Mai's declaration stunned 'Kasumi'. Thinking back to everything she had seen earlier, she quickly realized what was going on.
"I... I understand..."
'Kasumi' lowered her head, but she wasn't particularly heartbroken. After all, Mai was unquestionably the head of the Shiranui-ryu. It was only natural for the leader to have first claim over the spoils of victory, and besides, she was technically the third party here.
More importantly, perhaps all those things Ryuji had said before were simply meant to help me regain my will to live.
Maybe he didn't actually have many thoughts about me?
The uncertainty left 'Kasumi' feeling extremely uneasy, but at that moment, Mai spoke again.
"However, after we're done with our honeymoon, if you still want to have a child with Ryuji, I won't stop you."
Seeing the conflicted look on 'Kasumi's' face, Mai couldn't help feeling a little sympathetic.
Mai was ultimately a kind person. And since Ryuji had long since shattered her previous boundaries, she had become surprisingly generous in this regard. She hadn't completely cut off 'Kasumi's' hopes.
"Yes! I'll do my best, Lady Mai!"
'Kasumi' quickly nodded.
Her feelings were complicated. She wasn't even sure whether she should be happy or not. But she was indeed quite happy.
"Alright, now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, let's eat something and then head back."
Mai let out a sigh of relief.
As long as 'Kasumi' was willing to listen, everything would be fine. Besides, she was obviously the classic type of traditional female ninja. In the future, whenever Mai wasn't feeling well, she could always have 'Kasumi' take her place.
It might be a little underhanded. But traditional ninjas really were useful!
And after all, she was the one providing 'Kasumi' with protection!
Feeling quite pleased with herself, Mai prepared to organize the ingredients, only to discover that Ryuji had already started doing it on his own.
She gave a tsundere 'hmph' and quickly moved over to help him prepare everything.
But then, something happened that completely surprised her.
Mai only saw Ryuji casually wave his hand, and the meat she had bought quickly rose into the air. She couldn't even tell how he had moved. In the next moment, the meat suspended in midair was rapidly sliced apart by invisible sword energy, and then Ryuji's golden dragon fire appeared in an instant!
Just as she opened her mouth to stop him, she saw Ryuji wave his arm. Countless seasonings flew toward the meat, while his fists continuously struck the air around the cuts that were being roasted by both the dragon fire and another crimson flame he had summoned.
She had never seen a technique like this before.
Every movement of Ryuji's fists carried a mysterious rhythm, giving the impression that he was performing some powerful martial art rather than cooking.
What shocked her even more was that, when the roasted meat finally fell, every piece landed perfectly on a plate.
"Please."
Ryuji casually placed the plate in front of Mai and 'Kasumi'. Then he waved his hand forward, sending the fish Mai had bought flying into the air, repeating the entire process.
At that moment, the aroma quickly spread through the area, causing both Mai and 'Kasumi' to drool continuously.
Mai looked at Ryuji's cooking, then at the sizzling meat in front of her, glistening with oil and releasing an irresistible fragrance that constantly teased her senses.
After a moment of thought, she picked up her chopsticks.
The moment the grilled meat entered her mouth, Mai's mind went completely blank.
She felt as if she were standing inside a volcano made entirely of meat, bathing naked in magma composed of meat juices. Even she herself seemed to have been marinated by the flavor until she became something incomparably delicious.
"This! this..."
She covered her face; tears began streaming from her eyes. Because...
It was simply too delicious!
There was no way to describe it. No adjective in her mind seemed sufficient.
All she could say was that it was delicious!
"Hmm. I accidentally used up all of those seasonings before. Otherwise, it would probably taste even better."
Looking at the tearful Mai, Ryuji commented casually.
The seasonings from the Food Wars world had already run out, so this time there wasn't any strange aphrodisiac effect involved. There was only pure, overwhelming deliciousness.
That's why Mai didn't orgasm on the spot.
But honestly, he didn't really like making girls climax from food...
Because it just felt a little weird to him.
"Shiranui Kasumi, you should try some as well."
Ryuji nodded toward 'Kasumi', signaling her to take a bite.
'Kasumi' hesitantly looked at Mai, who was crying while stuffing meat into her mouth, and felt a little scared.
Mai, meanwhile, continued chewing frantically and managed to speak.
"Don't be afraid. I'm crying because... because... because..."
At that point, Mai completely broke down. Like a koala, she clung to Ryuji and burst into tears.
"As a wife, I've been completely crushed by my husband in terms of cooking, and I feel ashamed!"
Mai held onto Ryuji and wailed loudly. She couldn't bear to give up food this delicious, but she also couldn't accept the fact that, as a wife, she was incapable of satisfying her husband with her own cooking!
"Ryuji! Ryuji! You must have eaten the slop I cooked with the heart of a bodhisattva, right? I'm sorry! I'll go reincarnate right now and become a paramecium... no, a sow! I'm confident in the quality of my meat, so let me atone in my next life with my own flesh!"
Overwhelmed by a level of deliciousness she couldn't even comprehend, Mai hugged Ryuji's leg and developed an extremely firm desire to reincarnate.
Because being unable to cook food that satisfied her husband was the ultimate failure for a wife!
Mai's reaction startled even Ryuji. After placing the fish onto a plate, he quickly wrapped his arms around the sobbing Mai and began comforting her.
"Ah, it's okay. Don't cry. Even though I'm good cook, I don't actually like cooking that much..."
As he gently stroked Mai's back, Ryuji realized that his cooking really had developed some minor issues because of the Food Wars world.
Mai's senses had definitely been affected by him. And affected rather severely.
That's why she was so utterly devastated.
"Waaaah... I'm an unqualified wife..."
Only after burying herself in Ryuji's chest did Mai calm down a little.
~~~~~~~~~~
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