Chapter 81

P. S.: Please forgive me.

Chapter 100 When a Woman is Most Beautiful

People sometimes ask a question.

A woman is most beautiful when she is alive.

This is not a particularly easy question to answer; everyone probably has a different answer in their mind. It could be at the first meeting, after some time has passed, or even when they are completely honest with each other.

Therefore, there may not be a particularly standard answer to this question.

But if you insist on giving an answer to this question...

That might be a phrase you've definitely heard before.

A woman is most beautiful when she's cooking!

Yes, when I'm cooking for you.

This most beautiful moment represents not just a meal, but also the formal formation of a family and the beginning of a warm and loving period.

Home is a man's haven.

Why a harbor?

Because there is a woman here.

Having lost his wife early, Raiden Ryoma felt he had become accustomed to eating out and had long forgotten that he had a wife waiting for him at home.

I also feel like I've forgotten what my wife looks like when she cooks.

Forgetting how your wife cooks is also forgetting your home.

Although there is another child in this family.

But this home is no longer complete; it seems to have lost its meaning of being remembered, and even more so, its meaning of returning.

Raiden Ryoma didn't know how long he had lived like this.

From the day his wife passed away, he devoted most of his energy to his work and teaching Mei. Fortunately, Mei was very talented in swordsmanship and learned very quickly.

This put Raiden Ryoma at ease, at least his wife had left him with an excellent child.

After Mei started school, Raiden Ryoma focused more of his energy on his work.

Even today.

Raiden Ryoma looked at the woman who looked almost exactly like his deceased wife.

There was a small stove in the lab where she could cook some dishes herself. Watching her cook, Raiden Ryoma suddenly felt a sense of returning to the past.

It was like going back to the days when his wife was still alive.

Although she was clumsy, she still tried her best to prepare a meal for the family.

She also seemed a bit clumsy.

Although...

Raiden Ryoma shook his head. No... this is impossible... she clearly already... this can't be right?!

He looked at the woman who looked exactly like his deceased wife.

She clumsily prepared a simple meal, brought it to me, and placed two bottles of wine in front of me. She looked at me with a hint of expectation in her eyes.

"Have a bite," MEI said, holding up her little notebook. "And give me some feedback."

'This Raiden Ryoma probably eats his wife's food all the time,' Mei thought to herself. 'Theoretically speaking, if I can fool this guy, I should be able to fool Mei, right?'

Yes, theoretically speaking, that's how it is.

Basically, once you've got Raiden Ryoma sorted out, Mei shouldn't have any major problems.

Can...

'The Feast at Hongmen, the Last Supper, the last meal before beheading...' Raiden Ryoma looked at the three small dishes in front of him and suddenly had this strange thought.

All the bizarre things I'm encountering now are inextricably linked to this strange woman.

I'm actually sitting here eating the food she made.

Do I feel like I've lived too long?

"Hiss... this..." Raiden Ryoma gasped, the ominous feeling growing stronger and stronger!

I will die, I'm very likely to die!

After finishing this meal, I'll be practically one foot in my grave.

What should I do? Waiting for an answer online.

Extremely anxious!

"Don't you want to eat?" Mei was getting a little anxious. Did she think she would be exposed if she didn't eat? Had all her hard work and research over the past few days been for nothing?

MEI felt a little sad, after all, all the hard work she put in was eliminated in the first round.

Nobody would be happy about that.

"No! It's just..."

Looking at the saddened Mei, Raiden Ryoma suddenly felt as if he had returned to that time. Back when he had just started a family.

She was clumsily preparing breakfast for herself.

Once the bread is flipped over, it will blend seamlessly with the bottom of the pan.

Then you look forward to eating her Dark Cuisine, and if you don't, you'll cry in front of her.

Back then, mealtimes were considered the time of day for torture, and the only antidote was love.

She no longer makes Dark Cuisine...

She?!

Raiden Ryoma suddenly woke up, and he suddenly realized that he seemed to be mistaking her for her!

No, she's not her!

But...

"I'm just not very hungry," Raiden Ryoma said. "I just..."

"It's okay." MEI suddenly understood and said, "It's alright, I don't need you to finish it. Just taste it, take a bite of each dish, and give some objective feedback."

"I don't drink," Raiden Ryoma added. "Keeping a clear head is..."

"It's alright," MEI said. "You don't need to finish them; these two bottles of wine are a little different."

"The alcohol content is very low; it's just a small taste."

Mei adjusted his glasses and said, "You can think of this as wine tasting. I don't need you to get drunk. I just need you to give me some advice after you've had your wine."

"Wine tasting?" Raiden Ryoma felt like he had found another reason to refuse, and said, "I'm really sorry about that."

"I don't drink alcohol, nor do I know how to appreciate wine."

"No professional sommelier is needed," MEI said. "Because these two wines are very special."

"In short, you should be able to tell by drinking it."

One bottle is mine, and the other is Mei's.

It's good if you can taste the difference, but it's even better if you can't!

Raiden Ryoma felt like he had no way out...

Is it necessary to eat it?

Looking at Mei, it seemed like she wouldn't be able to leave the lab today if she didn't eat. No matter what excuse she gave for not eating, Mei could always find a reason to refute it.

Raiden Ryoma looked at the meal in front of him, which exuded various ominous auras.

He picked up his chopsticks.

Carefully lift a chopstick.

With no other option, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and take a bite...

It's just a taste; tasting doesn't count as eating, right?

He lifted a Tianluo Fu and put it in his mouth.

This...

This feeling?!

Could it be...?

Raiden Ryoma looked at the dishes in front of him.

Very ordinary snacks: Tianluo Fu, three-color dumplings, and Japanese hamburger patties. The taste was just average, nothing particularly amazing.

It's very ordinary, just a meal made by a housewife.

It's very ordinary, yet it carries a strong sense of warmth.

This is a feeling of home, a feeling from my memories.

Looking at the woman in front of him, Raiden Ryoma really... really felt like he had returned to those days, those most heartwarming days.

He watched as the woman in front of him poured him two glasses of wine.

It's probably worth it.

Even if hell lies ahead, he can still face it with a smile.

"Very good." Raiden Ryoma picked up his wine glass and said, "It's delicious, quite satisfying..."

"Ba~ba ba ba~ba~ba ba~ba ba ba~"

Just then, Raiden Ryoma's phone rang.

"Excuse me, I need to take this call." Raiden Ryoma sheepishly pulled his phone out of his pocket and said, "Hello, this is Raiden Ryoma..."

MEI didn't quite catch what Raiden Ryoma was saying on the phone; it wasn't her concern. She only caught a glimpse of something about 'business,' like needing to carry something and having him choose music and clothing.

There's no need to care; that's someone else's business. She just needs to know how well she prepared the meal.

We can't check the surveillance footage yet, but it doesn't seem like it would be of much use anyway.

The surveillance cameras here can only detect subtle changes in a person's expression and eyes, so MEI couldn't know some of Raiden Ryoma's reactions while she was cooking.

But judging from that last bite, I think I've succeeded quite a bit.

It's hard to say exactly how much was successful, but it should have been a significant success.

All that's left is to enjoy a couple of sips of wine.

Raiden Ryoma went out, but quickly hung up the phone.

It was still about business from Africa, Raiden Ryoma couldn't understand how those people had gotten his phone number. That African guy really managed to find it.

"Carrying coffins..." Raiden Ryoma looked at the number with disgust and immediately blocked it, saying, "I don't need this kind of service."

It's really infuriating.

Raiden Ryoma put away his phone and planned to return to the lab.

To be honest, he doesn't know where he'd go if he didn't go back to the lab.

"Eh? Aren't you Raiden, the president of ME Company?"

Just then, Raiden Ryoma suddenly heard a young master's voice, a voice he recognized somewhat. The Schicksal Circle and the Anti-Entropy Circle weren't actually as large as he'd imagined.

It's a relatively small circle.

It's normal to know a group of people.

For example, Raiden Ryoma knows this person.

"Siegfried?" Raiden Ryoma said without surprise, "I didn't expect to run into you here."

He knew about Siegfried; it was said that he had retired after Cecilia's death. He hadn't been active for a long time, so running into him here was truly a rare occurrence.