The girls all looked up as the rich aromas of the food drifted into the living room. For a moment, there was absolute silence as they took in the bounty of food he and Mafuyu carried.
"Holy shit," Ayane breathed, her eyes wide. "It's a feast."
Yuna stared at the perfectly seared steak. Mika just smiled. "It looks wonderful," she said, her voice soft. "Thank you for the meal." She looked at Mafuyu, her eyes shining with something unreadable. "And thank you for your help, Mafuyu-san."
Makoto shrugged and sat, patting the empty space next to him. "Luckily, I found a helper." He looked at the girls with a mischievous glint. "The next time you all demand so many different foods, I'm making instant noodles instead."
Mafuyu-nee hesitated, then took the seat beside him with a small nod. She sat with a rigid posture, as if she were afraid of taking up too much space.
Yuna snorted. "You wouldn't dare," she said, her voice a low growl. "You love cooking for us too much, you fat tsundere pig." But she was already attacking her steak with primal joy, her eyes closed in bliss.
Ayane laughed, low and throaty. "He's right, you know. You're all very spoiled." She took a massive, unladylike bite of her katsudon.
Mika took a small, delicate bite of her curry. "We're just very lucky to have someone who takes such good care of us." She looked at Mafuyu with a knowing smile. "And we're very happy to have a guest. Especially one who is so talented in the kitchen."
Mafuyu stared at her plate, a deep blush spreading across her cheeks. She took a small, hesitant bite of her curry, her eyes widening. "It's... it's really good," she whispered, as if she were tasting real food for the first time in years.
Makoto smiled. "Come on, you need to get some meat, too, Mafuyu-nee." He stole a slice of beef and pork with his chopsticks and put them on her plate. "You look so skinny. You need to eat more."
His eyes stopped at her full, soft bottom. His words stopped too. "Ahem, not so skinny in some places, but still..."
Mafuyu's head snapped up, her eyes wide with shock and something that looked like excitement. The sudden, blatant, inappropriate comment jolted her system. A deep blush exploded across her face, from her neck to the tips of her ears.
She opened her mouth to say something polite, something demure, but no words came out. She just stared at him, her lips parted, her breath caught.
Yuna choked on a piece of steak. "YOU PIG!" she gasped. "YOU CAN'T JUST COMMENT ON MAFUYU-NEE'S ASS, YOU FUCKING PERVERT!"
Mika took a calm, deliberate sip of her water. She set the glass down with a soft click. "He's not wrong," she said, her voice analytical. She looked at Mafuyu, her gaze sweeping from her head to her toes. "You have a nice motherly figure, Mafuyu-san." She took another delicate sip of her water with a knowing smile. "And I think my darling likes it."
Ayane threw her head back and roared with laughter. "Oh my god," she choked out, clutching her stomach. "He's got a type. He likes them thicc in the trunk."
Makoto shook his head as he poured water into Mafuyu's glass. "Come on, don't tease our guest." He looked at them, his eyes sparkling. "Don't mind them. They just like to verbally bully people, but they mean no harm." He paused with a grin. "Must be Yuna's bad influence."
"My bad influence?!" Yuna shrieked. "I'm a goddamn saint! She's the bad influence!" She pointed her greasy, accusatory chopstick at Mika. "She's a manipulative, backstabbing, home-wrecking bitch!"
Mika smiled serenely. "And you're a loud, obnoxious, emotionally stunted gremlin," she said, her voice musical. "But he loves us all anyway."
Ayane sighed dramatically. "And I'm just here for the free food and the drama, which, for the record, is top-tier tonight."
Mafuyu just stared, her mouth slightly agape. She looked from Yuna's furious glare to Mika's calm smile, to Ayane's bemused amusement. She looked at the chaotic, beautiful, dysfunctional family Makoto had somehow managed to create.
Then, a small sound escaped her. A soft, wet chuckle. It was the first real, genuine laugh he had heard from her all day. "You're all... you're all crazy," she whispered. She took a deep breath. "I think I like it here."
Makoto picked up pieces of the tamagoyaki and put them into the girls' plates. "You're free to come here more often, Mafuyu-nee."
He looked at Mika and Ayane. "Mafuyu-nee used to come help us cook and make bentos back then, because our parents were always so busy with work."
The simple, offhand comment landed in the room. Yuna, who had been in the middle of a furious tirade, stopped. She looked at the piece of tamagoyaki in her bowl, then at Mafuyu-nee. The anger in her eyes softened, replaced by a flicker of childish affection. "It's good," she muttered. "Just like I remember."
Mika watched, her serene smile replaced by a thoughtful expression. She was taking in this new piece of information, filing it away, calculating its potential impact on the ecosystem of their harem.
Mafuyu-nee stared at her plate, a deep blush spreading across her cheeks. The sudden, unexpected spotlight was almost too much.
"I was just helping out," she whispered. "They were good kids. A little wild, but good." She finally looked up, and her eyes were shining with heartbreaking nostalgia. "I've missed this," she whispered, so quiet he could barely hear it. "I've missed all of this."
Ayane leaned forward with genuine interest in her eyes. "Really? So, you were like... a second mom to them?"
Makoto giggled, a low, affectionate sound, and replied. "Hey, my Mafuyu-nee isn't that old to be a mom. But she has child-bearing hips, though."
"CHILD-BEARING HIPS?!" Yuna shrieked. She slammed her chopsticks on the table. "YOU PERVERTED DOG IN HUMAN SKIN! HOW DARE YOU SEXUALIZE OUR POOR GUEST?!" But there was a small twitch at the corner of her mouth. A smile she was desperately trying to suppress.
Mika took a calm sip of her water. "It's a compliment," she said softly. She looked at Mafuyu again. "He's just saying that he finds you attractive. In a very primal way."
"He's not wrong," Ayane chimed in. "She's got the full package. The MILF-next-door vibes are strong with this one." She took a large bite of tamagoyaki. "With the cooking skills to back it up too. You're a keeper, Mafuyu-san."
"Stop calling anyone who can cook you a decent meal a keeper, Ayane." Makoto chuckled, "Now you know why my cooking is good." He then turned back to Mafuyu. "As I said, if you want to, feel free to come and help us cook next time, Mafuyu-nee."
Mafuyu-nee just sat there with a captivating shade of crimson on her face. Her mind was short-circuited by the relentless, chaotic assault of their dysfunctional family. She opened her mouth, tried to say something, but all that came out was just a small, strangled sigh.
They enjoyed the rest of their dinner in peace, somehow. It wasn't a quiet peace, but a peace filled with the sound of clinking chopsticks, appreciative sighs, and Yuna demanding that he pass her the last piece of tamagoyaki. But the manic energy had subsided, replaced by the warm lull of a shared meal.
Mafuyu seemed to unfurl in the quiet warmth. Her posture, which had been so rigid and terrified, softened. She started to eat with genuine appetite, a small, tentative smile gracing her lips as she listened to the girls' bickering.
It was less vicious bickering now, more of a familiar back-and-forth about who was going to do the dishes. (Yuna declared that it was Mika's turn. Mika calmly agreed, but Ayane suggested that they just leave them for Makoto instead.)