Mira's cooking skills were, indeed, exceptional.

Tying on an apron, she flitted around the kitchen like a butterfly, her movements swift and precise—clearly the mark of a professional.

The ingredients Marco had the kids fetch were quickly prepped and neatly arranged on plates, ready for use.

The kids gaped in astonishment at the scene.

The sheer dissonance and absurdity of it all left them dumbfounded.

Was this really Mirajane?

The same hot-tempered, foul-mouthed Mirajane?

She seemed like a completely different person!

In the kitchen, Mirajane truly did seem transformed.

Marco watched her closely, noticing the faint smile playing on her lips.

Mira appeared to genuinely enjoy the process of cooking.

This was indeed true—Mira genuinely enjoyed cooking.

She relished the relaxed state of mind that came with preparing meals and loved seeing the satisfied expressions of those who ate her dishes.

Soon, dish after dish was brought to the table.

Though the table wasn't large, the children could still squeeze in together.

Reinhardt and Reedus didn't stay for the meal.

The two of them left and returned to the guild.

Since the house was now complete, there was no need for them to linger here.

"Alright, let's taste the food."

After filling the table to the brim, Mira untied her apron and looked at her dishes with satisfaction.

She urged everyone to start eating and only then did the stunned group snap out of it, each picking up their utensils.

"This is... unbelievable."

Erza stared at the table in astonishment, hesitating to eat as she waited to see the others' reactions.

"Wow!" Natsu was the first to exclaim, his face full of delight.

"It's really delicious! Not worse than what Airo makes!" Natsu was honest, and his words were practically a guarantee.

"I never expected this, Mira. You're really good!" Marco was also amazed.

He didnt held high expectations initially, thinking that a simple home-cooked taste would suffice.

After all, Lisanna and Elfman's bragging was hardly reliable.

Their family wasn't well-off—what kind of delicacies could they have eaten? Mira couldn't possibly have made anything too fancy or refined.

Yet, to everyone's surprise, Mira truly had a knack for it.

A natural-born culinary genius?

"So? Isn't it delicious?!" Mira planted her hands on her hips, wearing a proud expression that practically demanded praise.

"Mira-nee is amazing!"

"I love eating Mira-nee's food the most!"

"It's really delicious!"

The children showered her with compliments, making Mirajane's heart bloom with joy.

If she were in her demon form, her tail would've been wagging sky-high.

This even piqued the curiosity of the cautious Erza, who had initially doubted whether the food only looked good.

"Mmm..." After taking a bite, Erza was also won over.

She had to admit—Mirajane truly had talent in this area.

"Erza, you've really lost this one."

Seeing Erza's expression, Marco teased with a grin.

"As much as I hate to admit it, I've lost miserably..." Erza was straightforward in her admission.

Her cooking skills were no match for Mira's.

"Hmph, beating you in this doesn't make me happy."

Though Mirajane tossed her head and claimed it didn't please her, the corners of her lips were practically impossible to suppress—harder to control than an AK.

"Come eat with us, Mira." Marco watched their banter with amusement, then scooted closer to Erza to make space for Mira.

Mira didn't refuse and sat right beside Marco.

After all her hard work, she was genuinely a little hungry.

"Happy, is it tasty?" After sitting down, Mira asked Happy, who was munching on a fish.

"Aye!"

Happy's response made everyone laugh.

Compared to the little blue cat Happy, Carla was much more elegant and ladylike.

She sat beside Wendy, taking small, delicate bites, her ladylike gaze filled with disdain as she looked at Happy.

'What a disgraceful tomcat.'

Carla mentally scoffed.

In her eyes, Happy was truly an embarrassment to exceeds.

Despite being over a month old, he still seemed completely clueless, remembering nothing at all.

"Aye?" Happy seemed to sense something.

He looked at Carla with confusion, then offered her the half-eaten fish in his paw.

"I don't want it!"

Carla turned her head away, refusing with clear disgust.

"Happy's already learning to care for girls at such a young age." Marco watched with amusement.

Happy had only been born a little over a month ago and could barely speak properly, yet he already knew to offer fish to a female cat.

His awareness was impressively high—seemed like he was a hopeless romantic type.

"Happy's progress with speech seems a bit slow. Natsu, have you been teaching him properly? If you can't handle it, we'll find someone else."

Marco turned to Natsu, who was currently stuffing his face without a care.

Though the boy could usually survive on eating flames, he still ate regular food often.

"I have been teaching him! Happy's just too dumb!"

Natsu protested loudly between bites, insisting the problem wasn't his teaching but Happy's own shortcomings.

For a human baby, expecting speech after just a month would be ridiculous, but these "Exceeds" were clearly different.

"Natsu doesn't seem like the teaching type. Let me handle it." Erza frowned.

Sitting to Marco's right, she glared sternly at Natsu, ready to strip him of his teaching rights outright.

Under Natsu's guidance, Happy would surely be ruined.

She decided to take over Happy's language education herself.

"Hey! That's not fair!" Natsu stopped eating and jumped to his feet, protesting loudly.

"Hmm?"

But after one sharp glare from Erza, he obediently sat back down, muttering under his breath.

"Pfft—"

Lisanna covered her mouth, giggling.

"Marco and Erza seem like the parents of the group—strict yet kind."

Lisanna remarked cheerfully, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

Her innocent comment left everyone momentarily stunned.

"What about Mira-nee?"

Elfman suddenly chimed in, glancing at Mirajane seated on Marco's left, his expression curious.

"Eh? Mira-nee..."

Lisanna paused, frowning slightly as she seriously considered the question.

"She's like the mom who cooks for everyone."

Her answer plunged the group into silence once more.

"Can someone have two wives?"

Gray's eyes widened as he looked between Marco, Erza, and Mira.

He suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for Marco.

If Marco really married both Erza and Mira, how painful would his daily life be?!

Just imagining the scenario made Gray shiver.

The thought of two terrifying women ruling over one man was downright horrifying!

"Is that allowed?" Cana frowned and glanced at Marco, Erza, and Mira sitting to the side, all three of them wearing rather interesting expressions at the moment.

"Don't talk nonsense, Lisanna!" Mira immediately stood up, her face flushed red as she shouted at her younger sister.

Lisanna's words had practically made her overheat with embarrassment.

The worst part was that Lisanna made it sound like she was some kind of third wheel!

"Ahem, are we playing house?" Erza cleared her throat.

If that was the case, she wouldn't mind acting as Marco's wife!

"..."

Sandwiched between the two, Marco kept his head down and focused on eating, offering no comment.

He stole a glance at Lisanna, who looked completely innocent, as if she had no idea she'd just said something outrageous.

The expressions on the girls around the table varied wildly.

In the room, only Gray and Natsu looked at him with expressions of fear and sympathy, as if they pitied him.

-----------------------------

Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.

patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator