Flora was taken aback.
She hadn't expected Chen Mian to bring this up at a time like this.
The heat from the hot spring flushed her cheeks, and a few damp strands of hair clung to her forehead.
She blinked, and a droplet of water slid down her eyelashes, landing on the water's surface and sending out tiny ripples.
“Now?” she asked, a trace of uncertainty in her voice as her fingers subconsciously laced together beneath the water. “Here? Why?”
“Yeah,” Chen Mian said, leaning back against the pool wall with his arms resting casually on the stones on either side. His tone was casual, but his eyes were serious as he looked at her. “Give it a try. The hot spring's effects might help with the curse.”
Loviki opened her eyes as well, her gaze turning toward Flora through the steam with a hint of concern.
Flora lowered her head, looking at her reflection on the water's surface.
The hot spring water bubbled up from the crevices between the stones, its soft gurgling exceptionally clear in the quiet night.
Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes. Soon, she felt the warm spring water wrapping around her entire body. The warmth steadily seeped into her, as if it were alive, reaching inch by inch into the areas eroded by the curse. Under the soothing wash of this warmth, that frigid, gloomy energy seemed to weaken just a fraction.
“I feel it,” she whispered, her voice so soft it was almost swallowed by the sound of the water, though there was an irrepressible tremble in her tone. “It's very faint... but it's definitely there.”
Loviki sat up slightly straighter, the light in her eyes brightening as the corners of her lips curved upward.
“It's good that it works,” Chen Mian said with a smile, pausing for a beat before picking up his teacup.
Flora looked up. The steam from the hot spring made her eyes sting slightly, and everything she saw was shrouded in a thin mist. “...Thank you.”
Loviki glanced at her, then at Chen Mian, before picking up her mushroom soup and taking a sip.
Setting her bowl down, Loviki lightly tapped her finger against the rim, her tone growing much lighter. “What do you plan to do after the curse is lifted?”
Flora looked up and blinked.
“I...”
She opened her mouth, only to realize she had never actually thought about this question.
Ever since the day she escaped the secret realm, all she had thought about was surviving.
Surviving today, surviving tomorrow, and surviving until the day she could find a way to lift the curse.
When she was wandering the Winter Wolf Kingdom, she had made a living with her remaining culinary skills, her only daily thought being: Don't let the Shadow Cult find me.
But "after the curse is lifted"? Back then, no matter how she looked at it, it felt incredibly distant—almost impossible, even.
“I want to...” She paused, a trace of uncertainty in her voice. “Open a restaurant.”
Loviki raised an eyebrow. “A restaurant?”
“Yes.” Flora nodded, her voice steadier than before. “I learned many recipes in the secret realm. Some are traditional elf dishes, and some I figured out myself. If the curse is lifted and my mana recovers, I can use magic to assist in cooking and make more complex magical cuisine.”
As she spoke, her eyes sparkled slightly.
Loviki looked at her, the corners of her mouth curving up. “I'll be sure to come support you then.”
“Sure.” Flora turned to look at her with a smile.
“The kind where I don't pay, of course.”
“...So by 'supporting me,' you actually meant eating for free?”
“And I eat a lot.”
“Then you can eat a bit less.”
“Can't do that.”
Flora couldn't help but laugh. Her laughter drifted through the steam of the hot spring, light and cheerful.
Leaning against the pool wall, Chen Mian watched the two of them bicker. He reached out, grabbed a skewer of grilled meat, and took a bite.
The meat was very tender. The spicy kick exploded in his mouth, carrying the aroma of charcoal-grilled wood. The grease from the meat and the juices of the chili blended together deliciously.
“Before that, you'll have to make plenty of delicious food to pay off your debt, or I won't agree.”
Having said that, Chen Mian finished the entire skewer in one go and reached for another.
“Okay! I don't think I can pay off my debt to Mr. Chen Mian anytime soon anyway.” Flora laughed brightly, her happiness at this moment entirely genuine.
“Flora, you could always consider offering yourself to him to repay the debt,” Loviki teased, a trace of mischief flashing in her eyes.
“Loviki!!” Flora's face flushed even redder, looking incredibly lovely in the hazy mist.
“Keep talking,” Chen Mian said, reaching for another skewer.
“Hey, leave some for me,” Loviki said, glancing at him.
“I refuse.”
Sitting in the pool, Flora watched the two of them eat skewer after skewer, smiling in spite of herself.
After finishing her skewer, Loviki leaned back against the pool wall and looked up at the sky with a relaxed expression. “The moonlight is beautiful tonight.”
Having eaten the grilled meat, she rested her bamboo skewer on the edge of the tray. Leaning back, she stared up at the small patch of night sky visible through the gaps in the tarp, her black hair spreading across the water, its ends drifting gently with the ripples of the hot spring.
“When I was in the Royal Capital, I would also look at the moon when I couldn't sleep at night, but the moon there was never as bright as it is here,” she said softly.
Flora also looked up at the full moon. The moonlight filtered through the steam onto her face, and fine water droplets clung to her eyelashes. “Yes, it's really nice living here.”
The hot spring bubbled, sending up clouds of steam.
The three of them leaned against the pool wall, staring blankly up at the sky.
No one spoke, yet the silence wasn't awkward; instead, it felt incredibly comfortable.
The food on the wooden tray was mostly gone, leaving only a few slices of pickled radish and a single untouched skewer.
After a long while, Flora stood up from the water. Her white undergarment, soaked through, clung to her body, outlining her impressive curves.
She tucked the wet hair clinging to her cheeks behind her ears, her movements far more natural than before.
“I'll go prepare some more food,” she said in a small voice, though whether it was from the steam or something else was hard to tell.
In truth, there was still food on the tray, and nearly half a pot of mushroom soup remained, but she simply wanted to go do something.
If she did, she could probably stay a bit longer.
Stepping onto the stones by the pool, she changed into her wooden clogs, threw on her yukata, and jogged back to the apartment, her footsteps quickly fading at the end of the corridor.
Only Chen Mian and Loviki remained by the hot spring.
It was quiet for a moment.
“Why were you willing to let us move into your apartment?” Loviki suddenly asked. As she spoke, she rested her arm on the round stones at the edge of the pool, her fingers idly tapping the surface. Her expression was serious, lacking any of her previous mischievous smile.
“To collect rent,” Chen Mian said, taking a sip of his Moonlight Grass tea. He held the teacup in his hand, in no hurry to put it down.
“What kind of rent collection is that? For Flora, you could say you wanted to take advantage of her cooking, but you don't get any benefits from me living here. I can't cook, I can't do laundry, and I can't even beat you in swordsmanship. What are you after?”
Chen Mian set his teacup down beside the wooden tray, not answering immediately.
The hot spring bubbled, and the white steam drifted slowly between the two of them, scattering the lantern light into a hazy, warm yellow glow.
Loviki didn't rush him.
“You're right,” Chen Mian finally said, neatly aligning the discarded bamboo skewers on the edge of the tray. “At least Flora can cook, which saves me some trouble. You don't know how to do anything except fight, and you can't even beat me at that.”
Loviki's lips twitched, and she slapped the water's surface, splashing a small spray of water onto Chen Mian's side of the pool. “Are you insulting me?”
“Just stating facts.”
“Tch.” She turned her head away.
Chen Mian picked up another piece of braised meat from the tray and took a bite. “So there really isn't much of a reason.”
“If I had to name one, it'd be fate.”
“Besides, having people around makes things livelier. When you live alone for too long, sometimes you don't even feel like cooking. Now, someone makes delicious food every day, and someone helps wash the dishes. Even if she uses too much dish soap and breaks a few plates, it's still better than being alone.”
“You know,” Loviki said, tilting her head and raising her chin slightly. “You talk about 'collecting rent,' but you haven't taken a single coin. You talk about 'wanting some life around the place,' but if you really just wanted lively company, you could have lived in Linyu Port or the Royal Capital. It's bustling there every single day.”
Chen Mian didn't reply.
She leaned back against the pool wall again and closed her eyes, her tone returning to its lazy drawl. “If you don't want to say, then forget it. Either way, I don't plan on leaving anytime soon.”
It was quiet for a moment.
From the other end of the corridor, the sound of wooden clogs clicking on the stone path echoed, drawing closer.
Flora walked back carrying a plate of freshly grilled skewers, her steps much steadier than before.
Her face was flushed pink from the heat, and the stray hairs on her forehead, damp with steam, clung to her skin.
“They're ready,” she said, placing the plate on the wooden tray. She bent down to take off her clogs, untied her yukata, and hung it on the rack. Then she stepped back into the hot spring. This time, her steps were much lighter, splashing a bit of water onto Chen Mian's face.
She shrank back slightly and whispered an apology, though her expression was no longer as tense as before.
“Here's yours.” Flora handed the most beautifully grilled skewer to Loviki, then offered another to Chen Mian.
“Thanks,” Loviki said, taking a bite and narrowing her eyes slightly.
Flora took one for herself as well, taking small bites, a little sauce smudging the corner of her mouth.
This time, Loviki didn't reach out to wipe it. She merely glanced at Flora, then continued eating her own skewer, a trace of an imperceptible smile in her eyes.
Noticing it herself, Flora licked the corner of her lips, her ears flushing red for an instant before she quickly returned to normal.
Chen Mian watched the two of them, his lips twitching slightly.
The three of them soaked for a while longer.
The food on the tray was now completely gone.
Chen Mian sat up with a splash, water droplets cascading down his shoulders and chest.
He picked up his yukata and threw it on, casually tying the sash before standing up to stretch his shoulders. “That's about enough. Let's head back.”
“Okay,” Flora said, rising from the pool. Water trickled down her arms and calves, leaving a trail of wet footprints on the stone slabs.
Loviki stood up as well, gathering her long hair to one side and wringing the water from the ends. She then bent down to pick up her clogs, stepping barefoot onto the warm stone slabs.
Together, the three of them gathered the dishes and the wooden tray and walked back to the apartment, the rabbit hopping down from its stone and jogging after them.
Back in the kitchen, Flora put the leftover dishes into the refrigerator while Loviki stood by to help hand things to her.
Chen Mian leaned against the kitchen doorframe, watching them for a few seconds before turning to head upstairs.
He paused as he reached the foot of the stairs.
“Mr. Chen Mian.”
Flora stood at the kitchen doorway, still holding an empty bowl. “...We haven't done today's ten minutes yet.”
Her voice was very soft, the tips of her ears bright red.
Loviki poked her head out from behind her, a trace of amusement in her eyes. “What ten minutes?”
“N-nothing!” Flora's face flushed completely red instantly as she turned and ran back into the kitchen, clutching the bowl.
Chen Mian leaned against the banister, watching the two women in the kitchen.
Loviki leaned against the stove, her arms crossed and her lips curled upward.
Flora kept her head low, washing the dishes at the sink, her ears so red they looked ready to bleed.
He turned and continued upstairs.
From behind him, Flora's voice drifted out, laced with panic. “D-don't ask! It's nothing weird!”
“I didn't ask,” Loviki said, amusement in her voice. “You're the one who brought it up.”
“...”
Chen Mian smiled, turning to head upstairs.
When he walked into his room, he glanced at the system panel.
【Current Points: 140】
【Flora's Emotions: Happy, relaxed】
【Loviki's Emotions: Happy, curious】
Curious?
He lay on his bed, looking at the information on the system panel.
From down the hall, soft footsteps were followed by the sound of a door closing.
Then, on the other side, Loviki's bedroom door closed as well.
The apartment fell quiet.
Only the chirping of insects in the forest outside the window and the faint, distant roars of beasts remained.
【Landlord's Diary: The apartment upgraded to Level 3 today, and a hot spring was added. We had a hot spring dinner gathering. The hot spring actually works against the curse. Loviki asked me why I was willing to let them move in. At first, it was probably because of the system, but life here seems to be getting more and more interesting. The system's conditions don't have any downsides either. It's actually quite user-friendly. Today was a very fulfilling day.】
Rate on N.U.
