Ellyn carefully cut the ingredients one by one, her small hands steady but her expression filled with determination.
Ridan floated closer, tilting his cloudy head. "Oho? Cooking for him?"
"Yes~" Ellyn answered brightly without looking up, her tail swaying with pride.
Syaria leaned forward from Ridan’s side, curious. "You can cook?"
Ellyn nodded quickly. "Of course! It’s just cooking, right? Cut the ingredients, toss it into the pan, and put so salt."
Ridan froze, then slowly turned to Syaria.
He burst out laughing so hard his form wobbled.
"Pfft—ingredients, toss! BWHAHAHAHA!!"
Ellyn puffed her cheeks and glared up at him.
"Mou~! Don’t laugh! That’s how it works, right!?"
Ridan clutched at his cloudy stomach, spinning in circles.
"Oh God...Hazuki’s dood! Hahaha! He’s gonna eat chopped at and salt soup!"
Syaria tried to hold her composure, but a small laugh escaped behind her hand.
"Ellyn... it’s a little more complicated than that. Seasoning, heat, timing... it’s not just throwing things together."
Ellyn’s ears twitched, and she flicked her tail with a stubborn huff.
"Hmph! Just watch! Hazuki will eat my food and say it’s delicious!"
Ridan smirked through the fading chuckles.
"Oh-ho, I can’t wait to see his face when he takes that first bite..."
Ellyn chopped faster, the knife clacking loudly against the wooden board, her small hands moving with stubborn determination. The cuts were uneven, so vegetables far too thick, but she didn’t care.
"Hmph... laugh all you want. Hazuki will eat this and smile," she muttered, cheeks puffed as her ears twitched.
Ridan leaned in from above, looking at the uneven pile of ingredients.
"Smile? Oh, he’ll smile alright, right before collapsing! Bwahaha!"
Syaria gave his cloudy arm a tug, whispering softly.
"Stop teasing her... look at her, she’s really trying. That’s... actually kind of cute."
Ridan glanced at her, then back at Ellyn, who tossed the at into the pan with a loud clang! and dumped salt far more than necessary.
"Cute? No, this is dangerous," he snickered. "He’s not gonna die from monsters...he’s gonna die from her cooking."
Ellyn spun around, glaring at him, fire blazing in her eyes. "Shut up, purple ball! Hazuki will eat every bite and love it!"
Her tail swished proudly as she stirred the pan, smoke already rising from the sizzling mix.
"...Or burn alive in the process," Ridan muttered with a wicked grin.
The pan hissed, oil snapping as uneven cuts of at and vegetables cooked unevenly, smoke curling up toward the ceiling.
Ellyn leaned forward over the counter, golden eyes burning with determination as she stirred furiously with the wooden spatula.
"See? Perfect!" she said proudly, even though the at was still raw in places and the vegetables already blackening on the edges.
Ridan floated back, waving his cloudy arms as if fanning away the smoke. "Perfect? More like a funeral feast! Sobody get the coffin ready for Hazuki!"
"Ugh! You’re so annoying!"
Ellyn stomped her foot, ears flat as her cheeks puffed up angrily. With a huff, she turned her back on him and tossed another pinch of salt.
Syaria leaned closer with a gentle smile.
"Ellyn, maybe just... a little less salt? And lower the fire a bit. You don’t want it to burn before he eats, right?"
Ellyn froze, then quickly nodded. "Mm! Right! I’ll fix it!" She flicked her small fingers, adjusting the fla lower, and stirred again with renewed energy.
Syaria softened, tilting her head. "Want to help?"
"No! I want to cook for Hazuki!" Ellyn shot back, puffing proudly, her tail swishing side to side.
Ridan smirked, drifting closer. "Heh... it’s not even cooking at this point. And besides, she—" he jabbed his thumb toward Syaria "—can’t possess you like I can possess Hazuki!"
Syaria’s lips curved faintly. "Hmm? Who said I can’t?"
Ridan blinked, then squinted at her. "...Wait. You can?"
Her eyes glimred faintly as she gave him a knowing smile.
Ridan’s grin grew sharp as his gaze slid toward the bathroom door where Hazuki was still showering.
"Oho~ I see... so if I possess Hazuki, and you possess Ellyn..." he snickered darkly, rubbing his cloudy hands together.
"Oho~ imagine it, Syaria. I slip into Hazuki, you slip into Ellyn... then we make love.Ohhhh!!!"
Syaria’s cheeks flushed pink as she quickly smacked his side with her hand. "D-Don’t say such things! That’s..."
Ridan laughed, clutching his misty belly.
"Oh, co on, don’t tell you haven’t thought about it."
Ellyn spun on her heel, spatula raised like a weapon, glaring at him with puffed cheeks.
"Oi! Stop whispering weird things! I heard that!"
Syaria cleared her throat, trying to hide her own flustered expression, and smiled gently at Ellyn.
"Don’t mind him. He’s just... teasing. Focus on your cooking. Hazuki will appreciate the effort no matter what."
Ellyn huffed, her tail swishing harder as she turned back to the pan.
"Hmph! Of course he will. This is... this is my first ti cooking for him. I’ll make sure it’s special!"
Ridan hovered closer, smirking slyly.
"Oh-ho~ first ti, huh? Careful, girl. First tis are always unforgettable—whether they’re good... or disasters."
"OUT!!" Ellyn shrieked, waving the spatula at him, while smoke rose higher from the pan.
Ridan cackled as he zood up toward the rafters, dodging the furious swings of Ellyn’s spatula. "Bwahaha! Alright, alright! Don’t burn the house down with your love stew, Lolikitty!"
Ellyn’s ears twitched, her face turning bright red. "It’s not love stew, it’s dinner! And stop calling that!!"
Syaria gently pressed a hand to her forehead, sighing with a small smile.
"Honestly... the more you yell, the more he’ll tease you."
"Hmph!" Ellyn snapped, but she stubbornly turned back to the sizzling pan, her little hands gripping the spatula tight. Her golden eyes softened just a fraction as she whispered under her breath, "...It is love stew though. For Hazuki."
Ridan heard it, of course. His grin stretched wickedly as he hung upside down from the ceiling like a lazy bat. "Oho~ so you admit it!"
"OUT!!" Ellyn shrieked again, swinging wildly.
( End Of Chapter )
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