Chapter 397: No Doujinshi, But Other Things
The practice of serving dumplings with rice, of course, would not be seen at Kaede's house.
Under the disruption of Eriri and Utaha, those two novices, Kaede finally managed to wrap all the dumplings.
Cabbage and pork dumplings, three-delicacy dumplings, and beef dumplings—three kinds were made today.
Washing the flour off his hands, Kaede exhaled and said, "OK, excluding what we'll eat tonight, there's enough left for a few more meals."
He put a portion into a box and refrigerated it. Next, it was time to cook the dumplings.
Half pan-fried, half boiled—just right.
Although Utaha also liked dumplings, she surprisingly wasn't the type to eat them with rice. Her reason was that if the two were combined, there would be too many carbohydrates. Her current figure was just right, and if she accidentally gained a little more weight, it wouldn't be good.
Kaede was in charge of pan-frying the dumplings, while Eriri was responsible for boiling them.
Before the water in the pot boiled, Eriri took the opportunity to chat with Utaha: "So, you're really still exercising at home?"
"Otherwise?" Utaha said helplessly, spreading her hands, "The last few times I came to your house for dinner, I accidentally ate a bit too much. Occasionally, when we eat out together, my appetite always can't help but get bigger when there are many people. And then, well, I found my weight tending to increase, so I have to be vigilant."
As she spoke, Utaha couldn't help but twist her waist: "When I'm free at home, I always stick to yoga, and I've also consulted a professional yoga instructor. It does have some effect; my figure is well-controlled, and at least I don't have any love handles."
Frowning, Eriri bent down and placed her hands on Utaha's waist, pinching up and down.
"Hmm... it's indeed different from mine."
Before Utaha felt ticklish, Eriri withdrew her hand and pinched her own waist: "Although it's not as thin as mine, the feeling when I pinch it is surprisingly good."
...Do you mean I'm fat?
"Hehe, of course not~~~ Ah, the water's boiling!"
Seeing the water boil, Eriri quickly put the dumplings in.
Eriri wasn't wearing a skirt today but rather capri pants, and her top was fitted, so Utaha, standing nearby, could clearly see Eriri's slender waist.
She looked down at her own waist. Although she knew her abdomen had no excess fat, the difference was indeed quite significant.
Shaking her head, she decided not to compare different body types.
After a while, all the dumplings were ready. Kaede served each of them a bowl of boiled dumplings, while the pan-fried dumplings were placed directly on a plate and brought to the dining table.
Dipping sauces were naturally not omitted; both vinegar and seasoned chili oil were available.
Looking at the fragrant dumplings, Utaha's hand holding the chopsticks trembled slightly: "I somewhat regret coming. I'll probably have to add an extra half hour to my yoga when I get home tonight."
"Hehe, just add it then," Eriri said, picking up a boiled dumpling from her bowl without any dipping sauce and putting it into her mouth. She kept exhaling, saying, "Ha~ ha~~~ Mmm... Delicious! It's the three-delicacy one! Anyway, in my opinion, eating what you want should come first. At most, you just exercise more later, but you absolutely shouldn't starve your stomach. Life is only a few decades long; if you don't eat more delicious food, isn't that a huge loss?"
Although she exaggerated a bit, Utaha eventually agreed with Eriri's twisted logic, said "I'm eating," and then eagerly started eating.
Unlike the pan-fried dumplings eaten at outside restaurants, because these were homemade, the ingredients were extremely generous. Each dumpling, when bitten into, revealed abundant filling and broth, stimulating one's appetite.
Although three types of dumpling fillings were made, after being both boiled and pan-fried, the flavors also differed slightly. Coupled with the dipping sauces, it was truly impossible to stop eating.
Halfway through the meal, Eriri paused and couldn't help but say, "Ah, I forgot to take a picture and post it on Twitter!"
Kaede swallowed what was in his mouth and said helplessly, "You, can you please stop torturing people by posting everything online every time?"
Eriri was still relatively well-behaved now, only posting during dinner time and not having escalated to late-night food torture. Kaede had also been carefully preventing Eriri from reaching that point.
Utaha also nodded in agreement: "Mm-hmm, I've seen those photos on your Twitter before, and honestly, they really do provoke resentment, especially since they're homemade."
"Provoking resentment is just something that can't be helped~~~" Eriri said, shaking her head, her twin-tails swaying, "I'm just documenting my daily life. Those netizens can post too if they want, but only a few people post, and they all eat out; none of them cook themselves. Hmph, there's not a single one who can compete."
Ever since she learned to cook and her skills gradually improved, Eriri's self-confidence in this area had also gradually inflated.
But honestly, among their peers, neither Kaede nor Utaha seemed to have met many girls whose cooking skills were comparable to Eriri's.
It was estimated that Eriri would continue to be so smug until someone comparable emerged.
After dinner and a short rest, Eriri went back to her studio and took out her sketchbook.
Seeing her actions, Kaede asked, puzzled, "Eriri, are you going to draw now?"
"Hmph hmph~~~"
After a hum, Eriri glanced at Utaha, then sat on the sofa and began to draw with her pen.
A hint of unease arose in Utaha's heart. She came and sat beside Eriri, asking, "You... you're not actually going to draw a doujinshi, are you?"
At the mention of that, Kaede immediately perked up.
Her hands moving without pause, sketching line by line, Eriri shook her head and said, "Don't worry, I said I absolutely wouldn't draw a doujinshi, but... you should take a look first."
Although Eriri promised not to draw a doujinshi, Utaha grew more and more worried as she watched.
After a few minutes, she realized, why was the character being drawn not wearing clothes?
Although it was just an outline, with no facial details whatsoever, it was definitely her, wasn't it? That long hair, no matter how she looked at it, had to be Utaha's, right?
Quickly grabbing Eriri's hand holding the pen, Utaha said with a dark face, "Where are the clothes?"
"Huh?"
Eriri looked at Utaha, stunned, then realized, "Oh~ clothes, don't worry, don't worry, I'll draw them! And isn't this just an outline? I haven't even drawn the oppai yet! Besides, Kaede-kun is also watching, so I wouldn't draw it like that!"
Hearing this, Utaha looked at Kaede, who immediately sat up straight, holding the remote control, his eyes fixed on the television in front of him.