Chapter 4: Yurine is Awestruck by the Glowing Cuisine!
The kitchen was small, but spotlessly clean.
Ryohei opened the refrigerator and took out the severed piece of Jashin-chan's tail from the chiller. He gave it a sniff. It had a slightly fishy smell, which was to be expected.
He then touched it, observing it closely.
Jashin-chan's tail meat was incredibly tender with a rich, ruby-red color. There wasn't a speck of fat on it. Set within the jewel-like flesh was a bone as white as jade. His mind was instantly flooded with different ways to prepare it, automatically calculating the best method to bring out its flavor.
Considering the ingredients on hand, he decided the best way was to pan-fry thick, bone-in steaks.
"...Hentai!"
Seeing Ryohei sniffing and prodding her severed tail, Jashin-chan felt a wave of disgust and took a step back to put some distance between them.
"What's perverted about it?" Ryohei shot back, placing the meat on the cutting board as he searched the cupboards. "I'm just confirming the quality of the meat… Speaking of which, do you have a bone cleaver?"
Without a proper cleaver, getting through the bone would be a pain.
"We don't have one of those, but I have my machete. What do you need done? I can help."
Hanazono Yurine put down her chopsticks and walked into the kitchen, machete in hand.
Ryohei stepped aside, pointing at the tail on the board. "Could you please chop this into one-centimeter-thick steaks?"
"Easy."
With a casual nod, Yurine lifted the machete. A series of swift, clean thwacks was all it took to perfectly portion the snake tail into uniform, one-centimeter steaks. Her effortless display made Ryohei break into a nervous sweat, reminding him once again of a crucial fact: he was, by far, the weakest person in the room.
"Whoa, amazing!" Ryohei gave her a thumbs-up, impressed by the perfectly even cuts. "Your knife skills are incredible. You can leave the rest to me!"
"Alright." A faint smile touched Yurine's lips. She casually rinsed the machete in the sink and went back to finish her dinner.
Ryohei grabbed a large bowl from the cabinet. He placed the bone-in snake meat inside and began to marinate it with the spices he could find in the kitchen, continuously kneading and massaging the steaks to help them absorb the flavors more quickly.
"..."
Soon, a rich, tantalizing aroma began to fill the small kitchen, slowly wafting out into the living room.
Yurine, who had been deliberately slowing down her eating to play on her phone, got up and came to the kitchen doorway, peering toward the stove.
Just as I thought, he's making steaks!
Jashin-chan had tried to cook this before, but the aroma had been completely different. It was the difference between Jashin-chan's bizarre "demonic seasoning that inexplicably tastes Japanese" and the technique of a true professional. The smell wafting from Ryohei's pan was far more enticing, and Yurine couldn't help but feel a flutter of anticipation.
Jashin-chan, having finished cleaning the blood off the door, stood with one arm crossed, her other hand stroking her chin as she studied Ryohei.
This traitor's personality is trash, but I have to admit, his cooking skills are the real deal.
Maybe I should keep him around as my private chef? she mused. Hmm… I could also make him do the cleaning and wash Yurine's clothes.
After working so hard for so long, it was time for the great Jashin-chan to enjoy life a little.
But he doesn't seem to know his place, she thought smugly. First, I'll have to teach him who the real master is!
"About three more minutes," Ryohei announced, flipping the sizzling, fragrant steaks in the pan as he glanced at the two girls in the doorway.
"Okay. Ryohei-kun, are you a chef?" Yurine asked, her eyes landing on the uniform he was still wearing.
"Yep. I'm a graduate of Totsuki Academy. Been a professional chef for about two and a half years now."
"Totsuki?" Yurine's eyes widened slightly. "The world-famous culinary school? Even I've heard of it."
"What a coincidence," Ryohei said, though he wasn't particularly surprised. In a modern Japanese setting like the world of Dropkick on My Devil!, it wasn't strange for a legendary school like Totsuki to exist. It made perfect sense. "What about you, Yurine?" he asked, keeping the conversation going.
"I am the world's most powerful black magician, the conduit who delivers the will of demons unto mankind…" Yurine declared, pulling a small black wand from nowhere and tapping it on the tatami mat. "I am known as the Evangelist of Evil, the Dark Missionary!"
"...That was all a joke. I'm just an ordinary university student," the petite girl finished, tossing the wand aside.
"Basically, she's a chuunibyou," Jashin-chan chimed in from the side, waggling her finger as she played with fire.
"OOF—!"
In the next instant, Yurine spun around without hesitation and drove her fist straight into Jashin-chan's stomach.
The immense force of the blow made Jashin-chan let out a choked cry as her entire body went airborne. Her blue eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets, and a trail of drool flew from her mouth.
"Don't you enjoy being alive?" Ryohei muttered, his lip twitching. He offered her three seconds of silent mourning. Though, to be fair, he thought, Yurine is actually pretty cute. The whole chuunibyou thing is kind of endearing, even if she is a little violent…
"Sorry about that," Yurine said, turning back to Ryohei with a gentle expression after having KO'd Jashin-chan.
"Uh, it's fine… She was really asking for it," Ryohei said with a wry look at Jashin-chan, who was now kneeling on the floor clutching her stomach and whimpering. He was firmly on Yurine's side.
"You traitor!" Jashin-chan immediately lifted her head, glaring at Ryohei with clenched teeth. She was the one who summoned him, yet he always sided with Yurine. It was infuriating! What was so great about Yurine anyway?!
"First of all, I'm human, so there's nothing wrong with siding with another human," Ryohei said with a shrug, unbothered by her accusation. "And second, I genuinely think you bring this on yourself."
As they spoke, something magical began to happen. The bone-in steaks sizzling in the pan began to emit a soft, gentle glow.
At that exact moment, the aroma intensified, becoming so incredibly rich and captivating that everyone in the room, Jashin-chan included, instinctively turned to look at the stove.
When she saw the steaks faintly glowing with a soft, warm light, Yurine froze. Her beautiful, reddish-brown eyes widened in shock.
"…It's glowing!" she breathed, her voice filled with disbelief.
An incredible feeling spread through her heart. The last time she had felt this utterly stunned was the moment she had first summoned Jashin-chan.