Chapter 70 - Buying Groceries

"I'm off to school!" yelled Misha before slamming the door shut behind him, making the whole house shake.

Not even two seconds later, the boy opened the said door again and added, "And don't you dare go buy the groceries alone! Wait for me, got it?"

After saying his piece, Misha didn't wait for an answer and rushed outside to catch the school bus.

Sitting at the kitchen table, Gabriel and Masha looked at each other with a blank expression. Eventually, the teenage girl broke the silence, slowly opening her mouth to ask, "Aren't you supposed to be the one in charge of buying the groceries?"

"Well, I think Misha isn't very satisfied with what I buy, even though I'm following his grocery list to the letter," replied Gabriel matter-of-factly. "Last time, he scolded me for hours. I thought I would never hear the end of it."

"For your defense, zucchini and cuc.u.mber do look alike," chuckled Masha with a bit of schadenfreude. "Instant noodles and ordinary noodles are both noodles too. Same for different types of mushrooms, and…"

Gabriel's mouth twitched. He couldn't help himself but glare at the teenage girl, who was hell-bent on enumerating all of his blunders.

"Don't make that scary face! It's bad for my heart."

"…"

"You know, if a young master such as yourself suddenly has to go out and buy the groceries, and what's more for the common people, small errors are bound to happen."

"That's everything but comforting. Stop rubbing salt into the wound, and wipe your mouth. It's covered in maple syrup. You also have chocolate all over your face." The young man paused, then snorted, "Even little kids don't eat as messily as you do."

"… You're so not gallant!"

"Do I need to be with you?"

"Tsk."

Not paying any heed to the girl's pouting, the young man cleared up the table before scattering a few textbooks on it. He separated them according to their subject and pushed some toward Masha. With a smile that didn't reach his eyes, he said, "Let's study a little."

"No way! I woke up not too long ago, and I just finished eating! Let me digest in peace!"

"The nurse will arrive at 10, and afterward, you will be too tired to work on your homework."

"… Tyrant!"

"If you're unhappy with how I teach, feel free to call in someone else."

"…"

Masha didn't dare to utter anything else in protestation for fear that her workload would increase if she kept on grating on his nerves. Her little brother was petty, but so was Gabriel, and she knew his way of paying back grievances was a lot more subtle and vicious than Misha.

Because Masha was slowly recovering from her injuries, she couldn't go to school. However, she didn't want to repeat a year, so the teenager asked her father if she could do homeschool, saying that she wouldn't fall behind her classmates this way.

Moreover, Gabriel could also tutor her. Although he hadn't gone to school for the past few months, she knew he had made sure to keep up with their class curriculum.

Truthfully, that guy didn't need a teacher, only the textbooks.

Not only was Gabriel a fast learner, but he also was the kind of student who studied better by himself. The teacher took too much time to explain one thing, and Gabriel always ended up dozing off as a result. Since he had a good memory and his comprehension skills were somewhat high, the usual teaching method was not suited for him and even slowed down his learning progress.

For Gabriel, homeschooling was the best option. It allowed him to work on his studies at his own pace, and because Masha now had an excellent teacher who knew her strengths and weaknesses and taught her accordingly, learning also became easier for her.

She still found high school knowledge to be utterly useless, though. Every time she had to open her books, she just wanted to throw them out of the window and do something else. However, she knew Gabriel wouldn't let her off the hook if she decided to slack off.

That guy was worse than a watchdog. And whenever Masha protested, he would gently remind her that she was the one who had chosen him and that he was working for free.

Therefore, the teenage girl had no other choice but to shut her mouth and study obediently.

***

"… Try to at least memorize that formula," sighed the young man as he stood up. "It's a useful one."

"Sure," replied Masha with a tone of voice that clearly said that she wouldn't.

A second sigh escaped his lips, and Gabriel went to open the door, wondering what to do with that lousy student of his. Although she was learning faster than she usually would, it still wasn't fast enough. First and foremost, Masha had to learn the lessons she had missed while she was hospitalized, which added a heavy burden to her already overwhelming workload.

Well, now wasn't the time to think about this, and Gabriel thus pushed his worries aside, politely greeting the nurse standing on the doorsteps, "Hi, come in."

"Thank you. Where is Masha?"

"In the kitchen. She still hasn't changed clothes or taken a bath. I hope you can help her with that too."

"Sure, no problem."

The young woman walked into the corridor but paused in front of the stairs case. She glanced over her shoulder and commented, "I see that the stairlift has been installed, and you certainly didn't buy the cheapest."

"Well, I had a bit of pocket money," casually replied Gabriel.

A cold glint flashed in his emerald eyes as the words left his mouth, contrasting vividly with the polite smile on his lips. The nurse pretended not to notice it and said in a flat tone, "Is that so. If you still had some pocket money left, there are a few other commodities that I can recommend you."

"Thank you. If you could…"

"Yuki! Hurry up and save me from that never-ending pile of homework!" shouted Masha from the kitchen, interrupting the two. "If this goes on, I think I'm gonna go crazy!"

"I'm coming right away, your highness," replied the nurse as she nodded at Gabriel and started moving forward again.

Gabriel watched the young woman's back disappear into the kitchen before picking up a book and sit on the sofa in the living room. He knew Masha didn't want him to see how much she sweated and suffered during physical therapy, and so he respected her wishes and didn't follow the nurse.

In any case, Yuki was reliable, and he knew Masha was in good hands. If that weren't the case, Gabriel wouldn't have contacted Yuki to ask her to take care of Masha's needs. Not only was the nurse excellent at her work, but she could also provide emotional support. He had profited from it in the past, and now it was Masha's turn.

While the two were busy, Gabriel quietly read his book until they were done. As he had predicted, Masha was dead tired after the session, and he had to help her get into her bed. The moment her head touched the pillow, she fell into a deep slumber.

After tucking the teenager, Gabriel sent the nurse off. When they reached the entrance, she told him, "I will send you a list of commodities Masha may need later and some that will help in her everyday life."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." Yuki seemed to hesitate for a second, but eventually, she couldn't restrain herself and smirked, "Make sure to squeeze out as much money as you can."

"Don't worry. By the end of the month, my stepmother's wallet will be as light as a feather."

"That's good to hear. See you in two days."

"See you later."

After biding his goodbye to Yuki, Gabriel went back to read his book. A few hours later, Misha came back from school, and Alexey arrived not too long after.

"Where's Masha?" asked the child, looking around the living.

"She's still sleeping."

"Good. Dad, can you watch over her? I will go with Gaby buy the groceries. I don't want to have to cook with weird ingredients again."

As an answer, his father solemnly nodded, and the two departed. They went to the nearest shopping mall, and Misha made sure to explain everything to Gabriel. He pointed out what to buy and what not to buy, admonishing him along the way.

As a good student, the young man dutifully listened to the child as he closely followed behind him. Misha was behaving like a haughty teacher, his head held high as he educated Gabriel on common sense. It created a funny image that made the passersby chuckle, but neither paid them any heed.

When they were waiting at the checkout counter, Gabriel glanced at the boy standing beside him. He was enumerating who knew what on his fingers, making sure he hadn't forgotten anything, or maybe he was counting how much it would cost. His brows were slightly furrowed, and his mouth was pursed into a thin line.

'Really, that look on his small face is anything but childish,' thought Gabriel in the corner of his mind before lifting his head. If Misha were to notice him staring at his face, he was sure to hear a mouthful again. That kid could be s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e over the weirdest thing.

Seeing that it would take a time before their turn, Gabriel decided to talk with the boy a little. He asked in a careful but respectful tone, "I was wondering if a friend of mine could come visit me on Friday… Do you mind?"

The sudden question snapped Misha out of his thoughts, making him tsk. "Where was I again!? Fifty? Or Sixty? Crap, I can remember! Why the hell did you open your mouth!?" There was a short second of silence, and the child lifted his eyes before saying in a suspicious tone, "Wait. You have friends?"

"… Of course."

"Eh. Well, I don't mind, as long as they're not a bother. Will they eat with us?"

"I don't know. I will have to ask him. Thank you."

"Hmph," snorted Misha, even though he was inwardly happy that the young man had asked for his permission first; it showed his standing in the house. "By the way, I haven't seen Camille in a long time. Did Masha fight with her or something? If not, she can come over whenever she wants. It would do my sister good to see her friends."

"… I'm not too sure about this either."

"… Useless thing."

"…"

Why did this kid have to scold and bad-mouth him so much? Did he want to crush his self-esteem…?

____________

Mini theater

ML: Is it me, or you're very bad at marketing, author?

Author:…. Don't rub salt into the wound!

ML: Sure. But you still forgot to state the price for the [email protected]éon pledges in the last chapter.

Author: I'm doing it now, ok!? Ahem. The interview tier is at $2 per month, and it's worth around 2-3 chapters in word count.

MC: That much? We're just answering a few questions, it shouldn't take that many words.

Author: As I said, you bicker. A. Lot.

MC:…

Author: As for the f*cking dream tier, it's $5 per month for one Spin-off of around 5,000 words. So, it's worth around three chapters. Of course, it also gives access to the interview. Happy now, Gabriel?

MC: You're still bad at marketing.

Author: I didn't ask for your opinion! (ノ｀Д´)ノ彡┻━┻

[email protected]éon: www + *******.com/rsvaesen