Chapter 419: Afternoon Time
After a while, Shirogane Miyuki and Ishigami Yuu also came down.
Seeing the kitchen piled high with high-end ingredients, Shirogane Miyuki said in surprise, "Why is there so much? And this is Wagyu beef, right? Such a large cut?"
"That's right," Kaede said with a smile. "It was all prepared beforehand, but it's only enough for today. We'll have to go buy the ingredients for tomorrow and the day after ourselves in the nearby town."
"That's fine. Buying ingredients ourselves will be fun too. We can draw lots later, and the winners will be responsible for buying the ingredients." Shirogane Miyuki watched Kaede prepare the Wagyu beef and smiled, saying, "Asakura, do you need any help? I'm quite proficient in cooking."
"Sure, Senpai, can you help me prepare some of the meat? Since there are a lot of us, we need to prepare more meat." Handing a portion of beef intended to be cut into strips to Shirogane Miyuki, Kaede looked at Ishigami Yuu, who clearly also wanted to help.
"Ishigami, are you good at cooking?"
"I learned a little in Home Economics class at school, but don't expect too much," Ishigami Yuu said honestly. "I'll help wash the vegetables."
"That's plenty. I'll trouble you to help Eriri wash the vegetables."
Hearing this, Eriri smiled and handed over a basket of vegetables. "They're all yours, Ishigami!"
"Mm."
Taking the vegetables, Ishigami Yuu began washing them diligently.
After a little while longer, the others also came downstairs one after another.
"Ah~~ A shower feels so good!"
Having changed out of her swimsuit and into a short-sleeved shirt and hot pants, Fujiwara Chika was still full of youthful energy, and her long hair was tied into a ponytail.
Upon arriving in the kitchen and seeing the others already busy, she immediately said excitedly, "I want to help too!"
Hearing her say that, Kaede immediately leaned in close to Shirogane Miyuki and quietly asked, "Senpai, how is Fujiwara-senpai's cooking?"
"I haven't witnessed it," Shirogane Miyuki replied, shaking his head. "But just in case, it's probably best not to let her into the kitchen."
"I thought so too."
After deciding, Kaede looked at Fujiwara Chika and said, "Senpai, the four of us are enough for lunch today. How about you help us later when we prepare the barbecue tonight?"
"Barbecue tonight? I get it. I'm good at that!"
Pumping her small fist, Fujiwara Chika said happily, "Then I'll go to the living room. I'll leave this to you guys. Call me if you need help!"
She then left, humming a tune.
After Fujiwara Chika walked away, Eriri looked at the three boys, who were visibly relieved, and said strangely, "Is it that serious?"
Eriri had witnessed the destructive power of Aisaka Taiga in the kitchen, so she figured Fujiwara Chika could only be about the same.
Shaking his head, Ishigami Yuu whispered, "Sawamura, you're not from our school and haven't spent as much time with Fujiwara-senpai as we have. Regarding this, I can only offer one piece of advice: never underestimate the impact Fujiwara-senpai can cause, in any aspect."
Recalling various past incidents, Shirogane Miyuki also sighed. "Sigh... Ishigami is right. What we're making is lunch for everyone here. For the sake of that, we absolutely cannot allow an element of instability to join in."
Listening to the two of them, Eriri seemed to understand. She nodded and diligently began chopping vegetables.
To everyone's anticipation, Kaede and the other three finally finished preparing lunch, bringing the dishes to the dining table one by one.
Although there were many people, the villa's dining table was large enough for everyone to sit around it.
After sitting down and pouring their drinks, Kaede raised his glass and said, "Alright, lunch today was prepared by the four of us. However, for dinner and the meals over the next two days, everyone should pitch in. That's part of the training camp experience. But for now, let's enjoy lunch. Cheers!"
"Cheers~~~"
What followed, naturally, was a lively lunch time.
Even Kawashima Ami, who was usually very restrained to maintain her figure, chose to eat her fill at this moment, let alone everyone else.
Kaede, Eriri, and Shirogane Miyuki, who were the main cooks, all had excellent culinary skills. Combined with the high-quality ingredients available, the resulting dishes made even Shinomiya Kaguya, who was used to delicacies, eat very happily.
Of course, the main reason was that the meal included dishes prepared by Shirogane Miyuki.
After lunch, feeling full and satisfied, everyone was a bit sluggish. The boys chose to go directly to the beach to sunbathe, while the girls either rested in the living room watching TV or went upstairs for a nap.
Kaede and Eriri, naturally, were among those who went up for a nap.
Back in the bedroom, Eriri immediately flopped onto the bed and said comfortably, "Ah~~ It feels great not to work! Kaede-kun, please turn on the air conditioner~~~"
Kaede, who followed her in, closed the door, turned on the air conditioner in the room, then sat down on the bed, patted Eriri's little bottom, and said with a smile, "If you're going to nap, lie down properly, and don't forget to cover yourself with the blanket. It would be terrible if you caught a cold."
"Hehe, I won't."
Laughing, Eriri hooked her foot around the blanket nearby, pulled it over, and wrapped herself in it.
Shifting her body, Eriri rested her head on Kaede's lap and said, "Kaede-kun, aren't you sleeping?"
"I'm not very sleepy right now. If you want to sleep, go ahead."
Helping Eriri untie her twin-tails, Kaede gently stroked her beautiful hair.
Rubbing against Kaede's palm, Eriri said with a slight blush, "Kaede-kun, Utaha and the others are right next door, and so is Kaguya-senpai."
Kaede looked at Eriri's expression and immediately knew what she was thinking. He helplessly pinched her little cheek and said, "Don't mess around, we don't know what the soundproofing is like here."
"Hehe, we have three days, Kaede-kun, can you resist?"
Rubbing against Kaede's leg, Eriri said with a mischievous smile, "Be careful not to get too pent up!"
"Don't worry about that, I'm quite confident in my self-control."
He wasn't just saying that; while Kaede would definitely feel tempted, his willpower was strong enough.
"En~~~"
Eriri lay there, looking at Kaede and said, "Really? What if I try a different approach?"
As she spoke, her hands also started to get restless.
"..."
Kaede realized he should retract what he just said. Or perhaps he needed to change his approach; in front of Eriri, his self-control still needed improvement.
"Wait a moment, I'll lock the door and draw the curtains."
As for the room's soundproofing, he would turn on the TV in the bedroom to cover it up.