(Two days after the announcement)
"Raze. Help."
Luna's voice shot through the Arcwell kitchen like a distress signal from a sinking ship.
Raze entered cautiously—
only to witness pure culinary catastrophe.
Lily stood on a stool, aggressively tossing neon gummy bears into a pot of perfectly normal soup.
"It adds **flavor**!" she declared.
"It adds **diabetes**," Luna corrected sharply, snatching the gummy bag away.
Astra, who had been invited over because Lily demanded her presence, leaned forward to inspect the pot.
Her face immediately softened into a horrified smile.
"Um… maybe we should… remove those."
Lily gasped.
She clutched her heart like a betrayed anime protagonist.
"BIG SISTER ASTRA HAS ABANDONED MEEEE—!!"
Astra panicked.
"N–No! I'm not abandoning you! I just— I don't want to die!"
Before Lily could retaliate, Rose Arcwell entered with impeccable timing and eternal elegance.
"Children, please," she sighed. "Make something edible tonight."
"Children?" Raze muttered.
Rose gave him the slow mother stare of doom.
"You included."
"…Yes, ma'am."
◆ ◆ ◆
*The Attempt Begins*
And so, Operation 'Let's Not Burn Down the Kitchen' began.
Raze handled the rice.
Luna seasoned the chicken.
Astra took over stir-frying (with fear in her eyes).
Lily supervised everything like a tiny dictator.
"Raze, don't burn it!"
"I'm not burning—WAIT—"
Sizzle.
"Well. It's burnt."
Astra winced. "That was fast."
Luna dumped spices into the chicken like she was summoning a fire spirit.
"Luna—!"
"That's how Dad does it!"
"He also nearly killed a man with over-seasoned curry that one time," Raze reminded.
Astra, stirring the soup, pressed a little too hard.
*SNAP.*
The ladle's handle broke in half.
Astra froze.
Raze froze.
Lily cheered.
"You're so STRONG!"
Astra died inside.
Meanwhile, Lily finished "dessert"—
A bowl of marshmallows mixed with soy sauce.
Everyone stared at it.
It stared back.
◆ ◆ ◆
*Roland Arrives*
The front door opened.
Roland Arcwell walked in, loosened his tie, and stepped into the kitchen—
—and stopped.
Blinking.
Slowly.
He scanned the room:
Burnt rice.
Over-spiced chicken.
A broken ladle.
A marshmallow-soy sauce monstrosity.
Astra holding a pot like she committed a crime.
Lily smiling like a chaotic heavenly creature.
Raze and Luna looking exhausted.
Roland took a long, deliberate breath.
"…Kids," he said gently.
"Is this the aftermath of a villain attack?"
Raze groaned into his hands.
Astra covered her face.
Luna threw a towel at her father.
"Be useful or leave!"
Lily proudly shoved the dessert bowl into Roland's hands.
"It's dessert! Try it!!"
Roland stared into the abyss.
The abyss stared back.
"…I'll order pizza."
◆ ◆ ◆
*A Warm Disaster*
Within thirty minutes, the kitchen was filled with boxes of hot pizza, garlic bread, and soft drinks.
Everyone gathered around the dining table:
Lily devouring slices like a tiny beast.
Luna complaining about Raze's burnt rice.
Astra shyly eating her third slice while pretending she wasn't hungry.
Raze sighing but smiling quietly.
Rose sipping tea, pretending not to judge them.
Roland laughing at them all like they were the greatest show on earth.
The world outside was still dangerous.
Nightveil still lurked in the shadows.
The tournament still loomed ahead.
But tonight—
Just for these few hours—
The Arcwell home was warm.
Lively.
Noisy.
Chaotic.
Peaceful.
A place where heroes, prodigies, and future legends could simply…
act their age.
It was messy.
It was ridiculous.
It was perfect.
And with the sound of their laughter echoing through the halls—
Arcwell Cooking Night came to a beautifully disastrous end.