Jiang Yao's endless flip-flopping

True Sting Pupae.

They were only a notch below the finest parts of a True Sting.

In fact, the mouthfeel of a bite packed with collagen was even better.

But Jiang Yao hadn't brought them out right away.

The reason was simple.

There weren't many.

Only three.

Not enough to share.

Not nearly enough to share!

He was definitely keeping one for himself.

Who should he give the remaining ones to?

So he might as well give them to no one~

Jiang Yao understood perfectly that people resented inequality, not scarcity.

He didn't want to sow discord between Asta and the members of the Astral Express Crew.

Fighting over the right to eat a tiny Swarm Pupa.

Was that appropriate?

No!

So he would just have to bear the burden himself~

He had to admit.

The True Sting Pupae tasted superb.

And the heat had been controlled perfectly, roasting every inch just right.

It hadn't overly compromised their original texture, either.

Each bite was packed with collagen and pleasantly chewy.

Except...

"Tsk, barely satisfactory."

Jiang Yao shook his head.

The flavor wasn't the one he remembered.

There really was a difference between artificial and natural.

"Would these things make suitable gifts, then?"

"Should I just eat them?"

Jiang Yao was torn.

Originally, he really hadn't intended to share them with Asta or the Astral Express Crew.

"Ugh, what a headache. Give them to Ruan Mei and Firefly?"

Jiang Yao swallowed as he looked at the Swarm Pupa.

But after thinking it over, he'd planned to save one for Ruan Mei and one for Firefly.

That would account for both.

The former would get one because, no matter how he looked at it, these ingredients belonged to Ruan Mei.

Sure, he had dealt with a little potential trouble for her.

But it hadn't actually happened yet, had it?

So giving her some compensation was only right.

A thank-you for raising them and letting him feast~

As for the latter.

That was because she had once treated him to True Sting roasted on scorched earth.

It had been a chance encounter during the Swarm Disaster.

Firefly's methods had been a little rough.

Cooking it hadn't been her intention, either.

But judging by the actual outcome.

She really had let him eat to his heart's content.

No matter what, he had to repay her for that meal.

But...

Jiang Yao's eyes practically shone as he stared at the two remaining pupae.

His Adam's apple couldn't help bobbing.

"It wouldn't be right to give them inferior goods like these, would it?"

"After all, one's technically the host, and the other treated me to True Sting."

"And I'm an Aeon who knows how to repay kindness and settle grudges."

"How could I be so careless?"

"No, no, no. I'm an Aeon, after all."

"I've got standards."

"I absolutely can't be this casual when treating guests!"

"I'm not saying only perfection would be worthy of my status and standing."

"But at least to an outsider—and even if there aren't any outsiders, being fair about it—I should be able to live with it myself, right?"

"What good are inferior goods like these?"

"And besides..."

"Uh..."

"Hss..."

"Right, besides, they're beautiful!"

"They..."

"Fuck!"

"Forget it. No more excuses."

"Jiang Yao, oh, Jiang Yao. You're an Aeon, after all."

"How could you sink so low?"

Jiang Yao talked to himself as though he had a split personality.

At the end of the day, he simply wanted to eat them all~

So he was doing everything he could to find an excuse to pocket them.

Sure, they didn't taste as good as he remembered.

But the thing was, they were still delicious!

For Jiang Yao, even.

If he was truly hungry.

He could stomach junk food like Stellarons.

He wasn't picky.

His gaze drifted between the two pupae for a long time.

In the end.

Jiang Yao decided to rein in his desires.

As for the reason.

Naturally, it was because he had a bold idea.

Jiang Yao was a man of action... or rather, an Aeon of action.

Once he'd made his decision.

He first sealed the roasted Swarm Pupa in two separate Light Cones.

As long as the seals remained intact, the Swarm Pupa would stay at peak flavor for at least a hundred years. After that, the effect wouldn't be so great.

Oh, right. One Light Cone was called [The Origin of Life], and the other was called [The Meaning of Life].

Pretty fitting, right?

Don't ask why Light Cones could even store food.

I'm an Aeon. I already told you it was perfectly normal for me to have a few extra tricks~

Once all that was done.

Jiang Yao began preparing lunch.

This time, he didn't bother with anything fancy.

Mostly at March 7th and Stelle's request, he made a big pot of Egg Fried Rice.

Simple, convenient, and delicious.

Asta, Himeko, and Welt had no objections.

They were starting to miss the taste of Egg Fried Rice, too.

Even though they'd only eaten it last night.

Soon, lunch ended amid cheerful laughter and happy faces.

Jiang Yao handed [The Origin of Life] to Asta.

He told her it was a surprise for Ruan Mei.

And asked Asta to deliver it to her.

Asta didn't ask why.

She simply promised to get the job done.

And so, this unexpected visit to Herta Space Station came to an end.

Jiang Yao officially boarded the Astral Express with the main cast, who had made a last-minute purchase of plenty of ingredients.

The Astral Express.

After the enthusiastic welcoming ceremony hosted by Pom-Pom ended.

At Stelle's insistence.

Jiang Yao chose the room closest to the train's kitchen.

What else would he do?

Surely no one thought he would share a room with Stelle or March 7th?

It was a standard room.

But its furnishings were very simple.

Aside from a bed, a chair, a desk, and a wardrobe.

There was nothing else.

Jiang Yao had specifically brought this up with Himeko before boarding.

He wasn't demanding about his accommodations.

He wouldn't spend much time in his room anyway.

Himeko had no objections, and the three youngsters even volunteered to help tidy up after Jiang Yao chose his room.

They finished in no time.

Afterward, Himeko and Welt went to discuss their next destination with Pom-Pom.

There was no helping it. Jiang Yao had disrupted their original plans, so they needed to make new ones.

Dan Heng returned to the Data Bank.

After savoring delicious food, it was naturally time to enjoy some rest.

March 7th and Stelle both said they were going back to their rooms to rest and savor the meal again in their dreams~

As for Jiang Yao.

Naturally, he headed for his main battlefield.

The Astral Express's dining car.

From the moment he boarded, he had become the designated master of the Astral Express's dining car.

Everything was left for him to manage and handle.

He had to admit that, although wanting to eat his cooking played a part.

This was still an immense show of trust.

Jiang Yao was very pleased with this arrangement.

He excitedly took charge of his territory.

The ingredients purchased at Herta Space Station had already been put away.

Jiang Yao carefully inspected the existing stock and the newly stored ingredients.

Soon, he discovered a serious problem!

There was far too little variety in the train's ingredients!

So little that, after taking inventory, Jiang Yao could hardly believe that the most varied and abundant ingredient aboard was coffee beans, which barely even qualified as food?!

He just couldn't fucking clam up about this!

Jiang Yao regretted it so badly his guts were practically turning green!

He'd thought that, since the train had visited so many places.

It would have plenty of specialty ingredients from all those star systems.

If he'd known the Astral Express was this shabby.

He would have stayed at Asta's place no matter what.

All he could say was: an Aeon blind to a rich woman's charms had mistaken a train for treasure!