"Alright then, I should start preparing food for everyone who has been working hard. Lian, will you help me?"

"I will!"

Since he had already prepared some things in advance, it would not take long.

He had brought rice balls, and asked Lian to spread miso on them while he prepared the soup.

Though in truth, all he needed to do was heat what was already made.

"Now we just need to grill the fish everyone caught—"

"Mama, we got some!"

Cari and Albe came back carrying armfuls of shellfish, making Qiong Xing wonder just how much they had gathered.

"Cari used water magic to dig the shellfish out of the sand. Amazing, right?"

"Cari, that is incredible! You have to teach me next time."

"Okay!"

With that, he added the freshly caught shellfish into the soup to warm them up.

Since there was no grill, the rice balls coated with miso were skewered and roasted over the fire.

The savory aroma of the miso filled the air, making Lian’s eyes sparkle.

"Do we eat?"

"Not yet. Let us wait until Papa and the others come back so we can all eat together."

Lian looked like she could not wait, but Qiong Xing asked her to be patient for the sake of Joa and the others who were still working hard.

"Papa, fooood!"

Unable to wait any longer, Lian ran off to call them.

Urged on by Lian’s insistence, they soon returned carrying a large haul of fish.

"That is quite a catch."

At this rate, they would not have to worry about fish for a while.

The moment Qiong Xing told them to eat the rice balls and soup while waiting for the fish to finish grilling, Lian bit into a rice ball.

"It is hot, so be careful. Blow on it first."

It must have been too hot, as Lian quickly pulled away.

Qiong Xing cooled it down, split it in half, and handed it back to him.

"Is it good?"

When he asked, Lian nodded enthusiastically, his cheeks puffed full.

Seeing that, Qiong Xing smiled and handed food to the twins and Cari as well, then offered a freshly grilled large fish to Fenrisúlfr.

Fenrisúlfr had said that magic power was his food, but Qiong Xing wondered if he might still be able to eat it.

"If you can eat it, go ahead."

"...Hmm."

Fenrisúlfr looked surprised at first, but after staring at the fish for a moment, he said nothing and began eating it as if it were delicious.

"It is very tasty. Thank you, everyone, for working so hard."

He thanked Joa and the others who had caught the fish, and the meal they all shared together tasted especially good.

Meanwhile, Iseul and Mayo had unfortunately been left at home.

Qiong Xing could easily imagine them crying and wishing for everyone to come back soon.

...

Prepare a pot.

Add the ingredients.

Put it on the fire and leave it for a while.

"That is it."

"That is all?"

Simply put, that was all there was to it.

With more effort, there were probably many other things that could be done, but Qiong Xing did not have that level of skill or knowledge.

So he taught the gathered wives a simple version.

It had turned into something like a cooking class, though it was not something Qiong Xing had started himself.

After returning from catching fish, the wives, all troubled over their daily meal plans, had surrounded him and insisted that he must surely make something delicious and asked him to teach them.

He told them it was nothing special, but since they still wanted to learn, he decided to show them while preparing dinner.

"It is not something with strict rules. You can season it however you like, choose whatever ingredients you prefer, and decide how long to simmer it."

Once everything was prepared up to the point of placing it on the fire, the wives each carried their pots home.

"Mama."

"Hm? What is wrong? Did you not bathe with Papa and the others?"

After playing so much in the sea, their hair and bodies had become dry and rough, so he had told them to bathe with Joa and the others, yet the twins were here instead.

"Mama, together."

"They said they do not want to unless you are with them."

Albe explained this as he wiped his wet hair, and the two clung to Qiong Xing’s legs, insisting they wanted to be with him.

"Was Papa not good enough?"

"Maybe they did not like Leander. Last time they bathed together, he splashed water on their faces and they cried."

Ah...

Now that he thought about it, that had happened.

It was probably not on purpose, but they had cried for quite a while, saying their eyes hurt.

Since then, they had been bathing with Joa, so he had forgotten about it.

"Then let us bathe together."

"We will!"

With the two still clinging to him, Qiong Xing somehow made his way to the bath, washed them, and then soaked together in the warm water.

Qiong Xing had not gone into the sea, but when he washed himself, his hair still felt sticky after all.

"Since we are the last ones, shall we try something fun?"

"??"

While soaking in the bath, he lathered up some soap.

It did not foam as much as he expected, but the two seemed to enjoy the different kind of bath.

He placed the fluffy foam on their heads and covered their tails and ears with it, and before he knew it, Qiong Xing was having just as much fun as they were.

"Are you having fun?"

"Yes!"

"Then let us do this again sometime."

Before they got overheated, they got out of the bath, and he helped them change.

Since they were in a good mood, they insisted on dressing themselves and did their best.

"Well done. Now let us eat."

"Okay!"

He asked them to go call everyone, then carried the finished hot pot to the room.