Chapter 17 – Alicia Brand Breakfast with a Side of Fluffballs (1/2)

Mmmm....good morning Scarlet...cough”

”Ah...morning Alicia...”

Finally. I was released from that unending torture. If this was where I lived in my previous life, this might've been illegal. I was pretty sure cruel and unusual torture was against the law.

”...hah! Did I do something bad while sleeping!?”

This morning as well, Alicia asked practically the same question after bolting upright.

”No, nothing too bad...”

”Really...?”

She bit her thumb as she asked. The way she tilted her head was really cute, but I was getting distracted.

”Yea, nothing you had to worry about”

It wasn't like she could control what she did at night. But I needed to find a way to make her stop, or my sanity would run out.

She didn't seem to be entirely convinced, and the fact that I sounded exhausted didn't help.

”Here, let me get up. I need to make breakfast”

Alicia quickly shuffled back and got off of me. I shifted my legs and turned to get up, but something grabbed my arm before I could stand.

On my right, Alicia was holding onto my arm, but she was looking away, like she was pretending she had no idea what she had done. I tried tugging my arm, but her hand was stuck onto it like it's been spot-welded.

A smirk appeared on my face as I kept tugging my arm lightly, seeing how hers kept following even to the point her her body would wobble a bit. But it quickly disappeared when I noticed that her hand was trembling ever so slightly.

”Umm...here. How about you help me make breakfast this time?”

”Really?”

Alicia suddenly turned to me and almost yelled.

”Oh, you wanna learn how to cook that bad?”

”I do! I want to be helpful!”

Her eyes were sparkling, though I suspected it wasn't because she actually wanted to learn how to cook. Rather, actually teaching her enough to make something on her own was scary.

”Alright, but first, we need to get dressed”

I got up and floated over our clothes and magically slipped mine onto my body, only having to stop to switch hands with Alicia to put my shirt on. Magic really was a cheat.

”Okay, raise your hands so I can put your dress on”

”Mmmm!”

But when it came to putting on her clothes, no amount of magic would stop her from pouting when she didn't want to let go of me while getting dressed.

”It's just for a second so I can get your arms through the dress Alicia”

She stomped her foot, but relented, and I managed to get her outfit on for the second she let go of me.

(I need to figure out a way to make her get dressed without going through all this trouble every time)

First thing's first, I levitated the bowl of stew from the night before into my bag. It hadn't been touched since Alicia's little tantrum, but something like this left overnight probably wasn't safe for a kid to eat. I needed to throw it out next time we go to the dungeon to farm.

For breakfast, and something she could help with, it came to something that didn't involve heat or knives as much as possible. The ended up being pancakes filled with berries.

I've tried it before, but it didn't turn out well in my last life. The reason was simple. Berries are generally bigger than pancakes, and contain water. Those two facts made mixing them into the batter troublesome. Normally you'd just use slightly dryer batter and just make the pancakes thicker, but I was a fan of thinner pancakes with a nice, crispy crust.

But in this world, I didn't have to make such concerns.

I first started off putting the batter ingredients into a bowl then made a large mixing spoon out of wood, then lay the bear fur we've been using as a blanket down like a rug. I sat down on it and seated Alicia on my lap, then put the big bowl on Alicia's lap, making us a weird three tiered stack.

”Now, take this spoon and start mixing the batter until it's nice and even”

”Okay!”

Enthused, Alicia held the spoon in both hands and started mixing while I held the bowl steady with one hand.

As she worked on that, I hovered a bunch of assorted berries and sliced them into small pieces with my claws, then used my arcane magic spell to evaporate most of the moisture.

”Okay, I'm adding the last ingredient. Keep mixing”

”Oh...kay...”

As eager as she was, mixing the batter wasn't easy work, especially for a little girl.

”You don't have to push yourself. You can stop if you're tired”

”No...I'm fine...”

She looked like she was nearing her limit but...was that alright? She might've been just six years or so, but she probably had her own form of pride, let alone her own needs and wants.

(Well, the mixing is almost done, so let's let her have her way)

The sliced berries were added to the mixture and were quickly enveloped.

At the same time, I started up a magical flame under the stone plate I've been using as a giant frying pan.

”Okay, looks like the mixing's done. Good work Alicia!”

”Ehehe. I did it!”

The little girl turned her head up and gave me a bright smile. I couldn't help but rub her hair for that.

”Alright. Now all we gotta do it just fry it up. Stand up”

I levitated the bowl and took Alicia's hand so she could get off of me.

”Kay, now I'll put you back on the couch so I can fry up the batter. It wont take long”

”Mmmmm! No!”

But, to nobody's surprise, she simply stuck her body to mine instead, wrapping her arms around my waist.

”It's dangerous near the flame, and the oil's going to splatter as I cook”

But my words simply went in one ear and out the other as she shook her head, rubbing her face into my side.

”sigh Alright. We'll stick together, but you need to stay behind me just in case”

”Okay! I'll do it!”

She nodded, then moved to my back, still hugging my waist. In an awkward shuffle, we moved over to the heated stone plate.

Careful to make sure that Alicia was covered the best she could, I oiled the stone liberally with leftover animal fats, then poured the batter on top to make two large pancakes. It sizzled in a satisfying manner as I flattened them out with the mixing spoon, then flipped them when I thought they were ready.

Banishing the flame, I transferred the hot flatbread to a plate then sent it to the table in front of the couch. At the same time, I had the last of the breakfast items sent over, squeezing some oranges into a cup along with placing a small bowl with some fruit inside.

”Alright, it's just about done. Let's go back to the couch”

I picked Alicia up and sat her on my lap as I parked myself on the couch. If she demanded constant contact, then this was the only way for her to have both hands free while she ate. I lamented how much I've partially turned into an accessory, but I told myself it was only until I earned her trust again.

As she settled into a comfortable position on my lap, I spend those few seconds dicing up the fruit and mixing them into the bowl to create a fruit salad while I poured a generous helping of honey onto the pancakes.

”Here's your fork. Today is mixed berry pancakes, fruit salad, and juice”

I helped her find all the items before leaning against the backrest so she could take her time to eat without me literally breaking over her shoulder.

”Mmm! It's really tasty!”

Alicia turned around and showed me her bright smile.

(Maybe this isn't so bad after all?)

”Of course it's good. You helped make it after all”

”It's good because I helped?”

”That's right. Doesn't it taste a little better than usual?”

”Mmmm...I think so?”

She flashed another smile before turning back to continue her breakfast.

It wasn't like the meal would suddenly get better just because an amateur helped, but the work she put into it would've most likely improved her appetite a bit. So it wasn't like I was lying.

I lightly pat Alicia's head since I had nothing to do. She stiffed up for a moment before going back to eat. There didn't seem to be any indication that she hated it, just that she was a bit surprised. In fact, she was leaning her head against my palm a bit now that I started to stroke her hair.

Maybe it was because I've been patting her so much, but her hair's gotten a lot softer than when we first met. The first time I washed it made a big difference, but thinking about it now, it had definitely gotten even silkier than before. If my petting has been having this sort of effect, then brushing it with a hair brush should make it even softer.

Alicia was a girl, so she'd probably like that. Actually, I was one as well. My own feelings aside, I should probably conform to that standard a bit at least. My own hair isn't terrible, since I've been keeping it clean, but it is a bit rough and stiff.

(Gah! I've got a serious case of split ends!)

My silvery long hair. There was no point in taking pride in it's length if I didn't take care of it.

Well, if I was going to go as far as taking proper care of our hair, maybe I should do more than just that? Alicia would definitely benefit if I taught her some beauty tips. I might've been a man in my last life, but it was virtually impossible to get to my age without knowing a bit about women's beauty products. The ads were simply everywhere despite targeting less than half the population. No, maybe they were targeting more then? I guess a lot of guys bought those things as gifts as well. I could also guess how often those fools got into trouble for buying the wrong ones as well.

Before I knew it, Alicia's hands had long stopped moving.