CHAPTER 466: CHAPTER 326: PLEASANT DAILY MOMENTS

The fact that I can turn into a cat was discovered by Hanamaru Hanabi, but the strange thing is, she didn’t ask anything about it.

Why not ask?

Any normal person would be curious about how it was done.

After returning home, she even bathed me herself.

It’s really strange, as a human, I never received such treatment, but as a cat, I did.

However, her little hands scratching my fur were inexplicably comfortable.

The air conditioner blew out a bit of cool air, dispelling a lot of the summer’s sultriness.

Uesugi the cat lay beside the cutting board in the kitchen, swaying her long tail, personally supervising Hanamaru Hanabi as she sliced meat.

Her movements were very skillful, the knife blade slid across the board, placing a strip of meat to the side.

After slicing the meat and green pepper, oil was awaiting in the pot; when it started to smoke, minced garlic was added, followed by the fragrant meat strips.

The meat strips were stir-fried on low heat until fragrant and changed color, then she added sliced green pepper and bamboo shoots.

Hanamaru Hanabi was preparing to turn off the heat and plate the dish when Uesugi the cat extended her paw.

"Does Sakura want to eat?"

"Meow."

Uesugi the cat lifted her head to take a bite of the meat strip Hanabi handed over.

The flavor was refreshing and delicious, the texture tender and smooth, and the taste of meat, green peppers, and bamboo shoots flowed on the palate.

Days like this had already passed for several days consecutively.

Uesugi Sakura gradually got used to being a cat by her side; she would smile at him while smoothing his fluffy, orange fur with her little hands.

At night, he would sneak onto her tummy to curl up and sleep; her soft, white stomach, cute little belly button, a slight scratch with his paw, would make her shyly stop him.

Her waist was very slender, and whenever he thought of standing on it with his four paw pads, he felt a bit restless.

But even as a cat, is he still thinking about these things?

Or perhaps... Cats are inherently mischievous creatures...?

Uesugi the cat watched as Hanamaru Hanabi carried the dish into the living room and then returned.

There wouldn’t only be one dish at each meal, with four people in the house, it would surely not be enough.

Next is miso soup, matching miso, enoki mushrooms, tofu, scallions, and seaweed.

Scallions into pieces, enoki mushrooms into small sections, then adding tofu and miso paste.

Miso is actually a kind of soybean paste, thick and paste-like, and adding a bit while cooking a pot of soup brings out the aroma.

Little Aei said she wanted to eat the tempura made by Hanabi today.

Hanamaru Hanabi is the kind of girl who spoils children; she went out and bought fresh shrimp specifically for frying.

The batter for tempura is the most crucial part of these fry-ups.

Certainly use ice water to mix, as ice water can reduce gluten formation in the flour, increasing the crispiness of the batter when frying.

The heat shouldn’t be too high; tempura actually doesn’t need to be golden; white is enough.

And tempura doesn’t only refer to shrimp; fried vegetables are also collectively called tempura.

A tempura platter doesn’t just contain fried shrimp; sea bream, eggplant, edamame, pumpkin, oysters, tofu, etc., can all be coated and fried.

Uesugi the cat pressed her chin against the quartz counter of the kitchen, listening to the sizzling sound of frying in the pot and smelling the aroma of food...

Such simple daily life is really beautiful and leisurely.

Cooking, eating delicious food, watching the person you like standing before you...

Many people strive their whole lives hoping to enjoy such simple blessings, don’t they?

Uesugi Sakura had seen many hard-working people at Tokyo University, immersed in research labs all day, waking up at 5 a.m. every day, doing homework and reviewing every night, their efforts aimed at further happiness.

But he felt that merely guarding the happiness before him was enough.

"Sakura, try how it tastes."

Hanamaru Hanabi offered a piece of freshly fried and already slightly cooled tempura shrimp to his mouth.

Uesugi the cat lifted her head, tilted it sideways, and bit into the bigger shrimp tail, then placed it on the white plate prepared by Hanabi to gnaw on.

"Is it delicious?" asked Hanamaru Hanabi, "I’m afraid I put too little salt; Aei doesn’t like things too salty."

The shrimp in his mouth also carried a sesame flavor, having been fried in sesame oil.

Uesugi the cat bit off a third, savoring it carefully before nodding to Hanamaru Hanabi.

"Isn’t it too salty?"

"Meow."

A calm cat meow, indicating it was just right.

The taste indeed was good, crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, fragrant yet not greasy, with a subtle sweetness lingering in the shrimp meat, prompting Uesugi the cat to lower her head and eat the remaining two-thirds of the tempura shrimp.

This not only tested the preparation of the seasoning but also the skill; frying something to just the right level wasn’t something everyone could achieve.

Seeing that he liked it, Hanamaru Hanabi added two more shrimp in front of him, along with an eggplant, as an appetizer.

"Does turning into a cat change one’s taste as well?"

Not sure, but Uesugi Sakura thought that the dishes Hanabi cooked still tasted very appetizing.

Having a beautiful girl cooking for you every day is truly something many people envy.

Uesugi the cat, eating the delicious food in her mouth, felt that such days... were quite good.

...

Outside the door, Aei stood in the scorching sun, holding a watermelon in her arms.

"Brother, open the door, brother, open the door!"

However, it was Hanamaru Hanabi who opened the door.

"Hanabi sister!"

"Hanabi sister."

The first was Aei shouting, and the latter was Chiaei shouting.

"Where’s brother?"

"Brother is in the living room," Hanamaru Hanabi noticed the watermelon in Aei’s arms, "Did you guys buy it?"

"Yes, we went out to play and saw a very big orchard."