When I woke up, I noticed Koneko lying beside in my bed. My face turned red as the mory of what had happened the day before ca rushing back. Quietly, I pulled the blanket over her to keep her warm and slipped out of bed, careful not to wake her.
Once I made it to the living room, an idea struck —I should make her breakfast as a thank-you for coming to check on .
….
Koneko's POV
I woke up to the sll of sothing burning. Alard, I sat up and noticed that Shiro wasn't in bed. Following the trail of smoke, I hurried to the kitchen, only to find Shiro coughing as a small cloud of smoke hovered above him.
"Um…" He turned to sheepishly. "How long are you supposed to cook eggs and bacon for?"
….
Shiro's POV
I sat on the couch, sulking. Koneko had banned from the kitchen until she finished cleaning up the disaster I'd made. A few minutes later, she walked out, her expression less than amused. Without warning, she flicked on the forehead.
"Ow!" I whined, rubbing the spot.
"How have you even been eating if you can't cook?" she asked, scanning the room. Her eyes landed on the pile of wrappers scattered across the living room—McDonald's, Wendy's, Taco Bell, instant ran packets.
I scratched my chin, avoiding her gaze. "Uh… gotta love Grubhub?" I muttered sheepishly.
Another flick to the forehead.
"Ow!" I protested again, pouting.
….
Once we finished cleaning up, I flopped onto the couch beside Koneko. She turned to , her gaze steady as she stared directly at .
"Shiro," she began, her voice soft but firm, "I know you've been through a lot in Arica. But I want you to understand that I'm here for you."
Her words caught off guard. "Really? Even though I'm a disgrace?" I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
She grabbed my shoulders and made face her, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"You are not a disgrace," she said, her voice trembling with emotion. "A disgrace couldn't have killed a fallen angel like it was nothing. A disgrace wouldn't have fought so hard to survive. A disgrace wouldn't have stolen my heart!"
I froze, shocked by her words. Her cheeks turned bright red as she realized what she'd just admitted. Before she could say anything else, I hugged her tightly, surprising her this ti.
"T-thank you," I murmured, my voice breaking. "I n-needed that. I… I love you too."
She pulled back slightly, her eyes wide. Then, with a soft smile, she leaned in and kissed on the cheek. My face burned even brighter as she grinned at my reaction.
"You're not allowed in the kitchen anymore," she teased.
"But I kind of like almost burning down the house," I replied, smirking.
Another flick to the forehead.
"Ow!" I whined for the third ti, but this ti, we both laughed.
I crossed my arms, pouting. "That's not fair!"
Koneko gave a pointed look. "Life's not fair."
"Where did you put my candy stash?" I demanded.
"It's gone," she said firmly, "until you eat all of your food."
I gasped, utterly betrayed. "But I have candy with everything!"
"And that's exactly why it's gone," she shot back. "You need to eat properly."
"You eat a lot of sweets too," I argued, trying to shift the bla.
"I limit myself to four chocolate bars a day. How many do you eat?"
"About twenty… but that's beside the point!"
Her expression didn't budge. "No, the point is that you're eating this without sweets. You need a balanced diet."
"I don't wanna be on a diet! I'm not a schoolgirl trying to watch her weight so she doesn't look fat!" I protested dramatically.
Koneko's eyes narrowed at , a flicker of irritation crossing her face. Then ca another flick to my forehead.
"Ow!" I whined, rubbing the spot.
"Does that apply to ?" she asked with an icy edge to her voice.
I blinked, realizing my mistake. "I didn't know lolis watched their weight."
Flick!
"OW!" I yelped again, wincing as she crossed her arms and smirked triumphantly.
….
I stretched out on the couch, watching Koneko doze off nearby. Her peaceful expression brought a small smile to my face. As her breathing evened out, I decided to close my eyes and enter my Instant Dungeon.
When I opened my interface, I noticed there were more options than before. A notification popped up, catching my attention.
Quest:
Defeat the Vampire King
Rewards:
• $10,000
• 3,000 EXP
• 3 Random Skill Books
• 2 Mystery Items
Without hesitation, I hit YES and entered the vampire castle early.
The castle was massive, much larger than I had expected. The dark, looming walls cast eerie shadows, and a massive outer wall surrounded the structure. At the center was a gate, which stood wide open. With a deep breath, I stepped through, my sword in hand.
No sooner had I entered than I was greeted by the sight of 30 vampires standing before . They all turned their crimson eyes toward , their predatory gazes locking on like I was fresh prey.
I quickly activated Observe:
Na: ???
Race: Vampire
HP: 500
MP: 2000/2000
"Well, crap," I muttered under my breath. "They've got so serious magical power."
The vampires charged toward in unison. Not wasting any ti, I activated Sparks, sending arcs of electricity through the air toward them. With my free hand, I summoned my sword and ignited it with flas.
The mont the fiery blade roared to life, the vampires hesitated, their movents faltering. That's when I rembered—they were afraid of sunlight, and my flas mimicked its destructive properties.
A grin spread across my face. "Perfect."
I lunged forward, sword blazing, cutting through their ranks.
….
After clearing the area, I collapsed onto one knee, panting heavily. I reached into my inventory and pulled out three stamina potions and two mana potions, quickly downing them to recover.
Before I could fully catch my breath, loud footsteps echoed from deeper within the castle. The ground seed to tremble with each step. I gripped my sword tightly, the flas reigniting as I prepared myself.
From the shadows, sothing erged.
My eyes widened as I saw it.
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