kscans

Chapter 100 - With You for the First Time

[……, ……]

"You've finished preparing the meal? Thank you very much."

When I came out of the bath, I bumped into a drum can-like robot in the hallway. I think this was the same one that served me tea this morning.

(……I wonder how it makes tea and cooks meals)

The robot's appearance was the epitome of classic design. With its drum can body, lightbulb-like eyes, magic hand-like arms, it gave off a strong Showa-era mechanical vibe. It was probably designed that way intentionally, but I couldn't figure out how it performed such delicate tasks. When Kawasaki gently patted its head, the robot blinked its eyes two or three times and walked away.

(S-so cute……)

My heart skipped a beat. Even though Kawasaki had been all over me today, this robot made my heart flutter the most. Charming and capable of housework, that little one is invincible. I might actually get a little jealous of Kawasaki……

"Shall we go then?"

"Yeah."

When we headed to the Japanese-style room, lavish dishes were laid out on the table. The main course was tempura. There were thick shrimp tempura, plump octopus tempura, and smelt looked good too, but……

(Personally, I prefer vegetable tempura made with seasonal ingredients. Especially that one, shishito peppers!)

Was that a kakiage fritter with shishito peppers and corn? Just looking at it, I could already imagine the taste. It's definitely delicious, absolutely delicious.

(The white rice is steaming hot too……hm? That small bowl is……)

Grated yam……so they want me to make it into a rice bowl. With mentaiko and green onions and other condiments, please. Nice, very nice. Since the main dish is fried food, the soup is a refreshing cold soup for balance. The pickles look delicious too……damn, I wasn't even that hungry, but suddenly my appetite is……

"Come, let's eat."

"Right."

We sat down and put our hands together to say thanks for the meal. First, I reached for the kakiage fritter that had caught my attention since I saw it.

"……So good!!"

It was a hit, apparently. A bitter taste followed by a sharp spiciness hit me. But the sweetness of the corn mixed in made it milder, dealing a devastating blow to me. What a great combination. I can feel it, your teamwork……heh, magnificent work indeed.

"Hehe, I'm glad to hear that."

"Man, that robot is amazing. Having that kid make meals like this every day……you lucky bastard."

"Ah, you mean Robo-Tai. Even if you call me lucky, I'm the one who built that kid."

"Well, that's true, but……"

"And I'm also the one who taught it housework."

"……Taught it?"

"Yes. Simply inputting the knowledge needed for cooking would allow it to make normally delicious food, but……"

Robo-Tai was strictly a robot for taking care of her own needs, not something to sell to others. So to make everything exactly to her liking, Kawasaki herself had to directly teach it housework.

"In the end, only you can completely satisfy your own palate."

……This guy can do housework too? Well, if she's skilled enough to build robots, cooking would probably be simple. But I can't picture her standing in the kitchen at all.

"That's surprising. I thought you weren't interested in food and stuff."

What can I say? She seems like the type who'd just take pills and jelly for sustenance and call it complete.

"When I'm busy, I sometimes make do with such things, but normally I eat properly. To do anything, your mind and body must be satisfied first. Though sometimes it's necessary to deliberately go hungry."

She thinks about various things too……

"I see. But satisfying your mind and body requires money, right? How do you make a living?"

Money isn't everything, but there are many things that money can satisfy. Food is especially like that. Everything on the table right now looks expensive too. With her level of skill, she could easily become a billionaire through underworld work, but……that was the first time I learned of Kawasaki's existence. With her beautiful appearance and power, it wouldn't be strange if she was well-known.

"Both surface and underworld work is mainly construction-related."

"Huh? But I've never heard the name Kawasaki in that field……ah, on the underworld side?"

Construction work, while I can't say much about the surface side, the underworld side makes sense. Looking at this mansion, you can tell. Its completion as a base is exceptionally high. Even if ordinary people gathered in the thousands, they probably couldn't break through the spiritual defenses here.

"Ah, that would be natural. Satou-san is from the east, after all."

"……So you're originally from the west, Kyoto?"

"Yes. I was born and raised in Kyoto."

That makes sense. There are several organizations in the underworld. In terms of scale, the Mutual Aid Society is quite large, but there are other organizations worthy of being called major powers. Among them, Kyoto holds a unique position. Kyoto was the center of politics and culture in Japan, both in the surface and underworld. Combined with its spiritual location, it still holds strong influence, but……how should I put it, that place is closed off. The ones currently controlling Kyoto are descendants of exorcist organizations that didn't go east during the capital relocation. While they're not completely cut off, their connections with other places are kept to the bare minimum, and hardly any information flows out.

"You know what? That place seems to be closing itself off more and more each year."

"Yes. They're thoroughly concealing both their strengths and weaknesses for the sake of eventual restoration."

"……Restoration?"

"While the surface world is one thing, they seem to want to return the center of Japan's underworld back to Kyoto."

……This is news to me.

"They seem quite displeased that the Mutual Aid Society is dominating the underworld."

"Eh……?"

"They apparently want to do something about Satou-san, who they see as the root cause."

"I already had plenty of enemies, but……now the Kyoto bunch is targeting me too……"

"There are voices calling for your elimination, but that's not realistic. The louder voices want to somehow bring you in."

"Alright, let's stop this topic. It's ruining my precious day off. Food, food, let's enjoy our meal."

I forgot about inconvenient things and focused on eating. After finishing our meal in about an hour and brushing our teeth, it was time for the evening viewing session. Kawasaki naturally owned all the anime and manga from original works I didn't know. Since Kawasaki was articulate, watching while listening to her explanations was enjoyable, and before I knew it, I was completely absorbed.

"Hey Kawasaki, this is……she's asleep."

We had finished watching the TV broadcast version and were viewing the theatrical version, but Kawasaki had fallen asleep. Leaning her body against my shoulder, her sleeping face looked as innocent as a child's. I deployed a sound-blocking technique so the TV audio wouldn't reach Kawasaki. ……I couldn't bear to wake someone sleeping with such a peaceful expression.

"The commentary can wait until she wakes up."

Just as I was about to resume watching, I noticed something.

"……"

In the morning, visiting my home with a gift in hand. After that, going on a drive (in a spaceship). At night, after returning home, taking a bath together and eating together. Then having a private movie (and more) viewing session with just the two of us in her room.

"……This is completely like a day off with a girlfriend."

I had never done this kind of normal boyfriend-girlfriend stuff before. This was my first, my very first experience……

"My first time being with……Kawasaki……!!"

I cried.