Chapter 176: What Building a Harem Means (3)
Even after I finished showering and came out, they were still deep in the middle of cooking, so I decided to sit quietly on the sofa and wait.
Man...
"Mm! As the saying goes, sweetness is the taste of bliss, so I've learned this time. If I dump a ton of this sugar in, it'll be delicious!"
"Wait, Pharaoh...! Ah, aah...!"
"...No helping it now that it's already in. We should adjust the seasoning by increasing the quantity. It'll make... a lot more, but... mm, I'll manage somehow."
"...Pharaoh, I'll take over from here, so please step aside for a bit."
"What...? Wait, Karura! It's not even open yet...!"
"Please step aside."
Something felt a little off.
I'd followed her confidently, thinking maybe Karmine was good at cooking, but from the various commotions coming from the kitchen, her voice didn't inspire much confidence.
"...At least Hoaran and Karura are there."
With those two around, what weird shit could possibly come out?
Right now, it sounded like Karura was somehow reining in the rampaging Karmine, and Hoaran was cleaning up the mess.
I was a bit anxious, but I figured it'd turn out okay somehow.
"Hmm, will this improve the texture...?"
"Hold on, Yustitia, why are you putting that in... Hey!"
"Don't worry, it's edible."
"You crazy bitch! Edible doesn't mean you shove it in there?! Hoaran, stop her!"
Now I was really anxious.
What the hell did Yustitia put in that even Lilith, who can't cook, was freaking out like that?
What was Yustitia trying to feed me...?
I kept fighting the urge to glance toward the kitchen.
For some reason, it felt like if I looked, and saw exactly what they were doing, it would be bad.
But even though I didn't want to look, the constant racket made it hard to resist.
No choice.
"Come out, Ammut."
"I, Ammut who judges death, respond to the call! My master!"
I hugged the suddenly poofing Ammut tight.
"Nyaaang?!"
And stroked her furiously.
"Nyaaaak! What are you doing, my master! Even if I've fallen, I am..."
Ammut was chatty at first, but as I kept petting under her chin, she quieted down.
"Nyaaang... I... judge... nyaaaaang... death... nyaaang..."
Purring and settling in.
Ammut, who was once huge enough to swallow me in one bite, and even bigger in the ancient past as a god—now she was just a plain old cat.
Back then she was a monster mash of beast parts, but now she looked like a small cat, and acted like one too.
Her fur wasn't quite as soft as Hoah's, but it was plush enough to soothe my nerves perfectly.
Anyway, petting Ammut like that calmed my anxiety about whatever monstrosity was coming out of the kitchen.
Pong.
As I kept scratching Ammut's chin, Hoah popped out on her own—ever since Ammut appeared, she'd become summonable without the doll form, and she emerged without me calling.
She glared at me with a pouty face.
"Huh? What's up?"
Then she smacked my arm as if asking why, and shoved Ammut off my lap—who'd been getting petted so obediently.
Ammut, who was weaker than even Hoah now, tumbled away rolling.
"Hey, what the hell. Why're you doing that?"
I wondered why Hoah was suddenly acting up, but she whipped around and spoke.
"Hoah...!"
Her feelings of injustice and hurt came through loud and clear.
Ah...
"Sorry."
So I apologized to Hoah, picked her up, and set her on my lap.
Then I put the even smaller Ammut on Hoah's lap.
"There, happy now?"
"...Hoah."
Still grumpy.
"Alright, sorry."
I stroked Hoah's head wildly.
This time, remembering to pet Ammut too.
"Nyaaang..."
"Hoaaah..."
They both get pissy if not treated equally.
I've gotta watch that.
Just like I have to treat my wives equally, I need to remember to do the same for shikigami and summons.
As I petted their heads and tails, the cooking finally seemed done—they came out carrying huge trays piled high with food.
"Mm..."
But... isn't that too much...?
I double-checked the dishes on the trays.
No matter how I looked, it was way too much.
First off...
The ones that looked insanely delicious, to the point I wondered how they pulled it off—those had to be Hoaran's.
The ones that were a step below but still appetizing were definitely Karura's handiwork.
The stack of sandwiches next to them was obviously Lilith's.
She must've been practicing since then—they looked way better than before.
But...
"...Hmm."
That gigantic, no-joke massive bread-thing, and that bubbling purple whatever...
What the hell made it purple?
But soon I figured out who made at least one.
Karmine picked up the huge bread, eyeing it proudly, and declared,
"This is mine, made by this lady! My hero! Eat up and enjoy!"
If Karmine made that bread...
Then that weird purple soup-thing...
"...So this is Yustitia's?"
"Yeah."
Guess that was Yustitia's creation.
I stared at her casual response, then nodded and said,
"Alright, let's eat."
Whatever, they all worked hard on it.
Even if one was absurdly huge and the other looked questionable as food, they made it for me, so I had to eat.
I hadn't expected this, but half of it was karma from my own actions.
At my words, everyone sat down, and even though it was a bit early, we started lunch.
"...First."
We were gonna eat.
But no one was touching their food—they were all staring at me intently.
Intensely.
I wondered why, but tried to just eat anyway.
"......"
But...
I reached for a spoon, and caught Hoaran and Karura's eyes sparkling.
Meanwhile, Karmine and Lilith seemed a bit miffed.
"......"
I set the spoon down, and Lilith and Karmine perked up again.
But now Hoaran and Karura looked visibly disappointed.
The reason was obvious.
Lilith's sandwiches and Karmine's massive bread weren't spoon food.
Hoaran and Karura's stew-like or simmered dishes were.
So they reacted to whether I picked up the spoon or not.
Ah...
The order matters too...?
No, they wouldn't really care that much.
But picking one first might feel like favoritism to the others.
At least Yustitia didn't seem bothered... or nah.
She slid the bubbling purple liquid—her first-ever attempt at cooking, apparently—toward me and stared expectantly.
Why did I ask them to cook together?
Now I couldn't pick anything first.
Eating one might disappoint the others, so I hesitated.
Fuck...
What to do...?
I desperately wanted to ignore it and just chow down, but I couldn't, so after agonizing...
"Ooh...!"
I grabbed the massive bread Karmine made.
Karmine wagged her tail happily, but the others looked a bit let down.
So.
"Hoah."
"Hoaaah..."
I crooked my finger, and Hoah sliced the giant bread in half with a crack.
Like a sigh.
Hoah kept moving her fingers as I directed, using telekinesis to pile everyone's dishes onto the half-bread.
Layer after layer.
Hoaran's, Karura's, Lilith's sandwiches—all stacked neatly, then topped with the other half.
"Whew."
I poured Yustitia's mystery purple soup over it.
"...I'll dig in."
I picked up the enormous big-ass sandwich and took a huge bite.
Sweetness exploded from the bread—so sugary it was baffling—overwhelming every other flavor in my mouth.
What the hell was this?
It was... insanely complex.
Surprisingly palatable, though.
The sandwich looked weird, but the purple soup drenched on top was decent.
But all mixed... no clue what was what.
Flavors detonating everywhere.
Why were they all so strong-willed...?
Still.
I chewed it all up and shoved it in.
Swallowed.
Gulp, down the hatch.
"...What're you all doing? Eat."
They'd been staring blankly, but snapped to at my words.
Their eyes still on me and my sandwich, though.
Lilith with a super complicated look, Hoaran and Karura worried if I was okay, Karmine thrilled just that I was eating hers, tail wagging, and Yustitia staring blankly, no idea if she was happy or not.
No one ate until I finished, so I took another bite.
"I-is it tasty? Hanjo?"
Hoaran asked cautiously.
I swallowed the mouthful and replied,
"It's edible."
But not something I'd want seconds of.
For cooking...
Maybe take turns...?
Thinking that, I chewed the rest.