A gentle breeze brushed past.
The sun was bright, and clouds drifted lazily across the sky.
After breakfast, Akashiya Moka took it upon herself to do the dishes.
Breakfast had been made by Arthur and Tohru.
Since she hadn't helped with anything, she felt a little embarrassed.
Since Moka had already insisted, Arthur didn't argue—he simply took Tohru to tidy up the empty rooms.
Before leaving, he asked,
"Moka, which room do you want?"
"Eh…"
Moka looked toward Tohru.
"Have you picked one yet, Tohru?"
"Not yet."
Tohru shook her head slightly.
Moka smiled softly.
"Then you pick first."
Tohru's eyes flickered at that. Seeing Moka's gentle, considerate demeanor, she smiled back.
"It's fine. You go ahead."
"No, you first. I don't mind at all."
"…"
Watching the two politely pushing the choice back and forth, Arthur couldn't help but shake his head and smile.
"Alright, enough. I'll decide. You'll both stay on the third floor."
The house had one bedroom on the first floor, and another on the second floor besides the master bedroom.
Only the third floor had four bedrooms.
"Sounds good."
Hearing that, Tohru and Moka exchanged a glance and nodded with smiles, accepting his arrangement.
"Let's go."
Arthur looked at Tohru.
Man and dragon headed upstairs together.
Moka withdrew her gaze, smiling softly as she began washing the dishes.
—
On the third floor, Arthur and Tohru chose two adjacent rooms.
Together, they swept away the light dust, then Arthur took out two new, unopened bedding sets.
The two of them made the beds together, then repeated the process in the next room.
They say men and women working together don't tire easily—
and indeed, Arthur and Tohru didn't feel tired at all.
Even without that saying, the two of them wouldn't have felt exhausted.
After tidying up, Arthur brought Tohru to his own room.
He logged out of World Tree, and began teaching her how to use a computer.
Tohru learned astonishingly fast.
By the time Moka finished cleaning the dishes and came up, Tohru had already mastered the basics of computer use.
"Oh right, Moka."
Arthur turned his eyes toward the girl who had just entered.
"What's up?"
Moka blinked curiously.
Arthur smiled.
"Tohru doesn't know much about the world's common sense. Could you teach her a bit?"
"Sure!"
Moka's eyes lit up as she nodded happily.
Tohru looked at Arthur, then at Moka with a gentle smile.
"Then I'll be in your care."
"It's no trouble at all," Moka replied warmly.
As Arthur's King's Retainers, and soon-to-be housemates, Moka genuinely wanted to get along with Tohru.
The two girls sat together on the "bench" Arthur had made using a barrier, and started their "World Common Sense" lesson through the computer.
Seeing their relationship growing more harmonious, Arthur couldn't help but smile in satisfaction.
A peaceful harem—truly, the emperor's heart is at ease.
—
Time passed.
Monday morning.
Last night, Moka had returned to her apartment in Suginami Ward.
It was closer to her school.
But in her heart, she had already decided—
Next semester, she will transfer to the Private Unified High School Academy.
To the same school as Arthur.
She couldn't yet, since the academy wasn't accepting transfer students this term.
She would have to wait until the semester ended.
—
Nerima Ward, entranceway.
"Tohru, I'm heading out."
Arthur, fully dressed, placed the bento Tohru had prepared into his schoolbag.
He patted her head and smiled.
"Mm! Be careful on your way."
Tohru nodded happily, her slightly chubby, adorable face glowing with youthful energy.
—
A little past eight o'clock, at the Private Unified High School Academy.
Arthur entered Class 1-C, greeting his classmates as he went.
After chatting briefly with Miura Yumiko and her two friends, he walked to his seat.
Setting down his bag, he greeted the girl in front of him.
"Morning, Katō."
Katō Megumi, quietly reading her textbook, looked up at his voice.
Her bright eyes flickered, and the corner of her lips seemed to twitch upward in a faint smile.
She turned around calmly.
"Good morning."
Although they hadn't talked much last week—only exchanging greetings in the mornings and after class—
Their relationship was slowly progressing.
Arthur was beginning to hold a special place in her heart.
Because for Katō, he was special.
He was the only one who always noticed her.
Who remembered her name clearly.
For some unknown reason, whenever she didn't speak, people tended to unconsciously overlook her presence.
Even her parents, sometimes.
Because of that, even after half a month of high school, she had always been alone—no friends.
If it weren't for Arthur…
She'd still be by herself now.
But things were different.
She might actually have a new friend.
Thinking that, a subtle warmth flickered in Katō's gaze toward him.
At that moment—
a familiar ping echoed in Arthur's mind.
The Compendium of All Things had lit up another entry.
After their greeting, Katō quietly turned back to her book.
Arthur summoned the encyclopedia.
Name: Katō Megumi
Rank: Green
Description:Saint Megumi~~~
Reward: Liu Mao Xing – Culinary Master Template
"Hmm?!"
Arthur narrowed his eyes slightly, a flicker of surprise and confusion passing through them.
A green rank?
He'd expected white.
What made her entry so high-ranked?
And the reward—
a character template?
Not an item, nor an ability, but the complete skillset of a person!
It seemed the Encyclopedia's rewards were truly diverse.
Laying his head on the desk, Arthur closed his eyes to begin merging the template.
Liu Mao Xing, from Cooking Master Boy (Chuuka Ichiban!).
A prodigy of the culinary world.
As the template fused, Liu Mao Xing's vast experience and genius for cooking flooded into Arthur's mind—
endless techniques, limitless creativity.
He had even gained the legendary Super Taste.
The Super Taste allowed him to instantly analyze any ingredient in what he ate,
remember every flavor perfectly,
and even reconstruct and simulate combinations of tastes in his mind—
predicting whether a new dish would succeed or fail before even cooking it.
Alongside that came Liu Mao Xing's boundless imagination, the spark of culinary innovation itself.
Three minutes later—
Ding ding ding~~~
The school bell rang.
Arthur opened his eyes slowly.
A smile curved his lips.
With Liu Mao Xing's peak abilities,
from now on… he could even make dishes that glowed.
"Fluorescent powder—I added fluorescent powder."
So that was the secret—
a culinary superpower!
As the bell's echo faded, the homeroom teacher and world history instructor, Kirisaki Mafuyu, walked into Class 1-C as usual.
…
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