Mei raised an eyebrow at Nana, who was tugging on the corner of her clothes, and reached out to flick her forehead.
“Rewards are possible, but you want to ‘take the lead’?
Talk to me after you successfully launch a counterattack in the future~” Nana pouted while clutching her forehead, yet she couldn’t help but lean in and rub against Mei’s arm.
“Then let’s change it!
How about eating the caramel pudding you made tonight?
I haven’t been able to forget it since I had a taste last time…
Mei~ you know~ I have no resistance to sweets~” “You little glutton.” Mei shook her head helplessly, but still reached out to ruffle her messy hair.
“Pudding is fine, but you have to clean up the training grounds first.
You haven’t filled in the pit you accidentally blew up earlier.” Nana immediately bounced up from the ground and patted the dust off her pants.
“Piece of cake!
I can eat pudding once I’m done cleaning, right?
No backing out!” Saying that, she excitedly ran to get the tools, her steps light and bouncy like an excited kitten.
Mei watched her retreating figure, the smile in her eyes so tender it was almost overflowing, before turning to the kitchen to prepare the pudding ingredients.
After all~ a promised reward for the kitten cannot fall through.
By the time Nana finished cleaning and returned humming a song, the sweet scent of caramel was already wafting from the kitchen.
She peered around the doorframe; Mei was standing at the stove stirring the egg mixture, sunlight streaming through the window and casting a warm glow over her, even gilding the tips of her hair.
“It smells so good!” Nana sidled up next to her, unable to resist reaching out for a secret taste of the caramel sauce, only to have her hand lightly slapped away by Mei.
“You can’t~ it still needs to bake for half an hour.” Mei moved the bowl aside.
“Go wash the dust off your hands, and while you’re at it, get the milk out of the fridge for me.” Nana pouted and obediently did as she was told, but when she returned, she clung to Mei’s side and refused to leave, poking her arm one moment, whimpering coquettishly the next, and then hugging her waist and nuzzling her.
Finally, Mei had no choice but to scoop up a spoonful of unsweetened egg mixture and hold it to her lips.
“Want a taste?
Don’t burn yourself.” Nana squinted as she took a sip, then immediately wrinkled her face: “No flavor!
It’s not sweet at all!
It’s definitely better with caramel.” Mei smiled and withdrew the spoon: “It’ll have flavor once it’s done.
If you keep messing around, you won’t get any pudding at all~ or maybe I’ll just eat the kitty instead~” Nana immediately covered her mouth and made a ‘zipper’ gesture.
No way, she didn’t want to be ‘eaten’ again.
Yet she still couldn’t help staring toward the oven like a kitten guarding its food bowl, not even wanting to blink.
Once the pudding was baked and cooled, the two sat at the dining table.
The warm yellow light spilled over the caramel pudding in the porcelain bowls, and the aroma filled the entire room.
Nana shoveled a large spoonful into her mouth, and her eyes instantly lit up.
Nana: (∗✧ω✧∗)!
“This flavor!
It’s even better than the one I tasted last time!” Mei watched her eat with a look of pure satisfaction, slowly scooping a spoonful for herself with a faint smile on her lips.
“Eat slowly, no one’s going to snatch it from you.” “That’s not for sure, hee hee~ what if Mei can’t help but secretly eat more~” As Nana spoke, she deliberately pulled her bowl closer to her chest, yet she still couldn’t resist holding a spoonful to Mei’s lips.
“Here, thanks for your hard work, Mei~” Mei raised an eyebrow slightly, opened her mouth to eat the pudding, and then gently grazed Nana’s cheek with her fingertip.
“So the naughty kitten knows how to share her food now?” “Of course!” Nana raised her chin proudly, finished the last bite of pudding, and licked the caramel from the corner of her mouth.
“But next time I want to learn how to make pudding!
Once I learn, I can make it for you.” “Sure.” Mei wiped the caramel from the corner of her mouth.
“I’ll teach you after training tomorrow.” Nana immediately cheered and lunged forward to hug Mei’s arm, completely forgetting that she had just been complaining about being tired.
Outside the window, the night had completely settled.
The streetlights cast a warm yellow halo through the glass onto the porcelain bowls on the dining table, and the lingering scent of caramel still drifted through the room.
Nana slumped in her chair, sighing as she rubbed her round belly, though her eyes remained bright.
*Burp*~ I’m full in one go, but I really want more~” Nana thought for a moment and teased Mei.
“Mei, did you secretly add magic to the pudding?” Mei was clearing the dishes; hearing this, she glanced back at her, the smile on her lips never fading.
“No magic, but I did add a bit of’Special Anti-Glutton Sugar’.” She put the bowls in the sink, the water splashing loudly.
“Just going to slump there after eating?
You just promised to clean the training grounds, but you can’t leave the kitchen to me too, can you?” Nana immediately bounced out of her chair, pretending to rub her waist and groan.
“Oh, cleaning the grounds already drained all my strength…
but~ if I could be the one ‘on top’ just once~” Giggling, she sidled up to the sink, snatched the rag from Mei’s hand, and skillfully wiped the rim of the bowl, cleaning the plate thoroughly.
Mei said helplessly, “Always thinking about taking the lead when you clearly don’t have the ability.
Let me do it; Nana, you go wipe the dining table.” “Blehh!” Nana stuck out her tongue and obediently picked up another rag.
Standing on her tiptoes, she wiped the table while humming “Moon Halo”.
“Hum hum hum~♪” The wooden tabletop was wiped to a shine.
After finishing, she even leaned in to sniff it, muttering.
“It still smells like caramel.
What if I get hungry again?” By the time the two had finished cleaning the kitchen and nestled on the living room sofa, the sky outside was already studded with stars.
Mei got a blanket to cover their legs and flipped through a book about desserts.
Nana rested her head on Mei’s shoulder, her fingers unconsciously twining around the ends of Mei’s hair.
Her eyes were fixed on the caramel pudding recipe on the page, and she occasionally poked the paper.
“This step looks so hard.
When you teach me tomorrow, can you go a bit slower?” “Scared?” Mei turned her head, her nose almost touching Nana’s forehead.
“Didn’t you just beat your chest and say you wanted to learn?” “I’m not scared!” Nana straightened her back, yet she still shrank further into Mei’s embrace.
“I’m just…
just afraid I won’t learn it well, and I’ll waste the ingredients, time, and effort…” Mei chuckled, closed the book, and ruffled her hair.
“It’s okay.
Even if you mess up, we can just take it slow and try again.
No one succeeds right away as a beginner.
There are plenty of ingredients.” She paused and added.
“Besides, even if you make some ‘Dark Cuisine’, I’ll still taste it and give you suggestions.” Nana immediately wrinkled her face and playfully punched Mei’s arm, pretending to be angry.
“Mei, you’re a bully!
I won’t make Dark Cuisine!” “A little?
Who can say?” Mei thought to herself, what if Nana also possessed the Kaslana talent for creating Dark Cuisine in the kitchen…?
After they fooled around for a bit, Nana gradually quieted down.
Her ear was pressed against Mei’s chest, listening to her steady heartbeat, her voice soft and airy.
“Actually…
I never imagined before that I could have warm pudding to eat after training, or that I could curl up on the sofa and chat with someone.
I’ve always…
been alone for a long time…” Mei’s hand paused, then she gently patted Nana’s back, her voice as gentle as the night breeze.
“You’ll have all of that from now on.” Nana looked up at her, the warm yellow light of the living room reflecting in her eyes, making them sparkle.
“Really?” “Really.” Mei nodded and pointed to the stars outside the window.
“As long as you want, there will be desserts every day, and…
endless idle chatter and nagging, and stars that never end.” Nana laughed and buried her face in the crook of Mei’s neck like a kitty, nuzzling her.
“Then I want a different dessert every day!
No, every other day?
Otherwise, I’ll get fat…
Eh?
Wait, have I ever been fat?” Mei let her act spoiled, her fingers gently combing through her hair, her gaze fixed on the night outside, the smile on her lips tender and lingering.
An unknown amount of time passed before Nana’s breathing gradually became even.
When Mei looked down, she had already fallen asleep against her shoulder.
Her brow was relaxed, and the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, as if she were having a sweet dream.
Mei carefully picked her up and walked toward the bedroom.
Passing the kitchen, she glanced at the pudding molds on the counter, thinking about the steps she would teach her tomorrow, her footsteps becoming extremely light.
Placing Nana on the bed and tucking her in, Mei sat by the bedside, brushing away the stray hairs on her forehead, and whispered.
“Goodnight, naughty kitten.” The stars outside were still twinkling, and the sweet scent of caramel in the room had faded slightly.