With the acquisition of her long-coveted chef's knife, Haruko felt as though she were floating through the entire morning. She could hardly wait to hold the professional kitchen tool in her hands.
Because of this, she decided she would prepare a sashimi platter for tonight, using her new blade.
The only problem was that freshly made sashimi needed to be frozen quickly and, once defrosted, should be served on ice to ensure it stayed fresh. Other dishes could typically be eaten the next day, but sashimi was a different matter entirely.
After much deliberation, Haruko decided to leave a note on the bulletin board by the door. However, standing before it with paper and pen, she was at a loss for words.
"Should I say, 'Please come to the dining room at six to eat sashimi...?' No, that's too abrupt."
The only other paper on the board was her employment declaration. Just yesterday, Mr. Kogimi had added "apartment chef" to her official title. In fact, the only people she had met in the apartment so far were Miss Shimo, Mr. Kogimi, and Mr. Shinya.
This made tonight's dinner a good opportunity to meet the others.
"Hmm... Hello, everyone. I am the newly appointed Haruko Yamashita. Tonight, I would like to treat you all to sashimi..." She hesitated, then discarded that idea as well. After all, the cost of the ingredients wasn't even coming from her own pocket.
"At 6:00 p.m. tonight, sashimi will be served in the kitchen! If you don't want me to take it away, please report on time! Your Phantom Thief: Haruko Yamashita." She drew a red heart at the end of the note, and as she looked at it, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed. "Ugh, what am I doing...?"
"Miss Phantom Thief Haruko?" Mr. Kogimi had appeared behind her at some point, giving her quite a scare. Startled, she immediately crumpled the note in her hands.
"Hahaha, Miss Haruko, you're so adorable."
"Please forget what you just saw!!" Haruko exclaimed, flustered and immediately bowing in apology.
"Ha, you're truly cute," Mr. Kogimi laughed, though he didn't directly respond. His bright smile made Haruko feel like any further protests were pointless. "Jokes aside, when you and Mr. Shinya go out to buy kitchen tools, please take good care of him. Meanwhile, I'll take care of the ingredients. If there's anything you specifically need, let me know."
"Eh... Okay, no problem?" Though Haruko was unsure of why Mr. Kogimi wanted her to pay special attention to Mr. Shinya, she obediently nodded and shared a list of the ingredients she would need for the evening.
At the electronics mall with Mr. Shinya, Haruko finally understood Mr. Kogimi's intentions.
Men, it seemed, had a tendency to be rather extravagant with household spending.
Perhaps it was Haruko's personal bias, or maybe the men she had encountered were all like this.
Her ex-boyfriend didn't count, as they never had the chance to buy household items together. But her father was certainly like this—always getting complaints from her mother about how expensive things were. And though she'd only gone shopping with Mr. Fukuda once (to replace the pot Mrs. Chuko had ruined), he, too, was someone who valued quality over price.
But Mr. Shinya was on a whole different level.
"Haruko! Look! This refrigerator even makes ice!"
"Yes, but most refrigerators do that, too..."
"No, this one is different! The ice cubes just fall right out, no molds required!"
Haruko pinched her thigh hard to restrain herself. Hold it together, Haruko. The sashimi knife still hasn't been bought.
"Wow, Mr. Shinya, you have a great eye! This fridge is on sale with a 5% discount right now."
"Really?!"
Seeing Mr. Shinya being clearly swindled by the sales associate, Haruko couldn't help but put her hand to her forehead in disbelief.
"No, we're not here for a fridge! We're here for an oven and a chef's knife!"
With that, she firmly grasped Mr. Shinya's wrist and dragged him away from the appliance section.
If they didn't leave soon, they'd end up buying not just a refrigerator, but probably a dishwasher and washing machine, too.
"Alright, let's go look at the ovens and knives," Mr. Shinya said, waving to the sales staff as if they'd be coming back.
They weren't coming back! Haruko couldn't let Mr. Shinya encounter another sales associate. Once they reached the kitchenware section, she immediately cornered him against a wall.
"Mr. Shinya. Give me your card. Wallet, too."
"...Why?"
"Why? You have to ask?" Haruko said sternly. She needed to make sure she could afford the knife and oven.
Mr. Shinya sighed, then obediently handed over his wallet and card.
"Don't worry. I'll return them to you when we get home after buying everything we need."
Haruko thought this would be enough to keep Mr. Shinya in check, but once they reached the kitchen tools section, his behavior only grew more out of control. Because his wallet was in her hands, he eagerly pointed out every quirky gadget, calling her over to admire them.
Just as Haruko was listening intently to a sales associate explain the oven's functions, Mr. Shinya appeared with a poster, eagerly presenting it to her.
"Haruko! Look! This one! It has thirty-six functions in one! It can even peel pineapples!"
"No, we're not buying that!"
After selecting the oven, as Haruko was trying to understand the differences between various knives, Mr. Shinya interrupted again.
"Haruko! What about this one? You wanted a blender, right?"
"That's a commercial-grade mixing bowl! Why would I need that?!" She had had enough. "Mr. Shinya! If you want sashimi tonight, you'd better just wait quietly while I finish shopping!"
Since tonight's dinner had effectively become a hostage situation, Mr. Shinya sulkily walked to her side. At first, Haruko felt guilty for being too harsh, but then Mr. Shinya began fiddling with a nearby vacuum cleaner.
"Forget it. Go ahead and play..." Haruko muttered, feeling as though she were dealing with a troublesome child.
She turned to apologize to the sales associate, only to find the person secretly laughing.
"I'm sorry, but seeing you and your husband so affectionate, I couldn't help but..."
Husband?!
Mr. Shinya was about to protest, but Haruko stopped him. From the look in her eyes, he could tell that if he didn't play along now, he'd be in trouble later.
"Yes, he's like that. Always managing the household budget."
The household budget? Mr. Shinya was utterly confused, though the sales associate interpreted his expression as one of mild distress.
"But your husband is only doing it because he cares about you. He doesn't want you to do all the housework," the sales associate said with a smile, trying to win over the "wife," who clearly held the reins of the relationship.
Care for her? It was clear that Mr. Shinya was just enjoying playing with gadgets. Haruko forced a smile and clutched his arm tightly. "Hehe, really? Darling?"
"Uh... Yes..."
Mr. Shinya couldn't help but feel that Haruko, when in this mood, was far more terrifying than a raging Mr. Kogimi.
"Well, you should've said so earlier!" Haruko said playfully, then slapped Mr. Shinya's chest lightly. The result was that her hand stung, but he barely reacted. "But we'll just get the knife and oven. Everything else is too expensive..."
"Ah, madam! If you purchase today, I can offer an additional discount!"
"Really? Did you hear that, darling?! Oh ho ho ho ho."
Mr. Shinya had a growing suspicion that if he ever dreamed, Haruko's laughter would certainly appear in his nightmares.
But a man must endure.
"Then we'll buy the fridge! And the blender too!"