Want to be human, but cube-like

She sat down and said.

"Although it's a lie... well, it's still a way to deal with it."

Although she seemed somewhat reluctant, Xiangzi did not object to Alex's actions. She sat down as well, her shoulders and back straight, her eyes closed, and she shook her head slightly.

"Like This……"

Without paying much attention to it, Ai Yin turned her attention to the sumptuous dishes on the table in front of her.

"It smells so good~ What kind of stew is this?"

She swallowed hard, glanced at the several exquisitely presented dishes, and finally her gaze fell on the large pot of stewed meat in the middle, and she asked.

"This is beef stew. Xiangzi said that he gets tired of eating the same meat patties and hamburgers on the menu all the time, so I'm making something different today."

Alex offered an explanation.

"Well, the ingredients delivered by the supplier are of pretty good quality. Using them to make hamburgers actually masks a lot of the flavor of the ingredients."

"I've gotten used to referring to Alex's Sky Island as that non-existent high-level supplier," Xiangzi said with a light smile.

"Then I won't be polite!"

Eager to wait, Ai-yin picked up a spoon and scooped herself a small spoonful of beef.

"Delicious!"

The seemingly firm beef has a tender, juicy texture that comes out when you bite into it. The meat chunks are soaked in broth and are very flavorful. The beef is of the highest quality, and only the best cuts are selected. Almost every piece has tender tendons or a little bit of soft fat attached to it, so it is never too dry. The texture is very rich and layered.

Just this one bite of beef feels like enough to mix with half a bowl of rice.

"Ellie's cooking skills are truly amazing..."

Aine couldn't help but sigh.

I had only eaten Alex's burgers and some fried steaks or skewers before. Although I knew that her cooking skills were superb, the deliciousness of those foods was more due to the quality of the ingredients themselves. I had to eat dishes that were more complicated to prepare to fully appreciate how amazing her cooking skills were.

"If Aine likes it, I can cook for you every day from now on."

Alex paused as she spoke.

"I can deliver it to you in the morning or at noon."

She probably also considered that Ai-yin would only have time to come to the burger shop to eat with her for dinner that evening, so she added a sentence.

"Woo~"

With a touched expression, Aine blushed and covered her wildly beating heart with her small hands.

"Then... is the miso soup I have every morning... okay?"

She was hesitant and seemed a little shy, but the words she spoke were exceptionally bold.

So audacious that Xiangzi almost couldn't help but slam his fist on the table and shout, "Huh?!"

"...Using such jokes can easily lead to misunderstandings, Aine-kun."

Taking a deep breath, Xiangzi suppressed her impulse. She forced a smile and offered a seemingly calm reminder.

"Besides, Alex isn't from this country, she probably wouldn't understand, right?"

After saying that, Xiangzi turned to look at Alex.

"Miso soup...I think I know how to make it...I'll make it for you tomorrow!"

But the latter was already seriously considering it. She pondered for a while, and seemed to remember that she did see a recipe for miso soup in the cookware recipe. She immediately smiled and said.

"Ellie~love~!"

Holding her hands to her chest, Aine cheered happily.

"..."

Here we go again, suddenly they're all acting like nobody else is around, being all lovey-dovey and cuddly...

With a deep sigh, Xiangzi was at his wit's end with these two idiots.

"If Xiangzi likes it too, I can make it for you too~ I can make it for you every day from now on."

However, Alex seemed to notice Xiangzi's emotional change very keenly. She turned her head, smiled, and said...

Unlike Aine, who openly expressed her joy, Xiangzi's heart skipped a beat, but she only paused, pursed her lips, and widened her eyes slightly.

"Eh--?"

Before Xiangzi could even speak, Aiyin, upon hearing this, drew out her words and pouted with a hint of possessiveness.

"Hmm... that's true, Ellie doesn't understand what this means at all..."

But soon, she seemed deflated, muttered something under her breath, and suddenly felt bored.

It's annoying when your boyfriend makes miso soup for another girl...

"what happened?"

Alex, clearly not understanding what the two were concerned about, simply tilted her head in confusion and asked.

"It's nothing, eat quickly, it won't taste good if it gets cold."

Shaking his head, Xiangzi, who had no intention of explaining and didn't know how to explain, said softly.

"Little Lenai? Aren't you going to eat?"

Leaving that topic aside, Aine turned her attention back to what was in front of her, and then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Rakuna, who was sitting next to her, seemed not to have touched her chopsticks at all.

"Hmm... not now."

Watching the three of them interact with great interest, Lena heard Ai's words and lowered her head to the bowl of beef that Ai had just scooped for her. Her small nose twitched, and as she looked at the rising steam, she pursed her lips and said.

Was it because we were too noisy just now?

Xiangzi asked with concern.

She was worried that the interaction between the three of them had excluded Lena, which made her feel bad.

"It's okay, we won't make a fuss."

Lena shook her head, looked at the three of them, and smiled faintly.

"Interesting woman."

…………

Volume 1: Chapter 163 The Feeling, Just Like a Mother

"This title feels a bit strange..."

Hearing Lena's somewhat sudden and strange evaluation, Aine found it hard to describe.

"Who taught Rakuna to say that?"

Even the polite Xiangzi frowned slightly, but she was very...

He quickly adjusted his expression and asked softly.

"Grandma said so."

With her big eyes blinking, Lena replied.

"what……"

Is this how elders teach children?

Xiangzi paused, unsure of what to say next.

"Lena, it might be better to call her 'girl' instead."

After thinking for a moment, Aine patiently and softly spoke to Ryuna.

"An interesting girl?"

Tilting his head, the latter readily changed the form of address and repeated the evaluation he had just given.

"Hmm, it's still a bit strange to be described like that... but it's much better than before."

After hesitating for a moment, Aine reluctantly nodded, which was considered an agreement with Rakuna.

"Alright, eat up! Beef tastes best when it's hot."

She picked up another piece of beef, placed it in Lena's bowl, and smiled.

"We still need to wait a little longer."

But Lena shook her head. She blinked her heterochromatic eyes, her gaze sparkling as she looked at the delicious-looking beef in the bowl, but she didn't touch her chopsticks. She just said something softly.

"what's wrong?"

Seeing this, Alex asked a question.

Don't you want to eat now?

Xiangzi was also puzzled.

"Hmph~ Did you eat too much matcha parfait just now, so you can't eat anything now?"

Ai Yin gave a soft hum, raised her index finger, gently poked Le Nai's little face, and smiled.

"It's too hot!"

However, Lena turned around somewhat dissatisfied and muttered.

Is it hot? It's alright... I think.

Unaware of this, Alex blinked, picked up a piece of beef, and without even blowing on it, put it directly into her mouth while it was still steaming hot.

That makes sense. Even if Alex fell into lava, she could stay there for several seconds without changing her expression. Getting burned by a lighter was commonplace for her. She would immediately become lively again after soaking in water. This little bit of heat, which was not even considered high temperature, was not worth mentioning to her.

"From any perspective, Ellie is frighteningly strong..."

Ai-yin couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark.

How many things about her lover are still unknown to her?

"Alex, tone it down..."

Xiangzi, who was standing to the side, said something in a low voice.

"Ok?"

Not quite understanding what she meant, Alex gulped down the beef in her mouth.

"what……"

Xiangzi sighed and rubbed his forehead; he was too lazy to care anymore.

Ai-yin, who hadn't quite heard what Xiangzi had just said to Alex, glanced at them a couple more times with some concern.

"But so Lena still has a cat's tongue... I guess that fits her character perfectly?"

Then, as if nothing had happened, he turned his head to look at Lena, who was still waiting for the beef to cool down.

"She's already like a kitten normally, even when it comes to eating, she's just like a kitten."

Ai Yin sighed softly.

"However, kittens aren't very good at handling matcha, so Lena shouldn't eat too much matcha parfait~"

As she spoke, she teased him with a mischievous grin.

She clearly still remembered that Lena had extorted two matcha parfaits from her.

"Matcha parfait, I can eat as much as I want!"

When this topic came up, Lena immediately pouted and took the initiative to refute it.

"Even if I eat a lot, will I feel so full that I can't eat anymore?"

Xiangzi also knew that Aiyin had just taken Lena to eat two matcha parfaits, and she asked.

These words were met with a firm nod of approval from the other party.

"Ah, I understand!"

Ai Yin also raised two fingers and said.