---o---
"To create a beautiful environment for the cutest goddess in history, of course."
When these words reached Ishtar's ears, she couldn't help but purse her lips.
"Don't you think that kind of over-the-top flattery is just hollow and boring?"
"No..."
Li Zihan said matter-of-factly, "The goddess for whom I would go to the trouble of redecorating this entire temple is, without a doubt, one of the cutest girls in existence."
The goddess for whom I would go to the trouble of redecorating this entire temple is, without a doubt, one of the cutest girls in existence?!
Hearing the utterly sincere tone in his voice, Ishtar froze for a moment, then a faint blush crept onto her pretty cheeks.
This guy, this guy...
She was beginning to understand why he was so popular with girls.
He really knew how to make them happy.
In my memory, apart from my father god, very few people have ever praised me like this, the goddess thought.
He was ridiculously handsome, filthy rich, incredibly powerful, and a great cook...
Tsk—
Too bad he's a scumbag I need to stay away from.
But, aside from the scumbag part, he's so damn attractive.
As these thoughts ran through her mind, Ishtar subtly edged away, cleared her throat, and said with deliberate emphasis:
"I knew it. You really are a super dangerous guy."
Li Zihan shrugged, offering no rebuttal.
He was indeed a very dangerous person.
Dangerous in every sense of the word.
"Alright, now you just have to wait for the food."
The young man, who was planning to whip up a big pot of stew for Ishtar, walked casually into the kitchen and prepared a simple yet delicious dish.
After finishing the reasonably presentable stew, Li Zihan checked the time and figured it was about time for Bronya to wake up.
As if trying to curry favor, the young man who had "persuaded" Bronya in bed the night before cheerfully retrieved a delectable breakfast and burst into her room.
And then—
He happened to catch Miss Bronya in the process of getting out of bed.
Large swathes of her pale, delicate skin were exposed, and the alluring crimson buds on her chest were in clear view.
Li Zihan nonchalantly sat down on the edge of her bed and placed the steaming hot breakfast on the nightstand.
"Morning, Bronya. Time for breakfast?"
Bronya said nothing, her eyes simply scanning the dishes on the tray he had brought.
The main course was the stubborn English breakfast, accompanied by the high-sugar pastries Germans love...
"So, Boss, you went ahead and hit on Kiana after all, didn't you?"
The words left the girl's mouth like a sniper's bullet—precise, swift, and carrying the force of a fatal blow.
"I'm just trying to pursue her."
"If I succeed, I can justifiably take Kiana to bed. If I fail, we'll just be friends."
As a scumbag who was honest to a fault, the young man stated this with ease.
"Boss, you really are a bastard."
Having used a simulation of the Herrscher of Death's authority to accelerate her own recovery and overcome the weakness in her legs that had kept her bedridden, Miss Bronya looked at the young man who had brought her breakfast, her mood less than pleasant.
"I've always been a bastard."
The young man, who had established his scumbag persona from the very beginning, smiled. He picked up a spoon, scooped up some oatmeal, blew on it gently, and brought it to the girl's lips.
"It takes a lot of energy to list all the faults of a bastard like me. So, you should eat something first."
"Ahhh—"
He made the sound, just like coaxing a child to eat.
Looking at the young man's handsome face with its cheerful smile, and the spoon now touching her lips, the girl was momentarily at a loss for words.
"Boss, you really are a super bastard."
After a long pause, she mumbled this before obediently opening her mouth.
Likely due to the added honey, the exceptionally sweet oatmeal flowed into her mouth.
It's delicious.
The girl, who was herself a skilled cook, felt that this bowl of oatmeal was more delicious than any she had ever tasted.
In truth, it wasn't that the oatmeal itself was exceptionally good.
But beauty is in the eye of the beholder. When the food is personally cooked by your lover and then fed to you by his own hand, it always seems to acquire a special flavor.
As she swallowed spoonful after spoonful of oatmeal, the girl felt the unhappiness in her heart begin to dissipate.
Then, as if by magic, the young man snapped his fingers, and the empty oatmeal bowl was instantly replaced by another plate.
"Care for some butter-fried scrambled eggs?"
The young man, who had deliberately shaped the scrambled eggs into a heart, chuckled and held up a fork, wiggling it in front of her.
He even shaped the scrambled eggs into a heart?
It looks... delicious.
The girl, feeling that the scrambled eggs were delicious for the same reason the oatmeal had been, felt the last of her displeasure melt away.
In its place grew a sense of anticipation.
"Ahhh—"
Just like before, as if coaxing a child, the young man made the sound.
Looking at her lover's handsome, smiling face, the girl named Bronya parted her small lips.
Then, the dish personally prepared by her lover was once again placed in her mouth.
"Is it good?" the young man asked with a light laugh.
The girl, who was chewing the scrambled eggs, paused and said nothing.
And then—
She lifted her head slightly, leaned in until her lips met his, and her small tongue proactively parted his teeth, pushing half of the food from her mouth into his.
Then, she finished chewing the food in her own mouth and swallowed.
"Delicious."
"That's good."
The young man, who had also quickly swallowed the food, chuckled.
This feeling of feeding his lover, only to be fed back in return, was quite nice.
Hmm, I can use this as a flirting technique on Mei, Kiana, Seele, Sirin, Ana, Wendy, and Alice in the future.
"But, speaking of which, Boss, you said the people from Chaldea would be arriving in the next couple of days. Is it really okay to be spending your time keeping me company and trying to pick up Kiana?"
The girl, who had been a little unhappy but whose mood had improved considerably after a round of feeding-play, turned her head to ask.
"Oh, that? That's something I can resolve at any time."
The young man, who was probably just going to kidnap Guda and her accessory, and then abduct Merlin's #1 Fan, Romani, shrugged and said.
Once he used a combination of enticement and threats to send Goetia on a long voyage and kicked Tiamat back into the Sea of Imaginary Numbers, the first part of his mission would be more or less complete.
The second part was a bit of a headache, but not unsolvable.
The young man, who already had a few ideas, chuckled. He then casually speared a piece of grilled tomato with a fork and dangled it in front of the girl.
"This time, how do you think I should feed you?"
---o---
Author's Note:
ps: Trying to write a bit of daily life.