Chapter 12
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Chapter 12: Pork Cutlet and Miso Soup
“I’ll prepare the tonkatsu, the main course, and you can prepare the miso soup and the salad until then?”
“Okay, that much is fine.”
Next to Tojo-san, who had started preparing the batter and oil, I picked the ingredients and stood in front of the cutting board.
It was my job to cut the cabbage into strips, an essential ingredient for tonkatsu, and prepare the miso soup with wakame seaweed and tofu.
This work was just the right amount of effort for someone like me who has some experience in simple self-catering.
“I bought some random ingredients, so for today, it’s just wakame and tofu, but what do you like for miso soup, Haruyuki-kun?”
“I can eat basically anything, so I don’t really have any favourites… I’m happy with seasonal delicacies, like eggplant during summer and radishes in winter.”
“It’s like adjusting to the season, I see.”
Tojo-san tapped her temple with his finger as if to say that he had inputted the information.
As expected of a superhuman who can memorize a lesson by merely listening to it. I’m sure that once she learnt something, she would never forget it.
“What do you like to eat, Tojo-san?”
“I like clams. It’s a bit of work to remove the sand, but the flavour of the shellfish is different.”
“Ah, it’s not like I don’t know how you feel.”
I love miso soup with shijimi clam. [EN: Also known as Japanese blue clam.]
The taste of miso soup changes more or less depending on the ingredients, but when it comes to shijimi clam, I could tell it apart.
Maybe it was because my tongue was insensitive, but it was different for shijimi clams.
“Let’s make miso soup with shijimi clam in the future. I’ll also prepare a Japanese food set for you.”
“That sounds very tempting.”
“Fufu. I spent my childhood in Russia, my mother’s home country, so I fell in love with Japanese food when I arrived here. I’ve practiced it a lot, so I’m pretty sure that I can satisfy you.”
I’ve been thinking about this since yesterday’s meat udon, but Tojo-san was probably very good at using soup stock.
It was probably the reason for her confidence in Japanese food.
“I’m chopping cabbage here. How about you?”
“Now that the oil is warm, we can start frying.”
Tojo-san lifted a thick piece of breaded pork and dropped it into the oil.
There was an impressive sizzling sound, and the pork began to cook in the hot oil.
“Deep-frying is not easy because there are so many tricky elements, such as handling the oil, but… it’s fun to try it out like this once in a while. Besides, Haruyuki-kun is helping right next to me—…”
She murmured happily while she kept an eye on the heat.
When she said this, I felt a different kind of embarrassment than the one before.
“From now on, um… can I ask you to help me when you have time?”
“Oh, I should be the one asking to help you. If I don’t work much at all, I won’t be able to take it anymore, as I said before.”
“… Yes!”
Tojo-san, who had looked somewhat nervous when she asked me for help, changed her expression to a smile as if she were a blooming flower.
As expected, she was prettier than anyone I knew.
It’s a happiness that I never thought I would have in my life, that someone like her likes me.
It’s only been two days, but I’m looking forward to my future life with Tojo-san.
◇◆◇
On the plate in front of us was a thick tonkatsu cutlet fried to a beautiful golden brown.
Underneath was the cabbage I had shredded, and next to it were two bowls, one of freshly made white rice and the other of miso soup with wakame seaweed and tofu.
The steamy dishes looked delicious from every angle and naturally made me drool.
“I think I did a good job without burning myself. The inside is not red either.”
With Tojo-san nodding in satisfaction, I put my hands together and said, “Itadakimasu.”
First was the miso soup.
Tojo-san made the final adjustments to the miso and soup stock, so the saltiness and flavour were perfect.
The soothing taste of white miso permeated my body.
Next up was the tonkatsu, the main dish.
I dipped it in the sauce and mustard and brought it to my mouth.
The batter was crispy, and the meat was so tender that it was easy to chew through. The fat, filled with flavour, made me feel so happy that I thought there might be some dangerous ingredients in it.
“Fufu, I heard that there’s actually a good reason why people feel happy when they eat meat.”
“Oh, really?”
“I don’t want to get into technical terms, but it seems that some of the nutrients in meat transform into something called bliss molecules that reach our brains, and that’s what makes us feel happy. It’s interesting that there is a scientific basis for this.” [EN: Explanation at the end of the chapter.]
“Wow… It’s not just because it tastes good, is it?”
“Of course, it has to be delicious too, though.”
It’s true that no matter how many ingredients are added to the meat, if it doesn’t taste good in the first place, it’s plus or minus zero.
In fact, in many cases, it would be negative.
We ate up all the food in no time, and after clapping our hands together again, we took the empty plates to the sink.
As I was washing the dirty dishes with Tojo-san, one thing came to my mind.
“Tojo-san eats surprisingly well for someone so thin.”
“After working or studying, I get really hungry… The least I could do is get nutrients to have fat on my chest.”
Because of what she said, my eyes were drawn to her b*****s for a moment… Just for a moment, really.
They say that women are sensitive to this kind of gaze, and Tojo-san seemed to be no exception.
When she noticed my gaze, she smiled teasingly at me.
“There’s no need to be concerned. In fact, I’m glad you’re aware of it.”
“N-no… It would be rude to think that’s normal…”
“If you don’t know the person well, or if you’re just friends, that would be rude, but if the person you like is aware of you, there’s nothing wrong with that. I’d rather be relieved than have someone show that they don’t care about me at all.”
—I was just talking about myself, though?
After these concluding words, Tojo-san played with the tip of her hair with her fingers in an embarrassed manner.
“I don’t think I need to warn you, Haruyuki-kun, but you can’t look at other girls like that, okay? You might make that person uncomfortable, and I’ll get very jealous.”
“Are you… a jealous person, Tojo-san?”
“Yes, very much.”
Tojo-san’s expression, which had been all cute earlier, suddenly changed to a cold smile.
I immediately understood that the face was the ‘not joking’ face.
There was no way I could fall in love with another woman in such an environment, but at least during the trial period, I would try not to do anything that would make Tojo-san sad.
I’m afraid of what will happen later.
When we finished washing the dishes and returned to the living room around the couch, I remembered something I had to tell her.
“That’s right. I’ve got another shift at a convenience store tomorrow, so I’ll probably be home between 7 and 8 PM…”
“Muu… You don’t have to force yourself to work part-time anymore, okay?”
“I might quit after my trial period is over, but until then. I’d rather not quit.”
It’s a lot of work to quit on the spur of the moment and then look for a new job.
After much deliberation, I finally decided that it would be best not to give up my job until my engagement to Tojo-san was finalized.
“… Yes, that’s right. I can understand Haruyuki’s cautiousness, so I’ll break the ice here.”
“Thank you. You’ve helped me a lot.”
“However, could you please reduce the number of days you work as much as possible? You used to work at least five days a week, right?”
I’ve been working full-time on weekends, and as Tojo-san said, I’ve been working a lot of days during the week.
If I could reduce the number of days, there would be no problem.
If my engagement with Tojo-san doesn’t occur, I could just have to ask them to increase my shifts again.
“Okay. I’ll talk to the manager tomorrow and ask him to set the minimum number of working days to three.”
“I’m sorry I’ve been so selfish….”
“I don’t think you’re being selfish.”
In fact, I’m the one who’s been relying on you.
ED rant: Okay, so, regarding the ‘bliss molecule,’ its actual name appears to be Anandamide (I’m unable to currently find what else it could be). It’s a neurotransmitter and a fatty acid present in some foods, like chocolate, and some not-good things synthesized from another compound.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Chapter 12: Pork Cutlet and Miso Soup
“I’ll prepare the tonkatsu, the main course, and you can prepare the miso soup and the salad until then?”
“Okay, that much is fine.”
Next to Tojo-san, who had started preparing the batter and oil, I picked the ingredients and stood in front of the cutting board.
It was my job to cut the cabbage into strips, an essential ingredient for tonkatsu, and prepare the miso soup with wakame seaweed and tofu.
This work was just the right amount of effort for someone like me who has some experience in simple self-catering.
“I bought some random ingredients, so for today, it’s just wakame and tofu, but what do you like for miso soup, Haruyuki-kun?”
“I can eat basically anything, so I don’t really have any favourites… I’m happy with seasonal delicacies, like eggplant during summer and radishes in winter.”
“It’s like adjusting to the season, I see.”
Tojo-san tapped her temple with his finger as if to say that he had inputted the information.
As expected of a superhuman who can memorize a lesson by merely listening to it. I’m sure that once she learnt something, she would never forget it.
“What do you like to eat, Tojo-san?”
“I like clams. It’s a bit of work to remove the sand, but the flavour of the shellfish is different.”
“Ah, it’s not like I don’t know how you feel.”
I love miso soup with shijimi clam. [EN: Also known as Japanese blue clam.]
The taste of miso soup changes more or less depending on the ingredients, but when it comes to shijimi clam, I could tell it apart.
Maybe it was because my tongue was insensitive, but it was different for shijimi clams.
“Let’s make miso soup with shijimi clam in the future. I’ll also prepare a Japanese food set for you.”
“That sounds very tempting.”
“Fufu. I spent my childhood in Russia, my mother’s home country, so I fell in love with Japanese food when I arrived here. I’ve practiced it a lot, so I’m pretty sure that I can satisfy you.”
I’ve been thinking about this since yesterday’s meat udon, but Tojo-san was probably very good at using soup stock.
It was probably the reason for her confidence in Japanese food.
“I’m chopping cabbage here. How about you?”
“Now that the oil is warm, we can start frying.”
Tojo-san lifted a thick piece of breaded pork and dropped it into the oil.
There was an impressive sizzling sound, and the pork began to cook in the hot oil.
“Deep-frying is not easy because there are so many tricky elements, such as handling the oil, but… it’s fun to try it out like this once in a while. Besides, Haruyuki-kun is helping right next to me—…”
She murmured happily while she kept an eye on the heat.
When she said this, I felt a different kind of embarrassment than the one before.
“From now on, um… can I ask you to help me when you have time?”
“Oh, I should be the one asking to help you. If I don’t work much at all, I won’t be able to take it anymore, as I said before.”
“… Yes!”
Tojo-san, who had looked somewhat nervous when she asked me for help, changed her expression to a smile as if she were a blooming flower.
As expected, she was prettier than anyone I knew.
It’s a happiness that I never thought I would have in my life, that someone like her likes me.
It’s only been two days, but I’m looking forward to my future life with Tojo-san.
◇◆◇
On the plate in front of us was a thick tonkatsu cutlet fried to a beautiful golden brown.
Underneath was the cabbage I had shredded, and next to it were two bowls, one of freshly made white rice and the other of miso soup with wakame seaweed and tofu.
The steamy dishes looked delicious from every angle and naturally made me drool.
“I think I did a good job without burning myself. The inside is not red either.”
With Tojo-san nodding in satisfaction, I put my hands together and said, “Itadakimasu.”
First was the miso soup.
Tojo-san made the final adjustments to the miso and soup stock, so the saltiness and flavour were perfect.
The soothing taste of white miso permeated my body.
Next up was the tonkatsu, the main dish.
I dipped it in the sauce and mustard and brought it to my mouth.
The batter was crispy, and the meat was so tender that it was easy to chew through. The fat, filled with flavour, made me feel so happy that I thought there might be some dangerous ingredients in it.
“Fufu, I heard that there’s actually a good reason why people feel happy when they eat meat.”
“Oh, really?”
“I don’t want to get into technical terms, but it seems that some of the nutrients in meat transform into something called bliss molecules that reach our brains, and that’s what makes us feel happy. It’s interesting that there is a scientific basis for this.” [EN: Explanation at the end of the chapter.]
“Wow… It’s not just because it tastes good, is it?”
“Of course, it has to be delicious too, though.”
It’s true that no matter how many ingredients are added to the meat, if it doesn’t taste good in the first place, it’s plus or minus zero.
In fact, in many cases, it would be negative.
We ate up all the food in no time, and after clapping our hands together again, we took the empty plates to the sink.
As I was washing the dirty dishes with Tojo-san, one thing came to my mind.
“Tojo-san eats surprisingly well for someone so thin.”
“After working or studying, I get really hungry… The least I could do is get nutrients to have fat on my chest.”
Because of what she said, my eyes were drawn to her b*****s for a moment… Just for a moment, really.
They say that women are sensitive to this kind of gaze, and Tojo-san seemed to be no exception.
When she noticed my gaze, she smiled teasingly at me.
“There’s no need to be concerned. In fact, I’m glad you’re aware of it.”
“N-no… It would be rude to think that’s normal…”
“If you don’t know the person well, or if you’re just friends, that would be rude, but if the person you like is aware of you, there’s nothing wrong with that. I’d rather be relieved than have someone show that they don’t care about me at all.”
—I was just talking about myself, though?
After these concluding words, Tojo-san played with the tip of her hair with her fingers in an embarrassed manner.
“I don’t think I need to warn you, Haruyuki-kun, but you can’t look at other girls like that, okay? You might make that person uncomfortable, and I’ll get very jealous.”
“Are you… a jealous person, Tojo-san?”
“Yes, very much.”
Tojo-san’s expression, which had been all cute earlier, suddenly changed to a cold smile.
I immediately understood that the face was the ‘not joking’ face.
There was no way I could fall in love with another woman in such an environment, but at least during the trial period, I would try not to do anything that would make Tojo-san sad.
I’m afraid of what will happen later.
When we finished washing the dishes and returned to the living room around the couch, I remembered something I had to tell her.
“That’s right. I’ve got another shift at a convenience store tomorrow, so I’ll probably be home between 7 and 8 PM…”
“Muu… You don’t have to force yourself to work part-time anymore, okay?”
“I might quit after my trial period is over, but until then. I’d rather not quit.”
It’s a lot of work to quit on the spur of the moment and then look for a new job.
After much deliberation, I finally decided that it would be best not to give up my job until my engagement to Tojo-san was finalized.
“… Yes, that’s right. I can understand Haruyuki’s cautiousness, so I’ll break the ice here.”
“Thank you. You’ve helped me a lot.”
“However, could you please reduce the number of days you work as much as possible? You used to work at least five days a week, right?”
I’ve been working full-time on weekends, and as Tojo-san said, I’ve been working a lot of days during the week.
If I could reduce the number of days, there would be no problem.
If my engagement with Tojo-san doesn’t occur, I could just have to ask them to increase my shifts again.
“Okay. I’ll talk to the manager tomorrow and ask him to set the minimum number of working days to three.”
“I’m sorry I’ve been so selfish….”
“I don’t think you’re being selfish.”
In fact, I’m the one who’s been relying on you.
ED rant: Okay, so, regarding the ‘bliss molecule,’ its actual name appears to be Anandamide (I’m unable to currently find what else it could be). It’s a neurotransmitter and a fatty acid present in some foods, like chocolate, and some not-good things synthesized from another compound.
Chapter 12: Pork Cutlet and Miso SoupI'll prepare the tonkatsu, the main course, and you can prepare the miso soup and the salad until then?Okay, that much is fine.Next to Tojo-san, who had started preparing the batter and oil, I picked the ingredients and stood in front of the cutting board.It was my job to cut the cabbage into strips, an essential ingredient for tonkatsu, and prepare the miso soup with wakame seaweed and tofu.This work was just the right amount of effort for someone like me who has some experience in simple self-catering.I bought some random ingredients, so for today, it's just wakame and tofu, but what do you like for miso soup, Haruyuki-kun?I can eat basically anything, so I don't really have any favourites I'm happy with seasonal delicacies, like eggplant during summer and radishes in winter.It's like adjusting to the season, I see.Tojo-san tapped her temple with his finger as if to say that he had inputted the information.As expected of a superhuman who can memorize a lesson by merely listening to it. I'm sure that once she learnt something, she would never forget it.What do you like to eat, Tojo-san?I like clams. It's a bit of work to remove the sand, but the flavour of the shellfish is different.Ah, it's not like I don't know how you feel.I love miso soup with shijimi clam. EN: Also known as Japanese blue clam.The taste of miso soup changes more or less depending on the ingredients, but when it comes to shijimi clam, I could tell it apart.Maybe it was because my tongue was insensitive, but it was different for shijimi clams.Let's make miso soup with shijimi clam in the future. I'll also prepare a Japanese food set for you.That sounds very tempting.Fufu. I spent my childhood in Russia, my mother's home country, so I fell in love with Japanese food when I arrived here. I've practiced it a lot, so I'm pretty sure that I can satisfy you.I've been thinking about this since yesterday's meat udon, but Tojo-san was probably very good at using soup stock.It was probably the reason for her confidence in Japanese food.I'm chopping cabbage here. How about you?Now that the oil is warm, we can start frying.Tojo-san lifted a thick piece of breaded pork and dropped it into the oil.There was an impressive sizzling sound, and the pork began to cook in the hot oil.Deep-frying is not easy because there are so many tricky elements, such as handling the oil, but it's fun to try it out like this once in a while. Besides, Haruyuki-kun is helping right next to meShe murmured happily while she kept an eye on the heat.When she said this, I felt a different kind of embarrassment than the one before.From now on, um can I ask you to help me when you have time?Oh, I should be the one asking to help you. If I don't work much at all, I won't be able to take it anymore, as I said before. Yes!Tojo-san, who had looked somewhat nervous when she asked me for help, changed her expression to a smile as if she were a blooming flower.As expected, she was prettier than anyone I knew.It's a happiness that I never thought I would have in my life, that someone like her likes me.It's only been two days, but I'm looking forward to my future life with Tojo-san.On the plate in front of us was a thick tonkatsu cutlet fried to a beautiful golden brown.Underneath was the cabbage I had shredded, and next to it were two bowls, one of freshly made white rice and the other of miso soup with wakame seaweed and tofu.The steamy dishes looked delicious from every angle and naturally made me drool.I think I did a good job without burning myself. The inside is not red either.With Tojo-san nodding in satisfaction, I put my hands together and said, Itadakimasu.First was the miso soup.Tojo-san made the final adjustments to the miso and soup stock, so the saltiness and flavour were perfect.The soothing taste of white miso permeated my body.Next up was the tonkatsu, the main dish.I dipped it in the sauce and mustard and brought it to my mouth.The batter was crispy, and the meat was so tender that it was easy to chew through. The fat, filled with flavour, made me feel so happy that I thought there might be some dangerous ingredients in it.Fufu, I heard that there's actually a good reason why people feel happy when they eat meat.Oh, really?I don't want to get into technical terms, but it seems that some of the nutrients in meat transform into something called bliss molecules that reach our brains, and that's what makes us feel happy. It's interesting that there is a scientific basis for this. EN: Explanation at the end of the chapter.Wow It's not just because it tastes good, is it?Of course, it has to be delicious too, though.It's true that no matter how many ingredients are added to the meat, if it doesn't taste good in the first place, it's plus or minus zero.In fact, in many cases, it would be negative.We ate up all the food in no time, and after clapping our hands together again, we took the empty plates to the sink.As I was washing the dirty dishes with Tojo-san, one thing came to my mind.Tojo-san eats surprisingly well for someone so thin.After working or studying, I get really hungry The least I could do is get nutrients to have fat on my chest.Because of what she said, my eyes were drawn to her b*****s for a moment Just for a moment, really.They say that women are sensitive to this kind of gaze, and Tojo-san seemed to be no exception.When she noticed my gaze, she smiled teasingly at me.There's no need to be concerned. In fact, I'm glad you're aware of it.N-no It would be rude to think that's normalIf you don't know the person well, or if you're just friends, that would be rude, but if the person you like is aware of you, there's nothing wrong with that. I'd rather be relieved than have someone show that they don't care about me at all.I was just talking about myself, though?After these concluding words, Tojo-san played with the tip of her hair with her fingers in an embarrassed manner.I don't think I need to warn you, Haruyuki-kun, but you can't look at other girls like that, okay? You might make that person uncomfortable, and I'll get very jealous.Are you a jealous person, Tojo-san?Yes, very much.Tojo-san's expression, which had been all cute earlier, suddenly changed to a cold smile.I immediately understood that the face was the not joking' face.There was no way I could fall in love with another woman in such an environment, but at least during the trial period, I would try not to do anything that would make Tojo-san sad.I'm afraid of what will happen later.When we finished washing the dishes and returned to the living room around the couch, I remembered something I had to tell her.That's right. I've got another shift at a convenience store tomorrow, so I'll probably be home between 7 and 8 PMMuu You don't have to force yourself to work part-time anymore, okay?I might quit after my trial period is over, but until then. I'd rather not quit.It's a lot of work to quit on the spur of the moment and then look for a new job.After much deliberation, I finally decided that it would be best not to give up my job until my engagement to Tojo-san was finalized. Yes, that's right. I can understand Haruyuki's cautiousness, so I'll break the ice here.Thank you. You've helped me a lot.However, could you please reduce the number of days you work as much as possible? You used to work at least five days a week, right?I've been working full-time on weekends, and as Tojo-san said, I've been working a lot of days during the week.If I could reduce the number of days, there would be no problem.If my engagement with Tojo-san doesn't occur, I could just have to ask them to increase my shifts again.Okay. I'll talk to the manager tomorrow and ask him to set the minimum number of working days to three.I'm sorry I've been so selfish.I don't think you're being selfish.In fact, I'm the one who's been relying on you.ED rant: Okay, so, regarding the bliss molecule,' its actual name appears to be Anandamide I'm unable to currently find what else it could be. It's a neurotransmitter and a fatty acid present in some foods, like chocolate, and some not-good things synthesized from another compound.
