The incredible aroma billowed out from the galley, spreading through the corridors and instantly drawing every single member of the crew toward the kitchen.
Marena's tail swished proudly behind her as she stood tall, watching Daisy take another bite. Daisy's eyes lit up, a look of pure bliss washing over her face. She turned immediately to Haruto, pointing a finger right at him. "Haruto! From now on, you are strictly banned from ever cooking again. She is making all our meals from now on!"
Haruto threw his hands up defensively. "Hey! I only cook sometimes, don't expect miracles!"
Before they could argue further, the rest of the crew swarmed into the kitchen. Lilith was already complaining loudly, grumbling about why Professor Elara was tagging along, while Eterna was right behind them.
Without missing a beat, Eterna drifted straight over to Haruto, sleepily giving him a gentle pat on the leg before curling up right into his lap like a tiny, comfortable cat.
Marena blinked, her cat ears twitching as she stared down at the newcomer. "Wait... who is this girl?"
Before Haruto could even answer, Eterna looked up with a serene expression and replied calmly, "I am his daughter."
Marena's face lit up with absolute delight, her tail wagging vigorously. "Aww, she's so cute!"
A brief pang of frustration rippled through Haruto. Despite the fact that his divine weapons and true strength could easily shake anyone, people constantly underestimated her or treated her like a small child. But he let out a quiet sigh and decided to let it slide, not wanting to ruin the peaceful mood.
By now, the irresistible scent of the food had completely filled the ship. Drawn in by the mouthwatering aroma, everyone eagerly grabbed a plate, their eyes sparkling with excitement as they dug into Marena's cooking.
The food was an absolute hit, but because Marena had initially only cooked a small portion for Haruto and Daisy, there wasn't nearly enough to go around. Seeing everyone's disappointed faces, Haruto gently nudged her arm and asked if she could whip up a massive batch for the whole crew.
With a bright, confident smile, Marena rolled up her sleeves. Utilizing her incredible culinary mastery, she effortlessly began cooking up a storm, crafting a magnificent feast in her own signature style to satisfy the entire hungry party.
After the incredible feast wrapped up, everyone finally started settling down for the night. Haruto retreated to his assigned guest room, letting out a long breath as he reached over and clicked off the bedside light, ready to get some sleep.
According to Daisy's navigation estimates, the mothership was still about three hours away from their destination, so getting a solid rest before arrival was crucial. Earlier in the evening, Serephin and Professor Elara had officially introduced themselves to Marena and Daisy, welcoming the girls into the group's chaotic dynamic.
Just as Haruto's eyes were starting to close in the dark room, the door creaked open.
A soft silhouette stepped inside, and Lilith's voice drifted through the dark. "You're trying to sleep?"
Haruto groaned, pulling the blanket over his shoulder. "Knock, you know, it's called privacy."
"Oh, relax," Lilith waved a hand dismissively in the dark. "Besides, you won't be getting any sleep right now anyway. The girls are out in the common area, and a full-blown war has broken out."
Haruto blinked, sitting up in bed and rubbing his eyes. "What are they even fighting about this time?"
"Power scaling, ego, and divine status, mostly," Lilith replied with an amused smirk. "Daisy and Geeli started arguing by dragging up their entire combat records from today. Philo got dragged into the middle of it and started trash-talking everyone because her villainous hacker background came up. Then things escalated when Serephin chimed in to correct their logic about combat tiers."
Lilith crossed her arms, leaning against the doorframe. "And to top it all off, Ivory, Bellona, and Lustra literally kicked the door down because the argument shifted into a debate over whose divine status and raw divinity rank higher."
Haruto pinched the bridge of his nose, a headache instantly coming on. "Good grief... What about the others?"
"Oh, them?" Lilith chuckled. "Toya, Rutherford, Marena, Eterna and that shithead professor are sitting back with amusement, completely enjoying the show and making fun of everyone."
Haruto let out a heavy, defeated sigh, swinging his legs out of bed. "Unbelievable..."
Haruto trudged out of his room and down the hall, rubbing the sleep from his eyes until he reached the main common area.
The scene was absolute chaos. Daisy and Geeli were literally locked in a headlock, Philo was arguing tech specs with Serephin, and Ivory, Bellona, and Lustra were crackling with divine pressure as they yelled over each other about cosmic hierarchy.
"Alright, break it up! Stop grabbing each other by the collars!" Haruto shouted, stepping right into the middle of the brawl.
It took quite a bit of effort, and he basically had to physically pull Ivory, Bellona, and Lustra apart before the divine trio finally relented with huffs of annoyance. But getting the rest of the mortals and hackers to calm down proved nearly impossible.
After nearly an hour of nonstop arguing, shouting, and chest-pumping, someone finally yelled out a solution.
"Fine! If we can't settle who's strongest with words, we'll settle it with a proper tournament!"
Philo stepped forward, tapping a few commands on her terminal. "I'll configure a massive holographic combat arena using Gampi City's advanced simulation tech. You can go all out with your real powers without breaking the ship. Whoever wins the ultimate duel gets the final say, and everyone else has to respect their ranking."
The moment the proposal was laid out, a collective murmur of agreement swept through the room.
Of course, a few opted out immediately. Marena, Lilith, and Professor Elara crossed their arms and flatly refused to participate, having zero interest in the bickering. Toya also took one look at the chaotic setup, backed away slowly, and decided he wanted nothing to do with it.
However, the reward changed everything when someone brought it up: The winner gets to demand a single wish from Haruto, and he has to grant it no matter what.
the moment the grand prize was announced as a wish from Haruto, the collective mood shifted instantly.
"Okay, you know what? Fine, count me in," Lilith muttered, casually cracking her knuckles with a dangerous grin.
Marena's cat ears perked right up, her competitive fire igniting as she pumped her fist. "There is no way I'm losing! I'm using my wish to finally make him marry me!"
Professor Elara quickly waved her hands. "Yeah, no thanks, I'll pass. I prefer using my own brain rather than relying on a wish... though honestly, watching you guys tear each other apart will be entertainment enough."
"Hey! When did I ever agree to be the grand prize?!" Haruto shouted, dropping to his knees in utter despair as the girls completely ignored him, totally consumed by their competitive spirit.
Toya leaned over, patting Haruto on the shoulder. "Bro... just accept your fate."
Rutherford chuckled softly from the sidelines. "Let them have their fun. There's no stopping them now."
Seeing the chaotic energy in the room, the girls finally locked in. They officially established that the grand tournament would kick off in 5 days, giving everyone plenty of time to train, strategize, and power up.
As the ship's main navigation alarms chimed, Haruto looked out the reinforced bridge window and saw that they had finally arrived at Gampi City. Daisy herded the entire crew down to the lower deployment bay, where a massive circular hatch opened up right into the open sky.
Haruto blinked, leaning over the edge. "Wait, why are we opening the hatch way up in mid-air?!"
"Standard drop deployment because the ship will fly for 3 days more for Gamepid City training!" Daisy called out over the howling wind, tossing a row of military-grade parachutes toward the crew. "We're skydiving down!"
Without hesitation, Daisy strapped her gear on and leaped straight out into the abyss. Philo followed shortly after, casually multitasking on a handheld terminal as she free-felled. Geeli jumped next, while Serephin cheered enthusiastically, diving in with a bright grin. Marena grabbed a parachute, eagerly strapping it on and jumping after them.
Ivory stared down at the dizzying drop, her knees shaking in pure terror. But before she could freeze up, Bellona and Lustra grabbed her by the arms and dragged her out with them, screaming all the way down.
Toya took one look at the sheer drop and shook his head frantically. "No way in hell am I—"
"Toya, either you jump willingly, or I throw you down myself," Rutherford interrupted with a cold, deadpan smile. In one swift motion, Rutherford grabbed Toya by the collar with one hand, scooped up the excited little Eterna with the other, and leaped straight through the open hatch. Eterna squealed with joy, while Toya's face turned completely ghost-white as he plunged into the open air.
That left only Lilith, Professor Elara, and Haruto in the bay.
"Well, let's see what this is all about," Professor Elara muttered with an analytical smirk, strapping on a chute and stepping backward into the void.
Lilith turned to Haruto, offering a smirk. "Don't take too long down there," she teased before leaning back and dropping into the clouds.
Haruto stood alone at the edge of the hatch, staring down at the dizzying heights below. His heart hammered in his chest. Are we seriously doing this for real?!
Haruto stood right at the edge of the open deployment hatch, the freezing wind howling around him. Instead of jumping forward like the others, he slowly turned his back to the drop, looking entirely unhinged.
He raised his right hand, pointing his index and middle fingers together like a gun barrel, pressing them directly against the side of his own head.
With a deadpan expression, he muttered, "Let's see if this works."
Bang.
A simulated kinetic bullet shot straight from his fingertips, slamming point-blank into the side of his own skull. The impact instantly triggered a forced system shut-down on his avatar's nervous system, causing his body to go completely limp.
With his eyes rolling back, Haruto tipped backward off the ledge, free-falling straight down like a sack of bricks into the glowing abyss of Gampid City below.