Eating alone and with everyone

With a sense of finality, Luo Mo finished packing his belongings. The act was simple, yet it signified a significant change in his life. He was officially moving into Theresa's house, becoming a part of the apocalypse household. From this day forward, he would be dining on the white rice served at their table. The thought brought a wry smile to his face. Wasn't this akin to eating soft rice, as the saying goes?

As he was lost in his thoughts, Theresa's voice echoed from the staircase, pulling him back to reality. "By the way, Luo Mo, do you feel uncomfortable?" she asked. She was standing on the hovering staircase made of log-colored wood, her face filled with anticipation.

Luo Mo looked at her, puzzled. Why would he feel uncomfortable? He responded with a simple, "No, what's wrong?"

Theresa looked equally puzzled at his response. It was strange. Logically speaking, being in close proximity to Sirin and her level of Honkai energy should have been oppressive to an ordinary person.

"You know Sirin, right? According to that dream voice in the game you made, you should know it," she said.

"Yeah, so?" Luo Mo replied.

"She lives next to this villa," Theresa explained. "So it's only logical that any ordinary person other than a Valkyrie would have a hard time coming here."

Luo Mo was taken aback. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"No, listen to me," Theresa quickly interjected. "With Cecilia accompanying her by her side, the Honkai energy in her body is gradually being internalized. The current level is completely incompatible with the Herrscher Great Honkai. Therefore, an ordinary person would only feel a tightness in their chest."

She paused for effect before revealing a hint of a winning smile. "However, if you're scared, I won't object to you going!"

"Hehe, if it was two days ago, maybe I would have really gone!" Luo Mo laughed heartily. He had seen through Theresa's playful scheme.

"But right now, I have a pressing need to seek out Sirin and Moth-, ahem, Cecilia-sama," Luo Mo declared, his voice echoing in the grandeur of the apocalypse household.

Theresa, intrigued by his sudden announcement, asked, "What do you need to find them for?"

"Little Theresa," Luo Mo began, a playful twinkle in his eyes. "You haven't been dubbing at the company lately, have you? The next episode is brimming with scenes featuring them!"

"There are scenes for them?" Theresa's eyes widened in surprise. Then she paused, her gaze narrowing suspiciously. "Wait, what did you just call this headmaster?"

"The lovely Theresa-sama!" Luo Mo responded with a righteous tone. His face was serious, not betraying a hint of insincerity.

Theresa was momentarily speechless. Annoyed, she leapt down from the stairs and retorted, "Darn it, that title won't work either!"

"Then, Theresa headmaster," Luo Mo quickly changed his approach, trying to steer the conversation away from the earlier topic. "Why don't you take me to meet them!"

"Now? Not right now! People are eating, you… Forget it," Theresa sighed in resignation. "I'll go to the cafeteria and bring one back for you. Today you'll first stroll around the villa, don't go to the teaching area."

Theresa gently tapped her cheeks with her right thumb as she thought about it. She then added with a resigned smile on her face.

Sure enough, it's still Theresa who is good at cheating! Luo Mo thought to himself with a chuckle.

At this moment, Theresa stood before Luo Mo, her expression serious. "Luo Mo, when do you plan to rescue Wendy?" she asked, her voice echoing in the quiet room.

Luo Mo paused, his mind racing as he calculated the time and leverage. He was deep in thought, his gaze distant. He had never forgotten his identity as a traveler. While he trusted the Schicksal and the Valkyries, he found it more reliable to introduce Thirteen Flame Chasers as an alien force.

Moreover, he knew that Thirteen Flame Chasers would need to step in for the later episodes. Traveling to the World Serpent before Kevin arrived in this world seemed like the most logical path to take.

"Before the second stage of this plot is released, I'll go looking for a way to rescue Wendy," Luo Mo finally said, his voice filled with determination.

Theresa let out a sigh of relief. "Phew~, I know." Knowing the exact time of an event always brought a sense of reassurance.

She straightened her clothes and began to walk towards the door. As she did so, she turned back to ask Luo Mo, "So, let me go bring you a meal. What would you like?"

"Just not bitter melon juice or a children's meal!" Luo Mo quickly responded.

Theresa paused at the doorway, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. She huffed and puffed, her white fingers clenched together, making crunching sounds.

Without turning her head, Theresa maintained her composure. Her demeanor was a testament to the grace and dignity that the apocalypse family was known for. "It's just this one day, hold it in, it's just the first day," she muttered to herself, her voice barely above a whisper.

A flicker of annoyance crossed her face. "Still so hateful, is he being sarcastic about this headmaster? Hmph!" She huffed, her mind already formulating a plan. "As an Asian, he must not have tasted any of the British or European specialties. I'll bring him one, I have to see him eat it!" she declared with a determined glint in her eyes. (Oh Theresa, not the British food!!)

On her first day of this new arrangement, Theresa's face bore a slightly grim expression. The day had been filled with unexpected turns and she was bracing herself for what was yet to come.

...

In the neighboring villa, a lively family dinner was unfolding. The aroma of a sumptuous lunch wafted through the air, a testament to Cecilia's culinary skills. Dressed in a homely apron, she juggled between entertaining the guests and calling out to Sirin, who was upstairs engrossed in her games.

"Sirin, stop playing games! Come and eat!" Cecilia's voice echoed through the house. She had prepared an extra special meal today, for Kiana had informed her that she would be bringing two of her closest friends over.

"Kiana, introduce your good friends!" Cecilia encouraged, eager to meet the young people who had captured her daughter's friendship.

"Let's introduce them together when second sister gets here, uh-uh, good times!" Kiana replied cheerfully. She was already seated at the table, enthusiastically devouring her food, her mouth never pausing for a moment.

Beside her, Mei and Bronya sat quietly, observing Kiana in her natural habitat. They made no move to start eating, choosing instead to take in the warm and welcoming atmosphere of Kiana's home.

"Then why don't you wait for Sirin to come and eat together?" Cecilia suggested with a smile. She set down her knife and fork on her plate and turned her full attention to Kiana.

Sensing a potential crisis, Kiana hurriedly put down what she was holding. "It's, it's because mom's cooking is so delicious! It smells so good to look at and tastes so great, well, it's the best food in the world!" she exclaimed in a rush.

Meanwhile, Mei looked nervously at her bowl, feeling as if she was meeting her in-laws for the first time. Bronya simply stared at Kiana in silence, choosing not to say a word…

(???)

She had made a similar comment about Mei-san's rice just the day before, but she had no intention of letting that slip. Over the past few days, through snippets of conversation, she had also come to understand that Seele indeed had two personalities. She had firmly and seriously condemned Seele's comment about the orphanage being all Bronya's harem, dismissing it as someone's prank.

Unfortunately, the boss hadn't yet provided a way to rescue Seele, so she wasn't going to hold Luo Mo accountable. Through their constant chatting, Seele had come to believe that her sister Bronya was right there on the other end of the line, chatting with her.

After all, she was in the deep sea, and the only outlet for her loneliness was the notebook that allowed her to communicate with others. It was clear that Bronya, who was on the other end of the notebook, was more than happy to lend an ear.

For the past few days, she had been sporting light dark circles under her eyes. When she wasn't reading or conversing through her notebook, she was engrossed in books on quantum mechanics.

While Bronya had refuted the idea of the orphanage being her harem, she didn't deny that the two Hierarchs could be! She seemed perfectly content with the idea of double the pleasure!

With a newfound determination, she decided to actively start learning from those around her. Her initial target was Kiana, who was relentlessly trying to win over Mei.

"Achoo! Who's badmouthing me," Kiana sneezed suddenly, her eyes darting around the room in search of any suspicious objects. Finding none, she winked at Cecilia and said, "Mom, believe me, it's really because the food smells so good! It's definitely not because I wanted to make Sirin hungry!"

Cecilia could only laugh bitterly at her daughter's antics and respond in a helpless tone. "Wait a minute, Sirin has been addicted to that Honkai 3 game for the past two days. The game added the Abyss mode, which always lets players improve their scores. And the one in front of her even taunted her by renaming it [Stairway to the top, just 3 points away?], much to Sirin's exasperation!"

"Oh, ahahaha, that's funny," Kiana laughed heartily. "Mom, do you play that game too? I made it in there!"