Chicken Noodle Soup

"Now then.. What should I make for her tonight..."

After she left, I once again took a look around her apartment. It really was barebones. Her 'Kitchen' was also in the living room. There was a stove, a refrigerator, a small work top with a sink and a cabinet. Not even a meter away from the kitchen lies the living room.

The table is the only one separating the living room from the kitchen. Alongside the table and chairs, there's actually also a shelf in the living room containing the books that were given from our school, alongside books that were borrowed from the library.

There are 2 more rooms inside her apartment. I'll assume that the one that she went inside to is her bedroom, as for the other one, I have no idea. And so my curiosity won over me and I peeked inside it, and I saw her uniforms drying inside the room.

Realising that those things will most likely also be inside there, I closed the door as fast as I could and went to the kitchen like nothing happened.

I opened the small refrigerator in her kitchen and saw that It was basically empty. It only had water inside it and some leftovers.

Well then... what will I do now?

I got the ingredients from my house, so I sprint outside, went inside my house, got the ingredients I needed and put them in a bag, and went back to Sakurai's apartment. With me, I brought olive oil, onions, carrots, celery, parsnips, turnip, parsley, ginger, lemongrass, dill, scallions, chicken thigh, chicken broth and egg noodles. I also brought a pot with me.

After returning to Sakurai's kitchen, I chopped the onions, carrots, celery, parsnips, turnip to pieces, put the pot on the stovetop and opened the stove. After the pot got hot, I put in a touch of olive oil. Then, I put in the onions and after a while, I put in the other vegetables inside the pot as well. I then added the chicken broth that I made yesterday and let it simmer in high heat.

And as the soup cooks, I cut the parsley and put t inside the soup. I also grated in the lemon grass and the ginger for more flavour. And then, I put in the chicken thighs that has been deboned and skinned inside the soup and let it boil. Some fat will go in the surface which I skimmed.

After 20 minutes of boiling, I pulled the chicken thighs out and shred them into bite-sized pieces. And add them inside the pot.

I cut the dill and scallions and put them inside the pot and finally; I seasoned the soup and let it boil for a few more minutes. I then set it aside and got a small pot from Sakurai's kitchen where I put some of the soup I made alongside the egg noodles that I brought from my home and put it on the stove top. I seasoned it again, but this time only a little bit and then finally, I got it off the heat and let it cool down a bit until it's finally edible.

I put it in a bowl and placed it on the table. I went to Sakurai's room and knocked. After a few seconds, the door opened and there I saw Sakurai standing.

"Dinner is ready"

"Okay."

She then went to the kitchen, forgetting to close her door. Inside her room, I saw a bed and a closet. That's it. I closed the door and also went to the kitchen and sat in front of Sakurai. I already set her computer to the side, so she's already eating the soup I made.

"How is it?"

"As expected, It's delicious."

"Thanks."

"I never even knew that chicken noodle soup could be this good."

"Hahahaha, even the simplest things can be good when done right, you know?"

"I see"

She then continued to eat the soup I made her.

"..."

"..."

I thought of asking her if she would like to work with me on the game I'm making but I judged that It was still too early to ask her. I'll ask her after she finishes her current project. Instead, right now I would like to help her with her current problem which is being unable to express the character's expressions on their faces. And I had a plan for that.

"Hey Sakurai."

"What?"

"Want to watch anime with me tomorrow?"

She stopped her hands and looked at me and said:

"Are you asking me out?"

"What? Of course not. I just wanted to experience watching anime alongside someone."

"Hmm"

"Just thinking of this as a way of repaying your debt okay?"

"Im sorry but I can't accept it if such a small thing will repay all of my debts."

"Hmm then think of it as a way of thanking me for making this soup."

"So I'll only repay this debt?"

'Yup."

"Hm... sure"

'Good. I can still use the other favours...'

"Okay then, go to my house after lunch."

"Okay."

"Ah, also, there's still a lot of chicken soup inside the pot. You can put it in the fridge for now and reheat it for later. It won't be as good as fresh, but it's still a lot better than always eating instant ramen."

"Thank you very much."

I got ready to leave and said:

"No problem, see you tomorrow then."

I finally left her apartment, and now it was time to think of my own dinner.

Hmm... now I'm craving some really spicy instant ramen... well I guess that's going to be my dinner then.