He gathered the leftover charcoal from last night, set up the iron pot, and took out a few eggs and the remaining bread from his storage space.
A simple breakfast would be fine; it was better to let those two sleep a little longer.
Just as the oil in the pot began to sizzle, a muffled thud came from inside the tent, followed by Loviki's voice: “Your hair got in my mouth.”
“Eh? S-Sorry.”
“It's fine. Is it morning?”
“Yes, it looks like Mr. Chen Mian is already making breakfast.”
The tent flap was lifted, and Flora poked her head out, her hair a messy nest and her eyes half-closed with sleep.
She froze for a moment when she saw Chen Mian in front of the stove, then quickly scrambled out. “Th-This is my job...”
“Have a seat,” Chen Mian said without looking back. “I'll make it today.”
“But...”
“Go wake Loviki up. She hogged your blankets last night, didn't she?”
Flora opened her mouth, then let out a soft giggle. “Mhm.”
She turned and ducked back into the tent. Loviki's protesting voice immediately drifted out: “I did not hog them!”
“You did, I saw you.”
Chen Mian scooped the fried eggs onto a plate and set the sliced bread on the edge of the stove to toast.
In the morning, the Fluorescent Forest looked no different from an ordinary meadow, carrying that faint, pleasant scent of early morning grass.
The tent flap was fully pulled back, and Loviki stepped out. Her black hair was loosely tied into a low ponytail, and her face still carried the grogginess of sleep. She walked over to the stove and looked down at the golden-brown fried eggs on the plate.
“You know how to cook?”
“I had to feed myself before Flora arrived.” Chen Mian handed her a slice of toasted bread. “The taste is average, but it'll do.”
Loviki took the bread and took a bite. After chewing a couple of times, her eyes narrowed slightly. “It's decent.”
Flora also emerged from the tent. She took the plate and bread Chen Mian handed her, took a bite of the fried egg, and her eyes lit up. “It's delicious!”
“What's with that look?” Loviki looked at Flora.
“It just means it's delicious.”
“You're being biased.”
“B-Biased? Loviki, you...” Flora's face flushed red like an aggrieved child, and she lowered her head to eat, falling silent.
“Actually, it really is quite good. 'Decent' is already a very high compliment coming from me,” Loviki added.
Chen Mian let out a chuckle, picked up his own plate, and sat down on the grass.
After finishing breakfast, the three of them packed up. Chen Mian dismantled the tent, Loviki folded the blankets, and Flora wiped the pots and bowls clean before packing them into the basket.
“Are we coming back next time?” Flora asked.
“Yes.” Loviki froze for a moment after speaking, then turned her head away. “I mean, if someone makes Moonlight Mushroom Condensation again, I might consider it.”
“Then we won't make Moonlight Mushroom Condensation,” Flora said with a smile. “We'll make something else.”
“...Whatever.”
【Current Points: 2540.】
Chen Mian picked up the tent bag and glanced at the newly refreshed Interaction Quests on his system panel.
【Today's Interaction Quest 1: Help Flora wash her hair (+50 Points)】
【Today's Interaction Quest 2: Help Loviki braid her hair once (+50 Points)】
【Quest Note: The tenants' favorability has reached Level 2. Appropriate physical contact helps increase tenant trust.】
Chen Mian stared at the Interaction Quests for two seconds.
First washing hair, now braiding hair?
Blow-drying hair had already appeared before.
Just what criteria did this system use to generate Interaction Quests? Was it going to ask him to give them a haircut next?
Was this really meant to help him get stronger?
If he hadn't arrived late, he probably would only be Level 10 at this stage under normal circumstances, right?
“What are you looking at?” Loviki's voice came from beside him.
She had already folded the blankets and was holding the tent's storage bag, tilting her head as she looked at him.
“Nothing. Let's go.”
...
The moment they returned to the apartment, Flora plunged straight into the kitchen.
She still had more than half a basket of Moonlight Mushrooms left. Because of the fusion properties of the Moonlight Mushrooms, Flora was fired up with passion to develop new flavorful dishes.
As soon as she entered the kitchen, she tied on her apron, tied back her hair, and the sound of chopping vegetables began to echo from within.
Chen Mian was completely in favor of Flora developing new dishes. Aside from the fact that Flora thoroughly enjoyed it, every time a new dish appeared, it brought him a pleasant surprise.
Meanwhile, Loviki ran back to her room, likely because she hadn't gotten enough rest last night.
【Current Points: 2640.】
He was still 360 Points away from upgrading the apartment to Level 3.
At this rate, tomorrow would be enough.
He closed the panel, stood up, and walked toward the kitchen. Flora was slicing Silver-light Fruit. As the blade cut through the flesh, pale silver juice seeped out, filling the air with a sweet, refreshing fruit aroma.
The rabbit was crouching by the stove, its front paws clinging to the edge of the counter, its pink nose twitching.
“Need some help?” Chen Mian leaned against the doorframe.
Flora looked up and wiped the fine beads of sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. “No need, it's almost done.”
She paused, her voice softening slightly. “By the way, Mr. Chen Mian, thank you for keeping watch last night.”
“You're welcome.”
“And...” She hesitated, the tips of her ears turning slightly red. “The pastries last night... did you really think they were delicious?”
“They were delicious. Far better than anything sold at the market,” Chen Mian evaluated honestly.
Flora's ears grew even redder. She lowered her head and continued slicing the Silver-light Fruit, her chopping speed noticeably faster than before. “Th-Then I'll make some more next time.”
Looking at her slightly reddened ears, Chen Mian remembered the Interaction Quest on his system panel.
【Today's Interaction Quest 1: Help Flora wash her hair (+50 Points)】
Was he really going to complete this Interaction Quest?
He didn't quite know how to bring it up...
Directly saying “Let me wash your hair” would probably startle this easily embarrassed elf so much that she'd send the Silver-light Fruit flying with her knife.
Should he use the ten-minute contact rule as an excuse?
That was an option, and it would directly fulfill the requirement.
But they hadn't done it last night, had they? So nothing bad would actually happen if they didn't do the ten minutes of daily contact...
After a brief thought, he walked over to Flora and took the kitchen knife from her hand. “I'll slice. Go take a bath.”
“Eh?” Flora was taken aback. “But these Silver-light Fruits...”
“You've been covered in dust from camping all night. Take a bath before you continue.” Chen Mian gently nudged her a step out of the kitchen. “I'll handle the rest.”
“...Alright then.” Flora untied her apron, handed it to him, and turned to go upstairs.
Chen Mian took the apron and walked over to the counter. He looked down at the Silver-light Fruit on the cutting board, then at the knife in his hand, and began to slice.
As the knife came down, each slice was perfectly uniform in thickness with clean edges, even more precise than Flora's.
He couldn't compare to Flora at all when it came to cooking, but he was highly skilled at prep work. When it came to controlling his body and mana, Chen Mian had reached near perfection.
By the time Flora came back downstairs, Chen Mian had already finished slicing the Silver-light Fruits.
The slices were neatly arranged on a white plate, each one so thin it was translucent.
The pots and bowls she had used earlier were also washed and neatly arranged on the drying rack.
“All sliced,” Chen Mian said, leaning against the kitchen doorframe.
Flora looked down at the plate of Silver-light Fruit slices, then looked up at him, a hint of surprise in her eyes. “You sliced them better than I do.”
“Then I'll leave today's lunch to you.”
“Okay.” Flora walked to the stove and tied her apron back on.
After lunch, Loviki washed the dishes while Flora cleaned up the kitchen.
Chen Mian sat on the living room sofa, the rabbit curled up asleep on his lap.
Once Flora finished wiping down the counter and was about to head upstairs to take a shower, Chen Mian stood up.
“Flora.”
“Mhm?” She turned around.
“You have flour in your hair.”
“Eh?” Flora reached up to touch her hair. Sure enough, a small patch of white flour was dusted near the ends of her hair, likely accidentally brushed on while she was kneading dough earlier.
Her face flushed slightly. “I... I didn't notice just now...”
“Are you going to wash your hair?” Chen Mian asked.
In the end, Chen Mian decided it was best to just ask directly.
The air fell silent for a brief moment.
Flora blinked, thinking she had misheard. “...What?”
“Wash your hair. I'll help you,” Chen Mian said in all seriousness. “As your landlord, caring about my tenants' personal hygiene is part of my duty.”
Flora stared at him for a couple of seconds, her lips parting slightly. No matter how she thought about it, the logic didn't seem right. “W-What did you say?”
“Last time was a massage, this time is washing hair. It's perfectly reasonable.” Chen Mian's expression didn't change. “Besides, you have flour in your hair, so it's inconvenient to wash it yourself.”
Flora's ears turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye.
“N-N-No need!” She waved her hands frantically, taking half a step back. “I can wash it myself!”
“Really?”
“Really! My mana is only sealed; I can still wash my own hair!” With that, she turned and ran upstairs, her steps quick, her wooden clogs clacking rapidly against the stairs.
Chen Mian watched her figure disappear at the end of the hallway, the corners of his mouth curving up slightly.
After about ten seconds, the sound of footsteps returned.
Flora poked half of her body out from the corner of the stairs, revealing only a pair of lively eyes and the tips of her bright red elven ears. “...Were you being serious just now?”
“Which part?”
“H-Helping me wash my hair.” Her voice grew softer and softer, the last few words barely audible.
Rate on N.U.
