Looking at Kubo Nagisa's puffed-up cheeks and her clearly displeased expression, Saiki just... wanted to laugh.
[Kubo-san, what's wrong? Why are your cheeks all puffed up like that? Did something happen? You okay?]
Kubo Nagisa looked at Saiki's unchanging expression, same as always, but she could still sense that teasing, cheeky vibe from his eyes. Her mouth pursed even bigger. "Mmph."
[Ah, good, as long as you're fine. That's all that matters.]
(Yare yare, you really thought I wouldn't do it the way you imagined? How could I possibly do something like that.)
For someone like Kubo Nagisa, who was always clinging to him so aggressively, there was no way he could let her get too close and "stick" like that. Her offensiveness was simply the strongest he'd ever encountered among all the girls he'd met...
One careless moment and things could go seriously wrong...
[Better let Shiina-san guide your hands while you cut. Don't worry, even if it feels a bit like teaching a kid, don't mind it. It'll get better later.]
"Yes, Kubo-san, don't worry. Come on, take it slow."
Shiina Mahiru said with a smile. She didn't pick up on any deeper meaning and simply thought Saiki felt it would be better if she helped. Plus, she really couldn't stand watching Kubo Nagisa handle the knife—it always made her heart race with anxiety.
Tap tap tap... tap tap tap
The rhythm of chopping gradually sped up.
[Good, onions are done. Now the carrot strips.]
Tap tap tap...
[And the shiitake mushrooms.]
Tap tap...
[And the cabbage.]
Tap...
Saiki stood to the side acting like a commander directing a fountain, thoroughly enjoying himself.
Meanwhile, Kubo Nagisa felt an extreme sense of satisfaction. For the first time, chopping vegetables with a knife felt this good—she had the complete assurance that she wouldn't cut her own finger.
[Next is just slicing the pork. You can handle this part yourself, Kubo-san.]
After Shiina Mahiru removed her hands from Kubo Nagisa, she handed her a piece of pork with a smile and reminded her,
"Kubo-san, be careful, okay? Don't try to match the speed I was going at earlier. Just slice it slowly into pieces."
Kubo Nagisa felt the magical power that had allowed her to wield the knife so freely slowly fading away once Shiina Mahiru's hands were gone.
Saiki didn't want Kubo Nagisa to get the wrong idea and mistake Shiina Mahiru's steadying hands for her own skill, leading to an overconfident "Wow, I'm actually amazing at this" feeling.
"Okay."
Kubo Nagisa gave an OK sign and began slicing slowly.
[Thanks for the help.]
Saiki watched Shiina Mahiru wash her hands and then sit to the side.
"It's nothing, not tiring at all."
Shiina Mahiru replied with a smile.
"Teaching someone else to cook together is actually a pretty nice experience!"
...
"I finished cutting! I finished!"
Kubo Nagisa happily ran over with the plate of sliced pork, acting just like a child showing off their achievement to an adult.
"Kubo-san, you're amazing!"
Shiina Mahiru unconsciously reached out and patted Kubo Nagisa on the head. Even she wasn't sure why she felt such closeness toward the person in front of her.
Normally she wouldn't pat a friend's head like this, but there was just this feeling that the person in front of her was somehow the same kind of person as her. Kubo Nagisa didn't mind at all and felt the exact same way toward Shiina Mahiru.
Kubo Nagisa's eyes seemed to sparkle as she looked expectantly at Saiki, clearly hoping for the same praise and head pat.
That dazzling gaze was so intense Saiki could barely keep his eyes open.
Saiki simply replied,
[Mm, not bad.]
"And then?"
Kubo Nagisa leaned forward even more, stretching her head out. It was almost like cat ears had popped up on her head, begging her owner to rub it, clearly reminding Saiki—head, head!
[Mm, and now the dough should be rested. Time to make the noodles.]
After saying that, Saiki walked straight past Kubo Nagisa toward the fermented dough.
"What the heck, Saiki-kun really..."
"Pfft."
Shiina Mahiru couldn't hold back her laughter at the scene. When she saw Kubo Nagisa turn her head to look at her, she instinctively covered her mouth and turned away to avoid eye contact.
Kubo Nagisa (￣⊥￣): "What are you laughing at?"
Shiina Mahiru o(*≧▽≦)ツ: "I just suddenly remembered something really happy!"
Kubo Nagisa: "Something that happy?"
"I... my cat just had triplets."
Such an absurd lie—Kubo Nagisa obviously didn't believe it and knew exactly why the person in front of her had been laughing.
"I'll bite you!"
In a fit of anger, Kubo Nagisa rushed forward, clung to her, buried her face in the other's neck, and shook her head to make her feel the mistake.
...
Saiki held the dough and watched the two beautiful girls nonstop clinging to each other nearby.
(Should I really have come out?)
When the two noticed Saiki coming out with the plate, they separated.
[Alright, next step.]
Saiki placed the dough on the table, sprinkled a little flour over it, and used a rolling pin to roll it into a thin sheet.
While explaining, Saiki got to work.
[Remember to roll it to about 3–5 mm thick into a square sheet like this. Then sprinkle some cornstarch—if you don't have cornstarch, regular potato starch works too. Fold it up, then cut into noodles 3–5 mm wide. You can adjust the width to your preference.]
In no time at all...
Saiki had the noodles cut in just a few quick moves.
"Whoa, so cool!"
"That knife work is insanely fast!"
Kubo Nagisa and Shiina Mahiru clapped from the side.
Saiki took out a pot, poured in water, and said to Shiina Mahiru,
[Shiina-san, can you handle boiling them? Once it boils, add a little salt and cook for 2–5 minutes. Since we're stir-frying them, don't overcook. Remember to rinse them in cold water afterward.]
"Okay."
Kubo Nagisa: "So next we start stir-frying, right?"
[First let's prepare the sauce! Can you handle spicy?]
"Yes, yes!"
[Alright, then let's make the sauce. Go grab that bag of seasonings for me.]
"Okay."
Saiki took out a small bowl. Kubo Nagisa handed him the red bag of seasonings.
[Thanks.]
"So how do we mix the sauce?"
Saiki took out a few items from the bag and explained,
[For today's stir-fry, we'll add yakisoba sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and some American chili paste—or any chili paste works. Ratio 3:1:0.5 is fine.]
Saiki poured them in order and stirred.
Kubo Nagisa watched from the side, counting on her fingers. "3:1:0.5..."
[Actually, you don't have to follow it exactly. This is just our household ratio. Feel free to adjust to your own taste.]
Kubo Nagisa nodded as if suddenly enlightened. "You should've said that earlier!"
[It's not usually something that needs explaining!]
Next, he took the noodles Shiina Mahiru had boiled and began cooking.
Saiki instructed step by step: first pour in oil, wait until it's hot, then add the pork.
Once the pork changed color, add the onion slices and shiitake slices in order, then the cabbage. Stir-fry lightly until the oil is absorbed and the aroma comes out. Then add the carrot strips, green bell pepper strips, and the udon noodles.
He even added black pepper, a splash of sake, and finally the soul of the dish—the sauce. After stir-frying everything evenly until the aroma filled the air, he added a little sugar to balance the flavors, completing the stir-fried udon.
Saiki also sprinkled on some nori powder, bonito flakes, and red pickled ginger as finishing touches.