The flyer had been taped to the bulletin board in town square—big, bold letters scribbled across thick parchment:
"Monster Girl Culinary Class! Learn to cook for your mates like a pro! Hosted by Chef Bronti the Cyclops!"
Lily stared at the flyer. Then at Mirio. Then back at the flyer.
She didn't speak. She didn't need to.
The moment her tentacle-hair reached out and gently tugged on his sleeve, he sighed. "You wanna learn how to cook now?"
She nodded quickly, eyes shimmering with excitement.
"…Are you sure? Last time you tried, we lost a saucepan, three spoons, and my entire lunch."
She tilted her head, then tapped her chest. Her slime swirled briefly, forming the image of Mirio's face with a big heart around it.
"Okay, okay," he chuckled. "I get it. You wanna cook for me."
She squeezed his hand affectionately.
Later that afternoon, Lily arrived at the large open-air kitchen on the edge of town. The class was already in session, and a half-dozen monster girls stood behind wooden prep tables lined with ingredients. An arachne with precise knife skills, a pair of lamia sisters twirling pasta with their tails, and a centaur carefully kneading dough with her hooves wrapped in linen.
At the head of the class stood Chef Bronti—a massive, broad-shouldered cyclops woman with a chef's hat that barely fit over her poofy silver hair. Her single, glowing pink eye narrowed as Lily oozed in.
"...A slime?" she muttered, arms crossed over her barrel chest. "You got utensils that won't melt in five seconds?"
Lily raised one arm and proudly held up a spoon… which dissolved halfway through the walk here.
Bronti groaned. "Fine. You want to learn? You follow the rules. No full-body meltdowns, no absorbing ingredients, and absolutely no sliming the cookware!"
Lily saluted with a squish.
She was given her station, stocked with basic tools: a wooden bowl, a steel whisk, a roll of soft dough, and some chopped vegetables.
The first lesson? Make a simple stew.
Easy enough.
Lily hovered over the pot, staring curiously at the ingredients. Her fingers molded into ladles and spatulas as she mimicked the others. Everything seemed fine… until she picked up the carrot slices.
The moment her fingers touched them—shlooop—they vanished into her slime.
She blinked, confused.
Then poked her chest.
The carrots were floating inside her.
She brightened, clearly thinking that counted as "holding them."
Chef Bronti noticed.
"HEY! What did I say about absorbing the food?!"
Lily quickly spat the carrots back out into the bowl. They came out glistening… and steaming slightly.
Bronti glared. "You cook with the pot, not your torso!"
Lily slunk down guiltily, her body flattening into a low, embarrassed puddle.
The other monster girls giggled softly.
But Lily didn't give up.
She grabbed the whisk—her fingers forming around the handle. She dipped it into the bowl of cream… and it instantly melted in her hand.
Her eyes widened. She tried to grab a backup whisk.
It melted too.
Chef Bronti stomped over, one hoof slamming the ground.
"That's it! You—slime girl! You get one more chance. One! Touch another pan and I'm turning the water enchantment hose on you!"
Lily stood straight and saluted again—this time shakier.
The next dish was a dessert—chilled honeyfruit over sponge cake.
No heat.
No metal.
Perfect.
Lily watched the arachne girl arrange her cake carefully, stacking fruit slices like art. She mimicked the movement, her hands trembling as she gently pressed her fruit pieces into place using a gooey paddle she shaped out of her own mass.
This time, nothing melted.
She brightened.
Then, over-excited, she formed a whipped topping and squirted it from her fingertips—directly onto the cake in a big, jiggly mound.
The topping immediately slid off the cake, bounced, and landed on the centaur's back.
"KYAAA! Something slimy touched my butt!!"
Chaos erupted.
The centaur reared up, knocking her mixing bowl into the air.
The bowl hit the lamia's tail.
The lamia spun, smacked the arachne's plate, and sent her whole dish flying—
Right into Chef Bronti's face.
The entire class went dead silent.
Lily, trembling, raised one finger like a shy student.
"…Oops."
Bronti wiped the sponge cake off her face. Slowly. Deliberately. Her eye twitched.
The hose came out.
A minute later, Lily was curled up behind the water tank outside, soaked, shivering, and dripping whipped cream from her tentacle-hair.
Mirio showed up carrying a towel. "What happened this time?"
She pointed at herself, then made a sizzling sound with her tongue.
"Utensils?"
She nodded.
"Absorbed the food?"
Another nod.
He sighed, kneeling beside her. "You know… I think that cake on your head was actually kind of good."
She perked up a little.
"Wanna try again tomorrow?"
She smiled and wrapped herself around him like a wet towel, whispering, "Mate eats mine."
"…Let's work on that phrasing."
She just kissed his cheek.
And planned her next dish.