Morning.
Elise slowly sat up from the bed, looking helplessly at the elf and the goddess still lying beside her.
"Honestly, you both went to bed early last night. How are you still not awake?"
She gently pulled the blanket back up over them before quietly leaving the room.
"What should I make for breakfast?"
The storage room was not large, but it contained all the necessary ingredients—enough to sustain the three of them for about five days.
"Eggs, vegetables, tomatoes, and some meat. Since I'm cooking personally for once, I might as well treat myself a little."
The last time Elise had cooked for herself had been back in the world of the Academy City.
In that world, she had plenty of free time and considerable power. She could do whatever she wished.
But in the worlds that followed, she no longer had the leisure to cook so freely.
"Simula—"
"Ah, no."
While cooking, Elise instinctively tried to use Sacred Speech to simulate something—but quickly caught herself.
This was the world of Orario. She could not casually use faith.
"Honestly... does that mean I'll have to rely on my own cooking for quite a long time?"
She glanced at the basket of ingredients and let out a soft sigh.
The first time she had ever cooked, she had used the power of faith to simulate Erina Nakiri from Food Wars.
From that very moment, Elise had thoroughly spoiled her own palate.
Although ordinary food was still edible, it always felt like something was missing. Most of the time, she could not even finish half of it.
Later on, she rarely ate food from outside at all. Only when she went out with friends would she occasionally try something.
Most of the time, she would simply simulate a character from a gourmet anime to cook for herself.
"Good thing I'm not actually Erina Nakiri—or even a normal human. I don't need food to sustain my energy. Otherwise, the so-called God's Tongue curse would be rather troublesome..."
After a brief sigh, she began.
Elise carried the basket into the kitchen and prepared each ingredient one by one.
"I still remember the cooking steps. If I follow the same methods as before, I should be able to recreate Erina's culinary skill, right?"
She poured the vegetables into the pan and stir-fried them while carefully controlling the heat. At the same time, she fried three omelets.
She even used purification to remove any impurities from the ingredients.
Before long, three exquisitely plated egg dishes were ready.
"Ta-da! Elise's Special Holy Light Egg and Meat Rolls—three servings!"
Perhaps because she had used simulation so often—or perhaps due to her own abilities—whenever Elise cooked now, the dishes would faintly glow.
Just like the egg rolls before her.
The golden omelets shimmered enticingly, carrying the fragrance of vegetables and meat...
As for more refined details, she could not quite discern them. After all, she was not truly a gourmet anime character, and the ingredients in this world were certainly not the same as those from a slice-of-life series.
"Hm?"
A sound from outside the kitchen caught her attention.
Est and Astraea were already standing at the doorway. Astraea even looked rather surprised.
"Elise... you can cook?"
"Of course, Lady Astraea. And you too, Est."
Seeing them, Elise picked up the three plates and walked toward the dining table.
"Breakfast is ready. Eat while it's hot."
At the table.
"Ahh—!"
Elise scooped up a bite of egg and meat with her spoon and tasted it carefully.
It still felt like something was missing, but compared to ordinary food, it was undeniably much better.
At least it was perfectly edible.
"Mmmph—!"
"Hm?"
That sound did not quite resemble someone calmly eating.
"Est, what are you doing?"
The white-haired girl was stuffing her mouth with Elise's cooking, clearly unwilling to waste even a single bite.
"Sister's cooking is delicious!"
This was the first time Est had eaten something Elise made since forming their contract. The result spoke for itself.
Fortunately, Est was a sword spirit who had been sealed for a thousand years without eating. Otherwise, she might have starved in the future.
As for Astraea, although the goddess maintained elegant table manners, it was obvious that she was eating far faster than usual—more than twice her normal speed.
In less than a few minutes, the plates were empty. Clearly, they both approved of Elise's cooking.
"This is truly astonishing! Elise, you're actually this skilled at cooking?" Astraea sighed in admiration. "If we hadn't already become an exploration-type Familia, I would have wanted you to open a restaurant..."
"With this level of skill, it's almost divine..."
"And it even glows!"
For children of the lower world, this would surely be the pinnacle of cuisine.
"Is that so?"
Even Elise herself found it hard to believe Astraea's praise.
"When did my cooking become this good?"
"But more importantly..." Astraea revealed a smile filled with ambiguous meaning. "I originally thought I was the one better suited to the role of a wife. I didn't expect you, Elise, to surpass me."
"As a goddess of justice, I must admit defeat. I've lost, Elise."
"Huh?"
Those words genuinely startled Elise, and she let out a surprised cry.
"How do I resemble a wife at all?"
To Elise, this was simply a habit she had developed over many years—facing everything as a saintess. She might have relaxed somewhat before, but now, even in private moments, she maintained that demeanor.
"But everything you do is exemplary of a wife, isn't it?" Astraea replied earnestly. "For example, the way you tucked the blanket over me?"
"I was just worried you might catch a chill while sleeping, Lady Astraea!"
"Gods cannot use divine power in the lower world, right? Your body is reduced to that of an ordinary person. If you caught a cold, wouldn't I have to spend even more time taking care of you? Then we wouldn't even be able to go to the Dungeon. How would I earn valis to support you?"
"And what about this breakfast?" Astraea pressed.
"Isn't that obvious? You just woke up—you shouldn't eat something too heavy. That's why I decided to cook personally and prepare a delicious breakfast for you both!"
"For that, I even made sure to put on my most radiant smile. I was planning to wake you up myself so you could start the day happily and feel blessed by this meal!"
"What's wrong with that?"
Elise expected to remain in this world for a long time. As her patron goddess, Astraea would naturally be someone she spent her days with constantly. Building a good relationship was only logical.
But in the eyes of others—or gods—
Was that perhaps a bit too much concern? Did she not realize it herself?
"..."
Astraea fell silent.
After a long moment, she finally smiled.
"Thank you for your hard work, Elise."
"I truly feel happy being with you."