"Wow," I said again, stepping further into the spotless living room, genuinely a little thrown by how immaculate everything looked compared to the disaster zone I’d left behind that morning. Then I just shrugged it off. "Thanks to the guy who cleaned this, I guess."
Why shrug it off? It was because I have much bigger, significantly more urgent problems to deal with.
TIME REMAINING: 00:54:12.
Anyways, I had a pretty solid guess who that "guy" actually was, but investigating that mystery could wait. Right now I had a quest timer ticking down and an empty stomach to deal with.... Empty. Yea, trust me. It is empty.
I grabbed Aveline’s hand, pulled her further into the room, and pushed her down onto the soft fabric of the couch.
She let out a tiny, bewildered squeak as she landed, her wire-rimmed glasses slipping slightly down the bridge of her nose.
Before she could even open her mouth to ask what the hell was going to happen, I reached up, unbuckled my heavy leather robe, and tore off my academy uniform in one swift motion.
Underneath the THIC formal uniform, my simple white shirt clung tightly to my shoulders and chest, outlining every defined ridge of muscle.
Aveline’s eyes went wide. She instantly threw both hands over her face, her cheeks turning into a violent shade of red, though I could clearly see her dark eyes peeking at me through the gaps in her fingers.
"W—Wahhh~ What are you doing?! ʕ´•ᴥ•`ʔ" she stammered, her voice dropping into a panicked, high-pitched squeaks as she tried to shrink back into the couch cushions.
I paused, holding my heavy academy robe/coat (don’t know anymore) in one hand while looking down at her with a completely flat expression. "ᄒᴥᄒ Uh... I’m gonna cook? I’m just taking off the robe and this uniform since it’s uncomfortable."
Without waiting for her brain to catch up, I tossed the thick uniform and robe over the armchair directly beside her, leaving me standing there in just the tight white undershirt.
I turned on my heel, crossed the living room into the bedroom, and grabbed a soft, oversized gray baggy shirt from my trunk along with my spare silver-framed reading glasses... given by some girl days ago, after the fight with Hana... just trying it now.
When I stepped back out into the living room, sliding the glasses onto my face and letting the baggy fabric hang casually over my frame, Aveline was still sitting there with her hands over her mouth.
She let out a soft breath, her gaze sweeping over the sudden change in my look. "Woah... handsome."
"Thank you," I said smoothly, not missing a single sex. I reached into my back pocket, pulled out my smartphone— a SUMSANG INFINIXE PRO PHONE IPHONE MAX 21+ —and tossed it right into her lap. "Indulge yourself real quick. I’m just gonna go and prepare something."
She caught it, blinking at the screen. "What?"
"Doom scroll. Check the academy forums, watch videos, do whatever you want."
"Ohh! Okay!" She nodded obediently, already thumbing through whatever feed had loaded up, completely content to just sit there while I disappeared into the kitchen half of the living room.
I made it two steps toward the open-concept kitchen counter before stopping in my tracks.
I turned back toward the bedroom, grabbed another oversized gray baggy t-shirt from the wardrobe, walked straight back over to the couch, and tossed it right onto her head.
"Wear this while I’m cooking. That uniform looks completely stuffy."
Aveline pulled the baggy shirt off her face, a bright, cheerful grin breaking across her face as she gave me a mock crisp military salute. "Yes, sir!"
***
The kitchen setup in this dorm was better than I had any right to expect for a student housing— proper stovetop, actual counter space, a rack of knives someone clearly cared enough to keep sharpened.
I rolled my sleeves up, cracked my knuckles, and cooked...
Anyways, cooking without mana wasn’t a handicap for me. I pulled out a heavy cast-iron skillet, ignited the enchanted stove burner with a sharp turn of the dial, and tossed in a thick pat of seasoned butter that sizzled violently the second it hit the pan.
My hands moved in a blur— chopping fresh garlic, julienning— whatever —sweet flame-peppers, and slicing thin strips of marbled crimson boar meat with terrifying precision. The knife hit the wooden board in a rhythmic, rapid-fire ,thump-thump-thump-thump* sending ingredients flying neatly into the pan.
I grabbed the handle of the skillet, tossing the contents high into the air as flames leaped up from the burner, coating the meat in a smoky, rich glaze.
I tossed in a dash of crushed star-anise, a splash of barrel-aged soy nectar, and a handful of cracked pepper-corns, letting the intense, mouth-watering aroma waft straight across the open living room.
Within ten minutes flat, I plated two steaming, restaurant-grade portions of spicy glazed boar over fluffy grain, garnishing them with finely chopped scallions.
I plated it properly, too— none of that "just dump it in a bowl" nonsense.
***
I carried the two steaming plates over to the coffee table, setting them down with a quiet clatter before sliding onto the carpet beside the couch.
Aveline immediately set my phone down, her eyes practically sparkling as the incredible smell hit her nose.
"...Rex. This looks like something from an actual restaurant."
"Mhm. ᄒᴥᄒ sure... Eat it before it gets cold," I said, dropping down onto the couch beside her and grabbing the remote to flip the TV over to whatever was playing.
She grabbed a pair of wooden utensils, scooped up a massive portion of the glazed meat and grain, and shoved it into her mouth.
The moment the flavor hit her, her entire body went rigid.
Her glasses nearly slid off her face as her eyes widened in absolute shock. "MMMMMMMFFHHH?!"
She chewed rapidly, swallowing before letting out a genuine, breathless gasp of pure bliss. "REX! WHAT IS THIS?! HOW IS THIS SO GOOD?! Are you secretly a royal chef or something?! The meat literally melts in your mouth! Oh my god!"
She began shoveling food into her mouth at double-speed, making satisfied little sounds with every single bite.
I let out a quiet chuckling sigh, picking up my own plate, thinking that the *whatever was playing in tv was ass* so I pulled up an action movie to play in the background as we ate instead.
It was peaceful, comfortable, and honestly felt great— until I discreetly pinged my system tracker to verify the quest completion.
『[0:19:47] Remaining.Requirements: 2/3 Activities Completed.
I-N-T-E-R-C-O-U-R-S-E~ or 3 bonding time ʕꈍᴥꈍʔ」
My hand froze mid-air, my fork hovering inches from my mouth.
My eyes narrowed into slits as I stared at the glowing pink text floating over the coffee table.
Wait. WHAT?! Why hasn’t the third activity cleared?!
I stared at Aveline, who was blissfully stuffing her face with my food, and then back at the floating interface.
The realization hit me like a physical punch to the gut— the System didn’t count "cooking for someone" as a shared activity if only one person did all the work! I had just spent 15 or 10 idfk precious minutes sweating over a hot stove like a world-class chef, only for the System to deem it a solo effort!
"Ahhh!!! FUCK!!!" I suddenly roared, leaping up from the carpet so fast my knee nearly knocked against the coffee table.
Aveline flinched violently, dropping her spoon onto her plate as she scrambled to her feet, looking at me with pure, wide-eyed alarm. "W-Why are you shouting?! What happened?!"
I dragged a hand down my face, running my fingers through my hair as I tried to keep my spiraling panic from showing. "It’s... it’s nothing. Just... a minor miscalculation."
While I stood there internally screaming at the unfairness of my situation, Aveline awkwardly backed away toward the living room’s kitchenette corner, trying to give me space while looking for a distraction.
She began opening cabinet doors left and right, peering into the dark shelves. "Is there any juice or water in here? My mouth is kind of on fire from the spices..."
"I don’t know, just check," I muttered, half-buried in my own panic, running through options.
I mean... could I improvise in under twenty minutes that wouldn’t get either of us killed, arrested, or emotionally scarred.
A few seconds passed, followed by a sharp, high-pitched gasp from the corner. "Wah wah wah!!! FWEH~!?"
I immediately turned my head.
Aveline was standing frozen in front of a wide, dark-wood pantry cabinet, both hands slapped over her open mouth, her cheeks flushing bright red as she pointed a trembling finger inside the shelf.
I shoved my hands into my pants pockets and strolled over, leaning over her shoulder to see what on earth had set her off.
Inside the deep cabinet sat an entire miniature bar inventory— dozens of dust-covered, vintage glass bottles glowing under faint aging runes.
Aged golden liquors, deep violet elixirs, crystal bottles filled with shimmering bla, bla, red probably amber spirits, and high-end dragon-berry wines that looked like they cost more than an entire house.
I let out a long, exhausted sigh, rubbing the back of my neck. "I thought it was something serious..."
Aveline turned on her heel, grabbing my baggy shirt collar and groaning in utter disbelief. "T-t-this Is seRiOus! T-the A-Class dorm is so AMAZING! A-at FirsT I thoUghT thIs Place was kind..." a deep breath. "O-of lame since the layout..." another deep breath. "P-pretty simple, but i-it has literally." A soft moan. "EVERYTHING! like..." *ngh~* "A-ALCOHOL I mean... high-end ingredients, enchanted appliances, and a full cellar of ALCOHOL!!"
Is she having stroke... ಠ_ಠ
"So?"
A massive, wicked little grin spread across her face, her dark eyes flashing behind her rimmed glasses. "Please... let’s taste all of this liquor! We have to!!!!!!! ಠ益ಠ"
"No," I replied instantly, stepping back. "You’re going to get completely wasted, can’t afford that since." I don’t have much time left...
"Oh, come on!" She stomped her foot playfully, puffing out her cheeks. "I actually have a ridiculously high A-ALCOHOL *NGH~* tolerance! I promise you I won’t pass out!"
I stared at her hyperactive expression and the definitely not obvious excitement over an alcohol, and then my eyes flicked back to the floating System interface hovering in the air.
『REQUIREMENT: PARTICIPATE IN AT LEAST 3 ACTIVITIES TOGETHER or I-N-T-E-R-C-O-U-R-S-E~ sex~ mating~ breeding~ fucking while holding hands (◠‿◕)
TIME REMAINING: 00:17:45.」
A... ah... what the fuck? ᄒᴥᄒ
Alright! Drinking it is... I mean, drinking together is still a shared social activity. Both of us actively participating.
I let out a heavy, dramatic sigh, stepping forward and grabbing six different dust-covered bottles from the top shelf. Beside me, Aveline practically began bouncing on her heels, clapping her hands together like a child on Christmas morning. "Heheheheh, A-A-ALCOHOL!!!!"
She looks like a pervert right now...
I marched back over to the living room and set all six heavy glass bottles down onto the wooden coffee table with a series of solid, loud clunks.
I pulled my glasses off, tossing them onto the couch cushions as I looked back at her. "Get two glasses from the counter."
Before the sentence was even fully out of my mouth, Aveline practically teleported back to the table, holding two crystal tumblers in her hands with an eager, victorious grin.
I reached down, grabbed a dusty bottle filled with a swirling, deep-crimson liquid labeled— ’Vanguard’s Blood 120-Proof Arcane Reserve BLA BLA will definitely makes you drunk and do something... and taste "delicious"’ —and immediately popped the heavy wax seal with a sharp snap.
ᄒᴥᄒ.
"Let’s just get this over with," I muttered, tilting the bottle and pouring two heavy shots.