Chapter 11
1089words
I only knew that Rin and I had reached a "skill exchange" agreement, but I didn't expect that implementing this agreement would cost me my precious weekend meant for playing dead.
Saturday, nine in the morning.
The doorbell of my apartment was rung precisely on time.
With my messy hair and sleepy eyes, I opened the door to find Kurosawa Rin standing there in sportswear, looking as energetic as if she was about to participate in a triathlon.
"Partner, good morning. As agreed, I'm here to receive the first stage of 'cooking skills' training," she said expressionlessly, holding an expensive-looking supermarket shopping bag filled with fresh ingredients.
"...You're way too punctual." I yawned as I let her in. "And where did you get all these premium ingredients from? This Wagyu beef costs enough to feed me instant curry for a month."
"It's mission expenses," she answered matter-of-factly. "To ensure the quality of instruction, using the highest grade materials is both reasonable and necessary."
The voice in her head added: "...Besides, last night I searched online for 'how to please your partner,' and the top-rated answer was 'launch a saturation attack with expensive gifts and delicious food.' This plan has been adopted and implemented."
What kind of strange things are you learning from the internet?!
Just as I was internally ranting, the doorbell rang again.
"Coming, coming!" An energetic voice called from outside the door.
I opened the door to find Sato Yui standing there with a side ponytail, grinning widely with another shopping bag in her hand.
"Good morning, Ai! Rin! I heard you're having special cooking training today, so I brought some cookies I baked myself to cheer you on!"
"Yui? Why are you here?" I was shocked.
"Rin invited me," Yui said, tilting her head. "She said that to improve the efficiency of 'common sense' learning, she needs a 'reference group' for comparison. I don't really understand, but it sounds fun!"
I suddenly turned around and glared at Rin.
Rin's eyes were slightly evasive, avoiding my gaze.
"...Introducing a third-party observer helps with objective evaluation of the teaching process. Also, Sato's feminine prowess... no, her life skill level is quite high, making her an excellent teaching example." She explained rapidly through thought transmission, with a trace of rare... guilt in her tone?
Now I understood. This girl simply didn't know how to be alone with me, so she brought Yui, that bundle of joy, as a buffer!
And so, three people were crammed into my small kitchen for the first time ever.
Yui, like a little teacher, was enthusiastically showing Rin how to distinguish between various seasonings.
"Look, Rin, this is soy sauce, which is darker in color. This is mirin, which smells sweet. And this is cooking sake, which you must never drink like water!"
Rin, like the most diligent student, was quickly taking notes in her small notebook.
"Notes: Soy sauce, dark liquid, salty. Mirin, light-colored liquid, sweet. Cooking sake, clear liquid, contains alcohol. None of these should be consumed directly."
I leaned against the kitchen doorway, watching this strange yet harmonious scene, feeling my headache coming back.
All I wanted was to sleep in on the weekend... Why have I become a spectator at a girls' cooking class...
"Ai! Don't just stand there watching, come help!" Yui called out to me, "Today we're making tamagoyaki and miso soup! This is the classic combination for a Japanese breakfast!"
"It's the scheduled 'Partner Skill Exchange' course." Rin also turned to look at me, with a hint of... expectation? in her eyes.
I sighed, resigning myself as I walked into the kitchen.
Perhaps, a weekend like this... isn't so bad after all.
At least, it's better than eating cold sandwiches alone.
For Rin, the process of making tamagoyaki was once again a brand new battle.
How to control the heat, how to pour the egg mixture evenly, how to roll up the egg sheet with chopsticks... each step, in her eyes, was a tactical move requiring precise calculation.
After breaking seven eggs and nearly deforming the frying pan with her grip, she finally managed, under the joint guidance of Yui and me, to create a... brownish-yellow object that could barely be called a "solid mass."
"Target 'Tamagoyaki', first attempt complete. Shape integrity assessment: 43%. Charring rate: 57%. Overall evaluation: failure. Request to try again." Rin looked at that "failed product" and calmly concluded.
"That's already amazing, Rin!" Yui applauded vigorously beside her, "Being able to make it like this on your first try shows incredible talent!"
"No." Rin shook her head, her gaze serious, "According to the information, perfect tamagoyaki should be golden, soft, and layered. This... looks more like a burnt sponge."
Even if it's true, you don't have to say it so bluntly!
Just as the kitchen was in a state of chaotic joy—
"Ding-dong—"
The doorbell rang for the third time.
Yui and I both froze for a moment.
"Ai, do you have other guests?" Yui asked curiously.
"No." I shook my head, having a bad feeling about this.
I don't have many friends, and those who would show up unannounced, apart from Yui, were basically none.
Could it be a salesperson?
I wiped my hands and walked to the entryway, peering outside through the peephole.
Standing at the door was a man I didn't recognize at all.
He wore a well-tailored black suit, gold-rimmed glasses, and his hair was meticulously combed, looking like an elite businessman.
On his face was a gentle, formulaic smile.
However, it was this smiling face that made all the blood in my body instantly drop to freezing point.
Because I "heard" it.
Emanating from him was the same ice-cold, emotionless malice as those people from the "Ouroboros Consortium"—devoid of any human emotion.
It was even purer and... more powerful than those three guys I encountered at the cultural festival last time.
"Who is it, Ai?" Yui's voice came from the living room.
I didn't answer.
My back was already soaked with cold sweat, my fingers so cold I could barely grip the doorknob.
"Part-ner."
Rin's voice suddenly echoed in my mind.
At some point, she had already silently stood behind me.
She didn't speak, just inconspicuously hid the kitchen knife she had been using to chop green onions behind her back.
"Target locked. Threat level assessment... SSS class. Repeat, threat level SSS class."
Her voice, for the first time, carried unprecedented gravity.
"...'Chronos' East Asia Division Director, codename 'Professor'. Why is he here?"
