I became the emperor in the comic book series.

I've long been used to having a man like this suddenly appear in my life, providing companionship and protection.

Given her profession, if she doesn't actively give up her relationship, the number of times they meet each other each year can be counted on two hands, and it would be difficult to completely avoid some intimate activities and scenes that she doesn't particularly like.

Only with him, the time apart wouldn't affect his feelings for her. If she didn't want to take on roles that weren't suitable or that she didn't like, he could give her the confidence to refuse.

For her, Akira Higashino may not be the best, but he is the most suitable.

Having not seen each other for so long, the girl inevitably felt guilty and was unwilling to embarrass him because of a little shyness or her image in front of her younger sister.

In order to distract himself and his sister and avoid being teased by Kaori.

Mai Sakurajima didn't just sit there idly. She took the initiative to chat with her sister and boyfriend about her experiences, insights, and interesting stories from her activities both domestically and internationally over the past six months. At the same time, she also made sure to check on her sister and boyfriend's lives during this period.

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P.S.: Over 5000 words, combined into one chapter, still 26 chapters missing...

Chapter 294 The Battle of the Culinary Kings

Seeing her sister and boyfriend embracing intimately, Toyohama Kaori couldn't help but think of how she had also been in close contact with that guy before, or even closer.

Especially during the time I was using my sister's body.

She almost... almost...

Even after it was switched back later, ...

Looking back now, it does seem a bit inappropriate.

And today, that big bad guy actually teased me like that in front of my sister!

He's absolutely wicked!

Those experiences kept flooding into the girl's mind. Idol girl Xiaohe felt ashamed and overwhelmed by layers of shame, making her head feel dizzy.

Faced with her sister's concern and inquiries, she gave vague and hesitant answers, appearing absent-minded.

Fortunately, she wasn't the only girl in the living room who felt shy and absent-minded.

Mai Sakurajima, who was experiencing similar emotions, was completely unaware of her younger sister's unusual behavior.

After a brief chat with Kaori, the conversation gradually turned to Akira Higashino. While chatting with her boyfriend, they slowly transitioned from discussing serious matters to starting to be a little silly. National idol Mai Sakurajima blushed slightly from the teasing, exuding unparalleled charm.

If my younger sister hadn't been there, who knows what might have happened.

Having witnessed her sister and her lover's pleasant and harmonious interaction throughout, the sister-in-law, who seemed so affectionate, felt a sense of emptiness and bittersweetness in her heart, a feeling she couldn't quite describe.

I could only silently send my blessings to my sister, who seemed so happy.

Dinner was prepared by Mai Sakurajima and her younger sister. Although it wasn't a world-renowned delicacy, the truth is, as long as you follow the methods and steps summarized by predecessors, the taste is unlikely to be particularly bad.

Akira Higashino certainly loves good food, but that doesn't mean he can't eat ordinary home-cooked meals.

That's a medical condition, a case of picky eating.

He doesn't have a divine tongue, so when it comes to free food, as long as it's not particularly bad, he should just praise it enthusiastically and show it off to the beautiful girls who put in so much effort to make it.

If we don't please the chef, we won't have a meal next.

If we can give them positive feedback and motivate them to continue to work hard to improve their culinary skills, they might be able to enjoy even more delicious dishes next time they come.

For example, right now.

Mai Sakurajima, who went abroad to work but never forgot to study cooking skills and absorb foreign culinary techniques, made a special effort to remember his taste preferences and learned some common Chinese cooking methods for him.

Akira Higashino is the most shrewd person. After the meal, when someone asked him if his girlfriend's cooking was good, he said he was full.

into the night.

After a satisfying meal, everyone washed up and rested early, making the most of their time.

Daifuku, a type of dim sum, is chewy and bouncy. Beneath its delicate and light-tasting outer layer lies a rich, sticky, and sweet filling.

The resulting extremely tender and soft texture brings an extraordinary collision of flavors.

Mai Sakurajima is an excellent pastry chef.

As Higashino Akira enjoyed the food, he felt grateful and a desire to give back to her arose spontaneously.

However, he didn't have the ability to make soft, bouncy daifuku. That kind of thing requires talent, and if you can't do it, you just can't.

Trying to imitate it might result in a mishmash, something that looks similar but is actually completely different. It not only lacks the proper softness and smoothness but might even feel a bit prickly to eat.

However, he is not entirely without his own talents and culinary skills.

For example, cream puffs, something simple and easy to make, are one of his specialties.

One of the biggest challenges in making cream puffs is whipping the cream, which is precisely what Akira Higashino, who is known for his powerful whipping skills, can do with ease. He simply inserts the whisk into the mixing bowl and whips it up and down, left and right, until the cream is whipped to a thick, sticky consistency.

Don't forget to add some sugar halfway through. Use whatever sugar you have on hand, just a little bit, stir well, and you'll have a pot of creamy, sweet, and delicious finished product.

As for the remaining step of pouring cream into the cream puffs, it is the least technically demanding. You don't even need to exert any force; you just need to aim at the target and keep pouring.

After having eaten and drunk his fill, Akira Higashino didn't like to continue eating large amounts of meat and fish; instead, he preferred to eat some snacks that suited his taste.

Mai Sakurajima, however, is different.

It's probably because girls have smaller appetites. She doesn't eat much at dinner, which makes it easier for her to digest food and feel hungry again, thus regaining her appetite.

She accepts anything, from sausages to cream.

I'm not worried about gaining weight from eating too much at night. After all, being a chef is very physically demanding. If I can't replenish my body's needs in time by looking at these high-energy, high-nutrient foods, it's hard to keep going for long.

You need to eat juicy, oily sausages and taste sweet, delicious whipped cream to be considered healthy.

In the bedroom, Akira Higashino and his girlfriend held a cooking competition, competing against each other and exchanging culinary skills. The aroma of various ingredients and finished dishes spread throughout the room and lingered for a long time.

Looking at his girlfriend, who was panting heavily, drenched in sweat, her bangs soaked and clinging to her face, her cheeks flushed from exhaustion, Higashino Akira asked with concern:

"Can you still hold on?"

"If it doesn't work, Mai-san can just admit defeat. Anyway, you can't beat me in cooking. It's always like this. It's normal for you to have a low status in the family."

"Could it be that Mai-san hasn't given up on her idea of ​​overthrowing her superiors and taking control of me?"

"If that's the case, I'll just let you win this once. I'm willing to strategically concede."

Upon hearing this, Mai Sakurajima rolled her eyes at him, annoyed. "No need!"

What does this guy think she's been doing all this time for?

Does it really matter whether someone is above or below another in the family?

In the end, aren't we all family?

If it weren't for the fact that they hadn't seen each other for almost half a year, and out of guilt and a desire to make amends, she would have collapsed long ago.

Furthermore...

Even she, after having a boyfriend and having done that kind of thing, would still feel something and want to practice. Before, her boyfriend wasn't around and she was busy with work, so it was fine. Now that they finally meet, she's willing to make up for the absences she took during this period!

Separated only by a wall, for reasons unknown, the younger sister-in-law, Fengbin Hexiang, quietly got up, pressed her ear against the wall, and eavesdropped on the commotion next door. Her face turned red.

What's this about winning and losing, above and below?

These two people... these two people!

Frivolous! Vulgar! H!

What made the girl even more ashamed and angry was the conversation that followed.

"Shall we continue?" Higashino Akira asked.

Upon hearing this, Mai Sakurajima pursed her lips and softly hummed in agreement. As the sparring continued, she would occasionally let out a soft groan from exhaustion.

Akira Higashino wasn't a heartless cream whipper who only knew how to bury himself in work. He was somewhat understanding of his girlfriend's lack of stamina as a girl. After noticing that Mai-san was starting to feel weak and powerless, he proactively reduced the intensity and the speed and frequency of the cooking.

While making cream puffs, he would occasionally tease Mai-san with words, making her lose interest in winning or losing and ignore her fatigue, with her emotions rising and falling with their conversation.

“Ma Yi Sang”.

"Ok?"

"Do you think Kaori might still be awake at this hour?"

"Um?!!"

"If she hears your voice and finds out we're sneaking food behind her back, she'll be woken up and won't be able to sleep..."

Kazuka Toyohama: I was awake the whole time, I didn't fall asleep at all!

Upon hearing this, Mai Sakurajima tensed up, visibly becoming nervous, and deliberately restrained herself, which she had been quite relaxed about at home.

This tension reached its peak, especially when her boyfriend carried her to the wall separating her room from Kaori's.

I didn't dare to breathe too loudly at all; all my attention was focused on deliberately suppressing myself from making any noise of sneaking a snack in the middle of the night.

But since the wicked Akira Higashino had brought up this possibility, how could he possibly let her go?

This is his attack route!

I said I could put on a show and voluntarily admit defeat and stop the fight. Since you don't need it, then I'll have to use every means possible to win!

Charge! Charge! Charge!

People live so that they can be the first to rush to the cafeteria and have a hearty meal.

Akira Higashino's offensive suddenly accelerated!

Mai Sakurajima, who had been able to barely hold her own, was caught off guard, stunned, and her mind went blank. Her defenses were broken, and she began to groan intermittently, as if she were pleading for mercy.

For Toyohama Waka, who was eavesdropping behind the wall, this change meant that the sound was becoming more and more obvious and very close!

Especially on the walls, you can feel a slight vibration.

Who is attacking the wall with their body?

Those two can sneakily eat on their own, but why do they keep calling her name and bringing her along when they're cooking? Do they think she'll feel involved?

The girl, her eyes instantly welling up with tears and becoming wet, blushed and, as if electrocuted, lifted her face from the wall and fled back to her bed. She reached out and pulled the blanket over her head.

In the pitch-black blankets, the girl kept her eyes tightly closed, trying her best to ignore the sounds of someone secretly cooking and eating next door. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't block out the faint, almost crying sounds; she could always hear a little bit of them.

It made her heart pound, her breathing become heavy, and her body feel increasingly hot.

Nothing was said that night, and day and night went by in turn.

The next day, early in the morning.

Akira Higashino walked out of Mai Sakurajima's room, stretching.

Upon entering the living room, I discovered that my sister-in-law was lying on the sofa, covered with a thin blanket.

"Hey, what are you doing sleeping here?"

Upon hearing this, Toyohama Kaho opened her eyes wearily, giving the big bad guy a somewhat resentful look.

There was no reply to him.

She simply sat up without a word and began to gather and fold the blanket that had been covering her.

Akira Higashino looked puzzled.

He was so engrossed in discussing cooking with his girlfriend that he had no idea when his sister-in-law left the house.

However, he wasn't some slow-witted male protagonist from a light novel. With a little thought and a quick calculation, he roughly guessed the reason.

He also bears some responsibility for this.

Of course, he was not ashamed of it.

After all, who told this little light bulb to be so clingy and insist on following us?

After a while, Mai Sakurajima finally woke up, yawning as she got out of bed and washed up, still wearing her loose pajamas.

When Mai Sakurajima saw her rosy complexion and fair, radiant skin in the bathroom mirror, she felt no trace of the fatigue that came from working tirelessly for more than half a year, traveling back and forth between China and abroad while also having to return to school from time to time to maintain a certain level of attendance and take care of her studies. She stared wide-eyed and stood there in a daze.

This... this...

It wasn't like this last time!