Hub World, Earth, Japan, Tokyo.
"Do we really need this much?" James asked while carrying a number of grocery bags out of the grocery store alongside Tatsuo and Alfonzo.
"Well, we do have to feed you for more than just dinner." Tatsuo said nonchalantly as he shrugged his shoulders. "Unless you plan on feeding yourself for the rest of the time you're here."
"Good point." James replied with a shrug of his own.
"More importantly, I think I've got an idea of what you're gonna cook with the ingredients you bought." Alfonzo said with a smile on his face. "And if what Lici said is true about how much you've improved, I'm looking forward to it."
"I'm actually curious to see how Grayfia will react." James said with a smile on his face, as well. Though, his smile was a lot more mischievous than Alfonzo's. "She's hands down the best cook living in my house. Even Zest can't compare. Though, she would never admit it. But Alfonzo is definitely better. And Lici seems to think that Tatsuo is better, too. So, I'm really looking forward to seeing her stoic mask being broken by someone other than me or my mom."
"Well, I'll try not to disappoint." Tatsuo replied. "Unfortunately, the flavors may not be completely uniform. I'll have to use magic to speed up the marination process for the new beef we bought. But I should be able to get it to a point where no one will care. Then again, you never know what could go wrong."
"I feel like you just raised a flag." James muttered.
"Seriously, dude." Alfonzo added. "What's the point of tempting Murphy's bitch ass?"
"In most cases, I'd be scared of that, too." Tatsuo said while shaking his head. "But trust me when I say this, if Mom is there, there's nothing to worry about... Usually."
"There you go again." James replied, wanting to throw his arms up in frustration. Yet, he refrained thanks to the bags he was holding.
"Anyway, let's just find a place without people." Tatsuo said, realizing that he was pushing things too far. "I'll just use [Return] to get us back to the apartment."
Meanwhile, back in the penthouse, Sumire led Mai, who just woke up recently, Kasumi, Violet, Sakura, and Grayfia in preparing ingredients. And just like Tatsuo said, with Sumire there, there were no mistakes. Add to that the fact that Grayfia was close to being a tyrant when it comes to housework, and no one had a snowball's chance in hell to mess anything up.
In fact, Grayfia ran such a tight ship that even Sumire did not speak unless absolutely necessary. Which was quite the accomplishment by its own merits.
At the same time, the others were having their own conversations in the living room. While Scáthach and Zelretch were discussing magical theory, Elicia was taking Venelana's measurements with Lilith waiting for her turn nearby. On another couch, Shea, Tio, and Ayane were playing a board game. Meanwhile, Aletia was sitting by herself with her eyes focused on the entrance to the living room, just waiting for Tatsuo to return.
"*Sigh* It's too bad Akatsuki couldn't come." Elicia said while jotting down notes. "If she could, the whole [Chat] would be here."
"I'm sure you'll have the chance to meet soon, Dear." Venelana said with a graceful smile on her lips. "You are all young. There's no point in getting hung up over one missed opportunity."
"Yeah, I know." Elicia replied. "But she's just so cute. I really wanna make her a pretty dress. *Sigh* I can totally understand why Henrietta always gushes over her."
"Oh, now I'm curious to see her for myself." Venelana said with a chuckle. "I wonder if she compares to our Kunou... She's quite the cutie herself, you know?"
"That's a tough one." Elicia said, her mind spinning to compare the two adorable young women in her mind.
"Sorry!" Shea shouted, pulling Elicia out of her contemplation.
"Damn it." Ayane groaned. "I could have one on my next turn."
"Hehehe." Shea giggled. "Better luck next time, Miss Ayane."
Meanwhile, as Shea gloated and Ayane grumbled, Tio quietly drew a card. She then looked at it, smiled, and threw it down on the discard pile. Then, she picked up her last piece on the board and moved it to her Home Space.
"Ara, ara, looks like I win." Tio said as she pulled out her hand fan and elegantly covered her smile with it.
"Huh?" Shea intoned in confusion as she stopped giggling and looked down at the board.
"It really pisses me off any time I lose to such a pervert." Ayane grumbled even harder.
"Don't worry, Ayane-San." Tio said, her smile still hidden behind her hand fan. "I'm sure you'll win next time."
"Consolation from that same pervert doesn't make it feel any better." Ayane said as she picked up the box to the game of Sorry and swept her pieces into it.
At that moment, Aletia stood up, her head pointed in the direction where Tatsuo's bedroom was located. Then, without a word, she started running, leaving the living room and all its occupants behind.
"Huh? Where is Miss Aletia going?" Shea asked, confusion written all over her face.
"Oh, Tatsuo is back." Elicia replied casually as she spread her measuring tape to get the measurement for Venelana's bust. "He, Fonzie, and James just teleported into Tatsuo's room."
Hearing that, Scáthach raised an eyebrow as she turned to look at Elicia.
"So, that's why you've had your... magic power you called it, spread out so thinly since you arrived." Scáthach said, interest evident in her tone. "Quite the novel application."
"Indeed." Zelretch added. "I never actually figured out why you did that at all times during the Holy Grail War. Even more impressive, you kept it active while you were sleeping, as well."
"That's kinda gross, Zelly." Elicia said playfully. "Finding out you've been watching me while I slept is kinda creepy."
"Ohohoho!" Zelretch laughed good-naturedly. "It was not you that I was watching, my dear. Rather, I was watching the entire city of Fuyuki. So, I could not help but notice the dome of magic power that covered the city at all times. Though, I'm still not sure how Tatsuo managed to know everything that was going on just as precisely as you did. I could not feel his mana mixed with yours."
"If I had to guess, it was probably his ability to feel space." Tio said, adding her own two cents. "Though, to be honest, I've never actually asked him about it."
"That would make quite a bit of sense." Scáthach said while nodding in understanding. "With an accurate enough grasp of space, feeling the position of everything within your range is theoretically possible."
Meanwhile, Aletia finally reached Tatsuo's bedroom. And since this apartment was an exact copy of the one in the ICDS Universe, she had no problem finding it.
*Bang!*
"Whoa!" Tatsuo yelped in surprise as he quickly stepped back to dodge the door that was just flung open in front of him.
Tatsuo then braced himself when he saw the blonde blur flying towards him as he adjusted his grip on the bags he was carrying.
On a side note, Tatsuo was currently carrying all the bags on his own. Meanwhile, James was checking out Tatsuo's gaming/PC set up while Alfonzo was in the closet looking at Tatsuo's blacksmithing set up.
"Welcome home, Tatsuo." Aletia, the blonde blur, said as she wrapped her arms and legs around Tatsuo.
"Thanks, I'm back." Tatsuo replied with a smile. "Anyway, I need to get these ingredients to the kitchen so I can start cooking."
"Mhmm." Aletia hummed in acknowledgement. Though, it was clear she had no intention of letting go.
"Anyway, you guys can stay in here or go to the living room." Tatsuo said, unbothered by the vampire princess that was trying to fuse herself with him. "We'll call you when dinner's ready."
"Nice!" James called back. "I wanna see what these fighting games I've never played are like. "Like this Guilty Gear. It doesn't exist in my world."
"Actually, I'm coming to the kitchen with you." Alfonzo said as he emerged from the closet.
"Oh, you're coming out of the closet already?" James asked with a mischievous grin on his face. "Lici's gonna be so hurt when she finds out."
Alfonzo only rolled his eyes in response before completely ignoring James' comment. He then followed Tatsuo and Aletia out of the bedroom, leaving James behind to scrolled through Tatsuo's Steam Library.
"Damn! All these Arc System Works games look sick as hell!" James' excited cry sounded down the hallway. "Why the hell doesn't this company exist in my world?"
"I should kick his ass in Guilty Gear after dinner." Alfonzo muttered. "I played a lot of their games before I ended up in Earth Land. I'll make him rethink his whole life with the ass kicking he'll take."
Though it was clear that Alfonzo had no intention of letting anyone else hear his muttering, thanks to Tatsuo's high [Perception], he heard it as if Alfonzo was speaking to him directly. And that proved what he already thought.
'So, Alfonzo is a reincarnater, too.' Tatsuo thought to himself. 'That probably means that Lici is in the same boat. I wouldn't be surprised if James is the same. But I haven't heard anything that could prove it yet. Eh... Whatever. It's not like it really matters.'
A few moments later, Tatsuo, Alfonzo, and Aletia reached the living room. And although she pouted the whole time, Aletia eventually agreed to let go of Tatsuo and wait in the living room. As for Tatsuo and Alfonzo, they headed into the kitchen where Tatsuo started taking the groceries out of the bag.
"Welcome back, Tatsu-Kun!" Mai shouted excitedly as she tried to jump onto Tatsuo's back.
"Finish cutting the vegetables." Grayfia said sternly as she grabbed Mai by the scruff of her neck and held her off the floor like a misbehaving kitten.
"Yes, Ma'am." Mai replied in a defeated tone.
"Wow, she didn't even whine." Tatsuo said in an astonished tone while blinking his eyes in surprise.
"Yes, it seems that Grayfia-Chan has a knack for dealing with people like Mai-Chan." Sumire said with a nod while stowing away a small notebook , which she used to take notes on the way Grayfia handled Mai, into her kimono sleeve. "Anyway, welcome back, Tatsu-Chan."
"Thanks." Tatsuo replied with a smile. "And now that I'm back, I'll get to work. This beef casserole isn't gonna make itself, after all."
"As I thought." Alfonzo said, his tone much more serious than usual. "But it's unusual to use beef strips for the casserole rather than ground beef."
"I've got my own ideas on this dish." Tatsuo said, his tone taking on a serious edge, as well. "Just sit back and watch. You'll see what I'm capable of."
With that said, Tatsuo's aura burst out, not unlike his fighting intent when going into battle. And while Sumire, Alfonzo, and Grayfia, the three most accomplished cooks in the room were not too affected, Mai, Kasumi, Violet, and Sakura all took a step back from the sheer pressure of Tatsuo's cooking intent.
Just as instructed, everyone stepped away from Tatsuo. Meanwhile, Tatsuo began moving at speeds that the average person could not even perceive as he got to work.
The first thing Tatsuo did was use his [Energy] to draw a magic circle on the counter that would speed up the time inside by twelve times while also having a refrigeration effect. That way, when he was finished preparing the newly bought beef, it would be ready to cook with the rest of the meat in the refrigerator. After that, he began working on the other ingredients going into the casserole. And because the other ingredients were egg noodles and various vegetables, there was no reason to make side dishes.
Though, that did not stop him from, after finishing with the seasonings for the casserole, starting whipping the batter for a cake meant for dessert.
"Damn... He's really gotten pretty good." Alfonzo said while watching Tatsuo's every move like a hawk.
"Indeed." Grayfia added while watching Tatsuo with the same intensity. "To think he's learned so much just by watching me cook for a week."
"It's not just you." Sumire said while nibbling on her thumb nail. "He's watched two of the best chefs in the city, one of which may very well be the best chef this world has to offer, as well."
"Then why do you look so distressed, Mrs. Soramoto?" Alfonzo asked curiously. "You seem like the type that would be happy any time her son does something impressive."
"It's because she's afraid that Tatsuo will take one of her jobs away." Kasumi replied before Sumire could do so. "She truly enjoys cooking for Tatsuo-Kun. But if he gets better than her, there's a chance he'll demand to do all the cooking. Though, it's more likely that we'll make that demand before he ever gets the chance to."
Kasumi ended her explanation with a giggle that made Sumire pout. She then turned to Alfonzo, her pout intensifying.
"And don't call me Mrs. Soramoto." Sumire said with her cheeks puffed out. "It makes me sound old."
"Yeah, but you're not the only Sumire here." Alfonzo pointed out.
"It's okay, Alfonzo-San." Violet said with a smile. "Just call me Violet like Tatsuo-Kun does. This was the whole reason he asked me if he could call me that in front of the [Chat], after all."
"Fair enough." Alfonzo replied with a shrug.
While the others continued to chat, Tatsuo continued to cook. And after only twenty-five minutes, he managed to finish whipping the cake batter. He then put it into the refrigerator to let it settle. After that, he took out the strawberries meant to top the cake and began slicing them.
"Damn... Erza's gonna be real jealous when she finds out she missed a strawberry cake." Alfonzo muttered.
"You have an Erza who is a fan of strawberry cake in your world, as well, Master Alfonzo?" Grayfia asked curiously.
"Yeah, and we have a Grayfia that calls me the same thing, too." Alfonzo said while smiling awkwardly. "Infinite omniverse bullshit and all that."
"I see." Grayfia replied without a change in her expression. "I would like to meet this other Grayfia one day."
"We'll arrange it sometime in the future." Alfonzo said noncommittally.
A few more minutes passed after that, marking the end of the marination time for the beef Tatsuo put in the magic circle. He then put the beef, along with all the other ingredients into a casserole dish before popping the dish into the oven and setting a timer for forty-five minutes.
"Alright, that's taken care of." Tatsuo said as he walked over to the sink to wash his hands. "Now all I gotta do is make the frosting for the cake. By the time I'm done with that, it should be about time for the cake to come out of the fridge and go into the oven, too."
"Not bad." Alfonzo said in an appreciative tone. "But you know you could have gone even faster if you had used [Metal Magic] to control the utensils, right?"
"I'm not that good with [Metal Magic] yet." Tatsuo replied while shaking his head. He then gestured towards Sumire with his chin. "Besides... Look at Mom. She looks like she's gonna cry. If I make it look any easier than it does now, she might really start crying."
Turning to look at Sumire, Alfonzo found himself doing all he could to stifle his laughter. Because just like Tatsuo said, Sumire looked as if she were on the verge of tears. On top of that, her eyes were comically round and wavering like she came straight out of an anime.
"Anyway, I'll get back to work." Tatsuo said, turning away from his mother so that he would not start laughing.
The next forty-five minutes passed quickly. During that time, Tatsuo finished making the frosting, put it in the refrigerator, pulled the batter out, poured it into the cake pan, and put the cake in the oven. After that, everyone in the kitchen made their way to the kitchen table, with Mai and Kasumi setting the table for everyone.
"Alright, time for dinner." Sumire said, her mood back to normal. "Oh, where is James?"
"He's probably still in my room playing video games." Tatsuo replied. He then looked towards Scáthach and continued. "Master Scáthach, could I trouble you to call James for dinner? Something tells me that you're the only one present who could make him put the controller down if he's in the middle of gaming. Especially if he's getting taken out to the woodshed by his opponent."
Hearing that, Scáthach smiled slightly. Then, without a word, she turned and headed towards Tatsuo's room to bring her disciple to dinner. Meanwhile, everyone else took their seats at the table, waiting for dinner to begin.