Chapter 502: Soul-Infused Carp Soup for Pregnancy Care

“Mr. Himekoji, here.”

Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye picked up one portion of the bento and handed it over.

Himekoji reached out and took it.

The bento felt surprisingly heavy in his hands.

Could it be…

This was the so-called weight of a soul?!

“Um… may I take a quick look inside?”

Himekoji put on an eager face, but his real goal was to confirm food safety.

“Of course.”

Only after getting Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye’s permission did Himekoji cautiously focus on the bento as if facing a major enemy.

The moment the bento opened, a dazzling radiance burst out, nearly blinding him.

What kind of cooking actually glowed!

An utterly mouth-watering fragrance immediately filled the entire kitchen.

Was this the power of “infusing a soul”?

Himekoji stood frozen, holding the bento. Even without tasting it, he knew this was an ultimate feast!

An overpowered dish that made even his max-level cooking skills feel inferior!

And, it was safe!

Himekoji breathed a sigh of relief. He’d secretly worried Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye’s “soul infusion” might turn the ingredients into animated beings. Looks like he overthought it. Honestly, he should trust Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye more!

Not only was Himekoji completely reassured about the bento in his hands, but he also desperately wanted to gobble it down right away.

Sadly, Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye stopped his eager action.

Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye quickly covered the bento lid again. She instructed Himekoji this was lunch and made him promise not to open it again until their break.

Who knew Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye was so particular? Himekoji agreed with a smile, though he secretly gulped several times over the hidden bento.

“This is Miss Shiina’s. This is Rikka’s. And this one’s mine.”

Lining up the remaining three bentos, Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye had thoughtfully prepared portions for everyone.

How hardworking!

Himekoji was moved.

So true! A large shared household couldn’t function without someone with a wife-like role!

Speaking of that wife-like role, they absolutely needed to excel both publicly and domestically – cooking skill was definitely key!

Himekoji thought carefully. Previously, with Mashiro, Nanami, Akiko, and himself in their four-person living arrangement, hadn’t he been the one primarily acting as the wifely figure?

Getting up before dawn every day, diving into the kitchen to handle everyone’s meals…

While Akiko occasionally insisted on helping, she always demanded a “reward” afterwards. That was okay, but worse – that reckless girl once secretly bought medicine and mixed it into everyone’s dinner! Luckily it was fake stuff… just gave them two days of diarrhea…

So, terrified of another incident, Himekoji had since severely banned Akiko from kitchen access.

Besides Akiko, Nanami actually knew some cooking and was determined to learn and improve. Sadly, her schedule overflowed daily. Before morning school, she worked a one-and-a-half-hour shift at the breakfast shop downstairs. Only after finishing that did she return to wake Mashiro up and help her dress and dry her hair…

How could Himekoji possibly force more labor onto Nanami under such conditions?

Impossible.

Therefore, when Nanami mentioned her early rising could let her handle bento prep, Himekoji claimed “he loved cooking” to snatch the task.

As a side note, during that “Household Chores Assignment Meeting,” Mashiro copied Himekoji, declaring “she loved cooking” too. However, wanting to live a little longer, everyone silently ignored her. Pure teamwork.

…

“Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye, you really didn’t have to go this far. After all, you’re our guest.”

It left Himekoji feeling quite awkward.

“It’s only right. It’s only right.”

Hearing this, Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye waved her hands frantically, seeming pressured,

“Before this, Mr. Himekoji made noodles for me several times. Plus, now you’ve taken in me and Rikka with no place to go… If I didn’t do something, if I didn’t do something…”

She’d feel guilty!

Uneasy, restless… unable to eat or sleep properly.

Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye was a kind-hearted good girl.

Himekoji was moved once more!

He couldn’t help wondering… when would Mashiro ever develop such awareness?

Probably around the time Mashiro turned into “False White”…

“Right, Mr. Himekoji, when do we go to school?”

The concept of “school” was something Himekoji told her about yesterday. After hearing it, she researched it herself via TV, books, and internet. Now she looked forward to it.

“Hmmm… School start time is still early. Could you wait a bit longer? I want to make a soup.”

Before waking up Mashiro, Himekoji specially bought a carp for soup-making.

That fish was still flopping around in the basin right now.

“Make a soup? Oh! I was careless! Forgot to prepare one!”

Upon hearing this, Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye mistakenly thought soup was a bento necessity. She repeatedly blamed herself.

“No, no, no! Soup usually isn’t needed, really. Lunch alone isn’t that elaborate.”

“Huh?”

“This soup is for… someone else.”

Himekoji explained.

“Someone else?””

The phrase instantly caught Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye’s attention,

“And this someone else is… Well, if it’s inconvenient, Mr. Himekoji, you don’t need to answer!”

She said he didn’t need to answer, but Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye’s golden eyes stared fixedly at Himekoji, making him nervous.

He forced a dry chuckle. Himekoji dodged skillfully—

“Well… she’s a patient.”

He felt slightly guilty inside. Pregnancy… could probably… kind of… count as an illness, right?

“A… a patient? S-sorry!”

Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye hastily bowed in apology.

Miss Shiina’s arrival must have sharpened her insecurity – she nearly got jealous of a patient!

How immature, Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye!

After thoroughly reflecting on herself internally, Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye looked up again, reinvigorated, and stepped forward to help Himekoji with preparation.

And so, through the sincere teamwork of both, a nourishing pot of Carp Soup for Pregnancy Care was successfully made.

Richly fragrant!

But compared to Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye’s bento earlier, it still clearly lacked something.

Thinking of this, Himekoji felt an impulse.

“Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye… Could I ask… Could I trouble you to… infuse a soul into this soup as well…”

As a father, Himekoji wanted the best for his child… and the child’s mother.

The best food, the best drink.

Therefore, naturally—

Came the Soul-Infused Carp Soup for Pregnancy Care!