Sora stared at the wild chicken disappearing into Xavier’s grasp, her eyes widening in disbelief.
The colorful bird dangled from the snake beastman’s hand while his cold purple eyes looked down at her with clear mockery.
For a second, she froze.
Then anger exploded inside her.
"Xavier!" she shouted. "Give me back my chicken!"
Xavier merely sneered and turned away, carrying the struggling bird with him as if it already belonged to him.
Sora immediately chased after him.
Unfortunately, humans could not outrun snake beastmen.
Before she had taken more than a few steps, she was already panting heavily while Xavier continued forward at an infuriatingly leisurely pace.
Seeing him raise the chicken toward his mouth, clearly intending to bite into it raw, Sora nearly fainted from heartbreak.
"Wait!" she yelled urgently. "If you stop, I’ll give you chicken legs!"
Xavier paused slightly.
His slit pupils narrowed.
Still, his expression remained indifferent as he lifted the bird again.
Sora clenched her teeth.
"Half! I’ll split it with you equally!"
That finally made him stop.
He glanced at her lazily. "Why should I care?"
"Because eating it raw is a waste," Sora said quickly. "I know a much better way to cook it."
Xavier’s brows furrowed slightly.
"A better way?"
Sora immediately nodded. "Beggar’s chicken."
"Beggar’s chicken?"
The name alone sounded suspicious.
Xavier looked at her with open skepticism.
"I’ve never heard of it."
"Of course you haven’t." Sora folded her arms smugly. "You’ll understand after you taste it."
Xavier stared at her silently.
Normally, he would never waste time listening to Sora’s nonsense.
But somehow... this female had become stranger lately.
Not only had she stopped clinging to the males and causing trouble, but the disgusting purple birthmark on her face had also faded noticeably. Her skin no longer looked unnaturally dark either. It was still far from attractive, but at least it no longer made people instinctively uncomfortable.
More importantly—
The duck egg she made before had genuinely tasted good.
Even now, Xavier still remembered the soft texture and rich fragrance.
Compared to the raw eggs he usually swallowed whole, her cooking had been unbelievably delicious.
After tasting proper food once, his standards had quietly risen.
Finally, Xavier clicked his tongue.
"Fine. But we split the chicken equally."
Sora nearly rolled her eyes.
This snake really held grudges.
Was he still remembering the six duck eggs from before?
"Deal," she replied quickly, making a slicing gesture with her hand. "Half and half."
Unfortunately, she forgot her current body was still round and heavy.
That simple gesture looked completely different in Xavier’s eyes.
Her thick arms waved dramatically in front of him, resembling some strange attempt at flirtation.
Xavier’s expression instantly darkened.
The tiny bit of appreciation he had developed disappeared immediately.
At that exact moment, the system chimed inside Sora’s head.
Ding. Target Xavier showed signs of increased attraction toward the host. Due to inappropriate behavior, attraction has decreased again. Please maintain proper image management.
Sora nearly choked.
What inappropriate behavior?!
She had only divided the chicken!
Could this snake possibly misunderstand everything?
Meanwhile, Xavier had already taken several cautious steps backward, clearly guarding himself against her.
Sora: "..."
Forget it.
Arguing with him would only raise her blood pressure.
Taking a deep breath, she stretched out her hand.
"Give me the chicken."
Xavier narrowed his eyes warily.
"What are you trying to do now?"
Sora resisted the urge to punch him.
"Aren’t we making beggar’s chicken? How am I supposed to cook it if you don’t give it to me?"
Only then did Xavier’s expression turn awkward.
After a moment of silence, he finally transformed into his human form and handed over the chicken reluctantly.
Sora immediately got to work.
She picked up a sharp stone and sliced through the chicken’s throat in one clean motion.
Blood flowed instantly.
Xavier’s pupils contracted slightly.
As a snake beastman, he hunted often and had no issue killing prey.
But females were different.
In his impression, females were delicate, weak, and fearful of blood.
Yet Sora handled the chicken swiftly and calmly, without hesitation.
It was unexpectedly... efficient.
Sora ignored his stare and continued cleaning the chicken skillfully.
She cut open the abdomen, removed the organs, then wiped the inside carefully with large leaves nearby.
Looking at the wasted blood pooling on the ground, she sighed regretfully.
"What a pity..."
Xavier glanced at her strangely. "What’s pitiful?"
"The blood," Sora muttered. "If there were containers and salt, it could’ve been made into blood tofu."
Xavier: "..."
He had absolutely no idea what she was talking about.
Still, watching her work, he found himself strangely unable to look away.
Her movements were practiced and confident.
Not at all like a pampered female.
Even her expression while preparing food looked serious and focused.
For some reason, Xavier suddenly realized—
Sora was actually somewhat pretty beneath all the dirt and weight.
Her features resembled Martin and Lyra quite a bit.
Especially her eyes.
Large and unexpectedly bright.
Before he noticed, his gaze had softened slightly.
Meanwhile, Sora finally finished cleaning the chicken and shoved it into his arms.
"Hold this."
Xavier stared at the chicken blankly.
Then he looked at her in disbelief.
"Don’t tell me your beggar’s chicken is already finished."
Sora looked at him like he was an idiot.
"I told you to hold it, not eat it."
She dusted off her hands.
"I still need to find seasoning."
"If ants crawl onto it, we won’t be able to eat it anymore."
Xavier awkwardly took the chicken.
After a moment, he asked suspiciously, "Where are you even going to find seasoning?"
Sora shrugged.
"I’ll know when I see it."
To be honest, she wasn’t entirely sure either.
But this forest definitely contained edible herbs.
She only needed to look carefully.
Xavier glanced down at the chicken in his hands, then at Sora preparing to leave alone.
Standing there guarding a raw chicken suddenly felt incredibly stupid.
After a brief silence, he spoke coldly.
"I’ll go with you."
Sora stopped mid-step.
She turned around slowly, shock written all over her face.
Xavier... wanted to accompany her?
The snake beastman immediately frowned when he saw her expression.