Hearing footsteps behind him, Guangyou stopped what he was doing and dried his hands with a towel.
He turned to look at Ai, who was walking towards the kitchen, and asked:
"Ai, aren't you going to chat with Akemi-nee?"
Entering the kitchen, Ai glanced at the table laden with ingredients and said:
"I came to see if you need any help."
She spoke with a completely expressionless face, appearing very calm.
You couldn't tell that she was all smiles just seconds before.
In the past, Kwang-woo would probably have said, "No, I can manage on my own," but at this moment he said:
"Yes, I do, but I should be able to handle it by myself."
Just a few words can completely change the feeling one gets from a single word.
The former seems to be expressing:
"You don't need to come, I can manage on my own."
The latter, however, expresses:
"Although I need help, I can actually manage on my own."
The former sounds a bit harsh, while the latter is more tactful.
Ignoring Guangyou's polite refusal, she walked to the sink and began washing the ingredients.
She said:
"I happen to be free right now."
"Come over and help you."
Seeing that she had already started to help, Guangyou didn't know what to say, and the words he had just prepared were completely useless.
He nodded and said:
"Alright."
"Just help me clean these, I'll take care of the rest."
"Mmm," Ai replied nonchalantly.
"Where's Akemi?" Guangyou asked while chopping the ingredients. "Why aren't you chatting with Akemi?"
"My sister has something to do right now," Ai replied without looking up as she busied herself washing the ingredients.
There was something I needed to do, but it was just to pour the three of them a cup of milk tea.
"Okay." Kōyū nodded, not asking any further questions, but he did glance at Ai.
...
The two didn't chat much while they were working.
One person is washing the ingredients, while the other is cutting the washed ingredients into the desired shapes and sizes.
The two often cooperate like this, and they have a great understanding.
By the time Ai had finished washing all the ingredients, Kousuke had almost finished preparing them as well.
After drying his hands with a towel, Kousuke said to Ai:
"Ai, I can handle the rest on my own."
"Go and chat with Mingmei."
"It's been a while since you two sisters have seen each other."
Ai used the same reasoning, and asked in return:
"My sister is busy right now, how can we talk?"
These words made Kōyū raise an eyebrow. He looked at Ai, a hint of doubt in his eyes, and asked:
"Is something really wrong?"
"Mm." Ai met Kousuke's gaze without flinching.
Those icy blue eyes were like a calm lake, without a ripple in them.
If Mitsuyuu hadn't known Ai's feelings, he might have actually believed it.
Under Ai's calm gaze, he stepped forward and moved closer to her.
Standing in front of her, Guangyou asked:
"Ai, what could be wrong with Akemi-nee?"
Before Ai could speak, he made a casual guess:
"Could it be that Sister Mingmei went to get us some water?"
"No," Ai said, but her eyebrows involuntarily twitched.
Guangyou keenly noticed this subtle movement. He knew what was going on, but still asked:
"That's exactly what I think."
He didn't expect that his casual guess would actually be correct.
"That's what you think." Ai Haibara maintained her calm expression.
"We didn't spend too much time on these trivial details," Kwangyu said.
"Oh well."
"However, Ai, you should go to the living room. Akemi should be done with her work soon. Go and chat with her."
"Although there are people I can help with, I can manage on my own."
Faced with Kousuke's repeated rejection, Ai fell into a moment of silence.
He remembered what happened last time, reached out and gently stroked Ai's brown hair, and smiled:
"Go ahead and chat with Mingmei."
"I know you want to help me, even if it's just a small thing."
"But you two sisters haven't seen each other for a while, you must have accumulated a lot of topics to talk about, right?"
"Most chats via text message or email don't last long."
After all, this requires waiting; face-to-face interaction is unnecessary.
The same thing can have different outcomes.
Unlike last time, Ai calmly replied:
"We didn't talk much."
Akemi rarely goes out, so she doesn't have many topics to think about.
And Ai couldn't possibly talk about how most of her conversations were related to him.
“Whether we have anything to talk about or not, it’s good that the two sisters are together,” Guangyou said with a smile. “You can help me in many ways, so one more day won’t make a difference.”
"Hmm." After considering for a moment, Ai said, "Then I'll prepare dinner."
“Okay.” Guangyou nodded without much thought. “I’ll prepare lunch, and you can prepare dinner.”
Seeing that he agreed, Xiao Ai nodded and turned to leave the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Kōyū continued preparing lunch.
"This girl..."
He had a slight smile on his lips, but his tone sounded somewhat helpless.
…
After lunch.
"Kuangyou, your cooking skills are getting better and better."
After offering an unabashed compliment, Akemi didn't forget to tease Ai:
"Shiho is really in for a treat now."
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
