"How did Aidan turn into snowy white ash..."
"He's burnt out."
Clang—
Aidan now looked like faded lines stepped out of a manga, as if he would fall apart with a single gust of wind.
"In the future... I'll never dare to let Sister Himeko into the kitchen again..." March 7th leaned weakly against the wall, feeling as if her entire being had been hollowed out.
"...Agreed."
When Aidan woke up, he was lying on Himeko's lap.
Wow, a lap pillow too!
Aidan decisively continued to play dead.
He had to enjoy Sister Himeko's lap pillow for a while; if he didn't enjoy it a bit longer, how could he make up for eating so much of Himeko's hellish cooking?
A slightly cool hand covered his forehead, fingers gently combing through the stray hairs on his brow.
"How can eating a meal be this exhausting... Could it be that the flavors I made were too radical?"
Himeko's voice sounded with a hint of heartfelt worry.
Yes, yes, yes, exactly!
"But the Deep-fried Watermelon Strips were quite successful; Dan Heng ate a lot."
As expected of Dan Heng, easily accomplishing what I cannot.
"Aidan? Can you hear me?"
Himeko leaned down, her long red hair cascading down, a few strands brushing against the hollow of Aidan's neck, feeling ticklish.
Aidan felt her breath right next to him.
Oh no, Sister Himeko is leaning too close.
Sister Himeko's lap pillow was indeed a top-tier earthly delight, but if he opened his eyes now and faced that face so close to his, he was a bit worried he wouldn't be able to resist doing something offensive. Moreover, if Himeko found out he had woken up long ago and was playing dead to take advantage, the consequences would be terrifying...
"Not awake yet... It seems this nutritional combination was indeed too nourishing; perhaps his body hasn't adapted yet."
Himeko's fingers suddenly stopped.
Her golden eyes narrowed slightly, her gaze falling on Aidan's slightly trembling eyelashes.
His heartbeat quickened, and his breathing became a bit erratic.
"Oh dear, what should I do?" Himeko deliberately lowered her voice, her tone carrying three parts distress and seven parts regret. "I just went to the kitchen specifically to bring out a newly made special drink, intending to give it to him when he woke up to soothe his stomach. Now it seems I can only feed it to him using a special method."
Aidan's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
"Cough, cough, cough! Cough, cough!"
Not because he choked, but purely because he was scared.
"Oh, you're awake?"
Himeko looked at Aidan, who had instantly opened his eyes, with a smile, gently patting his chest to help him catch his breath.
"So excited? I was worried you'd be unconscious for too long, but you seem to be recovering well now."
"I'm sorry, Sister Himeko, I was just temporarily blinded by beauty."
Hearing Aidan's remark about being blinded by beauty, Himeko was first taken aback, then let out a soft laugh.
"Then you can stay blinded for a while longer; it's fine."
Aidan's breath nearly stopped.
Is Sister Himeko teasing me?
Probably not... right? Looking at Sister Himeko's eyes, there was no hint of joking at all...
But what if she is teasing me...
What if?
"You're blushing."
Aidan subconsciously touched his cheek; it was a bit hot. While complaining in his heart, he scrambled around. Who knew that as soon as he exerted force, those few mouthfuls of Stir-fried Moth-silk Risotto he'd eaten earlier would start protesting violently in his stomach, making his legs go weak and causing him to fall back.
This time was even better; the back of his head landed directly on Himeko's thigh. The soft, bouncy sensation made his whole body stiffen like a piece of wood. Himeko's scent usually smelled intellectual and elegant, but this close...
"Come, drink this." Himeko brought the cup to Aidan's lips.
Aidan looked at the contents of the cup, alarm bells ringing in his heart.
"Sister Himeko, what... what is this?" Aidan swallowed hard, his eyes full of resistance.
"Honey Citron Tea." Himeko looked at him with a smile. "I even added a bit of mint. Don't worry, this time it was made strictly according to the recipe you modified; nothing else was added."
Aidan was stunned.
She knew?
It had to be said, as long as Himeko didn't use her whimsical ideas, the normal food she made was actually delicious.
"Feeling better?" Himeko put down the cup and took out a clean handkerchief, naturally wiping the residue from the corner of Aidan's mouth.
"Much better, I've come back to life." Aidan let out a long breath; this time he truly relaxed.
"That's good then."
Himeko withdrew the handkerchief but had no intention of urging him to get up, letting him continue to lie there.
Aidan felt like a large dog being stroked very comfortably, his body honestly sinking into that soft lap pillow.
Indeed, women are like fine wine.
Of course, the second half of the sentence didn't need to be said aloud.
Aidan finally got up from Himeko's lap pillow.
It wasn't that he didn't want to keep lying there, but March 7th had already "passed by" three times, each time with an expression as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
"Are you okay? Your face was as white as paper just now; it was terrifying."
"I'm fine." Aidan stretched his neck, feeling refreshed. "Sister Himeko took good care of me."
"Ugh..." March 7th seemed to still be reminiscing about that hellish taste from before.
"What, not used to it? Then next time I'll adjust the recipe again, trying to get the ratio of chili and sweetness more perfect."
"Sister Himeko, there's enough food stored on the Astral Express; let's just eat something normal."
March 7th pressed her hands together, looking at Himeko pleadingly.
"Just teasing you." Himeko stood up and placed the empty cup on the table. "Since Aidan is fine, I'll go and rest for a bit too."
Watching Himeko leave the Parlor Car, March 7th's tense shoulders finally slumped.
"Hey, Aidan."
"What?"
"Looking at your expression just now, it's like you wished you could grow onto Sister Himeko's legs."
Aidan rubbed his nose.
"If it were you who fainted from eating so much hellish cooking, Sister Himeko would take care of you the same way. What, are you jealous?"
"Who's jealous of that!"
"Speaking of which, the Path is going to change again tomorrow, right?" March 7th leaned closer to Aidan, staring into his eyes. "You've been so smart these past two days; if you suddenly turn back into an idiot tomorrow, this lady will have to adapt all over again."
"What, afraid I won't be around to bicker with you?"
"Of course. After all, before you came aboard, I could only watch videos by myself. It's very boring if there's no one to talk to. Mr. Yang is busy, Sister Himeko is busy, Pom-Pom is also busy, Shush... I don't want to hear cold jokes, Dan Heng isn't busy, but he doesn't like to talk."
"You finally admitted it."
Aidan said in a "truth revealed" tone.
"Admitted what?"
"Admitted that you like talking to me."
March 7th's expression froze for a moment, then she quickly turned red: "I-I did not! I'm just... just stating facts! You're a junior, and taking care of juniors is a senior's responsibility!"
"Right, right, right, responsibility, responsibility." Aidan nodded with an "I understand" expression.
"What does that expression mean!"
"It doesn't mean anything." Aidan spread his hands. "I just think it's quite an honor to be treated as a responsibility by Senior March 7th."