After everyone entered, Yuu closed the front door, blocking out the chilly air outside.
At this moment, the purity of the girls inside the house had surged dramatically. He felt as if he could smell the scent of blooming flowers everywhere… This was the first time Yuu had brought four girls to his house at once, and he felt a bit emotional.
But it was fine. He wasn't taking them to his room. He just treated his house as a borrowed venue for a party. Let everyone have fun downstairs lively.
After they hung up their coats, scarves, bags, and other items on the rack and sofa, Yuu led the four girls to the kitchen. Watching them curiously observe his home's decor, he suddenly realized something.
"Too many people. The kitchen's not big enough… We'll have to take turns."
It was the first time he felt his house was so small that it couldn't support one guy and five girls working in the same room—maybe it could be forced, but it would definitely overwhelm everyone, with people bumping into each other, making it uncomfortable to work.
*CLAP!* *CLAP!*
After thinking it over, Yuu clapped his hands twice, drawing everyone's attention and gazes.
"Since the kitchen's only this big, I've decided to split us into two groups."
"Group one, Isshiki and I will do the initial prep for making sweets in the living room."
"Group two, Yukinoshita will teach Tachibana how to make proper Mapo Tofu."
"Yui, you can choose whichever group you want to learn from. It's fine if you want to play games, but you'll need Sora's permission first."
"That's it. Any objections?"
"…"
Yukino crossed her arms, giving him an annoyed look.
(You didn't ask for my permission first?)
Yuu smiled at her. She sighed in resignation and didn't press the issue further.
"Yuu-senpai, is there a difference between making proper and improper Mapo Tofu?"
Next, with confusion in her eyes, Kanade asked seriously.
A long-sleeved red dress with white trim wrapped around her slender frame. A white shawl with patterns on her shoulders made her look elegant and sweet. She didn't look like she came to learn cooking but rather like a little Christmas girl just taking office, ready to climb through his window to deliver gifts—or sneak in herself.
Why dress so beautifully just to learn cooking… Kanade had asked this question. Initially, she planned to wear her school gym uniform. Its long sleeves were warm, comfortable to move in, and she wasn't afraid of getting it dirty.
This idea was ruthlessly shot down by her staff, Iroha.
"Of course a girl should wear nice clothes when visiting someone's house, especially a guy's! Even if you don't mean to make him praise or woo you, you should wear cute casual clothes out of courtesy. Anyway, gym uniforms are an absolute NO! As for getting dirty, just wear an apron!"
Thus, under advice that was somewhat complicated but unwilling to let go of teenage girl stubbornness, Kanade wore this red-and-white dress to the Tenkuji household.
After taking off her winter coat, the delicate, sweet curves of her body, her pale thighs peeking from under her skirt with knee-high black stockings, and the faint outline of her collarbone at her neckline were all exposed in the warmth of the house and under Yuu's gaze.
Of course, aside from thinking she looked quite pretty, he had no lewd thoughts whatsoever.
"Proper refers to the most standard version. One you can achieve by following a recipe. It's best for Yukinoshita to teach you from the very basics."
Yuu explained seriously: "As for me, after you roughly know how to make proper but ordinary Mapo Tofu, I'll teach you how to make improper but deliciously radiant Mapo Tofu… I don't guarantee you'll master it."
Feeling subtly mocked, Yukino shot him a cold glare. But since his cooking skills were indeed better than hers, she couldn't retort.
"Proper but ordinary. Improper but delicious…" Kanade muttered with her small face.
She raised her eyes. Though her expression remained largely unchanged, her pale golden eyes seemed to sparkle. A strong conviction flowed within them like a tangible substance.
"I'll work hard to learn! Please guide me, both of you, Sensei!"
Her words were directed at both Yuu and Yukino.
Her expression softening, Yukino nodded gently. "Don't hesitate to ask if you don't understand something during the process. This is my first time teaching someone. Chinese cuisine isn't my specialty either. I can only try to tell you how to make it delicious."
"That's enough." Kanade placed both hands in front, bowing slightly to her. Her voice was soft yet solemn. "To make delicious Mapo Tofu with my own efforts, I'm willing to face any trial."
Nearby, Iroha couldn't help but whisper, "When it comes to Mapo Tofu, Kanade-chan gets fired up for no reason."
Before she could react, Yuu pulled her out of the kitchen by her ear.
"Isshiki, out you go. This kitchen is for them. I'll teach you how to make delicious sweets in the living room… Want to start with biscuits or five-nut mooncakes?"
"That second option's kinda weird, isn't it?! No, let go, Senpai… My ears are sensitive!"
"Don't make things up. I'm clearly not using any force."
"It'd be better if you used some, but not this half-hearted strength…"
"What?"
"N-nothing, nothing! Yuigahama-senpai, I'm telling! Senpai's messing with my sensitive spot!"
"Eh? Um… Yuu-kun didn't mean it. He wouldn't pull your hand or hair, right?"
"That's not the issue?! Argh… I give up. I give up on this world full of senpais protecting each other. Do whatever you want to me. I know, cute juniors are always the ones getting bullied…"
"No, you forgot Tachibana—"
"Senpai, if you keep this up, I'll go down with you, you know?"
Seeing Iroha's empty, cold eyes and her sweet voice devoid of any joking tone, Yuu realized a fact—teasing a cheerful, cute junior was indeed very fun.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Throughout the morning, the five of them split into two groups, bustling in the living room and kitchen.
Yukino's lesson went very smoothly. Kanade, who was smart, quick to learn, and had decent practical skills, swiftly mastered the basic method of making Mapo Tofu. Though it was her first time holding a kitchen knife, her cutting skills were so good that Yukino suspected Yuu had secretly taught her.
Meanwhile, the sweets group outside struggled, largely due to Yuigahama's involvement. Occasional mishaps occurred.
"Yuu-kun, why isn't my dough hardening?"
"Yuu-kun, why can't I add coffee beans to it? Not even Oreos? I went through so much trouble bringing them…"
"Yuu-kun, why are my biscuits different from yours? I followed the steps exactly!"
"Yuu-kun, my biscuits seem to be glowing black. They're also wriggling and screaming… Is this a success?"
Yuu: "Yeah, you've successfully broken through the lower limit of human cooking skills…"
Regardless of whether some strange Evil God was baked midway, in short, under Yuu's strenuous control, Iroha finally learned to make sweets like colorful macarons and marshmallow egg tarts. They tasted decent too. With the added value of being made by a high school girl, they might sell well if put on the market.
As for Yuigahama…
Forget cooking. For the sake of humanity, Yuu banned her from attempting sweets in places he couldn't supervise.
For some reason, after hearing this subtle criticism, Yuigahama seemed a little pleased.
"Then I have a reason to come to Yuu-kun's house every day…"
And so, the Tenkuji household was lively all morning. Laughter and joy seemed to pierce through the windows, illuminating the gloomy, gray winter.
Before they knew it, it was past noon. After temporarily cleaning up, Yuu, as the head chef today, put on an apron.
He shooed the others out of the kitchen, rolled up his sleeves, and prepared to show off his skills to his friends and kouhai.
Meanwhile, an assistant chef stood beside him without his consent. Yukino wore a cute apron with a cat paw print pattern.
"Any objections?"
In the quiet kitchen, the two alone locked eyes.