As soon as they entered the living room, the girls couldn't hold back sighs of surprise. The room had a new layout, and the former living room had turned into something like a hallway, with soft leather armchairs and sofas. In the middle of the room was a vintage staircase of incredible beauty leading upstairs, and to everyone's surprise, the most curious turned out to be Kasumi. She immediately rushed upstairs like a graceful cat, exploring every corner of her new home.
Kenshin just smiled, watching the beautiful girl's enthusiasm, and led his pregnant wives after her. For the next five minutes, the girls, like three housekeeping cats, conducted an inspection of their new home, critically evaluating every detail. In the end, they all agreed that everything was done magnificently.
"Good, curiosity satisfied, and that's enough. You'll have plenty of time to explore everything in more detail. Haven't you forgotten that we have a celebration today in honor of Nakayama Kasumi?" Kenshin said, pulling the girl to him and kissing her sweet, cherry lips.
"That's right! Our little mouse finally became a cat today!" Aya said cheerfully, hugging Kenshin and Kasumi. Natsumi didn't know where to put herself at that moment, so Kenshin helped her by slapping her ass with telekinesis, inviting her into the loving family embrace.
By the time Kenshin and the girls finally came down and entered the dining room, the sons were fully discussing their father's plans. They couldn't figure out why their father had suddenly gathered them at the table if their mothers hadn't prepared dinner.
"Don't be so scared. I'm not some tyrant, and I won't scold you for discussing my plans. The main thing is that it's appropriate," Kenshin said with a smile, seeing how the sons, who had been having a lively conversation, suddenly fell silent.
"Girls, sit in your places," Kenshin said, smiling slyly. He liked building intrigue and heightening the anticipation of the clueless beauties.
While the girls sat in their places, he walked to the middle of the table and pressed a small "button" on the inside. A menu of available dishes with very extensive sorting by type of dish or product instantly appeared before his eyes.
"Ah!" Aya exclaimed, the most surprised by the plates that suddenly appeared on the table. Natsumi just flinched in surprise, while Kasumi merely narrowed her black-as-night eyes. Kenshin's sons were more resilient, and only the four youngest flinched.
Everyone stared at the contents of the plates, and the stomachs of about half of Kenshin's sons, as well as his two pregnant wives, growled from the incredible aroma. On the plates lay several fairly large pieces of filet mignon in an exquisite sauce. Steam rose faintly from the meat, and the mind-blowing aroma wafted.
Next to the large plates, smaller ones suddenly appeared with Caesar salad. Kenshin, back in his student days, had been to an expensive French restaurant and remembered the incredible taste of wagyu filet mignon, so he decided to throw Kasumi a celebration that could surprise even the princess of the Nara Clan.
Next to each family member appeared glasses of the best French wine, except for Natsumi and Aya. Next to them appeared glasses of the best apple juice. The System created the best dishes by default from all possible ones, so both the meat and wine were of incredible quality and would have cost a fortune in his old world.
"Kasumi, this day is a big celebration for our Nakayama family, so allow me to raise this glass to you. Welcome to the family, Nakayama Kasumi," Kenshin said, standing up and raising his glass hand a little upward, then taking a sip.
"Welcome to the family, Kasumi."
"Welcome, Kasumi!"
"Welcome to the family, Kasumi-san."
Cheerful toasts rang out one after another. Joyful and warm smiles were on everyone's lips, instantly melting the little heart of the black-haired kunoichi. She had spent her whole life learning to be cold and strong, but now she couldn't hold back her tears.
"Thank you... Thank you all!" Kasumi whispered, raising her glass in response and taking a sip.
Kenshin gently stroked the girl's back, soothing her tenderly. She looked into his eyes and smiled a happy smile through her tears. Raised in the Nara Clan, she had never seen such displays of family ties. She had occasionally observed something similar in the Shikaku family home, who doted on his beloved wife, but in the rest of the clan, outside personal homes, displays of bright emotions were not welcomed.
Everyone began to eat leisurely, enjoying the incredible taste of the excellent beef. All those present were trying something so high-quality for the first time, and Kasumi was no exception. Even in the Nara Clan and all of Konoha, no one raised cows, fed them the best vegetables and fruits, and massaged them daily for the best texture. Something so labor-intensive wouldn't occur to even the richest Kage-level shinobi. Primarily because all the strongest—and incidentally richest—people in this world were accustomed to eating moldy hardtack on long missions abroad.
"God, it's so delicious..." Aya purred, being the most emotional of all. She couldn't even imagine where Kenshin got this meat or how it appeared on the plates, but chalked it up to another of his personal secrets.
"Uh-huh, Mom, it's really incredible. It's much more tender than the stringy meat of forest hares," Ichiro supported her. The only son bold enough to voice his opinion freely.
"Eat, but don't choke. From this day on, only the best food will be on our table," Kenshin said, taking a sip of wine. He loved sitting at the head of the table, surrounded by his loving family. At that moment, he was truly happy and hoped every evening would be as calm and happy as this one.
Hearing Kenshin's words, everyone visibly cheered up and stopped choking. They all had casual conversations, mostly in whispers. Only Kenshin, the three girls, and Ichiro could speak loudly. But even so, everyone tried to keep quiet and not disturb each other.