The Angel Chef
Haze led the way, striding down the corridor with her usual cool efficiency. Yui followed close behind, and the remaining three plus one furry companion trailed after them in a loose line.
Their destination was the supply warehouse.
“This is what we consider our most valuable asset—Honey Pot Number One, the supply warehouse,” Haze said, stopping in front of a massive bulkhead. She pressed the open button, and with a sharp hiss of escaping air, the thick door slid aside.
“Holy shit…” The curse slipped from Jin’s mouth before he could stop it.
Hana and Cecil simply stood there with their mouths hanging open, staring in stunned silence. Ever since getting tangled up with these problem-solver weirdos, it had been one shocking revelation after another.
“Woof woof!! Hec hec hec!” Only the adorable little furball seemed thrilled, immediately bounding into the warehouse with pure excitement.
“Hey! Kiddo!! Stop right thereeee!” Yui flailed desperately, trying to wrangle the excited dog. Jin stepped in and calmly settled the little beast instead. Guess the old man used to raise dogs? His handling technique was seriously impressive.
Anyway, the inside of the warehouse was a space from an entirely different dimension compared to this brutal apocalyptic world. A moisture-capturing purification system. And an ultra-low-temperature molecular freezing storage unit packed with pre-apocalypse high-tech. Hana and Cecil were floored. This was easily on par with the private warehouses of high-ranking senator families back in Olympus.
“Th-this is all… You really picked up something incredible,” Hana said, her hands trembling as she looked around the warehouse.
Every kind of genuine, high-quality meat was packed in tight, sorted by type. The marbling and texture were top-tier—no need to even mention it. Fresh vegetables that looked like they’d been pulled from the field that morning, now perfectly preserved through molecular freezing. Even entire shelves of pre-apocalypse whiskey, various wines, and bottles of spices lined the racks.
“Well… yeah, I guess? Anyway, we’ve just been pulling stuff out from here and eating whatever. The only things I know how to make are basically grilling or boiling in water. That’s about it,” Yui said, tossing the words out like it was no big deal.
The moment Cecil heard that, her expression shifted in a subtle but unmistakable way. These absurdly high-end ingredients piled up like mountains, and these people had just been grilling them plain or boiling them in water with zero proper seasoning?
Cecil’s gaze turned toward the embarrassed little brat and her ice-cold older sister. These two were clearly battle-hardened veterans of combat and survival, but absolute disasters in the kitchen.
She strode forward without hesitation and pulled both of them into a warm, enveloping hug.
“Wh-what?! Hey, what the hell are you doing?!” Yui yelped, flailing in surprise. Haze stiffened up like a board, clearly flustered.
But Cecil simply offered that signature, soul-melting gentle smile of hers and softly patted their backs.
“You’ve all been through so much. Having ingredients this good and not being able to enjoy them properly… it must have been so hard.”
Her voice was endlessly tender, like a mother comforting a child who’d come home scraped and bruised from playing outside.
“L-let go! This is gross, why are you doing this?!” Yui shouted, her ears burning bright red. But the strange warmth and soft floral scent coming from Cecil’s embrace made it impossible to shove her away. She could only squirm awkwardly.
God damn it. Her too? Why the hell does everyone have such huge tits?!
The little brat seemed to be feeling a pang of jealousy from the way Cecil’s generous chest pressed against her shoulder.
“This is… rather sudden, Cecil,” Haze muttered, equally flustered and stiff.
“Everyone from the Solution Group, from now on I’ll cook you lots of truly delicious food,” Cecil said, releasing them with a bright smile.
“Hana, and… Sir Jin, was it?”
“That’s right.”
“If it’s not too much trouble, could you help me move some of the ingredients to the cafeteria? I’ll prepare a proper feast for everyone tonight.”
A feast… A real feast!!! Was she serious?
Yui and Haze’s eyes sparkled as they immediately jumped in to help, carefully selecting ingredients under Cecil’s direction and carrying them to the cafeteria.
Once inside the kitchen, Cecil tied on an apron and began heating a pan. The moment she stepped behind the stove, her entire demeanor transformed into that of a professional chef.
“What the… She suddenly looks like a total pro,” Yui muttered, unconsciously swallowing hard.
“I agree with that assessment,” the ice queen added. Even she couldn’t find anything to nitpick.
Cecil took a thick, freshly thawed tenderloin steak and seasoned it with olive oil, salt, and black pepper. The moment the meat hit the screaming-hot pan, the Maillard reaction created a deep brown crust that assaulted both sight and sound with its mouthwatering sizzle.
Gulp.
The sound of Jin swallowing was comically loud. Richard sat obediently on the floor, his tail spinning like a helicopter propeller.
Cecil dropped a generous pat of butter, crushed garlic, and a sprig of rosemary into the corner of the pan. The butter melted instantly into liquid gold, soaking up the aroma of garlic and herbs with a fierce hiss.
She grabbed a spoon and began basting the steak relentlessly with the hot, fragrant butter. It was the first time these kitchen-illiterate fools had ever witnessed such masterful basting technique.
After setting the steak aside to rest, she poured red wine into the pan still coated with meat juices and butter. The alcohol burned off with a dramatic sizzle, filling the entire cafeteria with a sweet, deep aroma of grapes. She added freshly ground black pepper and a touch of cream, then reduced it slowly into a thick, glossy sauce.
Ta-da! A rich, purple steak sauce so decadent you’d want to lick the plate clean—just like Richard would.
“Holy crap. What even is that? I’ve never seen anything like it, sis…”
“As expected of our lady. Perfect deglazing technique. You’ve never seen anything like this before, have you?” Hana said proudly from behind the drooling Yui.
“Degl… deglamer? What? What are you saying?”
Aaah. This poor little computer gremlin who only knew how to hack.
“Just wait a little longer. The garnish is almost ready too.”
She drizzled a few drops of truffle oil over a perfectly piped mound of mashed potatoes.
“Is an angel actually real…?” Jin muttered to himself.
Had the old man fallen in love?
But Cecil’s cooking show wasn’t over yet. While the steak rested, she immediately started the next dish. She threw a generous handful of salt into a pot of boiling water and dropped in dried linguine with a dramatic flourish.
Meanwhile, in a wide pan, she heated plenty of olive oil and began sautéing thinly sliced garlic and thick-cut pancetta. The insane aroma that erupted when pork fat met garlic bombarded the kitchen with a whole new wave of scent.
Yui and Haze, whose brains had already been half-melted by the steak’s smell, now stood glued behind Cecil, watching in awe.
“Wow… This is seriously the best, sis! You’re so cool!”
Huh? The little brat had been using casual speech earlier, but now she’d switched to polite speech?
The perfectly golden garlic and meat were joined by al dente linguine. With a splash of pasta water, a generous amount of thick fresh cream, and a mountain of grated Grana Padano, she began tossing everything with sharp flicks of her wrist. The cream sauce clung perfectly to every strand, creating a rich, silky texture. A few final drops of basil oil finished it off.
“Aaaaaaaaagh!!! What the hell is that smell?! Where are we?! It smells like heaven!”
The cafeteria door burst open as Ban came sprinting in like a madman. The guy who’d been whining and acting weak suddenly moved at ridiculous speed, bandages wrapped all over him, eyes completely wild.
“Master!! I told you not to move around like that yet! You idiottttt!!”
Eve stormed in right behind him, fuming. She was about to smack him on the back when she suddenly froze, inhaling the air inside the cafeteria.
“Huh…? Huh?? What is this smell?”
Her expression melted completely as she began sniffing around like an idiot.
“What is this? What the hell is this? You guys? Noble lady? Are you the one making all of this?”
Ban stared at Cecil cooking in the kitchen with a completely broken expression.
“Yes, Leader. Please wait just a little longer. It’s almost ready.”
That elegant, gentle smile. The way she neatly plated the pasta. Cooking. Cooking. Cooking. Real, proper cooking.
What the hell was this?! Was this heaven?
And finally, the table was fully set. Everyone took their seats. Richard sat on the floor, wagging not just his tail but his entire rear end.
“Please enjoy your meal, everyone,” Cecil said with an angelic smile.
“Thank you for the foooood!” Yui grabbed her fork first, twirled up a massive bite of linguine, and shoved it into her mouth.
Chew chew. Munch munch.
One second later.
“Huuuuhng! Siiiiis!”
Real, fat tears began pouring from Yui’s eyes. The explosive richness of the cream and the fragrant basil in her mouth were melting her brain. The little brat’s eyes had turned into full-on hearts when she looked at Cecil—exactly like Eve’s.
“Huff huff huff. You rude little brat, how dare you eat first! Me too!”
Ban sliced into the thick tenderloin steak and took a bite. The meat practically melted before he even chewed, releasing a burst of juices. The sweetness of the wine and the richness of the butter felt like they were beating every single taste bud into blissful submission.
Delicious! Ban’s eyes rolled back as he saw a vision of pre-apocalypse heaven. It felt like an entire universe of flavor was unfolding inside his brain—the kind of thing only a true Cooking King would experience.
“Holy fuck. What the hell kind of dog food have I been eating all this time?”
Ban completely forgot about the gunshot wound in his shoulder. He gripped his fork and knife with both hands like he was ready to start eating the plate itself.
Beside him, Eve took one bite and gasped, “Heeeek?! It’s so good!” Her fork never stopped moving.
“See, Pink Missile Port? Now you understand why you’re not allowed to cook, right? This is what real food tastes like.”
Yui grinned as she took the opportunity to roast Eve. Even though she couldn’t cook either.
But the one whose mind had been most thoroughly broken was our ice queen.
Haze carefully chewed a piece of steak. Her cross-shaped pupils trembled, and the cold, sharp aura she usually radiated melted away like snow in spring.
“Cecil… ma’am.”
Haze looked at her with an incredibly warm, benevolent gaze that could rival the Virgin Mary. She looked ready to give Cecil a piggyback ride around the entire bunker.
These kitchen-illiterate fools… they’d all become complete slaves to flavor.
Watching the scene, Hana couldn’t help but puff out her chest with pride.
“You see? This is the class of an Olympus noble daughter. She more than earns her keep, doesn’t she?”
Even though they could have complained, everyone nodded their heads like crazy. They were too busy burying their faces in their plates to even answer.
But there was one exception.
The big bear-like man held his fork and stared into space with a troubled expression. He’d eaten the meat, but his face looked strangely uncomfortable.
“What’s wrong, Bear? Indigestion?” Yui asked, her lips completely covered in cream sauce.
“It’s not that… I was just thinking. While I’m sitting here enjoying this insane, heavenly taste all by myself… I can’t stop thinking about our idiot subordinates outside, probably just eating canned food.”
Heh. As expected from the romantic bear. Even while eating something this good, he couldn’t stop thinking about his men suffering out there guarding the barricades. His sense of loyalty was off the charts.
At that moment, Cecil looked at him and smiled brightly.
“If the Leader gives permission, we have more than enough ingredients. I can prepare meals for the members outside as well.”
She really was an angel. A wingless angel had descended upon the bunker cafeteria.
Jin’s bear-like eyes sparkled with hope. Everyone—Hana, the three members of the Solution Group, and even Richard, who was still wagging his tail—turned their gazes toward Ban, whose mouth was smeared with sauce.
Ban downed the water in his wine glass in one go and grinned.
“Hell yeah, of course. We just pulled in over twenty thousand coins. This much food cost is totally doable.”
“Leader…!”
“And these bears held down the fort properly while we were out running around. We should at least give them a proper meal as compensation, right?”
Damn, look at the Leader’s mindset. He might grumble and act annoyed all the time, but when it counted, he was a real man’s man. Knowing exactly when to reward people properly—that was true mercenary leadership.
“For real? You really promise, Leader! Lady Cecil! Our kids will never forget this kindness for the rest of their lives!”
Jin looked so moved he seemed ready to drop to his knees and bow deeply to both Ban and Cecil.
“Dude. She’s our Solution Group’s chef now, so why are you acting like it’s such a big deal? She’ll cook for us often, right?”
“Of course!”
Yep. She really was an angel.
The moment the meal ended, the kitchen turned into a true battlefield. With her slender arms, Cecil displayed incredible skill, grilling massive amounts of meat for fifty people and boiling pasta in giant pots. The kitchen was once again filled with the insane aroma of butter, cheese, and perfectly cooked meat.
“Hey! Bear! Take this and hurry up and load it into the elevator!” Yui barked, patting her full belly.
“Got it! But… Ban. Is it really okay to feed them real pre-apocalypse meat like this instead of cultured meat…? I feel a little bad about it,” Jin said, looking slightly guilty even as he carried the food.
“What are you talking about? You guys are family too. Weren’t you our elite subcontractor group, Blackhead?”
“…Thank you. You really are a good person.”
Jin smiled faintly as he carried two massive pots toward the elevator.
“Just carry more stuff, you confession-addicted bear. Argh! My shoulder! I’m a patient who just had surgery!”
As always, whenever things got too sappy, Ban immediately started complaining.
Everyone headed up to the surface carrying Cecil’s cooking with both hands full. The elevator was filled with the scent of heaven.
A sudden ultra-luxury feast in the middle of the night. The guys who’d been sleeping after their shifts would probably come running out. It was peaceful. Even in this fucked-up world, everyone felt happy.