Ranni gestured for Yukino Yukinoshita to come over, and the two of them walked to Luo Yu's side. Watching him stir strips of meat in a pot of hot oil with one hand while holding his phone in the other, Ranni asked curiously,
"King, what are you making?"
"Sweet and Sour Pork," Luo Yu replied. "I'll also make scrambled eggs with tomatoes. Paired with noodles, it'll be more than enough for a late-night meal."
As he spoke, he used a slotted spoon to lift the pork strips—now fried to a golden crisp—from the oil and set them aside to drain.
"Yukinoshita," he added, "the chicken drumstick should be ready. Could you help take it out, rinse it under cold water, then shred the meat for the cat?"
Yukino Yukinoshita nodded. After placing the kitten down, she began preparing the food while the little cat watched eagerly.
She cooled the chicken with water, tore the meat into small pieces, and placed them on a plate on the floor.
"Go ahead, little one."
Seeing the large portion of chicken, the kitten immediately pounced forward without hesitation and began devouring it eagerly, purring contentedly as it ate.
Watching the satisfied kitten, a gentle smile appeared on Yukino Yukinoshita's face.
By the time the kitten had finished every last bit of meat and lay on the floor with a round, overstuffed belly, Luo Yu had already finished cooking the Sweet and Sour Pork and the scrambled eggs with tomatoes. The noodles were ready as well.
Scooping a spoonful of scrambled eggs and tomatoes into Yukino Yukinoshita's bowl, Luo Yu said,
"Give it a try. See if my cooking suits your taste."
Picking up her chopsticks, Yukino Yukinoshita said politely,
"After watching you cook, Luo Yu, I can already tell it will taste good. I'll start eating now."
She stirred the noodles before lifting a mouthful coated in sauce and placing it into her mouth.
She paused briefly.
Then hunger quickly took over, prompting her to swallow and continue eating.
Seeing her reaction, Luo Yu nodded in satisfaction. It seemed his cooking had turned out well.
Turning to Ranni, he said,
"Let's eat too."
Ranni responded with a quiet acknowledgment and picked up a piece of Sweet and Sour Pork.
"Delicious."
Before long, the noodles and the two generous dishes were completely finished by the three of them.
Yukino Yukinoshita rubbed her stomach in surprise.
She couldn't believe she had eaten two full bowls of noodles along with quite a bit of meat.
And this was while she was a guest in someone else's home.
The thought made the usually composed Yukino Yukinoshita feel slightly embarrassed.
After washing the dishes, Luo Yu glanced down at the kitten rubbing against his leg. He picked it up and placed it on his lap, gently rubbing its head.
Looking toward Yukino Yukinoshita, he asked,
"You already know this little one was the cat we rescued earlier. Since you like cats so much, would you like to adopt it?"
A trace of temptation flashed through Yukino Yukinoshita's eyes.
But after a moment, she shook her head.
"No. My apartment doesn't allow pets, and my family visits occasionally. If they discovered it, it would be troublesome."
She hesitated before asking,
"Luo Yu… are you planning not to keep it?"
"Not exactly," Luo Yu replied with a smile. "It's just that since you can communicate with cats, it would obviously suit you better to raise it."
"But since that's not possible right now, we can adopt it instead. It's a well-behaved little thing."
He thought for a moment.
"We should go to the nearby convenience store later and buy some cat food and litter. I remember seeing them there."
While speaking, Luo Yu suddenly remembered something.
He lifted the kitten's tail to check.
"Oh, it's a little female cat."
"Meow!"
The kitten was clearly displeased with this behavior. It meowed angrily before jumping onto the table and running straight to Yukino Yukinoshita.
While comforting the kitten, Yukino Yukinoshita shot Luo Yu an annoyed look.
Luo Yu only laughed and took a sip of tea.
After resting for a while, Yukino Yukinoshita glanced at the wall clock.
It was already past ten o'clock.
"It's getting late. I should head home."
Luo Yu stood up.
"I'll walk you back. I was planning to buy some things anyway."
He looked toward Ranni.
Ranni shook her head.
"I'll stay here. You go ahead, King."
"Alright."
Without giving Yukino Yukinoshita a chance to refuse, Luo Yu walked to her side.
After a brief hesitation, she accepted his kindness. She handed the kitten back to Ranni, said her farewell, and left the house together with Luo Yu.
From their conversation, Luo Yu learned that Yukino Yukinoshita's apartment was not far from his house—about a ten-minute walk.
After she declined the suggestion of riding Torrent, the two of them simply walked through the quiet night.
As they traveled under the night sky, Yukino Yukinoshita immediately sensed the difference in the world around her.
Not long after they started walking, they encountered two evil spirits.
One was a wandering humanoid spirit with little awareness, drifting aimlessly. Luo Yu ignored it.
The other had a far more sinister appearance.
The moment it saw them, it asked,
"Can you see me?"
Before it could do anything else, Luo Yu drew the Carian Knight's Sword and cut it down with a single strike.
The spirit disappeared instantly.
Yukino Yukinoshita stared in astonishment.
She had barely even processed what had happened.
After sheathing the sword, Luo Yu explained,
"You heard Ranni earlier. When an evil spirit asks whether you can see it, answering gives it permission under the rules to attack you."
"But if you ignore it, it cannot harm you at all. It will simply pass through your body."
As he spoke, Luo Yu grabbed Yukino Yukinoshita's hand and walked directly toward another spirit standing near an intersection.
Yukino Yukinoshita stiffened immediately. She widened her eyes and avoided looking at it, instead staring at Luo Yu.
A cold sensation passed through her body.
They had walked straight through the spirit.
Afterward, the spirit glanced back at them briefly before continuing on its way.
Once they were a safe distance away, Yukino Yukinoshita cautiously looked back at the spirit before finally letting out several deep breaths.
Turning to Luo Yu, she said with a slightly trembling voice,
"Luo Yu… please don't suddenly do things like that. I'm not brave enough for it."
Luo Yu laughed.
"I was just demonstrating. Besides, with me around, what do you have to be afraid of?"
"I'm giving you a bit of preparation. If you ever encounter something like that alone, at least you'll know what to do."
For a moment, Yukino Yukinoshita didn't know how to respond.
If she had truly been alone, she might have panicked.
After exhaling slowly, she pointed toward a convenience store up ahead, its lights glowing brightly.
"The convenience store is there. Shall we buy the supplies?"
Luo Yu nodded.
"Let's go. There's quite a lot we need to get."
He could have purchased the items later on the way back, but since Yukino Yukinoshita suggested it—and since she was a devoted cat lover who could give useful advice—he didn't mind shopping now.
After all, anything he bought could simply be stored in his inventory space.