In Japan, when hosting guests, the host usually has to move their chopsticks first before the guests are allowed to begin. After Akishin finished handing out the chopsticks, the three of them uttered "Itadakimasu" in perfect unison. Akishin took the lead, followed by Shizuka Hiratsuka and Haruno Yukinoshita.
Akishin first picked up a piece of the stir-fried bell pepper beef—or more accurately, the sweet bell pepper beef—and popped it into his mouth!
The slices of at practically lted on his tongue, releasing a rich, savory-sweet aroma. The crisp texture of the sweet peppers provided a perfect counterpoint to the richness of the fat. It was as if a magical chemical reaction was occurring in his mouth, elevating the flavors to a whole new level.
'Seriously delicious.'
Akishin couldn't help but exclaim inwardly. At this mont, he felt that all the suffering he had endured during his previous training was worth it, if only for this single bite of food!
What was culinary art? It was a skill ant to bring happiness to others. Right now, Akishin felt genuinely happy.
Shizuka Hiratsuka wasn't one to stand on ceremony either. She reached straight for a piece of the fish. Beneath the crispy, golden-brown skin lay flesh that was bright red and almost translucent.
The mastery over the heat was at its peak; a nearly transparent golden sauce coated the top, glistening brilliantly under the room's lights.
The scent alone sent her salivary glands into overdrive. The thick, sweet-and-sour aroma made her digestive system kick into gear before she even took a bite!
Shizuka stared at it, dazed for a mont. After two seconds, she carefully placed it in her mouth, looking almost afraid of ruining the dish's perfection.
The mont the fish touched her tongue, it felt like it dissolved instantly. Carried by the sauce, it flowed smoothly down her throat. It was a level of deliciousness that defied description. Shizuka couldn't hold back a soft moan. "So goooood~"
Realizing what she'd just done, she stole a glance at Akishin and Haruno, who were both watching her. Her face flushed a faint crimson, and she let out a dry chuckle. "Chishima-sensei, I had no idea your cooking skills were this formidable. This is honestly the best al I've ever had."
Akishin smiled. "I'm glad it suits your palate. That's the best complint I could ask for." This was exactly the scene he had hoped for.
Haruno Yukinoshita was the last to move her chopsticks. She observed the expressions of Akishin and Shizuka before picking up a piece of the fish with a curious gaze. The translucent at looked like a gemstone. She brought it to her lips slowly.
In an instant, Haruno nearly let out a moan of her own, but thanks to her impeccable upbringing, she managed to suppress it. She covered her small mouth with her hand, her cheeks tinging with pink, though her smile only widened. She gave Akishin an extra, aningful look.
Impressive. With skills like these, he could easily be the head chef at a Michelin-starred hotel. Being a teacher felt like a complete waste of such talent.
She offered her praise with a blooming smile. "It's truly wonderful. Chishima-sensei is quite the cook. In the future, whatever woman marries you will be incredibly lucky when it cos to her stomach." As she said this, whether intentionally or not, her eyes flickered toward Shizuka Hiratsuka.
Shizuka, however, was focused on shoveling rice and side dishes into her mouth, her face red and full of pure bliss. she didn't notice Haruno's gaze at all—Delicious, so delicious. If only there was so booze, it'd be perfect... but since this is my first ti visiting soone's house, I can't be too reckless.
Faced with Haruno's playful prodding, Akishin simply gave a flat response. "Thank you for the complint." He then poured fruit juice for the three of them.
Haruno's eyes curved into crescents like a pair of new moons, her true thoughts unreadable as she returned her focus to the al.
Twenty minutes later, the small pot of rice and every single dish on the table had been polished clean. Both Shizuka and Haruno felt a bit too full because the food had been so irresistible.
Akishin had eaten the most, yet he remained perfectly composed. He cleared the bowls and brought three cups of tea into the room.
Shizuka rubbed her stomach with a slightly awkward expression. She really wanted to just lie down right then and there!
If she were at her own place, she definitely would have, but this was Akishin's house.
The three of them chatted over tea to aid their digestion. Haruno smiled and asked, "Chishima-sensei, when I walked in earlier, I noticed this place is an izakaya. Do you intend to reopen the shop?"
Akishin nodded with a smile. "Miss Yukinoshita's guess is spot on. I do have plans for that. After school hours, I'll sell so drinks and simple dishes that I can manage on my own. I've always liked a bit of a lively atmosphere."
Akishin didn't plan on hiring any servers. He'd just sell liquor and pre-prepared snacks. His main goal was to find so company! Once the business was running, he could enjoy a drink alongside his custors.
"Oh?" Haruno said, sounding genuinely surprised. "Chishima-sensei is going to be a teacher and run a shop at the sa ti?"
"Exactly. It's not that hard. I'm a P.E. teacher, so under normal circumstances, my workload is light and I have plenty of free ti." The only "abnormal" tis would be during the sports festival when he'd have to oversee student practice.
In Japan, students' break and play ti was actually quite substantial.
Usually, the school year starts in April for all three grades of high school. Students entering in October would typically join the second sester of their respective years.
Japan follows a three-sester system.
The general holidays are:
Spring Break: March 25 - April 8.
Sumr Break: July 21 - August 24.
Winter Break: December 25 - January 8.
Today was April 11, 2011. Sobu High, being a prestigious school, started its academic year slightly earlier than average, back on April 5.
Tomorrow, April 12, would be Akishin's first day reporting for duty.
Haruno blinked her large eyes and smiled. "In that case, may I visit your shop later, Chishima-sensei? After eating your cooking, I feel like I won't be able to enjoy anything else~"
Her smile was the kind that easily made people feel comfortable, but Akishin always sensed that this woman was wearing a mask. Whenever she spoke, there was a natural authority that subtly pressured her listener.
Combined with her perfect face and distinguished family background, an ordinary person would definitely feel nervous facing her.
Of course, Akishin didn't know the specifics of the Yukinoshita family background yet, but being in Chiba, it wouldn't take long for him to find out.
In his previous life, Akishin hadn't watched ani. He knew there was a famous light novel titled My Teen Romantic Cody SNAFU, but he didn't know Shizuka Hiratsuka or Haruno Yukinoshita.
He knew of a certain "Hiki-NEET" who was worshipped on the internet, but he didn't actually know Hikigaya Hachiman.
He only knew these bits and pieces because Oregairu's popularity was so massive it transcended the typical ani community. Even "normies" like him who didn't watch ani often saw articles about it.
Shizuka chid in from the side. "That's true. Chishima-sensei's cooking is too good. How am I supposed to eat other food after this?"
Akishin chuckled. "Of course you're welco. If two beautiful won visit my shop, I'll definitely treat you to the highest standard—guaranteed to be even better than today."
These were polite platitudes for Haruno, but for Shizuka, he actually ant it.
"Then it's a promise."
Haruno's smile grew even wider. She didn't have any ulterior motives; once she confird that Akishin wasn't a threat to Shizuka, she had no reason to worry.
She was just a bit intrigued, like a little girl who had found a shiny new toy. Because of the environnt she grew up in—at least compared to ordinary people, excluding the businessn and politicians she dealt with—she had a bit of a haraguro (black-hearted/sly) side to her personality. Toward those she acknowledged, she was kind; those she didn't, she wouldn't even look at; and those she hated, she'd find a way to crush.
Akishin caught a glimpse of this, which was exactly why he had no desire to be friends with Haruno. He wasn't afraid of trouble! If a commoner got angry, blood could splatter everywhere! If soone truly pushed him to his limit or tried to kill him, he'd dare to storm the enemy's base with nothing but a single blade—his past career as an assassin had left his personality a bit distorted, after all.
But he wouldn't go looking for trouble either. Akishin hated complications. Wasn't it better to just enjoy a peaceful life for a while?
And Haruno Yukinoshita was, in all likelihood, a walking source of complications.
After chatting a bit longer, Shizuka and Haruno stood up to take their leave. Shizuka said, "Chishima-sensei, call tomorrow when you report to school. I'll help you with the paperwork and show you around Sobu High."
"Understood." Akishin nodded.
"By the way, when exactly is your izakaya opening?" Shizuka asked again. She was thinking that if she wanted a drink later, she could just co to Akishin's place. The food was great, and it would save her a lot of hassle.
With Shizuka's looks, whenever she got drunk, there were always n trying to hit on her. Since she never actually got completely hamred, it just led to a lot of annoying situations.
Though...
Was it really okay to be seen drunk in front of a colleague? Whatever, I'll worry about that later. Akishin didn't seem like the type to care about those kinds of things anyway.
Akishin thought for a mont, then smiled. "I'm planning to open the day after tomorrow. The kitchen and tableware are all set; I just need to get the drinks and ingredients ready."
Shizuka pulled out a cigarette but didn't light it. She smiled. "I'll definitely be there to help liven things up."
"You're more than welco."
Haruno stood by with her eyes narrowed. She felt that Akishin was intentionally treating her like an outsider in their conversation.
The two won left. Shizuka went back to school to continue teaching, while Haruno followed her to "visit" her younger sister.
Akishin stared at the now silent living room. He shook his head with a smile, feeling grateful but also a bit out of place—this was the life he had wanted most in his previous existence!
Now that he finally had it, it felt almost surreal. He called up the "Patch" system. There was no reaction in the [Go] section, but in the [Swordsmanship] tab, there was a notification that the first stage of enhancent was ready.
He closed the light screen. He decided he would upgrade his [Swordsmanship] to "Expert" level while he slept tonight! He also needed to make a plan for the future and learn how to actually be a teacher.
Being a P.E. teacher should be pretty easy, right?
Akishin smiled again, picturing a bright future. He slowly headed upstairs to look through the belongings of the original Akishin Chishima and tidy up his new ho. At the very least, he needed a place to sleep tonight.
Given that the original Akishin was a teacher and hadn't bought a house or a car, he should have a decent amount of savings. When he was buying vegetables earlier, Akishin had picked up a cheap smartphone.
He had all of Akishin's original identification docunts. Later, he could just tell the bank he forgot his password and reset it. The original Akishin had no relatives, so the current Akishin didn't feel guilty about using the money.
anwhile, Shizuka and Haruno stepped out of the Chishima residence but didn't get into their cars imdiately. Shizuka leaned against her beloved car and lit her cigarette.
A post-al smoke was a standard ritual for her. Haruno leaned beside her, holding her handbag with both hands.
"Shizuka-chan, you really should cut back on the smoking. It's not good for your health."
"Can't do it. I've already reached the point of no return."
Haruno didn't push further. She had been nagging Shizuka for years with zero results. Instead, she asked with a smile, "So, Shizuka-chan, what do you think of this Chishima-sensei?"
"What do I think?" Shizuka bit her cigarette, glanced at Haruno for a mont, then took the cigarette out and said, "A very good man. Even though I haven't known him long, I feel like he's more impressive than most n I've t." Especially his composure when talking about death.
"So that's how Shizuka-chan sees him."
Shizuka looked at Haruno again, seeing that unreadable smiling face. She furrowed her brows. "Haruno, Akishin Chishima hasn't done anything wrong. Don't go ssing with him."
Haruno teased, "Is that really how I look in Shizuka-chan's eyes?"
Shizuka didn't answer. I know exactly what kind of person you are; I was your teacher, rember?
Haruno patted Shizuka's shoulder. "Relax, Shizuka-chan. I won't do anything to Chishima-sensei. He treated to a al, after all. If anything, I should be thanking him."
"Heh!"
Shizuka didn't buy it for a second, but she also felt Haruno wouldn't act against soone who had no connection to her affairs. Haruno knew Shizuka's opinion of her, so she didn't say more and switched topics. "Are you going to see Chishima-sensei again the day after tomorrow?"
"Yeah, he's opening his shop. I'll go help out and get so of his cooking while I'm at it." Shizuka didn't hide her intentions at all.
"Must be nice. Sadly, I have things to do that day." Haruno feigned regret, then smiled again. "In that case, how about Shizuka-chan takes Yukino-chan along? If Yukino-chan eats Chishima-sensei's food, I'm sure she'll be happy."
"Yukino?" Shizuka stared at Haruno. So this was the goal. To her, it was a small, easy favor, so she agreed. "Fine by ."
"Then I'll leave Yukino in your hands, Shizuka-chan."
...
Shizuka finished her cigarette, crushed the butt until it was extinguished, and tossed it into a trash can. They each got into their cars, leaving Konishi Road behind as they drove off.
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