Proof That Maxing Out Housework Skills Was Actually Useful

"The delivery drivers have already gotten off work. It's too late."

Hearing the words from the receiver, Aozaki Aoko's face went completely dark. This was already the sixth restaurant to give her that answer. At this rate, there was a very high chance they would go hungry tonight.

It was already close to ten at night, and a howling cold wind was blowing outside. Even thick down jackets were no help against it, so naturally, the delivery drivers had called it a day early.

She heavily set down the receiver and let out a long sigh.

"We're going hungry tonight. What do we do, Alice?"

Aozaki Aoko slumped onto the sofa, watched the program playing on the television, and poured herself a steaming cup of black tea.

The aroma of tea lingered beneath her nose, infinitely magnifying the hunger in her stomach. She rubbed her aching belly, looking utterly devoid of hope.

Alice Kuonji said nothing. She merely took a box of chocolates from beneath the table. Exquisite chocolates rested atop soft red satin, each one smooth and round like a glass marble. It was hard to imagine that they had been made by human hands. Various dried fruits had been arranged into star shapes on top, marking each chocolate with a different meaning.

If Aozaki Aoko remembered correctly, this box of chocolates was from a brand called Song of Sixpence, a luxury brand that could only be found in this mansion anywhere in the world.

More precisely, these were not merely chocolates, but some kind of Familiar made from chocolate. Of course, at their core, they were still chocolate, and they could be eaten.

Aozaki Aoko's eyes gleamed green as she swiftly picked up a chocolate and tossed it into her mouth. Feeling the sweetness spread across her lips and teeth, she could not help but smile happily.

Chocolate could not fill their stomachs, but such a high-calorie snack could at least help the two starving girls endure this bitterly cold night.

Meanwhile, Michael had already slipped into the kitchen. If you wanted food and clothing, you had to work for them yourself. Though as a special Dead Apostle, he only needed sufficient magical energy to sustain his ageless, immortal life, the pleasures of the palate were still indispensable to him.

Looking at the kitchenware polished enough to serve as mirrors, he could not help sighing. It was all practically brand-new, clearly never having been used. It was easy to infer that the owner of the mansion had no habit of cooking for herself.

After rummaging through the refrigerator for quite a while, he finally found half a carton of sterile eggs, half a cabbage, and some bacon. It looked a little meager, but it was enough to make something passable.

Michael drew a kitchen knife and expertly spun it through his fingers. Then a flash of cold light appeared, and the half cabbage on the cutting board was cleanly turned into neat cubes, while the bacon was cut into evenly sized pieces.

This proved that swordsmanship was not only useful for cutting people. It was also quite convenient for chopping vegetables.

The oil in the wok had already heated up. He added the bacon pieces and slowly stir-fried them over low heat. Only once their surfaces had taken on an enticing golden color did he add the cabbage he had prepared first.

The tempting aroma of bacon spread from the kitchen through the entire mansion. Aozaki Aoko immediately felt that the chocolates before her no longer smelled appealing. She exchanged a glance with Alice Kuonji, and the two rose to their feet in unspoken agreement, quickly heading toward the kitchen.

For Aozaki Aoko and Alice Kuonji, the kitchen was both their most familiar and most unfamiliar territory. It was not that Aozaki Aoko had never learned to cook, but her talent for cooking was no different from her talent for magecraft. The delicate art of cuisine was clearly not something a rough-and-ready person like her could handle.

As for Alice Kuonji... she was the one who had taught Aozaki Aoko how to order takeout.

"I never expected you to be this good at cooking."

Looking at the rice mixed with bacon and cabbage in the wok, Aozaki Aoko swallowed. Alice Kuonji also displayed a rare hint of "desire." Though she still wore that blank expression, the sparkle in her eyes betrayed her true thoughts.

"Actually, my cooking is the best in the world. Making glowing dishes would be no trouble at all."

Michael said leisurely, his hands never pausing. As he evenly stir-fried the rice, he also broke apart the clumps, added an appropriate amount of salt, and continued cooking it before transferring the finished fried rice onto a plate to set aside.

"Aozaki, Alice, please crack the sterile eggs into a bowl, then whisk them evenly with chopsticks."

"Hey, don't order people around so naturally!"

Although Aozaki Aoko said that, she obediently did as Michael told her. Perhaps she used a little too much force, because some egg mixture flew over the rim of the bowl and splattered onto Michael's face.

"Use less force."

Michael wiped the egg mixture from his face and spoke rather helplessly.

"Huh?"

"If you use that much force, the egg will all splash out. What are we supposed to eat later?"

"Isn't there still fried rice?" Aozaki Aoko replied without thinking.

"But I'm making omurice."

He took the whisked egg mixture from Aozaki Aoko, casually picked out a piece of eggshell caught within it, then, once the oil was hot, poured the eggs in from around the sides toward the center, letting them naturally flow into the middle of the pan and spread into a thin omelet.

Once it had set slightly, Michael placed the prepared fried rice on one side of the omelet, quickly folded the other half over it, pressed the edges shut, and removed it from the pan once it had taken shape.

"It's a shame the omelet tore. If we had starch, we could have avoided that."

Looking at the finished omurice on the plate, Michael said regretfully. Still, with such limited ingredients, it was already impressive that he had managed this much.

"It's fine, it's fine..."

Aozaki Aoko held a gleaming silver knife, constantly gesturing over the omurice as though considering where best to cut into it.

In the end, she divided it evenly into three portions. The servings were a little small, but they were better than nothing.

After quickly finishing her portion of omurice, she licked her lips, savoring the lingering flavor between them. Then she suddenly noticed the smile on Michael's face, though no matter how she looked at it, it seemed ill-intentioned.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. I just suddenly thought of something pleasant."

Michael shook his head, scooped up a spoonful of omurice, and leisurely savored the fruits of his labor.

Just moments ago, someone had stepped into the trap he had laid.

"Cough, cough... This is troublesome."

In a secluded corner of Misaki Central Park, the smooth paving stones laid across the ground had been blasted into the air, leaving behind a crater half a person deep. Carelessly scattered flesh and shredded cloth stained the surroundings crimson.

Tōko Aozaki leaned weakly against a tree trunk, her face deathly pale. The flesh of her right arm had been mangled so badly that white bone was visible beneath it. If she had not sensed the danger in time, she would likely have already been blown to pieces.

The wound grew increasingly hot. Black lines spread through her blood toward other parts of her body, forming web-like patterns across her skin.

It really was poison.

The scant magical energy remaining in her body became the source of strength for the black lines to grow and spread. Enduring the weakness and searing pain, she struggled to pull a test tube from the bag at her waist.

A complicated, bitter smile appeared on Tōko Aozaki's face. She had long guessed that Michael would retaliate, but she had not expected it to come so quickly. Fumihito Eiri had already been dealt with. She had not expected that man to die so easily, nor that even his corpse would become a tool used to scheme against her.

I hope the antidote works...

With trembling hands, she undid the magecraft seal atop the test tube. Then she raised her slender neck and drained the pale purple liquid inside in one gulp.