[ENG] Soshiki no Shukuteki to Kekkon Shitara Mecha Amai V1 Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Let me introduce my hobby all of a sudden!

"Ritsuka, where's that recipe book?"

"It's in the first drawer of the kitchen, right at the front~"

That’s… observing my husband, Rou-kun!!

Today is Saturday, and we both have the day off from work, so Rou-kun is going to cook for us.

Since it’s still before noon, I guess he’s looking for a recipe book to prepare lunch.

"Lunch doesn't need to be anything too fancy."

"I think so too, so how about making fried rice?"

"Huh? Then you don’t need the recipe book, right?"

"No… I do."

The recipe book we use at home is one that was given to me by Yoshino a long time ago.

It has the basics of Japanese, Western, and Chinese dishes, and just flipping through it is educational. I’ve pretty much memorized the contents, but Rou-kun always reads this book whenever he cooks, no matter what he’s making.

"Necessary seasonings… salt, soy sauce, chicken stock powder… the quantities are—"

"Eh, that’s fine, just eyeball it."

"No… that’s not allowed."

A characteristic of Rou-kun’s kitchen! He always follows the recipe to the letter!

Once you’ve been cooking for a while, you start estimating the amounts of seasonings by eye. It’s not being careless, but you get a sense of "this should be enough" based on experience.

I’m naturally the type to go by feel. If I measured everything, it would take forever.

"Alright. I need to measure the weight of the ingredients too. Where’s the scale?"

"Ugh, you don’t need to measure it."

"No… it’s important."

Meanwhile, Rou-kun measures everything. He measures the ingredients, the seasonings, the cooking times for boiling, frying, and simmering, everything. So I’ve never seen him fail in the kitchen. In that sense, he’s a good cook, I guess...

Fumyaa~

"That’s loud. Go away."

Just like I peek into the kitchen, Nyankichi-chan also looks at Rou-kun and nya.

Hehe. "Where’s my food?" she might be saying. Nyankichi-chan’s a girl, after all!

Nyankichi-chan has really settled into this house, and even though Rou-kun’s more of a dog person, they’re getting along just fine!

Even though he’s a dog person, that doesn’t mean he hates cats.

Fuu~... nya?

"I cook like this. Don’t bother me."

But still... sometimes, Rou-kun and Nyankichi-chan have this back-and-forth, like they’re talking to each other. I’ve heard on TV that some people can talk to animals, so maybe Rou-kun has that ability.

But then again, that’s probably not true, right? It’s not like he has some kind of blessing like that.

"...The rice is for two servings. I’ll do 200g, and Ritsuka gets 150g, so 350g in total..."

"You don’t need to be that precise, though. If there’s extra, we can just eat it for dinner."

"No... it’s crucial."

"You really like saying that, huh~"

Fried rice is one of those dishes you can whip up quickly, a little this, a little that, and boom! It’s done, so it’s easy. But with Rou-kun’s hands, even something as simple as natto rice would probably turn into a complicated dish.

Rou-kun has finished measuring out all the ingredients, and now he’s following the recipe step by step—finely chopping the long green onions, cutting the ham into small cubes, and whisking the eggs. Finally, he heats up the frying pan, adds oil, and measures the temperature of the pan with a cooking thermometer.

Ah… I want to help! The temperature doesn't need to be so precise, just drop a bit of egg with chopsticks, and once it sizzles, it’s good enough. As for the onions, cutting them roughly would keep their texture, and cutting the ham bigger would make it chunkier and more delicious!

"Temperature's good... Time to start frying."

(If you add a bit more oil, it'll be fluffier~...)

But I just watch quietly. I’ve learned not to interfere. There was a time when I did, and we ended up in a small argument. He almost cried, saying, "If you want it done your way, why don't you just cook?"

When men decide they’re going to handle something themselves, they really don’t like being told what to do. Rou-kun’s especially that way, surprisingly prideful. He’s the type who takes responsibility, like he has to do everything himself... So, no interfering with his cooking! I’ll just wait patiently!

"Dig in! ...It’s delicious!"

"Is that so? I’m glad to hear it."

"It tastes just like something from a textbook~."

"Well, of course, I followed the recipe exactly."

I eat the fried rice and express my honest opinion. After a while, I’ve come to think that the taste—neither too light nor too heavy—is definitely Rou-kun’s flavor. In a way, it’s unique. A dish that is always made exactly as the recipe says (or maybe, exactly can be made that way?).

"But you’re pretty used to cooking by now, right? Sometimes, don’t you think it’d be okay to cook by feel?"

"No, cooking should always follow the recipe."

"But top chefs don’t measure every ingredient, do they? Let’s aim for that!"

"I’m not trying to become a top chef, though."

"Ooh… good… good…"

"Path-seeker."

"That’s it! Just like that!"

"I’m not aiming to be a top chef, though. If you’re going to deviate from the recipe, doesn’t that make the recipe kind of pointless?"

Rou-kun raises a question. When he puts it that way, I guess that makes sense.

"About the quantities, I suppose eyeballing it could be fine. But… I don’t understand why you sometimes add things that aren’t in the recipe."

"Why? It’s because it makes it tastier."

"That’s the result, right? In that case, you should add that to the recipe. Like, 'Adding XX will make it even better.' If it’s not written, I think it’s better not to add it at all."

"Hmmm… Rou-kun, you’re so logical."

"Is that so?"

What’s written in the recipe is mostly the basics, according to the book. If you follow it exactly, you’ll still end up with something delicious. But if you think it could be even better, then it’s fine to add or adjust things on your own. How you evolve and tweak a dish depends on the cook. That’s why there are as many different tastes as there are people who cook, and that’s what makes it so interesting.

Rou-kun is the opposite—he probably thinks that anything not in the recipe shouldn’t be done. Like, if you’re using only salt and soy sauce, adding even a bit of sugar is a no-go.

"For example, if it were you, Ritsuka, how would you tweak this fried rice?"

"Hmm, first I’d add some MSG to the seasoning. Then, instead of salad oil, I’d use sesame oil and cook it on low heat, not high, to let it crisp up slowly."

"...Why?"

"Huh? It’s definitely going to taste better that way."

"That’s very instinctive... I couldn’t imitate that."

Rou-kun often says I’m "instinctive."

But no, I live my life very deliberately and logically, thank you very much!

"It’s not instinct, it’s experience!"

"Experience is just accumulated instinct, isn’t it?"

"Ugh, stop with the difficult talk! I’ll do the dishes, so after you finish eating, just relax with Nyankichi-chan!"

Myafu...

"Don’t make that face."

Today, there’s no special plan to go out. I finished shopping yesterday, so it’s a day to relax at home and unwind from the week’s work.

Rou-kun stood up and brought over a box from his room.

"You’re building something again, huh? A plastic model?"

One of Rou-kun’s hobbies is making plastic models. Although, he’s more of an enjoyer who just assembles them. According to him, it’s "a hobby that serves both fun and practicality."

"What is it this time? A robot? A car?"

"A panda."

"A panda?"

Sure enough, when I looked at the box, there was a big panda depicted on it. But the stylized panda looked... well, somewhere between cute and strange, like a "What is this?" kind of thing.

Noticing my confusion, Rou-kun explained while taking out the contents.

"Well, the name of my company is 'Handa Manufacturing Co., Ltd.' So, this panda is our company’s mascot, 'Hanadakun.'"

Such a subtle name... but I’ll keep that to myself.

"Looks like toy companies really do have their own mascots."

"Honestly, Handakun isn’t exactly a hit. It’s really obscure."

"If you think of it like a mascot character... well, maybe? I’m not sure..."

Looking more closely at Handakun, I noticed it had a rather tired expression. Maybe it works a regular job...?

But then I remembered that the logo of my company also features a bird. We’re not a toy company, so we don’t make merchandise out of it, though.

"Seems like your company has a lot going on."

"To be honest, putting out a plastic model of this character is a pretty bad idea. When they actually released it, it didn’t sell at all, and the company ended up with a mountain of stock. I ended up taking one off their hands."

"I see... Yeah, if you’re going to release something, at least it should be a plush toy, right?"

"We’re not very strong in the sewing product line. We’re more focused on models, puzzles, and that kind of thing... But you're right. Honestly, who thought of making a panda plastic model in the first place? Apparently, it’s from a plan before I even joined, but who knows who came up with it..."

Rou-kun grumbled, starting to take on a more work-like attitude, so I poked at Handakun’s parts with my finger. Nyankichi-chan also pawed at it.

"Hey, no! Don’t touch that, Nyankichi-chan."

Myah.

"It’s not your toy."

"Maybe it’s a little too hard for Nyankichi-chan to play with."

Since I thought I’d be in the way of the model-making, I picked up Nyankichi-chan and held her.

At the adoption event, Nyankichi-chan was a real troublemaker, but since coming home, she’s become so much calmer. She’s a bit of a mood swing, though—sometimes she likes being held, and sometimes she doesn’t. Right now, though, she’s fine with it.

"Let’s get this put together. Where’s the nipper?"

"Here you go."

"Thanks."

Honestly, I’m not interested in plastic model-making at all. If I’m going to make something, I’d prefer to work with clay or sculpting materials and create something from scratch. I told Rou-kun that once, and he muttered something about me being a "full scratch type," though I’m not sure what he meant.

Rou-kun stared at the instructions (or maybe the blueprints?) and checked all the parts.

"I always think, wouldn’t it be faster to just take everything apart first, and if something’s unclear, then read the instructions?"

"No... Quality checks are important."

"Quality checks?"

"Alright, no problems. I’ve got the assembly steps in my head..."

"Handakun is pretty simple, so I think you could probably put it together without looking at the instructions much."

"No... The order matters."

Just like with cooking, Rou-kun carefully follows the instructions when assembling the model.

As for me, I’m the type to quickly put things together when I feel like I understand the steps without needing to read everything. Well, I’ve never actually built a plastic model before.

But if I’m not interested, I could easily be doing something else—but I don’t think that way at all.

"Hmm..."

With a serious expression, Rou-kun was using his nippers to carefully cut the parts from the sprue. It seemed like he didn’t like leaving any rough edges, so he was meticulous, checking everything, even though he had already done the quality check. He still referred to the instructions and checked the parts, complaining about the "sloppy construction."

I enjoy quietly watching him work through the detailed process and the different expressions he shows.

Even though I’m not interested in plastic models, I feel really grateful for that.

"Huh, this part is—"

"That’s for the right foot."

"I see... you actually have a knack for models, don’t you, Ritsuka?"

"Not really, I’m not interested."

I’d occasionally help out while sniffing Nyankichi-chan’s scent. Gradually, I could smell the softener we use for laundry on her. She often rolls around while I’m folding clothes, so the smell must have transferred. It made me realize that she’s really becoming part of the family.

"Rou-kun, why do you like plastic models? You’ve been into them since before we got together, right?"

"Didn’t I tell you? When I’m making them, it helps me relax."

"Ah... Is it because you can focus on them?"

It’s a bit unusual to like plastic models because they help you relax, isn’t it?

Rou-kun had mostly finished assembling it, and now he was sticking the eyes of Handakun with stickers.

"Alright, it’s done."

"Wow, congrats! But, hmm..."

"Feel free to be honest. The original model was bad to begin with."

"I think the cuteness of pandas comes from their round shapes."

"Yeah, that’s true."

"But this Handakun is a plastic model, so... it’s all jagged."

"Even the illustration on the packaging looked a little off. But turning it into a 3D model? It just completely ruins any cuteness."

We tend to hold little review sessions after finishing a model. I’m usually positive with my compliments, but with this Handakun model, I couldn’t help but be a little harsh.

"Also, the face is just a sticker. How about painting it instead? And here and here—the seams are pretty noticeable. Maybe you should sand them down."

"No... no need for finishing touches."

"Eh..."

Well, I knew that would be his response. Rou-kun is the type who finds enjoyment in just assembling the model, so anything related to decorating or modifying it afterward is something he’d consider "unnecessary."

"A model is something that’s completed by following the steps. Painting or modifying it—those are personal skills, and not really the norm. Handakun is Handakun just like this."

"Is that how it is?"

If Rou-kun says so, that’s perfectly fine. But, I have a feeling... he might be quite the... unique person.

"Ritsuka, can you help me for a bit?"

"Yeah, sure~"

It was night. Before taking a bath, Rou-kun sometimes does strength training. It's more of a habit or routine than a hobby, he says. And my role in helping him was—

"Here we go!"

"Ugh...!"

—Becoming the weight! I placed a donut cushion on Rou-kun's back while he was doing push-ups, and without hesitation, I sat on it in a seiza position. Since normal push-ups weren’t providing enough resistance, or so he said.

"Hey, can you not make noises when you get on? It's not that heavy!"

"Well, I can’t help it... It's light... you know, Ritsuka...!"

"Hmm."

Despite what he said, his voice sounded really strained.

Even though I’ll never tell anyone my weight, I think it's pretty impressive that he’s doing push-ups with my weight on his back while using just one arm. I’m pretty sure even athletes wouldn’t do that.

"Actually, I’ve gained a bit of weight recently. I don’t go out much anymore, I guess?"

"Ah, I thought so... You've definitely gotten heavier compared to before."

"Hmph...!"

Thud, thud, thud. While sitting on his back, I started bouncing up and down a bit.

"Hey! I told you I'm light!"

"No, no, it’s just that in general, Ritsuka’s light, but compared to before... right now, you’re heavier, that’s just a... fact...!"

Facts are facts, but what I wanted was a gentle lie!

This was the moment he should’ve said something like "It’s just your imagination" or "The scale is malfunctioning!" Rou-kun can sometimes be... tactless!

"Nyankichi-chan!! Teach Rou-kun a lesson!!"

"nyawww!!"

"Hey, don’t hit his face, you! You never come when I call you!"

Nyankichi-chan’s cat punch hit Rou-kun’s face. I continued my bouncing attack too.

Even so, Rou-kun kept doing his push-ups, showing how seriously he approaches his training.

"Maybe I should gain more weight and contribute to Rou-kun’s training."

"I’ll love you no matter what body type you have, Ritsuka."

"This is the part where you say 'I like you the way you are'!"

"Huh? Is that so? I don’t know anymore..."

Next, while lifting dumbbells, Rou-kun tried to be considerate, but he missed the mark slightly.

Playful banter like this is really important. Dogs and cats like to play, but humans are the same. Especially for couples, I can’t help but tease Rou-kun like this. His flustered and confused expressions are just so cute to me.

"By the way, if you get fat, I’m not going to like you."

"Seriously...? So, you won’t love me no matter what body I have?"

"I won’t spoil you."

"...Then, what if I said I wouldn't like you if you gained weight?"

"I’d go back to my parents’ house."

"How exemplary..."

When it comes to what we expect from each other, it’s better not to set the bar too high or too low. High expectations tire you out, and low ones can lead to chaos. There are many ways to think about it, but before we’re a married couple, I just want to be the person that Rou-kun loves most. I’m sure he feels the same way.

"I might start running or something."

"If you do, I’ll join you. How many kilometers are we running?"

"Isn’t the bar too high? That’s more like a marathon, not just running..."

Maybe Rou-kun’s true calling is as an athlete…

“Time for bed, don’t you think? We’ve got Nyankichi’s health check tomorrow!”

“nya…”

“There are things only a vet can figure out. Just bear with it.”

He’s talking to the cat again. Maybe there’s a textbook on cat language that I don’t know about.

I never realized Rou-kun was the type to talk so much to animals. It’s funny how a change in environment can reveal new sides to your partner that you never noticed before.

“Well then, good night—”

“Ritsuka.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“Ah… No, it’s nothing.”

Normally, we’d just say “good night” and leave it at that, but tonight, Rou-kun called out to me. His gaze darted nervously from side to side.

“Do you want a goodnight kiss?”

“Sure, but, um… Our wedding anniversary’s coming up soon, right?”

“Yeah, we both took paid leave for it, didn’t we?”

“Yeah. So, uh… I’m… looking forward to it! That’s all!”

It feels like something’s on his mind. Come to think of it, he was acting similarly awkward in the lead-up to his proposal. Maybe it’s something along those lines this time too.

Well, no point in overthinking it. I kissed Rou-kun on the cheek, and he did the same in return. Whatever it is, I’ll find out when the time comes. For now, I’ll just let it be.

In any case, I’ve done plenty of Rou-kun observation today, so I should be able to sleep like a log tonight!

[ENG] Soshiki no Shukuteki to Kekkon Shitara Mecha Amai V1 Chapter 5

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