Chapter 153: Cooking Together

I couldn’t help the wide grin that spread across my face as I looked down at Val. Seeing my stoic, deadly head of security blushing like a tomato while quietly agreeing to my shameless request was easily one of the best moments of the day.

"I knew I could count on you, Val," I chuckled, pulling her in for a quick, affectionate kiss on her temple.

Before the quiet moment could settle, Yerin suddenly unzipped her spatial storage ring with a sharp zip. She reached inside and pulled out a polished black silk box, setting it down on the entryway console with a proud, triumphant flourish.

"Behold!" Yerin declared, popping the lid open to reveal three neatly folded, high-end maid outfits made of white lace and black silk, complete with ruffled headbands and matching thigh-high stockings. "I packed a full set of luxury maid costumes before we left the estate! I knew this day would come."

I stared at the black box, then turned my head to look at my pop-star girlfriend. "...Yerin, why in the world did you casually pack three custom maid outfits in your spatial ring?"

Yerin shot me a broad, completely unashamed grin, giving me a playful wink. "A good girlfriend is always prepared for her boyfriend’s secret tropes, Seth! Don’t ask questions, just enjoy the benefits!"

I decided it was better for my sanity not to dig any deeper into Yerin’s thought process.

Leaving our shoes at the entrance, the four of us stepped into Residence 104 to inspect our new home. The house was surprisingly spacious and comfortable. The ground floor featured a broad living room equipped with plush sofas and enchanted lantern fixtures, a dining hall, and a large, modern kitchen fitted with polished stone countertops and automated cooking hearths. Upstairs held four private bedroom suites, a study, and a broad balcony overlooking the quiet suburban streets of the Eastern Wing.

After dropping our travel bags in the master suite, we gathered in the kitchen.

"I’m pretty hungry after that long flight," I said, rolling up my shirt sleeves as I looked around the empty counters. "I was thinking of making us a proper home-cooked dinner, but the pantry is completely bare."

Yoona stepped forward, pulling out her silver Student Council terminal. "Give me your ingredient list, Seth. As President, I have access to the priority administrative supply network. I can have fresh groceries delivered directly to our front porch in five minutes."

"Perfect," I nodded, rattling off a list of items, fresh beef tenderloin, chicken, rice, garlic, onions, soy sauce, fresh green vegetables, eggs, and a blend of cooking spices.

Yoona rapidly tapped the items into her terminal, sending the request directly to the academy’s automated logistics hub.

Sure enough, less than four minutes later, a soft chime echoed from the front porch. I opened the door to find a small, hovering silver drone resting on the steps, holding two insulated thermal crates packed with fresh, high-grade ingredients.

I carried the crates into the kitchen, setting them on the central island. "Alright, team. Let’s get to work."

What followed over the next forty-five minutes was a chaotic, hilarious, and thoroughly entertaining domestic experiment.

Val stepped up beside me like an elite culinary assistant. She picked up a small utility knife, and her hands moved in a blur of terrifying, surgical precision.

Thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack.

In less than ten seconds, she had chopped three onions and four cucumbers into perfectly uniform, identical two-millimeter slices with zero wasted motion.

"Vegetables prepped to exact tactical dimensions, Seth," Val reported stoically, holding up a plate of flawless cucumber slices.

I stared at the plate, letting out a dry laugh. "Val, you’re chopping salad ingredients, not executing a precise military strike. But amazing job."

While Val excelled at precision cuts, Yoona was a completely different story.

The heir to the Rothschild family stepped up to the cutting board holding a chef’s knife with the formal, rigid grace of a noble swordmaster. She tried to slice a round potato, but the potato rolled away from her blade, bounced off the counter, and rolled across the floor.

Yoona’s face flushed with mild embarrassment as she picked it up. "This... vegetable appears to lack structural stability."

I chuckled, stepping up directly behind her. I reached around her waist, gently placing my hands over hers to adjust her grip on the knife handle. "You’re holding it like a rapier, Yoona. Curl your fingers like a claw to hold the potato steady, then slide the blade down smoothly."

Yoona froze for a second as my chest pressed against her back, her ears turning a delicate shade of pink. But she quickly focused, following my guidance. Under my instruction, she successfully cut her first potato into clean slices.

"I see..." Yoona murmured, a small, proud smile touching her lips as she looked at her work. "Domestic culinary arts require a completely different vector of hand-eye coordination."

And then... there was Yerin.

Yerin was an absolute disaster zone in the kitchen.

First, she tried to help me season the frying pan, but she accidentally turned the elemental mana knob on the stove to maximum output, sending a roaring burst of fire shooting toward the ceiling that set off the localized smoke ward. I had to quickly reach over and shut the valve off before she burned the cabinets.

Ten minutes later, while trying to mix the batter for fried chicken, Yerin managed to knock over an open bag of white flour. A massive white cloud exploded into the air, coating her face, hair, and black clothes.

She stood there in the middle of the kitchen, looking like a little flour-covered ghost, blinking her dark eyes in bewilderment before letting out a loud, dramatic sneeze. "ACHOO!"

A wave of uncontrollable laughter erupted through the kitchen. Yoona covered her mouth to hide her giggles, Val let out a rare, quiet huff of amusement, and I practically doubled over laughing as I grabbed a damp towel to wipe the flour off Yerin’s nose.

"Hey! Don’t laugh at me!" Yerin pouted, wiping her dusted cheeks. "I was just trying to thicken the batter!"

Despite the chaos, the four of us worked together, filling the kitchen with warmth, banter, and constant laughter. By the time we finished, the dining table was loaded with hot, steaming dishes-braised beef, garlic butter chicken, stir-fried greens, fried rice, and a large bowl of savory soup.

We all sat down together at the dining table, filling our plates and digging into the meal. Before that though, I did message my mother that we had reached safely. I didn’t tell about the ambush.

Then, I focused properly on the food.

"Oh my god..." Yerin groaned in pure bliss after taking her first bite of the braised beef. "Seth... your cooking is a million times better than any five-star restaurant on campus! I am officially moving in here permanently."

"You’re always welcome to eat here, goblin," I said with a smile, passing her a cup of juice.

As we ate, the conversation naturally drifted into casual teasing and talk about campus life.

"So, Seth..." Yoona spoke up smoothly, setting her chopsticks down onto her rest, "...now that you are officially attending Avalon, have you given any thought to which candidates you intend to target next for your Sovereign Deck?"