"Come to think of it, Erina, you said you were going to teach me how to cook, but isn't that what I'm doing right now?"
Pushing all other thoughts aside, Li Ke teased Erina, who was sitting in a metal tub being kept warm by a small fire. Erina froze for a moment, then immediately realized what he meant.
"You idiot!"
Blushing furiously, she splashed some water onto Li Ke, but quickly covered her chest in embarrassment.
Even though they'd already been through so much together, she was still a little shy. After all, they'd only known each other for a few days, and their relationship had already progressed to this point.
It was only natural for a girl to still feel bashful.
"How dare you say something like that in front of a chef! You're horrible!"
Erina puffed her cheeks in indignation, looking adorably furious. Li Ke couldn't help but laugh.
However, thinking about this topic reminded him of something else.
In Erina's world, there was a girl obsessed with A5-grade meat—a tanned, blonde, busty girl he happened to like quite a bit. Her name was Ikumi Mito, though most knew her as "Nikumi."
Most importantly, her outfits were... incredibly revealing.
Her usual attire was barely more modest than a swimsuit. The difference between what she wore and lingerie was no more than a few scraps of fabric.
Honestly, while she kept going on about high-quality meat, anyone who saw her would probably think she was a prime cut herself.
Still, Erina was no less impressive.
"In terms of looks and figure, Erina would definitely be rated A5 as well."
Splash!
Erina threw another handful of water at him.
"I told you not to say things like that in front of a chef!"
She glared at him, cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk. Li Ke had the audacity to compare her to meat when their relationship had started because of a misunderstanding involving food.
Not that she minded how things had turned out, but still! No dates, no wedding—something about this felt lacking.
And most importantly…
Li Ke was not gentle!
Feeling the soreness between her legs, Erina huffed angrily, completely forgetting that she was the one who hadn't let him off the hook earlier.
"Okay, okay, I get it. My bad. Time to change the water now," Li Ke said quickly, raising his hands in surrender. He gestured to a clean water bucket he'd prepared earlier, the contents heated and ready.
"Hmph. I'll let you off this time," Erina replied, still pouting. With his help, she moved to another tub and began cleaning herself thoroughly.
Once she finished her bath and rinsed herself off with clean water, Li Ke handed her a set of clothes he had prepared. Finally, it was his turn to wash up.
As Li Ke stripped down, fully re-energized, Erina huffed and deliberately avoided looking in his direction, wary of him suddenly pouncing on her and making her bath pointless.
Still, she couldn't resist sneaking a glance. After all, that thing had brought her sensations she'd never experienced before.
"It looks so weird and ugly… but earlier, it actually…"
She glanced down at her own stomach. While it was slightly red and swollen, it didn't look much different from before, leaving her marveling at the resilience of her body.
Li Ke, meanwhile, wasn't overthinking anything. Exhausted, he lowered himself into the warm water, savoring its soothing embrace.
"Ah… hot water is the best," he sighed, letting out a small groan of relief.
Hearing the sound, Erina, who was buttoning up her shirt, turned beet red. She hastily covered herself and sat down nearby, busying herself with organizing Li Ke's clothes.
His undergarments were still intact, so she'd only boiled a few shirts for sterilization. She'd already cleaned them earlier, so all she had to do now was fold his backup clothes. After finishing that, she sat quietly, keeping watch over their surroundings.
Li Ke's bath was quick, much to Erina's displeasure. When he was done, she glared at him.
"Did you even wash properly?"
She poked him in the back with her finger, grumbling. To her, his quick rinse was far too careless.
Li Ke could only sigh and point at the sky.
"We don't have much choice. We need to head back soon."
The sun was already dipping below the horizon, leaving them little time.
"Hmph! If you keep washing like that, you can forget about stepping into my room next time!"
Crossing her arms, Erina turned and stormed off. Li Ke watched her retreating figure, feeling a little helpless.
"Girls really do change once they become women, huh?"
Her shy demeanor was still there, but now she carried herself with the authority of a household head. There was a definite "lady of the house" vibe about her now.
If only her face wasn't so red that she couldn't meet his eyes, her posture might have actually been convincing.
The two of them hurried back to the RV and began preparing dinner. Since Erina didn't dare cook herself this time, Li Ke took charge of the meal.
Under her strict supervision, he managed to make something decent. However, after taking just one bite, Erina sighed in resignation.
"You completely wasted this cut of meat," Erina said with exasperation, looking at Li Ke with a mix of frustration and resignation.
"The heat control was off, your stirring technique was weak, and you didn't compensate for the seasoning imbalance. Instead, you just dumped them in without blending their flavors properly during the cooking process. At best... this is edible. But mark my words: if we were in my world, I wouldn't even touch food like this! Hmph!"
Despite her sharp critique, Erina immediately took another bite, her annoyed huff somewhat undermined by her actions.
Li Ke scratched the back of his head awkwardly. He had tasted Erina's cooking before, and while it often produced strange effects, the flavor was leagues beyond what he could achieve. It was humbling, but seeing Erina steadily eating his food brought a sheepish smile to his face.
What Li Ke didn't realize was the turmoil Erina was experiencing internally.
"Why doesn't it taste bad to me? It's so flawed…"
Erina chewed slowly, her mind racing. She could easily identify every shortcoming in Li Ke's cooking: the missed potential, the improperly handled ingredients, and the wasted opportunities for better flavor. Yet, despite all of that, what stood out most to her wasn't the flaws but the subtle, fleeting hints of deliciousness buried within the dish.
Her highly sensitive "God Tongue" instinctively highlighted these enjoyable aspects first, before forcing her to acknowledge the imperfections.
This discovery left Erina deeply unsettled yet oddly comforted.
If this were the Erina of the past, she would have been inconsolable over this revelation. The idea that she could tolerate, even enjoy, subpar cooking would have shaken her confidence in her identity as a culinary prodigy. But now, she felt an inexplicable sense of security.
"Is this... because of him?"
Glancing at Li Ke, who wore a clumsy but determined expression, she found herself less focused on the food and more on his presence. Somehow, just seeing him like this made her feel at ease, enough that she could enjoy her meal regardless of its flaws.
"What a strange feeling… Is this what it means to be a couple?"
She decided to keep this revelation to herself. If Li Ke ever found out, his ego would undoubtedly inflate to ridiculous proportions.
"And his... other ego is already inflated enough..."
As Erina finished the last of her meal, Li Ke, oblivious to her thoughts, reached a conclusion of his own.
"It must be the quality of the meat. Even I can tell this is some top-tier stuff. The flavor is on another level."
To him, it felt like eating the pure concept of meat itself.
"Game worlds really are something else."
The thought made him look forward to what was to come.
That night, after dinner, the two retired to Erina's room to sleep, though Erina's expression remained one of mock disdain.
---
The next morning, Li Ke woke to find Erina nestled against his chest. Smiling, he gently touched her shoulder, causing her to stir awake. Her face flushed as she quickly moved her hand away from a certain area.
"Good morning," Li Ke said cheerfully.
"Morning…" Erina's greeting was cut off as her voice turned into an incoherent mumble, accompanied by muffled sounds and flustered movements. By the time Li Ke was outside grilling meat, Erina emerged from her morning wash with a red face, throwing his coat at him in frustration.
"You idiot! Do you even realize what time it is? Hurry up and finish cooking! We need to make up for lost time today!"
Despite her scolding, Li Ke simply grinned and put on his coat. After breakfast, the two set out for the mine to continue their work.
Their routine remained the same as the previous day: mining ores and converting them into turret ammunition using their inventory system. Occasionally, they encountered stray zombies, but nothing too threatening. Fortunately, the unsettling white-clad zombies from before didn't appear, making the work manageable.
By lunchtime, they had unearthed not only iron but also nitrate and coal, with Li Ke even discovering some tin. These game-like resource deposits were proving to be a tremendous help, significantly streamlining their progress.
However, the most valuable resource remained the turret ammunition crafted from scrap iron.
When the two finally wrapped up for the day, Li Ke had reached level 15. Yet, there was still no change in the game system, and the repetitive work had left him with an aching back and sore arms.
Erina was in a similar state, stretching her arms and twisting her waist as she tried to shake off the stiffness. Clearly, the life of a miner wasn't one she was suited for either.
"We'll probably need a rest day tomorrow," Li Ke muttered, noting their exhaustion.
But when they returned to the merchant, an awkward realization struck.
After selling 3,000 turret ammunition rounds, the merchant refused to buy any more from Li Ke. Puzzled, he handed the ammunition to Erina, who managed to sell her share without issue.
"Wait… does this mean each person has a limit of 3,000 rounds?"