Iku Nagae, envoy of the Dragon Palace, cuts a striking figure in her Scarlet Devil Mansion maid uniform. The long, frilled skirt makes her look even more elegant and refined than usual. On this particular day, she was in charge of making lunch. She claimed to be a competent, if somewhat out of practice, home cook, but it was yet to be seen if she had the skills to back that claim up. As she moved about the mansion's kitchen, clouds of smoke billowed in her wake...

Soga no Tojiko's Scarlet Devil Mansion maid uniform had been specially made for her. It has an extra-wide skirt to accommodate her ghostly lower half. She has plenty of experience cooking for the Taoist disciples when they come to train at the Divine Spirit Mausoleum. Apparently, she also has an extensive repertoire that includes Japanese, Chinese, and European cuisines. Working as a maid seems to suit her as she's always busy fussing about one thing or another to ensure all the disciples have what they need.

Today's Menu: - Chicken Doria - Minestrone - Chocolate Mousse Iku looked up from the vegetables she was peeling to glance over at the menu. The kitchen was quiet as she thought about making a few extra side dishes, but it didn't stay that way for long... "Oh no! Miss Tojiko! Are the onions meant to be this color?!" "They taste better that way. You can leave them on for a bit longer." Iku was relieved to hear that Tojiko seemed to know what she was doing. She had assumed they were burning the onions. That means there's probably a reason why so much smoke was coming out of the device next to Iku. There's no way it was broken. At least, that's what Iku told herself as she continued to ignore it. "Iku! What are you doing?!" Iku almost jumped, surprised that Koakuma had noticed so quickly.

The Mansion's New Maids Tojiko didn't expect the Scarlet Devil Mansion's kitchens to be this busy. But it didn't take her long to realize why. It was because of the maids. They eat... a LOT. Way more than the disciples she was used to cooking for. She knew that the only way to prepare enough food was to remain calm and take it one dish at a time, but she kept getting distracted... "Whoa! What's with all this smoke?!" "It's quicker to cook them all at once like this... Oh, but I suppose there is a bit more smoke than I was expecting." "How can you be so calm about this, Iku?!" Tojiko hurried over to the main kitchen to see what all the fuss was about... only to be greeted by a room full of white smoke. "Yikes! Smokes coming out of all the appliances!" "Don't worry. I know how to fix them. Give them a few whacks, and they'll be as good as―" "Stop! That'll just break them more!" And just like that, on top of her own work, Tojiko now had to cover for Iku. Spurred on by all the people in the dining room crying out for food, she hoped that they'd be able to get everything done in time.

"Here's the last dish! Take it away!" Despite being a ghost, Tojiko almost collapsed from exhaustion after she handed the last dish over to the fairy maid servers. Koakuma had already passed out on the floor. It was an even busier day for her in the kitchens than usual. Iku, on the other hand, seemed as relaxed as ever as she stood, looking at Tojiko. "What is it? Stop staring at me like that." "No, it's just..." "If you've got something to say, say it." "Are you sure?" "Just spit it out already." "I was thinking that the way you encouraged and cheered everyone up... reminded me of a mother caring for her unruly children." "If I'm the mother... what does that make you?"