The Ice Queen's Tragedy (PART ONE)

CHAPTER 32: Long Time, No See

Chapter 32                        

"Long Time, No See."

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Normal POV – Zaila & Chef Takei

"Tadaima!" The chimes on their entrance door rang after she went in. Their dog, Yui, immediately greeted her.

She grinned and shuffled Yui's fur before shifting toward the stairs, but stopped the moment she smelled something delicious only her stepfather can achieve.

She went to their kitchen instead. She found him preparing their dinner – his right hand was busy mixing the aromatic pot while the other hand was slicing the vegetables into little bitsy pieces.

She was used to this scenario but that doesn't mean she's not affected by his whole professional culinary skills.

She remembered once, her mind was filled of curious queries as to how and where did he gain that kind of skill. That kind of ability her stepfather own is not as effortless as he always does whenever he wanted to flaunt – one of the many talents she admired from him.

As secretive as her father is, she never had the chance to know the answer. Well, at least she can eat delicious food without having the trouble of going out.

She grabbed a drinking glass on the shelf before going to the fridge for a water pitcher. 

Zaila didn't expect him to be here this early. Her father used to spend the remaining time inside the cafeteria even after the closing of the school - the same thing as her mother since she teaches Language subject at the same school.

Not that she was complaining, she was rather glad that she would be able to eat her father's cuisine once again.

Now that she mentioned it...

"Ne, Takei-otou-san." Zaila called, at the same time where she caught a glimpse of his cooking.

"Hm?" He was now stirring the pot. She inhaled the delicious smoke – her father was cooking a traditional Japanese pot.

"I've never seen you prepare your Special Dish at home," She answered in her father's native language. "What's with that dish anyways?"

"It is..." Takei used a spoon to try his dish. Then he hums before grabbing a certain Japanese seasoning and pours a little amount to the pot.

"It is...?" She urged on.

Takei chose that moment to look at her. "Himitsu." [Secret]

"Heh? Ano kaya yun?!" She exclaimed.

"Why?" Takei cocked a brow.

"Just curious," She explained. "I mean, look at your dish! Why did you create it in the first place? It's too spicy, for goodness sake! It doesn't even look like it's something a normal person would eat. Nobody wants to eat it at school, you know."

"You're saying that Anna and I are not normal?" (Japanese)

"Heh? I didn't mean it like that!" She countered, but stopped when she recalled her words.  "Well... it seems like it is. How can you eat that in the first place? If it isn't because of Anna, I'd have thought that Ambrosia is not an edible food to begin with."

"But it was because of her that the student body had taken notice of my Special Dish. She had made them realized that it was possible for a human being to eat it." Takei countered in his native language.