The voices told me to. I'm still writing the next chapter of Subaru's Metia, which should come REALLY SOON, but at the same time, I kept watching this stupid isekai food anime, and it's giving me inspiration.

God, I WISH there was a talking mabeast in Re:zero that I could turn into a glutton.

Anyway, here is jealous bubblegum maid-

Ram was a proud woman. She was a maid of the most powerful magician in Lugunica, had the most wonderful little sister in the world, serving indirectly under a candidate, and made the best tatos in the manor.

Which is why, it was very reasonable, very VERY reasonable…

…that she was pulling her hair out every damn time that the stupid boy took her sister out without a word.

It was inane to do so! He already had the half elf, why does he need her sister? Truth be told, she HAD been smiling more…not to mention, she's been getting heavier. Rem was still managing her figure, but she wasn't stupid! Ram had seen her sneaking out of her room, and the noises in the kitchen. And she was a GOOD sister (or at least, tried to be)! Last time she helped Rem up from gardening, she could FEEL that she gained weight!

There was only one conclusion. That Barasu was fattening her sister up like a pig!

And the only available course of action, the most LOGICAL, Ram reminded herself…

Was to sneak out of the manor and trail along her sister and her idol.

About a hundred meters behind them.

Preferably, without them knowing.

No, it wasn't called stalking. She had no ill intentions. Like the good sister she was, all she wanted to do was flay Barasu alive, should he get Rem into trouble. That's a moral reason, right?

The second that the door opened, Ram had put down the broom. There they go again. It was the fifth time this week! What did they need to do out there?! At the very least, they could at least tell them!

She had been watching. Watching WAY too long, and now, they have passed lines she had definitely, very obviously put up.

For one, no one cooks at night. She had given Rem a pass because it was her sister, but the smell of it wafts through the manor, and it makes it hard to sleep. How was she supposed to sleep to the smell of (admittedly delicious) meat? Such temptation was unforgivable!

Second, there was the fact that it was MEAT that they cooked. Meat, even for a man as rich as Roswaal-sama, would be scarce, purely because of how expensive it was. Ram, as the good maid she is, tried her best to satiate everyone's tastes, but that was meat. How dare they not share such ingredients with the cook in this manor?!

But third, was two nights ago. That was the last straw. Something she did NOT want to allow.

"You DO remember our deeaaaallll, do you, Subaru-Kunnnn?~"

…Ram could not help but freeze at that. That sounded serious…but most of all, it was a deal she had no awareness about. Did Barasu get in trouble? As much as he most likely deserved it, it wouldn't do well should he get inju-

"I've been WAITING for you to ask, Ros-Chi!"

…what.

Ram turned, her eyes locking to the expression of the boy…

…she could see the smile on his face, and while she tried to distance herself from him outside of work, she could feel that there was something different about that smile. There was more of a dimple on his cheeks, and his eyes seemed to…brighten?

It was like he was smiling for the first time.

…alright. What did he do.

"Now!" In a dramatized fashion, he raised a finger, and raced away, grabbing Rem's hand out of nowhere and pulling her along, which elicited a yelp from her.

That did not go unnoticed by Ram, who had stopped what she was doing, and went next to Roswaal.

Subaru had finally come out, with a plate covered by…another bowl. Rem had her hands clasped together in front of her, and the boy, in such a Subaru fashion, bowed deeply, with barely hidden pride behind it, before lifting the bowl.

…

The smell was entrancing. It was warmed up with the pan that had just been used to cook tonight's dinner. But…it was something she had never seen before.

It was definitely meat. It smelled of poultry, but was covered by…tomato sauce. And some sort of other spices, before the green bits of onion.

Ram didn't miss the way Rem had wiped her mouth, before forcing herself to avert her gaze.

"Ros-chi! I present to you, a favorite dish from my home!" Subaru offered the plate to the clown, who gazed upon it with interest. He smelled it, seeing if there was poison, or any leftover mabeast mana, to which he found none. "Chili Black Serpent!"

…well, that was a lie. There was no chili, because there was absolutely no spice. While Ram was aware of such a thing, she knew that there wasn't any around the manor. Subaru scratched the back of his head. "...though, there wasn't any actual chili…so it's not spicy!"

…so…black serpent dish. How exciting. But…serpent? Where could he have found the serpen-

"...are you quite suuuuuure that this is the Arkalb you and Rem have slaaaaiiiin yesterday, hmmmm?~"

…

That's funny. She thought she heard something.

She COULDN'T have heard that correctly, right? She couldn't have heard that this boy was trying to feed her master a MABEAST, RIGHT?

"Yep! RIght after it's been purified, I cooked it last night! Well, Rem helped me a lot too!" Subaru nodded with a bright smile, and Ram's eye twitched.

…

Oh, she was going to THROTTLE him.

But before she could get her hands around his throat for trying to poison her master, she did a double take as Roswaal had taken a spoonful of the soft Arkalb, and moved it to his mouth.

The pink haired demon maid could only watch in muted horror as her dear master had chewed the mabeast meat…

…and laughed?

"Ohohohohoooo!~ This is quiiiite the delicacy, Subaru-kun!~ This may be the beeeeest meat I've ever feasted on before!~" Roswaal had gave a hearty laugh, and Ram could swear she just heard something break.

That must have been her heart. Because she almost wobbled due to it.

She doesn't hear that about her cooking. But about BARASU'S?

No.

While Ram was having an internal breakdown, Roswaal looked to Rem. "Do you and Subaru-kun plan to go hunting agaaiin?"

With a nod, Rem let a smile make its way to her face, pride in her and her hero's dish. "Yes, Roswaal-sama! Subaru-kun has knowledge of many dishes of his homeland…he wishes to recreate them whenever he can!"

"A-Ah! Rem, you can't just say something like that…" Subaru laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head, before nodding. "But…yeah! I got a lot of ideas, and I know you'll like them!"

"Ahhhhh!~" The master of the manor seemed incredibly pleased, clapping his hands twice. "In that case, you both have myyyyy approval! Should you find the remains of a maaaabeast you wish to cook, I shall purify them for you! But do not forget our deeeeaaal now~"

As both of them nodded their heads and answered in kind, Roswaal smiled wider. "I expect muuuuch from the both of you!"

Roswaal was so happy over that dinner.

And it wasn't HER dinner. She could never accept that kind of defeat lying down!

…though, she had to snap herself out of it and trail them again when she started getting too far behind. In the distance, she could barely hear what they were talking about.

…

…

"Subaru-kun! What do you plan to cook today?" Rem was…a little less proper around him lately. Her steps weren't as measured as they were more…in swing. She was having trouble hiding the excitement she had just being around him. The raven haired butler hummed in thought.

"Well, that depends on what we find! I don't really know all the mabeasts around here, though…"

…he did NOT want to cook a dog. Wolgarms are out of the question. "...what sort of other mabeasts could be here, Rem? Besides Wolgarms!"

"Eh? Hmmm…" Rem thought about it for a second, before nodding. "...I have seen many knickerbockers flying here…"

"...a what?" Subaru really hoped that it was like a bird or something. Last thing he wanted to eat was something that equated to panties of all things.

"Oh! They are the 'misfortune birds' that are around here! Rem believes she heard from the villagers in Arlam that they moved here after we had defeated the Wolgarms!"

…Subaru winced. Ah. That meant they were probably a type of vulture or something. Better not…he heard that their meat is gross because of them eating dead bodies.

"Errr…any others?"

"Well…besides the Arkalb, there may be others! I have heard of a black winged rat around these parts!"

…that was even worse, with Subaru's shuddering and shaking of his head. "I'm not going to feed you all a rat, even if it flies!"

Rem seemed to pout at that. A pity. With her dear Subaru-kun's culinary skills, she was so sure he could make one taste good, but…

CRACK

...

…huh?

Rem and Subaru, and the Ram hiding a hundred meters away turned their heads towards the noise.

That was a lot heavier than an Arkalb. It sounded as if a giant stepped on a tree and broke it like a stick. Before they could come to terms of the behemoth that was in their vicinity, said giant decided to come and make it easier for their minds to comprehend.

A massive black boar roared with indignity.

When it charged, neither Rem or Subaru, or even Ram in the distance could react right away, neither of them seeing a creature such as that before, but in a split second, Rem shook herself out of it, and tackled Subaru out of the way, right as the demon boar charged right past and smashed into the nearest tree.

"Subaru-kun! Are you okay?!" Rem immediately rushed to her feet, Morningstar in one hand, and the boy's hand in the other. He grunted and stood up.

"I'm more than okay! Rem, just like the-!"

…he watched in horror as the tree that the boar charged into had started falling down…right into the spot both Rem and Subaru were standing in.

"REM! MOV-"

"EL FURA!"

Before they could process the tree fully, a blade of wind had almost cut the tree through, blasting it to the side, and the only thing that fell on their heads was splinters. The rest of the tree had fallen to the side next to them, and the boar had finally gotten its bearings. Ram abandoned her post, and went to the other side, her eyes narrowed.

"I will kill you for endangering my sister later, Barasu!" She shot, another spell being prepared in her hands. "But focus on the mabeast!"

His eyes widened to comical proportions, the sight of Ram supporting them taking him by surprise…before he broke out in a wide grin, and stood up in confidence.

"Rem! We're going to take this thing down!" With a cry of victory, Subaru had prepared his own unstable gate as well, not wanting to back down.

"Understood, Subaru-kun!"

"Wait for it…!"

…another roar sounded out, and the boar had gone for another charge. Second time might be the charm here.

"...NOW!"

Subaru dove for cover and dodged once more, before Rem swung back, towards the opposite way of how the boar ran.

She missed the face, but not the horn. The horn broke off, and stumbling with its inertia, the boar had crashed into another tree, albeit weakly this time.

Subaru took that chance, and took out the broken form of the sharpest blade, thinking that it was stuck inside the tree with its other horn. "Now's our chance! We can-"

…unfortunately, it wasn't. Hearing the boy's voice, it swung around, and Subaru was caught off guard. The blunt side of the horn had whacked Subaru on the side and threw him down.

"Subaru-kun!"

"Barasu!"

In his stunned state, Subaru could faintly hear the panicked voices of the maids, before he looked up…and saw the remaining horn rushed down at him. With instinct and the adrenaline running through his body, he barely moved himself out of the way of being gored.

"...damn it! Barasu, get out of the way, NOW!"

Both Rem and Ram had the similar feeling that Subaru would be in great danger, should this not be dealed with quickly. He was already lucky that he wasn't dead, but no one wanted to test that luck again.

…the boar had never been so close to Subaru as of right now. He had finally processed that he was somehow alive, and grit his teeth.

"Just lay down and die already!"

Finding his courage again, he raised his broken blade, and drove it right into the eye of the boar. It screeched in pain, trying to break free of its horn in the ground, before the boy had pointed his hand at its other eye.

"SHAMAC!"

And the second that the spell had been released, Subaru did not stick around to see if it worked. He hurriedly got to his feet, and dove out of the way, hoping that the boar didn't follow…

"EL HUMA!"

"EL FURA!"

…not that it would matter. He looked back, just barely in time to see the ice spears pierce through the cloud. He didn't have to see if it hit, with the cries of the boar, before they were silenced by the cutting edges of vicious wind.

…and when the cloud of black had settled, there laid the corpse of the demon boar, impaled and nearly cut through.

It's safe to say, the pelt wouldn't be worth much anymore.

A silence had reigned through the area as the adrenaline had settled down, and Subaru had shakily stood up, wiping the sweat off his brow, before looking to the other two.

Rem was the first to approach him, immediately embracing him tightly, eliciting a laugh from him. She pouted, putting him down, and poking his head. "You must not worry Rem like that, Subaru-kun!" She crossed her arms…before muttering. "...she would rather not be reminded of you being pinned down by a mabeast like LAST time…"

Oh. That's why it was familiar.

"...ugh…" Ram shook her head and dusted herself off, going to the corpse of the boar and sighing. "...just like Barasu for his stupid ideas to work somehow."

"Aha! It DID work though!" Subaru grinned once more, and both relaxed. Seeing Subaru act like this, at least comforted them with the fact that they were probably safe again. He went to the boar, and hummed.

…boar. That meant…pork!

"I have…never seen a mabeast such as this, have you, Ram?"

"...no, I have not, Rem," Ram admitted, looking at the mabeast in curiosity. "Barasu, have you see- Barasu?"

…he seemed to be spacing out for a second.

"Subaruuuu~"

The tired form of the little boy could barely react as the woman had ruffled his hair, his locks going in front of his eyes. He muttered and brushed his hair aside, to be met with the proud smile of Natsuki Naoko. She gave a wide grin.

"Seeing how you made it home with your father, it looks like it counts as a good day, hm?"

Before he could say anything, he felt his body be hoisted up by the laughing form of his father, a victorious laugh as he was lifted up.

"That was the farthest you've ever gone! You're finally keeping up with your old man! Ahahahaha!"

Subaru tried to protest, but he couldn't help but feel the infectious happiness well up within him. He was almost disappointed when he was let down.

Almost.

"So, I assume you two had a good exercise?" The mother gave a little grin as she went to the kitchen, taking out…some pork?

"Yep!" The father known as Natsuki Kenichi stretched his arms. "A bit of radio calisthenics and a good run after breakfast was nice! Even so when this little punk here almost BEAT me!" He clapped Subaru's back, earning a yelp from him, before he puffed his chest out in pride.

"Well, maybe next time, he'll leave you in the dust!" She remarked, before putting the pork on the board. "But today, we can call that a victory. And victory means we get to make a special meal today…"

"Oh?" The man arched his brow, before he grinned. "You don't mean…?"

"KATSUDON!"

Rem, before that point, was starting to get worried for Subaru, before she leapt back in surprise. "S-Subaru-kun?"

"Oi." Ram lightly bonked Subaru on the head with a closed fist, snapping him out of it. "Don't scream in the open woods like that, Barasu. You might attract another one of those pigs."

"Katsudon…?" Rem tilted her head curiously, before looking at the boar. "Could you truly make a dish out of this mabeast too?"

"Of course!" Subaru grinned widely, a newfound excitement in him. "Boar means pork, and I know the PERFECT pork dish for this! Mom used to make katsudon after we did something good so many times!"

Ram didn't say anything this time. Before, she would have reservations…at least, before Roswaal-sama personally tasted and enjoyed it.

She might as well see where it's going.

"And we have the pork right here! Ros-chi is too stingy with money to buy meat, but with this here, I can make as much as I can! We just need eggs, this pork, some veggies, and…"

…his face fell, and he groaned.

"...rice…I forgot we don't have that here…"

…this time, Ram blinked in recognition and furrowed her brows. "Rice? The grain? What are you talking about Barasu, that's well within our budget."

Subaru immediately perked up, and in a split second, he was right in front of the pink haired maid, much to her effort of avoiding him. "Wait, REALLY?! There's rice here?!"

"...y-yes?" Somehow, this was the most intimidated she's ever been from him. She felt an energy from him that surpassed anything else she's felt from him, short from saving Rem's very life. This time, she was right in front of it.

…and shortly after saying that, Subaru immediately picked her up in a hug, laughing joyfully.

"YES! Yes! We'll shop for it today!"

"BARASU- GET OFF ME YOU PERVERT-"

Even after being thrown into the woods by a flustered maid, it would not take away his happiness.

…words could not explain the emotion that Roswaal was feeling at the sight.

Already, he was thrown off when the entirety of his staff had brought to him a dead boar mabeast, but in anticipation of a good meal, he purified it, in accordance to the agreement he made.

…however, he was starting to question who was getting the most out of it.

When he had come out of his office with the cleansed boar meat, making his way to the pantry, he felt a gaze upon him, and he looked around confusedly. No one was around, but…it was as if every step he took was being tracked.

It wasn't hostile, as there wasn't any danger…but he questioned what would happen if he put the meat down.

…he placed the meat in the same place as he set the Arkalb last time…and went back into his office.

…immediately after leaving, he heard doors open, and scattered footsteps. He chuckled under his breath.

Truly, he wondered who was getting the most out of this deal.

The sound of the massive pork shoulder being placed on the board was enough for Rem to wince, and gently hush Subaru into being careful with the meat. At least this time, he wasn't spacing out too much to not notice. Nodding, he carefully got some ingredients out.

"...pork shoulder…bread…eggs…" He listed off ingredients as the memory of the dish had started returning to his mind.

"...and rice!" He grinned as he started washing the rice that they had bought. It was…less than clean. He had to clean out the darker grains and wash it a few times to get the water to be clear, but it was good. There was plenty of it too!

Rem had her attention on the meat. Normally, she wouldn't pay much mind. She was a maid of course…and one under Roswaal. She was disciplined, had a healthy diet, and resolute in her actions.

In her defense, it was impossible to keep that at bay when her hero was cooking her a meal from his home country, literally named for 'victory'. She hoped it tasted as such too.

…she wiped the drool away from her mouth, somehow gracefully, before turning to him. "Subaru-kun! Is there anything I can do?"

Subaru grinned, and nodded, going to the shoulder. "I'm going to need a lot from you, Rem! Can I trust you on it?"

Somehow, the task gave her more confidence in herself, and in the trust he put in her. She gave a smile, and nodded. Subaru in turn, smiled, and put the knife in Rem's hands, before guiding it to the pork shoulder.

…the way he held her hands, guiding her to cut the slices made Rem fluster at the warmth of his palms.

She knew how to cut, but at this point, she'd rather Subaru do this for her. If acting helpless got her into more situations such as this, she'd immediately wear that dress.

"...first, we need to…"

"...cut in good slices. It doesn't need to be too thin, since we're going to tenderize it anyway!"

Naoki held Subaru's hands with the knife, and carefully guided him into cutting mostly even slices of pork. Ironically, it looked like Subaru was the most scared of handling the knife. He gave a sigh of relief as he was able to do so without cutting his finger. The mother giggled softly.

"Awww, you don't have to worry about cutting your little finger again with me here, musoko! Pretty soon, you won't need me to hold your hand!"

…some part of him still wanted her to do so in the future, just to be sure.

They were left with a couple of pounded slices of pork. Subaru nodded, and went to get the eggs-

Ahem.

…both froze at the clearing of a throat, turning to the sound…

…oh look. It's Ram. Her arms were crossed, a deadpan expression on her face.

…

Before she sighed, dropped her arms, and took the eggs.

"Make it quick. What do you need me to do?"

Subaru's grin widened, much to Ram's annoyance.

"Mix an egg…and now we add seasonings! We'll put pepper, some salt…"

…looking at Subaru deliberately, she shook a bit more salt than usual, and Subaru, getting the reference, laughed at the sight. "...and then we still have some garlic powder! That should be good, right?"

At the boy's nod, Naoki smiled widely, and took the bread. "Alright! Now, Subaru, can you tear the bread into crumbs? We'll dip the pork into the egg and crumbs, and fry it!"

Subaru watched with pride as he watched the twin maids work together. One beat the egg and the salt and pepper, and the other started crushing bread. He knew they were his seniors, in the back of his head, but…

At times like this, in ways he couldn't explain, he felt like he was teaching someone something incredibly important to him. And they were going leaps and bounds.

"Now…" He looked at the washed rice and nodded. "Time to cook the rice."

The sizzling of pork had wafted into the air, and already, both father and son were sitting at the table, both guessing which seasonings were put into it this time.

"Pepper…salt…"

"Of course there's pepper and salt!" The man chuckled. "What kind of meat goes without pepper and salt? But you know what, it smells kinda spicy too. Maybe she put cayenne pepper."

"Cay-anne?" Subaru tilted his head, even more confused when Kenichi laughed harder.

"Alright boys, it's almost done! Don't drink too much water now!"

Nodding along, they took one more sip, before setting it aside. Subaru was the one to ask first.

"What did you put on the pork, mom?"

"Hm!" The mother, who had been listening for a while already, gave a cheeky grin. "Love~"

"..."

"..."

"...so is that like, garlic, or?"

Naoki gave a soft giggle, and shook her head, flipping the cutlet in the oil. "Love is love! You'll get the taste of it when it's done, but I put it in everything!"

"It's mayo, isn't it," Subaru leaned his head to his father, who nodded quietly.

"It's definitely mayo."

"I didn't put mayo!" Naoki whined, pouting and crossing her arms.

"Barasu."

"...mayo- Huh?" He was snapped back to the present, and turned his head to a less-than-impressed Ram.

"..." Just this once, she sighed and let it go. "Where did you learn to cook this dish?"

"Ooooooh!" Subaru smiled widely, pointing at her. "Look at you! Ram's actually interested in what I'm doing!"

Said Ram batted his hand away, rolling her eyes. Subaru chuckled and looked back to the frying pork chop.

"...back home, mom would cook this as a reward. A meal full of protein, good carbs, but most of all, fill you up with just a bowl." It was a simple kind of katsudon, the one without much garnish, but held as much as you needed from it.

…not that Ram knew what protein or carbs meant, but from what she understood, it was a sort of staple meal. "...I see."

…hm. She was unusually quiet. But more alarmingly, less scathing than usual. Subaru gave a worried frown.

"...oi. Ram. What's going on?" Ram being less mean usually meant that she was thinking about something. But he couldn't help but feel as if something was off when she feigned from doing so.

"...hm." Ram stared at the cutlet, even when Rem took it out cheerfully, putting it on the board as she took another prepared slice. "You made this as…a reward to us?"

"Oh, well…" Subaru laughed softly, checking on the heat, making sure the flames weren't too hot. "...it was a reward to me. Maybe to you, it'll just be something nice! Heh…"

He sighed contently and stretched. "Honestly, I think I just missed the taste of home."

…the taste of home. Hm.

"...how about you, Ram?" Subaru asked after a small silence. "Anything you remember eating from a long time ago?"

Ram didn't answer immediately, before looking back at the cooking meat. She, at first, tried to entertain the question, thinking back to the oni clan…

…until the first scream entered her mind, did she decide that she didn't want to remember anything right now. Ram shook her head. "We ate what I cooked. I've been in Roswaal-sama's manor for a very long time."

"Eh?" The boy furrowed his brows, before he shook his head. "No no, I meant as in, before you were with Ros-chi-"

"I said what I said Barasu."

He took that hint immediately and didn't press on. Rem looked up from the cooking and cast a worried gaze to her sister.

…she knew that face, no matter how much Ram tried to hide it. Even now, it hurts her.

Subaru faced forwards, sighing as he placed another piece of meat in the oil. "I miss them too."

"What?"

Having Ram's attention, he put another piece of wood in the fire. "I didn't come here planned, really. In fact, I doubt they even know where I am."

Or if he's alive, went unsaid. But the point was still there.

"I didn't exactly have the best of relationships with them before I left, but…" He looked at the finished pork, and back at the rice, a complicated expression crossing his face. He took another pan out, and cracking an egg, he started mixing and cooking.

"...I miss them too. Their faces, the house, and…them, really. I miss them."

Ram studied Subaru for a few seconds, as if she was watching the face of a creature who had just spoken words that made sense, before, for a split second, her eyes softened in understanding.

"...we were hunters."

"Eh?" Subaru looked up, blinking in surprise. Ram nodded, crossing her arms.

"Strength was our pride and our virtue. We would hunt…and with our kill, we would eat. Only during times that were cold, or when the prey was rare, did Ram remember ever planting." She opened one eye, regarding Subaru.

"Even then, Ram does not remember a cooking method as you have shown us. Being roasted over a fire with spices was more than enough."

…Subaru didn't exactly know what to say. Ram opening up was as impossible as Puck being hairless, but here he was. He stammered, before playing it off with a laugh.

"Well! This is gonna be your first time eating a katsudon! By yours truly!" He pointed at himself with a thumb and a confident grin. "You'll like this dish for sure!"

This time, instead of rolling her eyes, Ram arched her brow…

…and if one looked close enough, barely, just BARELY…they would see the hint of a smile.

"Do not make promises you can't keep, Barasu."

"...it's kind of dry."

Naoki pouted. "Well, it's not my fault that someone forgot to buy soy sauce from the store today! And I didn't want to use the rest of the fish sauce for tonight's dinner!"

She huffed, and looked around the pantry…and gave a victorious laugh. "Aha! This will go well with the pork!"

Taking out a familiar jar, she immediately took another, with red, one with salt, pepper…and lemon. "Some mayo…some ketchup…add salt, pepper, and lime!"

"Subaru-kun? What are you making?"

Subaru grinned and stood back, his hands on his hips.

Just like before, no soy sauce. Some mayo, some tomato, lemon, pepper, and salt. He looked back at the curious Rem and looked back.

"Fried pork cutlet would be dry without a sauce, so I made one out of the mayo!"

Which is a good thing. After the last time Rem had mayo in her hands, there was too much of it to go around. Using it in actual cooking was a good thing to do.

"Now…bowl of rice…"

He took a bowl, and placed some rice inside, pressing it down, before adding the pork cutlet, egg on top, and the mayo sauce mixture.

"And…done!"

He grinned widely and stepped back, looking at the piece of home he just created in another world.

"..." Ram had no words to say at the sight, much less the smell, of the new dish. Well, she did, but they were positive, and complimenting Subaru was like trying to take a bitter medicine. Instead, she nodded.

"...at the very least, it looks edible enough." She immediately regretted saying that, as he took a spoonful, and slowly held it out to Ram.

"In that case Ram, you have the first bite!"

"I am not a child, Barasu." She narrowed her eyes, and turned away, but relented at the pleading eyes of her sister...who was sneaking a bite of the bowl.

She watched as Rem's eyes lit up and she put a hand to her cheek, humming in satisfaction, as if taken away to a happier world. Ram faltered…

...and she sighed, taking the spoon from him. "Ram is more than capable of feeding herself," She muttered, taking a bite…

…

"..." Ram stared at the bite she just took, chewing softly. An indiscernible emotion welled within her as she looked back at the bowl, as if a hot, bubbly pressure had built up in her chest.

It really was a reward. Rich and full of flavor, enough to eat your fill and more. As if it was a prize for everything you had been through. And somehow, it was more than she expected.

'I miss them too.'

"...Ram?" The boy's smile faded, before he took another spoon, trying a bite…

"I'd like to propose a toast."

Both mother and son looked strangely at the man, who had taken his glass of water, and tapped it with a spoon.

"Today, my son! Has been given victory and ran faster than he's ever had before!"

"I still lost, old man." Subaru mumbled, taking a spoonful, and feeling his grumpiness wash away with the taste of pork.

"Ah ah ah! It's not just the race, you know!" He tapped his son's head, a wide grin on his face. "This victory is yours alone, for your efforts!"

"So…a consolation prize."

"Oh come on, you know I don't do that!" Kenichi huffed, shaking his head. "Okay, look, look, how about, this is a toast for the FUTURE, huh?" He brushed off that little counter with a smile, and raised the glass of water.

"A future for our son! He's going to grow up to be a man anyone can look up to!" He rose his glass, looking at Subaru in pride, who couldn't help but feel his own.

"...isn't toasting with a glass of water bad luck?" Naoki tilted her head, to which Kenichi groaned dramatically, pushing his glass towards them.

"Oh, just clink glasses!"

A bout of laughter was shared with the table, before one by one, they rose their glasses, and clinked.

"Cheers!"

"...this is perhaps one of the better dishes you've ever made, Subaru."

"Huh?" Subaru looked back at Ram, and smiled softly, looking at his bowl fondly. "Ahaha…yeah, I- wait-"

…his eyes widened slowly, and he turned to Ram. "Did you just call me-"

"I have no idea what you're talking about Barasu." She interrupted him quickly, snatching the bowl away from him and starting to eat another bite.

"Onee-sama!" Rem cried indignantly, taking Subaru's spoon from his hands, before digging in next to her sister. "Savf som fer me too!" She caught herself eating already before she could finish speaking, but at the very least, she got another bite of the tonkatsu.

"...p-pfft…" The sight of the maids stealing the bowl for themselves was a sight to behold for Subaru, and allowing himself to indulge the sight, he laughed at the sight. "Bahahahahaha!"

No amount of the following insults could wipe the fluster from Ram's cheeks. Victory truly tasted sweet.

You know what's weird? I called this fic 'campfire cooking', but it's not even a campfire. It's a stove. I just wanted to make an anime reference.

I will not be apologizing. Anime is love, and Sui is life.

Anyway, a little second course for you~

…the dragon candidate woke up to a delicious smell, and she didn't understand why.

Mainly because it was delicious. She swore, her dream consisted of a feast befit for a queen, before she was woken up by the slight clunking. Wiping the drowsiness out of her eyes, Emilia gave a soft yawn, and felt around her bed, before sitting up.

…yep. She definitely heard something. It sounded like…cooking oil. Someone was cooking.

This late at night? Well…it smelled good enough. Maybe a bite wouldn't hurt.

Arising from her bed, she opened the door softly, and snuck past the hallways, following the scent. It was the smell of meat, a delectable smell. Meat was something not often eaten, because of how pricey it could be. It was a delicacy after all…and by the smell of it, it was definitely akin to that.

But the closer she went, the more she heard the noises. She could make out Subaru's voice, as well as Rem's. And…Ram?

She peeked behind a corner, and looked at the sight. A bowl of white grains, fried pork, and…a sort of mayonnaise sauce on top with an egg. It looked delicious and smelled even more so, but not wanting to expose herself, she refrained from going any further.

It was curious. She had never seen a dish like that before, and not much had made her mouth water like this. But more interesting to her were the faces on their faces.

They looked happy. Genuinely happy. Subaru smiling in that way was strange to her, especially seeing how stressed he was for the past few weeks, but…Ram was smiling the same way. A lot less visibly, but she could tell by the relaxed posture too.

They were bonding.

…in her mind, she wondered what sort of meal would allow the two to get past differences. And deeper still, she wondered what kind of meal it would take for her to be with them too.

…

Subaru better cook something delicious for her too.

By far, this is the longest chapter I've ever written. I don't know how either, I just really liked this trope for some reason.

Anyway, I need to stop writing this too much. Going back to the Metia soon, and I'll finish that chapter. Hopefully by then, I'll keep getting ideas.

Enjoy the meal ;p