“Right this way!” Mina continued, leading both Yuuki and Yui into the kitchen. Yuuki looked around the counter and found a plastic container of frozen rice in the process of defrosting. Next to it was a bowl with a number of eggs scattered around.
“Is ‘pigsty’ the theme of the day or something?” Yuuki asked upon witnessing the bizarre state of the kitchen.
“I was getting ready to whip up some omelet rice for you, Yukkie,” Mina answered. Her cooking repertoire was lacking, to say the least. Regardless of her prior plans, she proceeded to urge Yui to begin cooking using the pre-prepared ingredients.
“So you’re asking me to make us some omelet rice?” Yui asked.
“Yup! If that’s not too complicated for you, that is. Hehe,” Mina giggled.
“I think I’ll be fine,” Yui noted as she stood in the middle of the kitchen, examining the stove, frying pans, and so on. “Man, this is nothing like my kitchen.”
“No excuses allowed!” Mina declared with a chuckle, looking strangely confident.
“Can I use whatever is in the fridge?”
“Sure you can,” Mina responded. Her cynical tone clearly indicated that she was skeptical about the necessity of additional ingredients. It was just omelet rice, after all. Still, she folded her arms and judged Yui from behind her stern expression.
The rhythmic sound of the knife chopping away against the chopping board rang throughout the room shortly after, accompanied by the sizzling of cracked eggs thrown into the pan. The appetizing aroma of fried rice soon filled the kitchen, as well.
Yuuki and Mina sat around the table, mesmerized by Yui’s practiced motions. She looked dauntless when she flipped the contents of the pan, as if she’d done it countless times before. She was giving off a completely different impression than she did at school.
They must work her hard back at her home, Yuuki contemplated. He suspected that this was one of the reasons behind the negative aspects in her personality. He didn’t get much of a chance to go down this perilous train of thought, though, as the omelet rice was served right in front of him.
The dish looked exquisite, the steamy omelet adorned with a ketchup heart on top.
“I’m a pretty picky eater, just so you know,” Mina said rather too late. She carefully examined the dish from all sides and licked her lips in anticipation.
“No need to hold back! Dig right in!” Yui encouraged them with a smile from her spot right beside the siblings.
Mina scooped up a spoonful from the side, sniffing it cautiously. The smell must have convinced her, and she stuffed the whole thing into her mouth.
“It’s deli—” Mina clapped her palm to her mouth before she could finish the sentence. She then quietly chewed the food, swallowed it, and continued, “It’s okay. I guess.”
“Nice recovery, Mina. Very believable,” Yuuki quipped, impatiently snatching the spoon from his sister and taking his own bite of the dish.
Yuuki remembered the one Mina had made for him a few days ago that consisted only of eggs and plain rice and was drowned in ketchup. He was truly thankful that Yui’s dish utilized other ingredients such as onions and leftover sausages she’d found in the fridge. The omelet was cooked to perfection, looking soft and fluffy on the outside and melting in his mouth.
“This is amazing. I never expected it to taste so different from Mina’s,” Yuuki praised Yui without hesitation. Yui, for her part, looked quite happy that she impressed him and proudly held her head high.
“Of course it is! I get forced t—I mean, I cook all the time back home!” she quickly corrected herself.
Her strange slip up bothered Yuuki a bit, but as was typical for him, he chose not to dwell on it too much. What was important to him was that she was a proficient cook, just as the lunch box she’d given him a few days prior had suggested.
“Yeah, it tastes totally different than the one I made..." Mina marveled, whispering to herself after she’d taken the spoon back from Yuuki and eaten another bite.
“Don’t worry too much about it, Mina. It makes sense that’s the case, right? You haven’t been cooking as long as Yui has, after all,” Yuuki tried to reassure his seemingly dejected sister.
“I didn’t expect Yui to be such an omelet rice expert."
“Well, she doesn’t just make that. Do you remember those cookies we had the other day? Yui baked those, too.”
“Wha—? So your seatmate was Yui all along?”
“Yes.”
“Ye gods! Why haven’t ya told me of this before?!” she shouted, punching Yuuki’s shoulder, then darting up from her chair. She turned to Yui and gave her an excessively deep bow, “Your cookies were... rather delectable.”
“Aww, you think so? Glad you liked ‘em!”
“I shan’t forget their impeccable taste for aeons to come,” Mina proclaimed, cuddling closer to Yui. It was her own overblown way of telling Yui to make her some more.
“Uhh, we don’t have the ingredients for them back home right now, but I promise to make you more whenever I get my hands on them again!”
“Promise? Let’s goooo! Woo-hoo!” Mina celebrated, throwing her arms up in the air. Before she knew it, it appeared she had no choice but to accept that Yui had passed her “tests” with flying colors.
“So you done now, Mina?” Yuuki inquired.
“No, this promise has nothing to do with the test,” Mina backpedaled as she put some distance between Yui and herself. She was surprisingly persistent about this matter, folding her arms once again and having a serious face plastered on her face. “The last test is about your body. I think it’s pretty self-explanatory," her voice trailed off, and she paused dramatically. “I will check your body myself!” Her voice picked up again, and she pointed her finger at Yui.
“Wha—?” Yui gasped, bewildered.
Yui, who had remained unfazed throughout the previous tests and endured the litany of nonsense that Mina had thrown her way, was now frozen with her eyes bulging open. Mina appeared unbothered by this reaction, though, and seized the opportunity to feel around Yui’s palm.
“Whoa, it’s so smooth,” she praised.
Yui looked to Yuuki for help. Unfortunately, said help was far out of reach. Yuuki remained where he stood, moved by the fact that Mina was interacting with someone other than him without a hint of fear.
“Gah! Look at how Yukkie is judging us!” Mina exclaimed.
“Am not,” he refuted.
“Get your head outta the gutter! There’s nothing lewd happening here! Only science!” Mina valiantly declared.
She pulled Yui into her room by her hand. Yui did her best to resist, but her efforts were for naught. She was dragged out of sight as Yuuki looked on, overwhelming joy nearly bringing him to tears.
Eventually, Yuuki found the strength to move from his spot. He ambled over to the sofa and flicked on the TV. He relaxed for a short period before the girls returned to the living room. Mina wore a complicated expression, while Yui hung her head to hide her slightly flushed face. Another thing caught Yuuki’s attention; he noticed that the collar of Yui’s blouse was crooked, that her skirt was folded strangely in some places, and that her clothes in general looked somewhat disheveled.
“Waa..." Yui groaned.
“What’s wrong?” Yuuki inquired.
“I was touched..."
Yuuki had briefly wondered what they were up to when he’d heard some strange noises coming from Mina’s room, and now he had his answer. Despite this clearly scandalous revelation, Mina looked calm as ever. She made her way to the center of the living room and sat down without the slightest tinge of guilt on her face.