Chapter 1016: Cooking With Oka-San
Haruna whined cutely, puffing her cheeks. "But Oka-san... the food Jack cooks is really the best! It’s so much better than anything I can make..."
I stepped in smoothly to defend her, gently taking Kasumi’s soft, warm hand in mine. "Oka-san, please don’t scold Haruna. It’s completely my choice — I genuinely enjoy cooking for her. In fact, I would be happy to cook for her every day, for the rest of our lives."
Kasumi let out a long sigh, but her eyes sparkled with warm affection. She turned back to Haruna with mock sternness. "Listen carefully, Haruna... if you don’t take good care of Jack and treat him properly, then I will personally beat you."
Haruna pretended to hide behind Yuko, peeking out dramatically. "Sister...! Look, Oka-san is being so partial again. She only ever scolds her precious youngest daughter!"
Yuko chuckled softly, shaking her head. "Well, you do deserve it sotis. Oka-san, you don’t know the half of it. Haruna can be really willful."
"She’s always troubling Jack — dragging him to her friends’ parties, making him feed her like a child, and complaining when things aren’t perfect."
Kasumi shook her head with a fond but slightly disappointed smile. "Haruna... it seems you’ve forgotten so much of our Japanese culture after living abroad for so long. A proper wife should support her husband, not make extra work for him."
I smiled gently and defended Haruna again, my arm slipping around her waist. "Oka-san, these are actually the qualities I love most about Haruna."
"Even when she’s being a little willful or spoiled, I feel good doing these things for her. If I’m not doing them for the woman I love, then who should I do them for?"
Haruna’s eyes lit up. She imdiately hugged
tightly, pressing her warm body against mine without hesitation. "Jack... you’re too good to . I promise I’ll take even better care of you from now on."
Kasumi watched the two of us with a gentle, approving smile before turning her attention to Tomiko. "Tomiko... you should also find yourself a good man like Jack soday. It’s ti you started building your own family and happiness."
Tomiko offered a soft, weary smile in return, though a clear hint of sadness lingered in her eyes. "I already have a family, sister... You, Haruna, and now Jack have beco part of it too."
I noticed she deliberately left out Yuko’s na. The unspoken tension hung heavily in the air — painful and far from resolved.
Kasumi’s face fell the mont she heard those words. A shadow of deep sadness crossed her gentle features, as if she had suddenly beco a burden in her own sister’s life. Her shoulders slumped slightly, and she looked down, blinking rapidly to hold back the emotion welling up inside her.
Tomiko noticed imdiately and stepped closer, her voice gentle but firm. "Sister... this is what I want. Truly. I chose this path long ago. Please don’t look at
like that."
Kasumi felt even more downhearted. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words ca out. The guilt and helplessness were written clearly across her face.
Both Yuko and Haruna exchanged a quick, worried glance. They could sense that sothing serious was being hidden from them — the heavy atmosphere between their mother and aunt was impossible to miss.
Wanting to lighten the mood and shift the conversation, Kasumi forced a small smile and turned toward . "Jack... if you really want to help, you can chop the vegetables for ."
She gently took my arm and led
into the spacious, warmly lit kitchen. The aroma of simring broth already floated in the air.
With a soft instruction to the maid, Kasumi asked her to bring out fresh vegetables — carrots, bell peppers, onions, cabbage — and a selection of premium cuts of at.
Once everything was neatly arranged on the wide marble counter, Kasumi handed
a sharp chef’s knife and a sturdy wooden cutting board piled high with colorful produce.
I began chopping with steady, rhythmic motions, the knife making clean, satisfying thuds against the board as I sliced carrots into precise diagonal pieces and julienned the bell peppers. Beside , Kasumi worked with quiet focus.
She first seasoned the at with a light sprinkle of salt, pepper, and a touch of grated ginger, then began slicing it into thin, even strips for the stir-fry. Her movents were graceful but clearly tired — years of running a household showing in the slight stiffness of her wrists.
From the corner of my eye, I could see Tomiko, Haruna, and Yuko quietly watching us work together from the doorway, their gazes warm yet tinged with underlying concern.
As I continued chopping, I noticed small beads of sweat forming on Kasumi’s forehead from the warmth of the stove and the effort of standing for so long.
Without thinking, I reached into my pocket, pulled out my clean handkerchief, and gently dabbed her brow. A faint, comforting scent — soft floral notes mixed with her natural warmth — reached .
"Oka-san," I said softly, my voice full of concern, "you have to take better care of yourself. Please don’t push yourself too hard. You look tired."
Kasumi paused, then gave
a small, grateful smile. "Thank you, Jack... I’m alright."
We continued working side by side in comfortable silence for a few minutes.
I stirred the large pot on the stove, carefully tending to the bubbling dashi-based broth, skimming off any foam that rose to the surface and adjusting the heat to a gentle simr.
anwhile, Kasumi had moved on to preparing mushrooms for the soup. She picked up a fresh shiitake, holding it steady with her left hand while her right hand brought the knife down in a smooth, practiced motion.
But her grip slipped — just slightly — from fatigue and distraction. The sharp blade caught the edge of her index finger instead of the mushroom stem. A thin, bright line of blood instantly welled up on her pale skin.
She jerked her hand back with a small, startled gasp. "Ah—"
I imdiately stopped stirring and turned to her. "What happened? Let
see."
A shallow but clean cut marked her finger, not deep enough to need stitches, but enough to draw blood that slowly trickled down toward her palm. The sight sent a rush of protective concern through .
Without hesitation, I gently cradled her injured hand in both of mine, bringing her bleeding finger closer. I leaned down and placed my lips around the small wound, sucking softly and steadily.
The tallic taste of blood touched my tongue as I applied gentle suction, cleaning the cut while my tongue brushed lightly against her fingertip.
The intimate gesture was instinctive — ant to soothe and stop the bleeding — but the closeness made the mont unexpectedly tender.
Kasumi’s breath hitched sharply. Her cheeks flushed a deep, rosy pink that spread all the way to her ears.
She stood frozen for a second, clearly flustered by the sudden closeness and the warmth of my mouth on her skin. "J-Jack..." she whispered, her voice barely audible, a mix of embarrassnt and surprise coloring her tone.
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