Christmas arrived once again.
Unlike her usual work in the kitchen, Tokai Shizen took the day off.
In the morning, Tokai Shizen, for the first time in a while, played with Mochizuki.
However, after a short while, Mochizuki went to find Speed Symbol on her own.
After all, compared to Tokai Shizen, who worked all year and had little time to spend with her, it was only natural for Mochizuki to be closer to Speed Symbol.
This was Tokai Shizen's comforting thought.
After all, as a mother, seeing her daughter closer to someone else… no matter how she thought about it… Tokai Shizen sighed and stood up.
The dinner decided a few days ago was sushi.
Sushi, in reality, is something that can be both simple and complex.
Although it's easy to make, however… Tokai Shizen glanced at Mochizuki, who was happily playing with Speed Symbol, and then walked towards the kitchen.
Trial and error also takes time.
And after Tokai Shizen entered the kitchen,
Speed Symbol, who had been focusing on Tokai Shizen, finally lowered her head to look at Mochizuki in her arms.
"Don't tell Mama, okay~"
"Mhm!"
Hearing Mochizuki's response, Speed Symbol put Mochizuki down and then stood up.
Speed Symbol, having put Mochizuki down, quickly went to the second floor and retrieved a beautifully wrapped gift box from her room.
Holding the gift box, Speed Symbol hurried downstairs.
She placed the gift box she was holding among the pile of empty gift boxes under the fake Christmas tree, so Tokai Shizen wouldn't notice anything unusual immediately.
Having completed all this, Speed Symbol stood up and walked back behind Mochizuki: "Don't tell Mama, okay~"
"Okay!"
A faint sound reached Tokai Shizen's ears.
Although Tokai Shizen had excellent hearing, because Speed Symbol spoke very softly, Tokai Shizen only heard Mochizuki's two replies clearly.
Having only heard Tokai Mochizuki's replies, Shizen became even more puzzled.
She couldn't guess what Speed Symbol had done.
But, guessing didn't have much meaning.
Tokai Shizen still had more things to do.
Approximately two hours later, after consuming half a pot of failed attempts, Tokai Shizen finally managed to grasp the knack of it.
This wasn't to say Tokai Shizen's skill was particularly high; it was simply because, according to traditional sushi making, a woman's hand temperature is slightly lower than a man's, making it harder to create the best flavor.
Therefore, Tokai Shizen had to put in more effort.
After all, this traditional restriction on women's hand temperature for sushi was very troublesome, unlike other dishes where one could master the heat.
But fortunately, Tokai Shizen still managed to finish it just in time.
"Speed Symbol!"
"Huh?"
"Take Mochizuki to wash her hands, and then you bring out the sushi!" Tokai Shizen, who shouted this, looked back at the vinegared rice; the heavily used vinegared rice still had about half its quantity left.
If it was to feed the three people coming next, it would basically be enough.
Thinking this, Tokai Shizen looked at the tuna… By the time Speed Symbol came to the kitchen again, Tokai Shizen had already prepared the sushi.
The sushi on the plate was mainly seafood sushi.
But it also included a small portion of mixed cooked sushi.
Picking up a piece of sushi that only showed traces of fish on top, Speed Symbol looked at Tokai Shizen.
"What is this?"
"Pan-seared salmon sushi, prepared for Mochizuki. She's still young and shouldn't eat too much raw food." Tokai Shizen, placing another already-formed sushi on the plate, looked up at Speed Symbol: "The other flavors are for you and me. Alright, take them out."
"…Oh."
Looking at the various flavors of sushi on the plate, Speed Symbol simply popped the pan-seared salmon sushi in her hand into her mouth, then carried the plate out.
After forming the last plate of sushi, Tokai Shizen began to prepare the side dishes.
After all, Japanese food culture isn't just sushi; it also includes things like tempura and katsudon, but due to limited ingredients, Tokai Shizen only planned to make tempura.
When Tokai Shizen brought out the tempura, she saw Speed Symbol, who hadn't touched her food, and Mochizuki, who had started eating because she was hungry.
Seeing the situation of the two, Tokai Shizen simply placed the tempura on the table:
"Were you waiting for me?"
"Mhm."
Speed Symbol, nodding in response, still didn't move; she just stared at Tokai Shizen.
"Wha-what's wrong? Is there something on my face?"
Tokai Shizen, being stared at by Speed Symbol, didn't feel very comfortable.
"Nothing, just thinking about other things."
Speed Symbol, withdrawing her gaze from Tokai Shizen's ear, simply reached out and took Mochizuki's hand: "Mochizuki can't eat this, Mochizuki is still small, she can only eat this~"
Speed Symbol, having swapped the tuna sushi in Mochizuki's hand for tamagoyaki sushi, then picked up a piece of tempura with her chopsticks: "Tempura, it's really been a long time."
Opening her mouth and taking a bite, Speed Symbol looked at Tokai Shizen: "It's vegetable tempura…"
"Mhm, I just made it simply. After all, in this kind of environment, we probably need food with higher calories, right?"
Eating a piece of sushi, Tokai Shizen continued: "But we can't buy much else here, so making other things is also quite troublesome."
"However, there's still Chikuzen-ni later, so it's best not to eat too much."
Tokai Shizen's reminder made Speed Symbol nod: "Mhm, after dinner, I also have something for you."
"Oh, what is it?"
"I won't tell you~"
Speed Symbol, who didn't give an answer, lowered her head and continued to correct Tokai Mochizuki about not eating raw sushi.
Speed Symbol, having no intention of saying more, also made Tokai Shizen lose the idea of continuing to ask.
She simply responded: "Mhm, I'm looking forward to it."
After dinner, Tokai Shizen cleaned up the table. When she emerged from the kitchen again, she saw Speed Symbol standing at the kitchen entrance, both hands behind her back.
Speed Symbol's actions reminded Tokai Shizen of what she had said earlier.
"What is it~"
Asking the question she hadn't asked at the dinner table, Tokai Shizen looked at Speed Symbol.
"Christmas present!"
"Christmas present!"
The voices of the elder and the younger were not in unison, but the gift box Speed Symbol placed in front of them overshadowed it all.
"What is it?" Looking at Speed Symbol, Tokai Shizen asked the same question.
Unlike before, this time Speed Symbol responded: "It's earrings. The one you're wearing is already damaged, isn't it?"
"Huh? It's broken?"
"Didn't you notice yourself…?"
"I'm usually very busy, and I don't often take off my earrings. It would be hard to notice, wouldn't it?"
"That's true, but try it on first."
"…Mhm, thank you."
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