Inside the narrow, yet clean and tidy kitchen, Lu Ping'an opened the refrigerator and took out Jashin-chan's tail from the fresh-keeping compartment.
He sniffed it, finding it a bit fishy, which was expected.
He then felt it and observed it—
Jashin-chan’s tail meat was incredibly tender, with a rosy color, not a trace of fat, and a section of jade-white bone embedded within the ruby-like flesh.
Various cooking methods automatically appeared in his mind, pondering how to make it delicious.
Considering the current conditions, Lu Ping'an decided to slice it into thick steaks and pan-fry them.
"...Hentai!"
Seeing Lu Ping'an sniffing and touching her severed tail, Jashin-chan couldn't help but feel uncomfortable, taking a step back to create distance.
"What Hentai!"
Putting the meat on the cutting board, Lu Ping'an, who was looking for a bone cleaver, gave her a sidelong glance:
"I'm just checking the quality of the meat... Speaking of which, is there a bone cleaver?"
Without a bone cleaver, the bone in the middle would be difficult to handle.
"There's no such thing, but there's a big machete. What do you want to do? I'll help you."
Yurihana Hyakuryo put down her bowl and chopsticks and walked into the kitchen, carrying the big machete.
Lu Ping'an made way for her, pointing to the snake tail on the cutting board:
"Please chop it into one-centimeter-thick steaks."
"No problem."
With a casual reply, Yurihana Hyakuryo picked up the big machete and, with a few swift slashes, chopped the snake tail on the cutting board into one-centimeter-thick steaks—this effortless display made Lu Ping'an break out in a cold sweat, and he realized something again—he was the weakest person present!
"Oh, amazing!"
Lu Ping'an gave her a thumbs up, looking at the evenly cut steaks on the cutting board and saying, "Your knife skills are also very good. I'll take it from here!"
"Okay." Yurihana Hyakuryo's lips curved slightly upwards, and she casually put the big machete into the sink to rinse it clean, then went back to continue eating.
Lu Ping'an, on the other hand, took out a large bowl from the cupboard—he put the peeled, bone-in snake meat into the bowl and marinated it with the seasonings available in the kitchen. Then he continuously kneaded and massaged the steaks to help them absorb the flavor faster.
...
The kitchen was soon filled with an enticing aroma, which began to spread outwards.
Yurihana Hyakuryo, who had deliberately slowed down her eating and was playing on her phone, got up and went to the kitchen door, looking towards the stove—
'It's pan-fried steak, as expected!'
Jashin-chan had also made this before, but the aroma was completely different, probably the difference between 'Demon Realm seasoning with a strange Japanese flavor bias' and Chinese cuisine seasoning.
And the aroma in front of her seemed even more enticing, making a sense of anticipation well up in Yurihana Hyakuryo's heart.
Jashin-chan, who had finished cleaning the bloodstains on the sliding door, stood with one hand across her chest, pinching her chin, and observing Lu Ping'an.
This traitor's character wasn't great, but she had to admit, his cooking skills were indeed excellent.
'Why not keep him as a private chef?'
'Hmm... Cleaning and washing Baihe Ling's clothes could also be handed over to him.'
After working so hard for so long, she, Jashin-chan, should also enjoy herself.
'But the other party seems to not know who's boss, so I need to let him know who the master is first!'
Jashin-chan thought smugly.
"Three more minutes."
Lu Ping'an flipped the sizzling, aromatic bone-in steak in the pan and said to the two people at the kitchen door.
"Hmm, Lu Jun, are you a chef?"
Yurihana Hyakuryo looked at his chef's uniform and asked casually.
"Yes, I graduated from New Oriental and have been a chef for two and a half years."
"New Oriental? We have that in our world too."
Even an outsider like Yurihana Hyakuryo had heard of China's famous culinary school.
"That's quite a coincidence."
However, Lu Ping'an was not surprised.
The setting of "Jashin-chan Dropkick" is modern Japan; what's so strange about having a New Oriental next door?
This was not uncommon at all.
"What about Baihe Ling?" He casually continued the conversation.
"I am the strongest Black Magician in the world, an existence that transmits the will of demons to humans..." Yurihana Hyakuryo pulled out a small black staff from somewhere, propping it on the tatami and saying, "I am known as the Preacher of Evil, the Evangelist of Darkness!"
"...All of the above is a joke; I'm just an ordinary female college student."
The legal loli said, throwing the staff aside.
"Simply put, it's chuunibyou."
Jashin-chan showed off her presence from the side, wagging her finger and saying something suicidal.
"Ow—!"
The next moment, Yurihana Hyakuryo unhesitatingly turned and punched her in the abdomen.
The immense force made Jashin-chan scream, her entire body flying into the air, her azure eyes looking as if they would pop out of their sockets, and some clear saliva flying out of her mouth.
"Isn't it good to be alive?"
Lu Ping'an twitched his mouth, mourning for her for three seconds.
But to be fair, Baihe Ling was actually quite cute, and her chuunibyou was also very adorable, just a little violent...
"Sorry to make you laugh."
Yurihana Hyakuryo, who had KO'd Jashin-chan, put on a gentle expression and looked at Lu Ping'an.
"Hmm, it's nothing... This guy is indeed quite punchable."
Lu Ping'an looked subtly at Jashin-chan, who was kneeling on the tatami, holding her stomach and groaning in pain, and decisively sided with Baihe Ling.
"You traitor!" Jashin-chan immediately raised her head, gritting her teeth and glaring fiercely at Lu Ping'an.
She was clearly the summoner, yet he always sided with Baihe Ling.
Damn it!
She didn't know what was so good about Baihe Ling!
"First, I am human, and there's nothing wrong with siding with humans."
"Second, I genuinely think you're quite suicidal."
Lu Ping'an shrugged lightly, not taking her accusations to heart.
As the two spoke, the bone-in steak continuously cooking in the pan seemed to be under some magic, beginning to emit a faint, soft glow.
It was also from this moment that the aroma became even richer and more enticing, causing everyone present, including Jashin-chan, to instinctively look towards the stove.
When she saw the bone-in steak emitting a faint, soft glow, Yurihana Hyakuryo paused, her beautiful reddish-brown eyes widening in disbelief, and she said in astonishment:
"...It's glowing!"
An incredible emotion spread through her heart; the last time something was so incredible was when she summoned Jashin-chan!
...
...