Kiana's Phone Call

"Mmm, it's delicious."

Hearing Dong Moxuan's slightly intimate words, Mei lowered her head, feeling a little unaccustomed to it.

Sensing the sweet taste blooming in her mouth, Mei felt her eyes sting slightly.

Of course, it wasn't because she was moved to tears by the deliciousness of the dish, but because in this cold, desolate house, she was experiencing the feeling of "home" for the first time.

Even if this feeling was extremely subtle.

"Eat more if you like it."

Dong Moxuan naturally didn't know Mei's thoughts. After hearing her reply, he said with a smile.

Although Dong Moxuan was not good at dealing with girls, he was skilled at taking care of children.

After all, he was from the same generation as Raiden Ryoma, and Mei, at this moment, was no different from a child who needed care in his eyes.

"Mhm,"

Nodding lightly, Mei curiously asked, "Hey, Mr. Dong Moxuan, are all men from Divine Land as good at cooking as you are?"

Mei was surprised by Dong Moxuan's cooking skills, but also felt a bit frustrated.

After all, as a proper young lady, she was naturally proficient in all domestic skills, including cooking.

But today, her culinary skills were outdone by a man, which was bound to make her feel frustrated.

"I guess I'm an exception. I'm not good at much (a death warrior), except for having a basic understanding of cooking."

Dong Moxuan denied Mei's question.

Then he looked at Mei and said enthusiastically, "If you want to learn, Mei, I can teach you!"

Girl, I see you have great potential. Why don't you learn cooking from me!

"Eh, c-can I?"

Mei, who was jokingly called the "Herrscher of Food" by the Captains, was clearly tempted by Dong Moxuan's offer.

"Of course. After all, I've been troubling you so much, Mei-chan. It's just cooking. If you want to learn, there's no reason for me to refuse."

Although Dong Moxuan had been transmigrated for some time and had long passed the "Dragon King Harem" phase of "within a hundred miles, no sow is left behind."

However, this was an opportunity to increase Mei's favorability, so there was no reason to refuse.

It was just cooking skills, after all, not something earth-shattering.

"Mmm... Then I'll have to ask for your guidance, Mr. Dong Moxuan!"

Faced with Dong Moxuan's offer, Mei hesitated for a moment before finally agreeing with a slight blush on her face.

Seeing this, Dong Moxuan smiled gently and lowered his head to enjoy the rest of the dinner.

Mei also lowered her head and remained silent when Dong Moxuan stopped talking.

However, compared to yesterday, the atmosphere between them today was much warmer, as if they truly had the warmth of family.

The next day, Mei still went to school early. However, just like yesterday, she left behind breakfast, lunch money, and... today's pocket money.

Tucking the bills with Fukuzawa Yukichi on the table into his pocket, Dong Moxuan felt an even stronger sense of being kept by a sugar mama.

Mei didn't forget her bento today, so Dong Moxuan was very free.

After all, he had come to Changkong City to wait for the Honkai event a month later, and there wasn't much room for maneuver within that month.

Dong Moxuan had initially thought he could have a good rest today, but a phone call interrupted his plans.

"Moshi moshi, is this Porn轩?"

"Sorry, miss, there's no one named Xuan here."

Hearing the familiar girlish voice on the phone, Dong Moxuan expressionlessly voiced his protest.

Unfortunately, Kiana didn't seem to care about Dong Moxuan's protest.

"Pervert Xuan, are you free today?"

"I'm quite free all day today. What's up?"

Dong Moxuan answered subconsciously when he heard Kiana's question.

But as soon as he answered, he regretted it. Kiana's next words were exactly as he expected.

"I need to buy some furniture today. Since you're free, come and help me move it!"

"Eh?! Sorry, Miss Kiana, I misspoke just now. Actually, I'm quite busy all day today."

"After this, we'll call it even for what happened yesterday."

"Okay, Miss Kiana, where should we meet?"

The place Kiana mentioned was not far from Mei's home, so Dong Moxuan arrived in just over ten minutes.

Kiana was already waiting there, wearing the Senba Academy uniform, her arms crossed, her brows slightly furrowed, and her expression somewhat impatient.

"Porn轩, you took too long!"

Noticing Dong Moxuan's figure, Kiana immediately started complaining.

"I was already going as fast as I could, Miss Kiana!"

Walking up beside Kiana, Dong Moxuan reached out and scratched his head, looking a little helpless.

"By the way, Kiana, aren't you supposed to be in class today?"

"Class... you can just find an excuse to skip that!"

Hearing Dong Moxuan's question, Kiana waved her hand dismissively.

Unlike Mei, who possessed extraordinary power but still held common values for a young lady, Kiana, who had been fighting Honkai Beasts since childhood, had values that leaned more towards the existence of a Valkyrie.

For someone like Kiana, skipping a class at an ordinary girls' school was as simple as it sounded. After all, Senba Academy wasn't St. Freya Academy.

No, for this white-haired fluffball, even classes at St. Freya Academy probably wouldn't be impossible to skip.

However, this time, due to a certain troublesome Class Monitor, Kiana claimed to be skipping class, but she had actually taken leave.

Dong Moxuan, naturally, wouldn't overthink things. After hearing Kiana's words, he could only offer an awkward yet polite smile.

"Hey, Feng Xuan, do you know any shops in Changkong City that sell furniture that's both cheap and good?"

Walking down the street with Dong Moxuan, Kiana asked him.

"...Miss Kiana, furniture that is both cheap and good doesn't exist. Besides, I only recently came to Changkong City, so I'm not very familiar with the situation here."

"So useless..."

Kiana muttered softly.

Dong Moxuan: "..."

"Kiana, why do you suddenly need to buy furniture?"

"It's all because of that scammer landlord!"

As soon as Dong Moxuan brought up the topic, Kiana's expression immediately turned indignant.

"I knew it was too good to be true, renting a place with that location and size for such a low price. That furniture was just... And that bed, I'm really fed up with it..."

"..."

Watching Kiana beside him fall into a muttering fit, Dong Moxuan chuckled dryly and wiped the nonexistent sweat from his forehead, replying softly, "As expected, trying to get a bargain doesn't always work out..."