"Ahh, why is this so hard?" Saya muttered to herself as she put the groceries into the refrigerator.
"Kenika, come here and help me organize these!" Saya called from the kitchen.
Kenika stood up from the couch and said, "Ko, pause the movie. I'll be back in a minute."
"Can I help too?" Ko asked as Kenika started walking toward the kitchen.
"No, we're just putting groceries in the fridge," Kenika replied as she entered the kitchen.
"Here. Put these fruits in the refrigerator." Saya handed Kenika the 5 kg pack of assorted fruits.
"Isn't this a bit too much for just one week?" Kenika asked while sorting the fruits.
"What do you mean, too much? It's just enough for the week," Saya replied in her usual cold tone.
"You really do love fruit, don't you, Auntie? Hehe." Kenika teased her aunt with a playful smile.
Suddenly, a voice echoed inside Saya's mind.
*"Milady, everything is ready. We can begin the operation after lunch, just as you planned."*
*"Hmm,"* she replied through the neural thought sync.
Saya stood behind the counter, lost in thought for nearly a minute.
"Auntie? Auntie?" Kenika waved a hand in front of Saya's face. "I've finished organizing everything."
"Oh, thank you. You can go back to watching your movie now," Saya said with a smile.
Kenika gave her aunt a warm smile before returning to the couch.
Saya watched her niece walk back into the living room before turning her attention to Ko. Her brown eyes shimmered with gold as Ko's divine aura reflected in them.
*"What are you hiding?"* she wondered.
A few seconds later, Saya walked to her room, stepped inside, and locked the door.
"Xenoki!" she called through a neural thought sync.
"Yes, Milady."
"Did you retrieve the Ray Sample Unit we collected from this planet's protective layer?"
"Yes, Milady. It's set up and ready whenever you are," Xenoki replied.
"Good. Perform one final check before lunch and make sure everything proceeds according to plan," Saya ordered in her usual cold tone.
"Tch."
"What was that?" Saya asked in a silent yet enraged voice.
"Nothing, Milady. I'll get to it right away," Xenoki replied with a sigh before ending the sync.
Saya left her room, walked into the kitchen, and began reheating the food she had prepared that morning.
"Kenika, set the table for lunch. Your uncle called and said he won't be coming home for lunch," Saya said.
"Ko, I'll call you once I finish setting the table, okay?" Kenika said sweetly.
"Wait, I'll come help too."
Ko stood up from the couch and followed Kenika into the kitchen.
"Here, arrange the plates," Kenika said, handing him the freshly washed dishes.
"Hmm… They're still wet. Where's the towel?" Ko asked, looking at his reflection on one of the white plates.
"Auntie, pass him the towel," Kenika said, pointing to the towel beside Saya.
"Ah, I'll get it myself."
Ko reached for the towel. As he stood beside Saya, he glanced at her and noticed something.
"Ma'am, there's foam on your cheek."
Using the back of his folded index finger, he gently wiped it away.
"Woah!"
His eyes lit up.
"Are you using some kind of special moisturizer or cream? Your skin is so soft and plump."
"Watch your hands, boy," Saya said, fixing him with a menacing stare.
"Umm… I didn't mean anything bad. Sorry if I made you angry."
Sweat rolled down Ko's forehead as he gave an awkward smile.
Saya looked down at the flustered boy for a few silent seconds.
"I am not angry. Let's eat," she said in her usual cold, commanding voice.
The three of them sat at the table as Saya began serving the rice. She slid a plate piled with rice toward Ko. She had prepared two separate bowls of curry and quietly gestured for him to eat from the smaller one.
Ko looked at her with a puzzled expression.
"You said you don't like tomatoes in your curry, right?" Saya asked after noticing his confusion.
"Oh, yes! Thank you for remembering, Ma'am," Ko said as he poured the chicken curry over his rice.
The three of them began eating.
"Hmm?"
After a few bites, Ko paused and stared at the curry for a moment.
"Something's not right. It doesn't taste like the curry I had with Kenika at school."
"Haan?"
Saya slowly turned toward him with killing intent.
"I-I'm not saying it's bad! It's just… kind of… missing something…" Ko laughed nervously, stretching both hands out in front of him and waving them awkwardly.
"It's not that bad, Ko. What are you talking about? Even mine is missing salt," Kenika replied.
Hearing that, Ko slowly turned toward Saya.
She was staring straight at him while chewing her rice with noticeably more force than before.
"Hehe… W-What are you talking about, Kenny? This is the best curry I've ever eaten," Ko said, scratching the back of his head.
"Why are you suddenly on Auntie's side?" Kenika asked, raising an eyebrow.
Without saying a word, Ko flashed her a big smile.
*"I just watched my life flash before my eyes."*
They finished eating a few minutes later.
"You two go ahead. I'll wash the dishes," Saya said.
"Okay, but try not to break too many plates," Kenika replied with a flustered smile.
Saya silently stared at her.
"Go."
Ko and Kenika quietly left the kitchen.
*"He successfully ingested the Dark Ray compound. His golden aura appears to have weakened,"* Saya informed Xenoki through a neural thought sync.
*"So it confirms that his golden aura and the light layer protecting Earth are one and the same,"* Xenoki replied.
*"Yes. We already tested the Dark Rays against the light surrounding Earth, and it weakened almost immediately,"* Saya replied through the neural thought sync as she washed the dishes.
*"Then we'll proceed with the revised plan, Milady,"* Xenoki replied.
*"Very well. I'll head there now. Activate the formation once I give the signal,"* Saya ordered before ending the sync.
Saya left the kitchen and walked into the living room.
She sat down beside Ko on the couch.
Only then did Ko realize he was sitting between Kenika and Saya.
He glanced to his left.
Saya was casually watching the television.
Sensing his gaze, she turned toward him.
"What?" she asked with her usual cold stare.
"Umm… nothing. I just thought, 'Oh… so this is how Issei felt in High School DxD, haha,'" Ko said with an embarrassed smile.
"Hmm? Issei? High School DxD? What are those?" Saya asked, genuinely confused.
Ko immediately went silent, pretending he had never said anything.
To be continued…