Cook's Troubles

"Anyway, that's the situation. Class President, please help me keep an eye on Kiana."

Raiden Mei twisted her slender white fingers shyly, her moist lips slightly pursed, and her eyes darting away, clearly indicating that making such a request was a great burden on her heart.

After making these remarks, she looked sincerely at the girl in front of her.

If we ignore all sorts of factors, this statement sounds like an immature parent asking a teacher for help for their child.

Of course, the actual situation is not much different.

Fu Hua sighed and rubbed her forehead. Looking at Mei, who was sitting upright before her, she said:

"Mei, while I can understand your reason for seeking my help because Kiana's written grades are unsatisfactory, I remember that your grades are good enough to tutor her."

"I don't think I need to supervise her studies."

Raiden Mei let out a sigh filled with complex emotions:

"Kiana is really too irresponsible. If I don't pay attention to her at night, she'll get distracted and slack off, and she can't concentrate on her studies at all."

"Bronya is the same; although she's usually very well-behaved and has excellent grades, her daily routine is completely irregular."

"It's become commonplace for her to sit in front of the computer playing games in the middle of the night without turning on the lights. And even after I've seriously told her that staying up late is bad for her eyes and will stunt her growth, she'll still pitifully tug at my clothes, tilt her head up, and say she won't do it again."

Fu Hua already understood the ending, and she continued:

"So you forgave her?"

Raiden Mei's nagging, motherly mode was broken, and she said somewhat embarrassedly:

"Because she looked so adorable, it was impossible not to forgive her."

Fu Hua found it somewhat amusing; for these three children, Raiden Mei in front of them was perhaps the strongest bond.

This girl has an innate doting and gentle nature towards the two of them, which is both a good thing and a bad thing.

The good thing is that the bond between them is almost unbreakable; the bad thing is the current problem.

She said:

"So since you've come to me, the result is already quite obvious."

"Bronya will probably still be playing games late at night."

Raiden Mei nodded in distress and said:

"When I mentioned this to that child last time, she said that although being short and having poor eyesight were major obstacles, she absolutely couldn't let her comrades down in the crucial guild battles."

Recalling the fire and determination burning in that little girl's eyes, it was like a scene from a shonen manga protagonist, leaving Mei speechless.

The other person spoke with extraordinary certainty about winning or losing, as if their presence alone guaranteed defeat—they were practically invincible in this field.

In fact, in the MMORPG game Honkai Divine Realm 3rd, the character Bronya controls, [Metal Gear Bulangya], is the king who rules the entire game.

She overcame all obstacles and easily dominated the game without spending a single penny, making her the ultimate free-to-play player who crushed all the paying players.

In the world of free-to-play games, [Metal Gear Bulangya] is undoubtedly a hero, having left behind legends of dominating without spending any money in various games.

Raiden Mei and Fu Hua were naturally unaware of these things, and from a parental perspective, the two might later become a major obstacle on the path to the legend of [Metal Gear Bulangya].

Whether Bronya can overcome the obstacles and defeat the formidable enemy of reality to reach the more distant horizon is something we will not discuss here.

Fu Hua became somewhat interested in the guild wars Mei mentioned; like Bronya, she was also a hidden veteran gamer.

Although he is not addicted to it, and his perspective on enjoying games is completely different from that of ordinary people, his identity as a veteran gamer cannot be hidden.

Guild wars are undoubtedly an interesting part of the game, involving interpersonal relationships, game skills, character development, and certain strategies, all of which offer a lot of fun to explore. Fu Hua once single-handedly crushed the opposing guild by defeating a hundred of them.

For all these reasons, she could understand Bronya's words to some extent.

However, given her current position, she is not allowed to explain the issue of guild battles to Mei. After all, when parents bring their children to the teacher because they are so engrossed in Honkai Impact 3rd that they have no interest in studying, the teacher cannot seriously explain to the parents the hard work of grinding in the Abyss and striving for high scores.

That's way too sloppy.

Therefore, Fu Hua offered another answer:

"If she doesn't change her ways after repeated attempts, just cut off her internet connection."

His remarks were so straightforward and blunt, they were almost devilish.

Faced with such a pointed proposal, Raiden Mei was momentarily moved, but then let out a soft sigh:

"Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

"And for some reason, I always feel that this level of difficulty shouldn't be too difficult for Bronya."

"I'll teach her a lesson. Next time, I'll threaten her by not putting her favorite patterns on the dinner plating."

Fu Hua expressed her disapproval of Mei's soft-heartedness, saying:

"A casual threat like Mei's probably won't work. If cutting off the internet doesn't work, we can cut off the power."

Before Fu Hua could continue to present proposals that Bronya could no longer handle, a voice offered the two a new path.

"Mei, as long as you sleep with Bronya, she won't be able to play games."

Su Qing'an gently pushed the door open and entered. He placed the juice on the table in front of the two people while holding the plate in one hand, and said.

"As for Kiana, if you tell her that if she fails the exam she'll have to sleep with Bronya forever, she'll probably try a little harder."

In a sense, Su Qing'an made a proposal that was extremely difficult for Kiana to follow.

After a moment of sudden realization, as if she had understood something, Raiden Mei felt lost again.

It's true that Bronya becomes surprisingly well-behaved when she sleeps with me, as if she treats me like an older sister.

However, if one uses oneself as leverage to threaten Kiana, it feels like an act of selling one's body.

The art style has become strange.

Besides bringing happiness to everyone through cooking, can I also use this method to encourage Bronya to sleep well and urge Kiana to study diligently?

Damn it, what a terrible way to use this!

A strange sense of frustration made Raiden Mei feel utterly useless, even though she was fair-skinned, beautiful, had a large bust and long legs, excelled in her studies, and was widely praised for her interpersonal skills. Even Headmaster Theresa would pat her on the shoulder and say that she was very easy to take care of, Major Himeko would say that it was great to have her around after putting the groceries in the refrigerator.

Why do I feel like a loser?

This must be an illusion.

Raiden Mei's intuition told her that Su Qing'an's method must be very effective.

What she needed to give up was only a little bit of shame in her heart, in exchange for her friends' excellent grades and good routines.

It's an absolute steal!

But for some reason, she always felt that doing so was like making a deal with the devil, and that something would be gone forever.

No, no, no, before thinking about these questions, she needs to resolve the doubts in front of her.

That explains why Su Qing'an appeared at the Class President's house and casually poured herself some juice.

What's wrong with this owner's behavior?!

What is the status of your relationship?

Are you a couple living together?

Before her inner monologue could spiral out of control due to her girlish fantasies and arrive at even stranger answers, Su Qing'an's words interrupted her train of thought.

"Mei, if this doesn't work, then let me deal with Kiana."

"I will try my best to give her a tutoring plan that she will never forget."

When Su Qing'an uttered the words "unforgettable for a lifetime," a slight smile appeared on her lips, making her look exceptionally happy.

For some reason, when Mei carefully observed the boy's micro-expressions, she could detect a hint of eagerness, a rare emotion for Su Qing'an, who was usually calm and aloof.

But the rarer it was, the less Mei dared to imagine the hell Kiana would face if she received Su Qing'an's special training.

They'd definitely be worse off than hamsters running endlessly in a drum just to get a bite of food. The back of the tracks would probably be converted into a blender; if they couldn't solve the problems, they wouldn't get any food, and might even be stuffed into the blender and turned into some meaningless sauce.

And in its final moments, the white-haired hamster kept calling out "Mei, Mei."

This is hell on earth.

As Raiden Mei sighed, the steely resolve of a swordsman gradually appeared on her face.

A warrior-like determination, unwavering as she straightened her back, radiated a sharp edge.

To prevent Kiana from suffering such a tragic end, if I, Raiden Mei, don't go to hell, who will?

So what if you sell your body?

For Kiana's sake, these are just trivial details.

Even though the sensation caused by shame was still unavoidable, Raiden Mei had already resolved to face it all.

Yes, she looks like a wife forced to use strange methods to pay off her husband's debts.

Raiden Mei expresses her gratitude:

"Thank you both for your proposal. I will consider it and implement it accordingly. I won't bother you any longer."

Fu Hua said:

"Don't you need my help?"

Raiden Mei said seriously:

"I already felt bad for bothering you, Class President. You're not exactly free by Class President, and Yuno's been training with you lately, right?"

"So now that I've found some potentially useful methods, I'll give it a try myself first."

Fu Hua nodded and said:

"Yes, if you need any help Mei can come back to me."

After nodding to indicate that she understood, Raiden Mei's figure disappeared through the gap behind the door, and she left in a hurry.

After changing her shoes in the entryway, Raiden Mei pushed open the door and went out. Feeling the breeze blowing past, her mind calmed down a little.

So she still couldn't get the reason why Su Qing'an was staying at the Class President's house.

They don't seem like a couple, although she might personally prefer this kind of dynamic.

However, considering their personalities, even if things develop further, it's impossible for them to rush to this stage.

The girl reached out and tidied her high ponytail, which had been ruffled by the wind, and casually said:

"Maybe he's playing video games."

Having inadvertently uttered a 50% correct answer, Raiden Mei's thoughts began to drift away with the rhythmic clouds in the sky.

As she walked home, she murmured:

"I wonder if the headmaster has been too busy these past few days and hasn't had a proper rest, considering what happened."

Even though no one in the academy suffered fatal injuries as a result, the ensuing problems were enough to give the headmaster a major headache.

Teacher Nishikujo Sara's complexion was getting worse and worse, but she hadn't missed a single class of her assigned subjects. Despite being the School Doctor, she didn't seem to care much about her own health.

If it weren't for the cafeteria at the St. Freya Academy, she doubted that Nishikujo Sara would have become the kind of person who eats frozen food Tiāntiān and prioritizes convenience above all else.

Recalling the gentle scent of that woman's perfume and tobacco in the sea breeze, Raiden Mei sincerely hoped that she could get some rest.

Perhaps it Nishikujo Sara, who has never fallen, who needs more care than the school principal.

But that School Doctor was precisely the type of person most difficult to care for.

A hint of melancholy lingered in the girl's eyes. This was her nature—unconsciously caring about others. She was very attentive to even the slightest changes or negative states of those she knew well or was close to, and would offer just the right amount of comfort in various ways.

This personality trait would naturally feel warm to the person being cared for, but for Raiden Mei herself, continuing in this way for a long time could easily lead to her losing herself.

But for now, none of that matters.

Raiden Mei remembered Murata Himeko, who had recovered, and a relieved smile appeared on her face.

"With Major Himeko around, the headmistress wouldn't be working so hard. I suggest Major Himeko have a good talk with Teacher Shara next time."

"I also need to have a good talk with Kiana about studying today."

At this moment, Kiana was lounging on the sofa watching TV, completely unaware that a crisis was drawing ever closer to her.

The coffee shop wasn't open yet. Bronya was in her room preparing for the guild war, Nishikujo Sara was sipping her coffee and frowning slightly as she looked at the students' follow-up medical reports, Murata Himeko was dealing with a mountain of documents with a slightly irritable mood, and Theresa next door was secretly wiping Judah.

These scenes are just ordinary moments in the daily life of the St. Freya Academy. Around noon, the light and shadows falling through the swaying leaves in the breeze, along with the rustling sounds, blend together, peacefully recording all the moments.

Perhaps, a very, very long time from now.

The branches and leaves still swayed, and the sunlight still slanted down.

The enormous banyan tree, like the ebb and flow of the tide, remained serenely in its original place.

The ever-changing sea of clouds revealed a golden hue on the surface of the sea, reminiscent of its usual colors.

The temperature carried by the sea breeze occasionally falls into the same unchanging coincidence, as if reminiscing about the past.

That was a very, very long time later.

When... the current situation no longer exists.