The Cook's Bento / Mom Mei (lol)

The two bickered their way into the changing room. After changing clothes, they started work.

A cashier's job was incredibly boring. All morning, they could only stand behind the counter taking orders and collecting money from customers.

Ishiu was almost glad Kiana was there with him. The two could chat, so it was not too boring. If he had to keep at it alone, he felt like he would not be able to take it.

They worked at McDonald's until noon, and only when their shift changed did Ishiu and Kiana finally relax.

After getting paid, the two ate at McDonald's. Once they finished, Kiana planned to look for her irresponsible dad, while Ishiu intended to wander around Changkong City. They hit it off immediately and simply decided to stick together.

Honestly, Ishiu felt pretty comfortable around Kiana. Although the girl seemed a little scatterbrained, she did not have the princess syndrome other girls had. If anything, she was more straightforward than most guys, and that was great.

It meant Ishiu could treat her like one of the boys without any problem at all.

Changkong City was not particularly large, but it was still a city, not somewhere Ishiu and Kiana could explore in a single afternoon.

Relying on their own two feet—the Route Eleven bus—they wandered around for half the day and only covered one district. Searching the entire city was still barely a drop in the ocean.

Along the way, Ishiu and Kiana talked about many things, and both gained a deeper understanding of each other's backgrounds. Still, what annoyed Ishiu was that the girl kept throwing her age around and showing off in front of him, thoroughly enjoying her role as the senior.

Time always passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, evening had arrived.

"Kiana, I'm heading to the convenience store for work next. What about you?" Ishiu asked, checking the time.

"Hmm... I don't know where I should go." Kiana scratched her head. "How about I work with you too? I don't have much money on me right now, and I'll probably be staying here for a while. I'll continue my journey after I save enough."

"You can work if you want, but my place probably isn't hiring anymore. You should find somewhere else yourself."

"I see. Fine, then." Kiana nodded. "We can meet up again tonight after work."

"?" Ishiu immediately looked at Kiana in confusion.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"No, do we really need to meet up tonight?" Ishiu spread his hands, clearly puzzled. "After work, shouldn't we find somewhere to sleep? What are we meeting for? Don't tell me you want to stay with me?"

"Why not?" To Ishiu's surprise, Kiana looked even more confused than he was. "Neither of us knows anyone here. It's better to have someone watching your back. Besides, you're only fourteen. What if something happens to you?"

Ishiu's mouth twitched. "Kiana, can we stop bringing up my age? And I'm not that weak, okay?!"

His age had always been a sore point for Ishiu. If possible, he wanted cute girls like these to call him big brother, not little brother Ishiu!

He was not little, damn it!

"Fine, then I'll put it another way." Kiana tilted her head and punched her palm, but what came out of her mouth was shocking. "Tonight, let's find an inn. It'll be much more convenient if the two of us stay together."

"...Huh?" Ishiu was completely dumbfounded.

"Come on, don't tell me you want to sleep in a park again? I definitely don't want to sleep in a park anymore. It was fine for one night, but it's way too cold now. If I weren't so healthy, I would've caught a cold last night." Kiana rambled on.

"No, you're a girl, and you want to stay with me?" Ishiu pointed at himself in disbelief.

"Yeah, what's wrong with that? Are you embarrassed?" Kiana's eyes curved as she smiled, lightly tapping Ishiu on the head. "You're just a kid, but you sure think a lot. Looks like Miss Kiana is just too charming~"

Ishiu's mouth twitched. Fine, he got it. Kiana simply did not see him as a man at all. Damn it!

To be fair, his face did look a little young, but he was not short!

He was at least a few centimeters taller than Kiana.

The Lunchbox of the Cooking Wife

Kiana was actually feeling a little nervous too. She was a girl, after all. If she said she was not embarrassed about staying with a boy, that would definitely be a lie.

But she really could not stand living alone anymore.

Ever since that lousy old man of hers had disappeared without warning, she had been searching everywhere for him. Along the way, she had fought Honkai Beasts, fought bad guys, and dealt with countless people.

But all of them had only been chance encounters, with no contact afterward.

Simply put, she was a little lonely.

She had grown tired of a world where she was always alone.

But last night, she had met Ishiu, a rather special boy.

In her eyes, he was handsome, but he looked awfully young. Yet the way he spoke and handled things did not seem young at all. In fact, he was much more mature than she was.

Later, through their conversation, she learned that he was an orphan and that his current situation was very similar to hers. She could not help but feel a little shaken.

Perhaps it was the sympathy of shared hardship that made her want to take better care of Ishiu. But after spending the day together, she discovered that rather than taking care of him, she had actually been the one receiving his care.

And so, after being lonely for so long, Miss Pufferfish became a little attached to that feeling.

Besides, though they had only known each other for one day, she had already considered Ishiu a friend. So she did not have so many reservations anymore.

"Alright, it's settled. Tonight, we'll meet at that same park first, then find somewhere to stay." Kiana was decisive by nature. Once she made up her mind, she would never hesitate. Without giving Ishiu a chance to speak, she turned and ran off, her twin braids rippling through the air in beautiful arcs.

"Oh, right. When I said stay together, I didn't mean we'd only get one room. Don't get any weird ideas, you little pervert."

"..."

You were the one who kept saying it!

Ishiu's mouth twitched wildly as he watched Kiana disappear into the distance in mere seconds. In the end, he could only sigh and head toward the convenience store.

What else could he say? It was not like he would be losing out, and having someone else to talk to did not seem like a bad thing.

Thinking that, he arrived at the convenience store.

After greeting the gorgeous married female manager, Ishiu changed into his cashier uniform and continued his working life.

When night fell, Raiden Mei arrived just as she had said she would yesterday. Unlike yesterday, she had a smile on her face today—not a forced one, but a smile from the bottom of her heart.

Raiden Mei's charm was beyond question. When she appeared at the convenience store, nearly every male customer turned to look at her.

Yet she only looked at Ishiu. The corners of her mouth lifted unconsciously as she raised a hand and greeted him gently.

"Ishiu, good evening."

"Good evening, Mei." Ishiu nodded in response.

The cashier beside him immediately stared at Ishiu as if he were looking at God.

What was going on? He had only been here for one day, so why was he already greeting the Queen of Raiden? And she had even greeted him first!

The cashier felt as if he had swallowed a whole kilogram of lemons. Sour—truly, painfully sour.

He had been the one to tell this kid about Raiden Mei yesterday, yet today the kid was already involved with the woman herself? Damn it! Could being handsome really let someone do whatever they wanted?

If Ishiu could have heard his thoughts, he would surely have smiled and replied, "Yes, being handsome really does let you do whatever you want."

"Ishiu, are you still working? Looks like I came too early." Raiden Mei raised a hand to smooth the hair beside her ear, tucking it behind it. Little did she know that such a small gesture looked unbearably adorable in the eyes of the men around her.

"It's fine. I get off in a few minutes."

"Alright, then I'll wait for you outside." With that, Raiden Mei smiled at Ishiu and turned to leave the convenience store.

"Hey! What's going on with you? Why did Raiden Mei come to see you? Did you know her before?" the cashier asked impatiently.

"Hmm... If I said she was my fiancée, would you believe me?" Ishiu thought for a moment before answering with a straight face.

"...Get lost!"

After changing back into his clothes and carefully putting his wages into his bag, Ishiu happily walked out of the convenience store.

Raiden Mei was standing beside the convenience store. Ishiu quickened his pace and soon reached her.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"It's alright. I came early." Miss Mei smiled and shook her head. Her voice was soft and gentle as she shyly rubbed her fingers together. "Actually, I came early because I wanted to see you sooner."

"..."

It had to be said, when a beautiful girl with such a great figure told you that she wanted to see you sooner, any normal man would find his heart racing.

Naturally, Ishiu was no exception.

But he was someone who had seen the world. Before this, there was his mother's mature beauty; after that, there were Seele and Bronya's cute innocence. His resistance to pretty girls was fairly high.

The two sat down on the same park bench from yesterday. Then Miss Mei took a box out of the bag she carried with her.

"Um, Ishiu, you haven't had dinner yet, right? Thank you for the bread yesterday. I made some lunchboxes today too. If you don't mind, please try some."

Raiden Mei looked at him expectantly. Naturally, Ishiu would not refuse her kindness. He reached out, accepted the lunchbox, and opened it.

The lunchbox was filled with food: Takoyaki, rolled omelet, tempura, and more. The aroma of the dishes mixed together, making Ishiu's eyes light up immediately.

Raiden Mei's cooking was unexpectedly good. Ishiu had assumed that a young lady like her would not be much of a cook, but the result was exactly the opposite.

Not only did the dishes smell amazing, they also looked beautiful. It was obvious Raiden Mei had carefully arranged them, making them incredibly appetizing at a glance.

"It looks great. Then I won't hold back." Ishiu licked his lips, picked up his chopsticks, and popped a Takoyaki into his mouth.

"How is it?" Raiden Mei hurriedly asked.

"It's super good!" Ishiu swallowed the Takoyaki after a few chews, then immediately gave Raiden Mei a thumbs-up. "Mei, I think you could open your own restaurant. It would definitely be packed."

"I'm not that good, Ishiu. You're exaggerating too much." Miss Mei humbly shook her head, though a smile still spread across her face despite herself.

Mother Mei (Laugh)

"It's not an exaggeration at all. I mean every word." Ishiu grinned.

Honestly, the cooking wife's—no, Raiden Mei's—lunchbox was truly delicious. Not only was it tasty, there was plenty of it. Ishiu did not hold back, eating until he was full and finishing every last bit of the piled-up food.

"Thanks, Mei. I'm full." Ishiu put down his chopsticks and patted his round belly in satisfaction. Right then, the McDonald's he had eaten at noon felt like nothing more than plain steamed buns and pickles. It could not compare to Raiden Mei's cooking at all.

"As long as you liked it." For a cooking wife, there was nothing happier than seeing someone finish all the food she had made. Raiden Mei's eyes curved as she pulled a faintly fragrant handkerchief from her pocket and gently wiped the corner of Ishiu's mouth.

"Uh..." Ishiu froze. He had not expected Raiden Mei to wipe his mouth for him. Was this treatment not a little too good?

"Ah... Sorry, I just did it without thinking..." Raiden Mei realized what she had done as well and quickly withdrew her hand in embarrassment. A faint blush quietly spread across her fair, pretty face.

She did not know why she was treating someone she had known for less than two days so well. But seeing him happily eat the food she had made made her heart feel warm, as though something had filled it.

She did not yet know what that feeling was called. Only much later did she understand that it was called maternal love.

After losing her father, family, and friends, Raiden Mei had managed to maintain her usual manner, but she had placed a lock around her heart—a lock that rejected friendship.

Yet Ishiu's appearance awakened a feeling she had never experienced before. Looking at this boy two years younger than her, who came from a poor family and had no choice but to work to survive, Raiden Mei's naturally caring personality was instantly pushed to its limit.

That was how things had reached this point.

After eating, the two continued chatting. Raiden Mei still had plenty to say. This time, she mainly talked about herself, such as amusing things at school and her experiences learning kendo.

Ishiu was not particularly good at conversation, but he was definitely a qualified listener. Raiden Mei felt that the more she spoke, the lighter the burden on her seemed to become.

If it had not already become completely dark, Raiden Mei probably would have wanted to keep talking.

"Phew... Ishiu, thank you for being willing to listen to me talk so much." Miss Mei lightly patted her slightly flushed cheeks and pursed her lips. "Um... tomorrow... can I come see you again tomorrow?"

"Sure. It's not like I have anything to do anyway." Ishiu nodded casually. He quite liked this gentle older girl, and more importantly, Raiden Mei was really beautiful!

"Mm, I'll make you a lunchbox tomorrow too." Raiden Mei smoothed the ends of her hair and asked with a smile, "Is there anything you don't eat, Ishiu?"

"Hmm... Foods I avoid? I don't think so. I can eat pretty much anything. I'm never picky." Ishiu scratched his head. He had been an orphan since childhood, so how could he afford to have so many preferences? Whatever he could eat, he ate.

"Alright. Then I'll be going first. We can stay in touch by phone." After saying goodbye, Raiden Mei waved to Ishiu and walked away with light steps.

After Raiden Mei left, Ishiu went to the park where he had arranged to meet Kiana.

"You're too slow!"

The moment he entered the park, the white-haired puffball who rushed over pinched his cheeks.

Kiana seemed to have been waiting for a while. Her cheeks were puffed up high like an inflated pufferfish, and her lips were slightly pursed. She looked very unhappy.

"You brat, weren't you supposed to get off work an hour ago? Why are you only getting here now?"

"I worked overtime for a while. Is that not allowed?" Ishiu could not be bothered to tell Kiana about Raiden Mei. It was not a big deal, and explaining it would be troublesome.

"Hmph, I'll let you off this time, but there better not be a next time. If you make a girl wait too long after setting a time, you'll end up alone for life." Kiana said indignantly.

"Yes, yes, Lady Kiana is right. This humble one knows he was wrong~" Ishiu obediently admitted fault. After all, this really was his mistake. He had enjoyed spending time with Miss Mei so much that he forgot about Kiana. Of course, he could not say that out loud.

"That's more like it." Seeing that Ishiu had a good attitude, Kiana's anger came quickly and faded just as quickly. She patted Ishiu on the head, then pulled him toward the park exit. "Alright, Miss Kiana can't wait to get out of this awful place. By the way, have you had dinner?"

"I have."