Arcana

Chapter 17

A large portion of frozen meat and instant noodles were taken out from the refrigerator and was neatly arranged on the countertop. They were on its way of being transformed into a meal that wouldn't tarnish my reputation as a homemade cook.

"A beef noodle soup seems possible with these."

The pre flavored meat was in fact beef and wouldn't need further sautéing. A broth mixture was also included inside the pack of instant noodles, allowing the meal to be cooked in less than fifteen minutes. But before that-

I'll take off the gauntlets first.

Cooking while donning a full body armor was clearly unsanitary so I took it off without much effort, showing my pale white hands that were riddled with calluses and scars. In addition to that, I also wore a white apron over the pure black armor which created quite a contrast.

Oops I almost forgot.

Good sanitation was the first step in cooking something delicious so I immediately washed my hand using the faucet that was installed on the sink. Freezing water that came from the lake showered my skin but instead of shivering due to the cold, I felt revitalized. The fatigue dissipated quickly, as if a cooling energy was forcibly pumped into my nerves.

"Can I help?"

Out of nowhere, Lily adorably offered help while wearing an oversized plain white T shirt. Since she didn't have any extra clothes, I lent her some of mine. Enough to cover the skin until above her knees which further proved that our height wasn't too far from each other.

"Of course, you can peel off the plastic wrappings."

Welcoming her assistance with wide arms, I instructed Lily to peel off the plastic that covered the frozen meat. It was quite difficult since the meat was frozen solid but Lily persevered to accomplish the task.

"You should warm it up first with water."

Seeing that Lily was unnecessarily using her strength for naught, I reluctantly gave her a hint. She must've been unfamiliar with household chores especially while living with a doting father like Professor Sanders. Nonetheless, she did her best and eventually managed to completely peel off a piece. But it seems that Lily wasn't the only one doing her best.

"Mmmm..."

A pair of black ears that belonged to a cat was peeking barely at the edge of the counter where Lily was working at. Whenever Lily finishes a piece and puts it on a plate beside the pile of meat, the ear twitched in response. It was the beast girl named Ranxa if I remembered it correctly.

Even if she was dangerously close to Lily, Ranxa didn't try to attack her and for some reason Lily didn't mind her that much. It looked like she only wanted to catch a whiff of the meat but as soon as I started to boil the noodles, her ears twitched erratically. Ranxa was trying her best not to give in to her temptations.

While waiting for the noodles to cook, I chopped up the already peeled pieces of meat and threw them inside the pot. An appetizing aroma wafted throughout the kitchen with every piece of meat I put in. Ranxa immediately her battle against hunger as she frantically tried to jump on top of the counter. Probably because her energy was almost depleted, she failed to jump high enough to reach the remaining pile of meat.

"It's almost finished so please go back to your seat."

I instructed Ranxa, who was dangerously eyeing the direction of the delicious smell, with a serious tone. Surprisingly, she obediently nodded her head and went back to her seat with her black tail wiggling in delight. Despite the fact that I was wearing quite an intimidating armor, she didn't seem to harbor any sort of negative feelings toward me.