Fifteen days passed in the blink of an eye.
During that time, Fang Ye had gained one more task in addition to his regular physical training: every morning, the two Nakiri sisters would come early to drag him out to play.
[Congratulations, Host. Physical training completed. Strength +0.01, Charm +0.01.]
With the final round of training finished, Fang Ye's Strength officially broke through the 6 mark, putting him at the physical level of an ordinary fourteen-year-old boy.
"Little Fang Ye, today is the day of your and Erina's first-birthday grabbing ceremony, so don't be late.
"Ikaros, stop blocking me already and let me in. Being late isn't a good thing. Erina and the others have probably already arrived."
At the same time, Leonora Nakiri's urging voice came from outside the door.
She wanted to come in, but Ikaros was blocking the entrance, refusing to let her pass.
That was Fang Ye's order. To make himself seem more ordinary, whenever he trained, he had Ikaros stop visitors from entering.
Still, over the course of the year, aside from Leonora Nakiri, hardly anyone else had come by at all—so most of the people Ikaros ended up blocking were her.
Though Leonora did not understand it, she had gradually accepted this arrangement, simply assuming that beings brought out from the secret realms had their own behavioral rules.
"I'm ready, Aunt Leonora."
Using a tissue to wipe the sweat from his forehead, Fang Ye quickly changed into his shoes, adjusted his tone, and ran out in a childish little voice, stopping in front of Leonora.
"So you're finally done getting ready. Did you dress yourself and put on your shoes all by yourself? Amazing! Alice still needs me to help her with that. I'll have to think of a way to train her later."
Looking at the tiny bean-sized child appearing beside Ikaros, the urgency on Leonora's face vanished. Smiling, she bent down and picked Fang Ye up.
Seeing those open arms, Fang Ye did not resist. He obediently let himself be gathered into her embrace, then wriggled slightly until he found a comfortable position and leaned his head against her.
She was soft, generously built, and carried a faint fragrance. Resting against her felt extremely comfortable.
Behind them, Ikaros noticed the look of contentment on Fang Ye's face and fell into thought.
Then she raised a hand and compared the area in front of her own chest, and after determining that she, too, could make Fang Ye equally satisfied, she decided that from now on she would also carry him during outings.
As for the reason, of course it was to make Fang Ye happy. She was an angel-type robot created for the sole purpose of bringing joy to her master.
"We're here. There are quite a lot of people, so stay close to me and don't get separated. First I'll take you to the dressing room to change clothes. We had a little suit specially tailored just for you."
As they neared the venue, Leonora gently set Fang Ye down and lowered her head to instruct him seriously while reaching out to take his hand.
Ikaros followed closely behind, silently guarding Fang Ye's side in case anyone dangerous suddenly appeared and threatened his safety.
·
·
Time passed little by little.
The afternoon sunlight slanted into the reception hall. The floor was covered in bright red felt, and all kinds of objects had been laid out across it.
Wooden spatulas, wooden spoons, toy plastic kitchen knives, round wooden rolling pins, seasoning jars, and even a miniature iron wok—upon closer inspection, every last one of them was related to chefs and cooking.
Erina Nakiri had arrived long ago. Today she was dressed in a beautiful princess-style dress, and a crowd had gathered around her, showering her with flattery and praise.
As the eldest young lady of the Nakiri family and the possessor of the legendary God Tongue, no matter where she went, she was always the center of attention, like the moon surrounded by stars.
By contrast, Fang Ye's side looked rather bleak.
Aside from Ikaros standing with him, not a single guest passing by stopped for him.
The warmth and coldness of human relationships—how very realistic.
Still, this is fine. For someone with a sensitive identity like mine, the best way to grow up safely is not to attract attention.
Fang Ye naturally noticed all this, but he did not care.
If possible, he actually preferred not to stand out too much—at least not now. If danger came, his current body had no ability to resist.
"Brother Fang Ye."
Just as Fang Ye was starting to get bored and wondering what to do, a childish voice rang out. Turning his head, he saw Alice Nakiri's face.
At some point, she had come up behind him, smiling brightly at him now.
"Alice, you're here too."
"Mhm. Mommy said Brother Fang Ye would be here, so I came."
Alice replied in her soft baby voice.
Ever since the day Fang Ye had saved her, she had become his little shadow. It was just that Fang Ye did not seem to want her following him all the time, so she only got to see him for a few hours each day.
Even so, she was already very happy.
At that same moment—
a burst of exclamations rose from the direction where Erina was, drawing both their gazes over.
"Wow!"
"Miss Erina chose the wok ladle—what an incredible choice!"
"There's some meaning behind that?"
Hearing the exaggerated praise from the people nearby, one guest curiously asked.
"You don't understand? To hold the ladle is to take charge of the kitchen. By grasping that wok ladle, she's shown her ambition to command the kitchen.
"Miss Erina is the possessor of the God Tongue. From the moment she was born, she was destined to stand at the pinnacle of the gourmet world. For someone like her to show such ambition is a wonderful sign!"
"Devoted to cuisine, gifted in cooking—yes, it really does carry a very fine meaning."
"Lady Erina..."
The crowd bustled noisily, one admiring comment after another as everyone praised Erina Nakiri's choice.
And yet, as the undisputed star of the day, Erina herself looked utterly bewildered, her movements awkward and uncertain, not understanding in the slightest why the adults were so happy.
Her tiny little head was momentarily overloaded.
With that many objects laid out, every single one related to chefs, no matter what she picked it would've had something to do with cooking. What a classic interest-based group. It looks like they're praising Erina, but really they're talking to the other adults. They don't care in the least whether Erina herself can understand any of it.
Watching the scene, Fang Ye could not help complaining inwardly. There was no way a child this young could understand flattery. The fact that she was not already annoyed enough to want to leave was impressive in itself.
Though his mind spun with many thoughts, his face showed little change, still wearing the vague, innocent look of a child.
At the end of the day, this had nothing to do with him.
"Little Fang Ye, it's our turn."
Just then, Leonora Nakiri squeezed out from the crowd and called to him, then strode over and brought him forward.
Fang Ye did not say anything. Doing his best to act like an ordinary one-year-old, he let her lead him to the grabbing ceremony mat, where he reached down and picked up a kitchen knife from the red cloth.
But compared to Erina's lively reception earlier, Fang Ye's side was cold and quiet. Only a handful of people glanced over, and not one of them said a word.
Everyone was too busy flattering Erina Nakiri.
Yet although the girl stood at the center of the crowd, surrounded and adored like the moon among stars, she somehow looked terribly lonely.
She wanted to get out, but her body was too small and she had no strength. There was simply no way for her to squeeze through the wall of adults packed tightly around her.
"Ikaros."
After taking the kitchen knife and completing his part of the ceremony, Fang Ye should have simply left.
But seeing that scene before departing made his brows knit slightly.
He had not intended to meddle in something like this, but when he saw Erina looking like she was about to cry, he felt he ought to do something after all. So he called to Ikaros beside him.
"Bring Erina out. Use a gentler method, and be careful not to make too much of a scene. We'll meet in the little garden outside."
"Understood, Master."
Pointing toward Erina, who was trapped in the middle of the crowd, Fang Ye gave Ikaros the order, then went to Alice's side.
"Let's go play outside."
"Okay! I want to play hide-and-seek!"
Alice had already found it boring staying here. The moment she heard Fang Ye's suggestion, delight immediately lit up her face.
"Then let's play hide-and-seek."
As he spoke, Fang Ye took her little hand and led her away from the odd older ladies who had been trying to chat with her, heading for the garden outside.
What Fang Ye did not know, however, was this:
everything he had done had been seen by one particular person.
"Clear objective. Appears foolish, but is truly wise.
"He seems especially fond of the kitchen knife. He understands that the starting point of all cooking lies in mastering the fundamentals. Steady in temperament, reliable in character—he really is a fine seedling for the culinary path."
Seated in a chair was an elderly man sitting with his legs casually propped up, holding a half-eaten duck leg and gnawing on it in great mouthfuls. The way he looked at Fang Ye was full of scrutiny.
The people around him were baffled by his crude appearance and behavior. Some even went to ask security whether he was some random loafer who had slipped in.
But the answer they received was:
This gentleman was an honored guest personally invited by Senzaemon Nakiri, the Demon of Food himself.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 120)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 100)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 100)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter89)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter86)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter63)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter75)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 53
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 57
From Junkman to Wasteland 35
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 26
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 27
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 26
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 26
My patreon : patreon.com/queen_sin