Chapter 8 - Chapter 8

* That night *

Kiana and her gang happily went to Mei's room to have dinner.

- Sister Mei, let's come and play!

- Bronya is coming too.

The two entered the room but didn't see the person they needed to see and then a voice came from the kitchen.

- I'm making dinner, you two just sit down and play slowly.

- Yes!

- Bronya is clear.

Kiana then challenged Bronya to a game to pass the time.

The two grabbed the controller and started playing a fighting game for fun.

- Bronya will knock out Kiana in one fell swoop.

- Haha, just wait, this lady will show you how to be polite!

- Click, click, click

- Click, click, click!

...

On the big screen are two characters fighting fiercely.

The character controlled by Kiana is throwing punches at the opponent but they are all blocked.

- The hell!?

- Fufu, now it's Bronya's turn to act.

Bronya's character immediately dodged the attack at super speed and jumped into the air to launch a rabbit kick at the enemy.

That made Kiana unable to react in time. Next was the chain of Combos created by Bronya that left Kiana's character in the dark.

- Why the hell is there a stun effect!?

At this point, no matter how much Kiana wanted to counterattack, it was impossible. Even blocking could not be done, and Bronya's combo chain continued like that.

- K.O!!

After 81 consecutive hits, Kiana's character was defeated. Bronya raised her finger in a V shape to represent victory with an expressionless face.

Kiana was angry because she lost 3 matches in a row, and kept biting the string to show her indifference.

- Damn it, one more round!

- Kiana, if you want revenge, leave it later. Come here for dinner.

Mei came out from the kitchen to remind Kiana.

Kiana happily went into the house but still didn't forget to tell Bronya that.

- Next time, I will definitely take revenge!

After she left, Bronya just shook her head and stood up while holding the stuffed rabbit to her chest.

******

About 10 minutes later, Mei finished serving the  rice and went out to start dinner.

It was a relatively sumptuous and eye-catching dinner.

Kiana with sparkling eyes glanced at each dish one by one.

There are whole grilled chickens, fried chicken thighs, egg rolls, tenderloin, dumplings, tofu with Sichuan sauce and many other dishes.

Just looking at it made her stomach churn.

- Bronya thinks the food looks really rich today.

Bronya also blurted out a comment.

- Oh my god, Mei is the best!

After secretly scooping a spoonful of bean sauce and putting it in her mouth, the spicy taste mixed with a rare sweetness made it seem like fireworks were exploding in her mouth. Overwhelmed by the taste of the dish, Kiana gave Mei a thumbs up while giving her compliments.

- Bronya also thinks today's food is very delicious.

Bronya also quickly took a fried chicken thigh and took a bite before giving her comment.

- Come on, you two shouldn't eat first instead of waiting for everyone else.

Seeing that, Mei immediately had to speak up to remind her.

- Eh?

While Kiana was looking confused, suddenly a bell rang.

- Oh, it looks like they're here.

Mei quickly walked over to open the door to welcome guests.

- Clack.

The door opened and the trio outside walked in one by one.

- Yahhoo, we're here!

Theresa walked in to say hello while waving her hand carrying a bag containing refreshments.

- Oh my god, dinner is so delicious!

Next came Himeko and Fu Hua. While Himeko exclaimed when she saw the banquet table before her eyes, Fu Hua, on the other hand, just sat quietly in her seat.

- Aunt Theresa, Aunt Himeko and the class president, are you all coming?

Mei just smiled slightly while Kiana opened her eyes in surprise.

- Okay, then hello everyone! Do we have a drink here that we would like to have?

Theresa pulled a drink out of her bag.

- Um, give me Cola.

- Bronya wants a can of orange juice.

- Okay, then here it is.

Both Kiana and Bronya each took a can of cola and a can of orange juice, while Theresa took out a bottle of bitter melon juice and gave a can of beer to Himeko.

- Oh, right, what do Mei and Fu Hua want to drink?

Realizing that she had forgotten those two people, Theresa quickly asked.

- Um, give me a bottle of oolong.

- I have a can of coffee, principal.

- Oolong and Coffee? I don't know if I have it?

Theresa turned to look through the bag to see what was going on.

- Oh well, it's only Oolong, sorry Fu Hua.

- It's okay.

Fu Hua took a can of orange juice instead and then everyone started eating.

- Oh my god, this egg rice dish...!!

- Even this dumpling!

Kiana was completely amazed at the taste of the egg rice roll in her hand.

The eye-catching appearance says nothing, but the taste is truly impeccable. The sweetness of the syrup does not take away the flavor of the eggs, on the contrary, it harmoniously compensates for each other's flavors. Not only that, the great thing here is the elasticity of each grain of rice, it seems to elevate the flavor of the dish to a new level.

Just putting it in her mouth and chewing a piece made her feel the flavor spread throughout her body, making her feel as if she were flying to cloud nine.

Next to Kiana, Fu Hua was also amazed at the taste of the dumpling in front of her.

It has a bland taste, but when used with soy sauce or soy sauce on the side, the flavor seems to sublimate to a new level.

It made her feel like she was enjoying a gentle breeze as she walked on the vast rice-covered road back to her hometown. Its flavor kept making her emotional.

Other people also have similar feelings about the food in front of them and bury their heads in eating it.

Himeko was no exception, she bit into a piece of tenderloin and smiled seductively as she experienced the flavor it brought.

- Wow, it's really delicious! At this point, I really want to drink some red wine when enjoying hearty dishes like this.

She commented with a bit of regret. While she was feeling like that, a hand reached out and brought a glass of red wine in front of her.

- Okay, here you go.

- Ah, oh! Thank!

While she happily accepted the glass of wine given to her, she realized something was wrong and then she looked up at the person who had just given her the glass of wine and screamed in surprise.

- Wait, why are you here!?

- Why are you here?

The others all looked at me with surprised expressions, only Mei sat there smiling.

_________________

I chuckled as I glanced at their surprised faces.

Meanwhile, Mei felt like she should explain, so she stood up, changed her apron, and answered.

- You may not know, but most of the dishes you're eating were made by him.

- Eh? Impossible!?

Kiana was the one who felt the most surprised.

- Isn't this Mei's dish?

Mei nodded, while I also sarcastically said.

- How? You know it's because I did it, so you don't want to eat it anymore?

I pretended that I wanted to take back the plate of rice and eggs in her hand. But Kiana quickly turned around and pulled the plate of rice out of my reach.

-Who said I don't eat!? Huh!

Look how embarrassed she is. But it's about time, isn't it?

- Okay, Ms. Himeko and everyone here can take this meal as an apology for all the trouble I've caused. And also, please accept this bottle of wine as an apology gift.

Himeko was a bit surprised by the current situation but smiled with satisfaction and accepted the bottle of wine.

- What's wrong!? Don't you hold a grudge against me or anything?~

(What a lie!!~~) Kiana and I thought that at the same time in our heads.

Theresa felt a bit strange, but because she didn't want to ruin the current atmosphere, she didn't say anything.

At this moment, Fu Hua spoke up.

- I'm quite surprised that you cook this well.

- Bronya, also felt admiration for her new friend's cooking skills.

- Hahaha, I'm not a good cook either, I just had a mother who was a chef so I learned a few tricks.

I scratched my head in embarrassment but then the atmosphere suddenly became quiet.

'What!? Did I say something wrong again!!'

Scared by the situation, I blurted out and asked again.

- Hey, why is everyone so pale??

Everyone was a bit quiet, then Kiana was the one to speak.

- I'm sorry, I didn't know that you also lost a loved one.

??? Why did everything suddenly get turned around like this?

- Why does everyone suddenly think I lost my mother!?

Fu Hua asked again in doubt.

- So you  used the past tense?

Yes?

- Wrong, my mother is still alive and kicking out there!

Everyone looked at me in surprise. Don't tell me these people have it all wrong.

- Actually, I say that because my mother divorced my old man and left.

- God, what do you think?

- Bronya almost choked.

- You almost made her lose her mind.

- Oh, I see, you understand.

The air quickly became good again. But isn't that a bit strange?

When I said my mother passed away, I felt sad. When talking about my parents, they laughed like they had a good time. Aren't both of them a good thing?

' But thinking back to the family situation of these people, everyone is unstable.'

- Okay, okay, it's over. Everyone, please eat naturally, I'll be back first.

When I was about to stand up and leave, my hand was held by Himeko.

- Wait, are you planning on leaving without eating anything?

- No, I'm not hungry.

' Actually, that pot of curry made me very full.'

At this time, Fu Hua spoke again.

- I think you should eat, otherwise you'll almost be out of breath.

Her indifferent words were like a sword piercing my heart.

I completely forgot that I still had a tough training session with Fu Hua tonight.

- Bronya also thinks it will be more delicious if the chef eats with the guests.

- That's right, you should stay and eat something too.

Everyone insisted that I stay, only Mei knew what was going on so she sat there and chuckled.

Maybe I should just give up. I sat down at my seat and ate spicy food to ease my boredom.

- Ha, you finally sit down at the table again? The food you make is also delicious. Only then are you worthy of being my servant.

After finishing the plate of rice and eggs, Kiana pointed at my face with a spoon and said this and that, surprising everyone.

- Eh, servant?

- Bronya felt surprised by this strange situation.

- Yumeji-kun, I didn't think you had such a strange hobby.

- You're stranger than I thought, Yumeji.

- Hmm, I understand a bit for you, everyone has their own preferences.

Mei, Bronya, Himeko, Fu Hua and Theresa each said one sentence at a time.

Because it's so complicated, I don't know where to start explaining it. Tired of all the trouble I got into, I decided to confront the cat girl again.

- Okay, okay. In the name of your loyal servant. I have something to say.

- Hmm, what?

Kiana asked again while she picked up a piece of char siu and put it in her mouth.

- Honorable lady, for whom are you planning to leave a few grains of rice on your cheek?

After hearing that, Kiana immediately blushed in embarrassment and turned away to wipe her mouth with the tissue Mei gave her.

And the meal that night continued like that. Although it was a bit troublesome, the benefits this meal brought were also very great. The proof is the system messages that have been echoing in my head since a while ago.