Chapter 69: Silent Communication and Understanding
In the kitchen of the Aragaki Residence, regarding the task allocation for this dinner, Shiina Mahiru unquestionably took the position of head chef, as her skills had been demonstrated before, while Aragaki Takiya assumed the role of assistant.
"By the way, for the dinner dishes, are there any ingredients that need to be prepared?"
At this moment, Aragaki Takiya was already standing in front of the refrigerator, his eyes scanning the contents while casually listing out the available ingredients.
"There's still beef, potatoes... in the refrigerator."
Since they had just gone shopping the day before yesterday, the refrigerator's stock was still quite sufficient at this moment.
"Then take some..."
Listening to the ingredient names reported by Aragaki Takiya, Shiina Mahiru began envisioning the dishes she would make tonight, and she also stated the ingredients she needed.
Thus, with clear division of labor, the two began to busy themselves. However, even though they were cooperating, they still maintained a tacit distance between them.
"Aragaki is exactly as Kaede described..."
While Aragaki Takiya was chopping vegetables, Shiina Mahiru was secretly observing him. Noticing that Aragaki Takiya deliberately kept a distance from her, Shiina Mahiru inwardly agreed with this approach.
Moreover, Shiina Kaede had also told her that her father was excellent, not simply because of his appearance that he met her mother. It seemed Shiina Kaede indeed hadn't lied.
"Um, excuse me, where is the mirin placed..."
Soon, with Aragaki Takiya's help, Shiina Mahiru had completed part of the cooking. However, due to a missing seasoning that she didn't see on the kitchen counter, she could only ask Aragaki Takiya beside her.
"mirin? I remember I bought some, wait a moment~"
Hearing Shiina Mahiru's request, Aragaki Takiya immediately put down the salad he was still mixing, then went to the refrigerator, took out the mirin, and handed it to her.
"Here, it's here..."
Aragaki Takiya held the mirin in his hand and promptly handed it over, but his method of giving it was quite deliberate. He intentionally held the bottom part of the bottle, while the top part, which was easier to grasp, faced Shiina Mahiru.
"Okay, thank you~"
Shiina Mahiru naturally noticed Aragaki Takiya's behavior. While inwardly surprised by his thoughtfulness, she casually said thank you.
Soon, Shiina Mahiru completed the preparation of one dish. After plating it, Aragaki Takiya beside her directly took it and slowly carried it out. When Shiina Mahiru turned back, she found the vegetables Aragaki Takiya had chopped.
"Even though he's a boy, he also has decent cooking skills?"
Shiina Mahiru silently looked at the chopped vegetables on the cutting board. It seemed Shiina Kaede had told her that Aragaki Takiya didn't have parents.
It seemed they were indeed similar in some aspects... Since most of the cooking was already handled, and the remaining soup was slowly simmering after Shiina Mahiru added the ingredients, she now had ample time to sort out the things Shiina Kaede had told her in her mind... "Dad's family only consists of me and Mom. Apart from that, I haven't heard Dad mention anyone else..."
Shiina Kaede explained to Shiina Mahiru.
"What about friends? Or social interactions and such."
"As for friends, I haven't heard of any either. According to Dad, he doesn't have many friends, so... the closest is Mom. Back then, no matter what Mom wanted, Dad would immediately do it, and it took priority over Kaede~"
As if touching on something unpleasant, Shiina Kaede's little legs swayed at that moment. However, at that time, Shiina Mahiru's attention was entirely on Shiina Kaede, and she didn't delve too deeply into the introduction of Aragaki Takiya. Now thinking back... "But since Kaede said Aragaki hasn't mentioned any relatives, then where did Moeha come from?"
Thinking of this, Shiina Mahiru couldn't help but feel curious. Did Shiina Kaede forget to tell her, or did Aragaki Takiya from the previous world not mention it?
Shiina Mahiru couldn't figure it out no matter how hard she tried. She only felt as if she had overlooked a key factor, and she always felt there was something familiar about Aragaki Moeha.
"Gurgle~"
Suddenly, the boiling soup in the pot interrupted Shiina Mahiru's thoughts. Realizing the soup was ready, she gave up pondering that matter.
"Click~"
Shiina Mahiru casually turned off the gas stove, then began to notify Aragaki Takiya that dinner was ready.
"Aragaki, dinner is ready. You can go call Moeha out."
"Oh, okay..."
Hearing Shiina Mahiru's notification, Aragaki Takiya put down what he was doing and headed straight to the Bedroom.
"Click~"
"Moeha, you can come out to eat."
Opening the Bedroom door, Aragaki Takiya realized the lights weren't on inside, and the computer screen was in standby mode.
"Moeha?"
Aragaki Takiya tried calling out, but he didn't immediately hear Aragaki Moeha's response. Combined with the unlit Bedroom lights, he gradually had a premonition.
Not hearing Aragaki Moeha's answer, Aragaki Takiya first closed the Bedroom door. He didn't turn on the lights but, using the faint light from outside the window, discovered Aragaki Moeha curled up in a corner.
"What's wrong, Moeha?"
Seeing the Little one curled up and not playing games, Aragaki Takiya didn't say much. Instead, he crouched down, stroked her little head, and softly asked what had happened. However, this action seemed to trigger some switch. Feeling the touch on her head, Aragaki Moeha immediately clung to Aragaki Takiya.
"It's okay, it's okay, Daddy's here..."
Because he had a premonition earlier, Aragaki Takiya directly caught Aragaki Moeha as she clung to him. However, since she refused to speak, he could only gently pat her back, saying comforting words in an attempt to soothe her emotions.
"Is there something unhappy?"
Noticing that the Little Loli clinging to his shoulder wasn't crying, Aragaki Takiya tried to loosen his hold, but as soon as he did, she hugged him tighter.
"Moeha, if you do this, Daddy won't be able to breathe."
Aragaki Takiya said softly. His words seemed to have a magical effect. After he spoke, Aragaki Moeha quickly released her arms. However, she seemed to lack a sense of security; after letting go, she soon grabbed Aragaki Takiya's hand again.
"What's wrong? Do you miss Mom?"
Feeling Aragaki Moeha's series of actions, Aragaki Takiya softly inquired.
Hearing Aragaki Takiya's words, Aragaki Moeha's figure trembled slightly, then she shook her head. After a moment, she finally lifted her head.
What met his eyes was a little golden-haired girl in a very low mood.
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