The Most Genius Chef of the Century

"Lia?"

Back at the Inn, Galan quickly went up the stairs and opened the door to his previous room.

When I returned, it was almost evening. The door was pushed open, the curtains fluttered in the wind, the sunlight lazily clung to the windowsill, and a gentle breeze blew in.

The first thing he saw was Lia, lying on his bed, fast asleep.

She had one hand under her head and the other hanging naturally from her lower abdomen. She was lying on her side, facing the door, seemingly asleep while waiting for Galan to return.

Still asleep?

Has she been staying in this room the whole time?

Unconsciously, a feeling of bitterness rose in Galan's heart.

The room I'm staying in is fairly nicely decorated, much better than the one I stayed in before, but there's nothing to entertain me like in real life. Hotels usually have a TV or something, though even if they do, almost no one ever turns it on.

There are no electronic devices like televisions for entertainment in this world, and the only activity Galan can think of in this room is looking out the window and observing the flow of people on the street—that's just too lonely.

Is loneliness an inescapable curse for long-lived beings? Galan lightened his steps and walked to the bedside, gently sitting on the stool where Lia had been sitting.

Anyway, there's still some time before mealtime, so there's no rush to wake her up. It's good to let her rest a little longer.

Moreover, opportunities to properly observe the other person's sleeping face like this are rare. In the past, it seemed that Lia was the one looking at him in these situations.

Thinking of this, Galan couldn't help but bend down and get closer to Lia's face.

It seems she also wants to experience this feeling; it doesn't seem too different from the future... Hmm, she's a bit chubby now?

Was the food really bad when you were with me?

He thought about it carefully and felt that it shouldn't be like this.

Lia always eats just as much as I do at meals; sometimes, compared to her, I feel like I have a tiny appetite.

Galan's gaze lingered on her cheeks, and as he looked, he couldn't help but feel a urge to pinch them.

Lia's completely unguarded sleeping posture is indeed quite adorable.

But he stopped himself halfway through reaching out.

Feeling that he was taking advantage of her vulnerability, he changed his approach and simply poked her lightly with his fingertip. His fingertip sank into her warm, soft skin. Her face was supple and her delicate skin was incredibly soft. Her golden hair cascaded like a golden waterfall, flowing freely through the folds of the sheets. If you got closer, you could smell the delicate fragrance emanating from her hair.

The taste was so familiar, and it made him feel incredibly nostalgic.

It's been such a long time!

After being poked by Galan, Lia let out two soft whimpers, seemingly startled awake.

Like a sleepy little animal, her eyebrows trembled slightly, and her eyelids were slightly tucked open. In her confused eyes, Galan's face was reflected.

"Hmm, you're awake?"

Galan smiled and gently stroked Lia's head.

When he first touched her body, Lia was still a little dazed. The strange touch on her head made her shift uncomfortably, and her elbows weakly lifted as she tried to push away Galan's hand on her head. But then she seemed to find comfort in being touched like that, so she stopped resisting.

1

... So slow.

"Um--I'm sorry, I was hoping you could sleep a little longer--"

In the end, I still woke Lia up.

She finally opened her eyes, recognized herself, and stared directly at Galan Xi, her tone seemingly carrying a hint of dissatisfaction, as if she were still a bit grumpy from waking up.

"Looks like we've really been waiting all this time." "It's already quite fast. I thought I wouldn't be back until tonight... Well, anyway, I made it in time to take you out for dinner."

With a slightly apologetic tone, Galan withdrew his hand and awkwardly scratched his face.

He still found it somewhat unbelievable that he had previously speculated about Lia.

If my thoughts are correct, then returning to the past seems to be something preordained.

Serie hadn't told me this before, probably because I hadn't told her about Lia's situation.

Without this crucial piece of the puzzle, the other party will inevitably be unable to make a definitive judgment.

But on his way back, he pondered the matter repeatedly and began to form his own understanding.

As a person living in the modern world, influenced by countless novels and comics, Galan has a certain understanding of the concept of cause and effect, which carries a sense of destiny.

His view was exactly the same as Serie's: if the future Lia who liked him was the "effect," then the Lia he had just met was the "cause."

What I need to do is perhaps to reconnect with this cause and effect that links the "past" and the "future".

Thinking about it this way, the [Return Magic] on that stone tablet might have served this purpose.

Perhaps after planting the seeds of the past, one will be able to return to the future and reap the fruits of those seeds—in other words, one will be able to travel back to the future.

When are we going to eat?

As if finally waking up from a sleepy state, the first thing Lia did after regaining consciousness was to eat, which made Galan both amused and exasperated.

"I'll listen to you," Galan said calmly, a hint of unnoticed doting in his eyes.

"Okay, let's go now?"

Lia seemed to be bored out of her mind staying in the Inn and had a strong desire to go out.

Because it was still early before lunchtime, the streets were still bustling with people when the two left the Inn.

The location of the shop was something Galan had asked Frog about before he left to discuss business; Garland had stopped him and asked him about it.

This guy had originally planned to finish quickly and come along, but when he heard Galan say that he was going to take Lia and the other person out for dinner...

He immediately changed his tune, saying, "Business is so busy, I'll definitely come next time."

He turned back halfway, gave a knowing, sly smile that said, "Brother, I understand you," and then patted his back with a heavy expression. He kept saying that matters of the heart are a long and arduous journey, requiring one to set one's sights on the mountains, to be down-to-earth, and to take things slowly and steadily.

In the end, he got tired of listening and was dismissed by Galan.

This guy just wanted to watch the drama unfold, so how could he possibly know about the strange situation between the two of them?

He pulled himself together, shook his head, and forced himself to stop thinking about Frog's smug face.

I looked up and examined the store in front of me.