After hearing the news of Ye Xi’s death, Yukino hadn’t had a single restful night, but tonight, she slept deeply, as if she’d had several short dreams. Although she couldn’t remember what happened in those dreams, they must have been pleasant.
Her pure white lashes trembled, and her icy eyes slowly opened, tinged with confusion and curiosity.
She buried her face in the blanket and took a gentle sniff. It was a scent that made her feel safe, so she nuzzled it with her nose. The blanket was so soft, pressing against her cheek like a fluffy cloud.
If nothing unexpected had happened, she should be in Xiye’s home right now.
Upon waking, Yukino quickly assessed her situation. She’d gotten drunk yesterday, so it was a relief not to wake up to a strange ceiling.
But why, though?
She tried hard to recall what happened yesterday.
She’d drunk three bottles in a row, and then…
Nothing else came to mind…
Her mind was a blank, as if someone had packed up her memories from last night, thrown them in the recycle bin, and pressed ‘permanently delete.’
She closed her eyes again. Even a snow maiden couldn’t resist the winter warmth of a blanket, especially one that carried her teacher’s scent.
Just thinking of that black-haired girl made her heart beat a little faster for some reason. Now she couldn’t sleep at all, so she threw off the covers, put on her slippers, and checked her clothes.
It was a white set of pajamas, decorated with cute little bears, and the size was just right.
Though she’d lost some memories, she at least remembered that she’d left the house yesterday dressed properly. So…
A blush crept across Yukino’s almost transparent pale cheeks.
Did Teacher help me change?
She pushed open the door. The morning sunlight spilled into the living room, landing right on the sunflowers on the dining table. At the same time, Yukino caught a whiff of something delicious.
Guu~
Her stomach made an honest “I want to eat” sound.
Following the aroma to the kitchen, she saw a girl in front of the stove, wearing an apron and staring intently at the noodles tumbling in the pot. Her silky black hair was tied in a high ponytail with a red ribbon, falling to her waist.
Hearing footsteps behind her, Xiye said:
“Awake?”
Even though she greeted her, her eyes remained fixed on the pot, as if what was inside wasn’t food but a ticking time bomb.
To Xiye, the two were almost the same. If she overcooked it, wouldn’t the pot explode too?
Back when she was an investigator, work and study had kept her too busy to cook. Aside from takeout, it was always Yukino who prepared her meals.
Last night, she’d actually slept well, so she woke up early. Remembering Yukino had drunk yesterday, she thought a hot breakfast would help, so on a whim, she searched up some instructions and tried to make noodles.
She hadn’t expected cooking to be so difficult. The “crackle” of the gas stove and the constant flicker of the flame made her nervous. She feared one wrong step would bring terrible consequences.
How much is a pinch of salt?
Damn, the person who wrote this recipe was so irresponsible. What if she put in one gram too many and triggered some hidden summoning ritual for an ancient evil god?
At that moment, Xiye felt like she wasn’t cooking, but conducting some ancient alchemical ritual.
Seeing the girl looking like she was facing a formidable enemy, Yukino placed her clenched fist to her mouth, chuckled softly, and walked over:
“Good morning, Teacher. Do you not cook often?”
“Yeah, I used to be really busy with work… What does ‘to taste’ mean? Don’t distract Teacher right now—this is a critical moment…”
Xiye scooped up a spoonful of chicken essence, bent over, and nervously let it fall little by little. If time allowed, she’d have put it in grain by grain, but apparently there was a time limit for cooking—a lot of evil god rituals didn’t even have time limits!
Cooking was truly terrifying!
Just as her heart was pounding with nerves, a hand settled over hers, and with a gentle press, the whole spoonful of chicken essence tumbled into the boiling soup.
“Wah!”
Xiye gasped in shock:
“Yukino, you…what are you doing?!”
Yukino’s fingertips brushed lightly over the back of her hand, smiling as she said:
“For noodles, that’s just right. Cooking isn’t like an experiment; you don’t have to be so careful.”
“Really? But…”
Xiye looked anxiously at the bubbling broth, frowning.
“Let me do it, Teacher.”
Yukino’s hand slid slowly across Xiye’s, feeling that boneless softness and coolness in her palm, making her breath catch. Only when their hands fully parted did she reluctantly grab the ladle in the pot.
“It’ll be ready soon. Teacher, why don’t you rest a bit?”
Yukino spoke while watching Xiye’s reaction.
“Alright… I just wanted to take care of you, but now you’re taking care of me, heh…”
Xiye rubbed her face and obediently sat at the dining table, watching Yukino cook.
“No, compared to what Teacher’s done for me, this is nothing… Last night, thank you, Teacher…”
“No need to thank me—looking after students is a teacher’s duty.” Xiye winked at her. “But next time, no more drinking, okay?”
“Mm, I understand.”
Yukino replied with a smile, but when she turned around, her eyes showed a trace of doubt.
Strange?
It felt like something was different about her from yesterday.
Before, she would always get shy and avoidant whenever things got too close, but just now, when her hand was touched, she didn’t react at all. In fact, she acted completely natural.
It was as if…she didn’t care at all.
Did Xiye really just see her as a student now?
Stirring the soup with the ladle, watching a little whirlpool form in the center, Yukino’s heart was in just as much turmoil.
What on earth happened last night?
She turned off the stove, scooped two bowls of noodles, and brought them to the table on a tray:
“Noodles are ready, Teacher.”
“Wow, it smells so good~ Yukino, you worked hard!”
Xiye couldn’t wait to grab a pair of chopsticks, pick up some noodles, blow on them, and slurp them into her mouth. Propping up her chin, she let out a satisfied sound:
“Mmm~ So tasty. If only I could cook like you, Yukino.”
Strange.
Yukino stared at Xiye.
Definitely strange.
Although Xiye acted very friendly on the surface, Yukino clearly felt the distance between them had grown, like she was a guest being warmly entertained in someone else’s home.
Polite, but distant.
There was a thick barrier between their hearts. They could hear each other’s voices, but couldn’t reach each other.
“Hmm? Yukino, why are you staring at me? Do I have a veggie leaf stuck to my face?” Xiye tilted her head.
“It’s nothing.”
Yukino lowered her head and took a small bite.
Too much chicken essence, a bit salty.
At last, she couldn’t hold back and asked:
“Teacher, did something happen last night?”
“Hmm?”
Xiye chewed her noodles, as if trying to recall. After swallowing, she said:
“Nothing happened, really. I just happened to see you go into a bar, and by the time I got there, you were already dead drunk… Since I didn’t know your address, I had no choice but to bring you back here.”
She leaned over and gently chopped the side of Yukino’s forehead with her hand.
“Ugh…”
“Yukino, you know students aren’t allowed to drink, but you still went to a bar. That deserves punishment!” she scolded with a smile.
“I understand, Teacher. I won’t do it again.”
Yukino smiled as well, but the light in her eyes was gradually fading.
What a good teacher…
Who is she showing this gentleness to?
Ah… It’s me.
She gripped her chopsticks tighter, her hands trembling ever so slightly.