The dinner itself was a pleasant affair, filled with lively conversation and the savory aromas of the expertly prepared meal.
Michalis praised the beef and chicken curry mix, smacking his lips in content.
"Hmm, this curry is extremely delicious, Draco nii," he remarked, his voice tinged with satisfaction.
The others responded in agreement, nodding their heads.
"Hmm," they chimed in unison, savoring each bite of the flavorful dish.
"Then you should praise our goddess more, she made it," Draco replied, a hint of pride in his voice as he gestured towards Bahamut.
The entire group stopped eating, their expressions one of utter shock.
They all knew that Bahamut, their petite goddess, was not particularly skilled in the art of cooking.
"Stop it, Draco helped me a lot," Bahamut interjected, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks.
'Ah, that makes more sense,' they all thought, the pieces falling into place.
"Don't sell yourself short, Bahamut," Draco said, offering her a sincere compliment.
"You did most of the work. I only corrected what you were doing wrong. I couldn't have made this dish any better myself." he said.
Bahamut's blush deepened as she shyly replied, "Silly boy, stop trying to exaggerate my involvement." However, the goddess couldn't hide the pleasure that flickered in her eyes at the praises she received.
Vasiliki, never one to miss an opportunity for playful banter, chimed in, "Oh my, is our mighty goddess blushing from a simple compliment?" She leaned forward, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
But Bahamut was not one to be easily flustered.
She retorted with a playful jab, "Fufufu, it's weird that you have been with your brother for years, yet haven't been able to cook a meal of this level. And you call yourself a girl? Perhaps you should take notes from a true culinary goddess." she said.
Vasiliki's mouth opened and closed a few times, her usual witty retorts failing to materialize.
Bahamut's words had struck a chord within her.
Any comeback she could muster would only make her appear as a spoiled brat.
Clair, Eleni, and Dimitra also felt a sting in their chests, as the same sentiment applied to them as well.
Sensing the shift in the atmosphere, they quietly reduced their presence, lest they become the targets of Bahamut's verbal barbs.
Michalis, being observant, leaned in to whisper to Vasileios.
"Did Vasiliki just get finessed?" he asked, a barely contained grin on his face.
Vasileios nodded in agreement, whispering back, "I think so. But we should probably finish our food and leave quickly, she might decide to take out her frustration on us instead." he said.
"True, we should do just that," Michalis replied, already mentally preparing his escape plan.
He hadn't forgotten what Vasiliki had done to him in the dungeon, and he wasn't eager to deal with her again.
The dinner proceeded with some light-hearted banter, the tension gradually dissipating as the group enjoyed the remainder of their meal.
Soon, it was time for them to turn in for the day.
Draco had informed them that they would be heading to the dungeon earlier than normal the following day.
Normally, their dungeon hours were from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., but due to the incident with the Astraea familia, they had to stop earlier than usual.
"You all have a good night's sleep," Bahamut said, bidding them a fond farewell as they headed to their respective homes next door.
After seeing her children off, Bahamut returned to the kitchen to help clean the dishes.
"Hmm, what do we do with the leftovers?" she pondered aloud, her brow furrowed in contemplation as she washed a plate.
"Use it for breakfast, and please focus," Draco said, his voice stern yet caring, as he gently guided the plate away from Bahamut's hands, preventing it from slipping and shattering on the floor.
"No, I want to make something new for breakfast alone this time," Bahamut protested, determined to take on the cooking duty herself.
Draco, though impressed by her enthusiasm, tempered her expectations with a dose of reality.
His expression softened, as he spoke , "Sadly, cooking just one dinner doesn't make you a chef. You will have to learn, then repeat, until you are consistent." he replied.
He truly wanted their goddess to learn the art of cooking, as it would greatly benefit the familia as a whole.
'I know that I cannot make complicated things yet, but I can at least make that shawarma thing he made yesterday,' Bahamut thought, her expression pouty.
Her tail began to move with a life of its own, in protest she begun gently slapping against Draco's thigh in a mildly distracting manner.
Bahamut didn't seem to notice the effect her actions were having on him, as she was lost in her own thoughts.
Draco wanted to retaliate using his own tail, but he ended up giving up on that idea.
It made him feel like he was doing something bad, if he smacked her thighs in return.
Additionally almost every physical interaction he had with Bahamut left him in a state of arousal, so he refrained from engaging further.
Suddenly, a faint "ding" sound caught Draco's attention, drawing his gaze downward.
'Eh, what is this?' he wondered, puzzled by the unexpected development in his trousers.
Draco's mind raced as he grappled with the realization that he might be experiencing some level of arousal from Bahamut's playful antics.
'Okay, something must be wrong with me. Am I actually getting turned on by this?' he pondered, a mixture of confusion and concern clouding his thoughts.
Recognizing that if he didn't stop this, the night would become increasingly challenging, so he took action.
"Ugh, fine, you can make breakfast, but I'll be supervising you. Additionally, you'll have to wake up extremely early in the morning," he said, hoping to dissuade Bahamut from her culinary ambitions.
As expected she stopped smacking him, much to his relief.
Draco knew that Bahamut was not a morning person, and he surmised that the prospect of an early wake-up call would likely deter her enthusiasm.
However, Bahamut's excitement was undimmed.
"Really?" she exclaimed joyfully, her mind already racing with various breakfast options to explore.
In her enthusiasm, Bahamut unknowingly applied extra force to her tail, causing it to slam against Draco's thigh with more intensity, causing Draco to jerk forward.
Thunk!
The sound of something hard hitting the wooden counter echoed in the kitchen.
"What is that?" Bahamut asked, immediately squatting down to investigate the source of the sound.
"Wait..." Draco tried to say, but it was too late.
Bahamut's eyes landed on the fully awakened "sleeping dragon" beneath Draco's pants.
Draco braced himself for a scream or some kind of remark, as most girls would react that way.
However, to his surprise, Bahamut just stood up, tapped his back while nodding her head in understanding.
She then spread her thumb and index finger as if measuring his crotch, after which she gave him a thumbs up before turning away and exiting the kitchen in silence.
The entire exchange left Draco bewildered and unsure of how to interpret Bahamut's calm and nonchalant response to the unexpected situation.
Meanwhile, Bahamut had rushed to her room, diving onto her bed and burying her face in a pillow.
"Oh my, oh my, oh my, how can it be that big? Isn't he like twelve?" she squealed internally, struggling to reconcile the image she had just witnessed with her preconceptions.
"Sigh, since when did I get so dirty-minded? I need to erase the image from my mind, but..." Bahamut's internal monologue trailed off as she grappled with the conflicting emotions and thoughts that had been stirred up.
Back in the kitchen, Draco finished cleaning up the dishes alone, his mind still reeling from the day's bizarre events.
He then went to the two other houses to check if the doors and windows were properly locked.
After checking, he returned to his room, seeking much-needed rest.
The whole day had been a rollercoaster of weird events, but it was also somewhat meaningful.
They had made some form of connection with the Astraea familia, Bahamut had revealed to them some truth about the world, Bahamut had taken an interest in cooking, and Bahamut had...
'Why are my thoughts filled with her today?' he pondered, his brow furrowed in contemplation.
Sighing, Draco tried to rationalize his feelings.
'I shouldn't be thinking of such things. I'm still physically too young to worry about romance. If it's meant to be, it will eventually work out somehow,' he thought, attempting to quell the swirling emotions that had been awakened within him.
Soon, the exhaustion of the day hit Draco, lulling him into a deep, restful slumber.
His body relaxed against the soft mattress, his mind drifting off to a peaceful realm of dreams.
As the night progressed, the hours ticked by quietly, the world outside Draco's room falling into a tranquil silence.
The moon rose high in the sky, casting a gentle, silvery glow through the window, illuminating the sleeping figure on the bed.
Around 4:30 am, Bahamut, the goddess herself, stirred from her own sleep.
It was an unusual event, as the divine being could rarely keep herself awake at such hours.
Yet, on this particular morning, something had compelled her to wake up earlier than her usual routine.
Despite still feeling drowsy, Bahamut was determined to prove a point – that she could indeed rise before the crack of dawn if she so desired.
With a sense of purpose, she began to drag her sluggish body towards Draco's room, eager to rub her early rising in his face.
Upon reaching the door, Bahamut quietly pushed it open and stepped inside.
Her eyes quickly adjusted to the dim lighting, and she made her way towards the bed where Draco lay sleeping peacefully, curled up and tightly clutching his pillow.
Bahamut approached the bed, her steps light and cautious, not wanting to ruin the surprise.
She stood beside the bed, her gaze fixed on his sleeping form, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Raising her hand, she began to gently shake him, trying to rouse him from his deep sleep.
Seeing no reaction, she decided to blow air lightly into his ears.
However, Draco didn't respond as she expected, he didn't wake up, instead he just smiled in content and the grip on his pillow loosened.
Reaching out, she attempted to pull the pillow away from his embrace, eager to see a cute reaction.
But as she did so, Draco, now half-awake, instinctively reached out and grabbed hold of her, pulling her into a light, but firm, cuddle.
Bahamut was taken aback by this unexpected turn of events.
She immediately began to struggle, trying to free herself from Draco's grasp, but the more she squirmed, the tighter his hold became.
To Draco, he had found something warmer, though a bit harder than his usual pillow, but nonetheless, a comforting object to hold onto in his sleep.
Bahamut's heart raced as she realized the predicament she had found herself in.
She had come with the intention of teasing Draco, but now she found herself trapped in his embrace.
She could easily force herself free but strangely, she didn't.
Despite her initial surprise, a strange sense of comfort began to settle over her, and she found herself slowly relaxing into the warmth of his embrace.
As the minutes ticked by, the two remained entwined, the world around them fading away as they lost themselves in the quiet serenity of the moment.
Bahamut soon found her eyes creeping shut, she struggled to stay awake but it was futile.
Within the next few minutes, she fell asleep.