✩ || Justice Junior ! ❞

Eagerly settling down, he made sure to take the biggest forkful of food he could before eating, his eyes going wide for a second before he practically started shoveling it down his throat and talking between bites.

“This is delicious!! Mery, this is absolutely incredible! Please don’t pinch me, if this really is a dream then it’s the most tasty one I’ve ever had!“

“You like it?! Ohhh yes!” Her smile widened when she saw how much he was enjoying it. She then tries it herself and lights up in delight. 

“Awesome! Definitely doesn’t beat Papa’s, but I did better than I thought I would: yyyyes!”

“Heh, you’re the one who walked me through everything; if anything, I should be thanking you! If it weren’t for you coming over I would’ve been eating the same old noodles instead of this delicious feast!“

Chuckles at the high five before pouring them both a glass of coke and setting them as well as the forks and knives onto the table.

“Mmm~ Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I had a home-cooked meal, this is going to be heavenly~“

“No problem, no problem!” A bright smile, she begins making their plates as he gets out the drinks. She then carries them over to the table, placing Zenigata’s plate before him and then setting hers down before her.

“I sure hope so: alright, let’s eat! You take the first bite, Mr. Zeni! I want to see what you think.”

“Nonsense, you’ll be a detective if that’s what you really want, you just have to keep at it and work as hard as you can! Not so much that you’re passing out at your desk or anything, but still, you’re a smart, optimistic young lady with a dad that supports you no matter what. If anyone can do it, it’s you.“

He smiled before blinking at seeing just what she was so excited about, genuinely stunned at how good the meal they made together looked like.

“Did… did we really make that? All those ingredients you brought with you… are those really it? Cooked and all? A-and not burnt? Not even the tiniest bit…?“ 

“Y...Yeah! WE actually did it! Isn’t that awesome, Mr. Zenigata?!” She gives him a high five as she starts getting out plates for them. “Couldn’t have done it without ya: thank you so much for helping me out!”

“I’ll make our plates! Could you pour us both something to drink in the meanwhile? Can’t wait for you to try this and see what you think~ ✩ “

“Well, of course you’re not better than him now, but if you keep this up then someday you will. I’m sure he’ll be moved to tears at seeing that you’ve surpassed him. A parent only wants their best for their child and with you two it’s especially obvious how much he cares for you, Mery.”

“You’re both really lucky to have each other, so you two better stay safe. Detective work is boring most of the time, but those few moments of excitement are pretty dangerous, so you two keep a close eye on the other’s back so you can keep these happy days, okay?“

“Pshhh, yeah, right! The only thing I really strive to become the best in being the best detective assistaaant! You’ve got that right: we Fulbrights will always stick together! And of course, of course: don’t gotta tell me twice! We’ll always have each other’s backs...and same extends towards you, Mr. Zeni!!” 

Laughing, she continues to finish cooking the chicken. And once that, the rice, and the stir fry was done, she turns to Zeni, holding arms up in joy. “Dun dun daaaaaaaaaaa! We have officially made chicken teriyaki with rice! ✰” 

“O-okay? Just don’t blame me if some of the veggies turn out a little burnt…“ And starts stirring around the food, swishing this way and that and making sure that none of them stayed in one place for too long, just in case.

“Your dad’s meals are delicious and I’m sure with a bit of practice that you’ll be even better than him when you’re older! He must be so proud of you, seeing you so eager to learn and even helping out this old man with dinner. You really are way too kind, Mery.“

“I said the fire isn’t too high, nerd: so don’t worry!” She laughed, beginning to add the marinated chicken to the other skillet once it was hot enough. A spatula in hand, she uses that to cook the chicken.

“Better than him? Pfff, no way: I still like his cooking waaay better, so I’ll still be leaving dinnertime up to him, heh! Honestly, I’m mostly learning because I want to at least know how to make some dishes if he’s too busy at work and I’m at the house alone.”

“...You think so? Well of course! Friends gotta help each other out, after all!”

Gives a defiant little huff before curiously watching her add the veggies to the bowl, taking some mental notes for the next time he ever made something similar.

“Hmm… Trust me, if it’s even half as good as it smells then I’ll be one happy detective, it’s just a question of whether I can remember this for next time. It… didn’t seem nearly as hard as I thought it would. Are most foods this easy-ish to make…?“ Watches over the skillet, absolutely studded by how good it all looked.

“Alllright...Mr. Zeni, I’m gonna start cooking the chicken: can you handle the stir fry for me? Don’t worry, all you gotta really do is stir the vegetables around with the wooden spoon. The heat’s not too high up, so they won’t burn!”

Now she starts to heat up a second skillet for the chicken. “Heh! Well don’t sweat it if you don’t. It took me a while to fully get it all, too. Well, they can be, the more often ya make them! You should definitely let Papa teach you some recipes sometime: he’s the best cook ever!”

“I would like to invite you two to dinner next time, if that’s all right with you. But out at a restaurant, of course. No way can I make something for myself, let alone three people.“

“A-and I already said I don’t know anything about cooking! I would douse everything in butter and garlic! Mmgh…“ Quietly whines and grabs the salt and pepper, the saddest look on his face while slowly and carefully sprinkling the two over the veggies, not wanting to accidentally use too much.

“Going out to eat would be awesome, thanks! And whateverrrr, don’t take a cook to know how to sprinkle spices on food: and I thought I was hopeless, heh heh heh!” She playfully smacks his back while watching him season it. 

Once she figured he seasoned them well enough, she thanks him and starts mixing the veggies in the bowl to incorporate the seasonings on them before eventually adding them to the skillet and starts stirring them with a wooden spoon. 

“Hoo, hear the sound of that sizzle! Hope you’ve been paying attention, cause you’ll be happy you’ve learned how to appreciate the beauty of chicken, stir fry, and rice~! ♪  ”

“I wouldn’t be a good detective if I wasn’t prepared for every scenario, good and bad. A-and still, spending time with the two of you is a great way to spend an afternoon or evening, but I don’t want to impose…“ Gives a little pout before slowly looking up towards the various herbs, slowly looking over each and every label.

“……… Seasoning means pouring garlic on them, right?“

“Welll, whatever ya wanna do: but whenever ya want to, know you can always join us!” She starts heating up the pain for the vegetables and turns her head back to look at him, raising an eyebrow.

“Whuh? You don’t know how to even season vegetables?! Just sprinkle some salt and pepper on them if you don’t know what else, nerd!” 

(“I probably shouldn’t ask what ‘marinate’ means…“) Keeps chopping up the veggies before placing them all into a giant bowl, staring at them for a few seconds before awkwardly stirring them together.

“I appreciate the offer, but I wouldn’t dream of barging in on you and your dad’s bonding time! You’re both very busy people, I wouldn’t want to rob you two of what little time you two spend together!“

“Ohh, you worry too much!” She gets a pot started for the rice. She then pours about 1 cup of rice into a strainer so she can start washing the starch out of the rice.

“We’re just eating and talking, it’s not that big of a deal. You’ve eaten with us before and it was fun, right? Really, Papa and I will never mind, so don’t be shy!” 

“Thank you, for that. And at least I can’t make anything catch on fire on accident this way.“

Though certain that she could at least make a decent meal, he definitely didn’t have the same confidence towards himself. Placing himself in front of the sink, he started washing all the veggies before placing them on the chopping block.

“Um… I think I still have some leftover pepperoni pizza in the fridge, just in case. The last thing I want is you starving all because I messed something up, like adding sugar instead of salt.”

“Hah hah, well we ain’t professional chefs, so don’t worry too much if either of us make a lil mistake. Practice makes perfect, after all!” 

While he was busy chopping the vegetables, Mery unwrapped the chicken and put on some vinyl gloves to start seasoning it. Then, she starts chopping them into medium-sized dices before placing it in a plastic bowl. 

“I’m gonna let the chicken marinate in the teriyaki sauce before I start on the rice.” And so, she discards the gloves into the trash and opens the bottle of teriyaki marinade, pouring it over the chicken. “I dunno if you ever tried Papa’s version of it, but it is sooo good. You should come over to have dinner with us two more often, Mr. Zeni!”

“I think I’ll stay as far away from the oven or stove as possible. The last thing I need is having to explain to the fire department how the sink caught on fire again…“ Perks up at hearing what lunch was going to be, bashfully looking away as his stomach loudly grumbled, opting to wash the veggies before they were chopped up.

“That… actually sounds pretty tasty, but are you sure we can do it? It doesn’t sound like the easiest dish in the world, especially not for beginners.“

“Aww, you sure? Well, that’s okay! I’ll handle the cooking parts, then: you can help me chop up the veggies and whatever else. There’s an extra apron in the bag if you want to wear one!

She started taking the ingredients out of the bag, consisting of teriyaki sauce, raw chicken, bell peppers, green onions, and a small container of rice. She then looked into the cabinets and took out what she thinks would work well with seasoning chicken with. 

“Of course we can! I’ve seen him make this many times, so when he taught me, it actually wasn’t that hard at all. I assure you, we’ll make it work!”

“Weelll, not anymore, you are: you’re going to have a Mery Special! And hey, what you tryna say?! This dish will come out perfectly if we both work together and follow the recipe!” 

She puts the bag full of the ingredients on the counter, pulling out an apron to place on herself. “Okay, so Papa taught me how to make teriyaki chicken! Paired with white rice and stir-fried veggies, it’ll be STUPID good!!!”

Adelaide, despite her early rising father before her and her uncle named after the sun god himself, was not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination. Such a text would have most likely be ignored, but luckily for Mery, she had fallen asleep while watching a movie the night before, and with the phone directly next to her ear, the notification woke her up with a sudden jolt.

Blinking away the sleep in her eyes and staring down at her phone, which had dropped on the floor, she sluggishly picked it back up, doing her best to read the message.

[TEXT: Mery] it’d to o early y did u wake  m e [TEXT: Mery] go g et it a lone y me

She nearly snorted when she read the message; Ade was definitely asleep before she texted her. So holding in her laughter, she replies back with:

[TEXT: Ade] cos imma hungry and want it right now, duuuh! :3c

[TEXT: Ade] I’m too scarred to go by myself ;D so rise and shine, hah hah haaah!!!