It's something that he volunteered for, something that he wanted to do to surprise them and to just treat them to a nice dinner. Zen has absolutely amazing friends, and they deserve to be treated and perhaps spoiled every now and again. Probably more than that too.
And so, he grabs a few simple ingredients and sets to work. Zen wishes he knew way more recipes off the top of his head, like they do, but he's had limited time in the kitchen to learn them and his family definitely didn't spend time teaching him how to cook. There was never time for that!
And sometimes Zen wonders if they know how to cook anyway.
So, he starts cutting up some fresh vegetables, he'd washed and prepares a large salad first. And then he moves on to a simple, seasoned chicken and fries it in a pan with a little bit of oil. A trick he'd picked up from both Obi and Shirayuki, and one of them, he seasons differently.
Obi would love it, and since his palate is a bit different from everyone else's, Zen knows to make his differently. It doesn't take nearly as long as Zen expects it to, when he plates the chicken and brings out the salad. It's a quicker kind of meal, but he hopes they love it just the same.
If he knew fancy recipes and could make those without messing up, he would.
"Zen, you didn't have to." Shirayuki is the first to speak up, voice soft with gratitude.
"Thank you." Mitsuhide answers.
"I wanted to. You're all amazing." And Zen wonders briefly if he just inflated Obi's ego unnecessarily.
"So, are you, Master." And yep, he did.
"'Course." Zen sighs, and Kiki smiles her own gratitude back at him, a kind of soft understanding within her eyes too. She knows as well as they probably all do, that Zen is not one who maneuvers with ease around the kitchen, and she just wants him to know that she appreciates his hard work and the little bit of struggle he went through.
Truthfully, he really does have amazing friends, even if Obi has a penchant for teasing him.