Accidentally become a father-Chapter 40: Kitchen Operation 05:00 AM

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The alarm went off at exactly five o’clock.

I turned it off on the first ring.

No snooze button.

Snoozing only delays what must be done anyway.

I got up in a single motion and headed straight for the apartment’s small kitchen.

I turned on the gas stove.

Click.

Fwoosh.

The kitchen in this apartment wasn’t big. If I stood in the middle, I could touch the fridge and the sink without taking a single step.

Quite efficient.

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The water began to heat up.

I took a boiled chicken breast out of the fridge, cutting it into square pieces.

Simple.

Protein.

Quiet.

The sliding door to the bedroom opened slowly.

I didn’t turn around.

Small footsteps stopped at the threshold of the kitchen.

"Papa."

"Hm."

I placed the pieces of chicken on the cutting board.

When I turned to look, Yuna was already standing there.

Her school uniform was perfectly neat.

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Navy blue pleated skirt.

White shirt.

Her hair tied back cleanly.

The clock still read 05:02.

"You woke up too early."

"I didn’t want to be late."

"School starts in two and a half hours."

"Preparation is important."

She smiled.

Her smile was wide.

Too wide.

Like someone posing for a photo.

I pointed at the cutting board.

"If you want to help, cut the broccoli."

She immediately stepped forward.

"Three centimeters in size."

She stopped.

"...Three?"

I took a plastic ruler from the drawer.

"Use this."

She accepted the ruler with both hands.

Like receiving an important document.

The boiled broccoli was placed on the cutting board.

Yuna looked down.

Measuring.

Sliding the knife slowly.

Slice.

She lifted the first piece.

Looked at the ruler.

A little too big.

She cut it again.

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"Precision is important," she muttered.

I scooped rice into the gray bento box.

The box wasn’t cute.

There were no pictures of pandas.

No pastel-colored lid.

Plain gray.

Like a storage box for bolts.

I began packing the rice on one side.

Compact.

Even.

The chicken pieces were arranged next to it.

The broccoli would go into the remaining space.

A simple rolled omelet was placed in to seal the gaps.

Everything was packed tight.

No empty space.

Beside me, Yuna was still measuring the broccoli.

Slice.

Check the ruler.

Slice again.

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"Are bentos usually... arranged like this?" she asked.

"Yes."

"No... decorations?"

"No."

"No octopus sausages?"

"No."

She fell silent.

The knife stopped for a moment. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Then she resumed slicing.

The last piece of broccoli went into the box.

I pressed it down slightly so it would fit into the gap.

The bento box now looked like a food Tetris block.

Compact.

Organized.

Efficient.

Yuna stood beside me.

Her hands still holding the ruler.

She looked inside the box.

For a long time.

A very long time.

She gave a small swallow.

The corners of her lips twitched upward.

A smile.

A bit stiff.

"I-It’s very... compact, Papa."

I closed the lid of the box.

Click.

Airtight.

"A sound structure prevents destruction when dropped."

Yuna blinked.

"...Dropped?"

"The possibility always exists."

She looked at the bento box again.

Her hands slowly placed the ruler on the counter.

Her smile was still there.

But her fingertips began to nervously grip the hem of her uniform.

Just a little.

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