After a brief introduction with Ichika, Rin Ito went into the kitchen. The other dishes were left to Kaede and Suzu, and the salted fish dish was Rin Ito's responsibility.
Rin Ito peeled the hard, purple skin off the eggplant, leaving the soft, white flesh. He then took a small piece of salted fish, chopped it into small cubes, and cut some pork belly into mince to add a savory meat flavor. After frying the eggplant in high-temperature oil until it was browned, Rin Ito left a small amount of oil to fry the salted fish until fragrant... At this point, Ichika, who was in the living room, had already rushed into the kitchen, leaning close to Rin Ito and sniffing the air.
"It smells so good~ Is this authentic Chinese cuisine? Ito-kun, you're amazing! Can you teach me?"
"It's just some simple home-cooked food, so of course, I can."
"I've already fried the eggplant. Note that you need high-temperature oil, or the eggplant will absorb too much oil. Then, fry the salted fish and minced meat until fragrant... Now, I'm going to quickly blanch the fried eggplant in boiling water to wash off the excess oil, so it won't feel greasy when you eat it."
"Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!!!" Rin Ito taught Ichika as he cooked.
"Finally, put it into a preheated clay pot... Done!" Rin Ito handed a pair of chopsticks to Ichika. "Have a taste."
"May I?"
"It's fine. We don't have so many rules here. You can sneak a taste if you want." Ichika held her collar with one hand, leaned forward slightly, picked up a piece of eggplant, and put it in her mouth. The savory eggplant instantly opened Ichika's taste buds. If it weren't for the fact that dinner wasn't ready yet, she would have wanted to eat a bowl of rice right then and there!
Speaking of Chinese cuisine... "Ito-kun, do you know how to make other Chinese dishes? Like... steamed buns?"
Rin Ito raised an eyebrow... Does Ichika want to learn that to cook for the 'Meat Bun Monster'?
"I'm quite good at stir-fries, but I'm not so good at steamed buns and things like that... Do you like steamed buns very much, Ichika?"
"One of my sisters really likes them, and she has very picky taste. But I'm taking acting classes recently, so even if Ito-kun knew how, I wouldn't have time to learn." Ichika was just mentioning it. Even if she wanted to learn, she would have to wait until her acting classes were over. Rin Ito, Kaede, and Suzu were busy in the kitchen, and Ichika helped out by handing plates and doing other small tasks nearby. Nanami wanted Ichika to sit in the living room, but the outgoing Ichika insisted on helping, so Nanami had no choice but to let her.
Ichika's visit was impromptu, so Rin Ito and the others prepared simple home-cooked meals. With three people working in the kitchen simultaneously, the table was set quickly. The four people worked together to carry the dishes to the table and set out the bowls and chopsticks, while Nanami brought Mashiro downstairs.
So cute! The moment Ichika saw Mashiro, she walked up to her... A girl as cute as a doll! No wonder Nanami often mentioned her.
"My name is Ichika Nakano. Are you Shiina-san? Nanami talks about you often."
Mashiro looked at Ichika's face, then gradually lowered her gaze to her ankles. Being stared at like that by Mashiro made Ichika feel a little uncomfortable... as if she had been seen naked all over. After sizing her up, Mashiro parted her lips. "Do you want to be my friend?"
"Yes, Shiina-san, would you like to be friends with me?"
"No problem, as long as... Wuh!!!!!" Mashiro's words were cut off as Nanami quickly covered her mouth... Nanami was sure that if she hadn't covered Mashiro's mouth, her next sentence would have been to ask Ichika to take off her clothes. Looking at the other person's body seemed to have become Mashiro's prerequisite for making friends.
"Um... Ichika, are you hungry? Come, let's eat. Don't be shy!"
"Huh... okay." Although Ichika found Nanami's reaction strange, she didn't dwell on it since Nanami had said so.
There weren't many rules at Rin Ito's dining table. Once everyone was seated, they started eating. Ichika was very generous with her praise for the dinner. The food on the table gradually decreased. After filling their stomachs a bit, the conversation increased, naturally centering on Ichika.
"I heard you were scouted by a talent agent, Ichika? Do you plan to be in movies or TV shows in the future?" Kaede asked curiously while picking up some food.
"I just signed with an agency. I'm still taking acting classes, and I have auditions coming up later... Just being scouted doesn't mean you'll become an actor. Many seniors at the agency quit after being extras for a while."
"Someone as pretty as Ichika will definitely become a big star in the future." After saying this, Kaede glanced at Rin Ito, feeling a little sour. In the beginning, he didn't seem to be interested in the girls she brought home, but now... Hmph! He's probably filled up countless girls by now!
The more Kaede thought about it, the angrier she got, and she felt like she was losing ground by backing down. Kaede lifted her foot and viciously stomped on Rin Ito's toe.
"Hiss..." Rin Ito sat up straight and glanced at Kaede beside him, pretending nothing happened, but the next second, he placed his hand on Kaede's thigh. "Speaking of which... I've seen a lot of news about the entertainment industry online. Have you encountered any of those issues, Ichika?" Rin Ito asked while his hand slid along the smooth skin of Kaede's inner thigh. Kaede instinctively clamped her legs shut to stop him, but then changed her mind and spread her legs open... I'm wearing a chastity belt today! No matter how much he teases me, I won't feel anything!
"There are those things, yes." Ichika bit her lip and nodded when Rin Ito brought up the topic. She hadn't personally encountered them, but she had heard about similar things from her seniors at the agency. For example, some directors liked to exploit their position for sexual favors... It was easy for new actors without resources or connections to run into those problems. It wasn't just female actors, either; male actors also faced the same issues... some people were interested in both genders, and sometimes what male actors endured was even more perverse.
"Thank you for your concern, Ito-kun... But I haven't encountered anything like that yet. Besides... Hehehe, I plan to conquer the audience with my acting skills!" Ichika's smile held a hint of resignation. What she said was true... how many young boys and girls wanted to become stars? But how many truly appeared in the spotlight? Forget about exploitation; some people didn't even get the chance to be exploited. But Ichika had no intention of taking the path of exploitation for favors.
Ichika, who was more mature in personality than her sisters, clearly knew how difficult the path she had chosen was. But... Ichika was different from the average actor at the agency. Her family had money. She didn't need to compromise for money.
Ichika stuck out her tongue playfully. "If I run into any trouble, I'll just go to my dad." Although Ichika was determined to rely only on herself, if she encountered real trouble, she wouldn't be foolish enough to handle it alone. Her father was the director of a private hospital and had plenty of connections.
"If you run into anything and don't want to go to your dad... you can come to me, too." Kaede glanced at Rin Ito... What? Do you want to be her daddy?