Time flew by, and soon it was evening.
Because Liu Anqing had to catch a flight tomorrow morning, he left after dinner, but Erina Nakiri and Alice Nakiri chose to stay.
"Yes, Mama, Erina and I are staying over at Brother Okabe's house tonight."
Alice Nakiri stood before the landline phone, her voice clear and strong.
"Staying over at little Okabe's house? How rare. That's fine. Come to think of it, today is the day Mr. Liu Anqing leaves, right?
As his students, you should indeed have a proper get-together."
Before long, Nakiri Leonora's understanding voice came from the other end of the line.
Since they both lived within the Nakiri family estate, their houses were only a few hundred meters apart, so Nakiri Leonora wasn't worried about anything happening to her daughter.
"Thank you, Mama! You're the best! Love you!"
"Tsk, so mushy. Alright, I won't disturb you. Have fun."
"Hehe~"
Hanging up, a slight smile lifted the corners of Alice Nakiri's mouth. She beamed at Okabe and Erina Nakiri, flashing a peace sign with her hand.
"Your turn, Erina."
"Okay."
As she spoke, Alice Nakiri handed the phone over. Seeing this, Erina Nakiri grew nervous and dialed a number.
"Beep~"
"Hello, who is this?"
The Nakiri Residence.
As the phone rang, Azami Nakiri, who was handling some documents, left his room.
Since it was the family's landline and few people knew the number, he was surprised to get a call at this time and quickly went to answer it.
"Father, it's me."
Hearing the familiar voice on the other end, Erina Nakiri nervously twisted the hem of her clothes, leaning against the wall as her voice unconsciously softened.
"Oh, it's Erina. Is something wrong?"
On the other end of the line, Azami Nakiri's expression froze for a moment upon hearing Erina Nakiri's voice. His tone was steady, yet carried its usual caution.
"Um... Father, I'd like to stay over at Okabe's house tonight. Is that okay?"
Erina Nakiri tried to make her voice sound as natural as possible, afraid Azami Nakiri would refuse. She quickly added, "Alice will be there too…"
However, before she could finish, Azami Nakiri cut her off. His voice remained calm but held an unwavering firmness: "No. You are a girl. Staying overnight at a boy's house—what would people say? If anyone were to hear of this, what would they think of you, of us, the Nakiri family? It would damage your good name and the family's reputation."
He paused briefly, as if choosing his words carefully, then added in a grave tone, "I am only doing this for your own good, Father."
Before his words had even faded, Azami Nakiri's tone suddenly grew heavy, carrying an authority that brooked no argument: "Are you at Okabe's house now? I'm coming to pick you up!"
After hearing Azami Nakiri's words, Erina Nakiri's fingers tightened around the receiver. She could feel the familiar, suffocating sense of control in her father's voice.
In the past, she would always have obeyed, believing Azami Nakiri was acting in her best interest. But at this moment, something felt off. This subtle, suffocating feeling made her unbearably uncomfortable.
She subconsciously glanced at Alice and Okabe beside her, who had stopped chatting and were now looking at her with encouraging eyes. Taking a deep breath, she mustered the courage to try and explain:
"But... Father, we're just discussing cooking together. And Alice is here too. There are three of us, it's not like we're alone…"
"Erina." Hearing Erina Nakiri's explanation on the other end, Azami Nakiri's voice grew completely cold, filled with palpable disappointment and pressure: "Since when did you learn to make excuses? Is the true path of cooking something to be discussed in such an inappropriate setting, late at night? Furthermore, that person's foolish culinary knowledge will not only be of no help, but it will also hinder your future growth. Do not let unimportant things and people cloud your judgment and refinement."
"Tell me the address. I'll be there immediately."
His words were like cold chains, not only denying her request but also negating her very reason for being there. The color drained from Erina Nakiri's face. The little courage she had just gathered began to crumble once more under Azami Nakiri's customary disapproval.
"What's going on?"
Yet, just as Erina Nakiri was about to resign herself to her fate, a languid yet undeniably majestic female voice suddenly intervened, breaking the tense atmosphere on both ends of the line.
The voice seemed to possess a certain magic, causing Erina Nakiri, who had been pale and despairing, to find her eyes instantly light up as if she had just grasped a life-saving straw.
On the other end of the line, Azami Nakiri clearly hadn't expected Nakiri Mana to appear at this moment. His tone immediately underwent a subtle shift.
That unquestionable dominance receded slightly.
"Mana, what are you doing here? The doctor said you need to rest. It's nothing serious, just Erina being disobedient. I was about to go pick her up."
He slightly covered the mouthpiece with his hand to prevent the voice from the other side from being heard. Azami Nakiri looked at Nakiri Mana, who had come before him in her pajamas, his smile stiff.
"Disobedient?"
Nakiri Mana's voice rose slightly, carrying clear doubt and interest: "It doesn't sound like a small matter to me. Otherwise, you wouldn't be so agitated; I could hear you from so far away. And Erina, that child, is she out right now?"
She didn't give Azami Nakiri much time or opportunity to explain, directly stating in an irrefutable tone: "Give me the phone."
After a brief silence, seemingly filled with Azami Nakiri's hesitation, the phone changed hands.
"Erina? It's your mother."
Nakiri Mana's voice came through the receiver, slightly softer than when she was speaking to Azami Nakiri: "Tell me, where are you right now, who are you with, and what do you want to do?"
Seeing her mother was willing to listen to her request, joy flashed in Erina Nakiri's eyes. She took a deep breath and spoke quickly and clearly: "Mama, I'm at Okabe's house right now. Alice is here too, and she's already informed her family. We want to stay the night here and discuss our future paths in cooking. But Father…"
"Okabe?" Nakiri Mana briefly recalled, and the image of Koyuki surfaced in her mind, a gentle expression involuntarily appearing on her face.
"Staying over at a peer's house to exchange ideas, especially one who can inspire your culinary creativity—what's wrong with that? Since when did our Nakiri family become so conservative and bound by worldly conventions? The future of cooking is far more important than those boring rules."
Her words seemed directed at Erina Nakiri, yet also at Azami Nakiri standing beside her, like a sharp sword that directly cut through all his previous excuses.
"Mana, this concerns Erina's reputation and…" On the other end of the line, Azami Nakiri's attempt to argue could be faintly heard.
In truth, he didn't want Erina Nakiri to continue interacting with Okabe, lest she be tainted by the vulgarity of a commoner's boy, but for now, he could only use this clumsy excuse.
"Reputation?" Nakiri Mana let out a light laugh, a laugh full of absolute dominance and disdain: "Does my daughter, Nakiri Mana's daughter, need to maintain her reputation by being timid and adhering to those pedantic doctrines?
Her reputation should be built upon her future accomplishments and the delicacies she creates with her own hands! Not be dragged down by some meaningless restrictions.
Furthermore, a three-year-old child having a sleepover at a friend's house is perfectly normal anywhere. Azami, isn't your desire for control a bit too strong?"
"I..."
Azami Nakiri seemed to want to say more, but facing the full force of Nakiri Mana, he, the son-in-law who had married into the family, had absolutely no say in the matter.
At this moment, he could only stand aside with a grim expression.
"That settles it. Have fun, my daughter."
After saying this, without waiting for Erina's reply, the dial tone sounded from the other end.
Clearly, Nakiri Mana had taken control of the situation and would not tolerate any objections. Her powerful and decisive manner filled Erina Nakiri with admiration.
"Mama agreed! I can stay!"
Gently placing the phone down, Erina Nakiri's face was filled with excitement. She had thought she would surely be taken back home today, but unexpectedly, the situation had taken a turn for the better.
"Then let's go set up the room! I'm so excited! When was the last time we slept over here? A year ago, I think!" Alice Nakiri said excitedly, drawing the other two's attention.
"Well, our houses are so close, there's never really a reason to have a special sleepover,"
Erina Nakiri shrugged. She was completely relaxed now. With her mother's support behind her, she felt full of confidence.
Even someone as formidable as her father was nothing more than a kitten in front of her mother.
"Anyway, we can play to our hearts' content today!
"I kind of want to play Old Maid."
"I have a deck of cards at home. Let's play later."
"Okay!"
·
·
After a round of boisterous playing.
The time reached eleven o'clock at night.
Because of the sleepover, the three of them weren't very sleepy. Their futons were laid out next to each other, their small figures lined up in a row. They turned off the lights and began to drift off to sleep.
In addition, there was also a midnight chat.
Liu Anqing's departure had left the three of them feeling somewhat uneasy.
"Grandpa Qing has returned to China, so we have no more lessons. Do you guys have any plans for the future?"
Okabe was the first to speak, asking a very practical question.
He knew the two sisters could understand what he meant. After spending so much time together, he was certain that they both had a strong sense of self.
On one hand, it stemmed from their family's bloodline—the Nakiri bloodline had definitely been blessed by some kind of power. On the other hand, it was their upbringing.
After their first birthday, in addition to their culinary enlightenment education, the two Nakiri sisters and Okabe were also arranged by the Nakiri family's butler to take various general knowledge and interest classes.
In short, they couldn't be idle.
Even their playtime had to follow a scheduled curriculum.
This was a great help to the growth of the two Nakiri sisters and the root cause of their precociousness.
"I don't know."
Alice Nakiri shook her head. She had never considered such a thing. Okabe's question made her suddenly realize she had made no preparations for it at all.
"I plan to travel to high-end restaurants all over Japan to work as a taste consultant, and at the same time, learn their signature dishes to build up my experience."
Remembering the words Azami Nakiri had told her during their trip to Hokkaido, Erina Nakiri's eyes shone brightly. This was the goal she would strive for next.
"Speaking of which, my father seems to have a very important project in Denmark recently. He's been traveling there frequently.
A couple of days ago, he even asked me if our family wanted to move there. Apparently, a technique called molecular gastronomy has become popular in foreign countries recently. They say it's about making food with machines. It sounds quite interesting."
Hearing Erina Nakiri's words, Alice Nakiri also recalled something she had discussed with her parents a few days ago and brought it up.
"Molecular gastronomy? What's that?"
Erina Nakiri tilted her head slightly, her large eyes filled with curiosity.
"I don't really understand it either, but it seems to be able to reassemble ingredients and transform them into a more delicious form. I don't know what the principle is."
Alice Nakiri tapped her chin, her brow furrowed slightly in thought.
"Let's research it properly when the time comes. Maybe we can use it to spark a revolution in the culinary world!"
"Making food with machines... it feels like it has no soul."
"We're eating the food, not the soul..."
Beside them, listening to Erina Nakiri and Alice Nakiri's conversation, Okabe fell silent for a moment, his expression becoming obscure.
It seemed that he was the only one present who truly had no plans for the future.
However, he couldn't think of a suitable place to go for the time being. Polish his basic skills at the Nakiri residence for two years and then head to Totsuki? While practical, it felt somewhat boring.
But besides staying here, it seemed he had nowhere else to go.
After all, his body was still too small.
Even though he had the physique of an adult, no one would feel at ease letting him go out alone...
Besides, even if he did go out, he wouldn't know what to do...
Numerous thoughts surfaced in his mind, and in the process, drowsiness swept over him, causing Okabe to uncontrollably close his eyes.
____
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