"Good morning, goshujin sama. Oh, children! You are here too! Good morning my lovelies! Did you sleep well?"

"Kaa san!" squealed the kids.

"Yuki san, I didn't expect your call at this hour," Honda said with a frown before cutting off the engine. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, we are, don't worry. Wait, Lana san is joining us..."

"Good morning!" Lana's face popped up on a second window under Yuki's. Both women were in the same hotel room though. With her slim dark grey skirt and white satin blouse, Lana was ready to leave for work — a round of seminars she gave on behalf of Nakazawa Holdings.

Honda frowned; his wife was chewing her bottom lip like every time stress took an unusual toll on her.

"Mamma!" Isao chirped.

"Pumpkin! So nice to see you. Nana, little bean, you wear your favorite dress today! Very nice! I wish I could give you a thousand kisses now," Lana said, but her smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

"What is going on?" Honda asked. "We are on a tight schedule here, I thought you'd call me later..."

"Yes, I am sorry, but this is quite unexpected. We cannot come home tomorrow," Yuki said, pinching her lips. "Did you see the double typhoon warning? The first one will hit us right when we're supposed to take the plane. We called all the airlines and couldn't find any flight before Friday."

"Friday? It's three days from now!" Honda exclaimed, angry at himself for not checking the weather forecast for the southern part of the country.

Truth to be told, he hadn't turned on the TV since his partners had gone on their respective trips, and he had fallen asleep two nights in a row in the children's room.

"Yeah, it sucks," Lana said. "The first one took an unexpected turn overnight, and its size is frightening. It's dragging the second one behind. Given its path, I'm pretty sure Francesco will have the same problem, because it's barreling toward Korea. I've already texted him, but flights from Seoul to Tokyo will be cancelled, I'm sure."

"Well, I don't want any of you to take any risk. Don't take the first flight out if there are still turbulences."

"We could come home via shinkansen..." Yuki said wistfully.

"No, if the typhoons make landfall close to you... this will not be safe either. Stay put, we will be just fine here," Honda said, careful to school his face to hide his disappointment and not add to his wives' anguish.

Yuki bit her lip and quirked an eyebrow. "The typhoon is one thing... but I worry about the three of you, goshujin sama."

Puzzled, Honda shook his head. "What? Why? I have everything under control, the children are helpful, the wards are intact and strong, the construction workers are half-way done with the new aisle, and everything is going smoothly," he retorted.

On his screen, Lana and Yuki tilted their heads in an eerily similar way.

"Really?" Lana threw him a teasing grin, eyes now glistening with mischief. "That's a nice little lie if I ever heard one."

"Goshujin sama, I've been there and done that," Yuki chuckled. "Things are not easy and smooth. Why don't you take the children to my father and Claudia san for a night or two? They are quite used to the exercise."

As if stung by a bee, Honda straightened up on his seat, indignation rising fast and making his blood simmer.

"That will be completely unnecessary! I have to go now, or we will be stuck in the morning traffic," he added, increasingly annoyed at what his wives implied.

"All right, all right!" Lana said with an eye roll. 

Honda threw her a warning glare. Her gesture would have earned her a couple of rounds of discipline if they had been in the same room; her endearing blush and the way she bit down her lip told him she had gotten the message.

"But the food, goshujin sama," Yuki insisted. "I cooked lunch and dinner only up until today... Tomorrow..."

"Well, I'll cook of course!" Honda retorted, his knuckles on the wheel turning white.

"Sorry... what?" Lana exclaimed, eyes saucer-wide, while Yuki gawked at him, jaw-slacked.
That was the last straw.

"I am perfectly able to feed our children until you get back," Honda hissed, staring at the road in front of him.

He ended the call and silence filled the car as he took off in the narrow streets of Setagaya.

"Otoh san..." Isao called out softly.

"Hm?" Honda made eye contact with his son in the rearview mirror.

"Can you really cook?" the five year-old asked slowly, a deep frown of concentration on his face.

"Kaa san's katsu-curry good!" Nana said with a grin. "Mamma makes good pasta."

"I like Francesco san's pizza and chocolate cake!" Isao nodded at his sister.

Warmth flushed Honda's face, and he had to work his jaw for a couple of seconds to swallow a bark. Whatever the reasons for his aggravation, his children would not take the brunt of it.

"I... Cooking is not that complicated, Son. I am not saying that I can prepare meals as delicious as what your mothers prepare, but... following a recipe is easy. You buy the ingredients and follow the instructions."

"Why don't you do it every night?" Isao asked, pensive.

"Ah... hm... I haven't had many opportunities until now. Your mothers... always... volunteer?" Honda fought against the urge to squirm. "What would you like to eat tonight, children?" he asked with a forced upbeat tone.

"Sushi!" Nana exclaimed, clapping her hands.

"Okonomiyaki!" Isao added.

"Okonomiyaki... that's a good idea," Honda muttered, reaching out for his handkerchief to dab his neck. He turned the A/C on; it was getting really warm inside the car. "I will see what I can do."

"Yeah!" answered the chorus behind him.
When they arrived in the guest parking lot of the Holdings, Honda's phone flashed with an incoming message in their family group chat.

Yuki: @goshujinsama We didn't mean to offend you, we were only surprised by your spontaneous proposal.
Lana: You've got to admit it's a first.

Still annoyed, Honda quickly sent a reply.

Me: Your lack of trust in my abilities is duly noted.
Lana: Ah no, come on, that's not fair.
Me: The children will not go to bed famished.
Yuki: You can always order takeaway for dinner, right?
Me: Certainly not! No takeaway, no junk food. Only fresh ingredients and homemade food. This is a challenge I embrace.
Lana:... Riiiiight.
Me: Lana san, mind your tone.
Yuki: A challenge? Well, how about a little test then?
Lana: Oh, a cooking test!

Honda frowned, at a loss.

"Otoh san, can we go now?" Isao said from behind him.

"Yes, yes, one second, your mothers are at it again..."

Me: What do you mean?
Yuki: You have three days to train to prepare a three-course dinner for all of us. You will be rewarded if you pass our test, but if we are not... We'll teach you how it's done.
Lana: Yes (hands clapping)! I (three hearts) this suggestion.

A mix of arousal and aggravation at his wives' playful wickedness roared inside Honda's chest. A rush of delicious expectation had him clear his throat and take a deep breath.

Francesco: Good morning from rainy Seoul! Did my translator get this right? We're the jury of our very own "Tokyo has talent" food show, featuring Naruhito san (big eyes emoji)?
Lana: (100%) It could turn into a "Masterchef" session! Ain't that perfect, caro? Prepare to unleash your inner Gordon Ramsey!
Francesco: "Masterchef" or... "Hell's Kitchen"? Yuki san could be the Blue team, Naruhito san the Red one, mwahaha!

Me: @Lana_san, @Francesco_san, when you get home, let's talk about the new training regimen I plan to set up for you starting next week. You have been seriously slacking, it shows. Yuki san, I agree, there is always a new lesson to learn, but I guarantee that I will be the one teaching it, not you! I have to go now.

With a satisfied grin, Honda put his phone away. His smile wavered when he remembered he had no idea how to cook okonomiyaki, even less plan for a three-star dinner course in less than three days.

Well, there must be an app for that.