Chapter 139: Finding a Kitchen Helper
In the morning, at 6:30, Kaede's phone alarm went off.
After a few seconds, Kaede opened his eyes, scratched his head, turned off the still-ringing phone, and slowly climbed out of bed with a yawn.
"A little sleepy... but I'm fine."
Getting out of bed and folding the blanket, Kaede went to the window and opened the curtains.
Although it wasn't even seven o'clock yet, it was already quite bright outside in the summer.
Rubbing his face and stretching, Kaede woke up completely, left the bedroom, and started washing up.
After brushing his teeth and washing his face, he went to the living room, stepped onto the treadmill placed there, and started jogging slowly. Although he could have run outside, Kaede chose the treadmill because the butcher from the shopping street would be delivering ingredients in the morning.
After exercising for a while and taking a quick shower, Kaede began preparing breakfast for the day. As for Eriri, there was no need to rush her; he would let her sleep a little longer.
At 7:10, Kaede's phone rang. It was the butcher he had called yesterday.
After answering, the owner confirmed he was downstairs. After notifying the building security to let him up, the doorbell rang shortly after.
Kaede opened the door and saw the shop owner carrying a large foam box. There was even a portable electronic scale placed on top of the box.
"Good morning, young man. Your items are here."
"Thank you for your effort. Please come in, I'll just confirm the items."
After coming inside, the items were placed on the kitchen counter. Kaede opened the box, checked the quantity and quality, confirmed everything was fine, and paid immediately.
After sending the shop owner off, Kaede separated the ingredients from the box and stored them, then walked to Eriri's bedroom door.
He knocked twice but got no response, so Kaede opened the door.
The air conditioning had been running all night, but Eriri hadn't set it too low, following Kaede's suggestion. Although the drawn curtains made the room dimly lit, Kaede could still see Eriri lying on the bed, curled up in a ball.
First, he pulled back the curtains. Only then did Kaede walk to the bedside and sit down. Pulling back the blanket covering Eriri's head, he said with a smile, "Eriri, it's time to get up!"
With the covering removed from her head and sunlight streaming into the room, Eriri quickly let out a muffled groan.
"Ugh..."
Slowly opening her eyes, Eriri finally saw Kaede sitting at her bedside. After a few more seconds, she realized that she was no longer at her own house but in her new home with Kaede.
However, contrary to Kaede's expectations, Eriri didn't get up immediately. Instead, she burrowed further into the blanket and whispered, "Kaede-kun... What time is it?"
"It's 7:15."
"That's so early... Let me sleep a little longer."
"No can do." Holding the blanket that Eriri wanted to pull back over herself, Kaede smiled and said, "We agreed to have everyone over at 9:30. Eriri, you need to get up early and prepare, at least get yourself ready. Plus, I'm already making breakfast. Hurry up and get out of bed."
"Ugh... Fine."
Although Eriri really wanted to keep sleeping, she understood priorities and slowly climbed out of bed.
Rubbing her eyes sleepily, Eriri didn't notice at all that the pajama top had slipped off her right shoulder, exposing her smooth collarbone and shoulder.
He was a little tempted, wanting to lick it.
Noticing Kaede's gaze, Eriri finally realized her state and quickly pulled her clothes back up. Fortunately, this action completely woke her up.
"Kaede-kun, hurry up and get out! I need to change!"
"Alright, alright. Don't go back to sleep, okay? Come eat breakfast once you've washed up."
Pinching Eriri's cheek, Kaede walked out smiling, leaving the blushing Eriri sitting on the bed, unsure whether to move or speak.
Fifteen minutes later, Eriri, dressed and washed up, arrived in the living room and sat across from Kaede.
Kaede had already prepared breakfast. After sitting down and taking a sip of the brewed coffee, Eriri said, "Kaede-kun, are you going out to buy groceries later?"
"Yes. The meat has already been delivered. After eating, I'll start marinating it. I'll go buy the rest of the ingredients after breakfast. I'll handle the meat dishes for lunch today. What do you want to make for the vegetables, Eriri?"
"Hmm~~~~"
Taking a bite of her fried egg, Eriri thoughtfully said, "I don't know how to make many things. How about I make cream stew? I'm quite good at that! And I'll make a salad too, since we'll have heavy, oily foods like grilled meat and fried chicken wings."
"Sounds good, it's settled then."
After finishing breakfast, Kaede had Eriri make a list of all the ingredients she needed to buy, and then he headed out.
Meanwhile, Eriri, sitting on the living room sofa, held a cup of coffee and mused, "Hmm... What should I do now? Oh well, I'll tidy up the room. The bed hasn't been made yet. Then I'll move the console out and connect it to the living room TV."
After finishing the last bit of coffee and washing her mug, Eriri also started getting busy.
After running an errand and buying all the ingredients he needed from several shops in the shopping district, Kaede returned carrying two bags. Just before entering the apartment building, he spotted Takasu Ryuji, who had just come out to throw away the trash.
"Yo, good morning!"
"Oh... oh! Good morning." Takasu Ryuji paused for a moment, greeted Kaede, and then said, "I'm still not used to this, with you suddenly moving in here."
"Hahaha, I knew you'd make that face."
Kaede smiled happily and said, "You're up early. Why don't you come over now? I have plenty of ingredients, so you can help me prepare them."
"...So you weren't just inviting me over as a guest, you were looking for a kitchen helper?"
After teasing him, Takasu Ryuji smiled: "I understand. If you're not in a hurry, wait for me for a minute. I'll just go back inside and then come up with you."
"Sure." Kaede nodded. "Oh, right, should we invite Aunt Yasuko too?"
"No, she's still sound asleep. Let her rest well."
"Hmm... How about this? Since we're making a lot for lunch anyway, I'll set some aside for Aunt Yasuko, and you can take it back at noon. Looking at your schedule, you probably won't have time to come back and prepare lunch, and eating too many packed lunches isn't good either."
"Hahaha, I really appreciate that."
Takasu Ryuji patted Kaede's shoulder, hurried back home to prepare, and quickly came out again, following Kaede into the apartment building.