The delicious aroma of warm miso soup and grilled mackerel filled the dining room that night.
Charlie and Mahiru sat opposite each other at the same table, enjoying the meal in a quiet yet intimate atmosphere.
Every single bite of Mahiru's cooking truly tasted like high-end home-cooked food.
If the male students at Seijo High School ever found out that their "Angel" cooked every day for a man, they would surely be jealous to death.
After the food on their plates was completely gone without a trace, Charlie immediately gathered the dirty dishes with the intention of bringing them to the sink.
"Let me just do the dishes tonight, Shiina-san."
However, Mahiru instantly took custody of the plates from Charlie's hands and firmly refused.
"No need, Charlie-kun. Just leave them here and go relax in the living room. This is already my duty."
This was not the first time Mahiru flatly rejected his help in domestic matters. Remembering the girl's stubborn nature when it came to household service, Charlie finally gave in and resignedly complied with her order.
Before heading to the living room, Charlie stepped toward the refrigerator. He opened its door and took out a can of beer that he had happened to buy at the convenience store on his way home from school earlier.
While carrying the cold can, he walked to the living room and seated himself on the soft sofa.
From his position, Charlie could see the figure of Mahiru's back wrapped in fabric apron strings, moving diligently to begin cleaning the remains of the utensils in the kitchen sink.
Seeing that sight, Charlie suddenly fell into contemplation.
(This time's Quest truly feels too relaxed... Far different from all the bloody and tense Quests I have ever undertaken before in various Planar Worlds.)
(It feels as though the company is giving me a luxury vacation allowance, yet strangely I am still being paid in full.)
His eyes glanced back toward Mahiru.
(Besides, come to think of it objectively, Shiina Mahiru really is the ideal type of woman to be made a wife. She is independent, smart at cooking, and highly attentive.)
Withdrawing his gaze so as not to seem presumptuous, Charlie shifted his focus by turning on the television.
He changed channels using the remote, selecting a documentary program broadcast that happened to be discussing the culture and uniqueness of another country.
Feeling that the atmosphere was relaxed enough, he pulled the tab of the beer can in his hand until a crisp clicking sound was heard, then brought the can to his lips and took a fairly large sip.
"Cough! Cough!"
At that exact moment, Charlie choked.
He moved the can away with a grimacing face, staring at the golden-yellow liquid inside it with a gaze of disbelief.
"Ugh... so bitter." He complained softly while wiping his lips. "Why do the office workers out there like drinking this kind of beverage so much after being tired from working all day? The taste isn't good at all and it's strange on the tongue."
Mahiru, who heard the sound of coughing and complaining from the direction of the living room, instantly stopped her activity for a moment. She turned her head, staring at Charlie with a facial expression that suddenly changed to become highly serious.
"Charlie-kun, beer or other alcoholic beverages absolutely must not be consumed by minors. The law in Japan is very strict about this."
Charlie reflexively rolled both of his eyes lazily, feeling amused by the mother-like scolding.
"Look, Shiina-san. Even though my biological age at present appears like an 18-year-old teenager, my mental age is already in my 30s. I am fully an adult."
Mahiru narrowed her pair of eyes, staring at him with a gaze full of suspicion.
"Are you trying to lie to me and make up a story about that mental age just so you can get legal permission to be able to drink beer?"
Seeing the probing look from the "Angel", Charlie hurriedly placed the beer can down onto the table in front of him, moving it out of arm's reach.
"No, I'm serious. I was just curious and wanted to taste what kind of beverage adults in Japan always favor. But after experiencing it firsthand with my tongue... the conclusion is that I don't like it at all."
Hearing that honest confession, the tension on Mahiru's face loosened. She nodded in satisfaction with an expression that appeared more relieved.
"Good then. Besides, alcoholic beverages like beer are indeed not good at all for bodily health."
Mahiru fell silent for a moment, then threw out another question in a tone that sounded casual yet full of scrutiny.
"Then... what about cigarettes? Do you smoke as well, Charlie-kun?"
Charlie shook his head quickly. "Of course not. I am not a smoker and have never intended to touch that item. But, why did you suddenly ask a thing like that, Shiina-san?"
Mahiru did not answer immediately. She turned her body back to face the sink and resumed her remaining task of washing dishes that had been briefly delayed. In between the splashes of the running water's sound, her clear voice could be heard faintly.
"It's nothing... I just wanted to know."
"Oh."
Because he could not see what the girl's facial expression was like from his current sitting position, Charlie chose not to ask further or prolong the matter.
He refocused his entire attention on the television screen in front of him.
The theme of the documentary program being broadcast that night—whether due to an extraordinary coincidence or because it was already meant to be—happened to discuss a country that was Charlie's homeland in his past life, namely Indonesia.
Toward the largest archipelagic country in the world, Charlie personally possessed a sense of love, particularly for the warmth of its society and the richness of its culture.
However, on the other hand, he could not lie to himself that he highly hated its corrupt and chaotic government system.
Reluctant to be trapped too far into reminiscing about a past full of bittersweet memories, Charlie tried to enjoy the program casually.
On the glass screen, the host with full enthusiasm was throwing a few questions to a female guest who was a popular idol.
The idol had apparently just finished a visit to Indonesia and brought home various kinds of unique local goods that were deemed highly exotic in the eyes of Japanese society.
Ranging from a black stone mortar used to grind chilies and other kitchen spices manually, to a traditional wooden frog toy that could produce a raspy sound exactly like a real frog's voice when its back was rubbed using a small wooden stick from the direction of the head down to the tail.
Not long after, the splashing sound of water from the direction of the kitchen finally stopped.
Mahiru walked slowly toward the living room after completing her duty.
She then seated herself on the same sofa, right next to Charlie, yet still left a safe enough empty distance between the two of them to maintain the boundaries of politeness.
While tightly clutching a sofa pillow within her embrace, Mahiru directed her gaze to the TV screen before subsequently glancing toward the man beside her.
"Charlie-kun, you seem to look far more interested in tonight's television program compared to usual."
She noticed Charlie's focus that had been completely unturned since earlier.
Charlie turned slightly and smiled faintly. "Actually, I am not too interested in the program itself, Shiina-san. My interest lies more in the topic of the country they are presenting right now."
Mahiru returned to staring toward the glass screen, precisely as the camera was highlighting the idol who was demonstrating how the stone mortar works.
She furrowed her eyebrows slightly, appearing puzzled. "This is my first time seeing a tool like that. Thinking about the process of mashing kitchen spices being done manually by using a ground stone... isn't that exhausting?"
"In this day and age, wouldn't it be far more practical and fast to use a blender machine or directly buy finished instant spice products at the supermarket?"
Charlie chuckled softly hearing the practical viewpoint from the girl. "It's true that a blender is far more practical."
"But the pressure and friction from that stone mortar draw out the natural oils from the spices perfectly without cutting their fibers with an iron blade. The taste of spices mashed using that traditional mortar is completely different, the texture is unique, and the food will taste many times over more delicious."
Hearing an explanation that was so highly detailed, Mahiru stared at him with a gaze that was a bit strange.
"You... explain it as though you have already experienced it yourself directly, Charlie-kun."
Charlie did not intend to cover up his identity of origin. He spoke frankly with a casual tone, "Well, of course I have. Because I am an authentic Indonesian."
That answer instantly made Mahiru stunned in wonder. She observed Charlie's physical features from the tip of his hair to his face thoroughly.
"Really? But... you don't look like an ordinary Indonesian at all. Isn't an exotic olive skin tone the most dominant physical characteristic of people in the Southeast Asian region?"
Charlie merely formed a mysterious, meaningful smile. He chose not to explain the complex reincarnation he underwent, nor the deep cultural differences that shaped his current physical form.
Seeing him who appeared reluctant to tell a deeper story about his personal past, the wise Mahiru also chose not to press or ask further for the sake of respecting the man's privacy.
In exchange, she shifted the topic of their conversation to another matter that since this morning had been troubling her mind.
"In that case, can you explain what actually happened today?"
"Why is it that suddenly you could show up and work as a new biology teacher at my school?"
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