Chapter 70: CHAPTER 70. Buying The Groceries

“I’m off to school!” Misha yelled before slamming the door shut behind him. Not even two seconds later, he opened the door again to say, “And don’t you dare go buy groceries alone! Wait for me, got it?”

Misha didn’t wait for an answer and rushed outside to catch the school bus.

Sitting at the kitchen table, Gabriel and Masha looked at each other with a blank expression. Eventually, the teenage girl broke the silence, slowly opening her mouth to ask, “Aren’t you supposed to be in charge of buying the groceries?”

“Well, I think Misha isn’t very satisfied with what I buy, even though I’m following his grocery list to the letter,” Gabriel replied matter-of-factly. “Last time, he scolded me for hours. I seriously thought I’d never hear the end of it.”

“For your defense, zucchini and cucumber do look alike,” Masha chuckled with a bit of schadenfreude. “Instant noodles and ordinary noodles are both noodles too. Same for different types of mushrooms, and….”

Gabriel’s mouth twitched. He couldn’t help himself but glare at Masha, who was hell-bent on enumerating all of his blunders.

“Don’t make that scary face! It’s bad for my heart, you know?”

“…”

“Come on, we all know that if a young master such as yourself suddenly has to go out and buy groceries, and what’s more for the common people, small errors are bound to happen.”

“That’s everything but comforting. Stop rubbing salt into the wound, and wipe your mouth; it’s covered in maple syrup.” Gabriel paused, then snorted, “Even little kids don’t eat as messily as you.”

“You’re so not gallant!”

“Do I need to be with you?”

“Tsk.”

Gabriel pretended not to notice the girl’s pouty face and cleared up the table before scattering a few textbooks onto it. He separated them according to their subject and pushed some toward Masha.

“…?”

“Let’s study a little,” he said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I think you need it.”

“No way! I woke up not too long ago, and I just finished eating! Let me digest in peace!”

“The nurse will arrive at 10, and afterward, you’ll be too tired to work on your homework.”

“Tyrant!”

“If you’re unhappy with how I teach, feel free to call in someone else.”

“…”

Masha pursed her lips, not daring to utter anything else in protest for fear that her workload would increase. Grating on Gabriel’s nerves was akin to courting death, something she was all too aware of, and she wasn’t a masochist just yet. If her little brother was petty, so was Gabriel, and she knew his way of paying back grievances was a lot more subtle and vicious than Misha’s. Thinking about it was enough to send a shiver crawling her spine.

‘Yup. Let’s not get on his bad side, shall we?’

Because Masha was recovering from her injuries, she couldn’t attend school, lest she wanted to slow down her recovery. Still, she didn’t want to repeat a year, so she asked her father if Gabriel could homeschool her, saying she wouldn’t fall behind her classmates this way. Although Gabriel hadn’t gone to school for the past few months, she knew he had made sure to keep up with their class curriculum.

Honestly, that guy didn’t need a teacher, only the textbooks. He was a fast learner and the kind of student who studied better by himself. The teacher took too much time to explain one thing, and Gabriel always dozed off as a result. Since he had a good memory and his comprehension skills were somewhat high, the usual teaching method was not suited for him and even slowed down his learning progress. For him, homeschooling was the best option. It allowed him to work on his studies at his own pace, and because Masha now had an excellent teacher who knew her strengths and weaknesses and taught her accordingly, learning also became easier for her.

She still found high school knowledge to be utterly useless, though. Every time she had to open her books, she just wanted to throw them out of the window and do something else. But she knew Gabriel wouldn’t let her off the hook if she decided to slack off.

That guy was worse than a watchdog. And whenever Masha protested, he’d “gently” remind her that she was the one who had chosen him and that he was working for free.

Therefore, Masha had no other choice but to shut her mouth and be obedient. You reap what you sow, as they say.

***

The mathematical problem written on the sheet looked like an alien language to Masha, and she was in the middle of deciphering it when the doorbell rang. As soon as the sound echoed throughout the house, she perked up and immediately pushed her textbooks aside as if they were on fire. Then, she sweetly smiled at Gabriel.

“Try to at least memorize that formula,” Gabriel sighed before standing up. “It’s a useful one.”

“Sure,” Masha nodded with a tone of voice that said she wouldn’t.

A second sigh escaped his mouth, and Gabriel went to open the door as he wondered what to do with that lousy student of his. Although she was learning faster than usual, it still wasn’t fast enough. First and foremost, Masha had to learn the lessons she had missed while she was hospitalized, which added a heavy burden to her already overwhelming workload.

But now wasn’t the time to think about this. Gabriel thus pushed his worries aside and politely greeted the nurse standing on the doorsteps. “Hi, come in.”

“Thank you. Where is Masha?”

“In the kitchen. She still hasn’t changed clothes or taken a bath. I hope you can help her with that too.”

“Sure, no problem.”

The young woman walked into the corridor but paused in front of the staircase. She glanced over her shoulder and commented, “I see that the stairlift has been installed, and you certainly didn’t buy the cheapest.”

“Well, I had a bit of pocket money,” Gabriel casually replied.

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A cold glint flashed in his emerald eyes as the words left his mouth, contrasting vividly with the polite smile on his lips. The nurse pretended not to notice it and said flatly, “Is that so. If you still have some pocket money left, there are a few other commodities that I can recommend.”

“Thank you. If you could—”

“Yuki! Hurry up and save me from that never-ending pile of homework!” Masha shouted from the kitchen, interrupting the two. “If this goes on, I think I’m gonna go crazy!”

“I’m coming right away, your highness,” the nurse readily replied before nodding at Gabriel, who then watched the young woman’s back disappear into the kitchen.

He stayed still for a few more seconds before picking up a book and sitting on the sofa in the living room. He knew Masha didn’t want him to see how much she sweated and suffered during physical therapy, so he didn’t follow the nurse.

In any case, Yuki was reliable, and he knew Masha was in good hands with her. If that weren’t the case, Gabriel wouldn’t have contacted Yuki to ask her to take care of Masha’s needs. Not only was the nurse excellent at her work, but she could also provide emotional support. He had profited from it in the past, and now it was Masha’s turn.

While the two were busy, Gabriel quietly read his book until they were done. As he had predicted, Masha was dead tired after the session, and he had to help her get into her bed. The moment her head touched the pillow, she fell into a deep slumber.

After tucking the teenager, Gabriel sent the nurse off. When they reached the entrance, she told him, “I will send you a list of commodities Masha may need later and some that will help facilitate her everyday life.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Yuki seemed to hesitate, but eventually, she couldn’t restrain herself and smirked slightly, “Make sure to squeeze out as much money as you can.”

“Don’t worry. By the end of the month, my stepmother’s wallet will be as light as a feather.”

“That’s good to hear. See you in two days.”

“See you later.”

After bidding goodbye to Yuki, Gabriel went back to read his book. A few hours later, Misha returned from school, and Alexey arrived not too long after.

“Where’s Masha?” the child asked as soon as he arrived, looking around the living room.

“She’s still sleeping.”

“Good. Dad, can you watch over her? I’ll go with Gaby to buy groceries. I don’t ever want to have to cook a meal with, well, weird ingredients again.”

His father responded with a nod and a somewhat amused but discreet smile; the last few suppers had indeed been too horrible to remember. Gabriel had a knack for picking up the weirdest ingredients possible. It was almost a talent. 

.

.

Gabriel and Misha went to the nearest shopping mall, and Misha then proceeded to explain everything to Gabriel. He pointed out what to buy and what not to buy, admonishing him along the way.

Sugar, salt, and flour weren’t the same things; no need to buy the prettiest vegetable either—the ones on discount did the job perfectly well; this brand tended to cost less than this one; there were different types of pasta, and…

The list was never-ending, but as a good student, Gabriel dutifully listened to the child, closely following behind him. Misha behaved like a haughty teacher, his head held high as he educated Gabriel on common sense. It created a funny image that made the passersby chuckle, but neither paid them any heed.

A while later, they were waiting at the checkout counter.

With a shopping basket in hand, Gabriel glanced askance at the boy standing beside him. He was enumerating who knew what on his fingers, making sure he hadn’t forgotten anything, or maybe he was counting how much it’d cost. His brows were slightly furrowed, and his mouth was pursed into a thin line.

‘Really, that look on his small face is anything but childish,’ Gabriel thought before lifting his head. If Misha noticed him staring at his face, he was sure to hear a mouthful again. That kid could be sensitive over the weirdest thing.

Seeing that it’d take some time before their turn, Gabriel went ahead and made small talk. He asked in a careful but respectful tone, “Misha, I was wondering if a friend of mine could come visit me on Friday… Do you mind?”

The sudden question snapped Misha out of his thoughts, making him tsk. “Where was I again! Fifty? Or Sixty? Crap, I can remember! Why the hell did you open your mouth for?!” There was a short second of silence, and the child lifted his eyes before saying in a suspicious tone, “Wait. You have friends…?”

“Of course.”

“Eh. Well, I don’t mind, as long as they’re not a bother. Will they eat with us?”

“I don’t know. I’ll have to ask him. Thank you.”

“Hmph,” Misha snorted, even though he was inwardly happy that Gabriel had asked for his permission first; it showed his standing in the house. “By the way, I haven’t seen Camille in a long time. Did Masha fight with her or something? If not, she can come over whenever she wants. It’d do my sister good to see her friends.”

“I’m not too sure about this either.”

“…Useless thing.”

“…”

Why did this kid have to scold him at every opportunity? Did he want to crush his self-esteem or something…? Even he could be hurt!

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Edited by Clozed! ♥

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