From the kitchen, Reiki made his way to the living while carrying a large bowl with one hand. He placed the bowl on the coffee table and said. “Cherry flavored ice cream.” He noticed the action movie on the TV and thought. Oh, I know this one. Ketsueki, Sachi, and Namida glanced at each other from the corner of their eye as they pretended to watch the movie while eating some ice cream. Namida casually extended her hand to take a spoonful of the cherry ice cream as Sachi grabbed her friend's hand.
Namida couldn’t move her hand, she put on a naive expression and said. “What are you doing?” Sachi’s eyes narrowed slightly as her lips curled into a cold smile, she said. “That’s what I’d like to ask you.” Namida glanced at the bowl of cherry ice cream on the coffee table and said. “I just wanted to-.” Ketsueki suddenly reached out for the bowl as both Sachi and Namida grabbed her hand to stop her. Namida and Sachi spoke at the same time, they simultaneously said. “Don’t try and sneak ahead.” Ketsueki’s pupils faintly glowed for a split second, she said. “Did you two forget you’re in my house?”
Namida let out a scoff and said. “Find someone who cares.” Sachi glanced at the bowl on her lap and saw it could fall onto the floor, she said. “Can we let go first? My bowl is about to slip off my lap.” Namida and Ketsueki glanced at Sachi’s lap where the bowl looked like it could fall any minute. The girls let go of each other's hands as Sachi picked up her bowl on her lap, she said. “As the one who checks if there’s any poison in our food. I think it’s only safe for me to be the first one to try it.”
Ketsueki gave her an odd look and said. “Where would Reiki even get his hands on poison in the first place? Let me change my question, you think Reiki would poison me?” Namida took out a can of whipped cream from her pocket, she took the cap off, shook it a few times, and sprayed more in her bowl. Namida said. “You make it sound like Reiki’s some cold heartless killer.” Ketsueki ate a spoonful of ice cream while Sachi took out a handkerchief from her pocket and used it to wipe her lips.
Sachi pocketed the handkerchief and said. “With how you smother him, I doubt he could hurt a fly.” Namida and Sachi’s lips curled into a smirk as they ate some ice cream while Ketsueki’s brows furrowed. Ketsueki said. “What?” Namida moved her gaze onto Reiki and said. “Reiki.” Reiki turned his sideways, he said. “Anything I can do for you Namida?” Namida showed him the can of whipped cream and said. “Can you make some-. I mean a lot of whipped cream? These two keep stealing my can.” Reiki nodded at her, he said. “Give me a few minutes.”
He made his way to the kitchen and thought. What time does that movie rerun… Namida placed the can of whipped cream in her pocket, she said. “I just think with the way you’re raising him… Reiki might turn out… For a lack of a better word, gentle….” Ketsueki placed her spoon that had some ice cream on it back in her bowl, she said. “How is that a bad thing?” Namida elbowed Sachi in the ribs. Sachi let out a sigh and said. “You do realize, he goes to a magic school that offers combat as one of its courses.”
Ketsueki picked up the spoon in her bowl, she said. “It’s the infamous trash academy, the best thing he could learn there is how to not stab himself with a dagger.” Namida scooped some ice cream using her spoon, she said. “I’m starting to think you're the one responsible for him losing that scholarship.” She ate a mouthful of ice cream while Sachi used a spoon to scoop some whipped cream from her bowl. Sachi said. “At the very least teach him a thing or two so he can defend himself.”
Ketsueki scooped some ice cream and said. “Reiki has a smart head on his shoulder, he won’t go looking for trouble on his own.” She ate a spoonful of ice cream while Namida gulped, she said. “You’d rather see him with a black eye than hurt people?” Namida ignored the glare Ketsueki was giving her and continued. “Frown at me all you want, that’s how I see it.” She shoved a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth and moved her gaze back onto the TV. Sachi placed both her feet on the coffee table, she said. “Despite how crass he is, Namida does have a point.”
Ketsueki had a hint of dejection on her face as it instantly vanished, she said. “I’m still going to be the first one to try that cherry ice cream.” Sachi clicked her tongue while Namida let out a sigh, she said. “Shit… I thought for sure that if we showed how much we cared for her boy she’d let us go first…” Sachi used her spoon that had some melted ice cream on it to point at Ketsueki. Sachi said. “Our point still stands, Ketsueki. This world is… Awful to say the least… With his talent for magic, he’ll see nothing but the worst it has to offer.”
Ketsueki ate a spoonful of ice cream as she stared at the TV, she swallowed and said. “I’ll teach him a couple of things so he can look after himself.” Namida rolled her eyes as she glanced at Sachi from the corner of her eyes. Namida said. “She’s going to hold that off for as long as possible.” Sachi nodded in agreement and said. “Yep.” She kept glancing at the large bowl of cherry ice cream on the coffee table, she said. “I think we should indulge in said ice cream before it melts.”
Ketsueki shook her head sideways and said. “I don’t think we have to worry about the ice cream melting…” Sachi, Namida, and Ketsueki's pupils faintly glowed as the cherry ice cream released a constant stream of mana. Namida stared at the bowl, she said. “... How many cherries did Reiki use to make something like this?” Sachi turned her head to look at Ketsueki, she said. “Can you just take a spoonful already? I wanna see how it tastes.” Ketsueki reached out to the bowl, scooped an entire sphere, and placed it on her bowl.
Sachi and Namida quickly followed suit while Ketsueki scooped some cherry ice cream, she thought. Thanks to the mana it’s acting as an insulator to maintain its low temperature. She ate the spoonful of ice cream as she felt a burst of mana in her mouth. Ketsueki gulped, and she slowly exhaled as she blew out visible icy blue mana vapor. She said. “That was good, what did you two think?” She turned her head and saw Namida slowly exhaling an arrow as she tried to aim for a target she made with the mana vapor.
Sachi completed a heart with the mana vapor she was exhaling, she turned her head to face Ketsueki and said. “Did you say something?” With every word she said a hint of mana vapor came out from her mouth leaving a small trace. Ketsueki let out a chuckle as a burst of mana vapor was expelled from her mouth, she said. “Just don’t do this in front of Reiki, I don’t want him getting any ideas it’s fine to play with your food.” Namida scooped some cherry ice cream from her bowl, she said. “We’re not playing with our food, we’re playing with mana.”
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Kitchen
Reiki was whisking heavy cream in a large bowl with Cherry standing near a mini bowl filled with cherry ice cream. Cherry repeatedly closed and opened her beak as she ate the ice cream in small bites, Reiki kept his gaze on the heavy cream in the bowl. He said. “Cherry, what’s the verdict?” The albino crow let out a caw and flapped her wings a couple of times, Reiki nodded and said. “Good to know.” The heavy cream in the bowl started to form soft shapes, he thought. Soft peaks. Reiki continued. “With the amount of cherries we have, I made a lot. So make sure to eat your fill.”
After a few more seconds of stirring the heavy cream started to firm up, Reiki took the whisk out as the whipped cream on it was stable. He thought. Done. Reiki used his index finger to wipe some of the cream on the whisk and placed it on the edge of Cherry’s mini bowl. He said. “Are you a fan of whipped cream, Cherry?” Cherry stared at the whipped cream on her bowl, she ate some of it as she let out a caw and flapped her wings.
Reiki glanced at all the cabinets, he thought. We don’t have anything to use as a piping bag… He placed the whisk on the countertop, opened a drawer, and took out a plastic spatula. Reiki closed the drawer and said. “Cherry, make sure the whisk doesn’t fall into the sink.” The albino bird ignored him and continued to eat some ice cream. He picked up the large bowl of whipped cream and made his way to the living room. Reiki saw some traces of mana vapor air while he made his way closer to the couch, he said. “Onee-chan, I didn’t have anything to use as a-.”
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Before he could finish his sentence, Namida took the large bowl out of his hands and said. “We’ll take that, thank you.” She used the plastic spatula to add more whipped cream to her bowl of ice cream. Reiki watched her and thought. These three girls ate at least two thousand calories worth from heavy cream alone… Namida passed the bowl of whipped cream to Sachi while Ketsueki kept a straight face. Ketsueki said. “Reiki, Shiro should be almost done with her homework. Can you make her a sundae?”
Reiki moved his gaze onto his older sister, he said. “Sure, but what's with all the-.” Ketsueki interrupted him and said. “Shiro might finish earlier than expected so I think you should start making her ice cream.” On top of Sachi’s bowl of ice cream was a rough shape of a mountain made from whipped cream, she said. “Behold, mont cream.” She placed the bowl of whipped cream on the table while Namida let out a whistle. Ketsueki ate some ice cream and pretended not to see what her friend made while Reiki stared at Sachi’s bowl of ice cream.
He said. “Is that a play on words of the dessert mont blanc?” Sachi used her spoon that was covered in whipped cream to point at him, she said. “Correct, finally. Someone who has extensive knowledge about sweets.” Ketsueki placed her bowl of ice cream on her lap, she let out a sigh and said. “Reiki… Just go and make Shiro’s sundae please…” With a wave of her hand, the large bowl of whipped cream beside the bowl of cherry ice cream floated toward her as Ketsueki grabbed it in mid-air. Reiki watched his older sister place a copious amount of whipped cream into her bowl.
He said. “Sure… Just, save some whipped cream for her.” He did a half-turn and made his way to the kitchen.
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Shiro’s Room
Shiro was sitting by the workbench with the lamp on, beside her was a pile of books as she answered the last question. She let out a long sigh, closed the book, and lazily rested her head on the table. Shiro said. “... I’m finally finished…” From her pocket, she took out an ocean-blue pouch and started placing all the books inside of it. Shiro turned the lamp off by pressing the button as she stood up from the chair.
She placed her pouch on the workbench and stretched upwards, Shiro thought. Now I can enjoy some ice cream Onee-chan promised me. She heard a knock from the door followed by the sound of her older brother's voice, Reiki said. “Shiro, can I come in?” Shiro moved her gaze to the door and said. “Onii-chan? Sure, it’s open.” The door opened revealing Reiki as he was holding onto a large bowl with rocky road ice cream topped with plenty of whipped cream. He said. “Shiro, guess what I made.” Her little sister's eyes lit up like stars.
Shiro quickly made her way to her older brother and said. “Rocky road!” She tried to take the bowl from his hands as Reiki lifted the bowl above his little sister's reach, he said. “You can have ice cream after you wash your hands-.” Shiro dashed past him as she went down the flight of stairs, from his pocket Reiki took out a spoon with the tip of it wrapped in tissue. He unwrapped the spoon, pocketed the tissue, and placed the spoon in the bowl. Reiki grabbed the doorknob and closed the door, he said. “If only she had that much energy when it came to exercise.”
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Living Room
Ketsueki, Sachi, and Namida sitting on the couch watching the action movie. Sachi had a spoonful of ice cream near her mouth, she said. “So, they’re on the run because it was a smart idea to rob a bank?” From the corner of Namida’s eye, she saw Shiro sprinting toward the bathroom, she said. “Guess cottontail is finished with her homework.” Ketsueki gulped down a mouthful of ice cream and said. “That’s the main plot of the movie.” Sachi’s brows furrowed, she said. “This is so dumb… If they were planning to rob a bank they should’ve at least moved to a different country.”
She ate a spoonful of ice cream and blew out some mana vapor from her nose while Namida let out a chuckle and said. “That’s your main problem?” She scooped some ice cream with her spoon while Ketsueki slowly exhaled some mana vapor. Ketsueki said. “At the very least they should’ve let someone take the fall, their plan has nothing but holes in it.” She ate more ice cream while Namida wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
She said. “They have a plan, it’s called plot armor.” Reiki reached the bottom of the staircase as he made his way to the couch, he said. “I’ll leave this here.” He placed the bowl of rocky road ice cream on the coffee table beside the bowl of whipped cream that was already half empty. Reiki continued. “Are you two going to have dinner here?” Namida placed her spoon in her bowl, she said. “We’re-.” Before she could get another word out Ketsueki placed her feet on top of Namida’s foot and applied pressure on it. Namida gritted her teeth and said. “I have plans.”
Reiki pretended he didn’t notice Namida in pain, he moved his gaze onto Sachi, he said. “Sachi?” Sachi scooped some ice cream with a spoon, she said. “I don’t so-.” Ketsueki increased the force on Namida’s foot which made her let out a pained groan. Namida said. “I need your help with something so I’ll treat you to dinner.” Ketsueki moved her foot away from her friend's feet, Namida leaned forward as she rubbed the area where she got stepped on. Ketsueki ignored the glare Namida was giving her and said. “Dinner is only going to be me, Shiro, and you.”
Sachi felt the side eye Ketsueki was giving her. Sachi said. “Looks like me and Namida already have plans.” From the direction of the bathroom, Shiro made her way to the living room as she saw a bowl of rocky road ice cream on the coffee table and went straight toward it. Shiro picked up the spoon and scooped up a large mouthful of ice cream before she could take a bite. Reiki said. “Shiro, where’s Mio and Yuki?” The ice cream on the spoon slightly melted as the drops fell back into the bowl.
Shiro said. “Mio said her parents needed to attend a gathering for something. Yuki told me today’s one of the rare times her parents can eat dinner with her so she went home early.” Reiki nodded as his little sister ate the large spoonful of ice cream and shivered in the cold and delight. He thought. So it's just going to be us three… Ender how many grams of dragon meat can they eat? Sachi moved her gaze to the TV and said. “What do you even need my help with?” Reiki made his way to the kitchen while Namida reached out and took another sphere of cherry ice cream.
She said. “You can help me lower my mother’s anger back home.” Ender’s voice rang in Reiki’s head, he said. [... That girl can eat the same amount as you, the small one on the other hand. Start her off slowly, fifty grams should be more than enough.] Reiki said. “I’ll prepare a few things in the kitchen, we’re having steak tonight.” Namida had a hint of disbelief on her expression, she turned her head to face her friend. Ketsueki kept her gaze on the movie and said. “You two already used your free meal card on the ice cream.”
She ate some ice cream while Namida let out a sigh and stared at her half-empty bowl. Namida thought. If I knew steak was on the menu I would’ve fought back… She moved her gaze back on the movie and said. “So, you wanna get yelled at by my mother?” Sachi gulped down a mouthful of ice cream, she said. “Sure why not? It's been a while since I last had traditional food.” She noticed Shiro eating while standing up. Sachi said. “Shiro, wanna sit on my lap?”
Shiro stopped herself from eating another spoon of ice cream as she puffed her cheeks, she said. “Sachi-nee, I’m not a kid.” Sachi smiled at her and said. “I just found it odd why you're eating while standing.” Shiro glanced at the reclining chair, she said. “... I… Mio told me you burn more calories when you eat standing up.” Sachi raised a brow, she thought. Why do they know that? Namida’s brows furrowed, she was about to say something when Ketsueki spoke first. She said. “Interesting, You lose more calories eating while standing.” Shiro nodded and said. “Y-Yeah.”
Ketsueki’s lips curled into a mischievous cat-like smile, she said. “And it has nothing to do with the fact you can’t stand up once you sit on reclining chairs with something on your lap.” Shiro puffed her cheeks even more, she picked up her large bowl of ice cream and made her way to the chair. Namida gave Ketsueki an odd look and said. “What?” Sachi watched Shiro sit on the reclining chair as she placed the bowl on her lap. Shiro had a look of triumph on her face, she said. “See.” The cat-like smile on Ketsueki’s lips grew bigger.
She waved her hand as the remote on the coffee table slid closer to Shiro, Ketsueki said. “Shiro, I wanna change the channel. Mind passing me the remote?” Shiro stared at the remote that she saw her older sister move with magic, she puffed her cheeks and used the spoon that had some melted ice cream to point at Ketsueki. Shiro said. “Namida-nee, Sachi-nee. Onee-chan is bullying me.”
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Kitchen
On the small counter was a large cut of beautiful marbled dragon meat that weighed twenty kilograms. Reiki opened a drawer as he took out a knife, he thought. Since Shiro can only eat fifty grams… Hamburger steak. He placed the knife in the middle of the large cut of meat and tried to slice through it. Reiki’s brows furrowed, he thought. What the?... He moved the knife in a rocking motion repeatedly as the knife couldn’t cut through the meat. Reiki spoke in a soft tone and said. “I just sharpened this…”
He moved the edge of the knife closer to his face and saw it was visibly dulled, Reiki thought. Holy shit. He used his thumb to feel the dulled edge and continued his train of thought. This knife is worthless now. Reiki closed one of his eyes and judged the edge of the knife, he thought. The edge has a slight bent to it. He placed the knife in the sink, opened a drawer, and took out another knife. In one smooth motion, Reiki violently stabbed the meat with the knife as it snapped in the middle.
The upper part of the knife flew to the side and hit a wall as the tip embedded itself half an inch into the wooden wall. Reiki pulled the knife stuck in the wall and thought. I need to borrow Arashi’s kitchen…