The Warmth of Everyday Life

The mall doors shut the air-conditioned comfort behind them. Carrying two large bags of household supplies, Lu Yan was in no hurry to take Aemeath home.

"It's already noon. Are you hungry?" He wasn't quite sure what to expect when he asked.

As an electronic ghost, Aemeath didn't seem to need food to stay alive.

But the slightly cool touch around his left wrist, which only he could feel, trembled noticeably at the word "hungry."

"I'm starving!" Aemeath's voice rang out right beside Lu Yan's ear.

"I haven't eaten anything since I became an electronic ghost. I'm going to eat a ton!"

Her words came quickly, eager to pour everything out.

Lu Yan looked at Aemeath. She was frowning, her cheeks puffed out like a pufferfish as she held his left wrist, looking aggrieved.

His heart inexplicably tightened.

He lowered his head and typed quickly into his phone's notes app: [What do you want to eat? There's a snack street just ahead.]

"I want something that... smells really strong, looks all shiny, goes 'crunch' when you bite into it, and then hot juices come flowing out!"

Aemeath described it excitedly in his ear. She was so excited that her ghostly form materialized for an instant.

Lu Yan smiled at the sight of her excitement.

He took out his phone and typed: [Isn't that fried chicken? Come on, I'll take you on a food crawl.]

The old district's snack street had come fully awake in the sweltering noon heat.

The shade netting overhead flapped loudly in the wind, breaking the sunlight into fragments that fell across the greasy, bustling asphalt road.

Vendors worked with their arms bare, tossing cold noodles up and down.

The smell of cooking fumes rode the wind straight into Lu Yan's nose.

He struggled to turn sideways and dodge a few screaming little brats chasing each other.

The old district's snack street was the one reasonably good thing about the aging residential complex.

Stalls crowded both sides of the street. The aroma of fried chicken, the charred fragrance of squid on the griddle, and the rising fumes from fried skewers filled the air. Vendors' cries mingled together.

Lu Yan walked through the crowd beneath the noon sun.

His physique was only that of an ordinary shut-in artist, and after carrying the heavy bags for a while, fine beads of sweat had already appeared on his forehead.

"A-Yan, are you tired?"

Aemeath's voice gradually softened, her eyes full of concern. "I won't eat anymore. Let's go home. I'm full just looking at you, really~"

The more considerate Aemeath was, the worse he felt about her having been unable to eat anything in the past.

He stopped and shifted both large bags into one hand.

With his left hand free, he gave Aemeath's hand a squeeze. In her current state, her hand was slightly cool and felt very comfortable.

[Not tired. How can a man say he's tired?]

[I'm going to make sure you eat your fill today. This is your first meal since you came here.] He typed on the screen, his expression more determined than ever.

Aemeath fell silent.

He felt the cool touch press tightly against his back, as if Aemeath's whole body were hanging off him, greedily drawing warmth from him.

Their first stop was a golden fried chicken leg stall.

The vendor was a bald middle-aged man, deftly turning the chicken legs in the fryer.

The golden crusts rolled in the hot oil with an enticing sizzle, and the rich aroma of meat instantly filled the air around them.

Aemeath crouched beside the fryer, watching the jumping splashes of oil with wide eyes.

"A-Yan! That's it!"

Lu Yan stepped forward. "Boss, two fresh out of the fryer, please. One original and one spicy."

"Coming right up! This batch is the crispiest!"

When he took the paper bag, its scorching heat reached his palm through the packaging.

Lu Yan found a somewhat shady corner and took one out of the bag. Shielding her with his body, he said quietly:

"Change back. No one's looking here."

A stream of blue data flashed past, and a beautiful pink-haired girl appeared out of thin air!

She snatched the chicken leg and, paying no heed to the heat, opened her little mouth and took a huge bite.

A crisp crunch sounded as she chewed, just as she had described.

Aemeath's eyes lit up instantly, a happy sheen appearing in her golden, star-shaped pupils.

"Mmm... it smells so good! A-Yan,"

"This is ten thousand times better than that stuff in the Star Torch Academy cafeteria! No, there's no comparison!"

Aemeath's little cheeks bulged as she ate. Lu Yan was a little transfixed by her pure happiness.

"Slow down. Nobody's going to take it from you." Lu Yan reached out, instinctively wanting to wipe the grease from the corner of her mouth, but his fingers froze halfway there.

Aemeath leaned her face toward him and lightly licked the corner of her own mouth, the gesture playful yet carrying an inexplicable deeper meaning.

"A-Yan, wipe it for me. Or... do you want a bite?"

Lu Yan quickly pulled his hand back, blushing all the way down to his neck.

Over the next half hour, Lu Yan saw what a real appetite looked like.

Aemeath seemed intent on making up for every taste she had missed.

She pulled Lu Yan along, eating her way from one end of the street to the other.

At a stinky tofu stall, she first wrinkled her nose in disgust. But after eating a piece, she said excitedly, "It doesn't smell good, but it tastes pretty nice~"

He smiled and took an order of fried milk from the vendor. "Try this. It's sweet."

Aemeath took the bamboo skewer and bit into it. It was crisp on the outside and soft inside, and the milky flavor melted in her mouth.

Her eyes widened, and she was too speechless to do anything but nod vigorously at Lu Yan.

Finally, she stopped outside a milk tea shop and stared at the menu for a few seconds before turning around.

"A-Yan, I want milk tea."

"Sure." Lu Yan took out his phone. "What kind?"

Aemeath looked over the menu again, her eyes moving from left to right and then right to left. Finally, she honestly kept her mouth shut.

After waiting a moment, Lu Yan understood. "You don't know whether the flavors you haven't tried will taste good?"

"Mm." Aemeath nodded. "I've never had it before, and the milk tea names here are all so strange."

Lu Yan smiled and scanned the code. "One cheese berry tea, no ice and full sugar, please."

"Full sugar?" the shopkeeper confirmed.

"Yes, full sugar," Lu Yan answered firmly.

Aemeath needed a lot of dopamine now to fill the emptiness inside her.

When the straw pierced the lid and Aemeath took her first sip of the drink, full of strawberry pulp and sweet-and-salty cheese, she froze on the spot.

The sweetness that shot from the tip of her tongue straight to the top of her head completely dissolved the last of her reserve.

"A-Yan~ It's so sweet I'm going to melt."

On the way home, Aemeath no longer pointed things out. She became unusually quiet, simply pressing herself tightly against Lu Yan's left arm.

"A-Yan," Aemeath suddenly called softly.

"What is it?"

"In that world, I had to become very strong because I wanted to find someone."

Lu Yan's steps faltered.

Aemeath looked straight at him. "I finally found someone here. I can taste things now, and my mouth feels sweet. This feeling makes me feel like I've truly come 'alive' again."

Aemeath held Lu Yan's wrist and shook it. "So, never, ever abandon me."

"If you don't want me anymore, I might really die for good~"

Her tone was playful, yet she was saying something so frightening.

Lu Yan looked at the lively alley ahead, and at the colorful clothes hanging out to dry on the balconies.

He silently answered in his heart: I only have you too.