"Why three servings?" Erina Nakiri was still confused. She could tell that Renz didn't want the little rascal, Rina, to eat instant noodles, yet they were preparing three portions of proper food. Instant noodles... were they for him to eat? Instant noodles were very unhealthy. Even for adults, if conditions allowed, it was best to eat less of such fast food.
"Wouldn't four servings be better?" Erina hesitated. This was a classic example of a sharp tongue with a soft heart. See? Her heart had softened at the thought of her daughter actually eating instant noodles. If she felt bad for her, then why was she sulking? In the end, the ones troubled weren't the two who were sulking, but the unfortunate person who had to resolve their quarrel.
"Are you an idiot, Erina?" Renz rolled his eyes. "If not for me, then would it be for Rina?"
"When you do something wrong, you have to be punished. Today's problem was mine—I forgot the time to pick up Rina and the others," Renz explained. "Just because we're adults, does that mean we can make excuses when we make mistakes?"
"That's definitely not acceptable."
"We still need to be good role models for children," Renz said honestly. "You just focus on cooking. When it's dinner time, follow my lead."
Erina had been a bit annoyed. She was clearly concerned for him, but he called her an "idiot." Hearing the rest, however, she fell silent. Erina had a temper, but she wasn't unreasonable.
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In the kitchen, Renz found two instant noodle cups and started boiling water. Instant noodles were created as emergency food for convenience. If he could have hot, fresh food, Renz wouldn't choose instant noodles. And overcooked instant noodles were terrible in both texture and taste. Renz purposefully prepared the noodles early to ensure they wouldn't be appetizing.
Time passed minute by minute. Dinner time arrived. Renz brought his two cups of instant noodles to the glass table in the living room. Erina slowly brought out the dinner she had prepared.
Children's diets needed to be diverse because they were in a period of growth and development. Dinner should ideally be a mix of meat and vegetables, and since their stomachs were delicate, fried or overly greasy foods were unsuitable. Erina made two servings of omelet rice, garnished with two small cherry tomatoes and some greens on the side of each plate, and prepared two fragrant miso soups.
As soon as the dishes were served, the aroma of the omelet rice attracted Haruki Nakiri. Renz and Erina exchanged glances. The show was about to begin.
Renz sat down, picked up his instant noodles, twirled a few strands, and gently placed them in his mouth—immediately making a disgusted face. He reached out for Erina's miso soup. Erina, at just the right moment, used her chopsticks to block his hand. Renz shook his head and continued eating his instant noodles. It was Erina's turn to perform.
But before she could act, Haruki had already stolen the show.
He picked up his chopsticks, cut open the outer layer of the omelet rice, revealing the rice wrapped in egg. The golden rice emitted a tempting eggy aroma. Haruki eagerly shoveled it into his mouth, swallowing the egg and rice in one go, gulping down the miso soup and nearly choking. Still, he looked like a famished ghoul reborn.
"I'm starving. The food at kindergarten was too gross," Haruki complained bitterly.
At this point, Renz said with a pained expression, "Erina, I want to eat omelet rice too. I don't want to eat instant noodles anymore. The instant noodles taste too awful."
Children's judgment is very strange. Something that is clearly delicious can seem awful if an adult makes a disgusted face. And in this case, the instant noodles were intentionally overcooked. Renz's original plan was to have Erina entice Rina—but who knew Haruki would perform so naturally? It instantly made Rina envious to the point of tears. Looking at the untouched instant noodles in her hand, they suddenly seemed unappetizing.
Erina went to the kitchen and brought out the last serving of omelet rice and miso soup.
"Here," she handed the meal to Renz.
"Ah, the aroma is amazing," Renz deliberately leaned closer to the omelet rice, taking a deep breath. But this wasn't false—Erina's cooking skills were excellent. The color and aroma of the omelet rice were top-notch.
"Daddy, how could you abandon Rina like that!" Rina felt wronged, seeing Renz betray their stance. "Rina wants to eat Mommy's food too!"
"But this is the last one, Rina. Didn't you say you wanted to eat Daddy's instant noodles?" Renz pointed at his cup. "My instant noodles smell good too. Why don't you try them?"
"No, they don't smell good. I won't eat them," Rina shook her head. "Daddy, you don't even eat your own instant noodles, and you still have the nerve to say that! Rina wants proper food too!"
"But there's only one omelet rice left," Renz said, feigning helplessness. Rina looked like she was about to cry.
"I want to eat it," she said, holding back tears, her eyes turning red. Renz knew the moment had arrived. If he pushed further, he'd truly make his daughter cry, and he certainly didn't want to be slain by hand by the grand tsundere, Erina.
"Mmm, okay, you can have this omelet rice," Renz pushed it toward her. "Let Daddy eat the instant noodles then. Today was Daddy's fault; I forgot the time to pick you up."
"This is Daddy's mistake, so this omelet rice is my apology gift," Renz said with a feigned expression of reluctance. In the end, he gave it away. The act was complete.
"Hmm, Rina should be understanding of Daddy. Sometimes work gets very busy, and he might forget the time. Today, Mommy picked you up for me, and you threw a tantrum at Mommy. Mommy can get angry too," Renz said in an apologetic tone.
Rina's main reason for being angry at Erina that afternoon was that her mom was late picking them up and wouldn't admit her mistake. She just wanted an apology—and maybe some ice cream—and she would've forgiven her. But Erina completely avoided apologizing and had a particularly bad attitude, which made Rina extremely angry.
Now, Daddy had come to apologize with full sincerity. Rina wasn't very angry anymore. She shook her little head, hesitated, then cut half of the omelet rice with her chopsticks, saying with a "poor little thing" expression, "Rina has a small appetite. I can't finish it. I'll just eat half, and Daddy can have the other half."
Darn it. The little tsundere is too cute! The expression of wanting to eat it so badly but still offering half was incredibly adorable.
"A mistake is a mistake. Since I made a mistake, I must accept the punishment," Renz said, refusing the portion of omelet rice Rina offered. His children were still growing. Taking food from a child—how could that be right?
"Eating instant noodles is my punishment," Renz said, picking up the instant noodles and eating them. The taste was indeed bad, but Renz had to set an example for his children. Anyway, his demands for food weren't high—as long as it was edible, why demand more?
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What do you think of Renz's parenting strategy? And how will this shared responsibility impact the future of their family?
---Support with power stones