Mimi's Home Cooking

Mimi hadn't eaten before training, mainly because she was afraid she might throw up halfway through.

When she got home, her mother Yumi wasn't there.

Because Mimi had come back early today, Yumi hadn't returned home at this hour to cook.

Mimi could cook, but Yumi didn't know that.

Even if she did know, she would only think, It's Mimi, so there's no problem, rather than finding it strange or impressive.

Chiri, on the other hand, thought it was amazing.

She hovered around Mimi in the kitchen, her face full of wonder.

"Sugoi!"

"What do you usually eat?" Mimi asked, then instructed, "Bring the stool over."

"Okay." Chiri responded, carrying the little stool over and placing it behind Mimi.

Mimi stood on the stool, tiptoeing as she stir-fried.

Which was exactly why Mimi didn't usually cook.

"Rice balls, dumplings, stewed meat, tempura, fish..." Chiri counted through her usual meals, then said after failing to think of anything else, "I eat everything."

That was better than Naruto, who drank expired milk.

"What don't you like?" Mimi asked. "Can you handle spicy food?"

"As long as it's not too spicy." Chiri looked troubled.

"It's not spicy." Mimi said, tossing a handful of chili peppers into the wok.

As it was stir-fried over high heat, the pungent spice rushed up and filled the air.

Chiri opened her mouth, hesitated, and ultimately said nothing.

Once the spicy fragrance had come out, Mimi immediately tossed a plump, white mass of ingredients into the wok.

Chiri's eyelid twitched. Unable to stop herself, she raised her voice and asked in alarm, "What did you just throw in there?!?"

"Hm?" Mimi turned around and stared at Chiri. "Is there a problem?"

"How could there not be a problem?!" Chiri practically screamed. "It was alive! A bug!"

"There weren't any vegetables at home," Mimi said. "So I just threw something together. Don't worry, it's all top-quality protein."

There really were no vegetables at home. Yumi would bring them back when she came home.

"That's not just throwing something together!" Chiri screamed in despair. "Isn't there anything normal that people can eat?!"

"You're so noisy. Why don't you leave?" Mimi replied.

Chiri shut her mouth.

She stomped her foot resentfully and ran into the living room.

She simply didn't have the courage to watch what else Mimi might come up with.

Still, at least there would be rice.

At worst, she could have Soy Sauce Rice.

Before long, Mimi brought dish after dish into the living room.

Chiri sat stiffly upright, unable to say a word as she looked at the dishes covering the table.

"Eat." Mimi took off her apron and sat down. After serving two bowls of rice, she reached up and tapped her mask.

With a mechanical click, the mouth section of the mask popped open, revealing Mimi's small mouth.

But Chiri had no mind to notice such things. She stared blankly at the dishes on the table.

After a long while, she picked up her chopsticks and tried several times to reach for the food, only to pull them back each time without the courage to do it.

Finally, she pointed with her chopsticks and asked, "What is this?"

"Garlic Ant Eggs." As Mimi spoke, she picked up a spoonful and placed it into her bowl.

Mimi had plenty of ant eggs. They were a secret laboratory product, quality guaranteed.

Once cooked, all they needed was salt, chili peppers, scallions, and mashed garlic, mixed evenly before eating.

Simple to make and delicious.

The soybean-sized eggs were pearly white, glistening beautifully.

"..." Chiri fell silent for a moment, then asked again, "What... is this...?"

"Spicy Stir-fried Wine Worms," Mimi said. "There are plenty of these in the forest. They're Tree Insects that survive by boring into tree sap, a kind of nutrient-rich, biologically active liquid found in trees."

Chewing on an ant egg, Mimi continued.

"These little things are picky eaters. They won't touch ordinary trees. They eat well and drink well, have hardly any natural predators, and every one of them grows fat and juicy. Oh, and they naturally contain a little alcohol. They're natural beer."

That was also why there were so many of them. They were one of the main feeds for Mimi's insect swarm.

Mimi normally boiled them, mashed them up, and stored them as pellets.

"Smells great." As she spoke, Mimi picked up a piece with her chopsticks and put it into her mouth.

The stir-fried meat worms were a beautiful, vivid red.

Chiri swallowed and asked, "What about this one? It's still alive!"

"Cold Silkworm Moth Salad."

A plateful of silkworm moths crawled slowly through the seasonings. Though they could not fly, some stubbornly managed to crawl off the plate.

It was quite a strange sight.

"These are very delicious—neither fishy nor greasy. You can eat them without cooking them."

"Considering your tastes, I added a few seasonings."

"And this?" Chiri asked, pointing at the last dish.

It did not look like bugs. Its appearance was perfectly normal.

Round, milky-white pellets were piled high in two small cups.

"Yogurt Dessert Jelly," Mimi said. "My usual snack. You've seen it before—the kind I eat during class."

"Just as expected of you," Chiri remarked.

And this was just throwing something together? What would it be like if she actually put effort into it?

After thinking it over, Chiri decided not to ask.

Watching Mimi eat with such relish, she hesitated for a long time before finally picking up her chopsticks.

She chose the ant eggs, which looked the most acceptable.

Carefully, she picked up one and placed it in her mouth.

She was already here, so she had to try it at least once, right?

Then her eyes narrowed.

It was delicious!

Chiri dug into her meal with great gusto.

Mimi did not make fun of Chiri.

That made Chiri even bolder as she ate.

After dinner, Mimi cleared away the dishes while Chiri lay on the Tatami, rubbing her round little belly.

The summer night breeze drifted through the room, and the wind chimes beneath the eaves rang softly.

The breeze sounded cool.

Cicadas called one after another outside, their chorus making her increasingly sleepy.

Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

When Mimi came out after washing the dishes, she found Chiri's peaceful sleeping face.

Whatever she was dreaming about, a sweet smile rested on her face.

She really was a child.

Mimi found a thin blanket and covered Chiri with it, then sat beneath the eaves with a glass of juice, watching the scenery.

Time was tranquil.

"Summer is about to end."

She took a light sip of juice. The scene was as serene as a painting.

The next day, the two went to school together, saving Chiri the trouble of taking a long detour to wait for Mimi.

When they arrived right on time, no one in the class found it strange anymore.

A heavy, oppressive atmosphere hung over the classroom.

Nearly everyone wore a grave expression.

The reason was that vacation was about to begin—summer vacation.

The bad part was that they had to bring their exam results home for their parents to see.

Although some people had no family to look at their grades.

That did not stop them from feeling miserable.

Right, Jiraiya?

Mimi glanced at the white-haired boy with the long face.

This guy had completely failed to keep up with the academic lessons this semester.

Tsunade, on the other hand, looked eager to get started.

Exams were no challenge for her. She did not need to worry about getting good grades at all.

The moment she noticed Mimi's gaze, Tsunade shot her a challenging look.

Mimi mainly looked over because Chiri's stare was making her uncomfortable.

Tsunade's eyes were full of impatience.

Clearly, she had her ultimate move ready.

What a child.

Mimi sighed.

"Good luck on the exam, Mimi," Chiri whispered in her ear. "Don't lose to Tsunade."

"Why don't you go yourself and compete with the Senju?"

"No." Chiri shook her head. "It'd be too troublesome if Tsunade started hating me. After all, she's a Princess."

"You sly thing." Mimi chuckled softly.

The two separated and returned to their respective seats.

On one side of the classroom, Hinata Hitomi, her Byakugan active, continuously scanned the three of them.

Who should I choose?

My opponent.

They were all Monsters anyway. It didn't matter who she chose.

She would either win or lose.

Hinata Hitomi nervously pressed her lips together.

It was time to prove the results of her hard work.