After some time, Ava told Ethan that his bath was ready. Without wasting any more time, Ethan quickly made his way towards the bathroom.
The stickiness and dry blood on his skin had become uncomfortable and itchy, making him eager for a bath.
The bathroom, and the entire apartment for that matter, was not very spacious. In a luxurious home or building, the apartment would be considered one of the smallest rooms. There wasn't much room for furniture or appliances, making it difficult to feel comfortable.
But that was to be expected in the third district area, and considering the amount of money paid for it, expecting more would be unreasonable.
Even as Ethan took his bath, he felt very uncomfortable as there wasn't much space to move around in the bathroom.
The warm water cascaded down his skin as he used his hands and nails to scrape off the layers of dried blood and dirt.
The warmth was pleasant, but he would have preferred a cold bath.
However, he couldn't complain since Ava had prepared it for him and he didn't want to waste her effort. Plus, since he was now inhabiting this body, he had to be careful not to change his character too much and raise suspicions. He needed to slowly adapt and make subtle changes.
Once he finished washing himself, he stood by the mirror, drying himself off. The bathroom was lit by a battery-powered bulb which he had turned on upon entering.
"Well, at least I'm handsome now," he muttered to himself as he slowly dried his fluffy dark hair with the towel. He paused for a moment, lifting his hand to trail it across his smooth face.
'Even better than Noah.' A thought suddenly popped into his mind.
In his previous life, he was the strongest, but he had a below-average appearance. Noah, on the other hand, was the least strong but had charming charisma that always attracted girls.
During their friendship, Noah would often tease him about his appearance, though he never took it seriously. Now, seeing his new handsome appearance, Ethan's ego was slightly rattled by it.
A small grin appeared on his face as he stared at his reflection in the mirror, but he quickly wiped it away, knowing he needed to stay focused.
This new body was weak and required a lot of work. Handsomeness was not enough if one lacked strength. Besides, Noah was no longer a friend but his most hated enemy, someone he wanted to kill.
With a serious expression, he continued to dry his body with the towel. Once he was finished, he put on a light home cloth and left the bathroom, heading straight for the living room. He could hear Ava's movements and see the orange light from the gas lamp.
As he entered, Ethan noticed Ava placing a plate of food on the center table, as he walked into the living room, the delicious smell of the food filled the air and made his mouth water.
Beside the plate of food was the candlestick-shaped gas lamp casting an orange glow that filled the living room.
"Smells nice, what do we have here?" Ethan greeted, intrigued by the enticing aroma.
"Oh, you finished already? You usually take longer," Ava responded, surprised by Ethan's sudden presence.
'Oops, I've already made a mistake,' Ethan thought to himself.
"Well, I didn't have much to do today, so I didn't get too dirty. No need to spend a lot of time cleaning up," Ethan lied.
"Oh, okay," Ava accepted his explanation without hesitation.
'Phew, I managed to avoid trouble this time. I need to be more careful in the future; sudden changes in behavior could pose a problem,' Ethan mused silently, relieved that Ava believed his lies.
Of course, Ethan knew that Ava's naivety, being only fifteen years old, made it easier for him to convince her. If she were more discerning, it would have been harder to persuade her with such a blatant change in character.
A person's routine habits, like taking long baths, cannot simply change in a day for no apparent reason.
Ethan was aware of this, but he didn't expect Ava to notice that he had finished his task so quickly.
'She's quite intelligent and observant,' Ethan made a mental note as he walked towards the worn-out sofa in the living room.
The lengthy sofa measured about 68 inches in width, and in front of the sofa was a small round table holding a bowl of piping hot food, there was no other furniture in the living room.
"I decided to make mushroom soup using the mushrooms I collected earlier today, along with various ingredients I could find," Ava explained as Ethan approached the sofa.
Upon hearing this, Ethan felt a churn in his belly. The thought of consuming food made with mushrooms found in the unsanitary third district was repulsive.
Every nook and cranny of that area was contaminated with urine, rotting waste, and even feces. He couldn't help but wonder where exactly Ava had come across these mushrooms.
Ethan was not one to feel comfortable in an unclean environment, let alone consider eating a meal prepared with dirty ingredients.
But he pushed aside his disgust, his hunger overriding his qualms for the moment.
Drawing closer, Ethan peered into the bowl of mushroom soup.
With the illumination from the gas lamp, the smooth and creamy texture of the soup became clear to Ethan's eyes.
"Wow, this looks amazing," Ethan exclaimed, sporting a brilliant smile as he playfully ruffled Ava's hair. In response, Ava blushed shyly.
He wasn't lying about the appearance of the food; it truly looked appetizing. The aroma that wafted from the bowl only heightened its allure. The combination of visual appeal and enticing fragrance made anyone want to take a bite immediately after setting eyes on it.
"Oh, I did my best," Ava modestly replied, though Ethan could see the glimmer of pride in her eyes as she accepted his compliment.