Chapter 355: The Sudden Scream
Hisako's demeanor immediately caught Erina's attention. Seeing her uneasy expression, Erina asked with concern, "Hisako, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Although they were technically master and servant, Hisako and Erina had grown up together, almost like sisters.
"Oh, it's nothing, Miss Erina. I was just thinking about something," Hisako quickly shook her head.
"Have we finished selecting the ingredients?"
"We're done. Let's head back," Hachiman interjected.
The shopping cart was now brimming with groceries. After a final check to ensure nothing was overlooked, they headed to the checkout, ending up with four large bags of items.
While most people would worry about carrying so much, Erina remained unfazed. Seeing Hachiman beside her, she issued a directive, "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and carry these things. Let's go back."
Hachiman simply shrugged in response. He had anticipated this; after all, he was here to do the heavy lifting.
And so, with the two girls walking lightly ahead, Hachiman begrudgingly trailed behind, weighed down by the bags of groceries.
...
Upon returning to the villa, they found that besides Shizuka, Vignette was also awake. Despite being a demon, Vignette was disciplined, adhering to a strict routine of early nights and early mornings. She paid attention in class and was always willing to help others.
In fact, in the original anime, Vignette, despite being a demon, possessed top-tier healing abilities.
This made Hachiman inwardly sigh; perhaps Vignette was born into the wrong race.
Seeing Hachiman carrying several heavy bags, Vignette quickly approached. "Hachiman-kun, let me help you."
"It's okay, thank you, Vignette. I can manage," Hachiman smiled.
"I'll go and help Erina with cooking. Vignette, could you please help wake the others up?"
"Yes, of course," Vignette nodded.
Hachiman and Erina headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast, while Hisako assisted as the sous chef.
Not long after, at Vignette's call, everyone began to wake up. Although Gabriel, the lazy angel, wanted to stay in bed, she was eventually pulled out by Vignette.
With everyone rising, the living room became lively.
Half an hour later.
Breakfast was finally ready.
Taking off his apron, Hachiman walked out of the kitchen. "Breakfast is ready. You all can wash your hands and get ready to eat."
He brought the rice cooker over and served each girl with a portion of rice.
"It smells so good, Onii-sama," Komachi clasped her hands together, her face filled with anticipation. "What's for breakfast today?"
"Today's menu is quite simple: grilled saury, thick egg rolls, and miso soup." Placing a dish in front of her, Hachiman smiled.
With a serving for each girl and one for himself, Hachiman also took his seat.
"Let's dig in—!"
With the customary pre-meal phrase, breakfast officially began.
In the living room was a large rectangular dining table, similar to those seen at banquets, spacious enough for everyone to sit around.
The staple food was naturally rice made from autumn rice, as rice held a significant position in Japan's cuisine. Due to Japan's climate, fresh rice could be enjoyed year-round.
So, rice held an unshakable position in Japanese cuisine; almost anything could be paired with rice—whether slurping noodles and then drinking rice soup, enjoying pan-fried dumplings with a bowl of rice, or adding a raw egg to rice during a hotpot...
Regardless of the food, Japanese people always ate it with rice, showcasing their obsession with rice.
Grilling saury and making thick egg rolls were not difficult; they were dishes that almost every housewife could prepare.
Especially grilled saury, it only required mastery of timing and didn't need any special seasoning, just a pinch of salt.
However, in Hachiman's hands, even a simple grilled saury could be done to perfection.
Although the skin was slightly crispy, the inside remained tender. With a gentle squeeze of the chopsticks, the flesh of the grilled saury bloomed like a flower.
At the same time, a faint lemon fragrance lingered in the air.
That was the aroma of the saury's own oil, enveloped within the crispy skin.
Not only that, there was also a subtle lemon scent.
It was lemon juice; Hachiman had added a little lemon juice while grilling the fish.
Apart from salt and lemon juice, he didn't add any other seasoning, trying to preserve the saury's original flavor as much as possible.
With a gentle bite, Yui's eyes lit up.
"So delicious, Hikki, you're amazing."
Next to her, Raphiel wore a smile of praise.
"Yeah, Hachiman-kun, your cooking skills are truly impressive."
Not only the two of them, but the other girls also had a sparkle in their eyes, clearly enjoying the dish.
"You're too kind; it's just a simple grilled fish that anyone can make," Hachiman modestly chuckled.
Hearing his words, Erina smirked and didn't hesitate to expose him, "Hmph, always so modest. Ordinary people can't achieve your level of skill."
Indeed, mastering such precise timing of cooking was not something everyone could do; at least she couldn't do it now.
...
After finishing breakfast, everyone prepared to head back to the beach once again.
After all, it was the last day, and they naturally wanted to cherish the remaining time for fun and relaxation.
Hachiman also changed back into his swim trunks.
Stepping out of the villa and gazing at the clear sky, Hachiman took a deep breath.
It was still early, so the temperature wasn't too high yet, and there was occasionally a refreshing sea breeze, making it quite comfortable.
Looking out at the vast ocean, the azure blue sea surface rippled gently under the sea breeze, with waves rolling towards the beach one after another. The golden sand glistened dazzlingly under the sunlight.
Today, the girls had also applied sunscreen in advance, not giving Hachiman a chance to tease them.
Feeling bored, Hachiman sat under the parasol playing on his phone, while not far away, Gabriel, also known as the lazy angel, was playing computer games. With their almost identical lazy expressions, the two of them resembled siblings.
Except for their hair color...
Seeing Gabriel not budging from under the parasol, Vignette couldn't help but feel helpless. "Gab, why are you playing games again?"
"Eh, Vigne, just let me play for a while, I haven't played games for the past few days." Gabriel continued typing on the keyboard without lifting her head.
"I need to replenish my gaming energy."
Seeing her like this, Vignette became a bit angry and directly pulled her out from under the parasol.
"What a mess, you can play games later. Get out here now."
"Hey, Vigne, let go, my game..."
Caught up in her game, Gabriel naturally didn't want to comply, holding onto the parasol's pole tightly.
Watching their interaction, Hachiman found it quite amusing. However, just then, a scream shattered the tranquility of the beach.
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