Hearing this, Tohru burst into laughter.
“That’s not it.
Who told you that?”
“Then, this attire…” Hikigaya Hachiman stopped what he was doing, full of confusion.
“I am a maid, that’s true, but in Kobayashi’s words, I am her household maid.
That’s how it is.”
“Oh, a household maid…
I don’t really get it.” If it were about a maid café or something similar, Hikigaya Hachiman would have had the confidence to talk at length, but he had no understanding of a “household maid.” If Yukinoshita Yukino was here, she would certainly have a much more sophisticated take on it.
“But, just as I said earlier, you don’t need two people to make a simple dinner.” The empty refrigerator was laid bare; there were no ingredients other than eggs, so Hikigaya Hachiman had no choice but to close it with a sigh.
“Hikigaya-kun, you’re really amazing.”
“It’s nothing.
After all, that person’s cooking is literally hard to swallow.
Later on, it was always me who did the cooking…” If we’re talking about true incompetence, it’s Kobayashi; she actually ended up letting a client’s child cook for himself.
Recalling those indescribable black masses, Hikigaya Hachiman couldn’t help but shudder.
That was the terror of being dominated by Kobayashi’s cooking.
“No, I mean, Hikigaya Hachiman, you giving that lecture was really amazing.
You’re just like an adult—even more like an adult than Kobayashi.” As Tohru said this, her eyes shone with what was most likely admiration, just like Hikigaya Hachiman did back then.
‘Comparing me to that person…’
Kobayashi, who had been leaning against the kitchen door frame since he didn’t know when, spoke slowly.
“Well, after all, before you guys came along, the Hikigaya family had always been the ones taking care of me.”
Egg Fried Rice.
Even in gourmet manga, it holds a pivotal status.
Every protagonist in a gourmet manga can easily whip up a batch of golden, perfectly textured egg fried rice.
But in Hikigaya Hachiman’s philosophy of fried rice, whether the rice has a golden luster or is perfectly grainy—none of that matters.
Therefore, he doesn’t need fancy culinary skills or high-minded cooking theories.
After taking the freshly steamed rice out of the rice cooker, he heated the pan and added oil.
Kobayashi watched, leaning against the kitchen door, and her thoughts slowly drifted back to the past.
In the beginning, when Hikigaya Hachiman said he would cook, Kobayashi had refused; after all, he was such a small child.
But she couldn’t win against him, so she just leaned against the door frame, watching him nervously, until she saw Hikigaya Hachiman’s movements—clumsy, yet careful step-by-step—and finally felt at ease…
By now, leaning against the door frame to watch Hikigaya Hachiman cook had become a habit.
In the blink of an eye, the children had grown so much.
She couldn’t describe the feeling; she only felt her heart warm and ache at the same time.
In such a cold city, there was actually someone who came over just to cook.
As a crisp, savory aroma wafted over, Kobayashi felt tears welling up in her eyes.
“Onions.
It’s onions.
I added them to enhance the flavor.
Sorry, did it make you tear up?” Hikigaya Hachiman noticed Kobayashi’s expression and turned back to explain.
After adding the onions to the pan, Hikigaya Hachiman poured in the eggs he had prepared in a bowl.
Once the eggs solidified from their liquid state, he covered them with the rice.
Then, he slowly stirred and fried everything with a spoon.
Because he couldn’t find any other ingredients, Hikigaya Hachiman had to settle for sprinkling on some salt.
After frying it a few more times, it was successfully finished.
When Hikigaya Hachiman served the rice to everyone, the people in the living room already had eyes sparkling with hunger and swarmed around it.
This is—Golden Fried Rice!
Even though Hikigaya Hachiman had repeatedly emphasized that the color of food didn’t matter, when everyone saw that fried rice looking like gold, such a sentiment sounded more like a boast.
Just as someone was about to praise the appearance of the fried rice, Tohru, who was the first to taste it, remarked: “The taste is flatter than I imagined.
It seems like it’s because not much seasoning was added…”
“I did that on purpose.
Using less seasoning is to ensure the food retains its original flavor.” Hikigaya Hachiman, who had taken off his apron, explained.
“Indeed, although it doesn’t taste as stunning as I imagined, one bite makes you feel like it’s just egg fried rice.
“Yummy.” Kanna shoveled the fried rice into her mouth in large bites, her speech becoming slurred.
This ordinary bowl of fried rice, in the eyes of later scholars of the “Cursed Gastronomy School,” transcended the peak of human cuisine throughout history.
Although Hikigaya Hachiman was not yet as renowned as he would later become, the most perfect egg fried rice in history was born in this small, shabby apartment.
The only five-star chef of later generations once commented: “I don’t know just how superb Mr.
Hikigaya’s cooking skills were.
But I know that Mr.
Hikigaya won the praise of two Dragon Clan big shots with just a bowl of egg fried rice, and because of it, he obtained the divine weapon to save the world.”
Having completed its historical mission, Hikigaya Hachiman finally remembered his true purpose for coming to Kobayashi’s house.
“Kobayashi-san, I came to ask for the air pump.”
“About the air pump, don’t be in such a hurry yet.
I actually have one more thing I need to ask of you.” Kobayashi smiled awkwardly, one hand touching the back of her head; it seemed to be a request she found very embarrassing.
Hearing Kobayashi’s hesitant tone, Hikigaya Hachiman felt a sense of foreboding, but he couldn’t refuse directly, so he asked: “What is it?”
“When you go to school tomorrow, you need to bring Doma Umaru-san with you.
It’s her first time coming to my place, and she’s not clear on the route to Sobu High.”
‘This is something Kobayashi should be doing, right…’
Although Hikigaya Hachiman really wanted to refuse, Kobayashi had already put it that way.
“Since you’ve gone this far, fine.
I’ll come by and call for Doma Umaru-san when I leave tomorrow.”
Taking the air pump handed over by Kobayashi, Hikigaya Hachiman said goodbye to everyone.
“I’ve got the pump, so I’ll be heading back now.”
After everyone escorted Hikigaya Hachiman to the door, Kanna chased after him.
“Hachiman, I can see it.
Your luck lately hasn’t been very good.”
Kanna grabbed Hikigaya Hachiman’s pant leg again and said earnestly: “The egg fried rice was delicious.
Take this; it can eliminate calamities.”
Hikigaya Hachiman squatted down, making his line of sight level with the girl.
A yellow-orange jade pendant, engraved with an Oriental divine dragon, was handed over by Kanna.
The carving wasn’t delicate, but the color was rich; it seemed to be a key prop from Kanna-chan’s role-playing.
This was a precious item that embodied all of a little girl’s fantasies.