"You wasted my Spirit Fish!"
Rant Valo went over and pinched Floriana Sabina's cheeks.
"Dishsipol, shtop!"
Floriana Sabina struggled and pulled his hands off her cheeks. Her cheeks were red from where Rant Valo pinched her.
"How did you burn that fish?"
Rant Valo asked with a frown on his face. Such a good fish was actually wasted by her. If it weren't for her childish form he would've punched her. That fish was just that good and he's willing to fight someone to get it.
"I don't know... Disciple, why did you have to do that!?"
Floriana Sabina massaged her aching cheeks and stood up. There was fiery anger in her eyes. One look and Rant Valo felt like he looked directly at a demon king.
"Uh, it was on impulse! Besides, you did that on purpose didn't you!?"
Rant Valo felt cold sweat fall on his back when he saw her eyes. He remembered that he is in the right so his confidence went up.
"Hmph! It's because you're bad at teaching!"
Floriana Sabina's cheeks went a deeper shade of red as she felt embarrassed cooking such terrible food. It was even worse than the one she made yesterday! It's crazy! It must've been this guy's fault!
"M-me!?"
Rant Valo was shocked at Floriana Sabina's shameless blaming. It was not logical yet he couldn't help but find any fault in it at all. It was true that he was the one who told her that she saw him watch how to cook and she even copied what he did.
"That's right! If it weren't for your incompetence I would've cooked an overcooked one!"
There was pride on Floriana Sabina's face when she said so. It was like she was on the side of justice or something.
I'm not sure if that is something you're supposed to be proud of...
Rant Valo looked at her proud pose weirdly. He wondered what kind of life she must've lived to end up being so bad at cooking that she's proud of overcooking her food.
"You're just bad at it! Here I'll show you!"
Rant Valo wouldn't take this lying down so he grabbed another Spirit Fish and started to cook it.
"First, put the fish far from the flame. It may not heat up quickly but what we're doing is cooking the insides till it's about to be cooked"
Rant Valo explained with a sneer. He wanted to see her face when he showed her how intricate his skills in cooking were!
"Hmph! I bet that'll turn out raw anyway"
Floriana Sabina hmph'd and looked away when he looked at her.
"I'll show you the cooking skills of someone who cooked for himself for 10 years!"
Rant Valo grinned widely. His confidence was from having to cook his own food for 10 years since he was 7 years old. He already made all the mistakes possible for cooking fishes in that span of time. He wouldn't make such an amateurish mistake right here.
"How do you know when its center is about to be cooked? You poke its body. If it's a little springy yet firm then it should be time"
Rant Valo skillfully poked the fish with a stick. He poked it a few times every 10 seconds and when it passed his criteria he removed the fish from the flame.
"Here, look, you see how the meat in the center is a little raw? That's what you want for a perfect seared fish"
Rant Valo sliced the fish and steam floated upwards. He showed the center to Floriana Sabina and it was a little raw.
"Hmph! I bet you'll burn it later!"
Floriana Sabina couldn't accept his results. She is someone who is talented! What nonsense raw center was he saying?
"I'll show you!"
Rant Valo was still confident in himself. He took Floriana Sabina's words as nothing more than a rambling from an amateur.
"Sear!"
Rant Valo placed the flat side of the fish directly on the flame and the skin started to sear. It formed a delicious skin exterior. The juices flowed and bolstered the fire.
Rant Valo flipped it over and did the same on the other side. When he was sure that the fish was seared perfectly, he grinned proudly at Floriana Sabina.
He looked over at her and saw that she was not responding. Her eyes were entirely glued at the stick of fish in his hands.
Whoosh!
The fish in Rant Valo's hand disappeared. It appeared in Floriana Sabina's hand and she took a big bite with her small mouth. The juices flowed down her lips seductively.
"Delicious!"
She couldn't help but exclaim loudly. It was just too delicious! The fish meat was cooked perfectly. It was not the same as the overcooked fish she had last night plus the delicious taste of a Spirit Fish.
Her eyes glazed over at the delicious food she's eating.
Rant Valo was speechless at her. He didn't expect her to just up and steal his Cooked Spirit Fish.
"Hic! Hic! Huh, why am I crying?"
Floriana Sabina wiped her eyes with her wrist and saw tears. She stared blankly at the fish in her hands. A hazy and blurry memory floated in front of her.
A little girl cheering happily as she watched her mother grill a Spirit Fish. The mother cooked the fish skillfully and with care.
A little sprinkle of salt and the mother rested the plate of piping hot fish in front of the little girl. There was a smile on the girl's face as she took a spoonful and blew on it.
"Mom! Delicious!"
The little girl exclaimed to her mother after eating it with delight. A satisfied motherly love oozed from her smile.
"Yes, eat up, Little Flori"
With those words, Floriana Sabina came back to her senses. She looked around her and found that she was back in front of the campfire.
Rant Valo was looking at her with a cheeky grin on his face. He looked like he just won the biggest victory of his life.