That evening, Duanmu Huai's kitchen was unusually lively.
To celebrate Kurokawa Akane moving in next door, everyone had decided to hold a get-together. That was how it was supposed to go...
"Miss Akane, today is a celebration of your move, so leave the cooking to me."
Sakurajima Mai wore a smile as she held a kitchen knife, grinning at Kurokawa Akane beside her.
"There's no need to trouble yourself, Miss Mai."
Kurokawa Akane was also wearing an apron, her face wreathed in a smile. She looked every bit like a virtuous wife and loving mother.
"As your neighbor, I should show Xiao Ai my cooking skills too."
"But I've always been the one cooking, and you don't really know what they like yet, do you?"
"That's all right. I have confidence in my cooking! Xiao Ai and Ruby will definitely love my food!"
"...Sister, what's going on over there?"
Sitting on the sofa, Ruby quietly looked toward Duanmu Huai and asked.
"Watch your TV. Don't worry about anything else. It has nothing to do with us."
Duanmu Huai sat on the sofa, reading the newspaper in his hands. He looked like a man turning a deaf ear to everything outside his window and devoting himself entirely to the sages' teachings.
"Ah, oh..."
What could Ruby say? She could only obediently watch television.
Thanks to that, dinner was exceptionally lavish. There was not only Mai's braised pork with potatoes, miso soup, and tempura, but also Akane's hamburger steak, fried chicken, omurice, and more...
What else could Duanmu Huai do about it?
He had only one option.
"Ah... So that's why Xiao Ai's lunch was so extravagant today."
Ya Naijian reached out with her chopsticks, picked up a piece of hamburger steak, and happily stuffed it into her mouth.
"Mmm, it's delicious—!"