Lin Chuchu's smile froze on her face, and her mind went blank.
Just then, Bai Chen began to transform.
After all, he currently looked like a black bodysuit wrapped around Lin Luoluo.
This was his first proper meeting with Xiao Luoluo's younger sister, after all! He had to make a good impression!
He had two forms he could switch between.
One was his true form as the Devouring Demon God. As for its appearance... it really was somewhat indescribable. If he showed it, any child who saw it would probably wet the bed that night.
That form was clearly unsuitable for greeting his little sister-in-law.
So Bai Chen decisively chose his Slime form. Whatever else one might say, a Slime's cute appearance was quite popular with girls.
Though he was pure black, it should be much the same, right?
Bai Chen stopped clinging so tightly to Lin Luoluo's body, leaving only his two thickest tentacles extending from her back to the floor to hold her steady.
Then the black substance that had been attached to the girl's waist and legs began to gather upward, peeling away from her legs.
It flowed past her waist and finally gathered behind Lin Luoluo into a huge, round black ball.
Though Bai Chen had no facial features, he made two pitch-black hollows in his round body to serve as eyes, expressing his goodwill.
Immediately afterward, he formed an even larger hollow beneath the eyes, pulling his body tissue apart to either side in a wide grin.
Once he had done all that, he rocked his body from side to side and waved his two supporting tentacles along with it.
Hi! Hello there, little sister-in-law!
Then he saw...
After Lin Chuchu saw his "kind smile" clearly, her already sickly pale face instantly lost all color, turning as white as a sheet of paper.
Her big, beautiful eyes were full of terror.
"Ah!!! There's a Devil Creature!!!"
A scream so shrill it nearly pierced his eardrums suddenly exploded through the tiny room!
"Sis! Sis, there's a huge, black, ugly Devil Creature behind you!"
"Y-you... has it got you tangled up? Sis, don't be scared! Don't be scared! I... I'll save you right now!"
Lin Chuchu's legs went weak with fright, and she collapsed onto the floor.
But just one second later, her urge to protect her sister overcame all her fear.
Looking at her sister, who was being "held hostage" by the "black monster" with two tentacles, she forced herself up and grabbed a broom that had been used for years from the corner.
"I'll fight you! Let go of my sister!"
Though Lin Chuchu's legs were trembling violently with fear, she still put on a fearless, ready-to-die expression and charged at Bai Chen, who was wrapped around Lin Luoluo.
Lin Luoluo was startled by her sister's sudden reaction.
Only then did she realize that, to an ordinary person who knew nothing about him, Bai Chen's current form... really was a little frightening.
Especially in this dim room, which was already short on light, a writhing, pitch-black unknown object that could even extend tentacles would make anyone immediately think of the most terrifying and evil Devil Creatures.
"Chuchu, don't!"
Seeing that the broom was about to strike Bai Chen's body, Lin Luoluo cried out in alarm.
She instinctively tried to shield him with her own body, but Bai Chen reacted much faster than she did.
A long, slender black shape shot out from Lin Luoluo's waist like lightning.
Bai Chen's tentacle wrapped around Lin Chuchu's slender wrist.
The next second, the broom flew from Lin Chuchu's hand.
Almost at the same time, another of Bai Chen's tentacles caught the broom steadily in midair, then gently returned it to its original spot in the corner.
The whole process was unbelievably fast.
"Chuchu, don't be scared, don't be scared!"
Having recovered from her surprise, Lin Luoluo hurriedly spoke to reassure her.
"Xiao Bai won't hurt you. He's the Contract Spirit I just made a contract with today! His name is Xiao Bai!"
As Lin Luoluo finished speaking, the tentacle wrapped around Lin Chuchu's wrist quickly released her and retracted.
Lin Chuchu blinked her big, beautiful eyes, then stared at the evil giant black balloon behind her sister with eyes even wider than before.
"C-Contract Spirit?"
A minute later.
The sisters sat side by side on the edge of the narrow single bed in the room.
Lin Chuchu's face was bright red. So embarrassed she nearly buried her head in her chest, she held her hands nervously in front of her, unconsciously poking her index fingers together like a child who had done something wrong.
"Sis... I'm sorry..."
She apologized in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, then couldn't help pouting. She stole a glance at Bai Chen, who had spread himself out in a puddle on the floor, and muttered softly,
"But... Sis, how did you end up making a contract with such an... ugly Contract Spirit? He's all black and sticky, and he looks so evil!"
"Plop..."
When Bai Chen, who was lying on the floor, heard the words "ugly" and "evil," his entire body slumped even more limply against the floor, flattening into a black pancake.
He was devastated.
Ugly?
Am I ugly?
What's ugly about my smooth texture and kind smile?!
I might not be particularly handsome... but surely I'm not so bad that she'd be scared like that...
Bai Chen felt terribly wronged.
Forget it, forget it... I won't hold it against a little girl...
He kept consoling himself inwardly.
Looks like the cute approach is a complete dead end! From now on, I'll focus on being fierce and domineering! What use is being cute in a fight, anyway?!
Which of those powerful, high-level Devil Creatures or those evil gods whose very names strike terror into people's hearts relies on being cute?! Power and majesty are the true path!
It's definitely not because he simply couldn't pull off being cute... definitely not!
Just as Bai Chen was giving up on himself, a clear, firm voice rang out.
"Xiao Bai isn't ugly at all!"
Lin Luoluo straightened her back slightly and defended her Contract Spirit with a serious expression.
"He's very cute! Look how round he is. Isn't he adorable?"
Beauty was in the eye of the beholder. To Lin Luoluo, Bai Chen's current form was like a giant black jelly, with a peculiar sort of cuteness.
Bai Chen's whole body trembled when he heard Lin Luoluo's words as he lay slumped on the floor.
Is this... what it feels like to be accepted?
Bai Chen was deeply moved!
Though Lin Chuchu had spoken of him with disdain, her eyes were now full of curiosity.
She cautiously moved a little closer, studying Bai Chen, who was spread across the floor, like a curious kitten.
After confirming that the black blob really wasn't aggressive, she grew bolder.
The girl extended a fair, slender finger and tentatively poked one of Bai Chen's tentacles.
"Huh?"
A peculiar sensation came through her fingertip. It was soft and cool, like poking a piece of the finest jelly. Her finger sank right in, yet it had a hint of springiness.
Lin Chuchu's eyes lit up.
"Wow, it's so soft!"
She poked him again. It felt peculiar.
At that moment, Bai Chen felt as though Lin Chuchu were treating him like a pet or a toy.
But since Lin Luoluo's younger sister was a little beauty too, letting her poke him a couple of times was no loss.
Lin Chuchu grew playful and poked him with even more enthusiasm.
Just as she was enjoying herself, a tiny tentacle suddenly separated from his main body and, before she could react, lightly poked the soft flesh at her waist.
"Ah!"
The tickle made Lin Chuchu's whole body shudder. She cried out and jumped up, then burst into laughter like ringing silver bells.
"Giggle... that tickles! Sis, he's bullying me!"
Though she complained, her hands didn't stop. Instead, she reached out with both of them and began scratching at Bai Chen's "body."
Not to be outdone, Bai Chen sent out more tiny tentacles, attacking the girl's ticklish spots again and again.
For a time, the tiny room was filled with Lin Chuchu's giggles and pleas for mercy.
Watching her sister and Xiao Bai hit it off so quickly, Lin Luoluo smiled from the bottom of her heart, her heart as sweet as if it had been filled with honey.
She had been worried that Chuchu might be afraid of Xiao Bai's appearance.
Or that, like the people outside, she would look at Xiao Bai's origins in a strange light.
Now it seemed she had worried too much.
Though Chuchu was in poor health, her heart was as pure as crystal, and she could sense that Xiao Bai meant no harm.
"All right, all right, stop playing around. It's time for me to cook." Lin Luoluo smiled as she stopped the two who were still horsing around.
"Xiao Bai, take me over to the stove."
"Sure thing." Bai Chen answered, stopped playing with Lin Chuchu, and controlled his tentacles to "walk" Lin Luoluo steadily over to the stove.
In the past, cooking had been troublesome for Lin Luoluo. She had needed her sister to laboriously lift her from her wheelchair onto a specially made high stool, a process that was both inconvenient and unsafe.
But now, everything was different.
Bai Chen precisely adjusted the height of his support to suit Lin Luoluo's stature.
Several thick tentacles spread across the floor and gripped it firmly like tree roots, forming a stable base.
Several other flexible tentacles supported her little bottom, allowing her to sit comfortably on them with both hands completely free.
"Is this height okay?" Bai Chen asked in Lin Luoluo's mind.
"Mm! It's just right! Xiao Bai, you're amazing!"
Lin Luoluo was pleasantly surprised to discover that she could even move a little to either side now. It was far more convenient than sitting on a stool as she had before.
In a cheerful mood, she began preparing dinner.
She rinsed the rice, washed the vegetables, and chopped them.
Her movements were quick and tidy. Clearly, she did housework often. A potato in her hands soon became evenly cut shreds.
She also sliced the small piece of pork belly into pieces of uniform thickness.
Bai Chen watched from the side.
He could smell the faint, fresh fragrance of the ingredients and see the look of concentration on the girl's face.
Soon, Lin Luoluo turned on the old gas stove and poured a little oil into the soot-blackened iron wok.
Once the oil was hot, the meat went in with a sizzle, and a rich, meaty aroma instantly burst through the tiny room.
The powerful aroma made Lin Chuchu, who was still curiously observing Bai Chen nearby, take a deep sniff. A faint gulp sounded from her throat.
Lin Luoluo skillfully stir-fried the meat and added seasonings. Soon, a fragrant plate of red-braised pork came out of the wok.
Next came stir-fried cabbage and stir-fried shredded potatoes.
Though the only seasonings were basic salt and soy sauce, Lin Luoluo's skillful hands still made the dishes wonderfully fragrant.
Before long, three dishes—one meat and two vegetable—were brought to the little folding table.
In Bai Chen's opinion, the dishes were actually very ordinary. Whether it was the cooking or the seasoning, the lack of ingredients made them seem monotonous, and their appearance really wasn't much to look at either.
But he knew that, for the sisters, this was already an incredibly lavish feast.
His heart ached a little.
It was clear that, to save money, the two of them usually had only one vegetable dish per meal. Sometimes they couldn't even bear to use oil for the vegetables and simply boiled them in water.
Bai Chen could tell from the oil bottle, which had barely been touched.
Today, Lin Luoluo had only brought out her treasured meat as an extravagance to welcome him as a new member of the family.
As soon as the table was set, Lin Chuchu came over. Her big eyes were fixed on the plate of sauce-red braised pork, and she sniffed hard.
"Wow, it's red-braised pork! And stir-fried cabbage and shredded potatoes too!"
She let out a blissful exclamation, then almost instinctively grabbed her chopsticks and reached for the biggest, fattiest slice of meat like lightning.
"Smack!"
A hand landed on the back of hers just in time.
It was Lin Luoluo.
"What's the hurry?" Lin Luoluo pouted and deliberately put on a stern face, assuming the authority of an older sister. "Xiao Bai is a new member of our family today. We have to let him eat first!"
Of course she knew how badly her sister was craving the food, and seeing her sister's pitiful expression made her heart ache too.
But rules were rules. Xiao Bai's arrival meant a great deal to them, and they would be relying entirely on him for tomorrow's Contract Spirit Master qualification assessment. They had to give him the best treatment today!
"Oh, okay..." Lin Chuchu withdrew her hand, looking aggrieved, and began poking her fingers together again.
But she showed no dissatisfaction. Instead, she obediently sat up straight, propped her chin in her hands, and gazed eagerly at her sister with big, watery eyes, waiting for the black fellow to finish eating.
Watching this scene, a warmth unlike anything Bai Chen had ever experienced spread through his entire body.
Is this... what it feels like to have a family?
In the Monster Forest, where danger lurked everywhere, the only law was that the strong preyed on the weak. He had never felt this kind of care and warmth given without thought of reward.
If he had eyes, they would probably have grown moist by now.
He suppressed his emotions and said to Lin Luoluo through his consciousness, "Luoluo, I don't need to eat."
"You and Chuchu go ahead. Eat more—look how thin you both are."
Bai Chen was indeed telling the truth.
As the Devouring Demon God, he could devour all the energy in heaven and earth.
Even if he was injured, he could slowly recover as long as he hid somewhere without light.
That was also how he had been able to go from a weak shadowy mass to ruling that area full of Slimes, one step at a time.
As for this kind of human food, it meant nothing to him. The two girls might as well eat it to build up their strength.
"R-really?"
Lin Luoluo was a little skeptical. She thought Bai Chen was just being polite and wanted to save the good food for her and her sister.
Bai Chen couldn't be bothered to explain any further.
The next second, a slender tentacle extended from his main body. Its tip curled deftly around a spoon set at the edge of the table.
Then it scooped up a large chunk of red-braised pork from the bowl and rolled it around in the bowl of rice, picking up a few grains.
Then, under Lin Luoluo's astonished gaze, the tentacle reached straight to her mouth.
It precisely stuffed the piece of meat, rice and all, straight into her mouth.
"Mmph...!"
Lin Luoluo's mouth was stuffed full, both cheeks bulging like a hamster that had been fed nuts.
Her eyes widened, and she protested indistinctly, but the rich aroma of meat and the sweet fragrance of rice mingled in her mouth, leaving her mind completely blank.