When Yuto Saito woke up, it was 7:45 in the morning. He looked at Mifen sleeping next to him, leaned over, and gently kissed her on the cheek.
Mifen's face softened into a sweet smile as she slowly opened her eyes. Looking at him groggily, she whispered, "Husband, you're awake."
"Yes. You can sleep a little longer," Yuto Saito said softly.
Mifen stretched playfully. "Okay, Master."
Yuto Saito smiled. "You're so good."
Mifen giggled. "Because I love you." She thought back to the previous night, an experience she would never forget, and felt incredibly happy.
Yuto Saito got up, got dressed, and went downstairs.
In the kitchen, he saw Ni Shuang preparing breakfast. "Morning, Little Shuang," he greeted her.
Ni Shuang was wearing light blue jeans, a gray top, and an apron. She looked back at him with a beautiful smile. "Morning, Little Tutu."
Yuto Saito asked, "Hasn't Yun Yun woken up yet?"
"I think my sister slept in," Ni Shuang replied.
Yuto Saito saw her peeling sweet potatoes. "Are you making sweet potato porridge?"
Ni Shuang nodded. "Yes. Juzi and I both love it."
"I do too," Yuto Saito said. "What else are you cooking?"
"Just a scrambled egg," Ni Shuang said simply. "Nothing else."
Yuto Saito smiled. "Just one scrambled egg and you're wearing an apron?"
"You can get splashed with oil," she said. "You have to be careful."
"Didn't Yun Yun teach you to make stir-fried beef with green peppers and braised pork ribs yesterday?"
"That's too much for the morning," Ni Shuang replied. "Breakfast should be simple. Plus, we have meat sauce, dried meat floss, and peanuts."
Yuto Saito said, "You need some vegetables. The nutrition has to be balanced. I'll cook two dishes."
"Okay!" Ni Shuang said happily. "I'd love to try your cooking."
Yuto Saito picked up a loofah to peel. Just then, Yun Yun came downstairs.
"Good morning, Sister Yun!" Ni Shuang greeted her warmly.
"Morning," Yun Yun replied softly.
Ni Shuang said, "Sister, Little Tutu said he's going to cook two dishes for us."
Yun Yun looked at Yuto Saito with a slight smile. "Little Tu, it's rare to see you in the kitchen."
Yuto Saito smiled back. "That's because my wife's cooking is so delicious, I'm too embarrassed to show my skills."
Yun Yun's eyes narrowed playfully. "Don't be humble. Your knife skills show you cook often." Yuto Saito was skillfully slicing the loofah, and she could tell by his fluid movements.
"I'll make a scrambled egg with loofah and stir-fried pork with cauliflower for everyone," Yuto Saito said.
Yun Yun nodded. "Sounds good."
Ni Shuang washed the sweet potatoes and cut them into pieces. She then washed the rice, added water, put the sweet potatoes in, and started cooking the porridge.
A Team Breakfast
About half an hour later, the other team members came downstairs one by one, greeting each other warmly.
"Morning, Chu Chu."
"Morning, Sister Mina."
"Morning, Sister Yuqi, Sister Xinyu."
"Xianxian, are you going to tell us what happened last night?"
"Hey, Tuan'er, why are you asking?"
"Don't pretend, Hu Tuan'er. It'll be your turn in a few days."
Ni Shuang called out, "Breakfast is ready! Sweet potato porridge. Come and eat!"
"My favorite!" Juzi said excitedly.
Everyone sat down at the table for a cozy breakfast.
Ni Shuang announced, "The scrambled egg with loofah and stir-fried pork with cauliflower were made by Little Tutu. Everyone, try them!"
"Wow, Brother Su cooked for us?" Ruoruo said excitedly. "This is a treat."
"Hurry and try it before it's gone!" Mina said.
"Hey, don't grab!" Natto said. "Nako, you're a glutton!"
Nako replied happily, "It's rare for the captain to cook, so I have to taste it."
Chen Xinyu tried the scrambled egg with loofah, then nodded. "Wow, it's amazing! It's so delicious."
"It really is delicious," Ruoruo said with a smile.
Yuto Saito said, "You don't have to comfort me. If it's bad, you can just spit it out."
Natto gave him a thumbs-up. "Brother Su, it's genuinely delicious. No lie."
Yun Yun smiled. "The colors and smell are both perfect, Little Tu. This is good."
Yuto Saito smiled. "I'm relieved to hear you say that, since you're the best cook among us."
"That's right," Ruoruo said cheerfully. "But I have to say, Brother Su's cooking is excellent!"
Yuto Saito quickly stopped them. "Don't flatter me. You're not going to trick me into cooking every day."
"Haha, Brother Su is so clever," Ruoruo laughed.
Yuto Saito gestured for them to eat. "Everyone eat up. After breakfast, we can check for news."
"Yeah," Natto said. "I wonder what happened last night."
After a pleasant breakfast, everyone relaxed in the living room, picking up their phones to check for news.
Natto spoke first. "I found some news from the military. The forces in Qinghai Province have lost contact. The Western Command sent a team of three-star Awakened to investigate, but they've also lost contact. The Western Command speculates there might be a high-tier monster there."