Chapter IX: I am a Cook.
___
Upon opening the door, I entered the house and immediately spotted Mother in the hall, delicately sipping her favorite tea, her gaze fixed on the entry door.
"Come and sit here," she called to me, noticing my entrance, and patted the seat beside her.
I nodded and joined her, resting my head on her soft thighs – one of my favorite spots to unwind.
As she gently caressed my head, I could see the warmth in her smiling face.
"Something on your mind?" I asked, sensing she had something to discuss. After all, I wasn't her child for nothing.
"You don't have anything to say to me?" She didn't ask but countered.
"..." Familiar with her habits, I chose not to indulge. She always sought answers without asking the questions directly, expecting the other party to respond as if they could read her mind.
Despite knowing exactly what she wanted to ask, I resisted, lying there in my cherished spot, inhaling her pleasant and flowery smell and occasionally giving a few kisses to her stomach, engaging in a waiting game to see who would yield first.
An hour later, it seemed she had finally lost patience and gently smacked my head, expressing annoyance. "You've become stubborn! "
"Heh, Pot calling the kettle black," I teased.
She jabbed my head again and asserted, "I am your mother! Boy. Don't call me pot"
"Then drop these childish habits," I retorted, smirking.
"Humph! Then I would say it directly. Where did you go?" she inquired.
"....I was called. A friend had reached out to me," I replied.
"And who was this friend?" She pressed.
"What's with the sudden questions? Can't I visit a friend?" I countered.
"You can. But I need to know if the friend is good for you," she insisted.
"I can judge that much, Mom. Don't you trust me?" I implored, unleashing the power of puppy eyes. The immediate softening of Mother's expression suggested that resisting the charm of both my eyes and appearance was nearly impossible. It was akin to a mental attack, like the legendary talk-no Jutsu .
"...Of course, I trust you, son. But it's a mother's duty to worry about her son, right?" she explained.
"Okay. I got it. I went to see Ino; she wanted to discuss the test," I explained, assuming she would believe my teenage shyness was the reason for my discreet behavior..
"...No. You're lying," she suddenly stated, locking eyes with me. To my surprise, she saw through my act.
"I am not," I denied, attempting to continue my act.
"You think your mother wouldn't know when you're lying. You went to that vixen, right?" Her voice now held a hint of coldness, which I immediately sensed. She was behaving like a wife catching her husband cheating.
Sigh. I should have anticipated her reaction. She disliked Tsubasa, thinking she is manipulating and using me. However, my relationship with Tsubasa has genuine feelings, which I finally confirmed today using my Eye of Eros.
Mother, though, remained distrustful. I wasn't sure why – perhaps a past event or just Tsubasa's infamous reputation.
Seeing my face, Mother knew her guess was correct, and her temples twitched.
"Yes, I did," I confessed knowing it was too late to cook up another excuse which she most likely would not believe. "...But it was for a good reason."
"I'm waiting for the reason," she prompted.
I nodded, presenting the paper from Tsubasa, and handed it to Mother. Confused initially, she read the paper, her expression gradually becoming a frown.
"Is this information correct?" She inquired.
I nodded and assured her, "I don't think she would provide false information." Her immediate frown prompted me to elaborate, "It wouldn't be worth destroying my trust for such a trivial matter. Even if she's attempting to mislead me with this information, it won't cause us much harm at the end of the day." Only then did her frown lessen.
"How does she know all of this?" Mother asked.
"Her connections are extensive, Mother. I believe only Jiraya's spy network and Danzo's Root can rival her in acquiring information." I said. And all the things I said were true. You would rather have a Kage as an enemy than her.
I saw her sigh upon hearing my words, and then she looked at me with concern. "I know you won't stop, even if I ask you, but be careful of her. I don't trust her."
I smiled, appreciating her concern. So I sat up, and gently kissed her forehead, and reassured her, "Don't worry, Mom. I will be." I also made a mental note to leave a backup plan; after all, I believe in the rule that one should never trust someone 100%, no matter how close they are to you. I would even say, you can't even trust yourself 100%. Especially in a world where {Kotoamatsukami} was a thing.
______________________________
[Assigned Mission: 'Make Mommy Happy']
Your Mom has been concerned after discovering your attempt to deceive her by going out with a so-called 'Vixen'. Coax her and bring back her happiness, assuring her that you are still her Mama's boy.
[Conditions:]
Prepare her favourite dish, and at least get a 7/10 rating from her.
[Rewards:]
Mommy Happy Again.
+1 Physical
+1 Spiritual
[Failure:]
-2 (Physical/Spiritual)
-1 (Affection Point)
[Y/N]
______________________________
A sudden ding resonated in my mind, and a screen panel materialized in front of me. Notably, the panel didn't hinder my vision in the slightest. It was like an additional layer, seamlessly blending into my extra vision. For example if someone had a 180° angle of view, it might appear in the 200th angle without disrupting their vision.
However, with my 360° vision, the panel seemed to exist in some other extra dimension beyond the 3D world. Experiencing such nuances made me understand the sheer power and absurdity of a system and how it casually broke the laws of the world.
Now, back to the second mission of the day, I gave it a quick read, recognizing it as a SoL (slice-of-life) type mission. However, my eyebrows raised at the failure penalties; they were almost double the rewards.
Nevertheless, considering it was a straightforward mission, I accepted without much hesitation. After all, making a meal for Mom was on my agenda, mission or not.
"Want me to make your favorite dish?" I asked her.
She looked surprised upon hearing my words before an understanding smile formed on her lips. "Coaxing me, huh?"
"What? I can't cook a meal for my mother without a reason other than my love for you. And it's sushi, Mom. Don't tell me you're going to miss out on my own handmade sushi."
Hearing my words, she stopped before suddenly standing up, almost making me fall, and said immediately, "Go! I won't disturb you anymore. And make me my delicious sushi."
"Tch, forgetting your son in front of sushi. I'm heartbroken, Mom," I said with a fake hurt expression.
Mom chuckled, seeing through my playful act. "Oh, come on now. I could never forget my wonderful son, even in the presence of delicious sushi. You're the chef behind this delightful meal, after all."
"OK, OK, no need to flatter me. I'm going," I said, heading to the kitchen to make sushi for her.
Actually, sushi wasn't invented in this world. I don't know about the original Naruto, but it wasn't present here. So, when I made it for the first time, Mom immediately fell in love with it, even started begging me to make it for her every day.
But I denied it. Sushi isn't a staple food, so if you eat it every day, it will ruin the taste of it. It's better to savor it once in a while.
As for how I know how to cook, well, my father in my previous life was a certified cook, and we even had a good restaurant—nothing fancy, but it was good.
So, I had at least ten years of cooking experience under my belt, with all kinds of different recipes etched in my mind.
It didn't take much for me to make her a perfect ten pieces of spicy tuna roll and another ten pieces of authentic sushi with salmon fish.
As the aroma of freshly prepared sushi filled the air, I carefully arranged the vibrant rolls on a plate, each piece a testament to the culinary skills inherited from my father.
Presenting the plate to my mom, her eyes lit up with anticipation. "Spicy tuna roll and salmon sushi, you've outdone yourself again," she exclaimed, a proud smile gracing her face.
We settled at the dining table, savoring each bite as the flavors danced on our taste buds.
It made me think, if Food Wars mechanics worked here, would I have been able to gaze at the forbidden? No, no—Tatsuya, don't think of such things; she is your mother.
It's natural to have such intrusive thoughts, but it seems I have to keep them in check, especially in a world where early puberty and heightened teenage hormones are part of the equation. The question lingers: is it because of the influence of the Ninja world or my Kama's body?
Nah, It just might be lustfulness speaking, No need the blame the fucking world for it.
"Hey, leave some for Hanabi and Hinata!" I exclaimed, but it was too late as she had already finished all of them, a satisfied smile on her face, accompanied by a certain ding sound in my mind.
[Mission Completed]
[Gained: +1 Physical & +1 Spiritual]
[Would you want to allocate them to your Status now? Y/N]
I mentally commanded to click on No, as it wasn't the time to do that.
"You can make them again for them, right?" she sheepishly smiled, feeling a little guilty.
"Sigh, don't worry, I'll make more for them," I said with a smile, knowing she gets a little too enthusiastic about sushi.
I headed to the kitchen to make another set of sushi, which took around half an hour, before I stepped upstairs to call Hanabi and Hinata.
- x - X - x -
Join Patreon for Advance chapter. And don't forget to donate power stones. It keeps me motivated.
Link: patreon.com/NexusPrimodius