The space outside had been engulfed by a thick veil of night. Chilly winds whistled, occasionally sneaking through the small gaps in the door to slip inside the house. However, that chill seemed only to enhance the rich flavor of the piping hot, steaming bowl of egg noodles placed right in front of Lia.
The mouth-watering aroma of golden fried shallots and garlic mixed with a bit of spicy ground chili made Lia unable to hold back her saliva, her eyes glued to the bowl of noodles without leaving for a second. Only waiting until she saw Long start picking up his chopsticks did she hurriedly scoop up a spoonful of hot, crimson broth. Lia brought it to her mouth, blew phoo phoo, and slurped it all in one go. The light sweetness of the egg blending with the tingling spiciness on the tip of her tongue made her shiver with delight.
Lia lightly shook her legs, her hands under the table fidgeting restlessly like a child in a fit of excitement. Long looked up, catching her squirming like a 'caterpillar' out of craving, and couldn't help but chuckle softly. In a moment of distraction, he unconsciously blurted out:
"So adorable!"
Like an antenna catching the right frequency, the signal transmitted to Lia's brain caused an instant reaction. She slammed the table bam, standing up abruptly and shouting loudly to drown out her embarrassment:
"Hey hey, what do you mean by that, kid?"
However, that aggressive look fooled no one. Lia's cheeks were already flushed red like ripe tomatoes, her small shoulders trembling slightly. He understood this wasn't rejection, but an "overload" reaction due to shyness. Not only did he not take back his words, but he also followed up with another sentence, his face couldn't be more nonchalant:
"I think you're cute, can't I compliment you?"
Lia's entire body froze, her lips moving but unable to utter a word. Her face turned crimson, unclear whether from anger or extreme embarrassment, then sank completely into a fierce internal battle:
"Aaaaa, this brat dares to drive me crazy! I'll teach you a lesson... But hitting him for no reason is too weird, and doing anything else would be even more easily misunderstood. Oh my god!"
"But... actually the boy is cute too. Considerate, gentle, good-natured, and handsome... Ah! What are you thinking, Lia? No, no! He can't possibly mean anything by it, and neither do I! It must just be his innocent compliment. Right, he's seemed overly obedient and gentle since the moment we met."
After that lengthy struggle, Lia was sweating bullets. She stood up straight, pointing her finger at Long with the most serious expression possible:
"Listen here, you should know that saying things like that to a girl makes it very easy for people to misunderstand that you have feelings for them, so..."
"I do have feelings for you. Don't you like it?"
Long's decisive answer was like a ticking time bomb, shattering Lia's entire worldview into pieces, sweeping her mind into the void of the universe.
Lia slumped back onto the chair, her head spinning as if she had just been hit by a stun grenade: "Uh... where am I and who am I?".
While she hadn't yet recovered, the warmth from the noodles wafted right in front of her face, resting neatly on the chopsticks Long was offering.
"Say ahhh..."
Lia startled and leaned back slightly, her face flushing as she stared at the food Long intended to feed her: "Kid... what kind of trick are you planning now?!"
Long just smiled gently, softly explaining: "You don't know how to use chopsticks, right? Let me help you, eat quickly or the noodles will get cold and lose their taste."
Lia was flustered, her hands uncontrollably crumpling the hem of her shirt, her eyes darting everywhere to avoid his gaze. However, the enchanting aroma of the noodles quickly "defeated" her pride. Lia had to open her mouth to accept the noodles in "resentment", but deep in those glittering eyes, a happy smile had quietly appeared.
...
After a few minutes, the bowl of noodles had been finished off by both of them. Lia lay sprawled on the sofa with an expression of extreme satisfaction. Long stood by the sink, asking:
"Was it good, miss?"
"Delicious~ absolutely delicious! Normally I never eat or drink, who knew I was missing out on such a wonderful experience," Lia replied with a lazy tone.
"So your race doesn't need to eat?"
"Saying we don't need to isn't entirely accurate. We absorb mana from the environment to sustain life, so organs like taste buds or the digestive system are almost undeveloped compared to humans."
Long suddenly remembered back in the dungeon, when he offered her a piece of strawberry candy, she ate it without any special reaction. Completely opposite to the "colorful" expression when eating the bowl of egg noodles just now. He asked curiously:
"So... what about your current form? Why do you look like a human?"
Lia hesitated a bit before answering:
"Umm... it's probably because I've exhausted my mana. Back in the dungeon, I used a thoughtless spell to push you away, then used the last bit of remaining strength to control the giant python."
She lightly touched her back, where a magnificent pair of wings should have been:
"My wings are like a core for storing mana," Lia sighed. "I just woke up from hibernation so I hadn't had time to absorb enough surrounding energy. Using just a little magic caused the wings to shatter completely."
Her gaze looked far away, her expression becoming serious:
"And it's possible... that very Demon King's Gate, while I was exhausted, affected me and turned me into this human form."
Long startled, almost dropping the bowl he was washing. He spun around, aghast:
"What?! That is... the Demon King's Gate?"
Lia nodded thoughtfully:
"Yes, if I'm not mistaken. The gods once informed our group that the Demon King possesses a gate that can transport people to any world."
Lia suddenly paused, her voice lowering: "That is also the reason why back then Alex gave his all to defeat him... just to find a way back home."
She turned her eyes toward the portrait, smiling a affectionate but sad smile:
"You're satisfied now, aren't you, Alex?"
Long quietly walked over and sat down next to Lia. He looked up at the ceiling pensively, feeling that everything seemed even crazier than he could have imagined. His gaze moved down to her small back, asking worriedly:
"So... will you lose those wings forever?"
Lia shook her head slightly, gently reassuring him:
"No, it's just temporary. For my race, when encountering this situation, we just need to absorb mana from the environment to recover immediately."
Lia looked around the room: "However, here I don't feel any mana at all. Therefore, right now I'm no different from a normal girl in your world."
Saying that, she suddenly cast a meaningful glance toward Long, but then immediately withdrew it.
Lia yawned a long yawn, fatigue clearly showing on her small face: "Anyway, I'm sleepy, I'll tell you the rest tomorrow."
Long suddenly remembered he hadn't prepared a place for her to sleep yet. He immediately grabbed the vacuum cleaner and rushed into the guest bedroom, performing an "express cleaning". When he led Lia in, the room was faintly scented with cajeput oil, amenities no less than a hotel but extremely cozy.
Long even thoughtfully brought all sorts of things into the room: "I made honey tea for you, drink it to sleep easier. I'm right in the next room, just call me if you need anything. There's a lock on the table, just lock it tight if you're afraid I'll... break in. Ah, let me turn on the air conditioner for you, do you need an extra blanket? I-"
Smooch!
Small, soft lips unexpectedly touched Long's cheek lightly, making his limbs go weak. His heart beat continuously like a war drum, his whole body flushing red like a boiled shrimp. Lia gently placed a finger on his lips, her voice sweet as honey:
"Good boy, good night."
Saying that, she pushed him out and closed the door. With such a fierce "riot" in his chest, how could Long possibly sleep now?
...
Actually, that night it wasn't just Long, but two people who couldn't sleep a wink.