Miwa Masayo or Rika-chan

Hearing the Tabby Cat's words, Uchiha Yu smiled, and his hands moved even faster.

While the rice cooked, he set another pot of water to boil and continued washing the white sesame seeds, chicken breast, and carrots.

After boiling the chicken and carrots in plain water until cooked, he fished them out, then quickly minced the chicken and mashed the carrots into a puree.

He cracked in beaten eggs, added a little soy sauce for color, tossed in every seasoning except salt, and mixed all the ingredients at a speed too fast to see until they became a lump of pink meat paste.

He brought the water back to a boil, rolled the meat paste into small balls the size of pigeon eggs, dropped them into the boiling water one by one to cook, then fished them out.

He continued simmering the meatball broth, seasoning it with salt, MSG, and soy sauce. Finally, he thickened it with starch water to improve the texture and boiled it over high heat to reduce the sauce.

Once the rice was done, Uchiha Yu took out two bowls and filled them with steaming white rice. He layered meatballs over them and poured the thick sauce over one bowl.

Lastly, he pulled out a few sheets of nori, crushed them in his palm, and sprinkled them evenly over the meatballs. Lunch was ready.

Actually, he did not like adding nori, but the other diner liked it too much.

Uchiha Yu pulled out the table and plated the remaining nori along with the pickled vegetables he had made himself, setting them together to make the meal seem more lavish.

He dug out a bottle of tangerine wine brewed last year, opened it, and took a sniff. The sweet, fresh scent of tangerines confirmed that the brewing had succeeded.

"Not bad. At least it didn't turn into tangerine vinegar. Vinegar can be drunk too, but sweet wine tastes better."

Uchiha Yu happily poured himself a cup, set out the chopsticks, and stared at the Tabby Cat.

The Tabby Cat's eyes uncontrollably locked onto the meatballs. Drool trickled from the corner of her mouth, yet she stubbornly held her head high and refused to start eating on her own.

Uchiha Yu shook his head helplessly. The Tabby Cat was just that proud. If he did not invite her, she would not casually eat and "disrespect her friend."

That was also proof that they were not close enough yet.

"Rika-chan, I made this cat food especially for you. As your friend, I sincerely invite you to enjoy it with me. You can't refuse."

"Okay, Yu, you're my friend, so your dignity... Awoo, awoo... I have to... awoo... definitely... awoo... give it... awooooo..."

With her head already buried in the rice bowl, the Tabby Cat still insisted on finishing her sentence. Then she completely forgot about appearances and wolfed it down with frantic little gulps.

Uchiha Yu could not help wondering whether this Tabby Cat had starved herself for seven days just to save room and gorge on the cat food he had made for her.

But some things were better left unsaid. Otherwise, they would not be friends anymore.

Although Rika was his summoned cat, cats were naturally proud and absolutely could not tolerate humiliation.

If she felt insulted, then the first person she would beat up the next time he summoned the Tabby Cat would be him.

Uchiha Yu smiled and began eating his own serving of cat food.

Actually, once it had been topped with sauce made from meatball broth, it could no longer be considered cat food. It was his favorite meatball rice bowl with gravy.

He first picked up a meatball and slipped it into his mouth, nudging it beneath his back teeth with his tongue. With a gentle bite, he could just feel the firm springiness of the chicken before the delicious broth inside burst out.

Since it was based on cat food, he had deliberately used less salt. That let him taste the sweet freshness of the chicken and the soft fragrance of the carrots.

Then came the rich aroma and savory flavor of the sauce coating the meatball, creating layers of complex taste.

Uchiha Yu was very satisfied with his cooking, but he was slightly dissatisfied with the texture of the meatballs. They were too soft.

If he could buy fresh lotus root or crisp vegetables like water chestnuts—preferably with a hint of sweetness—he could mince them up and replace the carrots. That crisp crunch in the mouth, paired with the firm, bouncy texture of fresh meat, would be perfect.

But then it would no longer be cat food. Cats had no grinding teeth and could only tear and swallow their food, truly wolfing it down.

So cats could not eat crunchy vegetables. Their intestines could digest hard bones, but crisp vegetables were difficult for them to process.

If they insisted on eating them, the food might get stuck in their intestines, causing abdominal pain and acute enteritis.

It was a potentially fatal illness. Even though the Tabby Cat was a Ninja Cat from Cat Castle, she could not take that risk.

If he really made something like that, he would have to prepare one portion for himself and another for the Tabby Cat.

Too troublesome. Uchiha Yu could not be bothered.

No longer letting his thoughts wander, Uchiha Yu focused on eating. Enjoying delicious food with all his heart, especially food he had made himself, filled him with a tremendous sense of accomplishment.

The meatballs and rice tasted a little bland together, so the pickled vegetables were the perfect accompaniment, still providing that ideal savory flavor.

After finishing one bowl, Uchiha Yu was not satisfied. He served himself a second bowl of rice, piled it with meatballs, and poured on the sauce.

Soon, he served himself a third bowl. Only after eating an entire pot of rice and every last meatball did he finally feel satisfied.

Uchiha Yu slowly sipped his tangerine wine as he waited for the eating-machine kitty to finish her second bowl. This time, it had only meatballs and no rice.

Mm, cats were carnivores. She should eat more meat.

After a long while, the Tabby Cat finished eating.

She solemnly bowed. "Thank you for the meal."

Without waiting for Uchiha Yu to return the bow, she said in an extremely serious tone, "Even though I enjoyed your hospitality, I still have to say this: My name isn't Rika. You're not allowed to call me Rika-chan!"

"But you're a Tabby Cat, and you're a girl. Rika-chan suits you perfectly."

"Meow! My name is Miwa Masayo, Miwa Masayo! You can't just name someone after what they look like!"

The Tabby Cat was so angry that the fur on her ears stood up. She shouted at the top of her voice, "What the hell does a Tabby Cat have to do with Rika?"

Uchiha Yu grinned to himself. Of course, it's a Chinese homophone.

His transmigration was his greatest secret. Naturally, he would not tell anyone else his greatest secret. Uchiha Yu firmly believed that if a second person knew, then it would no longer be a secret.

If he ever died, this was the secret he would take to the grave.

The Tabby Cat, Miwa Masayo, loudly ordered him again, "Anyway, Yu! You're not allowed to give me weird names anymore!"

"Okay, Rika-chan."

"Meow!! I'm angry, meow!"

"How could you possibly be angry, Ri~ka~chan~?"

"Awoo—!"

The irrational Tabby Cat sprang from the table and unleashed a barrage of kitty punches at Uchiha Yu, making his human head go pia~ pia~.

But Miwa Masayo did not extend her claws. Her soft paw pads thumped against his head without hurting at all, even feeling a little like a massage.

Uchiha Yu naturally knew that the Tabby Cat was holding back. To spare the kitten's pride, he deliberately cried out in pain, "Ah! Ah!"

The human and cat happily roughhoused, treating it as entertainment after their hearty meal.

After they had played enough, they began cleaning up the mess.

Miwa Masayo resumed her elegant posture, sitting on the windowsill and carefully grooming her ruffled fur back into order. At the same time, she urged Uchiha Yu to work like a foreman.

"Can't you help?"

"Sorry, I only have paws, not hands."

"I did the cooking, and I'm still the one washing the dishes..."

"Hurry up, meow! I'm still waiting for you to prepare fruit, meow!"

"Hey, you're a carnivore. Why do you like fruit so much?"

"Isn't it because you tempted me? You stuffed Catnip into watermelon and tricked me into eating it. Now I like watermelon, meow."

"Watermelon is expensive..."

"How expensive can it be? It can't cost more than mea—"

"One slice of watermelon costs as much as two chicken breasts."

"Meow?"

"A whole chicken breast."

"How about I skip watermelon today? Give me four chicken breasts, and I'll take them home?"

"Ha... You freeloading cat, how dare you use my watermelon to trade for my meat?"

"Dream on!"

"Eat your watermelon like a good cat!"

"It hydrates you and helps you poop. It has tons of benefits."