Rito used the chopsticks to grab a large, thin slice of the beef. The moment the marbled meat touched the simmering, dark broth in the cast-iron skillet, a violent, glorious sizzle erupted.
Ssssssssszzzzz!
A massive cloud of steam billowed up, carrying the sweet, savoury, intoxicating scent of soy sauce, sake, and caramelized beef fat across the room.
"Oh my gosh..." Mami muttered, practically drooling as she watched the meat turn from a deep red to a beautiful, simmered brown.
Rito expertly swished the meat through the broth, letting it soak up the flavours for just a few seconds before pulling it out. The fat had melted perfectly, leaving the slice glistening and impossibly tender.
"Here, Run, you're up first," Rito said, transferring the steaming slice of beef directly into Run's bowl of beaten raw egg.
Run didn't hesitate. She picked up the egg-coated slice with her chopsticks, blew on it twice, and shoved the entire massive piece into her mouth.
Nom... nom...
Run froze. Her hot pink eyes blew wide open, her pupils trembling. A violent shiver wracked her entire body as the flavour bomb detonated on her tongue. The rich, savoury-sweet broth combined with the creamy, rich raw egg and the sheer, melt-in-your-mouth quality of the A5 Wagyu created a culinary masterpiece.
"H-Hyaaaaaa~!" Run squealed, cupping her own cheeks as she melted into a puddle of pure bliss, swaying side to side. "It's melting! It's literally melting in my mouth! It's so good! Rito, you're a genius!"
"Me next! Me next, Rito!" Lala demanded, holding her bowl out eagerly.
Rito laughed, cooking another slice and dropping it into Lala's bowl, followed by slices for Nana, Momo, Mikan, Haruna, Sachie, Mami, and finally, a small piece for Peke.
The reaction was unanimous.
"This is phenomenal, Rito-san!" Momo hummed happily, her tail swishing in delight.
"It's so soft!" Nana gasped, her eyes shining.
Haruna covered her mouth, chewing delicately but letting out a highly satisfied, happy sigh. "It's completely delicious, Rito-kun. The warishita broth is perfectly balanced."
Rito cooked a fresh batch, making sure the pan was constantly full of simmering beef, tofu, and mushrooms. He grabbed a beautifully marbled piece and turned his attention to the quietest member of the table.
"Here, Yami-chan," Rito said softly, dropping the hot, dripping beef into her bowl of egg. "Make sure you coat it well so you don't burn your tongue."
Yami stared at the raw egg and the steaming beef. As an assassin from outer space, her diet had always been strictly functional. When she arrived on Earth, she had become obsessed with the sweet simplicity of taiyaki. The concept of dipping boiling hot, savoury meat into a bowl of raw, beaten egg seemed completely bizarre to her.
She looked up at Rito, who was watching her with an encouraging, warm smile.
Trusting him, Yami picked up her chopsticks. She carefully swished the beef in the yellow egg wash, brought it to her lips, and took a bite.
Munch.
Yami went completely rigid. The tips of her golden hair literally twitched, lifting a few inches into the air as a jolt of pure shock travelled down her spine. Her blood-red eyes widened to the size of saucers.
The complex, savoury umami of the beef, the sweetness of the sugar and mirin, and the rich, velvet texture of the egg... it was an explosion of flavour unlike anything she had ever experienced in her entire life.
"Earth food..." Yami whispered, her voice trembling slightly in awe. "It is... really good."
"Right?" Rito grinned, happy that she liked it.
"I have... mostly only eaten taiyaki since I first arrived on Earth," Yami admitted quietly, staring down at her bowl with a newfound reverence. "I never cared much about what I ate. Food was simply fuel to sustain my body for missions and daily activities. I didn't know it could taste like... this."
The table fell quiet for a brief moment, a wave of sympathetic understanding washing over the girls.
"Oh, Yami-chan," Lala smiled warmly, leaning across the table. "Earth has so many amazing foods! You've been missing out!"
"Lala is right," Rito said, looking directly at the blonde assassin. "Taiyaki is great, but you need proper meals too, Yami-chan. You should come over more often. I promise I'll cook you all sorts of different Earth dishes. Whatever you want to try, I'll make it for you."
Yami's heart performed a violent acrobatic flip in her chest. Hearing him promise to cook for her, to take care of her dietary needs like she was part of the family, sent a massive rush of heat straight to her cheeks.
"I... I will hold you to that promise, Yuuki Rito," Yami replied, looking away quickly, though a small, undeniable smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she eagerly ate her second piece of beef.
With the ice completely broken, the dinner devolved into a chaotic, joyous feast.
Sizzle! Splash! Clatter!
"Hey! I had my eye on that piece!" Nana yelled, pointing her chopsticks aggressively across the table.
"Oh my, I'm so sorry, Nana," Momo smiled innocently, happily chewing the massive piece of beef she had just sniped from the pot. "You were too slow. A predator must strike while the meat is hot."
"You sneaky fox!" Nana growled, diving her chopsticks back into the bubbling broth to secure a bundle of shirataki noodles before Momo could steal those too.
"Don't fight over the food, there is plenty for everyone!" Mikan scolded playfully, dropping a fresh block of tofu into the pan.
"Rito! Rito, look here!" Lala called out happily.
Rito turned to his left just in time to see Lala holding a perfectly cooked, egg-coated slice of Wagyu beef between her chopsticks, hovering it right in front of his mouth.
"Say ahhhnn!" Lala beamed, her green eyes shining with pure affection.
"L-Lala, I can feed myself—" Rito stammered, blushing slightly as everyone at the table suddenly turned to watch.
"Ahhhhhnnnn!" Lala insisted, pushing the meat closer to his lips.
Defeated by her absolute cuteness, Rito opened his mouth. Lala happily fed him the beef, giggling in delight as he chewed the delicious meat.
"No fair, Lala!" Run pouted immediately. She grabbed a thick shiitake mushroom with her chopsticks and shoved it toward Rito's face. "Rito! Have some of my mushroom! Say ahhhnn for me too!"
"Wait, Run, I haven't even swallowed the—mmph!" Rito's protests were silenced as Run happily fed him as well.
Haruna watched the display, giggling softly behind her hand, while Mikan just rolled her eyes with a fond smile. Sachie and Mami were busy rapidly emptying their bowls, completely lost in the culinary heaven of the beef.
An hour later, the massive five-kilogram platter of premium Wagyu was completely empty. The skillet had been scraped clean of every last noodle, mushroom, and cube of tofu.
Everyone was sitting back on their cushions, patting their full stomachs, absolutely stuffed and entirely content.
"I literally cannot eat another bite," Mami groaned happily, leaning against Sachie.
"Rito-kun," Haruna smiled, her cheeks flushed from the warmth of the hotpot. "That was truly one of the best meals I've ever had. Thank you so much for cooking for us."
"Yeah!" Run cheered, raising her glass of iced tea. "Rito-kun's food is the best food in the entire galaxy! I could eat this every single day!"
"The flavours were perfect, Rito-san," Momo added.
"It was super yummy, Rito!" Lala beamed, throwing her arms around him and hugging his side tightly.
Rito sat at the head of the table, suddenly overwhelmed by the barrage of compliments. He shyly reached up and scratched the back of his spiky orange hair, looking around the table at the smiling, happy faces of the girls surrounding him.
The chaotic alien princesses, the energetic idol, the sweet model student, the deadly assassin, his reliable little sister, and their friends. They were all here, gathered happily around the table.
"I... I really didn't do anything that special," Rito said, his voice dropping.
He lowered his hand, his golden-brown eyes sweeping across the room, meeting the gaze of every single girl at the table.
"But... looking at all of you right now," Rito confessed, his expression softening. "Seeing all of your beautiful smiles, and knowing that I could put them there just by making a meal... it makes me really happy."
The entire living room fell completely silent.
"I really like your smiles," Rito continued, "And if this is what it takes... I can keep cooking for you. Every single day. For the rest of my life."
Ba-Thump.
The collective heartbeat of the room practically echoed off the walls.
Haruna's hands flew to her mouth, her face detonating into a brilliant crimson. Run let out a strangled, high-pitched squeak, burying her face in her hands. Momo's tail wrapped tightly around her own waist, her breath hitching as a blush consumed her features. Even Yami's eyes widened, her heart hammering violently against her ribs.
The Harem King had struck again, completely unintentionally, leaving an entire table of girls utterly swooning under the warm lights of the Yuuki household.
*****
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I am working on the following projects:
✓ Killed For 100 Years in Hueco Mundo, Aizen Invited Me To Soul Society!
✓ Naruto: Senmei Asahi
✓ Naruto: Uchiha's Intelligence Dealer
✓ Naruto: The Fifth Hokage Is Naruto's Uncle
✓ Naruto: Who Made Him a Ninja?
✓ Bleach: In My Second Reincarnation, I Became The Ninth Kenpachi
✓ To Love-Ru: Spoiler Route [R-18]
✓ Naruto: The Accidental Incubus [R-18]