"What are you guys chatting about?"
Arata poked his head out of the kitchen and asked. Just his appearance was enough to instantly quiet the two people in a standoff.
"Arata, she still wants to take Denji's heart," Aki Hayakawa was the first to complain. As long as he had Arata's backing, he wasn't worried about Quanxi making a sudden move.
"Don't speak out of turn, topknot," Quanxi said in a flat tone, her eyes hiding a thick murderous intent. Normally, she would just kill whoever she wanted. But right now, she couldn't. Because she didn't want to die yet; she didn't want to bid farewell to her luxurious harem life.
"Who are you calling topknot?" Aki Hayakawa, using Arata as his shield, didn't believe Arata would help an outsider and ignore a colleague who constantly took care of their daily lives.
"Lady Quanxi called you topknot! Besides, you literally have a topknot!" Pingtsi pointed at Aki and mocked him. She was the only one in the harem who could speak normally; the other women could only mumble and groan.
"Don't call Aki a topknot!" Denji, feeling indignant, pointed back at Pingtsi. As Aki's colleague, Denji naturally had to help him out. Otherwise, Aki would look too isolated.
"Stinky woman, you're courting death!!" Power didn't waste a single word, charging straight ahead and tackling Pingtsi to the ground.
She raised her fist and punched her in the face. Just as she was about to swing her next punch, Long—who shared similar fiend traits with Power—grabbed her wrist. The two locked eyes. Power's other hand quickly manifested a blood weapon, while flames began to brew in Long's mouth. Seeing this, Aki and Denji also readied themselves for battle.
DING!!!!
The sudden descent of the Third-Level Dream Realm caused everyone in the room to freeze completely motionless.
"Sure enough, the more people there are, the easier it is for conflicts to start."
"Hopefully, they'll show some restraint after waking up."
Arata shook his head helplessly. He turned around, pulled the kitchen door shut, and returned to his position as head chef. It wasn't until the mouth-watering, fragrant dishes were finished and placed on the table that he finally cancelled his control over everyone.
Phew~
By this time, Power and Long had separated. Quanxi, having been released from the Third-Level Dream Realm, was also much more well-behaved. That was because Arata had added some extra "spice" to the dreams of Quanxi and her girls, making them hallucinate being decapitated by Makima. As a result, Quanxi's usual boss-lady arrogance was dialed way back.
"I don't want to hear any more words that might disrupt our harmonious coexistence," Arata warned. "Especially you, Quanxi. Don't speak with so much gunpowder."
"U-understood," Quanxi replied, and her harem didn't dare to clamor anymore either.
"Alright, everyone come eat. Power, take your bowl and eat in your room."
"Why can't the Great Me eat at the table?!" Power protested, unconvinced.
"Because your meal is different from ours." Arata handed Power a plate with five premium steaks stacked on top of each other.
These were the premium steaks Arata had brought back from his zero-dollar shopping spree at Qianda Plaza. Most of them had been stuffed into the fridge, as the Mirror Dimension didn't have a freezing effect—the pastries he had left in there previously had already grown mold.
"Wah-haha! Arata treats me the best! See that? You guys don't get steak, but the Great Me gets five pieces!" Power flaunted her steaks at everyone. Long was clearly displeased, but she managed to keep her temper in check.
"Power, give me a piece." Denji immediately reached out to grab one.
But Power swiftly hugged the plate to her chest, getting steak grease all over her clothes. "Get lost! They all belong to the Great Me, don't try to steal them!" After saying that, she hugged her steaks and dashed into her room, not forgetting to lock the door behind her.
"That Power never pays attention to hygiene," Aki Hayakawa sighed helplessly.
"Are you always the one taking care of them?" Quanxi asked.
"Yes, that's right."
"As their colleague, you've done more than your fair share of duty."
"Let's all eat," Arata announced.
After Arata sat down and took the first bite, the others finally dared to pick up their chopsticks to eat. Thanks to Arata's presence, Denji and Aki had learned how to eat with chopsticks a long time ago.
On the dining table, there were Bursting Pissing Beef Balls (prepared for Quanxi), Yu-Shiang Shredded Pork, Stir-fried Oyster Mushrooms with Dried Tofu (made specifically because they had the ingredients), Tomato Fish (currently Aki's favorite Chinese dish), Braised Pork Belly (Denji's current favorite), Pig's Blood (prepared specifically for Long), Fried Onion Rings (a miniature version of donuts for Pingtsi), Cucumber Salad (utilizing the Cucumber Devil's ability to conjure cucumbers out of thin air, meaning there was a cucumber dish every single day), and Tomato and Egg Stir-fry (whoever wanted it could eat it; if not, it just sat there).
"Arata, I didn't expect you to be so amazing at cooking."
Quanxi had only eaten a single Bursting Pissing Beef Ball, but she was completely won over by Arata's culinary skills. The beef ball was bouncy and refreshing. With a gentle bite, the savory juices inside instantly burst out, spreading the rich flavor of the beef to every corner of her mouth. As she continued to chew, swallowing the meat and the juices together, it had a smooth, melt-in-your-mouth feel that warmed her all the way down her throat. Ginseng? Deer antler? She was clearly eating a beef ball, yet she could taste the complex layers of multiple premium ingredients.
"So delicious! What are these balls made of?" Pingtsi stuffed two into her mouth at once, clutching her cheeks with an intoxicated expression.
"Premium Wagyu beef, hand-pounded using the strength of the Muscle Devil and the speed of the Leopard Devil. The taste is absolutely divine."
"Long, you guys have to try this!" Pingtsi highly recommended.
Seeing how excited the girls were after eating the meatballs, Denji and Aki each grabbed one. However, Denji's chopsticks slipped, and his meatball dropped to the floor.
Boing!!
The incredibly elastic meatball suddenly bounced upon hitting the ground. Even after bouncing more than a dozen times, it showed no signs of stopping.
"Denji, catch it quickly! Don't let it keep bouncing," Arata said.
"Okay, Master." Denji lunged and caught the descending beef ball directly in his mouth.
The scene just now forced everyone to admire the sheer elasticity of the Pissing Beef Balls.
After eating and drinking their fill, Quanxi and her harem squeezed into the bathroom together. Since they had fought today, they absolutely had to shower tonight. Listening to the playful sounds of five women coming from the bathroom, Denji wished more than anything that he could turn invisible and sneak inside to witness the glorious sights.
"Denji, stop sitting on the living room sofa pretending to read a book. I know you aren't actually reading," Arata called out from his bedroom door.
Denji awkwardly put the book down and returned to his room. He had originally planned to wait for the five women to come out of the bathroom so he could sneak a peek, but Arata always managed to see right through him.
Back in the room, Aki Hayakawa had already changed into his plaid pajamas and was lying in bed. However, he looked heavily weighed down by something on his mind.
"Aki, what's wrong? Are you still thinking about Quanxi?" Arata asked. "Don't worry, Quanxi definitely won't try a sneak attack in the middle of the night. I know what kind of person she is."
"It's not about Quanxi." Aki glanced around the room, then lowered his voice mysteriously. "Do you guys ever feel like... there's someone else in the house?"
"Someone else? Didn't that invisible guy already die?" Denji asked while taking off his shirt.
"That's exactly what's weird to me. When you guys aren't home, I always feel like someone is standing by the bed staring at me in the middle of the night."
"Aki, could you not say such scary things? It's night time," Denji complained.
"I'm not telling ghost stories. Lately, when I'm sleeping in my room alone, I can always feel someone standing by the bed watching me at night. When I sleep on my side, I feel like someone is lying right behind me."
"How do you know? Have you seen them?" Arata asked.
"I haven't seen anyone. But when I fall asleep, I can feel someone breathing heavily on my face. When I roll over, it feels like I bumped into something, but the moment I open my eyes, everything is normal."
"Could it just be these anomalies appearing because you're under too much stress?"
"No. I can feel that there is definitely someone hiding in our home." Aki stared at Arata with an incredibly serious gaze.
Arata suddenly recalled the two gusts of wind that had knocked on their door a long time ago.
"Since you're so certain, there's definitely something fishy going on. Sleep with us tonight. I want to see if this creepy thing dares to show up again," Arata smiled. He then immediately turned off the lights and, in the darkness, pretended to be a ghost as he pounced on the two of them.
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