As silly as it sounds, an oven toaster brought them together.

Ever since Mag had opened his restaurant, he had truly been made to comprehend what it meant for people working in the same occupation to be enemies. 
As such, he wasn't fazed by the antagonistic eyes cast toward him at all. It didn't take a genius to know how much rage and resentment would be boiling in the hearts of these chefs.
None of that mattered to him anyway. He was a man who could see the bigger picture, and he certainly wasn't going to pay any heed to these ignorant chefs.
The butler who had led Mag to the kitchen smiled, and said, "Mr. Mag, here are all of the things that you asked for, as well as all of the ingredients that you requested. If you need anything else, feel free to tell me." 
Mag carefully examined the items on the cooking bench to verify that everything he had requested was ready, and he nodded as he said, "That should be all for now. Thanks for your hard work."
There was no such thing as a gas stove in this world, but Beate had displayed his intelligence to the world by devising a magic stove that derived its heat from a magic formation. The stove was able to provide consistent flame temperature, and the heat was easily adjustable.
All of the chefs in the second prince's manor were naturally using this type of magic stove, while Mag had bought one off the streets, and had taken a long while to grow accustomed to using it.
Prior to coming here, Mag had asked the system to convert the oven into a magic oven as opposed to having to rely on electricity. There was clearly no reliable source of electricity here in Rodu, so that would've been a major problem.
Mag asked Amy to take a seat on a little stool nearby while she ate her biscuits. He then pulled out an apron and chef's hat from one of the bags on the cooking bench before putting them on. 
"Is that the chef that His Highness sourced from Chaos City? He's so young; is he even able to cook anything good?"
"The chefs of Chaos City can't compare to the chefs in Rodu. If you ask me, any of the chefs in this kitchen is a far better chef than him."
"He's not that old, but he sure is a cocky little brat. Look at all the stuff he asked the servants to prepare; is he looking down on the kitchenware in our manor?"
The chefs weren't saying anything, yet the sous-chefs and student chefs were all discussing spiritedly among themselves.
Mag merely smiled upon hearing these barbed words. These were the most elementary playground insults, and they certainly weren't going to hurt him. Instead, he was struck by the urge to laugh.
Most of the chefs in the kitchen were already middle-aged men, so they weren't as eager to air their views as the young sous-chefs and student chefs were, but many of them were looking at Mag with disdain in their eyes. The most renowned chef in Chaos City, Head Chef Beate of Ducas Restaurant, had studied cooking in Rodu.
Of course, they would be able to tell whether Mag was the real deal once he began cooking. They were all esteemed chefs, and had to maintain their poise and dignity. Otherwise, if they were to also deliver verbal insults toward Mag, they would be stooping to the level of the student chefs.
However, they were going to air their opinions once Mag's dishes were ready, and they were going to thoroughly enjoy stomping him into the ground during that process.
Mag pulled out his condiments one by one and placed them in the positions that he was accustomed to. He then reached into the water tank beside him, and pulled out a kirin carp that was still swimming about energetically.
He knocked the fish unconscious with the hilt of his blade, and proceeded to remove its scales with a long and thin knife. He then sliced several gashes into the fish's body, pulling out some small fishbones in the process. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, a small pile of tiny fishbones had accumulated on the cooking bench.
A portly chef turned to his student with a derisive sneer, and said, "Heh, do you all see that? That's the worst way to prepare a kirin carp. The scales of the kirin carp are the most delicious parts of its body, and it's what makes the kirin carp so beautiful. Not only has he removed all of the fish's scales, he's also sliced so many unsightly gashes into the fish's body. The entire fish is going to fall apart during the cooking process, and the end result will not only be hideous, but also very unpleasant to eat."
As he was the chef that was the most proficient at cooking fish in this entire kitchen, Matthew's evaluation was naturally regarded to be correct, and all of the student chefs immediately began to suck up to him.
"So you're saying the rank fish scales are the most delicious part of a fish; no wonder you can't cook a good fish." Mag placed the cleaned fish into the marinating condiments before pursing his lips as he scoffed, "The most rank part of a kirin carp's body is its scales. Furthermore, they seal off the flesh of the fish, preventing other flavors from seeping in while trapping the rank odor, making the fish completely bland and tasteless aside from an overwhelming rank flavor. As for the cuts I'm making in the fish, this is to let in more flavor as well as to remove the fishbones. There's no point in telling you this, though; it's a technical skill that not everyone can master."
Mag's voice wasn't very loud, but the entire kitchen immediately fell silent. Contemplative expressions appeared on the faces of the chefs, while the student chefs were trying to gauge the chefs' reactions before saying anything, in fear of saying something wrong if they were to speak too soon.
Matthew's face immediately became flushed with rage and humiliation. He didn't think that Mag would dare to rebut him in front of so many people. He pointed a trembling finger at Mag, and retorted, "T-that's nonsense! I've cooked fish for over three decades! When I first started cooking fish, you were still in your diapers! Do you think I have less experience than a brat like you?"
"Perseverance and dedication are indeed qualities worthy of respect. Stubbornly following the wrong path for over 30 years is also very much commendable." Mag nodded with a smile.
"You… You…" Matthew was trembling with rage, but he couldn't find a counter to Mag's insult. In the end, he swept his hand through the air with clenched teeth, and spat, "You've got a very sharp tongue; let's see if you can back up that big mouth of yours!"
Mag wasn't someone who would allow others to push him around. The fat chef looked as if he wanted to kill Mag, but he couldn't do anything, and Mag was feeling very content upon seeing this.
He felt as if his sharp tongue from his past life was awakening from its dormancy again.
During the fish marination process, Mag prepared the ingredients for both the steak and the braised chicken. When he opened that bottle of wine, Mag could clearly sense that the eyes of everyone in the kitchen had lit up.
The fish was being grilled in the oven, the chicken was being braised in a pot, and the steak was being seared in a pan. Mag was cooking three dishes at the same time.
The aromas of beef and red wine wafted throughout the kitchen along with the scent of the braised chicken that was escaping from the pot. Only the aroma of the fish had been completely sealed off by the oven.
However, everyone had already fallen silent.
Nothing could make people eat their words more effectively than actions. All of the people in this kitchen were either chefs or aspiring to become chefs. They had all been cooking for a long time, yet they had never encountered a dish that was making it difficult for them to repress their drool, making them want to inhale its aroma with all their might.
However, Mag had managed to achieve this.
"It smells so good! I've never smelled such a fragrant dish. Both the chicken and the beef smell simply extraordinary," a student chef couldn't help but praise, and everyone nodded in agreement with this sentiment. Many of them were unconsciously getting up on the tips of their toes, trying to catch a glimpse of what Mag was putting into his pot and pan to create such an alluring aroma.
"Hmph, even if he can cook a good beef dish and chicken dish, his fish may not be on par," Matthew harrumphed coldly, but his fists were already clenched with anxiety.
"Ding!"
A crisp notification sound rang out from the oven, and Mag plated the steak before opening the door of the oven.


In Chaos City on the Norland Continent, there is a strange restaurant.

Here, elves and dwarves share tables. Beastmen are prohibited from making a din, and giant dragons can only seat around the tiny square in front of the restaurant. Even demons have to bring their own stools…

But it is such a strange restaurant that has long lines outside every day.

Elves are stuffing kebabs, paying no mind to their manners; giant dragons are sitting around a hot pot, strainers in their hands; demons are eating nice-looking dango…

"There's no other place on this continent where you can find food like that! The boss here is a genius!" a customer provides such a review. Then, he gives a furtive look at the door. "Also, don't you think of kidnapping the boss away or dine-and-dashing, or you will suffer a tragic death."

"Eat, pay, or you will be beaten to death." says a cute little girl in her childish voice as she trots forward. A five-meter tall dragon shivers when it meets her eyes.


Didi's foul humor lasts all the way home. Pip's quiet doesn't hold out, though, and that's part of the problem. Before they're even in sight of the collection of bits and scraps that Didi's Dad declared their house, the crow opens his beak.
"You really need to tell Tarvis about the way Jackus spoke to you." Didi snorts, knowing doing so will reap no benefit. "Look, the main house light is on. You're in trouble, young lady." She grinds her teeth together, not bothering to remind him he's the reason she's out so late. Besides, Dad knows better than to give her grief. She's the only one who takes care of him. A bit of scowling and crossed arms and he'll be backing off any kind of harangue he might try to deliver.
The crow, on the other hand... simply doesn't know when to shut his trap. Didi's forehead aches from frowning as she stomps the last quarter mile for home, strongly considering letting Pip stay broken the next time he decides to fly off with those reprobate cousins of his.
"You just be careful the next time you're near Jackus's territory," Pip says, just as sure as if that's something she hadn't considered with her own brain, the silly creature. "And that means giving up on any idea you might have to go back to those gunslingers."
She's smart enough to admit she's irritated more by his understanding of her motives than the words he's actually saying. No matter. Maybe she could deactivate his voice box, just for a little while.
His chest feathers puff up, for the life of her as though he's some pontificating wise man, cyborg eye brightening as he glares at her. "Don't think I can't hear your mind whirling, Didi."
She pushes through the front door, enough oil on the old entry to someone's long-lost spacer swinging easily inward at her touch. Its original design called for a slider, but she likes the action of that push the best, the satisfying way its perfectly balanced weight moves with ease under her fingertips. Took her weeks to get the pulley system holding it in place just right, fiddling and finagling until the barest brush of her touch would move it. The latch catches as she swings it shut, locking with a faint click behind her while Pip sighs on her shoulder. The security grid she's wired up hums to life, sealing them off from the outside world.
"What am I going to do with you?"
She's already moving through the front entry to their home, lined with salvaged parts she has, as yet, to find a use for. Dad doesn't complain about the junk inside-he's as bad as she is when it comes to sorting through what's there for his own use. She keeps it tidy, at least, the metal parts piled high to the ceiling of the back half of a cargo bay welded with plasfoam to the front twenty feet of a scrapped housing module. She likes the impressive way the ceiling of the bay curves upward over the front of the main house, like some kind of grand foyer she's seen in vids. A thin veil of plas hums as she passes through it, popping out her mouth guard and nose filters on the other side. The house itself has its own protections from the stink and chemicals of the planet, enough her exposure to outside every morning gives her a start at the stench.
The kitchen is empty, stove dark and cold. She lucked out on the heating node from a plasma generator, more than enough power to run the rusting old cook unit. She pulls open the front doors, both handles sliding in her grip, and frowns at the interior. Won't take long to reheat a slab of the slush mole she caught and skinned two days ago. As long as Dad hadn't finished it off for lunch.
She can hear him puttering in his lab on the other side of the wall, the thin metal not much of a sound insulator. At least he hasn't noticed she was gone, after all. While Didi is certain she can win out on any argument with Dad, she'd rather not have to. He's so much more pliable when he's happy.
The cooler lid creaks when she opens it, stacks of mole steak piled on one side wrapped in protective plas, steam rising to the surface as hot air meets cold. Two steaks should do it and, though the memory of slaughtering the creature is still close to the surface-she hates killing anything, food needs or not-her mouth is already watering at the thought of grilled mole steak.
Pip hops down on the counter, a slab of petrified wood someone dumped near the edge of the sludge creek, the perfect size and shape for the new center island she built to give her a place to prep food. Dad used to handle all this, but Didi finds it easier to take care of dinner. Especially if she actually wants to eat and not starve while his focus on work keeps him distracted.
"Didi!" Dad's voice drifts through the wall, tinny from the vibration of the metal between them. "That you?"
"Home, Dad," she calls back, the generator kicking in with a grunt of disagreement. She kicks it in irritation even as it jerks itself to life, the interior of the oven instantly hot. Flesh sizzles when her fingers slip, the tips touching the rack as she slides the pan with steaks inside. Didi hisses softly, sucking at the singed spots, slamming the oven door.
"Dinner?" He sounds plaintive, boyish.
"Coming." Didi sighs, eyes Pip who clacks his beak at her. "We have time," she says, scooping up the feathered cyborg and carrying him toward the other door in the kitchen. The narrow hall on the far side feels oppressive to her at times, mostly because she hasn't made replacing the glowtubes in the ceiling a priority. Every time one goes out, she adds scavenging more to her list, but somehow it always ends up on the bottom. Her boots hum against the fake wood floor, made to replicate natural veining but always looking flat and dull to her. The wall panels are the same color, adding to the closing in feeling she gets. She pushes through the swinging door first on the right and into her own workshop.
She found this particular bubble of awesome herself, about a year ago, and convinced Tortley from three territories over to trade her a transport of the unit for a fix of his favorite skimmer. Dad hated it when she showed off her skills to the other squatters, but the trade was worth it, in her estimation. It had to have been some kind of expensive sunroom or greenhouse in the past, a piece of a rich family's place. She adored the pale green plasglass, unbreakable but breathable, containing its own filter system. Tubes of fleximinum formed the curved shell's frame, carrying the power and water supply like its own ecosystem. The air inside is so fresh she takes a huge breath, loving how it makes her feel alive, even after the day she's had. She's acutely aware of how badly she smells as she does, grimacing while she crosses to the large, metal table in the center of the room and clamps the protesting Pip into the large vice protruding from her work surface.
A quick glance at the pot of green on the far side of the room and she makes a decision to add some peas and lettuce to dinner. She has some spices she traded with Putter a few weeks ago for a handful of her peppers. More mouthwatering as she harvests her precious greens.
"If you don't mind," Pip's chill tone makes her laugh as she turns, the succulent morsels of freshness tucked into a small pouch she carries back to him. He's on his side, awkwardly posed, unable to move as the magnetized clamp holds his metal body in place. "Honestly, Didi."
"A bit of patience, bird." She strokes his feathers a moment. He mutters before closing his eyes, a soft purr emerging. "Your right leg is still a disaster."
He holds still as she retrieves some tools, finally able to straighten him out. It will take his organics time to cover the wound, but at least she's managed to shut down his nerve centers so he doesn't feel pain.
Her task done, she releases him from the vice. Pip stands, shakes, examines his leg.
"You're welcome." She tosses her black hair at him before scooping up her greens and heading for the kitchen. Pip wings after her, muttering to himself.
Dad is bent over in half, staring into the open oven when she enters. He glances up, smiles at her past his round-rimmed glasses. "Smells great."
She rolls her eyes, slamming the door on him. "House is hot enough."
Dad grins, shrugs his narrow shoulders, pushing one long fingered hand through his brown hair. He's so nondescript, so ordinary. But he's hers. Didi tosses the bag of greens on the counter, has to slap his fingers from stealing a pea pod. Pip snags one, flies off with it, hooting laughter while Didi shakes her head at the both of them.
"Good day?" Dad helps her retrieve plates, cutlery. She's proud of the set he scrounged for her, all matching even though most are chipped and the metal is faintly rusting. Proper table settings, even old and tired ones, make her happy for some reason.
"Good enough." Her luck he doesn't know the time, isn't aware after all she's been out so long. She licks juice from the greens from her fingers as she shreds them and piles them on the sides of the plates, sticking her tongue out at the crow who hops in agitation from leg to leg. Dad's already fetching the steaks, a steaming, dripping slab appearing at the end of his fork. She taps the release on the stool tucked under the table and settles in, not even bothering to criticize when Dad begins shoveling food into his mouth.
She's doing the same thing.
Pip flutters over and, though she swore she'd not share after the day he put her through, she divides up her portion and offers him bites between her own.
Dad straightens from hunching over his plate, gaze settling on Pip's damaged leg. "What happened?"
Didi's no tattle, though Dad is aware the silly corbie tends to take off from time to time. Pip, on the other hand, can't keep his fool beak shut.
"Your daughter," the ratting bird says before she can stop him, "has been out beyond territory again, Tarvis."
Dad winces, turns to Didi who glares at Pip. Yes, removing his voice box for a little while is an excellent idea.
"You know how I feel about that, Deeds." Dad's quiet, not angry. He's rarely angry. More scared and she knows why. It's dangerous out there.
"And you know if I didn't we wouldn't have half the things we do." She meets Dad's eyes with her own level gaze. "That spool of silverwire you needed for your invention. Think that came out of thin air?" Well, it did, she remembers. When it fell off the back of the dumpall.
Dad hesitates. "Is that where you were all day?"
She's not about to turn in the damned bird, though she should. "How's your steak?"
Pip tuts around a crunchy bit of peapod he's stolen from her plate. "Tell him about the trash rats, Didi. And your run-in with Jackus." Dad chokes on his sip of water, eyes huge behind his glasses while Didi's chest tightens, fists clenched around her cutlery. Maybe she'll just disassemble the farging bird. Make an entirely new-faithful-creature from the old. Or, maybe she'll dump his feathered behind in the sludge creek. "Oh, and the gunslingers."
Her turn to choke. "Pip!" She can't help it. How dare he share that with Dad? It's their secret.
Dad's anxiety rises visibly on his face. "You found gunslingers?"
Didi is forced to nod, though she keeps her voice steady and calm, a miracle in her estimation. "A whole cargo hold of them, Dad. Someone dumped them here."
Dad nods, head down, food forgotten, it seems, as he goes still. "How horrible."
Didi agrees, though he seems to be taking it personally. "Why horrible? They aren't active or anything." Not that she could tell, anyway.
Dad sits back, pushing his glasses up on his nose, arms crossing over his chest. His long-sleeved shirt rides up his narrow forearms, the rolls of the cuff hanging softly aside, exposing faint scars on his pale skin. She's often wondered what happened to him, where the scars came from. But Dad won't talk about it and it's easier not to ask. "Horrible," he says, "because they were people once, Didi." He looks off in the distance. "Like you and me. Hurt, beyond repair under normal circumstances, placed in metal bodies and turned into soldiers." Dad shudders, running his hands over his arms. Didi's heart constricts but she doesn't know why. "Just seems a tragedy for them to end up in a place like this." Their home. Dad often speaks of Trash Heaven like it's more hell than heaven. But despite its faults, it's all Didi knows. Protectiveness rises inside her, the need to defend her planet. Except he's right.
It's just a pile of trash.
"I never thought gunslingers would end up here." Dad pushes his plate away. Pip hops closer, helps himself, the greedy guts. Didi doesn't try to stop him. Waste not, want not. "But, I guess even their usefulness comes to an end eventually."
"They were decommed over fifty years ago." Pip pauses in his gulping. "What's the big deal?"
"They were meant to be disposed of like real people," Dad says, almost whispers. "Not tossed like garbage." He stands before Didi can ask him how he knows. Dad knows a lot of things he won't talk about. "I need to get back to work." He leaves her there, head down, hands in his pockets. Only stops and pauses when he reaches his lab's door. When he turns back, his smile is kind and, like always when he takes the time to truly see her, Didi's heart warms up so much she hugs herself from the joy of it. "Thanks for dinner."

***



I’m an international, multiple award-winning author with a passion for the voices in my head. As a singer, songwriter, independent filmmaker and improv teacher and performer, my life has always been about creating and sharing what I create with others. Now that my dream to write for a living is a reality, with over a hundred titles in happy publication and no end in sight, I live in beautiful Prince Edward Island, Canada, with my giant cats, pug overlord and overlady and my Gypsy Vanner gelding, Fynn.

Trash Heaven has been Didi Duke’s home for as long as she can remember. The dumping ground of the galaxy provides her with everything she’s ever needed or wanted. Except, maybe, the attention of her inventor father, always busy with his next creation. Good thing he’s passed on his talents to his sixteen-year-old daughter. With the company of her best friend—the cyborg crow, Pip—Didi is happy to scour her territory for treasures discarded as trash. But, when an evil Underlord kidnaps her father, Didi can no longer hide herself away in the garbage. Her plan to resurrect a retired cyborg gunslinger and rescue her dad leads her into danger and the heart of the rotting planet—Trash City. She’ll figure out the rest of her plan—eventually.

When we finished mixing all the ingredients together, we found a big ball of cookie dough staring back at us inside the huge bowl. 

I grabbed a small clunk of cookie dough as I popped it inside my mouth.

Luke, Shelly and Ellen looked at me in horror as they read in the instruction book that the cookies must be cooked before they were to be eaten.

"What?" I complained as Luke snatched the bowl away from me.

Eating some of the cookie dough was the best process of making cookies in general!

It was proven that nothing would happen even if you ate raw cookie dough. There were even some shops in the third district that sold cookie dough purely for consumption!

Luke glared at me as if he was warning me to not dare to steal another tiny clunk of the cookie dough.

Even Shelly and Ellen agreed with him as they quickened their pace in placing the cookie dough onto the trays.

Before I could help them with the work, Luke placed the trays into the oven.

I sulked as Luke, Shelly and Ellen did most of the work.

"Maybe next time," Shelly offered as she started to wash her hands.

"Why don't we try making another dish?" I pulled out a cutting board and a large knife.

"We can make some omelets," I grabbed some vegetables from the fridge.

One of my strengths in cooking was being able to evenly cut the slices of vegetables thinly in my past life. 

I got ready to slice the zucchini as I professionally held the knife in place before I dodged Luke that was trying to snatch away the knife from me as well.

I skillfully ran away with the cutting board, knife and the zucchini as I had anticipated Luke's attack after he gave me a small steak knife to cut strawberries last time. 

"What going on?" Evan and his friends watched me try to run away from Luke in the living room.

"Seriously Luke?" I shouted as Luke kept chasing after me.

"I know what I'm doing," I claimed as I looked for better places to run to inside the house.

"You never touched a knife before," Luke tried to justify his actions.

"Oh please, I used more dangerous objects before. I swung a dagger to break a barrier in the third district last year to get away from a serial killer," I waved the knife that was in my other hand to mimic what I did last time.

Luke didn't have to know that the person who played a prank on me was actually one of my previous students and not a serial killer.

The word just jumped up inside my head when I vividly remembered the girl trying to murder her own sister.

I did wonder what happened to the other twin girl who tried to save me in the process.

"A serial killer?" Adrian's eyes widened as he knew about the incident due to him being one of my former students.

I nodded my head as I gallantly held up my knife.

"What's going on?" My mom entered the space as she took a glance of the messy kitchen and dining room.

 "Luke won't let me handle the knife," I whined to my mom.

"I obviously know what I'm doing but he won't let me use it," I sulked as I stomped my feet with frustration.

"Maybe we should let Rika do what she wants for today and confiscate the knife when things look dangerous," My mom tried to compromise with Luke.

Luke reluctantly agreed as he didn't wish to go against my mom.

I was definitely going to try to visit my parent's house more often. I could get used to doing the things I actually wanted to do without under the careful eyes of Luke.

I smirked at Luke as I properly placed the cooking tools on the countertop where it originally belonged.

I carefully held the knife with my right hand as I carefully positioned the vegetable to make it easier to cut.

I wiped a drop of sweat on my forehead as I smiled when I looked at the bowl full of finely chopped vegetables.

I just had to crack some eggs and mix them all together before flipping them gently on the fry pan.

I knew how performance based chefs were feeling now as there was an audience in front of me that observed me cooking.

My mom, Shelly, Ellen, Luke, Evan and his friends all stared at me with their full concentration.

I was sweating from their pressuring gaze rather than the hard work that came from cooking.

I set the heat on the stove to low as I poured in the omelet batter into the pan after I had glided butter to make the omelet not stick onto the pan.

When one side of the omelet was cooked, I lifted the pan to show off my flipping skills.

However, I forgot that it was years since I have cooked. The omelet landed inside the kitchen sink as it flew across to the other side of the kitchen.

What a waste!

When I poured the leftover batter, I tried to carefully roll the omelet instead of flipping it with my spatula. 

I smiled when I put my omelet on a white plate.

"Who wants some?" I asked the audience in front of me.

I was captured and put onto a stake to be lit on fire as part of the ongoing witch hunt conducted throughout the land. I had to do something. But, this life really sucked. 

This all started when I was accidentally killed by God. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to kill you. It was just that I was overworked lately by my superior and I just wanted some time to relax and vent my stress out," he confessed.

"So, while I was snacking, I accidently dropped one potato chip into the human realm where the child tripped over the potato chip onto a den of steep stairs." God guilty admitted.

So I reincarnated into the most adorable girl with the largest orange-speckled eyes that contrasted her pale white skin void of any imperfections.

'How could someone look this pretty?' I thought as I admired my new appearance.

I was nowhere close to this pretty in my previous life. Did God put me into this new vessel as an apology?

But some things were too good to be true.
***
"We can do this the nice way or the hard way," My fiancé’s brother started off.
"The nice way is where you willingly come with us back to the first district and the hard way is where we forcibly take you back, which would be hard for all of us," Lucius gave me a warning.
Why was my life so depressing? He practically meant I didn’t have a choice! 
***
Few months later, I was at a party that I planned to escape from my fiancé’s family.
"I still get to continue with my naps on the weekends?" I tried to confirm with them.
No one answered as I almost cried from giving up my rare nap times from the mess I got involved with. This life was too bothersome!


It was evening time. 
Zhang Zian was resting on the recliner. 
Since the glass door was broken, the cold wind rushed into the store without anything stopping it. The store was as cold as it was outside. He didn't want to fall asleep in case he caught a cold in his sleep; therefore, he sometimes stood up to move around and sometimes played hide-and-seek with Galaxy.
"Grandma Tea, more tea for you?" he asked Old Time Tea. 
Old Time had turned back into the laid-back, quiet, old cat. It was sitting on the electric blanket with both front paws tucked into its chest, happily watching TV. It could have a drink of tea by only dipping its head and not moving another muscle. 
"I'm okay. I have plenty," Old Time Tea smiled.
"Okay," Zhang Zian didn't get up. He was planning to close the store in a bit. 
"Do you really understand the meaning of 'I have plenty'?" Fina stood up from the highest cat tree, staring at him.
Zhang Zian was confused. "Doesn't it mean what it reads?"
Fina was worried about Zhang Zian's intelligence. Soon, it raised its head, "'I have plenty' means I already have enough tea. It is time for dinner! I don't understand why you are so stupid!"
Really?! That was interesting. 
Just say the word if you are hungry. Why do you have to speak on behalf of Old Time Tea?!
Zhang Zian turned around to ask Old Time Tea, "Grandma Tea, are you hungry?"
Old Time Tea said peacefully, "Well, I am okay." When it said that it was okay, that meant it was hungry, because it was not demanding like Fina. 
"Okay, I will cook," Standing up, Zhang Zian saw Galaxy sitting at the gate, watching pedestrians walk by. 
"Galaxy, are you okay?" he asked. Ever since the naughty kid incident, he had become extremely alert. 
"Zian, I am fine," Galaxy turned around and said. 
Zhang Zian felt that Galaxy was not as scared of strangers as it used to be. When it first arrived, it was both curious and terrified of humans. It would always secretly observe humans behind the glass door. Whenever someone walked by, it would curl up, scared. Now, it sat in front of the broken glass door comfortably. Only when someone landed their eyes on it would it slightly curl up. Sometimes, when a customer walked in the store, it would escape and hide. There was definitely more curiosity in its heart than fear. 
Now that the glass door was broken, so was the defensive wall towards humans in Galaxy's heart.
Zhang Zian recalled Old Time Tea's words: "When something is broken, a new and better replacement has to be established." He looked at Old Time Tea. There had to be great wisdom inside its sophisticated mind. 
"Don't just stand there. I am starving!" Fina raised its front paw to pound on the cat tree angrily. 
"It is unfortunate I have a demanding pet like you…" Zhang Zian sighed and walked upstairs, "When will I find a girlfriend? One that is gentle, caring and good at cooking…"
"What are you talking about? How dare you say something behind my back?!" Fina was even angrier. It jumped down the cat tree but Zhang Zian had already left. 
"My majesty," Old Time Tea laughed, "I think he was just joking with you."
"Tut!" Fina's belly growled. "I was the distinguished pet in the old days and I never suffered from hunger. Now, I have to push him to cook for me every day."
As Fina was complaining, Galaxy noticed that across from the road, the street vendors Aunt Li and her husband came to start their dinner time business. 
Zhang Zian took out the chicken breast and fish that he had prepared ahead of time. As usual, he turned on the oven, put the meat in, set a timer and started baking. 
The oven didn't turn on, nor did the light inside even flicker. 
"What's wrong? Did I forget to plug it in?" Zhang Zian stuck his head behind the oven and confirmed the oven was plugged in. He turned on the kitchen hood to make sure the circuit didn't trip. The kitchen hood was fine. 
"Oh no. The oven is broken?"
He pounded on the oven in the hope of fixing it before he once again tried to turn on the oven. 
Still nothing.
"Sh*t!"
The oven was from his parents. It was old but it had been functioning just fine. Today, it finally gave up. 
Honestly, an oven wasn't expensive. However, should he get a new one from the store now? He was fine without food for a bit or he could even eat something else for dinner. However, Old Time Tea and Fina would be out of food. Especially troublesome was Fina; if he fed it the cat food from the store, it would not be good. When Fina was hungry, it was even more grumpy. Thinking that he had to tell it the bad news about not having food for at least another hour or two, he was terrified. 
He tried several times. It didn't work. If he could just cook the fish and meat with the stove… No, this was way too difficult for him to try. 
Walking around in the kitchen, he was out of ideas. So, he walked downstairs slowly. 
Fina was not done complaining yet. Once it saw him it started questioning, "Dinner is ready? How come it is so quick today?"
Old Time Tea was also curious. It knew that food wasn't ready because it didn't smell any aroma from the chicken or fish. 
Zhang Zian cleared his throat and said, "I have a suggestion. How about we try something new today?"
"What is it?" Fina stared at him, coldly. "I am listening. However, don't even try to trick me like you trick others."
Zhang Zian felt helpless. Fina knew all his tricks. It wasn't easy to trick it. "Fina, maybe you don't know. There is a country to the east of ours, across from the sea, named Japan." 
"Yeah, I know this," Old Time Tea said. "I am curious: what is the relation between Japan and dinner?"
Glancing at Fina's angry face, Zhang Zian said with all his courage, "In reference to Japan, people there love one way to eat fish, called sashimi. In fact, sashimi originated from ancient China, but it became popular in Japan. It started over 2000 years ago, in the same era you used to live in…"
"Well, don't talk nonsense. Tell me how to eat sashimi," Fina said as if it saw right through him. It stopped his BS.
"In fact, sashimi is another word for raw fish…" Zhang Zian hid himself behind Old Time Tea as he spoke. 
"How dare you to tell me eat raw fish?! How dare you to compare me with those uncivilized crooks?!" Fina was angry for real this time. Its hair was exploding. "I never eat raw food!"
"My Majesty, please don't be mad." Old Time Tea paused the TV and tried to help calm down Fina. "Buddy, why did you suggest eating raw fish? Honestly, I don't really like raw food."
"Well…" Zhang Zian said, "Grandma Tea, the oven broke all of a sudden. If you guys can wait, I will get a new oven from the store… But right now it is a busy time, so the store might be busy."
Tilting its head, Galaxy was staring at the street cart across the road. 
Aunt Li and her husband moved a few folding chairs off their tricycle and started their cart. They lit the portable lamp, turned on the stove, heated up the cooking surface and waited for their customers. 




1. Download a suspicious game
2. Catch a few magical pets as partners
3. Go through interesting daily routines and lead the pet shop to a whole new level

As my mother finished her explanation on the nature of majimonster battles, she decided to go over some of the finer details about the battle we just had, what she did to defeat me and on what I could improve on. Normally, I detest getting lectured by my parents about...anything, but I listened with rapt attention this time around. It's one thing to learn how to be a binder on your own, it's another thing altogether when you can learn from an experienced binder. Especially if they're your parents.

Speaking of sources of knowledge, as my mother lectured on I couldn't help but wonder if Voxea had any more in-depth information about the fog of war. She was one of the ancient maji and was likely involved in the creation of several majimonsters, it wouldn't be too far-fetched as to see if she knew why this phenomenon occur. I should ask her this later in private, away from the eyes of my parents. It's not that I didn't trust them, but I got the feeling that revealing a maji turned sentient monster to a pair of highly experienced binders,even if they're my parents, might not end well. I also needed to ask her some questions that my parents could never learn about.

Eventually as the sun began to set on this hectic and strange day, my father called out to me and my mother that dinner was almost ready and that we should get inside to warm ourselves up. I was actually more curious about how my father managed to make dinner with a bum leg than getting close to a warm fire. I never knew up until a few moments ago that battling with majimonsters was surprisingly active. I guess this meant most other binders must have amazing levels of stamina what with all the dodging and weaving.

As my mother and I entered the house, I got my answer as to how my father was able to make dinner, his monsters. I watched as my father coordinate a small team of monsters in the kitchen. I'm not sure when he summoned more of them, but it still made an interesting sight.

My father's Wombatant, Magni if I'm remembering that correctly, had put aside his giant war club and was deftly handling a knife to cut up some persevered vegetables.

Meanwhile, sitting on the stove was a pot full of stew that was being tended to by a hand made of shadows coming out of the wall. The shadowy hand stirred it a few more times before a shadowy head with no features popped out and tasted the stew. It gave an okay sign towards the fire, which I failed to notice was green up until now. 

"The shadow hand is a Shadowodah while the one acting as the flame is a Brushpyre", my mother explained to me. 

"Their names are Selena and Poros by the way", my father added.

"Wait, the fire is a monster?", I asked.

As if hearing my question, the green flame in the stove suddenly retracted and out popped a walking bush with green flames in place of leaves and a set of cute beady eyes. It shook itself to remove the ash and grime from inside the stove then stared at me.

Floating in my vision, a small amount of text labeled the fire bush as a Brushpyre named Poros and that it was a Fire/Verdant affinity monster. The Shadowodah was only labelled as Mystic.

After a few seconds, it saluted at me and waddled over to where the oven was and leaped inside. The Shadowodah, Selena I believe, stopped tending to the stew and moved like a shadow across the kitchen floor towards a counter where a ball of dough was resting. It then proceeded to form a set of hands that made small discs of dough out of the big ball of dough and smack the discs of dough onto the sides of the oven...which to me looked a lot like the dough discs were crawling on the walls and counter.

Strange might be my new normal, but that scene was going to leave nightmares.

Eight centuries ago, a mighty empire once stood over the land. This empire was lead by the maji, wielders of magic who could raise mountains, revive wastelands and freeze oceans. In their hubris, they created living weapons, the dragons: objects and beasts infused with aether, the source of all magic. These creatures were magic incarnate and practically immune to mortal means of harm,they were the maji's perfect living weapons. However, while the maji perfected the means to create dragons, they failed to properly control them. The dragon crystals, the drajules,they made to control the dragons failed them and so on one cruel day, the dragons revolted, shattering the empire and forcing humanity to hide behind walls, wards and mountains. To never forget the maji's sins, people started to call the dragons, majimonsters. For centuries, humanity has become more and more isolated, warlords and cults raged and the monsters claimed the remnants of the Empire, the Wildlands, their home. 

But now, humanity fights back. Zarasul the Renewer, proclaimed himself emperor and brought with him usable drajules, the art of monster binding and an army of binders, himself included. He is slowly reuniting the empire, not through blade and bloodshed, but with knowledge and claws. The Age of Binders have come. A time for treasure, adventure, danger and glory.
 
And so, it is during this time our story begins, with a girl and a ghost.


This webnovel is based upon the actual RPG Majimonsters, which is available on drivethrurpg. It is not my published book, but I do have permission from the creators to do this. Check out the game below.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/m/product/187632

There's also a discord channel where I float around.
https://discord.gg/Nkbm2zj (permanent)

It was six days after the food truck mission and the three-star meal ended. No missions were given after that. Since they worked hard in the truck for a week, they might have given them a break, or maybe the judges were just busy.

There were no missions, but an episode aired on TV. The 7th episode. The team mission at the time was shown. It was the one where Kaya and Jacob formed their own teams and Jacob messed up. Also…

Cho Min Joon looked behind him. Peter was looking at his phone with his butt against the cooking station. He had no other choice. It was Kaya and Peter who were mentioned the most after the broadcast. Martin was a pro. He wasn't the type to edit Peter's parts out just because he felt bad.

All the things Peter said were broadcasted. Despite the fact that he was now more mentally mature, it was too much to just ignore. He made personal attacks after all. Cho Min Joon understood Peter. He knew that he was less mature and didn't have many good human experiences, so he had a hard time controlling himself.

But the public didn't know that, and even if they did, they wouldn't have cared. All they heard was what he said on TV. Peter became a villain, and many people expressed their rage and demanded he pay the price.

Some people were suspicious. Although his words were harsh, they wondered if Kaya might have started it, but Kaya couldn't completely cover up Peter's wrongdoing. After all, he even burned the Tandoori chicken after that… So people had no choice but to feel angry. Cho Min Joon sighed as he said,

"… Don't read the comments."

But Peter couldn't hear him. There was no way he could. Kaya couldn't either, and even if he tried not to, he would eventually get back on the internet without realizing it.

Compared to him, Cho Min Joon was better off. To be more exact, his love line was more conveyed than his abilities, but after his perfect palate was revealed, things turned around. Everyone started to think that there must have been a reason for everything he did. The foreign aspect of being Asian became wings for Cho Min Joon. People thought that Cho Min Joon was a genius that was out of their realm.

And to be honest, he didn't hate that. It was a little burdensome, but it also made him excited and smile. People liked him. People who he didn't even know anticipated his next big thing. That was a fascinating thing for him.

"We're going to start filming! Please put your phones away!"

The staff's voice rang through the house. Peter immediately put his phone in his pocket. Not long afterward, the judges entered. As usual, they said a few words to hype them up before Joseph spoke in a calm voice, "You'll see a box on your cooking station. When I count to three, please open the lid. One, two, three!"

The lids all opened at the same time. Some sighed of relief while others frowned. Cho Min Joon was the latter. Inside was a large piece of meat. To be more exact, a piece of meat and bone.

A t-bone. It was a part that also had sirloin and tenderloin attached. Joseph spoke in a serious voice, "The t-bone isn't the most delicious part of a steak. That all depends on the person, but I can say this for sure. The t-bone steak is the hardest to make. If you cook it all at the same temperature, the sirloin will cook faster than the tenderloin, but we want all of the parts to be cooked equally.

Everybody sighed. This mission was all about technique. If they made one mistake, it was over. But what Joseph said next gave them some relief, "But don't be too nervous. This mission is just a warm-up, but 1st place will get a prize. You'll be exempted from disqualification in the next mission."

In response, the contestants' eyes sparkled. Cho Min Joon sighed out of relief. It wasn't enough to go after 1st place. In Korea, it wasn't easy finding t-bone. Most meat shops just sold sirloin and tenderloin separately. They rarely sold t-bone. It was hard to find at large supermarkets as well.

So he didn't have much experience with it. When he looked at the meat, it was less than 2 centimeters thick. It wasn't thin, but it wasn't thick either. When it came to steaks, the thicker ones were easier to cook.

It was inevitable. The thinner it was, the less time they had to keep it over the fire. It was common to just sear the outer region and then end up overcooking the inside.

"You won't use a separate sauce for it. Just use salt and pepper. Remember, the most important part is to cook all of the regions equally, and flavor is important, too. You may begin! You have 10 minutes."

Cho Min Joon immediately turned around. There was no particular method of cooking t-bone, it was all about experience. When steak houses hired chefs, they usually evaluated them based on how they cooked t-bone, so that made him realize how difficult this was.

It wasn't hard to get the right flavor. All he had to do was overlook the part of making it cook equally. The sirloin would be medium while the tenderloin would be medium-rare. Some customers liked to enjoy the differences in those two parts.

But there were those who wanted both parts to be cooked the same. The perfect chef was able to provide customers with both types of t-bone.

What he had to focus on now was the cooking method. When he looked around, Kaya was getting a grate. He saw something that he couldn't understand. Peter was heating up the oven. Allan must have wondered the same thing because he approached Peter himself.

"… How do you plan on cooking it?"

"After cooking it in the oven, I'm going to sear the outer side on a pan and then rest it."

"Do you think you can control how the oven cooks it on both sides?"

"As long as I just place the tenderloin part on the pan first and cook it a little more, it should be fine.

"I'm not sure. Let's keep an eye on it."

Peter's face grew dark. He thought there was potential, but Allan's remark made his confidence go down, but he couldn't change his plans just because of one remark.

Most of the contestants were seasoning the meat. 5 minutes passed. As soon as 5 minutes passed, the contestants began to move faster.

Cho Min Joon put some pepper and salt on his. He then put it on top of a greased pan. As it made a refreshing cooking sound, Allan asked, "Do you have experience cooking t-bone?"

"No, not really."

"Focus on the range of the fire that touches the pan. That'll help you a great deal."

He was intending to do that anyway, but Cho Min Joon just smiled. There was no need to respond sharply to an intention to help.

Like Allan said, controlling the heat was key. Cho Min Joon tilted the pan and put the tenderloin where the fire was the hottest, but it couldn't be too different in temperature either. Then the tenderloin could end up more overcooked than the sirloin.

All chefs gave different tips regarding how to cook steak. Some said one could flip it more than twice while others said to fillip it every 30 seconds to a minute. Cho Min Joon flipped it every minute. When he did it that way, the juices gathered in the middle making the meat nice and juicy.

Rather than who was right and who was wrong, it all depended on the person. Cho Min Joon checked the time as he flipped the steak. He didn't use any arosser methods. It would only distract him, and the added oil could make the meat cook differently, and Cho Min Joon wasn't so skilled that he could calculate what the additional oil would do to the meat.

The predicted score was 6. It couldn't have been better. He cooked it without any sauce, so the score couldn't have been higher.

What Cho Min Joon wanted was medium. After flipping it three times, he put the meat on top of a paper towel. As long as he waited a minute for the juices to come back… He was certain that both sides would be cooked well.

The buzzer rang. The 12 contestants took their hands off of their plates, but Cho Min Joon stared at his. The cooking score of the t-bone steak after resting was 6. It was as the recipe predicted.

The judges called the contestants up one by one. They cut into the sirloin and then the tenderloin. If they were cooked differently, they didn't even taste it. That was the case for Peter.

"I asked you if you could do it well. Look at this."

Allan showed the cut meat to Peter. One side was medium and the other side was rare, and the rare part still had blood in it. Emily sighed.

"I know this isn't a disqualification round, but this is too much. You can't experiment with food like this."

"… I apologize."

Peter responded with a pale face. He was already pressured because of the negative comments online. They didn't know what else to say to that face. They sent Peter back and called up the next contestant. It was Anderson's turn. Joseph cut into both sides and smiled.

"Both sides are medium well-done. They're not burnt either. You cooked it perfectly. I'm impressed, Anderson. You haven't been able to show off your full potential until now. I feel like you've returned."

"Thank you."

Anderson answered without a smile. It was too early to be happy. He wasn't the 1st place yet. They praised him after tasting it. All the contestants commented that the medium-rare steak was nice and moist.

Cho Min Joon understood that evaluation. After all, Anderson's steak showed up as 7 points. The fact that he achieved that score with just salt and pepper meant that he would have reached 8 points with proper sauce.

Next up was Cho Min Joon. He carried his plate with confidence. As soon as Emily cut into the meat, she nodded.

"Medium. It's equal throughout. There's a slight difference… but I don't think any customer would complain about this. You haven't cooked t-bone before, have you?"

"No, ma'am."

"Then this is impressive. And the texture… Hm. It's not bad, and it's juicy, too. Good work."

Compared to Anderson's praise, Cho Min Joon's was a step down. He felt a little disappointed, but he had no choice. Experience meant a great deal when it came to cooking.

The last contestant to be evaluated was Kaya. She carried her plate to the front. Joseph looked at the plate with great interest.

"You're the only one who cooked it on a grate, Kaya. Are you confident in your job?"

"My top skill is using fire. If I didn't cook, I might have become an arsonist."

"I'll take your word on that."

Joseph cut the meat with soft hands. Kaya was right. Medium. The meat was perfectly cooked to look pink inside, both the sirloin and tenderloin. Joseph slowly put it into his mouth.

When Joseph took his first bite, his face was bright, but as he took his second and third bites, his face turned strange. Same with the other judges. Kaya looked at the judges with anxiousness.

"You cooked it well. But Kaya, I think you forgot something. When you cooked the meat, did you cook the outside first before you cooked the inside?"

In response, Kaya looked surprised. She was so busy cooking the sirloin and tenderloin at the same time that she forgot to cook the outside in order to contain the juices. Cho Min Joon just stared at Kaya. Unfortunately, her steak was a 5. It was understandable. There was plenty of fire flavor, but there wasn't much juice.

'I didn't know Kaya can screw up like that.'

Besides fighting with team members because of her personality, this was the first time he saw her mess up. Joseph spoke in a caring voice, "You seem to know where you messed up. That's okay, Kaya. All chefs make mistakes. Please go back."

"… Yes, Sir."

Kaya walked back with a sad look on her face. It was clear who took the 1st place. There were a few contestants who cooked it equally, but there was only one person who did it perfectly—Anderson. Cho Min Joon glanced at him. He tended to be consistent in his output, but the more he watched, the more impressive he got. He lost to Kaya and took 2nd place, but that meant he would've won if she wasn't there.

"We've chosen who came in 1st place. It was unanimous. Anderson, congratulations! You're excluded from the next disqualification round. Please go up to the 2nd floor!"

"Thank you."

Anderson answered calmly and began walking. While the other contestants stared with jealousy, Allan said, "Then let us announce our next mission. Some of you might not like this one."

Allan then glanced over at Cho Min Joon. Cho Min Joon twitched his eyes. He felt anxious. Allan continued in a calm manner, "This mission… is a dessert."

Because of his love for cooking, he had thrown away his career as a teacher and had become a chef.
But despite his desires, his lack of cooking skills was the harsh truth he had to face.
But when he reached the age of 30, he had been sent back 7 years back into the past.
Another chance.

The banquet started as the food cooked by the royal chef started coming in.

We all started eating... except for the three chipmunks.

"Why aren't you eating? Is the food not to your liking?" Hera asked the three as they shook their head.

"I want to eat father's food! Its the best!" Kagura said as the two seemed to be with Kagura this time.

Hera stared at her son for a second before standing up.

"Noct, help me in the kitchen." There she goes, whenever she calls my name... its the real deal.

She never called me by my name even when I told her about me having a daughter.

I stood up and went to the kitchen with mother meanwhile father and Somnus were excited because its been so long since they've tasted food that Hera made, combine it with my 'weird foods' that I make, they might be able to taste the greatest food that Hera would be able to create.

After we arrived at the kitchen, the Royal Chefs were confused and surprised to see their teacher in the kitchen. They became excited when they see Hera asking for an apron, they might be able to learn something new from watching their teacher. What surprised them though was Hera's next words.

"Son, what food are we making? Care to teach mother about it?" She said as they all had one thought

'Their teacher is the one being taught? That's crazy! And son!? Wasn't he a chef assigned for a special guest? We're screwed!'

Fortunately for them, I'm not that petty if its towards me but when my daughters are involved... I still had plenty of spicy pastes to put in someone's nose.

"Royal Chefs! Hear me! You're going to be using these things in the future, go stand on the side and listen to my lecture!" I said as I cleared the table and brought out all of the cooking appliances I had in my tavern that I put in the system's inventory.

Hera on the other hand has been curious about the devices. She knows that her son has Space Magic so she was not bothered by things appearing out of nowhere.

"Mother, you know that heat control in cooking is important right?" I said as she nodded.

"Of course, its one of the most important and basic thing in cooking." she said.

"This thing right here is called a portable stove, due to its small size it can be placed anywhere in the kitchen, the main thing about the stove is the ability to control the output of fire..." I taught mother and the royal chefs all about the appliances. Their uses and how to use them.

Hera has been trembling when she learned the uses of the appliances. It was not the trembling of nervousness, but excitement she felt when she thought that with the help of my equipment, it will usher the next generation of the Era of Food and Cooking Industry.

The royal chefs though confused at some parts of my lecture knew that a new era was born.

"Also mother, I had a plan to use these equipment as bargaining chips to break our engagement with Minstrel." I said to mother.

"But why would you do that? These things are revolutionary. These equipments will bring forth a new era in Food and Cooking industry. Why are you just giving it to Minstrel?" She asked in confusion.

"Mother, I'm just not giving it to them. We're going to milk out Minstrel of benefits." I said.

"Quit being mysterious, son. Where did you even learn it? Go on, spill it." She asked.

'From anime and novels, mother.' I thought

"We will only give them a downgraded version of Somnus' created fertilizer alongside my takoyaki, and taiyaki grill to them and form a trade agreement with them with the stove and oven to seal the deal. We'll let them produce it while we only get a portion of the profits. We don't get to use any resources of our Kingdom and we got to earn money from them." I said and continued.

"Stove and oven are the most important thing in the cluster and I wouldn't give them away for free. Stove are used for cooking while ovens are mainly used for making breads." I said as mother nodded.

"After that, we'll form trade agreements with every country with all of these appliances. The same as Minstrel, they will produce it and we will just get a portion of the profits and use it for the advancement of Lucis." I said to mother.

"I understand the Minstrel but why other countries as well? Wouldn't the price of these appliances as you call them, become really low?" Mother asked.

"The cost of making these are really cheap. The only thing that would make these appliances a little expensive are the enchanters that would enchant the appliances. Not only that, it would also help the enchanters that are just getting started and can use these appliances as their practice tool." I said as mother understood. 

Until an enchanter gained some fame for himself, he had to fend for himself, but with the kitchen appliances, he could use it to get by until he get better and move on to higher level of enchanting.

"Lastly, if we are spreading these kinds of appliances, there will be some people who will rise up and help you in moving the era of Food and Cooking industry." I said with a smile before doing the work at hand

I quickly bought some eggs and other stuff from the system as I quickly made Egg Fried rice with mother because teaching already took some time and the people in the Dining Room must be waiting.

After making a large batch, I quickly asked the chefs to plate it before serving it in the Dining Room.

When we got back from the Dining Room, I saw the chipmunks telling my father the story of Cinderella and father is listening to their story attentively while Somnus is listening with amusement on his face. Although the kids had exaggerated some parts, the essence of the story is still there.

Mother rushed towards the kids as she spoke with them.

"What story are you telling to grandpa? Can you share it to grandma as well?" She said as the kids gave her a quick summary much to the annoyance of my father but when moher glared at him, he looked away like nothing is happening.

I am sitting besides Irene watching the Kids bond with the family.

"See? I told you, it will all work out in the end." I said as Irene can't help but smile.

The weight on her shoulders has been lifted and she was glad that her mother-in-law accepted her.

Soon the food arrived and the kids finally ate with smiles on their faces. 

After eating, usually, the kids would be playing until they get tired so that it will be easy for them to fall asleep but tonight is different because...

"Son, go sleep in the guest room for now, I've still got a lot of questions to ask my daughter-in-law and the kids. I will also teach her on how to handle someone like you." Mother said as she left the Dining room with Irene and the kids in tow leaving us three on our own.

"So? Who's up for pillow fights? or maybe night fishing?" I said as we looked at each other before laughing.

A man suddenly waking up in a body of a young father with a daughter without any idea how he arrived there.

Only the OC's are mine.

"Fufufu! It's here! It's here, here heree! It's come! Onii-chan!"
"What is it? C'mon, let's go do shopping."
The November temperature suddenly dropped low as we entered the December and we could feel the winter's arrival.
Although in the region our town was in there was no snow, it was so cold that we felt like wearing coats.
"Christmas is soon! I'm starting to enter a merry mood!"


"You're right. When I think that that busy time is coming my mood plummets."
"There's Christmas, end of the year and the New Year! The end of the year is when the shopping season begins! There's no way one can stay in bad mood while there's a release rush of new games!"
My little sister's, Miu's eyes shone brilliantly as she spoke with emphasis.
"No, we're not buying several games, I mean, do you even have time to play them?"
"I'll squeeze out some! I'll play diligently whenever I have a little of time, y'know. Ah, can I go get a flyer from the game shop? I want to talk about it with Onee-chan and Taku-san later."
"I don't mind, but be right back."
As we passed in front of a game shop Miu dashed over to get a flyer.
"Good grief. Our goal today is something else though."
I heaved a sigh as I waited for Miu to come back.
While waiting I dropped my sight at the shopping list I held.
On the memo there were the Christmas cake and hors' d`oeuvre, as well about pre-ordering of New Year's dishes.
"Uhh, so cold. Let's finish shopping quickly and go back home."
Miu has come with me since she wanted to pick the Christmas cake, but if I knew she would make a detour like this I would just ask her what type does she want and have come alone, I thought with regret.
After I waited for a while under the cold weather, Miu had come back rejoicing with a mobile in her hand.
"Onii-chan! There's an event! Event is coming!"
"Is that something still relevant if said by a Japanese, surrounded by events all year round?"
'Oh c'mon! There's an announcement of OSO's official event! Look!"
"Ohh, is that so."
I thought she meant there's an event ongoing in one of the surrounding Christmas-coloured shops, but it was about OSO's event.
"The content of the event is a time-limited Quest Event it says! There's supposed to be an update by the end of the year centred around environment damage, they are implementing Cold Damage and fixing the Heat Damage as well as changing some details! I so look forward to it, I can't wait!"
Miu must have been really excited about it as she pulled the end of my muffler, desperately trying to convey just how excited she was.
The passer-bys looked at Miu with smiles, but since I was embarrassed I held down her head to stop her.
"Calm down. Still, to come up with an event during such a busy time the end of the year is..."
Does OSO's management intend to die from overwork? I thought, and suddenly the face of the man who was called OSO's development department director crossed my head.
"Oh Onii-chan, you're acting all dry! Enjoy yourself more!"
"Ahh, yes yes. Right. Miu, is there anything you want?"
"Eh? Let's seee, we could buy some Japanese sweets like broiled sweet chestnuts. Then I'll chill out
under the kotatsu drinking some bitter tea."
Since the Christmas season has come I thought she'd request some sweets matching that, but her surprising choice wasn't too bad either.
"Still, they're doing an event during the Christmas season and then an event by the end of the year?"
I looked at the smartphone's screen shown to me by Miu and confirmed the event's date.
The event that starts during the middle of the month end around the Christmas season and a week from then there's the end of year update.
And, there was one more reason Miu was in so high spirits.
"I look forward to it. There's the Christmas event, but Shizuka-oneechan is also coming back for Christmas!"
"Before that, we're entering the winter break so do your homework properly."
"Hwah! Don't tell me such hateful thiings!"
We enter the winter break before Christmas comes, but I had to stab a nail into Miu who seemed too wound up with the Christmas and New Year's.
Shizuka-nee is coming back for the year's end and the New Year so I want her to rest leisurely.
In the meantime, Miu and I arrived in front of a cake shop decorated for Christmas and entered it.
"Now, we've arrived at the cake shop, which one do you want to eat?'
"Hmm. I narrowed them down to three candidates in advance, how about buying them all"No. Give up."riiight."
After saying so, Miu started choosing seriously one of the three candidate cakes, a Strawberry Cake, Bche de Nol and a Fruit Roll Cake.
The price for the three cakes was roughly the same, I smiled wryly to the clerk as Miu furrowed the eyebrows on her cute face.
"All right! I decided! Let's reserve a Bche de Nol."
"You're sure of that, right."
What Miu choose was Bche de Nol, a cake covered with chocolate and powdered sugar.
"The strawberry cake can be eaten in any season, but if we're picking one it's best to pick one fitting Christmas season. Ah, but I did look forward to the fruits roll cake since it's different during every season."
As Miu said that, I placed an order with the clerk before she could change her mind.
Miu looked at the other cakes with reluctance and said "let's quickly go home" but our shopping wasn't over yet.
"C'mon, we still have to buy the appetizers and reserve New Year's dishes."
"Ohhh! That's right!"
For a moment she showed a displeased expression as I stopped her, but when she recalled we still had things to do, her bright expression returned.
For the remaining things such as the appetizers and New Year's dishes there was no need to choose like for the cake since we bought the same thing every year, but the shopping still seemed quite fun.
As we made our orders one by one, by the time we have finished shopping Miu's attention was completely changed towards OSO.
"We're baack. And let's check what OSO's maintenance changed!"
Miu rushed straight back to her room and logged into OSO.
"Good grief. The event still haven't started, there's no meaning in rushing so much."
With that said, after I put away the ingredients we bought into the refrigerator, my thinking also was directed towards the winter event.
"What should I do about my Senses now..."
I was anguishing lightly over what Senses should I improve during the short period the event is going on for.
Among the crafting-based Senses I had two that either grew or had a derivation.
If I concentrated on combat-type Senses I could derive or grow the Bow and Earth Element Talent Senses.
However, I didn't have enough time to raise them both.
Do I take combat Senses or crafting Senses?
"Well, there's no need for me to hurry and take them, let's do it as usual."
It's not like it wasn't possible for me to cooperate with Miu and Takumi to get some unreasonable high-density high-speed leveling.
But unlike Miu, I preferred enjoying myself at my own pace.
And so, there was no need to think about the Sense build too deeply, I felt.
"...speaking of which, Miu. She wanted to eat a Strawberry Cake and Fruits Roll Cake."
Once we finished buying everything and put it away, I recalled what happened in the cake shop.
"...well, Christmas is near, might as well level my Cook Sense."
In the end, I decided to level Cook that was a crafting Sense.
I went back to my room as well, put on the VR Gear that was placed on the desk and lied down on the bed.
I left myself to the feeling of sinking into the darkness as I logged into OSO.
"Phew, arrived. Heck, it's cold!"
Once I logged in, at the same time I landed in the Atelier I shivered of cold.
I opened the menu and looked for the cause of the chill inside the workshop and saw an announcement of a small update that has been made.
In preparation for the implementation of cold damage it seemed that they have implemented varying temperature during four seasons, each area having temperature adjusted individually.
"It's no time to talk about cakes. I need a countermeasure against cold damage. Also, my equipment was made during the summer so it feels quite cold."
My Ochre Creator armour hadn't sleeves and had shorts so it felt quite cold.
"Uhh, it's seriously cold. I wonder if I have any items I can urgently use to deal with it."
I immediately started looking for items inside the Atelier I could use and after a while, I found something I could use.
"Let's warm up with this for now."
What I took out while saying that was the Oven Stove I acquired during the summer's camp event.
Using it I could bake a Christmas cake or a roasted chicken, but what was more useful to me now was the stove feature rather than the oven one.
I carried it out to the store part of the Atelier and after placing it next to the counter I turned on the fire.
"Since the stove is already installed and working, let's boil some water for tea later. I wonder if there's anything else I could use."
I carried a kettle filled with water and placed it on the installed Oven Stove and started looking for something else I could use as a countermeasure against cold.
Ahead of where I turned to, there was a deformed red gel-like object lying beneath my tamed mob, black fox's young best.
Although I smiled seeing Zakuro sleep on top of the Heat Gel he used as a countermeasure for cold, I shook from cold and prepared myself to craft.
"Let's make some synthetic mobs for the first time in a while."
Among the synthetic mobs that could be crafted with the Synthesis Sense, there was a Heat Gel that could be used like a hot water bottle.
I took out the Blue Jelly that was the base material and prepared materials of four elements, fire, water, wind and earth.
I put them on top of the synthetic circle and did a synthesis of five items, crafting an item called Slime Nucleus that allowed summoning of a slime.
Furthermore, in order to make the synthetic mob I wanted I synthesized it with fire element material and a Blue Gelatin. And like that, I was able to craft a nucleus stone of the Heat Gel like the one I already had in the Atelier.
"All right, it's been a while since I made it, but there's no problem. Summon!"
The summoned Heat Gel was a red translucent slime. It had a higher elasticity compared to a normal slime, at the same time it had perfect stiffness to act as a cushion and was warm because it held the fire element.
I immediately tried touching it and felt warmth spreading in my palm.
"Hmm, one is only enough to feel a little warm. What if I put it beneath my feet?"
I put the gel on the floor under the counter, took off my boots and placed my feet on it.
There was warmth and soft elasticity that pushed my feet back upwards.
As a cold countermeasure I should prepare two of those, I thought.
"As for other things I can use... I can put the Large Fur I made by synthesizing Wild Dog's Fur on my knees."
After I prepared some cold countermeasures and placed them on top of the table, it had turned into an unreasonable mess.
"Hmm. Since Cold Damage is being implemented, it would be nice if there was an item among recipes that could protect me from it. Also, I need to confirm my Sense status."
I opened the menu and checked my status levels and the Senses that have satisfied conditions for growth.
Possessed SP53
Sky Eyes Lv12 Swiftness Lv16 See-Through Lv20 Sorcery Lv15 Enchant Arts Lv37 Earth Element Talent Lv28 Dosing Lv50 Alchemy Lv43 Synthesis Lv43 Crafting Knowledge Lv50
Unequipped:
Bow Lv48 Longbow Lv27 Taming Lv17 Engraving Lv25 Cook Lv11 Swimming Lv15 Linguistics Lv24 Climbing Lv21 Bodily Resistance Lv3 Spiritual Resistance Lv1
Information:
NEW: Dosing has reached level 50. A higher sense has been unlocked.
NEW: Crafting Knowledge has reached level 50. A higher sense has been unlocked.
"Hmm. Maybe if I have Dosing grow into a higher Sense I'll be able to make a potion to counter the cold."
I consumed 6SP in order to acquire Dosing and Crafting Knowledge's higher Senses.
Possessed SP47
Sky Eyes Lv12 Swiftness Lv16 See-Through Lv20 Sorcery Lv15 Enchant Arts Lv37 Earth Element Talent Lv28 Dosing Master Lv1 Alchemy Lv43 Synthesis Lv43 Crafter's Knowledge Lv1
Unequipped:
Bow Lv48 Longbow Lv27 Taming Lv17 Engraving Lv25 Cook Lv11 Swimming Lv15 Linguistics Lv24 Climbing Lv21 Bodily Resistance Lv3 Spiritual Resistance Lv1
I checked both Senses, but there were no big changes.
There probably was an increase in stats with the level up, but the benefits won't be visible right after acquiring the Sense.
"Hmm. There's no new skills or anything. Are there some conditions for it?"
I examined the list of available skills but not finding any change I quietly closed the menu.
"Well, even if the higher Sense has higher stat increase rate at level 1 it'll temporarily have the stats and skill correction lowered. Let's make some potions carefully until Dosing Master Sense reaches at least level 5."
I sighed quietly and first, in order to raise Crafter's Knowledge Lv1's level I continued making synthetic Heat Gel's Nucleus Stone one after another by using Synthesis.
After I completed 20 of them without failing, I confirmed Crafter's Knowledge rose up to level 2.
Afterwards I reviewed the number of remaining materials, then seeing as fire elemental materials are low on stock I decided to stop crafting for the time being and take some rest.
That's when the water in the kettle put on the stove started boiling so I prepared tea and opened the Atelier's entrance. Cold wind blew in causing me involuntarily shiver.
Outside, there was the woodworker Lyly.
"Hello, Yuncchi! It's so cooolddd!"
"Welcome, Lyly. I was just about to prepare tea, wait just a moment."
"Woaa, it's so warm in the shop!"
As I greet him, Lyly walked towards in front of the Oven Stove beside the counter.
"It must be really cold in those clothes."
"Same to you, Yuncchi, you've got a fur placed on top of the counter. In middle of preparations for cold countermeasures?"
Lyly asked me that and together with his partner on his shoulder, the immortal bird Neshias they warmed themselves up by the Oven Stove.
"Well, you're right. With that said, I just started it."
When I passed freshly brewed black tea to Lyly he took the cup with both hands and slowly drank it while warming up his hands slowly with the heat.
"Phew, I calmed down. Thank you, Yuncchi."
"You're welcome. So, what do you need today?"
"Oh right! Yuncchi, listen to this! Shiacchi grew big!"
"Hee? Big?"
I looked at Neshias who's also called Shiacchi and tilted my head in wonder.
The phoenix riding on Lyly's shoulder didn't look like it, told that the fluffy gold and vermilion bird grew big I arrived at one possibility.
"Can it be he's become adult?"
"Exactly! Today when I logged in the Taming Sense had an EX-Skills called Adult Form and Young Beast Form added! That's why I came to show it to you, Yuncchi."
"Hee, I look forward to seeing it then."
Probably because they heard what Lyly and I talked about, Ryui who was lying on the stone pavement and Zakuro have got up and come beside us. The Heat Gels remaining on the ground after synthesis have crawled on the ground in order to go back to the pot where other gels were.
"Ryuicchi and Zakurocchi are curious as well, right! Well then, let's unveil it! ShiacchiAdult Form!"
As Lyly cast the EX-Skill Adult Form Neshias riding on his shoulder flew off and burst into flames fiercely in mid-air.
"Burning?! He's burning!"
"It's all right, look."
The phoenix young beast wrapped in flames scattered sparks, his shadow inside the flames grew.
And at the same time the shadow stopped growing within the flames they started to subside gradually and beautiful phoenix had appeared.
His figure scattering particles reminiscent of sparks was much more beautiful than when he was a young beast.
And, the first impression that came out of my mouth was
"So waarm. We'll be receiving Cold Damage from now on so the timing's perfect."
"Yuncchi, thanks for giving me the same impression as everyone else!"
Apparently I was the first one to see Neshias' unveiling and that everyone else had the same impression.
"By everyone you mean who?"
"Kurocchi and Magicchi. Both said he's warm and perfect for the coming season."
"Everyone's thinking the same thing, are they."
I drank the tea I brewed and muttered earnestly.
Were it Myu or Taku, they'd go "Strange! If it grew you have to make it fight!" making me retort, but personally, I thought the ability to keep others warm is nice.
Young beasts aren't just for combat, they're also useful for other things, is what I thought. In that respect it seemed like we could hold expectations for non-battle activities of Lyly's Neshias.
"Well then, that's it for unveiling! Shiacchi, go back to normalYoung Beast Form!"
When Lyly activated the Ex-Skill Young Beast Form flames sprouted from Neshias, his body had grown smaller returning back to original young beast appearance.
"That's great for you, Lyly."
"Yup! Kurocchi's Socks also turned adult! I look forward to see how your and Magicchi's young beasts grow, Yuncchi."
While saying so, Lyly lowered himself to his knees and pat Ryui and Zakuro who nestled up against me.
After I watched Lyly and the young beasts for a while, a call from Cloude had come through friend chat.
"Yun. Lyly is in there, right."
"Yeah he is, what happened?"
"I wanted to call you over, but Lyly has rushed out first. There was a possibility you weren't in the store y'know. Sorry but recover him and come over."
"Got it. Since you're calling me, do you need something?"
"Yeah, together with Magi we decided to round up a provisional crafters' tea party. Sorry, but hurry up."
"Roger that. We'll head there right away."
I turned off the friend call after a quick exchange with Cloude and called Lyly and the young beasts who were still playing together.
"Cloude says you're to come back. I'll be going with you as well."
"Ah! Right! I forgot about Kurocchi and Magicchi!"
He must have been really happy about Neshias adult form, seeing him act happy I smiled wryly.
"Wait a moment, I'll just put away the things from the counter."
I gathered all the items from on the top of the counter and put them in my inventory, then left the Atelier together with Lyly.
"Uhh, outside is so cold."
"Since it's cold, let's run and get to where Kurocchi and Magicchi are!"
"You're right. EnchantSpeed!"
I applied enchant increasing speed on Lyly and myself, then bringing Ryui and other young beasts we ran over to the Commonest Caf & Clothier Cloude and Magi-san were waiting in.

Yun is a novice MMO player who equipped only unpopular skills labelled as garbage. However, soon after the official launch of the game, the NPC stopped to sell Recovery Potion. Everyone finally started to notice the importance of Support Magic and Items. And that spells trouble for Yun as well as all the support-based players. They received orders for recovery potion from endless flood of players en masse, some more aggressive players even go as far as forcing the support players to be their personal craftsman. In order to prevent this from going out of hands, all the support players grouped together to form a community to keep things in order.
Author	アロハ 座長

His final answer reassured them. Suddenly, they fixed their eyes on the spicy cold dish on the center of the table.
One could buy it at any supermarket or fair. People could even mix and match according to their individual taste. The food's plain taste and reasonable price was the reason it occupied every family dining room.
Huang had bought it from Grandpa Zhang at a fair not far from the 798 Warehouse. Its typical taste had captivated the neighboring market fast.
The dish included pig ears, pork joints and bean curd skin.
It was its trademark sauce that made all the difference though. The sauce was a mixture of vinegar, garlic juice, sesame oil, chilli oil, cooking wine and sesame paste. Grandpa Zhang had chosen small pig ears, which were extra crisp and soft, so even old men could enjoy their special taste with a cheap drink.
His spiced pork shoulder was moderately sweet and salty, unlike the typical over-salted ones, so it tasted spicy in one's mouth.
The special sauce complimented all the raw ingredients like the finishing brush of a painter on a Chinese dragon. When the plain pork shoulder was soaked in the rich sauce, it turned into a delicious dish.
As a result, Grandpa Zhang's dish was very popular among the residents that visited the fair. People lined up before his stand every day. Some people might have looked down upon a street snack, but Qin Guan disagreed.
Loving what one did was a must. Food ingredients were not classified, so even the most common vegetable could become a delicacy on an emperor's table.
Some famous cooks used unfamiliar expensive ingredients and ignored the essence of cooking. One could only find homemade food in their mother or grandma's kitchen. After all those years, one would cry out if they encountered the same taste at a small restaurant.
It was not just the taste, but also the emotion that contributed to the food.
All the meat and vegetables were mounted on the plate, which had only cost Huang 20 yuan.
The erguotou and spicy food were not enough for Qin Guan though, who started looking around the shabby warehouse.
"Are you looking for this?"
Ning pulled a bun slice out of the oven with his chopsticks.
Bingo! A baked bun that smelled like dirt! That simple addition was a wise move on North China's part. The oven was not just a heating system, but also a cooker that one could boil water and tea or bake food in.
The roasted and dried sweet potatoes were the best work of the short stove.
Qin Guan spread the vegetables and pork onto the bun and took a large bite. It certainly was worthy of Grandpa Zhang's reputation.
The fragrance of wheat, spicy pork and soft vegetables aroused his taste buds, and the rich taste made him salivate. His brain had gotten the message that he was happy.
The cold North wind was driven away by the stove and the radiator, and the dim lamplight added warmth to the small room.


Qin Guan was reborn and sent back to his final semester in High School 18 years ago. Getting a second chance at life, he works hard to turn things around and eventually become a Prince Charming. What will his life be like the second time around? What will he have to go through? How will he succeed in turning from a loser into a Prince Charming? Read this story carefully and find out!

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