We'd been traveling around the world every day to help with the reconstruction in various places, and we had asked the goddesses to reconstruct the"God's Garden"left by Elysium, repurposing it as our base and home.
It was located right next to the World Tree, a remote area, but we basically always traveled by flying or using movement arts anyway, so it wasn't much of an inconvenience, the joy I felt from having our own home far outstripped it, in fact.
But then one day.
"I want everyone to calm down and listen. Recently, it has come to my attention that there may be a grave problem around here."
『?』
After gathering my wives (the goddesses, except Phinis-sama, were currently away because they had matters to take care of) in the dining room, I put together my hands in front of my face and said so with a solemn look.
As they all tilted their heads, puzzled, I directly a sharp gaze at them, "I apologize in advance if I'm wrong, but," and continued, "Could it be that other than me, no one here can cook…?"
『...』
At that moment, the dining room was enveloped in indescribable silence.
Yes, I was happy to have so many cute wives, but out of the blue, I realized that I had never eaten any meals cooked by them.
Of course, this was purely to satisfy my own desire, so I didn't mean to blame them for not being able to cook, but since we'd been helping with the reconstruction, we had gotten quite a lot of ingredients from people as thanks.
So, I was thinking it'd be great if I could try my wives' cooking…
In any case, the first to speak was Arca, boldly crossing her arms, "Fuh, what a stupid thing to say. Didn't I tell you before that I'm a homely woman?"
"Yeah, you did. But let me ask you. What cooking method are you best at?"
"Isn't it obvious? It's 'roasting', of course. As long as it's not poisoned, everything can be roasted."
"…Incidentally, what about the seasoning?"
"None. First-class chefs leverage the ingredients' natural flavor, after all."
"…I see."
I had no idea why she made such a smug face, but for now, first-class chefs, I apologize on my wife's behalf…
"What about the others? No, if you're also good at roasting, please raise your hand."
『...』
Surprisingly, Ophir was the only one who quietly raised her hand.
Then she said, "Well, rather than roasting, I just put fish or meat over the fire until they turn brown. Then I throw 'em all into a pot with vegetables and stuff and mix 'em to make a stew of sorts."
"W-what did you say…?!" The first-class chef opened her eyes wide in shock.
She must have thought that Ophir was a roasting comrade of hers…
"…I see. Does that mean that everyone else can cook in different methods, then?" I asked with some expectations, but…
"N-no, um, I'm ashamed to say that I've never cooked since the maids in the castle basically took care of everything for me…" Magmell said embarrassedly.
"Right. Me too. Of course, if you'd like to, I'll do my best to learn to cook." Zana nodded.
"A-as for me, well, you know, I had left everything to you… and when I was traveling with the pig, he was in charge of cooking…" Elma said, averting her face.
"…I'm sorry. I also entrusted housework to the people hired by my grandfather, so I have never cooked, either…" Kaya-san looked down sadly.
"Ah, no, you don't have to apologize…" I hurriedly reassured her.
Well, setting Elma aside, Magmell and Zana had been living in castles since they were kids, and Kaya-san was born into a family that had served as the mayor of the town for generations.
It was only natural they had other people to do their housework for them.
Which meant…
"Are you the same, Phinis-sama? Uh, before you were sealed, did you never…"
"It is as you have guessed… after all, we goddesses don't need food in the first place…"
"Right…"
The other goddesses likely never cooked themselves either, and would at most enjoy the food offered to them as offerings.
Well, Turbo-sama had been raising children, so she might be an exception…
Additionally, there was Aetia. She was currently in the oni village, but… I didn't think she was the type to cook either…
I got a feeling like she'd say something along the lines of "Why don't you eat me instead ♪? " if I were to ask her.
Right then.
"Huh? Then could Tirna and Shiva-san be good at cooking?"
I mean, Tirna might have been taught by Seleia-san, and Shiva-san had been traveling by herself.
Holding some expectations in my heart, I looked at the two of them, but Tirna said with a sigh, "I always ate raw."
"..."
I… see…
She ate raw, huh…
Then, it couldn't be helped…
Feeling melancholic, I glanced at Shiva-san.
She smiled softly and said, "Darling, don't you think women are more attractive when they have secrets?"
"..."
T-true that…I got no choice but to nod.