After sending Kiana off like a doting old father, Otto went to the room next door.
He pressed the doorbell lightly. With his Kiana-wife gone, he could now freely... ahem, slack off with Auntie Mei next door.
After a short wait, Mei came to open the door. However, Otto noticed that it took her a little longer than yesterday, suggesting she was in the middle of something.
The door opened, and Otto looked at Mei with a bit of confusion, as he caught the distinct smell of something burnt.
Mixed within that acrid scent were various other strange odors.
"Mr. Otto."
Mei called out softly, but her body blocked the doorway, preventing Otto from entering.
"Am I not welcome inside?" Otto asked with a smile. He noticed what looked like dark circles around Mei's eyes. Didn't this girl sleep well last night?
Could it be she was missing her daddy again?
Looks like I'll have to get Rita to take some photos of Raiden Ryoma enjoying his happy prison life.
My dear brother Ryoma, for Mei's sake, just give your daughter a happy little peace sign.
"No, it's just... it's a little messy inside."
Mei lowered her head and answered timidly. But Otto's brow suddenly furrowed. He grabbed Mei's wrist directly, his movement a bit rough.
He had seen that all ten of Mei's fingers were covered in bandages.
"Ah!"
Mei let out a small cry. Otto's grip on her wrist was a little painful.
Otto looked down at Mei's hands, his expression turning gloomy. His emerald eyes fixed on her.
"Are you self-harming?"
This was not a good development.
What Otto wanted was a Herrscher of Thunder who would obey him, not a psychologically broken doll.
It seemed this Cook of his hadn't been educated enough.
Mei was a little frightened by Otto's expression. When they first met, she thought he was a crazed lunatic, but after spending time with him, she found him to be a polite and courteous gentleman.
This was the first time this gentleman had been so rough with her.
Yet, Mei didn't feel any negative emotions toward Otto.
To her, he was like a stern elder. Even though his grip hurt her wrist, Mei knew Mr. Otto was only angry because he was concerned for her.
If he didn't care about her, he wouldn't be acting like this.
A warm current spread through her heart.
She wasn't alone. There was still someone who cared about her.
"N-No. I was cooking and accidentally cut myself with the kitchen knife."
Cut herself while cooking?
"A kitchen knife is used a bit differently than a bamboo sword. I wasn't used to it at first."
Of course, it is. It would be far too dangerous if people used kitchen knives to chop people.
Otto let out a sigh of relief. As long as it wasn't self-harm, it was fine. Once a person gets used to hurting themselves, they start to become pathological.
Otto had no desire for Mei to become a mentally unstable yandere.
He held Mei's hands gently, looking at the bandages.
"Does it still hurt?"
Mei shook her head.
"Good. But Mei, you must remember, no matter what, never hurt yourself."
"Okay."
Mei nodded. Looking at Otto, she felt more and more that he was a trustworthy elder.
(My wife.jpg)
Otto released Mei's hands and walked into the room. The air was thick with the smell of burnt food, and he followed the scent.
"W-Wait, Mr. Otto!"
Seeing Otto heading toward the kitchen, Mei called out anxiously. She closed the door and tried to stop him from entering that forbidden zone, but unfortunately, she was too late.
Otto looked at the devastated kitchen and raised an eyebrow slightly.
Was this place hit by a hurricane?
Mei, how do you expect to become the master of pots and pans like this?
However, Otto then noticed the dozens of plates arranged on the counter. They were all filled with strange, charred black objects. Beside them were sticky notes, on which were carefully written explanations of what went wrong.
She was a very earnest girl.
Having had her kitchen disaster discovered by Otto, Mei's pretty face flushed red.
After watching the videos, she had thought she understood. But when it came to actually doing it, Mei found it was far more difficult than she had ever imagined.
"I wanted to make you a bento... but I failed every time."
"I'm sorry, I've disappointed you..."
Mei had spent the entire night studying, but still, nothing she made was presentable, let alone fit for Otto to eat.
However, this wasn't because she lacked talent, but because she had been a bit too impatient.
She only had one night. After a dish failed a few times, she would anxiously switch to trying another.
The result was the current mess.
Mei hung her head like a child who had done something wrong. She must have disappointed Mr. Otto.
But Otto looked at the dozens of failed dishes, then at the crestfallen Mei.
Her dark circles... she must have stayed up all night making these.
He had only mentioned once that he wanted to eat a bento she made, and she had worked on it for an entire night.
Otto made a decision in his heart.
He picked up a dish. Staring at the charred, unrecognizable substance on it, he grabbed a pair of chopsticks. After mentally preparing himself, he shoveled the entire contents into his mouth.
I'll fcking...!*
What is this stuff!?
Otto couldn't even begin to describe the taste in his mouth. It was like a bomb had been thrown into a sewer and detonated. He nearly snapped the chopsticks in his hand, but in the end, he forced himself to swallow the contents.
After it went down, only one thought surfaced in his mind.
I really should have figured out how to turn off the sense of taste for this Soul Steel body...
There's no saving me now...
Mei heard the sound and looked up, seeing Otto eating her failed creation.
"Mr. Otto!?" she cried out in astonishment.
However, Otto placed the now-empty plate on the table and picked up another.
He ate it down just the same. Otto didn't stop, because he was going to eat every last one of these things.
It was a good thing he had a Soul Steel body. A normal person wouldn't have been able to handle a second plate.
This was a beginner's failed cooking, and most of it had been sitting out all night.
But Otto quietly picked up plate after plate and ate them down. The pile of empty dishes grew higher and higher. Mei just stood there, staring blankly at the man who was eating everything she had made.
For some reason, her nose began to sting.
"Mr. Otto."
Mei called out softly. She wanted to stop him from eating. She knew how terrible her cooking was; she had tasted it herself after making it and nearly threw up.
But Otto didn't stop.
He didn't vomit, nor did he show any expression of disgust. Instead, he ate with extreme focus.
It was as if his eyes could see nothing but the food Mei had made.
When Otto finally put down the last plate, his spirit and taste buds having suffered immense trauma, his expression remained unchanged. He gave Mei a thumbs-up.
"Looking forward to next time!" Otto said, looking right at her.
He didn't need to say anything more, nor did he need to do anything else.
Because tears were already streaming down Mei's face.
Her vision blurred, and Mei spoke with a choked sob in her voice.
"Okay..."
"Mr. Otto..."
(My wife.jpg)