CH 11

Chp.11: [Nee, Onii]

A/N:

Today’s morning showed me that I was in 2nd place overall for the day.

Awww. (2020/06/16 19:05)

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My family just moved to our new home the other day.

We have just moved into our new house. But we already have dishes, summer clothes, and studying materials such as pens, notebooks, and textbooks, 

We had unpacked the things we needed for our daily life. But in my room, there’re still lots of boxes that I have yet to unpack

[Well then, shall we open them?]

After I got home, I changed my clothes and got down to the task of unpacking and sorting. For the next few days, I guess I’ll be busy sorting and organizing these stuffs

Unlike my house in Tsukinose, which was unnecessarily spacious, my current house was a three-bedroom apartment with a very limited space. Unfortunately, it’s giving me quite a headache

[Onii, are you there?]

[Yes?]

Without waiting for an answer, Himeko enters the room

She is still in her school uniform and has a smartphone in her hand

[It’s father, he said that he’s going to see mother again]

[Are you implying that I’m supposed to make dinner?]

[Yes, that’s correct. Also, why don’t you take out your smartphone? You haven’t added my number, right?]

[Ahaha, sorry, sorry]

[Mou!!]

I listened to Himeko’s annoyed voice and went to the refrigerator

Yesterday and this morning, I had used all the ingredients in the fridge for cleaning, so it’s kinda empty

[It’s empty, what happened with the contents?]

[Hey, Onii]

[Hm?]

Suddenly, I felt a tug on the back of my shirt

When I turned around, I saw Himeko’s face with a bit of melancholy on it, as if she was holding something back. Her face reminded me of something that happened in the past

But himeko, in a very cheerful voice, begged for my help

[I’m… really in the mood for hamburger today]

[That’s going to take a lot of work since I have to go to the supermarket]

[I know, I’ll help you, ok?]

[Fine]

If my sister asked me a favor with such look, there’s no way I could refuse

Himeko, who was hurrying to get going, already had her household purse in her hand

It seems like she doesn’t want to go alone

I ruffled her head in a slightly rough manner

[Wait, what are you doing?! You’re messing up my hair!]

[It’s okay, that’s why you’re here, right?]

[Ah, uhn…]

[Well then, let’s go early before the sun goes down. I still don’t know where the supermarket is]

[Mou… Onii can’t help it]

I tried to sound cheerful

As we left our house, Himeko naturally walked fast and pulled me along, as if to shake her anxiety

◇◇◇

In my neighborhood, there’s a very ordinary supermarket.

A variety of vegetables, fresh foods such as meat and fish, many kinds of drinks including milk, and seasonings. A variety of colorful snacks and small sundries. It’s a supermarket with nothing special to mention for people who used to live here.

However, it was different for both of us

When it came to shopping in the neighborhood, the only places we knew were the old and miscellaneous private stores that they run as a hobby, the purchasing department of the agricultural cooperative, and the roadside station a little further down the road. For me and Himeko, this place was like a food amusement center, with all sorts of things in one place.

On this day, we established a new rule to not spend more than 200 yen for a single sweets. That way, we won’t waste too much money.

When I returned from shopping, the sun had already set. I turned on the light and started to cook as soon as possible

[Himeko, chop up the vegetables and I’ll chop the mushrooms]

[Understood. But are we going to use lots of vegetables? Are you going to make Yokubari Hamburger?] 

[Haha, don’t worry, I’ve been eating lots of vegetables that I started to get tired of it]

Yokubari Hamburger Steak is a hamburger steak that is covered with a lot of vegetables.

In addition to onions, cabbage and eggplants are added to the base mixture, and the sweetness of the vegetables and the fat of the minced meat are absorbed to enhance the steak flavour.

In the past, I used to add all kinds of vegetables that were given to me. But after lots of trial and error, I came up with this mixture.

What I put on it is Japanese mushroom sauce made from various mushrooms such as Shiitake, Shimeji, Maitake, Enoki, and Eringi. Boiled down with soy sauce, mirin, and sugar, and thickened with water-soluble potato starch.

It goes well not only with hamburgers but also with white fish, omelets, and pasta sauces. So I make a lot and store the rest in Tupperware.

And if you don’t want to waste your vegetables scraps, add them to the miso soup and dinner is ready.

[Itadakimasu~! Mmm, It’s hot!!! Onii, water!]

[Yes, yes, here. Eat slowly, won’t you?]

It was around 8 o’clock when dinner was ready.

As Himeko was fussing over the hot food. I let out a sigh and gave her some water. Her cheeks loosened up as she ate her meal with relish. The thickly seasoned hamburger steak went well with the white rice, as did our empty stomach.

[As expected, your sauce has a flavor that went well with alcohol]

[Himeko, you’ve never drank alcohol. Well, I got the approval that it goes well with dry Shochu]

[Fuhihi, Well, it’s delicious]

[My pleasure]

[Onii first hamburger steak was this one, wasn’t it? It’s a memorable taste for me… You’ve gotten really good at cooking, haven’t you?]

[Yeah]

[Well then, keep up the great work!]

[Himeko, learn to cook won’t you?]

[Frozen on instant? I’m ready to go!]

[Geez…]

Hayato and Himeko. Brother and sister. A conversation in a cheerful voice, on a dinner table, just the two of us, a table that was too big for us.

The table is too big for both of us, and it made us feel a bit lonely. But… this is a very common sight for us.

TL: Hyou