Chapter 142: Night (Part 1)
All the ingredients were prepared, and after the charcoal was fully lit, the sky also darkened a bit.
Glancing at the girls, who seemed to be of no use in barbecuing, Ishikawa Hayato took over the task of grilling again.
With steam rising from the charcoal, Ishikawa Hayato began cooking in front of the girls who were famished.
He first placed high-fat meat slices, like pork belly, on the grill to allow the fat to render out at high temperatures, coating the grill with a layer of oil.
As soon as the meat started to sizzle, he flipped it over, moved it slightly, and added side dishes like shiitake mushrooms.
Ryo-senpai, standing nearby, gazed at the ingredients on the grill and secretly picked up chopsticks from a side plate.
But Ishikawa Hayato snatched them away and put them back.
Nijika watched this scene with great satisfaction.
Although she was also starving and had been captivated by the enticing aroma of the grilled meat, she was still able to calmly wait.
Beside her, Hitori and Kita were holding cups, sipping drinks to line their stomachs.
When the pork belly was about eighty percent cooked and Ishikawa Hayato began to sprinkle seasonings,
Nijika's phone rang.
She checked it.
It was Ishikawa Hibiki calling.
Nijika walked a few steps away, slightly puzzled, and answered the phone.
"Good evening, is this Nijika-nee?"
Hibiki's somewhat uneasy voice came from the other end of the phone.
After Nijika greeted her, she asked, puzzled,
"Hibiki, why are you calling at this time?"
Hibiki hesitated briefly, then carefully spoke.
"Um, actually... I'm a little worried..."
"Hm?" Nijika blinked, looking confused.
'Is there something she's worried about?'
"It can't be, I mean, it can't be... that you let my brother take charge in cooking, right?"
"Ah?"
Nijika looked back.
Ishikawa Hayato was cooking quite skillfully.
In the twilight, he was sprinkling seasonings on the meat, which sizzled on the grill.
Meat oil dripped onto the charcoal, igniting a burst of sparks, but he wasn't startled by the unexpected.
In the firelight, he calmly used tongs to separate the meat slices.
Even Kita had taken out her phone to photograph him, which was enough to prove the quality of his grilling.
"Hmm, Hayato-kun is grilling quite well... Is something wrong?"
After Nijika replied, Hibiki on the other end of the phone said with certainty,
"He hasn't finished adding the seasonings, has he?"
"Y-Yes, that's right." Nijika suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of impending crisis.
"Stop him quickly!"
Hibiki urgently yelled, explaining in a rush,
"That person is an absolute sweet-tooth, and a sweet-tooth who can't even perceive sweetness! He'll put..."
Instantly, Nijika remembered the large jar of white sugar she hadn't intended to bring, and immediately knew whose handiwork it was.
Before Hibiki could finish, her expression changed, and she looked back.
She saw Ishikawa Hayato pick up the sugar jar amidst the bewildered expressions of the other three.
He didn't use a spoon, nor did he use a hand in a plastic glove to take sugar from it.
Instead, he picked up the sugar jar.
And tilted it towards the poor, hapless pile of meat on the grill.
...
To cut to the chase, Nijika pulled Ishikawa Hayato back at the last second, successfully saving a grill-full of meat and side dishes.
At this moment, Nijika's heart was still pounding from the tension.
She held the terrifying sugar jar in her arms, and while calming herself down, she complained to the others,
"Honestly, none of you make it easy for me."
"Sugar..."
Ishikawa Hayato's voice was aggrieved.
He stared intently at the sugar in Nijika's arms, while deftly picking the cooked meat slices onto a plate without even looking.
"Hayato-kun has a sweet tooth?"
After hearing Nijika's explanation, Kita looked at Ishikawa Hayato with slight surprise.
Seeing that obtaining the sugar jar was hopeless, Ishikawa Hayato quickly removed the meat from the grill, and then placed other premium meats, shrimp, and sausages on the rack to start grilling.
He said,
"Of course, I am a righteous sweet-tooth! Whether it's rice dumplings, tofu pudding, egg fried rice, or braised meat, it all has to be sweet!"
"Wow..." Kita exclaimed.
Ryo took the plate from Ishikawa Hayato, placed it on the table, picked up chopsticks, and quickly ate a piece, but while eating, she maliciously added,
"There's a saying that consuming too much sugar can affect intelligence."
By the second batch, the temperature had stabilized, and Ishikawa Hayato found grilling much easier.
While keeping an eye on the barbecue, he took a sausage and drew on it with a bamboo skewer, simultaneously retorting to Ryo-senpai's statement.
"Hmph, it doesn't matter even if it affects the intelligence of my mortal part. Ninety percent of my intelligence resides in being a pervert. Incidentally, that saying has not been confirmed."
As he spoke, exclamations of "Delicious~~!" continuously came from the small table.
Beside him, Nijika's stomach, which had been numb from tension, suddenly woke up at Kita's exclamation, sending unbearable pangs of hunger.
Seeing that Ishikawa Hayato hadn't lost his mind over sugar, she placed the sugar jar on the seasoning rack and said,
"Alright, Hayato-kun, here's your sugar back, but no adding sugar to anyone else's portions, only your own!"
"Alright..."
Ishikawa Hayato reluctantly agreed.
Nijika nodded in satisfaction and turned to walk towards the small table, but before she could sit down, Ishikawa Hayato heard her shout in exasperation,
"You didn't even leave a single piece for me!"
"I wanted to... but Ryo ate it..."
"Mmm mmm..."
"Ryo!!"
Ishikawa Hayato watched Nijika grab Ryo while shouting, while Ryo ignored Nijika, looking away, her cheeks stuffed full, chewing with difficulty.
From her appearance, it was clear she had frantically stuffed various meats into her mouth upon seeing Nijika approach.
Ishikawa Hayato chuckled softly.
In no time, a hungry Nijika walked over weakly.
"Hayato-kun..."
Before she could say more, Ishikawa Hayato picked up a piece of grilled meat and held it to Nijika's mouth.
"This piece is almost ready. Have one to line your stomach first, remember to blow on it."
Nijika patiently blew on it, then carefully ate it.
Suddenly, her whole being radiated a lovely glow.
"Delicious!"
Ishikawa Hayato smiled without saying anything.
After all, the raw ingredients were excellent, so as long as he didn't mess up, it was bound to be delicious.
Ryo and Kita, who were sitting at the small table, seeing that Nijika was already eating over here, also hurried over, afraid of not getting any.
Nijika felt someone approaching, looked back, and seeing Ryo shamelessly walking over, she said angrily,
"How can you even show your face!"
At this moment, Ryo, who had already swallowed everything in her mouth, showed a pitiful expression.
"I'm hungry..."
"Didn't you just eat?!" Nijika exclaimed, but seeing Ryo clutching her stomach with a wronged expression, she gradually relaxed and turned her head, saying,
"I'm not bothering with you anymore."
Ryo smiled, but quickly noticed Ishikawa Hayato's gaze, and she made a V-sign with her small hand.
Ishikawa Hayato gave her an admiring thumbs-up.
While watching the two interact, he also noticed Hitori still sitting at the small table, sipping her drink, too timid to come over.
Looking at her, Ishikawa Hayato guessed she probably hadn't eaten much earlier.
Hitori was the type who, when at someone else's house, wouldn't touch anything unless it was handed to her.
"Hitori, come here."
He called out.
"Ah... Mmm."
Hitori walked over guiltily.
Ishikawa Hayato remembered Hitori could eat quite a lot, and today's exercise volume was probably beyond her usual limits.
If he didn't feed her enough, she might wake up hungry in the middle of the night, secretly crying with her stomach rumbling alone in a strange villa.
"Speaking of which, Hitori, do you prefer your corn grilled just right, or slightly charred?"
He poked at the corn on the grill, which was almost done and on the verge of charring, as he spoke.
"Um... either is fine."
This was her honest answer.
Hitori wasn't very familiar with grilled corn, something she only ate at festivals.
Ishikawa Hayato looked at her, skewered the corn, and handed it to her, teasing,
"With so much to eat, don't go home hungry."
"Mmm."
Hitori nodded her small head, happily took the corn, blew on it, and glanced at Ishikawa Hayato before starting to eat.
She ate slowly, head bowed, as if worried about her table manners or other things, and also kept an eye on Ishikawa Hayato's gaze.
When she noticed he was observing her, she shyly lowered her gaze even further.
Ishikawa Hayato added a few more slices of meat and vegetables to her plate.
He suddenly realized the fun of feeding beautiful girls. Watching her eat in small bites, he felt a sense of excitement, like he was nurturing someone.
Kita looked at the grill, neatly laden with various ingredients, then glanced at Ishikawa Hayato, who was still staring at Hitori eating corn.
Seeing his delighted expression, she remarked,
"By the way, Ishikawa-kun, you haven't eaten anything yourself, have you?"
"Ah."
Ishikawa Hayato suddenly realized. He withdrew his gaze, looking at the steaming meat on the grill, and showed an expectant yet determined expression.
"You're right, it's been a while since I've eaten my own cooking."
He said, taking the white sugar from the seasoning rack. Under the watchful eyes of the four, he carefully and vigorously sprinkled it onto a piece of beef.
That poor piece of beef quickly piled up into a sugar mountain under their blank stares.
Ishikawa Hayato continued to 'ruin' three or four more pieces of meat before stopping. Only when the sugar on top began to melt and turn into a sticky mess did he happily pick it up and put it in his mouth, a blissful expression on his face.
Kita whispered to the others, "It feels like there's more sugar than meat..."
Nijika agreed wholeheartedly, also replying in a low voice, "We can't just hand over the chef's position to Hayato-kun so casually in the future..."
Beside them, Ryo was stuffing her mouth.
...
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