The week following the regimental food war, Alice and Ryo were back in Denmark. They'd secured positions on the council of Ten and were enjoying a rare bit of free time. Ryo had already gone to visit his mom and was now mostly invested in fine tuning his recipes. Alice debated whether or not to warn him about Megumi's impending visit, but she didn't want him to get into his own head. So, when the morning of Megumi's arrival came around, Alice could barely contain her excitement!

At breakfast Alice was glued to her phone as she texted Megumi to confirm her flight number and arrival time. Megumi had spent a few days with the Aldini brothers in Naples before touring Rome where she was catching her flight to Copenhagen. Alice giggled and confirmed a car to pick up Megumi at the airport. In roughly three hours Megumi would be in the house, Alice just had to keep her secret from Ryo for three more hours.

Meanwhile, from the other side of the table Ryo had been watching Alice grin and giggle at her phone. She was clearly plotting something. He tried to ignore her but couldn't shake the feeling that her scheming had something to do with his personal life. After spending so many years in her company, Ryo had developed a sixth sense for Alice's antics. Ryo frowned to himself and decided to put some distance between himself and whatever Alice had in mind.

Startled by the sound of Ryo's chair scraping on the floor as he cleared his plates and went to leave the kitchen, Alice quickly put her phone down and caught Ryo by the arm.

"And just where are you running off to without checking in with your boss?!"

Rolling his eyes Ryo replied, "I'm going to work out in my room. Whatever you're planning can wait."

"Who said that I'm planning anything?!" Alice huffed. Ryo only raised an eyebrow at her in response. "….oh fine! Just make sure you don't show up for lunch smelling like death."

"Uh-huh, whatever you say, miss."

Alice watched Ryo walk away before turning back to her phone. She really hoped this visit went well.

***three hours later***

Lunch time rolled around, and Ryo came back to the kitchen fresh from a shower wearing just a pair of jeans and a towel draped over his shoulders. He didn't know what to expect but refused to stress about it. Unfortunately, as soon as he set foot in the kitchen he was stopped by a surprised squeak and a wide-eyed Megumi Tadokoro blushing at him.

"Well, at least you don't reek." Alice grinned smugly at her aid and oldest friend. Ryo glared at her as he continued to the table and sat down.

"I'm sorry! I hope I'm not intruding!" Megumi stammered out.

"Nonsense! You're my specially invited guest!" Alice reassured, "It's not your fault that Ryo walks around like he's in a locker room." Ryo glared daggers at Alice.

"Do we know what we're having for lunch today?" Ryo asked, determined to not be flustered by Megumi's presence.

"I'm not sure. Mother and father will be here shortly."

"Oh? I didn't expect your parents to be joining us for lunch!" Megumi said, the stain of her blush still evident.

"It's true that getting everyone together for a meal when my parents have to travel a lot for work can be difficult, but it's why they make sure we're all together whenever it's possible." Alice proudly stated.

"That's very sweet of them!" Megumi beamed, "But wait, you said that you won't know what we're having until they get here?"

"That's right. Whenever we're home most of our meals are from the research institute. It helps us keep up with what's happening, plus we make sure that no food goes to waste!" Alice was excited to share her knowledge with her new friend.

"I see, that's very interesting!"

Ryo scoffs, "It can be. Unless we end up having to eat a failure."

Alice growls back, "That hardly ever happens! The science of good taste is nearly perfect!"

"Oh really? Like the sea urchin mousse from last week?"

"I said nearly perfect! There will always be duds when you strive for the best and newest flavours!"

"Whatever you say." Ryo chuckled. Megumi could only watch shyly as a witness to the easy banter of her two friends. She couldn't help but wonder if there was more to their relationship than they let on.

"Hej mine børn!" Leonora burst into the kitchen followed by Soe Nakiri and a couple interns from the institute. Ryo moved to help unpack the food while Alice greeted her parents, receiving a kiss on the forehead from each of them. Megumi looked away awkwardly, not wanting to intrude on the family's moment.

"Hey! Tadokoro!" Ryo called Megumi over to the counter, "Help get this set up." Megumi was thankful for a task to focus on. "Have you ever used one of these before?" Megumi looked at the machinery Ryo was gesturing to, doing her best to not stare at his abs which were temptingly within her reach. Even though she'd become accustomed to being around Isshiki when he was practically naked, and she'd seen her other dorm mates in their beach attire, seeing Ryo shirtless when he was so close was somehow different.

"Umm, I've played with the air fryer, but I don't even recognize the others!" Ryo acknowledged her answer and began teaching her what the different machines did. Despite trying her best to focus on what he was saying, Megumi couldn't help the butterflies in her stomach as she felt the heat radiate off Ryo's bare skin. At one point Ryo's arm brushed her as he reached past her for the corn starch, and Megumi jerked away like she'd been burned.

"I'm sorry! I don't mean to be in the way!" Megumi laughed nervously. Ryo arched an eyebrow at her.

"You're not." Ryo maintained a poker face, but inwardly smirked as he realized how flustered he made the bluenette. Whatever feelings he may have for his classmate, he definitely enjoyed teasing her! "Here, try adding this to the batter for a crispy texture." Ryo reached over Megumi to retrieve the panko, effectively caging her between the counter and himself. Megumi flushed a deep crimson and froze.

Spotting Megumi's discomfort, Leonora called over to Ryo, "As handsome as you are, Mr. Kurokiba, I think it would be more polite to our guest if you followed the usual custom of being fully clothed for meals and gatherings." She gave Ryo a warm smile but didn't leave any room for debate.

"Yes, ma'am." Ryo turned without giving Megumi a second look and left to get a shirt from his room.

"You'll have to excuse our Ryo, but it's so nice to have you in our home!" Leonora beamed at Megumi.

"Th-thank you for having me! It's truly an honor!" Megumi bowed to her hosts.

"Nonsense, it's always a privilege to host a member of the ten. And we haven't had an opportunity to taste your personal cuisine yet. I do hope you'll indulge us during your visit." Soe Nakiri smiled warmly at Megumi.

Megumi turned ghost white with nerves and could only stammer out, "I hope you don't find me disappointing!"

Leonora placed her hands on Megumi's shoulders and locked eyes with her, "I am quite certain that nothing you make would be disappointing because you are a warm and lovely girl. That means more than you think." Megumi turned bright red and started to tear up…

"And what about us warm and lovely boys?" Ryo interjected, sauntering back into the kitchen. "Is my food tasty because of my caring heart?" Leonora cut Ryo's mockery short with a soft slap to the back of his head.

"Young men who do not understand that there are more paths to glory than war, do not understand the true potential of cuisine!" Leonora lectured.

Alice giggled which broke the tension to allow Megumi her own laugh at the antics of the Nakiri household. Ryo scoffed but was probably the most relaxed Megumi had ever seen him. Overall, it was impossible to not feel the love in this kitchen