At the lemon tea shop, Lucian opened the fridge and found a bunch of premade drinks.
Milk teas, fruit teas—brightly colored and neatly lined up in the compartments. They looked so good they practically made his mouth water.
But they'd clearly been sitting there for a long time. Probably not safe to drink anymore.
The owner of this place, like the rest of the town, had already been eaten by the Phlegm Queen.
So everything here was ownerless now.
The shop was dead quiet, empty of any sign of life.
Lucian looked around and found a stash of fresh lemons in a cabinet. They were still in great shape, not even a hint of rot.
Come to think of it, he hadn't had lemon tea in ages. Ever since he'd come to this world, he hadn't had a single cup…
So he decided to make it himself.
No more thinking. Lucian hit the Omnitrix and became XLR8.
Moving at ridiculous speed, he relied on memories from his previous life and started making hand-smashed lemon tea.
Blue afterimages zipped through the shop, whipping up gusts of wind.
Slicing lemon, mixing ingredients, pouring in ice water… everything flowed in one smooth sequence.
In less than half a minute, XLR8 had made ten cups.
Gulp gulp gulp…
As the cool, tangy-sweet lemon tea went down, XLR8 let out a long, satisfied breath.
"Yep… that's basically the taste," XLR8 said with a grin. "Guess I'm pretty talented."
Then he drank eight more cups—straight down, one after another—feeling ridiculously refreshed.
After wiping his mouth, XLR8 frowned, confused, and muttered, "Why… do I suddenly like lemon tea this much?"
He'd always liked it, sure, but not like this. Right now, it felt more addictive than alcohol.
"Is it because I made it myself?"
XLR8 shook his head, turned into a blur, and dashed back to the clothing store.
The moment he stepped inside, he froze.
In front of an ornate mirror, Yenji was wearing a white bodycon dress that hugged her figure perfectly, showing off every curve and giving off a mature, elegant vibe.
Crystal high heels set off her fair, delicate feet, making the sight downright dangerous.
She looked luxurious and noble—stunning without being gaudy.
Compared to her usual red tight-fitting dress, the white one made her look a little more innocent. Not as flashy or seductive, but with a different kind of charm.
Yenji was fully focused, checking herself from every angle. Then she sensed someone behind her and spun around, a cold flicker flashing through her eyes.
The second she saw it was Lucian, that chill melted away, replaced by softness and a teasing warmth.
"It's me. No need to be nervous." XLR8 pointed at the Omnitrix on his chest.
Then he held out two cups of lemon tea. "Want some lemon tea?"
"I'll drink anything you give me~" Yenji giggled, her ears drooping as she trotted over.
Seeing the sealed plastic cup, she reached out with her little claw, ready to rip the lid off.
"Hey, wait. Lemon tea isn't drunk like that," Lucian said.
He grabbed a disposable straw and pierced the lid.
Yenji huffed lightly, took the icy cup, and sipped slowly with her small, cherry-red mouth.
"Mmm! That's so good!"
Her eyes lit up like a kid discovering something new. Her red fox ears twitched, and her tail wagged nonstop. She looked genuinely delighted.
"Done trying clothes?" XLR8 leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
"Ah!" Yenji let out a long breath, looking blissed out. "Yep! All done. They're on the chair."
XLR8 followed her gaze to a wooden chair.
A huge bag sat there, stuffed to the point of bursting.
All designer brands—stuff that would normally cost tens of thousands of dollars altogether.
But the shop owner had long since been eaten by the Phlegm Queen, so no one was here to claim anything. If you didn't take it, you were basically wasting it.
Call it Lucian collecting payment for avenging the owner…
...
Before long, Yenji finished her lemon tea. Her red lips looked glossy and bright.
"That was so good! Do you have more?" she asked, staring at XLR8 like she was begging.
"Next time I'll make you some more. Let's head back first," XLR8 said.
Soon, they left the fancy boutique and started walking back toward Aunt Vera's house.
When they passed a shop, XLR8 suddenly stopped, staring inside.
"What is it, Lucian?" Yenji asked, confused.
"Wait here for me."
XLR8 flickered and vanished in an instant, leaving Yenji standing there blinking.
About a minute later, XLR8 rushed back, arms piled high with a mountain of stuff.
Yenji raised an eyebrow at the strange haul. "What are all these?"
Pickled cucumbers, sour cabbage noodles, spicy sour noodles, aged vinegar, pineapple, plums, green mango… all sour foods, stacked ridiculously high in his arms.
"Take them back to eat," XLR8 said with a faint smile, already walking again. "Let's go."
Yenji scratched her head, totally baffled.
"Whatever. Tonight I'll just… take care of Little Lucian, before anything drags on," she muttered to herself.
Her injuries were healed now, and she had her strength back.
When it was dark and quiet…
When they got back to Aunt Vera's house, Ben and Gwen were already in the living room, eating the "loot" they'd gathered that morning.
Yep—Ben had turned into XLR8 too and "bought" a ton of snacks and video games, piling them up in the living room.
When Grandpa Max saw Lucian come in with a huge stack of food, he couldn't help being surprised. "What… what is all this, Lucian? We're not short on food."
Lucian looked awkward. "I don't know. Since this morning, I've just been craving sour stuff."
Grandpa Max nodded and didn't say anything else. He was busy handling Aunt Vera's arrangements.
So everyone stayed in the house, each doing their own thing.
Before they knew it, night had quietly fallen…