Chapter 358

The sound of "Okay!" echoed throughout the cooking classroom, and the fifth-grade students began cooking according to Taiga's instructions.

"First, we need to confirm the intelligence! Whether it's combat, romance, or a dessert buffet, knowing your enemy and yourself is the key to victory! Hmm, let's confirm, this is a tomato, and that's a kitchen knife... By the way, is there only the two of us in our group?"

Chloe, holding a tomato in one hand and a cleaver in the other, asked Ivia.

"Because Miyu also took leave."

"... oh."

It's that guy. He's always seemed to have a really bad attitude towards Ivia. I initially thought he was chasing after her to bully her, but judging from that similar aura he had, it doesn't seem to be the same thing... Could it be that Caren was lying to me that day? That shouldn't be the case.

As Chloe pondered these thoughts, she subconsciously reached back and grabbed the cleaver, ready to chop at the tomato.

"You should put down the cleaver first."

"Huh? Why? Didn't you tell me to cut tomatoes?"

Chloe looked puzzled.

Ivia didn't say much about it, but quickly took the kitchen knife and demonstrated how to hold it normally. Chloe stared at his grip, her cheeks turning bright red.

"Actually, I was just too nervous just now, and it was an accident, just a tomato..."

I'll just accept that as it is.

Ivia didn't seem to care too much. "And the tomatoes need to be peeled first... not with a knife, but by soaking them in boiling water..."

It's obvious that Chloe, like Ilya, isn't much of a cook. Even the 'Tomato and Egg Stir-Fry' that she and Ivia made together was only edible, but that wasn't a big problem for Ivia, who's into "anything is good enough".

Chloe, however, didn't think so at all. Eating her Tomato and Egg Stir-Fry, she proudly boasted, "Hmm, it tastes pretty good, doesn't it?"

Then, while eating her Tomato and Egg Stir-Fry, she seized the opportunity and shoved the spoon into Ivia's mouth.

"How is it? How is it? It tastes good, right? And this is a special reward for your help."

Chloe's reward probably refers to an indirect kiss.

"Since you've helped quite well, please continue working with me next time."

"If you ask me to, it's not impossible."

Hearing Ivia's answer, Chloe stared at him suspiciously, recalling her experiences from last night until now, and asked with a hint of conjecture:

"You, do you actually enjoy people begging to you? Do you have that kind of inclination? Is it because you've been bullied so much that your values have reversed? Do you want to get revenge or something?"

"No, it's simply because your cooking skills are too unique."

Upon hearing this, Chloe's expression remained unchanged; she simply waved her hand dismissively.

"Strictly speaking, I'm the kind of person who's selfless and dedicated, so please don't look at me like that..."

But the more Chloe spoke, the more hesitant she became, then she looked away from Ivia's face and muttered to herself.

"Thinking about it now, being taken care of might not be so bad. Anyway, keep up the good work. If it's this frequent, I'll give you a high score. I'm always available, so doing it a few more times isn't a bad thing..."

Suddenly, Chloe remembered the scrambled Tomato and Egg Stir-Fry she had just eaten. The burnt eggs, with their overpowering, pungent smell, seemed to assault her nostrils. The sugar mixed in with the eggs spread slightly on her tongue, leaving only a barely edible taste.

The taste reminded Chloe of the desserts her mother used to make years ago, though of course the taste and variety were completely different; her mother's desserts were quite delicious.

A breeze blew by, and the sound of Leaf rustling came from outside the window. For some reason, Chloe wore a slightly forlorn expression.

"By the way, may I ask you a question, Ivia?"

What's the problem?

"I won't hide anything. You should know about the Magecraft World, right? Just like me."

"More or less."

"I... remember, Magecraft value family and disciples a lot."

This is no exaggeration.

Magecraft don't focus on people the most.

More than themselves and the world, they value tracing their Root, but this is not a goal that can be achieved in one generation. Therefore, Magecraft entrust their legacy to future generations. This is why Magecraft protect their relatives and disciples like family... but that kind of valuing is different from ordinary valuing.

In Chloe's mind, after learning about 'herself' and Caren's words, she had long regarded Ivia as one of those people 'abandoned by their family'.

"Sigh... actually, I'm quite free... I'm quite lonely, so how about I cook for you from now on... okay?"

Unexpectedly, she didn't ask any profound or romantic questions, nor did she continue the topic of Magecraft; she simply made this request.

Moreover, Chloe's voice contained elements different from her usual tone.

Slightly nervous, and with an attitude she couldn't hide like a cat, her expression was just like Ilya's after the Theater, but it seemed to contain another layer of meaning.

"Good."

This answer, given without hesitation, seemed to pierce the girl's heart instantly.

"Hahaha..."

Chloe smiled happily, then took Ivia's hand, let go, took a few steps towards the door, and turned around.

"I was just kidding!"

She was smiling so happily.

At 4:10 PM, the elementary school had already let out for about half an hour.

Unlike Ilya, Chloe did not help Ivia return the love letter. Instead of Ilya's subsequent sadness, Chloe understood that it was impossible for her to persuade Ivia to choose to flush it down the drain or burn it. Therefore, annoyed by the sight of it, she simply chose to leave the school.

Anyway, I'm living with Ivia now, so I don't need the time.

But actually, besides that, Chloe had another consideration --

That means taking advantage of this time to cook good dishes.

At first, she wanted to use Od to forge some money to buy groceries, but when she arrived at the market, she realized that she didn't need to spend any money at all. Just seeing her, the uncles and aunties at the market immediately asked:

"Isn't this Ilya? What brings you to buy groceries for Sella today? Wait, didn't Sella already come? She said Madam went home..."

Before Chloe could explain, the noisy aunties would begin to explain to themselves:

"Maybe it was lost by accident..."

"I knew it, but that was a few weeks ago."

"Never mind, Ilya, what do you like? Take it if you like, or do you want to get another set of what Sella just got?"

"Oh no, this..."

That's how it was; Chloe harvested vegetables without spending much money, which made her a little embarrassed.

Besides dishes, they also deliver breakfast, Coffee, and flowers!

That's wonderful.

The scenes she imagined in her dream were actually happening around Chloe, which she found incredible.

Of course, she understood that the 'Ilya' everyone was talking about wasn't herself, but another version of herself—the one accepted by her family and enjoying such warmth, completely different from her own self. Just like what she had said to Ivia before, 'Magecraft value family,' the kind of importance her parents placed on this Ilya was the kind of importance a real person would place on her, something that her 'dark' self could never experience.

Perhaps, in Ivia's eyes, she is also that 'Ilya'. If this were to be revealed one day—or rather, inevitably revealed—because she possesses that Class Card, what kind of expression would she show then?

For some reason, Chloe felt a tightness in her chest when she thought of this.

What is the greatest happiness for me?

She hoped that the warmth of her family, which had been taken away, could continue to exist, for as long as possible, ideally indefinitely. All she needed was for Ivia to avoid seeing her...

"I am... the real Ilya, so I must kill her as soon as possible."

The brown-skinned girl gripped the bag of vegetables tightly in her hand, as if it were a Twin Blades she habitually used.

As Chloe reached an intersection, she saw a puppy running happily. For some reason, she thought that if there was such a thing as a smile that could make people happy, it must be this puppy, after all, it was so obedient and cute.

Chloe, walking towards the park tent, touched her cheek, thinking that it wouldn't hurt to imitate it herself.

Of course, that would only work if, after cooking, Ivia genuinely said it was delicious or gave her a pleading look...

However, the moment Chloe opened the tent and saw what was inside, she was completely stunned.

The once spirited young woman froze, her expression turning as blank as a child whose long-desired toy had been snatched away.

Ilya, who should be resting at home, is currently lying inside sleeping.

Chapter 394 Why do you just watch, Irisviel?

Let's go back to the morning of that day.

37.2℃.

Sella looked at Ilya, who was slumped on the bed, unable to get up for a long time, with a worried expression.

Having prepared breakfast, she couldn't help but worry about Ilya, who hadn't come out of the house for a long time. So she went in to check on her and found Ilya lying on the bed with a pained expression.

Sella initially thought she had a fever based on her expression. Although the thermometer reading didn't indicate a cold, she assumed it was a low-grade fever.

"Hmm, it does seem like I have a slight fever..."

"Your health is the most important thing. Ilya, you don't need to go to school today. Just stay home and rest. I'll ask Taiga- Teacher for leave later."

"Hey, I don't have a cold."

Ilya pouted, "Sella, you spoil me too much."

"So what if you're spoiled? If something were to happen to you, Ilya, how could I face the Madam?"

"You're really making a mountain out of a molehill. It's nothing serious."

However, no matter what Ilya said, Sella's attitude was firm: she should stay home and rest quietly, and not go out unnecessarily.

"Sella really loves to meddle in other people's business."

Lying in bed, Ilya looked at the window, which was partially obscured by curtains, allowing only a sliver of light to pass through.

Outside the thick glass were the streets of Fuyuki, but the sky was overcast, a color she didn't particularly like.

Moreover, Ilya felt incredibly idle, doing nothing but collapsing into bed, which she found completely unacceptable. Adding to this, her unexpected unconsciousness last night prevented her from delivering today's items, making the girl even more bored and irritable.

"So bored, so very bored..."

The way she kept repeating those words and rolling around on the bed, compared to her previous state, made it seem as if her weakness was just an illusion.

"You really are a patient with boundless energy."

Perhaps because of what happened last night, Ruby's tone of voice is a little more normal now.

"Is the fever gone?"

"To be honest, I don't even have a fever..."

"That's good."

"It's awful, so boring, so incredibly boring..."

Ilya buried her face in the bed, her back to Ruby. "Bored people turn into useless people. Only when you're bound by things like studying and helping each other can you live like a human being. After all, no one is Perfection; you can't be good at everything."

"You're so young, yet you hold such a mature outlook on life. I think you need some ideological reform."

"No, that's not true at all. At least Ivia He agrees with my thoughts!"

"Ha?"

Hearing Ilya say this, Ruby thought about how Ivia usually acted and never expected that Ilya would discuss such a topic with her.

It shouldn't be about discussing what you like, what you're interested in, or what your life plans are with your sweetheart, or just chatting nonsense. Discussing such mundane topics at such a young age shows a complete lack of youthful passion!

But it's really hard to imagine Ivia being as passionate as Ilya; Miyu seems more likely...

On another note, if little Ilya could get her childhood friend Ivia to become more enthusiastic, wouldn't that be considered a form of cult? Wow, the contrast is quite striking! Just thinking about it makes me want to dress Ilya up in all sorts of outfits and put her to the test! From classic allure to pure, innocent, adorable, queenly, maid, gym uniform, sportswear, school uniform, dress, kimono... it seems like any type and style would suit Ilya perfectly! She's hundreds of times more Perfection than Auntie Rin!

"Ruby, are you thinking about something strange?"

Ilya gripped the bed sheet, staring suspiciously at the Ruby that was inexplicably swaying back and forth.

This was the first time she had ever seen Ruby so mesmerized, but it was enough to show how excited the Ruby was.

But Ruby still has a "secret weapon" to defeat Ilya, who has an expression that says "I have to say it".

"Speaking of which, I just went to see Ivia."

"... Huh?"