likes to sleep holding me so much, and gets all handsy. Who wouldn't like such a wonderful touch?!"
Feeling the softness in her arms, this thought appeared in Alice Nakiri's mind.
"Alice, where are you putting your hands?!"
Feeling a hand suddenly on her body, Erina Nakiri threw it off, an alluring blush appearing on her face. She then turned her face and said through gritted teeth to Alice Nakiri.
"Call me Alice-oneechan!"
Looking at the young woman's angry gaze, Alice Nakiri acted as if nothing had happened, reaching out to knead her face, her voice tinged with a light teasing tone. The little girl's shy appearance was just too wonderful.
Wait, back then, did Dylan-nii also enjoy seeing her like this? Is that why he deliberately said those things to tease her!
Ahhh, so embarrassing!
Suddenly, such a thought appeared in Alice Nakiri's mind.
Immediately, her face turned beet red and she started wriggling. The movement of her body rustled the bedding, leaving Erina Nakiri somewhat puzzled and speechless.
In this situation, shouldn't she be the one feeling embarrassed? Why was Alice wriggling around like that!
"This girl must have been corrupted by Master Dylan. That movement just now was so practiced; she must be treated like that often to be so skilled! Master Dylan is so lewd!"
Staring at the constantly wriggling Alice Nakiri, and seeing her occasional silly giggle, Erina shrank back slightly, thinking such thoughts.
"Alright, I'm a bit sleepy. Let's turn off the lights."
"Huh?"
Just as Erina Nakiri was lost in her wild thoughts, labeling Dylan as lewd, Alice Nakiri suddenly turned off the room's lights.
In that instant, the room plunged into darkness.
"There are no outsiders in the room now, just us. We can talk about some private things. Let's start our sisters' night talk."
Moving the pillow up a little and leaning half her body against it, Alice Nakiri's expression was slightly excited as she guided the topic with suggestive intent.
"It's a rare opportunity, let's talk about things related to Dylan-nii~"
The next morning, because he had gone to bed early, Dylan woke up bright and early.
He had originally planned to go out for a morning run, but since he was at someone else's home and was worried about getting lost, he went to the courtyard to practice his forms instead.
For a chef, besides needing superb skills, a strong body was also necessary. Only when the body became strong could one better execute culinary techniques.
This set of forms was taught to him by a one-armed strong man. It could strengthen the body and train balance.
He was a very formidable fellow. It was said that he had practiced the Iron Sand Palm in his youth, and his hands were not afraid of heat. He could put his hand into a wok of oil several hundred degrees high without changing his expression, and his palm would remain unchanged.
According to others in the Dark Cooking Society, the man was once a Kitchen General in the army, in charge of the meals for an army of over ten thousand soldiers.
As for why he was called the Kitchen General, it was mainly because he was brave and skilled in battle.
During a battle between two armies, an enemy had once detoured to sneak attack the camp from behind, wanting to burn the provisions, but he led the army cooks to repel them.
This wasn't just a casual saying; his pair of iron fists were like a dragon's. Facing the invading enemies, one punch could kill one.
But just such a person, because he had offended someone he shouldn't have, had one of his hands chopped off and finally escaped to the Dark Cooking Society.
Such things were not uncommon in the Dark Cooking Society. Most of those who came here from the outside world were figures who couldn't make it in the culinary world.
Some of them were heinous criminals, some were framed by others, and some were too naive, thinking they could learn heavenly culinary arts by joining the Dark Cooking Society.
Of course, the majority were like Dylan, who had been raised there since childhood.
Naturally, the elimination rate for this category was also the highest. After all, the Dark Cooking Society was not picky. When they grabbed children, they didn't look at their talent, just grabbed them all at once. If you couldn't adapt, you died.
And young children had little ability to distinguish right from wrong. Growing up in such an environment, except for a few who matured early, they would all be influenced by the general environment and truly become one of them.
This was also the main reason for the continued growth of the Dark Cooking Society.
"Heh! Hah!"
His fists whistling with wind, Dylan's speed grew faster and faster, his movements more and more fierce. The sand and gravel on the ground rose and fell with his movements, like breathing.
It was a good thing he got up early. If it were one or two hours later, he would probably have attracted a lot of onlookers, and then it would have been somewhat difficult to perform freely.
Time ticked by, and soon an hour had passed.
Dylan's white clothes were soaked with sweat, revealing the contours of his strong muscles. His every breath was like the panting of a fierce beast, exuding an imposing aura.
"Dylan-nii, you're up practicing so early."
Perhaps the commotion outside was too loud, or perhaps she had slept too early yesterday.
Alice Nakiri's voice came from upstairs. Dylan looked up and saw Alice Nakiri's delicate face, the young woman smiling as she watched him.
She probably didn't just wake up; who would have makeup on their face right after waking up?
"Yeah, just practicing some forms since I had nothing to do."
Dylan retracted his fist, let out a long, cloudy breath, and then saw Alice Nakiri trot down from upstairs and stand beside him.
"I have to say, you look really great like this, showing off your muscles perfectly. I'm about to start drooling!"
Looking at the muscles under the young man's white clothes, Alice Nakiri's eyes lit up, and her hands couldn't help but reach out to touch, an unnatural smile on her lips.
"Pervert..."
Not far away, Erina Nakiri saw this scene and muttered under her breath, at the same time turning her face away, looking very red.
"You should try it too, it feels really good!"
Hearing Erina Nakiri's words, Alice Nakiri didn't care. Instead, she very generously invited her to try it too.
"I'm not a pervert! I have absolutely no thought of touching and feeling him up all over, let alone wanting to slip my hands inside! Such a thing is very impolite!"
Hearing Alice Nakiri's invitation, Erina Nakiri's face turned even redder. She then began to speak rapidly, but it seemed more like she was trying to cover something up.
"Dylan-nii hasn't said anything, so you shouldn't say it's impolite for him. Looking at you, you've probably been holding back for a long time, right!"
As she spoke, Alice Nakiri had already walked up to Erina Nakiri, grabbed her by the arm, and pulled the blushing young woman over.
Then, without giving her a choice, she took her hand and 'forced' it onto Dylan's body.
And although Erina Nakiri was resisting, that force, rather than resistance, was more like playing hard to get.
"So hot..."
The young woman's eyes flickered, and she couldn't help but speak.
"I just finished exercising, of course it's hot."
Dylan explained, then smiled and shook his head, before speaking again: "I'm hungry. Which of you two will make me a meal? Speaking of which, Alice, why do you have a white cloth tied around your arm? Are you injured?"
Looking at the clothes Alice Nakiri was wearing, Dylan asked with feigned confusion.
"A friend I met there told me this. Being a Special Grade Chef is too conspicuous; you might be stared at when walking on the street. But sometimes you need to use this identity, so covering it with a white cloth can avoid trouble. When you encounter trouble, you can just take off the white cloth, and it can solve most of the problems."
Hearing Dylan's words, Alice Nakiri followed his gaze to the white cloth wrapped around her arm and explained softly.
"A friend told you? Oh, so what you're wearing now is the Special Grade Chef uniform."
Dylan was first puzzled, but then he immediately understood.
The person who said this was probably Lia. Because he had told her the same thing back then. After being arranged by him to go to China, she had actually become friends with Alice Nakiri.
Speaking of which, becoming friends was the best way to take care of her without arousing suspicion.
Then this set of clothes should be the custom-made Special Grade Chef uniform for Alice Nakiri. It looked simple and elegant, very suitable for cooking in.
"Mm, but the Guangzhou Chef's Union is really formidable. They didn't even take my measurements by hand, just based on visual observation, they managed to rush out the clothes in one night."
Alice Nakiri's voice was full of emotion, clearly quite shocked.
She had thought the Special Grade Chef uniform would take at least a few days to be delivered, but she never expected that as dawn broke and she passed the Special Grade Chef examination, the clothes would be delivered into her hands.
"That's natural. Those who work at the Guangzhou Chef's Union are the elite of the elite. Making a piece of clothing is as simple as can be for them."
Dylan said to Alice Nakiri with a smile. He had fully experienced the prowess of the Guangzhou Chef's Union during his time in Guangzhou!
"That's true. Ordinary people couldn't get a job there."
The two discussed back and forth. On the side, Erina Nakiri was full of question marks. Special Grade? White cloth? What was all this about...
"You'll know soon enough."
Alice Nakiri smiled mysteriously, stopping Dylan from explaining with a look.
Besides being used to conceal one's identity, the white cloth was also mainly for showing off.
The reason she changed into the Special Grade Chef uniform today and even covered it with a white cloth was to show off her presence among the younger generation!
Wealth and honor not returning to one's hometown is like wearing brocade at night!
"What! Hiding it from me! It's not like I'm dying to know anyway. Hmph."
Hearing Alice Nakiri and Dylan's words, Erina Nakiri pouted speechlessly, then turned her face away with a slight pout.
She didn't know why, but in front of Dylan and Alice Nakiri, she never seemed to have the upper hand.
"Alice is being mean. We won't play with her."
Thinking of Alice Nakiri's gaze just now, Dylan's lips curved upwards, and he said with a slight instigation.
"Exactly! We won't play with her!"
Erina Nakiri nodded in agreement, then came to Dylan's side, looking very much like she was forming a battle line with him.
"Hah, men."
Looking at the two who were standing together, ganging up, Alice Nakiri let out a light laugh, then also came to Dylan's side and joined in the playful tussle.
After a while.
The three felt tired and stopped.
Erina Nakiri and Alice Nakiri held onto Dylan's shoulders, using him as a support point, panting heavily to calm themselves down.
Their chests heaved up and down, making the young man's eyes dazzle, but he had to maintain a calm facade.
Aloofness was a man's best camouflage.
"We came in a hurry yesterday and ran into that incident, so there was no time to show you around the Nakiri house properly. The Nakiri manor is very large, the scenery inside is beautiful, and there are many things. It's not an exaggeration to say it's a small city. I'll take you for a tour today."
After a round of playing, a thin layer of sweat appeared on Erina Nakiri's forehead. Looking at Dylan, who was always smiling at them, she said with a slight blush.
Compared to Alice Nakiri, who hadn't been home more than a few times a year, she was extremely familiar with the Nakiri house and was the most suitable to be a tour guide!
"Okay, but let's go have breakfast first. From getting up until now, I've been practicing forms for over an hour. I've used up a bit of energy and I'm hungry."
"The Nakiri family has a chef specifically in charge of breakfast. The dining hall is also open now. Follow me."
Looking at Dylan rubbing his stomach and calling out his hunger, Erina Nakiri took two steps forward and proactively took on the role of a guide.
If an outsider were to see the usually high and mighty Erina Nakiri acting so humble, their jaws would definitely drop, their faces showing disbelief.
After all, Erina Nakiri had been Senzaemon Nakiri's pearl in the palm since birth, raised as the next family head.
Basically, except for the core members of the second faction, everyone who saw her had to respectfully call her 'Young Miss.' She could easily get whatever she wanted.
And yet, such a person was so respectful to a young man, even proactively pulling out his chair for him when eating in the restaurant.
"Who is that person? To make Young Miss Erina treat him like this."
"I don't know. He looks quite young. Could he be her boyfriend? But even if he is a boyfriend, it shouldn't be to this extent, right? Could it be that Young Miss Erina is a 'love brain'?"
"Doesn't look like it. The white-haired person next to her seems to be Miss Alice. She only comes back once a year. She's also accompanying that young man, looking very intimate."
"Didn't they say Young Miss Erina and Miss Alice's relationship was bad? They look like they're getting along just fine?"
Watching everything unfold before them, the staff in the restaurant couldn't help but discuss.
They were all veterans who had worked at the Nakiri house for many years and were very clear about the Nakiri family's composition. They could naturally recognize the two young misses.
That was why they were so shocked.
The person who was usually high and mighty was now doing the same work as them. What kind of existence was the person being served?!
"Is there something on our faces? Or are you not busy enough? Get back to your work!"
Perhaps because too many gazes were gathered on her, Erina Nakiri's brow furrowed. She didn't like being discussed and watched by others, so she said with a cold face.
"We're sorry, Young Miss Erina!"
Hearing her words, the servants at the scene immediately broke into a cold sweat. Then each of them bowed their heads and shouted in unison.
"Please enjoy your meal, Master Dylan."
Seeing the surrounding people disperse, no longer daring to focus their gazes on her, Erina Nakiri personally took the breakfast from the attendant's hand, placed it in front of Dylan, and said to him affectionately.
After Alice Nakiri's guidance last night, Erina Nakiri's way of looking at Dylan had already changed slightly.
Although she still couldn't be sure of her own feelings, she subconsciously wanted to get closer.
She also didn't know why she could control her temper with Dylan. Perhaps this was the charm of the strong, a charm that made her submit.
Humans all admire the strong, and she was no exception. Especially towards Dylan, this ceiling of the culinary world, she was as docile as a little cat.
But in front of outsiders, she was still the high and mighty princess. Anyone who dared to offend her, she would give a fatal blow without mercy!
Such a contrast.
It made Dylan sigh inwardly.
"The breakfast chef in your house has good skills."
Glancing a few times at the awe-inspiring Erina Nakiri, then turning his attention to the dishes on the dining table before him, Dylan couldn't help but praise.
The breakfast provided by the restaurant was a traditional Japanese breakfast.
A portion of rice, a portion of miso soup, and a portion of assorted grilled fish—this simple combination was the entirety of the breakfast.
And the point Dylan was praising was that portion of assorted grilled fish. This dish of assorted grilled fish used a total of three types of fish: sea bass, Spanish mackerel, and salmon.
The sea bass had a delicate texture and a fresh taste. The Spanish mackerel had a firm texture and a faint sea flavor. The salmon was rich in fat and had a mellow taste.
These fish, during the grilling process, released their own unique flavors, complementing each other and forming a layered taste.
"This grilled fish is the specialty of the chef here. I have to have a portion every time I come back. It has already reached the Special Grade level."
Erina Nakiri said with a hint of pride. The chefs here basically all had more than ten years of work experience and were veterans among first-grade head chefs.
Some of the dishes they were particularly good at had already reached the Special Grade level.
This portion of assorted grilled fish was one of them.
"The selected fish is cut into appropriate-sized pieces or slices, then marinated with a special marinade. The marinade includes soy sauce, rice wine, honey, ginger slices, garlic cloves, and other seasonings, which adds flavor while also removing the fishy smell and enhancing the fragrance."
Picking up a piece of sea bass and putting it in his mouth to taste, then picking up a piece of Spanish mackerel, and then the salmon, Dylan closed his eyes to savor it carefully, feeling the flavors fuse together, and nodded.
The grilled sea bass had a slightly charred and crispy skin, while the meat inside still maintained that tenderness. The grilled Spanish mackerel's meat was firmer and more chewy, while retaining the freshness and original flavor of the fish. The grilled salmon's skin was slightly charred, while the inside still maintained that smoothness and richness of fat.
Eating them individually was already delicious, but if one were to taste these three types of fish at the same time...
The tenderness of the sea bass and the elasticity of the Spanish mackerel complemented each other, making the texture richer and more varied. And the rich flavor of the salmon's fat was like a finishing touch, adding a rich aroma and a moist texture to this dish of assorted grilled fish.
And during the grilling process, these fresh flavors fused, forming a unique and indescribably delicious experience.
"Perhaps this cooking method can be used in other dishes, such as meat dishes, or mushrooms, or soups. This is the taste of ingredients fusing..."
Thinking of this, Dylan stood up from his seat, pulled aside the puzzled Erina Nakiri, and excitedly headed for the kitchen.
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