In the kitchen, Mei and Nana were staring at each other, mimicking each other's sounds.
Nana: "Nana…" (What are you looking at?)
Mei: "Nana?"
Nana: "Nana?" (Are you copying me?)
Nana could perhaps understand what Mei was saying, but Mei definitely couldn't understand Nana.
When Ryn first gave Nana to her, Mei thought Ryn had brought her a little Cthulhu pet. But to her surprise, Ryn said this Cthulhu octopus was food…
Nana's goofy and cute appearance made Mei unsure of how to proceed. But since it was food, just like a chicken or a duck, she should just get it over with quickly!
Afraid that a regular kitchen knife wouldn't be able to cut the Honkai Beast, Mei specifically brought Judah over to help.
Mei and Judah happily sharpened the knife while giving Nana a friendly smile.
"Sigh, this little thing is so cute! Why did it have to be so delicious?"
Mei sighed with regret, then raised Judah's Soulium kitchen knife and swung it down at Nana.
"Nana!" (What are you doing!)
Nana's already large eyes widened even more in fright from Mei's strike, and it started hopping around on the cutting board to dodge.
Mei chopped for a while but failed to even touch a single hair on Nana.
"Hey! Why are you being so disobedient, you octopus! Just cooperate, and the pain will be over sooner. It would be so much more painful if I don't get you in one strike!"
"Nana!" (You're trying to kill me!)
"Stop with the 'nana,' Judah, come help me tie it up."
Judah nodded, and four golden chains shot out from around her, sealing off all of Nana's escape routes.
"Nana…" (I'm cute, don't kill me.)
Nana looked at Mei, trying to act cute and beg for mercy.
"Sorry, may you not be caught by Ryn in your next life."
Seeing that Mei couldn't understand it at all, Nana was on the verge of tears.
All she had to do was cut off its tentacles, but this black-haired woman in front of it was clearly planning to slice it in two…
(Mei has long, straight black hair. It only turns slightly purple after her Herrscher transformation.)
Just then, Ryn knocked on the kitchen door and walked in. He had just given Nana to Mei today before being dragged away by Theresa for a lecture, and he hadn't had time to tell Mei how to prepare it.
"Mei, how's it going? Honkai Beasts must be hard to prepare, right?"
"Mmm… I've never prepared an ingredient like a Honkai Beast before, but it's quite a novel experience."
Mei, who was about to bring the knife down, paused her actions and set the knife aside.
Ryn smoothly moved behind Mei, wrapped his arms around her waist from the side, and hugged her.
"Let me help you then. I'm quite experienced when it comes to handling Honkai Beasts."
Mei wiped her wet hands on her apron, then reached out and pinched the nose of Ryn, who was hugging her from behind, saying with a hint of anger:
"Hmph! How does my busy man have time to cook with me now? Has Theresa cooled down already? Or are you tired of spending time with Kiana?"
"Neither. It's because I missed you, Mei~"
"Hmph, you just missed my cooking because you haven't had it in a while, so you thought of me while cooking."
Mei huffed and turned her head away, refusing to listen to Ryn's sweet talk.
Ryn smiled sheepishly. The fact that he and Kiana had run off to have fun for a month was now common knowledge.
Fortunately, Cortana had provided a cover for them, so except for Theresa, everyone else thought the two of them had gone on a trip around the world…
"How could that be! Food is food, people are people. I love Mei the most!"
"Tsk." "Nana…"
Judah and Nana, standing to the side, both scoffed in disdain. It was a pity Judah had been bribed by Ryn, otherwise Judah would have definitely stirred up some trouble.
"Nana…" (No, that's not important! Save me! I'm about to be cooked.)
Nana hopped up and down excitedly, trying to get Ryn's attention.
It was Janna's food pack, and although it had been given to Ryn, it wasn't supposed to be a one-time use item!
*Thwack—*
Because Nana was chirping incessantly, Mei, who was already annoyed at the sight of Ryn, became even more irritated. She slammed the knife down next to Nana, scaring it into stillness.
"Even a bystander wouldn't believe what you just said. Do you expect me to believe it?"
*Mwah.*
Ryn directly kissed Mei on the cheek. Mei, who had been feeling a little resentful, was suddenly overcome with shyness.
Her already mature and alluring features, paired with her currently blushing skin, gave her a different kind of charm.
"You… you… don't think a single kiss will make me forgive you!"
Mei said poutingly. She and Kiana had been at home, anxiously praying and worrying for Ryn, but he had just disappeared with Kiana to go on a honeymoon, leaving her all alone at St. Freya High School.
Oh, and there was also Bronya, who kept saying she liked her… honestly, how could there be a future between two girls!
Not only did she have to firmly reject Bronya, but she also had to fend off the advances of other lesbians at St. Freya, only for Ryn to run off with Kiana without a word.
「Chop off his limbs, lock him in the basement, and possess him! Even if I can't have his heart, I must have his body!」
Mei shook her head violently, trying to cast the wicked thoughts that had appeared out of nowhere from her mind.
Ryn gently spat out the hair that had gotten in his mouth. Mei's sudden head shake had caused her hair to slap Ryn, who was behind her, in the face several times.
"What's wrong?" Ryn asked with concern.
Mei shook her head slightly. "Nothing… I probably just haven't been resting well lately, so I'm a bit dazed…"
Ryn rested his forehead against Mei's, first doing a normal check, then sweeping her up in a princess carry.
"Hey! What are you doing… I still have to cook."
"You've worked hard… Leave the rest to me. Let me cook a big meal to make up for my mistake. You go get some rest."
"But…"
"No buts! Don't underestimate me! It's just cooking; I can learn it if I put my mind to it!"
"I'll just rest on the side and watch you cook!"
"Hmm… okay." Ryn thought for a moment and agreed to Mei's request.
While princess-carrying Mei, Ryn used physical contact to channel the power of Creation, transferring the purest life energy to Mei to relieve her fatigue and repair any hidden injuries in her body.
Then Ryn summoned Little Zi and had Mei lie down on its soft body to rest.
Because Fu Hua doted on the Azure Empyrea Birds, treating them better than her own children, Little Zi, as a variant of the Azure Empyrea Bird, received even more affection from the 'grandparent' generation…
A perfectly fine Phoenix was fed by Fu Hua until it became a plump, round ball.
So now Little Zi had a new job. Not only did it have to be a mascot, but it also had to serve as a pillow for everyone…