The plan was to use home-style cooking to evoke her Onii-chan's homesickness, thereby making him cry and shout about wanting to go home more often!
That was the plan, but…
"Da da da—! Sizzle!"
The eggs were quickly beaten to a suitable consistency for frying, the pan was slightly preheated, turned down to a low heat, the egg liquid was poured into the mold, salt was sprinkled, and after waiting three seconds for the bottom layer of egg liquid to solidify, the rolling of the omelet could begin.
Waiting another half-minute ensured the omelet was perfectly shaped while keeping the inside juicy, thanks to the heat retention of the pan, and finally, all that was needed was to fluidly slice it into four sections with a spatula, and a serving of omelet was effortlessly out!
"So, so fast!"
Watching Miyazawa Yuu plate three omelets simultaneously based purely on muscle memory, without even opening his eyes, Kitahara Shiori's chopsticks, mid-flip of her own omelet, froze in the air, her mind a complete blank—
What kind of ridiculous hand speed and technique is this, shouldn't university students be the type who are too lazy to even leave their room to grab their takeout? What is the deal with having full points in home economics skills!
"Um, Yuu Onii-chan?"
"Hmm… what is it, I'm not asleep!"
His hand movements paused, this was the lag generated when Miyazawa Yuu opened his eyes and his brain took over his body, but it wasn't a problem.
"You just admitted it without being prompted!"
Rubbing her temple in a headache, Kitahara Shiori forced a smile and asked: "Yuu Onii-chan's cooking skills are amazing! Did you learn them somewhere?"
"Ah! You mean this, well, there's no helping it, we often have lots of people eating together at Grand Blue, it's hard not to develop muscle memory!"
"Muscle memory?"
She had a completely new understanding of the term, this was the first time Shiori knew that muscle memory could take over the body while sleeping!
This clearly exceeds the realm of human ability and ventures directly into the realm of the supernatural, doesn't it!
"Indeed, since I have a lot of muscle, I also have a lot of muscle memory, this is perfectly logical!"
Nodding seriously, Miyazawa Yuu felt that the theory he had explored was truly self-consistent and made an unusual amount of sense!
"…"
Speechless, Kitahara Shiori wasn't interested in muscle theory, she just wanted Onii-chan to go home!
Instantly, her fighting spirit ignited fiercely, staking the honor of the Kitahara Inn, she could not be completely defeated by a self-taught chef!
"Um…"
Finding herself completely excluded from the kitchen, a cold sweat rolled down Kotegawa Nanaka's forehead—wasn't she supposed to be the hostess?
"Hoo… Hoo…"
Ten minutes later at the dining table, Kitahara Shiori's antenna-like lock of hair stood upright as she panted heavily, but a victorious smile was on her lips—
She won! Although she didn't make as much as Miyazawa Yuu, at least the dishes in front of Onii-chan were all made according to her wishes, brimming with the taste of homesickness!
"Is it Japanese food today? That's rare…"
"There's nothing we can do, normally making such an elaborate breakfast for so many people would literally kill you from exhaustion! Shiori-chan brought a lot of good stuff!"
"You flatter me, I just hope it suits everyone's taste~"
A flicker of brilliance crossed her eyes, when it came to ingredients, Kitahara Shiori couldn't help but puff out her chest, because no matter how fast Miyazawa Yuu cooked, the miso and pickles she brought were all top quality!
As long as her older brother took a little taste…
She subtly glanced and saw her older brother putting a piece of fried fish in his mouth and tasting it slowly, his expression slowly going from anticipation to a furrowed brow, her heart instantly pounded with excitement!
Sure enough, the Homesickness Great Campaign was correct, now Iori Onii-chan must be secretly wiping away tears in his heart from reminiscing about his hometown.
"Wait, this fish…"
"What is it, Iori, is it so delicious that you can taste Mom's flavor in it?"
"How should I put it…"
Hesitating for two seconds, Kitahara Iori, unconvinced, picked up another piece of omelet and tasted it carefully, finally declaring profoundly: "No! The taste of home is definitely savory!"
"Eh?"
Her small face instantly darkened by half, Kitahara Shiori silently picked up the omelet in front of her and handed it to Iori, asking: "Is this the flavor?"
"Awoo! Mhm… This is the flavor! Homesickness~"
A tear welled up in the corner of his eye, Kitahara Iori looked up at the sky with a very approving, blissful expression, as if he had returned to his mother's embrace.
However…
Homesickness… my foot! This one was the savory omelet made by Yuu, the taste of home should be sweet!
Feeling like a volcano about to erupt, Kitahara Shiori roared inwardly, but was completely unable to show it on the surface, making her overall feel suffocated and miserable.
Not only has his body adapted to men, but even the memory of his hometown has been adjusted to resemble someone else's?!
That awful older brother, and she worked so hard!
If that's the case, then he shouldn't blame her, Onii-chan, please accept what comes next!
A flash of brilliance crossed her eyes as she looked at the package she had brought, Kitahara Shiori quickly disappeared from her seat while Nanaka-nee opposite was eating her fish, and by the time the latter looked up, she was already back in her original spot!
Only, compared to half a second ago, she held a classic work related to big evil.
She estimated that Nanaka-nee was the person in charge of this house, as long as she could make the other person dislike her older brother, it would be extremely difficult for him to stay!
"Speaking of which, I brought something for Onii-chan, he'll definitely like it!"
"Is that so? Thank you for the trouble!"
"Mhm! I found a book like this while cleaning the room a few days ago, is Onii-chan's taste still the same?"
Holding the doujinshi up directly for everyone to see, she couldn't wait to hear Nanaka-nee and Chisa-nee scream!
However…
"Oh, thanks, I've been looking for that for a long time."
Taking it, Iori lifted his shirt and tucked the doujinshi close to his body along with the other two volumes, and throughout his entire action, everyone at the dining table remained completely silent.
No reaction…???
The high-contrast highlights left her eyes, putting aside Miyazawa Yuu, who was clearly already in cahoots and using doujinshi as universal currency.
Why did the two older sisters not have the slightest objection, is their tolerance level that high?
She knew that it was a doujinshi very similar to their own types, it was like a family member discovering a child's hidden erotic novel, at least show some embarrassment!
"…"
Chewing his grilled fish, Miyazawa Yuu looked at Shiori-chan, who was looking around, hoping for a reaction, but was completely unable to attract attention, he felt like this child was planning something.
In fact, ever since she arrived on the first day, she seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally guiding Iori towards going home.
"Rin-chan, did Shiori-chan tell you what she came back to do?"
"No… But Shiori said that Onii-chan and Iori are the same, they don't want to inherit the family business."
Her eyes held a slight grudge, Miyazawa Rin also had a belly full of complaints about inheriting the family business!
Ultimately, Onii-chan was the most suitable person for the right of inheritance, but he adamantly refused, dumping such a massive burden on her shoulders and running off to Izu to have fun!
If she could, she actually wanted to drag Yuu back and complete the task!
"Emmm… Inheriting the family business? Then everything makes sense!"
"Eh?"
A flash of lightning passed through his mind, Miyazawa Yuu instantly figured out all of Shiori-chan's behavioral logic, but he completely failed to notice the increasingly dangerous look in his sister's eyes beside him.
Given that the other party had just helped him resolve a misunderstanding, Shiori-chan's problem was his problem, and he was definitely going to help her out today!
"Shiori-chan, do you have any plans for this afternoon?"
"Hmm, no…"
She was currently grinding her teeth, contemplating whether to sacrifice herself and demonstrate excessive brother-complex behavior by offering to scrub his back, thereby driving Iori back home.
Kitahara Shiori immediately turned around when she heard Yuu calling her, her expression returning to her most normal Yamato Nadeshiko state: "What is it, Yuu Onii-chan?"
"Nothing, I just have to accompany Iori and the others for the continuation of their diving license training this afternoon, Shiori-chan should come along too!"
"Good idea, you definitely have to see the ocean when you're in Izu!"
Immediately slamming the table and standing up excitedly, Kotegawa Chisa ran back to her room and returned in less than two seconds, handing her swimsuit from a few years ago to Miyazawa Rin, recommending: "Rin-chan can use mine, our figures are similar!"
"Chisa really doesn't pass up any opportunity to recommend diving…"
Speechlessly looking at the eager Chisa, Kitahara Iori calmly mocked her with the air of an old hand, and the next second he was met with her death glare.
"For Shiori-chan, Aina's swimsuit should fit, right? Should I call her to bring an extra change of clothes?"
"No need!"
Poking half his body out from under the dining table, and under Miyazawa Yuu's contemptuous gaze, Imamura Kouhei pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it handsomely into the former's hand.
"To thank you for the hospitality, I'll provide the swimsuit!"
"Hoh hoh, is it a primary school one-piece swimsuit style?! Kouhei, you have great taste!"
"I know, right!"
"…"
Looking at the scumbags huddled together and commenting on a primary school swimsuit, Kitahara Iori silently turned and dialed the police—this is too terrifying, this kind of pervert should be locked up in a mental hospital, how can they be allowed to run around on the streets!
"Hey! Kitahara! What are you doing?"
"Summoning a wild Police Officer-san, of course!"
"Call your sister's police! You got the wrong idea!"
Rushing forward and gripping Iori's throat, Imamura Kouhei loudly and righteously defended: "This is an unused item!"
"Um…"
In just the blink of an eye, Grand Blue instantly became boisterous.
Kitahara Shiori looked at the primary school swimsuit being passed back and forth between Iori and Kouhei, and goosebumps instantly broke out on her back.
"I'll actually be fine just watching from the shore~"
"Don't say that, Shiori-chan!"
Elegantly rescuing the swimsuit from the melee, Miyazawa Yuu leaned in and whispered to her, a wicked smile of tempting a child on his face.
"If Shiori-chan is willing to wear the swimsuit, I can teach you a method that will definitely send Iori back to inherit the family business!"
"!!!"
Having her little secret discovered, Kitahara Shiori was startled, but then she thought, since Yuu could successfully pass on the responsibility to his own sister, he must have a lot of experience in deflecting responsibility!
"Ugh…"
Under the temptation of sending her older brother home to inherit the family business, she accepted the swimsuit with trembling hands— "I… I'll wear it!"