Chapter 943

She immediately took the somewhat thick notebook happily, and couldn't wait to open the yellowed inner pages.

"Mapo Tofu... Japanese Fried Spring Rolls... Chicken Curry Rice... Katsudon... Potato Stewed Meat..."

She pointed at those familiar dish names with her fingers while reading them out in a low voice, the more she looked, the more excited she became, couldn't help but swallow her saliva involuntarily, and her voice even raised a bit.

"Wow! This recipe... it's really not bad, I'm hungry just looking at it!"

"Many of the dishes recorded inside are what I like to eat! Just looking at the description makes me feel it's so fragrant!"

Natsume Chikage looked at her appearance of almost drooling and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

In his impression, it seemed he hadn't seen Aoi Fujiwara clearly express "dislike" for any kind of food.

He thought thoughtfully and put forward an idea.

"Speaking of which... I plan to borrow the home economics classroom at school tomorrow afternoon after school and try making Mapo Tofu."

"Fujiwara-san, when the time comes... can I ask you to help me taste it and give me some opinions?"

Aoi Fujiwara looked up in surprise.

"Of course! Very happy to!"

But immediately, she tilted her head in confusion.

"However... why did you suddenly think of making Mapo Tofu, Chikage-kun? Is it because you suddenly want to eat this yourself?"

Natsume Chikage shook his head and explained.

"That's not it."

He simply narrated the "challenge" of the old gentleman Ando Toshio, and the matter of being able to obtain the "Water-Chanting" kitchen knife as a reward after success, to Aoi Fujiwara.

At the end, he added, his tone frank.

"And I, mainly want to collect that kitchen knife. It's very special."

Aoi Fujiwara, after listening, suddenly realized, a more excited and expectant expression appeared on her face, and she clenched her small fist.

"So that's how it is! It's for a challenge!"

"Although in terms of specific operations of cooking, I might not be able to help much..."

She puffed out her chest, her face filled with absolute confidence, her voice full of energy.

"But in terms of 'tasting' and 'evaluating the taste', I dare to claim second place in the school, and absolutely no one dares to claim first! You can safely leave the tasting task to me!"

Natsume Chikage looked at her confident appearance, was dumbfounded, and nodded.

"Mm, then I'll leave it to you, Fujiwara-san."

Aoi Fujiwara thought of another question and asked curiously.

"However... why not make it at home? Can't your kitchen at home be used? Why must you go to school to borrow the classroom?"

Natsume Chikage smiled helplessly and explained.

"You also know, I am only at home most of the time at night. It's already very late by then, and making dishes like Mapo Tofu, which have a more stimulating taste and heavy oily smoke..."

He paused and imagined that scene.

"I feel it's not very good for the neighbors, and my sister might have rested too, so it's easy to disturb her."

Aoi Fujiwara was enlightened and patted her forehead.

"Ah, right! That makes sense! You are still the thoughtful one, Chikage-kun!"

The two chatted while walking on the way home.

Natsume Chikage actually also felt that when he was with Aoi Fujiwara, time always passed especially fast, and his mood would relax involuntarily and become light.

The kind of energy that seemed to never run out and the straightforward personality she had had a unique infectious power.

However, the moment of parting would eventually come.

The two walked to the fork in the road leading to their respective apartments.

Natsume Chikage stopped, turned to face Aoi Fujiwara.

"Well then, I'll go from here. See you at school tomorrow, Fujiwara-san."

Aoi Fujiwara's face still hung with a full-of-energy smile, waving her hands continuously, her voice crisp.

"Mm-hmm! See you tomorrow, Chikage-kun! Take care on the road!"

After Natsume Chikage's slender figure gradually merged into the night and disappeared after the street corner.

Aoi Fujiwara put down her waving arm, with a satisfied smile on the corner of her mouth, and turned to hop toward the direction of her home.

Only feeling that today was another day spent happily with Chikage-kun, her heart was sweet.

However.

Just as she was humming an out-of-tune little song and was about to reach the door of her apartment building.

A familiar figure swayed out silently.

At the same time, a voice carrying a teasing smile sounded faintly in her ear.

"If you go on like this, I don't know when you'll be able to 'chase' Natsume-kun to your hand? My silly daughter."

Aoi Fujiwara was startled by this sudden voice and almost jumped on the spot.

She looked closely and found it was her mother Fujiwara Yui, who was crossing her arms, looking at her with a teasing smile that said "I understand everything".

Aoi Fujiwara's face "whoosh" turned bright red, like a ripe apple, both shy and angry.

"Mom! You... how could you be here?! You scared me to death!"

Fujiwara Yui spread her hands helplessly.

"Startled, you silly girl. Your mom here was just coming down to throw out the trash, and happened to see you two 'bidding farewell' at the intersection."

Saying that, she shook her head, with an expression of "hating iron for not becoming steel", and began to teach her own "experience".

"If you ask me, in the situation just now, I should have walked out directly and called Natsume-kun."

"Then just say... ah, something in the house is broken, like a light bulb or a water pipe, and your dad is on a business trip, I can't fix it alone, could you trouble Natsume-kun to come up and help?"

Fujiwara Yui's eyes drifted into the distance, as if falling into memories, her tone carrying a bit of pride.

"Back in the day, your old dad was like this, being..."

"Stop——!!!"

Aoi Fujiwara didn't wait for her mother to finish, covered her ears in shame and anger, the whole person was almost smoking, and shouted to stop.

"Enough Mom! Stop! I have no interest in hearing the detailed process of how you 'conquered' Dad! Too shameful!"

Fujiwara Yui looked at her daughter's appearance, both angry and amused, stretched out her finger, and tapped her forehead gently.

"You silly girl, Mom here is teaching you 'combat techniques' hand-in-hand, and you're not happy to learn?"

She sighed, speaking earnestly.

"According to your current lukewarm progress, when Natsume-kun is 'snatched away' by other more active girls, I'll see where you go to cry."

Aoi Fujiwara was told to be a bit unconvinced, pouted, and retorted in a low voice, trying to cheer herself up.

"N-no way! I'm watching 'very well' right now!"

"And... and I can feel that the feelings between me and Natsume-kun are 'steadily' improving! Developing steadily like this, one day I will 'conquer' him successfully!"

Fujiwara Yui, upon hearing this, rolled her eyes directly, spread her hands, and complained mercilessly.

"Still 'steadily'?"

"Did you hold hands? Did you hug? Even further... did you kiss?"

Every word was like a small hammer, knocking on Aoi Fujiwara's fragile sense of shame.

Her whole face flushed red, steam almost coming out of the top of her head, and she stomped her feet in shame and anger.

"T-those things... w-what's the rush! Let nature take its course!"

"Your daughter here... has her own sense of proportion!"

Fujiwara Yui looked at her daughter's pure and stubborn appearance, shaking her head helplessly.

"Silly girl, being too 'steadily' sometimes isn't a good thing. Feelings also need a bit of 'catalyst' and 'fierce attack'!"

Her eyes rolled, and she continued to "offer advice".

"If you ask me, you should find a suitable opportunity to create some 'accidental', distant physical contact."

"Like pretending to trip, leaning toward his side; or when crossing the road, 'naturally' grabbing his sleeve..."

"Slowly 'stir' his emotions like this, let him realize your existence is not just a 'friend', and then..."

"Enough enough! Too shameful!!"

Aoi Fujiwara listened until her face was flushed, and couldn't hold it anymore, pushing her mother's back with both hands, pushing her toward the apartment building like pushing a small cart.

"People are coming and going here! What if the neighbors passing by hear it?!"

Fujiwara Yui, while being pushed by her daughter, didn't forget to look back and ask.

"Hey, silly girl, did you understand or not? Mom's experience here is all valuable combat experience!"