We finally got out of the forest after three grueling days. Now, we've finally stepped onto the brick path towards the kingdom.
And... well, this happened.
（￣～￣;）
[System Group Chat!]
[Fen: Runt! You there?]
[Kron: Is this how it works?]
[Gorn: BOSS!! CAN YOU HEAR ME??]
[Jia: Gorn! Shut up!]
[Tink changed his nickname to "The Awesome Tinkerwright."]
...What the fuck?
How did Tink know how to change his nickname here?!
...You know what, never mind. The system probably taught him. Let's just send a message so they stop.
[System Group Chat!]
[Fen: Kid! You there?]
[Kron: Is this how it works?]
[Gorn: BOSS!! CAN YOU HEAR ME??]
[Jia: Gorn! Shut up!]
[Tink changed his nickname to "The Awesome Tinkerwright."]
[Aria: I'm here! Also, I can't hear you, Gorn. That's not how this works.]
[Gorn: What?! But this blue thingy said that I should say what message will be put in this group?]
Uh... System?
[System Response: Yes?]
Is that how their systems work?
[System Response: No. They skipped the part where they only needed to think about what they wanted to send out because they said the system was annoying...]
Yeah, I could see them doing that, actually. (￣ヮ￣;)
"Aria! It's your turn to cook!" Leah yelled while looking at the air. Titan was doing the same.
They're probably looking at the group chat.
[System Group Chat!]
[Fen: Kid! You there?]
[Kron: Is this how it works?]
[Gorn: BOSS!! CAN YOU HEAR ME??]
[Jia: Gorn! Shut up!]
[Tink changed his nickname to "The Awesome Tinkerwright."]
[Aria: I'm here! Also, I can't hear you, Gorn. That's not how this works.]
[Gorn: What?! But this blue thingy said that I should say what message will be put in this group?]
[Aria: Just think about what you want to say. No need to shout it out. Also, I need to cook. Later!]
And... there, sent.
Now, time to cook!
Hm... there's still some boar meat, spices from Serena, and some herbs we found along the way.
"Uh... should we really let her cook?" I heard Jin whisper to Io. How did I know she was talking to Io? Because the next voice just insulted me and also she sounded like Io. ┐(￣ヮ￣)┌
"I'm worried for my stomach," Io replied. "But Leah has been cooking for two days now, and I don't think I can force myself to eat charred food again..."
...I'll show you!
How dare they insult my cooking!
As someone who's lived by eating disgusting stuff before as a child and almost dying, I swore to learn to cook so I wouldn't have to resort to eating rodents again!
I can't say it's master class, but it's at least close!
The boar meat sizzled in the pan we had been using as I added the spices and herbs. The aroma wafted through the air, and soon, I noticed everyone's heads turning toward me.
Io sniffed the air. "Wait... that actually smells good."
Jin frowned. "There's no way..."
Leah leaned closer, her eyebrows raising. "I mean, I didn't think you'd burn it, but this is..."
"Amazing," Serena finished, her voice full of awe.
I smirked. "You doubted me?"
Muahaha! Now they won't dare again "ψ(｀∇´)ψ
The stew bubbled in the pot as I added the final touches. When it was ready, I served it in bowls, handing them out one by one.
When I handed Mika her bowl, she immediately ate it.
Seeing that, the group took hesitant bites, and then...
"Holy shit," Leah whispered, her eyes wide.
"Language!" Serena yelled mid bite.
"Sorry." Leah replied.
"This is incredible," Jin said, her mouth full.
"Mama, this is delicious!" Mika added, her twinkling eyes looking at me as she handed me her bowl again.
Io looked at her bowl as if it were a treasure. "What... how? How did you even make this?"
I shrugged, trying to act nonchalant but clearly failing since I could feel my lips curling into a smile. "Practice."
"Practice?" Serena repeated, narrowing her eyes.
Crap! My tongue slipped!
"Uh, yeah! I was holed up in the village before, you know? And with Scar and the others not knowing how to cook, it was only natural I'd learn, right?" I said quickly, hoping to cover my tracks.
"You've been holding out on us this whole time?" Serena asked, her tone sharp with accusation.
"You never asked me to cook," I replied smugly realizing she didn't notice anything.
Ha...
Titan gave me a thumbs up as he continued eating his food without even looking my way.
"This is better than anything Leah's made," Jin said, then immediately flinched as Leah glared at her.
"Hey! I've been keeping us fed!" Leah protested.
"With charcoal," Mika muttered, earning a round of chuckles as we heard the child's words.
Io sighed, taking another bite. "We've been suffering through three days of burnt rations, and you could've been making this?"
"I told you," I said, sitting back with my own bowl. "You didn't ask."
As the group continued eating, their bowls emptying quickly, Jin and Io started arguing over the last serving.
"I should get it," Io said. "I found the herbs."
"I gave Aria the spices!" Jin shot back.
"You ruined them and made a mess while doing it," Io retorted.
"Still counts!"
"Enough," I said, grabbing the pot. I poured the last serving into Titan's empty bowl. "Titan gets it. He hunted the boar, you know?"
The group groaned in unison as Titan happily lifted the bowl and tilted it back, the stew disappearing into the void where his face should have been. He clapped his gauntlets again, clearly satisfied.
"Aria, you're lucky you're good at this," Jin grumbled. "Otherwise, we'd never let you live down how smug you look right now."
"I'll take that as a compliment," I replied with a grin.
Leah held out her empty bowl. "You have to teach me this recipe. Please."
"Maybe," I teased. "If you promise to stop burning everything."
"Deal!" Leah exclaimed, holding up her bowl like it was a sacred artifact.
As the fire died down and the group settled in for the evening, I couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction. Cooking might not be a grand skill, but in moments like this, it felt like a superpower.
Revenge really is a dish best served hot~
( ＾∇＾)
Little Theater:
Io: "Three days... Three days of charcoal-flavored food, and you could cook like this all along?!"
Aria: "Hey, you never asked."
Jin: *Looking off into space* "...I'm questioning all my life choices right now."