"Dinner's ready!"
Umi's energetic shout echoed through the corridor.
Everyone followed the sound through the Zen rock garden, arriving at what used to be the Zen'in family's training ground—now transformed into the Gaio family's picnic area. (Umi's words, not mine.)
At the center of a five-meter-wide round table, a custom bronze hotpot bubbled with vibrant red chili oil. The spicy, savory aroma, mixed with fragrant spices, made Yuji's stomach growl loudly.
"Ta-da! We got the best chef from East Street to whip up an authentic Sichuan spicy hotpot base!" Umi announced, pulling Gaio to the table with a proud grin, arms spread wide.
Gaio chuckled at the little sunbeam's smug expression. Meanwhile, Kaguya slipped her small hand into his, leaning close. "We found out yesterday that you'd be back today, so we stocked up on a ton of ingredients."
"Except for Rin, none of us are great at cooking—especially your favorite East Street dishes," Yukino added softly, gently cradling Gaio's other hand.
"Since you were out with Gojo and the others, we figured you might all come back together. So, we decided on hotpot for your homecoming feast," Kaguya said, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at him. Was this guy just too charming? Ever since their intimate moments, her longing for him had grown tenfold, maybe even a hundredfold. A day apart feels like three autumns—East Street's poetic wisdom was spot-on.
Gaio's heart warmed at their soft whispers. He opened his arms, pulling both girls into a hug.
"Tch, if there weren't so many people here, I could've handled this hotpot myself," Rin's voice piped up nearby. Kaguya stifled a giggle, while Yukino gave a small eye-roll.
Gaio let go of the two and turned, his hand landing perfectly on Rin's head.
The Tohsaka heir's hair was softer than he'd imagined, with a bright orange-blossom scent lingering in her strands.
"You're right, Rin-chan's the best," he said, ruffling her hair just enough to convey warm praise.
"Id-idiot! Don't treat me like a kid!" Rin's ears turned as red as the chili peppers in the pot, but she didn't swat his hand away.
Gaio laughed at her tsundere antics. His house was practically a tsundere princess convention.
Behind Rin, Sakura saw him petting her sister's head and immediately stood on tiptoes, nudging her own head toward his hand. "Me too!"
As his fingers sank into Sakura's purple hair, she let out a cat-like purr, her squinted eyes twinkling with contentment.
A sudden clatter of dishes rang out from the table.
Artoria was already seated primly at the head, her golden ahoge swaying in the breeze.
In front of her, six dipping sauce dishes were neatly arranged. The Saber King's eyes were locked on Umi, who was explaining the "seven up, eight down" technique for cooking beef tripe to Yuji and the others, looking like a soldier awaiting the charge signal.
"So... it's not just one, huh..." Fubuki muttered, her voice drowned out by the hotpot's bubbling.
She stared at Gaio's back, surrounded by girls, her fingers unconsciously brushing her lips.
She'd been floored earlier by Umi's casual hug and kiss, but now she realized that was just the tip of the iceberg. This cold, powerful man was now gently running his hands—the same hands that had slain countless monsters—through the girls' hair with tender care.
(He said he was gonna pursue me...)
(And he's got this many girlfriends at home...)
(Jerk! Total jerk!)
"Tsk tsk," Gojo Satoru's voice came from nowhere, a teasing smirk on his face.
He'd sidled up to Fubuki, tilting his head to study her shifting expressions.
"Little Gaio got it all—crazy strong, ridiculously gentle with the ladies... just a bit too much of a player, right?"
Fubuki jumped back half a step at his words, but Gojo kept going in his cheeky tone. "When I met him, it was just Umi, the bubbly cutie, by his side."
He started counting on his fingers. "Then came the Shinomiya heiress, right? Or was it Yukino? Then the two Tohsaka sisters. Fubuki-chan, you thinking of joining the crew?"
"Gojo-san!" Fubuki snapped, flustered, trying to cut him off—but nobody stops a wild Gojo.
"Ohhh~" Gojo clutched his cheeks, twisting dramatically like a piece of seaweed. "Honestly, if I were a girl, I'd totally fall for Gaio too! That face? Even my Six Eyes can't find a flaw!"
He pulled a handkerchief from nowhere, wiping nonexistent tears. "And don't get me started on his battle swagger. Last time he saved me, that 'Shut up' line—"
"Gojo." Gaio's voice dripped with exasperation. "Keep yapping, and I'll ship you back to Jujutsu Tech."
The white-haired teacher, mid-dramatic-twist, collapsed to the ground, clinging to Gaio's pant leg with fake sobs. "So cold! I was just singing your praises!"
Gaio ignored his theatrical friend and turned to Fubuki, extending a hand—an action that made Yukino and Kaguya exchange knowing glances, both thinking, Here we go again.
Rin straight-up rolled her eyes, muttering "playboy" under her breath, while Sakura blinked her amethyst eyes, lost in thought.
"Try some East Street cuisine first," Gaio said, leading Fubuki to a seat and pulling out a chair for her.
"It's totally different from sukiyaki." He grabbed a plate piled with beef and dumped it into the pot.
(Charmed again?)
(Is this guy secretly a succubus or something?)
Fubuki stared at his profile, dazed, until Umi slid a dipping sauce dish her way. "Try this, Fubuki-chan!" she said with a wink, her pink-tipped hair swaying—no trace of the jealousy a "main girl" might have.
Gaio's move to add the beef was like sounding a battle horn. Everyone waiting around the table sprang into action.
Artoria's chopsticks became a blur, her golden ahoge pointing straight at the boiling pot. As Gaio lifted the first perfectly cooked beef slice, the Saber King's chopsticks moved so fast they left afterimages.
"Let's eat!" Yuji's shout was like a starting gun, igniting the table.
Gojo's "Blue" yanked an entire plate of tripe to his side, while Megumi's Divine Dogs snatched a shrimp ball Yuji had just fished out.
As everyone started gearing up to use their powers in this "food grab" war, Gaio sighed and placed a slice of meat in Fubuki's bowl.
"Eat properly."
The chaos toned down instantly—well, except for Artoria, who was still shoving meat in her mouth like a machine.
Gojo grinned at the mountain of beef and tripe in front of him. He reached out with his chopsticks, but a silver flash cut through.
"Nom!" With a cute gulp, Kanna stood beside him, cheeks puffed out like a bun, chewing the meat she'd swiped from Gojo's pile.
Gojo looked helplessly at the adorable loli, while Kanna stared blankly at the meat in his bowl, eyes gleaming.
"Kanna-chan!" Umi called, rushing over. She scooped Kanna up like a giant plushie.
"How many times have I told you not to steal food from other people's bowls?"
She shot Gojo an apologetic smile. "This kid just came from the mountains with her sister—she's still learning how things work."
Gojo waved it off, no big deal. Umi carried Kanna back to her seat, setting her on her lap.
Gaio watched Umi return with Kanna and loaded her plate with shrimp balls and beef. "Didn't you mention two new guests at the house?"
He pulled out a kid's utensil set with a little dinosaur print, and Kanna's eyes sparkled as she grabbed the fork, looking to Umi for approval.
With Umi's nod, Kanna speared a slice of meat and a shrimp ball, chomping down with a happy "Rawr!"
Umi beamed at Kanna's cute eating, her smile pure auntie-mode. "The other one's Kanna's sister, Thor. She heard you were coming back today and headed out early this morning to get food for you."
Right as she finished, Yuji's choking cough drew everyone's eyes.
"Cough! Cough!" He thumped his chest, pointing at the sky.
Everyone looked up as a dark shadow plummeted fast.
BOOM! The grass exploded into cracks, and through the rising dust, a massive bear-shaped silhouette loomed.
"Got the ingredients! ☆" A lively voice cut through the dust.
A blonde girl peeked out from behind the bear, her pink-tipped hair—same shade as Umi's—swaying in the sunlight.
"Thor! Where'd this bear come from?!" Umi's shocked cry echoed through the picnic area.
"Haha! I nabbed it from that place called Alaska," Thor said with a grin, bounding over to hug Umi's arm.
"Wait, hold up!" Kaguya covered her nose with a handkerchief, gagging at the bear's stench—definitely not Shinomiya heiress-approved. "You turned into a dragon?"
"Of course!" Thor puffed out her chest proudly. "I picked the fattest one!"
She leaned in to whisper to Umi, "I even froze it with magic."
Kanna raised her little fork, eyes shining with hope. "Thor-sama, can we eat it? Like on human TV... around a campfire..."
Gaio quietly used the Yanma Blade to dispel the bear's stench, while Artoria somehow already had a grill set up nearby.
Thor's slit-pupil eyes narrowed, locking onto Gaio's profile.
Her dragon tail flicked unconsciously, carving shallow grooves in the grass.
"Heh heh..." She forced a laugh, squeezing between Umi and Gaio. "Umi, want me to roast this bear with my dragon breath?"
(This guy...)
(Umi's lover! My rival!)
Yup, in this world, it wasn't Kobayashi who pulled the divine sword for Thor—it was Umi.
The day after Gaio left for that One Punch island, Umi went for a morning jog in the back hills (definitely not because she overate and needed to lose weight—purely for health, she swears!).
That's when she found an injured Thor.
Blood loss blurred Thor's vision, but she clearly remembered the warmth of Umi's hands gripping the sword.
When the human girl bit her lip and pulled the blade free, the scent of violets mixed with blood wafted over.
After yanking out the divine sword, Umi draped her tracksuit over the wound, flashing a sunny smile. "All set! You're hurt pretty bad—wanna come to my place? Rin's got stuff that can patch you up."
Since then, the house gained a dragon-girl in human form and her adorable little loli sister tagging along.
"Hmph! Umi's mine!" Thor thought, her slit pupils glaring at Gaio.
Gaio caught her hostile stare and sighed. Man, this world's stitching together some wild threads.