Morning came…
Maki had just woken up. For some reason, his internal timer wasn't as accurate as before, because he had woken up three minutes later than usual. Nemuri was lying with her head on his chest, hugging him like a koala clinging to a tree.
His eyes settled on her sleeping face, and he smiled softly. He gently patted her head, then leaned down and kissed her forehead. Slowly, he moved her arms and legs that were wrapped around him. After freeing himself, he quietly stood up and covered Nemuri—who was still peacefully asleep—with the blanket.
He leaned in once more and placed a soft peck on her forehead.
Then he quietly left her room.
He walked into the living room and headed toward the kitchen.
At the sink, he turned on the faucet, and water flowed down. He cupped his hands together, caught some water, and splashed it onto his face. After rinsing a few times, he used his shirt to wipe his face dry. Then he washed his hands more thoroughly before turning off the faucet.
He was going to prepare breakfast for Nemuri.
He gathered the ingredients. Today, he planned to make something simple—a soup with meat as the base. He walked to the fridge, leaned down, opened it, and took out some iced pork.
There was no need to thaw it with water. He only needed to use the Cook-Cook Devil Fruit.
He had noticed something yesterday while making sausages—the properties of the ingredients. What he realized was that if he used meat and transformed it into another type of meat, the taste improved significantly, elevating it to another level. But if he used something like spinach and turned it into meat, the taste remained exactly as he imagined—nothing more.
So this time, he decided to test his deduction.
With this pork, he planned to turn it into reindeer meat, something he had tasted before.
He didn't waste any time and got to work. He sliced the pork and activated the Cook-Cook Devil Fruit. The sliced pork transformed into fresh, juicy pieces of reindeer meat.
He examined it carefully. The change wasn't just in appearance or taste based on imagination—the texture and natural juiciness were beyond what he had expected. It was something more.
He nodded to himself.
Then he continued preparing the other ingredients using the same logic, and as expected, the results were even better when using ingredients of the same nature.
After finishing his small experiment, he proceeded to cook the dish.
As he worked, time passed quietly.
Nemuri's eyelids slowly opened. She blinked, then yawned as she sat up, stretching her arms. She didn't need to check where Maki was—she already knew he would be in the kitchen.
She removed the blanket and neatly folded it. After that, she left her room and walked into the living room. She could hear sounds coming from the kitchen, but she didn't disturb him. Instead, she headed to the bathroom.
Maki didn't notice Nemuri at all. He was completely in the zone while cooking the simple reindeer soup. Like a doctor performing surgery in an operating room, his focus was absolute—his gaze sharp and steady.
After a while, the dish was finished. He exhaled deeply in satisfaction.
He walked to the dining table and set everything up neatly.
Meanwhile, Nemuri had finished her shower and returned to her room to change.
Once everything was ready, Maki left the kitchen and headed toward Nemuri's room. The door was open, so he stepped inside.
He saw her.
Nemuri was only wearing black lingerie. The black bikini was overlapped with a suspender belt connected to her fishnet stockings. Her strapless black bra barely held her chest.
Maki stared at her, completely mesmerized by the sight before him.
For some reason, he didn't feel lust—only pure admiration. Like he was looking at a piece of art. This wasn't a normal reaction. Any other man would feel an overwhelming urge at the sight of her.
But Maki didn't.
He was captivated by her beauty.
Her hair cascaded down her back as she adjusted the fishnet stockings around her toes. To him, she looked like a mermaid from legend who had just gained human legs.
That was what he saw.
A mermaid standing before him.
Nemuri noticed him. When she looked at his face, she saw that same expression—the one she had seen before during the survival exam. That look of awe, completely entranced and captivated.
She smiled.
"Baby, what's wrong?" she asked.
She already knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it.
Maki didn't respond immediately. He gulped slightly.
"N-Nem… Nem… a-are you… perhaps a mermaid?" he asked.
Nemuri stared at him, then smiled.
"Fufufufu~ and what if I am?" she replied.
Maki said nothing. He simply watched as she put on her black pencil skirt. Just as she was about to wear her white polo, Maki walked toward her.
She watched him closely, smiling.
He leaned down, picked up the polo, and gently helped her put it on, carefully buttoning it up. Nemuri let him, quietly enjoying the moment.
He then picked up the black tuxedo, but instead of dressing her with it, he held it over his arm.
"Please follow me to the dining table. The food is ready," he said, offering his hand.
Nemuri chuckled softly.
"Well, who am I to say no to you?"
She took his hand and followed his lead toward the kitchen.
AM N. NOT.(っ－＿－)っ♤♤DRAFT♤♤