While preparing breakfast in the kitchen, Enrico was as careful as possible when adding the ingredients. This would be the first meal he had cooked for them in such a long time, so since it was the first he made after preparing everything, he made some scrambled eggs, pancakes with honey, and fried bread. He mixed his cooking experience from his world with this one, and he hoped they would like it because he added his special pepper and secret ingredient that he created during those two years trapped.
'My hobby while I was hunting was to look for new ways to improve my food, so I really want to see their reaction.'
It took him a few months to prepare those extra materials, because he was also fighting to survive. He placed the pepper in the middle of the table so the girls could choose whether they wanted it or not, and since Seraphina didn't like it, he preferred not to add it during preparation, which made him a bit down.
'All for my girls.'
[All for my girls tsk… it seems you did well yesterday.]
Ignoring the system's sarcasm, he put on a confident expression. Placing one of the dishes on the table, he looked at the system.
'Of course, I won.'
[I want to see you win against the seven— I mean eight, or is it nine with Elowyn? And there's still Elian, I mean— It doesn't matter, I want to see you beat all of them at the same time.]
'If they want to, they can come at me. And about Elian, one day she'll fall into my arms.'
The system was speechless for a moment before Enrico placed more dishes on the table. When the table was prepared minutes later with more breakfast than necessary, it was large enough that he managed to arrange everything neatly.
[You're going to send some to me, right?]
'Yours is the one on the left.'
The breakfast he mentioned disappeared instantly as soon as he finished the sentence. What he had prepared for the system was everything he made for the girls but in a smaller portion.
'Time to wake up the lazy ones.'
Opening the door, he observed them sleeping with satisfied expressions. As he approached, he clapped his hands, causing a shockwave in the room. Yumeha was the first to come out from under the blanket and get out of bed.
"I'm fully awake, Master. What kind of order will you give me? If you want, I can continue what they couldn't finish."
"That's not it, just help me wake them up."
Disappointed, she turned and pouted at the girls in the bed. Because of them, she couldn't stay with the master yesterday since they insisted she had already had her turn.
'Even so, I was still first.'
"Come on, Yumeha, help me."
Seeing Enrico waking the girls and guiding them to the bathroom while they still wanted to sleep, she hurried and did the same with Rina and Aoi. Since Valença and Danyana were the first, they seemed a bit more rested, walking to the bathroom holding each other with sleepy expressions.
'Damn it, I wanted to act arrogant for a while like Yumeha. A bunch of jealous women.'
'Sleeping with my soulmate is really the best thing, just like my tribe always says.'
The two new allied future wives helped each other while trying to get close to Enrico as he supported Serenya and Seraphina on each shoulder. On the way, they smelled something delicious but were prevented from approaching when he pulled them along. Entering the bathroom, he brushed their teeth, took their clothes from the room, returned, and helped them dress in casual clothes.
"Breakfast is ready, so you don't need to ask Angela."
They all sat at the table, smelling that delicious aroma. When they tasted the first breakfast item they had chosen, their taste buds seemed to explode with a flavor they had never experienced before. Danyana and Valença, who liked pepper, added the one they saw in the middle. After tasting it again, the flavor improved even more for them, causing them to devour their portions quickly. Serenya, watching the two eat, looked displeased, but deep down she also wanted to do the same—the food was truly good.
"I want more."
"I knew you would like it."
Seraphina noticed that Enrico didn't add pepper to the eggs and felt grateful; as always, he was the best for her. Rina, Yumeha, and Aoi ate with as much respect as possible but almost slipped when new dishes were brought by Enrico.
"Yumeha, Rina, and Aoi—today I plan to go to Tsuyokuni. Are you coming with me?"
"Of course."
Their eyes sparkled as soon as he mentioned their homeland. Even better, Enrico would be going with them, so Yumeha and Rina's father and Aoi's mother would be very happy. For Aoi, it was finally the moment she had been waiting for. The last time, her mother couldn't meet him, but this time it would definitely work.
'I think it's time to show my face. I just didn't show it yesterday because I got scared he might not like it.'
Even though her family was once considered the most beautiful, she still wasn't sure if he would like it. But waking up and seeing that he didn't care much about her wearing the mask yesterday made her determined to show him now. And there was one more reason she didn't want to remove it yesterday.
'My companions were there, so I couldn't risk them seeing my face and dying.'
Still, she could've asked them to leave for a moment so Enrico could see her, but her fear had overtaken her a little—at least until the moment the two of them began. With determined eyes, she clenched her fist, her gaze burning.
'I will make my beloved fall even more in love with me with my beautiful face, just like my family used to do with their partners.'
Rina looked at Aoi, becoming determined as well, and smiled sincerely. Seeing her friend like that was the best feeling for her, all thanks to Enrico.
'I have to take good care of my Ketsumei for making me and her so happy.'
At first, she wouldn't lie—she saw him as the best choice for a Ketsumei, but as time passed, her heart beat faster for him until she began to fall in love only a short time after meeting him. Sighing, she looked at Yumeha with slight jealousy in her eyes—not in a terrible way, just because she had been chosen first.
"I know, I'm very lucky."
Yumeha whispered to her, which was surprising. It seemed her sister had good intuition. As a joke, she made a jealous face.
"I'll be the first to have a moment alone with him next week."
"You can try, but I won't allow it."
The two laughed a little at their playful exchange and went back to eating that delicious food until Yumeha became curious.
"Master, why do you want to return to Tsuyokuni now?"
"Because the sky dungeon was opened by your father."