Sick Day
Yuka stood in front of the rice cooker, patiently waiting for the light to come on, indicating that the rice was cooked. When the light finally came on, Yuka smiled and reached over to remove the lid, standing on a stepstool.
“Okay,” she said, “The rice is done. What should I do next?”
“Now put 1 cup of rice and 1 and a half cups of water into a saucepan, then heat it all up until it boils,” Kei said from a videoconference window on the tablet sitting on the counter nearby. “Be careful not to burn yourself!”
“Okay…” Yuka scooped a cup of rice and put it into a pan along with the water, then turned on the stove. As she waited for everything to boil, she turned to the tablet and smiled. “I’m glad you know how to do this, Kei,” she said gratefully, “If it were just me, I’d be so lost!”
“I’m just sorry that everyone else in your house is sick with the flu,” Kei replied. “Okayu is my mom’s go-to dish whenever I get sick with a cold or the flu. It’s much more interesting than oatmeal or chicken noodle soup!”
The pan started to boil, and Yuka looked over to Kei again. “Okay, it’s boiling. What next?”
“Lower the heat. Then add a pinch of salt and stir everything for 10 minutes.”
Yuka reached out and lowered the heat to a simmer. She picked up a salt shaker and added salt, then stirred everything with a ladle.
Soon, the rice porridge was ready, and Yuka scooped it into bowls, making sure the stove was turned off. She placed the bowls on serving trays along with cups of hot green tea.
“All right,” Yuka said, “Ready to deliver!” She slipped on a face mask. “Thank you, Kei!”
Kei smiled. “You’re welcome. I hope your family feels better soon!”
Yuka waved. “Bye!” The videoconference window went dark as Kei signed off. Then, Yuka went about bringing the food to her sick family, holding on to each tray carefully.
When she brought the food to her parents, they commented on how thoughtful she was and praised her cooking.
“All I did was follow Kei’s instructions,” Yuka said modestly.
“It’s very good,” her mother said, “Thank you.”
Yuka then brought a food tray to Seita’s bedroom. She put the tray on the floor and knocked on the door, hearing a miserable moan come from inside. Out of everyone in the house that was sick, Seita had it the worst.
“I brought you food,” Yuka said.
Another moan. “Come in if you want,” Seita said weakly, “but I don’t think I’m hungry…”
Yuka slowly opened the door and stepped inside with the tray. The room was dark, and the floor was a mess of scattered clothes and books. She carefully stepped over a small pile of video game controllers, then placed the tray on the desk. She looked over at the bed, where Seita was nothing but a misshapen lump underneath a sea of blankets.
“Couldn’t you eat just a little bit?” Yuka asked, “I made okayu!”
Seita grunted, then lifted the blanket from over his head. “Since when did you make that?” he asked.
“It’s Kei’s mom’s recipe,” Yuka answered.
Seita made a disgusted noise. “Now I know I don’t want to eat it.”
Yuka pouted underneath her mask. “Okay, then eat it for me. I’m the one who made it! I used the rice cooker and the stove and everything, all by myself!”
Seita sighed. “All right.” He sat up, and Yuka handed him the bowl. He scooped a spoonful and popped it into his mouth.
“How is it?” Yuka asked.
“It’s… not bad,” Seita answered, surprised. He ate another spoonful. “Not bad at all.” He looked over at Yuka. “Good job!”
Yuka smiled. “Thanks. Just let me know if you want more!”
“Maybe a little later,” Seita replied.
Yuka nodded. “So finish that and your tea, then get some more rest,” she said, switching into doctor mode, “You have a long way to go before you’re better!”
Seita nodded. “Yes, ma’am!” he said with a mock salute.
Yuka giggled and left the room. She made her way back to the kitchen and started prepping again, washing the pan and making sure the rice cooker kept the rice warm. She had a feeling she would be making more okayu soon.
Notes:
Before I wrote this, I was randomly reminded of scenes in Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura when everyone is sick and the lone well person cooks them food! And so I wrote a nice, cute family bonding sickfic!
The recipe I used for Okayu (Japanese rice porridge) can be found here.