As they reached the underwater volcano with the Special Affairs Bureau, Rita received the tenth reward from Eleanor—a set of three baskets of crab roe soup dumplings. Once again, there were no words included; Rita silently accepted them without replying.
Rita often wondered if her stubbornness was inherited from Eleanor. Back when Rita had become a star and met Eleanor in B City, she had felt awkward approaching her grandmother, feeling as though it might seem like she was after her money. But now, things were different.
She and Nivalis sat on the steps in the backyard, enjoying the dumplings together. Nivalis couldn't use a straw but didn't care about the heat, so she simply grabbed a whole dumpling and stuffed it in her mouth. "Delicious!! Way better than that talkative eel stir-fry a hundred times over!" she exclaimed.
Rita responded, "My grandmother made it, of course, it's good." She paused, slightly embarrassed by her pride.