The Lion’s Den (1)

Haruna's grandmother stopped in front of a door on the third floor of the building, which had cute flowers drawn onto it with crayons. Reiji raised an eyebrow at this and smiled a little, because he knew who was responsible for them.

Still, he decided to poke a little fun at the woman.

"Wow Granny, what are you doing selling clothes? You should be an artist with that level of skill, you'd make millions!"

She scoffed a little as she swung the door open after unlocking it, stepping in with gusto.

"My beautiful granddaughter drew them, watch your words," she said a little sharply. Clearly, Haruna was her sore spot.

"That so? I was just joking, they're actually pretty cute. Gives the place a homely vibe, if that makes any sense," he responded with a shrug, taking his shoes off at the entrance and slipping into the indoor slippers the woman gave him.

Granny smiled at his reaction, taking the sacks from his shoulder and heading in.

Reiji looked around at the house and his first thought was that it was small. He was no stranger to small houses, he lived in one before his transmigration after his uncle allowed him to move into his own place.

But this place only had a single room to the side, a small two seater sofa with a coffee table, and a kitchen that could barely fit two people. It wouldn't be that bad if not for the peeling walls and signs of mold in the ceiling corners.

Haruna and her Grandmother had put in a lot of effort into trying to make their tiny home more personable, with handmade decorations somewhat covering most of the paint chips and the complete lack of dirt or dust in the house that actually made it look a little better than it really was.

"It's small, isn't it?" The old woman asked. She looked nonchalant, entering the kitchen to look for some food to cook, but Reiji's observant eyes didn't miss the slight tremor in her hands.

"Yep, it really is. But it's seriously cozy! I feel like I walked into one of those aromatherapy spa centers, I just want to curl up with a cup of hot coffee, know what I mean?"

Granny froze slightly at the first part of his sentence but she loosened up again after he continued, looking at him with a slightly bewildered but touched look.

"You really do have a mouth on you, one second you're hurling insults and the next you're making an old woman like me smile like this," She chuckled.

"So you agree that you're a fossil, right?" He grinned back at her, peering over the kitchen counter to see what she had just taken out of the fridge.

"Fuck you! I have a knife in my hand, choose you next words carefully!" She warned, waving the blade around threateningly.

"WOAH WOAH, of course I was messing around, you're the youngest old woman I've ever seen! Tell me your skincare routine, Granny," he teased, backing away in mock fear.

"Hmph, I can't tell if you're praising me or insulting me," she snorted again, her eyes squinting questioningly.

"It's called a backhanded compliment, you'll learn slowly," he laughed as he moved into the kitchen and grabbed another knife from the drawer. "Let me help you cut those veggies, I got nothing to do while waiting anyway."

"Get lost, I'm treating you for your help, you helping again defeats the purpose! Plus, have you ever even held a knife before, you look like a pampered little brat," she snapped, trying to grab the knife out of his hand.

"Hehe, looks like I need to teach you another lesson Granny, watch and learn," he replied, raising the knife in the air so that she couldn't reach up to grab it because of his tall height.

He set a few veggies on the cutting board, and before she could protest again he moved his hand and started finely chopping them up with near perfect technique and precision. The old woman's jaw slightly dropped at the sight as she watched him continue with his incredible speed.

Within a minute most of the remaining vegetables had been chopped up and added to the bowl, and Reiji turned with a cheeky smile to look at her confidently.

"So? Want me to teach you? I'll consider it if you ask nicely," he joked while washing the knife in his hand.

"Ha, I can do that with my eyes closed, don't get so cocky! But I'll admit, I am a little surprised."

"A little? Don't think I didn't see you wobbling around in a daze with a mouth so wide that I could fit this entire tomato into it!"

"F-Fuck Off! If you want to help that badly, cut these chicken breasts into small cubes while I start making the other stuff," she changed the topic with a stammer.

"Hmmmmm. By the way, weren't you going to wash the clothes? Or did you want to cook for me that badly?"

Granny, who was taking out a bottle of soy sauce stopped in place and turned around slowly with a look of sheer horror.

"SHIIIITTTT! WHY DIDN'T YOU REMIND ME EARLIER?" She yelled as she ran off, or at least tried to. The best she could manage was a fast hobble that almost made Reiji lose it.

"I just remembered now myself, it wasn't exactly the first thing in my mind you know?"

He watched helplessly as she tore open her sack and took out the stained clothes, heading to the bathroom with a bottle of detergent in hand.

"Wait for me, I'll only take a few minutes and I'll make the dish quickly later," she called out as she entered.

Reiji just stood there, wondering if he should help her. But he had never washed clothes by hand so he was worried he'd ruin them unintentionally, simply deciding to continue cooking instead.

He didn't plan on waiting for her, his visit would be too long otherwise. Finishing off a quick but delicious stir-fry and getting out of here was probably the best option, so Reiji opened all the drawers and took out any ingredient that he needed to use.

After quickly cutting up the chicken breast in a similar fashion, he moved to the stove and placed a pan on it, coating it with just enough oil to add some flavor without making the final dish greasy.

Subsequently, he added the other key ingredients that were available and started expertly tossing them together to mix the flavorings and seasonings well, keeping the pan on medium heat the entire time.

He thought that this wouldn't be enough, and considering the ridiculous heat, Reiji decided to add a drink on the side as well. Lemonade would be perfect, with its citrusy sweetness adding a cooling effect and hydrating the old woman's body.

There were enough lemons, so he got right to it while the food was still cooking, paying attention to it even while he was making the juice to ensure that it didn't burn. Within a few minutes, a jar of lemonade was placed into the fridge and the stove was turned off to let the dish cool down slightly.

On the top shelf there were a couple of plates, so he took them down and placed them on the counter so that it could be served as soon as the old woman walked out. Just as he did so, she exited the bathroom with a slightly relieved expression.

"Phew, the stains won't stick, thankfully. I've left them to soak in the water for now, so I'll start cook-... what's that smell?"

Her smile quickly turned into a frown as she sniffed the mouth-watering aroma of the stir-fry that Reiji was holding in his hands, who gave her a smirk in return.

"You're so slow Granny, geez. I almost fell asleep while waiting so I thought I'd do your work for you!"

"Y-You! WHYYYY!??" She choked, her eyes watering up and her frail body trembling.

"Wh-Why are you crying! What the hell?" Reiji put down the pan and strode to her with a concerned face, reaching out to pat her back.

But when he got close, the old woman's eye glinted and slapped his back for the third time today.

*SMACK*

"OWW FUCCKKK! YOU OLD HAG!"

Reiji yelped and jumped around while rubbing his back.

'Damn, how does this fossil aim so perfectly? She always lands in that indentation that makes it hurt even if it's a light slap!'

"Haha, that's what you get! Don't do this again next time, or it won't end with a simple slap!" She thundered with a gleeful cackle. In this moment, she truly looked like a witch.

"What next time? Fuck that, I'm never seeing your face ever again,' he replied fiercely, bending over to ease the pain.

"YOU DARE? DON'T TEST ME YOU LITTLE SHIT," She yelled back, but this time there was real anger in her eyes which made Reiji a little uncomfortable.

'How did it even come to this, haaa...'

"Whatever, come let's eat. You'll soon be begging me to cook for you again," he mumbled as he walked back into the kitchen, taking out the pitcher of lemonade from the fridge.

"You made drinks too?" She asked with a complicated expression. "At least let me serve the food!"

She picked up the large serving spoon, but Reiji grabbed at it as well.

"Hell no! I made the food, so I'm serving it as well!"

"Let go, brat!"

"You let go!"

How could an old lady overpower a man whose body specs were through the roof? Reiji easily pried it out of her hands and raised it triumphantly.

"HA!"

*CREAK*

"GRANNY! I'M HOME!!"

Both of them stiffened in place and turned to the door which had a clear view of the kitchen. A breathtakingly beautiful girl with blonde hair, green eyes, and cute earrings walked in happily.

But she also stiffened in place as she saw the unexpected visitor, her eyes widening in shock.

Haruna saw Reiji, who was holding a spoon with his arm raised, facing her grandmother who looked like she was stumbling back a little bit.

A few seconds of absolute silence as sweat ran down Reiji's back....

"YOU SHITTY YAKUZA HOW DARE YOU!!!"