That Butler, New Face

That Butler, Competitive 2

"Aaall right~! I can't let that Indian show me up~!" Bard said energetically as he grabbed a frying pan. Sebastian hadn't shown up at the usual time to start cooking dinner, so it was all up to him! It was finally his chance to show Sebastian up—Chêne at least let him help her prep some of the food, even if she wouldn't let him actually cook the ingredients—but Sebastian didn't even let him in the kitchen at all sometimes, let alone help. "Today, I'll do my best to—"

"No, thank you," Sebastian said bluntly as he suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and snatched the frying pan right out of his hand. Bard froze, sweat-dropping. "I will cook, so please do not do anything," Sebastian added before Bard could even react properly to the butler's sudden appearance.

"Hey! C'mon. today, I was gonna cook my special. Hey, you listening!?" Bard ranted incredulously, shaking his fist.

'We are already half an hour behind schedule...' Sebastian thought gloomily as he remembered how Soma had kept insisting on dueling 'just one more time' over and over again with Ciel, simply because he kept losing. Even after being injured, Ciel was still much more skilled in the art of sword fighting than the prince, but Ciel had low stamina, so he was starting to get worn out. Chêne realized Sebastian was getting ready to 'disappear' Soma if it continued much longer, so she volunteered to fight Soma, since she was a beginner like him in, Ciel's place, so he and Sebastian could get back on schedule. Soma had been skeptical about that, and boasted that he could defeat Chêne easily... which naturally pissed her off, so she ended up forcing him into a duel with her, and when he lost again, Soma changed targets to Chêne, since he was now more determined to defeat her than Ciel, and that's where they were now, with Lau and Agni watching them while Ciel reviewed his paperwork for the company, and Chêne's new toy design. Just thinking back on how annoying the prince had been, was making Sebastian feel slightly nauseous from irritation.

"Sebastian, ya hear me!?" Bard yelled angrily, bringing Sebastian back to the real world. There were several vein marks throbbing on Bard's head, not that Sebastian really gave a damn.

"Oh, I say," Sebastian said, sweat-dropping, as he grimaced slightly in irritation. He had enough to be irked about without Bard adding to it. "Please do be quiet for a spel—"

"Mister Sebastian. May I come in?" Agni asked politely as he popped up, smiling as he peeked into the Kitchen doorway. "I was wondering if I could help you... Miss Chêne told me that you usually have her help you prepare supper, but today is her day off, and she is already helping a great deal by playing with my prince, as he does not usually get to play with other children so close to his age..." Sebastian and Bard stared at him for a moment. Just how young did he think Chêne was? Sebastian wondered if he should correct Agni, or let the misunderstanding continue.

"Mister Agni. Please just relax," Sebastian said politely. As the butler of the Phantomhive Family, he really could not let a guest continue to trouble themselves like this, even if Agni had been a great help that morning...

"We can get things done faster with the two of us~! I shall do whatever you ask of me," Agni said, smiling brightly. There was practically a halo glowing around his head. Sebastian stared at Agni for a moment, slightly stunned. Chêne had been spot on when she picked Agni's nickname. This man was a saint—Saint Agni! Bard sweat-dropped, and furrowed his brow, frowning slightly as he stared at the Indian man with wide eyes, not sure what to think... But there was no way Sebastian was going to...

"Then... May I ask you to prepare the Gooseberry sauce for today's main dish and the cottage pie?" Sebastian asked, looking slightly relieved.

"Ngah!" Bard said, flinching in shock. What the heck!?