“I'm so full...” Melo said contentedly, sitting in her chair at the dining table and looking at the bubbling pot in front of her. “But it's so delicious!”
“Sister Melo, Miss Flora's cooking has always been delicious,” Luolin said with a smile from the side.
“Yes, Big Sister Flora is a master chef,” Miya chimed in earnestly.
“Then eat some more,” Flora said with a smile, scooping a cooked mushroom slice from the pot and placing it into her bowl. “There are still plenty of ingredients we haven't even put in yet.”
Melo looked down at the steaming mushroom slice in her bowl. In the end, she couldn't resist picking it up and taking another bite, mumbling, “Something this delicious, I can definitely keep eating.”
Velyan sat at the other end of the table, the plates of fresh meat piled high beside her. Irena sat next to her, the meat in her bowl stacked so high it was about to spill over.
Chen Mian leaned back in his chair, a faint smile playing on his lips as he watched the scene.
The result of letting Velyan fetch the ingredients was that after catching the fish, she had dragged Irena into the forest to hunt several massive edible magical beasts. The apartment couldn't possibly finish all of it, so most of it was distributed to the demi-humans. They probably wouldn't need to buy meat for quite a long time.
“Irena, eat faster, I'm about to burst,” Velyan said, looking at the still-piled-high plates and stuffing a few more pieces of meat into Irena's bowl.
“Velyan, are you trying to stuff me to death so you can inherit my pile of gems?”
“I don't want your gems! You can't even eat gems!” Velyan mumbled as she chewed on her meat.
“So you want to stuff me to death, then?”
“No! Irena is my best friend, and best friends should eat delicious food together.”
“...” Irena glanced at her, then at the meat overflowing from her bowl, and silently resumed eating.
The steam from the hotpot gradually dissipated.
The dining table was cluttered with empty plates and bowls. Velyan slumped in her chair, contentedly rubbing her slightly bloated little belly.
Even with everyone eating until they were completely stuffed, they still couldn't finish the magical beast meat Velyan had brought back. Chen Mian had to bring out the refrigerator that Louise had disassembled and reassembled to use it again, barely managing to fit everything after stuffing two refrigerators full.
“Velyan, don't go hunting again until we've finished this batch of magical beast meat,” Chen Mian said with a laugh.
“Once Flora teaches me how to make spices, I'll finish off all the meat!” Velyan said, looking up with absolute confidence.
“Did you forget? You said the exact same thing earlier.”
“...I forgot!”
Irena had already left the table and was leaning gently against the sofa, her eyes half-closed, looking sleepy again.
“I'll clean up,” Luolin said, standing up and starting to stack the dishes on the table.
“I'll help too. There are too many dishes to wash today,” Loviki said, rising to gather the plates.
“Miss Loviki, you've been traveling all day. I can handle a small chore like this,” Luolin said, turning around with an earnest look.
“I still owe rent, so I have to wash dishes to pay off my debt to our landlord,” Loviki grumbled, carrying the bowls into the kitchen.
“I'll help too,” Melo said, following her into the kitchen.
Once everything was cleaned up, Melo took off her apron and went upstairs with Luolin. Before long, she walked back down holding a stack of clothes. “Mr. Chen Mian, the clothes you wanted are all here. They were all made according to the styles and measurements in the sketches you drew.”
Chen Mian stood up and took the clothes, then picked out an off-white crewneck wool sweater and looked at Flora. “Try this one first.”
She nodded, slowly walking over to stand in front of him, preparing to take the sweater.
“Put your hands out,” Chen Mian said with a gentle chuckle.
Flora was slightly taken aback. She looked up at him, then obediently raised both hands.
Chen Mian unfolded the off-white crewneck sweater and slipped it over her head. The soft wool slid smoothly over her shoulders, the hem falling to about mid-thigh.
Flora looked down and adjusted the sweater. It was larger than her usual clothes, fitting loosely on her, and even the sleeves were a bit long, covering half of her hands.
“It's a little big,” Flora said, rolling up the cuffs to reveal her pale wrists as she looked up at Chen Mian.
“Yeah, I only estimated the measurements, after all,” Chen Mian said with a smile. “How does it feel? Is it more comfortable than your usual clothes?”
“Yes, it's very soft.” She looked down, her ears flushing red as she nodded.
“Then this one is yours.” With that, Chen Mian took a half-step back and reached out to smooth the shoulders of her sweater. “It fits well, and it's very cute.”
“Mhm!” Flora touched the sweater, her lips curving upward.
Chen Mian then pulled out a second long-sleeved sweater and handed it to Loviki. “This one is yours.”
“...Oh.” Loviki looked down at the sweater in her hands, then up at Chen Mian.
Chen Mian's gaze locked onto her. “What's wrong? Do you want me to help you put it on?”
“I-I do not!” Loviki's eyes darted away as she said with feigned indifference, “I can put it on myself!”
“Louise, Velyan, these two are yours... As for the rest, Luolin and Melo, you should try them on too.”
After they finished trying on the clothes, a relaxed and quiet atmosphere settled over the apartment. True to form, Irena had fallen asleep leaning against the sofa.
Velyan sat nearby, poking Irena's cheek with her finger. “Irena, you promised you'd teach me how to play video games.”
Irena turned her head away, burying her face further into the sofa cushion.
“She's asleep,” Miya whispered, crouching next to Velyan while hugging her rabbit.
“I know,” Velyan said, pulling her hand back before turning to Miya. “So, little Miya, do you know how to play video games?”
Miya shook her head, and the rabbit in her arms twitched its ears in unison.
“...Alright then.” Velyan stood up and scanned the living room. Loviki was tidying up the bookshelf nearby.
Louise sat at the dining table, flipping through the notes she had left behind earlier.
Flora had gone upstairs to take a bath.
Velyan's gaze lingered on Chen Mian for a moment. Then, she walked over and sat down on the floor in front of him. “Human.”
“What is it?” Chen Mian looked down at her, slightly puzzled.
Under the warm yellow light, Velyan's golden eyes looked much more serious than usual.
She hugged her knees, her tail slowly sweeping behind her a couple of times. She paused for a moment before speaking. “I want to ask you a question.”
“Go ahead.”
“Does this place count as my home?”
Chen Mian looked into her earnest eyes and didn't answer right away.
Filling the silence, Velyan quickly added, “I know you just picked me up and I was only supposed to stay temporarily at first. But the longer I stay here, the less I want to leave. I don't know if this counts as overstaying my welcome.”
“Stay if you want. We're not so short on food that we can't feed you,” Chen Mian said with a smile.
“I want to know... is the reason I can stay here because you actually want me to? Or is it because I'm useful to you?”
“If I didn't want you here, I would have kicked you out long ago,” Chen Mian said, a slight smile playing on his lips.
“Then why are you willing to let me stay? I know... I'm not like Flora and the others.”
Rate on N.U.
