May 31st, Monday.
Another day when Palu had to work.
Completely unaware that a bloody crisis was gradually approaching, Haru got up early and began his morning exercises as usual, then went into the kitchen to make breakfast for two... oh, now four people.
With Mobius and Griseo around, Elysia was too embarrassed to get handsy with him.
So Haru rested very well this weekend and had plenty of energy to show off his cooking skills, making a hearty breakfast.
Pots and pans roared, oil, salt, sauce and vinegar submitted...
Haru was like a legendary master chef, displaying various dazzling techniques. In less than an hour, he had prepared plates of classic Cantonese dim sum.
Fried spring rolls, steamed rice rolls, dry-steamed siu mai, crystal shrimp dumplings, Portuguese egg tarts, xiaolongbao, char siu bao, water chestnut cake...
When Elysia brought Mobius and Griseo to the living room, the dining table was already filled with an array of exquisite delicacies.
The morning light passing through the rising steam made the food seem to glow with golden light!
"The food is actually glowing... no wait, is this the Tyndall effect?"
Mobius, still dressed in her white lab coat, was stunned when she saw the table full of Cantonese dim sum, her emerald snake eyes showing some surprise.
Griseo, smelling the food's aroma, had her purple crystal-like pupils sparkling as she looked at Haru with admiration.
"Big brother Haru is amazing."
"Haha, just some simple dishes - my hospitality is lacking!"
Master Haru, finished with his busy work, took off his apron and said modestly, though the corners of his mouth couldn't suppress their upward curve.
A chef's greatest sense of achievement came from diners' praise, especially being complimented by such a cute little girl as Griseo.
"I never thought your cooking would be this good, Haru. In my opinion, you might even surpass Kalpas?"
Mobius put a crystal shrimp dumpling in her mouth and savored it carefully.
The fresh and smooth shrimp meat paired with the slightly chewy translucent dumpling wrapper was excellent in both appearance and taste.
"Master Kalpas's cooking skills aren't bad either. These simple dim sum wouldn't be difficult for him."
Haru recalled the Golden Courtyard butler who never removed his mask and answered seriously.
Kalpas's mastery of heat control was exquisite, skilled in frying, stir-frying, roasting, and deep-frying. His cooking was so superb that it made Haru's hands itch, wanting to find an opportunity to compete with him.
If nothing unexpected happened, Kalpas probably had the same idea.
Master chefs were drawn to each other - sooner or later they would have a real man's food battle at the Golden Courtyard!
Haru's heart boiled with excitement while he heard Mobius's commentary.
"Perhaps Kalpas's cooking skills really aren't inferior to yours, but besides cooking ability, a chef's attitude is also important. No one likes encountering a chef with a bad attitude, so I still think you're better than Kalpas."
"Um, Mobius, Kalpas only has a bad attitude toward you, right?"
Elysia, sitting beside Haru, swallowed the xiaolongbao in her mouth and said with a smile, "Judging with bias isn't good~ If Kalpas heard this, he'd be hurt!"
"Really? I think Kalpas would just sneer disdainfully and say that a scientist who likes eating instant noodles has that kind of taste."
Mobius snorted lightly. "What's wrong with liking instant noodles? Whose family doesn't have someone who likes instant noodles?"
"..."
Haru and Elysia exchanged glances, and finally Miss Pink Elf was the first to laugh.
"Oh my, Mobius, you talk like you've experienced it personally! Looking at it this way, you and Kalpas have quite a good relationship!"
"Me and Kalpas? Don't joke around, Elysia. Can't all this food shut your mouth?"
Mobius spoke in an icy tone, but anyone except the deaf could hear a trace of stubbornness in it.
"Speaking of which, no wonder you look like you've gained weight, Elysia. After all, with a boyfriend who cooks so deliciously, and you can't control your mouth, your weight must keep increasing."
Elysia's laughing face froze.
Both she and Mobius had mature female figures, but Mobius's waist was as slender as a water snake, while she appeared more voluptuous.
Plus Haru's cooking always made people's appetites explode...
Elysia's weight had indeed increased compared to the past, and despite trying to control it, she hadn't been able to lose much.
"Cough cough, gaining just a little bit can't be called fat. This is called perfectly appropriate fullness."
Elysia acted like she didn't care at all, but inconspicuously moved the spring roll she'd bitten into to Haru's bowl.
Fried foods were too high in calories - better to eat less.
Haru shrugged without exposing the girl's little scheme, casually eating the spring roll, then feeding Griseo who had transformed into a little glutton.
"Come on, Griseo, try the Portuguese egg tart. I made this especially to your taste."
"Thank you, big brother Haru! I love big brother Haru the most!"
The little loli showed a sweet smile that nearly melted Haru's heart.
The nearby fairy and snake were both a bit jealous, too busy to continue bickering as they began feeding Griseo, trying to replace Haru's position in Griseo's heart.
Unfortunately...
Even after breakfast ended, the little girl still liked her big brother Haru the most.
"Ahaha, I'm going to work now. I'll leave the house to you."
Haru wore a victor's smile as he changed shoes at the entrance, then looked at Elysia.
"Mm, Mobius has to go to Divine City Pharmaceuticals later. Today I'll stay home and keep little Griseo company... Don't look at me with such a distrustful expression! I won't take Griseo to try Indian cuisine."
Seeing Haru's hesitant expression and starting to instruct about what ingredients in the fridge could be used for what, Elysia stamped her foot.
She had replicated Indian cuisine before and posted cooking videos online that got quite a few views. She'd tried it several more times since, but she didn't only know how to make Indian food!
"It better be that way. Griseo, you must watch over sister Elysia and don't let her cause trouble."
Haru smiled at Griseo who had run over, rubbing the little girl's silky sky-blue long hair.
Griseo squinted her eyes in enjoyment, then said with a serious expression:
"It's just a mere little fairy. Big brother Haru can leave it to me with confidence."
Hiss, that way of addressing...
It seemed yesterday's long interaction had made Griseo pick up his mannerisms!
Haru awkwardly raised his head to find Mobius looking at Elysia with a thoughtful expression, while Elysia was shyly glaring at him.
"I didn't teach Griseo to call you that... Anyway, I'm about to be late, so I'm heading to work first!"
Haru laughed dryly and turned to flee.
Let Griseo neutralize the influence by staying around Elysia. If Griseo continued learning to talk like him, he'd probably end up having daily social deaths like that kid called Kosma!
Chapter 67: Valkyrie Foot Ranking
Original Principle Studio.
Haru swiped his work card at the door scanner, then walked in with practiced ease.
He'd arrived relatively early today - Qingque, who always clocked in at the last minute, hadn't arrived yet, but Bronya was already in the studio.
The light gray-haired girl always dressed professionally on workdays: a lady's blazer with a pencil skirt and black stockings on long legs, her work badge hanging in front of her full chest, giving off a mature and pure desire vibe.
If Bronya had served as his secretary in this outfit back on Hyperion, he probably would have had trouble concentrating on work.
Unfortunately, now the tables were turned...
Big Duck had become his boss, and her workstation was right next to his, making it difficult even to slack off.
Haru sighed inwardly, then waved at the girl who was sitting casually on her desk making a phone call.
Bronya also spotted Haru immediately, but since she was on a call, she couldn't greet him verbally and could only smile and nod.
Who was Big Duck calling so early in the morning?
Haru didn't think much about it, sitting down at his workstation, turning on his computer, connecting his graphics tablet, then using the corner of his eye to observe the girl.
As they say, "viewed from the side, it forms peaks; from different angles, different shapes appear"...
From Haru's current angle, Bronya's already excellent figure appeared even more pronounced, and since the girl was currently sitting on the desk surface, those beautiful legs covered in black stockings were completely exposed in mid-air, allowing one to appreciate them openly.
Though not as voluptuous as Elysia's fleshy legs, he could play with Big Duck's legs for a year... assuming he was still single.
Haru stroked his chin, suddenly feeling inspired. He picked up his stylus, occasionally glancing at the girl beside him, then sketching and revising on his graphics tablet.
"My dear subordinate, what are you doing?"
After finishing her call, Bronya immediately turned her head, looking down at Haru from her elevated position.
The girl had long noticed the Captain's gaze falling on her legs.
At first, Bronya thought the Captain was attracted by her charm and that last week's conquest efforts were showing initial results, but she later realized this wasn't the case.
Although the Captain's expression showed some excitement, that was when he was drawing, while his look toward her was incredibly indifferent.
"Eh? You finished your call, Bronya?"
Haru's stylus paused as he emerged from his creative state.
"Mm, I was just talking to Seele about the house. The developer of this building completed the paperwork this morning and sold me the apartment upstairs from the studio. Once I buy furniture and everything, you can come to Bronya's place to rest or eat anytime."
The girl pointed upward at the ceiling, then asked seriously:
"You still haven't answered my earlier question - what were you drawing while looking at Bronya?"
"Well, doesn't our game have a scene where the male protagonist helps Mizuho change shoes?"
Haru snapped his fingers and said cheerfully, "I thought your pose just now was quite suitable, so I used it as reference for drawing."
With such a beautiful boss like Bronya right in front of you, all you can think about is drawing?!
The girl felt like she was casting flirtatious glances at a block of wood, her pretty face habitually forming a (´･ω･`) expression.
Fortunately, having long understood the Captain's conquest difficulty level, Bronya didn't get discouraged for long. After slightly adjusting her mindset, she directly used this opportunity to launch an attack.
"Since it helps with drawing, why don't you move closer to observe, Haru?"
Bronya's lips curved into a playful arc as she spoke in a gentle tone.
"Ah? I've already seen enough..."
Haru was stunned and wanted to refuse.
But before he could finish speaking, Bronya had already lifted her shapely, slender leg, kicked off her high heel, then openly extended her black-stockinged jade foot toward Haru.
Due to the distance between workstations, the girl's foot wouldn't reach Haru's face... but it wasn't far.
Haru watched as the slender foot wrapped in black fabric rapidly enlarged before his eyes, then stopped about twenty centimeters away.
Sunlight from the window shone in, settling on the girl's toes, her graceful arch drawing an incredibly beautiful curve in mid-air.
Haru couldn't help but squint his eyes.
At this distance, he could see through the thin black stockings to the faint veins under Bronya's foot skin, her slightly curled toes round and lustrous like pearls, crystal clear and translucent.
Mm, there didn't seem to be any strange odor either.
This was normal though - it was still morning, Bronya hadn't walked around much, so naturally her jade feet were very clean.
If they'd been stuffed in high heels all day, there would probably be some leather scent and faint sweat smell, but Valkyries didn't have foot odor, so this smell wouldn't be unpleasant.
And someone naturally gifted in the barefoot department like Seele wouldn't even have a sweat smell, instead carrying a faint body fragrance - truly a foot fetishist's blessing... though for certain particularly heavy-taste people, it would be despair.
Haru thought with rich experience, recalling the Valkyrie foot ranking he'd completed through numerous loops.
Bronya's loli form ranked last due to her leg disability - after all, Haru couldn't very well have the girl use a wheelchair or exoskeleton for foot play with him.
But after growing into Big Duck, Bronya's jade feet should rank in the top three among all Valkyries. As for the taste...
Wait, what the hell am I thinking?!
Haru suddenly snapped awake, suppressing his impulse for academic research.
He'd gotten so used to doing such things in the past that he subconsciously pursued rigor, wanting to update the Valkyrie foot ranking immediately.
But he wasn't the Hyperion Captain now, and Big Duck wasn't his subordinate Valkyrie - she was his boss.
If he got too absorbed watching, or even leaned in to sniff and lick, he'd definitely be treated like a pervert, and Bronya might even fire him for it.
There were no loops now - he had to watch his words and actions, or there'd be no way to recover from social death...
Haru warned himself internally, then straightened his expression, planning to have Bronya withdraw her jade foot.
However, just then—
Thud!
Haru and Bronya simultaneously turned toward the source of the sound.
At the studio entrance, Qingque, who had clocked in right on time, stood with a shocked expression, mouth agape as she stared at them, not even noticing her phone had fallen to the ground.
The air became silent in that moment.
After a few seconds, just as Haru was about to explain, he saw Qingque cover her eyes and start backing away.
"Um... I didn't see anything! Please continue!"
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