BXBX NOVEL Chapter 295
Vincent went to grab the cleanest deep pan and filled it with water. He lifted the pan again and placed it on the table in the middle of the kitchen.
Vincent summoned a couple of apples and the other ingredients to start preparing. He played everything on the table and looked at the audience in front of him.
[You look like a chef that is about to perform a show. The kids and Tula are looking at you as if they want to help. But I suggest letting them watch.]
-I agree. They are still young.-
Vincent went to bring six teaspoons and a knife. He gave Clara, Beth, Olive, Lian, and Tula one each. Then he went in front of Sakura and extended his hands.
“Leah, do you also want to help me peel the apples?” He asked.
Leah vigorously nodded, but Sakura was still pondering on if Vincent actually liked her or if it was words to play with her heart.
*Smack* *Yelp* Sakura cutely squeaked like a kitten when she felt her bottom suddenly slapped.
.....
Lupa frowned when she never had that experience while Ester curiously looked at Vincent and wondered if he changed after she recalled the whip in the room.
“Can I have Leah? ” Vincent said with a smirk and a wink.
Sakura blushed and lowered Leah without his help. She placed Leah in between her and Vincent and took a step back. Sakura needed more time to digest what happened and what her final decision was going to be.
Vincent handed Leah the teaspoon and went to start the show. But before he started, he asked the children and Tula to wash their hands first.
“Overheat. ” Vincent said to practice control and let the children and Tula peel off the excess apple from any big slices.
The little girls saw Vincent change multiple times, yet he didn’t feel much different than his normal kind self other than his bright eyes and a slightly warmer temperature surrounding them.
Leah, Clara, and Beth weren’t afraid of Vincent now. In fact, they were excited to help cook apples. They wanted to taste the same sweet apples that made them drool for more.
On the other hand, Olive and Lian weren’t afraid of Overheat Vincent. He was considered as a god from a different world to them, so they felt he was amazing and powerful instead of scary.
Furthermore, Vincent wasn’t trying to intimidate someone.
[You know Vincent. I like this idea a lot. It will make the little girls happy, and Tula can integrate with them even if she is an adult with a child’s mind.]
-... I see... I simply wanted helpers and thought they would feel sad to only look at me prepare.-
[...]
Kazumi overanalyzed Vincent’s action after he surprised her with his current decisions. However, this time his caring plan was unintentional, and it made Kazumi slightly embarrassed.
Vincent lifted an apple and focused all his senses on the apple in front of his eyes. He held the knife tightly and tried to move his hand to peel carefully. However *Thud* a quarter of an apple was sliced and fell on the cleaned table.
“Big brother is silly. Mommy can peel better.” Tula boldly stated the truth.
“But will you and your friends be able to help if I peeled the apples perfectly?” Yula asked her daughter.
Tula looked at the apple slice on the table and pondered for a second. “Mommy is right. We can help big brother now.” She said with a smile.
*Thud, thud, thud* Multiple apple slices fell on the table, and an almost rectangular apple was in his hand now. The control of his numb hands was worse than the thought. Vincent could only do rough actions such as punch and throw. A delicate touch was nonexistent.
Intentionally or coincidentally, six slices of differents sizes lied in front of the children and Tula.
Beth extended her hand and picked one piece. She raised the teaspoon and began digging the apple from its peel.
Leah, Clara, Olive, Lian, and Tula grabbed one piece each and started digging the apple from its peel.
Yula smiled we her daughter was having fun. She went to bring three plates and placed them in front of the children and her daughter.
Everyone was having fun in the kitchen between the participants and the audience. The kitchen was filled with smiles and sometimes giggles. However, two started to become unhappy quickly. The wolf girl and fox didn’t like what they saw.
Lupa became jealous she wasn’t told to help. However, she wasn’t of this thought for long after hearing Ester whisper.
Ester whispered, “It would be best not to peel the apples instantly right now. Unlike adults, kids need time and patience. But I never thought Vincent was good with children.”
Lupa wagged her tail and thought, ‘If human cubs can start to like this kitchen and stay here for a long time, I can have Vincent all to myself, hehe.’
However, Plow felt worse than the competitive wolf girl initially felt. The little fox almost had tears in her eyes when the floor was getting dirty with apple juices and sometimes small apple chunks.
The sad pouting little blue fox was about to have a heart attack from such a heartbreaking scene, yet she felt worse to stop the happy mood.
*Pho?* Plow was lifted by someone. She raised her head and saw Ester with a warm smile on her face. Similar to Lupa, Plow now felt slightly better after Ester whispered a few reassuring words.
[Time is up. Five minutes have passed. ]
Kazumi announced. She was tasked with calculating the usage of the ten-minute max duration Overheat ability. Vincent wanted only to use five minutes since it was still in the morning. He wanted to leave five extra minutes as spare time.
Vincent moved his hands much more accurately and finely than initially. The last apple peel slice was about less than a quarter thinner, and it was made after Vincent focused his entire being on controlling his strength and precision.
The improvement was significant, yet his control needed more time and effort for refinement. Overheat makes Vincent lose the feeling of his hands and fingers, thus making such a simple action a significant accomplishment.
Vincent proceeded by placing the apple bits from the three plates in the pot filled with water and then started adding the other ingredients with a tear in his eye.
Unlike previously, Vincent had to use much more ingredients since there were a lot of apples jammed inside the large pot. Five minutes wasn’t a long time, yet Vincent quickly sliced instead of peeling dozens of apples.
A few minutes later, the boiled apples were cooked and done. Twelve cups with a teaspoon were soon filled with boiled apples. The sweet fragrant smell spreading in the kitchen made multiple stomachs grumble to eat.
“Remember to blow cool air, or your tongues will hurt. ” Vincent said as he started giving the cups to the children and Tula first. Then he started handing the cups to the adults, but he didn’t forget the curious Plow.
Vincent took Plow from Ester and placed her on the table. Plow approached her nose to a bowl Vincent quickly prepared. She took a whiff and her lips slightly curved a smile.
*Pho, pho, pho* Plow cutely blew cool air and then took a sip. “Vincent Vincent. Water tastes good.” Plow lowered her snout and took a bite.
“The apple tastes good too” *Pho!* Plow skipped on the table and vigorously wagged her tails.
“Hehehe.” Everyone chuckled, giggled, or laughed at Plow making a show on the table.
“Is everyone here?” Maid Xu entered the kitchen.
Maid Xu looked surprised. She wondered if this was still in the same mansion she had to live in for ten years inside.
The kitchen looked different after a good cleaning and without a bad smell. Furthermore, the environment drastically changed. The kitchen was filled not only with many people but with smiles and laughter. The lifeless kitchen was now brimming with life.
“I made some sweet boiled apples for everyone to enjoy. How about we give some to those upstairs?” Vincent raised his cup and continued with a smirk, “These smiling apples bring a smile on everyone’s face. You got to try one to believe the joy inside this cup.”
[I feel like I am watching a TV promo about delicious boiled apples. But I wonder how good they taste. I can’t eat, and the apples can not be brought inside here either.]
-I will try next time to see if Soul Dimensional Storage can work since it has the word soul in it.-
[You had to say it... Wolfie is drooling, and Freerie is making the heart sign.]
-...-
“Baron Leonis Lionheart, Baroness Teresa Lionheart, and lady Lilith Lionheart should come down any second now. As for lady Teresa’s maid, she was carried out by the chauffeur this morning.”
“The chauffeur came here not too long ago. Yesterday, he went to the soldier’s barracks and represented the Lionheart family since he is one of the last remaining employees and a loyal one as well. The old man returned from the interrogation after saying what lord Leonis ordered him to say.”
Maid Xu noticed everyone was holding a cup with faint, fragrant steam rising from it. The children and Tula kept slowly eating while Plow tilted her head a few times and decided to keep eating.