It Never Gets Old

ICDS Universe, Earth, Japan, Tokyo. 

About an hour later, Tatsuo and Alfonzo returned to the apartment with bags of groceries in their hands. When they reached the living room, they found four of the five women, Violet, Aletia, Shea, and Tio, chatting harmoniously while the fifth, Elicia, was busy sketching designs for outfits with an intense focus in her eyes. 

"We're back." Tatsuo said casually as he and Alfonzo made their way into the kitchen. "So, now that we're back, can I get back to work? Or am I gonna get interrupted again?" 

"Oh, I need to take your measurements, too." Elicia replied without looking up from her sketch pad. "I'll do it after you finish putting the groceries away." 

"Of course." Tatsuo replied dryly. "I'm not gonna get to go into the Dungeon today, am I?" 

"Just let it go." Alfonzo said with a smile. "She's on a mission. And nothing is going to stop her from completing it." 

"Besides, it won't take too long." Violet added as she stood up and followed the guys into the kitchen. "Lici-Chan is really good at what she does. Anyway, I'll help you with lunch, Alfonzo-San." 

"Sure." Alfonzo replied with a smile. 

"So, what will we be having?" Violet asked curiously. 

"Karage with a teriyaki dipping sauce and a few sides and a soup." Alfonzo replied casually. 

"You know how to cook Japanese food?" Violet asked in surprise. 

"Fonzie can cook anything." Elicia said, sounding so proud that someone might mistake her for the chef. 

"Well, I think I'll watch." Tatsuo said after putting the grocery bags on the counter. 

"But didn't you wanna get back to work?" Shea asked curiously while tilting her head. 

"You're gonna put [The End] to use, huh?" Alfonzo asked with a grin. 

"Yeah." Tatsuo replied with a grin of his own. It'll be a surprise for Mom, Kasumi-Neesan, and Mai-Nee." 

Tatsuo then turned to Tio and glared, which made her shiver in excitement. However, she knew why Tatsuo was glaring at her. So, she smiled gracefully as she answered his glare. 

"Although I would love to have Master ravage me as punishment for letting the secret slip, I would never do that to you." Tio said while continuing to smile. "But perhaps, Master would be willing to ravage me as a reward for keeping the secret to myself?" 

"*Sigh* I don't know why I expected anything else from you, Tio." Tatsuo grumbled as his shoulders dropped in defeat. 

"So... Um... What' about dinner, Alfonzo-San?" Violet asked to change the subject. 

"Well, since we'll have more people to feed, I thought I'd make shabu-shabu." Alfonzo replied with a smile. "I mean, with so many people, it seems perfect. I was thinking about making two broths, too. That way, the people who do and don't like spicy food can have something." 

"I see." Violet replied with a nod of understanding. "Well then, please let me help. Although I may not be as good a cook as you are, I'm good at preparing ingredients." 

"Thanks, Sumire... Actually, I guess I should call you Violet now, huh?" Alfonzo said with a smile. "We'll get started, then." 

"It's okay to call me Sumire." Violet replied with a smile. "Tatsuo-Kun only calls me that so he doesn't feel uncomfortable. You know, since his mother's name is Sumire, as well."

"I see." Alfonzo replied.

With that, Alfonzo and Violet got busy in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Tatsuo watched every move Alfonzo made like a hawk. As he did, he could feel his ability to cook karage and the side dishes increasing in real time. Not only those few dishes, however, but Tatsuo's cooking skill as a whole was increasing. And a [Notification] that popped up shortly afterwards proved it. 

{[Notifications] 

[Skill], [Cooking], has ranked up from F+ to E+} 

'Seriously?' Tatsuo exclaimed internally after reading the [Notification]. 'I've only been watching him cook for like twenty minutes. But my skill jumped from what an average human could do to the level of a world class chef. Hell, I might even be a better cook than Kasumi-Neesan and Mai-Nee now. I'm probably still way off from being Mom's match, though. She just seems to be good at everything she does.' 

If Tatsuo knew just how long Sumire, or rather the Void empress, had to perfect her skills, he would not find his mother's abilities so mind boggling. But since he did not, he felt a bit overwhelmed by his mother's superiority. Still, he had every intention of surpassing her one day. 

"Alright, lunch is ready." Alfonzo said, snapping Tatsuo out of his thoughts. 

A moment later, Alfonzo and Sumire carried the food out of the kitchen with Tatsuo following behind them. Meanwhile, the other ladies all stopped what they were doing to gather at the table. Even Elicia, who was completely focused on her sketches, quickly put down her pencil and rushed to sit at the table. 

"Are you done already, Miss Elicia?" Shea asked curiously after seeing how fast Elicia moved to sit at the table. 

"Oh, Sweetie, just call me Lici." Elicia said with a smile. "There's no need to be so formal with me." 

"Uh... Okay." Shea said in a somewhat awkward tone. "Then, um... Lici, are you done already?" 

"Nope!" Elicia said, popping the p. "But I never miss Fonzie's cooking. No matter how busy I am." 

"I see." Shea replied, a bit unsurely. 

"Well, if it's enough to get Elicia to stop working, despite how focused she was, then it must be good." Tio said as she moved to Tatsuo's side and pulled the chair at the head of the table out for him. "I must say, I'm quite intrigued." 

Seeing Tio pull the chair out for him, Tatsuo glanced at her in confusion. However, when he saw how bright her smile was, he just shrugged his shoulders and took a seat. Tio then took the seat next to him, ready to serve him at the table. However, before that could even get started, another glance from Tatsuo said that he saw through her thoughts and was telling her to just enjoy the food. 

A bit disappointed, Tio decided to just eat and enjoy the food. However, the fact that she got to sit next to Tatsuo made Aletia and Shea look at her like she was a sneaky little fox. The two then turned their attention to the seat on Tatsuo's other side. However, they were disappointed when they saw that Violet had taken that seat for herself. 

"They beat us to it." Shea muttered as she sat next to Elicia, who was sitting next to Tio. 

"Hnn." Aletia nodded with an aggrieved expression on her face as she took the seat next to Alfonzo, who was sitting next to Violet. 

Seeing how competitive the girls were for Tatsuo's attention, Alfonzo and Elicia could not help but smile. 

"Alright, let's eat." Alfonzo said with a smile. "We don't want the food getting cold, do we?" 

"Itadakimasu!" x 5 

Immediately after Alfonzo brought up eating again, the smell of the karage drew everyone's attention. Then, after a quick, "Itadakimasu," Tatsuo, Violet, Aletia, Shea, and Tio all quickly served themselves. Then, in unison, they all took a bite of the perfectly fried chicken. 

"Mmm~~~~~!" 

"Ahn~~~~!" 

"Oh, my God~~~~" 

"Oh, yes~~~~~!" 

As soon as the food entered their mouths, Violet, Aletia, Shea, and Tio moaned in unison. Tatsuo, on the other hand, managed to remain silent. Though, he did writhe around in place for a while, while having a vision of walking through a chicken farm where all the chickens seemed to love him and showered him with affection. 

'What the hell, this is even better than Jōichirō's food from Yukihira.' Tatsuo thought to hismelf. 'He is from a Fairy Tail world and not Food Wars, right?'

"This never gets old." Elicia said while enjoying everyone's reactions. She then focused on Tatsuo with a mildly impressed expression on her face. "Tatsuo's pretty good, though. He's got some serious will power." 

"Well, I'm glad he does." Alfonzo replied while picking up a piece of karage. "I'm really not into seeing other guys moan." 

Elicia only giggled in response before picking up some food for herself, as well. 

And like that, lunch went by peacefully.... Well, as peacefully as a meal filled with moaning young women could. However, when the meal ended and the four ladies realized how they had reacted, they all blushed. Well, all of them except for Tio. 

"Indeed, that was quite good." Tio said while wiping her mouth with a napkin. "It was almost as pleasurable as the times Master has put my body through its paces. *Sigh* I would really love to spar with Master right now. Oh, just thinking about it makes me wet. I might have to change my panties soon. 

"I think she's even worse than Darkness." Elicia said while shaking her head. "I mean, although Darkness comes up with all sorts of strange scenarios, she isn't so open about her state of being." 

"Yeah, and other than that one time you tied her up, she's never actually been in any of those situations she talks about." Alfonzo added. 

"Fonzie~~~~!" Elicia whined immediately. 

"Hold on!" Tatsuo shouted in surprise. "Did he just say that you tied up Darkness once. Seriously? Man, what were you thinking? At least I had a reason for setting off Tio." 

"Please... stop..." Elicia said while covering her face with her hands. "I just panicked. I didn't mean to do it." 

"Yeah, Lici has a habit of tying people up when she's flustered." Alfonzo said with a teasing grin on his face. "I mean, she did the same thing to Karen Lilica. And now she's always trying to get Lici to take her in as a pet." 

Hearing that, Elicia could only lower her head while continuing to cover it. Meanwhile, Violet, Aletia, and Shea looked at her with pity. Meanwhile, Tatsuo gazed at Elicia with empathy while trying to ignore Tio's passionate gaze that was asking him to try tying her up, as well. 

After that, everyone got back to doing what they were doing. While Alfonzo chatted with everyone and Elicia got back to her designs, Tatsuo returned to forging Identifications. And a few hours passed without anything out of the ordinary happening. 

Eventually, Alfonzo and Violet got up to start working on the broths and ingredients for the shabu-shabu. And although Tatsuo wanted to watch them, he had too much work to get done. So, he just let the two cook while he continued his work on the identities. 

Scattered Cherry Blossoms Universe, Underworld, Alaverus Territory, Alaverus Estate. 

"Are you guys serious?" A young man with blue hair tied in a rat tail that reached the middle of his back and red eyes wearing a pair of silver earrings asked in a disbelieving tone. "You're actually going along with James delusions, Master?" 

"Yes, I am aware of how outlandish his claims may seem, my idiot disciple." Scáthach replied without a change in her expression. "But this Scáthach would rather ascertain the truth of his claims with her own eyes." 

"Besides, what if he's telling the truth?" rias, excited at the prospect of visiting another world, said enthusiastically. "This could be a big deal." 

"Luckily, James is one of the strongest beings in the world at this point." Sona added while adjusting her glasses. "Because it would be a big deal when you let this slip in front of your brother, Rias." 

"Oh, whatever." Rias shot back, her excitement replaced by annoyance. "It's not like another Satan doesn't already know. In fact, your sister was the only other person other than me who seemed to believe James, or did you forget?" 

"I definitely did not." Sona replied calmly. "But unlike you, she can at least keep a secret." 

And just like that, the two, long time, best friends began bickering like they have on so many occasions. 

"In any case, Lancer." James said while letting the girls' bickering serve as background music. "You didn't believe me when I told you I went on a [Mission] because you did not notice that I was gone. But what will you say when Master, Rias, and Sona all have things to say after we get back?" 

"Hmph!" Lancer, also known as, Cú Chulainn, the reincarnation of Ireland's Son of Light, snorted in response. "Like you couldn't get them to match stories with you. Urgh!" 

As soon as Cú Chulainn finished speaking, a red blur struck him in the abdomen faster than he could react. Then, he doubled over while covering his stomach and trying his best to fill his lungs, which had been emptied by the strike he just took from the butt of Scáthach's spear. 

"Are you saying this Scáthach would lie for her disciple?" Scáthach asked in a menacing tone. "Perhaps we should increase your training. Then, you might know just how I conduct myself." 

Hearing that, Cú Chulainn's eyes widened in horror. Ever since he reached the Minor God-Rank, capable of destroying a country when going all out, Scathach had intensified his training by an insane degree. And now, she was talking about increasing his training even further. And judging from the look in her eyes, it would not be by a small amount. 

And what made it even worse, because the strike knocked the wind out of his lungs, Cú Chulainn was completely unable to apologize and ask for forgiveness. 

"I see." Scáthach said with a nod. "Then, that's how things will be. Prepare yourself, for your new training will begin when I return." 

"*Sigh* You're never gonna learn when to keep your mouth shut, are you, Cú?" A short young woman with shoulder-length light purple hair and blue eyes with a hint of purple at the top of her irises and dark blue pupils said while shaking her head. "Sometimes it's better to just keep your mouth shut and appear dumb, you know?" 

"Oh, are you quoting Abraham Lincoln again, Mizore?" A young woman with long silver hair, red eyes, and an impressive figure asked with a giggle while covering her mouth with her hand. 

"Moka~~~~!" the light purple-haired girl, Shirayuki Mizore, shrieked in embarrassment. "OMG! I only messed up that one time! Do you have to keep bringing it up?" 

Mizore then lunged at the silver-haired girl, Moka Akashiya, who deftly dodged the attempt and started running away while laughing cheerfully. 

"*Sigh* Some things never change." James said while smiling fondly at his [Bishop] and [rook] while they chased each other around the room. "Anyway, it's about that time. It's too bad the others were too busy to see us off." 

"It's not that they were too busy." Sona said as she picked up her luggage. "Rather, it's that they didn't believe you and didn't wanna waste their time." 

Hearing that, James could only shake his head. Meanwhile, he raised his smartphone and started navigating through the [Dimensional chat]. Then, he activated the [Dimensional Travel Tickets], choosing Tatsuo as their jump point. After that... 

*Flash!* 

James, Rias, Sona, and Scáthach vanished from the Alaverus Estate, leaving Mizore, Cú Chulainn, and Moka staring at where the four once stood with dumbfounded expressions. 

"Hey, did either of you sense any demonic power fluctuations just now?" Cú Chulainn asked while rubbing his eyes. 

"Nope." Mizore replied while shaking her head. 

"There was no magic circle, either." Moka added while moving closer to the place where the others once were. 

"How is that possible?" Cú Chulainn, unable to believe what he was seeing, asked. 

"Do you think...?" Mizore asked in a confused tone. 

"That James was telling the truth?" Moka asked, finishing Mizore's question. 

"Impossible!" Cú Chulainn shouted. "it's gotta be impossible! Just a trick. All we have to do is figure out where they went to uncover how they did it. I'm gonna go search around for clues." 

Cú Chulainn then sprinted out of the estate's living room, leaving Mizore and Moka to watch him leave. The two girls then exchanged glances and shook their heads. 

"He's already accepted the truth, hasn't he?" Mizore asked. 

"Probably." Moka replied. "He's just afraid of how much James is gonna make fun of him when he gets back. Oh well, nothing we can do about it. Let's go back to Kuoh. We have school tomorrow. Plus, we have to get their early enough to open the MMA Club." 

"Yeah." Mizore replied. "Let's go." 

With that, Mizore created a [Teleportation Magic Circle] under herself and Moka. Then, they both disappeared and returned to the Alaverus Mansion in the Human World.