Inside the Magic Academy, Illya walked briskly back to her private research room, diving once more into her study of the mysterious symbols.
She had originally been planning to visit the Headmaster, but along the way, she bumped into the middle-aged mage who had just left the Headmaster's office.
Realizing that His Highness Ron was still speaking with the Headmaster, the mage instead passed along the key information directly to Illya.
Upon learning that the mysterious symbols were connected to the Goddess of Harvest, Illya returned to her lab without hesitation, eager to continue her research with renewed purpose.
It was then that Edith arrived.
She didn't bother knocking—she knew full well that her sister wouldn't hear it anyway—so she simply pushed the door open and entered.
Sure enough, Illya sat at her desk, expression serious, lost in thought as she tried to steer her research toward a divine framework centered on the Goddess of Harvest.
Edith strolled over with a grin and sneakily wrapped her arms around her sister's head from behind.
Illya, fully immersed in her thoughts, was caught off guard. But her face remained calm.
The unmistakable feeling of those twin mountains pressing against the back of her head told her exactly who it was.
"Dinner's soon. Let me go," Illya said plainly.
Still smiling, Edith loosened her grip and instead hugged her sister from behind, resting her chin on Illya's shoulder.
"But I'm not here to nag you about dinner—I came to take you out for dinner."
"No."
"Don't be so quick to say no! It's His Highness Ron who's inviting you—he said he has some questions about magic arrays and wanted to ask for your expertise, and he'd like you to join us for dinner too."
"…" Illya fell silent. She normally found it hard to turn down genuine academic inquiries about magic arrays—but she couldn't help hesitating, especially with the ongoing mystery surrounding the symbols.
Eventually, she said, "No."
"If he really has questions, he can come see me directly. Or you can pass them on to me, I'll solve them and let you report back."
She added this flatly.
Edith sighed and facepalmed. Even a magic array consultation couldn't convince her sister…
As for Ron's newly crafted dipping sauces, there was no way those would work on her sister either.
Running out of options, Edith pouted and tried pleading.
"Ron rarely ever names someone specifically when inviting them. Besides, your research isn't going anywhere tonight—just a quick dinner, it won't take long!"
Illya frowned slightly and turned to look at Edith, her head resting lightly on her shoulder.
In a serious tone, she said, "As the Elven Saintess, I am forbidden to marry outside our race. You should be more careful."
Edith blinked, then burst into a helpless laugh. "Sister, what are you even talking about? Ron is the Seventh Prince of the Human Empire and now a Chosen One of the Goddess of Harvest. It's not a bad thing to build a good relationship with him. Who said anything about marriage?"
"…What did you say?" Illya's expression shifted. Her eyes widened. "Chosen One of the Goddess of Harvest?"
"Yeah," Edith said as if it were obvious, then realized, "Oh, right. You wouldn't have heard—two days ago, the Church of the Goddess of Harvest descended a divine miracle, and Ron was chosen as Her Chosen One."
Illya's lips parted slightly in shock. She glanced down at the mysterious script on her desk again and suddenly fell into deep thought.
She had been so focused on her closed-door research and teaching that she hadn't kept up with current events. She had no idea someone had become a Chosen One recently.
But now that she knew—and with the divine-linked mysterious symbols sitting right in front of her—it was clear what she had to do.
"Let's go. I'll meet His Highness Ron."
Illya decisively packed up the mysterious script and stood.
Edith stared at her sister in surprise, completely baffled by this sudden burst of determination.
But since Illya had finally agreed to dinner, she wasn't about to question it. She grabbed her sister's hand and practically dragged her out of the lab.
Ron's Wonderful Flower Shop, Second Floor
After buying all the ingredients he needed, Ron returned to the shop and told Nora to come help him upstairs when she had time. Then he went straight to the kitchen.
Back on Earth, hot pot restaurants eventually developed a self-serve model where customers chose their own base and dipping sauces.
But that wasn't going to work today.
This would be everyone's first time experiencing hot pot, and they had no idea how to mix a proper sauce.
So Ron took it upon himself to prepare everything—sweet, spicy, sour, and more—each in different combinations to let them try and pick their favorite.
"Boss, anything I can help with?" Nora poked her head shyly into the kitchen.
Ron had just finished preparing the sauces and handed her a task. "Help me portion each sauce into six servings and bring them to the table."
"Okay, got it." Nora stepped inside to work. As she did, she asked curiously, "Why six servings?"
"Oh, right, I forgot to mention," Ron said. "We've got guests coming over—those three who used to go eat barbecue with me, and one more is that elf's sister. Four people total."
"Ah?" Nora froze, a little flustered. "Then I'll just have something else to eat… I don't want to intrude on your dinner with friends…"
"Already getting shy?" Ron chuckled. "Come on, it's hot pot. You'll regret it if you miss out."
"It's fine, Boss. I can try it some other time." Nora shook her head, polite but firm.
Still, she subconsciously swallowed a bit of drool—and Ron noticed.
"No need to act like that," Ron said while preparing the ingredients. "You'll sit next to me. You don't have to talk to them, just eat. Afterward, you can head downstairs and keep an eye on the shop. No pressure."
Since the Boss said so, Nora nodded happily.
She'd been looking forward to this ever since Ron mentioned it at lunch.
Once all the ingredients were ready, Nora helped bring them out to the living room table.
Sliced beef, lamb, tripe, meatballs, bean noodles, seaweed, rice cakes, duck blood...
Ron then boiled up a mild broth base in the kitchen, keeping it simmering until the guests arrived. Then it would go straight into the hot pot to start cooking.
Everything was in place.
As Nora busied herself setting the table, Ron slipped away to the study.
There, he took down a collection of elegantly illustrated art books from the bookshelf—beautifully drawn, emotionally rich, and… very detailed.
Hugging the stack of books, Ron crept into his bedroom and hid them under his bed.
After all, Illya would be visiting soon.
Not because he had a thing for her long legs or anything—no, he had real questions about magic arrays to ask.
He wanted to apply arrays to improve Chameleon Radish cultivation in the outdoor fields.
Just in case things went sideways, he had to hide this "contraband" properly.
Especially the Illya Special Edition Illustration Booklet…
That one was top-secret. Couldn't risk it being found.
Once everything was hidden securely, Ron stepped out of the bedroom, plopped onto the living room couch, and let out a slow breath.