When Shiko woke up, the sky was already gradually darkening.
He sniffed.
A rich fragrance immediately reached his nose, tugging at the hunger in his belly.
So good...
Shiko stood up, followed the smell, and walked all the way to the kitchen.
He looked up.
There he saw Himeko in an apron, busy at work in the kitchen.
Chopping vegetables, washing them, tossing the pan—
The clatter of pots and dishes overlapped with one another, actually merging into a strangely harmonious rhythm.
Even in the kitchen, every movement Himeko made was like a beautiful painting, pleasing to the eye.
"A perfect little housewife..."
Shiko could not help but sigh.
"You're awake? Come eat."
Himeko noticed Shiko standing at the doorway.
She took off the apron around her waist and waved at him with smiling eyes.
Shiko walked over to the dining table and sat down on the stool.
Himeko brought out the cooked food, plated and ready.
It was a bowl piled high with red, cube-shaped pieces.
They looked soft and springy, like jelly.
Shiko took one look.
He immediately recognized that these red jelly-like cubes were Pokéblocks!
A Pokémon's favorite food!
Not only delicious,
but also filled with type energy,
able to speed up a Pokémon's training and growth!
The process of making Pokéblocks was quite troublesome.
For Himeko to be able to produce such high-quality Pokéblocks,
Shiko was a little surprised.
Looks like becoming her partner really was a good choice!
The fragrance wafting from the bowl kept teasing Shiko's growling stomach.
He didn't stand on ceremony.
He picked up a spoon, scooped up a spoonful, and put it straight into his mouth.
The Pokéblock melted the instant it entered his mouth,
turning into streams of hot energy that slid down his throat.
With just that one spoonful in his stomach,
Shiko felt his whole body start to heat up.
Dense Fire-type energy rampaged throughout his body, surging and rushing about.
Only after it had pounded through him for a while did it finally calm down.
He felt a gentle warmth spreading all through him, incredibly comfortable.
He could not help but have another spoonful.
The big bowl of Pokéblocks was very quickly all swallowed into Shiko's belly.
His stomach bulged, round and swollen.
Scorching Fire-type energy coursed through his body.
A wonderful, indescribable comfort spread through Shiko from head to toe.
Feeling completely satisfied, he patted his stomach,
then flopped comfortably onto the floor.
He was full and content.
And he had just completed today's last daily quest.
A clear electronic chime rang out in Shiko's mind.
[Daily quest completed, calculating rewards...]
[Congratulations to the host, you have gained 50 experience points. Buff triggered: Lucky Day (tomorrow's quest rewards are doubled!)]
Another fifty experience points in the bag,
and he even got a pretty nice Lucky Day buff!
Shiko was delighted inside, in a very good mood.
Right now,
his level had already reached seven and a half, closing in on level eight.
At this pace,
at most half a month,
and he would be able to complete the first Main Quest
and undergo his first evolution.
When that time came,
he would be one step closer to WarGreymon!
At that thought,
Shiko's emotions surged a little.
By the time the dishes in the kitchen were all tidied up,
the sky outside had already turned completely dark.
Shiko followed Himeko upstairs to the bedroom on the second floor of the villa.
Himeko's room was decorated with a very girlish feel.
The entire tone of the room was pink.
This didn't seem to quite match her "ice goddess" image.
But on second thought, Shiko let it go.
Most likely, that aloof, keep-your-distance air she had in his memories
was something slowly shaped by all the things she would experience in the years to come.
At this point in time,
she was still just a lively, youthful girl.
"Where are you going to sleep tonight? In a Poké Ball?"
Himeko leaned in close to Shiko
and pulled out a Poké Ball, giving it a little shake.
"No."
Shiko shook his head and refused without hesitation.
He had only just hatched from that cramped little Pokémon Egg today.
Now he was expected to go into an even smaller Poké Ball?
No way he was agreeing to that!
"Then how about sleeping on the rug?"
Himeko pointed at a round rug on the floor with a red-and-white ball pattern.
"This is a blanket woven from Mareep's wool. Lying on it gives a mild electric shock, it's really good for your body."
The moment Himeko finished speaking,
before Shiko could reply,
the system's voice suddenly sounded in his mind again.
[Special event triggering, please wait...]
[To better carry out the core doctrine of lying flat and realize the ideal of lying comfortably and lying pleasantly, the host is requested to sleep in the same bed as the Trainer tonight.]
Huh!?
What!?
The instant he heard this special event prompt,
Shiko's mind buzzed like it had just been struck by lightning.
Sleep together with Himeko in the same bed?
Wasn't that a bit too bold? Wasn't that moving way too fast?
The key problem was—
How was he supposed to bring something like that up?
How was he supposed to make that kind of request?
He had no experience at all!
"What's wrong? You don't want to sleep on this rug?"
Himeko caught the stunned look on Shiko's face,
and thought he was simply unwilling to sleep on the rug.
"In that case, you can just sleep on the bed with me tonight!"
(End of Chapter)
If I see that this fanfic has support, I will upload 20+ chapters to Patreon!!
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
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