Despite the turbulence in my heart, I had to focus on preparing for the housewarming.
No matter how complicated my feelings were, I couldn’t afford to just dig a hole and ignore the things I had to do.
I dragged myself out of the library.
‘...It’s huge.’
The kitchen in the grand mansion... It was more fitting to call it a cooking room.
This was no ordinary small kitchen.
It was the largest and most well-equipped kitchen I had ever seen.
If I had to estimate the cost of this kitchen, I was afraid to even think about it.
‘The condition... I can use it right away.’
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After closely observing it with my powers, there was no flaw to be found.
‘What’s this? A broiler for steak? A fast grilling tool for the top part?’
There were a lot of unfamiliar cooking tools I was seeing for the first time. After examining the internal structure and rituals, I immediately understood how to use them.
The cleanliness was perfect, and the tools were more varied and of better quality than anything I had brought.
This was true for most of the facilities in the mansion.
From what I deduced, no one had lived here for decades, yet all the equipment was high-end, almost brand-new. The condition and cleanliness were excellent.
‘...Sigh.’
I quickly surveyed the area and made sure everything was in place.
Once everything was ready, I started cooking.
Tap, tap, tap!
The rhythmical sound of chopping vegetables and meat filled the air.
I wasn’t holding the knife.
As always, my “Heaven’s Wingtip,” one of the best decisions of my life, took care of the task.
The blade of the Heaven’s Wingtip chopped the ingredients, while other versions of the tool neatly placed the prepared ingredients into cooking utensils.
Even the utensils and ingredients were carefully handled by the Heaven’s Wingtip.
This was all happening as if it were normal in the vast kitchen.
The food was quickly prepared through countless simultaneous actions, then lightly enchanted with preservation magic, and finally transferred to the table by the Heaven’s Wingtip.
One by one, plates and bowls settled onto the table.
The freshly prepared dishes, steaming warmly, were diverse in type.
Taste is an incredibly polarizing thing in this world. While I knew roughly what the housewarming guests liked, I made sure to prepare a variety of dishes just in case.
‘After all, they all eat a lot.’
The physique of superhumans requires a significant amount of energy. Since their physical abilities vary, they also consume vastly different amounts of calories.
To replenish that energy, they need to eat a lot of food.
‘For the housewarming, we have... the teacher, Professor Liana, Baize, and... Senior Lee Ji-yeon.’
Including myself, there were eight participants. Six of them were high-level superhumans, one was a fairy knight in the middle of their growth period, and I, well, I’m a hybrid of human and fairy.
No matter what, I probably needed to prepare a huge amount of food.
Even though Elia and Professor Liana didn’t use their bodies much, they could still eat a few servings easily.
As for those who engaged in physically demanding roles, like Hong Yeon-hwa, the teacher, Baize, and Lee Ji-yeon, they ate much more.
Now I understood why all superhumans had such good physiques.
Without this kind of eating habit, there’s no way they could maintain such a full figure or large frames.
So, I had to make a much larger amount of food for this housewarming.
Since two hands weren’t enough, I called on Heaven’s Wingtip to help.
My hands didn’t stay idle either.
I gathered mana into my palms. A pure white mana oozed from my hands.
‘Manifestation, Ember.’
Whoooosh!
As I mixed in my uniqueness, the mana ignited into flames.
This wasn’t the usual Ember that had been mimicked through harmonization.
This was my own unique form.
'So this is how it works...'
I carefully controlled the Ember that was attached to my hands.
Normally, Ember would be too intense to use for cooking.
Its output was too strong, capable of burning ingredients to ashes instantly. Controlling it was extremely difficult.
Whoosh...
The roaring flames simmered down, calming as I directed them.
Gently, I placed the Ember beneath the pot I was using to cook the stew. The Ember adhered to the pot with ease.
The movement was so smooth, it almost felt like I was cradling an egg, like a bird protecting its nest.
‘This is easier than expected.’
I looked at the Ember with a strange expression.
This was not the Ember I had harmonized with before.
It wasn’t the one I had seen from Hong Yeon-hwa or the ones from the Ember family. Nor was it the unknown Ember I had encountered before.
This was my own unique version, grown and developed through trials.
It was the Ember that had manifested as a personal power, but it had taken on its own form, quite different from what others had.
It was a power that could burn someone alive with a single touch, yet appeared strangely beautiful.
It was a flame that didn’t seem to burn, but rather, it seemed to warm and heal.
The usual deep red color had shifted to a softer orange hue, the flame dancing like a living creature. My expression turned more peculiar as I watched it.
‘It’s much easier to control now.’
Before, Ember had been unpredictable, wild like a vicious dog. But now, it had become tame, like a puppy wagging its tail playfully.
Thanks to this, I could easily use the Ember even to cook.
‘Didn’t they say food cooked with Ember tastes better?’
I recalled that food cooked with Ember tasted better.
Especially when making dishes that needed a bit of smokiness, like meats.
Ever since I saw how much Hong Yeon-hwa enjoyed food cooked with Ember, I had been using it for every meal.
‘By the way, didn’t I see a line in the original work where it said noodles cooked with the seafire tasted better?’
I remembered a similar line from the original story.
Was it in the first round? When we were exploring dungeons, there was a message in the system window that said eating noodles made with seafire gave an extra sense of fullness.
‘Maybe I should ask Baize to try it later.’
Whoosh...
Just as I was lost in cooking, a sharp shift in my mood brought back past memories.
Though Ember was now much gentler, it still stirred emotions and memories I had been trying to ignore.
Of course, there was a difference.
Before, it had felt like the nasty, painful memories were being dragged up. But now, it felt as if the pleasant memories were being gently coaxed into coming back.
▶Agapanthus: Hello? “Fool in the Corner”? ▶Me: Why are you insulting me? ▶Agapanthus: Huh?
Good memories, yes. But memories I didn’t want to revisit.
Suddenly, everything stopped.
...Drip, drip, drip.
The boiling water, the sizzling meat, everything resumed its natural rhythm as I snapped back to the present.
A dark room flashed in my mind.
▶Agapanthus: Did you sleep well last night? ▶Me: Yes. ... ▶Agapanthus: For your health, don’t skip meals. ▶Me: Yes. ... ▶Agapanthus: <Easy-to-make Fried Rice Kit – 10 Pack> It’s cheap and tasty. ▶Agapanthus: If you’re too lazy to cook, just buy this. ▶Me: Thanks. ... ▶Agapanthus: Open your windows regularly. ▶Agapanthus: Or, at least get an air purifier. ▶Me: Thanks for worrying. ... ▶Agapanthus: [Changed Contact: Agapanthus → Flower Princess]
... ▶Flower Princess: Didn’t eat again? ▶Flower Princess: Please, at least eat something. ▶Flower Princess: You’re going to collapse if you keep doing this. ▶Me: I’m already full. ▶Me: (Huffing dog emoji)
▶Flower Princess: I’ll come to your house, open your door, and come in. ▶Flower Princess: Eat what I recommended! ▶Me: Aww. ▶Me: Can we just continue playing Othello?
▶Flower Princess: Come on, hurry up!
‘Flower Princess...’
An online friend.
One day, they suddenly messaged me, and for some reason, started acting like we were close.
At first, I ignored them or gave short replies, thinking they were suspicious... but somehow, we ended up becoming friends.
‘Agapanthus.’
I had heard that they were a flower species. There were six to ten different types, depending on the classification.
Most bloomed in the summer. The flowers were funnel-shaped, usually purple, though white and blue variants existed.
I had tried growing one on my balcony at home; it wasn’t that difficult, and I managed to grow it well.
There were many blooming in the mansion’s garden, but I wasn’t paying much attention. Other flowers were blooming too. No need to focus on just Agapanthus.
In the vice-dean’s office, there had been an Agapanthus in a pot, well-maintained.
And now, in the library of the mansion, there was an Agapanthus, vibrant with magic applied to it.
The same flower I had observed earlier in the mansion’s library, as I remembered the person who had saved me in the previous world.
‘......’
My thoughts tangled.
Several words circled in my mind, creating several hypotheses that didn’t quite fit together.
None of them were confirmed theories, but none of them left me feeling good.
‘How foolish...’
It felt like a ridiculous hypothesis, even to me.
Why would they deliberately approach me? What’s the point?
Isn’t that just human nature? After all, didn’t I try to get close to Baize with some intentions?
If the hypothesis is correct... then Flower Princess just acted in the same way.
What am I upset about? Isn’t it just the same thing I’ve done myself?
Realizing this, I felt even more deflated. The Ember that had been rising with energy now fizzled out and lost its intensity.
"Why are you sulking again?"
“Ugh...!”
Just as I was distracted with cooking, a hand suddenly rested on my waist.
“Hmm?”
Hong Yeon-hwa, who had been wandering around the mansion, suddenly stopped in her tracks.
A strong scent wafted past my nose.
Spicy and sweet... the smell of meat.
“Oh, you’re cooking.”
Ihayeol had suggested having the housewarming dinner together.
So, I had to prepare a lot of food. I asked them to wait a bit, then quickly disappeared.
‘I’m hungry...’
Maybe because of the smell, Hong Yeon-hwa felt hunger pangs.
Her stomach growled, and she glanced around.
As expected, it was about time for dinner.
‘Maybe I should have just gone and helped... no, I would’ve just been in the way.’
Hong Yeon-hwa wasn’t great at cooking.
Her skills were limited to basic field cooking techniques.
Not that they helped with making food taste good, but just making something edible.
That wouldn’t help Ihayeol, who was trying to make delicious food.
Without much else to do, Hong Yeon-hwa could only set the table or cut ingredients...
Sizzle sizzle!
“What’s that?”
“Oh, that’s an artifact. It makes things much faster.”
It was the artifact Ihayeol always carried around.
The winged outfit spread out like tentacles, doing everything from stirring the pot to cutting the ingredients. It was absolutely absurd.
I already knew Ihayeol’s mana manipulation ability was off the charts, but I didn’t expect the artifact to be used like this...
“Ugh.”
In the end, Hong Yeon-hwa, even losing her spot to the artifact, realized she was just getting in the way, so she quietly moved aside.
But now, she was hungry.
Hong Yeon-hwa rubbed her stomach and walked toward the source of the smell.
Whoosh...
“Hmm?”
She finally entered the kitchen and saw Ihayeol busy with the cooking.
The massive kitchen, built to match the grandeur of the mansion, was bustling with activity.
The winged artifact was moving rapidly, cooking, preparing, and transferring everything.
It was a sight I’d never seen before, not something you’d normally pay to witness.
Instead, it was Ihayeol’s back that caught my eye, strangely wrapped in a bittersweet atmosphere.
“......”
I walked over to Ihayeol and stood behind them.
Despite the obvious presence I gave off, Ihayeol was so absorbed in what they were doing that they had their hands absentmindedly hanging in the air while the artifact handled the cooking.
Meanwhile, the artifact was floating just out of reach of Ihayeol.
"Why are you sulking again?"
“Ugh...!”
Surprised by the sudden hug, Ihayeol shuddered, as if electrocuted. They turned to face Hong Yeon-hwa.
Although they tried to hide it, their face clearly showed a mix of subtle dissatisfaction and loneliness, their white apron standing out in stark contrast.
“Y-Yeonhwa? Just a second... I’m in the middle of cooking...”
When Hong Yeon-hwa didn’t speak, Ihayeol gave a helpless sigh and gently nudged my hand off them, signaling they were still working.
Then, as if a thought struck them, they flashed a soft smile and spoke.
“I made the meat dishes you like. Please wait just a bit longer...?”
This almost seemed like an attempt at temptation.
I wrapped my arms around Ihayeol and gently pulled their chin up.
I leaned down and kissed their lips.
“Mmm, mmm...!”
Caught off guard, Ihayeol’s eyes widened for a moment, but soon enough, they leaned into Hong Yeon-hwa, letting their body relax.
They seemed to stand on tiptoe, hesitantly puckering their lips toward me.
“Chu, chu...”
The loneliness that had been subtly emanating from Ihayeol gradually faded, replaced by the warmth of affection that now shone on their face.
“Hmm.”
‘This is getting ridiculous.’
Satisfied with the interaction, Hong Yeon-hwa tightened her embrace around Ihayeol.
[Player Correction System: Favorability]
Lee Ha-yul → Hong Yeon-hwa
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♡(91▷92/100)
｢Affection｣ ｢Debt｣ ｢Thankfulness｣ ｢Warmth｣ ｢Stability｣