"It's more interesting that way. Besides," she added, smiling in a way that was at once cheerful and oddly mysterious, "I've noticed that sometimes the most ordinary-seeming things can go far deeper than we imagine."

She leaned back to take a long sip of her Western-style milk tea, savoring the rich flavor.

"For instance," she finally continued, tilting her head slightly, "why cooking? Most would consider it a rather feminine activity, after all."