Seriously, What Are You Trying to Do?

"Wow! Delicious." Nia took an eager bite, and her green eyes lit up. She gave the food an emphatic thumbs-up. "I can't praise this enough!"

"I never knew Qian Huanyue could cook like this."

"Rinne deserves half the credit. I'm really glad she came with me this time." Qian Huanyue smiled and shook her head, her silver hair swaying as she spoke as though it were obvious.

As she spoke, Qian Huanyue secretly brushed Rinne's shoulder with her little finger. "No being modest, Rinne."

Nia caught on at once and nodded vigorously. "Exactly! Rinne deserves plenty of credit too!"

"Huh? Me?" Caught off guard by their joint praise, Rinne blushed and waved her hands. "But Huanyue-chan did most of the cooking. I only helped out..."

"You handled the shopping and planned what went with what. Doing it with you just made everything feel easy."

Huanyue's radiant smile cut off Rinne's protest. Then she used the serving chopsticks to put several of Rinne's favorite dishes into her bowl.

"Honestly..." Rinne lowered her head and looked at the food that had appeared in her bowl. "Do you trust me and rely on me that much, Huanyue-chan?"

"Of course," Huanyue replied without hesitation. "You're so dependable, Rinne. You're thoughtful, like..."

Searching for the right word, Huanyue paused in thought. Then her violet eyes brightened, and she added with a smile,

"—Like a mom."

"Huh? A m-mom?!"

Rinne's head snapped up. Her eyes went wide, and the blush on her face deepened almost to her ears.

What?

Rinne was stunned, torn between laughing and crying. That comparison came out of nowhere!

"Pfft—!" Nia, who had watched the whole exchange while eating, finally lost control and sprayed out her food. Then she broke into a fit of coughing.

"Cough, cough...! Rinne really is amazing at