Uchiha Sasuke’s Collapse Chapter 026

“What’s wrong, Sasuke?” Mei looked at Sasuke, who was constantly poking at the tamagoyaki in his bowl.

Sasuke rarely frowned. To see such an expression on his usually emotionless face surprised both Mei and Kiana, who was silently devouring her meal nearby.

“Is it… not tasty?”

Mei picked up a piece with her chopsticks and put it into her mouth. It was golden and crispy, soft and rich, with the lingering aroma of egg, the sweetness of shrimp, and the fresh, fruity scent of olive oil.

The white-haired furball beside her immediately showed her loyalty, reaching out with her chopsticks and snatching the tamagoyaki already in Sasuke’s bowl: “Mei makes it so delicious, and you’re still so picky!”

Kiana’s action made Mei raise an eyebrow.

She really didn’t treat Sasuke as an outsider…

“Sorry.” Sasuke’s voice was flat, seemingly unconcerned by Kiana’s offense, “I don’t like sweets.”

“Huh? Is Sasuke from Kansai?” Mei asked with some curiosity.

Tamagoyaki is a traditional dish from the Far East. Influenced by region and family, it has different flavors and ways of eating. Similar to the sweet-and-savory debate over douhua in Shenzhou, tamagoyaki in the Far East is also divided into sweet and savory factions.

Tamagoyaki originating from the Kanto region usually adds sugar but no dashi, resulting in a distinct sweet taste and a firm, rich texture.

Kansai tamagoyaki, on the other hand, adds dashi, creating a soft and juicy texture, and whether or not sugar is added varies by family custom.

Mei was from Kanto, so naturally, she was more accustomed to eating sweet tamagoyaki since childhood.

Earlier, when she asked Sasuke if he had any dietary restrictions, Sasuke didn’t object when she mentioned tamagoyaki. Therefore, she inferred that perhaps Sasuke was from Kansai, and thus subconsciously assumed tamagoyaki would be savory.

“No… I have no hometown.” After speaking, Sasuke snatched the fried chicken Kiana had set her eyes on, just before her chopsticks could reach it, and then put it into his mouth under the girl’s murderous gaze.

Sasuke was a man without belonging. Whether it was the empty Uchiha clan compound or Orochimaru’s gloomy base, there might have been his friends, but they were not his home.

A thousand years ago, a literati in Shenzhou wrote, “Where this heart is at peace, there is my hometown.” For Sasuke, there was no “place where this heart is at peace”; he was a wandering, solitary eagle.

Mei was slightly startled. Although Sasuke’s tone was still indifferent, the loneliness within it was undeniable.

“It’s okay, I love sweets! As long as Mei makes it, I’ll love it!” As soon as she finished speaking, Kiana dragged the bowl of tamagoyaki placed in front of Sasuke closer to herself.

“Oh, you.” Mei shook her head helplessly and looked at Sasuke, “Sorry, she’s always been like this…”

Fortunately, Sasuke didn’t seem to mind Kiana’s impolite behavior. Perhaps it was because they had known each other before and were already used to Kiana’s outrageous actions.

“Is there any dish Sasuke likes? If it’s not too complicated, I can try making it next time,” Mei proactively asked.

“…”

Favorite dishes?

A ninja’s life had made Sasuke accustomed to the taste of military rations. Since the Uchiha clan’s destruction, he had never paid attention to aspects like food, clothing, and shelter.

If it was something he liked when he was little…

“Bonito rice balls, or… tomatoes?” Sasuke said with some uncertainty. He remembered loving this fruit very much, and his mother would also add some when stir-frying.

But it was a very distant memory, so distant that the figures in his recollection were somewhat blurry.

“Bonito rice balls! I’ll remember that!” Mei suddenly thought of something and turned to walk towards the kitchen, “I remember having some cherry tomatoes bought yesterday morning in the fridge. They should still be fresh. I’ll get some.”

Sasuke didn’t refuse.

As for Kiana, who was currently feasting, she couldn’t spare her mouth to declare ownership.

Dinner quickly ended. Sasuke sat on the living room sofa, a large bowl of cherry tomatoes on the table in front of him. He tried to swallow one or two tomatoes, but somehow, the sweet and sour juice seemed bland to him.

Perhaps he didn’t really like tomatoes; he just liked his carefree self from back then.

“Sasuke, how does it taste?” Mei, who had just taken off her apron, walked up to Sasuke, asking while also picking up two tomatoes and putting them into her mouth.

“Mm.” Sasuke neither answered “good” nor “bad,” just a faint “mm.”

Mei, however, chewed on the tomatoes, a hint of bitterness appearing on her pretty face: “A bit sour. Next time I’ll buy sweeter ones.”

But then she remembered Kiana, lounging lazily on the sofa nearby. The girl was hugging a deformed Homu doll, looking utterly drowsy.

“Kiana! How many times have I told you not to lie motionless right after eating? Do you want to turn into a little pig? Come eat some tomatoes to help with digestion.” Saying this, Mei tried to pull Kiana up.

However, Kiana, unwilling to move, was clearly not something Mei could lift. She chuckled foolishly, mumbling indistinctly, “I want Mei to feed me!”

She really didn’t care about her image…

Mei couldn’t help but glance at Sasuke. Fortunately, Sasuke wasn’t looking their way, so Kiana’s disheveled clothes and fleeting glimpse of skin weren’t seen.

But comparing the cool-headed boy beside her to her slovenly pet at home, Mei suddenly felt a surge of mischievousness. She scooped two tomatoes from the bowl and directly stuffed them into Kiana’s mouth.

Kiana instinctively chewed a few times. Then, her hazy, sleepy sky-blue eyes widened more than brass bells, her entire expression twisted, and she quickly rolled over to the trash can beside Sasuke and spat.

“Ptooey, ptooey, so sour, Mei, are the tomatoes you bought spoiled?!” Kiana asked with a bitter face.

“You’re spoiled.” Mei rolled her eyes at Kiana, “Sour helps with digestion. You always lie on the sofa after eating, be careful you’ll get a little belly.”

“This young lady is naturally beautiful, how could I get a little belly…” Kiana’s voice grew softer and softer. As a pet, she was self-aware enough to know the hierarchy of status in this household. As she spoke, she turned to look at the expressionless Sasuke.

“Only someone like him, who likes to show off and act cool, would like to eat this kind of stuff!”

Clearly, Kiana thought this outsider was the lowest in status.

“Idiot.”

“You! This young lady will fight you!” Saying this, Kiana made to pounce.

However, Sasuke didn’t even look at her directly, completely ignoring her threat. He leaned against the sofa, motionless, which made Kiana, who had made a pouncing motion, suddenly feel a bit awkward.

If she pounced, not to mention whether she could win, it wouldn’t be very graceful for a girl to wrestle with a strange man.

If she didn’t pounce, wouldn’t it mean this young lady was afraid of him?