Nirvana Top Laner, Reborn Tokyo Girl

Chapter 231, Section 228. Product Spokesperson: Shimamura
Omelette rice, curry rice, hamburger patties, croquettes
One by one, the dishes that were so familiar to her in the past were replicated through repeated attempts.

My mother wasn't a very professional, formally trained chef.

Her cooking process and procedures are not strictly followed according to certain cookbooks or cooking tutorials.

Most of what she learned was based on her own long-term experience and found to be feasible.

On the one hand, for some people, the food prepared in this way may have aspects that "could be improved" compared to the most standard method.

If you were to give it to a professional chef for critique, they might say, "Because of this method, the food is flawed in some ways."

On the other hand, those imperfections in the food are precisely what Shimamura Yuna calls the taste of her mother.

A flavor that looks like an anti-counterfeiting label.
She kept trying, adjusting, and making changes based on the fragments of past memories provided by her sister.

But the result was not so smooth.

Just
The curry rice is still the same curry rice.

Omelette rice is still the same omelette rice.

However, it just doesn't taste the same as what my mother makes.

It's not that it's bad or unpalatable, but it's just not my mother's taste.

But who doesn't know how to make curry rice and omelet rice?

If the taste is different from what my mother makes, then it's meaningless.

She tried and adjusted repeatedly.
They even deliberately tried to be less meticulous in certain aspects.

at last
After repeated attempts, she finally found the secret to her mother's delicious cooking.

"It's an excessive amount of seasoning."

That's right.

Compared to what Japanese people usually eat, when my mother makes the same food, she uses much more oil and various seasonings than usual.

However, it's also subtly at a level that's not unacceptable to most people, just barely touching the edge of their tolerance.

That makes sense.
For a housewife like my mother, who has never attended any training or apprenticed to a master, and whose cooking methods are very ordinary, what methods can she use to make her dishes taste better?

The answer is simple.

That is.
The flavor is richer.

They put in every spice, ingredient, and seasoning they could think of.

The secret lies in maximizing flavor beyond what the human palate can tolerate.

The preparation method was simple and straightforward, and although it wasn't refined, the flavor was exceptionally rich and complex—that's what you call the taste of mom's cooking.

They don't consider the balance of flavors or the precise proportions of seasonings.

It's a kind of clumsy but earnest effort to present delicious food to diners.

This is.
The taste of mom's cooking.

The so-called home-style flavor.

After going through countless hardships, when she finally managed to recreate the taste of her mother's curry rice, Shimamura Yuna felt like she was about to cry.

Familiar, long-lost, nostalgic, yet an overwhelming sadness.
That day.
It was July 28th.

While Shimamura Yuna was busy preparing food and immersing herself in her art, she didn't notice something.

That is, the holiday time that Kujo Akari promised has arrived.

These days, she can hardly calm down because she's thinking about Shimamura Yuna returning to Japan.

I know perfectly well that I should be studying hard right now.

I know perfectly well that I should be focusing my energy on important matters right now.

However, the thought of Shimamura Yuna still being alive made her unable to calm down.

This situation is quite rare for her.

They did not give any prior notice.

There was no appointment made.

After her tutoring session ended that day, Akari Kujo couldn't wait to say goodbye to her friends and teacher, and then immediately rode her bicycle towards the Shimamura house.

She rang the doorbell and waited for a while.
The sound of hurried footsteps came from inside.

When the doors were opened, Shimamura Yuna was not the same as before.

She wasn't the lazy, stay-at-home type she seemed to be.

Instead, she was wearing a kitchen apron, holding chopsticks, and exuding a faint fragrance.

If we were to label Shimamura Yuna at this moment...
That's probably what they call a "loli cook".

That's right.

Despite her petite figure, her attire at this moment gave her an inexplicable sense of virtuousness.

The seemingly contradictory attributes of being both cute and virtuous were simultaneously displayed in Shimamura Yuna, leaving Kujo Akari stunned for a moment.

So cute!

She couldn't help but feel this way.

The two of them stood facing each other at the doorway.

After a long pause, Shimamura Yuna nervously spoke up, "Um... did you have a day off today?"

Kujo Akari nodded, a beat slow.

She reached up and brushed her bangs aside, turning her head to the side, trying to hide her nervousness.

"Well, it's vacation."

"I'm sorry, I didn't tell you beforehand, it might be a bit sudden for you. Is it inconvenient today?"

Shimamura Yuna shook her head repeatedly: "No, no, no, no! How could it be inconvenient! It's absolutely convenient! Absolutely convenient!"

Seeing Shimamura Yuna like this for the first time, for some reason, made Kujo Akari feel a little special.

She coughed twice to cover up her embarrassment.

Then he asked, "Are you cooking? May I come in?"

Shimamura Yuna nodded repeatedly, "Of course! Please come in!"

The two people, who hadn't seen each other for a long time, should have been very close.

However, for some reason, the atmosphere today is a little strange.

It seemed like they both had something to say to each other.

But because of the atmosphere, they couldn't bring themselves to say it.

Yuna Shimamura continued working in the kitchen, while Akari Kujo watched from the side.

In the middle, the two chatted back and forth.

They ask, "How are your studies going lately?"

They asked, "If you've decided to take a break, have you decided which team you'll be joining for the third stage?"

They were asking each other about their careers and studies, but it was really just them making small talk.

Neither of them seemed particularly interested in going deeper into the conversation.

One aspect is that their minds aren't on this.

Another aspect is that we haven't seen each other for quite a long time.

So, in an attempt to break the awkward atmosphere, Akari Kujo would occasionally ask, "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

They wanted to break the silence.

However, Shimamura Yuna seemed a little oblivious to the atmosphere.

Or rather, she was completely unaware of the reason for the awkward atmosphere today, nor did she consciously try to thaw it.

A very low EQ response: "I've done almost everything, I don't need it."

And so the awkward atmosphere continued. But the atmosphere was constrained by Shimamura Yuna.

But at the same time, it was because of her that it was thawed.

After the meal was almost ready, Shimamura Yuna tentatively asked Kujo Akari about it.

"Um...would you like to try it?"

Akari Kujo reacted almost immediately, and then, as if answering a question before it was even asked, quickly replied, "Of course!"

It's certainly a happy thing to have someone willing to share the food you've made.

This is especially true when the recipient of the sharing has special meaning to you.

Shimamura Yuna immediately beamed with joy.

She excitedly scooped up a spoonful of the freshly cooked curry soup, blew on it to cool it down a bit, and then brought the spoonful of curry to Akari Kujo's lips.

But she immediately realized that the action was a little strange.

After all, it's a bit... awkward for friends to just reach out and feed each other.

She can do this with her sister, and she can do this with her parents.

But it's not okay with friends.

Such behavior creates a slightly subtle sense of distance.

Thinking of this, she felt embarrassed for her own offense, and her face turned slightly red.

The alliance then decided to back down and, after some adjustments, properly hand over the reins to Akari Kujo.

However, what she didn't expect was...
Perhaps it was because he saw through her intentions and plans.

Akari Kujo suddenly lunged forward at lightning speed and bit into the spoon that was halfway out of her mouth.

The teeth bit down too hard on the metal spoon handle, even producing a subtle clanging sound.

This sudden action startled Shimamura Yuna.

Looking at Akari Kujo, who was gritting her teeth and biting down on the spoon in her hand with a ferocious expression, she felt her brain was overloaded and she couldn't think straight at all.

She instinctively tugged, trying to pull the spoon out of Akari Kujo's mouth.

But when she pulled, Akari Kujo bit even harder, and her expression became even more ferocious.

She seemed genuinely reluctant to spit the spoon out of her mouth.

Such a firm stance left Shimamura Yuna at a loss for what to do, and she could only quickly let go.

And so, the spoon full of curry ended up in Akari Kujo's mouth, just as she had hoped.

"Thank you~" After confirming that she actually owned the spoon, Akari Kujo finally relaxed.

After savoring the curry in the spoon, she revealed an elegant and pleasant smile.

"Thanks for the food!"

Shimamura Yuna blushed slightly, scratching her head, and asked, "Eh? Does this...does this mean I'm feeding you?"

Akari Kujo smiled and said, "Since you've already extended your hand, of course it counts."

Yuna Shimamura explained, "But I wasn't planning on feeding you. I'm just used to interacting with my older sister like this; I always..."

Akari Kujo playfully stuck out her tongue: "I don't care, as long as I can eat it, that's fine."

"In other words, to you, I'm someone as close as your sister, right?"

Shimamura Yuna is getting more and more embarrassed.

In the end, blushing, she said nothing.

Fortunately, Akari Kujo understands one thing.

That means getting closer to friends requires a gradual approach.

We can't push our luck too hard all at once.

So she naturally changed the subject.

"This curry tastes really good; it reminds me of some very familiar things."

It reminds me of the taste of the family restaurant your parents ran.

Akari Kujo originally intended to say that.

But in the end, he couldn't bring himself to say it, due to some concerns.

However, to her surprise, Shimamura Yuna herself happily remarked, "It's almost the same as what my mom makes, right?"

"You've probably had my mom's curry before, and the seasoning ratios should be about the same."

Akari Kujo was somewhat surprised that Yuna Shimamura could speak so directly and frankly about things related to her parents.

In her memory, in the past, as long as it was even slightly related to her, Shimamura Yuna would become stressed, break down, and have a hysterical outburst.

That's why I broke up with her for the first time.

Even after they reconciled, I was very careful not to bring it up again.

Never thought.
Now, Shimamura Yuna has actually become desensitized to this.

Although somewhat surprised by this, Akari Kujo did not say much about it.

I simply accepted this setting naturally.

Then, with a smile and a sigh, she said, "That's wonderful."

"A good balance has been achieved between self-worth and the joy of life."

"That feels great. You've really gotten back on track in life."

Yuna Shimamura was also smiling.

She just seemed a little shy and embarrassed.

She accepted Akari Kujo's praise with some embarrassment.

"Yeah, thank you."

Afterwards, the two shared the food together.

I originally wanted my sister to eat with me, but she had to work overtime, so it was really unfortunate.

However, in a way, it also gave Shimamura Yuna and Kujo Akari some time alone.

The two started by catching up casually and catching up on what had happened recently.

Then, the two played some games together.

We played the Double Shadow Wonderland game.
The two of them had played a two-player game together before, but they didn't finish it. However, because they lost their save file, they couldn't remember where they got to.

In order to avoid experiencing chapters they had already played, the two decided to buy a new game.

Yuna Shimamura has never been very interested in this kind of non-competitive entertainment game.

But
Playing with Akari Kujo is a completely different experience.

Yuna Shimamura, who is incredibly skilled at playing League of Legends, performed surprisingly poorly in this game because she wasn't very good at using a controller.

This contrast made Akari Kujo feel great.

I just feel like "there are always aspects where I'm better than you."

Yuna Shimamura isn't competitive; she accepts her mistakes and always smiles awkwardly, indicating, "I think I'm a bit bad at this."

This maximizes the emotional value of Akari Kujo.

The two of them happily played games together all night.

It wasn't until quite late at night that Kujo prepared to pack up and go home.

Just before leaving, she finally remembered something important.

"Oh, right, Yuna. My mother has something she wants to discuss with you."

"Are you interested in becoming a product spokesperson for our Jiutiao Group? Are you interested in a deeper collaboration with us?"

(End of this chapter)