As soon as Azlan opened the door, a fragrant cooking aroma greeted him. From the direction of the kitchen, the sound of quick footsteps could be heard. Akane appeared with a lace apron and a spatula in hand, her initially tense face immediately changing to relaxed upon seeing him.
"Welcome back, Azlan-kun." She greeted with a smile that made the room feel brighter. "Dinner will be ready soon, I guarantee the quality is better than yesterday. Oh, I've already heated water for you to bathe."
"..."
Azlan was stunned in his place. Hospitality like this was something foreign to him. It had been years since the last time someone welcomed him home.
The perceptive Akane immediately caught his confusion. Her voice became softer, as if calming a small child.
"At times like this, say 'I'm home'. That's a custom in my country."
"...I'm home."
Those two words came out of Azlan's mouth awkwardly, as if he was trying a new language.
"Mm. Good job." Akane's smile bloomed wider. Suddenly, her nose wrinkled smelling something. "Oh no, I'm cooking!"
She turned around and ran back to the kitchen in panic, leaving Azlan still standing in front of the door.
After taking off his shoes, Azlan walked past the kitchen toward the bathroom. His steps stopped briefly when he saw Akane busy saving her slightly burnt cooking.
"What a shame... But it's still edible." She muttered to herself, reluctant to throw away valuable food.
[Oh my~ has spring finally arrived for you?]
Albion's voice suddenly echoed in his head, full of teasing tone.
[Kurokawa Akane... She's an extraordinary woman. Even in ancient times, her virtuous character would be among the best.]
(It's not like what you think, Albion,) Azlan refuted in his mind while continuing his steps.
(It's just... I'm not used to being cared for by others, especially by a girl. You know that.)
[Well, a man and woman living under one roof, I don't believe something won't happen,] Albion teased again, his voice sounding like he was smiling.
"Do Heavenly Dragons like to gossip? Don't talk carelessly, Albion." Azlan grumbled in a low voice.
Upon arriving at the bathroom, he began to remove his clothes full of dust and sweat. He turned on the shower tap and let the warm water soak his tired body.
[...]
Albion finally stopped teasing, giving him space to think.
"Huft..."
After cleaning his body with soap, Azlan entered the bathtub filled with warm water that Akane had prepared. The warm sensation enveloping his body made him sigh in relief. His eyes closed, enjoying this rare moment of peace.
Behind the bathroom door, he could still hear Akane humming while preparing dinner.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Azlan didn't soak for long. About ten minutes later, he came out of the bathtub.
When he opened the bathroom door, an unexpected sight greeted him—a set of clean and neat clothes had been placed on top of the washing machine, while his dirty clothes were already neatly arranged in the basket. Clearly, this was Akane's doing.
"Perhaps this is what it feels like to be a newlywed. No wonder many men in my village chose to marry, even though they knew death could come at any time." He muttered to himself while picking up the clean clothes.
"At least they lived happy lives, even if brief. That's more satisfying than living alone for a long time."
A thin smile decorated his usually cold face, and a strange warmth spread in his chest. Then, he began to put on those clean clothes.
[There's a human saying that goes: behind every successful man, there's a great woman. Well, what if there's a group of great women behind him? That's practically invincible!]
Albion's voice suddenly echoed in his head, Azlan almost choked hearing that comment.
[Too bad, most of the previous White Dragon Emperors were battle maniacs who weren't interested in romance. They remained single until death. Azlan, I suggest you don't imitate your predecessors.]
Hearing Albion's suggestion that implicitly encouraged him to build a harem, Azlan's movements stopped briefly while putting on his shirt. However, he immediately continued as if nothing happened.
"I'll consider your advice." He answered briefly, trying to sound neutral.
After finishing changing clothes, Azlan left the bathroom and headed to the kitchen. There, he saw Akane still busy preparing food. Silently, he began helping to arrange the eating utensils on the table.
"You're very helpful, Azlan-kun. Coincidentally, I cooked quite a lot today. You have to eat a lot to grow healthy." Akane praised while bringing a bowl of warm vegetable soup.
Azlan looked at the food menu on the table. Besides soup, there were also canned sausages sautéed with simple seasonings and warm rice. Everything looked delicious and made with full attention. He saw the fairly large portions, clearly too much for two people.
"Thank you for your hard work, Akane. Next time don't cook excessively, just cook enough. I don't eat much, and I doubt you can finish everything either." His voice unconsciously softer than usual.
He said this because he didn't want Akane to be exhausted. Although the girl tried to hide it, Azlan could see beads of sweat on her forehead and her face slightly reddened from the heat in the kitchen.
"This is all I can do for Azlan-kun. It's not tiring at all." Akane refuted, smiling sweetly.
That was clearly a lie. But Azlan chose not to bring it up. Instead, he sat down and began filling Akane's plate with rice and side dishes, making sure the girl got enough portions before filling his own plate.
"If so, let's eat. I'm sure your cooking today will be better than yesterday."
In his heart, Azlan began to realize that life in this threat-filled world no longer felt as lonely as before. There was a new warmth beginning to grow, and for the first time in his life, he felt he had something or someone worth fighting for.
The oil lamp that Akane took from the mall illuminated the dining table with soft light, creating dancing shadows on the wall. On the table, simple yet delicious dishes emanated an appetizing aroma.
"Azlan-kun, try this sausage. I experimented with new seasonings." Akane requested hopefully while offering a plate of sausages.
Azlan took a piece of sausage, observing it briefly before eating it. After chewing carefully, he nodded.
"Delicious. More savory than yesterday."
Akane's face lit up. "Really? I added a little ginger and garlic! Oh, try the soup too, I think it's not salty enough..."
They continued eating for a while in comfortable silence, only filled with the sound of spoons and forks. Akane occasionally glanced at Azlan, as if wanting to ask something.
"Finally... Can you tell me about what you encountered this afternoon? I was... quite worried." She said after swallowing a spoonful of rice.
Azlan put down his spoon. His face was serious but calm. "I found several important things about Titans. First, there are some that are different among them. Most only rely on instinct, but there are some that show... intelligence."
"Intelligence?" Akane's eyes widened.
"They can coordinate attacks, use tools, even throw objects. I call them Abnormal Titans."
Akane furrowed her brow. "That's frightening. So not all Titans are the same?"
"No. What's more worrying is their regeneration ability. I destroyed one of their heads... and the head grew back." Azlan explained while taking vegetables.
"What?!" Akane almost dropped her spoon. "But... how can we defeat creatures like that?"
"That's where the important part is. After several trials, I found their weakness. It's not the head." Azlan continued, looking at her directly.
"Not the head?" Akane fell silent for a moment. "Then...?"
"The nape of the neck." Azlan made a cutting motion with his hand. "If we cut their nape deep enough, down to the spinal nerve, they can't regenerate. That's the only way to kill them permanently."
Akane fell silent, processing that information. "So... we need a sharp weapon?"
"Yes. Or..." Azlan raised his hand, and a brief white energy blade appeared on his palm before disappearing. "...I can use Touki."
"You're really amazing, Azlan-kun." Akane praised admiringly. But then her face became serious again. "So now we have two threats – zombies and Titans. And Titans are far more dangerous."
Azlan nodded. "But at least now we know how to fight them. Knowledge is a weapon."
They continued dinner with lighter conversation, but both their minds remained focused on the new threat they had to face.
In this rapidly changing world, every new piece of information could mean the difference between life and death. And tonight, they had taken an important step in understanding their most dangerous enemy.