The Temptation of Shrimp and Fish Cake Noodles

"I'm exhausted, I'm exhausted!" Kiana wailed as she slumped in her seat on the Hyperion, unceremoniously propping her long legs on the stool beside her.

"Kiana," Theresa's voice rang in her ears. "How many times have I told you to sit up straight?"

"Eek~ Auntie, you're only saying that because you don't have long legs, so—"

"Void Archives!"

"Don't, don't! Auntie—no, I mean, Principal! I'm sorry! ⊙﹏⊙!"

"Huh? How did he fall asleep? Is he really that tired?"

Kiana turned around and saw Sheng Jiu leaning against the back of his seat, fast asleep again.

"Idiot Sheng Jiu fell asleep without a blanket." Bronya pointed at Sheng Jiu's soaked clothes, then glanced at Kiana.

"W-why are you looking at me?" A blush spread over Kiana's face, and she rubbed her nose awkwardly.

"Bronya will get a blanket for Idiot Sheng Jiu." With that, Bronya picked up a blanket and walked over to him.

"Hey—" Kiana hurriedly stopped Bronya. Then, reconsidering, she quickly explained, "I... I just think there's no need to trouble you over something this small, Bronya. This sort of thing... I can do it myself."

Kiana took the blanket from Bronya and tiptoed over to the sleeping Sheng Jiu. Listening to his steady breathing, she gently draped the blanket over him.

Seriously, why does this guy always like sleeping so much...? Kiana crouched beside Sheng Jiu and carefully tucked the blanket around him.

Theresa watched the two of them from a short distance away, wearing another knowing smile. Then she drained the rest of the bitter melon juice in her cup...

"Stay back!" Sheng Jiu retreated in terror, only to find himself surrounded by a huge crowd of Noodle Monsters. The one at their head let out a strange laugh, then raised the instant noodle fork in its hand and stabbed down...

"Ah!" Sheng Jiu shot upright. Realizing it had only been a dream, he panted and slowly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?" a lively voice asked.

"Yeah... same old problem..." Sheng Jiu answered, then immediately realized something was off. Wait, I've never heard that voice before!

He turned around and looked closely. A tiny green-haired figure with her hair in two buns floated in midair, smiling at him.

"Holy crap! A cabbage fairy!" Sheng Jiu sprang up in fright, then fell flat on the floor, staring in terror as the little figure slowly approached.

"What cabbage fairy? That's ridiculous!" The little figure angrily waved her tiny fists. "Look carefully! I'm a person! No, wait—I'm an AI!"

"...? What the heck is this? Did the Hyperion get a virus or something?" Sheng Jiu stared blankly at the little figure, who looked ready to explode.

"What virus? I'm Ai-chan! The Hyperion's super AI! I'm Schicksal's number-one idol, Ai-chan! What a clueless guy!" Ai-chan conjured a little stool and sat down with an annoyed huff.

"Oh?" Sheng Jiu perked up. "You're the number-one idol?"

"Mm-hmm~ Now you know who's boss!" Ai-chan put on a pair of sunglasses, took a huge drag on her cigar, and leisurely blew out the smoke.

"So you're the prettiest cabbage fairy around, then? You're not all that impressive-looking."

"Pfft... cough, cough, cough..." Ai-chan choked on her cigar and burst into a fit of coughing. She abruptly changed back to her original form. "Can't you think of any comparison besides a cabbage?!"

"Uh... a green cabbage?"

"You! Forget it, I won't argue with you about that. I came here today to introduce myself. Anyway, it's nice to meet you... If you have any problems aboard the Hyperion, you can come to me! Well, I'll be off!" With that, Ai-chan disappeared right before Sheng Jiu's eyes.

"And just like that, she came and went in a hurry..." For some reason, Sheng Jiu was reminded of a sign he'd once seen in a restroom...

The Hyperion soon returned to St. Freya, and everyone got the generous time off they'd hoped for. But there was only one thing Sheng Jiu wanted to do right now: have a midnight snack.

At midnight, Sheng Jiu wandered around campus, still haunted by the Noodle Monsters from his dream. "No way. I'm having seafood noodles. Nobody's stopping me tonight!"

"But where am I supposed to find fish? At this hour, the fish at the convenience store won't be fresh anymore."

"Got it! Doesn't St. Freya have a huge lake? I'll go give it a try!" With that, Sheng Jiu immediately headed for his dorm. On the way, he collided head-on with someone.

"Huh? Rin, what are you doing here? Why are you wandering around so late?" Sheng Jiu rubbed his forehead and looked in surprise at his classmate.

"Oh~ It's you, Sheng Jiu. You've just come back from a mission, right? Thanks for all your hard work! I'm working on improving this electric fishing rod. My version can deliver a more sensible voltage, so a fish that bites the hook gets stunned instead of being fried to a crisp and ruined for eating. I was just about to test it!" Rin said, confidently waving the fishing rod in her hand.

"Oh, I see." Sheng Jiu rubbed his chin and fell silent for a moment. "I happen to be a little hungry. Could I borrow this thing? I'll eat whatever I catch and tell you how it tastes."

Rin thought it over, then immediately handed Sheng Jiu the fishing rod. "Just remember to return it tomorrow after you're done! I want to head back to bed, too. Good night~"

After taking the rod, Sheng Jiu went straight to the lake. The moon shone high overhead, its light shimmering across the water. Fish leapt from the surface now and then—it was the perfect time to fish.

Sheng Jiu pulled out a little stool and sat down, taking his time setting up Miyamoto Rin's improved fishing rod. Then he began to fret. "That's strange. What am I supposed to do without bait...?"

Just then, something wriggling in the dirt caught Sheng Jiu's attention. He reached out and quickly grabbed the writhing earthworm. "Heh heh... Sorry about this, little earthworm~"

"Splash!" Sheng Jiu cast his line, and the bobber landed neatly on the lake's surface. He stared intently at it, afraid of missing even the slightest movement.

Before long, the bobber jerked violently, then began to slide rapidly across the surface as if something had seized it.

"Got you! Up you come!" Sheng Jiu turned the reel without backing down, putting his strength into it as he slowly stepped backward.

The academy had been built specifically to train Valkyries, after all. Even the fish in St. Freya's lake were much stronger than fish elsewhere. Sheng Jiu, a member of the Valkyrie unit, found himself struggling to fight this one. Then he suddenly remembered, "That's right! This thing has an electric shock function. Let's try it!"

Sheng Jiu pressed the red button on the rod. A current immediately surged from the handle toward the bent tip. Before long, the fish's struggles began to weaken, and a huge carp floated to the surface, belly-up.

Sheng Jiu happily dragged the carp ashore. Just as Rin had said, the improved fishing rod had only stunned it; it hadn't fried it and ruined its taste.

"Great! Tonight's snack is sorted!"

"Yeah, great! Let me try some, too!"

"Sure, then... Hey, wait!" Sheng Jiu nearly flung the fish away. He turned to look at Kiana. "W-when did you get here?"

Kiana nervously picked at her fingers. "Just... when you were catching the earthworm..."

"What?!" Sheng Jiu could hardly believe his ears. "Why are you wandering around alone this late? Get back to bed, right now!"

"No!" Kiana stubbornly shook her head. "I'm hungry! Cook me some grilled fish! Mei and the others were fast asleep, so I went looking for food in the living room. Through the moonlight, I saw a sneaky figure moving around by the lake and thought it might be an enemy. But when I came over, I found out it was you!"

Sheng Jiu looked at Kiana, then at the carp. After running through hundreds of possible responses in his head, he said, "Fine. Wait here while I catch another one."

"Oh, yes! That's great! I'll watch this fish for you." Kiana eagerly fetched a box and put the carp inside.

"Got one, got one! It's biting! Wait—" Sheng Jiu reached for the button, but the line yanked him into the lake, rod and all. Just before he was pulled completely underwater, he tossed the fishing rod out. "Don't let it get wet! I need to return it tomorrow... glug glug..."

Kiana caught the rod and stared blankly at the lake, which had quickly settled back into stillness. A second later, she came to her senses and started to jump into the icy water to pull Sheng Jiu ashore.

"Splash!" A huge carp leapt out of the water, and Sheng Jiu, clinging to its tail, came crashing down onto the bank with it.

"You big idiot!" Kiana furiously pounded Sheng Jiu. "It's just a fish! Was it really worth it? You almost drowned!"

Lying on the ground, Sheng Jiu proudly held up a V sign. "Don't worry... I'm not going to die. I haven't even gotten married yet!"

Kiana's cheeks flushed, and she muttered under her breath, "Shameless..."

"What?"

"N-nothing. Let's go!" Kiana grabbed the fishing rod, pulled Sheng Jiu to his feet, and quickly led him away from the lake.

Sheng Jiu took Kiana to his private dorm. "Well, welcome to my... uh, humble abode."

Kiana was stunned by the huge private villa before her. She'd heard Himeko say that Sheng Jiu's living arrangements were no worse than theirs, but she hadn't expected them to be this nice.

The villa had two floors, complete with automatic mood lighting, an independent water supply, a martial arts room, bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and everything else you could need. What made Kiana the most envious was the enormous four-door refrigerator and a TV as big as a picture window.

"Oh my god!!! This place is paradise!" Kiana threw herself onto the soft sofa and hugged a giant Hoom pillow, rubbing her face against it. Not only was the place fully equipped, it was spotless and exceptionally tidy—a clear sign that Sheng Jiu had good cleaning habits.

Sheng Jiu handed Kiana a pair of slippers. "Here, put these on."

"Huh? How did you know my size?"

"That's a heavenly secret." Sheng Jiu gave a cheeky grin and pointed at the ceiling.

"Hmph. Hurry up and cook. I'm hungry!"

"Oh, wait!" Kiana pushed Sheng Jiu toward the bedroom. "Go change your clothes! Otherwise, you might catch a cold!"

"Okay, okay. You're the young miss. I'll do as you say!"

Kiana propped her chin in her hands and watched Sheng Jiu tie on an apron, grinning like a little devil. Pfft, so he wears an apron, too. I should take a picture and show Mei and the others. Hmph, who'd have thought this guy could cook? The girl who marries him will be so happy...

"Here, cocoa." Sheng Jiu handed Kiana a cup of hot cocoa. "Drink it while it's hot. You got soaked in the rain earlier."

"Oh, thanks!" Kiana took the cocoa and sipped it. He's even more considerate than I thought... No, what am I saying?!

Sheng Jiu took frozen shrimp, fish cakes, scallions, and other ingredients from the fridge, then looked at Kiana, who was lounging on the sofa. "Is there anything you don't eat?"

"Nope! Just go ahead and cook. I'm starving~"

Sheng Jiu placed the shrimp on the cutting board, gripping the knife in reverse with his right hand. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then snapped them open. "Slice!"

As Sheng Jiu's hand fell, the shrimp on the cutting board were already shelled.

"Pfft!" Kiana nearly spat out her cocoa. Does he always cook like this...? Is this what they mean by a genius among geniuses...?

While Kiana's mind wandered, Sheng Jiu had already deftly peeled seven or eight large shrimp and put them in a bowl. Then he placed the two big fish he'd caught on the cutting board. A few more strokes of the knife, and he'd removed their scales and heads. Now two long strips of bare fish meat lay on the board. Sheng Jiu cut them into even pieces.

With practiced ease, Sheng Jiu placed the fish on a frying pan and added a little cooking oil.

"Hey! Keep time for me. Tell me when two minutes are up!"

"Okay~" Kiana looked at the clock on the wall and began counting. "One, two, three... Wait, why can't you count yourself?"

"I figured you were bored, so I gave you something to do. Besides, it'll make you feel more involved, and the food will taste better when it's ready, right?"

"...You win."

A little later, after Kiana reminded him, Sheng Jiu lifted the fish, golden brown on both sides, from the pan and put it into the pot of water he'd boiled earlier to make fish soup.

After setting a timer, Sheng Jiu went to the living room and handed Kiana a game controller. "Want to play for a bit?"

"Are you done cooking?"

"You're such an idiot. The fish soup is still simmering! Come play a few rounds with me first."

"Oh, right. What do you want to play?"

"Let's play Honkai King of Fighters."

"Hehe, I'm best at fighting games. Just watch me!"

A few moments later...

Sheng Jiu put down his controller and comforted Kiana, who looked close to tears. "It's okay. Practice a little and you'll definitely beat me."

Kiana puffed out her cheeks and angrily threw a pillow at Sheng Jiu. "Go cook!"

"Okay, okay." Sheng Jiu cheekily dodged the flying pillow, then tossed it back onto the sofa. "I'm going, I'm going."

Sheng Jiu ladled the fish soup, now a creamy white, into two large bowls. Then he opened two packets of instant noodles, took out the noodle cakes, put them in a pot, and added water to boil them.

Just as the noodles had softened, Sheng Jiu scooped them out and evenly divided them between the two bowls of fish soup.

The aroma had already filled the whole house. Following her nose, Kiana found herself wandering into the kitchen. "It smells so good~ Can I eat now?"

"Just a little longer. It'll be ready in a moment." Sheng Jiu chuckled, then reached out and ruffled Kiana's hair.

"Hmph... I'll let that slide this time since you're treating me to dinner!" Kiana gently brushed Sheng Jiu's hand away, then obediently sat down at the dining table, gazing eagerly at the noodles in her bowl.

Sheng Jiu quickly fried two eggs, then sliced the fish cakes and added them to the noodles along with the cooked shrimp. Finally, he sprinkled on the finishing touch—a handful of scallions—and two bowls of delicious-looking shrimp and fish cake noodles were ready.

"Your noodles are here~" Sheng Jiu carried the two bowls over to the dining table. Kiana eagerly lifted a mouthful of noodles to her lips and immediately widened her eyes. "S-so good!"

"If you like them, eat up. There's more if you want it." Sheng Jiu smiled and tried a bite, too. "Looks like these noodles came out a little overcooked tonight. They don't taste as good as before."

"Not at all!" Kiana shook her head while drinking the delicious fish soup. "They're really good! Who knew it? You can cook almost as well as Mei!"

"No problem. I can make them for you whenever you want!"

"Really? You'd better not go back on your word!"

"Deal!"