Chapter 678: Chapter 433: Soft Rice Hard to Eat
"Huh? Ah, okay."
Minamoto Tamako was holding barley tea. She turned around and watched Fushimi Roku enter the kitchen and put on that pink apron again.
What’s up with this guy?
Minamoto Tamako suddenly became suspicious. Whenever Fushimi Roku switched to his sunny, outgoing big boy mode, it usually meant he was up to something.
She mulled it over and thought Fushimi Roku might be planning to burst her bubble, which made her nervous. She quickly followed him into the kitchen: "Let me help!"
Granny Hamada stopped her and said, "There are plenty of days ahead for doing chores! Let him be busy!"
Everyone sided with Minamoto Tamako, thinking that this is how a kept man should behave. The hostess greets the guests, while the kept man is responsible for preparing food in the kitchen.
After more than a year of honing in Tokyo, Minamoto Tamako’s emotional intelligence had slightly exceeded the average person’s level. Now, after hearing Granny Hamada’s words, her mind became even more tense.
If Fushimi dear heard this, wouldn’t that be a disaster?
Just the thought of it made Minamoto Tamako’s scalp tingle. Not to mention Fushimi dear’s Evil Chant, even just bursting her bubble would be enough to cause her trouble.
"No, no problem, I’ll just go and help."
Minamoto Tamako read and replied chaotically, rushing away.
Before entering the kitchen, she glanced back to find everyone peeking, so she quickly closed the kitchen partition door.
"Why are you here?" Fushimi Roku was arranging pickled radish on a plate, using extra-long chopsticks to pick red radishes from a clay jar.
"I-I came to see you."
Minamoto Tamako crossed her arms, feeling a little guilty, pacing around the kitchen and indirectly asking, "You weren’t mad when I called you captain just now, right?"
Fushimi Roku, upon hearing this, knew what she was worried about.
He continued to display his sunny big boy charm, smiling, "Why would I be mad? We agreed beforehand that you’d call me Mr. Deer, and I’d call you captain."
"That’s what we said, but..."
Minamoto Tamako knew her behavior earlier was a bit deceitful but felt embarrassed to admit it: "Hey, don’t be mad, next time I’ll call you captain, and we can take turns."
Fushimi Roku shook his head repeatedly: "The captain is testing me, right? Don’t worry, I have no interest in the detective squad captain’s chair!"
After he said that, he snapped to attention and saluted: "Loyalty!"
Minamoto Tamako knew he was talking nonsense. This guy was infuriating when he dodged around like that: "I’ll stamp it for you; will that work?"
"I haven’t claimed the stamp prize yet." Fushimi Roku laughed like a cheerful fox.
It would have been better if he hadn’t mentioned it. When he did, Minamoto Tamako felt even more uneasy, feeling like all her little mistakes were at Fushimi dear’s mercy.
She had to soften her tone and plead repeatedly, bargaining with Fushimi dear.
...
But to outsiders, the relationship between the two didn’t look that way.
Granny Hamada sipped her barley tea, watching the scene unfold with the other guests.
The shadows of Minamoto Tamako and Fushimi Roku were projected onto the kitchen partition door. Whatever they did, the people outside could see it clearly.
Granny Yamaguchi saw personally, as soon as Minamoto Tamako went in, she crossed her arms and paced in the kitchen. Mr. Yoshida chimed in, claiming that’s how Navy instructors also give commands.
As soon as he said that, everyone saw Fushimi Roku suddenly snap to attention and salute.
"Hiss..."
Mrs. Yoshida pulled some sunflower seeds from her pocket, cracked them, and said, "No wonder she became a criminal police officer, look how mighty that little girl is!"
Granny Hamada nodded beside her: "Indeed, I think she’s even stronger than her mom! At least she knows to save face for her husband, so they won’t have to get divorced later."
Granny Yamaguchi said, "Ah, being a son-in-law isn’t easy, getting bossed around by the wife, and who knows how much more he’ll have to endure when he meets old man Kujo..."
Granny Hamada, who liked Tamako, didn’t like hearing this and retorted: "What are you saying? What’s wrong with being a live-in son-in-law? He gets food and drink, and I bet this kept man becoming a criminal police officer is mostly due to Tamako mentoring him!"
"That makes sense, Tamako has achieved a lot now; she was even on TV recently!" Mr. Yoshida brought this up again.
The elders nodded repeatedly, watching the partition door while whispering to each other.
Taira Sakurako was crouching quietly in the corner, sporadically taking pictures, unnoticed by anyone, as they were all focused on the two shadows.
They saw Minamoto Tamako harshly reprimanding Fushimi Roku a few more times, likely dissatisfied with his earlier conduct with the guests.
Then Fushimi Roku nodded, appearing to compromise; Minamoto Tamako shifted from crossing her arms to hands on hips, exuding more authority.
Finally, the two prepared drinking snacks and sake, opening the kitchen partition door.
Everyone quickly turned their heads, pretending to chat, as if nothing had happened.
"Sorry for the wait, everyone."
Fushimi Roku smiled, setting down the tray, and served plates of pickled radish and a jug of sake. He had heard that coastal fishermen love strong liquor, so he poured out several cups.
He was in a great mood now, as Minamoto Tamako had agreed that once they were back in Tokyo, they’d go to a private room in the video theater to watch a movie together.
The key point was, without Taira Sakurako.
It was well known that in 1985, Japan amended the "Business Act related to Adult Entertainment," legalizing "sex-related special entertainment businesses," which explicitly included adult video theaters.
Thus, most video theaters had private booths, and the more upscale ones had great environments, usually equipped with individual door locks, soundproofing, and dedicated video equipment. Some high-end places even offered air conditioning and soft seating... just a bit pricey, costing around 2000 to 3000 yen per hour.