OP Sister Chapter 501: Delicious Camping Food

-----

“Ooh? It looks really nice… almost like a hotel?” Henrietta said, surprised as she inspected the place. 

“Yeah, I didn’t want you to sleep uncomfortably,” Jack said. “I hope it’s nice.” 

“Aw, you shouldn’t have gone this far...” Henrietta giggled as she kissed my brother’s cheek. “Alright, let’s make some food. I’m feeling hungry… well, should I say ‘we’ now with the baby? Heh.” 

“Hahah, I-I guess so,” Jack said, chuckling nervously as he caressed Henrietta’s belly. 

And we… well, the rest of us were forced to watch this adorable couple do all these cute things. I felt happy and a touch jealous, but that was fine. I’m thrilled my brother finally found love. 

“I still can’t get used to this…” Kevin, on the other hand, felt differently. 

“Come on, Kevin, it’ll be fine. Once the baby arrives, you’ll be overjoyed and forget everything else,” Hilda said, giggling. “Imagine a lil’ boy or girl toddling around, calling you ‘uncle’? They’ll surely want to learn about you and might even admire you or see you as their role model.” 

“E-Eh? Wait… I hadn’t thought about it,” Kevin said, surprised. “Technically, it’s like I’m getting a little brother… huh.” 

“A little brother…?” Hilda asked. “I mean, I suppose you could put it that way, but… well, yeah, sure.” 

“Or a little sister!” Annabelle said, carrying a bag of marshmallows. “Ah, Baihe! Do you have the cookies?” 

“Yes,” Baihe nodded. She held a bag of graham crackers and another of chocolate chip cookies. “Does anyone have chocolate? Small bars would be nice.” 

“I’ve got some,” I said, opening my inventory and pulling out a bag of them. “Let’s get started then!” 

While my brother and Henrietta prepared dinner, we dove into making s’mores, first skewering marshmallows on sticks I’d gathered earlier in the city, mostly from trees around the central plaza. Then we roasted them over the flames. 

The marshmallows quickly turned from white to brown, then slightly black. It was almost mesmerizing as they puffed up a little. 

“So you move it like this, right? Ah! Mine burned!” Annabelle cried. “Oh well… cronch!” 

She took a bite anyway and devoured the whole thing. That burnt marshmallow looked hot, but she didn’t mind the crunchy, charred exterior at all. Could this be tied to her abilities somehow? 

“Look, this is how you do it,” I said, sandwiching a perfectly grilled marshmallow between two cookies and a small chocolate bar, which melted quickly from the heat. 

“Oooohhh!” Annabelle gasped. 

“Looks tasty…” Baihe said. 

“Here!” I handed it to Baihe. “You can have mine. I’ll make more for everyone.” 

“Oh… thank you,” Baihe said, smiling shyly as she began eating. 

I knew she wasn’t too keen on the whole thing, so I gave it to her. 

“How is it?” I asked. 

She took a bite, then a second and a third, until she finished it all. 

“It was good… I couldn’t stop eating,” she muttered, covering her mouth with her hand in embarrassment. 

“Hehe, yep, that’s a s’more for you. You can’t eat just one,” I said, nodding as I kept making more. 

After watching Annabelle eat her second burnt marshmallow, I handed her the next one I made, and she ate it gleefully. Kevin, however, crafted his own with ease. 

“You girls just lack dexterity. It’s easy to make them,” Kevin said. “Annabelle, you forget to move the marshmallow because you’re too impatient… and Baihe, you’re not even trying.” 

“I like watching,” Baihe said, smiling as she sipped her tea. “Also saving room for dinner.” 

“Dinner? Oh, is it ready?” Annabelle asked, her cheeks stuffed with s’more, looking like an adorable hamster. 

“Yeah, it’s ready. Come eat, kids. You shouldn’t fill up on junk food,” Henrietta said as we rushed to the table, where she and my brother were serving… lasagna?! 

Wait, did he bring a whole damn oven here? 

No, wait, this is… 

“Hilda, did you use your Forge to make lasagna?” I asked, glancing at her. 

“Aha? You noticed? Hahah!” Hilda laughed. “Yeah, I mean, they needed an oven.” 

“And your Spirit doesn’t mind?” I asked. “Wouldn’t he get angry or offended?” 

“He said he felt humiliated, but come on, what’s a little favor now and then?” Hilda said, laughing and shrugging it off. 

She was so carefree. 

The lasagna, though, was incredible. It had both béchamel and Bolognese sauces, packed with little meatballs, heaps of parmesan, and more. 

I loved how the red sauce included bits of fresh tomatoes. That must be how Henrietta makes it. 

“It’s been months since you made your lasagna, sister!” Kevin said excitedly, already halfway through his plate in mere seconds. 

“It’s really amazing!” I said. “I love how you crafted the sauce too.” 

“Oh, you noticed?” Henrietta giggled. “Yeah, it’s my mom’s recipe…” 

“It’s wonderful,” Jack said, nodding as he ate happily. “Thank you for helping us cook this, Hilda.” 

“No problem!” Hilda said, beaming with joy. “I’m glad all of you came with me… I really thought it’d be just me and Anna, but I guess you were never letting her go alone, haha…” 

“Definitely not with all the danger out here,” Jack said. “I swore to my parents I’d protect her with everything I have… so naturally, I went with her.” 

That’s my overprotective brother, blurting out all that out of nowhere! 

“It’s sweet of you, and I feel the same about Kevin,” Henrietta said, nodding. “I’d do anything for him, and honestly, I’m always scared when he heads to a dungeon alone… is it the same for you?” 

“Oh yeah, I’m always terrified, especially since danger seems to follow her everywhere. Whenever she goes out on her own, it’s one hundred percent certain something bad will happen,” Jack said. 

Wow, he’s more aware of the “plot” than I thought… 

-----