Man, oh man, I'm finally (mostly) done with school! I just need to finally get the next chapter of my fanfic done, and- OH WHAT THE FUCK-

…

Yeahhh…so uh…

I have absolutely NO clue how to delete spam reviews, and they won't let me report it either ;w;

And yeah, I know I haven't updated in a REALLY long time, but Eco-fair, AP tests, and last projects for Seniors are REALLY gettin' me-

Also, Crusch. I'm trying to learn how to get Crusch's character, but honestly, with how I reduce all the characters, I have no idea why I'm having so much trouble.

But! All just explanations. Only excuse I actually have is uh…yeah, I'm just a little lazy-

Anyway, here's two maids in a Shokugeki.

…the box was reading her mind.

There was no other explanation. The more Ram watched, the more the box suggested very, strikingly similar ones, even ones with the same voice! She had no idea whether to be wary of it, or be touched at its…shocking consideration.

Well, it would be rude to deny it, now wouldn't it?

The pink haired maid sighed softly as she grew more lax with the metia, humming softly as she silently watched; she had to hold this long button on the side to tell the box to quiet down, lest she be caught with the thing. Still, without noise, it was particularly more boring. At some point, the shock factor wore off, and to her, watching these moving pictures seemed…more dull than usual.

Of course, this was due to the fact that Beatrice-sama had refilled the energy of the metia, for more time with it. She had gone in today, and she saw that there was…paper creatures hidden in the shelves. She wanted to free up space, only to immediately be shut down and threatened at the expense of a flustered spirit. Still, as long as she had her time with it, she wasn't going to complain.

The emptiness of the estate was more apparent at some point, and she groaned internally. Where was Roswaal-sama? At least he'd keep her company. Hell, she'd be fine if Subaru was here too, given that he didn't see the box, and he did something stupid so she could laugh at him.

…it was then, did she realize that all this time, and she was just sitting here. Rem might be better at most things, but it was no excuse for her to laze around. Shaking herself out of her slothful actions, she stood up…

…before a picture caught her eye.

There was a suggestion on the screen. It…looked like a roasted chicken. A PRETTY roasted chicken, as if it was made by the gods to eat. It caught her interest, and she realized that perhaps this tool was giving her a way.

…she could improve her skills. In COOKING no less. She would DEFINITELY be able to impress Roswaal-sama with this!

"Alright. Come with me." She picked up the phone, and tapped the picture, sighing in relief as she saw that it gave her what she wanted.

"This is what we're making today..."

She had to hold in the drool of the perfectly roasted chicken on the screen, the lemon, flowers, and peas right under it, seemingly for show, but she knew that they may very well be edible.

She was admittedly a little disappointed when it disappeared, and a skinned, whole raw chicken took its place.

…now she had to make sure she could do it. She had learned throughout her, what, weeks? Of using Barasu's metia that wherever he came from, there were things they simply did not have.

Luckily for her,

Still, she followed along, and placed the carcass on the table, and looked at the pictures.

Surely, it couldn't be harder than a few extra steps, right?

…

…

…she didn't understand.

Was this cooking, or just an elaborate form of corpse desecration? Stuffing a lemon through the back entrance with some herbs, while tying the legs together sounded like something that went through a criminal's mind after seeing a poor defenseless victim. Still, she recognized it as something to do, as well as appreciated that the voice inside the box explained why he was doing it in the first place.

It was just some ingredients that confused her that almost prevented her from doing this.

"Brown sugar…?" She muttered to herself as she tried to think about what that entailed.

…the only sugar they had was white. What kind of sugar was-

Oh, she could substitute it? With sugar and…molasses? This strange man seemed to know everything, huh…

Now. Low heat. What was low heat? Maybe she should just make a smaller fire? She remembered last time that she tried to cook sugar, it burnt really fast…but if the way he was doing that worked, that means that maybe she DID have to cook slowly.

It would have been a lot easier if she had that strange stove he had.

And finally…

"...'soy sauce'? What is…" She furrowed her brows as she observed it. That looked like a very dark liquid…and if what the man is saying, it's also salty.

…maybe she could simply add salt? She shrugged and added a pinch of it into the mixture in the pot, and started stirring slowly. Now to hope and pray that it doesn't end in a fire.

…

…

…huh. Well what do you know?

She lifted up the spoon and used another to taste…and her eyes promptly widened.

That…was better than she initially thought. The sweetness and saltiness went well together. Still, it didn't feel salty enough, so she added more salt, slowly until it tasted right to her.

There! That was done…and she was actually kind of proud of it! She gave a puff as she stood up straight…

…and she panicked as she realized that the chicken was left in the oven longer than she had hoped. She went over, put on protection for her hands, and took the chicken out…

…and it was…perfectly fine?

Her mind drew a blank as she tried to find an explanation. How could…oh! He was saying something about…Fahrenheit, right? Since he said to put it in the oven for a long time, she assumed it wasn't much heat in the first place, so she just put a little fire inside. Maybe it was less than she needed…

Either way, it didn't look cooked yet. She looked at the man's chicken, and back again…

…and she applied the glaze onto the partially cooked skin. Apparently, it was supposed to caramelize, whatever that meant, in the oven. She hoped that it didn't mean burn, but everything's been going well so far, so why not?

Now…she needs to prepare something else. Just a simple chicken wasn't enough…

…oh! She could prepare her steamed potatoes! She definitely had enough salt, and maybe it tastes good with the rest of this 'glaze'? She could try it later.

Dinner time. She was about to be judged.

…would she be worthy?

With a slight gulp, she maintained her hardened expression, as she set the chicken on the table, sliced steamed and seasoned potatoes over a glistening roast chicken. She had to admit, she was impressed with herself. Not in many years would she believe herself to be an avid cook, and one could assume others were impressed by the way Puck and Subaru were drooling.

Let us brush over the fact that she hasn't tasted it yet.

Still, with steady hands, she cut a slice of the leg and placed it on the plate, along with some other vegetables.

'Roswaal-sama…you better enjoy this,' She pleaded mentally.

She watched with bated breath as he took the first bite…and he paused.

"...this…" His voice was but a whisper as the usual tone in his voice had wavered a bit. He stared at the meal with disbelief.

…there was no way Ram made this. He was almost convinced that Rem had done it, had it not been for the fact that Rem doesn't make chicken like this. Where did his little pink haired maid ever learn to do this?

Not that he was complaining about it.

"This is very gooooood!" He dug in, not noticing the stars that sparkled in Ram's eyes, despite her using all her strength to hold in her glee. But the smug smile on her face brightened at that. The rest took that as initiative, and one could hear the sighs of content, even a moan from Subaru as he sank back into his chair.

As the table had given her the compliments, Ram had felt a pride she hadn't felt in a long time, puffing her chest out. Her dear sister had taken another bite, and looked up.

"Nee-sama, where did you learn how to make this?"

"...oh, someone taught me, Rem."

That wasn't a total lie. She had been graced by the forbidden guidances of the light box, and it was knowledge that she was going to gatekeep for-

"Oh! Maybe I can learn?"

No. "Why not?" Damn it. She loved her sister too much to do that to her.

…but this was the one thing she did exceptionally well to the point it was noted, and she was not about to be overshadowed.

And for the next few days, Ram would learn more from the box. After watching that first moving picture about cooking, the light box started showing her more. Some were more complicated than others, and some were easier.

That didn't stop her from trying what she could. She had started learning another recipe, this time for a sticky and sweet roast pork shoulder. She had learned the glaze from the sweet chicken she made, so this was SURE to be a good one!

Of course, when she thought of that as she was cleaning a few days later, she was called for dinner. In her daze, she went to the table and helped Rem set up, before the blue haired maid set down…

…a glazed roasted chicken.

That's weird…she wasn't cooking to-

…no

"Nee-sama! I learned the recipe!"

NO.

No no no! That was HER recipe! She found it first! She's the one that cooked it!

And yet when she looked to the side, and saw Rem's gleaming smile…

…she realized just how impossible it was to be angry at her. She gave a shaky, tight smile, but hid it well.

"I-It looks…beautiful, Rem."

A hot ball of jealousy filled her chest, barely dimmed by Rem's little smile. No. She must reclaim her title in the kitchen. She would not have it.

It hurt her even more when they started complimenting Rem's dish. Of course, she was proud of her. Rem was talented in her own right, and she deserved the praise.

But Ram wanted praise too! Especially when she works hard for the food, and when it's something she might have potential in, she didn't want to just give it up that easily!

…no. She shook off the bitterness, and a determined expression made its way to her face as she ate. She would earn back her place.

"...nee-sama, why are you staring at me so intently?"

Yes…the answer was already there. She would confide in the light box again, and she would learn the next one.

…

As they ate, a certain drill-haired librarian took a little bite…and furrowed her brows.

This wasn't anything like they cooked before. Or anything she has seen in this mansion.

And by how frequent the maids had been asking for more energy, they had been using the light box.

…so it had been…teaching them this? There was no other explanation as plausible as this one.

…

…what else were they going to learn?

Rem had thought that the concept that Ram had wanted to cook with her was a heartwarming one. It was further bolstered by the fact that recently, Ram's cooking had increased in quality noticeably, and she was honestly excited.

With such good meals, she couldn't wait to see the expressions on everyone's faces! And the little noises Subaru-kun made were music to her ears!

…

…of course, Ram was thinking about something completely different. As she sharpened the knife in preparation for the pork shoulder, she looked to the side, and took a deep breath.

There it was. The moment of truth.

"Nee-sama!" Ram was snapped out of her funk as her gaze snapped to her sister, who smiled brightly, and rolled her sleeves up. "Let's make the best of meals!"

"..." Her competitive resolve wavered at Rem's earnest smile, but she shook her head. "...of course." She looked at her slab of meat, and her gaze hardened.

Best of luck.

…

Honey glaze with this weird spicy powder that the man called 'pa prika'. Big fire and put pork shoulder on pan. Give good burning on the sides, not until it's black, but until it's brown or gold. Now.

Little fire in oven. Put pork in oven- "WAIT!"

…

Rem had jumped as she almost dropped her batter, and looked at her sister, who had immediately gotten the pork out of the oven and lifted it up, to put a container underneath.

"Catch juices…make 'gravy'..."

She had a warm smile as she watched Ram take her job with utmost importance. She was so proud of her big sister.

…

There. Now, she needed carrots. She cut them into small medallions, and started cooking them in the butter. The smell had encouraged her that, yes, she was doing amazingly.

"It smells so good, Nee-Sama!"

Yes. Yes it did. It smelled of pride, work, and effort. And it was hers.

She was working like a well-oiled machine, her self imposed training running as instinct as she immediately went back to the oven.

Take out pork. Glaze. Bake again.

Cook vegetables. Place on plate. Take pork out. Set roasted meat on top. Take juices that fell from meat and cook it with wine, salt, and sugar…

…put some flour…

…place thickened gravy on top of meat…

…done.

It was sticky from the honey. The sauce that had stained her fingers tasted a complicated mix of spicy and sweet.

…and yet when she cut it, the meat gave way in such an easy fashion that she couldn't help but shudder.

This was the best work she had ever done.

"Nee-sama! Look!" Ram had turned to regard Rem…and she gaped slightly.

Whatever the man had taught her…it showed fruit too. Rem had a wide smile on her face.

"The man in the metia knows about cookies too! Do you think Subaru will like them?"

…she had been graced too. This would not be an easy match. She gulped nervously, but nodded with a smile.

"If it tastes as good as it smells, I have no doubt."

…unfortunately, that was usually the case with Rem. Still, she must not falter.

Confidence was the key.

…as the raven haired boy looked at the feast before him, he had to wonder.

What was the occasion?

Such things in HIS world could barely be found on a regular day.

Still, with such expectant looks from the maids, for different reasons, he couldn't bring himself to question it. Instead, he placed the pork into his mouth and-

…

…holy crap.

"...how did you-?" His voice was but a whisper as he immediately started wolfing down his portion. Before he knew it, it was gone.

…seconds.

Ram had read his expression and immediately got another slice. He looked up to give her thanks and-

W-Woah! What was with that?! Of course, it wasn't bad if Ram smiles, but the way she's smiling almost looks like a threat!

Ram's heart had burst into joy as she watched the table scarf down her food. HER food. The wide, slightly unnerving smile she wore SCREAMED 'I won'.

She sat down, and let the tension leave her completely. She…had done it. She could finally-

"Oh! Subaru-kun! Beatrice-sama! Try these!" She gave the cookies to everyone. Roswaal had looked up from his meal, still lost in thought, while Puck and Emilia had stopped their conversing to stare at the dessert.

"Oh? Cookies, Rem? These already smell great!"

"...what do you need my opinion for, I su- …" She had stopped mid sentence as she stared at the dessert in front of her.

And when they took a bite, all had stopped.

"..."

"..."

…Ram had looked up in alarm. Could…could it be-

Subaru had wiped his eyes as if to wipe away tears, dramatically proclaiming. "I-It has been blessed by the gods!"

Emilia had closed her eyes, and a sweet smile came to her face as she melted at the flavor. "...it tastes…" …like hugs. Yes. It was as if a blanket had been wrapped around her and someone had tucked her in.

Roswaal had hummed softly, and for once, he had no words for it. He took a deep breath, swallowed one, and took another.

"..." And Beatrice didn't even have any judgment. It seemed as if she was trying to keep to herself, but one could tell that it was a success by the fact that this was her third cookie.

…and Ram had deflated.

…it was clear that the dessert was more favored. Had she…lost?

And her thoughts were interrupted by a massive embrace. She yelped and looked at Rem in confusion…and was floored by her smile.

"Nee-sama! They loved the food! Look!"

…Ram had stared at her beaming expression, and turned to the scene.

…was it her…or was the pork much smaller than usual?

…did…did they finish it already? There were, at most, a few slices left, but…

"...they…enjoyed it all…" Rem had given a little smile, and held her tight. "That means we did well! And that means YOU did well too!"

"..."

…what was she doing?

What was she even competing for? If her rival didn't even recognize her win, but instead, the fruits of their labor…

…Ram had patted her head, as she realized that perhaps it didn't matter to be the best. Rem had blinked in confusion, but nevertheless, allowed the affection. "...thank you." Ram's voice was but a whisper, a stark contrast to her usual tone.

"Eh? For what Nee-sama?"

"..." She blinked, and coughed a bit, letting go and turning to the side with a light fluster. "...i-if you complimented me, I-I should find the heart to thank you for it, yes? I worked hard on it too…"

"Ah! Of course!"

As the master of the mansion looked at the maids in amusement, he closed his eyes and kept eating.

So the competition was done. But…

He took a bite of pork and almost melted. When you've been eating nothing but good food for a week, you have to wonder. Who won this? Was it the receiver, or the one who held the pride?

The answer was clear, as he ate his portion again.

He was looking forward to winning every day with this.

So! Good news.

It's almost the end of the year, I finished my AP exams, and I finished most of the projects I have, so I got a lot more time to do stuff with my life!

More good news, I learned how to delete the guest reviews!

Bad news, I might need to focus on some end of year projects, and there's about a thousand guest reviews I have to delete, one at a time.

But…you know. Can't stop the grind.

Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! One of the longest I've written for this fanfic too!

Anddd…here's some lore knowledge I had~

"There's no way that all of the time we spent here can stay as it was in the beginning."

Beatrice had sat back in her library, taken the rest of the cookies for herself. Of course, under normal circumstances, she would take two or three, but the taste was different. It was richer. Warmer.

Kinder.

Every bite brought back more, and she felt a lump well up in her throat.

"The choice to live here, and the choice to talk with you…were all choices I made on my own. I haven't lost anything. I still have everything I've been given."

…has she not though? After everything that happened that day…how could she say that?

"I offer my affection and gratitude to you, Beatrice-sama, over and over again."

…it was hard to breathe, much less swallow the cookie, as her vision grew blurry. She shut her eyes and took a shaky breath. Stupid memories. Stupid cookie. Stupid stupid stupid.

She can still remember her face. She can still feel her smile behind that coat.

…she could still hear her voice sometimes, if she remembered hard enough.

"Beatrice-sama…be careful not to eat too many sweets, okay?"

…she had no recollection of anything dripping on her hand as she ate, but when she looked down at her cookie, she swallowed.

"...if I could ever make that choice to see you again, I'd do it in a heartbeat, I suppose…"

She closed her eyes, chewing on the treat once again, letting the memories come back to her from its familiarity.

"...I miss you."