Chapter 141: Yuri
Night fell.
Natsukawa returned home before six o'clock to start preparing dinner.
As a highly skilled spy, one must know a little about everything.
Cooking was naturally one of those essential skills.
Regardless of whether the target was male or female, winning them over could start with food.
His cooking skills weren't world-class, but they were at least on par with a head chef at a high-end restaurant.
"Wow, so cool!"
(﹃)
Anya, acting as his assistant, helped wash vegetables while secretly sneaking bites of the freshly cooked dishes.
Admiring her papa's handsome wok-tossing technique, she felt a deep sense of satisfaction. As expected of a spy—even his cooking is amazing!
Bond came over, drawn by the delicious smell, and sat down in front of Anya. His meaning was crystal clear.
"I'll give you a tiny bit, but don't make a sound, okay~?"
Bond drooped his ears and looked around to make sure the lady of the house wasn't present and that Papa was busy at the stove. He even used his precognitive ability to confirm it was safe before quietly letting out a soft "woof."
"Bond, can you predict whether Uncle Yuri will bring me snacks or toys when he comes over later?"
Anya stuffed a piece of braised pork into Bond's mouth, then secretly pulled him aside and whispered, "Hurry up and predict! I want to know in advance! If you succeed, this giant shrimp is all yours!"
Anya's little hand held up a super-sized prawn, making Bond's mouth water.
"Woof!"
Receiving an affirmative answer, Anya placed her hand on Bond's head. Both of them closed their eyes and began their prophetic connection.
Bond's predictions produced images, but with Anya's hand on his head, her telepathic ability was greatly enhanced, allowing her to directly project the visions into her own mind.
"What are you two doing over there?"
Natsukawa, halfway through his cooking, saw the two little ones closing their eyes as if transferring power, and grew curious.
Was this some new game that had become popular at Teitan Elementary School recently? Petting a dog's head while closing your eyes in concentration—this scene reminded him of martial arts novels.
"That's right! Bond, catch! I'm transferring all the wisdom I've accumulated over six years!" Anya, breaking into a sweat, hurriedly explained, having almost been caught by Papa.
"..."
Are you sure this will actually make Bond smarter?
Natsukawa shook his head and returned to cooking.
Seeing Natsukawa go back to the kitchen, Anya breathed a sigh of relief and continued her mind-reading session.
Yor had gone home—she needed to change clothes. Yuri would be meeting at her apartment, and they'd all come over together.
Soon, Anya glimpsed a fleeting image in her mind.
The vision was only a brief fragment. She only had time to see a young man being knocked backward by something, then crashing into their TV with a bang, leaving a hole in the screen.
Anya: I don't understand. Our house is so safe—why would he get knocked away?
After thinking for a moment, Anya pulled a chair over to block the TV.
Although she didn't know what would knock Uncle Yuri away, the TV absolutely couldn't be damaged. There was a Bond-man episode airing tonight!
Also, she'd recently started watching Kamen Rider, and she absolutely couldn't miss either of those shows.
There was no way around it—all three members of the Detective Boys loved watching Kamen Rider. If she didn't watch it herself, it would be hard to fit in with them, making it even more difficult to become the leader of the Detective Boys.
Anya was working hard to study for this leadership position!
From the vision, Yuri didn't leave a good impression on Anya.
She didn't see any gift bags or snacks in his hands.
Anya was happy that Uncle Yuri was coming to visit, but she didn't like that he was coming empty-handed.
Seven o'clock sharp!
Natsukawa finished cooking right on schedule.
Just then, the door opened as expected.
"Anya, come on! Go open the door!"
Anya, with Bond in tow and followed by Natsukawa, arrived at the entrance.
"Please don't let it be Uncle Mouri again..."
Natsukawa wiped the water off his hands with his apron, forcing a smile.
Click. The door opened.
"Aunt Yor! Is this Uncle Yuri?" Anya bowed politely and called out sweetly.
Yor smiled and nodded, introducing Anya to the expressionless Yuri behind her. "This is Natsukawa's daughter, Anya. She's six years old—a very cute first-grade elementary school student."
"Besides being a first-grader, I'm also the leader of the Detective Boys, Bond-man's biggest fan, and Papa's cutest daughter!!"
Why is the title "Papa's cutest daughter" placed last?
Natsukawa felt a twinge of jealousy, though he didn't blame Anya for not understanding proper priority order.
"I'm Natsukawa, Yor's boyfriend. Welcome to my home. Please come in—dinner's ready."
As he spoke, Natsukawa took out a pair of fluffy slippers and a pair of regular slippers, placing them on the floor.
Yuri silently slipped on the ordinary slippers, a complex mix of emotions swirling within him as he watched his sister put on the fluffy ones.
His sister already had her own set of house slippers at Natsukawa's place—and judging by the color, they were her favorite black ones.
Did this mean she and Natsukawa had essentially started living together? But there was no such information in his investigation. Damn it, Kazami! He couldn't even gather proper intel, putting me in such a passive position!
With this kind of information-gathering ability, how could he possibly be Furuya's subordinate? Wasn't he afraid of accidentally exposing Furuya to the Black Organization one day?
Yuri forced himself to remain calm, his gaze fixed straight ahead. He didn't greet Natsukawa properly, only giving a slight nod in response. He didn't even bother shaking the outstretched hand.
Then he felt a sharp nudge in his back. Turning around, he saw his sister glaring at him with murderous intent.
Yuri: ...
Yuri inwardly grumbled but outwardly extended a single finger and gave Natsukawa the most perfunctory handshake possible.
Then he walked inside without ceremony.
The house was rather ordinary, the interior decoration quite plain. However, Yuri could tell at a glance that the furniture wasn't cheap, suggesting that Natsukawa had some financial means.
Still, housing prices in Beika had recently dropped significantly, so this didn't necessarily prove much.
And sure, there was a not-so-cheap GT-R parked outside, but who knew if it was fully paid off?
These days, which truly wealthy person didn't live in a big villa?
Thinking about it that way, things didn't seem quite so bad.
Anya kept her eyes fixed on Yuri the entire time, only to be thoroughly disappointed. This uncle was rather useless—just as Bond had predicted, he hadn't brought anything with him at all!
As soon as Yuri stepped into the living room, he caught the strong aroma of freshly cooked food.
This smell... (╯▽╰) so fragrant~~
This Natsukawa really does have some tricks up his sleeve. No wonder he managed to capture my sister's heart.
However, aroma and actual taste were two different things. Maybe Natsukawa's cooking was all about making it smell good while tasting mediocre.
Don't ask him why he had this thought—he'd just have to taste it for himself to find out.
He walked straight into the dining area and glanced at the table.
"Natsukawa-san, did you make all of this?"
Yuri swallowed hard. It looked and smelled absolutely amazing. All that remained was to test the taste.
Come to think of it, he'd been busy all day and hadn't eaten anything except breakfast.
"Since you're here, let's just start eating. Shall we, Yor?" Natsukawa pulled out a chair for Yor with a gentlemanly flourish.
What a pretentious show-off!
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(End of Chapter)
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