Hub World, Earth, Japan, Tokyo.
"Is Tatsu-Chan still asleep?" Sumire asked while looking down at the watch on her left wrist. "Did I forget to tell him what time we were leaving this morning?"
"No, you told everyone at dinner last night." Ayane replied while standing next to Sumire with a backpack over her left shoulder and her arms crossed while tapping her left index finger on her right arm impatiently. "He's probably just slacking off because he doesn't have to go to school or have to train while you're gone."
"Tatsuo-Kun isn't like that." Kasumi said, defending Tatsuo in her usual soft tone.
"If he's asleep, someone should wake him up." Tio said calmly.
"Ooh! I'll go!" Mai said as she turned towards the hallway where most of the bedrooms were located.
"No! Stay, Girl." Sumire said sharply as she caught Mai's ponytail, using it as a leash to stop her from running off. She then turned towards Kasumi and continued. "Kasumi-Chan, you go. I don't' know what this horny assistant of mine will try to do if she sees a defenseless Tatsu-Chan in bed."
"Sumire-Sama, do you really think so badly of me?" Mai asked in an overly dramatic offended tone.
"Yes, I do." Sumire replied bluntly.
"Tch!" Mai only clicked her tongue in response, as she was seen right through.
"I understand." Kasumi said, a small smile spreading across her face as she did so. "Then, I'll be right back."
With that, Kasumi turned and made her way towards Tatsuo's bedroom. Along the way, it was so quiet that she did not think he could be anything but sleep. However, when she eventually reached his room and cracked the door, which was not locked, open, the sounds coming out of the room made it clear that Tatsuo was not sleep. Nor had he been for quite some time.
"Just what is Tatsuo-Kun doing?" Kasumi asked herself, a curious expression on her face as she stepped into the bedroom.
Following the sounds she could hear, Kasumi slowly made her way across the room, eventually ending up in front of Tatsuo's walk-in closet. And when she looked inside, she was dumbfounded.
Sitting in front of a work bench, Tatsuo was sharpening a ninjatō. A very well crafted one that looked to be made from the same material as the wakizashi he made for her several months ago, yet, it also looked slightly different, too. On top of that, displayed on a mannequin, there was a black, lightly armored corset, a pair of tight, dark-grey pants, a pair of black, low heeled boots, a pair of long, black, lightly armored gloves that reached up to the wearer's shoulders, and a pair of pouches attached to the thighs of the pants meant for holding small throwing weapons such as shuriken and senbon. {A/N: Ayane's default costume in DOA 6.}
"Was he up all night making new gear for Ayane?' Kasumi asked breathlessly as she watched Tatsuo put the finishing touches on the equipment.
"Oh, hey, Kasumi-Oneesan." Tatsuo said without looking up from his work. "Is it that time already? *Sign* I thought I'd be finished before it was time for Mom and Ayane-Neechan to go. Well, can you ask them to wait a couple of minutes, I'm almost done."
"Uh… Sure." Kasumi replied as she turned around to relay Tatsuo's message.
The smile on Kasumi's face was sweet enough to give anyone looking at it diabetes as she made her way back to the elevator. And when Sumire, Mai, Tio, and Ayane saw that smile, instead of being angry that Tatsuo was not with her, they were curious to know what made her smile that way.
"Oh, did Kasumi-Chan fall for Tatsu-Chan, too?" Sumire asked in a teasing tone as she finally released Mai's ponytail.
"Grr… You better not." Mai said in an annoyed tone. "there's already enough competition."
"Ara, ara, I knew it was only a matter of time." Tio said while covering her smile with her fan.
Hearing all the teasing, Kasumi immediately began to blush. And that just made Sumire put on an expression like she was a shark who just smelled blood in the water.
"Hmph! Only someone as weak as you would ever fall in love." Ayane said, her tone as mocking as could be.
"Oh, but weren't you so comfortable while sleeping on Tatsu-Chan's lap last night, Ayane-Chan?" Sumire asked playfully. "If Tatsu-Chan didn't make you get up for dinner, I bet you would have never gotten up on your own."
"Don't say it like I chose to lay down there!" Ayane shouted back in protest. "You put me there while I was unconscious. That had nothing to do with me."
"But you did turn over and make yourself more comfortable when Tatsuo-Sama woke you up, didn't you?" Tio asked, sounding as innocent as she could for added effect.
Ayane, with a blush even more intense than Kasumi's, turned to glare at Tio, who looked as if she had no idea what effect her words just had.
"*Cough* Anyway, Tatsuo-Kun said he would be out in a minute." Kasumi said once her blush was back under control. "He's making a gift for Ayane. He said he thought he would be done before it was time for you to leave. But he miscalculated the time."
"Well, I suppose we have a few minutes to spare." Sumire said, a gentle smile spreading across her face. She then looked at Ayane as she continued. "Looks like Tatsu-Chan really sees you as family. He's already made equipment for both Mai-Chan and Kasumi-Chan using materials he brought back from another world. He was going to make some for me, too. But I don't really need them. And Tio's already durable enough without any equipment."
"Hmph!" Ayane replied with a snort as she sharply turned her head away. Though, that did not hide the happy smile that was trying to creep on to her face without her permission.
"Aww~! Ayane-Chan is such a tsundere~!" Mai said in a teasing tone.
"What did you call me?" Ayane immediately bristled at Mai's comment. "Why don't you say that again, you horny bimbo."
"Hey, I may be horny almost all the time when it comes to Tatsu-Kun." Mai shot back as she stepped closer to Ayane. "But I won't let that bimbo comment slide. Take it back or I'll make you."
"I'd like to see you try." Ayane said, not backing down an inch.
"*Sigh* They really are getting just as close as family, aren't they?" Sumire said as she placed her right hand on her right cheek and looked at the girls getting ready to fight with fondness.
"Hey, sorry to keep you waiting." Tatsuo said as he walked quickly towards the elevator with a case in his right hand. "I ran out of Giant Sword Tiger Fangs. So, I had to use a Wyvern Fang this time around. And let me tell you, that has a much higher threshold for punishment than the tiger did."
By the time Tatsuo reached that point, Mai and Ayane were standing forehead-to-forehead and ready to fight. Meanwhile, Sumire, Kasumi, and Tio were just watching them as if they were misbehaving children.
"Uh... Did I miss something?" Tatsuo muttered in confusion. "Why does it look like Mai-Nee and Ayane-Neechan are about to fight? Shouldn't they be saying their goodbyes and all that stuff?"
"Don't worry about them, Tatsu-Chan." Sumire said with a smile. "Instead, let us see the equipment you made for Ayane-Chan. The ones you made for Mai-Chan and Kasumi-Chan were very well done."
With that, both Mai and Ayane glared at each other for a bit longer. Then, they snorted simultaneously as they looked away, turning their attentions towards the case in Tatsuo's hand.
"Sure." Tatsuo replied with a shrug as he stepped forward and held out the case with both hands for Ayane to open it.
Curious to know what Tatsuo made for her, as she had seen Mai's and Kasumi's equipment the night before, Ayane reached out and unlatched the lock on the case. Then, she slowly opened it. And when she saw the gear that was packed inside, her eyes lit up. Especially after she saw the sword made from the Wyvern fang Tatsuo talked about. Unfortunately, there was not enough time to unsheathe it to see its quality right now.
"I know you plan on helping with the investigation once you and Mom get back from the village." Tatsuo said with a smile. "So, I made this stuff for you just in case things go sideways."
"You really didn't have to go through all the trouble." Ayane said softly. "But thank you, either way."
"No problem." Tatsuo replied with a smile.
After that, Ayane closed the case then took it out of Tatsuo's hand before taking her place next to Sumire once again. Mai joined them, as well, as she would be driving Sumire and Ayane to the airport before coming back to continue her investigation into DOATEC's movements along with Kasumi.
Meanwhile, Tatsuo, Kasumi, and Tio said their goodbyes before Sumire, Mai, and Ayane stepped into the elevator to start their trip.
"Tio, what time is my practice with Miyazono-San?" Tatsuo asked after the elevator started moving.
"At eleven." Tio replied. "We'll have to leave here at around 10:30 to make it on time."
Pulling his smartphone out of his pocket, Tatsuo saw that it was just after 5 a.m. And knowing that the [Dimensional Chat] would be back online around 8 a.m., he made a decision for what he would do for the next few hours.
"Alright, I'll set an alarm for seven." Tatsuo said while operating his phone to do just that. "I'll get a couple of hours of sleep before I make breakfast. Then, after we eat, I'll get another couple of hours of sleep. I'll set another alarm for ten so I can be ready to go on time."
"Understood." Tio replied with a nod.
"You know, you don't have to worry about making breakfast, Tatsuo-Kun." Kasumi said softly. "I don't mind making breakfast today. You must be tired after working all night."
"Nah, I'm fine." Tatsuo said, waving off Kasumi's offer. "I almost never get to cook when Mom is home. So, I wanna take advantage of the opportunity. Besides, I'm looking forward to how you'll react to my cooking after its improved during my last trip to another world."
Remembering the way she moaned so unrestrainedly the last time she had Tatsuo's cooking, Kasumi could not help but blush again. As for Tio, she had very little in the way of shame to begin with. So, she was simply looking forward to the flavor bomb that would explode in her mouth when she was finally able to eat.
With that, Tatsuo, Kasumi, and Tio headed back to their rooms to do whatever it was that they wanted to do until it was time for breakfast. And while Tatsuo did actually go to sleep, Kasumi spent her time looking over the information that was collected about DOATEC yesterday. As for Tio, she turned on the TV in her room, connected to a streaming service, and started binge watching another drama.
Like that, the next two hours passed in what seemed like the blink of an eye, and Tatsuo got up as soon as his alarm went off. Then, he went into his bathroom, washed his face and brushed his teeth, before heading to the kitchen. He then started cooking a traditional Japanese breakfast.
Shortly after Tatsuo started cooking, both Kasumi and Tio came out of their rooms as well. And once again, Kasumi offered to help Tatsuo in the kitchen. Though, Tatsuo once again declined, having started to enjoy cooking after cooking for Elicia and the others in the TYPE-MOON Universe for as long as he did.
"Tatsu-Kun, I'm home~~~~~~~~~!" Mai shouted in a sing-song as the sound of her sprinting through the apartment could be heard.
Tatsuo heard Mai's shout just as he finished cooking breakfast. And by the time he turned his head towards the kitchen's entrance, Mai was already standing there, a great big smile spread across her face.
"Tatsu-Kun, did you miss---" Mai began to say when she made eye contact with Tatsuo.
However, when she looked Tatsuo up and down and saw him in an apron, the rest of Mai's sentence was caught in her throat. Seeing Tatsuo like that, something she very rarely got to see because Sumire never let him cook when she was home, really landed in Mai's strike zone.
"Hmm… having Tatsu-Kun as a househusband wouldn't be so bad." Mai muttered to herself while planning out her future. "And he said that he wants his woman to work and try to better herself, right? That doesn't seem to conflict with him being a househusband, does it. Nope! It sure doesn't. it's settled, I'll work while Tatsu-Kun stays home and takes care of the house and kids."
Nodding to herself at her perfect plan, Mai's smile grew even wider.
"*Sigh* Stop daydreaming, Mai-nee." Tatsuo said as he turned off the stove and started plating the food. "Since you're here, do something helpful and set the table. Breakfast is ready."
"Oh… Okay." Mai said with a blush on her face after realizing that she just said all her plans aloud. "Right away.'
Mai then scrambled to get all the tableware ready while not looking in Tatsuo's direction. A moment later, Kasumi, having overheard the conversation between Tatsuo and Mai, came in to help, as well. Meanwhile, Tio paused her drama and made her way to the kitchen table.
Breakfast was served shortly afterwards. And just as expected, all three ladies experienced food-gasms, and the meal disappeared much faster than the food Sumire usually cooked.
After the meal, Tatsuo left the dishes to the others. Then, he went back to his room. However, he did have to decline Mai's offer to sleep with him. Especially since he had no intention of going back to sleep. Instead, he would be seeing what the [Dimensional Chat's] update was about and discussing it with the other members.