Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/822139836586390776/episodes/822139841990587654
“I’m making hamburgers.”
“Whoa (flat tone).”
“Thanks for the emotionless applause.”
I get dressed and force Sasan to help out.
Of course, Mei-chan joins in too.
Mei-chan came along all smiles.
“It’s 3-Minute Cooking, right? ♡”
That show’s cooking time isn’t actually 3 minutes, you know.
I often misunderstood it, but it doesn’t mean 3 minutes including prep work either.
Apparently, it originally meant they condensed the key points into 3 minutes.
Seems like it’s surprisingly long-running.
“Since I really want hamburgers, I prepared a lot of meat.”
“I prepared insect meat!”
“When did you buy that!?!?”
Don’t you dare put that in!?
Despite all that, we started making hamburgers.
Put the ground meat in a bowl and dump in the salt.
“You two mix it up.”
“Got it.”
“Understood.”
Kneading the meat first until it becomes sticky helps the meat bind together, preventing it from cracking during cooking.
While they worked on that, I minced the onion and sautéed it in a pan until it turned amber.
“Rai-san is really efficient.”
“Anyone can learn to cook if they do it enough times.”
“I can’t keep it up…”
“You often hear ‘sauté until the onions turn amber,’ but what color is amber, anyway?”
“Like Mei’s…”
“That’s pitch black!”
“Rai-san…??”
“This is a trap!!”
Dangerous. I’d been led on by Risa’s sweet talk and almost turned into some god of a new world.
“Jokes aside, when you heat sugar, it turns brown, right? That’s probably why they call it that—because it looks just like the color of onions.”
“Oh, I see!”
“First time learning that.”
“Heating onions makes them sweeter and gives them depth. It’s a bit of a hassle, but this extra step pays off in flavor later.”
“Very educational.”
Mei-chan answered with a big smile.
As the mixture became sticky, I dumped in the caramelized onions, breadcrumbs, and other seasonings, kneading it further.
“Alright, good. Next, we shape it into hamburgers.”
She divided the mixture into portions and formed them into patties.
She didn’t forget to pat them firmly with her hands to remove air pockets.
It would be even tastier with cheese inside, but she forgot to buy it.
“If you want cheese-stuffed hamburgers next time, make sure to wrap the cheese so it doesn’t leak out, okay?”
“Alright, just need to cook them now. Go take a bath and wait.”
“Bath… I’ll take it with Rai.”
“That’s not fair! I’m coming too!”
“…Fine, fine. Just wait in the living room.”
I shooed the two of them into the living room and started cooking.
I could cook with them until the end, but I can think more clearly alone.n
I’m aware of their feelings.
Or rather, if I weren’t aware, I wouldn’t be having a physical relationship with them when I clearly don’t have those feelings.
Unlike that person, I’m straightforward.
But still.
“Mei-chan and Risa… it’s just that I happened to be the first one they found. Even if it was someone else commenting, or someone else they were talking to, it would’ve ended up the same…”
I muttered to myself while grilling the hamburgers.
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