Chapter 142: I'll Step In
When Luke returned home, Annie and Mikasa seemed to have just arrived as well. They were tossing their slightly damp jackets into the laundry basket.
Just as he had guessed earlier, Annie was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt beneath an earthy-colored utility jacket today.
"What did you buy? That's a lot of bags…"
Luke looked at the several shopping bags sitting on the living-room table.
"Food, drinks, clothes, and household supplies."
Mikasa summarized everything concisely.
"You skipped way too much."
Luke complained.
After taking off her jacket, Annie joined him in sorting through the bags.
Helping unpack groceries brought its own strange kind of enjoyment.
It was like opening a treasure chest in a game. You never knew whether something interesting was hidden inside, and finding something you liked brought a small burst of happiness.
"Konjac tofu."
Annie pulled out a plastic container first.
"Konjac…? Oh, right. Konjac tofu."
Luke needed a moment before remembering what it was.
Hearing the more formal name without warning had briefly thrown him off.
"Let's serve it cold. This weather is so stuffy that a cold dish would be perfect."
"Whatever."
Annie nodded.
Thanks to his cooking practice inside the Spirit Time Chamber, Luke had started with simple cold dishes that were easy to learn.
He was actually quite good at them now.
"Lava bread."
"Instant soup."
Most of what they bought turned out to be food.
"Why did you buy so much?"
"Sigh. Have you seriously never noticed how much you and Mikasa eat?"
Annie sighed.
"You two can empty an entire storage box of food in a few days. Of course we have to buy more."
If Luke and Mikasa didn't give her cooking perfect scores every time, Annie would never bother preparing meals for these two.
Cooking enough to satisfy both of their appetites was exhausting.
"Fair point."
Luke continued rummaging through everything.
Before long, he and Annie had somehow emptied nearly every bag.
Mikasa stared speechlessly at the pair.
She had only turned away for a moment, yet they had already covered the sofa and coffee table with groceries.
"You two have been going to the supermarket pretty often lately."
Luke tossed aside several advertisements that had been stuffed into the bags.
"That's because you haven't taken either of us anywhere during your days off lately."
Annie immediately complained.
"Uh—"
Luke froze.
Seeing Annie fold her arms and stare at him with obvious dissatisfaction, he had nothing to say.
Because…
She seemed to be completely right.
Luke carefully thought back.
When was the last time they had gone somewhere together?
During winter vacation?
"The Tokyo Cat and Dog Exhibition should be coming up soon."
He thought for a moment.
He vaguely remembered someone mentioning it recently.
Better to confirm.
"Mm. It is."
Mikasa picked up one of the advertisements.
"About two weeks from now. June 16."
"Then let's go together."
Luke looked at both girls.
Annie's dissatisfied expression softened slightly.
Although she usually acted uninterested in almost everything, cats were one of the few things capable of breaking through her defenses.
"I don't mind going, but won't that witch ask you to do something again?"
Annie questioned him.
Come to think of it, Kasumizuki had repeatedly tried to arrange a time with Luke over the past several days, saying she needed his help with something.
Luke rarely accepted supernatural jobs anymore.
Still, if the payment was especially good, he would not refuse.
"You mean the miko? I still don't know."
Luke frowned.
"She only said she'd need me sometime soon. She never gave me a specific date or even explained what she wants."
"I'll visit her this weekend and ask properly. I'll finish whatever it is as quickly as possible, then take you two out."
He sighed.
"That's how religious professionals are. They act mysterious all day and refuse to explain anything clearly."
"Do you really have to accept?"
Annie asked.
"Didn't you say you're already financially independent?"
"I can't help it. Unless a world war suddenly breaks out, there's no such thing as having too much money."
Luke repeated a strangely familiar argument.
"It's always good to prepare for emergencies."
"Volcanic eruptions, floods, earthquakes, alien invasions…"
"Stop listing things that probably won't happen."
Annie developed a headache from listening to him.
"We're in Japan. Shouldn't we be more worried about monsters? Something like Godzilla?"
"Idiot."
Luke stared speechlessly at his blonde maid.
"Why worry about monsters? We have Ultraman."
"And if that fails, there's always GUTS."
Mikasa finished organizing the refrigerator and helplessly watched the conversation drift somewhere completely incomprehensible.
"Ultraman doesn't exist."
Annie mercilessly shattered countless childhood dreams.
'Neither do giant monsters.'
Luke thought that but said something entirely different.
"Doesn't matter. If a monster actually appears…"
"I'll step in."
"Try beating Mikasa first."
Annie replied flatly.
"Hey!"
Just thinking about that made Luke's teeth ache.
This maid seriously needed some manual repairs.
"Oh, right. Speaking of that, I think I have something."
He suddenly remembered his previous reward—
[Battle Maid Outfit].
"Another maid outfit? Do you really like maid uniforms that much?"
"Mm. Try it."
Luke did not explain further and placed the outfit on the sofa.
Its style resembled the maid uniforms he had purchased previously.
"Let Mikasa try it. I need to cook."
Annie immediately walked into the kitchen.
So Luke could only beckon Mikasa over.
The item description said it could increase the wearer's combat ability.
However, it never clarified whether the bonus was a fixed increase like the [Magical Cat Pendant] and [Book of Strength], or a percentage-based enhancement.
Having Mikasa wear it offered the perfect opportunity to test that.
"Victorian style again?"
Mikasa opened the set.
It contained the standard headpiece, apron, and necktie.
"Hurry, hurry."
Luke urged her.
"Mm."
Having worn maid outfits several times before, Mikasa changed quickly.
The apron and necktie were simple enough.
The headpiece required more attention.
The band needed to sit toward the front while the frills remained behind it, allowing them to stand upright properly.
If worn like a Lolita bonnet, the headpiece would collapse and look terrible.
"How is it?"
Luke asked immediately after she finished.
"Hm?"
Mikasa, who had been tucking her long hair behind one ear, paused.
Wasn't that supposed to be her question?
Luke scratched his hair and explained.
"I mean, do you feel any increase in combat ability?"
"Like suddenly turning into a Super Saiyan or something."
"Another strange item?"
Mikasa asked.
Although considering Luke was an exorcist, strange items were hardly unusual.
"Mm."
He nodded.
Mikasa thought for a moment.
"I'll test it in the other room. Without a reference point, I can't verify anything."
One room in the house functioned like a small storage gym, containing dumbbells, jump ropes, a punching bag, and several other exercise tools.
After entering, Mikasa shifted uncomfortably inside the outfit.
Exercising in such thoroughly covering clothes was not particularly comfortable.
"Can I use the punching bag?"
"Anything is fine. Do whatever you normally do."
Luke answered.
"Mm."
Mikasa steadied the bag, put on gloves, assumed her stance, and suddenly drove the fist beside her cheek forward.
Her fast, powerful punch struck the bag perfectly.
'Hiss…'
'Isn't that a little too much power?'
Luke raised an eyebrow while watching the strength and frequency of Mikasa's punches.
Whenever he saw something like this, he genuinely wondered whether Mikasa belonged to the same species as him.
More importantly, she probably possessed enough strength to dismantle a car with her bare hands.
That kind of power did not match her delicate appearance and gentle personality at all.
The absurdly strong Mikasa quickly finished testing the Battle Maid Outfit and smoothed the wrinkles from the fabric.
"It definitely feels like my strength and speed increased."
She confirmed it.
"By how much? Can you quantify it?"
"Probably around one-fifth."
Mikasa estimated.
"Maybe it provides a percentage increase based on the wearer's original ability?"
Luke guessed.
"Well, I'll have Annie test it after dinner too."
Testing another person would make it easier to reach an accurate conclusion.
"Then maybe I should wear this while doing housework from now on."
Mikasa suddenly suggested.
"Hm?"
Luke looked at her curiously.
"Housework would become easier while wearing it. And…"
Mikasa quietly explained.
Her face reddened slightly as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"You seem to like maid outfits."
"Anything is fine as long as you're comfortable."
Luke smiled.
"You look good in anything anyway. I like all of it, right?"
He rubbed Mikasa's head, messing up her black hair and even shifting the maid headband out of place.
The three of them had already lived together for a long time.
At first, Annie rarely revealed her emotions. After becoming accustomed to their relationship, she gradually grew much bolder.
Mikasa was even less willing than Annie to openly express herself.
However, she also had a more imaginative side.
Despite being noticeably taller than Annie, who barely exceeded 150 centimeters, Mikasa sometimes acted more like a child than she did.
That was why simply patting her head occasionally could make her feel surprisingly reassured and content.
...
"So you two spent all that time in the storage room messing up each other's hair while leaving me alone to cook?"
Annie stared at Mikasa's bird-nest hair, then fixed Luke with her dead-fish eyes.
A short silence followed.
Luke cautiously asked, "Want one too?"
"I'm not like her. She acts like a child who refuses to grow up."
Annie turned her face away while stirring her rice.
"Just try it. You're taking a shower later anyway."
Ignoring her objections, Luke pulled Annie into his arms and placed a hand over her small head before gently smoothing her blonde hair.
"Mm…"
Annie immediately closed her mouth and eyes tightly, her entire body tensing.
"Relax."
As Luke continued gently stroking her hair, Annie's rigid body gradually loosened.
Little by little, she relaxed completely.
"How is it?"
"…Not bad."
…
(Don't forget to vote, review, and leave a comment below! :D The more you vote, the more chapters I upload.)
...
Read more chapters(25+):
patréon.com/U22
(Note: Replace "é" with "e" on your web browser.)