Asta: How the hell am I supposed to learn that?!

As the rich aroma burst forth in Asta's mouth.

Her biological instincts made her chew greedily.

Every chew intensified the mingling flavors.

Her delicate face shifted as her cheeks worked, every bite making the flavors richer still.

Despite being pan-fried, the eggs were tender and soft, without a hint of greasiness. They were simply exquisite.

Whether they really weren't greasy didn't matter. At least she'd convinced herself~

Asta had thought she counted as someone who'd sampled plenty of delicacies across the cosmos.

But Jiang Yao's fried eggs had completely changed her understanding today.

So this was another way to fry eggs!

So fried eggs could actually taste this good!

This utterly overturned Asta's worldview!

Smack, smack.

Forget acting like a lady.

Forget table manners.

They could all go meet the Aeons!

As her throat worked.

The two fried eggs soon became one.

There wasn't even one left on Peppy's plate.

Asta gave Jiang Yao a thumbs-up, expressing her admiration.

As for why she didn't speak.

Obviously, her mouth was busy eating eggs!

She didn't want to waste her mouth on talking at all.

After all, wasn't eating the mouth's most basic, most original function?

Asta narrowed her eyes, unable to help losing herself in these ordinary fried eggs.

Jiang Yao watched Asta in silence.

Did she have to be this dramatic?

Weren't these just some eggs I'd casually fried?

Which one of us is the interstellar refugee here?

How are you making two fried eggs look like a lavish feast?

For a moment, Jiang Yao began questioning his own sense of taste.

He really didn't appreciate what he had.

He had absolutely no idea just how much an Aeon was worth.

After all, this was his first time sharing~

As the fried eggs gradually disappeared.

Asta felt a faint reluctance, not wanting to finish them so soon.

Just like those people who always liked to save the tastiest things for last.

Because savoring delicious food really was a pleasure!

"That's... it...?"

Asta still wanted more.

She'd only just started eating!

"Woof, woof! (Exactly!)"

Peppy barked too.

Peppy had eaten quickly, so by the time Asta was slowly savoring hers, the dog was already staring longingly.

Once she realized she really had polished off both fried eggs.

Disappointment showed on Asta's face.

How could they be gone already?

Why were there only two fried eggs?

"Looks like my cooking isn't too bad?"

Jiang Yao looked at Asta with a smile.

Honestly, when he ate by himself before, he could only please himself.

Now, watching others eat what he made not only pleased them, but made him happier too.

It was a novel experience, and a pretty nice one~

"Oh!"

An embarrassed look appeared on Asta's face.

Oh no!

My image is completely ruined!

Will Jiang Yao think I can't even afford food?

She'd lost her composure over two fried eggs, as though she'd never eaten anything good before.

That would have been unimaginable before!

But...

Could she really be blamed?

The fried eggs were just too delicious!

Wasn't that the obvious answer?

"Not too bad? These are the best fried eggs I've ever eaten!"

Asta regained her composure.

Well, it was easy to be confident once she'd finished eating.

"Woof, woof! (My human's right!)"

Peppy chimed in too.

"As long as you like them."

Jiang Yao smiled faintly.

"Oh, come to think of it, I still don't know your name. I'm Asta, the lead researcher of Herta Space Station. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Asta took the initiative to introduce herself.

"Jiang Yao. A gourmand for fun."

Jiang Yao responded politely too.

Getting on good terms with the wealthy Asta was definitely a good thing.

Asta's financial resources could certainly cover the cost of most ingredients.

But for Jiang Yao, most wasn't enough. He wanted them all!

So following the Astral Express was still the best option.

"A gourmand for fun? I thought you were a chef famous across the galaxy! Your fried eggs absolutely deserve a place on the menu the Corporation serves its distinguished guests."

Asta's lips parted slightly. She'd thought Jiang Yao devoted himself to studying the culinary arts.

Who would have thought he was just someone who enjoyed eating?

Wasn't that a little too impressive?

"I wouldn't call myself a chef. I just like eating. After eating enough, I started cooking for myself."

Jiang Yao shook his head and said with a satisfied expression, "Besides, the ingredients here are good."

Even the best cook couldn't make a meal without ingredients.

Cooking did require skill, but if the ingredients were poor, that wouldn't help either.

"..."

Asta looked astonished. "Huh?"

After pondering for a moment, she blinked. "But if I hadn't seen you use the eggs here with my own eyes, I would've suspected your eggs weren't ordinary ones."

"I bought all the ingredients here to cook for Peppy. They couldn't be more ordinary!"

Asta felt a little upset.

She'd cooked for Peppy too.

And she'd used more than just eggs.

But never once had the food tasted as good as it had today.

Had she just been wasting ingredients all this time?

"Really? I think they're pretty good. There's a reason behind every egg I picked."

Jiang Yao spoke with a serious expression.

"Hm? Is that something you can share?"

Asta replied instinctively, then quickly apologized. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry into your secrets. Your fried eggs were just so delicious!"

"Uh... it's nothing that serious. If you want to know, I don't mind telling you."

Jiang Yao looked utterly unbothered.

"Please, let me take some notes first!"

Asta hurriedly pulled out her phone, ready to record everything.

A reason behind choosing the eggs?

This is a closely guarded secret!

Jiang Yao is such a nice person!

He's even willing to share this!

I'm not stingy either. I'll have to give him a star destroyer, at the very least!

"The eggs were Melodi-Dove Eggs and Teyvat Bird Eggs."

"I carefully selected a few."

"Because the Melodi-Doves and Teyvat Birds that laid the eggs I chose were very well raised."

"They must have been hatched from breeding eggs, specifically to lay eggs."

"From the time their eggs were selected until they hatched, they were kept at the most suitable temperature every day, with live performances by world-class musicians for at least two hours."

"After hatching, they were also raised by healthy female Melodi-Doves and female Teyvat Birds."

"The water they drank came from Fontaine and hadn't been polluted by humans. Their feed consisted entirely of prepared True Stings. Eggs produced through such meticulous care naturally contain concentrated deliciousness."

"However, this batch of eggs probably all came from the same clutch. There aren't any left."

Jiang Yao explained at length with confidence.

"...How do you know?"

Asta suddenly lost confidence in herself.

She understood every sentence Jiang Yao said.

So why couldn't she understand them when they were put together?

If she hadn't personally purchased this batch.

She would have thought Jiang Yao had bought it specially himself!

"Huh? I tasted it!"

Jiang Yao answered as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

I'm the Aeon of Voracity. It's perfectly normal for me to have a few skills, right?

Tasted...

He tasted all that?!

Asta blinked her bright, wide eyes, utterly dumbfounded.

Was he really not making this up?

Just a few eggs had such an elaborate background?

Wait, how did you do that?

Is this really something a human can do?

Are you sure you didn't trace their origins?

No wonder you said you didn't mind telling me.

How the hell am I supposed to learn that?!