âThe topic this time is a one-round match of mayonnaise emulsification.â
â â â âO-One-round match of mayonnaise emulsificationâŚâ â â â The family gulped.
âAdd oil to the egg yolks, salt, and vinegar mixture little by little and mix. The amount of oil you have to add, the timing, and the mixing speed are the key points in this match.â
âEmma has the advantage when it comes to cooking. Sure enough, Iâm still going to bet on Emma.â Leonard was confident in his victory after hearing the content of the match.
âThat was naive of you, dear. Cooking also requires strength. Also, you have to adjust the oil with one hand while stirring nonstop with the other⌠Dexterity is the very key to this match. Did you forget that Emma is the clumsiest of the three siblings? I will bet on George, who has both strength and dexterity.â
âHahaha, but George is slow-witted, isnât he? He has the risk of failing to remember the procedure and making blunders. He is a double-edged sword.â
Their parents never told the siblings just what exactly they were betting on because it was an âadultsâ matterâ, but they would suddenly become super excited every time. However, whenever it turned into a serious bet, they would also start dissing the siblings relentlessly.
(George) ââŚWell, even when we have a fight, we will always end up reconciling at around this point, right?â
(Emma) âWe canât recover from the emotional damage if we donât lick each otherâs wounds, after all.â
(William) âAnd Iâm always not chosen every timeâŚâ
Whether or not the diss was part of their parentsâ strategy or just something done unintentionally because they were too enthusiastic about the game still remained a mystery. But the deathmatches that arose from the siblingsâ fighting were usually more or less 80% settled at this stage.
âMeoww?â
Curious about what everyone was so excited about, Kan-chan drew closer to George.
âSorry, Kan-chan, not now. I have to focus on an important match in a while.â
âMeow?â
âI will play with you later.â George kept Kan-chan away from him.
âMeoww?â
Similar to Kan-chan, Ryuu-chan also edged up to William.
âRyuu-chan, too, Iâm sorry. I canât afford to lose this battle.â
âMeow?â
âI will give you some food later.â William kept Ryuu-chan from getting closer.
âMeoww?â
Similarly, Koumei-san also snuggled up to Emma.
âKoumei-san, donât lean on the table, okay? Hm? Yeah. If youâre only going to lie down around my feet, itâs fine.â
âMeowâŞâ
Emma let Koumei wrap her body around her legs as she purred comfortably. Kan-chan and Ryuu-chan, who were pushed away by George and William, too, nestled close to Emma and curled up while rumbling their throats.
âHeh, relaxed arenât cha, Emma?â
âThe outcome is already clear. The sushi roll will be mine.â
Seeing Emma be surrounded by cats and unable to move, the older and younger brothers were confident in their victory.
âWell then, are you ready?â
*thunk* Melsa put down the oil she had measured beforehand and looked at the three siblings.
ââŚEh? âŚAll(?) âŚof this?â
âN-No way⌠This must be a mistake, right, Mother⌠T-ThisâŚâ
George and William were shaken by the amount of oil Melsa gave them.
âHold on, mayonnaise⌠contains this much oil⌠Eh?â
âI-Itâs basically just oil, isnât itâŚâ
Compared to the yolk, salt, and vinegar, the amount of oil to be used was much more than they expected.
âAdd this whole cup to the mixture while you stir. Youâve always put too much mayonnaise on food from long ago. Even saying things that donât make sense like mayonnaise has 0 calories because you eat it with vegetablesâŚâ
âI wanted to show you the raw ingredients once,â Melsa pointed at the oil.
ââŚYouâre lyingâŚâ
Leonard at the back also received quite a shock.
âMeow?â
Chou-chan put his front legs on Leonardâs shoulders and rested his chin on his head from behind to comfort him with his fluff.
In their past life, Kazushi and Wataru showed signs of having a metabolic syndrome in their later years, so this was a necessary move from Melsa.
George and William got cold feet from the amount of oil presented, while Emma couldnât move much because she was surrounded by cats.
On the bright side, everyone in this deathmatch now was evenly matched, and it became difficult to know who would win.
âAlright, is everyone ready now?â
â ââŚYes.â â
âYess!â
â â âMeowwâŞâ â â
Infected by Emma, the cats also replied cheerfully.
âThe three siblingsâ deathmatch with sushi roll as the prize! On your marks, ready, go!â
On Melsaâs cue, the three siblings picked up the oil at once and started making mayonnaise.
âOHHHHHHH!!!â George mixed the contents of his bowl vigorously.
âAmazing, my eyes canât keep up with George-samaâs speed at all!â
âBut Martinho, George-sama⌠forgot to put the oil in, you know?â
âPutting the oil little by little is important.â William added oil cautiously into his bowl.
âWilliam-samaâs mixing method is impeccable, isnât it?â
âBut, Mancio⌠isnât adding oil drop by drop a little too fastidious?â
âMew mew mew meoww.â
âIt will be done soon, okay, Koumei-san? Letâs put cucumber in the tuna salad too?â
âMeowâŞâ
Emma happily cooked while chatting with Koumei.
âWhat a perfect sight⌠I want to make her my wifeâŚâ
âHold up, Miguel! Your inner desire is leaking too much, you know? âŚBut, Emma-sama is good at adjusting the oil, huh? Though her other hand is blocked by the cats and not moving at allâŚâ
The match had clearly evolved into a hopeless mess.
Thatâs right. The Tanaka siblings were children destined to be born under the unlucky star of disappointment by default.