UltSans hesitated for a moment.
Then—he sighed, swallowing his last bite before setting his fork down onto the plate.
A brief pause.
Then—he lifted his gaze toward Nathan.
UltSans:"Kiddo, I'll make it simple for you to understand."
Without another word, he raised his right hand.
A portal flickered open beside him, swirling with glitch-like distortions.
Nathan's eyes widened, fascinated.
After a few seconds, UltSans reached into the portal—
And when he pulled his hand back out—
He was holding a large, thick book.
The portal closed behind him with a faint hum.
UltSans turned the book slightly, letting Nathan get a good look at it.
UltSans:"Do you see this book?"
Nathan nodded enthusiastically, his excitement rising.
Nathan:"Woah…! Yes! What about it?"
UltSans tilted his head slightly.
UltSans:"You think magic is cool, right?"
Nathan's nod was immediate.
Nathan:"Yes! Magic is cool!"
Without another word, UltSans extended his arm, offering the book to Nathan.
The young boy hesitated, glancing between the book and UltSans, before carefully taking it into his hands.
Then—he eagerly flipped it open.
A second later—his excitement faltered.
Nathan blinked.
Then—he frowned.
His small fingers skimmed over the pages, flipping through them quickly.
A deep look of confusion settled onto his face.
Nathan:"What is this? There are no pictures."
UltSans smirked slightly, leaning on the table.
UltSans:"That's because it's not a storybook, kiddo. That's an entire guide on magic—how it works, how to control it, how to learn it."
Nathan's nose scrunched slightly.
Nathan:"But I wanted to learn magic tricks!"
UltSans chuckled softly.
UltSans:"And you can. The moment you read, you can start learning magic tricks."
Nathan stared at him, then back at the book, then back at him again.
His brows furrowed slightly.
UltSans leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the table.
UltSans:"You see magic as simple, and in some ways, it is. It's simple to watch. It's simple to believe in. And it's simple to do once you know how."
A brief pause.
Then—he tapped the book lightly with his fingers.
UltSans:"But it's not simple to learn. It takes patience. It takes effort. It takes understanding."
Nathan remained silent, still gripping the book tightly.
UltSans pointed at him lightly.
UltSans:"That's the same thing with me to be your aunt. It's simple to say it, sure."
Then—he gestured toward Clara without breaking eye contact with Nathan.
UltSans:"But it takes more than just words. Clara could say yes. Right here. Right now."
Clara stiffened slightly, shifting in her seat.
UltSans continued.
UltSans:"But right now, she's doing what you should do with that book—reading before trying to do the magic trick."
Nathan's expression slowly shifted, realization dawning on him.
UltSans:"Because if she says yes without thinking, then just like a magic trick done wrong—"
He snapped his fingers.
UltSans:"—it won't work."
Nathan stared at him, then down at the book in his hands.
He was still for a long moment.
Then—he looked up at Clara, his expression softer, less demanding.
Clara, who had been watching all of this unfold with her chin resting on her hand, simply sighed, shaking her head.
Clara:"You just had to explain it like that, didn't you?"
UltSans grinned slightly, shrugging.
UltSans:"Hey, the kid wants magic. I just gave him a real lesson."
Nathan hugged the book to his chest, nodding slightly.
For the first time, he wasn't just asking for an answer.
He was thinking about it.
Melissa, however, leaned forward slightly, resting her cheek in her hand.
Melissa:"Well, well~… A magician, a cook, and a philosopher? You really are something else, sugar~."
UltSans?
Didn't even acknowledge her.
He simply picked up his fork.
And went back to eating.
Nathan stared at the book in his hands, his small fingers gripping the edges as he processed what UltSans had just said.
For a moment, he looked like he wanted to argue—like he wanted to insist it should be simple.
But something about the way UltSans explained it made sense.
Slowly, his excitement shifted into something else.
Something more like… understanding.
His gaze drifted back to UltSans.
Nathan:"So… it's not just about saying yes?"
UltSans grinned slightly, nodding.
UltSans:"Exactly. Just like you can't do magic without learning it first, you can't make something real just by saying the words."
Nathan hugged the book to his chest, his expression thoughtful.
Then—for the first time— he didn't demand an answer.
Instead, he simply nodded to himself, as if making a silent promise to think it over.
Clara, who had been watching all of this unfold with mild disbelief, finally let out a deep breath, rubbing her temples.
Clara:"Alright, fine. I'll admit… That was a pretty good way of explaining it."
UltSans smirked.
UltSans:"Of course it was. I'm good at what I do."
Melissa rolled her eyes dramatically, propping her chin on her hand.
Melissa:"Mmm~ And so humble, too~."
UltSans?
Didn't even acknowledge her.
Just went right back to eating.
Melissa's smirk twitched slightly.
But before she could say anything else—
Eleanor suddenly clapped her hands together, snapping everyone's attention back to her.
Eleanor:"Bueno, pues ya que nuestro invitado especial sabe cocinar…"
Her eyes sparkled with an idea.
She turned to UltSans with an almost expectant expression.
Eleanor:"¡Tienes que cocinar para nosotros! Algo especial, algo de España."
UltSans paused mid-bite.
Then—slowly, he lowered his fork.
His gaze met Eleanor's, blank and unreadable.
UltSans:"…You want me to cook?"
Eleanor nodded enthusiastically.
Eleanor:"¡Sí! Algo que nos sorprenda."
Clara groaned, already knowing where this was going.
Clara:"Mom, he's not—"
Eleanor:"Vamos, Clara, si sabe cocinar bien, ¡hay que aprovechar!"
She turned back to UltSans, practically beaming.
Eleanor:"¿Qué dices? ¿Nos prepararías algo?"
UltSans stared at her for a moment.
Then—he smirked slightly.
His pupils flickered.
He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms.
UltSans:"Alright. But if I'm cooking, I get full kitchen control."
Richard chuckled.
Richard:"Sounds fair."
Melissa leaned forward, grinning.
Melissa:"Mmm~ A man who can take control? Now that's attractive~."
UltSans?
Didn't even look at her.
UltSans:"Still not talking to you."
Melissa's smirk faltered for just a second.
Richard burst out laughing again.
Eleanor, completely ignoring the tension, clapped her hands again.
Eleanor:"¡Perfecto! Entonces después de la comida, nos preparas algo especial."
UltSans sighed.
This wasn't exactly how he thought this dinner was going to go.
But if nothing else—
It would be entertaining.