"Why did you make two servings?".
Hoshino Terumi looked at the two servings of mapo tofu on either side and asked Okino Yoko curiously.
Okino Yoko pointed to the one on the left and said: "This is the mapo tofu I usually eat, sweet and spicy."
She then pointed to the one on the right: "This one is traditional mapo tofu, spicier and a bit numbing, with more layers of flavor."
"Oh? You can even make traditional mapo tofu."
Hoshino Terumi looked at Okino Yoko with slight surprise, and then said: "Then I'll try both and see what they're like."
With that, she picked up a spoon and first tasted the sweet and spicy mapo tofu.
She chewed slowly and tasted carefully.
Hoshino Terumi didn't say anything, she just frowned.
Then, she tasted the traditional mapo tofu on the right.
Okino Yoko reminded her: "You might not be used to this flavor the first time you eat it..."
After tasting this mapo tofu, Hoshino Terumi frowned even more.
Seeing this, Okino Yoko quickly poured her a glass of beer and handed it to her.
Hoshino Terumi took the glass and gulped down a large portion of it.
"Terumi-nee, how is it?" Okino Yoko looked at her constantly furrowed brows and asked strangely: "Is it not good?"
"No... Quite the opposite."
Hoshino Terumi picked up the spoon and looked at Okino Yoko, saying: "It's very delicious."
Upon hearing this, Okino Yoko immediately revealed a happy smile, saying proudly: "It's delicious, right! Eat more if you like it, I made a lot."
Hoshino Terumi put down the spoon, she didn't eat anymore, she crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, scrutinizing Okino Yoko: "It's precisely because it's too delicious that I don't think you made it."
"The tofu is handled very well, very elastic. The amount of salt and the heating time are controlled very well. This is beyond the ability of an ordinary chef."
"Secondly, the selection of meat is also very professional, very refreshing and crispy..."
"Also, the control of the seasonings. For such a large portion of mapo tofu, the ratio of spiciness to sweetness is very accurate."
"This plate of mapo tofu could only be made by a master chef with at least twenty years of kitchen experience."
"I haven't forgotten that when we were still in a group, you would just boil the tofu in water and add a little salt before eating it..."
"I really don't think this is the mapo tofu that you, Yoko, could make."
Hoshino Terumi was obsessed with detective novels, so her observation skills were very sharp. In addition, she understood Okino Yoko very well, so she immediately realized that the level of this mapo tofu was far beyond what Okino Yoko could make.
As far as she knew, Yoko was extremely busy now, not even getting enough sleep. How could she have the mood to learn cooking?
A woman's intuition told her that this plate of mapo tofu was not made by her!
"..."
Crap, I forgot Terumi is a deduction and cooking expert...
Okino Yoko secretly cried out in her heart, but she refused to admit that she didn't make it: "Terumi! If I didn't make it, who else could have made it?"
As she spoke, Okino Yoko thought of something. She took out her phone and showed her the notes she had just made, saying: "I really made it... I strictly followed the steps I copied from the internet to cook!".
"Let me see..."
Hoshino Terumi reached out and took the notes that Okino Yoko had just made. After browsing through them, she said faintly: "The steps are very detailed... but it doesn't say how much of each ingredient to put in."
"That's because everyone's mapo tofu is different!"
Okino Yoko said nonsense with a straight face: "The specific taste needs to be adjusted while cooking, only then can you make delicious mapo tofu!"
"The last step is... thickening the sauce. Can you thicken the sauce?"
Hoshino Terumi said impolitely: "Last time you came to my house to cook, the sauce you thickened was as thick as poop, making the whole dish sticky and unappetizing! In the end, we had to go out to eat."
"... I've been practicing okay."
Okino Yoko quickly entered an angry state, crossing her arms and saying: "I also know that I messed up last time, so I practiced repeatedly, and finally mastered the trick of thickening the sauce. Although it's not necessarily very good, it's much better than before!"
"Is that really so?"
Hoshino Terumi didn't continue to question this. Instead, she turned the phone back and pointed to the time of the notes: "The most recent modification time was twelve minutes ago..."
"I was writing down my thoughts... It's just that last sentence, whether the sauce is thickened well or not determines whether this dish is ordinary home cooking or a restaurant's treasure!"
Okino Yoko continued to quibble.
"..."
Hoshino Terumi didn't say anything, she just handed the phone back to Okino Yoko, took a puff of her cigarette, and exhaled a long stream of white smoke.
Her appearance made Okino Yoko feel uneasy.
Afterward, Hoshino Terumi didn't say anything and stood up.
"What's wrong?" Ono Yoko asked uneasily.
"I'm going to check the kitchen..." Hoshino Terumi walked toward the kitchen.
Ono Yoko followed her with a strong sense of unease in her heart.
Upon entering the kitchen, Hoshino Terumi found it quite tidy. She even touched the countertop with her hand and said, "There isn't a single oil stain; it's been cleaned very thoroughly... This really isn't your style."
"That's because I've changed all those bad habits!" Ono Yoko said quickly.
"No, that's not it."
Hoshino Terumi turned back to look at Ono Yoko, her expression cold as she said, "A pair of slippers is missing from the shoe cabinet at the entrance, the cooking has suddenly become this delicious... and you even made two extra-large portions of mapo tofu. You haven't even finished eating, yet the kitchen is already cleaned spotless... This is simply not the Yoko I know."
Every word Hoshino Terumi spoke pierced straight into Ono Yoko's heart, making her feel increasingly awkward.
"You brought another man home, didn't you?"
Hoshino Terumi said slowly.
"No, I didn't. Don't talk nonsense."
Ono Yoko shook her head, her eyes even turning red with anxiety, looking as if she were about to cry. "I really made it! Why won't you believe me?"
Hoshino Terumi poked her forehead and said, "Don't try that with me. It's not like I just met you today... Whether or not you brought a man back, I'll know once I check."
Just as Ono Yoko was about to say something, Hoshino Terumi spoke first: "Do you disagree?"
"..."
Ono Yoko swallowed the words at the tip of her tongue and said, "No, search as you like! If you don't find anyone, you have to apologize to me!"
"I will..."
Hoshino Terumi walked out of the living room and said, "Don't blame me, Yoko. I'm doing this for your own good."
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