Suddenly, a pink cow, standing upright at about 1.2 meters tall, appeared in front of Sui.
It was Miltank Pokémon, just like the one Sui had seen on TV.
As soon as it spotted Sui, the Miltank affectionately mooed twice and leaned in to nuzzle his hand.
Sui smiled, nodding in acknowledgment, and patted the creature on its head.
Miltank beamed with happiness, its tail swishing joyfully.
Sui then picked up a kitchen knife from the counter, holding it thoughtfully as he made slicing gestures in the air. He muttered to himself, "Where should I start cutting? I wonder if the meat is any good."
Miltank: "…"
Fear flashed across its face. Without hesitation, it backed away from Sui, eyes wide with panic.
"Wait, maybe I should check the instructions first," Sui suddenly remembered. He opened the booklet that came with it.
—_—
—Miltank
—Food Grade: B
—Description: A docile creature that produces milk of high nutritional value. Its milk is ideal for the elderly and children, with a daily yield of 20 kilograms. While its meat is tender, consumption is not recommended. It's better kept for milk production.
Origin: Pokémon World.
—_—
"Ah, I see. So it's better to keep it for milk rather than… anything else," Sui said, nodding to himself.
"Yes, I advise the host not to store it in the system space. Miltank needs grass and sunlight. This way, the milk will be of the highest quality," the system explained.
"Huh? What kind of animal is this?" a voice chimed in.
Erina, now dressed in pink pajamas, had just entered the kitchen. Her eyes immediately landed on the Miltank.
"Is this some kind of miniature cow?" she asked curiously, walking over to inspect it.
Upon seeing Erina, Miltank seemed to find a savior and quickly hid behind her, trembling slightly.
"Haha, it's so cute," Erina chuckled. Like many girls, she couldn't resist the charm of cute animals. She crouched down and patted its head gently.
Sui approached, intending to touch the Miltank, but it ducked behind Erina, refusing to come out.
Sui was speechless. Clearly, his earlier knife gestures had traumatized the poor thing.
"What did you do to it?" Erina said, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "You must've done something horrible."
Miltank nodded vigorously behind her, waving its hooves at Sui in frustration.
Sui: "…"
"Ahem. Erina, do you mind if I keep this cow near your mansion?" Sui asked, trying to change the subject.
"Huh? Sure, that's fine," Erina agreed. Her mansion had sprawling green lawns and a fountain — a perfect environment for raising the Miltank.
"Great!" Sui was relieved. His tiny apartment was far too small to accommodate the cow, but Erina's place would be perfect.
To show its gratitude, Miltank quickly squeezed out a glass of milk and handed it to Erina.
"Oh? Is this for me? How smart! Thank you," Erina said, pleasantly surprised. She accepted the glass and took a sip.
"What a sweet flavor!" she exclaimed. Erina had tasted milk from the best ranches in the world, yet this was far superior.
"Can I try it too?" Sui asked.
The Miltank hesitated, looking reluctant, but eventually squeezed out another glass for him.
"Thanks." Sui took the glass and tasted it.
"This is incredible!" Sui marveled. The milk was so rich and delicious that he was grateful he hadn't acted on his earlier thoughts of butchering the poor creature.
"Hey, Sui, what breed is this cow? Where did you get it from?" Erina asked, her curiosity piqued.
"That's a secret," Sui replied, grinning. He couldn't very well tell her the cow was from the Pokémon world.
"How stingy," Erina muttered, though she couldn't deny how impressed she was. "But this milk really is amazing."
"It produces 20 kilograms every day," Sui noted casually.
"Twenty kilograms?!" Erina's eyes widened. The thought of getting so much fresh milk daily made her heart race.
"You can keep it at your place and use the milk however you want," Sui offered generously.
"Thanks," Erina replied sincerely. "But I won't take too much. After all, it's yours."
"Don't worry about it. With our relationship, there's no need to be so formal," Sui said with a wave of his hand.
Normally, Erina would've snapped back with her usual tsundere response, but this time, she remained quiet, not bothering to argue.
"Oh, by the way," Erina suddenly remembered. She pulled a key and a slip of paper from her pajama pocket and handed them to Sui. "The venue for your research meeting has been approved. Here's the key and the address. As for funding, the stipend will be issued tomorrow — but it's only 100,000 yen."
"Only 100,000?" Sui said in disbelief. "That's more than enough!" With only two people in the group, 100,000 yen seemed like a lot. But, knowing Erina's tendency to be a spendthrift, especially with her extravagant tastes, he kept quiet.
The two continued sipping their milk, then set up a shelter for the Miltank outside before heading to bed.
—_—
The next morning, as usual, Sui and Erina began their day with a squabble.
"Get away from me, you idiot! Stop crowding me!" Erina snapped, her golden hair a mess as she brushed her teeth. She glared at Sui, who nonchalantly brushed his own teeth beside her, completely ignoring her protests.
"Erina-sama, are you alright?" a voice called from outside the door.
"I'm almost ready, Hisako. Just a moment!" Erina quickly rinsed her mouth and dashed out.
"Erina-sama," Hisako said as soon as she saw her, "I noticed a miniature cow outside."