Songs in the Void: A Multiversal Score

Hub World, Earth, Japan, Tokyo.

Just as Tatsuo said, as soon as he and Violet finished their breakfast, they headed to the kitchen where Tatsuo immediately started pulling out the ingredients he prepared the night before to start cooking for the party.

Also, just as Tatsuo said, Violet did not actually cook anything. Instead, she was the one responsible for moving completed dishes, clearing unneeded pots and pans, and handing Tatsuo what he needed to cook each dish.

The two worked together like they had been doing this for years. As a result, the atmosphere in the kitchen was like that of a pair of newlyweds cooking together. However, that atmosphere was eventually broken a little less than half an hour before the guests were set to arrive.

"Excuse me, Violet-San, do you think I could talk to you for a moment?"

That question pulled Tatsuo and Violet out of the world for two they had been living in for the last few hours. And when they looked back, they were both surprised to see who was at the kitchen's entrance.

"Mai-Nee?" Tatsuo asked in a slightly suspicious tone. "What are you up to?"

Hearing the suspicion and weariness in Tatsuo's tone, Mai shrank back as tears started to well up in her eyes. At the same time, the consequences of the way she had been acting hit her like a truck. {Pic}

'I don't know why it took me so long to realize that the way I was acting was wrong.' Mai thought to herself dejectedly. 'Even if Tatsu-Kun was only going to have one woman in the future, the way I was acting would have scared him away. No man would want someone who tries to dictate who they are allowed to have as friends, after all. But even when I knew he intended to have more than one, I tried to monopolize him... *Sigh* I really was being foolish. If he hadn't given me that punishment, letting me know that even he has his limits, I don't know how much further I would have been willing to go for my selfish love.'

"It's okay, Tatsuo-Kun." Violet, realizing just how wary of Mai's usual actions Tatsuo was, said while patting him on the back. She then put the plate of ingredients she was carrying on the counter next to him before she continued. "I think it's long past the time we talked. Besides, despite the fact that Shiranui-San is one of the strongest people on this planet, she's nowhere near strong enough to hurt me."

"*Sigh* Alright." Tatsuo said while shaking his head. "I know you're right. But still, after the attempt on your life last time, I'm just a little worried."

Hearing that, Mai shrank even further.

"For what it's worth, I promise I have no ill intentions." Mai said softly.

"It's okay, then." Tatsuo said, replying much quicker than either Mai or Violet expected. And when he felt their strange gazes on him after his response, he shrugged his shoulders while continuing to cook as he answered their unasked questions. "I've lived with Mai-Nee long enough to know that she's not a liar... Unless she's on a mission, anyway. So, when she says something, I believe her."

Both Mai and Violet were surprised to hear that, more Mai than Violet. Mai never knew Tatsuo paid that much attention to her. As a result, she felt a warm feeling in her chest,

Violet, on the other hand, after the surprise faded, smiled at Tatsuo before rising up on her toes and pecking him on the cheek.

"Well then, I'll go have a little talk with Shiranui-San." Violet said. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Take your time." Tatsuo replied with a smile. "All the food is almost done. So, there's no need to rush back."

After nodding at Tatsuo, Violet followed Mai out of the kitchen and the two women headed up to the second floor to talk in Mai's bedroom. Meanwhile, Tatsuo continued to cook.

About half an hour later, just as Tatsuo finished the final dish, a familiar group of five young ladies entered the kitchen, led by Ayane.

"There he is." Ayane said nonchalantly. "And it looks like he's done cooking. Anyway, I led you all here. So, I'm leaving now."

"Thank you very much, Ayane-Senpai." a very familiar voice to Tatsuo said from the entrance to the kitchen.

In response, Ayane only waved over her shoulder as she left the kitchen. Meanwhile...

*Gulp!*

...as soon as it was mentioned that Tatsuo was done cooking the sound of someone swallowing a mouthful of saliva could be heard. And that caused Tatsuo to finally turn towards the kitchen's entrance where he saw Yakumo, Tenma, Mikoto, Eri, and Akira standing there.

"Oh, you all are a little early." Tatsuo said with a smile. "Either way, welcome to our new house."

"Hey, Tatsuo-Kun~." Tenma said with her eyes focused on the platter of food in Tatsuo's hands. "Do you need a taste tester? If so, I'd be happy to volunteer my services."

*Smack!*

As soon as Tenma's words ended, Mikoto face-palmed, Eri scoffed, Akira shook her head, and Yakumo lowered her head in secondhand embarrassment.

"Stop embarrassing yourself, Tenma." Eri said with slight disdain in her tone. She then turned towards Tatsuo and lowered her head slightly with a slight pink tint on her cheeks. "Sorry about her, Tatsuo-Kun."

'Oh, she's blushing.' Tatsuo thought to himself. 'I guess I took Harima-Senpai's place as her romantic interest after I walked her home in the rain. Well, whatever... I'm not really sure she's ready for the craziness that is my life.'

"Seriously, I feel embarrassed for you." Mikoto said while shaking her head.

"Huh?" Tenma asked as she turned to look at her two friends. "What do you mean? What's so embarrassing about asking to be a taste tester?"

"You're asking to eat before the other guests arrive, Tenma." Akira said in a steady tone. "That's actually quite rude."

"Is it?" Tenma asked in an adorably clueless toen.

"It is." Yakumo replied with a nod.

Akira's and Yakumo's words made Tenma realize that she was somewhat out of line. So, she quickly turned back to look at Tatsuo and bowed much deeper than necessary. {Pic}

"I'm sorry, Tatsuo-Kun!" Tenma said loudly.

"Don't worry about it." Tatsuo said nonchalantly. "Honestly, a request like that is normal for anyone who's tasted mine or my cousin's, Alfonzo's cooking."

As the five young woman have all tasted Tatsuo's cooking, they could not deny his claim. Still, it was embarrassing that Tenma could not put a lid on her desires. But since Tatsuo said there was no need to worry about her, they decided to just let it go.

*Beep!* *Beep!*

Before the conversation could continue, Tatsuo's smartphone sounded an alert.

"*Sigh* It's probably gonna be like this for a while." Tatsuo said as he put the platter in his hands on the counter. "I wonder who it is."

Pulling his smartphone out of his pocket, Tatsuo saw that the alert was a [Notification] from the [Dimensional Chat].

{[Dimensional Chat]

Alfonzo: We're about ready to leave

Alfonzo: Let us know when we can make the jump

Lici: We're bringing Mar'e, too!

James: Oh, you all are leaving soon, too?

James: I'll leave at the same time

James: That way Tatsuo doesn't have to keep running back and forth

James: I'll be bringing Ri Ri and Sona, too

Tatsuo (Admin): No Scáthach?

James: Not this time

James: Dante and Lancer pissed her off

James: So, she's training them to make sure it never happens again

Tatsuo (Admin): Oof

Aletia: Scary

Momo: Huh?

Momo: Is it really that bad?

Tatsuo (Admin): I never made her angry and I thought I was going to die at least 6 times the first time I trained with her

Akatsuki: Was it really that bad?

Lici: That's right

Lici: Akatsuki wasn't there when he sparred with her

Lici: By the way, where is Violet?

Aletia: Already there

Aletia: She left Shea and I behind again

Tatsuo (Admin): She's talking to Mai-Nee right now

Tatsuo (Admin): Never expected that

Alfonzo: Yeah

Alfonzo: Especially after what happened the last time we all visited

Akatsuki: Oh

Akatsuki: You all told me about that

James: yeah, that crazy kunoichi went for the kill on sight

Tatsuo (Admin): Yeah, I was worried about that, too

Tatsuo (Admin): But Mai-Nee was different today

Tatsuo (Admin): I don't know what changed her, though

Tatsuo (Admin): Anyway, I'm done cooking

Tatsuo (Admin): So, how many of you are coming?}

To Tatsuo's surprise, every member of the [Dimensional Chat], other than Aislynn, declared that they were coming to the housewarming party. Though, that was not much of a surprise at this point. They did have a [Mission] that involved all of them that they had to leave for before the end of the day, after all.

As for Aislynn, leaving DxD was not something she could do whenever she wanted because she was the world's guardian. But she could join them via a video call when they were all gathered discussing what they should do.

On top of that, several extra people would be coming with the members of the [Chat] when they arrived. For example, James would be bringing Rias and Sona, Alfonzo and Elicia would be bringing their son, Amar'e, Aletia would be bringing Shea, and Sakura would be bringing Rider, or rather, Medusa.

As for the others, no one they wanted to bring could get away for the time being. But they were all interested in visiting another world if they had a chance in the future. Especially the people from Log Horizon, the guild Akatsuki was part of. They were all from a modern world like Tatsuo's. So, being able to see one when you consider they had no idea if they would ever be able to go back to their own world, it was not all that surprising.

"Is everything okay?" Eri asked after seeing Tatsuo finally look away from his smartphone.

"Uh huh." Tatsuo replied with a nod. "Some of my friends and cousins are almost here. So, I was gonna go out to meet them. But…"

As his words trailed off, Tatsuo looked at the five young women with an apologetic expression.

"Don't worry about us." Mikoto said while waving off Tatsuo's apparent guilt. "I'm sure we'll be fine until you come back."

"Yes, there's no need to worry about us." Akira added. "Besides, from the way your mother acted when we came in, it's clear she would love to give us a tour of the new house."

"Now that you mention it…" Tatsuo muttered. "She's probably extra enthusiastic because I wouldn't let her cook today."

"Oh, is Violet-San coming?" Yakumo asked, her tone making it clear she wanted to talk to Tatsuo's first girlfriend.

"She's already here." Tatsuo replied with a shrug. "She came last night… And now she's talking to Mai-nee."

When he mentioned that Violet came over last night, Tatsuo paused for moment, realizing exactly how that sounded. But since she was his girlfriend, he decided not to dwell on it. Yakumo would either decide to join his hoard or leave him be. Either way, there was not much he could do about it.

As for Yakumo, she winced slightly when she heard that Violet was here last night. But at the same time, she blushed just as slightly, her young mind wandering for a moment.

"I see." Yakumo said while avoiding eye contact out of embarrassment. "Well then, I hope I get the chance to talk to her today."

"I'm sure you will." Tatsuo replied with a smile. "Anyway, I'll just call Mom---"

"You called?" Sumire asked while poking her head into the kitchen. "Do you need Mommy for something, Tatsu-Chan?"

'She's definitely been monitoring what's been going on in here.' Tatsuo muttered internally. 'Otherwise, there's no way she could have [Blinked] to the entrance at that exact moment.'

"Not yet." Tatsu replied while rolling his eyes. "But I was about to. Do you think you could show them around the house? James, Alfonzo, and the others are gonna be here soon."

"Of course!" Sumire replied energetically. "The first tour of the house was given by Tatsu-Chan since he was the one who negotiated with the architect and knew where everything was. But that was to the people who would live here. Now, I get to give the first tour to guests. Hehehe!" {Pic}

'So, she's ignoring the tour I gave Violet last week, huh?' Tatsuo asked himself. 'Well, whatever makes her happy.'

"Alright then." Tatsuo said nonchalantly while shrugging his shoulders. "I'll head out to get them… They got a little lost along the way."

"Okay~! Don't take too long." Sumire replied energetically, not giving away that she knew why Tatsuo needs to separate from most of the ladies in the kitchen.

And with that, Tatsuo made his way out of the house through the front door. Then, he made his way to the roadside and found a place where no one would be able to see him. Finally, he took out his smartphone and let everyone know it was alright to come now.

A moment later, the first group, James, Rias, and Sona arrived in a flash of light. Shortly afterwards, Alfonzo and Elicia, who was holding a baby boy about one year old, appeared. Then, one by one, the other groups appeared until everyone stood in front of Tatsuo. {Pic}

"Were you all just sitting there waiting, or something?" Tatsuo asked while looking back and forth between the interdimensional guests. "I mean, from the time James showed up until Sakura showed up, it only took like seven seconds."

"Don't worry about the small details." Elicia said with a smile. "For now, let's go inside. I wanna eat something then check out the house Fonzie designed."

The others nodded in agreement with Aletia, Shea, and Sun quickly hurrying over to Tatsuo's side. Then, Tatsuo led everyone into the house to continue the party. And before long, Chiho, Sadao, Shiro, Hanzo, Emi, Kaori and her parents, and Kenji arrived, completing the guest list.