Chapter 61 Shared Delight

Exiting his room, Azi saw the familiar sight of Kajima in the kitchen. He was joined by Rulu who was wearing an apron as she stirred a pot of what looked like meat and potato stew. The smell of the stew reminded him of what he had eaten before in his past and it succeeded in getting the intended reaction as it had whetted his appetite.

Hearing him approach, Kajima looked over from the oven to speak to Azi.

"How is your fever Azi? All better?"

"I think it's gone down a bit more. I am just a bit hungry."

Azi rubbed his stomach to indicate his increasing appetite, to which Kajima reacted by smiling wryly.

"You didn't eat much when you were asleep but don't worry, I made plenty for tonight. Dinner will be ready soon, Nosuri and Ougi came back and said that Shizu would be bringing Yashimu over for dinner. The two of them are currently in their room getting changed and Shizu should be back soon."

"That's good to hear. Anything I can do to help?"

"Well, if you have the energy, help set the table. We'll be having a full house from now on, so get enough tableware for 7 people out."

Nodding in affirmation, Azi began to grab the needed bowls, chopsticks, spoons, and drinking cups for 7. After setting the table, he then helped to move the large plates of sliced roasted beef and a large pot of stew to the dining table.

Nosuri and Ougi came out from their room and began chatting with Rulu as she worked. Azi could overhear the mention of an unknown monster and was intrigued as he helped to set the table.

Luckily, the dining table was circular and was large enough to seat 6 people. Azi could already tell from the 6 available seats that he was going to have to sit on Shizu's lap again and steel himself for the teasing he knew he was in for.

On cue, the sound of a sliding door opening could be heard as the cold air began to enter the house. Shizu and Yashimu had arrived and with them they brought a few bottles of sake and mead.

"We are a home. What's for dinner?" Shouted Shizu.

Azi could only sigh at what came next as he welcomed them home.

"*Sigh* Hello Shizu, tonight's dinner is roast beef and stew made by Rulu." Responded Azi.

Seeing that Azi was up and about, Shizu passed over the bag of drinks she was holding over to Yashimu and moved to the dining room. To no one's surprise at this point, she picked up Azi from under his shoulders like a child and sat him upon her lap as she sat at her seat at the table.

Kajima helped Yashimu with his baggage and everyone began to take their seats.

To Shizu's left was Rulu and to Rulu's left was Yashimu who were both giving wry smiles.

Next to Yashimu was Kajima who sat across from Shizu to keep an eye on the duo to ensure that their antics didn't get too out of hand again. The last two seats were filled by Nosuri and Ougi who were wearing their matching blue and red sleep attire.

Without commenting on Azi's slight discomfort, everyone began to enjoy the prepared dinner.

Bringing a spoonful of stew to his mouth, Azi tasted the stew's flavor. He could taste that meat used in the dish was different from the regular moosu and deduced that it had a fattier and more robust flavor.

It didn't have the gamey taste of Kajima's usual roasted beef, which was surprising as it was difficult to remove the intense flavors from hunted wild animals. He then took a bite of the white chunks that both tasted and looked like the potatoes from Azi memories.

They were perfectly cooked and had absorbed a lot of the beef's flavor as well as all the flavors of the herbs that were mixed in. When he asked what the white chunks were, Kajima had told him that they were a tuber plant called moro.

Sighing with a contented smile on his face, Azi was in a delightful mood as the food brought back a warm feeling from his memories. The image of a woman standing over a steaming pot of stew flashed in his mind and a twinge of sadness was felt in his heart.

But before he could think a moment more on what he was feeling, Shizu got Azi's attention as she waved a piece of sliced beef in front of him with her chopsticks. Understanding that Shizu was offering him the piece of food, he did not refuse as he took the sliced beef into his mouth.

As he chewed, the sweet fat from the beef mixed with the salt and pepper that Kajima had added to the beef. While the beef did taste gamey, the salt and pepper helped to ignore that pungent flavor.

Shizu giggled a bit as she continued to feed Azi slice after slice of roast beef, Kajima whispered to Yashima, saying that they look more like mother and child rather than husband and wife which got a slight laugh out of Yashimu.

Rulu overheard this and was confused by Kajima's statement. She still had no idea that Azi and Shizu were betrothed to each other if Azi passed her trials.

After eating his first bowl of stew, he looked around and noticed that everyone was enjoying the meal as well. They were all in agreement that the stew and roasted beef tasted delightful. Azi then wondered if he could somehow make the meal even better.

As he thought, he remembered a dish where you would drop meat into a hot soup to cook it and absorb the flavor. An idea then popped up in Azi's head, he filled his bowl with another serving of stew and then topped the stew with a few slices of beef. Mixing and coating the beef with the thick brown stew, Azi brought a dripping piece of beef to his mouth.

A larger smile on Azi's face began to form as the flavor was outstanding. The gamey flavor of the beef was completely gone from his taste buds as the herbs mixed in the stew had covered up the unsatisfying flavor.

The savory flavor of the stew and sliced beef also complement each other quite nicely. It was a heavy but flavorful taste of beef that melted in the mouth.

Everyone noticed what Azi was doing with his food and opted to try the unusual combination. To their surprise, the two dishes went well together which caused a round of cheerful banter amongst the groups.

"Rulu, your stew is amazing as always." Said Shizu. "I am glad I'm able to eat your cooking again."

"Yes I agreed as well Rulu." Added Kajima. "The last time I ate your food was when I visited you during my time in the army. Your skills have improved a lot."

"Thank you Uncle, Sister. I wanted to make something we could all enjoy. I chose a stew so that Azi could enjoy eating something that was easier to digest. I heard a hot stew or soup helps those who are sick."

Noticing that his name was mentioned, Azi perked up and looked up from his bowl of stew.

"How thoughtful, considering how well adept you were with cooking I believe you will make a great wife one day." Said Azi.

To this Rulu blushed a bit as she tried to downplay Azi's compliment.

"Umm, no I'm not that skilled. I have umm a lot to learn to be...a ..wife." Her voice was becoming softer as she spoke, so Azi was unable to hear the last part of her mumbling and was about to ask her to speak up but felt a sudden pain in one of his ears.

Turning his head, he noticed that Shizu had pinched his ear as she glared at him.

"What was that for Shizu?" Complained Azi, as he was rubbing his now sore ear.

"I won't let you have Rulu, that is final." Said Shizu with a huff.

Picking up on what she meant, Azi rebutted.

"Why would I? I intend to be your fiancé so I wouldn't cheat on you."

To this Shizu blushed a bit but asked with a ting of uncertainty in her voice.

"Are you sure? Polygamy is legal in the Empire. You could have umm scores of women to be your wives. Isn't that every man's dream?"

Not expecting that Shizu would say such a thing, Azi noticed a change in Shizu's behavior. Her cheeks were red, but this usually only happened when she was happy or mad, but this time Shizu seemed worried.

Azi thought that he should be clear about his answer to her question, he believed that teasing her would be the wrong move. He deliberated on what he would say which caused Shizu to tense up a bit in expectation of his next words.

Azi's hunch was right, as Shizu was wanting Azi to say that he loved her. Not only would it push both he and Ozen's agenda's forward, but it would also help to cement her place as the one to be confessed to first which was something Shizu wanted to have.

After coming to an answer, he felt was 100% true, he told Shizu with a bit of a blush on his face.

"I don't think having scores of women as my wives is my dream. I just want to enjoy living and if you are a part of my life, I have no complaints as I rather enjoy your company."

A small scowl appeared on Shizu's expression as she was a bit disappointed by Azi's answer. She had prefaced her question to allow him a chance to confess, but it seemed that her attempt failed. Shizu was not visibly annoyed which confused Azi, as he asked.

"What's wrong Shizu?"

"Nothing." Said Shizu with a pout.

Still confused by her reaction, Azi could then feel that Shizu began to wrap her hands around his waist in an ever-tightening hold. Shizu usually did this when she came home late from work when they slept together, so wanting to cheer her up, as he thought she was just tired and annoyed from her work, Azi leaned back into Shizu's chest.

Placing his hands over her own, he began to make himself comfortable in her embrace to help better share his warmth with her.

Feeling Azi repositioning himself in her lap, Shizu felt a bit better when she began feeling an unknown warmth come from her heart. Instinctively she began laying her head on Azi's disheveled black hair.

Around the table, everyone was listening intently to their exchange of words and actions. The men at the table looked on with smiles of congratulations, while the women did their best to hide their blushing faces.

Breaking the short silence, Kajima declared in a calm but raised voice.

"Now that dinner is almost finished, I'll bring out the dessert."