January 17
The kitchen rang once more with the sound of hot oil spitting and crackling. Ingredients collided enthusiastically with the iron wok, producing the kind of lively, comforting music that made everyone's stomachs stir with anticipation.
Before the kitchen door had even opened, the rich aroma sneaking out through the narrow gap had already captured the taste buds of the four people waiting outside.
"Miss Takagi, your little sister is an incredible cook," Miranda said. "Just from the color and smell alone, these dishes are enough to make anyone happy."
It had been so long since the three castaways had eaten anything resembling a proper meal that even food which might once have seemed ordinary now felt like a royal feast.
Even Brent, quietly thinking to herself, had no choice but to admire Kyoko. In an apocalypse where most people could barely fill their stomachs, Takagi Kyoko's everyday table somehow still held fish, shrimp, fresh meat, fruit, and vegetables. This girl really was anything but ordinary.
Huaxiu's cooking was also excellent—ten out of ten, or rather, even eleven out of ten. Everything looked fresh and tasted amazing. Just the sight of it was enough to make mouths water and appetites flare.
The three shipwreck survivors were practically screaming inside.
Please, just put it on the table already!
"Since even a young lady from Italy like you says so, I suppose I should be happy on behalf of my Huaxiu," Kyoko said with a grin as she carried out the last dish from the kitchen.
"The final dish is here. Everyone, eat up."
Huaxiu, following behind her, wiped the sweat from her brow, untied her apron, and hung it up. Smiling along with Kyoko, she greeted the group as well.
As for these outsiders Kyoko had brought back, Huaxiu did not really have much to say. She was not surprised at all that Kyoko had brought more survivors home. If Kyoko had been the sort of person who shut herself off from everyone else, then Huaxiu herself would never have been taken in when they first met.
Besides, these people were just foreign tourists in Japan. Once they had the means, they would surely return to Italy. It was not as though they were going to form a lifelong survivor squad together in Japan.
Everyone sat down in silence. No talking at the table—when it was time to eat, then eat.
The five of them immediately began devouring the meal.
"Thank you for the food, Miss Kyoko, Miss Huaxiu!"
Using a napkin to wipe the stains from the corner of her mouth, Miranda expressed her gratitude. All those earlier suspicions and dark theories had been completely crushed by the food itself. If anything had been mixed into the dishes, it would have altered the flavor too obviously. And if something had been added before cooking, much of its effect would have been weakened by the heat.
Just like that, food had broken down another barrier.
Where earlier they had addressed Kyoko more formally, now they were already calling her by name. The relationship had clearly become closer.
It was not quite as dramatic as "winning someone over through their stomach," but it was close enough. At the very least, the three of them felt a sharp increase in their goodwill toward both Huaxiu and Kyoko after this meal.
Of course, some caution still remained. One should not harbor the intention to harm others, but one must also guard against being harmed. Still, they no longer felt the need to suspect every single thing. They could trust Kyoko a little more now.
After the meal, naturally, someone had to deal with the mountain of dirty dishes left behind. The table looked like a battlefield strewn with remains. This time, however, it was not Kyoko and Huaxiu who cleaned up. Miranda and Brent volunteered to handle the plates and the kitchen work.
Because water was still a limited resource, even someone as extravagant as Kyoko did not dare waste too much on washing up. Besides, kitchen scraps could be turned into compost, replenishing the soil with calcium and potassium. In the absence of chemical fertilizers, that was valuable nourishment for plants.
The dishwater, untouched by any detergent, would later be carried up to the greenhouse garden on the twentieth floor. In the time Kyoko had been away, Huaxiu had done far more than simply cook a few meals.
She had remembered the grand plan Kyoko had talked about before.
The greenhouse garden on the twentieth floor now occupied what used to be Huaxiu's old apartment. In the end, she had cleared out everything from upstairs, moving every item worth keeping into the home she now shared with Kyoko.
She had not been able to move the large furniture, but even just clearing out the living rooms of the two apartments had utterly exhausted her, especially so soon after waking from her ordeal.
Because they still lacked the time to build proper shelving, they had temporarily abandoned container growing. Broken flowerpots had been emptied of their soil, and the floor was now covered with waterproof sheeting and spread with soil, laying the groundwork for future planting. The remaining space had been left open so that shelving could be installed later.
When the time came, they would adopt a more vertical system, placing containers on racks to maximize yield per square meter.
For now, the five of them came to the twentieth floor carrying buckets of water, so the newcomers could see for themselves the system that sustained Kyoko's life here: the plant greenhouse and the rainwater collection system.
"So this is the survival base you and Huaxiu built, Miss Kyoko?" Doris said excitedly, her energy partly restored. "Every section is organized so well!"
With Kyoko's earlier explanation, the three of them had already learned how the building was divided up. Looking at it now, they could not help but feel that if not for the infected outside, this place could sustain Kyoko and Huaxiu living like reclusive shut-ins forever.
"Well, of course. It's our home. Who would want their own home to be a mess?"
Carrying a bucket, Kyoko evenly watered the soil. Wetting the ground now would prepare it for planting tomorrow. She had already decided what crops to start with.
Since the newly repaired water collection system was still not producing water very steadily, Kyoko wanted to avoid waste. She planned to keep watering to a minimum, just enough to keep the soil damp.
In an apocalypse—or any emergency survival situation—the key was to choose vegetables with short growth cycles, strong adaptability, and ease of cultivation.
The first batch of crops she had selected was bok choy, lettuce, fast-growing cabbage, and water spinach. Their advantages were obvious.
These vegetables all matured quickly, usually in around thirty days, with some taking even less than that. They were hardy, rich in calcium and vitamins, highly productive in small spaces, and some could even be harvested repeatedly like chives.
"Miss Kyoko, how are you planning to plant them? I might be able to offer a few suggestions," Miranda said, voicing her support for Kyoko's farming project. She needed to prove that she had something to contribute. Relying entirely on someone else's kindness was not a sustainable way to live.
More than anything, she needed to show that she had value.
At present, it was increasingly likely that the three of them would not be going home anytime soon. They would probably be staying with Kyoko for quite a long time.
And so, during their quiet discussion in the kitchen earlier, the three of them had reached a shared conclusion:
Winning Kyoko's favor was critically important.
The news Kyoko had given them before—that the Japanese government had already lost Tokyo and retreated to Shikoku—had hit them like a thunderbolt.
Japan, a country whose military could hardly be called weak, had failed to hold even its capital. For three foreign tourists stranded here, it was a devastating realization. Go home? What home? For now, they had no choice but to stay in Japan and survive.
They were foreigners in a land they barely knew, and now the infected crisis had erupted on top of that. Without local help, life here would be unbearably difficult.
Seeing that Kyoko needed help with planting, Miranda was determined to demonstrate her usefulness. If not, then the only other options she had considered were things she would rather not contemplate—especially not for her younger sister or for Brent. If those choices ever became known, the reputation of their family would be crushed beyond repair.
Even so, Miranda still believed her mother had survived somewhere. And if so, the Vatican would surely take in the Christian family.
"I just want to grow some fast-harvest vegetables for now," Kyoko said. "I don't really have any other plans yet. Do you have something in mind, Miranda?"
Kyoko was happy to hear other people's ideas. After all, her own knowledge came only from a survival handbook. In both her previous life and this one, she had never really worked the land. In truth, as a student in both lifetimes, she had almost no production experience at all.
Now that someone seemed ready to help, she naturally welcomed it. Being able to gather ideas from others, to accept advice, and to listen with humility—those were among Kyoko's strengths.
It was nearly ten at night now.
The darkness outside had deepened. The moon hid behind the clouds, making the already dim night feel even more eerie. Artificial light shone from Kyoko's building, and while the five of them talked beneath that warm glow, something strange was stirring within the silent, deserted city park four hundred meters away.
And the nightmare waiting past midnight was quietly beginning to draw near.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter116)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter144)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 118
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 111
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 80
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 112
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 95
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 89
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 53
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 61
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 65
Uma Musume: From Beginner 61
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 37
Uma Musume: I Want All 35
I Can Copy Unique Skills 36
A Guide to Aid in the Underwor 26
Summoning an Evil God, but the 27
Supernatural Multiverse 27
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