"Ah... wait just a moment. I prepared most of the dishes a couple of days ago, but some of them will taste better warmed up."
Michael didn't reply, just gave a small nod and started helping her clean up the pots and pans on his own.
After making sure Seele was okay, Bronya couldn't be bothered to deal with a certain idiot anymore.
She seemed to remember she was supposed to be helping Mei with something and walked over to the kitchen doorway, only to see Michael already helping Mei out.
"...Looks like the Bronya isn't needed. The Bronya is going back to her room to play games."
She muttered this under her breath, getting ready to slip away. She could have just snuck off without saying a word, but who could blame her? It was a habit she'd picked up back in Siberia.
As a child, the adults would usually grant her some time to play. It wasn't like she had nothing to do; Uncle Maxim had a large collection of pirated game discs.
But in a place where danger could appear at any moment, she always had to report her whereabouts, whether she was resting or playing. If something happened and no one could find her, it could mean her life.
Perhaps it was just the force of long-standing habit, or maybe she wasn't quite ready to let it go, but she'd held onto this custom for now.
But she also had ways to counteract it. For instance, like just now, if she spoke quietly enough—so quiet it barely even counted as muttering to herself—that would be fine, right?
The answer was—of course... not.
Michael and Mei turned around almost in perfect sync and said at the same time:
"No!"
Mei brandished the soup ladle in her hand. Michael looked around and grabbed a handful of chopsticks himself.
"You... How can you deny the Bronya her right to use her free time as she pleases during the holiday?"
"Give it a rest... You should play fewer games. After all... you don't want to end up wearing glasses like those kids at school, do you? That would be so inconvenient."
Michael presented his 'logical' argument with a smirk.
In comparison, Mei's persuasion was much more direct and forceful:
"This is the last dish, Bronya. Hurry up and get Seele and Kiana to wash their hands. It's time to eat!"
As she spoke, Mei even brandished the ladle again.
Bronya stared at the large pile of unprepared ingredients by the stove and the three empty plates Michael had set out in advance, then fell into deep thought.
Clearly, this had nothing to do with whether she could play games anymore. It was pure retaliation, all to get back at her on behalf of idiot Kiana.
How did the world come to this! Bronya wanted to cry but had no tears. Her lament was cut short when Michael walked up to her, shoved the handful of chopsticks into her hands, and then rudely ruffled her hair.
"Here! Stop causing trouble and go put the chopsticks on the table. Dinner's almost ready. Mei made a lot, but it won't be long now. And you shouldn't spend all day playing games with Kiana. Even if you win against that oaf, it's not very satisfying, is it... Oof!"
Michael rubbed his behind with his left hand while ruffling Bronya's hair with his right, advising her earnestly, "Since it's not that fun, wouldn't it be better to spend more time with Seele?"
"Tch! None of your business!"
Bronya wrinkled her nose and jerked her head away, escaping Michael's clutches.
"Playing games with idiot Kiana really isn't fun, but Michael, maybe you should actually try beating her in a game before you say that next time?"
"Pfft!"
Mei's laughter momentarily drowned out the continuous gurgling of the bubbling pot. It was strange, really. Michael's reflexes were usually so sharp they were almost inhuman, but he was hopelessly clumsy when it came to video games.
Of course, he had his excuses—"I've never played anything like this before, so it's normal for me not to get it at first."
Then, after a month of practice and still losing to Kiana, who was usually the worst player, his excuse changed to—"Hmph. This is all just stuff kids like to play. As an adult, I'm not interested. I'm just letting you guys win."
Before Michael had said that, Mei had actually considered it a possibility. But for some reason, when he struck a pose, tilting his head back at a forty-five-degree angle to stare at the ceiling as he said it, she silently deleted that possibility from her mind.
"Ahem! That's not important! My skills might be worse than Kiana's, but you can't take away my right to call her a noob!"
"Bleh—bleh—bleh—bleh—bleh—"
Bronya rolled her eyes and finally went back to the living room, helping Seele sweep the floor while muttering under her breath about how "idiot Kiana just lies on the sofa watching TV."
"How much longer?"
Michael gently closed the kitchen door, leaning his back against it. Mei seemed to have finished what she was doing. She wiped her hands on her apron and then stood perfectly still.
Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle—
The bubbles in the pot roiled endlessly, making the lid rattle softly. White steam puffed out from the vent hole, gathered in mid-air, and drifted upwards, only to bump its head on the ceiling and fall back down in a scattered haze.
"Oh, right, Michael, you haven't had breakfast, have you? There are some sandwiches I made earlier in the fridge. If you're hungry, you can have one to tide you over."
Michael nodded, then quickly shook his head.
"You know it doesn't matter if I eat anything or not."
Mei's smile gradually froze. It was, of course, a perfectly normal statement—a simple declaration of fact, nothing more. But to say it so bluntly... it was a bit of a mood-killer, wasn't it?
But that wasn't important. They were "family." It was because they were so close, so unreserved with each other, that they could say such mood-killing things...
Alright, Mei couldn't rationalize it anymore.
Although she knew from the beginning that Michael was different from normal people, he seemed to have intentionally downplayed that abnormality over the past month.
He slept when he was supposed to sleep, ate when he was supposed to eat, and sometimes even fought with Kiana over the last chicken leg on the plate... So much so that, if he hadn't just brought it up again, Mei would have almost forgotten.
"Michael, is there something you want to talk to me about?"
She had actually sensed it for a while. Michael would occasionally help her and Seele with chores, but he usually did it casually, either stopping after a moment or finishing everything with incredible speed.
Dragging things out slowly like he had just now... it was obvious he had something to say and was just using the time to gather his thoughts.
"Mei, tomorrow is New Year's Day. The first day of the new year."
"Yes, I know."
Mei's eyelid twitched. Michael hadn't said anything yet, but her intuition immediately made her tense up. After all, if it were something trivial, he wouldn't have needed so much time to organize his thoughts.
She started to breathe deeply, involuntarily. Soon, the only sounds were the distracting noise of her own breathing and the irritating gurgling from the pot. Still, Michael didn't speak.
It wasn't until she grew tired from the deep breaths and let out a heavy sigh, her body finally relaxing, that Michael suddenly spoke:
"Mei, let's go see your father tomorrow."
"Eh?"
Mei was completely caught off guard. She froze for a moment, set down the large ladle, turned the induction stove to its lowest setting, and then looked down, asking in a daze:
"What did you just say?"
Michael smiled silently, showing no signs of impatience. He simply repeated his earlier words in a gentler tone:
"Mei, let's go see your father tomorrow."
"Is... Is that even possible? Can we do that?"
"Of course... not."
Michael's blunt denial didn't disappoint Mei. Her question came more from surprise than any real disbelief in him.
Though he had a strange personality and could suddenly become unreliable, as if his soul had been swapped with a more playful one, he had always been extremely cautious when it came to her father, afraid that one wrong move would upset her.
He would secretly tell Kiana, Bronya, and Seele not to turn on the news channel, even though none of them were at an age where they'd want to watch the news.
He would also secretly ask the principal of Chiba Academy and her homeroom teacher to speak with her classmates one by one, telling them not to bring up ME Corp or her father at school...
Michael probably thought she didn't know about these things, but Kiana had told her everything.
So she didn't think Michael would joke about something like this. Well, it could be seen as a joke, but one meant not to tease, but to break the suddenly tense atmosphere.
Seeing Mei's expression remain unchanged, it was Michael who pouted in disappointment before slowly explaining:
"Before the official trial, your father will be held in a detention center. In theory, family visits aren't allowed."
"But you have a way, don't you?" Mei cleverly finished his sentence.
"Of course. Before the final verdict, family visits aren't permitted, but his defense attorney can see him. So, you could go in disguised as Mr. Ryoma's lawyer..."
As Michael spoke, he noticed Mei's expression shift from excitement to somberness until she finally lowered her head, hiding her face from view.
"Um... I know the plan sounds a bit too simple, but with my abilities, it's not impossible. I have a way to make you look exactly like your father's defense lawyer in no time. And when you meet, regulations state that no police can be present, and it can't be monitored, so there won't be any problems."
He thought she was questioning the plan's feasibility, so he quickly added a thorough explanation.
If Mobius had been there, she probably would have already chimed in with a sarcastic comment. But the misunderstood Mei didn't offer any explanation, simply raising her head to offer a strained smile.
"I... Michael, can you give me some time to think about it?"
"Hmm?"
Michael tilted his head, not understanding why she was hesitating. Of course, finding out the answer wouldn't be difficult for him; he just needed to use the Authority of Sentience to peek at her thoughts.
But in the end, he chose to respect her decision.
"Okay, I understand. If you decide you want to go, just come and tell me. If you don't... you don't have to do anything. You have until bedtime tonight. If you haven't come to me by then, I won't make the arrangements for tomorrow."
"I understand," Mei nodded, her voice sounding rather weak.
"Then it's a deal."
Michael lightly tapped her on the forehead. He deliberately tried to make his tone more lighthearted, but Mei didn't react, as if she were in a daze.
"Ahem!"
Undeterred, Michael tried a different topic:
"Right, Mei, I haven't dared to ask before... but how have things been at school this past month? That stuff from before... it hasn't happened again, has it?"
"Mhm," Mei nodded coolly, but after a thought, she added, "No one's been bothering me lately, but they don't really talk to me either. Heh, but it's okay. Kiana comes to find me as soon as class is over, and Bronya and Seele join me during the lunch break. It's fine."
"I see..." Michael murmured. "Actually... a person's time, energy, and emotions are all finite. Instead of dividing those limited resources among everyone, it's better to just share them with the few people closest to you. You'll be happier and more fulfilled that way, right?"
Mei nodded mechanically. Seeing this, Michael had nothing more to say. He took a sandwich from the fridge and scurried out of the kitchen.
Thump—
The door closed behind him. Michael leaned his back against it, staying there for about three seconds.
"I'm really not good at dealing with kids... What was I even saying..."
In truth, it probably had nothing to do with "kids." When he first met Mei and Kiana, he hadn't shown any signs of being bad at handling them.
And his awkwardness just now... could it be that it was simply because he felt guilty?
Michael didn't want to think about it too deeply. If he were to be truly honest, taking Mei to see Raiden Ryoma wasn't strictly necessary, was it? When it came down to it, was he doing this out of guilt, or simply because he thought Mei would like it, because he just wanted her to be happy?
Even he couldn't say for sure.
Click—
Mei stared silently at the unchanging door. The lid on the nearby pot was starting to rattle, unable to contain the churning steam. She reached out and turned off the induction stove, then slowly slid down to sit against the kitchen wall.
"..."
Her mood plummeted. Maybe Michael was right. Seeing her like this, the way she was right now at the mere mention of her father... it was probably better to keep her distracted from it, to let her stay immersed in other happiness forever.
But there was one thing she couldn't understand—how could she have spent so long drowning in the happiness of being with Kiana, Bronya, Seele, Michael, and Mobius, almost completely forgetting about her father locked away in that detention center?
Wasn't that... just awful of her?