"Shiren-jiejie, you're back? Shiren-jiejie~ Shiren-jiejie!"

After a comfortable nap, Mei Yige’s spirits were high. He held a three-jin moon-whisker catfish Larin had given him, his voice carrying a little louder than usual. He ignored the dim restaurant lighting, determined to make sure Shiren knew he’d returned.

"What’s all the shouting about? Tch. What’ve you got there?"

"A fish…"

Mei Yige froze as he spotted the girl leaning over the second-floor railing.

"Why’d you buy a fish? Oh—moon-whisker catfish? Rare catch… Why are you staring?"

Shiren descended the stairs barefoot, towel-drying her long golden hair. Water droplets trailed down her shoulders.

Mei Yige swallowed hard, forcing his gaze away from her pale, delicate feet.

"A friend gave it to me. Thought we could cook it together."

Guilt weakened his tone. Avoiding Shiren’s towel-clad figure, he darted into the kitchen.

"You’ve got quite the network. By the way—since you’re renting here, did you find work in town?"

"Yes, Shiren-jiejie. I’m a Magic Consultant for the Association. I can help if you ever need anything."

Their casual banter eased Shiren’s tension. After two days of awkward coexistence and that unsettling dream, she’d nearly forgotten how to act around her new roommate.

【I must get back to how things were before.】

Roommates were meant to be eaten.

Break that rule, and she’d lose a reliable food source.

"What did you have for lunch, Shiren-jiejie?"

The fridge was untouched. Mei Yige wondered where she’d found those Gran sausages.

Do wealthy houses always have secret cellars?

"Just salad and meat."

Leftover fragments from a certain gentleman. By Shiren’s exacting standards, the meat was mediocre.

Dinner would need to be better.

Why not tonight?

Shiren rested her chin on the sofa back, eyes fixed on Mei Yige’s silhouette in the kitchen. The dream flashed back—him clad only in an apron.

Heat rose in her chest.

She slapped her cheeks, icy composure reclaiming her ancient mind.

"Then let me fill your stomach, Shiren-jiejie. Sashimi would suit this fish well. May I use the sauces in your fridge?"

"Use whatever you like."

The urge to devour him faded, replaced by amusement.

*Sauces?*

That "foie gras" and "beef paste" in her fridge were exquisite, Miss Mei. How would you react knowing their true ingredients?

Shiren swung her bare feet from the sofa, smiling. No day in centuries had been this entertaining.

"This has a wonderful texture. What monster’s liver is it? Regular foie gras doesn’t melt like ice cream."

"A rare breed. A friend’s gift."

Few in this world developed fatty liver disease—truly precious. Only non-cat-eared subhumans under thirty, who never smoked, yielded usable livers.

Otherwise, the taste turned foul.

Even master chefs knew this.

"Someone like me… actually tasting such rare food…"

Shiren stiffened at Mei Yige’s words.

He stood in the kitchen doorway, clutching a sauce jar, tears glistening in his eyes—a bittersweet happiness radiating from him. Her chest tightened.

*She’s a Blood Demon… yet this feels inhuman.*

【No. A conscience would ruin everything.】

She crushed the flicker of guilt, clinging to her fading amusement.

"Eat as much as you like. As my roommate, don’t hold back. Do your duties, and everything here is yours to use."

*Did I just say that?!*

*Sniffle… sob…*

Shiren never expected Mei Yige’s muffled cries to answer her.

"What’s wrong?"

"Shiren-jiejie… you’re such a kind person!"

No footsteps warned her. Mei Yige flew across the room, pinning Shiren to the sofa. Floral sweetness and soft warmth enveloped her, closer than ever before.

Only Mei Yige’s tearful sniffles and respectful stillness kept Shiren sane.

"What are you doing?!"

The Blood Demon’s instincts roared back to life at Mei Yige’s scent. Shiren snapped, but he refused to let go.

"I have nothing to repay your kindness but—"

*My body?*

Panic seized Shiren. His glistening eyes, tear-streaked cheeks, and resolute expression left her utterly lost.

Was the Great Lord Blood Demon about to be confessed to?

Would that dream become reality?

*No! I’m not ready to be devoured by youth—wait, I should be devouring him! I’m the Great Lord!*

If this happened… she’d spare him.

*Damn it. Rules were meant to be broken. Must a random tenant shatter centuries of habit?*

*Perhaps… this is fate.*

An ancient calm washed over her. Eating humans wasn’t essential—just a ritual to preserve her Blood Demon nature.

Ending that life might not be so bad.

Resigned, Shiren closed her eyes. As a sovereign, she’d allow his boldness. Even roughness. She’d never experienced it anyway.

What came wasn’t lovers’ intimacy—but a sobbing declaration:

"If you’ll have me… I wish to be your adopted daughter. No—adopted son!"

"…"

*What did she say?*

"?"

*What language was that?!*

Shiren opened her eyes slowly. The light in them dimmed.

Mei Yige’s sobs stopped. Survival instinct made her scramble off the sofa—

*THUD!*

Shiren’s foot connected squarely with her face.

As Mei Yige flew backward, Shiren’s icy command cut through the air:

"Get out of my house!"