Girl in the Box: Please tell me why I was reincarnated as a mimic monster!

But... isn't it a bit too confident to think about these things now...?

Li still has no idea about time travel. She's been too busy lately and hasn't had time to delve deeper into her powers. But since she's already said it, she's definitely going to give it a try. Whether for herself or for the other two, re-establishing contact with Earth is always a good thing, at least for Li.

She herself felt that she needed to return to Earth, even if it was just to see her biological parents. In short, whatever the reason, Li was determined to try going to Earth. Around dusk, Li returned to her home deep in the labyrinth. The place, which hadn't been well maintained, looked much better than before. The lake had also recovered without her noticing, and the blooming soul grass illuminated the place.

Just like when she first met those three people, Li didn't intend to interfere much with the local ecosystem; it was better to let the flowers and plants grow on their own. Li opened the door and, as usual, greeted her family.

"I am back."

"Welcome back, Sister Li."

As Li entered the house, Xia Ling came to greet her. She was still wearing her usual work attire, so she looked like she had just returned home as well. She had put on an apron over her attire and was carrying cleaning tools. Really…

"Don't come back to work right after you've finished working outside..." Li said helplessly.

"Uh, well, I just felt a little uncomfortable if I didn't do something... so I..." Xia Ling tried to explain with a lame excuse.

Since leaving the duchy, they had dissolved their contract with Xia Ling, so Xia Ling was no longer their maid. Ultimately, their initial reason for hiring Xia Ling was simply to find someone to help them manage household affairs and, incidentally, to help Xia Shu resolve Xia Ling's magic allergy problem.

The house is no longer inhabited, and even the Dragon Kings are busy with their own affairs, so there's no need for frequent cleaning. Furthermore, Xia Ling's magic allergy has been cured, and she can even use some basic magic. Therefore, there's no need to keep bothering them. After discussing it with Li, Ning, and Xiao, they decided to let Xia Ling do what she likes.

However, Xia Ling seemed reluctant, because they hadn't taken back the key from her, so she could still come to the house whenever she wanted and keep up her daily routine of cleaning the house. Li was very grateful for her help, but it was a little different from what they had expected, so it gave her a headache.

“Well, Sister Li! Look,” Xia Ling thought of a good excuse and said, “you’re already a big shot representing the Little Garden, so you should set an example for everyone in every way, right? If you can’t even keep your home tidy, how will you entertain guests in the future?”

“I understand what you mean…” Li said with a wry smile, “but there’s no need to go to such lengths… especially since there’s no one left in the family.”

"That won't do!" Xia Ling said quickly. "You absolutely cannot think like that! This is a very serious matter!"

"Okay, okay... then I'll leave it to you. Don't push yourself too hard."

Left with no other choice, Li had to agree to Xia Ling's request. She felt that it would be unfair to Xia Ling if she didn't agree here. So, Li simply agreed and went into the living room. It seemed that only she and Xia Ling were home.

"Hasn't the others returned yet?" Li asked.

“Yes,” Xia Ling said, “Everyone is busy with work and doesn’t go home often.”

“I see…” Li leaned back on the sofa.

However busy they are, they will definitely be back today. Today is the last day of the year, also known as New Year's Day, and after today, we will face a brand new year. Although this world doesn't have a holiday like New Year's Day, Ri still hopes for good luck and to spend time with her family; that would make her very happy. The material civilization of the Little Garden is quite advanced now, but Ri still feels something is missing, which is why she plans to hold a harvest festival, hoping to make it a holiday. Of course, she is also considering introducing Earth's festivals to this world.

But since he was idle anyway, Li simply got up from the sofa.

"Sister Li?" Xia Ling asked, "Is there something you need?"

"It's nothing," Li stretched, "I just realized I haven't done any housework in a while, so I'll cook dinner tonight. Xia Ling, come help me after you've finished cleaning."

"Ok."

As she tied her hair up, she walked towards the kitchen, took down the apron hanging on the wall and put it on. After washing her hands, she opened the storage room and thought about what would be a suitable dinner tonight.

Hmm... If we're talking about New Year's Day, then we definitely have to have dumplings... As for the fillings, chives, radish and shrimp, etc... I should be able to make them... I don't know if we have any dumpling wrappers on hand, it would be too much trouble to make them now... I'd like to make some tofu... but it seems like we don't have any tofu at home, I'll tell Ning and ask her to buy some.

Dinner is set for tonight. It would be nice to have some Chinese food once in a while, but due to limited ingredients, Li can only make some similar dishes. After the preparations were completed, Li and Xia Ling started making dumplings. Soon after, the others began to return one after another.

"Shuangyue! Don't run away!"

"Meow!"

Xiao and Salid were the first to return home after their shift. Xiao chased Shuangyue into the kitchen, and Salid quickly followed, catching Shuangyue before it caused any more trouble. They were wondering why they hadn't seen Shuangyue when they got back, and it turned out that Xiao had taken it out. Although Shuangyue was no longer a kitten, it was still a little worrying to take it out like that.

"Xiao... don't take Shuangyue out..." Li said with a wry smile.

"Hmm? Oh. Sister Li! I'm back~"

"Hey? Don't suddenly hug me."

Xiao didn't listen at all and happily hugged him. Shuangyue, who was perched on her shoulder, also snuggled up to her. Although a little shy, Ri was very happy. Xiao had grown into a beautiful young woman in the past two years, but she didn't seem to have grown much in terms of her mindset. Ri hoped that Xiao could keep this innocent and carefree attitude, and that would be enough.

"What is this doing?"

As the two were being intimate, Salid gradually moved closer, his attention seemingly focused entirely on the white dumplings.

“This is tonight’s dinner,” Li explained, “a dish called dumplings.”

“jiaozi?” Salid’s mouth drooled.

It was clear he couldn't wait to eat a dumpling, but Li still reached out to stop him.

"Don't rush," Li said with a wry smile, "It's not finished yet. You guys go sit in the living room and wait for everyone to come back. You can get your own potato chips."

“Alright.” Salid nodded, wiping the drool from the corner of his mouth. “I understand. I look forward to it.”

After saying that, Salid obediently went back to the living room. This somewhat silly dragon king would become well-behaved for the sake of food; compared to Akatsuki, he was more like a child. Speaking of which, Akatsuki was already a head taller than Salid, yet he seemed to have changed little. Li was slightly worried about the dragon king's future growth.

"Dumplings?" Xiao raised her hand. "I want to make them! I want to make them!"

"Alright, alright, if you want to do it, then let you give it a try... Xia Ling, do you have time to teach Xiao?"

"of course can."

"But before that, quickly put Shuangyue down and wash your hands. This is too unhygienic."

"Okay~~"

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"Sister Finoer, you're back too?"

"Oh, this looks like a new dish."

"I... I think I've seen a similar dish in the East China Sea..."

The Dragon Kings returned one after another. The other four Dragon Kings all went home, and the house gradually became lively again.

"I am back."

"Oh... Ning, you're back... Eh?"

"Excuse me~~"

"Um, excuse me..."

"I heard you guys were planning a party tonight, so I came along."

Soon after, Ning arrived with the tofu she had bought and a group of acquaintances. The guards, led by Wu Ke, East, and Seria, were joined by familiar faces from Akihabara, including Olito, Natsuki, and the leader. Their arrival made the house even more lively, and the already spacious house now felt quite crowded.

Now, not only the Dragon King, but also all the people she knew in Akihabara have come. She'll probably be busy tonight. She, Xia Ling, and Xiao definitely can't make that many dumplings by themselves, so in the end, it turned into a situation where everyone makes dumplings and has a dumpling feast together.

"This is a skill... I'm really curious what it will taste like after cooking. Ah, Sister Finoer, that's not how you wrap it." "Whoa... Chuchu, isn't it wrapped quite nicely?" "Uh? Ahaha... I did a better job because I've made similar dishes before."

Watching a group of people happily making dumplings together, Li really felt like she had returned to Earth. She used to spend New Year's Day like this when she was little, and the feeling of her family gathering together for the New Year's Eve dinner was really heartwarming.

Ning nudged her with her shoulder and whispered, "Sorry, I didn't expect so many people to come."

"It's alright," Li smiled. "That's what makes it feel like a commotion."

Although things had gone somewhat beyond expectations, being happy was the most important thing. Riya started considering inviting other acquaintances, but then realized there weren't enough seats, so she decided against it and would invite everyone else to a banquet during the harvest festival. That evening, they had a lively dumpling feast, and Riya, taking advantage of the fact that most of the core members of the Little Garden were present, planned to tell them what had happened.

"Cough cough..."

Halfway through the annual meeting, Li coughed twice, indicating that he had something to say. Everyone understood and stopped their conversation, falling silent.

"Well, I called everyone here today for two reasons: to get together and to discuss something," Li explained. "Well, in short, this could be considered a treat for everyone, since you've all been working quite hard lately. I'd like to take this opportunity to reward you all. However, because we need to prepare for the harvest celebration, we'll have to keep you all working hard for a while longer. Please bear with us a little longer; our celebration will be here soon."

“Then,” Li continued, “another thing is that Ning and I may be going on a long trip soon.”

"...Wait a minute?" Negi asked, "Toki, for you, there's no such thing as traveling far away, is there?"

"No, you misunderstood," Li explained. "This trip means exactly what it says. We're going to a very far place, to another world, and then back to Earth."

"...!"

Everyone here knows that Li is not a pure being from this world; she possesses memories and a soul from a past life, and she comes from a world called Earth. Since it's a trip to another world, Li's statement makes perfect sense. Earth is a world that is far beyond the reach of all of them present, so this is indeed a long journey.

However, they were all worried about one thing: would they ever come back after they left?

Li noticed the unusual atmosphere, smiled easily, and said, "You don't need to be so nervous. I just plan to bring the people from that world back. As you know, Xia Que and Demon King Xuanze don't belong to this world. I met with them today and talked to them about this to see if they plan to return to that world. As for me, I also have some things to take care of back there."

"Then..." Xia Ling asked, "What are you planning to do over there?"

“Because there are some things from the harvest festival that we can’t produce here right now,” Li explained, “so I need to go to that world to collect them.”

"In that case, how long will it take you?"

Fino asked the question, a question that everyone was concerned about.

“It won’t be long,” Li said. “Probably about a week… There’s not much to do…”

"So, it was actually a honeymoon?"

Kuroba, who was mixed in with the crowd, suddenly said those words.

"Honeymoon?"

All eyes were on Kuroba, as if urging him to explain quickly. Upon hearing Kuroba's words, Ning also showed a thoughtful expression.

“Ahem,” Kuroba coughed lightly twice and explained, “The honeymoon is often used to refer to the sweet life of newlyweds. Generally, the first month of marriage is called the honeymoon, which is in the sense that newlyweds are full of tenderness and affection. Although you two seem to have not yet had a honeymoon because of various things, it would be nice to go to that place called Earth for a honeymoon.”

"I see."

After Kuroba explained it this way, everyone understood immediately and felt much relieved.

"In that case, go ahead," the leader said. "This should be considered part of the wedding, so you can go ahead as you please."

“Mhm,” Olitto nodded, “It’s okay if you’re gone for a week or two, we’ll be here.”

Everyone immediately agreed to the idea. Li smiled wryly and saw the sly smile on Kuroba's face as she mingled in the crowd. It turned out that she had deliberately brought up the honeymoon so that everyone would accept it.

However, after she said that, Li realized...

This really seems like a honeymoon, right?

Chapter 5 Who says a honeymoon can only be for two people?

Once everyone accepted the arrangement, the dumpling feast resumed. The various dumpling dishes attracted everyone's attention. Rin, overjoyed to finally eat dumplings again, started arguing with the others about which method tasted better. Salid preferred pan-fried dumplings, Chuchu preferred the more traditional boiled dumplings, and Rin liked steamed dumplings. Thus, opinions were divided into three camps, leading to a heated debate, but no fight broke out.

What would happen if this group of people gathered here started fighting? As the strongest in the world today, they are aware of this, so they didn't fight. Besides, wouldn't it be childish to fight over such a small thing?

However, afterwards, the group started comparing whose dumplings looked better. But this time, Li didn't get involved. Instead, she watched from the sidelines. She wanted to see what kind of dumplings people in this world could make. Well... since the fillings were basically the same, there was no need to worry about them making any big problems... and it was quite interesting to watch people who didn't understand try to make novel dumplings.

More rational adults, acting as judges, were drawn into this unusual battle. What started as a normal competition escalated to the point where the judges even discovered that the contestants were using newly concocted fillings. However, after the "Magic Eye" verified that these dumpling fillings posed no danger, they were let off the hook for the time being. Ultimately, after evaluation by the judges, the winner of the competition was decided to be the Black Dragon King, Neki, who possessed a fanatical passion for all kinds of skills.

Well, in a sense, it was within everyone's expectations. After all, Negi's ability is to quickly learn various skills and perfect them. It's not surprising that she can cook dumplings to this extent.

"A honeymoon..."

Li recalled the word Kuroba had used; her timing was impeccable, and she even helped Li resolve some of her remaining issues. However, Li hadn't really considered a honeymoon. She and Ning had gone out alone several times, but whether those could be considered honeymoons was unclear to Li. At least, they always had various things to deal with when they went out, so it couldn't really be called a honeymoon.

"It feels like you've never had a honeymoon, doesn't it?" Ning suddenly said beside her.

"Ugh... When did you get here?" Li was startled, but didn't cry out.

“Just got here.” Ning shrugged. “I have the same thought as you; we didn’t really have a honeymoon at all.”

"Haha...that's true..." Li gave a wry smile.

“So this time, I hope there won’t be any more problems,” Ning said, staring at Li.

"Uh……"

Rin's gaze drifted guiltily in another direction. As a notorious trouble magnet, verbal assurances were useless, because no one could predict these things, and besides, Rin never acted voluntarily when these incidents occurred. Seeing Ning looking at her like that, she knew Ning was emphasizing her hope that nothing unexpected would happen this time.

"Don't be in such a hurry..." Li changed the subject, "We haven't confirmed whether time travel is possible yet, have we?"

“What you’re saying is true…” Ning glanced at her, “but those aren’t problems. We have a week to confirm these things. Compared to that, we’ll be there for a week, but the procurement won’t even take us a day, right? What about the rest of the time? I don’t think you, an idiot, would spend that much time having fun.”

"That's a bit much..." Li rolled her eyes at her. "I did have some fun this time... but only after I'd taken care of my own business. And those two..."

Those two might have the same idea as Li, just wanting to go back to Earth for a visit, but not intending to return to that world, so we also need to consider their actions.

"Eh... really..." Ning's gaze drifted across the crowd, "So... do you consider this a honeymoon?"

“I don’t know…” Mr. Li said honestly, “but I hope… it can be like a honeymoon…”

For various reasons, after Rin and Ning confirmed their relationship, they didn't seem to have actually done anything substantial. Furthermore, Rin was somewhat hesitant due to her personality. Kuroba also mentioned this, and Rin felt she should be more proactive and give Ning more time to spend together; constantly lingering in the same place wouldn't do any good.

"Hmm..." Ning hummed twice, then said, "Since you've put it that way, I'll be serious too..."

"...? Is there anything that needs to be taken seriously?" Li tilted her head, not understanding what was so serious about a honeymoon.

"You don't need to overthink that," Ning smiled mysteriously. "You'll find out when the time comes. By the way, what are your plans?"

"Hmm..." After thinking for a moment, he said, "Let's go see my dad and mom first..."

"—?!"

Upon hearing this, Ning's expression changed instantly; Li had never seen her react so strongly before.