LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 22: ???
--???'s POV--
*Chirp, chirp, chirp~*
"Hmp~"
I groaned slightly on the bed.
My biological clock kicked in as I opened my eyes to welcome the new day again. There were chirping sounds of those birds outside the window of my room. The sun's rays penetrated my luxurious and gorgeous curtains and highlighted the flower patterns and their golden color. My expensive nightgown was soaked by my sweat last night.
*Yawn*
I stretched both hands and arched my back to escape my sleepy state.
"So refresh~"
I calmed down my excitement for a new day and recalled my schedule. However, no matter what, I needed to clean up myself first. Then, I went to my restroom to brush my teeth and wash my face...Cleanly...
Looking at myself in the mirror, I tried to check my appearance to confirm that there was no weird spot on my face.
"Good~"
I was satisfied with myself today. My facial features were arranged beautifully without an aggressive trait. Hence, the outsiders couldn't distinguish my gender easily.
After that, I came back to my bed to find my phone.
"There you are"
I picked up my phone on the working table next to my bed and turned it on.
'5:24 AM'
I checked the time and found no notification from my workplace, so I felt at peace to do my daily routines. Subsequently, I changed my white nightgown into sportswear. I removed the white fabric gown from my body and dressed in a black T-shirt-sports bra. I combined it with a pair of black legging pants with some white lines pattern decorated from my hips to both of my ankles.
When it came to doing physical activities, my long Sweet William flowers-like hair was tied up in a ponytail style to be more flexible.
The colors of people's hair in this world are so magical that you can find 16.7 million different colors on the heads of people all over the world.
I possessed the white-gradually turning to light purple to bolder purple hair. My parents said that this characteristic was a unique trait of my family.
No more strange thoughts.
I adjusted my humble C-cup breasts in the bra and stepped out of the room.
"Good morning, Oujo-sama"
The red-haired Omega man greeted me. He was from the Mizuno family and was also my exclusive attendant. Mizuno Ikki. He had chosen to continue to serve me at 20 years old until he could compete with others to grasp the heir's position in his family. In my opinion, the Mizuno family was a mess.
"You're as beautiful as ever"
Ikki praised.
"Stop flirting with me"
"Do you think I don't know the broken rules of your family?"
I sneered contemptuously.
I was sick of the operation of this family. Why did the Mizuno family send an Omega attendant to me, a female Alpha? Why did you send an opposite-sex child to the master whom you served? Did you think I hadn't realized the hidden motives behind your family?
"..."
The boy lowered his head in shame.
"If you act like this, how can I gain the right to access the heir's position?"
"You're too smart, Oujo-sama"
He helplessly said.
"I'm disgusted with your family"
"What? If you want to be the next successor, you'll have to do everything to gain the heart of your master no matter the means"
"I can't stand it, so...you should stop dreaming of the head of the Mizuno family"
"Your seduction skills are very bad"
Honestly, his pheromone was not my taste. As a well-known chef and the successor from the family in the cooking industry, I was very keen on my taste. His smell was like some kind of flowers and I didn't have any information about this kind of flora. Meanwhile, I preferred the food scent more.
"Besides that, I prefer my partner to be a woman"
"Love between me and you is impossible from the beginning"
I cruelly stated.
"It's a joke, Oujo-sama. Since I was differentiated into Omega, I'd lost my qualification"
"..."
Ikki truthfully answered.
How could I say? Eh, why didn't you refute my former sentence? I thought he might try to ignore my preference. Was this truth hard to accept for you? I decided to skip my suspicion for now.
"Then, why did you want to attract me from childhood?"
I asked.
"It's simple. I want to eat soft rice from you, Oujo-sama"
Ikki said in a straightforward tone.
"..."
Hey, could you at least praise me? Or, at least, could you say that you were tempted by me?
"You're shameless!"
I criticized him.
"Thanks for your compliment"
Ikki bowed his head with a straight face.
"That's my complaint"
I retorted.
If I hadn't been with him for 8 years, I might've kicked his *ss out of my house long ago.
"I'll go to exercise"
I couldn't waste my precious time with this thick-skinned person. As a chef, my physical condition was very important.
"Have a good morning in your physical training, Oujo-sama"
Ikki smiled gently.
It was not that he didn't have any attractive points, but I'd grown up with him. Therefore, I couldn't find him as my romantic interest.
The broken rules of his family were hidden very well. After all, if the wealthy families knew their ulterior motives, how could they accept the children from the Mizuno family? Maybe they knew, but they limited the interaction of their children with the attendants. There were some cases in which the masters fell in love with the Mizuno family's children before. As a result, they got a pie from the sky which belonged to those famous and potential families.
The only thing that I was jealous of the heir of the Mizuno family was the legal harem master. What was more outrageous was that the young ladies/masters were willing to share their alpha/male beta with others. I was really jealous. Your true love was never the only one.
Like these dishes in the cooking world, once you have new dishes, you may be addicted to them for a while. In addition, you can come back to the old dish to taste nostalgic flavors.
Despite being legalized to marry one partner in the country, the Government actually ignored the affairs of the Mizuno family. Everyone knew that they were the only family being recognized for this harem's system, because of their exclusive training and educational methods. Behind the successful figures was the shadow with the surname 'Mizuno'.
Omega children and female betas couldn't grasp the heir's position but they had a different goal. As long as you married into their masters' families, they would bring back the benefit to the Mizuno family through dowry. Perhaps I was too smart so Ikki didn't hide his intention from the beginning. Honestly, I was speechless. This operation of the Mizuno family was so weird. I had to admit that the ancestor of that family had a mind of business.
I headed to the training room where the pieces of equipment were prepared carefully by my family's expert in training chefs.
1 hour passed by...
I sweated heavily after an intense training session. Then, I took a towel to wipe away my stinky sweat.
"Hah~"
I took a deep breath and calmed down the heated body. My major required a certain criterion in my physical body. After receiving training from the moment I was differentiated, I only needed to maintain the best state.
I came back to my bathroom to take a shower.
"What a pleasant morning~"
It should've been like this, but my heart got uncomfortable for some reason. I had a bad premonition for today. I didn't know the source of my anxiety. It just appeared out of nowhere.
Perhaps I thought too much...
Then, I wiped my body and put on my underwear. My bra was normal but my panties were specially designed for female Alphas to hold back my little brother. I meant little but not little at all.
I hope you won't misunderstand. Otherwise, my ego as an Alpha may be hurt.
I dressed myself up in a professional suit and walked out of my room afterward.
I came to my kitchen to cook my breakfast. Even though I could hire a maid to do this job, as a chef, I loved to cook for myself. Not only did I have my favorite taste in my meal, but also I could keep my hand in check.
Since it was my breakfast, I didn't need to do any complicated dishes. Let it be simple. Miso soup, and rice, together with a piece of well-seasoned grilled fish.
"Yummy~"
I exclaimed as my talent didn't get crooked over time.
"Oujo-sama, you live like an Obaa-san"
Ikki commented.
"..."
I felt my heart being stabbed several times. What was wrong with my lifestyle? The taste suddenly got worse...
"I'm only 18!!!"
"..."
I replied angrily, which earned a stern look from him.
"20...~"
Lowering my head in shame, I had to admit my real age.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah"
He said perfunctorily and added.
"Do you still dream of having a harem?"
*Puff*
My miso soup flew out of my mouth.
*Cough, cough*
"Wh..what're you talking about?!!"
This attendant wanted to stab me to death!!!
"When you just turned into Alpha, you beat your chest and proudly declared to have several wives"
He held her chin and said in a reminiscent tone.
My face must've turned brightly red now. At that time, I was still an ignorant child...In fact, I still kept that dream in my mind.
"Oh, do you want to use my service? You must've held back for a long time"
Ikki said normally.
"Don't sexually harass your master!! At least, be self-aware that you're an Omega"
"Be more reserved!!!"
I scolded him out of breath.
"Tsk...Failed again"
He said regretfully.
"My path to eating your soft rice is so rough"
"..."
If you wanted to murmur about your complaint, at least you could hold that thought in your head. I didn't want to hear at all.
After finishing breakfast, I just put plates, cooking tools, chopsticks, spoons, and bowls into the washing machine. It was convenient after all. I wanted to express my gratitude toward the Minamoto family. Their inventions were quite good and high-quality.
Ikki approached me silently and whispered in my ears softly.
"I don't mind sharing you at all, you know~"
"I can bear a child for you"
"Wh...Wh...what are you saying!!!??"
I blushed furiously.
"Hahaha~, you act like a virgin"
"Now, it's time to go to work"
But Ikki changed the topic immediately. I could only walk away sullenly.
I hated the way he teased me.
I headed to my garage with Ikki.
"Hmm..."
"What to choose?"
There were several high-end cars in my private garage.
Maybach...Or I should choose Mercedes Benz...Or should I change to a motorcycle? I would prefer the latter. Driving a motorcycle was kind of cool. Plus, I could attract many suitors and create my harem. Maybe...I wanted to have a glorious harem of special women.
"Oujo-sama, you have a cooking class at the Stardust Academy today"
Ikki reminded me.
"Okay, you take me the key of my Maybach"
I chose decisively. Planning a harem was good but I was going to the Academy to be a part-time teacher. This school didn't have any students beyond 18. Moreover, I didn't want to go to jail either. The best option was my Maybach car. If students didn't work with me, I could only flirt with my colleagues. Unlike students from high-class families, the teachers had some from the not-too-much-influential family.
"..."
Ikki looked at me with a disgusted expression and then followed my order.
Did you just read my mind?
"I didn't read your mind~"
He said that and left me there.
"???"
Having a person who could understand me the most, I found that my life was so hard.
"You bully me!!!"
That guy was as shameless as ever, but his efficiency was very high. I didn't get any surprise because he was from that messy family.
Soon...
I drove my car together with Ikki and arrived at the Stardust Academy.
I headed to the parking place and got off to the schoolyard.
"Phew~, Kimochiiiiii~"
Maybe it was still morning, the weather was not harsh in temperature. In contrast, it was quite cool. After 45 minutes of driving, my body got stiff somehow.
Okay.
Introducing myself, my name was Nagasaki. Nagasaki Erina. I came from a family related to the cooking industry. My family position was slightly high. Not to exaggerate, the Nagasaki family was top 2 of the families in the cuisine world. I was living alone with my attendant because my family members had traveled the world to pursue their cuisine. My Alpha older brother was the heir of my family while I was just a little cook in front of him and my parents. As for the Mizuno attendant who served my brother in the past, he had quit the Mizuno family to choose his freedom.
My family surname was the proudest thing I've ever had. Nagasaki in the cuisine world was divided into two words. Naga meant 'long' while saki meant 'ahead'. It meant that we, the chefs, still had a long way to go in the cooking field because the cuisine would never stop developing. They constantly improved and innovated; sometimes, a new dish was added to the cuisine library. Our path never had a stop from the beginning.
I, Nagasaki Erina, had a dream. I would become a famous chef all over the world and be surrounded by many beautiful women. Beta or Omega, it didn't matter as long as they were pretty. Setting the head of the Mizuno family as an example, if I had strength and contributed to the cuisine world enough, they wouldn't dare to say anything about my harem.
Don't misunderstand.
I wasn't a scumba...
"Master, you're even worse than a douchebag"
Ikki said from the sideline and directly interrupted my thoughts.
"I hope you won't go to jail from the first day of school"
Ikki said.
"Who do you think your master is?!!!"
"You dare to curse me to go to have a meal from the Government?!"
As long as you were in my harem, I wouldn't let anyone suffer. This was my principle.
"You go and prepare first"
"This is your first class anyway"
Ikki recommended.
"Okay, good, I'll go"
"But you?"
I asked.
"Don't worry about me. I'll go to meet my acquaintance"
Ikki answered mysteriously.
But I didn't care anyway. This guy was always straightforward but acted like some kind of big shot.
When I just went out of the parking lot, Ikki dropped a bomb.
"Friendly reminder, the predecessor cooking teacher of the first-year classes had been admitted to the hospital for some unknown reason so you inherited his or her position to take charge of the rest"
"Good luck~"
He waved his hand and shed some tears pitifully. As if I was about to go to heaven.
"Eh?"
The ominous feeling last time awoke my sense of crisis. Suddenly, the pleasant morning turned into a gloomy atmosphere. I almost had an illusion when I saw the black mist surrounding my body.
When I was about to ask him clearly, he had already left me behind.
However, there was an uncomfortable feeling in my heart when he'd prepared to meet someone.
Who?
I shouldn't have had any feelings toward boys...
I couldn't help but clench my fist.
I clapped both my cheeks to get this gloomy mood out of my head.
I should be worried about what he'd said. My predecessor had been admitted to the hospital so you couldn't let these messy thoughts stir you up.
--Sasaki's POV--
The oppressive feelings from the body of Oujo-sama last Monday had disappeared completely. It was as if two people were sharing a body. I couldn't come up with any possibilities except for the famous sickness from the psychology field. Identity Disorder.
I have read a lot of books related to human emotions and psychology so I knew its existence. As expected from earlier on, a genius always has problems. No one is perfect.
Her master's song was quite right.
I hoped that her Oujo-sama could open her heart and share the burden with me.
The reason why this sickness was triggered was because the original personality met a difficult stuff and she couldn't deal with it. Hence, the original personality decided to run away and push everything on the head of the newborn personality. The second personality would solve the things that the original personality couldn't confront or have any ability to finish the problems.
Hoshiyuki Suiri was meeting this problem.
Her original personality...What could I say? A naive, innocent, pure, and respectable girl was her image in my impression. My master was somehow silly and ignorant as well. She just built a cold facade to protect herself in front of outsiders. Oppositely, the second personality was like a tyrant and she deserved the nickname 'Ice Queen' more than the original personality. Her eyes were extremely sharp like an Alpha instead. It brought me feelings of the same 'kind'.
I thought that I needed to be more active in interacting with her instead of folding my hands and staying on the sideline like a wooden statue.
But there was a problem. I didn't know how to initiate the conversation. Could she feel me as an unpleasant woman? Could she find me annoying and fire me after that? If Suiri was in her original personality, it would be okay. I was more cautious of the second personality.
If she found me as a nuisance, I might be unable to watch my master growing.
Therefore, I could only seek help from an external force.
My Oujo-sama had come to attend class. I had my free time in the attendant's area of this school.
"Do you wait for too long?"
A handsome red-haired boy approached me.
I shook my head.
"Not for too long, Ikkou-onee-san"
"Shh....!!!!"
My mouth got covered as she wanted to shut me up. I didn't understand.
"When you come outside, just call me Ikki-nii-san"
I didn't know what was in my half-sister's head. Obviously, she was a girl but disguised herself as a boy for some reason. I admitted that she was a tomboy when she was a brat. I didn't understand why she changed into a false male. As an Omega, was male or female that important?
From childhood, I was quite close with Ikkou-onee-san. She took care of me a lot when I met some difficulties. I and she got along quite well because both our mothers had passed away. We, as motherless children, supported each other.
"I understood"
I replied.
"So...What do you need to call me for? It's rare for you to have some requests for me"
"Are you taking a fancy to someone?"
Ikkou...no...Ikki-niisan knew me the best.
"Yeah"
I honestly admitted.
"Nee...Nii-san, I need you to teach me to communicate"
My half-sister's mouth was shaped into an O. She was quite surprised by my sudden request.
After that, we discussed a lot.
--Erina's POV--
In the teacher's office.
'Wow, the teachers here are quite good-looking'. I admired.
I didn't expect that there was a legal loli in this world. As a harem master, you must have a loli in your harem. The math teacher was also beautiful. She was gentle and had an extraordinary temperament. Unfortunately, she was a beta and didn't have a pheromone taste. While a legal loli had milk fragrant, I had already taken a liking to her. Shimori Akane.
But beta or something didn't stop me from adding her to my illusional harem. Kobayashi Misa. She was also quite good.
I was sitting on the chair in front of my predecessor's office table. Rolling the list of students and the teaching document from my predecessor, I decided what dish would be made today. The simpler, the better.
Not only could I avoid the disastrous news from Ikki, but also got acquainted with the class first.
Class 6-A.
Every quintessence and excellent quality of students all gathered in there.
It might not be as bad as he said.
Soon, the bell announced the transferring course period. I also stood up and prepared myself to head to the class 6-A.
A frill white shirt with a black professional coat outside painted an image of a teacher in the manga. Not only that, but the just-above-the-knee-length skirt tightly highlighted my figure.
I stood up and moved to the cooking building quickly. Otherwise, I might be late from the first day.
...
"Hah~"
What the hell was with this school? It was so vast that I found it annoying. It was not related to my physical problem but to my brain. How could I remember the way?
Could you not design these distinctive buildings?
Luckily, I could find my class in time. Perhaps, students from class 6-A had done their moving session already.
I opened the class and stepped into the room. I kept my composure in front of these outstanding students of the Stardust Academy.
A seemed-to-be-class monitor student yelled out.
"Class! Stand up"
I took a quick scan around the class and stopped my gaze in front of the white-haired girl.
'So beautiful'
This thought immediately appeared out of thin air. I knew this girl because I also listened to her song many times while cooking. Nothing could be compared to the real thing. In the past, I could only watch her through TV, social media, and live broadcasts.
My excitement surged up all of a sudden.
'Keep calm, don't even think of adding this girl to your harem. Or you will be in jail'
I quickly regained my sense from the image of the jail. Out of the blue, I remembered his reminder about the jail. I finally understood.
"Okay, sit down first"
As expected of the Stardust Academy, they had prepared the ingredients in advance. Plus, they were extremely fresh because the school had calculated for the cooking class today. They were placed the same as the supermarket which were surrounding the class.
"Let me introduce myself, I'm your new teacher in the cooking class"
"My name is Nagasaki Erina"
When I said that, the white-haired girl's atmosphere suddenly changed.
I couldn't help but catch it immediately.
Guilty?
The classmates also grinned in suppressing their laugh. What?
What did I do wrong? Was there something wrong with my name?
However, that girl's atmosphere returned to normal again as if nothing had happened.
Weird...Definitely weird.
There was an exciting discussion.
"Sensei, are you from that Nagasaki family?"
An ocean-haired girl raised her hand excitedly and asked.
I nodded as I knew they must've known me in the food circle.
"Okay, keep quiet now"
"Although I haven't known all of you yet, let's be familiar with each other from now on"
"Please take care of me"
As soon as I said that, the class applauded enthusiastically.
Done. My first introduction was perfect.
"We will cook in a group of five and you can freely choose your group"
For students, teamwork was the best choice to teach them. They weren't professional chef so I couldn't apply what I'd learned to them.
Eh? Why was Suiri left behind?
She was famous as hell so she should've been sought after to be in a group with.
Why was this girl so lonely?
Then, the ocean-haired girl invited Suiri into her group while her mates strongly opposed her proposal.
Eh? Was Suiri suffering from the unspoken rules, a victim of a bully? And, the ocean-haired girl was the hero saving the beauty, wasn't she?
I didn't know what was going on.
I decided to interfere.
"What's happened?"
"Why don't you let student Hoshiyuki-san in your group?"
The more I convinced them, the more desperate their expression showed.
Eh? Was it really a bullying operation? Instead of growing in despair, you should show your annoying expression.
"Ah, nothing, sensei, she would be in our group..."
A black-haired loli girl had already accepted my arrangement, which made me pleased.
After grouping students successfully, I taught them how to make a curry dish. A well-known special dish of Japanese people.
All ingredients were in place. Garam Masala, curry powder, butter, flour, carrots, potatoes, apples, pork meats.
I wrote on the blackboard 3 phases. Curry Roux, curry base, and sidedish (Steamed rice).
For now, I would observe their process.
I couldn't help but be attracted to Suiri's group unknowingly. Maybe she was a famous figure so I couldn't control my curiosity. Other groups were doing well.
"Stop! Hoshiyuki-san, do you want to kill people? Stop the way you holding a knife"
The black-haired loli yelled anxiously.
Ah, I understood. It was not that Suiri was being bullied but she was a scumbag in cooking. In addition, my predecessor had been admitted to the hospital. My cold sweat broke out directly.
The gyaru-like girl perfectly mixed the curry roux.
Suiri still listened to her group obediently.
I sighed a relief. Maybe, it was good.
Then, I walked to another group to observe and comment.
Time passed by as my students entered phase two with a curry base while their steamed rice was being cooked by the rice cookers.
Once again, I returned to Suiri's group.
"Taste it, do you think it's needed to season more?"
The ocean-haired girl spoke to Suiri.
"Hmm, add more sugar"
Suiri took out a bag of sugar and poured it directly into the large pot of curry.
Half of the sugar bag disappeared instantly. This bag was quite large. What did you just do?!!!! I have been a chef for my life and you let me witness this scene!!! I was afraid that I couldn't hold myself back to teach this girl a lesson.
The ocean-haired girl...no...Takamine Aoi-san. The black-haired loli, Hazune Moeni-san.
Aoi tasted once more.
"Student Hoshiyuki-san, it was so sweet"
Aoi commented.
Of course, it was sweet. With half-white powder in that pot, you said it would be delicious? It was a common sense!!!
"Then, add more curry powder and garam masala"
Suiri added another wave of powder into the curry pot. How!!!?
What were you doing!!???? I agreed with your approach to using more curry to balance the flavor but you added too much!!!
"Taste again"
"..."
Aoi couldn't speak.
"???"
Then, she changed into a dumbfounded expression.
Suiri also tasted.
"Hmm, I should add more sugar"
Did your hand get itchy? The bag of 1-kilogram sugar poured in the pot like that? How much did you want to add?!
Excuse me!!
What did you want? Did you want to pour some random powders to make it tastier??
Before I regained my senses, the process had been repeated again and again.
I didn't want to be like my predecessor and my destiny couldn't be in the hospital!!! I wanted to change my fate, and I also had a harem waiting for me in the future, so I would intervene in their affairs!!!
"Haeno-chan, stop her!!!!"
A sudden yell startled everyone.
Suiri's hands were restrained by the blonde-haired girl.
Everyone expressed their sympathy.
I knew their eyes. They might've been suffering from this girl's hands.
I, Nagasaki Erina, had lived for 20 years in the circle of the food industry. This was the first time I'd ever witnessed this kind of magical cooking. I would like to call this girl a little Ancestor because she mostly followed her instincts and emotions. It was like she was begging for help from God or something...
"Believe me once more time!"
Suiri begged.
What? What an outrageous idea did you come up with? Little Ancestor, please restrain yourself!
I still had the harem waiting for me!!!
"With this white powder, you could ascend to heaven"
Suiri said emotionlessly but confidently.
Don't!
Sparse me!
Don't advertise something that misunderstands each other.
Why did you advertise like some gangsters doing illegally?
If outsiders looked at it, the police's siren wouldn't be far away!!!
"King of flavors, MSG!"
Suiri snapped the bag of white powder.
Oh, MSG. Monosodium glutamate!!
But no!!!
I admitted it would enhance the flavor but could you not abuse it?
This spice caused a huge storm in the cooking industry as many people began to abuse it indiscriminately.
I unconsciously clapped my hand to pray for this ancestor.
Recalling Suiri pouring a half bag of 1 kilogram of sugar into the curry pot, I felt the ominous feeling getting closer and closer.
However, Suiri only let half-spoon to the pot.
I sighed a relief. Maybe her teammates could save it.
I wanted to leave this class as soon as possible. I didn't know when I would really ascend to heaven by this little ancestor.
Sure enough.
Although I wanted to escape, it was time to taste each group.
Other groups met my criterion. All passed.
Only one group left...
Looking at the curry dish in front of me, I calmed myself down and took a spoon to my mouth.
...
"Erina-sama, you are so ecchi~"
A feminine version of Ikki was seducing me coquettishly.
Was it really heaven?
"It's not fair~. You have to spoil me"
Akane childishly stated.
"Ara~, you're so naughty~I'm not enough but you wanted these two"
Misa said in a sexy tone.
I was happy. I finally had my harem!!
I didn't know how I could achieve my dream easily.
It didn't matter.
Let me enjoy my harem a little longer.
"Nagasaki-sensei"
A white-haired girl called me but I had a bad premonition.
"Do you want to taste my craftsmanship?"
"???"
Ah, help me!!! Free me from this little ancestor!!
...
"Sensei!! Sensei!! Nagasaki-sensei!!"
"Do you hear me?"
I opened my eyes again. What was it? This experience was so real.
I realized that I was lying on the floor while other students looked at me worriedly. Especially, this little ancestor was calling me.
"Ah"
I could only mutter a single sound.