Today's meal was cooked by Soma. In truth, Nezuko was not very willing to let him do such things. She always felt that matters in the kitchen, preparing three meals a day, were things she ought to do.
But Soma insisted, so Nezuko could only agree.
Of course, Nezuko did not let Soma work alone. She helped prepare the ingredients and also helped tend the fire.
In this place, it was rare to see men cook. There was a commonly accepted idea that men were always responsible for outside affairs, such as farming, chopping firewood, and dealing with people beyond the home, while the household was left to women.
The figures busy beside the hot brick stoves were almost always women.
Nezuko had grown up in such an environment since childhood and had long since become used to it.
At least, in Nezuko's memory, her father, Tanjuro Kamado, rarely seemed to enter the kitchen. Although her father and mother had always gotten along well and supported each other to hold up that large family with many children, each of them had carried their own role. They had worked together well, but there had been a little less of something…
Nezuko could not quite put it into words. She only felt that the way she and Soma were together was somewhat different from the way her parents had been.
During several conversations with her mother, her mother had always told her, "Nezuko, you married the right person. You must cherish him. And do not act without restraint just because a man dotes on you. Men are people too. They also grow tired, and there are times when they need care."
When her mother said these words, there was always a complicated look in her eyes.
Several times, Nezuko had caught a flash of envy in her mother's gaze.
This kind of feeling between her and Soma was probably something her mother had never possessed.
As she added firewood to the stove, Nezuko raised her eyes and looked at Soma, who was busy cutting vegetables.
Soma had his head lowered at this moment, and beneath the faint glow of the stove fire, the lines of his side profile looked especially gentle.
The firelight flickered, casting a warm halo over his features.
Nezuko felt her heartbeat quicken slightly.
She was not unfamiliar with this feeling.
Although she spent every day and night with Soma, although she had long since grown used to his presence beside her, it seemed she still could not completely take it for granted.
Sometimes, in some careless moment, like now, when she looked at his side profile as he focused on doing something, her heart would still feel as though something had lightly bumped against it.
In Nezuko's heart, Soma was almost covered in virtues.
He was powerful and never retreated, even when facing the most vicious demons.
He was tall, and just standing beside him made people feel safe.
He was also handsome, with proper, pleasing features that she never tired of looking at.
He could always say things and tell stories she had never heard before, making her feel as though her own horizons had widened along with him.
He even knew how to cook, and his cooking was truly not bad.
Sometimes, a sense of unreality rose in Nezuko's heart. She felt that Soma was far too perfect, so perfect that she would occasionally wonder whether someone like him truly belonged to her.
As for flaws, there were some troubles too.
In Nezuko's view, Soma's greatest flaw was that he too easily made other girls like him.
For example, Makomo, who had come today.
Previously, because Soma's identity as a demon had been discovered, this girl who had once shared such an ambiguous relationship with him had suddenly distanced herself.
Nezuko had seen it at the time, and her feelings had actually been rather complicated.
On one hand, she understood Makomo's fear and retreat. After all, in this place, demons represented far too many terrible things.
On the other hand, she could not help feeling that this kind of affection was a little too fragile.
Of course, deep down, she had also been happy.
Happy that there was one fewer girl beside Soma who shared that ambiguity with him.
However, today, Soma and Makomo had talked alone for a very long time. From the look of things, they had probably reconciled.
Nezuko did not ask what they had talked about, but she could vaguely guess the outcome.
However, when she thought about having to share Soma with Makomo in their future life, the girl unconsciously bit her lower lip, her cheeks puffing up like a little hamster guarding its food.
It was not that she had no selfishness.
She also wanted, just as her mother had said, to "hold on to Soma tightly."
But some things could not be held simply by gripping them.
The pot on the stove heated up. Oil slid across the bottom with a sharp sizzle.
Soma moved neatly, placing the ingredients into the pan. The sound of stir-frying mixed with the crackle of oil, and the fragrance of food quickly spread through the small kitchen.
Nezuko raised her eyes and watched through the rising steam, her mouth slightly open as she fell into a daze.
In truth, this was not the first time Nezuko had seen Soma cook.
But every time she saw it, she still felt a small sense of surprise.
Soma's cooking could not be considered master-level, but in this place, for a man to be able to make dishes properly was already a very rare thing.
"Nezuko, what are you looking at?"
While cooking, Soma noticed Nezuko staring blankly and asked in a low voice.
"No, nothing." Nezuko lowered her head, looking as though she were focused entirely on tending the fire.
Soma continued cooking the ingredients. After a while, he asked softly, "Will you be angry, Nezuko?"
"What…?"
The girl raised her head. Her bright eyes blinked as she looked at him in confusion.
Soma did not answer. He only quietly looked at Nezuko, his gaze carrying a little guilt and a little unease.
Nezuko understood at once.
She probably already knew that Soma was talking about Makomo. She had merely been pretending not to know.
But now that Soma had asked, there was no avoiding it.
So the girl puffed out her cheeks as though very angry."Of course I'm angry."
Hearing Nezuko say this, Soma lowered his head.
"However…"
Nezuko suddenly spoke. Then she stretched out a finger and crooked it at Soma.
Soma felt a little puzzled, but he walked over.
The moment he came close, Nezuko threw herself forward, burying her small head against his shoulder.
Then,
he felt a slight pain in his shoulder.
Nezuko had suddenly opened her mouth and bitten him there.
With the hardness of Soma's body, it was already as solid as iron. If someone bit him carelessly, they might break their teeth.
But sensing that the one biting him was Nezuko, he deliberately relaxed the muscles in his body, allowing her to bite him easily.
Even so, Nezuko only bit once before letting go. The force was not heavy. It felt more like an emotional mark.
Then she clapped her hands.
"There. Now I'm not angry anymore. If you make me angry again in the future, I'll…"
Nezuko straightened her well-developed chest and put on a fierce expression.
"…bite you to death."
She tried to look vicious, but with her pretty, adorable face, there was not the slightest hint of menace.
Although Soma felt no danger at all, he still pretended to be afraid. That made Nezuko even more satisfied. Then she sat down again and continued tending the fire.
Soma breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"Tonight, let Makomo stay here." Nezuko added another piece of firewood beneath the pot, her voice soft.
The hand Soma used to hold the ladle trembled slightly.
"As a man, you should take the initiative too. Do not expect Makomo to be like me…"
Nezuko muttered. She seemed to think of when she and Soma had first gotten together, when she had been the one to take the initiative. Thinking of this, the girl bared her neat white teeth and glared fiercely at Soma.
Even now, whenever she thought of how she had taken the initiative back then, Nezuko felt her cheeks burn.
How had she been so bold at the time?
She sometimes asked herself that too.
Of course,
Nezuko did not regret her boldness back then. Although even now, when she remembered it, she scolded herself for being shameless, it was precisely because of that boldness that her relationship with Soma had truly broken through.
Soma raised his head and stared blankly at Nezuko.
Being stared at by him made Nezuko feel a little uncomfortable. She turned her head away and pretended to focus on poking the firewood in the stove. The flames reddened her ears, and that red spread all the way down to her neck.
After some time, a burnt smell drifted over.
Only then did Soma and Nezuko suddenly react. Soma hurriedly added water, while Nezuko quickly pulled out some firewood.
"Soma, you're such a fool. You weren't paying attention at all. Now it's burnt, isn't it?"
The girl placed her hands slightly on her hips, carrying a somewhat spoiled and willful air.
"I already told you—the kitchen is fine with just me here."
"I wasn't paying attention."
Soma spoke softly, then looked at Nezuko.
Being stared at by him made the girl panic all at once. The little bit of willful momentum she had just shown instantly scattered by more than half, and her voice became unsteady.
"I… was I too fierce just now?"
"No."
Soma shook his head. He only reached out and gently placed his hand on Nezuko's pretty face.
"Wh-what is it?"
Nezuko lowered her head slightly, her delicate face flushed red.
In an instant, she went from looking fierce to being very obedient.
"There is a bit of ash on your face. I will wipe it off for you."
Soma said.
"Mm."
Nezuko answered softly, then obediently let him wipe the ash from her face.
After wiping away the ash on Nezuko's cheek, Soma continued cooking. Nezuko lowered her head again and kept feeding the fire beneath the pot.
In the small kitchen, the two of them worked together in quiet harmony.
By the time the food was almost ready, Nezuko would occasionally raise her head. In her mind, she had already begun preparing herself to accept Makomo.
It was not that she truly did not mind.
It was only because she loved him.
And so, she chose to yield.