Chapter 202

More than twenty minutes later,

He arrived at the Starry, just as he reached his work post.

"Too slow!"

"?"

Sakurakoji Talent looked over in surprise and saw a smart and handsome girl with Black Long Straight Hair tied up, wearing an apron over her school uniform and black knee-high socks, frowning and crossing her arms at his workstation, staring at him unhappily.

"Um, Yukino Shita- san..."

The person inside was none other Yukino Shita Yukino.

Yesterday, Starry was off work, but today she still kept her promise and came to learn cooking skills.

But the fact that Sakurakoji Talent was actually slower than hers, who had come all the way from Chiba, seemed to displease her.

Before he could begin to explain, she continued to fire her cherry-like mouth like a machine gun:

"Whether you're coming or not, please make it clear in the future, Sakurakoji-san."

"As a salaried worker, how can you not even adhere to the basic rule of working hours? Don't you feel ashamed?"

"Since the job involves catering, shouldn't it be common sense to arrive at the workplace two hours before opening?"

"Besides, I already told you I would be here today. Considering the extra time spent teaching me, I should have come even earlier."

"You've already caused this store a lot of trouble because of your laziness; you should be more careful about these things."

"Or is it that your mind is so empty that you haven't even considered this? If so, then I suggest..."

"..."

A barrage of words rained down on the bewildered Sakurakoji Talent.

Because he had indeed made a mistake, he couldn't retort to her.

But he had reason to believe that this woman's actions were definitely driven by some personal grudge!

"Anyway, I hope this won't happen again, for the sake of this shop, for the sake of me mastering the skills more quickly, and also for your near-distorted Mirai... understand?"

Two full minutes passed before Yukino Shita Yukino finally stopped her eloquent speech (criticism) and let out a sigh of relief.

"... I understand." He didn't want to argue now; he just wanted to end the conversation as quickly as possible.

Why is it that he has to be lectured twice today for being late? Are you all in cahoots?

But he wasn't late! At least it wasn't clear that he had missed work. Women are so unreasonable!

He sighed in resignation. Forget it; trying to reason with them was just a waste of his time.

Standing to the side, Ichiji Hoshika, stunned by the scene, nudged Hiratsuka Shizuka with her elbow. "Your student is really something, managing to leave him speechless."

It seemed to be the first time she had ever seen that kid being lectured like this.

After all, most people's anger would automatically subside upon seeing Sakurakoji Talent and appearance; even if they were good at scolding, they wouldn't be this harsh.

While Yukino Shita Yukino, Hiratsuka Shizuka also felt a sense of satisfaction. "She's always been like this."

They will not flatter superiors, nor will they conspire with subordinates. They will ruthlessly strike against anyone or anything that violates their own beliefs and correct values, and at the same time, they will not slack off in their efforts.

She wouldn't be so sharp-tongued to ordinary people with normal thinking, nor would she use bullying to gain a sense of superiority.

Therefore, it is difficult for her to find fault with Sakurakoji Talent by exploiting his weaknesses, but it is equally difficult for him to retaliate against her by leveraging his moral high ground in addition to his skills and talent.

After the little incident ended

"Hey there! Mr. Talent! I'm here to join in too!" Seeing that Yukino Shita Yukino had stopped her critical attacks, Yuihama Yui, who had been hiding in the back, came out to greet him.

"Ah, Classmate Yuihama, welcome." Sakurakoji Talent forced a smile.

"You've quickly adapted to Classmate Yuihama's way of greeting people." Yukino Shita Yukino's eyes were unreadable; she wasn't sure whether she should praise his adaptability.

She was stunned for quite a while when she first heard it.

"Did you come with Teacher Shizuka?" He asked Yuihama Yui.

"Yeah! It's Friday today, a day off. Teacher Hiratsuka said she'd come over to hang out, so we took a ride here together!"

"I see," he looked around, "But I don't think I see Hikitani classmate- kun."

"Ah, well..." Yuihama Yui, touching her cheek, "Hikikomori said he spent all his allowance last time, so even if he comes today, he won't have any money to buy snacks."

"Watching others eat is torture, so I'll probably go to work soon and save some money before coming back."

"He's probably just looking for an excuse not to participate in the event and will just go home and indulge himself," Yukino Shita Yukino bluntly stated her opinion. "But anyway, this request only requires me, so it doesn't matter whether he comes or not."

"Classmate Yuihama is here to have fun, so he's not included. If he doesn't want to come, that's fine too."

"I bet some of them are serious, right?" Yuihama Yui guessed, tapping her chin. "The souvenirs I brought back last time received rave reviews from my mom!"

She even gave me money, saying that I must bring some back next time I come.

"And I also fell in love with the atmosphere here. Ever since I went back, I've been thinking about when I can come back again!"

"Compared to coming alone, Teacher Hiratsuka and Little Yukino can come in for free to see the performance together, isn't that great!"

"You actually thought about something like that...?" Yukino Shita Yukino was speechless at her petty, calculating nature.

However, this was within the rules, so she didn't intend to say anything.

"Alright, that's enough. We'll run out of time if we don't hurry. We need to get to work. Classmate Yuihama, you can go out now."

Chapter 257 The Verbal Battle in the Kitchen

"Okay! I'll go find Nijika-chan and the others to play with now. Good luck with your work!" Yuihama Yui gave a thumbs-up as encouragement before leaving.

"They've started calling their names so soon...?"

Yukino Shita Yukino was surprised by her outgoing personality and social skills, but when she thought about how she herself had been suddenly addressed that way, it didn't seem strange.

Is this what is commonly known as a "positive angle"? His interpersonal skills are indeed extraordinary.

Then she began her service for the day.

"Before you arrived, I practiced for a while. On the table are some drink and snack ingredients I just prepared. I wrote down the quantities on a piece of paper. Could you please take a look and see if there are any problems?"

"I've already done the whipping of the eggs, softening of the butter, and weighing of the flour and sugar. Could you please take a look at them as well?"

She pointed to the various materials neatly arranged on the workbench and explained the results of her efforts.

Sakurakoji Talent looked over in surprise, only noticing these things after she pointed them out. Looking at the extensive preparations, he felt somewhat ashamed.

I didn't expect her to have done so much work in such a short time; no wonder people said he was too slow.

This requires not only memorizing the specific contents of each ingredient, but also being quick-witted and able to perform multiple steps simultaneously.

Clearly, she is not only exceptionally intelligent, but she must have also memorized all the information she had written down in her notebook before coming here.

All I can say is, she truly lives up to her reputation.

Their ability to learn and apply knowledge is truly astonishing.

At this rate, with a few more hands-on practice sessions, she'll be ready to graduate.

"Well done, no problems." After checking the materials on the table, he praised, "As expected of you."

Hearing that she hadn't made a mistake, she breathed a sigh of relief, but still said nonchalantly, "It's nothing. Anyone can do something this simple if they put their mind to it."

"That's the biggest problem," he thought for a moment, then decided on today's steps, continuing from where she left off. "Not everyone can do things that seem obvious; only a few can truly put knowledge into practice."

Yukino Shita Yukino naturally stood next to him, and just like last time, she observed, learned, and practiced at the same time.

She had already meticulously noted down all the details of the ingredients and procedures last time, and had memorized them after returning home. Today and from now on, she would mainly observe the specific details of his practical operations and exercises.

"I thought you would take this opportunity to get back at me, deliberately point out something I did wrong, and then make sarcastic remarks about me."

"What kind of person am I in your eyes? It seems you have a lot of prejudice against me. Actually, most of the time, I'm a gentle and kind person."

"When you say 'most of the time,' you're no longer a good person." Yukino Shita Yukino carefully controlled the volume, pouring the deflated egg whites evenly into each small cup.

"However, it has indeed changed my opinion of you a bit. At least an ordinary person wouldn't be able to remain calm after I insulted them so much."

"Ah~" She suddenly realized, lifting her leaning body to look at him, "Could it be that you actually have a masochistic tendency? I've heard that seemingly gentle boys can have that side to their personality..."

"But I'm very sorry, I have no intention of becoming the kind of person you're fantasizing about. Please look for someone else!"

After she finished speaking, she gave a serious bow.

"Can you be serious for once? Besides, I'm a genuine, standard S, so you can rest assured." Mimicking her tone, he jokingly retorted:

"Ah~ But I can't be completely at ease, because one wrong Kokoro could trigger my sadistic side."

"So when you're in the same room with me, you have to be careful about your words and actions—like right now."

Yukino Shita Yukino, and she quickly took a few steps back, clutching her perfectly intact apron collar, staring at him warily and pitifully, as if she might cry out for help at any moment.

"As expected, you've finally revealed your malicious and despicable dark thoughts!"

"But I won't just give up like this. If you do anything inappropriate, I'll call the police immediately!"

"Ah, is that so?" Sakurakoji Talent licked the cream mixture off his fingers, tasted it, and after confirming it was about right, set it aside for later use.

He glanced at her brilliant performance, his eyes slightly closed, a strange smile appearing on his face.

"Don't worry, our relationship isn't that good yet, and I'm not planning on doing anything that would let you take advantage of me."

"What?!" Yukino Shita Yukino there in shock.

She had thought of many possible answers, but she never expected him to say that.

Who's taking advantage of whom? Is she taking advantage of him?

That's incredibly insulting!

Since birth, no one had ever insulted her appearance like this! She had to retaliate... But after glancing at his face, she abandoned the idea.

So, that kind of trick only works on people who are far less attractive than you. I learned something new today.

It has to be admitted that although this guy is the same sex as me and repulsive, he is no less than me in any aspect, and even surpasses me, such as his appearance.

She's a character just as difficult to deal with as her older sister.

She didn't say anything, and continued to work diligently at her post, occasionally asking him questions about things she didn't understand, which Sakurakoji Talent was happy to answer.

The atmosphere between the two was very harmonious, as if everything that had just happened was just playful banter—and that was indeed the case.

In this harmonious and efficient collaboration among intelligent individuals, adding a touch of playful banter and banter can alleviate some of the fatigue from work... which is surprisingly not so bad.

"Speaking of which, do you have any grudges with your sister?" he asked casually as he stuffed the pastries on the tray into the oven.

"Why would you think that?" She wasn't surprised, she just answered calmly.

"Last time, after Teacher Shizuka mentioned that I knew her, didn't you immediately change your expression?"

"He didn't change his expression," Yukino Shita Yukino corrected him, wiping her hands with a clean towel.

"I'm just not good at dealing with her. Ever since then, she's been subtly blocking my way, leaving me both angry and helpless."

"And her personality is completely opposite to mine. You've met her before, what's your impression of her?"

"Is this something I can say?" He looked over to confirm with his eyes.

"As you see fit."

"Hmm... is someone who wears a persona, pretends to be polite to everyone, doesn't reveal their true feelings, has a Little Devil personality, and is both excellent and eccentric and lonely?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the only sound in the room was the silent operation of the oven.

The air seemed to freeze for a dozen seconds Yukino Shita Yukino finally came to her senses and continued what she was doing, "You really startled me. I didn't expect you to know so much about her. How many times have you met her?"

"I already said, there were only two times in total."

"To be able to see her so clearly in just two tries, it seems she has also fallen into depravity."

"Can't it just be because I'm too amazing?"

"Hehe."

The room fell silent again. After a while, Yukino Shita Yukino continued, "Because our relationship isn't exactly good, her wanting you to be friends with me might not be her true feeling."

"Oh, really? I already knew." Sakurakoji Talent nonchalantly picked up the freshly made latte, his eyes fixed on her hand movements, checking if they were up to standard.

"Huh?" She looked over in surprise.