"What was Academy City thinking! Sending my daughter to an island resort with her friends two days before I arrived? With this scandal you would think they would at least have the tact to allow me to spend time with my family!"

"Our deepest apologies Misaka-san. We objected, of course, but we lack the authority to overrule a city director. She should be back within the next day or so."

In a limousine, a woman resembling an older Mikoto sat alongside an apologetic man in a business suit. The woman eyed the provided drinks covetously before shaking her head to refocus on the man before her.

"Geez, what is going on with Academy City? You do realize I'm not the only parent who's having second thoughts about leaving their children in the city now you know?"

"And such concerns are reasonable Misaka-san. Thankfully, the political chaos is dying down as the directors involved are being stripped of their power. We hope that this visit will prove that although certain aspects of Academy City are less than ideal, it still provides the best possible education and opportunities for the youths of the world."

"I would hope so Sanada-san."

An uncomfortable silence filled the limo as it navigated the congested streets of Academy City. Bored with watching the city pass by outside, Misaka Misuzu decided to examine the drinks provided for her in greater detail.

Hmm, I wonder what drinks they… Oh my! Isn't this that famous French brand? And the legendary 1945 batch to boot? This is just a collection of the best wines, vodka, sake, and beer! Oh? The Juyondai sake is the lowest quality here! Ehehehe… oh this amazing I can't wait to… No! Bad Misuzu! No drinking until after you meet your new daughter… then afterwards you can drink to celebrate getting a new child! But play it cool Misuzu, don't let them know you're impressed. After all, appearances must be upheld.

Mr. Sanada could only smile wryly at the flash of interest Misuzu's eyes betrayed before she shifted into an aloof neutrality. Seeing Tokiwadai rapidly approaching, he pulled out his phone and began texting and sending messages, much to the curiosity of his fellow passenger. Noticing her raised brow, he shrugged and smiled meekly at her raised brow.

"Ah, my apologies Misaka-san, I was merely informing my colleagues that we are nearby so they can pick up Sayume for you to meet. With traffic so bad today, we felt it prudent to allow her to rest away from the media's eyes until we were close by."

"I see. So besides the official news, what can you tell me about Sayume?"

"She's a surprisingly mature child, albeit a self-reflective one. Her life has been one of violence until a few days ago, but she's surprisingly well adjusted based on the evaluations I was allowed to observe. She gets along well with her peers, and your daughter is already quite protective of her."

"Oh? How so?"

"Apparently, the first day Sayume came in, she held her hand throughout a guided tour of the campus before having a heart to heart discussion on one of the campus rooftops. Afterwards, the pair had been nigh inseparable. Based on what the faculty has seen, whenever Mikoto isn't in class, she spends her time with Sayume, acting as a protective buffer against outsiders. Dare I say she is already shaping up to be a protective older sister."

At his words, Misuzu turned her head as if to look out the limo and closed her eyes. A small smile graced her face before quietly replying:

"Is that so?"

So you've already accepted her as family Mikoto? Heh, I knew I raised you right. Now then, what kind of daughter have I gained then? I hope you're as cute as Mikoto, Sayume-chan!

As the limo pulled in, a french style maid stepped forward and opened the door, gracefully bowing. Turning her head, she looked at her initial escort with a raised brow, questioningly staring at the man.

"Ah, Misaka san, I am unable to leave the limo. Except for a few exceptions, men are not allowed on campus, or in this entire section of Academy City to be honest. However, my colleagues are more than qualified to escort you. While you are interacting with Sayume, I will be finalizing the details of your stay in Academy City as well as verifying the budgets provided for your use. Director Unabara will pass along the details once they are ready. Once more, thank you for your patience Misaka-san, and our apologies for failing to prevent this unseemly incident from occurring in the first place."

Bowing deeply, he did not look up as Misuzu nodded and stepped out of the limo. It wasn't until the door was gently shut that he dared to look up. Upon seeing Misuzu's fading back in the distance, he sighed in annoyance before motioning the driver to go.

"Tsk, the woman is open to adopting the specimen. How annoying. If only she were more like the other women who'd hate to have an unneeded extra in their family... Oh well, I just need to do the expected legal work for her accounts and report back to the others. The child error route will be a bust. What happens next is not my problem."

Pulling out a tablet, he began to review the woman's history to prepare the necessary alterations to the expected budget for her stay.

Oh joy, she's even a lightweight drinker. Guess I better rework the travel and living expenses budget, and perhaps prepare a legal defense budget? Or maybe a liability budget instead to pay fines for any damages? At least the projections for her other expenses appear to be valid. Grand. After this, I can wash my hands of this affair.

Following two french style maids, Misuzu glanced around the campus, noting the various changes made since her last visit.

Hm… it seems like not much has changed since I was last here, except for the flowers. Roses, balloon flowers and daylilies this time around. Interesting, there seems to be an unusual amount of people inspecting the buildings... is Tokiwadai planning renovations? Odd.

The group continued on in silence, the maids unwilling to speak without their guest's initiative, and Misuzu was far too lost in her thoughts to notice. Instead, they merely took in the sights and sounds of an active campus, the gossiping of students, the brisk pace of teachers, and the shouts of engineers and architects hard at work.

As the group approached the dormitories, they were greeted by a stern faced woman with sharp glasses. Taking a moment to observe Misuzu, she briefly nodded to herself and adjusted her glasses.

"A pleasure to meet you Misaka-san. I am the dorm manager in charge of the student's residencies. I assume you are here to meet our newest resident, Sayume?"

"Ah, yes I am. Can you please take me to her?"

"Of course Misaka-san."

At her words, the maids respectfully bowed and walked away, giving the pair space to talk in relative privacy. Once they walked a fair distance away, the Dorm Manager opened the door and ushered her guest inside.

"My apologies for the chaos you have found yourself in Misaka-san. Despite my best efforts, your daughters were separated from each other during Sayume's critical reintegration phase due to the callousness of our leaders."

"Daughters?"

"Ah, that's right. You have yet to formally agree. My apologies for being presumptuous Misaka-san."

"No, that is fine. Although I am curious, what led you to believe I'd adopt her even before you met me."

"Because they already act as such. Your daughter Mikoto is a good child, although she often finds herself in mischief due to her impulses. When another student inadvertently intimidated Sayume, Mikoto immediately rushed to her defense and started a scuffle. There was only minor damage to the roof by the time I arrived to defuse the situation. Of course, such blatant violation of the rules will be met with swift punishment, of which Mikoto was forthcoming and willing to admit her fault in the matter…"

As the pair walked, a warm smile formed on the Dorm Manager's face as she recalled the memory.

"But Sayume intervened, almost begging to be punished alongside her sister since she benefited from her intervention. What happened next, however, is what surprised me."

Stopping the Dorm Manager and looked Misuzu directly into her eyes.

"Have you seen the news about Sayume, what the pundits have been saying? Have you looked at what social media has said about her?"

At the sudden intensity of the Dorm Manager's questions, Misuzu paused, and for a moment, was at a loss for words.

"No, I've been so busy talking to Academy City officials that I haven't bothered watching the news."

"It has been ugly. Several prominent figures in America, Russia, and Europe have been calling her an abomination, an affront to their Christian God. Some have been questioning whether or not she is a human being or something else. Online, she's already been assigned the title of gyaru slut due to her tanned skin on social media, with disgusting men already claiming that as an unnatural person, her sole goal should be of reproduction, but with far more crude terms. While others claim that your daughter Mikoto should be horrified that she now has an evil clone that will ruin her reputation and it would be for the best if said clone disappeared. Based on the crass noise alone, much of the world is already set against Sayume."

Misuzu's eyes widened in horror at her words, before narrowing and looking down in sorrow.

Why are people so ugly when it comes to others?

If the Dorm Manager noticed her discomfort, she showed no signs of it, instead she continued to speak.

"With so much public pressure to be hostile to the child, and so few voices of reason to shout against the loud bile, one would not be surprised if Mikoto would be wary if not outright hostile towards Sayume. But do you know what Mikoto said when I inquired about her thoughts?"

A rare proud smile adorned Dorm Manager's face as she recalled the memory, her eyes slightly watering as she said the next words...

"What kind of question is that? Even if she was born differently, she's still family! Why would that even matter here?"

Only to see her expression mirrored in Misuzu as she heard her daughter's words.

"It was a rare display of compassion and moral integrity for one as young as her. I can only hope that the other young ladies here take after her as they take leadership positions in the future."

Misuzu glowed in pride at the words, before shifting to a bemused smile.

"You already knew I was planning on taking her in regardless right? You didn't need to go the extra mile to pitch for my new daughter."

The dorm manager had a slight smirk before settling back cool neutrality.

"I have no idea what you are talking about. I was merely informing you of your daughter's activities."

"Of course, of course. After you drop me off to see her, do you mind informing the Director of my decision so we can get the paperwork done as soon as possible."

"Of course. I will do so immediately afterwards."

"Thanks, by the way, where are we going anyways?"

"Ah, did I forget to tell you? My apologies, it slipped my mind. During this time of day Sayume is in the kitchens. She loves to cook, and especially for others. In fact some of the girls regard her cooking as the bane of their diets."

A competitive smile graced Misuzu's face as she contemplated her newest daughter's hobby.

"Hoh? Is that so? I wonder how she measures up to mom?"

The aroma of freshly baked cookies wafted in the air, as a tanned girl pulled them out of the oven and placed it on the counter in front of a certain star-eyed blond haired girl sitting on a luxurious stool. Her eyes betrayed a keen interest in the treats before shifting her gaze to her compatriot.

"You know Sayume, I could always…"

"No Misaki. You'll be playing into the Darkness of Academy City's hands if you did that."

"I didn't even finish!"

"You are a mind manipulator with a protective streak, it's not hard to guess what you were going to say."

"Muh… such an unreasonable prediction ability…"

Pouting, her hands subtly drifted towards the alluring cookies, only to have the said hand gently swatted away with a smug smirk.

"No, bad Mental Out! Those are not for you."

"Mou… Then who are they for? You've been baking all morning Sayume-chan! Surely you can spare a few for me!"

"Aren't you the one that was concerned about your weight? I mean, even Hokaze-san has been concerned. Speaking of which, I've noticed she's been gaining weight too, especially with all those parfaits she's been eating after talking to you about it. Hmm… I wonder why?"

"Ara, I wonder why too…"

Misaki's guilty gaze drifted towards the side, avoiding the tanned clone's unamused stare. Sayume merely leaned forward, her unamused expression unfaltering before Misaki's growing blush and nervous twitch.

"Mou! Stop it Sayume-chan! Being too earnest clashes with your little-sister image power! You should be more 'Sure Misaki-neesama! I'd love to give you some sweets!'"

"And you need to stop using those visual novel dream rankers. Seriously, using those as practice for when you find my older sister…"

A sad smile formed on Misaki's face as she looked down to the floor, melancholy filling the air as her bangs covered her eyes.

"Hah… what a cruel sibling you are Sayume-chan."

Tsk, that was tactless of me. Dolly is one of the key figures of Misaki's life. Sigh, I really need to work on that…

Sighing, Sayume walked over to her friend's side, but as she stepped around the counter, Misaki's smile turned smug as she reached over and snatched a cookie for herself while she was beyond Sayume's grasp.

"Hehe! Victory!"

Pure joy filled Misaki's cheeks as she devoured the treat, shamelessly grabbing more as her audience watched on in stunned silence before winking and performing a magical girl V pose with her free hand. Irritated, Sayume reached forward with the palm of her right hand open.

"My feelings, give them back to me! And stop eating those cookies! Those are for… for…"

Sayume's words died as an aura of darkness descended upon the room, a look of apprehension adorning her face.

"Sayume-chan what's-"

"Shokuhou Misaki. Dare I ask, what are you doing with those cookies? They have been set aside and scheduled for delivery to Asunaru Park within the hour."

Misaki could only tremble in terror, a cold sweat beginning to mat her normally immaculate hair. Refusing to turn and face the doom behind her, she slowly reached for her purse on the counter, only to feel nothing where she last placed it.

"Shokuhou Misaki. You did not answer my question. Also, why did you feel the need to stash extra cookies within your purse as well?"

Such absurd stealth ability! When did she grab my purse?! Calm down Misaki, calm down, as long as you have… OH NO! All my remotes are in the purse!

"Shokuhou Misaki. It is against the rules to ignore an inquiry from a staff member."

"Y- yes Dorm Manager. Sorry I was just distracted. I had no idea that-"

"Whether or not you knew where the treats were destined to be shipped does not excuse taking someone's property without their permission, isn't that correct Shokuhou-san?"

"Y- yes Dorm Manager, but-"

Misaki's words died in her throat as she felt the Dorm Manager's hands on her shoulders, slowly threatening to move towards her neck. An icy feeling of death spiked through her body at the slightest touch.

"Shokuhou-san, do you believe I have time to listen to excuses? After all, rules are meant to be followed, correct?:"

"Yes ma'am!"

"Good."

The darkness and the heavy atmosphere of the room dissipated at her words, the tension once dominating Misaki's body evaporating, leaving her limp as a puppet with its strings cut as she slouched forward. Uncaring of the girl's reactions, the Dorm manager merely adjusted her glasses and continued to speak.

"For the duration punishment, I will be holding on to your purse and all your remotes, they will be returned as is should you complete your tasks as expected."

Sighing in defeat, Misaki nodded and finally turned to face her executioner.

"Good, first order of business is to wrap all of these cookies Sayume-san as prepared and place them in boxes for distribution. Afterwards, we need to go shopping to purchase high quality cookies to replace the ones that you ate. Enough for all the children and adults so it is fair. This of course, is coming out of your allowance this month."

"Mou… isn't that a bit too much Dorm Manager? I mean-"

"Hou? Is that a complaint about my judgement, Shokuhou-san?"

With a simple narrowing of her eyes once again, the feeling of impending death and doom flooded the room once more with a vengeance, the gentle lights of the kitchen drowned by an atmosphere of inescapable darkness.

"Of-of course not Dorm Manager! I'm always happy to help!"

Smiling in false cheer, Misaki hopped off the stool and picked up the baking sheets of cookies alongside the dorm manager and carried them out of the kitchen, the gait of her steps betraying trembles of fear. As the pair walked out, the dorm manager gave a slight bow to her left before promptly walking behind her new helper.

"My apologies for such an unworthy display of our student's discipline. Please, enter and feel free to use anything our campus has to offer."

"Ah, don't worry about it, I think we'll be fine."

Sayume could only tilt her head at the unfamiliar voice the Dorm Manager was speaking with, only for her eyes to widen in shock as a woman who looked like an older version of her sister Mikoto walked through the door.

An awkward silence filled the kitchen as the pair merely stared at each other in aprehension.

Moments seemed to drag on until Misuzu smiled in nostalgia.

"Ah, you really do remind me of Mikoto, she used to have an expression like that when she thought she was in trouble with me. I suppose I know now that it's genetic, not learned."

"What."

"Heh, even your confused expressions are the same. I wonder…"

A mischievous smirk formed on the older woman's face before shaking her head.

"Hah, I suppose I should start before we end up standing here all day. My name is Misaka Misuzu, Mikoto's, and now, also your mother."

"Uh… Hi."

Sayume said no more, merely staring at the woman before her like a deer in the headlights, quietly delving into her experiences as Emiya in a desperate attempt to navigate the situation before her.

Emiya is an ancient being, fighting across multiple timelines as Alaya's dog. He has battled against Undead Apostles, Servants, Beasts, Gods, and countless scores of men. He has fought beside multiple iterations of Rin in the 5th grail war, beside countless versions of Chaldea against the end of the Human Grand Order, and beside other fortunate masters who cried out for salvation across the Kaleidoscope.

But even with this wellspring of near infinite experience, not once had he felt the simple bond between mother and child.

Upon seeing her newest child's hesitation, Misuzu frowned in concern.

Is the thought of having a parent that foreign to her? At this rate, she'll shut down and withdraw into her shell. What can I do to make her feel comfortable?

Glancing around she noticed the various mixing bowls and measuring cups used to make the cookies and confections, taking note of the care and experience used with each culinary tool.

Maybe I can use this to bridge the gap?

"Sayume-chan, you love to cook, don't you?"

"Ah, yes! Yes I do. It's one of the few things I could do to relax in the past, that and doing chores. Nice simple work to keep my hands busy while my mind wanders."

Wistfully smiling, memories of her past life, of Emiya's past life floated through her mind. Of simple days cooking with Sakura, calming the raging tiger which demanded meals on a regular basis, and the various men, women, and children he cooked for in his ill spent days as an "ally of justice".

So lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice the concerned frown of her new mother.

What kind of life have you lived for menial labor to be relaxing, Sayume-chan? You're still a kid, you should have fun doing new things, wasting time on silly things.

Shaking her head, the older woman glanced back to the kitchen stove.

Still, cooking huh? That's something I can work with.

"Ho? So how confident are you in cooking?"

"Without anyone to compare to, I don't know. But I'd like to think I'm at least decent at it."

"Want to try against me? I wouldn't call myself a chef, but I've cooked since Mikoto was a baby, so I'm confident in my skill."

At her new mother's confident smile, Sayume merely raised a questioning brow before smirking.

Hoh? Interesting. This will be a good chance for me to see what are the cuisine preferences of Academy City and how much it overlaps with Japan as well as how much is international. And this competitive air, I wonder...

"I wouldn't be adverse to a little competition, but… If it is just the two of us, we'd cook to what we like and merely like our dishes over the other. We need judges to determine a winner."

"Oh? What do you have in mind Sayume-chan?"

"Let me call in some classmates, they'll be our judges. We'll cook based on themes of our choosing first, then requests later."

"Themes and requests?"

"Hm? Surely you don't expect to only cook one dish and be done? To compare our skills, we need to make multiple dishes across various styles. Unless that is too much for you, then we can settle for something easier."

At her words, a competitive gleam flashed through Misuzu's eyes before she smirked.

"Ah, don't worry about that Sayume-chan. I can't wait for us to start."

A brief chill went down Sayume's spine.

Why did I feel a hint of Taiga there? No, that can't be right, Taiga can't cook to save her life. Besides, she was a one of a kind immature big sis, not a mother. I must be imagining things. No matter, I'll just call Misaki's friends, they should be fairly impartial judges without Misaki to manipulate their minds.

Shrugging she pulled out her phone and began sending messages.

What's the worst that can happen?

She saw hell.

A dieter's hell.

Dozens of students, normally refined ladies, slovenly resting their heads on the counter or on lounge chairs in adjacent rooms as plates thoroughly cleaned of food were stacked and carried into the kitchens by the various maids in training sent to Tokiwadai, only for new dishes to be brought forth to replace them. Curry, steamed lobsters, omurice, hamburger steak, ramen, and countless other dishes, both eastern and western culinary masterpieces exited the kitchens at an unyielding pace.

The girls, seeing the new offerings of heavenly delicacy, could only weep as their full bellies would not allow any more.

With a strained smile, a certain girl with ringlet curl style hair sent yet another message on her phone, all but begging for more students to enter the fray and judge the food laid before her.

When Misaki-sama asked me to help take care of Mikoto's clone-sister, I wasn't expecting this…

"Ah, Hokaze-senpai! We have a problem!"

"Hm? What's wrong Miho-chan?"

"Asahara Midori of the cooking club just told me they are out of ingredients!"

"What? Didn't the staff restock the kitchen twice already?"

"Yes Senpai, but they won't stop cooking! I don't know where they get their stamina from, they've been at it all day!"

"It should be clear at this point that Sayume-chan is the better chef."

"Yes but with Misaka-san sometimes winning 2 out of every 5 judges, she still believes that she can win if they increase the sample size of the students judging the food."

Sighing, Junko collapsed onto a nearby chair and started to massage her temples.

"And the staff are unable to help?"

"No Hokaze-senpai. They are in a food coma just like the first 2 waves of students."

"Haaa…"

As Junko sighed, yet another plate left the kitchen and was placed directly before her. Compared to the earlier dishes before, it was decidedly far more plain and simple, a tender slice of Salmon unwrapped from aluminium foil, soaked in an aromatic sauce with mushrooms. Even the steam gently rising from the freshly prepared meal began to captivate her.

Humbly, the maid bowed in apology before speaking.

"Sayume-sama wishes to express her apologies for the simple dish, the pantry and the kitchens have run low in ingredients. She was however, able to find a use for the leftover shrimp and shellfish; the tempura should be out shortly."

Despair seeped into Junko's soul, as her final mental bastions of against the temptation of breaking her diet were slowly crumbling before the aromas of Salmon mixed with that of the various Tempura creations wafting out of the kitchen.

Seeing her senpai's wavering resolve, Miho knew what was needed to preserve her beloved senior's diet.

"I WILL MAKE THE SACRIFICE!"

Promptly sitting down next to Junko, she slid the plate before her.

"Itadakimasu."

Tearing off a tender piece easily with chopsticks, she placed a portion in her mouth before suddenly flinching still, a single tear rolling down her cheek before methodically chewing her food and swallowing, steadily becoming more impatient the further along the meal she went.

"Why… Why does something so simple taste so good? I could eat this forever..."

Her body shivered in delight as the sudden clank of the side dishes were set down. Freshly fried tempura was placed next to the dish: Shrimp, clams, lobsters, crabs, and seafood galore. Looking at the food before her, Miho paused once more, the final dredges of her inhibition and determination forming one last fleeting moment of resistance before taking a bite, and moaning in delight.

Truly a glutton's paradise.

Miho… your sacrifice will not be in vain!

Standing up with determination, Junko ignored the delicious aromas surrounding her, the slight rumble of her stomach which craved the temptations surrounding her, and steadily marched towards the kitchen to end this manic cook-off that has claimed the diets of so many innocents.

Ugh… I inherited EMIYA's love of cooking, but even this is too much. I've cooked more in one sitting more than in some of his past incarnations working part time as a chef. At least EMIYA had aids to help prepare the meals, instead of having to cook for over a hundred all by himself.

Wait, how many meals have I prepared now?

Sighing, Sayume shifted her gaze away from the now empty pots and pans once again being washed by the small but diligent army of maids and maids-in-training sent to aid in this competition.

She promptly ignored the stares of awe the maids were giving her and shifted her focus to her stubborn opponent, who was pacing back in forth in the kitchen.

"Tsk, I only have 3 out of the last 11 prefer my cooking to yours… One more round! We'll settle this for sure this time!"

A flare of determination sparked from her eyes, a roar of a tiger echoing through Sayume's mind while a brief image of a brown haired woman with a toothy smile overlapped with that of Misuzu.

Fuji-nee?

Shaking her head, Sayume blinked and rubbed her eyes, the image disappearing as if it was never there to begin with.

I must be tired. There's no way Fuji-nee would be here. Besides, if she was any incarnation of Fuji-nee, the kitchen would have burned down from her ineptitude… and she would have eaten all of the food I cooked today herself. She was never one for sharing unless Sakura was there.

Sakura…

The memory of the plum-haired girl floated before her, with her ever present gentle smile she always reserved solely for Emiya when he was alive.

If only I hadn't been so obsessed with my dream back then, maybe you would have…

A melancholic frown formed on Sayume's face as her gaze drifted down, her back slightly haunching at the weight of Emiya's memories and regrets bearing down on her. Noticing the girl's abrupt change, Misuzu's competitive nature immediately evaporated. As she reached out to give Sayume a reassuring hug, the kitchen door suddenly opened, causing both her and Sayume to jump up in surprise.

Junko, radiating with determination to salvage what was left of her classmates' diets stormed through the kitchen door…

I have to hurry to stop this madness, at this rate everyone will... will...

Only to freeze in terror at the sheer amount of displeasure and killing intent directed at her.

Unbeknownst to the mother clone-daughter pair, the maids never left the kitchen during their moment of intimacy, instead, relying on their training to fade from the perceptions of their Masters and Mistresses when not needed. They simply blended into the background, enjoying the live action drama unraveling before their very eyes.

A drama quite rudely interrupted by Junko's sudden arrival.

Shaking her head briefly, she focused her gaze on the baka mother/clone-daughter pair.

"Forgive me Misaka-sama, but I must insist that the cooking competition end here. The two of you have already depleted the school pantry. Twice. The school may be wealthy, but it cannot afford to continually purchase high quality ingredients without end."

"Hm? Then why hasn't any of the staff come to tell us? You'd think they'd tell us to stop if we were causing too many problems."

Misuzu merely gave Junko and the others a puzzled look, only to be met with her new daughter's dry stare.

"Hah… Of course they wouldn't say anything. They are obviously desperate to have you adopt me… Okaa-sama."

Sayume's face briefly scrunched up at how awkward it was to call someone her mother, but quickly schooled her expression back into her normal dry neutrality.

"Mou… But… But..."

Sighing, Sayme merely shook her head before walking back towards the oven and preheating it.

"Let's make this round the final round. Winner takes all, with the theme being sweets. After all, the last course should be deserts, right?"

A competitive flare sparked in the older woman's eye as a predatory smile graced her face.

"Heh, sounds good to me Sayume-chan! But who will be our final judge?"

"Pardon me Misaka-sama, if I may be so bold to make a suggestion?"

Stepping forward, a maid adjusted her glasses and bowed slightly before the pair, averting her eyes.

Susuzu merely smiled and began waving her hand back and forth dismissively.

"Ah, of course, but you don't need to use such honorifics on us. Did you want to try our last dish?"

The maid wistfully smiled while shaking her head.

"I would be honored, but alas, due to the fact that I am currently on duty as a maid, it would not be appropriate. Besides, it would feel wrong to enjoy such delicious treats while my fellow maids could not."

"I see…"

"However Misaka-sama, there is someone who is available with us right now."

The collective gazes of the maids shifted towards Junko again, glints of unadulterated sadism gleaming from their eyes.

No… they wouldn't!

A dark pit formed at the bottom of Junko's stomach as panic gripped her soul.

"Hokaze-sama has worked hard to ensure that this impromptu cook off would go smoothly. Don't you think she deserves a reward for her efforts? A taste of the fruits of her labors?"

No… No no no!

"Hmm… Good point. I already have an idea of what I'll offer. What about you… Okaa-sama?"

"Considering how low on supplies we are, I'm thinking something simple. Cookies maybe?"

As the Misaka pair walked towards the ovens, comparing their ideas of what dessert to cook, a pale faced Junko took a step back, edging towards the exit.

Piles of cookies beside whatever confectionary delight Sayume is planning?

No, no no no no no no no no no no!

I can feel the pounds already! I need to make an excuse to leave before-

A pair of hands firmly grasped Junko's shoulders as maids flanked her sides; a domineering aura surrounding her while the oblivious cooking pair had their backs turned, beginning their preparations.

"Ah, do not worry Ojou-sama, we will prepare everything for you, so please come with us."

What did I do to deserve this?!

Junko screams of internal horror did nothing to move the hearts of the watching maids, their gentle smiles belying the sadistic gleam in their eyes. As they marched her out of the kitchen, she saw Miho, her face ungracefully laying on the table, a content smile on her face in her food coma.

Junko shuddered in fear as she was seated by the level 0 maids, the sheer pressure exerted by their presence overwhelming the mighty level 4 esper while she awaited nervously in her seat, still flanked by the maids.

There would be no escape.

"Hah, what a troublesome day… I hope Sayume-chan's day was better than mine…"

A disheveled Misaki believed she had a bad day, dealing with swarms of child errors and their friends, all begging for her attention as a famous level 5 esper. At one point, when she finally gave in to the pleas for help in tying one of their shoes, she was immediately dogpiled by the rest of the children under the watchful gaze of the Dorm Manager.

She quickly learned the texture of drool that day, as her attempts to clean her matted hair ended in failure. She quickly developed the appearance of an overwhelmed new mother, disheveled hair, wrinkled clothes, and eyes that betrayed mental exhaustion.

Maybe I should erase today's memories? It's not like that information has a high utility ability.

Sighing, Misaki glanced at her recently returned remote before shaking her head.

Ah forget it. I'll just check up on Sayume-chan and Junko-chan. Junko can help fix my appearance afterwards. Hah… I just want to call it a day at this point. Meh, better keep the remote ready to erase any memories of my current appearance.

As she entered the campus, her soft steps unnaturally echoed throughout the halls, with only the faint steps of teachers and the maids-in-training to disrupt the rhythm of her feet.

Odd, where is everyone? There should be more students around since classes are over for the day. Did something happen?

Misaki's body tensed at the unnatural quiet as she wandered the halls, her anxiety spiking when she heard moans coming from the cafeteria. Rushing in, she was greeted with a bewildering sight: countless staff and students lounging around, either sleeping or moaning, their arms wrapped around their stomachs. She noticed several familiar faces before finding her friend Junko silently weeping on a counter, her face grimacing in pain. As she approached, Junko's eyes met hers, shame radiating from her form.

"My queen… It was awful! My diet… my diet is ruined!"

"Uh… what happened here?"

"Sayume-san and Misaka-san decided to have a cooking competition. They cooked and they cooked, but Misaka-san refused to accept defeat. They even emptied out the school pantry twice! Then… then at the end… the maids made me the final judge…"

The light died from Junko's eyes as she recalled the tragedy of an hour ago.

"I don't know why, but the maids were furious with me… they made me eat ALL the cookies Misaka-san made. They were ok, neither bad nor exceptionally good. But there were so many of them, my stomach bloated and ached. It felt like I was going to burst! Then… then they gave me Sayume's parfait. It was so good that I couldn't stop myself. I was already in pain but I couldn't stop myself from eating it! It was awful!"

At those words Junko sobbed uncontrollably, quickly covering her face to cover some of her shame.

"What."

Misaki's face betrayed not a single emotion as she stared at her sobbing friend, then glanced at the fallen students and staff around them before gently patting Junko's back.

What an absurd event. How the HELL did a first meeting between a Mother and the clone of her daughter turn into this? Y'know what, it's EMIYA's fault. Stupid past gemstone with high absurdity ability. His capacity to make a mess of things has been inherited by Sayume.

Shaking her head once more, she reached down and pulled Junko up, wrapping Junko's arm around her shoulder to support the wobbly overstuffed girl.

"Come on, let's get you back to the dorms to rest. After we get cleaned up and rest, we can even go for a jog together like you wanted tomorrow to start losing the weight."

Or at least I'll give you the memories and the perception that I'm jogging with you. I'll stand on the sidelines like a coach so people think I'm training you or something. Too much effort to actually jog.

Sniffling, Junko nodded and leaned on her Queen, quietly letting her guide them back to the dorms. As they walked, Misaki glanced about, searching for any sign of the tanned clone while ignoring the moans of pain from her suffering friend.

"Junko."

"Ugh… Yes my Queen?"

"Where is Sayume-chan anyways?"

"After… ugh… after what happened to me… the maids took them to see the Principal and some others… to finish the adoption paperwork."

"I see, well that's one less thing to worry about. Good work Junko. I knew I could count on you."

Junko's eyes widened in surprise before smiling despite the pain.

"Of course my Queen."

The two walked on in comfortable silence, their bodies aching from the day's events, but satisfied that they made it.

In the void of space, where the Earth is but a ball, yet not free of its grasp, a shuttle quietly drifts, subtly approaching a cloud of debris overlooking the massive blue blot that is known as the Pacific.

"Command, this is Recovery Team one, the shuttle has safely arrived at the debris site and will begin extraction operations at your will."

"Recovery One this is Command, you have leave to commence operations. Do note there is an estimated time constraint of 15 hours, Shield One and Shield Three's disinformation campaigns were less effective than initially predicted. Possible hostile vessels will arrive to recover any usable material from the site by then."

"Command, requesting information on the agencies Shield one and Shield Three were attempting to divert."

"Submitting a request to High Command… Request accepted. The most probable threats to the operation will be from the American and Russian space programs. Prioritize the recovery of the processors, hard drives and memory banks of the Tree Diagram. High Command requests that any secondary material that cannot be recovered within the time constraints be set to a decaying orbit. Sending coordinates and specifications now."

"Information successfully transferred, Command. Commencing operations now"

Heya Peeps,

Been a while hasn't it? I mean when I last updated there were less than 800 followers, and now there are almost 1.5k followers and over 1k favorites.

Why has it taken so long to update the story? Well to put it simply, it's been a rough past year and a half.

I've had a rough start to last year's classes, a death in the family followed by a death of an old friend set me back alongside technological issues with my graduate level courses. For the first time in my life, I've failed a course college or otherwise that I need to retake, alongside another one I had to withdraw from because I had fallen behind and the Pandemic made it impossible for me to catch up.

Then there's the damn Pandemic itself, forcing me to become a prisoner in my home. My entire family is susceptible to dying to the damn disease, so we are living in constant lockdown. How bad is it? I'm only allowed to leave my house for work on Saturdays, in which I only work 7 hours because the rest of my hours were cut costs. It's been like this since March. I'm a prisoner living in a gilded cage. A comfortable prison, but a prison nonetheless.

Lastly, although most of you guys have been cool, someone who I won't name was a complete self entitled prick that pissed me off, demanding that I write at their whim and that I'm a shitty person for not updating despite having a bad time in my personal life. Some other crap was said which I promptly ignored and blocked. I know I put up polls to determine which stories I'll start next, but out of spite I'm pushing some of them to the back of the queue to write some different stories to spite him. So yeah, some stories will be delayed to sate my spite towards this person.

Screw you. (I am keeping the T rating, but you all know what I truly said)

You know who you are.

I'm sorry to everyone else who this inconveniences, and I'll do my best to make this up to you all.

My inspiration has been a bit lackluster, and writer's block has been a frequent companion lately, but I hope to start updating in a more regular manner soon.

But I'm glad so many of you kept encouraging me on the reviews. I'll do my best to meet your expectations!

See ya next update!

Notes from the enslaved editor:

I've put this off for too long, but to be fair, Kovaras has the consistency of… something that isn't consistent. Like my motivation to do college work. Regardless, it's done. Time to isekai myself.

Also, did not edit the author's notes out of exhausted college student syndrome and being an essential worker. Please do us a favor and ease up your Amazon orders so I can actually get a day off loljkicantforceyouguystodoshit