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"I'm not interested in this at all! Sis, if you keep pushing it like this, I'm hanging up!"
Yukino Yukinoshita cut her off in a fluster, her voice sharper than usual. Almost instinctively, she lifted her head and glanced toward the bedroom door.
Through the half-open gap, she could clearly see Lucian in the open kitchen.
He was wearing a simple apron, sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing smooth, well-defined muscles.
Under the subtle boost of his "Charm," even his back as he worked in the kitchen carried a kind of irresistible, almost dangerous allure. His profile, lit by the warm yellow glow of the lights, was flawless enough to make anyone's heart skip.
Unbidden, images flashed through Yukino's mind—how this man had taken her on the bed just moments ago, rough yet somehow gentle at the same time…
"Yukino? Are you still there? Your breathing sounds a little… fast."
Click.
Blushing furiously, Yukino hung up without hesitation.
She leaned against the wall, her chest rising and falling rapidly. It took a long while before her racing heartbeat finally slowed.
"I can't think about that anymore…Yukino, calm down. It was just an accident."
Taking a deep breath, she opened a delivery app on her phone. With reddened cheeks, she quickly placed an order—for a clean dress, and… a brand-new set of underwear.
After that, she endured the soreness in her inner thighs, picked up the ruined clothes scattered on the floor, and stuffed them all into the washing machine. She hit the heavy wash setting, as if trying to scrub away every trace of that embarrassing moment.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Lucian was in his element.
With the mind of a genius, his control over heat and ingredient proportions had reached an almost inhuman level of precision.
Tonight's dish: Five-ingredient fried rice.
Hot pan, cold oil. The beaten eggs hit the surface and instantly puffed up with a satisfying sizzle.
Next went in evenly diced carrots, bright green peas, tender shrimp, and chopped mushrooms.
With a flick of his wrist, the wok arced perfectly through the air. The rice and ingredients lifted, flipped, and mixed midair, every grain coated in golden egg and rich oil.
In less than ten minutes, an irresistible aroma filled the entire apartment.
"Smells amazing!"
Sora, who had been sulking on the couch, suddenly sprang up like a cat catching a whiff of catnip. She dashed over to the dining table, eyes locked on the golden, fragrant plate of fried rice, and swallowed hard.
Even Yukino, still in the bedroom, couldn't resist the scent.
Carefully tugging down the oversized men's shirt she was wearing, she walked over with small, slightly awkward steps and sat at the table, legs pressed together.
"There wasn't much at home, so I just threw something together. Give it a try."
Lucian untied his apron and served each of them a generous portion.
Yukino looked at the fried rice before her—it was practically a work of art. She picked up a spoon, scooped a small bite, and placed it delicately into her mouth.
The next second, her deep blue eyes widened.
A burst of incredible flavor exploded across her taste buds.
The springy shrimp, the sweetness of the peas, the richness of the eggs, and the soft, fragrant rice blended together perfectly.
It was even more impressive than the high-end dishes she'd once had at Michelin three-star restaurants.
Already hungry, Yukino quickly abandoned her usual restraint.
Though her movements remained elegant, her eating speed noticeably picked up, her spoon occasionally clinking softly against the plate.
As for Sora—she had completely given up on appearances, cheeks stuffed like a little hamster.
Watching the two stunning girls eat so happily, Lucian let out a quiet breath of relief.
What a day.
It had started off like a nightmare, but thankfully Yukino was reasonable, and his little sister had calmed down.
From here on, he could just live peacefully as a normal math teacher, maybe deal with the occasional ghost, and enjoy a quiet life.
Or so he thought—
Ding!
A cold, mechanical notification suddenly echoed in his mind, completely different from the earlier "Summoning System."
[Host detected. Dimensional coordinates locked.]
[The Multiverse Chat Group has sent you an invitation.]
[Join now? (Yes/No)]
Lucian froze mid-sip, his hand holding the glass suspended in the air.
"…Huh?"
A multiverse chat group?!
So his cheat ability… was actually a two-in-one package?!
He stared at the semi-transparent panel that had appeared in his mind, waves crashing through his thoughts.
As someone who had read countless web novels, he knew exactly how valuable this kind of thing was.
He'd thought having the "Summoning System" already made him absurdly lucky—but turns out he was a chosen one with two systems.
What was there to hesitate about?
"Yes. Join immediately," he answered silently.
[Ding! You have successfully joined the Multiverse Chat Group!]
[Based on your profession and traits, your group nickname has been automatically set to: "Genius Teacher Who Hunts Ghosts Part-Time."]
With a crisp chime, a sleek, futuristic chat interface unfolded at the edge of his vision.
The previously quiet chat instantly came alive with new messages as he joined.
[Elf Who Loves Collecting Magic]:"Oh? A newcomer. Welcome. Now that I think about it, it's been quite a while since the last new member joined, hasn't it?"
[Elf Who Loves Collecting Magic]:"So boring… I really want to go out. I heard there's an event to defeat a Demon King recently…"
[Elegant Gem Mage]:"Welcome, newcomer! A part-time ghost hunter? Sounds like some obscure branch of magecraft from the Far East. Though calling yourself a 'genius teacher'… quite confident, aren't you?"
[Elegant Gem Mage]:"Sigh, being a mage is expensive. I'm preparing for an upcoming summoning ritual, and buying gemstones is draining my savings… Got any money-making ideas, newbie?"
[Half-Elf of the Frozen Forest]:"Hello… um, is a ghost hunter similar to a spirit arts user who works with minor spirits?"
[Half-Elf of the Frozen Forest]:"Puck is still asleep, so I've been talking to the little spirits in the forest alone. It's really nice to have a newcomer…"
[General of Ice]:"Ghost hunting? Never heard of such a unit. Do ghosts bleed? Can they be interrogated?"
[General of Ice]:"I just led my army to suppress the northern tribes. His Majesty promoted me to Imperial General, but those northerners were too weak. Interrogation was boring. I'm quite bored now. I hope you're strong enough to entertain me. If we get the chance, I'd love to fight you."
As the messages popped up one after another, Lucian's genius-level intellect kicked into overdrive.
They hadn't even introduced themselves, but just from their usernames and casual remarks, he had already pieced together their identities with near certainty.
"....."