"No"
The word came out flat, and I immediately knew I'd screwed up. Yoruichi's golden eyes narrowed dangerously, and this low, threatening growl rumbled from her throat that made every survival instinct I had start screaming.
"What do you mean, 'no'?" she asked, her voice way too calm for someone who looked like she was about to pounce on me.
I threw up my hands quickly. "Okay, okay, hear me out! I kept my promise, didn't I? Cooked you that amazing dinner last night. But now we've got this breakfast thing with the Gremory family in the Underworld, and—"
"Do I really need to come along for that?" she interrupted, arms crossed. "Just leave a clone here to cook for me while you go deal with your devil drama."
Honestly? That would be the smart play. Leave her here, avoid any potential chaos, keep things simple. But the thought of going without her felt... wrong somehow. Like, really wrong. Not just because she was useful in a fight, but because I'd gotten used to having her around. Her sarcasm, her teasing, the way she could go from lazy cat to deadly warrior in a heartbeat.
Damn it, I actually wanted her there with me.
I shook my head. "Can't do it. My clones get all the abilities I pick up from rewards, sure, but cooking? That's just me being me, you know? Born with it. Can't copy that kind of thing perfectly."
She gave me this look like she could see right through my bullshit excuse, but after a moment she just sighed. "Fine, whatever. How long are we gonna be stuck there anyway?"
"Two, maybe three days," I said. "Got this meeting with all the faction leaders and Odin, plus I need to bug Azazel for some materials for something I want to make."
"Make?" Her eyebrows shot up. "What kind of—"
"Oh right, I never told you the details about yesterday's rewards!" I grinned and pulled out Hades' spear from storage. The thing just appeared in my hand, and immediately the whole room felt heavier, like the air itself was trying to crush us. "This nasty piece of work is what Cao Cao used on me. Completely shut down most of my powers. If I hadn't had backup plans he didn't know about, I would've been totally screwed."
Yoruichi leaned forward, studying the weapon with professional interest. "So what are you planning to do with it? And what exactly is this crafting ability you mentioned?"
I couldn't help but grin wider. "It's not just making swords and armor, Yoruichi. I can craft divine-level stuff now, as long as I can get the right materials. And as for what I'm gonna do with this spear..." I paused dramatically. "That's a secret."
She blinked. Once. Twice. Then that dangerous growl was back.
"Are you serious right now?"
I burst out laughing. "Come on, I know you by now! You love surprises, right?"
"I like surprises that are actual surprises," she shot back, "not surprises where you tell me beforehand that it's supposed to be a surprise!"
Still chuckling, I started forming a shadow teleportation circle beneath my feet. "Well, if you want to know what the surprise is, you'll have to come with me and see."
She muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "Why is there an Urahara even in this world?" before transforming into her cat form in a flash of light and leaping into my arms.
"Let's get this over with," she said, though her tone was more amused than annoyed now.
The teleportation swept us away.
. . .
We materialized in front of the Gremory mansion, and honestly, the place never stopped being impressive. All that gothic architecture and perfectly maintained grounds screamed 'old money devil family' in the best possible way.
"Akira!"
I turned to see Benemune approaching with that confident stride of hers, though something seemed off about her usual flirty demeanor.
"Hey Benemune," I said, a little surprised. "I was expecting Rias to meet us."
"She and her peerage, along with your team, will be joining us for breakfast," Benemune explained, gesturing for us to follow her. "Please, this way."
As we walked through the mansion, maids bowed respectfully from the sidelines. The whole formal thing still felt weird, but I was getting used to it. What I wasn't getting used to was the way Benemune kept glancing at me like she wanted to ask something but couldn't figure out how.
"Everything alright?" I asked. "You seem like something's bugging you."
She practically jumped. "Ah! Well, I was curious about how you defeated the Hero Faction leader"
I blinked in surprise. "Didn't he tell you?"
She shook her head. "Perhaps it's confidential information that only Azazel and the other faction leaders know about."
Makes sense, I guess. Political stuff and all that. "If you're that curious, I can tell you about it."
She stopped dead in her tracks. Yoruichi and I both stared at her as she whipped around with this absolutely ecstatic expression on her face.
"Tell me everything! Don't leave out a single detail!"
Both Yoruichi and I sweatdropped at her reaction. Talk about enthusiasm.
By the time we reached the dining hall entrance, Benemune was practically glowing with satisfaction as she closed what looked like a mental notebook.
"I haven't heard of such an exciting battle in centuries!" she gushed. "Thank you so much for sharing all of that!"
"No problem," I replied, though I couldn't shake the feeling that she was giving off some seriously intense vibes. Like, potentially yandere or masochist levels of intense. I quickly dismissed the thought—I was probably just imagining things.
"Ara ara, and who might this young man be?"
The voice was smooth and elegant, carrying that particular authority that only came with age and power. We turned to see a woman who honestly took my breath away.
Venelana Gremory was stunning in that timeless way that made it impossible to guess her real age. Her brown hair fell in elegant waves past her shoulders, and her violet eyes held the same warm intelligence I'd seen in Rias, but with centuries more experience behind them. She wore a flowing dress that managed to be both modest and incredibly flattering, and when she smiled, it was like watching sunlight break through clouds.
Damn, I thought, no wonder Zeoticus married her. The woman was absolutely gorgeous.
"I'm Akira," I said, bowing slightly. "It's nice to meet you, miss?"
"Ara ara, how rude of me not to introduce myself first," she said with a gentle laugh. "I am Venelana Gremory."
"She's Rias's mother," Benemune added helpfully.
I put on my best surprised expression. "Really? If Benemune hadn't told me, I would have mistaken you for Rias's sister."
Venelana giggled—actually giggled—and I felt a little proud of myself for pulling that off. "Ara ara, you're not just strong, but quite the flatterer as well. Please, join us for breakfast." She gestured toward the elaborate dining table.
As I took my seat, I glanced down at Yoruichi in my arms. "Is it alright if my cat joins us at the table?"
"I wouldn't mind at all," Venelana replied with a warm smile. "She's quite beautiful, and clearly well-behaved."
I set Yoruichi on the table, where she settled with that regal composure that somehow made her look like she belonged in a noble's dining room.
"What an interesting pair you make," Venelana observed. "A young man with such presence and his elegant companion."
Before I could respond, the dining room filled with familiar voices and energy as Rias arrived with her peerage, along with Valerie, Asia, and Xenovia.
"Akira!" Valerie's face lit up as she ran toward me.
I stood up just in time to catch her in a hug, and for a moment all the stress and exhaustion from yesterday melted away. "Hey there, Valerie. I told you it wasn't that big a deal, right? Nothing to worry about."
When I let her go, I gave her my best reassuring smile. "I'm really happy to see you again."
Asia beamed at me, and even Xenovia looked genuinely relieved. Rias and her peerage all had similar expressions—concern mixed with relief and genuine affection.
Man, I thought as I looked around at all these people who actually cared about what happened to me, I really got lucky in this life. Having people who worry about you, who are happy when you come back safe... it's not something I ever want to take for granted.
The breakfast started off normally enough. I took a bite of the perfectly prepared food while Rias leaned forward eagerly.
"So what happened after you got teleported away?" she asked.
I sighed, already dreading having to retell the whole story again, but before I could even open my mouth, Benemune jumped in.
"Oh, let me tell them!" she said excitedly, and launched into the whole tale with way more enthusiasm than I'd ever managed.
I just focused on eating while everyone else's eyes got progressively wider. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Yoruichi wasn't really touching her food much.
"Something wrong?" I asked her quietly.
"This food is terrible," she said loudly enough for everyone to hear.
The entire table went dead silent.
"Did that cat just talk?" Issei pointed at Yoruichi with his mouth hanging open.
I shrugged. "You're a devil yourself, dude. Talking animals shouldn't be that shocking."
Issei flushed with embarrassment, but Venelana looked genuinely concerned. "Is something wrong with the food, dear?"
"It's fine," I started to say, but Yoruichi cut me off.
"It's nowhere near as good as what Akira cooked for me last night," she declared. "The taste just isn't exciting at all."
I could see the maids standing along the walls looking mortified. Great.
"You cook?" Rias asked, looking intrigued.
"It's like being teleported to a different world when you eat his food," Yoruichi said with that smug expression that told me she was doing this on purpose.
Now everyone was looking at me with expressions that clearly said 'cook for us too.'
I sighed deeply. "Fine." This damn cat planned this whole thing just because I didn't cook for her this morning. The satisfied look on her face confirmed it. "You win."
A few minutes later, I walked back into the dining room while maids carried covered dishes behind me. The poor girls were breathing heavily and had blushes on their faces—I'd let them taste-test while cooking, and apparently they'd had the same reaction as everyone else always did.
"This is one of my best creations," I announced as the maids set the covered plates in front of everyone. "Enjoy!"
When they lifted the covers, the aroma hit the room like a physical force. It was my special fried rice—perfectly seasoned, each grain distinct but harmonious, with ingredients that somehow tasted even better together than they did apart.
"Dig in," I said with a grin.
The first bite hit them all at the same time. The simultaneous chorus of moans and gasps of pure ecstasy made me sweatdrop—it was exactly the same reaction the maids had given me in the kitchen.
Even Venelana, who'd been perfectly composed and regal this entire time, had a deep blush on her face as she ate with surprising speed. Xenovia was making sounds that probably shouldn't be legal in public. Rias looked like she was having a religious experience.
The maids kept bringing refills as everyone devoured plate after plate. I'd expected this—nobody ever stopped at just one serving.
After what felt like an hour of pure gluttony, everyone finally leaned back in their chairs with blissful, content expressions, looking completely satisfied and slightly dazed.
"That was..." Rias started.
"Incredible," Venelana finished, still looking a little flushed.
"I think I understand what you meant about being teleported to another world," Asia said dreamily.
Just as I was basking in the compliments, a silver magic circle formed beside me. Out stepped a woman with silver hair pulled back in a neat braid, wearing an elegant maid outfit that somehow managed to look both professional and regal. Her beauty was striking in a completely different way from Venelana—where Venelana was warm and motherly, this woman radiated cool competence and authority.
Grayfia Lucifuge, Sirzechs's queen and the most powerful maid in existence.
Her usual composed, professional expression shifted to one of complete confusion as she took in the scene—everyone sprawled in their chairs looking like they'd just experienced something transcendent, the lingering aroma of incredible food, and the general atmosphere of post-culinary bliss.
"What... exactly happened here?"
. . .
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