Chapter 26

Shido shook his head and turned Lingmeng down.

"What guest? I'm just here for a free meal." Without waiting for Shido to agree, Lingmeng snatched the kitchen knife from his hand and began chopping vegetables like she'd done it a thousand times.

She was just that helpful, after all... Fine, she was only afraid she'd die of boredom if she sat there doing nothing.

"Um..." Shido started to say something, but the sight of Lingmeng's masterful knife work made him shut his mouth.

"Lingmeng, you can cook?" Shido asked, surprised.

"Surprised? Damn right I can cook. Why would I go to the Department Store for ingredients if I couldn't? Wouldn't I just eat at a restaurant? Well, not that I have the money for that."

Lingmeng chuckled. Both her parents had died, and she'd never had much money for takeout. If she wanted to fill her stomach, she had to cook for herself. Over time, she'd gotten good at it.

"All right... If you can cook, give me a hand." After a moment's hesitation, Shido decided to let Lingmeng help.

Cooking for four should have been easy enough for Shido, but Tohka's presence turned that simple task into a daunting one.

He knew just how much Tohka could eat. Doing it all alone would have been a huge challenge.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get moving." Lingmeng picked up the knife again and plunged back into the fray.

Seeing her like that, Shido merely smiled and got back to work himself.

Before long, all the dishes were ready.

"Wow! Shido and Lingmeng made all this? It looks delicious!"

"Big Brother and Lingmeng are amazing!"

Tohka and Kotori exclaimed excitedly at the spread of dishes before them.

"Haha... I couldn't have done it so quickly without Lingmeng's help." Shido scratched his cheek and gave an awkward laugh.

"Oh, it was nothing." Lingmeng waved a hand, then picked up her chopsticks. "Time to eat."

She picked up a hamburger steak patty and put it in her mouth.

"This is amazing. Just what I'd expect from my own cooking."

The satisfaction of taking a big bite of meat spread across Lingmeng's face.

You'll Make a Wonderful Wife Someday!

"Mmm! I never knew Shido and Lingmeng could cook so well!"

Chopsticks in hand, Tohka wolfed down her food. Kotori took a few bites and said contentedly,

"Lingmeng, you're really good at cooking!"

"Oh, it's nothing..." Lingmeng said shyly. But Kotori's next words hit her like a bolt from the blue.

"You'll make a wonderful wife someday, Lingmeng! If you married Big Brother, I could eat your cooking every day."

"Pfft!" Shido spat out the food he'd been eating.

"What's wrong, Big Brother? You shouldn't waste food."

Kotori turned to him with a slight frown.

"You're asking me what's wrong? Why would you say that to our guest out of nowhere?"

Shido wiped his mouth with a napkin, sounding a little worked up.

"But I really like Lingmeng." Kotori gave him a pitiful look.

"That still doesn't mean you can..." The sight of Kotori like that softened Shido's heart.

Even in little-sister mode, you're still trying to get me to date Shido? I really can't let my guard down for a second.

Lingmeng's mouth twitched. She composed herself and said, "It's fine, Shido. Kotori's still a kid. Don't take what she says too seriously."

"All right... If you say so, Lingmeng, I'll let it go..."

Shido felt he might be letting her off too easily, but he decided to leave it at that.

Kotori struck a victory pose. "Yes!"

"Shido, Lingmeng, what does 'marry' mean? If you both marry me, does that mean I can eat your cooking every day?"

Tohka's eyes suddenly lit up as she spoke.

"..." All three of them fell silent: Shido, Lingmeng, and even Kotori.

What else could they say? Tohka's mind worked in mysterious ways.

By then, they had finished dinner, and night had fallen.

Lingmeng and Tohka sat on the sofa, chatting and laughing about what had happened lately, while Shido happily washed the dishes at the sink.

"Hey, Shido." At some point, Kotori had appeared beside him.

"That tone of voice... Don't tell me..." Shido muttered, turning to look at her.

Sure enough, Kotori had switched to a black hair ribbon and entered her cool Commander Mode. Her adorable little-sister mode had taken a back seat.

"I knew it..." Shido's mouth twitched as he set down the last plate.

"I have to admit, I'm surprised. I'd only just told you about her, and the next thing I knew, you'd run into Element Make. With luck like that, I almost thought you were the protagonist of some harem anime."

Kotori popped an unwrapped Chupa Chups into her mouth as she spoke.

"I don't think I am... At least, I hope not..." Shido said with a wry smile.

"Well, never mind. Let's put that aside." Kotori glanced at Lingmeng playing with Tohka in the living room. "Have you asked Element Make on a date yet?"

"Uh... Well..." Shido scratched his cheek, looking sheepish.

"So you haven't." Kotori sighed helplessly. "How foolish of me to have even a shred of hope for a herbivore virgin like you, Shido."

"Sorry to disappoint you!"

"Well, if you haven't done it yet, ask her in a little while."

With that, Kotori left the kitchen. She replaced her black ribbon with a white one and returned to the living room.

"Ask her in a little while? What's that supposed to mean?" Shido muttered, exasperated.

"Um... It's getting late. I should head back." Lingmeng glanced at the clock on the wall.

"Huh? You're leaving, Lingmeng?" Tohka looked reluctant to see her go.

"Yeah. I shouldn't stay out too late." Lingmeng smiled and patted Tohka's head.

"...Okay! You have to come visit again!"

"Sure, no problem." Lingmeng stood up to leave.

"Big Brother, why don't you walk Lingmeng back? It's not very safe for a girl to go home alone at night."

Seeing Lingmeng about to leave, Kotori turned to Shido.

"...Oh, okay." Shido paused, then agreed. He knew exactly why Kotori wanted him to walk Lingmeng back.

It wasn't because it was "unsafe." She wanted him to use the chance to ask Lingmeng on a date.

"You don't have to. I'll be fine on my own." Lingmeng waved off the offer.

"Lingmeng, please let me walk you back..."

"All right. If you insist, come along."

Lingmeng didn't know why Shido was suddenly acting like this, but she agreed anyway.

"I'm leaving, then. Hurry up and follow me." Lingmeng headed for the front door.

"Right. Kotori, Tohka, I'll be back soon." Shido hurried after her.

"Be careful out there, Big Brother!" "Be careful, Shido!"

"So this is where you've been staying these past few days, Lingmeng?"

Shido and Lingmeng had reached the hotel where she was staying. Looking at the rather small building, he asked,

"Yeah. I don't have money to spare for a fancy hotel right now. This place is a little small, but it's nice enough, and the price fits my budget. So I'm staying here."

"I see..." Shido murmured.

"Well, you've walked me back. You can go home now, right?"

Seeing that Shido still didn't seem ready to leave, Lingmeng urged him on.

"Uh... Well..."

"What's with all the 'uhs'? If you've got something to say, just say it."

Shido hesitated. After a long inner struggle, he finally summoned his courage and blurted out,

"Li... Lingmeng, if you have time... Would you... would you go on a date with me in a few days?!"

With that, Shido lowered his head, blushing.

Lingmeng only tilted her head and looked at him in confusion. "Huh? Why?"

"B-because you're a Spirit, right?" Shido stammered.

"So you know already?" Lingmeng sighed helplessly. "Your sister told you, didn't she? Just how determined is she?"

"Yeah..." Shido admitted.

"Hey, Shido. Would you believe me if I told you the Spirit called Element Make was my twin sister?"

"Uh... Sorry, but not really." Shido shook his head.

"Tsk. So I can't fool you after all?" Lingmeng looked up at the pitch-black sky with a rueful smile.

I Thought of You as a Brother, and You Want to Sleep with Me?

"Yeah, I'm a Spirit. But I'm not going on a date with you."

Lingmeng shrugged and spoke casually.

"W-why?" Shido asked, puzzled by her refusal.

"You're asking why?" Lingmeng looked indignant. "I thought of you as a brother, and you're trying to get into my pants? And you're asking me why? Get lost!"

"Lingmeng, you've got it wrong... That's not what I meant..." Shido explained in a panic.

"Haha, I'm kidding. You're so easy to fool."

Lingmeng laughed, and her expression instantly returned to normal.

"So you were joking..." Shido's mouth twitched. He didn't find it funny at all.

"Yeah. I know why you want to date me. You want to seal my Spirit Power so I won't cause any more Spacequakes."

"How did you know that?" Shido looked a little surprised.

"Your sister told me. Though I could've found out with my powers anyway."

"I see..." Shido was silent for a moment before speaking again. "I know you don't want to cause Spacequakes and hurt people, Lingmeng. So why..."

Why? I can't exactly tell you I used to be a guy, so I'm not interested in you, can I?

Lingmeng grumbled to herself, then answered.

"No reason. I just don't want to. Even if we did go on a date, I might not end up liking you enough for you to seal my power. So let's forget it."

That was Lingmeng's answer. She could now control the frequency and range of her Spacequakes to some extent, but that didn't mean she would never cause another one.

She truly hated the thought of countless people dying or losing their homes because of her.

If sealing her power only required a hug or holding hands, Lingmeng would gladly do it. After all, that would be best for everyone.