[Minecraft - Sweden | Flute]
The next day.
I am in the backyard of my house, playing a song on the flute.
I have to keep a slower pace to avoid too many mistakes, but I'm getting the hang of it again.
My memory has been very good when it comes to my past life; I can remember many songs because of that, so it's just a matter of practicing until the sound comes out nicely.
Another great thing is my breath, enhanced by the Shadow Breathing and my abnormal physique, it lets me blow for a long time before I have to stop to breathe.
I was about to restart the song when I heard a Snap! from a branch breaking behind me.
Immediately, I used my presence to see what it was, without moving even a single centimeter.
A feminine silhouette appeared in my subconscious through my presence, she was standing still, watching me with amusement.
'Uh… Here they are: the consequences of my actions…'
My danger sense didn't react, so I should survive.
"Good morning, Kanae…" I said as I slowly turned to her.
"Good morning, Usan," Kanae replied, seeming a bit less intimidating than yesterday.
I received the scolding she had promised me, but she became calmer after I assured her I wouldn't do it again.
I invited her into my house.
Kanae accepted, and I gave her a quick tour.
"It's a good place, it just needs a few more pieces of furniture to fill the space."
"I'll buy more things later. For now, this is all I need."
She nodded in agreement, looking over the few items in the room.
"Well," I stretched my arms upward.
"I'll prepare lunch. Make yourself comfortable."
Kanae tilted her head to the side, a bit skeptical about the idea of me cooking, but she didn't say anything.
The only thing she had ever seen me prepare were poisons, so it was a fair reaction.
I went to the storage and grabbed some fresh ingredients, I had bought them yesterday after my spar with Uzui.
I used my teleportation ability to reach the city in time.
To use it, I just need to focus on where I want to go and remain still until the teleport activates.
The kitchen is open to the living room, with no doors, just a wide frame separating the spaces.
Because of that, I could keep talking to Kanae while she stayed in the living room.
"Oh right, I almost forgot."
"Shinobu arrived last night from a mission."
"She should show up here in a few minutes as well."
"Okay, I wanted to show her the place too."
'I'll increase the portions then…'
"Are you sure you don't need help, Usan?" she asked, peeking at what I was doing in the kitchen.
"No need. You two have cooked for me many times, I want to return the favor, at least a little."
"I see…"
I started cutting and preparing some ingredients, and to Kanae's surprise, I wasn't a disaster in the kitchen, I actually seemed quite decent.
We kept talking.
"What was that instrument you were playing in the yard?"
"A type of flute."
"I'm relearning how to play."
"It sounded very good." Her voice softened more than usual as she said that.
"What do you think about playing at the Butterfly Mansion from time to time? It would help a lot with the patients' recovery."
I paused briefly to think.
"Hm… I don't see why not."
She nodded, satisfied.
A gentle aroma filled the house as the first ingredients began to cook and fry in the pans.
"Sigh…" I heard Kanae sigh.
I turned slightly to look at her, she seemed thoughtful.
"Something on your mind?"
"Hmm… Actually, yes."
"I want to ask you something."
She didn't even give me time to respond before continuing.
"Do you think Onis and humans could coexist in harmony?"
Her question made me pause for a moment. I turned to her and shook my head.
"I don't think so," I said calmly.
"Onis have become human-devouring beasts."
"They see us only as food."
Kanae let out a resigned sigh and opened her mouth to speak, but this time, I didn't let her continue.
"Unless they somehow manage to break this curse of hunger for human flesh and the control the King of the Onis has over them…"
"…"
"In the end, they were once people."
"Some must still retain a trace of humanity."
I stirred another pan, producing the satisfying sound of meat frying before covering it to muffle the noise.
"Do you think it's possible?" After a few seconds, she asked, her tone hopeful.
"Who knows… We know very little."
Knock, knock, knock.
I quickly wiped my hands and went to answer the door.
"Good morning, Usan," Shinobu greeted me as soon as I opened it.
"Good morning, Shinobu."
"Come in, make yourself comfortable."
I stepped aside to let her pass.
She left her shoes in the hallway next to mine and Kanae's.
I gave Shinobu a quick tour of the house and returned to the kitchen, stirring the food in the pans so it wouldn't burn.
"You know how to cook????"
Shinobu exclaimed, wide-eyed, watching me from the doorway between the kitchen and the living room.
Obviously, she had seen the food cooking when I showed her the kitchen, but she had assumed Kanae was the one preparing it.
"Haha, surprising, isn't it?" Kanae laughed, amused by her sister's exaggerated reaction.
I just stretched out my hand and gave a thumbs-up, earning a grumble from Shinobu.
She watched me for a while, growing more and more incredulous as she realized I actually knew what I was doing.
After a while, she finally gave up checking whether I had poisoned the food and sat down beside her older sister.
I finally finished lunch.
Then I prepared some bentos for the other girls at the mansion: Kanao, Aoi, and the three little ones.
After that, I served the food to my two guests, sitting down with them with my own plate.
It's curry with rice and some side dishes.
I didn't make it too spicy, since the two didn't seem to be big fans, but I went heavy on the seasoning, something from my past life that I ended up missing here.
Kanae was the first to eat. She brought her chopsticks with a bit of everything mixed together to her mouth and took a bite.
Her eyes lit up, and her cheeks gained a slight blush.
"Mhmmn…"
"It's delicious!" She then began eating eagerly, abandoning her manners.
Shinobu saw her reaction and copied the same portion onto her chopsticks, took a bite, and—
"Mhmmn…" She had the same reaction as her sister, then closed her eyes while chewing, lost in the flavor.
She suddenly opened her eyes and saw me watching her with a satisfied smile, making her blush slightly.
"I-it's decent," she tried to play hard to get, but soon started eating at a faster pace than her sister.
I didn't comment on their reactions.
I just enjoyed the meal, my mother had taught me everything she knew about cooking.
Even if I was far from her level, I still had a lot of confidence in my culinary skills.
Kanae and Shinobu went for seconds until they were full.
"Haa, it's been a while since I ate this much…" Shinobu said.
"Same… I hope I don't gain too much weight… Though it's worth it."
I just smiled at the two of them and went to the kitchen, also preparing another bento for each of them, without them knowing, of course.
After a bit more casual conversation, Kanae and Shinobu prepared to leave at the door.
Then I handed them the stack of bentos wrapped in a large cloth.
Shinobu took the stack and found the amount strange.
Kanae noticed as well and immediately understood what I had done.
"Usan, you don't nee—" Kanae started, but I just shook my head.
"You've already helped me a lot."
"At least accept this, and come eat here more often too."
They looked at each other and exchanged a smile, accepting without further ceremony, saying goodbye before leaving.
I watched their figures disappear down the path before heading back inside
─── ◆ ───
[A/N]: Good news! I managed to ace the first two exams for the subject at my university that was giving me trouble, so I should be able to pass.
This means I can go back to working on my books, which I'm already doing.
I think November will still have only one chapter per week, since my stock ran out :P
I have some ideas for the end of this book, but there's still a lot to develop, so there's still time to think.
Thank you for your support <3
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