Forty minutes later, as Meijie looked at the five dishes and one soup on the table, all of them a feast for the eyes and nose, she finally realized how stupid her "tomato and egg stir-fry" had been.

"So cooking isn't just tossing ingredients into a pot and frying them until they're done, huh?"

"Of course it isn't."

Bai Ye looked at Meijie as if she were an idiot. Given how little this girl understood about cooking, how had she managed to say she was going to make beef and corn chowder earlier?

"Here, give it a try."

Bai Ye ladled a bowl of chowder and set it in front of Meijie.

"This is..."

"Beef and corn chowder."

"...Thanks. I'll dig in."

Ignoring Bai Ye's teasing look, Meijie dipped her spoon into the bowl and tasted the chowder.

The moment the soup slipped down her throat, an indescribable rush of delight surged from Meijie's taste buds through her entire body!

The tender, springy beef mingled with the rich aroma of corn. It was as if she stood in an open field, while a warm, sunlit comfort spread to every corner of her body.

Meijie almost felt as if she wasn't drinking soup at all. She was drinking happiness—that warm, blissful rush of contentment!

"Ah, this is amazing~"

Meijie sighed in satisfaction. She could swear this was the best soup she'd ever tasted.

"I wish I could have soup like this every day. Bai Ye, how about you marry me?"

Bai Ye raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes at Meijie.

"Sure. Go ask An Jieli and see if she'll give you the chance."

"Ehh~ You're asking me to go get myself killed!"

Ignoring Meijie's teasing, Bai Ye sat down at the table too and began eating in silence.

Meijie had never been one to act serious. Most of the time, Bai Ye let her words go in one ear and out the other, never taking them to heart. So she didn't notice that Meijie had sounded just a little serious when she'd said that.

"But seriously, compared to your cooking, those so-called high-end restaurants are nothing special. I wish I could eat your food every day."

"I can't cook for you every day, but if you really like it, I'll make the meals while I'm staying at your place."

"Really?!"

At Bai Ye's words, Meijie's eyes lit up.

"You're way too good to me!"

"It's nothing. Think of it as my way of thanking you. You've been helping me get news about Ariel for years, so I should find a way to show my gratitude."

Bai Ye and Meijie had known each other for four or five years. Back then, Bai Ye had led the Black Night Knights through Maple City and temporarily stationed them there. She met Meijie by chance, and the two became friends from then on.

Bai Ye had to manage the affairs of the Black Night Knights, and An Jieli had been keeping an increasingly close eye on her. For the past few years, Bai Ye hadn't had any free time to ask around about her younger sister, Ariel.

So Meijie looked into Ariel's situation and had people pass the news along to Bai Ye.

That included the news that Ariel was about to enroll at Holy Radiance Academy, which Meijie had discovered and told Bai Ye about.

"Oh, I see. No wonder you're willing to cook for me."

Meijie's eyes darted about before she turned to Bai Ye.

"But isn't this a little too small a thank-you? I went to a lot of trouble to investigate your sister in secret."

"Too small? Then tell me, how do you think I should thank you?"

"Let me think... Oh, how about you give yourself to me?"

Looking at Meijie's shameless expression, Bai Ye gave a humorless snort.

"Hmph. Still teasing me, are you? Be careful, or I'll tell An Jieli. Let's see if you can keep acting so bold then."

"Aww~ Don't be so heartless!"

Meijie shamelessly dragged her chair over and sat down beside Bai Ye.

"You snuck out without telling An Jieli, too. If we both go down, neither of us wins."

As Meijie edged closer, Bai Ye silently moved her chair farther away.

"Nice try. If you don't want us both to go down, then quit making a move on me and eat your food!"

"Tch. What a thankless girl!"

Seeing that Bai Ye wasn't giving her any chance to take advantage, Meijie gave up. She stuck her tongue out at Bai Ye, then went back to drinking her chowder.

Meijie might seem shameless, but she knew exactly where to draw the line.

Bai Ye was practically Queen An Jieli's exclusive possession, so Meijie couldn't really make her own. But she was definitely going to find a way to steal a tiny bit of physical intimacy.

That was why, despite acting so shamelessly, Meijie had stopped while she was ahead and begun plotting her next move to win Bai Ye's heart.

As Bai Ye's friend, Meijie really shouldn't have been having such "improper" thoughts about her.

But it wasn't Meijie's fault Bai Ye had become so cute. If she didn't do something about it, she'd be wasting her talent for flirting with girls!

"Hehe~ Bai Ye, Bai Ye... You can't escape me..."

Meijie imagined Bai Ye beneath her, acting like she wanted to resist even as she gave in, and couldn't help the smile creeping across her lips.

"Your Majesty, you should've kept a closer eye on Bai Ye. If I steal her right out from under you, don't blame me, hehe~"

Nearby, Bai Ye watched Meijie drink her soup with a silly grin and looked puzzled.

"Hey, what are you grinning about?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing."

Meijie snapped back to reality and hurried to hide her expression.

"Speaking of which, Holy Radiance Academy starts next month. Are you planning to enroll alongside your sister? When your family is reunited, she'll be so happy."

To cover up her awkwardness, Meijie had grabbed a random topic. Bai Ye didn't notice and assumed she was just being thoughtful.

"I am planning to enroll with her, but as for reuniting..."

Bai Ye lowered her gaze to her chest and couldn't help shaking her head.

"Maybe we shouldn't try to reunite just yet. I'm afraid Ariel won't be able to accept it."

"Oh? So you do have some reservations."

Meijie looked at the pair of alluring curves beneath Bai Ye's tight shirt and could more or less guess what Bai Ye was worried about.

"If you ask me, you don't need to worry. Ariel can accept that you have black magic. Do you really think she'll mind that you've got a little extra softness on your chest?"

Meijie comforted Bai Ye with the air of a life coach.

"If you ask me, when you meet, you don't have to say a thing. Just pull Ariel into your arms. She'll fall for you on the spot. Do you think she'll care whether your chest is soft?"

Bai Ye could tell Meijie was trying to encourage her in her own shameless way. As for the suggestion itself, she could only laugh it off. There was no way she could take it seriously.

"If only it could really happen like you say..."

Bai Ye gave a somewhat forlorn smile, then changed the subject.

"By the way, what do you want for dinner? I promised to cook for you, and I can't go back on my word."

"Let's skip dinner tonight. The lord's manor sent me an invitation to a family banquet, so I have to go back. I'll have dinner there."

"All right. Looks like that'll save me some work."

After the meal, Meijie went to get ready for the banquet. Strictly speaking, the meal had been lunch, but it was already afternoon, and Meijie needed to start getting ready early if she didn't want to be late.

As for Bai Ye, she had preparations to make too—not for a banquet, but for a dungeon expedition.

Even a Saint-Tier powerhouse like Bai Ye couldn't enter a dungeon without preparing. At the very least, she needed to get her weapons and armor ready.

Finding suitable armor would be a hassle, though, so Bai Ye decided to take care of the weapon first that afternoon.

......

"How about this rapier, miss? The blade is silver-white, the hilt is gold-plated, and there's even a gemstone set in the guard. It really suits your style."

After lunch, Bai Ye went to a weapons shop to pick out a weapon. The shop assistant was very enthusiastic, but the things he brought out weren't quite what she was looking for.

"All flash and no substance. I told you I'm going to explore a dungeon. Can this rapier even pierce a monster's hide?"

Bai Ye gave the silver rapier the shop assistant had offered a flat, merciless critique.

"If I'm not mistaken, this is just an ordinary sword made from ordinary materials, right? It can't be enchanted, it has no magic runes carved into it, and it has practically no special properties. A sword like this would probably break after just a few floors of a dungeon."

"Uh..."

Realizing his customer knew her stuff, the shop assistant awkwardly put the rapier away and brought out another sword: a black-bladed one-handed sword.

"How about this one? Its blade is made from materials found in dungeons, and it's sharp enough to cut through iron like butter! It's incredibly durable, too. Whether you want to enchant it or carve magic runes into it, this sword can handle it!"

Bai Ye took the sword and flicked the blade with a finger. She immediately knew the shop assistant wasn't exaggerating. It was very durable, and it did look like it was made from materials found in a dungeon. But...

"The blade's too narrow, and it's too short!"

"Huh?"

"This sword is, at most, a foot and a half long. It's even shorter than the rapier you showed me before. The blade's made of good material and it's durable, but it's too narrow to carve any complicated magic runes into. It'd be fine for self-defense, but it's still not quite suitable for exploring a dungeon."

"Uh..."

The shop assistant was speechless again. How was this customer more of an expert than he was? This was turning into a tough sale.

"How about taking a look at this greatsword, then?"

The shop assistant struggled to lift out a metal greatsword as tall as he was. If she really planned to explore a dungeon, a greatsword like this would be fairly practical.

At first, the shop assistant hadn't wanted to bring out a heavy weapon like this. He simply couldn't picture the silver-haired beauty in front of him wielding one to cut down monsters.

But after talking with her, he realized she'd clearly come prepared. None of the usual flashy weapons would satisfy her, so he had no choice but to bring out a practical heavy weapon.

"Now you're thinking along the right lines..."

Looking at the greatsword the shop assistant had brought out, Bai Ye slowly nodded.

But before the shop assistant could get excited, her next words nearly made him collapse on the spot.

"But I don't like greatswords. Show me something else."

"..."

The shop assistant fought to keep the corner of his mouth from twitching as he asked Bai Ye,

"C-customer, what kind of weapon are you looking for, exactly? Could you be a little more specific?"

"Hmm... let me think..."

Bai Ye thought for a moment, then slowly uttered the words that nearly pushed the shop assistant to the brink of despair.

"Do you have a cavalry lance?"