During the following days of Seiji's illness, Hideaki had to take on the responsibility of cooking. Seiji was recovering, but he secretly kept an eye on his roommate's progress.
Initially, Hideaki's attempts were failures, with Seiji struggling to consume them. As days passed, Hideaki improved slightly... slowly... very slowly... but he was driven by his determination to prove to Seiji that he can do this better than Ken.
He wouldn't be mocked by how lack of skills he actually have in cooking.
Despite his rage from continuing failures, he kept practicing and making food repeatedly.
Seiji was taken aback how his roommate took personally his comment about making food, but on the other hand, he was happy that Hideaki finally starting to improve himself.
[ Evening, Another week ]
Seiji entered the apartment, exhausted from work, and barely noticed the crooked Onigiri sitting on the table. He removed his shoes, paused, and glanced at it with a faint look of surprise.
"Who... Hideaki?" he muttered, raising an eyebrow. He looked around, finding no sign of his roommate.
After a moment's hesitation, he picked up the Onigiri, inspecting it skeptically before taking a cautious bite. "Hmm... edible," he muttered, sounding genuinely surprised.
Suddenly, Hideaki emerged from the bathroom. Eyes widening in horror when he saw Seiji mid-bite. He panicked and sprinted towards him, "N-no! Don't eat it yet!"
Seiji blinked, still chewing. "Why not?"
"I still need to add the last ingredient to this! Spices!"
Seiji swallowed, then shook his head, clearly unimpressed. "Hideaki, it's fine the way it is."
Hideaki paused mid-lunge, his face a mix of disbelief and confusion. "What... what did you say?"
"I said it's not bad. A bit crooked, but better than last week's... attempt." Seiji took another bite, then gestured toward the Onigiri. "What did you put in it this time?"
"Uh... just salt. And a bit of pepper..."
Seiji smirked, half-amused. "Good choice. Trust me, any more spices would've been overkill." He looked at Hideaki's frustrated face and added, "Sometimes, the simplest approach is the best. You don't need to complicate things."
Hideaki's eyes widened a little, surprised by the rare bit of encouragement. "So... it's actually good?"
Seiji nodded, keeping his tone calm but slightly teasing. "For once, yes. Best thing you've managed so far. There's room for improvement, obviously, but it's... decent."
Hideaki's face broke into a grin. "I finally made something that doesn't taste terrible!"
"Mhm," Seiji nodded. "Keep at it, and who knows? Maybe you'll even surpass me someday."
Hideaki scoffed, "You? Pfft! Good joke..."
Seiji gave a faint, mysterious smile. "We'll see." He thought to himself, 'Maybe there's hope for you yet. If you just keep pushing yourself... maybe one day you'll find some purpose that doesn't involve... well, murder'
After a pause, Seiji turned to him. "How about we take turns cooking? It'll give you more practice."
Hideaki's eyes gleamed with a competitive glint. "Perfect! I'll get better faster and prove I'm better than that idiot Ken!"
Seiji raised an eyebrow, curious. "Ken?"
"Yeah, he's better than me at cooking, and it pisses me off!"
YOU ARE READING
Everyday Life with a Murderer
ActionA adult Japanese man, Seiji Sekiguchi was devastated by his life. During one rainy evening, he went to the rooftop of a building to commit suicide. Unexpectedly, on his way he meets a man, who apparently wants to kill him. Prepared for certain death...
