"Don’t worry, alright? I’m not going to drop the chopsticks."

Hearing my words, Lu’s face instantly lit up with a confident expression.

"I’m the Daughter of the Demon Emperor—I learn things quick! Don’t underestimate me, Amelia!"

"Alright, alright, I get it."

Her words made me chuckle softly. I sat down beside her, picking up the chopsticks from my own table.

"Here, this is how you hold them, Lu. Why don’t you give it a try?"

With practiced ease, I held the chopsticks in position and calmly explained to Lu.

To be honest, I wasn’t all that sure how to teach someone to use chopsticks. It was something I’d learned as a child, almost instinctive now. Teaching it, though... There’s no manual for explaining something so ingrained.

"Okay... like this. You use your thumb, index finger, and middle finger to control the top chopstick, while the bottom one stays steady. Just move the top one to grab the food."

I examined the chopsticks in my hand for a moment, then continued to explain to her after sorting out my thoughts.

"...Like this?"

Lu blinked a few times as she stared at my hand holding the chopsticks. After a long pause, she picked hers up, mimicking my position.

"Yes, that’s right."

I nodded slightly, watching her movements.

"Now, we bring the tips of the chopsticks together first, like so."

I demonstrated again, showing her the next step.

"Point the tips at the food, then make a small motion to pinch it. That’s all it takes."

"Ohhh, I see now! Earlier, I almost thought they were supposed to be used for stabbing food instead."

After watching my demonstration, Lu’s expression suddenly brightened with clarity, followed by an enthusiastic exclamation.

"Alright! Let me give it a shot..."

She let out a sound full of excitement and immediately aimed her chopsticks toward a piece of fried egg on the table. Following the actions I had just shown her, Lu fiddled with the chopsticks in her hand and managed to clamp onto the egg.

Her face had just lit up with joy when—plop—the egg slipped from between the chopsticks and fell back onto the plate.

And as soon as the egg dropped, the excitement froze on Lu’s face like a fallen leaf suspended mid-air.

"Ugh... why... why did that happen? No! I have to try again!"

Lu stared blankly at the egg on the plate, her disappointment evident. But before I could say anything to comfort her, she shook off her dismay and tried once more.

One time, two times, three times... Despite repeated attempts, every time she managed to lift the piece of egg, it slipped back onto the plate before she could carry it away.

"Ughhh... why won’t it work?"

She fidgeted with the chopsticks, eyes darting back and forth between them and the stubborn egg. Then, all at once, her enthusiasm seemed to deflate, leaving her looking like a wilting flower.

"Alright, don’t worry about it," I said, chuckling lightly at her antics before offering a few calm words of comfort. "The egg is a little slippery, so it’s perfectly normal to struggle with it at first. There's no need to feel down about it."