Tokyo: Let the wicked women pay the price!

Fujino looked at Yui's loose-fitting pajamas.

He swallowed.

His youthful and energetic body made him feel as if he had returned to adolescence, and his bodily functions were gradually becoming vibrant again.

Feeling the other person's fingers gradually tightening, Fujino frowned.

"I haven't eaten steak yet."

"Hmph! I offered you some food earlier, but you wouldn't eat. Now I'm going to dig in."

A triumphant smile appeared on Yui's face as she gently picked up the steak and stuffed it straight into her mouth.

She had some ulterior motives when she was cooking.

His greatest wish was simply that Fujino could sense his feelings.

She was somewhat rebellious, especially being governed by a large family like Yukinoshita.

My father is old, and my elder brother is old-fashioned.

One can imagine what Yui looked like from childhood to adulthood.

But a child's temper is like a spring; the more tightly it's compressed, the stronger it bounces back.

Yui doesn't mind the path her father and brother have laid out for her, and she is proud that her family's wealth allows her to study art.

She even really enjoys the feeling of playing the piano.

But she didn't like going to school.

She particularly disliked going to Tokyo Women's University, which her father had gotten her into through connections.

Instead, she became fascinated with electronic music and rock, and began searching for like-minded people who could indulge their souls on emerging online forums.

It was during this process that she met Himegami Ayame.

The other party's alarmist remarks made her feel a sense of identity crisis regarding her youngest daughter born to her second wife.

The other party also has their own interpretation of the strict discipline of their father and brother.

None of these things bothered her the most.

What annoyed her most was that Himegami Ayame introduced her to Fujino Kazuhiko.

This young doctor doesn't act like a pampered young lady, and their initial interactions were even tense and confrontational.

His rational and pragmatic style attracted her, but what truly resonated with her was Fujino's statement—

"You don't want Heiji-sama to find out about this, do you?"

She knew that Fujino Kazuhiko was the kind of person she wanted.

They were equally unconventional, but also warm-hearted.

She felt her body and soul trembling, and she was unconsciously drawn to him.

She wanted to explore everything about Fujino, and was even willing to accept everything about him.

Just like it is now.

Sensing Fujino's anxiety, she felt even more delighted, as if they were becoming more like kindred spirits.

They're all the kind of guys who look respectable on the outside but are actually extremely rebellious on the inside.

Yui licked the dark, charred crust of the steak, savoring the aroma of the Maillard reaction.

She greedily sucked on the tender, juicy pink part of the steak.

That's why she only fried it until it was 70% cooked.

As they get older, the juices full of myoglobin will disappear.

The aroma produced by the denaturation of this protein was irresistible to her.

She looked up into Fujino's eyes, which had become deep with extreme restraint, and her voice became hoarse from the alcohol and excitement.

"Fujino-sama... the way you're trying so hard to maintain your dignity right now... it's just so adorable..."

Fujino's situation at this moment is actually not respectable.

He was starving and had been working all day, so he was feeling quite dizzy.

He almost fainted.

It even looked a bit like foaming at the mouth.

Fujino held Yui's shoulder, his fingers trembling slightly: "Saki is still here."

Yui didn't reply to Fujino. She plopped down on the dining table, picked up a glass of red wine, rinsed her mouth, and the aroma of fermented grapes lingered on her lips.

She swallowed the wine, a trickle of red wine flowing down the corner of her mouth and gradually disappearing into her pajamas.

Yui smoothed Fujino's hair and smiled gently:

"It's just eating a dish. Does it really matter whether Saki is here or not?"

Fujino felt the direction of the force applied by the other person's fingers and slowly lowered his head.

He was really hungry; he hadn't eaten anything all day.

Yui just ate steak, while he didn't even get a bite of tofu.

I really can't take it anymore.

You absolutely have to try this dish.

He stood up solemnly and picked up the pot.

I rummaged through Yui's storage and found a two-headed abalone and half a pot of chicken soup.

Japan is an island nation that is famous for its seafood.

Even so, such a plump and delicious double-headed abalone is not something that ordinary people can enjoy.

Fujino placed it on the cutting board and gently kneaded it to help it drain the salty seawater.

Only in this way will the thick abalone meat, simmered in delicious chicken broth, lose its unique bitter and salty taste.

His expression was focused, as if he were not preparing ingredients, but on a pilgrimage.

I've never seen such thick, snow-white clam meat before. It even contracts when gently touched, it's incredibly fresh.

While busy preparing the abalone, the chicken broth also needs to be ready.

The chicken broth is simmered over a fire until thickened, then a suitable amount of water starch is added.

This process is the most difficult; you have to stir it constantly, otherwise it will burn.

Fortunately, Fujino was a talented chef from the University of Tokyo in his previous life, and he was good at everything.

Especially this kind of yellowish stuff.

Before long, the chicken broth solidified into a sticky consistency, yet it still exuded an irresistible aroma.

"Fujino-sama, I never knew you were such a good cook!"

Yui felt a sense of satisfaction as she watched Fujino working diligently.

This is the person she admires, and the one she considers her kindred spirit.

Now that they live under the same roof, his culinary skills have reached a level that even the family's cooks cannot match.

This surprised and delighted her immensely.

"It's not over yet, we've just reached the most important part." Fujino pursed his lips, his voice a little hoarse.

The key to making chicken broth abalone is to simmer it over low heat and then reduce the sauce over high heat.

Now that all the ingredients are ready, we're just waiting to start cooking.

Soon, the abalone emitted a faint hissing sound in the warm pot.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Yui-chan." He started flipping the leaves.

The chicken broth is thickened with cornstarch, making it very easy for it to burn.

Abalone releases a lot of protein during the cooking process and tends to stick to the bottom of the pot.

This will put Fujino's culinary skills to the test.

You can't overdo it, but you also can't leave it unattended.

He chose an unusual method—occasionally taking the pot away from the heat source.

Each time, it is heated using the residual heat of the flame.

This way, the abalone meat won't be too tough to chew due to overcooking, nor will it stick to the bottom of the pot with the extracted protein and chicken broth, making it difficult to handle.

Fujino stirred the pot leisurely.

As a student of Tokyo University, I do have some cooking skills.

At least judging from the results, the chicken broth had condensed to a critical point, and every inch of abalone meat was coated with a translucent, sticky, and alluring yellow coating.

It's time to try it.

Fujino took a deep breath of the fragrance.

It was so delicious that words cannot describe it.

"Eh... I haven't eaten yet, Fujino-sama..." Yui's voice carried a hint of grievance as she reached out to Fujino, "I want a hug..."

Fujino had just wiped his mouth when he saw Yui like this, and he felt a headache coming on.

Indeed, the amount of food served tonight was far too little for anyone.

A steak and a bowl of abalone simmered in chicken broth?

Is that enough for anyone?

There aren't even enough to feed the cats.

He hesitated for a moment, then picked up Saki, placed her on the bed in the guest room, and tucked her in.

Yui followed behind Fujino, leaning against the doorframe and saying sourly, "How considerate. Fujino-sama... doesn't he care that you, Yui-chan, are still hungry?"

Fujino gave her a sharp tap on the forehead, annoyed. "If it weren't for you, she wouldn't be sleeping like this."

"Hehe, isn't this pretty good too?"

"Um???"

Hearing Fujino's rising intonation at the end of her sentence, Yui hugged Fujino's arm and started shaking it: "Oh dear, let Saki-chan sleep, I'm not full yet!"

Fujino glanced back at Saki, nodded, and closed the door.

"Make a little more food..."

"...I ate too much at night, and it's hard to digest."