Chapter 51: Lunch
Hearing Talis yelling, I awkwardly looked at her since, while I wouldn't admit it, I had momentarily forgotten about her; if she had stayed quiet, I don't think I would have perceived her for quite some time.
"Calm down, Talis, no need to get so worked up." Said Alexander with an awkward smile as he attempted to soothe Talis while Lavender stayed silent, still rather embarrassed at having been caught.
"I know; how about this? I'll prepare your favorite dish; that should be enough to express our apology for keeping you up all night." Added Alexander while slightly smiling, his words causing Talis's eyes to be filled with glee, and while she attempted to hide it, it was no use against Alexander's eyes.
"Hmph, fine; if you make my favorite dish, I'll consider us even." Replied Talis while hiding her joy as she angrily folded her wings and looked away; both Lavender and Alexander found her antics somewhat adorable, though neither said anything.
Since I had already planned to cook, or more like being forced to cook lunch by Master, either way, it hardly changed anything for me; standing up with Master in my arms, I gently set her back down in her chair before heading toward the kitchen. Though as I was walking away, I felt Master slap my butt, causing me to jolt in surprise, before turning around and eyeing her.
"Tch, I'll get my revenge later." Whispered Alexander with a cunning glint as he rubbed his butt, ignoring Lavender, who was playfully smirking while heading toward the kitchen.
Wearing my uniform, I quickly got busy and began preparing various types of meat, such as dire wolf, horned rabbit, and hidden snake meat, all of which were delicious in their own right, but after many trials and errors of using numerous other types of meat; I'd finally found the perfect combination. Cutting the thigh meat into smaller chunks, mainly for Talis since it's easier for her to consume, not to mention not nearly as messy, I tossed them onto the skillet and started making fried rice.
Cutting up some peppers and cracking some eggs, I combined them into one bowl and started mixing them; while doing that, I put a few cups of rice into a pot, which was already filled with water. Placing the lid onto the pot, I intended to let the rice cook for roughly ten minutes, and while that was happening, I grabbed another glass bowl along with about fifteen different items from the fridge, which were the ingredients for the sauce that would go onto the meat, enhancing its already rather potent flavor.
Since there were no blenders, I floated them into the air before encasing the items in a small vortex, which would prevent anything from escaping. Then, I created numerous small, weak wind blades before launching them inside the vortex as they sliced up the ingredients, and because a spinning vortex surrounded them, whenever the wind blade was about to escape, its direction would change as it practically did a U-turn.
I did this for roughly a minute while simultaneously shrinking the vortex, forcing the ingredients closer together and slicing them into even smaller chunks, eventually turning them into a thick liquid that was about the size of Master's breast; a weird thing to compare it too, but as I squeezed the sauce, the softness reminded of her pillow-like breasts.
'I swear, I wasn't this easily aroused in my past life, even when I was a hormone-driven teenager like I was now; maybe it has something to do with me being a High-Human?' Mused Alexander as he looked at his crotch; just the thought of Lavender alone was enough for him to get an erection.
Shaking my head to get rid of such thoughts, at least for now, I held the sauce above the sizzling pan of three meats before making a hole in the vortex, causing the sauce to spill out slowly onto the three meats. Finishing that, I shook the pan a little, getting every side of the sliced meat before setting it back down and placing a lid on it as well; now, all I had to do was wait.
"Oh, yeah, Master; I almost forgot to ask, but did you figure out why you can suddenly understand Talis?" Asked Alexander curiously as he folded his arms and leaned against the fridge while glancing at Lavender and Talis, who were conversing.
"Yes, I figured it out, and it was quite surprising to boot." Replied Lavender with a slight smile as she looked at Alexander, her smile deepening when she saw his apron.
"So, can you tell me, Master? I'd like to know why." Said Alexander as he gave Lavender a blank expression.
"Hehe, nope; I'm not telling you. I can't let you know all my secrets; a woman should always be a little mysterious." Declared Lavender with an amused smirk when she noticed Alexander's annoyed expression.
"Really? The whole reason you can even understand Talis is because you did the deed with me, yet now you're telling me you're keeping it a secret? Haa, what a selfish Master I have." Questioned Alexander as he gave Lavender an annoyed look, who merely continued smirking.
Sighing to myself, I shook my head and ignored her as I knew the likelihood of Master actually telling me was rather slim; while I'm rather confident in forcefully looking at her status panel with my [Heroes Gaze], I wouldn't do something so disrespectful to her. Even if she's now my lover, she is still, first and foremost, my Master and a Mother to me; I had no intention of ever disrespecting her. Besides, while I did find it rather annoying she refused to tell me, I wasn't really concerned about it; as long as it wasn't something that harmed her, I wasn't too bothered by it.
For the next couple of minutes, Master and Talis continued their conversation while I used this chance to practice one of the new skills I've acquired over the years, [Mana Regen]. It's like the skill [Mediation], except it's passive, meaning I don't have to use it actively; however, because of that, its effects aren't nearly as potent, but still very effective, especially in drawn-out fights. Though while I call it practice, I'm just emptying my mana and allowing it to do its job as it attempts to refill my mana reserves.
However, my practice was cut short when I heard steam escape from the pot cooking the rice; opening my eyes, I checked on the fried rice, only to see it cooked to perfection. Turning the fire off, I moved the pot off the stove and checked on the three meats, which weren't entirely done, but give it a minute or so, and it should be finished. While the three meats were about to be done, I grabbed three plates from the shelf, all of varying sizes; the smallest one was obviously for Talis, then for Master, and finally for me, though if we were eating Master's favorite dish, her plate might actually be bigger than mine.
Scooping out some fried rice, I placed one on Talis's plate, four on Master's, and four on mine before setting them down and turning off the fire for the three meats. Same with the fried rice, Talis got a small amount, while Master got none as she can't consume any meat, and for me, well, I got whatever was remaining, which was a lot.
Grabbing the utensils, I carried our plates while floating Talis's as I neared the table, interrupting their intense conversation.
"Here, you go, Talis; enjoy." Said Alexander with a slight smile as he softly set the plate down before Talis, who wasted no time and started eating.
"My selfish Master." Said Alexander blandly as he placed her plate down while looking at the amused Lavender.
"Fufu, yet you still love this selfish Master of yours." Remarked Lavender with a smirk, her words causing Alexander to huff in annoyance, though he didn't deny her claim.
Sitting down opposite Master, just like Talis, I didn't waste any time and dived right into the food; though, when I looked at Master, I noticed she hadn't touched her food once, which was unusual as she loves my cooking.
"Is something the matter, Master?" Asked Alexander with furrowed brows as he looked at Lavender.
"Actually, yes, because of our little activity last night, my arms are quite sore; I don't think I'll be able to eat my food." Replied Lavender with a sigh of fake sadness as she shook her head while eyeing Alexander, who could see right through her lousy acting even without activating his eyes.
It was wholly apparent to me what Master was getting at since I knew for a fact her arms were perfectly fine; still, I wasn't about to state the truth; I wasn't some dense anime character from Earth.
"Well, then, how about letting me feed you? After all, we can't let such food go to waste." Remarked Alexander, not even bothering to hide his smile as he moved his chair until he sat directly next to Lavender.
Grabbing Master's spoon, I scooped up some fried rice before bringing it toward her mouth, to which she opened her mouth and bit onto the spoon.
"No matter what dish you prepare, it's always delicious, Alexander!" Said Lavender with a smile as she looked at Alexander, who responded with a faint smile.
Hearing Master's praise, I smiled while continuing to feed her, feeling as if I was not only the luckiest man in existence but also the happiest. For me, there was nothing more I cherished and strived for than making the woman I love happy; it gave me a mystical feeling that was nearly impossible to describe with mere words. Even if I were forced to relive this exact moment for the rest of my life, no, for the rest of eternity, I'd be satisfied.