"It's because the kitchen is too small; otherwise, we could make more dishes," Hisako Arato said with a smile. With her and Erina Nakiri's abilities, preparing meals for thousands in a short time wasn't impossible, but the kitchen's size limited them.
"Since we're in the wild and this house was custom-made temporarily, the scale is small. We'll design a larger one after returning," Zed replied. The house was compact—the dishes, though plentiful, were mere appetizers for those with Gourmet Cells. Only Mirajane, lacking such enhancements, would feel full.
Listening, Mirajane didn't know how to respond. This feast could feed all of Fairy Tail, yet it barely satisfied three people here.
"Let's taste the Jewel Meat first. I've been looking forward to this!" Zed said. The Jewel Meat, condensed from the essence of the Regal Mammoth—a Kilometer-Class Beast—promised unparalleled flavor.
"The gravy inside is incredibly rich. Pan-searing it as steak maximizes the taste while locking in juices," Erina Nakiri explained. The steaks before them required no elaborate cooking—high-end ingredients needed simplicity.
"What… is this?!" Mirajane gasped as her knife pierced the meat, unleashing a burst of golden gravy that sparkled like miniature fireworks. New to this world, she marveled while Erina and Hisako, familiar with the ingredient, remained calm.
Zed, meanwhile, seized an entire piece with chopsticks and devoured it. Scalding gravy erupted as he chewed, but his Gourmet Cell-enhanced body shrugged off the heat. Each bite shifted in flavor—a symphony of taste Toriko himself would envy.
As the meat slid down his throat, Zed's Gourmet Cells flared. Muscles swelled, aura surging until he reined it in. Golden light pulsed from his body, rivaling the Jewel Meat's glow.
The trio recognized the signs—Mirajane had seen Toriko's cells activate earlier, though less dramatically. They sliced their own portions, cautious compared to Zed's boldness.
Erina and Hisako's Gourmet Cells awakened quietly, refining their physiques like full-body rejuvenation. But Mirajane—
Thud!
Purple-black energy engulfed her, morphing her into a demonic form: wings unfurling, claws lengthening, hair floating as if weightless. A crimson dress clung to scales now coating her skin, while her tail bristled with metallic barbs.
Zed stared. This was Mirajane's Takeover Magic: Satan Soul—yet altered. Magma-like light glowed in her palms; wings spanned three meters, scraping the room's limits.
"Is… this normal?!" Erina and Hisako asked, alarmed.
"My magic reactivated when the Gourmet Cells awakened. They've… merged," Mirajane breathed, flexing her claws. Power beyond her prime surged within her—enough to rewrite the past. If I'd had this back then, Lisanna…
Hope flickered. Lisanna's disappearance had been too abrupt, too strange. Now, with this strength, Mirajane vowed to return and find her.